Entertainment
How Cord Jefferson Made the Oscars Not So White
A number of weeks ago, an area supermarket owner informed me that he was halfway through my newest book, “Black AF History: The Unwhitewashed Story of America,” and said he had never read anything prefer it. His compliment made no mention of history, research or storytelling, but since I had received the same compliment myself, I knew exactly where he was going.
“I love stories about your family,” he explained. “You never hear stories about regular black families.”
“Yes,” I replied.
That’s all. That’s the whole story.
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On Sunday, “Black screenwriter” and director Cord Jefferson took home the Oscar for best adapted screenplay for writing “American Fiction,” a dark film about “Black novelist”, who was uninterested in writing “The Black Books”. During his victory speechJefferson graciously thanked his colleagues for “trusting a 40-year-old black guy who had never directed anything before” and implored studio executives to “recognize that there are such a lot of individuals who want the opportunity I’ve been given.” However, what caused the most emotion was Jefferson’s press conference behind the scenes.
“There are audiences who are interested in something else.” Jefferson explained. “A story with black characters that will appeal to a lot of people doesn’t have to take place on a plantation. It doesn’t have to take place in projects. There doesn’t have to be drug dealers involved. You don’t have to have gang members involved. There is an audience that presents different representations of people’s lives. There is a market for representations of Black life that is as broad and as deep as any representation of people’s lives.”
Some viewers, each black and white, interpreted the newly minted Oscar winner’s public remarks as an elitist shot at black filmmakers or movies about black people. Others saw Jefferson’s criticism as a part of an ongoing dialogue in Black America about Hollywood’s obsession with “movies about slaves”, white saviors and movies that fetishize Black trauma.
I’m not aware about Jefferson’s internal dialogue, so it’s unattainable to say which side of this argument is more correct. Regardless of his intentions, there was a subtle, fundamental point in Jefferson’s speech that everybody appeared to miss:
Why won’t Hollywood let black people make “white movies”?
While the mainstream media eagerly discusses “Black cinema” — films with majority black actors in leading roles — the converse is rarely discussed (even during the 337-day period of white history months). That’s why no one takes it into account Martin Scorsese a “white director”, although in his half-century profession he made dozens of movies and not using a single black lead role.
White movies are called “films”.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about American Fiction is its lack of extraordinary. It would take 4 hands to count the variety of movies depicting an peculiar white family coping with grief, loss and familial turmoil. Erica Alexander was pretty much as good in “American Fiction” as Meryl Streep in “August: Osage County” or Frances McDormand in “Nomadland” or any of her Oscar-winning performances as a white woman playing a white woman. While Jeffrey Wright’s performance was spot on, it didn’t live as much as his gut-wrenching performance in “All day and night” Or “OG” While Cord Jefferson undoubtedly made a great movie, what’s much more remarkable is that a black filmmaker was allowed to make a movie that did not depend on the tropes mentioned earlier. The fact is that it is a movie revenue from ticket sales greater than double budget just isn’t surprising. Studios that relegate black movies to lower budgets have experienced this studies which show that “African-American films are doing better at the box office.”
In Caucasian cinema, making a great, interesting white film is the surest strategy to gain critical acclaim. Young white actresses can strike Oscar gold by playing a spunky housewife who stares longingly into the distance (truthfully, I can not tell Cate Blanchett from Kate Winslet, which is why I call all young white actresses “Gwyneth Paltrows”). More white actors won (94) than the total variety of black actors and actresses who’ve ever been nominated (76).
