January 8, 2018

I said I'd watch the Golden Globes (and watch it "with an open mind"), so I owe you this post.

I don't know if I'd be choosing this topic for Monday morning if I hadn't essentially promised to write it. Why didn't I write it last night? I fell asleep. I fell asleep, and then I woke up at 2 a.m. and watched the rest of it, including the appearance of Kirk Douglas, who is 101 years old. How did he stay up? Yes, it's Pacific Time, 2 hours earlier, but still... he's 101!

Anyway, quick impressions:

1. Did all the women wear black? The President of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (which gives out the awards) appeared on stage in a voluminous, flaming red gown, supposedly because in "her Indian culture, it’s customary to wear a festive color during a celebration." Does that amount to a disagreement with the women in black? Were they resisting the usual festivity of the occasion? Do we see some implicit ethnic critique, that the white women of Hollywood were not sensitive to the meaning of color in other cultures? I look up the meaning of wearing black in India:
Black in India has connotations with lack of desirability, evil, negativity, and inertia. It represents anger and darkness and is associated with the absence of energy, barrenness, and death. Black is used as a representation of evil and is often used to ward off evil. 
2. What impression did it make, to see all that black? On the red carpet, the black made the crowd look much less glamorous. There was much less male/female differentiation, much less of a sense that the crowd was popping with especially beautiful people. In the long shots, it looked like a crowd at a boring cocktail party of ordinary-looking people. Harvey Weinstein wasn't there, but half the people in the crowd seemed not much better looking than him. There's a scruffiness to the men's "head styling," and with everyone dressed alike, the men seemed really nondescript. Inside the theater, in the long shots, the crowd looked more like a sea of white faces than usual. Even though great efforts were made to get close-ups of the black stars at the tables, the long view looked overwhelmingly white. Just the predictable effect of contrast. You'd think movie people would have better sensitivity to how component parts appear in long shots. This all-black design concept highlighted white people.

3. How did the men dress? Many of them wore not only black suits but black shirts and black ties. It looked sharp, albeit insectoid.

4. How did the men behave? I jumped over most of the men's speeches, but I think they were following a strategy of keeping it low key and throwing attention over to women whenever possible. I'd have to see a transcript to know if any of them did that old-fashioned thanking of his wife for putting up with him. I see in the news this morning that Ewan McGregor thanked his estranged wife: "I want to take a moment to thank Ev, who always stood beside me for 22 years and my four children, I love you." And then — because we need more love in this world — he also thanked his girlfriend.

5. I didn't hear any Trump-bashing. Aziz Ansari said: "I genuinely didn't think I would win because all the websites said I was going to lose." And: "I'm glad we won this one because it would have really sucked to lose two of these in a row." Wasn't that a shot at Hillary?

6. Oprah won the Cecil B. DeMille Award and gave a speech that has people saying she should run for President? Don't Trump haters realize that pushing Oprah as a presidential candidate undercuts one of the main arguments about Trump — that he didn't work his way up within politics but had the arrogance to think he could jump in and start at the top? Anyway, here's the transcript of Oprah's remarks. See if you think there's anything in there that's special. She had a tough task balancing her big moment with the need to recognize other people and to make her recognition of others about women in general (rather than black women or black people). It's a pretty gauzy text, but she sold it well:
In my career, what I’ve always tried my best to do, whether on television or through film, is to say something about how men and women really behave. To say how we experience shame, how we love and how we rage, how we fail, how we retreat, persevere, and how we overcome. And I’ve interviewed and portrayed people who’ve withstood some of the ugliest things life can throw at you, but the one quality all of them seem to share is an ability to maintain hope for a brighter morning, even during our darkest nights. So I want all the girls watching here and now to know that a new day is on the horizon! And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say “me too” again.
7. Here's the video of the Oprah speech. Notice the NBC logo — NBC, which played an ignominious role in this past year's sexual harassment journalism:



8. I got the video from the fashion writers Tom and Lorenzo, who say: "Yes, we could talk about how amazing she looks; how her gown is KILLA and the fit is insane; how her hair looks amazing and her makeup is beat to the gods. It doesn’t matter. While these two queens love a diva who turns it out, we love even more when a diva comes into her full power and uses that power to affect others. Nothing but respect for our president."

9. In the comments to this post, rehajm says:
I think she makes a big mistake about the media. They aren't entitled to their own truth. Their own truth is weasel words for lies. She sure got all those powerful women in the room riled up. I wonder if they now feel powerful enough to utilize the justice system, the one with a presumption of innocence, or if they expect to keep using the new one that's ripe for abuse.
Here's the relevant text from the transcript:
I’d like to thank the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, because we all know the press is under siege these days. But we also know that it is the insatiable dedication to uncovering the absolute truth that keeps us from turning a blind eye to corruption and to injustice... to tyrants and victims and secrets and lies. 
I was going to say that's a blatant display of a lack of dedication to the absolute truth — puffery and stroking. It was spoken word, so how it feels at the time is most important, but you can see in the text that she said "the insatiable dedication to uncovering the absolute truth," not "its insatiable dedication to uncovering the absolute truth." She never credited the press with having that insatiable dedication. She only held up dedication to truth as an abstract value.
I want to say that I value the press more than ever before as we try to navigate these complicated times, which brings me to this: What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.
This is the part that bothered rehajm. Interesting. Above, I was stressing the difference between putting "the" or "its" in front of truth, and now the issue is putting "your" in front of "truth."

