Entertainment
10 Best Picture Winners That Have Aged Like Milk Under the Sun
The Oscars are the most prestigious awards in cinema and a celebration of the craft at its absolute best, designed to recognize and commend the most illustrious achievements across every discipline of the medium. However, the passage of time isn’t always so kind, and for all the acclaimed and timeless masterpieces that won Best Picture, there have also been plenty of Oscars dished out for titles that are pretty difficult to endure today.
It’s not to say these films are innately bad. Rather, we must observe how greatly society has changed over the past 100 years, and how movies that were once regarded as being the peak of cinematic artistry have dwindled even as some of their contemporaries have endured. From hits of early Hollywood that haven’t held up from a technical standpoint to mid-century melodramas and musicals that flaunt a frightfully outdated set of social values, and even to some more modern misfires that have quickly become questionable selections, these Best Picture winners have not stood the test of time well at all.
10
‘The Broadway Melody’ (1929)
A product of its era, The Broadway Melody is undeniably an important film in the history of the Oscars. It marks the first sound movie to ever win Best Picture and one of the first pictures to ever use Technicolor. Its pioneering ambition is commendable and impressive even when revisited today. Other elements haven’t aged quite so gracefully, with everything from its technical execution to its narrative, characters, and performances, and even its musical numbers being difficult to connect with now.
Its inconsistent sound mixing is its most distracting pitfall. It is an understandable complication of being one of the first “talkies,” but it still distances the viewer from the story at important beats. Furthermore, the weak and clichéd melodrama clashes unnaturally with its cheesy acting, a fact that only amplifies the shallow nature of its narrative and the outdated social values the film depicts. In essence, The Broadway Melody is an impressive product of its time, but it is still a product of its time, and its storytelling style, thematic interests, and clunky execution hold little to enrapture audiences almost a century on from its release.
9
‘American Beauty’ (1999)
The most obvious reason for American Beauty aging poorly may be Kevin Spacey’s well-publicized fall from grace, which makes any effort to watch him portray a lecherous character particularly unpleasant. Still, that certainly isn’t the only reason why the 1999 Best Picture winner has dwindled over the years. It follows a middle-aged man leading a seemingly idyllic suburban lifestyle as he backslides into depression, a misery that isn’t helped by his newfound yearning for his teenage daughter’s friend.
While the story’s premise can be seen as problematic, American Beauty does a reasonable job at executing it with a sense of melancholic earnestness that doesn’t treat Lester’s (Spacey) obsession as healthy or acceptable. However, its focus on the pitfalls of upper-middle-class life is narrow-minded, with the edges of Lester’s story littered with shallow caricatures. The story itself exudes a sense of self-indulgent pretentiousness that now, more so than ever, simply doesn’t resonate with the masses. Its satirical tone still has some bite, but it comments on a dated idea of societal angst. Given that 1999 also saw the release of such films as Magnolia, Eyes Wide Shut, Fight Club, and The Matrix, American Beauty’s Best Picture win is particularly difficult to stomach today.
8
‘The Great Ziegfeld’ (1936)
Like many of the other earlier Best Picture winners that have aged less gracefully, The Great Ziegfeld is an astonishing feat of production, especially for its time. Alas, its longevity is burdened by its shallow thematic impact and archaic storytelling. In the case of the three-time Oscar winner, it also serves as an overly glamorous and inauthentic biopic about Florenz Ziegfeld Jr., an American Broadway impresario who was a key figure in the field throughout the early part of the 20th century.
Produced with heavy input from Ziegfeld’s widow, Billie Burke, The Great Ziegfeld strays away from the more ruthless and immoral aspects of Ziegfeld’s (William Powell) life to instead present a rollicking musical drama highlighting his rampant rise through the 1920s, along with a love-triangle intrigue. It isn’t enough to sustain the film’s gargantuan three-hour runtime, ensuring The Great Ziegfeld has dwindled over time as a historically inaccurate and blunted biographical musical executed in a manner that simply doesn’t resonate with today’s viewers.
7
‘Cavalcade’ (1933)
Adapting a stage play to the screen is always a difficult task. Even modern movies that undertake such a venture often struggle to find the right balance between honoring the style and story of the original form and using the tools uniquely available to cinema to produce a spectacle befitting of the big screen. 1933’s Cavalcade suffers as a picture that is simply a static and stagnant recreation of Noel Coward’s 1931 play, bereft of cinematic ambition.
Told with paper-thin characters and an archaic vigor for old-world values, Cavalcade follows two London-based couples—the aristocratic Marryots and the working-class Bridges family—as they react to the changing times. It features historical events, including the Boer War, Queen Victoria’s death, the sinking of the Titanic, and the outbreak of WWI, that rattle the lifestyle they know. Like many old movies, it feels forced and overly exaggerated when viewed today, substituting quiet drama for heavy-handed dialogue and over-the-top performances that take what is an interesting story of societal change and strip it of all narrative cohesion and thematic impact. It won Best Picture as well as Best Direction and Best Art Direction at the 6th Academy Awards ceremony.
