S1: It's time for Midday Edition on KPBS for today's arts and culture show. We are celebrating black women in leadership , making poetry more accessible and talking about the Oscars. I'm Jade Heinemann with conversations that keep you informed , inspired and engaged. With the women of color for breakfast this weekend is changing narratives and building resilience. We have to celebrate.
S2: Black women because black women are not celebrated.
S1: Plus , Julia Dixon Evans talks with San Diego's new poet laureate. Then Beth and Yazdi talk to me about the Oscars and weekend events. That's ahead on Midday Edition. This Saturday , the nonprofit Women of Color Raw Media will hold a breakfast celebrating the accomplishments of black women in leadership and their contributions to San Diego and this country. I'm joined now by two women who exemplify that and are continuing to do important work in the community. Angela De Joseph is the founder and president of Women of Color Raw. Also with us is Cheryl Alethea Phelps , chief communications officer for the American Civil Liberties Union of San Diego and Imperial County. She will be one of the honorees at the breakfast. Angela and Cheryl , welcome to the show.
S3: Well , thank you so much. Jade , it's nice to be here.
S2: Thank you. Jade I'm glad to be here.
S1: So glad to have you both here. So , Angela , what started back in 2018 as a breakfast to celebrate African American women who were elected officials , has really grown.
S3: The theme is rooted in resilience , and we thought it was really important to bring our community together and draw on our strengths. I felt that there was a need right now , um , emotionally for some healing , and we felt that it was also important that we celebrate our wins and bring some joy back to to the young women in our community.
S1: Well , and can you talk about why it's so important to to celebrate and build on the legacy of black women here in San Diego ? I mean , is that part of of building resilience given the current social and political climate ? Yes.
S3: Women of color started because I went to Washington , DC about ten years ago , and I visited the the Rayburn Building where all of the , you know , congresspeople have their offices. And I went office to office , and I did not see young people in internships and in these jobs that look like me. And I realized that the reason was because one , you had to have access , you had to know someone. The other thing is resources. And people who come from underserved communities don't have the resources to send their child off to Washington to get an internship that leads them into these careers. So I created something where we could bring these young women together with elected officials and start the pipeline by providing them with the access and resources so they could run for office , and they could get careers in the public sector. Right.
S1: Right. I want to and I want to circle back to that , too. But , Cheryl , you're one of this year's honorees. So congratulations to you on that.
S2: Thank you. Thank you. It is quite an honor. Yeah.
S1: Yeah.
S2: First , the timing was. particularly profound. I just lost my brother , my younger brother , suddenly and thank you , and was questioning whether it was worth it , whether the work that I do , the intensity , the focus that I have to give to work was worth it. And I got a call from a colleague of Angela about this. I didn't know that was why she was calling , and I was reluctant to take the call because I didn't want another condolence call. And then it was a call honoring me for being resilient. And I can't tell you what that meant. The second reason why this is moving for me is I don't remember what year it was. Angela. I think it was. Maybe it was before the pandemic when you honored my mother. Yes.
S3: Yes. Yes , I think that was 20. I think that was 2019.
S2: Yeah , it was the year before the pandemic. My mother at that time was assisted living facility , so we were always late to everything and I did not know she was being honored. I just know that I kept I was asked , would you bring your mother ? Would you bring your mother ? And we were very late because she was at that point , you know , everything had to be just so before we could leave. And I wheeled her in and we had a seat in the front that was curious. And she all of a sudden , from the dais , Angela made some words , said some words , and complimented and honored my mother for her part of her career. My mother had an extraordinary career. She was very talented and achieved woman , and people started coming up to her in the audience and thanking her for her contributions to our community and our culture and our region as a whole. And I should say , at that time , my mother was 94 years old. We were leaving in the car. I told her I thought that was the nicest thing. And she said , I wish I were braver. And if you knew how accomplished she was. The the humility of that statement , and also recognizing that there was one more thing she wished she'd done. Or maybe a few more things , if she had just stretched that bit more or just took that one chance. And that has actually affected , you know , the rest of my life , and thinking that my very accomplished mother wished she were braver. And so , yeah , this is a being resilient is about being braver that time that you it just feels like you can't do it. Finding finding it within you to be braver.
