The Show Must Go On? The 93rd Academy Awards Falter in 2021

Last Sunday, over 100 filmmakers and actors gathered in Union Station in Los Angeles to celebrate the 93rd Academy Awards. The ceremony had been postponed from its original date of Feb. 28 to extend the eligibility period for films and to account for some of the impacts of Covid-19 on Hollywood. Producer Steven Soderbergh emphasized that the ceremony would be shot “like a movie,” but did not specify what he meant. It turns out that this meant no music between awards and reorganized categories.

“The United States vs. Billie Holiday” is a Misguided Portrayal of the Jazz Singer’s Life Story

Before her 25th birthday, jazz singer Billie Holiday had already earned a career’s worth of artistic accomplishments. After overcoming a shockingly turbulent childhood, she broke through with a number of hit recordings alongside legendary artists Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton, toured with the nationally acclaimed Count Basie Orchestra and even appeared in a film alongside Duke Ellington. She also broke racial barriers by touring with the Artie Shaw Orchestra and becoming the first Black woman