Don’t eat a big meal before slipping into one of these slinky tuxedos
One in a series on the clothes that popped at Paris Fashion Week. PARIS — No matter what the New York designers have been touting for fall 2016, Anthony Vaccarello still has no interest in the kind of oversized clothes in which a woman can hide her glorious, toned body. If you are planning on […]
The Band Perry parts ways with Big Machine record label. What went so wrong?
In 2010, the Band Perry, a country trio made up of three siblings from Alabama, released “If I Die Young,” a haunting ballad that catapulted them to stardom. The song, the fourth-best selling country digital single of all time, went six times platinum and kickstarted a very successful music career. Primed for fame, the band racked […]
‘This ain’t yo mama’s Civil Rights Movement’ t-shirt from Ferguson donated to Smithsonian museum
Activist Rahiel Tesfamariam has donated the Hands Up United t-shirt she wore in August when she was arrested during a protest in Ferguson, Missouri to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. A photo of Tesfamarian, 34, wearing the black t-shirt emblazoned with the phrase “This ain’t yo mama’s Civil Rights Movement” shirt […]
Why does Donald Trump care so deeply about Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart?
On Super Tuesday, we should all focus on the issues that future presidential candidates support. Recently, the popular Twitter account @pourmecoffee reminded us of a cause near and dear to Donald Trump’s heart: Now’s a good time to note the GOP is about to nominate someone who got really mad about Kristen Stewart cheating pic.twitter.com/IgNzywryyn — pourmecoffee […]
These charts show the crazy age gap between actors and actresses who win Oscars
Did you notice something funny about the winners of the acting Oscars? Not that they were all white — we’ve been over that. There was something else. Leonardo DiCaprio and supporting actor winner Mark Rylance were much older than Brie Larson and Alicia Vikander, who by comparison looked like they’d only recently finished grade school. This wasn’t some […]
The fashion trends of the Oscars 2016 red carpet in photos
It was a rainbow coalition at the Oscars last night, as a carpet that usually sees overarching trends saw more varying colors than perhaps any year in recent memory — even when it came to the men’s typical tux uniform. Here are the trends of the gowns and suits that graced the red carpet at the Super […]
How Spotlight’s surprise Best Picture win made Oscar history
For a movie that had won just about every critics’ award at the end of last year, “Spotlight” was looking like an also-ran going into Academy Awards night. “The Revenant” had all the momentum, with big wins at the Golden Globes and the Directors Guild of America, and bookies giving it 4/9 odds. Especially going […]
Watch Brie Larson hug assault survivors after Lady Gaga’s Oscar performance
Lady Gaga’s moving Oscars performance of “Til it Happens to You” ended with a stage full of sexual assault survivors, hands joined and raised, silent except for the phrases written on their arms: “it happened to me”; “not your fault”; “survivor.” As they left the stage, a video shows, Best Actress winner Brie Larson stood up to […]
The Oscars proved that Asians still aren’t taken seriously in pop culture
For more than two hours Sunday night, I could not have asked for a better Academy Awards. Chris Rock’s biting criticism of Hollywood’s lack of diversity turned what is typically an awkward, self-serving and uninspired telecast into a funny, witty and provocative performance on race and racial issues at the Oscars. This is the Oscars […]
The Oscars’ ‘In Memoriam’ tribute snubbed Abe Vigoda this year. Who else?
Where was Abe Vigoda in the Oscar “In Memoriam” tribute this year? Instead of acknowledging his death on-air, the Academy listed the actor in an online-only slideshow. Every year, the Academy Awards pay tribute to the recently deceased, and every year, the tribute seems to snub at least a few names of note. Last year, people were furious […]
Sam Smith learns he isn’t the first openly gay Oscar winner, contrary to his Oscar speech
A strange and regrettable line from singer Sam Smith’s Oscar acceptance speech on Sunday appears to be the end result of a disastrous game of telephone. Citing a recent comment by Sir Ian McKellen that no openly gay man has won the award for Best Actor, Smith seemed to believe he was the first openly […]
How does Lady Gaga manage to steal every single award show?
Attention award show producers: If you invite Lady Gaga to the broadcast, she will steal your show. At the Academy Awards on Sunday night — and for the third time this award season — the 29-year-old pop singer created one of the most memorable moments of the ceremony. [Oscars 2016: Split decision: ‘Spotlight’ wins picture […]
Here’s what it’s really like to work the Oscars red carpet
Sometimes I groan when I tell people I’m working the red carpet. That often confuses them. My wife says it makes me sound whiny. After all, it’s glamorous, exciting, a leap into the heart of Hollywood. But it’s hard work! Particularly when you don’t want to yell things like “Brie! Brie! What are you wearing.” […]
Oscars 2016: 16 things you missed, including Leonardo DiCaprio’s first win and Chris Rock’s diversity jokes
As expected, this year’s Oscars ceremony had diversity jokes to spare and a big win for Leonardo DiCaprio. Here are 16 things you missed from the show: 1) “Spotlight” won a couple awards — including the biggie. The journalism drama was nominated for six awards and won two, for best picture and best original screenplay. While […]
Why was Stacey Dash at the Oscars?