6
‘The Greatest Show on Earth’ (1952)
It is quite interesting how, while the Best Picture winners from the 1940s have aged immaculately, a lot of the major titles of the ’50s have grown grating over the decades. The Greatest Show on Earth is a perfect example of why. Following the ensemble of a traveling circus as they reckon with the postwar economy, the Cecil B. DeMille picture is bloated and rife with overexaggerated melodrama, weak plotting, and characters that aren’t interesting or nuanced enough to account for the 155-minute runtime.
It was even considered a controversial Best Picture selection by the Academy, given it was competing against such classics as High Noon, The Quiet Man, and even Singin’ in the Rain, which didn’t even garner a nomination. Frequently rated among the weakest Best Picture winners in Oscar history, The Greatest Show on Earth has only diminished over time, becoming an infamous blight on the Academy Awards and an arduous watch today.
5
‘Green Book’ (2016)
Marking what is the most infamous Best Picture winner in the past 20 years, Green Book has become much maligned as a movie that never should have won the award in the first place. The biographical drama aims to dissect racism as it follows acclaimed jazz pianist Dr. Donald Shirley (Mahershala Ali) on his tour in the South in the 1960s, accompanied by his driver and bodyguard, Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), a hard-edged bouncer from the Bronx.
For what it’s worth, Green Book does present a beautiful real-life friendship, a wonderfully acted feel-good tale of cultural differences overcome by the simple sincerity of human connection. However, its observations on racism and its ramifications are vague, short-sighted, and sometimes plain wrong, with many criticizing it as a movie that offers comfort when it should be critical and confronting. The fact that it was heralded as being a triumphant dismantling of bigotry and hate despite its relatively tame handling of such issues has seen it become a divisive film as well as a Best Picture winner that highlights the safe stagnancy that sometimes undermines the Academy Awards.
4
‘Around the World in 80 Days’ (1956)
Based on Jules Verne’s 1872 novel of the same name, Around the World in 80 Days was the big winner at the 29th Academy Awards, winning five Oscars in total, including Best Picture, a feat that saw it triumph over fellow nominees like The King and I and Giant, while classics like The Searchers didn’t even get a nod. With its globe-trotting story and its monumental 175-minute runtime, it is easy to see why the Verne adaptation was celebrated as a significant achievement in cinema, but its sensibilities and pacing are far more at home in the 1950s than they are in today’s world.
Its depiction of foreign cultures is uninspired to say the least, resorting to stereotypical and misleading simplicities, and even featuring Shirley MacLaine as an Indian princess. However, perhaps even more grating than its politically incorrect display is its dated pacing, with its agonizingly slow narrative progression relying heavily on celebrity cameos to keep the audience invested. It may have worked a charm in 1956, but the audacious fantasy Best Picture winner simply doesn’t have the same allure in 2026.
3
‘Gigi’ (1958)
Released as a lavish and light-hearted musical comedy in 1958, Gigi is widely regarded as a naïve and unnerving byproduct of a bygone era. It’s an incredibly awkward watch in today’s world, given its archaic perspective on gender dynamics and the sexualization of young women. Following the tentative and blooming romance between a Parisian playboy and a still-maturing teenager, the film was celebrated as a vivacious visual spectacle epitomizing the splendor of musical cinema.
While its production value remains an impressive feat, the nine-time Oscar winner has otherwise aged abysmally. Its central relationship between the “in-training” Gigi (Leslie Caron) and the far older and promiscuous Gaston (Louis Jourdan) isn’t only squeamish and predatory in its premise, but it is executed with a cheerfulness and charm that is, today, ill-suited to the subject matter. The inclusion of songs like “Thank Heaven for Little Girls,” the treatment of women as commodities to be chased, and even the nature of the storytelling certainly haven’t helped it stand the test of time either. Gigi is an uncomfortable relic of an era of chauvinism.
2
‘Crash’ (2004)
A movie that capitalized on the sorrow, confusion, grief, and trauma felt across America in the wake of 9/11, Crash exudes a certain self-importance with its mighty themes of prejudice, human nature, and social stratification. Alas, its scope is far too shallow and comforting to do anything of substance with such ideas. Transpiring in a time when Americans are still reeling from the events of September 11, it follows several interconnected stories of racial tension and social misunderstanding involving deeply flawed characters striving to do their best, even as they make horrific snap judgments.
Heavy-handed, simplistic, and propelling a white savior narrative that is frankly uninspired in its plot beats and progress, Crash is one of the more egregious examples of Oscar-bait cinema audiences have been bombarded with this century. It preys on the lingering cultural heartache of 9/11 while delivering moralizing and condescending tales that reduce America’s issues of systemic racism and societal belligerence to a series of individual flaws. Controversially, it upset the highly fancied Brokeback Mountain for Best Picture, an error in judgment that will stand as one of the Academy’s most confounding misfires for many years to come.