How can there be "your truth" and also "absolute truth"? One way to reconcile the 2 ideas is to say that "your" refers not to the press, but to the women who tell their stories and who are, as individual human beings, entitled to their subjective point of view. The press is separate, and it must "navigate these complicated times."

The press is under siege — a land-based military metaphor — and out on the Ocean of Complication. It should be dedicated to the absolute truth, and part of the truth is the way women experience their own lives and tell their stories. You can give an absolutely true report of the story that Ms. X told, even if Ms. X is only telling her own story, and that story is not the "absolute truth," but an element of a proper news report that will also contain other elements.

The next lines in Oprah's speech suggest that my interpretation of "your truth" is pretty good:
And I’m especially proud and inspired by all the women who have felt strong enough and empowered enough to speak up and share their personal stories. Each of us in this room are celebrated because of the stories that we tell, and this year, we became the story.
Ah! How she slipped from TRUTH!!! to stories...

10. "And here are the all-male nominees," said Natalie Portman, before reading the names of the nominees for best director. (Guillermo del Toro won for "The Shape of Water.") That line resonated when, shortly afterward, the award for Best Musical/Comedy Film went to "Lady Bird,"which was directed by a woman, Greta Gerwig.

11. Did you notice what didn't get anything? "The Post" and "Get Out."

12. That reminds me. "The Post" got nothing, which means that Meryl Streep did not win for Actress in a Drama, so who won? Frances McDormand! She wore the best dress. It was the most anti-fashion dress I've ever seen. Not just black, but high neckline, long sleeves, long full skirt, and cut way large. It was the absence of a dress, even more so than nakedness. [ADDED: Tom and Lorenzo on McDormand's dress: "We’re not going to rip apart her nun’s habit. It’s fine. It’s who she is.... Granted, we think she could’ve worn a comfy pantsuit and come off a little more chic in the process, but whatevs."]

13. And I can't believe they didn't give Best Actor in a Drama to the guy in "Get Out." Who'd they give it too? A white man, Gary Oldman, who played the white man, Winston Churchill. Oh, no. Wait. "Get Out" got classified as a comedy. The actor, Daniel Kaluuya lost to James Franco. And I see "Get Out fans 'outraged' by Golden Globes snub: 'We're in the sunken place.'" You know what that means, the "sunken place"? (SPOILER: It means your body has been taken over by a white person, and you are just going along for the ride, able to see where your body is going, but only at a distance, and unable to speak or control your own motions, which aren't really yours anymore, but that monstrous white person's.)

14. Didn't Gary Oldman get on some political shit list a few years ago? Oh, yes, here: "Gary Oldman can't stop apologizing for that Playboy interview he did where he kept denouncing political correctness." Those were simpler times. Oldman had said: "I just think political correctness is crap. That’s what I think about it. I think it’s like, take a fucking joke. Get over it.... We all hide and try to be so politically correct. That’s what gets me. It’s just the sheer hypocrisy of everyone, that we all stand on this thing going, 'Isn’t that shocking?'"

147 comments:

JAORE said...

I did not watch the GGs,my long streak continues unbroken. But I did click through a site on the night of dark dresses.

MUCH less glamorous. Partly due to hue, of course. But I also suspect there was less flamboyance to the attire. After all how can you say, "I am more than a piece of meat" when every choice cut is on display?

Fernandinande said...

I bet those actoids of gender looked really consensuous.

rehajm said...

I watched the Oprah speech. It was good. She's very good on TV. I think she makes a big mistake about the media. They aren't entitled to their own truth. Their own truth is weasel words for lies. She sure got all those powerful women in the room riled up. I wonder if they now feel powerful enough to utilize the justice system, the one with a presumption of innocence, or if they expect to keep using the new one that's ripe for abuse.

If she ran for President could she cobble together enough knowledge of macroeconomics or foreign policy to fake it?

Ralph L said...

As long as the blackness is consensual, I don't care if they make themselves unglamorous.

tcrosse said...

It sounds like the 20th Soviet Party Congress in 1956, when Khrushchev denounced Stalin, except nobody was sure Stalin was really dead.

Unknown said...

"Kids? See this gold award in Daddy's hand? THIS is what Daddy was doing when he was going off to work everyday! THIS IS WHAT DADDY WAS DOING!"

-jj

Sam's Hideout said...

If they wanted to make a statement of solidarity they should have picked an unfashionable color that few would voluntarily select, after all the little black dress is iconic. How about bright orange for a bold color. For something subdued how about taupe or chartreuse.

stlcdr said...

Shouldn’t an awards ceremony be something to celebrate the good rather than mourn the bad?

donald said...

There’s a sweet photo out there if Oprah kissing Harvey.

Nice political ad that one is.

donald said...

Go Dawgs.

ben said...

I read the word "insectoid," in a post that is at least partly about gender politics. Now I'm sitting here, waiting patiently for the post to be finished to see if it qualifies for the "Insect Politics" tag.

Sam's Hideout said...

From news reports there appear to have been three women not in black (Blanca Blanco, Barbara Meier, and the previously mentioned Meher Tatna), though Mandy Moore had a wide red belt that must have stood out (and one site bizarrely called it subtle). Several sitrs are already trying to shame the first two for breaking ranks by labeling them the worst dressed of the 2018 Golden Globes.

Quayle said...

It's like when the dour fish in the bowl finally tells Thing 1 and Thing 2 that the rambunctious party is over because mom is almost at the front walk. Everybody was having such a good time, it seems a shame that it has to end so suddenly.