Stacey Dash made a surprise — and confusing — cameo at the Academy Awards when host Chris Rock introduced her as “the director of diversity outreach.” “I cannot wait to help my people out,” the actress, best known for her role as Dionne in the film and television versions of “Clueless,” told the audience. “Happy Black […]
“Spotlight” wins the Oscar for best picture
The journalism drama about the Boston Globe team that uncovered an extensive coverup of serial sexual abuse by priests won two of its six nominations at this year’s Academy Awards. This is a developing story. It will be updated.
If the Oscars were all about diversity, why the crude Asian joke?
It seemed we were talking about diversity about every five minutes at the Oscars. Chris Rock opened his monologue by saying he’d never be the host if he had to be nominated for the job. We all got the joke — Chris Rock is black, and for the second year in the row, not a single actor nominated for an […]
What Leonardo DiCaprio said when he finally won an Oscar
The phrase “never won an Oscar” can no longer apply to Leonardo DiCaprio. The actor, who was famously snubbed by the Academy five times, was awarded best actor for his performance in “The Revenant.” DiCaprio was heavily favored to win, with many a fan and critic declaring he “deserves” it now more than ever. One created the website HasLeoWonAnOscar.com, which […]
Chris Rock’s Oscars monologue totally lived up to the hype
The Oscars’ opening montage ended, Chris Rock took the stage and in less than seven seconds, he began to tell jokes about the awards’ diversity problem. “Man, I count at least 15 black people on that montage,” Rock said. Rock was clearly psyched to live up to the high expectations set for his performance at the “White People’s […]
Here’s how Chris Rock practiced his Oscars monologue
Here’s an amazing thing about Chris Rock’s most-eagerly-awaited-monologue-on-Earth: Turns out the comedian showed up about 10 times over the last two weeks at the famed Comedy Store in West Hollywood to work through his material. Some of Rock’s sets were as short as 15 minutes, others stretched into a half hour. And the whole thing […]
Here’s what the people boycotting the Oscars are watching instead
@ReignOfApril Getting Ready #TheWood #OscarsSoWhite #BlackTwitter pic.twitter.com/188E8Ik1hu — ❤️SW€€TN€SS❤️ (@SaucySisTah) February 29, 2016 Lawyer April Reign is the inventor of the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag. She’ll be using it all night on Twitter – but not because she’s watching the show. Reign, 45, is leading the charge to boycott the Oscars because of the lack of diversity […]
Oscars 2016: Complete guide to the 88th Academy Awards; full list of nominees
Where to watch | List of nominees | Complete coverage of the 2016 Oscars The 88th Academy Awards air Sunday, Feb. 28, at 8:30 p.m. on ABC and has there ever been a more anticipated monologue in Academy Awards history? In the wake of another #OscarsSoWhite backlash, all eyes will be on host Chris Rock. […]
Black actors present at the Oscars way more often than they win. What does that mean?
Yes, black actors weren’t nominated for any Oscars this year — but that doesn’t mean you won’t see them at the ceremony. Nearly every year, a tried and true mix of Hollywood royalty, like Sidney Poitier, and new, culturally relevant stars, such as Kevin Hart, are tapped to pass out awards, make jokes, and perform hit […]
Oscars 2016 FAQ: Where to watch the show, red carpet on TV and online; plus all the nominees
Where can I watch the Oscars? The 88th Academy Awards air Sunday, Feb. 28, at 8:30 p.m. on ABC. If you’re a cable TV subscriber in one of eight markets (Chicago, Fresno, Houston, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, Raleigh-Durham and San Francisco), you can access a livestream of the show on the Watch ABC app, […]
As Melissa Harris-Perry walks off MSNBC show, speculation erupts on Twitter
MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry sent an e-mail to staffers of her show on Friday, informing them that she had no intention of going on the air as scheduled Saturday morning. For weeks, her regular weekend show, she wrote, had been preempted by election coverage, raising questions from viewers and media critics about her absence. What’s […]
Oscar nominee Jóhann Jóhannsson can’t make it to the ceremony. He has to work.
