So, the Academy Awards went well. The year of the incredible comebacks continued with the eventual Best Picture winner not locking down their Oscar until after it had appeared time had run out. Imagine the New England Patriots on the field celebrating their Superbowl win until a yellow flag and a frantic referee told everyone that the Atlanta Falcons would get one last untimed down, which they used to claim victory. While the Falcons can only dream, Moonlight was deemed the Best Picture winner despite La La Land being called such initially as an erroneous card was handed to Warren Beatty.1
Moonlight was only the second biggest comeback of the night. One of the In Memoriam photos showed a woman who proved herself to be decidedly alive. Sadly, an editing gaffe mistook a photo of Jan Chapman for the deceased Janet Patterson as Variety was quick to report.
Moonlight was the least watched of any Best Picture nominee, and La La Land was considered the frontrunner entering the night. As such, it was La La Land that was the movie subjected to the most scorn and ridicule entering Sunday. The oddest part of people taking something made for pure entertainment purposes far too seriously was that the ripping did not even have an ethos.
WATCH: 'La La Land' announced as #Oscars Best Picture winner, but only until a mistake is realized with 'Moonlight' being the real winner. pic.twitter.com/wYsUngcdwe
— ABC News (@ABC) February 27, 2017
The New York Times noted La La Land was criticized the movie for being that of liberal, white privilige.
Starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, “La La Land” is considered the strong favorite to win best picture. But the escapist musical has also been criticized for its liberal, white worldview, in particular when it comes to the subject of jazz.
LA Weekly, on the other hand, called it a fascist propaganda film. No, seriously. There is no satirical tone, and April Wolfe opens by tieing it into Nazi propaganda cinematography. The reader is left wondering if Wolfe even understands what fascism is though as there are no references to why it is propaganda other than that she believes there are too many white people in the 1950s Hollywood portrayal.
How about, the movie was a musical. Can it just be that? One that people seemed to enjoy a bit? Perhaps not in today’s society. The year 2017 has been all about turmoil and whining and backlash to backlash on every topic. However, a fun turn happened recently. People started to embrace the absurdity of it all and have some fun, which was a welcome pivot.
The Federalist is decidedly right-leaning, but they were good sports on this topic. They ran an article on how the Chronicles of Narnia would be politicized on social media if it would have been released in 2017. The entire column pokes fun at the hyperbole and over-sensitivity of both sides of the political spectrum. Please do read the full column but here are some of my favorite snippets:
The American Conservative: “Narnia and the Problem of Borders”
By not effectively maintaining border security, King Tirian ensured his nation would be invaded and plundered by the Calormenes. Also, Archenland should’ve been Narnia’s Benedict Option.
Rolling Stone: “A Swordfight on Campus”
[Retracted: This story erroneously alleged that C.S. Lewis intentionally promoted school violence in the closing pages of “The Silver Chair.” We regret the error, and will be ordering a full investigation.]
Salon: “With ‘Narnia,’ the Publishing World Takes Steps Toward Normalizing Mike Pence’s Theocracy”
Narnia is ruled by monarchs appointed directly by a deity, and that’s precisely how the Trump White House sees itself. And what’s Aslan’s position on reproductive rights? These questions need answers.
That column made me laugh, and I needed it. With such a demeanor, I wanted to share some other political humor that has made me laugh. Here is how a White House spokesperson responded about President Trump not attending the Correspondent’s Dinner, which is a fancy gala for self-important media types.
WH spokesman on Trump not attending WHCA dinner: "If a Girl Scout egged your house would you buy cookies from her?" https://t.co/gVZAe6AbtW pic.twitter.com/rZmoASqLGM
— The Hill (@thehill) February 26, 2017
There was also a ruckus about how President Trump likes to eat his steak. Trump enjoys his steak well-done and with a heaping side of catsup. His habit has been the subject of ridicule for years; not unlike his hair. Yet a fresh report led to a large amount of people voicing their displeasure. Some of the one-liners were good enough to cause a belly laugh no matter your political affiliation.
Here are some of my favorites:
Here is the article passage that kick-started everything from the Independent Journal.
last night, President Trump reportedly ate a well-done steak with ketchup. https://t.co/zJzu6xUE9L pic.twitter.com/wnmpge2IJH
— Colin Campbell (@colincampbell) February 26, 2017
Here is the new hot dog debate now that the hot dog has been confirmed to be a sandwich.
Hey now maybe y'all can get off my ass about putting just ketchup on my hot dogs.
— Jessica Kleinschmidt (@KleinschmidtJD) February 26, 2017
Hyperbolic drama-rama has to happen with these items.
An American tragedy.