the oscars

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Jennifer Lawrence: ‘The most damaging term we have’ is ‘post-feminist era’

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Embed from Getty Images Here are some photos of Jennifer Lawrence at two pre-Oscar events in the past two days. As I keep saying, J-Law has been really good about not oversaturating the media with photos and interviews in the past few months. She was everywhere last year, and after she got her fourth Oscar nomination, she proceeded to not campaign for it at all. But she’s still J-Law, and she’s still the biggest star of her generation, and she’s still one of the biggest deals in Hollywood, so that’s why she came out for some events for Oscar weekend. First, the fashion. For last night’s Women In Film pre-Oscar cocktail party, Jennifer wore this absolutely awful Dior ensemble – the white jacket over what looks like an enlarged black fishnet dress. This should totally be considered a preview of things to come, because I’m sure she’s contractually obligated to wear Dior at the Oscars. And it might be bad. I think Dior is making gowns especially for J-Law, so maybe it won’t be THIS bad. I’m also including photos of Jennifer at that Dinner for Equality event two nights ago. She decided to forgo the Dior and went with Naeem Khan velvet pants and an embellished top. I would have enjoyed this more if the embellished top was a full-on dress. At the Dinner for Equality event, J-Law made some prepared remarks around pay equality (the event was co-hosted by Patricia Arquette, whose comments you can read here). J-Law said, in part: “It’s weird being a public figure talking about all of this stuff because you put a target on your nose. When I wrote that essay I got a lot of support but I also have a Republican family in Kentucky who told me my career was effectively over.” Lawrence said it’s vital to shed the notion that we live in a post-feminist era. “I don’t know who came up with that term, but it’s the most damaging term that we have, because it’s just not true.” [Via Variety] For what it’s worth, the Dinner for Equality event seemed like a very substantive discussion. At the Dinner for Equality event, they had feminist male allies from major studios talking about the importance on internal audits within studios to insure that women are being paid fairly and equally to their male counterparts. J-Law also said some words at the WIF event about pay equality: Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Embed from Getty Images Photos courtesy of Getty.

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Alicia Vikander in Erdem at the WIF, Film is GREAT events: cute or cloying?

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There were several big pre-Oscar events in LA last night, and I really hope the low-turnout at these events is indicative of the turnout for the Oscars. The two biggest events were The Film is GREAT reception (which is for British films and British actors nominated this year) and the annual Women In Film pre-Oscar cocktail party. Alicia Vikander wore the same Erdem dress to the WIF event and The Film is GREAT reception. I was set to side-eye Alicia’s presence at a British-film gathering, but then I remembered that The Danish Girl is a British-financed film with a British director and British costars. So… okay. It’s worth noting that her hokey “posh British” accent is really, really distracting in The Danish Girl. Here’s Idris Elba at the Film is GREAT reception, then he went out partying in Hollywood. Idris will be attending the Spirit Awards later today, and…? He’s not on the Oscar presenter list, but maybe he’ll come out for some of the Oscar parties. If he does come out for the parties, he should rethink the hat. Here’s Jennifer Jason Leigh at the Women in Film event. I feel a little bit sad about JJL – in another year, with a different campaign, this might have been her moment to win. I don’t like her ensemble here, it looks cheap. Maria Bello at the WIF event – this ensemble is absolutely tragic. Michelle Monaghan in Erdem at the WIF event… the “sheer dickie” part of this needs to GO. And finally, here’s Cate Blanchett at her own separate event for SK-II #ChangeDestiny Forum. She’s the face of SK-II (a skincare company), so I assume this was just a pre-Oscar event the company set up to promote their product AND Cate. The Antonio Berardi dress is very sexy – I love the little cap sleeve, and the design reminds me a lot of Roland Mouret. Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet and WENN.

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“Are you completely sure about this suit, Christina Hendricks?” links

