The Lonely Island Wrote A Song for The Oscars And They Didn’t Use It, Which I Think Is A Federal Offense?

In the aftermath of last week’s somewhat underwhelming Oscars, national treasures The Lonely Island revealed that they had written a song (and created a demo for the corresponding video) for the big ceremony. It was so great and so epic that it was apparently way too expensive to put together, not to mention unrealistic in terms of the star power needed to pull it off. The Oscars sadly passed on it but lucky for us, the dudes decided to share the demo with the world, revealing what would have almost definitely been the best part of the night.

 

The song features the stars of some of the biggest movies of the year lamenting over the fact that their films often get overlooked when it comes to fancy schmancy awards season. From Wonder Woman to the clown from It to the cavalcade of Hollywood Chrises, the song argues that the often superhuman feats these characters and the people who play them pull off should be considered on the same level as the quieter performances given by frequent Oscar winners, especially because people are actually going to see their movies. It’s hilarious, yes, but it also brings up an incredibly valid point, one that has plagued the Academy for years.

 

While people who avidly follow the Oscars strive to seek out the films that are recognized by the Academy with a nomination or a win, they’re not exactly the films that are bringing in the big box office dollars. Often, these films are shown primarily in art house theaters and aren’t largely advertised in places where Oscar voters are scarce. As a result people simply don’t see them and don’t have any strong reaction to whether or not they win an award. It can make the Academy seem out of touch with what’s actually hitting with the viewing public, which can result in lower viewership of the ceremony and lower interest overall.

 

Take, for example, the bit Chris Rock did when he hosted the Oscars in 2005 and 2016. In both instances, he visited a movie theater to talk to average movie goers about the nominees. And in both instances, people didn’t have much to say or much familiarity at all with the films that were actually nominated, but were happy to speak about the “popcorn movies” that they were there to see. It’s played for humor (and it is pretty funny) but it shows that the movies people are actually seeing, the movies people are actually excited about are not the movies getting nominated at the Oscars. It’s why the Oscars expanded the possible number of Best Pictures nominees from five to 10 after “The Dark Knight,” considered to be both a critical and monetary success, lost out on a Best Picture nomination despite eight nominations and one of its stars, Heath Ledger, winning for his unforgettable performance as the Joker in 2009.

 

This, of course, isn’t to say that every blockbuster film should be in the Oscar conversation. There are plenty of trash movies that make a ridiculous amount of money because some people will just see anything. And it is worthwhile for the Oscars to recognize quieter films that are brilliant despite their lack of moneymaking potential. It can help those films gain more attention and help those filmmakers to get funding for their next project. But there are films that are both artful and money-making that the Oscars can choose to recognize. While I wanted “Get Out” to win best picture this year mostly because it was really really well done and deserved it on that merit alone, it also did incredibly well at the box office. “Dunkirk” also made a lot of money and received plenty of awards recognition. But films like “Wonder Woman” and “Girls Trip,” that provided star performances from the likes of Gal Gadot and Tiffany Haddish and raked in the cash, were left out entirely. Its those kinds of snubs that show the Academy’s blind spots.

 

With “Black Panther” crossing the $1 Billion mark this past weekend, it has clearly cemented its status and a blockbuster. But it has also been celebrated for the quality of its story, its directing and its performances. If it were to win any award at the Oscars next year it would become the first Marvel Studios movies to receive that honor. Simply a nomination in one of the big categories would be pretty revelatory. But will it happen? Or will The Lonely Island have to make another song next year featuring T’Challa and Co? Only time will tell.

 

What do you think? Do you think the Oscars should be open to more mainstream films? Are you also a little bit embarrassed by how happy you were to have “American Idol” back on your TV last night? Divulge in the comments. And, of course…

 

Stay classy.

Jenn

Time To Get Excited For The New Lonely Island Movie

When it was announced last year that The Lonely Island, a super funny and awesome musical comedy trio comprising of Andy Samberg, Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, would be teaming up with Judd Apatow to make a movie, I was immediately excited.

