“I haven’t been to the ballet” – a confession that could cost you $20 million?

Photo below - snubbed actor Timothee Chalamet reacts to rumors that he has been dropped from the upcoming space opera "Dune 3", and the whole film is being re-shot as a ballet . . .

Musical tastes are personal, so keep them to yourself Timothee Chalamet! Saying the quiet part out loud is never a good idea. In this case, observing that attendance may be declining at ballet and opera. Those performances often rely on philanthropists and government grants to keep them afloat. Sort of the anti-Taylor Swift Era's vibe, a tour which raked in $2 billion.

This ballet melee has now cost Timothee Chalamet (his real name) a best actor Oscar. And “Marty Supreme”, the film he starred in, went from 9 Oscar nominations to zero wins. We live in a harsh world, in case you hadn’t noticed. But all this because of ballet? Really?

Members of the Academy of Motion Picture (dark) Arts and Sciences may have mistakenly assumed Timothee hates ballet. Nothing could be further from the truth. His mother Nicole Flender danced with the New York City Ballet after studying at Fiorello H. LaGuardia School of Music and Arts in NYC. Following her ballet career Nicole appeared in Broadway revivals of Fiddler on the Roof and Hello Dolly. So, my theory is that Timothee’s offhand observation about attendance was more of a shout-out to his mother, rather than a snark at ballet.

In any case, it cost him BIG bucks. An actor can usually expect a 20-50% salary bump after winning best actor. Timothee earned $46 million last year alone. Estimated income losses? Possibly $10-$20 million annually.

But I’m NOT here to lament of Timothee’s missing millions. I’m sure he will survive. I was just caught off guard that the litmus test for best actor award has pivoted from actual on-screen achievement to how much support you demonstrate for unrelated forms of entertainment. Starting now, nobody can cast shade on anything, even if it’s true. Feelings are so easily hurt!

This might explain why celebrity rapist Harvey Weinstein (current address: Rikers Island Prison) got away with his crime spree for so long. Weinstein was producer of the 1999 best picture winner “Shakespeare in Love”. Academy voters may felt uncomfortable at speaking out about Weinstein, and rallied around him as a fellow film artist. It’s not as if nobody knew . . . Weinstein was trying to bang Angelina Jolie (age 17) in 1992, after getting her drunk.

Chin up Timothee. Dune 3 comes out later this year. And you’re dating a Kardashian-adjacent supermodel. Everyone gets rehabilitated. Even Will Smith, who was triggered into bitch-slapping Chris Rock after the Oscar hosting comedian launched unleashed an insulting diatribe against Will’s struggling wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. Hang in there Timothee. Get photographed attending an upcoming Met performance of La Bohème (The Bohemian). It's a great opera about artists who embrace unconventional lifestyles.

I’m just sayin’ . . .

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