Entertainment
Parasite Makes History as First Foreign Language Film to Win Best Picture
Published
3 years agoon
By
Katie Calo
- “Parasite” became the first film in a non-English language to win the Oscar award for Best Picture on Sunday.
- The South Korean film also took home awards for Best Original Screenplay, Best International Language Film, and Best Director (Bong Joon Ho).
- Many were ecstatic about the win and the progress it marks for the historically non-inclusive Academy Awards.
- Others were still critical that no actors from “Parasite” were nominated for awards, and some celebs made comments about other ongoing diversity issues at the show.
“Parasite” Sweeps
Sunday night marked a huge milestone for the international film industry when “Parasite” became the first film not in the English language to win an Oscar for Best Picture. The project beat out other notable titles like “1917,” “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” and “Little Women,” among others.
The South Korean thriller’s Best Picture win was the final in a series of victories at the 92nd Academy Awards show, which took place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Earlier in the evening, “Parasite” also won the Oscar for Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best International Feature Film (which was renamed for the first time this year from “Best Foreign Language Film.”)
Bong Joon Ho, the director behind the film, gave three speeches throughout the night. Upon his Best Director win, he expressed his gratitude for fellow nominee Quentin Tarantino, who he said promoted his films when others in the United States were unfamiliar with them.
“Quentin, I love you,” he called out to Tarantino in the crowd.
The “Parasite” director also nodded to another fellow best-director nominee, Martin Scorsese.
“When I was young and studying cinema, there was a saying that I carved deep into my heart, which is ‘the most personal is the most creative,’” he said. “That quote was from our great Martin Scorsese.”
The “Parasite” Best Picture win closed the night as a happy surprise from the Academy, which has been repeatedly criticized for their lack of diversity—both in their membership and nominations. Many were excited about the victories and the representation it brings to South Korea.
“This is a historic moment,” one Twitter user wrote. “Growing up, the only Asian kid in my school I never imagined something like this could be possible. Thank you.”
Congratulations to @ParasiteMovie for winning FOUR awards at the Oscars.
— ActorsForYang (Michael) (@Zen_Zinger) February 10, 2020
This is a historic moment. Growing up, the only Asian kid in my school I never imagined something like this could be possible. 😭
Thank you 봉감독님.
#ParasiteBestPicture #AsianActors#actorslife pic.twitter.com/bfiwhQJ3Wg
From now on, anything is possible. #ParasiteBestPicture pic.twitter.com/QrpFdgcQWX
— July Bones (@raerst) February 10, 2020
I don’t watch #Oscars . As a woman of color, it’s hard to celebrate an industry which determines we don’t have stories to tell.
— Jane Kim 金貞妍 (@JaneKim) February 10, 2020
But after the #ParasiteBestPicture chatter, I watched clips. I teared when #BongJoonHo stepped on the stage. And sobbed when he spoke Korean. 4 times.
Even South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, offered his praise for the film.
“Taking home four Oscars, after winning the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival last year, can be attributed to the accumulated efforts of every Korean filmmaker over the past 100 years,” the leader said.
“I am very pleased to see a Korean film stand shoulder to shoulder with those of other countries and mark the beginning of another 100 years of Korean filmmaking,” he added.
Congratulatory Message from President Moon Jae-in(@moonriver365) on Korean Film “Parasite”(@ParasiteMovie) Winning Academy Awards pic.twitter.com/LjAhXTwXhY
— The Office of President Moon Jae-in (@TheBlueHouseENG) February 10, 2020
Oscars Still Face Backlash
Amidst the celebration, there were still some who criticized the academy for overlooking Asian artists, noting that despite all of its recognition, nobody on-screen in “Parasite” was nominated for any acting awards. The same thing happened in 2009 with another Asian film, “Slumdog Millionaire,” which took home the Oscar for Best Picture but received no nominations for any of its actors.
Parasite is the 6th film with a predominantly Asian cast to score 5+ Oscar nominations w/o a single acting nod.
— Erik Anderson (@awards_watch) January 14, 2020
Last Emperor: 9 wins/9 noms
Crouching Tiger: 4 wins/10 noms
Memoirs/Geisha: 3 wins/6 noms
Slumdog Millionaire: 8 wins/10 noms
Life/Pi: 4 wins/11 noms
Parasite: 6 noms
The award show was also slammed earlier this year when nominations were released and no women made the cut for Best Director. Multiple high-profile figures did not fail to point to this on Sunday; Natalie Portman wore a dress embroidered with the names of snubbed female directors, and Chris Rock and Steve Martin quipped that the only thing missing from the award category was “vaginas.”
Additionally, Janelle Monáe, who performed at the beginning of the night, made sure to express her pride for artists of all genders and races.
“Tonight we celebrate all the amazing talent. We celebrate all the women who directed phenomenal films. I’m so glad to stand here as a black queer artist. Happy Black History Month.”
