SLATE MAGAZINE

Online magazine of news, politics, technology, and culture. Combines humor and insight in thoughtful analyses of current events and

political news.

WHY IS MERRICK GARLAND DEFENDING DONALD TRUMP? Shortly before Monday’s filing, one commentator questioned “to what lengths the Justice Department will go to defend the Trump administration’s abuse of power—with its primary concern

ADVICE - SLATE

Advice. Showing 1–20 of 3343. Dear Care and Feeding: My MIL Wastes Her Money on the Most Ridiculous Gifts. Emily Gould. May 31, 2021 5:55

AM.

MEGHAN MARKLE AND PRINCE HARRY BABY NAME EXPLAINED: WHAT’S The daughter that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced they were expecting a few months ago—her impending arrival was just one revelation that came out

DEAR PRUDENCE

Dear Prudence is Slate's advice column, where Danny M. Lavery responds to your questions about relationships at home, work, and beyond. RECENTLY IN PAY DIRT Everything on Slate about Pay Dirt. I Struggle to Pay Our Bills. My Husband Just Bought His Dream Car. THE CHIP SHORTAGE: WHY IT'S HAPPENING AND WHEN CAR AND Semiconductors are the chips that manage functions like data storage, graphic rendering, and power consumption in electrical devices. They

are

HOW TO THINK ABOUT AND HANDLE THIS SIDE EFFECT. Ashley Z. Ritter, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and the chief clinical officer of Dear Pandemic, says that this is a common side effect—from any vaccine. Injecting the COVID VACCINE SIDE EFFECTS: MY WEEK OF HORROR AND JOY The woman injecting my second dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine quickly bandaged my arm as the shot started wiring and inspiring my immune system. I was directed to the 30-minute observation area COULD MICHAEL FLYNN BE COURT-MARTIALED FOR ADVOCATING A COUP? Advertisement. At the Texas conference, Flynn clearly expressed a desire for a coup (“the overthrow or destruction of lawful civil authority”), but he did nothing to create “revolt, violence

SLATE MAGAZINE

Online magazine of news, politics, technology, and culture. Combines humor and insight in thoughtful analyses of current events and

political news.

WHY IS MERRICK GARLAND DEFENDING DONALD TRUMP? Shortly before Monday’s filing, one commentator questioned “to what lengths the Justice Department will go to defend the Trump administration’s abuse of power—with its primary concern

ADVICE - SLATE

Advice. Showing 1–20 of 3343. Dear Care and Feeding: My MIL Wastes Her Money on the Most Ridiculous Gifts. Emily Gould. May 31, 2021 5:55

AM.

MEGHAN MARKLE AND PRINCE HARRY BABY NAME EXPLAINED: WHAT’S The daughter that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced they were expecting a few months ago—her impending arrival was just one revelation that came out

DEAR PRUDENCE

Dear Prudence is Slate's advice column, where Danny M. Lavery responds to your questions about relationships at home, work, and beyond. RECENTLY IN PAY DIRT Everything on Slate about Pay Dirt. I Struggle to Pay Our Bills. My Husband Just Bought His Dream Car. THE CHIP SHORTAGE: WHY IT'S HAPPENING AND WHEN CAR AND Semiconductors are the chips that manage functions like data storage, graphic rendering, and power consumption in electrical devices. They

are

HOW TO THINK ABOUT AND HANDLE THIS SIDE EFFECT. Ashley Z. Ritter, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and the chief clinical officer of Dear Pandemic, says that this is a common side effect—from any vaccine. Injecting the COVID VACCINE SIDE EFFECTS: MY WEEK OF HORROR AND JOY The woman injecting my second dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine quickly bandaged my arm as the shot started wiring and inspiring my immune system. I was directed to the 30-minute observation area COULD MICHAEL FLYNN BE COURT-MARTIALED FOR ADVOCATING A COUP? Advertisement. At the Texas conference, Flynn clearly expressed a desire for a coup (“the overthrow or destruction of lawful civil authority”), but he did nothing to create “revolt, violence

NEWS AND POLITICS

Online magazine of news, politics, technology, and culture. Combines humor and insight in thoughtful analyses of current events and

political news.

