Sexual revolution cannibalism

Activists and onlookers are still talking about Scarlett Johansson’s withdrawal last month from a movie about a woman who identifies as a man and wondering what it means for future portrayals of transgender characters.

News broke in July that Johansson would play a transgender person in the new film Rub & Tug. Strong public backlash ensued, especially from activists who said portraying transgender characters was not good enough—transgender actors should play the roles as well.

“We need to take the reins here,” transgender actor Scott Turner Schofield said this week. “We need to be a substantive part of this conversation.”

Jennifer Finney Boylan wrote last month for The New York Times that transgender moviegoers often find portrayals of women who identify as men “mannered, studied, and implausible.”

After two weeks of criticism, Johansson gave up the role, telling Out magazine, “I understand why many feel he should be portrayed by a transgender person, and I am thankful that this casting debate, albeit controversial, has sparked a larger conversation about diversity and representation in film.”

The situation demonstrates how the sexual revolution “consumes its own,” Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and a WORLD News Group board member, said this week on his podcast The Briefing.

“Scarlett Johansson no doubt thought that she was being quite progressive to take the risk of this kind of role, only to face backlash because it is now out of bounds for a non-transgender actress to play a transgender character,” he said. “That’s how the revolution has changed, how it’s intensified in just a matter of months.”

A flop for the Academy

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this week announced three changes to the Oscars in a bid to make the 90-year-old awards ceremony more appealing—but the public was disgusted.

In a tweet Wednesday, The Academy said next year’s Oscars will happen earlier in the year, last only three hours, and include a new award for popular films. The changes come after this year’s record low viewership and a string of hardly successful attempts to bridge the cultural chasm between Hollywood and the American public.

The Academy has long favored artistic, independent films rather than fan favorites. This year’s best picture winner, The Shape of Water, brought in $195 million, while the 2017 box office champion, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, raked in $1.3 billion. The Oscars become significantly less relatable if the average moviegoer hasn’t seen the winners. And nominations don’t count: The Last Jedi received four Oscar nominations—sound mixing, original music score, visual effects, and sound editing—but didn’t win a single gold-plated statue.

So far, the Academy’s most recent attempt to attract more viewers with a popular movies category is only attracting scorn. Both actors and viewers alike took to the internet to express their disgust.

“This is the ‘Good Job, Moviegoers!’ award,” wrote Stephanie Zacharek for Time, “and if nothing else, it tells us one thing: The Academy thinks the public is stupid.” —C.C.

Silly old bear

The Chinese government has censored the film Christopher Robin in response to an outbreak of online memes comparing Chinese President Xi Jinping to Winnie the Pooh.

The movie takes a charming new look at A.A. Milne’s classic characters, but the memes go back five years, The Guardian reported, when Chinese web users compared a photo of Xi and President Barack Obama to a picture of Pooh and his bouncy friend Tigger.

Censors started blocking the memes but have had trouble staying ahead of the trend. This summer, they blocked HBO’s website and scrubbed comedian John Oliver’s name from social media after he brought up Poohgate on his satirical news show. “Clamping down on Winnie the Pooh comparisons doesn’t exactly project strength. It suggests a weird insecurity,” Oliver said. —Lynde Langdon

Don’t tread on me

Some of President Donald Trump’s detractors in Hollywood are taking out their frustration on his star on the city’s Walk of Fame. A few weeks ago, a man took a pickax to the star in the wee hours of the morning. He was the latest of several vandals to target the terrazzo tile, which was installed in 2007.

The West Hollywood City Council passed a resolution Monday asking for the star’s removal, saying Trump didn’t deserve the honor, but it’s not really up to them since the star isn’t in their city.

A conservative artist irked Trump bashers even more by placing at least 50 laminated vinyl lookalike Trump stars along the walk overnight Wednesday. The anonymous artist told The Hollywood Reporter, “Rip up the president’s Walk of Fame star or try to have it removed—like you’re the mayor of West Hollywood or something—and 30 more will pop up.” —L.L.