For the second consecutive year, Icelandic musician Jóhann Jóhannsson is nominated for an Academy Award. Last year, his score for “The Theory of Everything” lost to Alexandre Desplat and “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” This year, Jóhannsson once again faces stiff competition. His thrilling, percussive music for “Sicario” is up against “The Hateful Eight,” with a […]
He’s been nominated for 13 Oscars and never won — but he doesn’t care
You think Leo’s Oscar has been a long time coming? Then you might want to put it in perspective. Cinematographer Roger Deakins — the genius behind the camera on “No Country for Old Men,” “Shawshank Redemption” and “Kundun” — is up for his 13th Academy Award, for “Sicario,” and he’s never won. He was even […]
What do museum audiences need most? More time for play.
When Elizabeth Merritt, head of the Center for the Future of Museums, writes her annual “TrendsWatch” report, technology is usually front and center. Previous issues of the report, which highlights developments that are likely to have a large impact on the museum sector, have covered 3D printing, robots and Big Data. This year’s report, just […]
The Oscars always get it wrong. Here are the real Best Pictures of the past 40 years.
#OscarsSoWhite? How about #OscarsSoWrong? The inability of the academy to find a single non-white actor to nominate in two years may seem baffling, but remember — this is the same academy that is painfully misguided and short-sighted when it comes to awarding trophies. Let’s take a walk through the past four decades of Best Picture winners. […]
These charts explain how Oscars diversity is way more complicated than you think
For the second year in a row, only white actors will take their seats as nominees at the Academy Awards on Sunday. Shocking, yes, but this used to happen routinely in the 20th century. It happened every year from 1975 to 1981, for example, until Howard E. Rollins Jr. was nominated for “Ragtime.” In the 21st century — with demographics […]
Forest Whitaker successfully tackles Eugene O’Neill’s ‘Hughie’
NEW YORK — He talks a pretty good game, does Erie Smith, in Eugene O’Neill’s “Hughie.” As luck would have it, so does the actor who portrays him in the finely-etched revival of the 1942 one-act play that opened Thursday night at the Booth Theatre. That actor would be the outstanding Forest Whitaker, who demonstrates in […]
So your rowdy comedy is a hit during a theater festival. Do you have a real show on your hands?
Rowdy comedies with a late-nite vibe can be catnip at the summertime Capital Fringe Festival, and why not? It’s a free-form, open invitation playground where the main rule is to get off the stage in time for the next act. Weird, though: twice this month I’ve seen shows by emerging local groups that started as […]
Kesha says her Dr. Luke battle is bigger than her. Now she’s drawing A-list support.
A growing number of music industry superstars — most of them women — are rallying behind pop diva Kesha in her ongoing legal battle to escape a recording contract with the producer she says sexually assaulted her. On Wednesday, Adele became the latest A-list celeb — joining Miley Cyrus, Lorde, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, […]
Charles and Diana got engaged 35 years ago. This writer knew they were doomed.
Thirty-five years ago this week, the people of the United Kingdom rejoiced at the news that its bachelor Prince of Wales had finally found a bride. Charles was 32, and Lady Diana Spencer was 19 but, as he noted, “she’ll be 20 soon and I was about that age” when he undertook his royal obligations. […]
Everything you need to know from this week’s depressing Hollywood diversity studies
Do you want the good news first or the bad? Let’s start with the good: Disney wants “Selma” director Ava DuVernay to direct its adaptation of the classic fantasy novel “A Wrinkle in Time.” That’s right, a black woman is getting to helm a big-budget project. Progress! Now onto the bad: As many industry watchers […]
How ‘Blackish’ tackled police brutality while staying true to its roots
“I have never been as afraid about an episode of television that I’ve written in my life,” “Blackish” creator Kenya Barris said in a phone interview ahead of Wednesday’s episode, which deals with police brutality. The episode, titled “Hope,” finds the Johnson family watching news coverage of a case involving an African American teenager. They grapple with how […]
How to design an Oscar gown that even a star might pay retail for
NEW YORK — The prep area at the Jenny Packham show was crowded with racks of glittery dresses in a rainbow of colors all dripping with sequins and icicle paillettes. Reporters nosing around backstage before her fall 2016 runway production fingered the cocktail and evening gowns and asked all the important questions — about her color palette […]
Farrakhan: Beyoncé doesn’t need police protection. Nation of Islam has her back.
Who needs the police when you have friends like Louis Farrakhan? The head of the Nation of Islam has slammed critics of superstar performer Beyoncé. If police officers offended by her latest song refuse to staff her world tour, she can count on the Nation’s security team for protection, Farrakhan said. His suggestion that the Fruit of Islam, or F.O.I., could provide […]
Oscars fact check: How accurate are the best-picture nominees?
