Despite complaints about “cancel culture” and racist insistence that people who talk about these important issues are “playing the race card,” Hollywood can’t seem to get away from conversations about race and diversity.
And while hopefully those discussions can lead to progress, lately they have led to controversy for some.
Osbourne said she didn’t necessarily agree with Morgan’s comments, but defended his right to make them. She herself was accused of being less than respectful when she berated Underwood for appearing to get emotional and insisted that if anyone should be crying over the conversation, it should be Osbourne herself.
During the chat, Harrison appeared to defend contestant Rachael Kirkconnell for being photographed at an antebellum plantation-themed fraternity formal event in 2018.
Billie Eilish: This instance was not so much an apology aired but rather yet another time a White artist has felt compelled to acknowledge a Black artist when an institution — in this case, the Grammys — did not.
“You are so beautiful, you are so talented,” Eilish said. “I root for you always. You deserve it, honestly.”
If the moment felt familiar, it was because we had seen it happen before.
Race and identity politics can be complicated, but what’s not hard to understand is that these incidents happen because disparities and a far-from-level playing field absolutely exist in this world and in Hollywood.
Until that changes, someone is going to end up feeling sorry for it, or at the very least need to acknowledge it publicly.
For your weekend
Three things to watch:
‘Zack Snyder’s Justice League’
Calling all superhero geeks.
The movie premieres Thursday on HBO Max (which is owned by CNN’s parent company).
‘Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal’
The story dominated the news for months, and now you can relive it all by heading over to Netflix, where it’s currently streaming.
‘Minari’
“Minari” is up for six categories, including best picture. The drama draws on director Lee Issac Chung’s childhood to tell the tale of a Korean American family trying to survive in rural Arkansas in the 1980s.
The film is currently available to stream on several services including Apple TV and Amazon Prime.
Two things to listen to:
“I just want to be somebody who can say, ‘Look, I did some things that I’m not too proud of, but I took a look in the mirror and decided to make some changes, and you can too,” he told the publication. “There was a time where I really did have my identity wrapped up in my career, but I really do have an overflow of feeling like my purpose is to use my music to inspire.”
His sixth studio album, “Justice,” drops Friday and is Bieber’s second album release in 13 months. (“Changes” came out on Valentine’s Day 2020.)
With marriage to model Hailey Bieber and more private time — thanks to quarantining and no cellphone to limit who can get a hold of him — the now 27-year-old former teen idol appears to be at a new stage in his life and career.
Last year, Lana Del Rey announced she would be delaying her new album, “Chemtrails Over the Country Club,” for a few months.
Now, we get to see if it was worth the wait.
The studio album from the singer is the much-anticipated follow-up to her critically acclaimed 2019 collection, “Norman F**king Rockwell,” and expectations are high that she will continue to deliver her special brand of artistry when it drops Friday.
One thing to talk about:
It’s not breaking news that award shows and their voters appear to be out of step with the general public.
But this year’s best supporting actor category for the Oscars is even more confounding.
Which begs the question: “Which one is the actual star of the film if neither scored a best actor nod?”
I reached out to the Academy about this and a rep declined to comment. So we’ll just have to be content with the fact that the two won’t have to compete with the late Chadwick Boseman, a best actor nominee who is favored by many for what is believed to be his final on-screen performance in “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.”
Something to sip on
Looking for something to watch? We asked some of our friends around CNN what they binge-watch to decompress.
“Call My Agent!” Who’d have thought I’d get hooked on a French TV show with subtitles — but I love it.
How can I limit it to just one?! Now, a year into Covid, here are some of the favorites that have gotten me through — “The Queen’s Gambit,” “Succession,” “Billions,” “The Spy,” “Kids Baking Championship (seasons 1-9),” “The Men Who Built America” and “The Mandalorian.”