SLATE’S MISTAKES FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 7. 4 hours ago · In a June 10 War Stories, Fred Kaplan misidentified New York City mayoral candidate Kathryn Garcia as Latina. She is white; her ex-husband and children are INFLATION AND CPI: THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW ABOUT 16 hours ago · To understand what’s happening with inflation at the moment, you have to dig a tiny bit. For the past two months, the cost of living has been rising quickly. In May, the Consumer Price

Index

HOW TO THINK ABOUT AND HANDLE THIS SIDE EFFECT. Ashley Z. Ritter, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and the chief clinical officer of Dear Pandemic, says that this is a common side effect—from any vaccine. Injecting the IN THE HEIGHTS MOVIE CAMEOS: MARC ANTHONY, VALENTINA, MERO 14 hours ago · In the Heights may be based on a beloved musical that debuted on Broadway more than a decade ago, but even if you’ve seen the show, the new film adaptation in SUPER MARIO BROS. MOVIE RESTORATION: THE STORY BEHIND THE 1 day ago · The “Morton-Jankel Cut,” as it’s called, is the passion project of the Super Mario Bros: The Movie Archive team—Ryan Parente, Steven Applebaum, and Ryan Hoss—who reached out to

filmmaker

ROCHELLE BAKER

Why Louis Vuitton Suddenly Cares About the Logging Business Rochelle Baker. June 10, 2021 1:58 PM . Advertisement COVID VACCINE SIDE EFFECTS: MY WEEK OF HORROR AND JOY The woman injecting my second dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine quickly bandaged my arm as the shot started wiring and inspiring my immune system. I was directed to the 30-minute observation area I’M WEALTHY, AND I WANT MY GIRLFRIEND TO QUIT HER MENIAL 1 day ago · I’m a 55-year-old divorced college professor who earns $140,000 a year (plus interest, dividends, and royalties). I have around $3.5 million in investments, home equity, and savings, so I am IS BIDEN SETTING HARRIS UP TO FAIL? The problem is, let’s say there’s some improvement, not that everything’s all solved, but that things are starting to look better

by 2024.

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Online magazine of news, politics, technology, and culture. Combines humor and insight in thoughtful analyses of current events and

political news.

COULD THE NEW YORK TIMES HAVE PREVENTED 9/11? 54 minutes ago · This article is adapted from “Judy,” the seventh episode of Slow Burn’s fifth season. In 2001, Stephen Engelberg was the investigations editor for the New York Times. One of

his reporters

IN THE HEIGHTS MOVIE VS. STAGE MUSICAL: THE BIGGEST Almost a year after it was originally scheduled for release, the movie adaptation of In the Heights is here at last. The original musical, with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by

ADVICE - SLATE

Advice. Showing 1–20 of 3343. Dear Care and Feeding: My MIL Wastes Her Money on the Most Ridiculous Gifts. Emily Gould. May 31, 2021 5:55

AM.

DEAR PRUDENCE

Dear Prudence is Slate's advice column, where Danny M. Lavery responds to your questions about relationships at home, work, and beyond. COULD MICHAEL FLYNN BE COURT-MARTIALED FOR ADVOCATING A COUP? Advertisement. At the Texas conference, Flynn clearly expressed a desire for a coup (“the overthrow or destruction of lawful civil authority”), but he did nothing to create “revolt, violence CY VANCE GRAND HURY: WILL ALLEN WEISSELBERG FLIP ON DONALD On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. has impaneled a grand jury to determine whether Donald Trump, or HOW TO THINK ABOUT AND HANDLE THIS SIDE EFFECT. Ashley Z. Ritter, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and the chief clinical officer of Dear Pandemic, says that this is a common side effect—from any vaccine. Injecting the CAN TRUMP RUN FOR PRESIDENT FROM PRISON? Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance, Jr. has convened a grand jury to hear evidence of potential financial malfeasance by former President Donald Trump and the NEW MASK GUIDELINES FAIL TO CONSIDER THE IMMUNE-COMPROMISED. New Mask Guidelines Don’t Take a Huge Number of Americans Into Account. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently

announced new

SLATE MAGAZINE

Online magazine of news, politics, technology, and culture. Combines humor and insight in thoughtful analyses of current events and

political news.