But Rome wasn't burned in ten thousand days.

Bob Boyd said...

"Several sitrs are already trying to shame the first two for breaking ranks by labeling them the worst dressed of the 2018 Golden Globes."

Consensus doesn't have to be consensual.

rhhardin said...

#metoo is now #timesup

What will women think of next.

Looking for the right guy might be a good move.

David Begley said...

Oprah's running. It will come down to her and Howard Schultz of Starbucks.

Kamala Harris might be VP pick. Gravitas.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

As soon as the camera is on gross vile hideous Meryl Streep, I feel sick and angry. Why do I want to shove my fist up her nose?

rhhardin said...

#timesup there's an actress biological clock. You might want to move up your career advancement if you're young.

Agressive district attorney and driving Miss Bess are mostly available to former prostitutes with a good heart.

That's the job to aim for.

rhhardin said...

I don't get Meryl Streep hate. She's not good except in supporting roles but nobody expects actresses to be smart. Just watch the films or don't.

rhhardin said...

Even smart women have glaring turn-offs, if you dwell on them.

Ann Coulter has no sense of humor, for instance. Also the raccoon eye makeup, on the Princess Di model.

Ignorance is Bliss said...

Nothing but respect for our president.

#NotMyPresident

David Begley said...

In order to atone for the sins of Harvey and Donald - and to finally prove that America is not a sexist and racist country - it will be the duty of every correct thinking American to vote for the Winfrey-Harris ticket.

That's the message.

Added bonus: Barack or Michelle as Secretary of State.

William said...

They're good looking people, and they can pretend to be likable, brave, and wise. They're accomplished actors, but they don't know how to do chastened or humble. That's out of their range......Meryl Streep should drop the Grande Dame act. It doesn't work anymore. You're the lady who gave Roman Polanski a standing ovation and called Harvey your God. With such a background, you can't pretend to be the conscience of your industry--although, of course, you are.

CJ said...

I've never heard gay queen slang as annoying as the excerpt from Tom and Lorenzo.

Bob Boyd said...

"her gown is KILLA and the fit is insane; how her hair looks amazing and her makeup is beat to the gods."

But can she tweet?

Tank said...

As a major major insider for decades, it is surely true the Oprah knew, and has known for a long, long time, and did nothing and said nothing, but rather, participated in the protection of the predators.

Bay Area Guy said...

Oprah should run. Preferably, as a 3rd Party Independent, which would sink the Democrat candidate.

Before she runs, though, it'd be nice to learn her views on important issues.

TrespassersW said...

Why would one want to watch a bunch of self-important people who are good at pretending to be someone they aren't -- after all, that's what acting is, right? -- pat each other on the back?

Big Mike said...

her gown is KILLA

Is “killa” meant as slang for “pretty blah” these days? Based on the pictures I saw most of the women, Streep in particular, looked pretty frumpy. A few women wore see-through black, but whoever dressed Amanda Peet needs to hang himself or herself in shame and humiliation.

Sebastian said...

"Don't Trump haters realize that pushing Oprah as a presidential candidate undercuts one of the main arguments about Trump"

I appreciate that some people care about arguments and consistency and intellectual honesty.

Here, in the real world, it wasn't one of the "main arguments," and prog arguments are strictly tools, and no prog cares about undercutting a useless tool, and any prog is willing to make up any new BS to fit new circumstances, as long as it serves the cause.

Oprah's gauziness is a strength. She can play the identity politics card to defeat challenges from the left while using her celebrity aura and positivity to reach out to the middle. Hence my ancient prediction that she will be our new president. She's the best Dems can do.

Ann Althouse said...

"I read the word "insectoid," in a post that is at least partly about gender politics. Now I'm sitting here, waiting patiently for the post to be finished to see if it qualifies for the "Insect Politics" tag."

It's not that I didn't remember that tag, but it's not really apt.

Though there were some politics to the evening, the suits were not political enough, though they were, vaguely, an anti-sexual-harassment message. Is that really "political." I guess there's something political about any kind of protest, but it just seems to me that everyone is against sexual harassment. What's the political dispute?

Bilwick said...

From the folks who brought you "notionally accurate" comes . . . Their Own Truth!

Jaq said...

Fawning over Oprah's gown comes from the same place as Olympia Dukakis's Oscar. Politics.

Amadeus 48 said...

I vote Halle Berry.

MAJMike said...

Just another self-congratulatory circle-jerk combined with self-righteous virtue signaling.

Bob Boyd said...

Oprah for President?
Says more about the state of the Democrat Party bench than it does about Oprah.

MayBee said...

Instead of watching the Golden Globes last night, we watched The Last Magnificent, a documentary about Jeremiah Tower by Anthony Bourdain. It was enjoyable for sure.

- Mario Batali is featured in it. I'm surprised we are still allowed to see Mario Batali. I thought he was one who has been chiseled off the pyramids.

- The kitchen of Alice Waters in the 70's is discussed. Everyone was flirting with everyone, and Alice wanted very badly to sleep with Jeremiah. She flirted with him relentlessly. Is she a harasser, like Mario and Johnny? Do we need to disappear her for a little while?

-They discuss the restaurant culture, where everyone sleeps with everyone. Is this still acceptable? Are we still in or are we now out of the moment again, the moment where women who feel like they can't say "no" are able to make men disappear?

Darrell said...

Ann Coulter has no sense of humor, for instance.

What you really mean is that YOU don't have a sense of humor. Coulter is funny and quick-witted.

