Why The Oscars “Never Get It Right”
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It's Friday, February 28th. I'm Jane Koston, and this is What A Day, the show that definitely didn't bring a bunch of MAGA influencers to the White House to celebrate releasing decade-old documents on a sex trafficker, which then got a whole bunch of MAGA people mad at the MAGA influencers. On today's show, pro-misogyny influencers the Tate brothers head to Florida after Romania lifts their travel ban. And UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer tries to convince President Donald Trump not to abandon Ukraine.

But let's start with a subject that is near and dear to my heart. Movies. The Oscars are this Sunday, a time for the film industry to celebrate the best it has to offer. And from Wicked to Nickel Boys to WOD Favorite Conclave, there have been a lot of great movies to honor this year. Now, this is not exactly our usual politics coverage, but movies are political. And Oscar season this year has been messy in a way that kind of matches our weird political moment.

From Amelia Perez going from surefire best picture winner to cinematic albatross because of some tweets, among other reasons, to the use of AI in The Brutalist, there's been something for everyone to get mad at. Even the very concept of the Oscars race is weird. It's basically members of an industry lobbying other members of that same industry to give a movie a big award.

Even if most Americans haven't seen, or in the case of The Brutalist, couldn't see the movie itself because of limited screenings. And let's not kid ourselves. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which hands out the Academy Awards, the Oscars, to you and me, isn't always the best adjudicator for what movies are good.

Some anonymous Oscars voters told Entertainment Weekly they didn't even finish some of the movies they're supposed to be voting on. And past Best Picture winners have really ranged in quality. Sure, I guess you could argue that The English Patient was better than Fargo. It won Best Picture in 1996. But when was the last time you thought about The Shape of Water, which won the top prize in 2017?

So if Oscar season is full of unnecessary drama, the Academy rarely gets it right, and the movies that most Americans see don't get attention from the industry's biggest awards show, what's the point? Should we even have the Academy Awards anymore? To find out, I talked to Sam Sanders, host of KCRW's The Sam Sanders Show and Vibe Check. He came by the studio to talk all things cinema.

Sam, welcome to What Today. Thanks for having me. Let's start with your hot take that the Oscars shouldn't even exist. You said in your show that the Oscars are, quote, bad for America. Make the case. They've never gotten it right or rarely gotten it right. You know, I think of Crash beating Brokeback Mountain, The King's Speech beating The Social Network, Get Out not getting all of the Oscars the year it came out.

They consistently get it wrong, and I think they'll get it wrong again this year. And on top of that, the awards industrial complex is such a juggernaut and a force now. I think it's a waste of money and time that could be used to just make more good movies. So this is not just about the Oscars. This is about the SAG Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Emmys. Do you think those should also not exist? I would love, in a perfect world, for...

film and TV critics,

to publish lists of the best TV and film every year, and we just take that and mail the trophies to people's houses. Critics lists exist every year, and they're better barometers of good film. One thing that I think about a lot is the idea of the Oscar campaign. It's ridiculous. That there is like an inside effort to influence voters, to make voters happy, or to push voters away from some movies. Yes. How do you think that impacts how we see

Oscar winning films. It means that we have to pretend to take Amelia Perez seriously for three months. That's a bad movie. And let's talk about where the modern Oscar campaign as we know it

It came from Harvey Weinstein. Yes, I believe it's Shakespeare in Love. He was trying to get Shakespeare in Love to beat Saving Private Ryan. Yeah. Like, it's all bad from the root. Speaking of Amelia Perez, this Oscar campaign season has been so messy with tweets posted by Amelia Perez's Carla Sofia Gascon to the use of AI in The Brutalist. Can you recap and explain some of the drama surrounding this year's nominees? Yes.

Yeah, I mean, for me, the drama started when Amelia Perez began to get all of the awards buzz, period. I was like, this movie is not good. Trans voices I trust say it's not good. I saw it and thought it wasn't good. So that was the first scandal. I've never seen a movie in which every community impacted by it hated it. Mexican people hated it. Trans people hated it. I mean, it was ridiculous. People who like musicals were like, no, no, no. It's ironic that what took this film down was

were old tweets instead of everyone just like shaking their head and saying, actually, it's bad. You know, besides that, we saw The Brutalist, which has been lauded and pushed as this return to classic filmmaking, have a scandal in which the Hungarian accents were doctored with the help of A.I.,

That kind of undermines the entire campaign of the film. I also think that like just for the awfulness of Felicity Jones's wig in that movie, it shouldn't get any awards. And it was three and a half hours long. I want...

