vox--2020-02-10--Parasite absolutely deserved to win Best Picture. I didn’t think it could.

I hoped it would happen .
I thought it absolutely deserved it .
But I never truly thought Parasite could pull out a Best Picture win at the Oscars .
The deck was stacked against the film from the start , for reasons that its good-natured and much-beloved director Bong Joon-ho cheekily joked about all season as he collected awards from critics ’ groups and industry guilds .
“ Once you overcome the one-inch tall barrier of subtitles , ” Bong bantered after collecting his Golden Globe for best foreign language film in January , “ you will be introduced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The challenge was simple : Americans just don ’ t like reading subtitles , and the Academy is mostly made up of Americans , working in the American film industry .
So I figured that when it came down to brass tacks , the “ one-inch barrier ” would get in the way of Parasite ’ s Best Picture chances , as it did for non-English-language films in the previous 91 Oscar ceremonies .
Parasite ’ s dialogue is almost entirely in Korean , and usually films that aren ’ t in English @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” categories ; typically , the Academy relegates them to the Best International Feature category ( named Best Foreign Language Feature until 2019 ) .
Even getting into the International Feature category was a milestone for Parasite and its home country of South Korea , which had never managed to get a film even nominated for Best International Feature , let alone in the big categories like director , screenplay , and picture .
Yet Parasite premiered in triumph at the Cannes Film Festival Festival in May 2019 .
At Cannes , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ took home the coveted Palme d ’ Or , arguably the most prestigious award in world cinema .
It continued that trend into its fall festival tour and theatrical release , where it earned universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike .
It ’ s one of the most successful non-English-language films in US history , raking in more than $ 30 million to date and far exceeding box office prognosticators .
And when awards season arrived , Bong campaigned with apparent effortlessness ; he was the guy whose hand everyone wanted to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He told memorable stories ( like the one about a rat in a screening that he recounted at the Indie Spirit Awards , held the night before the Oscars ) and gave memorable interviews , in which he seemed both delighted by his success and a little bemused by it .
“ The Oscars are not an international film festival , ” Bong told Vulture ’ s E. Alex Jung in October .
“ They ’ re very local.
” Of course , awards campaigns are never effortless .
Bong , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attending events and campaigning for the film , was clearly ready for it all to end .
“ After the ceremony , there will be a party , and after the party I will get to go home , ” he told a reporter on the red carpet outside the Oscars ceremony .
“ So thinking about those two things doesn ’ t make me nervous at all.
” The thing is , if you make a great movie and sprinkle in a little bit of luck , people might want to give @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just that .
Parasite is a pitch-perfect thrill ride with a dark social conscience that tapped into a prevailing theme in world cinema in 2019 : that rampant inequality all over the world was building to some kind of inevitable breaking point .
It was evident in films shown at Cannes , and it continued throughout the year , with movies like Joker picking up the same threads .
But no movie handled those socioeconomic themes like Parasite .
What makes Bong ’ s movie the best in its class isn ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though its grasp of class and income inequality is more nuanced than other films from the same year .
One of Parasite ’ s most radical moves is to make its wealthy characters , the Park family , not particularly miserable or bad ; they ’ re nothing like , for instance , the Roy family in HBO ’ s popular show Succession .
The Parks are moral , friendly , and not harboring any horrible secrets ( that they ’ re aware of , anyhow ) , and they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ schadenfreude .
They ’ re oblivious to their privilege , but they ’ re not heinous monsters .
Similarly , the poorer family the Kims are not righteous and upright heroes .
Parasite doesn ’ t patronize them by pretending they are ennobled by their poverty .
Yet they ’ re still people who love one another and experience moments of happiness together .
And when even poorer people show up , people who are in more dire straits than the Kims or the Parks , the movie pointedly makes it clear to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , sex .
In this way , Parasite makes humans of everyone in its story .
Nobody ’ s a caricature .
Nobody ’ s even really a villain .
Instead , the system in which they live is the villain , a system that permits them to live at these different levels ( levels being very important in this film ) — even though they ’ re all humans , and all deserve equal dignity and footing in the world .
What you actually see in Parasite ’ s social critique probably @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wavelengths your political radar is tuned in to .
But in a way , that fact makes it even better .
Parasite embodies a very clear indictment of systematic inequality , but it makes plenty of room for audiences to simply watch it and enjoy it as entertainment ; it never sermonizes .
The message is there , but Parasite plays its cards so close to its chest that you might not realize what it ’ s saying till you ’ re already on board .
And that makes it a worthy Best @ @ @ @ @ @ @ just have something to say , but it says it artfully , in a way that leaves room for the audience to walk around inside of it and glean new meanings on rewatch .
( Plus , it ’ s hilarious , and its cast should have been nominated for bringing the story to life . )
Despite all these strengths , though , I still didn ’ t think it would win Best Picture .
The Academy had never honored a non-English-language film with the night ’ s biggest prize in its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is largely to stick to tradition .
In recent years , the Oscars have veered dangerously close to total irrelevance as a result , and , as Justin Chang wrote at the LA Times , it seemed like the Oscars needed to recognize Parasite more than Parasite needed the Oscars ’ recognition .
But I am very , very happy to be wrong .
Parasite made history , and the Academy made history by giving it Best Picture .
People who didn ’ t see Parasite might now be more likely to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ US may start considering non-English-language films for their Oscar campaigns in the future .
The door is now open — however briefly , but still , it ’ s open — to world cinema making inroads in future Oscars ceremonies , and to the segment of American moviegoers who see the Oscars as a starting point for their own viewing .
And it ’ s nice , every so often , to see the year ’ s actual best picture take home Best Picture .
Parasite is playing in theaters .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ purchase on iTunes , Amazon , YouTube , Vudu , and Google Play .

I hoped it would happen. I thought it absolutely deserved it. But I never truly thought Parasite could pull out a Best Picture win at the Oscars.
The deck was stacked against the film from the start, for reasons that its good-natured and much-beloved director Bong Joon-ho cheekily joked about all season as he collected awards from critics’ groups and industry guilds. “Once you overcome the one-inch-tall barrier of subtitles,” Bong bantered after collecting his Golden Globe for best foreign language film in January, “you will be introduced to so many more amazing films.”
The challenge was simple: Americans just don’t like reading subtitles, and the Academy is mostly made up of Americans, working in the American film industry. So I figured that when it came down to brass tacks, the one-inch barrier would get in the way of Parasite’s Best Picture chances, as it did for non-English-language films in the previous 91 Oscar ceremonies. Parasite’s dialogue is almost entirely in Korean, and usually films that aren’t in English get shut out of the “major” categories; typically, the Academy relegates them to the Best International Feature category (named Best Foreign Language Feature until 2019).
Even getting into the International Feature category was a milestone for Parasite and its home country of South Korea, which had never managed to get a film even nominated for Best International Feature, let alone in the big categories like director, screenplay, and picture.
Yet Parasite premiered in triumph at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2019. At Cannes, the film covered itself in critical glory and took home the coveted Palme d’Or, arguably the most prestigious award in world cinema. It continued that trend into its fall festival tour and theatrical release, where it earned universal acclaim from critics and audiences alike. It’s one of the most successful non-English-language films in US history, raking in more than $30 million to date and far exceeding box office prognosticators.
And when awards season arrived, Bong campaigned with apparent effortlessness; he was the guy whose hand everyone wanted to shake in rooms full of Hollywood celebrities. He told memorable stories (like the one about a rat in a screening that he recounted at the Indie Spirit Awards, held the night before the Oscars) and gave memorable interviews in which he seemed both delighted by his success and a little bemused by it. “The Oscars are not an international film festival,” Bong told Vulture’s E. Alex Jung in October. “They’re very local.”
Of course, awards campaigns are never effortless. Bong, who spent weeks on end in the US attending events and campaigning for the film, was clearly ready for it all to end. “After the ceremony, there will be a party, and after the party I will get to go home,” he told a reporter on the red carpet outside the Oscars ceremony. “So thinking about those two things doesn’t make me nervous at all.”
The thing is, if you make a great movie and sprinkle in a little bit of luck, people might want to give awards to it. And Bong did just that. Parasite is a pitch-perfect thrill ride with a dark social conscience that tapped into a prevailing theme in world cinema in 2019: that rampant inequality all over the world was building to some kind of inevitable breaking point. It was evident in films shown at Cannes, and it continued throughout the year, with movies like Joker picking up the same threads.
But no movie handled those socioeconomic themes like Parasite. What makes Bong’s movie the best in its class isn’t just that it understands its themes well, though its grasp of class and income inequality is more nuanced than other films from the same year. One of Parasite’s most radical moves is to make its wealthy characters, the Park family, not particularly miserable or bad; they’re nothing like, for instance, the Roy family in HBO’s popular show Succession. The Parks are moral, friendly, and not harboring any horrible secrets (that they’re aware of, anyhow), and they’re not made miserable so we can experience schadenfreude. They’re oblivious to their privilege, but they’re not heinous monsters.
Similarly, the poorer family the Kims are not righteous and upright heroes. Parasite doesn’t patronize them by pretending they are ennobled by their poverty. Yet they’re still people who love one another and experience moments of happiness together. And when even poorer people show up, people who are in more dire straits than the Kims or the Parks, the movie pointedly makes it clear to us that they have, and enjoy, sex.
In this way, Parasite makes humans of everyone in its story. Nobody’s a caricature. Nobody’s even really a villain. Instead, the system in which they live is the villain, a system that permits them to live at these different levels (levels being very important in this film) — even though they’re all humans, and all deserve equal dignity and footing in the world.
What you actually see in Parasite’s social critique probably has a lot to do with whatever wavelengths your political radar is tuned in to. But in a way, that fact makes it even better. Parasite embodies a very clear indictment of systematic inequality, but it makes plenty of room for audiences to simply watch it and enjoy it as entertainment; it never sermonizes. The message is there, but Parasite plays its cards so close to its chest that you might not realize what it’s saying till you’re already on board.
And that makes it a worthy Best Picture winner: Parasite doesn’t just have something to say, but it says it artfully, in a way that leaves room for the audience to walk around inside of it and glean new meanings on rewatch. (Plus, it’s hilarious, and its cast should have been nominated for bringing the story to life.)
Despite all these strengths, though, I still didn’t think it would win Best Picture. The Academy had never honored a non-English-language film with the night’s biggest prize in its 91-year history; the Oscars’ inclination is largely to stick to tradition. In recent years, the Oscars have veered dangerously close to total irrelevance as a result, and, as Justin Chang wrote at the LA Times, it seemed like the Oscars needed to recognize Parasite more than Parasite needed the Oscars’ recognition.
But I am very, very happy to be wrong. Parasite made history, and the Academy made history by giving it Best Picture. People who didn’t see Parasite might now be more likely to see it, and more distributors in the US may start considering non-English-language films for their Oscar campaigns in the future. The door is now open — however briefly, but still, it’s open — to world cinema making inroads in future Oscars ceremonies, and to the segment of American moviegoers who see the Oscars as a starting point for their own viewing.
And it’s nice, every so often, to see the year’s actual best picture take home Best Picture.
Parasite is playing in theaters. It’s also available to digitally rent or purchase on iTunes, Amazon, YouTube, Vudu, and Google Play.