S3: The reason and most people. And I'm not from , you know , San Diego , but people that are from here all know Sheryl's mother. And she was one of the first female physicians in San Diego County. And so , you know , for a black woman to go to medical school , become a physician and all the other things that her mother did. But I felt it was important to recognize her mother having her , you know , in our presence , you know , and so honoring our elders , honoring our ancestors , that's really what we're doing , especially this Saturday. But I want to say that there's a number of black women who. You see them , but they're kind of behind the scenes. And so Cheryl is such a a brilliant , accomplished person there at the ACLU. And then she and then her whole background that she's had in her many roles in legislature and even in party politics and different things that she's done are so magnificent. And so I thought it was important for people to get a chance to know more about her and about her accomplishments. And that's why she's getting a Woman Warrior Award , because she's in the fight. She's been in the fight , but you can see the pattern from her mother. And so us coming out of those women and being able to to be accomplished , we have to turn around and we have to appreciate that. And I wanted the younger generation to know it's not over. You might lose one election. But black women are resilient.
S2: But I think it's important to recognize that resilience isn't inherent. Inherent. I think I do think it's something that we , uh , as Angela was mentioning , that we learn from those who are closest to us , our mothers , our our aunties , our those people in our lives who get up every day. But it's it's developed out of necessity. And the challenges that black women face in this country should not be romanticized , because we we've got to focus on why we need to be resilient. There's systemic inequities that create this need for resilience. and we've been rising up to this for generations. And that's what I think is often lost. And I'm appreciative of Angela for bringing us together where we celebrate this , because it's not just celebrating those of us who are here now , but reaching back and and recognizing where we came and why we've come.
S1: And for our listeners who don't know , Cheryl's mother was Shirley Jenkins Phelps , who , like Angela said , was San Diego County's first African-American woman to be a physician , and later she became the region's first black psychiatrist. So , Cheryl , you're continuing to honor that legacy and build on the work of our elders with your work at the ACLU , where you're fighting against harmful narratives that seek to marginalize people. Can you talk about why that work is so important , especially at a time when so many groups of people are being targeted with these negative narratives.
S2: As people of color ? I as I can't speak for for everyone who's here , and I certainly can't speak for the radio audience , and I'll speak for myself. As a person of color , I recognize how marginalized the voices of people who look like me , who have my cultural heritage , how how we can be on the menu rather than at the table , and what happens to people who are unhoused , what happens to people who are immigrants , who don't have the ability to tell their own story ? And yet and yet their story is shaped by outside influences ? Uh , I'll use some current examples. And in fact , in your own reporting , you indicated that between a I'm looking at my notes here , 150,000 to 770,000 people in San Diego County don't have legal status , which means that they are vulnerable to mass deportation. Uh , and that can destabilize families , neighborhoods , workplaces in our region. And there are additional 150,000 people who lived in mixed status homes. The criminalization of people who are unhoused ignores the root cause of homelessness and dehumanizes people who are experiencing it. This is why we have to be about this work , because it's one of those , you know. By the grace of God. There I go. Right. We have to be. We have to be mindful of the fact that as marginalized people , if we don't take control of our narratives , if we're not able to stand up and say , I have the right to be here like everyone else , then we run the risk of being excluded , marginalized , isolated , ignored , deported , incarcerated , and otherwise treated as with less dignity and humanity than anyone deserves.
S1: And I know the work can be taxing , and it requires resilience. And the expectation of that , though , can be taxing in and of itself , as you alluded to earlier. So what are you all doing to stay resilient ? Angela , I'll start with you on that.
