If you’re like me and you’re always a little curious about who won what at the Academy Awards, here’s a running list of winners. The list will be updated live so just reload the page and look for the winners for each category in bold.
News: With great advertising power, comes great responsibility
On the positive side for those of us who don’t make our money in advertising, this technology is something of a double-edged sword. Product placement makes lots of cash but it makes a lot of weird connections in people’s brains too.
[The technology] can [digitally add products/advertisements] if you are watching a film on a laptop, smartphone or smart TV, by tracking what you previously bought or looked at online. It works in the same way that online adverts pop up on websites based on your past purchasing or viewing history.
"The technology is an attractive bridge between the demand for high-quality content free from intrusive advertising, and alternative sources of content provider revenue," says Mr Taylor.
Cleopatra Veloutsou, professor of brand management at the Adam Smith Business School at Glasgow University, says these technological developments come as movie and TV advertising firms are trying to catch up with their online peers. "They have lost a lot of income, they are trying to find creative ways to catch up," she says.
However, associating your product with a particular film, TV programme or musical artist comes with risk, says Tamsin McLaren, a lecturer in marketing at the University of Bath's School of Management. "Things can go awry if there is a scandal or PR backlash," she says.
How product placements may soon be added to classic films - bbc.com
I understand the “need” to “carve open a new revenue stream” but can we just leave the classics alone? Of course we can’t because greed always wins. Sorry to be such a downer. But reality sucks sometimes.
Moving on…(sort of)
All I can see in my mind when I read about advertisements assaulting my eyeballs at every turn is this one scene from Minority Report:
News: Charlyne Yi does not think Seth Rogen is cooler than expected
She’s right about enablers.
Charlyne Yi says Seth Rogen is an enabler who likely knew she was being bribed not to quit a project because of James Franco. She didn’t want to work with Franco after learning about the sexual assault allegations against him. Yi says, rightfully, that enablers are just as bad as predators. I haven’t heard of anyone responding to Yi’s comments. That silence is deafening isn’t it?
Charlyne Yi says she quit The Disaster Artist over James Franco allegations - avclub.com
News: Seth Rogen is far cooler than any of us expected him to be
Smoking joints and setting records straight.
Seth Rogen corrected an interview that he says misrepresents the events in an anecdote he shared. Turns out, somewhere along the way to publishing Emma Watson (who starred in Rogen’s movie This is the End) ended up being painted in a melodramatic and unprofessional light in Rogen’s anecdote. Rogen, after seeing the published interview, hopped on social media to set the record straight. And guess who was actually a consummate professional the entire time during filming. Yup, Emma Watson. Why must some folks always make women out to be the bad guy? Damn.
Seth Rogen Apologizes for Putting Emma Watson in ‘Uncomfortable Situation’ on ‘This Is the End’ - indewire.com
News: Alejandro González Iñárritu is filming his follow up to 'Revenant'
Directing intensifies
Alejandro González Iñárritu’s First Film Since ‘Revenant’ Is Now Filming, Shot by Darius Khondji - indewire.com
They’re filming in Mexico City. This will be Alejandro González Iñárritu’s first movie filmed entirely in CDMX. The movie itself is about the “political and social modernity of Mexico.” If you’ve deciphered what that means, please let me know in the comments. I may not understand what’s happening here, but I’m excited. And you know it’s not the first time that’s happened.
News: Billy Eichner scores one for proper representation in Hollywood
That beautiful glow is the glow of proper representation.
I can and I can’t believe that there’s never been a major movie studio rom com made that centers around a gay couple. It’s like we’ve come such a long way but JK, not really. Billy Eichner is hilarious and will be co-writing the very first one, so I’m excited to see how it turns out.
Billy Eichner leads first big-studio rom-com about gay men: ‘Only took 100 years!’ - latimes.com
News: Netflix is openly attempting to close its diversity gap (in front of and behind the cameras) and I'm here for it
We’re rooting for you, Netflix. We’re all rooting for you.
I’m not gonna lie. I love that Netflix took the initiative to analyze the makeup of its on-screen talent. It’s good they’ve made progress and have identified where they need to keep working. I hope this “inclusion lense” culture, which takes into consideration different voices and audiences, works out. It would be nice to see myself reflected back at me in places like Netflix programming. I spend a lot of time there. And I know for a fact I’m not the only one that would kill for some proper representation.
Netflix will spend $100 million to improve diversity on film following equity study - cnbc.com
News: The 93rd Academy Awards - Nominees
And the nominees are…
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
RIZ AHMED - Sound of Metal
CHADWICK BOSEMAN - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
ANTHONY HOPKINS - The Father
GARY OLDMAN - Mank
STEVEN YEUN - Minari
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
SACHA BARON COHEN - The Trial of the Chicago 7
DANIEL KALUUYA - Judas and the Black Messiah
LESLIE ODOM, JR. - One Night in Miami...
PAUL RACI - Sound of Metal
LAKEITH STANFIELD - Judas and the Black Messiah
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
VIOLA DAVIS - Ma Rainey's Black Bottom
ANDRA DAY - The United States vs. Billie Holiday
VANESSA KIRBY - Pieces of a Woman
FRANCES MCDORMAND - Nomadland
CAREY MULLIGAN - Promising Young Woman
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
MARIA BAKALOVA - Borat Subsequent Moviefilm: Delivery of Prodigious Bribe to American Regime for Make Benefit Once Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan
GLENN CLOSE - Hillbilly Elegy
OLIVIA COLMAN - The Father
AMANDA SEYFRIED - Mank
YUH-JUNG YOUN - Minari
BEST PICTURE
THE FATHER - David Parfitt, Jean-Louis Livi and Philippe Carcassonne, Producers
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH - Shaka King, Charles D. King and Ryan Coogler, Producers
MANK - Ceán Chaffin, Eric Roth and Douglas Urbanski, Producers
MINARI - Christina Oh, Producer
NOMADLAND - Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey and Chloé Zhao, Producers
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN - Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Emerald Fennell and Josey McNamara, Producers
SOUND OF METAL - Bert Hamelinck and Sacha Ben Harroche, Producers
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 - Marc Platt and Stuart Besser, Producers
Louie Anderson only made it into 'Coming to America' because Paramount insisted that a white person had to be in the movie
Coming To America’s Eddie Murphy On Being Forced To Add A White Character To The Original Movie - cinemablend.com
Paramount was like, because the whole cast is Black and this was back in the 80s. So it was like, ‘We need to have a white person. There has to be a white person in the movie’…So who was the funniest white guy around? Louie, we knew he was cool, so that’s how Louie got in the movie. —Eddie Murphy
Washing lettuce and making his way to assistant manager to rake in the big bucks.
No it’s not shocking and I’m sure it’s still happening albeit not as frequently as in the 80s. On the positive side, Louie Anderson is hilarious so if anyone had to be put in there to make the story more appealing to white audiences, I’m glad it was someone like him.
Sofia Coppola isn't watching movies that don't have female characters and now I'm questioning how I watch movies
Sofia Coppola Says She Can’t Watch Movies Without Any Female Characters - indewire.com
“I can’t watch movies that don’t have any female characters in it,” Coppola said. “I’m like, ‘Who are these people I need to connect with?'”
Personally, I don’t actually have much of an issue connecting with male characters. As long as there’s a good story there. I’ll connect with an octopus if that’s what’s necessary for the ride. But now that Sofia Coppola mentions it, I think I too might want to focus more of my attention on stories that take the female perspective into consideration.
We only get so many hours in a lifetime, right? Why not focus my energy on watching the movies that’ll have the best odds of connecting? Looks like it’s time to turn up the volume on what matters.