MayBee said...

Imagine the first time Oprah orders a military strike. That would be the most absurd moment ever.

Sebastian said...

"How can there be "your truth" and also "absolute truth"? One way to reconcile the 2 ideas is to say that "your" refers not to the press, but to the women who tell their stories and who are, as individual human beings, entitled to their subjective point of view."

Correct. Only the standpoint is absolute, only women's subjectivity beyond question--but not women as "individual human beings" but women as women. For as feminism has long taught us, some individual human beings are more individually human than others.

Oprah will run on standpoint theory. One of its traditional functions, to immunize proponents against criticism, will prove politically useful.

rehajm said...

Oprah's gauziness is a strength.

Yeah. Lefties can create a winning narrative around her- some combination of race gender, virtue, and empty vessel. Combined with her charisma and command of television she's a powerful candidate.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Don't Trump haters realize that pushing Oprah as a presidential candidate undercuts one of the main arguments about Trump — that he didn't work his way up within politics but had the arrogance to think he could jump in and start at the top?

They remain completely clueless. The "Oprah for president" thinking seems to be that since she is a famous media figure worth billions of dollars, and a famous media figure won in 2016, then we will run her in 2020 and she will win the political popularity contest because who doesn't love Oprah. But nobody who voted for Trump did so because he was a famous media figure worth billions. That made it possible for him to run, but everyone who voted for him did so because they supported his policy positions. Enforce the immigration laws, deregulation, conservative judicial appointees, reforming the federal government. Nobody voted for Trump because they were a fan of Celebrity Apprentice. The fact that people in the media and political class think that tells us something about them, and its not flattering. Oprah may be able to up the black voter turnout, but she is going to have to run on something. Is she going to advocate for increased immigration and an end to the deportation of MS13 gang members? Increased regulation for "fairness" along with increasing the corporate tax rate? With the economy currently humming? The Powers That Be (PTB) just don't want to concede that their preferred policies are not the preferred policies of working and middle class voters who have found someone who is willing to fight to implement those policies. Successful politicians of the future are going to be the ones that accommodate that. The PTB can no longer control public discourse and therefore no longer control the terms of the debate. However, they cannot see that and will therefore continue to be marginalized. We live in interesting times.

AllenS said...

Gauziness! I had to look up the word.

Merriam Webster --

Definition of gauziness
plural -es
: the quality or state of being gauzy : resemblance to gauze a gauziness in the air that dimmed the further hills

Alrighty then.

cacimbo said...

Agree with Tank - Oprah had to know about the sexual abuse problem in Hollywood.

She had the money, power and platform to expose it - and chose not to. Now they all want to put on a show about how concerned they are - what utter bs.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...

Shorter Oprah: The leftist pravda media is under constant attack. When I'm president, me and pravda will spread truth.

n.n said...

Myths... and with it the conception of goddesses. But, this is now, the near frame. Surely, we can verify the evidence and know the truth.

Wince said...

"Did you say, 'I know my truth' ? ...Oh, boy."

Darrell said...

Giving a standing ovation to Kirk Douglas--a guy rumored to be a serial rapist for decades--destroyed whatever credibility they think they garnered with #metoo. 15-year-old Natalie Wood deserves justice. They should have brought Kirk down on the stage elevator and left him there. Like they did with James Cagney years ago at the Academy Awards.

Birches said...

So did The Post win all the awards?

Let's see how Oprah's woke Resistance movie does before we crown her President.

Oh brother on T and L. Boring.

Kevin said...

Thanks, Ann. I think you missed one jab at Trump when Seth introduced the head of the FPA saying that she is someone who really is a genius, or something close to that.

n.n said...

Glenn Close and Jon Lovitz did it better. And while there was surely some gratuitous slaps, they reconciled their differences, and met each other halfway. Master and Mistress Thespians. Thank you!

Wince said...

By far my favorite part of the awards show...

The Gieco Pictionary Sloth!

glenn said...

Like I said yesterday, remember as you watch the clips of the speeches and read the words that all these Hollywood and news media types knew exactly what was going on in Hollywood and in the NBCBS offices and everywhere else the media/entertainment complex held sway. All of them. For years. The worst ones are those who covered for politicians like John Conyers. And Bill Clinton.

Wince said...

My guess: the sloth was drawing a vagina.

walter said...

The Indian woman talking about it being customary to wear colors is either a slight or in the top 10 of tone-deaf statements.
Aside from jokes about her weight roller-coaster, how much rough and tumble in the public sphere has Oprah endured?
However, she clearly planted a big sloppy kiss on the press last night..so she would be very protected.
And hey..she has a penchant for giving away stuff.

Humperdink said...

Oprah will get the Weight Watcher's vote, the Obese vote, the Black vote, the Hollywood vote, the Soap Opera Watcher's vote, the Immigrant vote, the Illegal Immigrant vote, the #MeToo vote, and the Pro-Abortion vote. That should put her over the top.

Unless, of course, they are all the same people.

bgates said...

Imagine the first time Oprah orders a military strike.

...and you get a missile!

Big Mike said...

@Amadeus48, how much do you figure Halle Berry paid per square inch of that dress. I’ll bet she paid a lot for a very little.

Fritz said...

Sabo needs an "Oprah Knew" campaign.

Big Mike said...

I would have guessed that someone of Hispanic heritage named Blanca Blanco would wear white.

Big Mike said...

And, as always, we thank you Prof. Althouse for watching so we don’t have to.