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Christina Hendricks’ suit at the Hap And Leonard premiere was… um… [Popoholic] Karlie Kloss wore the craziest Alexander McQueen ensemble. [Go Fug Yourself] Elton John isn’t here for Janet Jackson’s lip syncing. [Dlisted] So are Lorde & Diplo happening or what? [LaineyGossip] Charlize Theron is not a “monster mom.” [Pajiba] Donald Trump is a terrible speller, in addition to being a fascist bully. [Jezebel] Love & Hip Hop NOLA is now a thing. [Starcasm] Kourtney Kardashian was out & about with her kids. [Moe Jackson] This Outlander EW cover would be sexier if both actors emoted a bit. [Buzzfeed] I still can’t believe the live-action Archie movie is happening. [OMG Blog] Would you smoke out of a Bernie Sanders bowl? [The Blemish] The best “Leo DiCaprio is thirsty for Oscar” memes. [Mashable] ****Note: We’ll be posting stories and fashion/party coverage Saturday and Sunday for Oscar weekend. We’ll have full coverage of the Independent Spirit Awards (which are held Saturday afternoon in LA) on Sunday. Sunday evening, we’ll also have an Open Post for the Oscars, Sunday evening posts for the big winners, and Celebitchy & I will be live-tweeting the red carpet and show. We’ll have full fashion & party coverage on Monday! You can follow me @KaiseratCB and CB @Celebitchy.

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Ian McKellen: Hollywood still discriminates against gay people & black people

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Over the holidays, I finally got around to seeing Mr. Holmes, the critically acclaimed film about Sherlock Holmes’ last case. Ian McKellen was the ancient Sherlock, and he was actually quite brilliant. So brilliant, I kind of wonder why he wasn’t a bigger part in the awards discussion. Ian has been nominated for two Oscars in his life, along with a slew of other awards for stage and screen. Most of those nominations and awards came after Ian came out of the closet. But I’m willing to acknowledge that Ian is sort of gay unicorn, much like Neil Patrick Harris: they are out gay men accepted by the “mainstream” to a large extent, possibly because they’re white men. Why do I bring this up? Ian has said some words about #OscarsSoWhite, and he draws a larger correlation with the groups shunned by the industry: women, LGBT and actors of color. Sir Ian McKellen has told Sky News he has “sympathy” for black people in Hollywood who feel discriminated against but added that gay people are also still being “disregarded”. The 76-year-old, who is gay and a co-founder of the rights group Stonewall, said criticism surrounding the lack of diversity among nominees at the Oscars is “legitimate”. Sir Ian said: “As a representative of the industry they’re in, it’s receiving complaints which I fully sympathise with. It’s not only black people who’ve been disregarded by the film industry, it used to be women, it’s certainly gay people to this day. And these are all legitimate complaints and the Oscars are the focus of those complaints of course.” [From Sky News] I don’t have a problem with what he says. He’s practicing “yes and” activism/alliance and he seems open to intersectionality. He’s not saying it’s a competition to see which is the most aggrieved group, he’s just saying that these groups (black people, LGBT and women) are largely disregarded by Hollywood stories. And he’s right. In another interview Monday, this time with the Guardian, Ian pointed out something really interesting: no openly gay actor has won the Oscar. He said: “No openly gay man has ever won the Oscar; I wonder if that is prejudice or chance.” He pointed out that Tom Hanks, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Sean Penn have all won Oscars for playing gay men but, “What about giving me one for playing a straight man? My speech has been in two jackets … ‘I’m proud to be the first openly gay man to win the Oscar.’ I’ve had to put it back in my pocket twice.” Damn, that actually tugged on my heartstrings a little bit. Even if Ian never wins the Oscar for acting, I have to think he’s got one coming for lifetime achievement, right? Embed from Getty Images Photos courtesy of Getty, Fame/Flynet and Pacific Coast News.

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Will Smith on #OscarsSoWhite: ‘It feels like it’s going the wrong direction’