But because quite a few Research shows that white audiences are less curious about and fewer prone to empathize with movies that feature “minority cast members” Black characters, Black actors and filmmakers must portray a specific brand of black pain to receive the same accolades as their white counterparts. White audiences cannot see the humanity of Black people unless it falls into one in all 4 categories:
- Be an actual person: One-third of Black’s Oscar-nominated performances feature historical figures, including Ray Charles (Jamie Foxx), Idi Amin (Forest Whitaker), Richard Williams (Will Smith) and Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya)
- Be helpful: You could be a slave (Hattie McDaniel in “Gone with the Wind”; Lupita Nyong’o in “12 Years a Slave”; Denzel Washington in “Glory”) a servant (Octavia Spencer in “The Help”; Sidney Poitier in “Lily of the Valley”, Morgan Freeman in “Driving Miss Daisy”) or just serving the white hero. (Whoopi Goldberg in “Ghost” Morgan Freeman in “Million Dollar Baby”
- A black one who can sing, dance, run, or do something that white people appreciate can almost change into a human being(Mahershala Ali in “Green Book”, Jennifer Hudson in “Dreamgirls”, Cuba Gooding Jr. in “Jerry Maguire”)
- Suffer: High-stakes, hyperbolic trauma is one in all the few lenses through which white people can see the humanity of black people. (Da’Vine Joy Randolph in “The Holdovers”; Mary J. Blige in “Mudbound”; Halle Berry in “Monster’s Ball”)
None of which means Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voters hate Black people or think less of the movies we make. The best Black art, music, and other types of cultural meaning-making accurately represent Black lives and inform Black individuals who they’re to one another. Conversely, the job of an Oscar voter is to guage black art through the lens of how black people perceive it. And for that specific purpose, the Oscars.
In fact, the most notable achievement of “American Fiction” could also be that white people took notice.
Jefferson didn’t mean that movies about bandits, maids, and slaves were less worthy of attention and praise. It wasn’t even about the need for mid-budget movies (studios were greenlighting white mid-budget movies all the time). His ultimate premise was that everybody deserved to be told because… Or as some call it:
Diversity.
Right.
Inclusion.
That’s all. That’s the whole story.
Entertainment
Coco Austin sparks outrage over ‘weird’ holiday photos as fan notices someone ‘puts hand on her butt’
The latest photos of Ice T’s wife, Coco Austin Marrow, capture the previous reality star within the holiday spirit, but she could also be on Santa’s naughty list.
On Thursday, December 5, Coco posted cinema featuring her daughter Chanel and clan visiting Santa on the Polar Express within the small town of Williams in central Arizona. In her caption, Coco stated that the holiday was what her daughter “wanted to spend on her birthday.”
A big group celebrated Chanel’s birthday by the Christmas tree and took photos with Santa Claus, wearing matching gingerbread men. However, as the family was decorating the halls, fans noticed that Ice-T was not around for the holiday cheer.
Several followers asked, “Where’s the ice?” while some insisted they’d “love” to see the previous gangster rapper in matching family pajamas.
One fan replied convincingly that he was probably busy “filming our favorite TV show.” Ice has played Detective Odafin “Fin” Tutuola on NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU” since 2000. This might be his twenty sixth season within the cop series.
While some focused on the indisputable fact that Coco’s husband of 23 years didn’t make it to the North Pole together with his family, most questioned her being photographed in an intimate photo with a mystery man.
One picture showed the previous video vixen and her sister sitting with a person placed between them. Coco wrapped her legs across the man while his hand appeared to rest freely on his back.
One person asked: “It doesn’t matter if you happen to’re all over it. So that is your latest man? Another observer quickly cleared up the mystery and revealed that the person was Coco’s father.
Finding out that this man was her father made their pose even stranger to some.
“MF, there’s nothing, I’m weird, MF. “Last time I checked you were sitting on your dad’s lap as a grown woman and you sure as hell aren’t taking pictures with his hands comfortably resting on your ass and the other on your sister’s back,” one follower said in response someone tells them to “stop being weird” and “analyze” things.
This Instagram user also had a laundry list of questions. “Who is that guy you took a picture with? And why is his hand on your butt and why is he holding your back tightly in the second photo?”
And this follower shared his perspective on the family photo. “So, as an adult, you sit on your dad’s lap. We’ll hang the whole lot on his legs, and we’ll place our entire hands comfortably on your ass. It’s clear as day because his other hands are directly on your sister’s back. So why would not he respectfully place his hand on your back as a substitute of all over your ass. Weird as hell.
This is not the primary time Coco’s photos have raised eyebrows and mixed feelings amongst fans. She continually posts photos with her daughter on social media, which are sometimes criticized for Coco’s dangerous clothing decisions and poses during “mommy and me” photo shoots.
In October, the family went on a getaway to the Bahamas when Coco posted photos of herself and Chanel in matching swimsuits.
The duo took a couple of photos together, and Coco’s decision to adopt one in every of them in her signature “butt model” pose turned what might have been a cute mother-daughter post into complete chaos.