I want a therapy session just for that. Is this level of mess kind of par for the course during Oscar season? I think we have so much mess this year because the crop of films that are up for Best Picture seem to be really mid, and there hasn't been a frontrunner from the start. You don't recall six months ago, everyone said, Onora is the best picture, and we kind of forgot about that. You look at years in which

All of the buzz was around Barbie and Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer became the best picture front runner right away. And that was it. And so scandals that could have trended didn't because everyone kind of knew it's going to be this movie. The fact that we have scandals that are actually kind of small, like the AI stuff, the fact that they're trending means that everyone kind of agrees that it's hard to call it this year because the crop of great movies this year is just off. And a lot of that has to do with the after effects of the Hollywood strikes.

There's always been conversation about the implications of rewarding actors in films that are widely considered to be

Shitty. You mentioned Crash, which won Best Picture in 2006. Over Brokeback Mountain! Despite being a deranged movie based around the idea that there's a magical cure for racism. I remember seeing that in college and being like, I'm crying and it's because I'm being manipulated. I can feel it happening and I'm mad about it. Has the Academy ever rescinded a nomination or a trophy because of controversies like these? And do you think they ever would?

Why would they? This is the thing that we have to remember about the Oscars. Even though the show that they give us is very public, it's a private club. The Academy is private. Those people are selected and they have to work hard to get in it. So ultimately, they can do what they want to do.

We are looking at the best version of the Academy that we've seen in a long time. You'll remember the Oscar So White campaign from a few years ago. That led to the Academy expanding its ranks by thousands of new members. And that's helped. And in spite of that help, we still have the nominations that we see this year. So I do think they're trying, but they will never try in a way that makes sense to us because it's their club, not ours. How do you think that

plays into this in terms of how old or how out of touch members of the Academy are. Because I was talking with one of my colleagues about the idea of an Oscar bait movie. That like big movie about racism. I keep thinking about The Help, Green Book. Which won Best Picture. Don't even get me started on that one.

No, which I'm like, has anyone watched Green Book recently? Or even going back to like The Artist. Driving Miss Daisy. Yes. Like there's a thing of people being like, it's not even about the movie being good. It's about being made to win Oscars. Do you think that shifts within the Academy are going to start changing how that works where you can see films that are not clearly made to appeal to someone who's 75 years old, white, and wants to watch Driving Miss Daisy?

With all of these academies, you're always going to have an age issue because once you get in the academy, you don't want to leave.

No one's going to say, all right, I'm 55. Now let me get out of here. They get to stay. I was telling someone last week, I think a lot of older Academy voters patted themselves on the back just for sitting through a film like Amelia Perez that had a trans lead. They want to prove that they watched that movie. And this was probably their first experience for a long time with a trans person. As long as that is the mindset of these older voters, then

They're going to pick movies that allow themselves to pat themselves on the back. I mean, for me, if the Academy measured out any justice, we would all be talking about how Nickel Boys is transcendent, changes the way you think about filmmaking, and deserves every award the Oscar could possibly give it. But we're not having that conversation. You've also talked on your show about how the Oscars have a controversial origin story. Can you give us a bit of a history lesson? Who started the Academy Awards and why? Yeah.

Louis B. Mayer, the studio kingpin, invented the Oscars as a move to keep actors from unionizing. During his run as one of the kings of Hollywood way back in the day, he tried to get people who work on movie sets to build him a house. And he quickly figured out that they had protections in place that wouldn't just allow for them to do it the way he wanted to do it.

And then he realized that he could possibly prevent the actors from also forming a union if he gave them some nice shiny prize to distract them. So he formed the Academy and gave them membership in a pretty fun award show to make them feel involved enough in the industry and how it works to not unionize. So every time I watch the Oscars, I just remind myself that this is a union busting endeavor.

So the Oscars kind of suck, but indulge us for just a bit. Our team is a huge fan of Conclave. In fact, some of our producers think it's the best movie ever made. I think Conclave is a really good airplane movie.

I would love to watch it on a flight from LA to New York and then kind of forget about it. I've seen Conclave twice. Great gowns, beautiful gowns, but there's no way it's better than Dune Part 2. There's no way that this movie would be up for Best Picture if the other contenders for Best Picture were better. And the fact that Isabella Rossellini got an Oscar nomination for making copies for two minutes, I just don't get it.