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I get that not everyone likes or enjoys Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith, but can we agree on something? Like, Will Smith is a major movie star for a reason. He’s incredibly charismatic. I was reminded of that while watching his interview on Good Morning America on Thursday. Will stopped by GMA to discuss his wife’s boycott of the Oscars and the subsequent backlash. And while I defended Jada previously, I have to say that if she wants people on her side, she just needs to send Will out there to speak on her behalf. He has all the charisma in that family. Here’s the video: Some assorted quotes: He wasn’t part of Jada’s video but he supports it: “I was out of the country at the time, and I came home [and said], ‘What happened?’ She’s deeply passionate, and when she’s moved, she has to go. I heard her words, and I was knocked over. I was happy to be married to that woman. I appreciated the push. There’s a position that we hold in this community, and if we’re not a part of the solution, we’re a part of the problem. It was her call to action for herself, for me and for our family to be a part of the solution.” The two times Will has been Oscar nominated, he lost to black men: “That was huge. So when I see this list and series of nominations that come out — everybody is fantastic, and that’s the complexity of this issue. Everyone is beautiful and deserving and is fantastic, but it feels like it’s going the wrong direction. It reflects a series of challenges we’re having in our country at the moment. There’s a regressive slide toward separatism.” The regressive slide: “The nominations reflect the Academy, the Academy reflects the industry… and the industry reflects America. There’s a regressive slide toward separatism, toward racial and religious disharmony.” He says Jada isn’t just mad about Will’s snub: “For Jada, had I been nominated and no other people of color were, she would have made the video anyway. This is so deeply not about me. This is about children that are going to sit down and they’re going to watch this show and they’re not going to see themselves represented.” He won’t attend the Oscars without Jada: “It would be awkward for me to show up with Charlize [Theron]. We’ve discussed it and we’re a part of this community, but at this current time, we’re uncomfortable to stand there and say that this is OK.” Yeah, I think he’s telling the truth, and I think this is what he really believes. I also think that Jada’s video wasn’t his call, but after days of seeing his wife attacked, Will decided to get out in front and talk about it. While Will hasn’t been a major player in Hollywood for a few years, he’s still well-liked within the industry, in America and in the world (he’s a majorly bankable African-American star internationally). For Will to sit here and call out the Academy – and as he makes clear, the industry – it’s a big deal. Photos courtesy of WENN.

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Cheryl Boone Isaacs calls for more diversity within the Academy’s voting blocs

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As we discussed earlier, Chris Rock is currently feeling the pressure to possibly pull out of hosting the Academy Awards. Also feeling pressure? Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the president of the Academy and an African-American woman (the first African-American woman to hold that position). Cheryl was openly critical of her organization last year when the #OscarsSoWhite debacle first broke, but now it’s the second year in a row with no actors of color up for any awards and with all of the Best Picture nominees being films about white people. Boone Isaacs released a statement last night about the ongoing controversy: “I’d like to acknowledge the wonderful work of this year’s nominees. While we celebrate their extraordinary achievements, I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion. This is a difficult but important conversation, and it’s time for big changes. The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership. In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membership recruitment in order to bring about much-needed diversity in our 2016 class and beyond. As many of you know, we have implemented changes to diversify our membership in the last four years. But the change is not coming as fast as we would like. We need to do more, and better and more quickly. “This isn’t unprecedented for the Academy. In the ‘60s and ‘70s it was about recruiting younger members to stay vital and relevant. In 2016, the mandate is inclusion in all of its facets: gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation. We recognize the very real concerns of our community, and I so appreciate all of you who have reached out to me in our effort to move forward together.” [From USA Today] My thought: she’s doing what she can do. She’s not in charge of who gets hired for what project, and she’s not the face of diversity at a studio level. But she can change the makeup of the Academy voters and she can change the way minorities are represented within the Academy. I would also make a suggestion that Boone Isaacs put her finger on the scale about some things, and actively participate in some Oscar campaigns for more diverse films, like she could host Academy screenings for films that are more diverse and give those films the stamp of approval, you know? Meanwhile, David Oyelowo presented Boone Isaacs with an award yesterday for MLK Day. Oyelowo was notably snubbed for an Oscar last year for his work as Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, and he had harsh words about the Academy (not really Boone Isaacs specifically). Some highlights: “The Academy has a problem. It’s a problem that needs to be solved. A year ago, I did a film called Selma, and after the Academy Awards, Cheryl invited me to her office to talk about what went wrong then. We had a deep and meaningful [conversation]. For 20 opportunities to celebrate actors of color, actresses of color, to be missed last year is one thing; for that to happen again this year is unforgivable… The reason why the Oscars are so important is because it is the zenith, it is the epitome, it is the height of celebration of artistic endeavor within the filmmaking community. We grow up aspiring, dreaming, longing to be accepted into that august establishment because it is the height of excellence. I would like to walk away and say it doesn’t matter, but it does, because that acknowledgement changes the trajectory of your life, your career, and the culture of the world we live in… This institution doesn’t reflect its president and it doesn’t reflect this room. I am an Academy member and it doesn’t reflect me, and it doesn’t reflect this nation.” [From The Hollywood Reporter] That made my chest hurt. David really did want an Oscar nomination. Despite what people say, everyone really does want the nomination. They want to be acknowledged by the most prestigious film organization in the world. They want to feel like their voice, their art, their story is being represented. And for a second year in a row, they were told to suck it. Embed from Getty Images Photos courtesy of Getty, WENN.