Coco and her daughter Chanel in matching swimsuits within the Bahamas! #TSRStaffBD pic.twitter.com/96q5bHfqnY
— TheShadeRoom (@TheShadeRoom) October 27, 2024
One Instagram user commented: “Why isn’t any one surprised that she takes a butt picture with her daughter within the photo? That’s fucking weird.
And one other chimed in: “If a black woman had done this, she would have been called all sorts of names.”
Entertainment
Ina Garten denies Martha Stewart’s claims about their downfall after fans accuse the Food Network chef of abandoning her friend
Celebrity chef Ina Garten explains how her friendship with Martha Stewart ended.
On December 5, the TV chef and writer had a private interview with People magazine, during which she was asked to speak about why she and Stewart are not any longer friends.
Stewart initially claimed that Garten abandoned their friendship when Stewart went to prison, but Garten claims this will not be true.
In front of a live audience, the former Food Network chef responded to Stewart’s claims, stating: “Well, let’s just say her story isn’t entirely accurate. And you know that was 25 years ago. I think it’s time to let go.”
The friendship between Garten and Stewart blossomed in the Nineteen Nineties. In fact, Stewart was largely answerable for making “The Barefoot Contessa” as successful because it was. In 1990, after purchasing a house just south of Garten’s, Stewart published her first issue of Martha Stewart Living, which included an article about Garten.
Stewart was also friends with the head of Crown Publishing, which proved useful when Garten sought to publish “The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.”
In 2000, Stewart’s production company gave Garten a show for the Food Network called “Someone’s in the Kitchen with Ina.” Unfortunately, because of a rift with the TV crew during filming, the series was discontinued. Garten returned to her roots and published 13 more cookbooks with Crown.
As for her relationship with Stewart, Garten says it’s just distance. Stewart spent more time at her estate in Bedford, New York, which led to them losing contact with one another.
But Stewart believes their relationship became strained when she was sentenced to 5 months in prison in 2004 for lying about selling shares.
She he said The New Yorker: “When I was sent to Alderson Prison, she stopped contacting me. I found it extremely disturbing and extremely unfriendly.” Stewart’s publicist called back to offer an announcement on her behalf, insisting that she was “not bitter at all and there was no dispute between them.”
Now that Garten has given her answer, it’s as much as fans to come to a decision which TV personality they think is true.
Some believed that Stewart was telling the truth. One person wrote on People’s website“I believe Marta. Martha started her, and when Martha went to prison, she abandoned her. Moving to a neighboring country does not prevent the continuation of a valuable friendship.”
A Stewart supporter on E! Facebook News page he said“Ina was a trader. Better not be friends with her.
On Instagram, several people commented on Stewart’s alleged malicious writing: “Marta can hold a grudge” and “Marta doesn’t let go.”
Others supported Garten’s answer in a People Instagram clip. One fan said: “Marta told the truth! But Ina behaved well and showed respect.” Another added: “Not everyone likes everyone. Ina is true, move on.
Calling her bluff, a 3rd added: “Come on, you just don’t want to hang out with prison birds. I fixed it there. I love the documentary about Marta.”
After her 2004 conviction, Stewart served five months in prison, as detailed in her Netflix documentary, which hit streaming platforms last month. “Martha” charts the lifestyle impresario’s rise to fame, her money-making friendship with Snoop Dogg, and the painful personal details surrounding her marriage to ex-husband Andrew Stewart.
Entertainment
Master P’s son Hercy can escape punishment when arrested for theft amid family drama between dad and older siblings
Master P’s second youngest son and Romeo Miller’s younger brother may soon be free from charges despite the criminal charges against him.
According to ABC 4Hercy Miller, 24, was arrested last month together with Brock Felder, 20, and Peter Dadson Jr. (25) on charges of stealing two fridges from the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City, Utah.
The arrest of three Thunderbirds basketball teammates occurred the day before Thanksgiving, and each student was charged with theft.
Arrest documents say that on Nov. 11, surveillance video captured Miller, Felder and Dadson Jr. taking two fridges from the loading dock of a campus bookstore and putting them into two vehicles. Each refrigerator was valued at $1,500.
Upon arrival at their residence, police observed one refrigerator in Dadson Jr.’s apartment. and Felder. Miller had a second refrigerator in his garage.