Sam, thank you so much for joining me. Justice for Rommel Ross Nickel Boys is transcendent. Give him everything. That was my conversation with Sam Sanders. We'll link to his podcast in our show notes. We'll get to more of the news in a moment, but if you like the show, make sure to subscribe, leave a five-star review on Apple Podcasts, watch us on YouTube, and share with your friends. More to come after some ads.

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Here's what else we're following today. Headlines.

We also can't believe you said that, Mr. President, but you did. Remember? You wrote it in a Truth Social post last week. Still drawing a blank? Anyway, next question.

During an Oval Office meeting with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer Thursday, President Trump took a less aggressive tone when speaking about Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. Trump told reporters that while Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin aren't exactly BFFs, he gets along with both. I have a very good relationship with President Putin. I think I have a very good relationship with President Zelensky. And now we're, you know, we're doing the deal and we're going to be in there. We love relationships, don't we?

Starmer's visit follows French President Emmanuel Macron's trip to the White House earlier this week. Their hope is to keep the U.S. from abandoning Ukraine in a peace deal with Russia. Starmer said later during a joint press conference that Trump created an opportunity to reach a historic peace deal between the countries. A deal that I think would be celebrated in Ukraine and around the world. That is the prize. But we have to get it right. There's a famous slogan in the United Kingdom from after the Second World War.

That is that we have to win the peace. And that's what we must do now. Because it can't be peace that rewards the aggressor. Zelensky is expected to meet with Trump at the White House today. Trump said the meeting is to sign a minerals deal. It would give the U.S. access to Ukraine's rare earth minerals as a form of payment for past U.S. war aid.

Defense department leaders have been given a deadline to identify transgender service members to remove them from the force. That's according to a court memo filed by the Pentagon Wednesday. The memo orders military department secretaries to figure out how to ID service members who, quote, have a current diagnosis or history of or exhibit symptoms consistent with gender dysphoria within 30 days. Per the memo, once service members are identified, the military then has another 30 days to begin removing them from service.

Some trans service members could be granted a waiver to stay on, but among other requirements, they'd have to prove they, quote, never attempted to transition to any sex other than their sex. The memo was released as part of a lawsuit filed by LGBTQ rights groups last month. They're challenging President Trump's executive order that sets out steps to ban trans people from serving in the military. In an early estimate Thursday, U.S. officials said hundreds of trans groups could be quickly identified by documented medical treatments.

A 2018 independent study estimated that of the 2 million troops serving, there were around 14,000 transgender troops. Listen, listen, listen. We live in a democratic society where it's innocent until proven guilty. And I think my brother and I are largely misunderstood. How are you?

Self-proclaimed misogynist influencer Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan returned to the U.S. Thursday. The Tates had been barred from leaving Romania since 2023 when government officials there charged them with human trafficking and forming a criminal gang to exploit women. They also charged Andrew Tate with rape. But early Thursday, Romanian authorities abruptly lifted their travel ban on the two.

The Tates, who are dual US and British citizens and have millions of followers on social media, have maintained their innocence ever since. A Romanian court ruled last year that the case against the Tates couldn't go to trial, but the case is still open. Andrew spoke to reporters shortly after they arrived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. We've yet to be convicted of any crime in our lives ever. We have no criminal record anywhere on the planet ever.

As for why the Tate brothers were released now, Romanian officials said they had approved a, quote, request to modify the obligation preventing the defendants from leaving Romania. It's not clear who made the request. But it's an open question whether the Trump administration had anything to do with the Romanian government's sudden change of heart when it comes to the Tates. The Financial Times reported earlier this month that U.S. officials urged the Romanian government to lift the travel ban. Romanian officials deny any pressure from the U.S. government.

February 28th, the 24-hour economic blackout. No Amazon, no Walmart, no fast food, no gas, not a single unnecessary dollar spent. Americans are participating in a 24-hour shopping blackout today to flex their economic power and send a message to corporations amid rising prices. The boycott was organized by the advocacy group, the People's Union USA. Organizers are urging participants to not make any purchases in-store or online.

John Schwartz, the founder of the People's Union, posted a video to Instagram urging people to join the cause. I don't care who you voted for, what you believe in. If you've ever struggled to pay your rent, if you've ever had to decide between food and bills, if you've ever worked your ass off while the rich got richer, then you already know why this is happening.

