Hollywood
Publicly funded Veronica Mars set to kick off the spring Paley Fest
The 31st annual Paley Fest has just released its first three events. First on the list would be the highly anticipated movie sequel to the cult favorite TV show, Veronica Mars. This is no ordinary film; this would the first major film to be completely produced by the mass public.
On 13 March, 2013, writer Rob Thomas and star Kristen Bell launched a fundraising campaign to produce the film through Kickstarter. On its first day on Kickstarter, the project broke the record of being the fastest project to collect $1 million and then even $2 million towards the end of the day. It also achieved the highest minimal pledging goal achieved and is now considered the largest successful film project on Kickstarter.
The date of the panel is no coincidence, the cast along with the writer, Rob Thomas, would inaugurate the Paley Fest on 13 March, 2014, exactly one year to the date of its Kickstarter campaign, and also a day prior to its limited release in the US.
The William S. Paley Television Festival founded in 1984, is an extraordinary interactive pop culture event produced by The Paley Center for Media that connects fans with the casts and creators of their favorite series. Named after the founder of both the Paley Center and CBS, Paley Fest is a two-week event where the audience gets a sneak preview of the new episodes or highlights of the featured work followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with the cast and creative team. Paley Fest 2014 would be held from 13-28 March.
Other panels announced so far at the annual fest include Paley fest regulars, American Horror Story: Coven and Pretty Little Liars. The full line up is scheduled to be released on 8 January. In addition to the aforementioned, Paley Fest would change its venue from the Saban Theater, which can accommodate about 1600 people in Beverly Hills to the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland, which can accommodate up to 2800.
Veronica Mars is scheduled to make its India release in mid 2014.
Hollywood
Did the ballet and opera controversy cost Timothée Chalamet his Oscar? Â
The actor’s ‘dying art forms’ comments may have danced away his Oscar chances.
LOS ANGELES: Last night, the 98th Academy Awards delivered a performance that wasn’t in the script, as Michael B. Jordan clinched the Best Actor statue, leaving Timothée Chalamet’s widely predicted win to pirouette away into the night. While Chalamet was long considered the frontrunner for his starring turn in Marty Supreme, many are whispering that a singular, ill-timed performance, not on screen but on the campaign trail, may have rewritten the finale.
For months, the narrative surrounding the race had a singular star, Chalamet, the critics’ darling and the bookies’ bet. However, the closing numbers saw a dramatic plot twist. Chalamet found himself upstaged not just by his fellow nominees but by the ghost of public opinion, following remarks he made during a Variety and CNN actor-on-actor conversation in February.
What started as a breezy discussion turned distinctly frosty when Chalamet, the conversation’s designated trendsetter, took aim at some classical institutions. “I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera, where no one is interested anymore,” he said, before branding them “dying art forms.”
The backlash was swift and, unfortunately for Chalamet’s campaign, star-studded. For the film industry, an establishment that often fancies itself as the glamorous custodian of the high arts, the actor’s comments didn’t just strike a bum note. They sounded like a discordant symphony. Academy heavyweights, including Jamie Lee Curtis, Whoopi Goldberg and Steven Spielberg, publicly voiced their disapproval. Spielberg himself countered that the “cinematic experience” and classical performance are bound by a similar dedication to audience engagement, effectively suggesting that Chalamet’s view was perhaps a bit too modern for its own good.
The conversation quickly became a media maelstrom. In a masterstroke of high-culture clapback, renowned ballerina Misty Copeland didn’t just issue a statement. The Academy even choreographed a surprise performance by her for the ceremony itself, a powerful, wordless rebuttal that many saw as a direct riposte to Chalamet’s dismissive claims. Even regional arts institutions joined the choreography. The Seattle Opera offered a cheeky “TIMOTHEE” discount, granting a 14 percent markdown to prove that people do, in fact, care.
Did this cultural counterpoint truly cost Chalamet his win? While some industry insiders argue that Michael B. Jordan’s complex dual performance in Sinners, a performance that also swept the SAG Awards, had simply built up too much momentum, the timing of Chalamet’s comments was undeniably poor. Coming as final Oscar voting began, they arguably soured his narrative and made a vote for him feel, to some, like a vote against artistic unity.
Even the ceremony itself wasn’t finished with the narrative. Host Conan O’Brien, whose sharp tongue is a celebrated feature of these galas, didn’t miss a beat. “Security is extremely tight tonight,” O’Brien jibed during his opening monologue, glancing toward the front row. “I’m told there are concerns about attacks from both the opera and ballet communities. They’re just mad you left out jazz!”
The laughter that followed was pointed, a final public curtain call for a controversy that Chalamet likely wished had closed weeks ago. Whether it was a case of genuine peer disapproval, a sudden surge in support for Jordan’s powerhouse performance, or simply a case of poor footwork on the campaign stage, the ballet and opera debacle has now cemented its place in Oscar history. Chalamet’s experience serves as a clear memo to future contenders. Even when you are the headline act, a solo performance can still fall flat if you forget to play to the entire house.