S3: Well , that's , uh , that's a good question because I'm one of the the people that , uh , gets very much out of balance because I'm in work mode. I'm all the way in work mode , you know ? So I always tell myself , okay , you're going to get up and go to the gym. Are you going to get up and walk ? But I start my day and I start working and I just , you know , keeps going. And so periodically , though I do go I do go to a the Optimum Health Institute and go on a complete retreat , you know , eat raw foods workout. And I come back looking amazing of course , and then start this whole process over again. So that's I can't say that I found a way in terms of being able to be resilient. One thing is having economic means and , you know , and the numbers here in San Diego , of course , the people that are struggling the most are black women here and older black women. And as somebody who is now getting to that description where people call me ma'am , now we're the group of black women now that if we can't survive on Social Security , which something could happen , we end up with homeless. And so part of going back to the young women that we sponsor to come to the breakfast , we started the Leadership Academy to give them the opportunity to get financial literacy training , learn about getting scholarships to college , be able to get mentors , but also put on the light for them so they could see what the world is like out there. And as far as this moment in time , where we don't know what's going to happen in terms of any kind of public subsidies for health care , for education , for housing. It's really important that we become economically sound , and that we're able to teach how to be able to position yourself and your family for , you know , for financial success.
S1: Resilience and self-sufficiency , which is resilience.
S2: Which is. Resilience.
S1: Resilience. Yeah. Sure.
S2: So that actually is something that I'm making a point of changing. But I will say that I do have rituals. Every morning I open up all of the blinds and the doors , and I usually take a long walk with my dog in the morning , and I start my day that way every day. I have good friends that I have long laughs with it. Sometimes you even have to laugh about the hard things in life. And I'm really fortunate that I have just a wonderful circle of people who care about me. They find things for me to do. The other thing I do is I like , I love art and I like building things. And I actually have a started working on a house , a small house. I started calling it my therapy and I tore down the walls and rebuilt them. You know , I had some help built the cabinets , the counters , all that type of thing that does. That's very satisfying for me. And so that's one of the things that I've done to distract myself. But I do find and this was actually a term that we a theme that we had one year at the ACLU. I find joy in resistance. You know , the community of people who want something better and we fight for it. And that is still something that invigorates me. There are tough times , as I described at the top of the program , but I do find that that invigorates my life.
S1: It is self-care. It is the moments that force us to be present. It's resistance. All of those things keep us resilient , for sure. Well , I've been speaking with Angela De Joseph , founder and president of Women of Color Media , and Cheryl Alethea Phelps , chief communications officer for the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial County's. Cheryl and Angela , thank you so much for joining us. And congratulations.
S2: Thank you.
S3: Thank you so much.
S1: Coming up , Julia Dixon Evans sits down with San Diego's new poet laureate.
S4: So offering maybe new possibilities and new opportunities for people who otherwise maybe never thought of poetry as something they would ever come close to.
S1: KPBS Midday Edition is back after the break. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. San Diego Poetry has a new ambassador. Earlier today , the city announced that Paola Garcia will take on the role of poet laureate. Capo Garcia is a former journalist and current educator. She will succeed Jason Gabo Perez as an advocate for literary arts across the region. KPBS arts reporter Julia Dixon Evans sat down with Capa Garcia in studio to talk about her hopes to demystify poetry and make it more accessible to the public. Here's that conversation. Okay.
S5: Okay. Starting from the beginning , can you remember the first time that you connected with a poem or a poet ? And what was that ? And and how did it reach you ? Sure.