William said...

I watched the speech. It's not so much whose truth but whose power. Weinstein was the power in their world. They didn't speak truth to it. They didn't resist and they didn't persist. They acquiesced. Stop pretending to be brave....,,Some white men raped a black woman seventy years ago. The woman lived to be ninety eight. Nate Parker, the noted screenwriter and director, and some of his friends raped a white woman a few years ago. When she tried to press charges, Nate and his friends characterized her as both a slut and a racist. The woman lost her case and later committed suicide. When Oprah can use such a case to preach tolerance and awareness to the assembled crowd, then and only then will I believe in her sincerity and courage. Nate Parker, unlike Harvey, is still a member in good standing of AMPAS.

n.n said...

So somber. It was a snub of their gay apparel. Their designers will never recover.

sparrow said...

Oprah's popularity is mostly historical: she spent much of it by supporting Obama. She's failed to launch an network and I predict her upcoming movie will bomb (girl SciFi is a tiny niche). As a practical matter I don't see the white working class male swing voters in PA, WI and MI warming to Ms. Winfrey. Still any Dem candidate would draw massive support and great press. I doubt she runs; real campaigns are grueling.

walter said...

Ok..well..there was the time O went with the O's to pimp Chicago for the 2016 olympics summer games.

buwaya said...

I think Scott Adams may have something to say re Oprah.
I supect it will be along the lines of not expecting reason to prevail.

She has a great deal to offer in terms of political pull - celebrity, charisma, a talent for speaking extemporaneously, proven ability to connect with middle-aged women, being black, and having plenty of money to kick off her candidacy, both her own and she will of course be able to attract more very easily.

The only unknowns are skeletons in the closet. She seems, personally, to be fairly good at making enemies, and she is rather easily tarred by the general "Hollywood" corruption - kissing Weinstein, etc. But she has plenty of banked public goodwill to get past most things.

Its not at all a stretch.

The bigger question is - will she?
Its a difficult job, running for office, and being President; and she is semi-retired. Moreover, any Democrat in this position is essentially a puppet of the machine. She has billions of her own, and has risen to wealth on her own. She is by nature and circumstance independent. This may prevent a meeting of minds.

robother said...

I'm already looking forward to the weigh-in prior to the Presidential debates. Two media heavy-weights, going toe to toe. It'll be huge.

320Busdriver said...

Her long time partner has said she will if the people want her.

Amadeus 48 said...

Nothing says woke like putting it all out there. Go Halle! You got. You flaunt it!

320Busdriver said...

She's not a professional grifter, so she has that goin for her, which is nice!

Ann Althouse said...

"Ann Coulter has no sense of humor, for instance."

Yet she laughs continually.

Bob Boyd said...

The women all talking about their new power. Be careful with that. It wasn't testosterone that corrupted Harvey Weinstein.

sparrow said...

She's never been married and never had kids: thus easily painted as anti-family. Not that this would matter to the left, but to middle of the road folks it could have resonance. She does have that Osteen-esque positivity, which might work. I'm no good at handicapping these things, to me she has zero appeal as another self-absorbed elite, but I saw that in Obama and he won. To my mind in 2020 Trump will be much stronger, if this year is any indication of the future and that will matter more.

walter said...

Ok, ok..finally checked out Halle's statement of solidarity.
Yeah..a girl could land a great part with that ensemble.

Birches said...

I never read A Wrinkle in Time. Never interested me. Does that make me a racist?

Bill said...

A memorable passage from David Niven's wonderful Bring On the Empty Horses describes the moment when Norma Shearer showed up at the 1936 White Ball wearing red. Carole Lombard's reaction: "Who the fuck does Norma think she is?!"

walter said...

(I suspect Halle is single-handedly responsible for the death of an innocent plant..somewhere)

Francisco D said...

If Oprah announces that Dr. Phil is her running mate, I might consider voting for her.

Nah!

Inga would.

n.n said...

Trump will be labeled #Consensual

Oprah will be labeled #SheKnew

The narratives will be spun with gay abandon and pretext.

MayBee said...

The media is in love with Oprah because she praised the media. Of course, she is a part of the media. Her Gail is the anchor of the CBS morning show (which just fired another member of the media, Charlie Rose).

But they are delusional if they think a presidential candidate or a president would love the media like an actress/media member might. Even Barack Obama, who was photographed with "halos" and adored by the media, did not love the media. He spoke poorly of the press. He had some bugged, some investigated.

Now, Jodi Kantor, who is having her moment right now, wrote about Obama. She wrote about him when he was a candidate, about how magical his time at Harvard was. About how he was too special to do the same work everyone else did. Kantor also wrote about the love story of Barack and Michelle. So I can see how Obama - and his friend Oprah- might like Kantor quite a bit.
But Obama did not like the press.

So keep up your delusion, CNN. Keep pretending to be a news organization with clear eyes when you are so easily convinced that there will be a president who loves you.

sparrow said...

I was wrong, she did have a child, who died shortly after birth. She does have rags to riches story which is compelling ans sympathy producing, not sure if that translates to votes however.

Steve said...

Where was Antifa? You'd think a large event full of men in Black Shirts would attract a violent protest.

rcocean said...

Ann Coulter is very funny. However, a lot of men can't handle a woman who can zing them back - and do it better then they can.

Dummies like Chris Matthews or Donahue would be reduced to shouting her down, while some of the more conservative radio talk show hosts would retreat into sullen silence.

Bill said...