Some supporters of the blackout have called on folks to specifically target major retailers that have reversed course on diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts amid potential legal threats from the Trump administration. Target, Walmart, and McDonald's are some of the big ones. If people need to make any purchases during the blackout, the People's Union urges them to shop local. And that's the news. One more thing.

You may have missed this given everything, but earlier this month, Trump fired the head archivist at the National Archives, the official in charge of government records. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is now temporarily the acting archivist because I guess he needed another job.

Along with government records like the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, both of which you can go see in D.C., the National Archives also oversees presidential libraries. There are 13 presidential libraries scattered across the country. For example, you could go to the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library in his hometown of West Brand, Iowa, and spend some time with a president who saw the Great Depression taking place and thought, let's make it worse.

Anyway, one of the presidential libraries is the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta, Georgia. Like many presidential libraries, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library hosts book events. Author Brian Goldstone was supposed to hold one in November. His book, There Is No Place for Us, Working and Homeless in America, talks about the worrying rise of the working homeless in cities across the country. But on February 19th, he was told that the National Archive needed to review all events taking place at the library.

And on February 20th, he was told that his event had been canceled. Goldstone spoke to Waterday about the cancellation of his event.

Needless to say, I was totally shocked. We were not told the reason. And so I'm left wondering, was there a direct order from the National Archives targeting my event? Or did the Carter Library act preemptively to avoid controversy? And for me, either scenario is totally chilling and disturbing. He wasn't alone in having his book event canceled.

Two other authors, Elaine Weiss, author of Spell Freedom, the underground schools that built the civil rights movement, and Mike Tidwell, the author of The Lost Trees of Willow Avenue, a story of climate and hope on one American street, had their events canceled as well.

Weiss's book is about the civil rights movement, Tidwell's is about climate change, and Goldstone's is about homelessness. If you're me, you're seeing some connections between these three books and why their book events were mysteriously canceled as soon as the National Archive changed hands. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the abrupt cancellations and changes of venue for the book events have raised questions, questions I share.

Is this just about programming, or is this the Trump administration, which now controls the National Archives, playing politics? The National Archives is an independent, nonpartisan entity. Or rather, it's supposed to be. In a statement to What Today, the National Archives public media and communications staff said, quote,

The National Archives entrusts leadership at individual presidential libraries across the United States with planning events and educational programs at those presidential libraries. Programs and events must always advance and uphold NARA's core mission to preserve the records of the United States and make them available to the public.

Leadership at the presidential libraries are empowered to make their own decisions about scheduling events and programs. I just, I guess I just feel like if books about homelessness or civil rights or climate change are indeed seen as threatening to the powers that be right now, it only underscores how absolutely urgent and necessary these conversations are. I couldn't agree more. Before we go...

Trump used his first term to blow up the presidential comms playbook through press conferences that looked more like circus sideshows and unhinged all-caps tweets.

Now, in this even scarier White House sequel, he and his gaggle of bumbling nativist billionaire henchmen are redefining the executive branch entirely. The results after one month? Not great. What does that mean for Americans today, let alone the aspiring authoritarians who may be in our future? In the newest episode of Inside 2025, Dan Pfeiffer and Jon Favreau chat with their former White House colleague, Jen Psaki.

They break down how modern presidents have used the press to their advantage, what it takes to control the narrative, and whether Democrats are up to the task of leading us through this uncharted territory. To listen to this exclusive ad-free episode, subscribe to Friends of the Pod at crooked.com slash friends. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review, finish a whole movie, and tell your friends to listen.

And if you're into reading, and not just about how seriously, a lot of our problems would be solved if people just finished the movies they reference all the time. So that they'd know that, for example, comparing Trump's 2020 campaign to a Death Star was a bad idea. Like me. What Today is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at crooked.com slash subscribe. I'm Jane Koston. Conclave for Best Picture.

Waterday is a production of Crooked Media. It's recorded and mixed by Desmond Taylor. Our associate producers are Raven Yamamoto and Emily Fore. Our producer is Michelle Alloy. We had production help today from Johanna Case, Joseph Dutra, Greg Walters, and Julia Clare. Our senior producer is Erica Morrison, and our executive producer is Adrienne Hill. Our theme music is by Colin Gillyard and Kashaka. Our production staff is proudly unionized with the Writers Guild of America East.

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