S4: Um , I was 15 , so I was a sophomore in high school , and I felt like I needed a sort of private outlet. Um , I was a dancer for many years. I did a lot of acting different things , but those felt like they felt very public. Right ? They sort of externalizing everything. And I liked the idea that putting something in a journal or in a poem can afford you that privacy. And then if you want to make it public later , you can , but it's up to you. Um , and I was gifted a journal. Um , and I always had a diary growing up. Right. Um , but the journal felt more official now that I was 15 or 16. I was like , oh , this isn't a diary. This is going to be for writing pieces. And I wrote my first poem , a really terrible poem , but it feels special nonetheless. We all have to write terrible things to get to better things , and I just , I was obsessed. I just kept writing and writing and writing and , um , I was exposed in high school to Garcia Lorca's work , and that was very inspiring to me. And Langston Hughes work as well. Um , especially my senior year of high school , I started reading a lot of Langston Hughes , um , and the musicality in his work. Um , and also what he's wrestling with in those poems , the way that he's wrestling with history actively in those poems. That was very moving to me.
S5:
S4: Miramar I represent always. Um , and I came to the US during undergrad. I went to Syracuse University for my four years of undergrad , and I studied journalism there , but English and textual studies as well. Um , and I worked as a journalist in New York City for a couple of years , uh , focused mainly on Latin entertainment , specifically music and film. Um , and it didn't feel right to me. It felt like something I liked. It didn't feel like something I loved. And that really , really pushed me. Um , and that's when I decided to apply to MFA programs and Ma programs. And so I went to UC Davis for two years and got my Ma in English there , and also wrote a poetry manuscript there that is trash. We don't talk about that manuscript. And then went , uh , that's what brought me to San Diego is an MFA program at UCSD. Um , and so I think just hop. I was hopping around every two years. It felt , uh , from Puerto Rico to Syracuse to New York City to Davis to San Diego. And then when I got here , I felt like , oh , I'm here , right ? This is my other home other than San Juan. This feels like my other home. Um , and I think that movement , that sort of restlessness and trying to search what home look like for me or what it could be , it definitely inspires some of my poetry in terms of trying to find and carve out spaces for myself in this world. Um , I think everything about my Puerto Rican upbringing informs my writing. Um , I in some of my poems , for me , it's really important to have little Easter eggs for Puerto Rican readers that , like , only they will understand because you feel really far away from home , and it feels like maybe through the text I can make that connection with people. But it's yeah , culturally , my longing right to to be in Puerto Rico to connect with it. The sort of political complication of being from Puerto Rico and wanting to connect with others and make them understand what Puerto Rico is , because it's like San Diego. I think Puerto Rico is another place that is very , very misconstrued. And so that thrust or that desire to clarify , I feel like that's a big part of my writing.
S5: You are an educator.
S4: Poetry was the main thing that I would focus on. Every semester we would do research , essays. We do personal narratives , a lot of things. But poetry was the heart of the class , and students knew that. Coming into my class , I was the 12th grade English Lit teacher. And so they'd come in and they'd say , we heard we're going to do a lot of poetry with you. And they would be really , really skeptical about it. Um , and so , so much of my energy went into showing them a side of poetry that they had never seen. And with that came showing them contemporary writers , right , to show them that poetry is this thriving thing , right ? That it exists out in the world. We're not just reading Walt Whitman , we're not just reading , um , you know , writers from the early 20th century. And you can imagine that during the pandemic , right ? We're talking 2020 , 2021 , right ? As we're seeing this movement and this push , right , uh , to seek justice for George Floyd , for Ahmaud Arbery , for Breonna Taylor. So that felt like a really important moment to get them to express the anger , the rage , the confusion , whatever it is that they were feeling. And to then use a text like Claudia ranking Citizen to give them a language and a historical awareness of how exactly we came to this moment in time in 2020 and 2021. For me , it felt like the most powerful semester or year that I've ever had because of the conversations that the students allowed me to have with them , and because of the rawness of what they were expressing in their writing.
S5:
S4: It's not about saying that this is the only mode to interpret or channel your feelings , but this is a mode , right ? That this is a way to do it. And so offering maybe new possibilities and new opportunities for people who otherwise maybe never thought of poetry as something they would ever come close to. Um. I also see my role as someone who can continue with Jason to demystify poetry , right ? To dispel whatever misconceptions we have about poetry. Um , and really think of it as something of the people that it is an incredibly democratic and accessible form of writing , that as long as you can feel things , you can write a poem.
