Monday’s Pop Culture Cold Brew is a collection of pop culture adjacency news that’s sincerely piqued our interest during these unprecedented times— only without the celebrity worship culture and more, along with critique pieces on the pop culture and social mores. Get into it below.
Here’s looking at you, Amy Schumer. Screenshot via Twitter.
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Screenshot via Twitter.
Collectively on edge with low emotional bandwidth for anything complicatedly comprehensive while trying to gain electronic stimuli through our many screens. What an exhaustive week post-Oscars— the discourse and think pieces we don’t need are neverending. The Academy reached for more viewership by sacrificing airing well-deserved nominees/wins for whatever they tried. The ridiculous night of supposed film excellency is eclipsed by the repeated historied mocking of an acclaimed Black Woman.
The unscripted joke left comedians scrambling, somehow fearing for their safety for getting their shit rocked with their searing and edgy takes. Others were bold and ready with their sharpened proverbial pitchforks while exposing an internalized racial bias and unpacked trauma via social media. The pearl-clutching from Howard Stern, Judd Apatow, Alec Baldwin (who punched a stranger over a parking space), the “triggered and traumatized” Amy Schumer, and many more are illuminating and ironically entertaining— what’s the adage about living in glass houses? Adding clickbait fuel to an already dumpster fire of a time is Trevor Noah’s worn-out joke about the nominees being ‘vegetables of movies.’ A silly joke and tired criticism that Academy Award-Nominated movies are movies that people don’t watch is obvious and stale as Amy Schumer’s aimless seat filler joke. Particularly because through the years— the awards show has become more of a populist contest with the Best Picture nominees. Why else would Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta or Rebecca Hall’s Passing be looked over for Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up? I’m still puzzled by that. A full week later, opinions and discourse continue from people who tend to lack critical thinking or comprehension and who simply shouldn’t. The Academy’s fumbled investigation with storied versions of the truth led to Will Smith’s resignation as an Academy member.
Currently and far more important is the ongoing boycott of the Chateau Marmont hotel, where Jay-Z and Beyoncé hosted an after-party— despite the boycott’s pleas. With many other wealthy and fabulous guests partying, right outside hospitality workers with UNITE HERE Local 11 have been leading a boycott since February 2021. The allegations are dreadful, standing firm amid allegations toward Chateau Marmont and the celebrity hotelier owner, André Balazs. Wrongful termination of nearly 250 longtime staff members; they were allegedly left without severance and health care during COVID. Not including yearslong racial discrimination, sexual misconduct, union-busting, and more. However, several big names have supported and even endorsed the Chateau boycott. Those who stayed away from crossing the picket line in favor of solidarity include Gabrielle Union, Issa Rae, Jane Fonda, Tom Morello, Spike Lee, Samira Wiley, Alfonso Cuarón, Amanda Seyfried, and Quinta Brunson. Also, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Steven Van Zandt, Ashley Nicole Black, Robin Thede, Sarah Silverman, Martin Sheen, Adam McKay, and Edie Falco. Many celebrities attended, but the only one to respond was Rosario Dawson, who, ironically, played famous labor organizer Dolores Huerta in the Cesar Chavez biopic. Dawson claimed not to cross any picket lines of the two-year boycott since it was nearly emptied when she arrived around 1 a.m.— I had to laugh at the dismissive and stupid response given her political activist history. Fortunately, Dawson now pledged a boycott after attending— the only former guest to pledge in solidarity. While there’s nothing wrong with lavishly celebrating, however; the differences between world perceptions grow stronger and are more evident than ever.
None is more evident than the supposed cancellation of the disgraceful Louis C.K.— Whom, according to C.K., supposedly lost millions due to his historied grotesque behavior. Still, he finds time from being canceled to perform in comedy clubs and isn’t a social pariah with many still supporting him— it’s almost like cancel culture has become a marketing tool. Through this so-called cancel culture era that comedians and politicians claim, C.K. won Best Comedy Album at the 64th annual Grammy Awards. So what is the truth? Then we have the always performative and least intersectional, Amy Schumer, who still doesn’t understand how to read the room. Particularly given the archives of her and many other Ricky Gervais types with their “meta-disparagement” humor— which refers to jokes that explicitly target minorities while ridiculing and emphasizing the hypocrisy for face value or for holding those beliefs. Schumer had more to say:
“I was kind of feeling myself— and then all of a sudden Ali was making his way up— and it was just a fucking bummer. All I can say is that it was really sad, and I think it says so much about toxic masculinity. It was really upsetting, but I think the best way to comfort ourselves would be for me to say the Oscar jokes that I wasn’t allowed to say on TV.” Via The Hollywood Reporter.
Peak white feminism. Trivializing an industry peer’s accidental death due to the fatal shooting on the set of Rust to poke fun at Alec Baldwin isn’t what she thinks it is. Particularly after she freely expressed being “triggered and traumatized.” Smith’s action is understood but not condoned. However, there’s an interesting pattern by the most outspoken critics are quickly writing off a fellow wealthy elite swift with strong opinions and most condoning their version of justice— ironically also includes violence. Something has to be said for allotted grace in second chances and those deigned worthy— especially when serial predator Roman Polanski, who famously fled the country after his conviction for pedophilia, somehow still received an Oscar in absentia. Or even after expulsion from the Academy, disgraced Harvey Weinstein still has an astounding 81 Oscar wins. It’s all fascinatingly bleak, but the only person we’ve yet to hear from is the only voice (Jada Pinkett-Smith) that matters. While we all love not minding our own business, especially when it comes to celebrities and their perception, it’s time to move on to things that are our business. Or until something is truly absurd and deserving of actual ridicule.
🪐 Get Into It
Image via Tumblr.
Below are some current reads or fascinations that I’ve been indulging in, so as we say, get into it.
Ben McKenzie (yes, THAT Ben McKenzie— our favorite Chino bad boy with a heart of gold from The O.C.) is in his Erin Brokovich era against NFTs.
Pedro Almodóvar’s Oscar Diary via IndieWire features the director’s thoughts on LA, Zendaya/Euphoria, being backstage with Al Pacino, and more. Still, I can’t help but revert to Tom Holland casually asking Jake Gyllenhaal who Pedro Almodóvar is— hopefully, Zendaya or, most likely, Jake shows him the fantastic Pain and Glory, Bad EducationAll About My Mother.
As I work through my email inbox due to my stifling mental health, I’ve also been watching films again. I'm currently introducing my friend to Paul Dano’s filmography; we’re having an at-home film festival watching Dano get battered physically or emotionally. Youthquake officially returns.