vox--2020-02-10--On second thought, maybe the Oscars do need a host

For the second year in a row , the Oscars went hostless .
But where the 2019 awards were sprightly and largely entertaining , the 2020 awards felt like they had absolutely no focus .
As it became more and more clear that the Academy would award Best Picture to an international film for the first time , less-anxious viewers could instead focus on the curious choices in how the show was staged and produced .
The chief advantage of ditching an Oscars host in 2019 was that the show leapt quickly from item to item , rarely leaving viewers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The 2020 awards tried to do something similar with its hostless format , but the ceremony frequently felt like it was distracted by shiny objects off in its peripheral vision .
To make matters worse , the Oscars were a full 12 minutes longer than the 2019 awards — 215 minutes compared to 203 minutes .
( For context , this year ’ s Oscars were longer than The Irishman . )
And they did away with several elements , which theoretically should have made the show shorter — like the individual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nominee — but the move did not succeed in that goal .
By the time the awards ended with the triumph of Parasite , the whole evening had dragged on and on , with a center-less feeling that was a bit headache-inducing .
The Oscars kept trying to have people fulfill the function of a host without having an actual host .
It only added to the confusion .
The most obvious place in which the lack of a host could be felt was in the frequent moments when one person would appear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who would then introduce yet another person .
For instance , at one point , Anthony Ramos ( star of the upcoming In the Heights and an alumnus of Hamilton ) introduced his old pal Lin-Manuel Miranda , but Miranda was there to introduce something else entirely — a montage of great songs in movie history .
And then that montage led in to a live performance by Eminem .
In and of itself , none of these things were bad .
Ramos seems like a star in the making .
Miranda is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Oscar perennial .
And Eminem ’ s “ Lose Yourself ” is an Oscar-winning song , and a terrific one to boot .
But sandwiched altogether , it was impossible to figure out what was going on , or what we were supposed to be focusing on before the sequence moved on to something else .
During a traditional Oscars ceremony , a host would have offered a pithy joke about movie music , then Miranda would have appeared , and the evening would have proceeded as planned .
This might seem not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but a host offers a continuity to the evening .
They don ’ t have to say , “ Hey , I ’ m Anthony Ramos !
” and explain their whole situation — who they are and why they ’ re introducing this particular person .
A host can just say , “ Look , it ’ s global superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda !
” It grounds the evening in a way these awards sorely needed .
Similarly , the 2020 awards kept trying to have segments built around the function of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
When Steve Martin and Chris Rock came out near the top of the show to offer five minutes of comedy , it felt like gilding the lily after Janelle Monaé ’ s entertaining but odd opening musical number .
“ Musical number , ” then “ host-like segment that , nevertheless , is not actually a host segment , ” then the first award is a whiplash-inducing sequence .
It ’ s entirely possible that the problem with this year ’ s award show wasn ’ t the lack of a host @ @ @ @ @ @ @ elements of a traditional host to keep and which to jettison .
For as impossible a gig hosting the Oscars is , the simple fact that someone like Jimmy Kimmel or Chris Rock or Ellen DeGeneres is there to smooth transitions and help out when , say , La La Land is erroneously named best picture over Moonlight , offers a constant place for the director of the awards show to cut to .
It ’ s a home base in a show that sometimes badly needs a home base .
Television usually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sort of status quo to return to .
That ’ s the case with awards shows , too .
For as bad as so many Oscar hosts have been , they really do maintain the evening ’ s status quo .
Even when you ’ re not sure why Joaquin Phoenix keeps winning awards for Joker , your host will be there to guide you through it .
A hostless Oscars could continue to work , but the structure of the show as-is all but begs for a host .
In order to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show ’ s producers will likely have to get more ruthless about which elements of the show are tossed and which are kept .
The middle ground occupied by the 2020 awards — which tried to keep pretty much everything but the host , even adding back in elements that have been missing for years ( like a live medley of the Original Score nominees ) — ended up a bust .
In 2021 , bring back the host .
Maybe make it Alicia Keys .
She always has such a great time @ @ @ @

For the second year in a row, the Oscars went hostless. But where the 2019 awards were sprightly and largely entertaining, the 2020 awards felt like they had absolutely no focus. As it became clearer and clearer that the Academy would award Best Picture to an international film for the first time, less-anxious viewers could instead focus on the curious choices in how the show was staged and produced.
The chief advantage of ditching an Oscars host in 2019 was that the show leapt quickly from item to item, rarely leaving viewers with too much time to get bored. The 2020 awards tried to do something similar with its hostless format, but the ceremony frequently felt like it was distracted by shiny objects off in its peripheral vision.
To make matters worse, the Oscars were a full 12 minutes longer than the 2019 awards — 215 minutes compared to 203 minutes. (For context, this year’s Oscars were longer than The Irishman.) And they did away with several elements, which theoretically should have made the show shorter — like the individual tributes to each and every Best Picture nominee — but the move did not succeed in that goal.
By the time the awards ended with the triumph of Parasite, the whole evening had dragged on and on, with a centerless feeling that was a bit headache-inducing.
The Oscars kept trying to have people fulfill the function of a host without having an actual host. It only added to the confusion.
The most obvious place in which the lack of a host could be felt was in the frequent moments when one person would appear on camera to introduce another person, who would then introduce yet another person. For instance, at one point, Anthony Ramos (star of the upcoming In the Heights and an alumnus of Hamilton) introduced his old pal Lin-Manuel Miranda, but Miranda was there to introduce something else entirely — a montage of great songs in movie history. And then that montage led in to a live performance by Eminem.
In and of itself, none of these things were bad. Ramos seems like a star in the making. Miranda is a star himself. Montages are an Oscar perennial. And Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” is an Oscar-winning song, and a terrific one to boot. But sandwiched altogether, it was impossible to figure out what was going on or what we were supposed to be focusing on before the sequence moved on to something else.
During a traditional Oscars ceremony, a host would have offered a pithy joke about movie music, then Miranda would have appeared, and the evening would have proceeded as planned. This might seem not all that different materially to a viewer, but a host offers a continuity to the evening. They don’t have to say, “Hey, I’m Anthony Ramos!” and explain their whole situation — who they are and why they’re introducing this particular person. A host can just say, “Look, it’s global superstar Lin-Manuel Miranda!” It grounds the evening in a way these awards sorely needed.
Similarly, the 2020 awards kept trying to have segments built around the function of a host without actually having a host. When Steve Martin and Chris Rock came out near the top of the show to offer five minutes of comedy, it felt like gilding the lily after Janelle Monáe’s entertaining but odd opening musical number. “Musical number,” then “host-like segment that, nevertheless, is not actually a host segment,” then the first award is a whiplash-inducing sequence.
It’s entirely possible that the problem with this year’s award show wasn’t the lack of a host, but its inability to decide which elements of a traditional host to keep and which to jettison. For as impossible a gig hosting the Oscars is, the simple fact that someone like Jimmy Kimmel or Chris Rock or Ellen DeGeneres is there to smooth transitions and help out when, say, La La Land is erroneously named best picture over Moonlight, offers a constant place for the director of the awards show to cut to. It’s a home base in a show that sometimes badly needs a home base.
Television usually works best when a show has some sort of status quo to return to. That’s the case with awards shows, too. For as bad as so many Oscar hosts have been, they really do maintain the evening’s status quo. Even when you’re not sure why Joaquin Phoenix keeps winning awards for Joker, your host will be there to guide you through it.
A hostless Oscars could continue to work, but the structure of the show as-is all but begs for a host. In order to not have one yet again, the show’s producers will likely have to get more ruthless about which elements of the show are tossed and which are kept. The middle ground occupied by the 2020 awards — which tried to keep pretty much everything but the host, even adding back in elements that have been missing for years (like a live medley of the Original Score nominees) — ended up a bust.
In 2021, bring back the host. Maybe make it Alicia Keys. She always has such a great time hosting the Grammys.


vox--2020-02-10--Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscars speech was a sprawling sociopolitical epic

