'Salt Into The Wound': Why Anohni Is Skipping The Oscars

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Updated February 26, 201612:44 PM ETPublished February 26, 201612:30 PM ET

ANASTASIA TSIOULCAS
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Inez & Vinoodh/Courtesy of the artist

What was behind the decision not to invite the artists behind two tunes nominated for Best Original Song to perform on Sunday night's Academy Awards broadcast?

One of the snubbed musicians is singer and lyricist Anohni, whose song "Manta Ray," with music by J. Ralph appears in the documentary Racing Extinction. Yesterday, she published a heartfelt essay on why she feels she was left out — and why she has decided not to attend the ceremony at all.

Variety reported last week that both "Manta Ray" and Pulitzer Prize-winning American composer David Lang's "Simple Song #3," sung by Grammy-winning soprano Sumi Jo, were being omitted from the broadcast due to "time constraints."
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However, the three other nominated artists — Lady Gaga, Sam Smith, and The Weeknd — will be singing on Sunday evening, as will Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl in a "special performance." The Weeknd's "Earned It," from Fifty Shades of Grey, became a Top 3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and "Writing's On The Wall," co-written by Sam Smith and Jimmy Nape, became the first James Bond movie theme to ever reach No. 1 on the British charts.

"Til It Happens to You," the song co-written by Lady Gaga and Diane Warren for the documentary The Hunting Ground, hasn't made any headway on the American or British charts, but Gaga has been a staple during this awards telecast season, particularly after her Grammy Awards tribute to David Bowie earlier this month.

Formerly known as Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons), Anohni writes that she feels humiliated by the Academy's decision: "There I was, feeling a sting of shame that reminded me of America's earliest affirmations of my inadequacy as a transperson."

But, she adds, she thinks that there is another issue at play:


"I want to be clear — I know that I wasn't excluded from the performance directly because I am transgendered. I was not invited to perform because I am relatively unknown in the U.S., singing a song about ecocide, and that might not sell advertising space. It is not me that is picking the performers for the night, and I know that I don't have an automatic right to be asked.

But if you trace the trail of breadcrumbs, the deeper truth of it is impossible to ignore. Like global warming, it is not one isolated event, but a series of events that occur over years to create a system that has sought to undermine me, at first as a feminine child, and later as an androgynous transwoman. It is a system of social oppression and diminished opportunities for transpeople that has been employed by capitalism in the U.S. to crush our dreams and our collective spirit."

She added some stinging words for those artists, actors and other people who are participating in this year's ceremony: "I will not be lulled into submission with a few more well manufactured, feel-good ballads and a bit of good old fashioned T. and A. They are going to try to convince us that they have our best interests at heart by waving flags for identity politics and fake moral issues. But don't forget that many of these celebrities are the trophies of billionaire corporations whose only intention it is to manipulate you into giving them your consent and the last of your money."

Anohni is the first transgendered performer ever nominated for an Oscar, but not the first transgendered artist. In the 1970s, the late composer Angela Morley was nominated for scores to The Little Prince and The Slipper and the Rose.

As the British-born Morley wrote in an essay on her website, she was thrilled by how she was received in Hollywood: "I went to California on both occasions to attend the Oscar ceremonies. The wonderfully warm and generous way that I was made to feel at home there by my American colleagues and friends resulted in my being rather seduced by the California lifestyle and I soon returned with the intention of staying."

Over the past several years, there have been a few instances of certain Oscar-nominated songs not being performed on the live broadcast. In 2010 and 2012, no nominated songs were given live performance airtime.
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David Lang declined to comment for this story.

Why Leo didn’t deserve to win

OPINION - ALSO CONTAINS THE REVENANT SPOILERS

SO he’s finally done it. Leo has won the little gold man so many thought was “owed” to him. That one of the greatest injustices in recent Oscar history was that Leonardo DiCaprio was not an “Oscar winner”.

Pfft.
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I’ve been dogged with “You don’t deserve to win” and “Why do you hate life?” all day, whenever I made my case about Leo. Apparently, he is universally loved and any bad word against him is blasphemy. And that I am a horrible person.

So here are the two main reasons people have put forward about why Leo deserved his Oscar win today and why I think those arguments are bullsh*t.

1. He worked so hard on The Revenant

Much has been made of Leo’s time on the set of The Revenant — they shot in freezing cold temperatures, he stood in the middle of near-frozen lakes, he ate RAW BISON LIVER.

So what?

If Oscars are handed out purely for the crappy time thespians have on set, then the performers in The Human Centipede probably deserve an Academy Award or two. And, as an anonymous Oscar voter pointed out to the Hollywood Reporter, Leo got paid millions.

Oscars are supposed to be handed out for the actor’s performance on screen. In his defence, I thought Leo was probably a little more restrained than I expected him to be, but not by much.

