Though I’m a great admirer of the First Lady, I found Michelle Obama’s appearance… wildly inappropriate in its affirmation of the hard power behind the soft power—the connection of real politics to the representational politics of the movies, of the peculiar and long-standing symbiosis of Washington and Hollywood… 

Richard Brody reviews the 2013 Oscars: http://nyr.kr/139DkAK

Katniss Wins! Sasha Weiss grades last night’s Oscar fashion: http://nyr.kr/13a9eNu

John Cassidy asks, “Is it rational to watch the Oscars?” http://nyr.kr/YwjPua

1. Photograph by Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty. 2. Photograph by Jason Merritt/Getty. 3. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza.

(Source: newyorker.com)