Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #OscarsSoWhite

Most recents (24)

Long thread - buckle up. TL:DR; yes, you should join Mastodon. But you should stay on Twitter as well. What we need are more and different online communities, not just an exodus from a troubled platform.
I opened an account on Mastodon in 2017 as part of my research on a fascinating experiment: an open source, decentralized Twitter alternative. There was a moment in 2017 when it looked like there might be a serious exodus from Twitter to something better. That moment was brief.
By the summer of 2017, my US and European geek friends had largely forgotten Mastodon. I discovered that most of the growth of the network had been from Japanese lolicon fans and wrote a (controversial) essay about the platform's growth: ethanzuckerman.com/2017/08/18/mas…
Read 31 tweets
Two of these men are child rapists or molesters.

The third is the one the Oscar’s just banned for 10 years.
For people who think the specifics somehow alter the point here:

Roman Polanski confessed to drugging and raping a 13-year old girl in 1978…

He then fled the country to avoid prison and has been a fugitive from justice ever since.

He is literally an unpunished child rapist.
Despite that fact, the Academy’s only response was to… repeatedly nominate him for Oscar’s and then name him Best Director WHICH HE COULD NOT ATTEND TO COLLECT BECAUSE, AGAIN, HE WAS A FUGITIVE CONFESSED CHILD RAPIST.
Read 8 tweets
White people often show outrage when Black ppl do “bad things.” But they are often silent when white ppl and the systems they’ve built, which are steeped in white supremacy, do bad things *to* Black ppl. This is a thread about how the Will and Chris incident became about race. 🧵
White people’s seeming disregard for Black lives, and the inconsistency in which they apply their outrage makes white people’s response to almost any situation involving Black people, however justified, feel almost wrong in and of itself. This is especially true when
white people start virtue signaling and grandstanding—
i.e. when they try to speak from a place of moral authority, speak about right and wrong in absolute terms without nuance, and try to enforce rigid “standards of conduct” onto others, that they themselves can’t even uphold.
Read 25 tweets
❌ Why Will Smith snapped.

As Hollywood reels from the actor’s violent Oscars outburst, we uncover the deep-rooted tensions that led up to it. 👇

🧵 Thread
telegraph.co.uk/films/2022/03/…
Will Smith has a therapist, and she has a name for his nice-guy persona: Uncle Fluffy. “Fluffy was jovial, talented, smart, generous. Uncle Fluffy needed everyone to like him,” Smith writes in his memoir.

➡️ At the Oscars on Sunday night, Uncle Fluffy abruptly left the building
After Chris Rock made the mistake of joking about Pinkett Smith’s bald head, Smith launched himself out of his seat, strode onto the stage and slapped him in the face.

Barely half an hour later, Smith, 53, was on stage again – this time accepting the best actor
Read 9 tweets
❓How did the smack, which will go down in Hollywood history, come about?

From Chris Rock’s past digs at Jada Pinkett Smith to how Will Smith will handle his new reputation, this is how it went down 🧵👇
telegraph.co.uk/films/0/will-s…
📅Chris Rock and the Smiths have known each other since 1995, when Rock starred alongside Smith in a dual cameo on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air.

Rock cross-dressed as the two sisters Maurice and Jasmine who Smith had to take on a date to keep his job
Smith met Jada that year, and they married two years later.

But it was clear the trio remained friendly, being pictured on nights out and at awards ceremonies together.

In 2005, Rock starred alongside Pinkett Smith in Dreamworks’s hit animation Madagascar as well as two sequels Image
Read 8 tweets
As Hollywood stars prepare to walk the red carpet this weekend 📸, Sky News looks at the anatomy of an Oscar winner ✨

Here’s how the stats add up 👇 #Oscars
Let’s look at the gender gap ♀️♂️

It is no secret that women have a much shorter shelf life than men in Hollywood.

Oscar-winning actresses are on average nine years younger than their male counterparts, according to our analysis

#Oscars

trib.al/3sF2amh Image
When you look at categories that aren’t split into male and female categories, the disparity is stark.