And his character, Hugh Glass, was thinly drawn (less his fault, more Alejandro G. Inarritu and Mark L. Smith’s) with an unconvincing motivation to hunt down his nemesis.


Not this one.Source:AP


Oscar-worthy performance right here.Source:Supplied

Yes, Tom Hardy’s character (spoiler alert) killed Leo’s on-screen son and then left him for dead. Which sounds motivation enough on paper but wasn’t translated on screen. Leo had no chemistry with the actor playing his son so you never believed that relationship, which meant there was no emotional resonance to his quest. And, really, can you blame Tom Hardy’s character for wanting to leave him behind? I would have too in those circumstances.
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It was a two-dimensional portrayal of a two-dimensional character that mostly relied on a lot of eye-popping and grunting.

While the Best Actor field wasn’t as strong this year as it has been previously (the performances, not the actors), Leo’s was absolutely not the standout choice despite his near 1:1 odds.

Michael Fassbender gave a much more nuanced performance as Steve Jobs. Eddie Redmayne (The Danish Girl) and Matt Damon (The Martian) also had considerable chops.

2. But he’s been nominated (and cheated) so many times before

Including this year, Leo has been nominated six times — five times for acting and once for producing. Of those other nominations — Wolf of Wall Street, Blood Diamond,The Aviator and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape — he probably should’ve won forGilbert Grape. He should’ve won over Tommy Lee Jones at any rate.

He was pretty good in The Aviator as well but actual winner Jamie Foxx was better.

While he is undeniably a good actor, Leo has a predilection for overacting. Before you curse me and all my future descendants, think about it. There’s this face (you know the one) that he makes in every role. I think there are even memes built around this.


Yeah, this face.Source:Supplied

The Wolf of Wall Street was Leo overacting at its peak — ugh, that ridiculously long Quaaludes scene. Whenever I’m watching him on-screen, I can’t get away from the fact that I’m watching Leo rather than his character.

But just because he missed out on the gong for Gilbert Grape in 1994, doesn’t mean you should get one for something else two decades later if that performance doesn’t stand up on its own.

I read somewhere else last week that Leo deserves to win because of his overall body of work. Um, no. That’s what a lifetime achievement award is for.

And Leo’s not even the only one who’s been “cheated” so many times before. An analysis done by FiveThirtyEight of contemporary actors who’ve been nominated three times or more for acting awards and have never won found that Matt Damon is the actor who most “deserves” a win. Leo was 22nd on the list.

The illustrious names in front of him? Amy Adams. Mark Ruffalo. Laura Linney. Glenn Close. Annette Bening. Michelle Williams. Edward Norton.

All actors with incredible range and talent. Where are their popular uprisings to bag them “their” Oscar?

And there is an endless list of actors who never picked up an Oscar, or finally nabbed one well into their twilight. Paul Newman won on his eighth go when he was recognised at the age of 62. Alfred Hitchcock never won a competitive Oscar over a whole career of glittering masterpieces. Peter O’Toole was nominated eight times and only ever picked up an honorary award.

But, somehow, Leo, at the age of 41, was “overdue”? Go figure.

WHAT DO YOU RECKON? SYMPATHY VOTE OR DESERVED WINNER? TELL US WHAT YOU THINK BELOW.

Check out Leo and other celebs at the 2016 Oscars afterparties below:
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photo gallery2016 Oscars: Afterparty snaps


Leo’s night... Best Actor winner for 2016 Leonardo Dicaprio poses with host Chris Rock at the 2016 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Picture: Kevin Mazur/VF16/WireImage

Peter Mondavi, Napa Valley Wine Pioneer, Dies At 101

Updated February 22, 20168:11 PM ETPublished February 22, 20166:10 PM ET

RICHARD GONZALES


Peter Mondavi, a pioneer of the Napa Valley wine industry, died over the weekend in California. He was 101.
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Mondavi and his more famous brother, Robert, joined their parents' business, the Charles Krug Winery, in 1943. Back then, the Napa Valley was better known for producing prunes, and its grapes were grown for cheap jug wine. The Mondavi brothers, sons of Italian immigrants, would become key players in making the valley one of the world's premium wine-producing regions.

Peter Mondavi was known for innovations that included the use of cold fermentationfor keeping white and rose wines fresher and sterile filtration to prevent spoilage. The Charles Krug winery was also the first in Napa to import French oak barrels for aging wine. It was among the first to introduce dates on vintages of varietal wines.

In the 1960s, the Mondavi brothers had a well-publicized split over how to run their wine business. Robert Mondavi went off to establish a winery under his own name, while Peter maintained control over Charles Krug (named for the Prussian immigrant who founded the winery in 1861).

