Oscars 2016
Experts are available to discuss the 2016 Academy Awards, including #OscarsSoWhite, the cultural impact of celebrity, and the accuracy of science represented in “The Martian.” Curious about this year’s nominees for “Best Score?” KUSC-FM will be interviewing the composers.
Contact: Andrew Good at (213) 740-8606 or gooda@usc.edu.
Diversity at the Oscars
“The Academy Awards used to be one of the biggest cultural events of the year. But rising generations don’t have the connection to the Oscars that previous generations did. If the Academy’s brand continues to be tainted with charges of discrimination, then future audiences will be even less likely to pay attention.
“Being charged with racism is not a good red-carpet look; no doubt an image-obsessed industry will react defensively to contain the public relations damage it is now suffering.”
Todd Boyd is the USC School of Cinematic Arts and The Katherine and Frank Price Endowed Chair for Study of Race and Popular Culture. He is an expert on representations of race, class, and gender in American film. Boyd recently wrote an op-ed for the New York Daily News emphasizing that, regardless of the current Oscars controversy, Hollywood’s diversity issue is industry-wide.
Contact: (213) 740-3334 or tboyd@cinema.usc.edu.
Branding of the stars: Cultural impact of the Oscars
“The Oscars remain an elite measure of fame in the context of all of the multitude of social media and reality TV where ‘anyone’ can become a celebrity. In this respect, the Oscars are perhaps even more important than ever in the branding of a star. Oscar nominations and awards verify a star’s talent on a global scale and those whom the media flashes their camera upon are reinforced as the celebrities the world watches. Anyone can have an Instagram account; not everyone gets to walk the red carpet with all the world’s media documenting their every move (and what designer they are wearing).”
Elizabeth Currid-Halkett is an expert in the making of celebrities and the economic impact of art and culture. Her book Starstruck: The Business of Celebrity explores society’s obsession with celebrities, how a celebrity’s long-term success is measured, and the impact of this on the entertainment industry.
Contact: (213) 740-4012 or currid@usc.edu.
Hollywood gets science right in The Martian
“With nine Oscar nominations, including for best picture and best actor, The Martian offers a rare example of a film getting science — and scientists — right. The element that they get so right is that they show a variety of different types of scientists. Usually, you get one representation of what a scientist is, and if you’re lucky, it’s a good one. But science is done by all types of people.”
Clifford Johnson is a professor of physics and astronomy at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. His expertise is on the often fraught relationship between science and film. Johnson also runs the annual USC Science Film Competition, championing public engagement in the sciences through film and television. He also consults for screenwriters who want their movies and TV shows to be scientifically accurate.
Contact: (213) 821-1772 or johnson1@usc.edu.
KUSC highlights the music of the Oscars
KUSC’s Jim Svjeda, host of The Evening Program, is continuing his 15-year tradition of interviewing the Oscar nominated composers in in-depth, one-hour interviews. The schedule thus far for airing the interviews, which are also available on the live stream at kusc.org, is:
Monday, 2/8 at 9PM — Thomas Newman, Bridge of Spies
Tuesday, 2/9 at 9PM — Jóhann Jóhannsson, Sicario
Wednesday, 2/10 at 9PM — Carter Burwell, Carol
Thursday, 2/11 at 9PM — John Williams, Star Wars: The Force Awakens
This year’s Academy Award race for Best Score is full of interesting stories (John Williams’ 50th nomination, Ennio Morricone is back, Johan Johannsson is nominated for the second year in a row, Thomas Newman has been nominated 13 times, but never won), and KUSC’s Brian Lauritzen, host of the station’s Arts Alive program, will be breaking down the race at 8 a.m. Feb. 13 with USC Thornton School of Music film music expert Jon Burlingame.
Contacts:
Brian Lauritzen, host of KUSC’s Arts Alive, can be reached through the show’s executive producer, Kelsey McConnell at kmcconnell@kusc.org or (213) 225-7504. McConnell is also the best contact to reach KUSC’s Jim Svjeda.
Jon Burlingame, assistant professor in the scoring for motion pictures and television program at the USC Thornton School of Music: burlinga@usc.edu or (213) 740-3224
Photo courtesy of David Torcivia.