TO the TV reported that Felder told police that one other suspect had the thought to steal the fridges. He also claimed that he had just helped load it into the automobile. Dadson Jr. is reported to have and Miller assumed the fridges can be thrown away.
One statement says Dadson Jr. “he believed they were thrown away and could be taken away.” He claimed the fridges had been sitting on the loading dock for “almost a month.”
Neither of them asked permission before taking the coolers.
The three men were booked into the Iron County Jail and released on Thanksgiving Day. All three were cleared to proceed playing college basketball.
SUU head coach Rob Jeter, he said TMZ calls the December 4 incident a “big misunderstanding.”
Fans reacted to Hollywood Unlocked’s coverage of Miller’s shock and disappointment.
One one that had speculation about Miller’s older brother and his apparent absence from the family wrote, “So Romeo has distanced himself from this family and is now focused on his own family.”
Someone else couldn’t help but mention his father, born Percy Robert Miller.
“Dad’s worth millions and you’re stealing refrigerators! these star kids really need to study.”
Another fan defended Miller, saying: “It’s crazy because it might have gone within the trash anyway. This is so petty, lmao.
Although neither his father nor his brother said anything concerning the incident, Hercy himself sent a message of thanks on Thanksgiving – the identical day he was released from prison.
Reposting the meme that he said“When life seems troubled, as a substitute of resisting, ask God what he’s attempting to teach you or where he’s leading you. Trust that His plans are at all times for your good, even when the trail seems uncertain.
Additionally, Hercy also posted a series of photos together with his family members on the court, including one together with his father, mother Sonya C, older brother Vercy Miller and others.
In the caption, he wrote: “I’m grateful for all of this. Ups. Short. Blessings. Lessons. Failures. Returns. All.”
Hercy Miller is a senior transferring from the University of Louisville. The 6’3 guard has an estimated net price of $2 million due to NIL deals and brand partnerships with Steve Madden, Amazon and more.
TMZ reported that prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss Miller’s case in court on Dec. 6, a spokesman for the Iron County Attorney’s Office said.
This could allow Miller to be free from any charges, even though it’s unclear what’s at stake for his teammates. “Life is good,” Hercy wrote on her Instagram Story later that day.
After hearing the newest update, one social media user he said“master p sent this check” and one other added: “Baby Master P is a businessman. He definitely sent that check.
In addition to Romeo and Hercy, Master P and Sonya have a complete of seven children, including 33-year-old son Vercy, 31-year-old daughter Inty, 25-year-old daughter Itali and 19-year-old son Mercy. Their daughter Tytyana Miller died at age 30 from a fentanyl overdose in May 2022.
Tytyana’s struggles with addiction and depression were documented on We TV’s reality show “Growing Up Hip Hop” and put her eldest brother and dad at the middle of the drama.
In a June 2022 interview with Atlanta Black Star, Romeo revealed that “recently,” he told his father that he was expecting his first child.
“Honestly, me and my dad, our relationship shouldn’t be what people think. We are so close, but it surely relies on respect. It’s based on the indisputable fact that he’s a fantastic father,” he said.
Like father, like son. #tb pic.twitter.com/LlTsRlWwMK
— Romeo Miller (@RomeoMiller) January 20, 2017
Later that 12 months, Romeo accused Master P of drawing attention to the suicide of Stephen “tWitch” Boss, who had gained fame as a dancer and former DJ on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”. The former child star blamed her father for failing to acknowledge his own daughter, who was affected by depression or suicide.
Romeo and Master P also exchanged words in a series of now-deleted Instagram posts, including the No Limit Records founder sharing a post about breaking generational curses that omitted to say his firstborn.
Master P was also accused of “trying to gaslight and break” Romeo, in addition to “not taking responsibility for his mistakes/greed.”
“I promoted the company for free for over 15 years, based on my daddies’ word, without being allowed to see any contracts or even meet the team, and I remained loyal… but now I’m entitled to it and I’m ungrateful?” Romeo said in a post after revealing he received his first check from Master P’s Rap Snacks brand.
Hours before the jump to 2023, Romeo reassured fans by revealing that they were on a journey to “start healing” after Some “very difficult conversations.”
It’s unclear where exactly Romeo and his dad are actually. However, Master P responded to questions on their dispute during a separate interview last summer, insisting that “every family goes through this.”
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