An Oprah presidency would be . . . operatic. Rule by emotion at the highest pitch.

Achilles said...

Oprah knew and facilitated.

You think Trump will let that one go? Me neither. Thank god.

rcocean said...

I think a Oprah-Maher ticket would sweep the country.

Yep.

Deep State Reformer said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lem Vibe Bandit said...

“This all-black design concept highlighted white people.“

While supremacy strikes again.

buwaya said...

"Wrinkle in Time" is the most acceptable bit of Science Fiction in US public schools. It is required reading almost anywhere required reading still persists.

Its extremely "female" in orientation, all about personality and emotional states (reality, philosophy, etc. are all McGuffins; the "science" in it was a well known trope of the day, intriduced by Heinlein, etc., and is, on the whole, extremely cofortable, cozy, as adventures go. It is girl-science-fiction.

walter said...

Was Damon there?

Lem Vibe Bandit said...

Sorry I can’t read the whole thing.

Maybe you should tweet it 😉

etbass said...

"There's a scruffiness to the men's "head styling," and with everyone dressed alike, the men seemed really nondescript."

I'll be so glad when men start shaving again and combing their hair. How the hell did it ever become a fashion to have a perpetual 5 O'clock shadow and scruffy hair that looks like you just got out of bed? Damn.

n.n said...

"female" in orientation

Feminine gender.

Oprah-Maher ticket

#SheKnew - #HeKnew - #TheyBothKnew

Bay Area Guy said...

If the media actually talked to real black folks (not activists), they'd find that many are:

1. Against illegal immigration
2. Against gay marriage
3. Pro-Life
4. Tough on crime

If Oprah is any of these, well, bye-bye to Dem nomination.



n.n said...

#EyesWideShut

bgates said...

"And here are the all-male nominees," said Natalie Portman

Drop dead, gorgeous.

buwaya said...

That said, "Wrinkle in Time" is a period piece, really, from a more literate age, the tail end of SF's "golden age".
So it is well written and intelligent, not truly preachy, not very "progressive", holds together quite well, etc.

n.n said...

If the media actually talked to real black folks (not activists), they'd find

Yes. Black Americans have been subject to exceptional but not unique treatment. Despite diversity and congruence, they have assimilated, integrated, and raised their families. They want what everyone wants: reconciliation of moral, natural, and personal imperatives: self-moderating, responsible liberty.

That said, what is the role of the market? What is the role of smoothing functions, public and private? What is equality and congruence? What is immigration and emigration reform? When is it self-defense and when is it an adventure? What is the scope of the scientific logical domain (i.e. near-frame)? When is it theft by criminals and bit theft by nibblers? What is a utility and what is a luxury? What is the proper role of government?

Inga...Allie Oop said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
n.n said...

Natalie Portman... Drop dead, gorgeous.

And she's pregnant. You can have your cake and baby, too. Let's make it happen.

Inga...Allie Oop said...

“If Oprah announces that Dr. Phil is her running mate, I might consider voting for her.

Nah!

Inga would.”

I might vote for Oprah, if she ran, depending on who else was running in the Democrat field. I sure as hell wouldn’t vote for her if her running mate was Dr. Phil who is as big of a fraud as you are.

You weirdo, you have to mention me by name even when I haven’t even commented in the thread? What is wrong with you? You sound obsessive.

n.n said...

She was pregnant in 2017. Wrong year. That explains the anachronistic yellow dress.

Wince said...

Yes, the GGs did celebrate Tonya Harding for... "sharing her story"!

Tonya Harding celebrates in style with Best Supporting Actress winner Allison Janney at the Golden Globes... after choking back tears as star praises former ice skater for 'sharing her story'

Big Mike said...

The only thing I ever liked about “A Wrinkle in Time” is the notion that giving in to the evil of IT causes people to behave in a mindless fashion. Best description of leftism I’ve ever read.

I did hate the misuse of the word “tesseract,” which is merely a cube in four dimensions. Dali’s “Crucifixion” depicts a tesseract projected down onto three domensions, much as a cube projected down onto a 2-dimensional plane parallel to one of its faces is a square.

traditionalguy said...

Gary Oldman won it despite being a male white guy. It seems that Churchill's role in the May 1940 reality show is still registering at the gut level among the Foreign Press Corps.

Todd said...

Ann Althouse said...

I guess there's something political about any kind of protest, but it just seems to me that everyone is against sexual harassment.

1/8/18, 9:13 AM


Sorry but how naive. "Everyone" might be publicly against sexual harassment but recent events prove that for many, that is where the care ends.

GRW3 said...

How soon after she announced would the Trump team bring out all of her Bill Clinton enabling actions?

walter said...

Allure headline:
"Halle Berry's Clavicle Highlight Is a Choir of Angels Singing"
Ah..read my mind..
Ok fellas...apparently commentary on "clavicles" is safe.

Bay Area Guy said...

Well, truth be told, I kinda like Oprah. She was great in "The Color Purple" 30 years ago.

As a politician? She certainly would be an improvement over Hillary or Bernie.

Indeed, because Oprah is a Billionaire (like Trump), I surmise that Crazy Bernie and his Bros would be quite upset at the rapacious nature of her success at accumulating obscene wealth at the expense of the poor and disadvantaged (or something like that).

MayBee said...

I like Oprah too.

It's the press I am flabbergasted over. What in the world is CNN doing, calling it a presidential moment? It was a speech at the Golden Globes. And Oprah is involved in entertainment and the media- the two industries that have just had a very bad year. Who is she to be some leading voice right now? Where has she been while it was all going on?

