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Oscars Face Backlash for Ending Show on Chadwick Boseman Snub

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  • The Academy Awards are facing backlash after rearranging Sunday’s ceremony to present Best Actor at the end, only to snub anticipated winner Chadwick Boseman of the prize.
  • Many believe the show’s producers put the award last to end the night on a tribute to the late actor, but their plan backfired when Anthony Hopkins, who was not there to accept the trophy, won.
  • Many described the build-up to this bait-and-switch as “a slap in the face” to those eagerly waiting to honor Boseman’s legacy.
  • Most of the remaining top prizes of the night went to “Nomadland,” which took home Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress.

Chadwick Boseman Snubbed

The Academy Awards are facing backlash after ending Sunday’s show by snubbing the late Chadwick Boseman of the coveted Best Actor title.

Going into the show, Boseman’s win for his formidable performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” felt like a sure thing. When the Academy opted to break tradition and give out the top prize, Best Picture, earlier in the telecast, viewers felt confident the choice was made so the ceremony could end on a touching tribute to Boseman for his Best Actor win. 

Then the moment finally came and presenter Juaquin Phoenix announced Anthony Hopkins, who was not even there to accept the statue, as the winner for his acclaimed work in “The Father.” With no speech to air, the show abruptly ended.

Many watching felt disappointed by this finale, as there was seemingly an intentional build-up to Boseman’s win that backfired tremendously. While the show overall was slightly chaotic and more experimental than the average Oscars, the decision to not air Best Picture last felt incredibly deliberate, and so did replacing it with a category that many viewers were invested in watching because they expected a moment honoring an actor whose life ended too soon. 

Academy Faces Backlash

Many online have condemned the show and its producers and accused it of exploiting Boseman’s death for views. 

In that line of criticism, many are also pointing to the fact that Chadwick Boseman artwork redeemable as an NFT was included in the show’s swag bag. Many thought that after not giving him an award, this was an insensitive addition of insult to injury. 

Others made it clear that they had no ill-will towards Hopkins, who has since accepted the Oscar in an Instagram video and acknowledged the life of Boseman in his speech. Many said it was instead the structure of the snub that felt like “a slap in the face.”

“It’s the way it played out,” screenwriter LaToya Morgan wrote. “The build up… the let down. Chaos achievement: unlocked.”

In Memoriam Segment Criticized

Because he did not win, there was never a moment that thoroughly honored Boseman’s work and life, other than the photo of him that briefly aired at the end of the show’s in memoriam, which is separately facing its own wave of backlash. The segment was incredibly quick, was set to an upbeat song, and included no clips from films made by the many icons who were lost in the past year. It only quickly flashed photos that barely provided the audience with enough time to read each person’s name.

It also excluded big names, including actors like Naya Rivera and Jessica Walters, and Oscar-nominated musician Adam Schlesinger.

In a year defined by so much loss, many found it disrespectful to run through the in memoriam section and not give viewers a chance to sit with the tragic losses that have occured, Boseman included. 

See what others are saying: (The Hollywood Reporter) (E! News) (USA Today)

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Max to Agrees to “Properly” Credit Writers and Directors After Facing Backlash For Lumping Them in As “Creators”

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The company said the credits were laid out incorrectly due to “an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max.”


After film and television writers slammed Max for crediting all writers, producers, and directors as general “creators” on its platform, the company said it will be adjusting its credits display.

“We agree that the talent behind the content on Max deserve their work to be properly recognized,” the streaming service said in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. 

Max — the new rebrand of HBO Max that incorporates Discovery content — launched on Tuesday to much criticism. Amid glitches and app-switching confusion, the biggest backlash it faced was over the choice to lump creative roles into one credit section called “creators.” As one viral tweet noted, if a user were to select the film “Raging Bull,” the service’s display would not specifically credit Martin Scorsese as the director, rather, his name would be included at random with half a dozen other people, including writers and producers. 

The decision was condemned by many in the industry who argued it minimizes writers and directors by not properly giving them credit where it is due. Especially amid the ongoing writers’ strike, and with directors and actors starting negotiations with studios, some took it as a slap in the face. 

“The studios don’t want anyone to know our names,” writer Christina Strain tweeted. “It’s easier to pay us nothing if we’re faceless.”

“Another move from studios to diminish the role of writers, directors, actors and other craftspeople. Miss me wit this nonsense,” Jorge Rivera, the Vice-Chair of the Writers Guild’s Latinx Writers Committee, added. 

In a statement, Directors Guild President Lesli Linka Glatter said that Warner Bros. Discovery’s choice to “collapse” these roles into one credit “while we are in negotiations with them is a grave insult to our members and our union.”

“The DGA will not stand for it,” Glatter continued.