Joaquin Phoenix used his Best Actor win at the 2020 Oscars on Sunday to continue his awards-season trend of putting sociopolitical issues in the spotlight .
In a sprawling acceptance speech , he touched on social inequality , the cruelty of the food industry toward animals , systemic inequality , and even cancel culture .
He closed out by quoting his late brother , River Phoenix .
Phoenix began his speech by expressing his gratitude that his career gave him the opportunity “ to use [ my ] voice for the voiceless.
” “ Whether we ’ re talking about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or indigenous rights or animal rights , we ’ re talking about the fight against injustice , ” he said .
He went on to discuss the trauma that the factoring farming industry visits on livestock .
He also repeated a theme from previous awards season speeches , asking viewers to sacrifice more individually to make a larger societal difference .
The full transcript of Phoenix ’ s speech is below : Hi .
What ’ s up ?
Hi .
God , I ’ m full of so much gratitude right now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ any of my fellow nominees or anyone in this room , because we share the same love , the love of film , and this form of expression has given me the most extraordinary life .
I don ’ t know what I ’ d be without it .
But I think the greatest gift that it has given me , and many of us in this room , is the opportunity to use our voice for the voiceless .
I ’ ve been thinking a lot about some of the distressing issues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I think at times we feel or are made to feel that we champion different causes .
But for me , I see commonality .
I think whether we ’ re talking about gender inequality or racism or queer rights or indigenous rights or animal rights , we ’ re talking about the fight against injustice — against the belief that one nation , one race , one gender or one species has the right to dominate , control , and use and exploit another with impunity .
I think that we ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world and many of us , what we ’ re guilty of is an egocentric worldview — the belief that we ’ re the center of the universe .
We go into the natural world and we plunder it for its resources .
We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow , and when she gives birth , we steal her baby .
Even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable .
And then we take her milk that ’ s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fear the idea of personal change because we think that we have to sacrifice something to give something up but human beings , at our best , are so inventive and creative and ingenious , and I think that when we use love and compassion as our guiding principles , we can create , develop , and implement systems of change that are beneficial to all sentient beings and to the environment .
Now , I have been — I ’ ve been a scoundrel in my life .
I ’ ve been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at times , hard to work with .
And I ’ m grateful [ to ] so many of you in this room [ who ] have given me a second chance and I think that ’ s when we ’ re at our best , when we support each other , not when we cancel each other out for past mistakes , but when we help each other to grow , when we educate each other , when we guide each other toward redemption .
That is the best of humanity .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he was 17 , my brother wrote this lyric .
He said , “ Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.
” Thank you .
Phoenix , an early frontrunner and then frequent award winner throughout the 2019– ’ 20 awards season for his performance in Joker , has used each of his speeches throughout the season to turn attention away from himself and toward others .
Most of the time he ’ s focused on important social issues , including climate change and diversity .
But even in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actor has looked outward .
First , at the Toronto Film Festival in September , Phoenix spoke at the festival ’ s new awards gala to kick off the season — but he mainly spoke about his late brother , River Phoenix .
River , Phoenix said , was responsible for pushing him to stick with acting , and inadvertently responsible for gifting him his entire career .
Last month , when accepting the Screen Actors Guild award on January 19 , he used the opportunity to recognize his fellow actors and especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ iconic Joker performance in 2008 ’ s The Dark Knight influenced a generation of antihero films and clearly left its mark on Todd Phillips ’ s latest iteration of the character .
If Phoenix had kept up this pattern throughout the whole season , using his speeches to discuss personal hurdles and achievements rather than sociopolitical issues , the speeches may have flown under the radar .
But during some of the more high-profile awards shows , Phoenix went further .
On January 5 , while accepting the Golden Globe for Best Actor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ typical acceptance speech fodder to tackle climate change and veganism .
He also drew attention to the Australian bushfires and urged viewers to “ make changes and sacrifices in our own lives ” to help the overall problem of climate change .
This year , several awards shows , including the Critics ’ Choice and the Golden Globes , made the decision to go vegan , reportedly because of pushes by Phoenix and other pro-vegan members of the film industry .
In his Golden Globes speech , Phoenix thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the “ bold move of making tonight plant-based.
” On January 12 , accepting the Critics ’ Choice Award , Phoenix again discussed veganism .
“ I ’ d like to thank the awards for going plant-based and trying to offset our carbon footprint , ” he said .
“ It ’ s a really amazing message.
” He also discussed gun violence and thanked Joker director Todd Phillips for humanizing disenfranchised perpetrators of gun violence .
Phoenix ’ s next politically charged stop on the awards circuit was the British Academy Film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ February after winning Leading Actor , he called attention to the often-debated topic of diversity in filmmaking , and specifically to the all-white lineup of actors in his category .
“ I have to say I also feel conflicted , because so many of my fellow actors that are deserving don ’ t have that same privilege , ” he said .
Phoenix ’ s speeches , along with reports of backstage behavior where he was arguably rude to a reporter , sparked debate , and raised some questions about whether the Oscars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ similar political speech .
But even though the 2020 Oscars were dominated by white acting nominees , Phoenix ’ s speech came during a ceremony that seemed heavy on diversity , and frequently skewed political .
Joker was a highly divisive film , with many people ( including Vox staff ) arguing that it glorified violence without saying anything new .
Phoenix turning his awards season campaign and Oscar win for the film into a chance to criticize a wide range of social ills is more than a little ironic .
But it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make his Oscar win as little about himself as possible — and that was probably the best approach .

Joaquin Phoenix used his Best Actor win at the 2020 Oscars on Sunday to continue his awards-season trend of putting sociopolitical issues in the spotlight. In a sprawling acceptance speech, he touched on social inequality, the cruelty of the food industry toward animals, systemic inequality, and even cancel culture. He closed out by quoting his late brother, River Phoenix.
Phoenix began his speech by expressing his gratitude that his career gave him the opportunity “to use [my] voice for the voiceless.”
“Whether we’re talking about gender inequality or racism or queer rights or indigenous rights or animal rights, we’re talking about the fight against injustice,” he said. He went on to discuss the trauma that the factoring farming industry visits on livestock. He also repeated a theme from previous awards season speeches, asking viewers to sacrifice more individually to make a larger societal difference.
The full transcript of Phoenix’s speech is below:
Hi. What’s up? Hi. God, I’m full of so much gratitude right now and I do not feel elevated above any of my fellow nominees or anyone in this room, because we share the same love, the love of film, and this form of expression has given me the most extraordinary life. I don’t know what I’d be without it. But I think the greatest gift that it has given me, and many of us in this room, is the opportunity to use our voice for the voiceless. I’ve been thinking a lot about some of the distressing issues that we are facing collectively, and I think at times we feel or are made to feel that we champion different causes. But for me, I see commonality. I think whether we’re talking about gender inequality or racism or queer rights or indigenous rights or animal rights, we’re talking about the fight against injustice — against the belief that one nation, one race, one gender or one species has the right to dominate, control, and use and exploit another with impunity. I think that we’ve become very disconnected from the natural world and many of us, what we’re guilty of is an egocentric worldview — the belief that we’re the center of the universe. We go into the natural world and we plunder it for its resources. We feel entitled to artificially inseminate a cow, and when she gives birth, we steal her baby. Even though her cries of anguish are unmistakable. And then we take her milk that’s intended for her calf and we put it in our coffee and our cereal. And I think we fear the idea of personal change because we think that we have to sacrifice something to give something up but human beings, at our best, are so inventive and creative and ingenious, and I think that when we use love and compassion as our guiding principles, we can create, develop, and implement systems of change that are beneficial to all sentient beings and to the environment. Now, I have been — I’ve been a scoundrel in my life. I’ve been selfish, I’ve been cruel at times, hard to work with. And I’m grateful [to] so many of you in this room [who] have given me a second chance and I think that’s when we’re at our best, when we support each other, not when we cancel each other out for past mistakes, but when we help each other to grow, when we educate each other, when we guide each other toward redemption. That is the best of humanity. I just — I want to — when he was 17, my brother wrote this lyric. He said, “Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow.” Thank you.
Phoenix, an early frontrunner and then frequent award winner throughout the 2019–’20 awards season for his performance in Joker, has used each of his speeches throughout the season to turn attention away from himself and toward others. Most of the time he’s focused on important social issues, including climate change and diversity. But even in less publicized moments, the famously recalcitrant actor has looked outward.
First, at the Toronto Film Festival in September, Phoenix spoke at the festival’s new awards gala to kick off the season — but he mainly spoke about his late brother, River Phoenix. River, Phoenix said, was responsible for pushing him to stick with acting, and inadvertently responsible for gifting him his entire career.
Joaquin Phoenix says that — without his brother River — he wouldn't have the life he has today:
“He said 'You’re gonna start acting again, this is what you’re gonna do.' ” #TIFF19 pic.twitter.com/Es4xWRiFPK — TIFF (@TIFF_NET) September 11, 2019
Last month, when accepting the Screen Actors Guild award on January 19, he used the opportunity to recognize his fellow actors and especially paid tribute to Heath Ledger, whose iconic Joker performance in 2008’s The Dark Knight influenced a generation of antihero films and clearly left its mark on Todd Phillips’s latest iteration of the character.
"I'm standing here on the shoulders of my favorite actor Heath Ledger." Joaquin Phoenix thanks the late #DarkKnight star while accepting the #SAGAwards statue for #Joker https://t.co/tD2ozkArqi pic.twitter.com/k9q8hwFFrM — The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 20, 2020
If Phoenix had kept up this pattern throughout the whole season, using his speeches to discuss personal hurdles and achievements rather than sociopolitical issues, the speeches may have flown under the radar. But during some of the more high-profile awards shows, Phoenix went further.
On January 5, while accepting the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama, he diverged from typical acceptance speech fodder to tackle climate change and veganism. He also drew attention to the Australian bushfires and urged viewers to “make changes and sacrifices in our own lives” to help the overall problem of climate change.
This year, several awards shows, including the Critics’ Choice and the Golden Globes, made the decision to go vegan, reportedly because of pushes by Phoenix and other pro-vegan members of the film industry. In his Golden Globes speech, Phoenix thanked the Hollywood Foreign Press, which oversees the Globes, for the “bold move of making tonight plant-based.”
On January 12, accepting the Critics’ Choice Award, Phoenix again discussed veganism. “I’d like to thank the awards for going plant-based and trying to offset our carbon footprint,” he said. “It’s a really amazing message.” He also discussed gun violence and thanked Joker director Todd Phillips for humanizing disenfranchised perpetrators of gun violence.
Phoenix’s next politically charged stop on the awards circuit was the British Academy Film Awards. During his BAFTA speech in February after winning Leading Actor, he called attention to the often-debated topic of diversity in filmmaking, and specifically to the all-white lineup of actors in his category. “I have to say I also feel conflicted, because so many of my fellow actors that are deserving don’t have that same privilege,” he said.
Phoenix’s speeches, along with reports of backstage behavior where he was arguably rude to a reporter, sparked debate, and raised some questions about whether the Oscars should be “nervous” about a similar political speech. But even though the 2020 Oscars were dominated by white acting nominees, Phoenix’s speech came during a ceremony that seemed heavy on diversity, and frequently skewed political.
Joker was a highly divisive film, with many people (including Vox staff) arguing that it glorified violence without saying anything new. Phoenix turning his awards season campaign and Oscar win for the film into a chance to criticize a wide range of social ills is more than a little ironic. But it did seem as though Phoenix was attempting to make his Oscar win as little about himself as possible — and that was probably the best approach.