HoodlumDoodlum said...

Fuck Oprah, and fuck all you nice centrist people (mostly women) who just loooove Oprah.

Oprah's a prime mover in the degradation of our culture and the decay of the American society over the last few decades.

I've said it before but I'll repeat it again: if you had a time machine and had to choose one American target to assassinate (and could only go back a max of, say, 30 years) you could make no better choice than Oprah Winfrey.

Oprah did more than anyone to make victimhood the chief virtue of our age. Oprah's success helped usher in the reality TV age--no Oprah, no Paris Hilton, no Kardasians, etc. Oprah's brand of marketable self-involvement, of therapeutic self absorption, and of pseudo-spiritual cheap grace through false self esteem have spread to every corner of our society and helped rot it from the core.

FUCK Oprah. Her damage is done now, of course, so its too late to prevent all the bad trends she helped cause but we ought to at least acknowledge her monstrous harm to the nation and culture.

Oh: and she was great friends with Harvey Weinsten back when it was profitable to to be his friend.

Char Char Binks, Esq. said...

Kevin Spacey got rooked. He definitely should have won SOMETHING for Baby Driver, a heartwarming story about his character taking a young boy under his wing and making him a success!

In "The Ragman's Son", his autobiography, Kirk Douglas admitting committing rape, but the woman he raped was an antisemite, so it was the GOOD kind of rape.

narayanan said...

golden globe for Oprah anything like nobel prize for Obama?

Bob Boyd said...

First to guess what Trump's forever name for Oprah will be wins...um...undying glory!

tcrosse said...

The Hollywood crowd were all-in for H>er, too. So what could possibly go wrong ?

Deb said...

Oprah will get the Weight Watcher's vote

#notme

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Fuck Oprah, and fuck all you nice centrist people (mostly women) who just loooove Oprah.

NSFW

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkpbv3cWrQM

mockturtle said...

Oprah would get about the same votes Hillary got. So long as the electoral system hold up we're safe.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Never forget, reporters are dumb rich kids who couldn't get into law school.

AlbertAnonymous said...

So leftist Hollywood holds a self promotion awards show, where they can all pat themselves on the back and virtue signal how great they are, and how woke, and how down with the struggle, and how committed to the cause. They can even launch a new hashtag and tagline #Timesup.

And they can select someone to be the point person for their adulation and their self promotion. Not someone who had a great performance this year in any particular role they played. Then they'd have to pick between people who actually did great roles this year. No, instead, they give someone a "lifetime achievement award" so it can be anyone at all (much like the Obama Nobel prize). And they pick their candidate because she checks all their boxes and can handle all the adulation.

They could have given this award to Oprah at any time, but they use THIS year to celebrate Oprah, because they're launching their "liberal american idol". Why didn't she win last year? or the year before? or any time since the turn of the century? No, she wins THIS year because they want to promote her, and launch her as their presidential candidate. Using the black woman only when you find her useful? Wow.

And the leftist media of course plays along. All over the morning shows this morning: Oprah this and Oprah that and Oprah 2020 and #Timesup. Will she run for president? "I'd vote for her" hee hee tee hee, giggle giggle fart

GOOD LORD. What a total crock of shit!

Ask the local Hawaiians what they think of Oprah after she bought half of the Maui upcountry and proceeded to make her place a palace and a fortress despite what all the "little native people" wanted. Screwing up the environment with her private roads and walls and security. F the little people.

But the people who make me laugh... the weaselly white liberal male hollywood-ites who whoop and fist pump as if they are part of the team "go women, we all know you work twice as hard as us men" or Seth Myers' self serving "you might think we're all hollywood elites and out of touch, but that's not entirely true, we know that every set is filled with little people who work hard for their wages and don't get the recognition... we love you little people, you drive us around and fetch us coffee and we comment about your tits and asses when you're out of earshot... blah blah fucking blah."

Sanctimonious Assholes, all of them.

n.n said...

Sanctimonious Assholes, all of them.

Specifically, sanctimonious hypocrites. Bigots.

Dan Hossley said...

You did the right thing by falling asleep.

rehajm said...

I have one Oprah anecdote: When she was searching for property for a home in Hawaii she found an ideal plot but it required a long and treacherous drive around the volcano to access. So instead she negotiated a right-of-way for a short access road from the landowner of the farm, vineyards and rainforest abutting and above her property. Little did Oprah know the landowner allowed law enforcement to conduct drills on his land- think SWAT, or paramilitary. Well you know what happens, Oprah is driving home alone from town when she encounters a half dozen officers in full kit with ARs flanking both sides of her driveway. Rumor has it she was more than a bit shaken and quite unamused.

Lydia said...

I read the word "insectoid" and thought of the conservation charity headed up by Germaine Greer -- Buglife: "...the only organisation in Europe devoted to the conservation of all invertebrates. We're actively working to save Britain’s rarest little animals, everything from bees to beetles, worms to woodlice and jumping spiders to jellyfish."

rhhardin said...

Suppose truth is a woman.

Sebastian said...

@HD: "Oprah's a prime mover in the degradation of our culture and the decay of the American society" Which is now ready for an Oprah candidacy.

@Albert: "All over the morning shows this morning: Oprah this and Oprah that" And that's how it will go.

The only one who can stop Oprah is Oprah.

William said...