COULD THE NEW YORK TIMES HAVE PREVENTED 9/11? 54 minutes ago · This article is adapted from “Judy,” the seventh episode of Slow Burn’s fifth season. In 2001, Stephen Engelberg was the investigations editor for the New York Times. One of

his reporters

ADVICE - SLATE

Advice. Showing 1–20 of 3343. Dear Care and Feeding: My MIL Wastes Her Money on the Most Ridiculous Gifts. Emily Gould. May 31, 2021 5:55

AM.

RECENTLY IN PAY DIRT Everything on Slate about Pay Dirt. I Struggle to Pay Our Bills. My Husband Just Bought His Dream Car.

DEAR PRUDENCE

Dear Prudence is Slate's advice column, where Danny M. Lavery responds to your questions about relationships at home, work, and beyond. THE CHIP SHORTAGE: WHY IT'S HAPPENING AND WHEN CAR AND Semiconductors are the chips that manage functions like data storage, graphic rendering, and power consumption in electrical devices. They

are

HOW TO THINK ABOUT AND HANDLE THIS SIDE EFFECT. Ashley Z. Ritter, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and the chief clinical officer of Dear Pandemic, says that this is a common side effect—from any vaccine. Injecting the COULD MICHAEL FLYNN BE COURT-MARTIALED FOR ADVOCATING A COUP? Advertisement. At the Texas conference, Flynn clearly expressed a desire for a coup (“the overthrow or destruction of lawful civil authority”), but he did nothing to create “revolt, violence COVID VACCINE SIDE EFFECTS: MY WEEK OF HORROR AND JOY The woman injecting my second dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine quickly bandaged my arm as the shot started wiring and inspiring my immune system. I was directed to the 30-minute observation area SNL INTRODUCES MURDUR DURDUR, A CRIME SHOW WITH EVEN MORE If you’ve seen Mare of Easttown (or heard it, really), you know its single most distinctive feature is that Kate Winslet and the read of the cast attempt Philadelphia accents—a regional touch COULD THE NEW YORK TIMES HAVE PREVENTED 9/11? 54 minutes ago · This article is adapted from “Judy,” the seventh episode of Slow Burn’s fifth season. In 2001, Stephen Engelberg was the investigations editor for the New York Times. One of

his reporters

INFLATION AND CPI: THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW ABOUT 2 hours ago · To understand what’s happening with inflation at the moment, you have to dig a tiny bit. For the past two months, the cost of living has been rising quickly. In May, the Consumer Price Index IN THE HEIGHTS MOVIE VS. STAGE MUSICAL: THE BIGGEST Almost a year after it was originally scheduled for release, the movie adaptation of In the Heights is here at last. The original musical, with music and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda and a book by JOE MANCHIN IS COOL WITH MINORITY RULE: POLITICAL GABFEST. 2 hours ago · Joe Manchin, how the Trump DOJ lives on, and George Packer’s four Americas. Listener chatter from Andrew Goetz: Mick West’s YouTube videos explaining UFO DID THE KARDASHIANS’ RELATIONSHIP WITH BLACKNESS IMPROVE 3 hours ago · On this week’s episode of the Waves, Robin Boylorn and Allegra Frank talk about the end of an era, the series finale of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. The reality show airs its final

episode

NEW MASK GUIDELINES FAIL TO CONSIDER THE IMMUNE-COMPROMISED. New Mask Guidelines Don’t Take a Huge Number of Americans Into Account. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently

announced new

ROCHELLE BAKER

Why Louis Vuitton Suddenly Cares About the Logging Business Rochelle Baker. June 10, 2021 1:58 PM . Advertisement GRIEVING THE DOG THAT SHARED THE SAME RARE ILLNESS WITH MY 12 hours ago · I didn’t know what to think when my 4-year-old daughter first became sick. She was suddenly in pain all the time, unable to walk up stairs, and unwilling to play with her friends. Her

wrist had

WHEN CAN YOU BE REQUIRED TO GET A VACCINE? Any suitable candidate for a COVID-19 vaccine can voluntarily choose whether to get the shot when the opportunity arises.Mandates, however,

set

I’M WEALTHY, AND I WANT MY GIRLFRIEND TO QUIT HER MENIAL 1 day ago · I’m a 55-year-old divorced college professor who earns $140,000 a year (plus interest, dividends, and royalties). I have around $3.5 million in investments, home equity, and savings, so I am

SLATE MAGAZINE

Online magazine of news, politics, technology, and culture. Combines humor and insight in thoughtful analyses of current events and

political news.

ADVICE - SLATE

Advice. Showing 1–20 of 3343. Dear Care and Feeding: My MIL Wastes Her Money on the Most Ridiculous Gifts. Emily Gould. May 31, 2021 5:55

AM.

RECENTLY IN PAY DIRT Everything on Slate about Pay Dirt. I Struggle to Pay Our Bills. My Husband Just Bought His Dream Car. THE CHIP SHORTAGE: WHY IT'S HAPPENING AND WHEN CAR AND Semiconductors are the chips that manage functions like data storage, graphic rendering, and power consumption in electrical devices. They

are

NEW MASK GUIDELINES FAIL TO CONSIDER THE IMMUNE-COMPROMISED. New Mask Guidelines Don’t Take a Huge Number of Americans Into Account. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently

announced new

OPEN THREAD

May 10, 2021 12:01 AM. Bird Jaguar IV, in This Week’s Open Thread. May 03, 2021 12:02 AM. Climb Every Mountain, in This Week’s Open

Thread. April 26,

THE WORST BASEBALL PLAY EVER: WILL CRAIG'S ERROR ON JAVY Pictured above is Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Will Craig. Today, Thursday, May 27, 2021, Craig made what I believe to be the absolute worst play I’ve ever seen in a baseball game. Please

DEAR PRUDENCE

Dear Prudence is Slate's advice column, where Danny M. Lavery responds to your questions about relationships at home, work, and beyond. HOW TO THINK ABOUT AND HANDLE THIS SIDE EFFECT. Ashley Z. Ritter, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and the chief clinical officer of Dear Pandemic, says that this is a common side effect—from any vaccine. Injecting the FORD'S F-150 LIGHTNING WEIGHS MORE THAN ALMOST ANY CAR ON Joe Biden had some words of praise for the Ford F-150 Lightning, the brand new electric pickup truck that the president test-drove in Michigan this week: “This sucker’s quick.” The F-150 has

SLATE MAGAZINE

Online magazine of news, politics, technology, and culture. Combines humor and insight in thoughtful analyses of current events and

political news.

ADVICE - SLATE

Advice. Showing 1–20 of 3343. Dear Care and Feeding: My MIL Wastes Her Money on the Most Ridiculous Gifts. Emily Gould. May 31, 2021 5:55

AM.