According to the Wine Spectator:


"As time passed, Robert Mondavi Winery moved forward dynamically. But Charles Krug remained known for quality under Peter's steady hand. 'Robert had a vision. Peter had a vision too, but went at a slower pace; he was more introspective and methodical,' said Tim Mondavi, son of Robert, who made wine at his father's namesake winery."
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The Mondavi brothers finally reconciled in 2005, and Robert Mondavi died in 2008.

Peter Mondavi was committed to maintaining control of his family's business in the wake of corporate buyouts of many Napa Valley wineries. His sons, Marc and Peter Jr., still operate the family business on 850 acres of prime vineyards in the Napa Valley. Peter Mondavi died at his home in St. Helena, Calif.jav hd uncen

The True Number Of Evangelical Voters Depends On Who You Ask

Updated February 21, 20167:14 PM ETPublished February 21, 20165:18 PM ET

DANIELLE KURTZLEBEN
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Evangelical voters are often talked about as a key part of the electorate. But the actual number of evangelical voters and their religious beliefs are not nearly as clear-cut as pundits think.


MICHEL MARTIN, HOST:

And if you've been following the coverage of the presidential race, you've heard analysts say over and over again just how important evangelical voters are and what role they played, for example, in Donald Trump's win in yesterday's GOP primary in South Carolina. They're also being courted in the Democratic primary race there this coming Saturday. But you might have asked yourself - just who are we talking about, and what motivates these voters? NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben has been looking for answers.

DANIELLE KURTZLEBEN, BYLINE: Depending on how you measure, anywhere from 6 percent to more than one-third of American adults are evangelical. That's a huge range. And for all the attention the group gets, there's no firm consensus on what it means to be evangelical. Pundits often describe evangelicals as political conservatives. But it means something very different theologically. John Green is a professor at the University of Akron who focuses on religion and politics. He says the word comes from evangel, a Greek word that refers to the gospel.

JOHN GREEN: In some sense, all Christians have an element of being a evangelical because they all share, to one degree or another, those basic Christian beliefs.

KURTZLEBEN: While there may be complex theological definitions, political pollsters tend to just ask people - do you consider yourself an evangelical or born-again Christian? And it's hard to imagine that all of the people who answer yes agree on what being an evangelical means. Then there's the dynamic of race.

GREG SMITH: It's definitely true that in many ways, white evangelicals and black Protestants or black evangelicals, or evangelicals from other racial and ethnic minorities have a lot in common.

KURTZLEBEN: That's Greg Smith, an associate director at the Pew Research Center.

SMITH: But when it comes to politics, the data show that they are really at totally opposite ends of the spectrum.

KURTZLEBEN: White evangelicals are more conservative, while African-American Protestants, a group that includes evangelicals, tend to vote for Democrats. Lump them together and you miss that. Because of their voting power, that block of white, more often conservative, evangelicals gets lots of attention. Anthea Butler, a professor of religion at the University of Pennsylvania, criticized this in a 2015 speech.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

ANTHEA BUTLER: Watch the 2016 election. When they begin to talk about evangelicals again, they won't go to Bible-believing black evangelicals. They're going to talk to white people.

KURTZLEBEN: And that conflation frustrates Rev. William Barber, president of the North Carolina NAACP. He says the political dialogue in the U.S. ends up casting social issues like abortion as evangelical issues. Meanwhile, social justice issues that he says black evangelicals care about don't get the same attention.
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WILLIAM BARBER: Admit it, they juxtapose it as though somehow, you can't be black and evangelical or white and evangelical, but not agree with that particular brand of evangelicalism.

KURTZLEBEN: So why does all of this matter? Part of the problem with having all of these different measures is that they can be easily manipulated, says one researcher.

DAVID KINNAMAN: For different purposes, I have found that evangelical leaders might say we're so small and such a small minority, and we're overlooked, and woe is us.

KURTZLEBEN: David Kinnaman is president of the Barna Group, a polling firm that specializes in Christian issues.

KINNAMAN: Other times they might say, you know, don't forget about us. We're huge and we're, you know, as many as a quarter or 40 percent of the population.

KURTZLEBEN: Barna has maybe the tightest definition of evangelical. They ask respondents nine questions about their beliefs, like whether they believe in Satan. And by that measure, just 6 percent of Americans are evangelicals. The term may be fuzzy, but measuring evangelicals matters. Pollsters want to know how people's religious and political beliefs interact. Jocelynn Bailey attends a Baptist church in Centerville, Va. She says her beliefs affect her vote, but she wants politicians to know there's a limit.

JOCELYNN BAILEY: I want them to tell me who they are and all of who they are, not just the stuff that they think I might want to hear. My vote is about more than my faith.

KURTZLEBEN: Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR News. Jav Uncensored