vox--2020-02-10--Parasite’s Best Picture win was a major milestone for the Oscars. Here are 5 more.

Every year , there ’ s a bit of mingled joy and sorrow in counting out the Oscars ’ biggest milestones : happiness that we ’ re finally making progress but sorrow that it took so long .
This year , the Academy achieved one of its biggest milestones ever when it awarded the trophy for Best Picture to Parasite .
But there are a few other milestones to celebrate from the awards , too : some joyous , some tragic , and some that are just a little bit quirky .
Here are the six biggest milestones from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first non-English-language feature film to win Best Picture The Oscars have consistently struggled to recognize films not made in English .
Only 10 international feature films have even been nominated for Best Picture , and before Sunday night , none had won .
This year , some Academy members and critics argued that it was actually unfair for international films to be eligible for Best Picture .
“ I don ’ t think foreign films should be nominated with the regular films , ” said one of the anonymous Academy members whom the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most reliable hate-read of a recurring feature , Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot .
“ Regular films ” in this context presumably means English-language films , which is honestly just more xenophobia than we have time to unpack here .
But on Sunday , Parasite took home the biggest trophy of the night .
Winning not just Best Picture but also Best Original Screenplay , Best Director , and Best International Feature , Parasite broke down one of the biggest barriers in Oscars history .
Brad Pitt just won his second Oscar .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brad Pitt is in many ways the quintessential movie star , but until this year , his only Oscar wasn ’ t for acting .
Pitt won his acting Oscar on Sunday for his supporting role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood , but he won his first Oscar in 2014 .
That was when 12 Years a Slave won the Oscar for Best Picture — making Brad Pitt , who produced the film , an Oscar winner .
” At the end of the day we just hope that this film @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re all equal , ” Pitt said at the time .
“ We all want the same , we want dignity and opportunity for ourselves and our family.
” In accepting his Best Supporting Actor Oscar on Sunday , Pitt opened his speech with a comment about President Donald Trump ’ s recently concluded impeachment trial , quipping , “ They told me I only have 45 seconds up here , which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week.
” Taika Waititi is the first person of indigenous @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zealand-born Taika Waititi took home the Oscar for Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit , becoming the first person of Maori descent to win an Oscar .
He ’ s also the first person of indigenous descent to be nominated in the Adapted Screenplay category , making him by default the first person of indigenous descent to win in the category .
Waititi is only the third person of indigenous descent to win an Oscar .
The first was Buffy Sainte-Marie , who won for Best Original Song in 1982 , and the second @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an honorary Oscar last summer .
The last movie produced by 20th Century Fox took home two Oscars Accepting the Oscar for Sound Editing in Ford v Ferrari , Donald Sylvester pointed to one of the biggest changes that ’ s happened in Hollywood over the past year : the end , as we knew it , of an iconic Hollywood stalwart .
“ Ford v Ferrari is probably the last film ever made by 20th Century Fox , ” Sylvester said , a little ruefully .
He ’ s almost certainly right @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the film and TV assets held by 20th Century Fox for $ 71.3 billion .
The purchase included the 20th Century Fox movie studio ( yes , that ’ s a little confusing ) and its prestige arm , Fox Searchlight .
20th Century Fox was born in 1935 , when 20th Century Pictures ( created two years earlier ) merged with Fox Studios , and it became one of the six big studios in Hollywood that formed the heavyweight lobbying and trade group MPAA , or Motion Pictures Association of America .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ First came the Disney acquisition ; then , just a few weeks before the Oscars , Disney announced that it would drop the “ Fox ” from both studios ’ names .
20th Century Fox became 20th Century Studios ; Fox Searchlight became Searchlight Pictures .
( Some insiders speculated that Disney was nervous about having the name “ Fox , ” now associated with Fox News , linked with the Disney brand long-term . )
So , yes , Ford v Ferrari probably is the last 20th Century Fox movie — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( for sound editing and film editing ) , it at least went out with style .
The Best Original Score category broke barriers for women This year , the Oscars preceded the award for Original Score with a 42-piece orchestra playing a medley of all the nominees — and that medley was conducted by a woman , marking the first time a woman has conducted the Oscars orchestra .
The woman in question was the Irish composer and conductor Eimear Noone , who told NPR of the milestone , “ What we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it unremarkable .
And that ’ s what makes it special , ironically.
” To top things off , a woman ended up winning the category as well .
Joker composer Hildur Guðnadóttir ended up taking home the statuette for Best Score , becoming the fourth woman to win in the category overall and the first since Anne Dudley won in 1997 for The Full Monty .
Guðnadóttir was also the composer for HBO ’ s Chernobyl , for which she won both an Emmy and a Grammy .
It is now official @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the Oscars in the 2010s For all the barriers broken at the 2020 Oscars , one wall seemed to rise back up .
Both Krysty Wilson-Cairns of 1917 and Greta Gerwig of Little Women were nominated for writing awards , in the Original Screenplay and Adapted Screenplay categories , respectively .
Both lost .
As Award Watch ’ s Erik Anderson pointed out on Twitter , that loss means that no woman won a writing award at the Oscars for a movie made in the 2010s .
The 2010s is now the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ since the 1960s .

Every year, there’s a bit of mingled joy and sorrow in counting out the Oscars’ biggest milestones: happiness that we’re finally making progress but sorrow that it took so long. This year, the Academy achieved one of its biggest milestones ever when it awarded the trophy for Best Picture to Parasite. But there are a few other milestones to celebrate from the awards, too: some joyous, some tragic, and some that are just a little bit quirky. Here are the six biggest milestones from the 2020 Academy Awards.
Parasite became the first non-English-language feature film to win Best Picture
The Oscars have consistently struggled to recognize films not made in English. Only 10 international feature films have even been nominated for Best Picture, and before Sunday night, none had won. This year, some Academy members and critics argued that it was actually unfair for international films to be eligible for Best Picture. “I don’t think foreign films should be nominated with the regular films,” said one of the anonymous Academy members whom the Hollywood Reporter interviews every year in its most reliable hate-read of a recurring feature, Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot. “Regular films” in this context presumably means English-language films, which is honestly just more xenophobia than we have time to unpack here.
But on Sunday, Parasite took home the biggest trophy of the night. Winning not just Best Picture but also Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and Best International Feature, Parasite broke down one of the biggest barriers in Oscars history.
Related Parasite wins Best Picture and makes Oscars history
Brad Pitt just won his second Oscar. It’s his first for acting.
Brad Pitt is in many ways the quintessential movie star, but until this year, his only Oscar wasn’t for acting. Pitt won his acting Oscar on Sunday for his supporting role in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, but he won his first Oscar in 2014. That was when 12 Years a Slave won the Oscar for Best Picture — making Brad Pitt, who produced the film, an Oscar winner.
”At the end of the day we just hope that this film remains a gentle reminder that we’re all equal,” Pitt said at the time. “We all want the same, we want dignity and opportunity for ourselves and our family.”
In accepting his Best Supporting Actor Oscar on Sunday, Pitt opened his speech with a comment about President Donald Trump’s recently concluded impeachment trial, quipping, “They told me I only have 45 seconds up here, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week.”
Taika Waititi is the first person of indigenous descent to win Best Adapted Screenplay
New Zealand-born Taika Waititi took home the Oscar for Adapted Screenplay for Jojo Rabbit, becoming the first person of Maori descent to win an Oscar. He’s also the first person of indigenous descent to be nominated in the Adapted Screenplay category, making him by default the first person of indigenous descent to win in the category.
Waititi is only the third person of indigenous descent to win an Oscar. The first was Buffy Sainte-Marie, who won for Best Original Song in 1982, and the second was Wes Studi, who was awarded an honorary Oscar last summer.
The last movie produced by 20th Century Fox took home two Oscars
Accepting the Oscar for Sound Editing in Ford v Ferrari, Donald Sylvester pointed to one of the biggest changes that’s happened in Hollywood over the past year: the end, as we knew it, of an iconic Hollywood stalwart.
“Ford v Ferrari is probably the last film ever made by 20th Century Fox,” Sylvester said, a little ruefully.
He’s almost certainly right. In March 2019, Disney bought the film and TV assets held by 20th Century Fox for $71.3 billion. The purchase included the 20th Century Fox movie studio (yes, that’s a little confusing) and its prestige arm, Fox Searchlight. 20th Century Fox was born in 1935, when 20th Century Pictures (created two years earlier) merged with Fox Studios, and it became one of the six big studios in Hollywood that formed the heavyweight lobbying and trade group MPAA, or Motion Picture Association of America.
But that all changed in 2019. First came the Disney acquisition; then, just a few weeks before the Oscars, Disney announced that it would drop the “Fox” from both studios’ names. 20th Century Fox became 20th Century Studios; Fox Searchlight became Searchlight Pictures. (Some insiders speculated that Disney was nervous about having the name “Fox,” now associated with Fox News, linked with the Disney brand long-term.)
So, yes, Ford v Ferrari probably is the last 20th Century Fox movie — and with four Oscar nominations and two wins (for sound editing and film editing), it at least went out with style.
The Best Original Score category broke barriers for women
This year, the Oscars preceded the award for Original Score with a 42-piece orchestra playing a medley of all the nominees — and that medley was conducted by a woman, marking the first time a woman has conducted the Oscars orchestra. The woman in question was the Irish composer and conductor Eimear Noone, who told NPR of the milestone, “What we’re trying to do is make it unremarkable. And that’s what makes it special, ironically.”
To top things off, a woman ended up winning the category as well. Joker composer Hildur Guðnadóttir ended up taking home the statuette for Best Score, becoming the fourth woman to win in the category overall and the first since Anne Dudley won in 1997 for The Full Monty. Guðnadóttir was also the composer for HBO’s Chernobyl, for which she won both an Emmy and a Grammy.
It is now official that no woman won a writing award at the Oscars in the 2010s
For all the barriers broken at the 2020 Oscars, one wall seemed to rise back up. Both Krysty Wilson-Cairns of 1917 and Greta Gerwig of Little Women were nominated for writing awards, in the Original Screenplay and Adapted Screenplay categories, respectively. Both lost. As Award Watch’s Erik Anderson pointed out on Twitter, that loss means that no woman won a writing award at the Oscars for a movie made in the 2010s. The 2010s is now the first decade for which that is true since the 1960s.


