The daily gossip: No one has heard of the movie that leads the 2021 Oscar nominations, two female directors earned historic nods, and more

No one has heard of the movie that leads the 2021 Oscar nominations, two female directors earned historic nods, and more

Mank.
(Image credit: Netflix)

1. Mank, a movie most of Americans have never even heard of, leads the 2021 Oscar nominations

Mank who? The 2021 Oscar nominations were announced on Monday, and Netflix's Mank led with 10 nods, including Best Picture — despite the fact that 78 percent of Americans have never heard of the movie, according to a Morning Consult survey from last month. The other Best Picture nominees were The Father, Judas and the Black Messiah, Minari, Nomadland, Promising Young Woman, Sound of Metal, and The Trial of the Chicago 7. Netflix led with 35 nominations, The New York Times reports. The 2021 Academy Awards ceremony will take place on April 25 in Los Angeles at Union Station and the Dolby Theatre. It hasn't been announced whether there will be a host (although we hope there won't be).

2. The Oscars realize female directors exist, nominate 2 for the first time ever

For the first time in the history of the Oscars, more than one woman is in contention for Best Director this year. Progress, baby! The 2021 Oscar nominations were unveiled on Monday, with Nomadland's Chloé Zhao and Promising Young Woman's Emerald Fennell both earning nods. It marks the first time in 93 years that more than one woman has received a Best Director nomination at the same Oscars ceremony. The other nominees for Best Director were Another Round's Thomas Vinterberg, Mank's David Fincher, and Minari's Lee Isaac Chung. Prior to Monday's nominations, just five women had ever been nominated for Best Director at the Oscars.

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3. Zack Snyder apparently trolled us all with the Joker's 'we live in a society' line

The first reactions to Zack Snyder's long awaited cut of Justice League are in, and according to critics, it is "a much longer" version but "not a better one." Well, does it at least contain Jared Leto's Joker saying "we live in a society," a reference to a popular, absurdist meme that blew everyone's minds by somehow making it into the film's official trailer? Apparently not, according to Hyperallergic editor Dan Schindel, who shared the news that "Joker doesn't say the line" in the movie. Beyond being devastating for fans, who reacted by saying that this will be what turns them into the Joker, the news also appeared to prove that Zack "I shot my film in the same aspect ratio as First Cow" Snyder has been trolling us all along.

Hyperallergic The A.V. Club

4. Elon Musk names himself 'Technoking of Tesla'

Elon Musk continues to make Tesla sound like a fun and chill place to work, moving on Monday to name himself "Technoking of Tesla," in addition to the more prosaic "CEO." The regulatory filing additionally announced that Zach Kirkhorn, chief financial officer and first of his name, will be anointed Tesla's "Master of Coin." Musk, who previously erected a guard tower outside the SpaceX headquarters and called it "medieval futurism," is a big fan of Game of Thrones in addition to being a generally irritating person. It would appear, however, that Kirkhorn's title also serves to reference Tesla's recent, massive investment in Bitcoin. Admittedly, it is not the most auspicious title, judging by what happened to the last Master of Coin.

People

5. Taylor Swift and her ex, Harry Styles, caught up with each other at the Grammys

Taylor Swift and the subject of her 2014 album 1989 were reunited on Sunday evening at the Grammys. Harry Styles, who dated Swift for approximately two months in 2013, came over to the record-breaking singer's table during Doja Cat's performance of "Say So," and proceeded to appear to have one of those nice "catching up" conversations that you can have with your exes once you've both moved on (that is to say, the former couple waved their hands and nodded a lot as they spoke). Swift, of course, is now with Joe Alwyn, whom she thanked in her acceptance speech for Best Album of the Year, while Harry is with Olivia Wilde, now that Wilde is no longer with her former fiancé, Jason Sudeikis.

Vulture

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.