1
‘Cimarron’ (1931)
A sweeping epic that unfolds over 40 years, no one can fault Cimarron’s ambition and visual majesty, but its lethargic story and rampant insensitivities ensure that it is a movie that simply no longer has any narrative appeal. When she is dragged to Osage, Oklahoma, in the late 1880s at the behest of her husband, ambitious newspaperman Yancey Cravat (Richard Dix), Sabra (Irene Dunne) finds herself struggling to manage her inherited editorial duties while acclimatizing to a community where civilization is far from established. The couple is repeatedly separated and reunited over the ensuing decades as Oklahoma rapidly evolves.
Featuring belittling stereotypes of Native Americans, African Americans, and Jews while focusing on a supposedly triumphant tale of a white man’s burden to bring civility to the hostile and simple-minded natives, Cimarron oscillates between being boring banality and piercing controversy. It was ultimately awarded Best Picture because of the magnitude of its production and the epic ambition of its execution, but it has come to be widely viewed as the worst Best Picture winner of all time.
Britney Spears
I’m a Dining Room Slave 4 U
Published
Instagram / @britneyspears
Britney Spears is freeing the nipple, in the dining room no less … and she’s back with another revealing dancing video.
Check out this latest in a long line of Britney specials … she’s getting down and doing some dirty dancing in front of her dining room table.
Britney posted the footage on her Instagram, and there are even a few slips of the nipple … but she is covering the goods with a ❤️ emoji.
This is par for the course from Britney … it was just a few days ago that she showed the world her butt cheeks in a nude beach photo.
Britney’s got 200 million reasons to dance … as we first reported, she recently sold her rights to her music catalog to Primary Wave in a move our sources called a “landmark deal,” with estimates hovering around $200 million.
Entertainment
“Real Housewives of Salt Lake City ”star Mary Cosby's son, Robert Jr., dies at 23 after revealing struggles on show
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The “RHOSLC” personality’s mother shared a tearful update on her son at the season 6 reunion.
Roommates, new details about Bill Gates’ involvement with Jeffrey Epstein just dropped. Bill is spilling his own tea and clearing the air after 2013 emails surfaced showing that Epstein sent messages to himself claiming Bill was his “right hand.” During a recent town hall with his foundation, the Microsoft co-founder called it a “huge mistake” to spend time with the convicted sex offender. He also admitted to cheating on his ex-wife Melinda Gates with not one, but two women while they were married. Whew! Grab a seat, Roomies we’ve got a lot to unpack!
RELATED: Melinda Gates Reacts To Epstein File Allegation Claiming Bill Tried To Secretly Give Her STI Medicine (VIDEO)
Bill Gates Spills Tea On His Relationship With Jeffrey Epstein
In the emails from 2013, Jeffrey Epstein bragged that he and Bill had a solid relationship. He even claimed that Bill took part in things that were “ethically unsound.” Now, Gates’ reps are shutting that down and calling Epstein’s claims “absurd” and “completely false.” Bill actually addressed the accusations himself, noting that he “did nothing illicit and saw nothing illicit.” He added that when he met with Jeffrey, he never stayed overnight with him or spent time with any of his victims, per The Wall Street Journal. However, per NBC News, the investor did admit that he flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s private jet and spent time with him in Washington, New York, Germany, and France. He also said other high-profile people would show up to their meetings, which made it “easier” for him to the view the whole situation as somewhat normal. Gates started meeting with Epstein in 2011, three years after Epstein plead guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution. Gates claimed he was unaware of the charges at the time and continued meeting with him.
“It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein.” Gates added, “I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made.”
Bill Confessing To Cheating On Melinda During Their Marriage
Gates didn’t hold back on opening about his past. He kept it real about cheating with two women while he was married to Melinda. Bill and Melinda tied the knot in 1994 and spent 27 years together until they finalized their divorce in 2021. According to CNBC, Gates admitting to having an affair with a Russian bridge player and a Russian nuclear physicist, but he alleges that neither of them were Epstein’s victims.
Jeffrey Epstein’s Alleged 2013 Emails Spill Shocking Claims About Bill Gates
Although Bill Gates is telling his side, alleged 2013 emails that Jeffrey Epstein reportedly sent to himself paint a different picture. In those messages, Epstein claims he was pulled into a “several marital dispute” between Bill and Melinda Gates. Epstein also allegedly demanded two years of severance pay from Bill. He believed he deserved it for helping Bill secure medication after his affairs. Epstein continued to accuse Bill of asking him to keep alleged STDs under wraps and provide antibiotics so Bill could allegedly give them to Melinda without her knowing.
Melinda recently responded to the statements in the emails, saying reading the released the documents filled her with “unbelievable sadness.” She added that going through them brought her back to “very, very painful times” that she experienced during her marriage. Additionally, Melinda noted that her heart goes out to the young girls who were Epstein’s victims. “I’m able to take my own sadness and look at those young girls and say, my God, how did that happen to those girls?”