I wonder who among that distinguished assemblage will be the next to be outed? I had never heard that story about Natalie Wood and Kirk Douglas. I'd be inclined to give him a pass, but The Reckoning takes no prisoners and grants no pardons. Perhaps it's time to strip him of his honors.

RMc said...

Don't Trump haters realize that pushing Oprah as a presidential candidate undercuts one of the main arguments about Trump — that he didn't work his way up within politics but had the arrogance to think he could jump in and start at the top?

They don't hate Trump because he didn't work his way up within politics yet had the arrogance to think he could jump in and start at the top -- they hate him because he's a Republican who didn't work his way up within politics yet had the arrogance to think he could jump in and start at the top.

Todd said...

Rob McLean said...

They don't hate Trump because he didn't work his way up within politics yet had the arrogance to think he could jump in and start at the top -- they hate him because he's a Republican who didn't work his way up within politics yet had the arrogance to think he could jump in and start at the top.

1/8/18, 1:40 PM


At least Hillary pretended to be a Senator and SOS before pretending to run for POTUS! Don't forget Obama also first pretended to be a Senator as well. Just who does Oprah think she is, not pretending to hold some other public office before everyone pushes for her to run for POTUS?!?

Jim at said...

Anybody - and I mean, anybody - who thinks Oprah could win simply because Trump did still doesn't have the first, damn clue as to why Trump won.

And they never will.

I hope she runs. Her ego could use an ass-kicking by her 'friends' on the left.

Jim at said...

Oh, and I don't think I've ever watched the Golden Globes. I don't watch the Oscars, so why would I watch the minor-league version?

I'm too busy binging on old Hill Street Blues episodes. You know, back when television was pretty good.

carrie said...

The media and Hollywood may like Oprah, but the liberals I know do not want her as President. Maybe the democratic party and the MSM will make the same mistake with Oprah as they did with Hillary--assume that all other democrats agree with them that Oprah would be a great president and put forth another losing candidate.

Known Unknown said...

It was the world's most self-congratulatory funeral.

Known Unknown said...

Also, Del Toro's speech was moving to me.

Because it was, you know, about making movies and shit like that.

tcrosse said...

I wonder how all this Oprah talk sits with the other women on the Dem bench, waiting for their turn at bat ? To mix a metaphor, soon the knives will come out. Look how they dealt with Franken.

rehajm said...

I always confuse Gary Oldman with Gary Owens

ALP said...

Oprah for president? Good god. Ever leaf through her magazine while standing the in the checkout line? It reads as if the target audience are women who can't afford therapy - nearly every article is about some kind of emotional issue to be worked through (while Martha's mags are all about making stuff). I can't think of a bigger "I know what's good for you" type than Oprah. Plus, she fosters the new-agey belief that if you only BELIEVE hard enough you can achieve anything.

I can see President Winfrey berating her staff because her policies don't work and she'll blame it on them for not ***believing*** HARD ENOUGH in her programs and not having the right attitude!

Freeman Hunt said...

They wore black to a funeral for show business.

Bilwick said...

"I can't think of a bigger 'I know what's good for you' type than Oprah." That should make her the perfect standard bearer for "liberal" Democrats then, shouldn't it? In the tradition of Bill "You might spend your money the wrong way" Clinton, or his wife, Queen Cacklepants ("We're going to take away things from you for your own good").

"Plus, she fosters the new-agey belief that if you only BELIEVE hard enough you can achieve anything." My impression is that there's also a component of backing the belief with effective action; but in any evemt it always interests me how many New Agers I meet are also statists. On the one hand they're telling people that they can achieve anything, and then turning around and adding, "But now without the State!"

AllenS said...

There are two red carpets. The first one leads to the casting couch. The second one leads to this awards bullshit. Nice work ladies. I'm not impressed.

AllenS said...

I'd like someone to ax Hillary Rodham Shit Clinton, what she thinks about The Oprah running for POTUS.

hombre said...

'How can there be "your truth" and also "absolute truth"?'

"Absolute truth" is what's so. "Your truth" is what lefties wish, and sometimes believe, is so, but isn't. The leftmedia specializes in "your truth."

Also, Isn't it inspiring to see Hollywood's soft core porn queens stepping up in their black dresses to express their outrage about practices rampant among their institutional sex cult for decades. Now, on to the next flick, ladies, where you will flash your boobs, etc., on screen and hump one of the few remaining PC/sensitive guys after the purge - maybe Mark Ruffalo. Said humping will be for money and at the insistence of a new "Harvey Weinstein."

If we watch at all, we will, nevertheless, remain mindful of your recent sensibilities.

MayBee said...

This was pretty genius of Oprah, the way she absolved herself of being part of the problem.

Meryl Streep brought an activist as her date, also as an attempt to absolve herself.

Will people fall for it?

Barry Dauphin said...

Part of Oprah's celebrity appeal was giving away things on her show. Maybe that's how she would run for president, promising to give away things. Trump has made voting for the celebrity possible. Trump's celebrity, however, was not predicated on his being nice to people, quite the contrary. So, when Trump is viewed as a pr#ck, he's playing to type. Primaries are knife fights. Can Oprah go against type to win a knife fight against other Dems and retain her approval?

Bay Area Guy said...

If the fervent Dem supporters are turning to political novice, Oprah Winfrey as their psavior, what does that say about the current Dem bench?

MAJMike said...

The DemCong told me that a multi-billionaire with no political experience was unfit to be President.

Bill said...

Those two words, my truth, sum up the moral catastrophe of the past 50 years like nothing else.