✍ Female screenwriters (red on the graph), make up less than 10% of the winners over the years 👇

#Oscars

trib.al/3sF2amh Image
Read 13 tweets
After 10 transformative — and at times tumultuous — years at the helm of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization’s chief executive, Dawn Hudson, announced that this current term will be her last. latimes.com/entertainment-…
The academy’s board of governors last year extended Hudson’s contract to run through May 2023. According to the organization, a search for a successor will begin soon and Hudson will play a critical role in the transition. latimes.com/entertainment-…
The news comes just weeks after the long-awaited opening of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, a $480-million project that Hudson played a key role in spearheading and has been well received thus far. latimes.com/entertainment-…
Read 5 tweets
Happy Monday. If you missed the 93rd Academy Awards, we’re pulling together all of the night’s highlights: the firsts, the wins and … “Da Butt.”

washingtonpost.com/arts-entertain…
Front-runner “Nomadland” took home the trophy for Best Picture, followed by its star and best actress winner Frances McDormand.

The film’s director, Chloé Zhao, also became the first woman of color to win best director. It’s the first time a woman has won the prize since 2010. Chloe Zhao was the first woman of color to win the Academy A
News of Chloé Zhao’s Oscars win appeared to be censored within China, where the director has fallen victim to a wave of nationalism and attacks accusing her of betraying the country where she was born. washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pac…
Read 9 tweets
I’m sitting down to watch (and live-tweet) the #Oscars, and Black talent and stories may take the night. Like a lot of things happening right now, signs of progress are also signs of just how far we have to go. (1/6)
For every #Moonlight that illuminates the breadth and depth of Black lives, and for every #JudasandtheBlackMessiah that tells the truth about racism in law enforcement and politics, there are a hundred movies and TV shows doing just the opposite. (2/6)
Tonight, I’m looking forward to celebrating Black art and artists like @ViolaDavis, #JudasAndTheBlackMessiah, and of course the late, great Chadwick Boseman. But in addition to celebrating the best, we must also challenge the rest. (3/6)
Read 6 tweets
1/. Tonight I happened upon the grave of William Friese-Greene, “inventor of cinematography”

Born William Greene, he added his wife's name

In 1889, Friese-Greene patented his 'chronophotographic’ camera, which could take ten photographs per second, using celluloid film. #Oscars
2/. Any money Friese-Greene earned he ploughed back into his inventions, going bankrupt 3 times & dying in poverty

His son, Claude, continued to his father's work, shooting "The Open Road", offering a rare portrait of 1920s Britain in colour. #Oscars2021
3/. Just 50 years later, a very different type of documentary about travelling through Britain was made

"Black Safari" is about a group of African explorers who go on a safari by boat along Liverpool-Leeds canals to explore "darkest heart of Lancashire" #Oscars #OscarsSoWhite
Read 6 tweets
📽 The #Oscars are tonight!

But with no significant LGBT+ representation, why aren't queer films and actors gaining the recognition they deserve? 🏳️‍🌈

Let’s look back at pivotal moments in the long history of LGBT+ representation in cinema 🎞️

Thread 👇
🚔 Manslaughter (1922)

Although not an LGBT-themed film, Cecil B DeMille's American silent drama broke new ground in gay representation.

During a fantasy orgy scene in ancient Rome, two women can be seen kissing – the first same-sex romantic kiss in cinema 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩 Image
👨‍❤️‍👨 Victim (1961)

Groundbreaking in its own way, Basil Dearden's survey of gay life in '60s London was the first English-language film to use the word 'homosexual'.