S5: I'd love to ask you to read some poetry. Can you talk about what you brought to read ? Sure.
S4: I'm going to be reading from , uh , my book. Clap for me. That's not me. Uh , it came out in 2018 out of Rescue Press , and I wrote this book during my MFA at UCSD. And I'm going to read a poem that's called The Yellow. Um , and this poem is inspired by Gertrude Stein. She had a line that said , dirty is yellow. And I remember one time I was applying to a job , and one of the questions was maybe rather problematically , but the person asked me , how would you describe the color yellow to a blind person ? And the only thing I could think of was Gertrude Stein line , and I said , dirty. So , um , that I have that very carved in my brain. I really love how Gertrude Stein experimented with language and imagery. So this poem is called yellow inspired by her. When I was young , I thought the soul was a body part to the right of my heart. And in between the breasts this soul thing would nest. And then one day it fell out. No , it's stuck around too long and made a house of my insides. The walls were yellow , which I now know is the color of hunger. And that's why I crave baby chicks and gold. There was so much furniture shoved inside of me , and even if the decor was mid-century , the style was mortal. My memory is hungry. She wanted me to paint my face every morning. Makeup could enhance better make use of this face. But then my dog licked the second face off clean. That is my favorite movie.
S1: That was KPBS arts reporter Julia Dixon Evans , speaking with San Diego's new poet laureate , Paola Carpio Garcia Carpio. Garcia will launch her two year term with an inaugural reading and panel discussion at the San Diego Central Library on Tuesday , February 18th. Coming up , Beth Accomando and Yazdi join me for a preview of the Oscars and events happening around town.
S6: Of course , as a horror fan , I was thrilled to see the amount of award nominations for the substance , and especially for Demi Moore.
S1: KPBS Midday Edition is back after the break. Welcome back. You're listening to KPBS Midday Edition. I'm Jade Hindman. Today's midday movies hits the red carpet for an Oscar edition. So joining me once again are KPBS Cinema Junkie , Beth Accomando and movie Wallace podcaster Yazdi. Welcome to you both.
S6: Thank you.
S1: Thank you. Okay , so the 97th Academy Awards announced its nominations last Thursday. And here were the nominees for best song.
S7: Amal from Amelia Perez. The journey from the six eight. Like a bird from Sing Sing Me Camino from Amelia Perez. And Never Too Late from Elton John. Never too late.
S1: So you know , Beth , I know the best song category really kind of annoys you. But , you know , there's been a change this year that I know you're quite pleased with. Yes.
S6: Yes. So this year they decided they will not present all the best songs in production numbers during the Oscar broadcast. So I am thrilled about this. I am hoping this is a harbinger of them actually removing the category completely from the nominations list , because having the nomination means that people keep adding songs to their movies for no reason other than to try and get an Oscar nomination. Very happy about this news.
S1: All right. Yazdi your thoughts. Yeah.
S8: Yeah. I'm happy. The Oscar ceremony runs like 3.5 hours. If you can cut out half an hour just from. Just.
S1: Just.
S8: Half an hour. Yeah , just. Just with. I'm good with that.
S1: Okay , well , let's start looking at the nominees this year.
S8: But top on the list for me is the Room Next Door , which is , uh , Pedro Almodovar's , uh , first English language film , which is a beautiful , magnificent kind of meditation on life and death and with gorgeous acting. And that movie was completely shut out , which is a shame. Say what you might about the movie night , bitch. I thought Amy Adams and that is so good. And she definitely deserved recognition in the best female category. And then I think the one that stings the most of all for me is that the movie challengers was completely left out was left out from best film , Best Director , the lead actors. But even within that , I think the one nomination that it missed , which is completely inexcusable , is for its score , because the musical score in that film is just incredible.
