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How 'Moonlight's' shocking win ricocheted across Twitter.

The end of the 89th Academy Awards was one for the ages — and that's an understatement.

"Moonlight" writer-director Barry Jenkins accepts the Academy Award for Best Picture. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images.

"Moonlight's" stunning upset victory over early frontrunner "La La Land" was made even more shocking by the fact that presenters Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway initially awarded the Best Picture trophy to the wrong film. Thinking they'd won, "La La Land's" producers delivered their entire acceptance speeches — only to hand the award off when they realized what had happened.

In many ways, this moment was exactly what Twitter was built for.

The mix-up unleashed a tidal wave of snark, followed by chaos, followed by jubilation — all playing out in real time.

Initially, supporters of "Moonlight" — who were stung that a groundbreaking black queer coming-of-age story would likely be shut out by a conventional Hollywood romance — prepared themselves for disappointment.

Starting with a win for Best Production Design, it seemed like "La La Land" was poised for a clean sweep of the night's biggest awards.

Tweeters of color in particular — including some of the most prominent voices on black Twitter — were less than pleased, especially when "La La Land" appeared to have claimed the night's top prize.

Then it happened. "La La Land" producer Jordan Horowitz stepped up to the mic and announced the mistake. "Moonlight" had actually won.

At first, it seemed like it might be a terrible prank.

But pretty quickly, it became clear Horowitz wasn't kidding. All hell broke loose.

News organizations had to adjust their breaking news alerts.

Shock and disbelief reverberated across social media.

When the confusion died down, it became clear the seemingly impossible had happened.

"Moonlight" had won Best Picture. For real.

And the celebration began.

The shocking upset victory was hailed as a long-overdue win for marginalized groups of artists...

...and for moviegoers who have waited just as long to see themselves on screen.

Many saw a deeper symbolism in the chaos and confusion.

Others praised the "La La Land" team for reacting to an enormously difficult moment with grace.

Most, however, were simply thrilled.

This victory for "Moonlight" may or may not represent a sea change in the way the Oscars does business.

Time will tell whether the Academy is truly committed to rewarding greater diversity in film. And "La La Land" deserves all the awards it won and critical recognition it's received.

But last night, a small, gorgeous, unsparing, nuanced movie about the life of a gay black kid in Miami, written and directed by artists of color, took home the top prize. What's more? It deserved it.

Now, more than ever, that matters.

Family

Quick-thinking mom finds her lost toddler in a Kmart thanks to TikTok hack

via Jess Martini / Tik Tok

This article originally appeared on 01.27.21


There are few things as frightening to a parent than losing your child in a crowded place like a shopping mall, zoo, or stadium. The moment you realize your child is missing, it's impossible not to consider the terrifying idea they may have been kidnapped.

A woman in New Zealand recently lost her son in a Kmart but was able to locate him because of a potentially life-saving parenting hack she saw on TikTok a few months ago.

The woman was shopping at the retailer when she realized her two-year-old son Nathan was missing. She immediately told a friend to alert the staff to ensure he didn't leave through the store's front exit.

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life hacks
Education

Sadly, the inventor of the Trapper Keeper passed away. Do you remember these iconic '80s folders?

Now, you can relive the '80s for under $11.

via Amazon

One of the most iconic Trapper Keeper designs.

E. Bryant Crutchfield died in Marietta, Georgia, on August 21 at the age of 85. His son told The New York Times his cause of death was bone cancer. Crutchfield will forever be known for creating an invention that helped kids in the ’80s and early ’90s show off their personalities while keeping their schoolwork in order.

In 1978, according to a profile by Mental Floss, he invented Gen X’s most iconic back-to-school must-have, the Trapper Keeper.

The Trapper Keeper consisted of two parts. The Trapper, a folder with angled pockets to hold your papers and the Keeper, a notebook that holds multiple Trappers. Together, secured by a strip of Velcro and adorned with a radical graphic on the front, they made up the iconic Trapper Keeper.

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1980s nostalgia
Pop Culture

Have you noticed your favorite shows don't look as good as they used to? This viral post explains why.

A fascinating look at quality versus quantity.

Fandom Wiki/ Nola Yost/Facebook

One of these things is not like the other.

For fantasy fans, it truly is the best of times, and the worst of times. On the bright side—there’s more magic wielding, dragon riding, caped crusading content than ever before. Yay to that.

On the other hand, have you noticed that with all these shows, something feels … off?

No, that’s not just adulthood stripping you of childlike wonder. There is a subtle, yet undeniable decline in how these shows are being made, and your eyes are picking up on it. Nolan Yost, a freelance wigmaker living in New York City, explains the shift in his now viral Facebook post.

The post, which has been shared nearly 3,500 times, attributes shows being “mid,” (aka mediocre, or my favorite—meh) mostly to the new streaming-based studio system, which quite literally prioritizes quantity over quality, pumping out new content as fast as possible to snag a huge fan base.

The result? A “Shein era of mass media,” Yost says, adding that “the toll it takes on costuming and hair/makeup has made almost every new release from Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu have a B-movie visual quality.”

He even had some pictures to prove it.

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fandom
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