vox--2020-02-10--Here are all the 2020 Oscar winners

Here are all the 2020 Oscar winners

The 2020 Oscars took place on Sunday night , and during an evening devoted to honoring the best and brightest cinematic accomplishments of the previous year , director Bong Joon-Ho ’ s Parasite was the big winner .
Bong ’ s dark thriller scored four wins , including the biggest prize of the night , Best Picture .
And in doing so , it became the first International Feature Film in the Oscars ’ 92-year history to win that award .
Previously , only 10 non-English-language films had ever been nominated for the prestigious prize .
Meanwhile , the frontrunners @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pitt ( Supporting Actor for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ) , Laura Dern ( Supporting Actress for Marriage Story ) , Joaquin Phoenix ( Lead Actor for Joker ) , and Reneé Zellweger ( Lead Actress for Judy ) — held form and took home Oscars in their respective categories .
1917 , a major frontrunner for Best Picture going into the awards , won three of the 10 trophies it was nominated for : Cinematography , Sound Mixing , and Visual Effects .
Joker , the most-nominated film overall with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Score and Lead Actor for Joaquin Phoenix .
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Quentin Tarantino , Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Leonardo DiCaprio , Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Brad Pitt , Once Upon a Time in Hollywood **WINNER** Once Upon a Time in Hollywood How to Train Your Dragon : The Hidden World Once Upon a Time in Hollywood **WINNER** Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Learning to Skateboard in a War Zone if You ’ re a Girl **WINNER** Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Once Upon a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Hollywood “ I Can ’ t Let You Throw Yourself Away , ” Toy Story 4

The 2020 Oscars took place on Sunday night, and during an evening devoted to honoring the best and brightest cinematic accomplishments of the previous year, director Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite was the big winner.
Bong’s dark thriller scored four wins, including the biggest prize of the night, Best Picture. And in doing so, it became the first International Feature Film in the Oscars’ 92-year history to win that award. Previously, only 10 non-English-language films had ever been nominated for the prestigious prize.
Meanwhile, the frontrunners in the four acting categories — Brad Pitt (Supporting Actor for Once Upon a Time in Hollywood), Laura Dern (Supporting Actress for Marriage Story), Joaquin Phoenix (Lead Actor for Joker), and Reneé Zellweger (Lead Actress for Judy) — held form and took home Oscars in their respective categories.
1917, a major frontrunner for Best Picture going into the awards, won three of the 10 trophies it was nominated for: Cinematography, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects.
Joker, the most-nominated film overall with 11 nods, won two: Original Score and Lead Actor for Joaquin Phoenix.
Here’s the full list of 2020 Oscar winners:
Best Picture
Ford v Ferrari
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women
Marriage Story
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite **WINNER**
Director
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
Todd Phillips, Joker
Sam Mendes, 1917
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Bong Joon-ho, Parasite **WINNER**
Actress in a Leading Role
Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Renée Zellweger, Judy **WINNER**
Actor in a Leading Role
Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory
Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker **WINNER**
Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes
Actress in a Supporting Role
Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell
Laura Dern, Marriage Story **WINNER**
Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit
Florence Pugh, Little Women
Margot Robbie, Bombshell
Actor in a Supporting Role
Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes
Al Pacino, The Irishman
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood **WINNER**
Original Screenplay
Knives Out
Marriage Story
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Parasite **WINNER**
Adapted Screenplay
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit **WINNER**
Joker
Little Women
The Two Popes
Animated Feature Film
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
I Lost My Body
Klaus
Missing Link
Toy Story 4 **WINNER**
Animated Short
Dcera (Daughter)
Hair Love **WINNER**
Kitbull
Memorable
Sister
Live Action Short
Brotherhood
Nefta Football Club
The Neighbors’ Window **WINNER**
Saria
A Sister
Production Design
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood **WINNER**
Parasite
Costume Design
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Little Women **WINNER**
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Documentary Feature
American Factory **WINNER**
The Cave
The Edge of Democracy
For Sama
Honeyland
Documentary Short Subject
In the Absence
Learning to Skateboard in a War Zone if You’re a Girl **WINNER**
Life Overtakes Me
St. Louis Superman
Walk, Run, Chacha
Sound Editing
Ford v Ferrari **WINNER**
Joker
1917
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Sound Mixing
Ad Astra
Ford v Ferrari
Joker
1917 **WINNER**
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Cinematography
The Irishman
Joker
The Lighthouse
1917 **WINNER**
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Film Editing
Ford v Ferrari **WINNER**
The Irishman
Jojo Rabbit
Joker
Parasite
Visual Effects
Avengers: Endgame
The Irishman
The Lion King
1917 **WINNER**
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Makeup and Hairstyling
Bombshell **WINNER**
Joker
Judy
Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
1917
International Feature Film (previously Foreign Language Film)
Corpus Christi (Poland)
Honeyland (North Macedonia)
Les Misérables (France)
Pain & Glory (Spain)
Parasite (South Korea) **WINNER**
Original Score
Joker **WINNER**
Little Women
Marriage Story
1917
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Original Song
“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” Toy Story 4
“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” Rocketman **WINNER**
“I’m Standing With You,” Breakthrough
“Into the Unknown,” Frozen 2
“Stand Up,” Harriet


vox--2020-02-09--The 2020 Oscars red carpet, explained by 5 looks

While the Oscars is first and foremost an awards show , it ’ s also a huge fashion event for the celebrities walking the red carpet , and the designers who fight to dress them .
Attendees are expected to put their most glamorous foot forward , as their outfits will likely be memorialized ( or mocked ) on social media and the best-dressed lists circulating the internet .
This year ’ s red carpet saw a lot of pink , ruffles , and sparkles — fashion elements that would help the stars stand out on a crowded carpet .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ they could agree on , ditching the traditional black tux and white shirt for an all-black look .
We ’ re not determining what were the “ best ” looks of the evening per se , but rather highlighting the stylistic choices celebrities made that were the most eye-catching , interesting , and memorable .
These are the five celebrities who best summed up the 2020 Oscars red carpet .
Every shade of pink was present on the red carpet this evening , but the 10-year-old actress ’ s flowy pink number by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the most memorable pink dresses : extra tulle and ruffled sleeves with a long train .
She wasn ’ t alone : Parasite actress Park So-dam wore a layered fringe fuchsia dress , Regina King donned a sweeping blush pink gown , and both Gal Gadot and Laura Dern wore pink skirts under black bodices .
Mahershala Ali and the men in black ( on black ) Most male actors walk the red carpet in a sleek black tuxedo .
It ’ s a safe and simple choice of attire that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This year , however , a striking number of men opted for a black tux black shirt combo — a refreshing , if slight , change from the typical white shirt ensemble .
Stars like Mahershala Ali and Rami Malek and directors Bong Joon-ho and Todd Phillips sported crisp all-black looks .
If only Timothée Chalamet got the memo !
Sparkles , especially sparkles on form-fitting dresses , are not out of the ordinary at the Oscars .
Janelle Monáe looked like a knight in shining armor in her gray crystal-embellished gown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a floor-length sparkling rose gold dress , Maya Rudolph showed up in a dazzling orange caftan , and Kaitlyn Dever ’ s strapless red dress was decked out with glass beads and Swarovski crystals .
When in doubt , just add ruffles .
Kristen Wiig ’ s red Valentino dress was perhaps the most extreme example of the plentiful , often structural ruffles that adorned many stars ’ dresses this evening .
While Wiig ’ s gown has drawn comparisons to lasagna and a sea creature , other celebrities had more subtle ruffles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ volume to their outfits .
Saoirse Ronan ’ s dress had an attention-grabbing peplum waist detail , Sandra Oh stuck to more tulle-like princess ruffles , and Kathy Bates ’ s suit collar had a Georgia O ’ Keeffe-like element that technically counts as one big ruffle .
Billy Porter and Billie Eilish .
Do they really need an introduction ?
These two style icons might share a name and a tendency to buck fashion norms , but they gravitate toward radically different style choices .
Billy Porter , star of the FX @ @ @ @ @ @ @ theatrical , gender-bending red carpet outfits .
His 2020 Oscars look was “ all about royalty ” : a golden , feather-like bodice paired with a billowing rust-orange skirt .
Meanwhile , Billie Eilish , who performed “ Yesterday ” during the In Memoriam segment of the Oscars , walked the carpet in a white chunky suit emblazoned with multiple Chanel logos .
The 18-year-old singer tends to wear androgynous , oversize clothing , and her Oscars look isn ’ t a departure from her previous ’ fits .
Sign up for The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , we ’ ll send you the best Goods stories exploring what we buy , why we buy it , and why it matters .