Censored at the time, it was later credited with helping to decriminalise gay sex in the UK a few years later 🧑‍⚖️ Image
Read 13 tweets
As much as I've griped about the Oscars, I've always enjoyed following them. I gripe because I'm a fan. They're my Super Bowl. My family owned a video store when I was growing up. I've earned two whole degrees in film studies from actual academic institutions. I love movies.
In the past, I've joined in the criticism of Oscars' lack of diversity (shout out to @ReignOfApril/#OscarsSoWhite), but I've never been disappointed by the lack of Asian American nominees. You can't be disappointed when you were never in the running. That's why today is special.
Among the historic firsts, we have #Minari, an American film performed mostly in Korean, nominated for Best Picture, with acting nominations for Steven Yeun, an Asian American actor of my generation and Youn Yuh-jung, a legendary Korean actress of my parents' generation.
Read 4 tweets
A lot of people believe #OscarsSoWhite means the Oscar voters are racist.

I don't.

In fact, I'd argue that the Oscars are colorblind.

A thread.
Have you ever heard someone insist that they "don't see color?"

NEVER trust anyone who says that. "Not seeing color" is NOT the OPPOSITE of racism. It is the literal manifestation of white supremacy.

Here's a secret you should know:
Given the choice, most people wouldn't trade their race or ethnicity for anything in the world. Whiteness is not a thing that most nonwhite people aspire to become.

I love being Black. It is part of my history and my culture. It defines me.
Read 19 tweets
With the film academy's announcement of new inclusion standards for the Oscars’ best picture category, reaction has been swift and intense. The Times spoke with four key academy leaders about the reasons behind their bold step.
latimes.com/entertainment-…
In its latest step to boost diversity, the academy set new guidelines for best picture eligibility that measures inclusion both on- and off-screen. Only films that meet two out of four specified categories of inclusion will be allowed to compete.
latimes.com/entertainment-…
Though the changes won’t take effect until 2024, reaction has been intense. Some are cheering the move as a step toward an industry that reflects its audience, while Kirstie Alley and others say it's the latest example of political correctness run amok.
latimes.com/entertainment-…
Read 7 tweets
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced new representation standards that movies will be required to meet in order to be eligible for Best Picture. (1/4) Image
The Academy says its new standards are 'designed to encourage equitable representation on and off screen in order to better reflect the diversity of the movie-going audience.' (2/4)
In order to be eligible, a film must meet inclusion standards by fulfilling two of the following four criteria:

'On screen representation, themes, and narratives'
'Creative leadership and project team'
'Industry access and opportunities'
'Audience development'

(3/4)
Read 5 tweets
On this day in 1929 the first ever Academy Awards ceremony was held.

Here are the nominations for the most interesting and memorable Oscar stories. 👇🏾 Image
The first movie ever to win Best Picture at the Oscars was Wings.

It was also the only silent movie to win Best Picture. Set during World War I, it contained stunning aerial views and plane battle sequences considered cutting edge for that time. Image
Did you know?

Wings was one the first movies in which two men are seen kissing on screen (not a full blown make out, that took more time). It was also among the first movies to portray nudity on screen.

Watch:
Read 33 tweets
Seeing Parasite win Best Picture (along with best director, best original screen play, and best non-English language film [what's up with foreign language as a category?]) was something else - especially as a Korean American.

Here are some reflections:

1/ It felt like the US finally caught up to the rest of the world in its acknowledgement of Korean media (Korean Dramas, Pop, and Movies). Korean shows and music are popular all throughout the world. There is a reason BTS was number one in 73 countries last year.
2/ Activism is actually fixing some of the gross disparities we see. From the sexism (along with harassment & assault) being addressed in the #metoo & #timesup movements to the racism being addressed in hashtags like #oscarssowhite, public accountability actually changes things.
Read 9 tweets
Hollywood's biggest night is here.

@NBCNews has minute-by-minute #Oscars coverage of the most notable wins, acceptance speeches, jokes and bizarre flubs. Follow along. nbcnews.to/39mz7OM
@NBCNews In the wake of the #OscarsSoWhite controversy, membership in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has shifted, but the voting record hasn't. nbcnews.to/2UHucUz
@NBCNews It took all of 15 minutes and 40 seconds for the #Oscars to get political.