S1: Let's listen to some of it. This is Match Point by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross. Well , it's got a lot of energy for sure , but the score is the only thing you like about the film , though. Yes.
S6: Yes. I can't agree with Yazdi about the film as a whole being snubbed , but I do agree the score was awesome. In fact , it was the only thing that kept me watching the movie.
S1:
S6: Megalopolis , I'm sorry. I know it was kind of a glorious mess and it was flawed , but the craft categories , the production design , the costume design , hair and makeup , I mean , all of those things were just spectacular , and I feel like it should have gotten something in one of those categories. But I do feel that Hollywood was prejudiced against it. I think they didn't like the fact that Coppola made this film completely outside the Hollywood studio system , and this is kind of their way of punishing him for that. Another one that I feel got overlooked unfairly is Blitz , and this is from the British director , Steve McQueen. And this so captured what it must have felt like to be in the Blitz in London during the war. The soundscape on this was amazing , the performances , the young kid. I'll also quickly mention Last Showgirl , which the actresses in that Pamela Anderson and Jamie Lee Curtis unfairly overlooked. But I think the snub that hurts the most or stings the most is Clarence Macklin. So he is part of the RTA , which is this rehabilitation through the arts. He was in the film sing , sing , playing a character much like himself. And , you know , his whole life represents this healing through the arts , this rehabilitation through the arts. And his performance was just spectacular. And when he reads Shakespeare , you just want to see him do a whole performance.
S9: When we are born , we cry because we're born to a stage of fools. Mm. And I said , yo , whoever wrote this man had to do the bed before , you know.
S6: So I really feel like that was something unfairly overlooked.
S1: Very powerful movie , for sure.
S6: I think the one that was the biggest surprise for me was Nicole Boys. The film is done completely from the point of view of the two characters , so the perspective changes , but it's told. It's a lot like a Terrence Malick film where it's told in these like brief moments and flashes and memories. It's not a linear narrative script in a traditional sense. So I was really surprised that a film that kind of blew past these traditional boundaries got recognition from the Academy , especially in the Best Picture category. So I was really thrilled to see that in the documentary category. Soundtrack to a coup d'Etat. Again , this was a dense documentary , heavily layered. You were getting images with information , text and graphics with information , voiceover with information , and you were trying to pay attention to all of this in a 2.5 hour documentary. And it was so engrossing and engaging. But again , I thought the complexity of the format might be something that would put off some Academy voters , but I will say in the acting category , my big joy was your A Borisov. In Honora , he plays Igor and he hardly has any lines. And yet he is so compelling and engaging and with so little dialogue , he completely wins us over. And then , of course , as a horror fan , I was thrilled to see the amount of award nominations for the substance , and especially for Demi Moore. And we can hear a little bit of her in this clip from The Substance when she's running her workout show.
S10: Hang in there , ladies. You've got it. You've got it. Whoa ! Ah ! Great workout ladies. All right , I hope I see you next week for Sparkle Your Life. We're gonna work on the lateral abs. You know , the most difficult part to sculpt. But in the meantime , take care of yourself. Wow.
S1: Wow. It reminds me of the trips to victories when my mom was going and I was little. Oh my gosh. Well , Yazdi , which nominations were unexpected for you and really pleased you. Yeah.
S8: Yeah. So first of all , I would agree with Beth on the Euro Borisov nomination. He's a pretty famous actor in Russia , but not well known stateside at all. And he's kind of the movie's secret weapon. You don't really realize how important his character is until that character develops. And so I'm so glad that he got the recognition , but I'm really happy that Sebastian Stan is having such a good year. He was in two movies which were very well received. Interestingly , he got the Best Actor nomination for The Apprentice. Actually , in my opinion , I think he should have been nominated for the other film , which is a different man. I'm also a big , big fan of the movie flow , which picked up a best animated movie , but also , surprisingly , it picked up a Best International Film nomination as well. And that movie is just a salve for the soul. I think it's lovely. Finally , I'm just so pleasantly surprised that a movie that nobody's heard of , which actually isn't even released. It's releasing this Friday. A Brazilian movie called I'm Still Here did so well at the Oscars , and it picked up Best Film , Best International Film , as well as the lead female acting category. So I'm very pleasantly surprised.