 

I’ve been a big ol’ fan of The Lonely Island ever since their days making incredible digital shorts for SNL and working on hugely under-appreciated movies like “Hot Rod.” They just have a genius way of creating song parodies that are fully goofy and hilarious but also catchy enough to download and listen to on the regular or even, in the case of one-time collaborator T-Pain, perform live. Based on the above trailer, they seem to be continuing in that direction in a big way with the fruits of their labor with Apatow, “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping.”

 

Starring Samberg as Conner4Real, an apparent megastar in the midst of a slump, the film seems to parody the popstar documentaries of recent years that chronicled the lives of folks like Justin Bieber and One Direction. With a who’s who of co-stars and cameos, including Sarah Silverman, Bill Hader (who also has one of the best scenes in “Hot Rod”), Martin Sheen, Will Forte, Adam Levine and Snoop Dogg, the movie seems almost destined to please.

 

The movie doesn’t come out until June 3, so if you’re not particularly well-versed in The Lonely Island world, now is the perfect time to take a deep dive into their online oeuvre. (Yeah, I said oeuvre. I know words.) I’ll recommend three personal faves: “Boombox,” featuring Julian Casablancas from The Strokes, “The Creep,” featuring Nicki Minaj and an all too perfect cameo from the great John Waters, and “Great Day,” an equally hilarious and disturbing ditty about one man’s truly (truly?) great day.

 

Excited for “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping”? Have a favorite Lonely Island jam of your own? Have your own tactic for when “a fine P.Y.T. walks in front of your tree”? Spill your secrets in the comments. And, like always…

 

Stay classy.

Jenn

Here’s the Movie You Should Definitely Watch This Valentine’s Day

Photo by Jenn Murphy

Valentine’s Day seems to be one of those holidays that everyone would rather forget about, like Columbus Day or Lame Duck Day (which is a totally real holiday, according to this website). If you’re in a relationship, there’s unnecessary pressure to do something really exciting when you’d much rather just sit on the couch and watch “Law and Order” reruns. If you’re single, it’s just one blatant reminder after another that you’re aaalll alone. So this Valentine’s Day, I think we should all abstain from the typical romantic nonsense that we’ve come to consider commonplace and do something a little different…like watch a 4-year-old movie that was greatly under appreciated in its time.

 

What is that movie you ask? Why, it’s “Celeste and Jesse Forever,” a truly wonderful romantic dramedy of sorts starring perennial greats Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg. Jones and Samberg play the titular Celeste and Jesse, a couple in the process of getting a divorce who are desperately trying to maintain their close friendship. It’s not necessarily the traditional romantic movie – we see their whole romantic relationship play out quickly over the opening credits – instead it focuses on life after the big breakup, and what that can mean for two people who still want to be in each other’s lives, just not in the way they once were.

 

Jones co-wrote the movie with writing partner Will McCormack, who also co-stars in the movie as Jesse’s friend/weed dealer Skillz. Their writing feels very natural, like real people having real conversations. The jokes don’t feel too forced and the more dramatic moments come off as very genuine. These are people you know, people you relate to. The movie is also visually gorgeous, thanks to director Lee Toland Krieger. Every shot has this lovely kind of blue/gray haze over it. That description sounds weird but trust me, it works.

 

Jones and Samberg are both lovely as well. Jones is great in everything (if it wasn’t clear already, she’s one of my faves in the game), so I won’t get into that too much. Samberg really proves himself as more than just a comedic actor. He certainly has his fair share of goofy moments in the film that one would expect from one-third of The Lonely Island, but he really nails the more dramatic scenes as well.

 

Overall, the movie is a great detour from traditional cheesy romantic fare. It will certainly itch that scratch (if that’s a scratch you need itched), but it also offers a little more to chew on. If I’ve piqued your interest, or you already love the movie and just want to watch it again, it can be found on Amazon. I promise you, it will make an otherwise so-so Valentine’s Day exponentially better.

 

So what do you think? Have you seen “Celeste and Jesse Forever?” Have another movie like it that you want to recommend? Leave me a Valentine in the comments. And, as always…

 

Stay classy.

Jenn