While the Oscars is first and foremost an awards show, it’s also a huge fashion event for the celebrities walking the red carpet and the designers who fight to dress them. Attendees are expected to put their most glamorous foot forward, as their outfits will likely be memorialized (or mocked) on social media and the best-dressed lists circulating around the internet.
This year’s red carpet saw a lot of pink, ruffles, and sparkles — fashion elements that would help the stars stand out on a crowded carpet. Many male stars also found a look they could agree on, ditching the traditional black tux and white shirt for an all-black look.
We’re not determining what were the “best” looks of the evening per se, but rather highlighting the stylistic choices celebrities made that were the most eye-catching, interesting, and memorable. These are the five celebrities who best summed up the 2020 Oscars red carpet.
Julia Butters and the princess pink gown
Every shade of pink was present on the red carpet this evening, but the 10-year-old actress’s flowy pink number by Christian Siriano captured all the elements of the most memorable pink dresses: extra tulle and ruffled sleeves with a long train.
She wasn’t alone: Parasite actress Park So-dam wore a layered fringe fuchsia dress, Regina King donned a sweeping blush pink gown, and both Gal Gadot and Laura Dern wore pink skirts under black bodices.
Mahershala Ali and the men in black (on black)
Most male actors walk the red carpet in a sleek black tuxedo. It’s a safe and simple choice of attire that’s notoriously uninteresting compared to their female counterparts. This year, however, a striking number of men opted for a black-tux-black-shirt combo — a refreshing, if slight, change from the typical white shirt ensemble. Stars like Mahershala Ali and Rami Malek and directors Bong Joon-ho and Todd Phillips sported crisp all-black looks. If only Timothée Chalamet had gotten the memo!
Janelle Monáe’s crystal armor-like gown
Sparkles, especially sparkles on form-fitting dresses, are not out of the ordinary at the Oscars. Janelle Monáe looked like a knight in shining armor in her gray crystal-embellished gown by Ralph Lauren. Brie Larson donned a floor-length sparkling rose-gold dress, Maya Rudolph showed up in a dazzling orange caftan, and Kaitlyn Dever’s strapless red dress was decked out with glass beads and Swarovski crystals.
Kristen Wiig and ruffles, ruffles, ruffles
When in doubt, just add ruffles. Kristen Wiig’s red Valentino dress was perhaps the most extreme example of the plentiful, often structural ruffles that adorned many stars’ dresses this evening. While Wiig’s gown has drawn comparisons to lasagna and a sea creature, other celebrities had more subtle ruffles that added a touch of playfulness and volume to their outfits.
Saoirse Ronan’s dress had an attention-grabbing peplum waist detail, Sandra Oh stuck to more tulle-like princess ruffles, and Kathy Bates’s suit collar had a Georgia O’Keeffe-like element that technically counts as one big ruffle.
People named Bill(y)ie killing it
Billy Porter and Billie Eilish. Do they really need an introduction? These two style icons might share a name and a tendency to buck fashion norms, but they gravitate toward radically different style choices. Billy Porter, star of the FX series Pose, is famous for his theatrical, gender-bending red carpet outfits. His 2020 Oscars look was “all about royalty”: a golden, feather-like bodice paired with a billowing rust-orange skirt.
Meanwhile, Billie Eilish, who performed “Yesterday” during the In Memoriam segment of the Oscars, walked the carpet in a white chunky suit emblazoned with multiple Chanel logos. The 18-year-old singer tends to wear androgynous, oversize clothing, and her Oscars look isn’t a departure from her previous ’fits.
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vox--2020-02-09--Parasite wins Best Picture and makes Oscars history

Parasite made history at the 2020 Oscars on Sunday , becoming the first non-English-language film to win the grand prize of Best Picture .
Only 10 films that the Academy has classified as “ international feature films ” ( previously recognized as foreign language films ) have ever been nominated for Best Picture .
Alfonso Cuarón ’ s Roma , nominated in 2019 , was the most recent before Parasite .
Parasite also won Best Original Screenplay , Best Director , and International Feature Film .
However , none of its cast was nominated in any of the four acting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the film ’ s Best Picture win a little bittersweet , in that the movie was recognized for its excellence but its actors didn ’ t receive the same appreciation from Academy voters .
The acting omission feels even more egregious when considered in the context of Parasite ’ s character-driven story , and how the cast personified the film ’ s tale of inequality , morality , and fighting against a social and economic system that ’ s rigged against you .
The last movie to win a Best Picture Oscar without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2009 .
As with Parasite , the cast of Slumdog Millionaire was made up of actors of color and didn ’ t have the same name recognition among Oscar voters as the year ’ s eventual acting nominees did .
The Oscars don ’ t have a great track record of honoring nonwhite actors in general .
In 2015 and 2016 , all 20 acting nominees were white , and while the nominations slate was more diverse in 2017 , 2018 , and 2019 , this year , only one performer of color @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nominated in the four major acting categories .
( While the Academy ’ s nonwhite membership has doubled from 8 percent in 2015 to 16 percent in 2019 , it is still predominantly white . )
Parasite ’ s Best Picture win has no doubt changed Oscars history and could signal change for the future .
But even in taking home the top prize , there were still some hurdles it couldn ’ t overcome .

Parasite made history at the 2020 Oscars on Sunday, becoming the first non-English-language film to win the grand prize of Best Picture.
Only 10 films that the Academy has classified as “international feature films” (previously recognized as foreign language films) have ever been nominated for Best Picture. Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma, nominated in 2019, was the most recent before Parasite.
Parasite also won Best Original Screenplay, Best Director, and International Feature Film.
However, none of its cast was nominated in any of the four acting categories. That turn of events makes the film’s Best Picture win a little bittersweet, in that the movie was recognized for its excellence but its actors didn’t receive the same appreciation from Academy voters. The acting omission feels even more egregious when considered in the context of Parasite’s character-driven story, and how the cast personified the film’s tale of inequality, morality, and fighting against a social and economic system that’s rigged against you.
The last movie to win a Best Picture Oscar without any acting nominations was Slumdog Millionaire in 2009. As with Parasite, the cast of Slumdog Millionaire was made up of actors of color and didn’t have the same name recognition among Oscar voters as the year’s eventual acting nominees did.
The Oscars don’t have a great track record of honoring nonwhite actors in general.
In 2015 and 2016, all 20 acting nominees were white, and while the nominations slate was more diverse in 2017, 2018, and 2019, this year, only one performer of color — Cynthia Erivo in Harriet — was nominated in the four major acting categories. (While the Academy’s nonwhite membership has doubled from 8 percent in 2015 to 16 percent in 2019, it is still predominantly white.)
Parasite’s Best Picture win has no doubt changed Oscars history and could signal change for the future. But even in taking home the top prize, there were still some hurdles it couldn’t overcome.


vox--2020-02-09--Eminem singing “Lose Yourself” was the most baffling Oscars moment. It was also a milestone.

Eminem ’ s seemingly out-of-nowhere performance of his iconic hit “ Lose Yourself ” at the Oscars on Sunday night capped off a montage of legendary songs from famous films .
But it also allowed the rapper the chance to perform his Oscar-winning song live at the awards show for the first time — 17 years after it won the trophy for Best Original Song .
Despite the audience ’ s obvious surprise when Eminem took the stage , it ’ s pretty hard to mess up a ditty as tightly constructed and powerful as Eminem ’ s anthem to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stage was duly lit : Written for Eminem ’ s autobiographical drama 8 Mile , “ Lose Yourself ” won the Best Original Song Oscar in 2003 .
But Eminem , who also blew off the Grammys that year , didn ’ t attend the ceremony .
That might have been for the best , because Oscars producers were “ reportedly nervous ” about him performing the song and slipping in profanity .
His award was instead accepted by presenter Barbra Streisand and picked up by his co-writer Luis Resto .
Things were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a montage of famous Oscar-winning numbers appeared to close out with a clip of “ Lose Yourself.
” Instead , the song failed to materialize in the montage .
The video gave way to Eminem and his ensemble rising dramatically onto the stage to perform the song live .
Judging by the crowd ’ s reactions , the audience seemed to be a solid mix of baffled and entertained .
Among the most viral reactions were Idina Menzel ’ s bewildered head-bop and whatever was happening in Billie Eilish ’ s brain : @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into it .
“ Lose Yourself ” is a modern classic , after all — and as much of a bop as any Oscar-winning song can be .
And then there was Martin Scorsese , who used the moment to ... nap ?
: Despite the confusion , the rapper otherwise known as Marshall Mathers clearly won over the Dolby Theatre audience by the end , judging by the standing ovation he received .
Even Eilish got into it by the end .
Eminem appeared stunned by the response , even though it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one that came as a complete surprise , no less .
But then , Eminem is full of surprises lately : He ’ s fresh off dropping a previously unannounced new album , Music To Be Murdered By , that immediately reached No .
1 on the Billboard chart .
His presence at the Oscars may have seemed inexplicable , but it was also savvy publicity — a firmly establishment move for the rapper who ’ s always tried to stay edgy — but one that apparently paid off .