It’s Oscar tradition to honor movies that are based on true stories. This year, four of the eight nominees for best picture are based on real-life tales ranging from 1800s Dakota territory to the 2008 financial crisis to a 2001 newsroom to a Cold War thriller. We investigated the trailers for each of these films to figure out […]
Camille Cosby’s testimony and the complicated matter of spousal protection
In 1964, Camille Olivia Hanks walked down the aisle at a Catholic church in Maryland and exchanged vows with a man she has stood by ever since. Throughout those years, her commitment to Bill Cosby has been real. She raised a family with him, she supported his comedy career, and she came to call him a “wonderful husband, […]
Former Miss New Jersey, who ‘showed warmth to everyone she met,’ dies after crash
A former beauty pageant winner who once competed for the Miss America crown died Monday, following a car crash in New Jersey earlier this month. Cara McCollum, who was crowned Miss New Jersey in 2013 and then competed in the Miss America pageant, died at a Camden, N.J., hospital, NJ.com reported. A post on a Facebook page entitled “Prayers for Cara” said […]
How the biggest ‘X-Files’ conspiracy became whether Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny are dating
“The X Files” is filled with conspiracy theories. But there’s one integral mystery that fascinates, frustrates and thrills some fans like nothing else: Are David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson dating in real life? This is no ordinary version of the typical situation where people casually wonder if two co-stars are secretly in love even as the […]
John Oliver’s ‘Last Week Tonight’ highlights the absurdity of Hollywood whitewashing
On Sunday, John Oliver’s HBO show “Last Week Tonight” called Hollywood out for its many, many instances of casting white actors in roles portraying people of color. The Oscars, which air next Sunday, have been criticized for overlooking black actors. Oliver’s segment — part of the show’s “How is this still a thing” video series — declared that “the nominees […]
Mark Rylance’s Tony Award speeches bewildered viewers. In “Nice Fish,” his rationale becomes clearer at last.
NEW YORK — So that’s what he meant. Back in 2008, when he accepted his first best-actor Tony Award, for the Broadway revival of “Boeing-Boeing,” Mark Rylance distinguished himself with one of the more cryptic speeches in the ceremony’s history. “If you go into the woods, the back country, someplace past all human habitation, it is a good idea […]
‘Downton Abbey’ recap: Edith and Mary continue their battling
The end, as they say, is nigh. But “Downton Abbey’s” penultimate episode was a goodie, tying up plenty of loose ends before the series finishes its six-year run, but also leaving enough unanswered that the show’s finale on March 6 promises to be must-watch television. Well, must-watch for those of us who love a good […]
Here’s every Hollywood wedding cliche Lena Dunham uses in the ‘Girls’ season premiere
“It’s like a rom-com that even I wouldn’t want to watch… it’s like a really bad rom-com that’s, like, too obvious and not funny.” That’s Hannah (Lena Dunham) in the “Girls” fifth season premiere on Sunday night. She’s speaking, of course, about the as-insane-as-you-would-expect main plot of the episode, the wedding of Allison Williams’s character […]
Creepy or collectible? Why people spend thousands of dollars to buy celebrities’ hair.
The haircut was like any other. John Lennon was preparing for his role as Gripweed in the film “How I Won the War.” The performance was unmemorable. So too was the coif. But on Saturday, nearly 50 years after it was chopped from his head, Lennon’s lock of hair sold for $35,000. The clipping garnered triple […]
‘Friends’ creators Q&A: They just tried to make a show ‘that didn’t suck.’
On Sunday, cast members from shows such as”Taxi,” “Cheers” “Frasier” “Will and Grace,” and “The Big Bang Theory” will salute veteran sitcom director James Burrows in the NBC special “Must See TV: A tribute to James Burrows. But no cast’s appearance has been touted more than that of “Friends.” Five of the six main cast members […]
Everything you need to know about the case to #FreeKesha
On Friday, chart-topping pop singer Kesha broke down sobbing in a Manhattan court room after a judge refused to release her from a contract with a producer she claims sexually assaulted her. In response, Twitter lit up with support from her fans. But nothing about the case — from the relevant parties’ names to the court proceedings […]
Mourning readers celebrate ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ on Instagram
There’s a scene in the film “You’ve Got Mail” where Meg Ryan’s character rants about the impacts of books: “When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does.” And it’s safe to say “To Kill a Mockingbird” is […]
12 striking looks from New York Fashion Week — good and bad
Here are the looks that caught Washington Post fashion critic Robin Givhan’s eye during the New York Fashion Week shows for Fall 2016 — some because of their impeccable design and others because of their lack of it. Jason Wu’s neon fur The designer Jason Wu called his fall 2016 collection “Immaculate,” which calls to mind […]
Put away your skinny jeans. Clothes are getting big again — and it’s about time.
<img title="jac_det_fw16_198" src="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/style-blog/files/2016/02/jac_det_fw16_198.jpg" alt="Put away your skinny jeans.