SEATTLE RED

In Oscar surprise, white males are shut out

Feb 10, 2020, 6:03 PM

Big winners in the 2020 Academy Awards illustrated a possible reaction by Oscar voters to widespread criticism of white-male domination of the nominations. In the end, the most prestigious non-acting awards left white males shut out. PARASITE, a brutal dark comedy from Korea with no whites in the cast, swept Best Picture, Best International Film, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director.

In another surprise, Best Adapted Screenplay went to Jojo Rabbit and Taika Waititi, who identifies as Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand.

Finally, Best Film Score went, for the first time, to a woman: Icelandic composer Hildur Gudnadottir for the dreary, demented Joker.

Such choices may silence angry accusations of lack of diversity, while the PARASITE sweep illustrates an odd tendency to honor films with modest domestic box office receipts — as with Birdman or Hurt Locker in recent years.

Hollywood elites seem determined to show they’re neither racist nor mercenary — even at the expense of slighting more worthy artistic achievements.

SR 18 crash tiger mountain...

Frank Sumrall

Crash near Tiger Mountain summit shuts down all westbound SR 18 lanes

All westbound lanes of SR 18 are currently blocked at I-90 in Snoqualmie due to a crash near the Tiger Mountain summit.

11 minutes ago

bird flu...

KIRO 7 News Staff

Yakima resident tests positive for bird flu

A person in Yakima County has tested positive for avian flu, otherwise known as bird flu, according to the Yakima Health District and Washington State Department of Health.

30 minutes ago

october seattle driest...

Ted Buehner

Seattle on track for one of its driest Octobers on record

The driest October on record was back in 1895, when records were kept in downtown Seattle. Only 0.02 inches of rain fell that month.

31 minutes ago

Grays Harbor County Bus Crash...

KIRO 7 News Staff

One dead, two injured after head-on crash with transit bus in Grays Harbor County

One person is dead after colliding head-on with a transit bus in Grays Harbor County, Washington State Patrol (WSP) Trooper Katherine Weatherwax confirmed Sunday night.

46 minutes ago

Associated Press

Japan and the US kick off joint drills around islands as regional tensions rise

TOKYO (AP) — Japanese and U.S. troops on Monday kicked off one of their largest joint exercises focusing on the defense of Japan’s southwestern islands and showcasing advanced weapons systems in the face of growing tension in the region. About 45,000 Japanese troops and 12,000 American service members are participating in the biennial Keen Sword […]

58 minutes ago

A beaver sits in the Green River, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2026, near Green River, Wyo. (AP Photo/Brittan...

Associated Press

Bringing more beavers to watersheds is a powerful drought-fighting tool, experts say

GREEN RIVER, Wyo. (AP) — On Jackson Ramsay’s family ranch late in the summer, there were few signs it had just weathered the worst-ever winter snowpack and record-setting heat. Water twisted unhurriedly through the land, splayed into various branches that rejoined to form pools behind mounds of piled sticks. Young willows stretched from the bank […]

1 hour ago

In Oscar surprise, white males are shut out