Eminem’s seemingly out-of-nowhere performance of his iconic hit “Lose Yourself” at the Oscars on Sunday night capped off a montage of legendary songs from famous films. But it also allowed the rapper the chance to perform his Oscar-winning song live at the awards show for the first time — 17 years after it won the trophy for Best Original Song.
Despite the audience’s obvious surprise when Eminem took the stage, it’s pretty hard to mess up a ditty as tightly constructed and powerful as Eminem’s anthem to overcoming stage fright, and thus the stage was duly lit:
After 18 years of winning an Oscar.
Look who's back. ( not literally cause he didn't showed up in 03 )
Eminem freaking killed it
Standing ovation #eminem #Oscar2020 pic.twitter.com/9tujOGsfgp — Zeeshan Khalid (@pjzaks313) February 10, 2020
Written for Eminem’s autobiographical drama 8 Mile, “Lose Yourself” won the Best Original Song Oscar in 2003. But Eminem, who also blew off the Grammys that year, didn’t attend the ceremony. That might have been for the best, because Oscars producers were “reportedly nervous” about him performing the song and slipping in profanity. His award was instead accepted by presenter Barbra Streisand and picked up by his co-writer Luis Resto.
Look, if you had another shot, another opportunity... Thanks for having me @TheAcademy. Sorry it took me 18 years to get here. pic.twitter.com/CmSw2hmcZo — Marshall Mathers (@Eminem) February 10, 2020
Things were different this year, however, when a montage of famous Oscar-winning numbers appeared to close out with a clip of “Lose Yourself.” Instead, the song failed to materialize in the montage. The video gave way to Eminem and his ensemble rising dramatically onto the stage to perform the song live. Judging by the crowd’s reactions, the audience seemed to be a solid mix of baffled and entertained.
Among the most viral reactions were Idina Menzel’s bewildered head-bop and whatever was happening in Billie Eilish’s brain:
Idina Menzel's face = all of our moms' faces trying to figure out why their spaghetti was on Eminem's shirt. #Oscars pic.twitter.com/XRHKlPyXIL — E! News (@enews) February 10, 2020
Still, plenty of people were completely into it. “Lose Yourself” is a modern classic, after all — and as much of a bop as any Oscar-winning song can be.
And then there was Martin Scorsese, who used the moment to ... nap?:
Despite the confusion, the rapper otherwise known as Marshall Mathers clearly won over the Dolby Theatre audience by the end, judging by the standing ovation he received. Even Eilish got into it by the end.
Eminem appeared stunned by the response, even though it was his first Oscars performance — and one that came as a complete surprise, no less. But then, Eminem is full of surprises lately: He’s fresh off dropping a previously unannounced new album, Music To Be Murdered By, that immediately reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart. His presence at the Oscars may have seemed inexplicable, but it was also savvy publicity — a firmly establishment move for the rapper who’s always tried to stay edgy — but one that apparently paid off.


vox--2020-02-10--Trump’s 2021 budget proposal doesn’t stop at the border wall

President Donald Trump may be proposing trillions in spending cuts over the next decade in his 2021 budget request — but none of the cuts would affect the immigration enforcement agencies , which would instead get a significant boost .
The president would invest heavily in construction of his southern border wall , expanding immigration detention and staffing up the immigration agencies .
It ’ s another way to show voters that he ’ s tough on immigration as he goes up for reelection .
During his time in office , Trump has built , layer by layer , impediments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in detention centers , and in the immigration courts that have made obtaining asylum nearly impossible .
And he has swept aside former President Barack Obama ’ s immigration enforcement priorities in favor of vastly expanding immigration detention and prosecuting every immigrant who crosses the border without authorization .
The result is a punitive system that treats immigrants as criminals and places them in prolonged detention even if they don ’ t pose any danger to the public .
His budget proposal for the coming fiscal year would continue to advance that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ billion to construct an additional 82 miles of wall , which is likely to face pushback among the House ’ s Democratic majority .
Trump has already constructed 101 miles of wall and plans to construct an additional 475 miles , according to the proposal , costing an estimated $ 18.4 billion and making it the most expensive wall of any kind worldwide .
Trump has sparred with Congress for years over funding for the wall , his signature campaign promise from 2016 .
It even led to a government shutdown in December @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding bill that offered anything less than $ 5 billion for the wall .
And after Congress refused to give him what he wanted , he sidestepped Democratic lawmakers and redirected military funds to border wall construction anyway with the Supreme Court ’ s blessing .
But this year ’ s funding request goes much further than just Trump ’ s border wall : It represents a massive expansion of the administration ’ s immigration enforcement apparatus , of which the wall is only a small part .
Trump would scale up immigration @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to take migrant children into custody .
He ’ s asking for $ 3.1 billion to increase the capacity of immigration detention centers to house 60,000 people at any given time , even though Congress had previously ordered him to decrease capacity to about 40,000 and the existence of viable alternatives to detention .
And he wants $ 4 billion to care for unaccompanied migrant children once they ’ re transferred from immigration custody to the Department of Health and Human Services .
His budget proposal also calls for a total of $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the immigration agencies .
He would hire another 1,050 Border Patrol officials , more than 4,600 new US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers , and 100 new immigration judges in an effort to drive down their over 1 million-case backlog and additional support staff .
He would also allocate a total of $ 126 million to support his Migrant Protection Protocols , also known as the “ remain in Mexico ” policy , under which more than 60,000 migrants have been sent back to Mexico to wait on a decision on their asylum @ @ @ @ @ @ @ majority of that money would go to the operation of temporary tent court facilities in US border towns , where Democrats say migrants affected by MPP aren ’ t getting fair hearings .
What the administration could be funding instead While immigration enforcement would get a big boost under Trump ’ s funding proposal , resources supporting immigrants would get slashed .
Most significantly , the proposal would cut foreign aid by 21 percent .
It not only represents an abdication of the US ’ s obligations to aid Central American countries struggling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as my colleague Alex Ward writes , it could actually deepen those problems .
Hundreds of thousands have fled violence and the lack of economic opportunity in El Salvador , Guatemala , and Honduras — collectively known as Central America ’ s Northern Triangle — over the past several years .
After Trump froze $ 450 million in aid to those three countries last year , more migrants from there started arriving at the US border .
Last May , the number of migrants apprehended at the southern border , most of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ peaked at 130,000 ( though those numbers have since declined ) .
Eric Schwartz , the president of the refugee advocacy group Refugees International , said in a statement that the cuts to international and humanitarian aid defy bipartisan majorities in Congress and would be a “ flight from US leadership ” on helping the most vulnerable .
“ The irony is that President Trump , Secretary [ Mike ] Pompeo , and others in the Trump administration continually boast about the generosity of the United States , ” he said .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actions match their words.
” Trump ’ s emphasis on immigration enforcement in his budget proposal also ignores other deficiencies in the immigration system that could be rectified with more funding .
For example , there ’ s a shortage of asylum officers and translators available to help process migrants at the border , many of whom are forced to live in dangerous , inhumane conditions in Mexico while they wait for an answer on their asylum applications .
To deal with the shortage , the administration has instead resorted to appointing US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ initial asylum screenings , which the American Civil Liberties Union has called a “ blatant effort to rig the system against asylum seekers.
” Hiring more asylum officers could help shorten the time migrants have to wait and would improve their access to a fair , non-adversarial process .
There are also about 700,000 immigrants waiting for their naturalization applications to be processed for an average of 10 to 18 months — far longer than the six months they ’ re supposed to wait under immigration law .
Immigrants in the military can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s no surprise that wait times have skyrocketed since Trump has increased vetting of all legal immigrants .
But he hasn ’ t invested enough in beefing up staffing at US Citizenship and Immigration Services — the agency tasked with processing visa , green card , and citizenship applications — to keep up with the increased workload .
And that ’ s only a couple of examples of what Trump ’ s funding to immigration enforcement could do .

