Category: Entertainment

Freedom To Read Week

On By Elizabeth Rosalyn TheIn Life, LiteratureLeave a comment

Can you picture a world where we didn’t know who Atticus Finch, Holden Caulfield, and Harry Potter were? These iconic characters may have never entered into our imaginations had literary censorship prevailed in all of its contested cases.

Organized by the Freedom of Expression Committee of the Book and Periodical Council, Freedom to Read Week promotes the importance of intellectual freedom and raises awareness around issues of literary censorship. From February 26th to March 3rd , Canadians are encouraged to reflect upon and reaffirm their commitment to this concept, which is a right guaranteed to citizens under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that is too often taken for granted in our society.

Even in a democratic nation like Canada, schools, libraries, and bookstores are frequently asked to remove books, magazines, and other publications with controversial content from their shelves. Literary censorship infringes upon Canadians’ fundamental freedom of “thought, belief, opinion, and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication” as outlined in the Charter. By limiting public access to certain reading material, great consequences can occur, such as compromising the stream of information, ideas, and opinions which results from devouring thought-provoking literature. It’s time to take a stand against literary censorship by vocalizing our concerns over this smothering of creativity and free thought.

Freedom to Read Week advocates for the protection of our fundamental freedom of choice and expression. Throughout the week, several public events will take place in libraries, schools, and cultural venues across Canada. A complete calendar of events and a list of ways to support Freedom to Read-related initiatives are available on their website.

Release challenged and banned books in your communities and around the world through Book Crossing, a fun and innovative way for Canadians to help spread the word about literary censorship. For ideas on which book titles you can set free, refer to Freedom to Read’s list of challenged literature over the past decades.

For the latest updates on the week-long campaign, follow Freedom to Read Week on Twitter and Facebook.

Highlights from the 2012 Oscars

On By Elizabeth Rosalyn TheIn Entertainment, FilmLeave a comment

As I have expressed in my previous posts on the Golden Globes, 2011 was one of my favourite years for film. On this Oscar Sunday, the 84th Annual Academy Awards brought this incredible 2012 awards season to a close, giving Hollywood one last chance to recognize the great cinematic achievements of the past year.

These were some of my favourite moments from tonight’s ceremony…

  • The Artist winning the biggest award of the evening, Best Picture, along with Best Director (Michel Hazanavicius), Best Actor (Jean Dujardin), and Best Original Score (and Best Animal for Uggie… what do you mean that category doesn’t exist? Give a dog a bone, won’t ya?). As my friend Tania says, “to carry a story solely through expression and direction is art.”
  • Martin Scorsese’s Hugo scoring the most trophies in five art and technical categories: Cinematography, Art Direction, Visual Effects, Sound Editing, and Sound Mixing. The magic of Hugo is in the captivating cinematic experience it offers its audience.
  • The Muppets winning Best Original Song for “Man or Muppet”, which is one of the funniest musical numbers I have ever seen!
  • Octavia Spencer winning an Oscar for her Supporting Actress role in The Help and accepting her well-deserved award with tremendous emotion.
  • Meryl Streep receiving her third Oscar for her role as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady. While I was convinced that Viola Davis would win for her performance in The Help, it was a tough roll between all of the magnificent women nominated in this category. Meryl’s gracious and graceful acceptance speech reminded us of why she is one of Hollywood’s most beloved actresses.
  • Christopher Plummer finally getting his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in Beginners. He makes history as the oldest actor to receive an Academy Award at the age of 82. Yay, Captain Von Trapp!
  • Always a bittersweet favourite is the In Memoriam segment of the show. Esperanza Spalding delivered a stunning rendition of What a Wonderful World as the photo montage played. It was surreal seeing Whitney Houston among the list of great talents who have left us. Has it really been a year since Elizabeth Taylor passed away?
  • Presenters like Robert Downey Jr, Gwenyth Paltrow, Emma Stone, Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy (can they please host next year’s Oscars?), and the cast of Bridesmaids conjuring up some laughs to entertain the audience members and viewers at home.

 

“You’re only two years older than me, darling. Where have you been all my life?”
– Christopher Plummer

The Bechdel Test for the 2012 Oscars

On By Elizabeth Rosalyn TheIn Entertainment, FilmLeave a comment

Last year, three of the films nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards featured women in its leading roles (Black Swan, Winter’s Bone, The Kids Are All Right).

This year, the frontrunner for many of the awards at tomorrow’s Oscars is The Help, a movie which features a cast of strong female characters. But are women truly making gains in Hollywood in terms of female representation?

In the video above, Feminist Frequency’s Anita Sarkeesian applies Allison Bechdel‘s Bechdel Test to the 2012 Best Picture nominees to assess the presence of female roles in these acclaimed motion pictures. To pass the test, a film must fulfill three requirements: It must 1) have at least two female characters 2) who talk to each other 3) about something other than a man.

While the test does not determine the quality of a film, the evaluation of gender bias in current movies does bring to light the systemic problem within the Hollywood film industry. Many of the films we see cater to the interests of men and fail to tell women’s stories as they really are – complex and interesting. After looking at the Bechdel Test Movie List, an online database of films measured by the test, I am astonished over how so many popular movies do not meet the simple requirements of the test. This makes the under- and mis-representation of women in the film industry a glaring reality.

The next time you watch a movie (or even your favourite television show), consider the Bechdel Test and see which ones pass and which ones flunk.

View the original Bechdel Test for Women in the Movies video here.
See more conversations on Pop Culture at Feminist Frequency.

Tom Hardy the Film Warrior

On By Elizabeth Rosalyn TheIn Entertainment, FilmLeave a comment
Ever since I had the pleasure of meeting actor Tom Hardy on the set of the romantic comedy, This Means War back in 2010, I have vowed to watch as many of his films as possible. I assure you, this is not the easiest commitment, since many of his UK-based projects are hard to find and many of his films in general contain heavy and graphic subject matter I am not used to seeing, but being the devoted fan I am to the entertainers I support, I do it anyway.

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Highlights from the 2012 Grammy Awards

On By Elizabeth Rosalyn TheIn Entertainment, Music, TelevisionLeave a comment

As host LL Cool J said at the opening of the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, the night was about something truly universal and healing – music. Devastated by the passing of Whitney Houston (to whom this year’s ceremony is dedicated to), the music community paid their respects to the late, great vocalist by letting the beat go on. The music-makers celebrated this past year by recognizing the achievements of their fellow artists and by creating some of the finest and most memorable Grammy moments in the show’s history.

These were some of my favourite moments…

Continue reading “Highlights from the 2012 Grammy Awards” →