So, on the heels of Anne Hathaway’s classy, brilliant, PR-approved and/or triumph against the men-being-pigs patriarchy (depending on whether you subscribe to both, one, or none of these POVs, but they’re both worth knowing about …
… and the whole having to endure the awfulness of paparazzi taking upskirt photos of her and then posting them with the intention of going viral …
… comes the revelation, in yesterday’s New York Times, that Anne Hathaway is something of a Macklemore and Ryan Lewis fan.
In between fielding a flurry of media calls regarding yesterday’s many Oscar nominations for Les Miserables, Hathaway revealed that she was delightedly singing the “This is f-ing awesome” hook from the rapper/producer’s “Thrift Shop.” (Which would, in a just world, be up for an Oscar next month for best music video. Why isn’t this a category by now?)
Hathaway and co-star Hugh Jackman also expressed regrets that director Tom Hooper wasn’t nominated for best director. But that’s the trick with the Oscars — ten nominated for best picture, only five nominated for best director. It’s bound to happen, especially in the types of films where the subtleties and artistic nuances of directing might be more immediately evident.
Pop Culture Diary 
In the Wake of Awfulness, Patton Oswalt Emerges
Yesterday’s Boston Marathon tragedy — which has all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack — was possibly the most awful and unwelcome surprise of its kind since 9/11. The revelations came in dire waves — first news of explosions, then injuries, then really gruesome injuries, possible fatalities (which eventually did manifest), and then the lingering question of “Who did this?” while TV media played footage of the initial blast over and over. People responded admirably for the most part with their computers — Google set up a person finder, Mr. Rogers’ advice to “look for the helpers” popped up on Facebook, Twitter took on its usual real-time disaster resource role, and love and concern for Boston made its way around.
But it was comedian Patton Oswalt who emerged as the Mr. Rogers-like voice of reason in response to this tragic event. ABC News’ blog summarizes what happened, and even Fox & Friends host Gretchen Carlson mentioned it this morning (along with the Mr. Rogers bon mots). It’s a weird day in America when the genius who skewered “The Christmas Shoes” and who famously called KFC’s Famous Bowl “a failure pile in a sadness bowl” can be lauded by F&F as healing ‘Merica.