RECENTLY IN PAY DIRT Everything on Slate about Pay Dirt. I Struggle to Pay Our Bills. My Husband Just Bought His Dream Car. COVID VACCINE: WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT PEOPLE WHO DON’T WANT IT. The good news is that the pool of refusers is small. On average, across polls, hesitaters represent about 20 percent of the population. Refusers represent about 15 percent. NEW MASK GUIDELINES FAIL TO CONSIDER THE IMMUNE-COMPROMISED. New Mask Guidelines Don’t Take a Huge Number of Americans Into Account. When the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently

announced new

THE CHIP SHORTAGE: WHY IT'S HAPPENING AND WHEN CAR AND Semiconductors are the chips that manage functions like data storage, graphic rendering, and power consumption in electrical devices. They

are

OPEN THREAD

May 10, 2021 12:01 AM. Bird Jaguar IV, in This Week’s Open Thread. May 03, 2021 12:02 AM. Climb Every Mountain, in This Week’s Open

Thread. April 26,

DEAR PRUDENCE

Dear Prudence is Slate's advice column, where Danny M. Lavery responds to your questions about relationships at home, work, and beyond. THE WORST BASEBALL PLAY EVER: WILL CRAIG'S ERROR ON JAVY Pictured above is Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman Will Craig. Today, Thursday, May 27, 2021, Craig made what I believe to be the absolute worst play I’ve ever seen in a baseball game. Please FORD'S F-150 LIGHTNING WEIGHS MORE THAN ALMOST ANY CAR ON Joe Biden had some words of praise for the Ford F-150 Lightning, the brand new electric pickup truck that the president test-drove in Michigan this week: “This sucker’s quick.” The F-150 has

NEWS AND POLITICS

Online magazine of news, politics, technology, and culture. Combines humor and insight in thoughtful analyses of current events and

political news.

WHY IS MERRICK GARLAND DEFENDING DONALD TRUMP? 11 hours ago · On Monday, the Justice Department took its most controversial position yet under Attorney General Merrick Garland, when lawyers for the department confirmed that KATIE PORTER INTERVIEW: CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT NEEDS TO 17 hours ago · Katie Porter: Before I came to Congress, I was a consumer protection advocate, I was a law professor, and I took on this big role of trying to help SEWA INTERNATIONAL: COVID RELIEF DONATIONS ARE SUPPORTING 23 hours ago · Sewa’s initiative has become well-known within and beyond the Indian diaspora: Stories of distraught Indian Americans encouraging Sewa donations have THE GOLDEN RATIO IS THE MOST IRRATIONAL NUMBER. 15 hours ago · Among the mysteries of the irrationals, one number holds a special place: the so-called golden ratio.The golden ratio’s value is about 1.618 (but not exactly 1.618, since then it would be

the

MEGHAN HARRY BABY NAME: WHAT’S ACTUALLY WEIRD ABOUT “LILIBET.” 12 hours ago · The daughter that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry announced they were expecting a few months ago—her impending arrival was just one revelation that came out JEFF BEZOS AND THE VERY BRIEF HISTORY OF SPACE TOURISM. 12 hours ago · The founder of Cirque du Soleil paid $35 million to go to the ISS—and then spent years trying to convince the Canadian government it was a business trip. ELIN HILDERBRAND AND CASEY MCQUISTON DELETE LINES IN 11 hours ago · Elin Hilderbrand writes novels about people who summer in Nantucket and have lots of family secrets and complicated love lives. The books—whose covers feature beach scenes with DON’T HAVE STAMINA TO “RAIL” WIFE: SEX ADVICE. 15 hours ago · Dear How to Do It, I am a 30-year-old married mother of two. My husband works, and I stay home and manage the house and family. Most of my time is devoted to that. MUSLIM AMERICAN BABY NAMES: MY QUEST TO GIVE MY SON A NAME 23 hours ago · Not long ago, I sent a short list of Arabic names to a non-Arab friend with no explanation. I asked him to send me back an audio recording where he read them all back to me, to the best of his

SLATE MAGAZINE

Online magazine of news, politics, technology, and culture. Combines humor and insight in thoughtful analyses of current events and

political news.

NEWS AND POLITICS

Online magazine of news, politics, technology, and culture. Combines humor and insight in thoughtful analyses of current events and

political news.

ADVICE - SLATE

Advice. Showing 1–20 of 3343. Dear Care and Feeding: My MIL Wastes Her Money on the Most Ridiculous Gifts. Emily Gould. May 31, 2021 5:55

AM.