And it happened during the first award of the night. nbcnews.to/2OFXZZQ
Read 5 tweets
I am interested in engaging in a nuanced exploration via this platform, if it’s at all possible. Please join in, and as always please try to be respectful. My mother was a registered nurse, and her last two jobs took place in a maximum security juvenile detention center and...1/?
A maximum security adult prison. I have considered writing something based on her life and based on her work as a nurse. Including based on stories she shared with me of her engagements with the prisoners she cared for. 2/?
As is the case in most prisons in our country, the vast majority of her patients were black and brown. So my questions as I think about this have to do with a reluctance to tell yet more stories in which black and brown characters are prisoners... 3/?
Read 8 tweets
While Pelosi announces the impeachment managers, I’m on the Hill watching the House Energy and Commerce committee’s hearing to “promote media marketplace diversity.” This should be fun! Image
Rep. Walden or Oregon arguing the tech industry should also be targeted for promoting diversity in media.
“We have a lot more work to do,” Walden said in his opening statement.
Witness Maurita Coley telling lawmakers “we have never recovered” from FCC’s suppression of minority boardcasters decades ago.

Many have noted the proportionately small number of minority journalists compared to the nation’s racial makeup.
Read 11 tweets
THREAD:

“What happened is that we don’t vote by gender. We vote by film and accomplishment.” - President, HFPA

This statement today by the head of the HFPA on the #GoldenGlobes and the lack of female nominees in the Best Director category makes me want to scream. Out loud.
This statement is the epitome of the biggest myth and misconception around diversity and inclusion: that diversity and inclusion is at the expense of merit and excellence.

Let me be clear: it is not.

Once more with feeling: It is not. #GoldenGlobes
Calling attention to the marginalization & exclusion of women in the #GoldenGIobes directing category (or racialized artists in acting categories at the #Oscars through @ReignOfApril’s #OscarsSoWhite campaign) is not asking for awards bodies to nominate unqualified candidates.
Read 11 tweets
Five yrs ago today, @ManohlaDargis wrote this feature on me. SELMA was coming out on the heels of Ferguson, another community ignited by tragedy. Tension was in the air. I was worried black folks may not accept a new version of King. Turns out that’d be the least of my worries.
This front page Arts & Leisure piece, which is big deal in the PR world, came out on the same day that Oprah hosted a gorgeous gospel brunch celebration for the film. I’ll remember this moment with @repjohnlewis forever. I thought things were going pretty well for SELMA.
Then, the cast and I wore “I Can’t Breathe” shirts to our NYC premiere. One Oscar pundit wrote that the protest was inappropriate and would cost us a nomination. I recall thinking that was ridiculous. That we weren’t getting a nod anyway and why was this man stirring nonsense.
Read 11 tweets
#AprilsOscarsWeekend begins NOW! First up: I'm on @BuzzFeedNews@AM2DM NOW to talk about all things Oscars, including #OscarsSoWhite. Watch live right here: live.twitter.com/am2dm
Aaaannnndd, my son was just a guest on the @MikeOMearaShow since he’s my +1 for #AprilsOscarsWeekend. He blew it out of the park, but there was never any doubt. ☺️
My hair AND my purse had to be checked by TSA (there was nothing in either) AND my flight is boarding early, but the Universe put one of those chauffeured people movers right at the bottoms of the steps for me. Because the way my thighs are set up....
Read 3 tweets
#KevinHart's crucifixion reminds of #OscarsSoWhite in 2015/16.
Both were skirmishes in a massive clash between a bitter, selfish, and rootless #LGBTQ movement, and the noble and genuine black #CivilRights movement.
In this thread, I take a side:
#OscarsSoWhite #OscarsSoHomophobic
2016's all-white cohort of #Oscar nominees had some black actors and civil rights activists crying “racism!"
They were right.
Well, half-right.
2/?
Hollywood elites don’t literally say blacks are subhuman. But while “racism” once referred only to a doctrine that some races are genetically inferior, the word has evolved. “Racism” can refer to ideologies that ask a race to check its *ethnicity* (i.e. culture) at the door.
3/?
Read 23 tweets

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