WGA West President Meredith Stiehm claimed the move was “a credits violation,” as well as an insult “to the artists that make the films and TV shows that make their corporation billions.”

On Wednesday, Max said it would rework its crediting. 

“We will correct the credits, which were altered due to an oversight in the technical transition from HBO Max to Max and we apologize for this mistake,” the platform said.

See what others are saying: (Gizmodo) (The Hollywood Reporter) (The Los Angeles Times)

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A Quarter of Young British Men Support Andrew Tate’s Thoughts on Women

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U.K. residents at large, however, do not view him favorably.


Even under house arrest in Romania, misogynist influencer Andrew Tate still holds substantial sway over young men. 

According to data from YouGov that was obtained by The Independent, 26% of U.K. men between 18 and 29 years old who know of Tate agree with his views on women. That figure was largely the same for men between 30 and 39, as 28% agreed with Tate’s opinions on the subject. 

Men in their 30s were slightly more likely to agree with Tate on his thoughts about masculinity. Three out of ten supported those views, compared to just a quarter of men 18 to 29.

Those statistics only include the thoughts of men who have heard of Tate, but per YouGov, most have. In the 18 to 29 group, 93% were familiar with him, and 86% of men in their 30s knew of him. 

The U.K. at large was less aware of Tate, with just 63% of British adults having heard of him. Of that group, only 6% held a positive view of him. 

Tate has faced substantial backlash for his sexist rhetoric over the years. In the past, he said that men should have “authority” over their wives or girlfriends, and that women should “bear some responsibility” for being raped. He was previously banned from Twitter over his extremist views on women but has since been allowed back on the platform. 

He is currently being investigated in Romania for organized crime and human trafficking. He was arrested and held in custody in December but was released to house arrest earlier this year. No formal charges have been filed against him yet and he has maintained his innocence. 

Tate currently boasts a Twitter following of 6.7 million. It has grown significantly since he was enveloped in legal controversy, and many of his supporters have demanded his release. 

See what others are saying: (The Independent) (Glamour U.K.)

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Prince Harry and Meghan Markle Involved in “Near Catastrophic” Paparazzi Chase

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“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” a spokesperson for the couple said.


“Aggressive” Paparazzi Chase Couple in New York

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle were involved in a “near catastrophic” paparazzi car chase Tuesday night in New York City, according to a spokesperson for the couple.

In a statement, the spokesperson described the photographers as “highly aggressive.”

“While being a public figure comes with a level of interest from the public, it should never come at the cost of anyone’s safety,” the statement added.

“This relentless pursuit, lasting over two hours, resulted in multiple near collisions involving other drivers on the road, pedestrians and two NYPD officers,” it continued. 

Details of the incident are still emerging, but BBC News reported that there are claims the chase involved roughly six cars driving recklessly by running red lights, driving on the sidewalk, carrying out blocking moves, going backward on a one-way road, and taking pictures while driving. 

The chase happened after Harry and Meghan were leaving the Women of Vision Awards with Meghan’s mother, Doria. They did not want photographers to learn where they were staying and attempted to avoid them in what turned into a 75-minute chase on a main road in Manhattan’s Upper East Side. They eventually ducked into a New York Police Department Precinct to hide out before getting into a different vehicle.

The NYPD released a statement confirming that they assisted in protecting the couple as “numerous photographers” hindered their transport. Officials said they made it to their destination and there were no collisions, injuries, or arrests. 

The couple’s spokesperson is asking the public to not share or post footage of the incident. 

“Dissemination of these images, given the ways in which they were obtained, encourages a highly intrusive practice that is dangerous to all in involved,” the spokesperson said. 

Memories of Princess Diana

The chase evokes the brutal press hounding Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, was subjected to throughout her life. The paparazzi’s obsession with her ultimately resulted in her death in 1997, when she was killed in a car crash after being chased by photographers in Paris. 

Since marrying Meghan and later bowing out of the Royal Family, Harry has made it explicitly clear that he fears those events could happen again. Meghan has been the subject of endless tabloid scrutiny, enduring racism and harassment from the press. Part of the reason they left the Royal Family was to keep their family protected from such attacks.

Mayor Eric Adams brought up Diana’s tragic passing while speaking about Tuesday night’s chase. 

“I don’t think there’s many of us who don’t recall how [Harry’s] mom died,” Adams said while speaking to reporters. “And it would be horrific to lose an innocent bystander during a chase like this and something to have happened to them as well…I think that was a bit reckless and irresponsible.” 

Adams also questioned whether or not he believes a chase could go on for two hours in a city as congested as New York, but noted that even a 10-minute chase would be dangerous. He said he will be briefed on the exact timeline and details later. 

See what others are saying: (BBC News) (Associated Press) (Yahoo News)

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