Welcome to the B-List, your weekly roundup of celebrity mess and pop culture. This week: Oscar nominations, the musical chart battle between Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears, and the Superbowl. I’m your host, Ella Barnes. Stick with me.
First up: When the 2024 Oscar nominations were announced on Tuesday morning, January 23rd, the snubs of the two most prominent women involved in “Barbie” — the director, Greta Gerwig, and the lead actress, Margot Robbie — became the breakout story. The film wasn’t completely shut out — it was nominated for Best Picture, while Gerwig picked up a nomination with Noah Baumbach for adapted screenplay, Ryan Gosling for supporting actor, and America Ferrera for supporting actress. In a statement, Gosling wrote quote, “To say that I’m disappointed that they are not nominated in their respective categories would be an understatement.” And in a statement to Variety, Ferrera said she was quote “incredibly disappointed that they weren’t nominated.” Other leading nominees include “Oppenheimer” with 13 nods, “Poor Things” with 11, and “Killers of the Flower Moon” with 10.
Next up: Justin Timberlake’s new single may be called “Selfish,” but it still has to share the charts. Britney Spears’ 2011 track “Selfish” has overtaken Timberlake’s new lead single of the same name on iTunes following a push from Spears fans to support the 13-year-old song. Following the Thursday release of Timberlake’s new single and music video, Spears fans rallied around her own song of the same name on social media, ultimately helping elevate it to the No. 1 spot on the iTunes charts on Friday, January 26th.
Finally: The 2024 Super Bowl matchup has been set. The Kansas City Chiefs will be representing the AFC after beating the Baltimore Ravens 17-10 on Sunday. Representing the NFC will be the San Francisco 49ers after they beat the Detroit Lions 34-31. The Chiefs beat the 49ers during Super Bowl 54, which was Kansas City’s first appearance in the Super Bowl in 50 years. The 2024 Super Bowl takes place on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas. This year, Usher will take the stage to headline the halftime show at Allegiant Stadium.
That’s all for this week. Make sure to check in next Monday to hear about what happens this week in pop culture. For WNUR News, I’m Ella Barnes.