S1: All right. Well , okay , so if you could replace three of the best pick nominees that you disapprove of , which would you remove and what would you replace it with ? Yeah. I'll start with you on that. Yes.
S8: Yes. I actually think if you look at the ten movies nominated this year for Best film , it's actually a pretty good list. There is something for everyone. You have the big blockbusters like Dune and Wicked. You have a movie like The Substance , which even 3 or 4 years ago would not have even been considered for nomination. There are smaller movies like The Nickel Boys. It's a really good category. Having said that , I would personally replace wicked , which I think is celebrated enough. I mean , everybody loves it. I would replace that.
S6: Not everybody. Yeah.
S8: Yeah. So I would replace wicked with challengers. Again , I've spoken about this movie before. I unlike Beth , I really love it. It's sexy and it's original and it's unpredictable. And it's just these three characters literally bumping against each other. I love that. I would also replace Amelia Perez with the movie that Beth talked about just a few minutes ago , which is sing saying , I think sing Sing is such a beautiful , heartfelt movie. Don't get me wrong about Emilia Perez. That movie has so much energy to spare. It is all razzle dazzle , but I think it kind of makes a lot of missteps as far as the plot is concerned. And finally , A Complete Unknown is a perfectly good film , but I think it's very workmanlike. It does its job and it does it very well. But I would personally have replaced it with wonderful , smaller films that could have used the recognition movies like Didi or Love Lies Bleeding or all the Imagine is Light.
S1: Beth , I think you were even less pleased.
S6: So I always seem less pleased than.
S10: You do. Lately.
S1: Lately. This is becoming a pattern , I see. Uh , what would you do ? What would you replace ? Definitely.
S6: I would take wicked out. 2.5 hours and it's not even done. So one of my favorite films from last year was a horror film called Strange Darling , which I hate to say anything about it because it's the surprise of where it goes that is so effective. But I will say that it is such a carefully calibrated movie , excellently scripted , precisely edited , well acted , like so good on so many points that I would definitely put it up there in the best Film category and replace wicked with that. I also have some problems with Emilio Perez. I love this director , Jacques Audiard. He's very flamboyant and audacious , and I love that he tackles cinema in very exciting ways. But I had some issues with how the plot used transitioning , and a character who transitions as kind of a gimmick in the plot , so I would replace it with a film that I think has much more interesting and layered representation of trans characters , and that's I saw the TV glow. I also think even as audacious as Amelia Perez was , I think I saw the TV glow is even more ambitious , and this was directed by James Brown , and she identifies as trans feminine and non-binary. And I think she tells a story of the trans community , I think , in a much more interesting way. And I think part of the problem with that film is that there is a bleakness and darkness to it , and I think Amelia Perez feels much more celebratory , so I can understand why voters might not have picked it. But I just think it was an amazing film from last year. And then I would also replace a complete unknown , but I would probably put in Blitz because I really thought that was a wonderful film.
S1: Well , we asked some San Diego cinephiles their thoughts on the Oscars , and here's what they had to say.
S11: Hey , it's Eddie from popcorn , and I am upset about some of the things the Academy did this year. Gladiator two not getting a Best Picture nod. Not getting a Ridley Scott nod. Not getting a Denzel Washington nod. I thought that movie was top tier. Ridley Scott.
S12: Hi , this is Gabby , aka seven Octobers. The host of Nightmare on Sedgwick Avenue podcast. I was really shocked that Strange Darling didn't get a nomination for either Best Cinematography or Best Picture. It was one of my favorite films of 2024.