President Donald Trump may be proposing trillions in spending cuts over the next decade in his 2021 budget request — but none of the cuts would affect the immigration enforcement agencies, which would instead get a significant boost.
The president would invest heavily in construction of his southern border wall, expanding immigration detention and staffing up the immigration agencies. It’s another way to show voters that he’s tough on immigration as he goes up for reelection.
During his time in office, Trump has built, layer by layer, impediments in Central America, at the border, in detention centers, and in the immigration courts that have made obtaining asylum nearly impossible.
And he has swept aside former President Barack Obama’s immigration enforcement priorities in favor of vastly expanding immigration detention and prosecuting every immigrant who crosses the border without authorization. The result is a punitive system that treats immigrants as criminals and places them in prolonged detention even if they don’t pose any danger to the public.
His budget proposal for the coming fiscal year would continue to advance that agenda.
The proposal includes $2 billion to construct an additional 82 miles of wall, which is likely to face pushback among the House’s Democratic majority. Trump has already constructed 101 miles of wall and plans to construct an additional 475 miles, according to the proposal, costing an estimated $18.4 billion and making it the most expensive wall of any kind worldwide.
Trump has sparred with Congress for years over funding for the wall, his signature campaign promise from 2016. It even led to a government shutdown in December 2018 after he refused to sign a funding bill that offered anything less than $5 billion for the wall. And after Congress refused to give him what he wanted, he sidestepped Democratic lawmakers and redirected military funds to border wall construction anyway with the Supreme Court’s blessing.
But this year’s funding request goes much further than just Trump’s border wall: It represents a massive expansion of the administration’s immigration enforcement apparatus, of which the wall is only a small part.
Trump would scale up immigration detention and the administration’s capacity to take migrant children into custody. He’s asking for $3.1 billion to increase the capacity of immigration detention centers to house 60,000 people at any given time, even though Congress had previously ordered him to decrease capacity to about 40,000 and the existence of viable alternatives to detention. And he wants $4 billion to care for unaccompanied migrant children once they’re transferred from immigration custody to the Department of Health and Human Services.
His budget proposal also calls for a total of $1.6 billion to significantly increase staffing across the immigration agencies. He would hire another 1,050 Border Patrol officials, more than 4,600 new US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, and 100 new immigration judges in an effort to drive down their over 1 million-case backlog and additional support staff.
He would also allocate a total of $126 million to support his Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the “remain in Mexico” policy, under which more than 60,000 migrants have been sent back to Mexico to wait on a decision on their asylum applications in the US. The vast majority of that money would go to the operation of temporary tent court facilities in US border towns, where Democrats say migrants affected by MPP aren’t getting fair hearings.
What the administration could be funding instead
While immigration enforcement would get a big boost under Trump’s funding proposal, resources supporting immigrants would get slashed.
Most significantly, the proposal would cut foreign aid by 21 percent. It not only represents an abdication of the US’s obligations to aid Central American countries struggling with their own migration crises, but, as my colleague Alex Ward writes, it could actually deepen those problems.
Hundreds of thousands have fled violence and the lack of economic opportunity in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras — collectively known as Central America’s Northern Triangle — over the past several years.
After Trump froze $450 million in aid to those three countries last year, more migrants from there started arriving at the US border. Last May, the number of migrants apprehended at the southern border, most of which were from Northern Triangle countries, peaked at 130,000 (though those numbers have since declined).
Eric Schwartz, the president of the refugee advocacy group Refugees International, said in a statement that the cuts to international and humanitarian aid defy bipartisan majorities in Congress and would be a “flight from US leadership” on helping the most vulnerable.
“The irony is that President Trump, Secretary [Mike] Pompeo, and others in the Trump administration continually boast about the generosity of the United States,” he said. “It’s high time that their actions match their words.”
Trump’s emphasis on immigration enforcement in his budget proposal also ignores other deficiencies in the immigration system that could be rectified with more funding.
For example, there’s a shortage of asylum officers and translators available to help process migrants at the border, many of whom are forced to live in dangerous, inhumane conditions in Mexico while they wait for an answer on their asylum applications. To deal with the shortage, the administration has instead resorted to appointing US Customs and Border Protection officers to conduct initial asylum screenings, which the American Civil Liberties Union has called a “blatant effort to rig the system against asylum seekers.”
Hiring more asylum officers could help shorten the time migrants have to wait and would improve their access to a fair, non-adversarial process.
There are also about 700,000 immigrants waiting for their naturalization applications to be processed for an average of 10 to 18 months — far longer than the six months they’re supposed to wait under immigration law. Immigrants in the military can have even longer wait times.
It’s no surprise that wait times have skyrocketed since Trump has increased vetting of all legal immigrants. But he hasn’t invested enough in beefing up staffing at US Citizenship and Immigration Services — the agency tasked with processing visa, green card, and citizenship applications — to keep up with the increased workload.
And that’s only a couple of examples of what Trump’s funding to immigration enforcement could do.


vox--2020-02-10--Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren to Jeff Bezos: Overhaul Amazon’s “profit-at-all-costs culture”

Bernie Sanders , Elizabeth Warren , and 13 other Democratic US senators have a message for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos : Change your business practices , or else .
In a public letter addressed to Bezos Friday , the senators urged Amazon to “ overhaul [ the ] profit-at-all-costs culture at your company ” and implement changes at the online retail giant .
They also want Amazon to publish records of serious worker injuries .
“ Amazon ’ s dismal safety record indicates a greater concern for profits than for your own workers ’ safety and health , ” the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ records from Amazon ’ s warehouse network that appeared to show higher-than-average injury rates , even for the warehousing industry .
Those rates were originally disclosed in a November article from the Center for Investigative Reporting ’ s Reveal group that was published in the Atlantic .
Amazon argued at the time that the injury rates reflected its aggressiveness in recording injuries , and a spokesperson reiterated that stance in a statement on Monday .
The letter comes at a time when politicians , activists , and some of Amazon ’ s own @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pace of work and labor conditions inside its warehouse and delivery networks .
The criticism has become increasingly noteworthy as Amazon has expanded its reach into so many aspects of American life , from online retail to entertainment to the delivery of groceries and prescription drugs .
Along the way , Bezos , the world ’ s richest man , has become a target for Warren and Sanders , who frame him and his riches as an example of capitalism gone awry .
“ Nothing is more important to us than the safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Amazon spokesperson Kelly Cheeseman said .
“ OSHA is on the record as saying that underreporting of injuries is an industry-wide problem , and companies do this to keep their rates low — a former assistant secretary of OSHA estimated that 50 percent or more of severe injuries go unreported .
Amazon does the opposite ; we take an aggressive stance on recording injuries no matter how big or small .
The invitation remains open for any of the Senators to come take a tour — last year over 300,000 people toured an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they took the time to learn the facts first-hand.
” Cheeseman confirmed to Recode that some of the senators who signed the letter have not taken Amazon up on touring one of its fulfillment centers .
She declined to specify how many or which ones .
The letter , whose signatories also included Sherrod Brown ( D-OH ) , Tammy Baldwin ( D-WI ) , and Kamala Harris ( D-CA ) , included seven other requests .
One was to “ reduce workers ’ quotas and speed requirements , ” and another asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a ‘ time off task , ’ ” stemming from allegations that some Amazon workers have had to relieve themselves in bottles so their performance doesn ’ t suffer .
At least one of the requests — “ Ensure workers ... have a guaranteed way to raise safety and health concerns ” — appears to be one that Amazon already offers .
On a visit to an Amazon fulfillment center last year , I observed a giant TV screen — called the Voice of Associate board — on which workers anonymously provided @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pieces of feedback , highlighted in an episode of our Land of the Giants podcast about Amazon , was a worker telling management that they checked themself out of the hospital because they didn ’ t have someone to fill in for them .
Cheeseman said these boards , whether digital screens or old-school whiteboards , are present in all Amazon warehouses .
The senators want a response by February 21 .
News of the letter comes as Amazon ’ s head of communications and policy , Jay Carney , went on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on Monday .
In the piece , Carney argued that the company ’ s critics should acknowledge that “ Amazon is doing many good things — for the economy , and for American workers.
” Carney cited Amazon ’ s 2018 move to raise its minimum pay to $ 15 an hour as well as its Career Choice program , which “ prepays up to 95 percent of tuition and fees — making it almost free for employees to learn new skills.
” He did not cite Amazon worker safety records .

Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and 13 other Democratic US senators have a message for Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos: Change your business practices, or else.
In a public letter addressed to Bezos Friday, the senators urged Amazon to “overhaul [the] profit-at-all-costs culture at your company” and implement changes at the online retail giant. They also want Amazon to publish records of serious worker injuries.
“Amazon’s dismal safety record indicates a greater concern for profits than for your own workers’ safety and health,” the letter read.
The letter referenced safety records from Amazon’s warehouse network that appeared to show higher-than-average injury rates, even for the warehousing industry. Those rates were originally disclosed in a November article from the Center for Investigative Reporting’s Reveal group that was published in the Atlantic. Amazon argued at the time that the injury rates reflected its aggressiveness in recording injuries, and a spokesperson reiterated that stance in a statement on Monday.
The letter comes at a time when politicians, activists, and some of Amazon’s own employees have called Amazon out for the pace of work and labor conditions inside its warehouse and delivery networks. The criticism has become increasingly noteworthy as Amazon has expanded its reach into so many aspects of American life, from online retail to entertainment to the delivery of groceries and prescription drugs. Along the way, Bezos, the world’s richest man, has become a target for Warren and Sanders, who frame him and his riches as an example of capitalism gone awry.
“Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our employees,” Amazon spokesperson Kelly Cheeseman said. “OSHA is on the record as saying that underreporting of injuries is an industry-wide problem, and companies do this to keep their rates low — a former assistant secretary of OSHA estimated that 50 percent or more of severe injuries go unreported. Amazon does the opposite; we take an aggressive stance on recording injuries no matter how big or small. The invitation remains open for any of the Senators to come take a tour — last year over 300,000 people toured an Amazon fulfillment center and we appreciate that they took the time to learn the facts first-hand.”
Cheeseman confirmed to Recode that some of the senators who signed the letter have not taken Amazon up on touring one of its fulfillment centers. She declined to specify how many or which ones.
The letter, whose signatories also included Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Kamala Harris (D-CA), included seven other requests. One was to “reduce workers’ quotas and speed requirements,” and another asked Amazon to “cease including bathroom breaks as a ‘time off task,’” stemming from allegations that some Amazon workers have had to relieve themselves in bottles so their performance doesn’t suffer.
At least one of the requests — “Ensure workers ... have a guaranteed way to raise safety and health concerns” — appears to be one that Amazon already offers. On a visit to an Amazon fulfillment center last year, I observed a giant TV screen — called the Voice of Associate board — on which workers anonymously provided feedback to management. One of those pieces of feedback, highlighted in an episode of our Land of the Giants podcast about Amazon, was a worker telling management that they checked themself out of the hospital because they didn’t have someone to fill in for them. Cheeseman said these boards, whether digital screens or old-school whiteboards, are present in all Amazon warehouses.
The senators want a response by February 21.
News of the letter comes as Amazon’s head of communications and policy, Jay Carney, went on the offensive in a New York Times op-ed on Monday. In the piece, Carney argued that the company’s critics should acknowledge that “Amazon is doing many good things — for the economy, and for American workers.” Carney cited Amazon’s 2018 move to raise its minimum pay to $15 an hour as well as its Career Choice program, which “prepays up to 95 percent of tuition and fees — making it almost free for employees to learn new skills.”
He did not cite Amazon worker safety records.