See what others are saying: (The Washington Post) (NPR) (New York Times)
Entertainment
Britney Spears Asks For Privacy After Fans Called Cops to Conduct a Wellness Check on Her
Published
2 days agoon
January 26, 2023
Fans said they were concerned after the singer deleted her Instagram account.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was updated to include a statement from Britney Spears
Fans Call 911
Britney Spears said her fans “went a little too far” after some called the police to conduct a wellness check on her.
The fans, many fueled by online conspiracy theories, were concerned about Spears because she deleted her Instagram account. While this is something the singer has done multiple times in the past, her fans thought she had left secret signals in her last post suggesting she needed help.
Some even posted videos of them calling emergency services on TikTok, a platform that is full of conspiracy videos about Spears.
“I love and adore my fans but this time things went a little too far and my privacy was invaded,” Spears wrote in a statement on Thursday, citing “prank phone calls” that were made to police.
— Britney Spears 🌹🚀 (@britneyspears) January 26, 2023
According to Spears, officers did not enter her home because once they got to her gate, they “quickly realized there was no issue and left immediately.”
“This felt like I was being gaslit and bullied once the incident made it to the news and being portrayed once again in a poor and unfair light by the media,” Spears continued. “During this time in my life, I truly hope the public and my fans who I care so much about can respect my privacy moving forward.”
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for Ventura County Sheriff’s Office confirmed to Page Six that the department “did get calls into our dispatch” but added there was no reason to believe that Spears was “in any kind of harm or any kind of danger.”
That spokesperson declined to say if officials contacted Spears or conducted a wellness check, citing privacy and public trust issues.
The Prominence of Britney Spears Conspiracies
Just over a year has passed since Spears was freed from a highly restrictive conservatorship that controlled her life and finances for 13 years. Throughout the conservatorship, fans tried to use the pop icon’s social media to pick up clues that she was secretly struggling. She did not publicly speak about the conservatorship until the summer of 2021.
Now that she has her freedom, fans are still reading heavily into her posts. Some believe there are hidden messages in her captions and in the gestures she does while dancing. Others think she is dead, missing, or hiding and that a body double is being used in her posts. Some are so concerned that they are coordinating a mass effort to pressure the Los Angeles Times into investigating Spears’ whereabouts and safety.
In the last several years, many have reflected on Spears’ early days in the spotlight and the cruel ways she was harassed and targeted by paparazzi, news outlets, and culture at large. Often the punchline to a joke throughout the 2000s, many now sympathize with Spears, who was forced to endure heavy public scrutiny at a young age. Documentaries like “Framing Britney Spears” prompted many to see Spears as a victim of abusive media tactics, not the “crazy” woman tabloids painted her to be.
Many are now concerned that fans are only going to subject Spears to a new onslaught of harassment by calling the police to her house. Even if the conspiracy theories are technically well-intentioned and often come from a place of concern, some believe they will jumpstart a media frenzy that could harm Spears’ mental well-being.
See what others are saying: (Page Six) (Jezebel) (TMZ)
Entertainment
Razzies Apologize For Nominating 12-Year-Old, Adopt Age Rules For Future Nominations
Published
3 days agoon
January 25, 2023
The group’s founder said the Razzies regret “any hurt” the young actress may have “experienced as a result of our choices.”
Razzies Face Backlash
The Razzie Awards revoked its “insensitive” nomination of 12-year-old Ryan Kiera Armstrong and added new guidelines banning child performers from being nominated in the future.
The Razzies, which award the year’s worst movies, included Armstrong in its “Worst Actress” lineup for her role in “Firestarter.” Bryce Dallas Howard, Diane Keaton, Kaya Scodelario, and Alicia Silverstone were also nominated in the category.
Armstrong starred alongside Zac Efron in “Firestarter,” an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same name. The picture received a 10% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.
While the film was broadly panned, many thought it was a bridge too far to nominate a child for a bad acting award.
“The Razzies are already mean-spirited & classless, but to nominate a kid is just repulsive & wrong,” child star Julian Hilliard, best known for his work in “WandaVision,” tweeted. “Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better.”
The razzies are already mean-spirited & classless, but to nominate a kid is just repulsive & wrong. Why put a kid at risk of increased bullying or worse? Be better.
— Julian Hilliard (@_JulianHilliard) January 23, 2023
Actor and podcast host Brandon Hardesty said the nomination was “completely ignorant and cynical.”
The Razzies nominating Ryan Kiera Armstrong for "Worst Actress" is so completely ignorant and cynical I can't wrap my head around it. They have no clue what this can do to a child actress who probably considered her starring role in FIRESTARTER as a high point in her life. (1/7)
— Brandon Hardesty (@Brandon_Hrdesty) January 24, 2023
“They have no clue what this can do to a child actress who probably considered her starring role in FIRESTARTER as a high point in her life,” he wrote.
“That girl was the best part of that mess of a movie,” film critic Shannon McGrew tweeted. “And on top of that, no kid should ever be nominated for an award that punches down on them.”
The Razzies nominating Ryan Kiera Armstrong for Worst Actress as if she was the cause of FIRESTARTER being so bad is hysterical. That girl was the best part of that mess of a movie. And on top of that, no kid should ever be nominated for an award that punches down on them.