S13: Hello , my name is Celeste Lopez and I'm a full time security here in San Diego. I believe that one of the biggest snubs to come out of the Oscars was the omission of Nicole Kidman , as she did not receive a nomination for Best Actress , despite all the critical acclaim of her role in Baby Girl.
S11: Baby Girl not getting major nominations. I think that that movie was really a triumph for A24 and everybody involved in it.
S12: If I had to , like , replace any nomination , I think it would be in the Best Original Song category , and I would remove the Camino from the Emilio Pérez movie and replace it with smile. Two. New brain is the name of the song.
S13: I was also very happy to see the substance of personal favorite of mine getting notoriety as I feel the film truly deserved all three nominations.
S14: Hey everyone , Sterling Dano here. I just wanted to take a moment to thank the Academy from the bottom of my heart for nominating Luca Guadagnino's Challengers for not only Best Original Score , Best Editing , and Best Lead Actor. Oh wait , I forgot they gave all of those actually to Wicked and Emilia Perez.
S1: Okay , so we've been talking a lot about movies , and I'm curious to know if you all ever leave the theaters and then just kind of get out in the world and do something fun.
S6: No. Okay.
S1: Okay.
S8: So , you know , food and movies. Nothing's better than that. So I'm really excited that the San Diego Restaurant Week starts. It's a really good opportunity to go to some of the more expensive restaurants and have a tasting of their , you know , menu at much lower prices. So I'm looking forward to that. And then this weekend is also the Chinese Lunar New Year. And there's going to be celebrations all around town at SeaWorld San Diego Zoo , at the Mission Valley Mall , and finally , the Old Globe opens its new season with the play appropriate , which was playing on Broadway a little while ago. And it's supposed to be about two siblings , two brothers who show up at their at their deceased father's home to kind of clean out the home , and they find a relic which makes them rethink their whole family. So I kind of like those kind of deep , dark secrets kind of place. So I'm looking forward to watching that as well.
S1: Wow , great recommendations there , Beth.
S6: I'm not sure I'm going to be able to do anything else this weekend , but if I did , I was desperately trying to get into puppy yoga. I feel like world events are making me a little stressed out , and having a bunch of puppies run over me while I try to do yoga sounds really appealing , but if you're into games , Gamer Con is returning to 10th Avenue Arts Center this weekend , and that's always fun. And then I am a total vintage flea market type person , so Vintage Social Club San Diego has a vintage flea market this weekend over at the Normal Heights Masonic Center.
S1: That sounds interesting.
S6: Oh , no.
S1: Ventriloquist dummies. Come on. All the creepy things.
S6: Well , I mean , you can find lovely things also. I mean , I was at one , and I found an old Italian cookbook. So you can find books , you can find clothes , you can find all sorts of things. But I do look for ventriloquist dummies just to scare my friend.
S1:
S8: I'll come. I'll come for the for the cookbook. But not for the dummy. No.
S1: Well , for our final recommendations for the weekend , let's go to a local artist.
S15: Hi , I'm Jen from Horror Gasm we're an indie comic imprint , and we also host horror themed events throughout San Diego. But this weekend , I'm excited about Punxsutawney. Sunday at Winston's in Ocean Beach. Doors is open at 3 p.m. it features Mo and the failure , the midnight block , and more. I love shows like this because it's punk rock at a reasonable hour , and I can't think of a better way to spend a Sunday in San Diego than listening to local punk music and enjoying the beach.
S1: All right , well , I want to thank the artist and our guest , KPBS Cinema Junkie Beth Accomando and Movie Wallace. Podcaster Yazdi Avila of the 97th Academy Awards will be broadcast on Sunday , March 2nd. You can find the complete list of nominees , as well as more information on our weekend recommendations@kpbs.org. Thanks so much for joining us.
S6: Thank you.
S8: Thank you.
S1: That's our show for today. I'm your host , Jade Hindman. Thanks for tuning in to Midday Edition. Be sure to have a great day on purpose , everyone.