RELATED: Former Prince Andrew Arrested On Suspicion Of Misconduct In Public Office Over Ties To Jeffrey Epstein
What Do You Think Roomies?
Carmen Electra
‘Scary Movie 6’ Won’t Get ‘Canceled’ …
The Wayans Are Too Good at What They Do!!!
Published
With “Scary Movie 6” hitting theaters this year, we got Carmen Electra to dish on how she thinks the raunchy film franchise will do in the age of “cancel culture.”
Remember … Carmen starred in the first installment of the film franchise in 2000, which contained at least one or two jokes that wouldn’t pass today. But Carmen says the Wayans brothers are skilled enough to make a comedy for any time.
She told us, “I haven’t seen the script, so I’m not exactly sure what the new ‘Scary Movie’ is exactly going to be about. But I think for the most part, it’s so lighthearted and as long as it’s in the right context, I think it’ll be okay.”
She continued … “The Wayans are not careful, but they’re geniuses at what they do, so it’ll definitely be some fun.”
Keenan Ivory, Marlon and Shawn Wayans returned to write the script for the movie, expected this June. The announced cast includes Regina Hall, Anna Faris, Cheri Oteri, Damon Wayans Jr., Kim Wayans, Heidi Gardner and more.
Carmen wouldn’t reveal to us whether she’s returning or not … so we’re just gonna have to watch to find out!
Entertainment
Driver who killed Dixie Chicks founding member in car crash sentenced to 15 years in prison
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Laura Lynch, the former lead singer and bassist of the band now known as The Chicks, was killed in a head-on collision in December 2023.
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The U.S. Attorney’s Office alleged that Robert Edwards possessed multiple devices containing child sexual abuse material.
Entertainment
Beyond the Gates Early Spoilers March 2-6: Anita Battles Major Setback & Leslie Flaunts Her Victory
Beyond the Gates spoilers for March 2 – 6, 2026 reveal Anita Dupree (Tamara Tunie) struggling and Dana “Leslie” Thomas (Trisha Mann-Grant) showboating.
We always start with what is coming the rest of this week and then we talk about what’s coming next week.
Celebrating Beyond the Gates’ One-Year Anniversary and Ashley’s Career Milestone
On Wednesday, February 25th—just a quick note, by the way, if you didn’t know it—Beyond the Gates celebrated its one-year anniversary on Tuesday, February 24th. Man, what a year! I expect them to need a U-Haul to gather up all the daytime Emmys they are going to win at the next awards ceremony. I think they may sweep or just clean up.
Also, it is Ashley Morgan’s (Jen Jacob) work anniversary as she celebrates her first year at Garland Memorial. She and Chenise Valjean (Tiara Wilkins) are talking about the past year and all that has happened. Speaking of Ashley’s past year, her ex, Derek Baldwin (Ben Gavin), also gets some screen time as he makes a decision about what to do for a job now that his time as a firefighter is over.
Derek’s New Career Path and Leslie’s Clinic Power Plays on BTG
I wonder if Leslie is going to wind up hiring Derek. If so, I wish him so much grace. Related to that, Eva Thomas (Ambyr Michelle) is annoyed with Leslie, who’s yapping about the clinic and telling Eva that she’s going to show her how you do real business. Leslie says, “Watch and learn.” We know she and Derek get into it. This may be when Leslie and Derek can iron things out and decide if they can work together.
Beyond the Gates Spoilers: Jacob’s Undercover Crisis – Will Isaiah Blow His Big Brother’s Cover?
Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) is getting deeper and deeper undercover. Now he is embedded with the plasma ring red market people, but then he runs into his younger brother, Izaiah Hawthorne (David Lami Friebe), while on the job. Jacob’s cover could be blown. He asks why Izaiah is out in that dodgy corner of town, and Izaiah tells his big brother he could ask him the same.
Cat and Tomas Face a Relationship Crossroads over Living Arrangements on BTG
Katherine “Kat” Richardson (Colby Muhammad) wants to know if she can stay forever after Tomas “Tom” Navarro (Alex Alegria) said Kat can come over to his place whenever she wants. Kat wants to know if Tomas still wants to live together. If you remember, he asked Kat to move in about four months ago, back in December, but she told Tomas, “No, it’s too fast.”
This time, he seems a little offended. He wants to know Kat’s motives, and it looks like Tomas may tell her no. He wants Kat to choose him for him, not by default or as a second choice because Chelsea Hamilton’s (RhonniRose Mantilla) moving out to move in with her fiancé and Kat doesn’t want to crash alone in her Aunt Dani Dupree’s (Karla Mosley) guest house.
