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Jenny Poyer Ackerman's avatar

I enjoyed this post, thanks! Your fashion judgments are all 100% correct, but please come back and say something about the Ariana Grande puff piece! It really shouldn't go unscathed, IMHO.

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Ben Appel's avatar

Thanks for reading! Off-topic, I know. Ok, about Ariana. First of all, what was up with the 2002 high school prom updo. Seriously, when I was hairstylist, I did like seventy of those updos every spring. And the puffy dress. It was bonkers. Completely swallowed her.

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Jenny Poyer Ackerman's avatar

Right again, thanks! I think that covers the fashion crimes, so you can get back to gender crimes if you want. (Btw, I didn't notice any of those at the Oscars, whereas the word "woman" was spoken out loud more than a few times!)

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Ben Appel's avatar

I noticed the same thing! I don’t think anyone said “LGBTQ+” even once!

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Vince Smith's avatar

Yes!! Completely out of touch. I criticized both parties during the Native American performance, which didn’t feel great..

I’m also getting to the point where the “Oscar buzz” has me resenting a great movie as I’m watching it for the first time.

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Ben Appel's avatar

Totally.

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The Third Space Podcast's avatar

I laughed out loud at the Will Ferrell SNL reference. I remember enjoying those skits a lot. I didn't watch the Oscars, so nothing to say about that.

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ClemenceDane's avatar

I remember vowing never to watch the Oscars again in 1986 when I was angry that The Color Purple won - I was in High School and fancied myself a purist who was outraged by what I thought was Spielburg's cloying and inauthentic interpretation of the novel. I don't know if I would still feel that way, but I didn't ever go back to the Oscars. I've never cared about the fashion, haven't seen a movie in a theater since, I believe, 2008 (The Dark Knight.) I have no idea who has won the Oscars for the last twenty years and haven't seen any of the films. Not Barbie, not Oppenheimer. Not Poor Things.

I'm at the point where I barely know who the directors are and even fewer of the actors. And I don't care. I can't even bring myself to hate watch, so I am "second hand hate-watching." Thank you for that!

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Ben Appel's avatar

Haha my pleasure.

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Michael B Lipman DDS's avatar

Didn't watch it Ben. Was at a Peter Framton concert. Thanks for letting me know what went on.

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Ben Appel's avatar

Nice!

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ClemenceDane's avatar

Where's he playing?

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Francisco Varela's avatar

Good review! It saved me from hate-watching it!

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Lael's avatar

Thank you! So glad I didn't miss anything.

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Linda Bruce's avatar

Love the piece, Ben! We, too, for the first time in several years decided to watch it from start to finish, and maybe because it started at seven (old people go to bed earlier than young people). I think it went faster than other years, and I only cringed at acceptance speeches. And are you right -- Zendaya took my breath away. And someone please explain Billie Eilish to me.

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Ben Appel's avatar

Haha, you’re not a fan, huh? Did you not like her performance?

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Linda Bruce's avatar

I thought it was pretty maudlin. And the song is not at all memorable (don't hate me if it's no "Moon River"). I guess I just don't get her.

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Ben Appel's avatar

I’d actually go for a Billie Eilish cover of Moon River!

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Linda Bruce's avatar

My curiosity would have me do the same!

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CC's avatar

Agree - time for the ‘Barbie Movie’ to go into the trash bin of history- what a mangled & weird narrative

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Not so young anymore.'s avatar

What about the bloody hand pins worn by a few of these noble souls from Hollywood venerating the death by lynching of two Israeli Jews who got lost driving in the West Bank about 25 years ago. Not venerating them. Venerating their killers. The whole Oscar thing should be shut down for this alone.

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Ben Appel's avatar

Good god, I didn’t know about this.

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Not so young anymore.'s avatar

Billie Eilish, Ava Devernay, Mark Ruffalo and a few more. Bloody handprint. Pride in lynching Jews. It happened a long time ago. This is pure evil and who is denouncing it publicly?

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ClemenceDane's avatar

By 'Dwayne Wade' do you mean that football player? Why was he at the Oscars? And didn't you misspell his name by spelling it correctly?

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