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The filmmaker for a President Barack Obama-produced documentary quoted the famous rallying cries of the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and the Soviet Union during her acceptance speech. During her acceptance speech for winning Best Documentary, Julia Reichert quoted Marx’s famous “Workers of the world unite” chant. The quote was also famously one of the official mottos of the Soviet Union before its fall. Communist regimes in the last century were responsible for the murder of more than 100 million people — including tens of millions murdered by the Soviet Union. The documentary film American Factory tells the story of...

Former President Barack Obama played a direct role in the hardships of the workers featured in American Factory, the Oscar-winning documentary his new production company produced. But as Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), the former mayor of nearby Dayton, Ohio, wrote last year, the movie leaves out President Obama’s own role in making life worse for the GM workers who lost their jobs. Obama’s auto bailout, he recalled, helped force the plant’s closure and made it harder for the workers to find new jobs because his administration was dealing political favors to its favored union allies — and they were in...

Actor-comedian Ricky Gervais viciously trolled Hollywood celebrities just hours ahead of Sunday’s Academy Awards, preemptively deflating their self-important acceptance speeches in a series of humorous tweets. Ricky Gervais took the stars to task for their progressive views on migrant workers, noting that many celebrities employ migrants in their homes to perform menial and backbreaking work. “I can’t wait to hear all your inspirational speeches about equality, and it’s great that the 3 hours you’re here tonight is the only time your badly paid migrant house staff will get some time off to sleep this week” https://t.co/fsFbdDkv6u — Ricky Gervais (@rickygervais)...

Ricky Gervais is warning celebrities against political speeches after a number of them spoke out at the Oscars over the weekend, saying that the comments to "everyday, hard working people" at Hollywood awards shows usually backfire. "I have nothing against the most famous people in the world using their privileged, global platform to tell the world what they believe," the comedian and five-time Golden Globes host tweeted Monday, a day after the 92nd annual Academy Awards. "I even agree with most of it," Gervais said to his more than 14 million followers. "I just tried to warn them that when...

By this point in awards season, Brad Pitt’s march toward a Best Supporting Actor Oscar seems all but inevitable. Not to say anyone’s complaining. In fact, the loudest knock against the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star is that his warm-up acceptance speeches at events like the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the BAFTAs have been a little too, well, perfect. [snip] Fenway Strategies is a speechwriting and communications firm founded by former Obama administration officials Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor. Although the firm’s most obvious connection is to the political arena, helping speakers prep TED...

Here are the winners at the 92nd annual Academy Awards that handed out Sunday night at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood:Best PictureParasite (Neon) A Barunson E&A Production Kwak Sin Ae and Bong Joon Ho, ProducersActress in a Leading RoleRenée Zellweger Judy (LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions)Actor in a Leading RoleJoaquin Phoenix Joker (Warner Bros.)DirectingParasite (Neon) Bong Joon HoOriginal Song“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman (Paramount) Music by Elton John Lyric by Bernie Taupin Original ScoreJoker (Warner Bros.) Hildur GuðnadóttirInternational FeatureParasite A Barunson E&A Production South KoreaMakeup and HairstylingBombshell (Lionsgate) Kazu Hiro, Anne Morgan and Vivian Baker Visual Effects1917 (Universal/Amblin...

I am curious to see if PARASITE wins anything. I am also interested in Best Song Category...Idina Mendel will perform. Will TOY STORY 4 win? Will Rene Z win Best Actress? I liked PARASITE more than 1917 or JOKER.

Hollywood’s Super Bowl for movie buffs is upon us. And you won’t want to miss the 2020 Oscars on Feb. 9, which will see the year’s hottest stars and most gifted creatives go head-to-head for a shot at entertainment’s most coveted gold trophy: an Academy Award. The live ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Calif., will once again forgo a traditional host this year following last year’s controversy with comedian Kevin Hart, who ultimately stepped down. The honors will instead boast a slew of megastars lined up to announce, as well as a cannon of A-list musicians who will...

It was a historic 92nd Academy Awards with a first Best Picture recipient not in the English language in Parasite adding an element of surprise to a largely predictable winners list. There was something historic in the ratings for the 2020 Oscars too — an historic low. Last year, the Academy Awards bet on no traditional host, kicked off the night with an energetic performance by Queen and Adam Lambert, employed “not hosts” with Saturday Night Live pedigree (Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph) to do an opening monologue, kept the show’s length under 3.5 hours and created a musical...

During his speech, Pitt also got political, calling out the Trump impeachment trial for blocking the testimony of former national security adviser John Bolton.

Is "1917" a wartime shoo-in for best picture, or might "Parasite" make some Oscar history Sunday night? The 92nd annual Academy Awards brings to a close yet another awards season, one in which the main acting categories are led by performers who've run roughshod over their competition. But the race for best picture is somewhat more up in the air. Sam Mendes' World War I thriller "1917" is the closest to a favorite, having won important Golden Globe, Producers Guild and Directors Guild awards. But Bong Joon-ho's South Korean black comedy "Parasite," which took the best ensemble award at the...