Thursday Beyond the Gates Spoilers: Mysterious Visitors and Leslie’s Self-Promotion
On Thursday, February 26th, a “no” from Tomas might be why Kat is suddenly hyper-focused and ranting about Laura Peterson’s (Destiny Love) car accident that nearly killed her almost a year ago. Leslie has avoided any consequences for it, which of course is not okay. Naomi Hamilton Hawthorne (Arielle Prepetit) checks in with Ashley and updates her on Jacob moving out. Will Naomi mention that Jacob is undercover and that’s why he did it, or will Naomi be cryptic just because of any potential risk?
Andre Richardson (Sean Freeman) and Dani Dupree have a visitor they were not expecting and don’t want to see. It could be Leslie or it could be Hayley Lawson (Marquita Goings). Meanwhile, Leslie engages in some self-promotion. She is showboating about something. Now, it could be about her new clinic that she’s funding or some other insanity. I definitely could see Leslie trying to piggyback off the attention that Anita has gotten because of the cancer.
Anita’s Brave Cancer Journey Shakes the DMV After Gayle King Interview
Speaking of which, Gayle King’s interview with Anita has energized the whole DMV. We’re going to be getting lots more breast cancer awareness as this rocks on, which is great. Awareness for that is wonderful. I wonder if Anastasia (Timeca M. Seretti) is going to be petty or sympathetic since she was one of the people pushing gossip saying that Anita was drunk at the club when she was actually suffering side effects of chemo. I wonder if Leslie is going to try and get closer to Anita to sponge off that residual attention because she’s just awful.
Friday BTG Drama: Cat’s Confrontations and Vanessa’s Dating App Dilemmas
On Friday, February 27th, Kat amps up a nasty confrontation with Eva and Leslie. Kat may be upset by Tomas and lashing out at Eva, but it’s clear the two of them are living rent-free in Kat’s head. I hope long-term that she and Eva develop a real bond as sisters, but it seems impossible—especially as long as Leslie’s around.
Chelsea has a blowup with a cousin. My money is on Kat and not Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) because Kat is in a mood. She’s so enraged, in fact, that Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson (Daphnee Duplaix) and Dr. Ted Richardson (Keith D. Robinson) are quite concerned about their daughter. Vanessa McBride (Lauren Buglioli) tries to cheer up Nicole. I wonder if this is about Anita’s interview and all the attention and stress that came with it, but it was unavoidable.
It’s kind of ironic; I noticed that Vanessa was defending her escort app to Nicole, who was horrified by the idea that she would look for a date for Samantha Richardson (Najah Jackson) on there. Then ironically, Vanessa’s daughter wound up with a date from the Heart Attach app. That whole scene with her and Joey Armstrong (Jon Lindstrom) discussing it featured some clever dialogue: “Do as I say, not who I do.”
Mysterious Meetings and Smitty’s Pursuit of the Plasma Ring
Izaiah is asked to meet with someone and it surprises him. Maybe it’s his dad, Police Chief Elon Hawthorne (Malachi Malik), who’s not exactly a fan of his son. Or maybe it’s tied to the plasma case because Izaiah has a background in shady DMV goings-on. Bradley “Smitty” Smith (Mike Manning) catches up with an old friend, and I wonder if this might be tied to him poking into the plasma case as well.
Looking Ahead to March 2nd: Anita’s CBS Morning Show Aftershocks on Beyond the Gates
The week of March 2nd through the 6th, we expect lots more aftershocks from Anita’s stunning CBS Morning Show announcement about her cancer, the stage it’s in, and how scary everything is. I thought that interview segment was done really well. It was perfect. I thought I was watching an episode of the real CBS Morning Show. They don’t always do stuff that well on soaps.
I expect Leslie to come over with flowers, a plant, and fake sympathy. I hope she’s not going to be making tacky comments about Anita being the second articulate who might lose her life since her mom, Barbara, was the first to pass away. And I trust that Leslie is going to make everything worse on Anita while she says she’s trying not to.
Undercover Dangers and the Hunt for Justice in the Red Market
Smitty and Jacob may both be in danger doing this red market plasma sting. I wonder if somebody we know is linked to this ring. I hope Joey’s not, but you never know with him. Lynette Wise (Domini Madison) is feeling pretty good about her cover-up con targeting that poor homeless guy that Joey paid off and sent away, but he smells a rat.
I do suspect Joey’s going to figure out Lynette and Hayley are in cahoots. I also expect Joey to confront Randy Parker (Maurice P. Kerry) about a false suspect, but he may keep Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett) in the dark. Joey may just tell him people jump bail all the time. The problem is Bill still wants justice because the alleged mugger disappeared from the DMV.
Final Spoilers: Vernon’s Protection and Cat’s Growing Frustration on BTG
Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis) does all he can to protect Anita now that her big secret is out and there are a lot more eyes on them. Meanwhile, Hayley thinks she got away with everything, but I doubt it. The bottom line is Lynette is never going to go away and get her hand out of Hayley Lawson’s purse. They have got to do something about that girl.
Kat’s frustrations grow and I wonder if the family’s going to stage an anger intervention. Is Tomas going to circle back around to Kat and tell her yes, he wants her to move in? Randy’s on edge and hoping the scrutiny is over, but Joey’s likely going to dig into him more. We will have to wait to see if Derek starts working with Leslie at her clinic.
