A friend of mine is working at Sundance for the first time since COVID and I asked how it was and he said “a little light on celebrities – it’s all about the next generation.” But my favourite nepo baby Sofia Coppola was there in a very cool Park City look. (The sweater and jacket are Chanel so I won’t even bother including it in As Seen on Social Media because who else but Sofia owns a Chanel puffer?!). 

 

Andrea Riseborough’s surprise Oscar nomination is being debated a lot in the comments sections of Twitter and Instagram. I’m not a film critic; I watch the Oscars for the pop culture spectacle and don’t take the winners or losers too seriously. The actor awards are literally a popularity contest. That said, I can see why people are bumping up against Andrea Riseborough’s nomination because us regular folk saw how the nomination sausage got made (via the groundswell of support from celebrities) and it’s kind of cringey. Most nominees campaign: Leo campaigned and Joaquin campaigned and Jennifer Lawrence campaigned and Jessica Chastain campaigned but it’s not supposed to be so bold. They can’t act like they want it even though most desperately do want it. The way celebrities have flooded social media with support for Andrea Riseborough has given the regular movie-goer (like me) a little bit of “ugh, here the celebrities go again” fatigue. Their co-ordinated enthusiasm has veered into a discussion about why Andrea was chosen and the celebrities do not want to engage in that conversation. They want to tell the voters (and by extension, the audience) who is worthy and the way it’s been brought to social media feels a little… condescending? I don’t know if that’s the right word for it but it is definitely rubbing some people the wrong way. But is that because the casual Oscar viewer is naïve to the politics? Celebrated playwright and screenwriter Jeremy O. Harris weighed in and commented on the process as he is a voter, which I think is interesting. My question is this: is Andrea (and her supporters) taking heat for a systemically flawed system or are they upholding it? 

 

Lupita Nyong’o had a prime seat at the Oscars last year and became part of The Slap narrative, as her face was our face. She’ll likely be back again and cheering on Angela Bassett. This is also a form of campaigning for a colleague and friend but there’s a relationship here so it doesn’t feel like there’s an agenda. Even if the goal is the same (a win), the vibe is different. 

 

Dakota Johnson co-founded a vibrator line called Maude and did a bit of promotion in 2020. Part of the reason celebrity investments are so valuable is the publicity it attracts but she barely acknowledges it. The minimal effort is kind of funny because it totally suits her but you know what would be a great idea? Maude x Goop vibrator collaboration. It would be a hit. (The post below is about her bangs and she does have great thick bangs.)

 

Shakira’s jam is approaching pop culture icon status.