AIR TRAVEL AFTER VACCINATION: A FLIGHT ATTENDANT ON HOW To get a sense of what air travel has been like for the cabin crews witnessing post-lockdown Americans at their most boisterous—and sometimes ugliest—Slate spoke with Brian, a flight attendant

HUMAN INTEREST

Online magazine of news, politics, technology, and culture. Combines humor and insight in thoughtful analyses of current events and

political news.

RECENTLY IN PAY DIRT Everything on Slate about Pay Dirt. My Son’s Wife Thinks We’re Still Paying for Her Kids’ Fancy School After She Divorces Him

DEAR PRUDENCE

Dear Prudence is Slate's advice column, where Danny M. Lavery responds to your questions about relationships at home, work, and beyond. COULD MICHAEL FLYNN BE COURT-MARTIALED FOR ADVOCATING A COUP? June 01, 20214:16 PM. Former General Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s recently pardoned national security adviser, departs a protest of the outcome of the 2020 presidential election THE CHIP SHORTAGE: WHY IT'S HAPPENING AND WHEN CAR AND Semiconductors are the chips that manage functions like data storage, graphic rendering, and power consumption in electrical devices. They

are

FORD'S F-150 LIGHTNING WEIGHS MORE THAN ALMOST ANY CAR ON Joe Biden had some words of praise for the Ford F-150 Lightning, the brand new electric pickup truck that the president test-drove in Michigan this week: “This sucker’s quick.” The F-150 has

SLATE MAGAZINE

Online magazine of news, politics, technology, and culture. Combines humor and insight in thoughtful analyses of current events and

political news.

NEWS AND POLITICS

Online magazine of news, politics, technology, and culture. Combines humor and insight in thoughtful analyses of current events and

political news.

ADVICE - SLATE

Advice. Showing 1–20 of 3343. Dear Care and Feeding: My MIL Wastes Her Money on the Most Ridiculous Gifts. Emily Gould. May 31, 2021 5:55

AM.

AIR TRAVEL AFTER VACCINATION: A FLIGHT ATTENDANT ON HOW To get a sense of what air travel has been like for the cabin crews witnessing post-lockdown Americans at their most boisterous—and sometimes ugliest—Slate spoke with Brian, a flight attendant

HUMAN INTEREST

Online magazine of news, politics, technology, and culture. Combines humor and insight in thoughtful analyses of current events and

political news.

RECENTLY IN PAY DIRT Everything on Slate about Pay Dirt. My Son’s Wife Thinks We’re Still Paying for Her Kids’ Fancy School After She Divorces Him

DEAR PRUDENCE

Dear Prudence is Slate's advice column, where Danny M. Lavery responds to your questions about relationships at home, work, and beyond. COULD MICHAEL FLYNN BE COURT-MARTIALED FOR ADVOCATING A COUP? June 01, 20214:16 PM. Former General Michael Flynn, President Donald Trump’s recently pardoned national security adviser, departs a protest of the outcome of the 2020 presidential election THE CHIP SHORTAGE: WHY IT'S HAPPENING AND WHEN CAR AND Semiconductors are the chips that manage functions like data storage, graphic rendering, and power consumption in electrical devices. They

are

FORD'S F-150 LIGHTNING WEIGHS MORE THAN ALMOST ANY CAR ON Joe Biden had some words of praise for the Ford F-150 Lightning, the brand new electric pickup truck that the president test-drove in Michigan this week: “This sucker’s quick.” The F-150 has SUPPORT SLATE'S JOURNALISM. SUBSCRIBE TO SLATE PLUS. Support Slate's journalism with a Slate Plus subscription and receive a suite of benefits, including unlimited articles and ad-free

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OPEN THREAD

May 10, 2021 12:01 AM. Bird Jaguar IV, in This Week’s Open Thread. May 03, 2021 12:02 AM. Climb Every Mountain, in This Week’s Open