When Benny Blanco launched his new “non-podcast,” he likely expected chatter about celebrity guests and spontaneous songwriting.
Instead, the internet fixated on his bare feet and a rumored on-camera fart.
Within hours, the conversation escalated from jokes to calls for Selena Gomez to divorce him.
It was absurd, revealing far more about online culture than the couple themselves.
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Benny Blanco Podcast Moment Sparks Cancel Culture Reflex
Let’s be honest. The outrage was never about hygiene but about the thrill of piling on.
One critic wrote, “He’s the most disgusting person I’ve ever seen in my life, seriously, it blows my mind that Selena is with this f-cking creature.”
Another added, “The fact that his feet are ACTUALLY that filthy makes me sick to my stomach. Like Selena girl what’s going on?”
A third chimed in, “He’s a whole superstar with a massive fanbase and still can’t handle hygiene? Fame doesn’t replace manners.”
The escalation did not stop there. Some users went further, demanding that Gomez leave him.
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“Once again, Benny has embarrassed Selena and y’all wonder why I can’t stand his disgusting -ss,” one person wrote, while another added, “Selena needs to divorce him and find someone better.”
Take a pause and consider that. A fan asking a couple to divorce over dirty feet.
We live in a culture that treats minor imperfections like moral failings. Instead of laughter or indifference, the reflex is cancellation.
It is a digital mob mentality disguised as moral superiority.
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Hollywood Divorce Rates Are Already High Enough
If people truly cared about relationships, they would not casually chant for breakups over non-issues.
The CDC reports the U.S. divorce rate was 2.4 per 1,000 population in 2022.
Hollywood’s numbers are often higher. According to 2017 U.S. Census data, about 23% of married couples in the United States divorce, with rates of 20% for men and 26% for women.
In contrast, the average divorce rate among Hollywood celebrities is about 52%, roughly double the general population, with 50% for men and 62% for women.
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That is the real crisis. Yet instead of encouraging stability, growth, and grace, the internet now cheers for separation at the first sign of embarrassment.
Calling for a couple who have not even been married a year to divorce over dusty soles is not concern. It is spectacle.
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Benny Blanco And Selena Gomez Have Been Judged Before
This is not the first time Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco have faced public scrutiny.
Fans have questioned the pairing based largely on looks rather than character or compatibility.
The narrative was shallow then, and it remains shallow now.
What changed? Nothing. The same culture that once said Gomez “deserved better” because of aesthetics is now saying she deserves better because of feet.
Relationships are not beauty contests nor are they hygiene tribunals.
The Love Is Real And The Demands Are Pointless
There is no credible evidence that Selena Gomez is unhappy.
On the contrary, her public appearances with Benny Blanco suggest affection and ease.
Hence, demanding divorce does not give strangers control over their lives, as marriage is not a voting system.
Fans can dislike a podcast moment. They can joke. They can scroll past. However, what they cannot do is dictate the future of two adults who clearly care for each other.
Suggesting that Gomez should dismantle her marriage because some viewers were “grossed out” wastes emotional energy on something they do not own.
The truth is simple. Blanco and Gomez will not divorce because strangers disliked his feet.
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Benny Blanco ‘Non Podcast’ Innovation Got Lost In The Noise
What makes the uproar even more ironic is how it eclipsed the actual creative ambition behind the project.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Blanco explained the format, saying, “We’re kind of blurring the line of, is it streaming? Is it a podcast? Is it an interview series? Is it a TV show? Is it NPR’s Tiny Desk? The idea was to mix casual conversation with creative collaboration.”
He added, “You see Ed [Sheeran] come on and we’re making a song from scratch.”
That is innovative. A show that merges spontaneous music creation with intimate conversation could have sparked discussion about artistry and format evolution. Instead, the discourse centered on toes.
The episode became a case study in how quickly nuance disappears online. Rather than engage with a creative concept, viewers zoomed in on a visual detail and ran with it.
In the end, this controversy says less about Blanco and far more about us.
We have normalized outrage over trivialities while divorce statistics quietly remain high. We amplify dirt and ignore devotion. We confuse jokes with justice.
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco deserve the same privacy and humanity that anyone else would want.
If their marriage ever ends, it should be for reasons that matter, not because a few viewers could not handle bare feet on a sofa.
Sometimes the most radical act in a hypercritical world is simply to mind your business.
Entertainment
Delroy Lindo sees “Sinners” as more than just horror — and how he crafted one of the movie's most profound scenes
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The veteran actor also tells EW why he chose to distance himself from the possibility of getting an Oscar nomination this year.
It’s Oscar season, and there are some pretty interesting movies nominated for 2026. Cinephiles can prepare for the upcoming ceremony by watching the films they haven’t seen, but why not supplement that by watching some television too? Specifically The Simpsons. It just reached a new milestone (which some would call remarkable and others would call tragic): its 800th episode. Most of the material worth watching isn’t so recent, but one through line you can be sure of is that the writers often throw in references to movies all throughout the sitcom’s history. Inevitably, many of these come from Oscar-nominated feature films.