— Shannon of the Dead 🧟♀️ (@shannon_mcgrew) January 25, 2023
Nomination Revoked
Razzies founder John Wilson addressed the backlash in a statement to the press on Wednesday, calling the criticism “valid.”
“Sometimes, you do things without thinking, Then you are called out for it. Then you get it,” Wilson said. “It’s why the Razzies were created in the first place.”
“We have removed Armstrong’s name from the Final Ballot that our members will cast next month,” he continued. “We also believe a public apology is owed Ms. Armstrong, and wish to say we regret any hurt she experienced as a result of our choices.”
In addition to removing Armstrong’s nomination, The Razzies is now adopting “a Voting Guideline precluding any performer or film-maker under 18 years of age from being considered” for awards.
“Since our motto is ‘Own Your Bad,’ we realize that we ourselves must also live up to it,” the statement closed.
While Armstrong will be the last child to nab a Razzie nomination, she was far from the first. Jake Lloyd made the list for his turn as young Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace.” Gary Coleman and Macaulay Culkin also got nominations as teenagers.
See what others are saying: (Deadline) (The Hollywood Reporter) (People)
Entertainment
SeatGeek CEO Calls to Break up Ticketmaster and Live Nation in Senate Hearing Following Taylor Swift Debacle
Published
4 days agoon
January 24, 2023
“A lack of robust competition in our industry meaningfully stunts innovation, and consumers are who suffer,” Jack Groetzinger said.
Monopoly Concerns
Two months after technical difficulties blocked countless Taylor Swift fans from snagging seats to her tour, a bipartisan group of Senators held a hearing to re-examine the merger between Live Nation and Ticketmaster.
The two entertainment giants merged in 2010. Jack Groetzinger, the CEO of the rival ticket-selling platform SeatGeek, said during Tuesday’s hearing that the two need to be broken up to benefit consumers.
“One, a lack of robust competition in our industry meaningfully stunts innovation, and consumers are who suffer,” he said. “Two, venues fear losing Live Nation concerts if they don’t use Ticketmaster, and three, the only way to restore competition in this industry is to break up Ticketmaster and Live Nation.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) echoed concerns about the lack of competition, arguing that Live Nation is the “definition of monopoly.”
“Live Nation is so powerful that it doesn’t even need to exert pressure, it doesn’t need to threaten, because people just fall in line,” she said.
The Eras Tour Debacle
Ticketmaster has long been accused of price-gouging and complicating the ticket-buying process. Those issues made international headlines in November during the presale for Swift’s highly anticipated Era’s Tour.
Millions of fans who attempted to enter Ticketmaster’s virtual queue walked away empty-handed after experiencing crashes, price inflation, and a myriad of other issues.
According to Ticketmaster, the incredibly high demand, coupled with an onslaught of bot attacks, forced the platform to slow sales down. After the company delayed sales in certain cities and canceled the general sale altogether, Swift called the ordeal “excruciating.”
“We asked them, multiple times, if they could handle this kind of demand and we were assured they could,” she wrote on Instagram in November.
The controversy prompted many to accuse Ticketmaster and its parent company, Live Nation, of holding a monopoly over the concert and live events industry. The U.S. Justice Department has opened an antitrust investigation into the entertainment giant.
Ticketmaster Takes Heat
Ticketmaster has repeatedly tried to blame a number of factors for the failed Swift presale, even at one point suggesting the sale was too popular because the “Anti-Hero” singer waited so long to tour.
“May I suggest, respectfully, that Ticketmaster ought to look in the mirror and say, ‘I’m the problem, it’s me,’” Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said during the hearing.
Still, the company continued to point the finger at record-breaking bot attacks.
“We knew bots would attack at onsale and planned accordingly. We were then hit with three times the amount of bot traffic that we’d ever experienced,” Live Nation CFO Joe Berchtold said on Capitol Hill.
“The attack requires [us] to slow down and even pause our sales. This is what led to a terrible consumer experience we deeply regret. We apologize to the fans, we apologize to Miss Swift, we need to do better and we will do better,” he continued.
Others present at the hearing were not happy with Live Nation’s bot defense. Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) said that she has worked with companies in a variety of industries that deal with bots without these issues.
“You know what, they get bot attacks every single day by the thousands. By the thousands,” she said. “And they have figured it out, but you guys haven’t? This is unbelievable.”
“You can’t blame bots for what happened to Taylor Swift,” JAM Productions CEO Jerry Mickelson added. “There’s more to that story that you’re not hearing.”
According to Mickelson, Ticketmaster can actually stand to benefit from glitchy sales on its platform.
“The process, when it’s slowed down, increases the money that Ticketmaster makes because they make money on fees and as the ticket prices go up due to dynamically priced tickets, Ticketmaster makes more off that,” he claimed. “So it’s to their advantage to slow the process down.”
Outrage against Ticketmaster has become so widespread that Sen. Blumenthal said the company was responsible for “an absolutely stunning achievement.”
“You have brought together Republicans and Democrats in an absolutely unified cause.”
See what others are saying: (Axios) (USA Today) (New York Times)

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