Thread. April 26,

KATIE PORTER INTERVIEW: CONGRESSIONAL OVERSIGHT NEEDS TO 4 hours ago · Katie Porter: Before I came to Congress, I was a consumer protection advocate, I was a law professor, and I took on this big role of trying to help make sure that the big banks, which

had signed a

THE GOLDEN RATIO IS THE MOST IRRATIONAL NUMBER. 2 hours ago · Among the mysteries of the irrationals, one number holds a special place: the so-called golden ratio.The golden ratio’s value is about 1.618 (but not exactly 1.618, since then it would be

the

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LAURA DERN’S OSCAR WIN AND SPEECH WERE GREAT, BUT THE DERNAISSANCE PEAKED THE NIGHT BEFORE

By Dan Kois

Feb 10, 202012:20 AM

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Laura Dern’s ascendance has spanned decades, but its culmination happened before the Academy Awards. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

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“This is the best birthday present ever,” Laura Dern said at the end of her charming—if less daffy than longtime Dern aficionados might hope—acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actress on Sunday night. Dern’s birthday is actually Monday, when she turns 53, and for 35 of those years we’ve been watching her take unbelievable risks and bring brilliant light and darkness to screens both big and small. Her decadeslong artistic partnership with David Lynch has long been the work for which cinephiles revere her—for several decades the closest she came to an Oscar was Lynch’s quixotic one-man

campaign

for her performance in _Inland Empire_

—but

over the past 10 years a new generation of directors and writers have found Dern. Mike White, Paul Thomas Anderson, Jean-Marc Vallée, Ramin Bahrani, Kelly Reichardt, Jennifer Fox, Rian Johnson—they grew up with Dern’s performances in the 1980s and 1990s, and their embrace of Dern is the reason the Dernaissance has taken hold. This year, Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach found in Dern the perfect moral compass, of sorts, for their films. As Marmee in _Little Women

_,

Dern was loving, fierce, “angry nearly every day.” As divorce lawyer Nora Fanshaw in _Marriage Story

_,

she was uncompromising yet, at the end, a symbol of the limitations of the adversarial system to which Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson’s characters subjected themselves to. In Dern’s showcase _Marriage Story _scene, she explains to Johansson why she may not admit to any weakness in court—because the court, she reminds Johansson, exists in a patriarchal society that “can accept an imperfect dad” but not “those same failings in mothers.” It’s a fiercely feminist speech, yes, but also a rallying cry from an attorney determined to make sure her client doesn’t risk the win she feels she deserves. The heart of Dern’s thank-you speech was a tribute to her parents, “my acting heroes,” Diane Ladd and Bruce Dern. Laura Dern’s first nomination came in 1992, when she was nominated alongside her mother for the undersung coming-of-age drama _Rambling Rose

_.

To see Ladd out in the audience, 28 years later, tearing up at her daughter’s speech, was a remarkable bookend to that unique moment, still the only time a mother and daughter have been nominated for the

same film.

Dern’s speech was understated and lovely. I wonder if it wasn’t a kind of response to what happened to her at Saturday night’s Independent Spirit Awards, where the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles sang a comic tribute to the queerest moments in this year’s films. The song ended with a glorious, triumphant chorus of “LAURA DERNNNNN! LAURA DERNNNN!” Dern stood, delighted, and danced along, and the affirmation and love directed to her from the stage—from the entire room, from the generation that has come to her work and found an icon and a hero—felt like a kind of benediction. I loved Dern’s sweet Oscar speech, but it was _this_ moment that I’ll remember as the awards-season pinnacle of glorious, wild Dernitude. _READ MORE IN SLATE ABOUT THE OSCARS.

___

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Just Let Maya Rudolph Host the Dang Oscars AlreadySlate

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Adam Sandler Used His Spirit Awards Acceptance Speech to Explain That He Is Not Mad About the OscarsSlate

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Joe Biden Just Called a Woman at One of His Events a “Lying, Dog-Faced Pony Soldier.” What?Slate

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