Even when the sitcom aired its first episode in 1989, there was a ton of Academy-worthy material to use for Simpson stories, and the writers likewise used a ton of it. Well, as the show kept getting renewed and renewed, more and more fantastic award-nominated and award-winning material became ripe for the picking. Of course, the giants of cinema don’t always lead to great jokes, but they often do in The Simpsons‘ greatest works. There are even some episodes that dedicate a large chunk of their plots to sending up one such Oscar-nominee. The following seven episodes arguably make up the best of the bunch, showcasing intriguing sides of the whole family: Bart (Nancy Cartwright), Homer (Dan Castellaneta), Lisa (Yeardley Smith), Marge (Julie Kavner), and even Maggie. These aren’t ordered by the quality of the movies or quantity of award nominations; having one nomination is enough. It does help for the episode to pay homage to more than one Oscar-nominee, but mostly these are just excellent episodes that use their source material to the fullest.
1
“Barthood”
Season 27, Episode 9
Season 27’s “Barthood” is the experimental Simpsons episode that’s based on the experimental 2014 film Boyhood by Richard Linklater. The movie was filmed over the course of about 10 years as all the actors got older, and it represents a fascinatingly realistic and heartfelt portrayal of a boy’s childhood. Similarly, “Barthood” jumps around to the most formative points of Bart’s upbringing. As it starts with him younger than he is in the canon (which this episode is not), this proves to be one of the strongest Simpsons episodes set in the past. “Barthood” is also unique in how it explores Bart’s life when he’s older, which likewise makes it one of the best Simpsons episodes set in the future.
Boyhood was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Ethan Hawke, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. It even won an Oscar—the tremendous Patricia Arquette, specifically—for Best Supporting Actress. It’s also worth noting that Linklater has a 2026 Oscar-nominated movie with Ethan Hawke called Blue Moon, for those interested in checking that out before this year’s Oscar ceremony.
2
“Cape Feare”
Season 5, Episode 2
By far one of the most famous Simpsons episodes you can find, “Cape Feare” has a title that’s extremely close to the title of the film it parodies: Cape Fear. When Sideshow Bob (Kelsey Grammer) is unwisely released from prison on parole (despite having the hilariously menacing “Die Bart Die” tattoo on his torso), he goes after Bart Simpson. At this point in their rivalry, Bart has already had Sideshow Bob arrested for framing Krusty (Dan Castellaneta) and trying to blow up Aunt Selma (Julie Kavner)—so Bob has a bone to pick with him. He’s out for revenge, similar to how the antagonist of Cape Fear wants revenge on the lawyer who got him convicted.
J. Lee Thompson‘s original version from 1962 did not earn any Oscar nods, but Martin Scorsese‘s chilling 1991 remake sure did: Robert De Niro and Juliette Lewis were both nominated for their performances. No surprises there; De Niro, with a southern accent, is terrifying (as Killers of the Flower Moon makes even clearer), and Lewis puts in one of the best teenage performances of the decade. Alas, no wins. Still, the movie is worth watching. It also led to this Simpsons classic, which manages to capture some of the terror of Scorsese’s underappreciated thriller without sacrificing any laughter along the way.
3
“Marge on the Lam”
Season 5, Episode 6
Arguably the most impressive entry from Season 5, “Marge on the Lam” is largely about two women who grow a touching bond. The matriarch of the Simpson family befriends neighbor Ruth Powers (Pamela Reed), who is having a rough divorce. Marge isn’t the most adventurous person in the world, which is part of the original character’s charm, but this entry provides her with an arc that steadily uses the power of friendship to steer her onto the wild side. Without losing any of the sitcom’s trademark humor, it’s one of Marge’s best storylines by a mile.
Soon she and Ruth are on the run from the cops, which turns this into a magnificent parody of Ridley Scott‘s feminist road movie Thelma & Louise. While the pair of friends in the film are on the run for much darker reasons, the episode nonetheless marries humor with pathos in a way that adeptly touches on the movie’s themes. Thelma & Louise garnered six Academy Award nominations: Best Actress for its dynamic duo Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Film Editing. Screenwriter Callie Khouri wound up winning the Original Screenplay Oscar, and deservedly so.
4
“Bart of Darkness”
Season 6, Episode 1
The Simpsons‘ sixth season premiere is “Bart of Darkness,” a title taken from Joseph Conrad‘s novella Heart of Darkness. However, neither that nor Francis Ford Coppola‘s adaptation, Apocalypse Now, seem to have anything to do with the story. As Bart breaks his leg trying to dive into the family’s overcrowded pool, he falls and breaks his leg on the ground. Unable to swim and claim the glory of popularity that Lisa now basks in, he recedes to his room and watches with suspicion a very distressed Ned Flanders (Harry Shearer) next door. Bart is convinced this man killed his wife, and it’s both funny and suspenseful as he enlists Lisa to help him get to the bottom of this mystery.
Sound familiar? That’s because it’s based on Alfred Hitchcock’s incredibly well-crafted Rear Window, which somehow received only four nominations at the 1955 Oscars: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography (Color), and Best Sound (Recording). And it won…none of them? Well, just another example of the Academy making mistakes. Granted, Rear Window had to compete with On the Waterfront, but the total lack of wins and meager number of nominations is still ridiculous. At least this Simpsons episode helps make up for that a little.
5
“Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington”
Season 3, Episode 2
When Lisa signs up for a national speech contest, she works her way into the final round. It’s held in D.C., hence the story’s title “Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington.” Sometimes an episode’s title doesn’t line up with the material in the story itself. Not the case with this season three gem, which bases its story off of Frank Capra‘s 1939 political masterpiece Mr. Smith Goes to Washington. Just as Mr. Smith (James Stewart) goes from wide-eyed newbie to disillusioned critic, Lisa quickly and compellingly learns that American politics can be a brutal game indeed.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington is a giant of cinema, and it had a good run at the Oscars with a whopping 11 nominations: Outstanding Production (now called Best Picture), Best Director, Best Actor, Best Writing: Screenplay, Best Writing: Original Story (another old-school oddity), Best Supporting Actor for Claude Rains and Harry Carey, Best Art Direction, Best Film Editing, Best Music: Scoring, and Best Sound Recording. As it was up against Victor Fleming‘s titans The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind, our film only won an Oscar for Best Writing: Original Story. Nevertheless, neither of those movies ever did (nor ever will) get such a hilarious and cinematic treatment from The Simpsons.
6
“You Only Move Twice”
Season 8, Episode 2
“You Only Move Twice” is one of the greatest Simpsons parody episodes of all time. There’s so much packed into this story that there’s no time for things to make sense. Homer is quickly offered a better-paying job at Globex Corporation, and the Simpsons swiftly cast off their old lives for paradise at Cypress Creek. If you thought the Springfield Powerplant was problematic, you ain’t seen nothing yet! Homer’s boss (a famous Albert Brooks performance) is essentially a James Bond supervillain. As the audience witnesses sidesplitting action pieces, Homer casually walks around without even realizing what’s going on.
Given how this parody works more as a mix of Bond tropes than a focus on one specific Bond, and given how this story’s Mr. Bont is clearly a parody of Sean Connery‘s Bond, we’ll only list the Oscar-nominated entries in the franchise that starred Connery. 1964’s Goldfinger won for Best Sound Effects, 1965’s Thunderball won for Best Visual Effects, and 1972’s Diamonds Are Forever was nominated for Best Sound. Interestingly, the episode is named after “You Only Live Twice” (which also starred Connery), but that didn’t receive any nominations.
7
“A Streetcar Named Marge”
Season 4, Episode 2
Season 4’s “A Streetcar Named Marge” is absolutely stuffed with Academy-worthy allusions. As Marge tries out for the coveted role of Blanche DuBois in a local musical adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire, her relationship with Homer is movingly compared to that of Stella (Kim Hunter) and Stanley (Marlon Brando). This was the first film to win three of the four acting Oscars, which is already amazing. But it also won Best Production Design, and received a whopping eight more nominations on top of that: Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, Best Sound Mixing, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Actor (somehow Brando didn’t win), Best Director, and obviously, Best Picture.
“A Streetcar Named Marge” is such a parody-pallooza that even its subplot is based on a movie that got an Oscar nod. As Maggie and some other babies try to retrieve their pacifiers from an evil daycare woman, everything from the action to the teamwork to the music tells us this is a send-up of 1963’s The Great Escape (nominated for Best Film Editing). If that weren’t enough, the end of that plot thread features an epic reference to another 1963 classic called The Birds — which also received an Oscar nomination (for Best Special Effects). Needless to say, when it comes to Simpsons Oscar-movie parodies, “A Streetcar Named Marge” truly belongs on the podium.
The Simpsons
- Release Date
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December 17, 1989
- Network
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FOX
- Directors
-
Steven Dean Moore, Mark Kirkland, Rob Oliver, Michael Polcino, Mike B. Anderson, Chris Clements, Wes Archer, Timothy Bailey, Lance Kramer, Nancy Kruse, Matthew Faughnan, Chuck Sheetz, Rich Moore, Jeffrey Lynch, Pete Michels, Susie Dietter, Raymond S. Persi, Carlos Baeza, Dominic Polcino, Lauren MacMullan, Michael Marcantel, Neil Affleck, Swinton O. Scott III, Jennifer Moeller
-
Homer Simpson / Abe Simpson / Barney Gumble / Krusty (voice)
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Julie Kavner
Marge Simpson / Patty Bouvier / Selma Bouvier (voice)
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