#omar vanderkoff

[thevanitychariot]

The Chariot: Issue VII

Original Publication Date: 09 November 2019

The End of the Harland Empire By: Aramis Giordano Original Publication Date: 28 August 2019

A scorching Thursday was the setting of the most-talked about presidential election within Hollywood Studios on August 1st which named the successor to the current incumbent president, Lawrence Harland.

History of Harland. It was a tumultuous era during the November 11, 2015 handover, when the previous Hollywood president, Benjamin Sutton, handed the studio over to his sitting vice president, Lawrence Harland, in the midst of a crumbling entertainment industry. The Stagnant Age overwhelmed Hollywood Studios when Lawrence Harland took the initiative to increase audience participation to get the industry out of Great Depression.

When Lawrence Harland took over, Carlsburgh Mysteries was on its peak with Davis Wylde securing multiple movie deals for the generation's most influential show; The MC Company was established to compete against Hollywood Studios; and The Stagnant Age was still going strong for three years already - the longest generation to have ever graced the industry.

Lawrence Harland was tasked to get Hollywood out of entertainment industry's stagnation, in which he did. He focused all his attention to the Ross Awards for he believed that the award ceremonies would get everyone to produce more movies for competition.

The first Ross Awards saw nominees from movies released two years prior, but the following ceremony in 2015 nominated movies released that year alone with 1906, The Eureka Moment, and Trisomy-21 being the topics of conversation throughout the nomination process.

The following Ross Awards became the driving force of Lawrence Harland's prolific time as the president. He oversaw the release of all the movies that shaped Vanessa Harding and Caleb Adams as actors; he provided a platform for Davis Wylde to explore his ideas outside of Carlsburgh Mysteries; and he cemented the reputation of being the man who lifted the industry out of stagnation - one that Benjamin Sutton failed to accomplish during his presidency.

Perhaps Lawrence Harland provided Davis Wylde a platform too big that he became his main competitor in the years that followed. After releasing Dandridge, Davis Wylde continued to capture the audience with movies such as the highly-profitable Sword Art Online series and Your Lie in April, the first movie to be produced by MC-Wylde.

Two years after Lawrence Harland helmed the industry, Davis Wylde realized the power he held with Carlsburgh and Sword Art Online and proceeded to buy his way out of the Hollywood contract to form Davis Wylde Studios. His self-titled studio soon merged with The MC Company, creating a mega empire that would soon cripple Hollywood Studios. It was a friendly competition between the two mega studios, until the audience started questioning Lawrence Harland's administration.

It all began with X Factor Season 8 when its director, Omar Vanderkoff, kicked Bodhi Zhao and Caterina Sultana out of the show to maintain an all-White cast. Widespread protests followed which became the first of many to tarnish Lawrence Harland's reputation.

After the cancellation of X Factor following the backlash due to Omar Vanderkoff's decision, Lawrence Harland promoted him to Chairman of Hollywood Studios because of his previous line of work for giving rise to celebrities like Aubree Jones, Chase Baker, Caleb Adams, and River Johnson; this move later cost Lawrence Harland to further tarnish his reputation with the 2017 Ross Awards and the release of an all-White Tokyo Ghoul.

December 9, 2017 was the date of the Ross Awards where Davis Wylde's Asian-heavy contenders were expected to take over the pool of winners; instead, the ceremony was left silent followed by the loudest commotion when the Best Actress was awarded to River Johnson.

An internal investigation suggested that Hollywood Studios' Chairman Omar Vanderkoff had everything to do with River Johnson's win, just as how he drove both Bodhi Zhao and Caterina Sultana out of X Factor.

Hollywood Studios continued to be shaken up especially after the release of an all-White cast for the adaptation of the Japanese manga, Tokyo Ghoul. Once again, the common denominator was a man named Omar Vanderkoff.

With MC-Wylde continuing to be successful, Lawrence Harland was taken over by scandals upon scandals and had to divert his focus into dealing with the internal affairs within Hollywood Studios.

Adamant with his refusal to dismiss Omar Vanderkoff from his position until further and more concrete evidence surface for his corrupt roles involving River Johnson's win, Lawrence Harland nailed the coffin to his presidential career.

Contrary to how he earned his title as president, he decided to host a democratic election to find his replacement. Among the four candidates, one would take over to cleanse the studios and restart over. And for Omar Vanderkoff, he was not given the opportunity to run and was officially dismissed from his post in July.

Vice President Neal Polanski, two-time Ross Award winning director Mercer Leigh Stanley, newcomer Kenya Shamekh-Garfield, and seasoned-director Emerson Wright vied to replace the incumbent leader.

There is not a doubt that Lawrence Harland led the entertainment industry into a renaissance, but this very action also became his poison. His introduction of Davis Wylde to fix the industry became the cause of his fall. Only time will tell if his reputation ages for the better where the industry recognizes his contributions towards a better entertainment industry, or for the worse where his corruption scandals will linger on for generations to come.

Nominees. Vice President Neal Polanski is unfortunate enough to carry Lawrence Harland's reputation. Being his vice president, Neal Polanski saw himself in the cease-fire between the media and the mega studios; therefore, his run for presidency was nothing short of corruption, nepotism, and racism discussions. He was given scenarios where he could have successfully done something to rid the studio of Omar Vanderkoff, yet he remained silent.

Neal Polanski will live behind the shadow of Lawrence Harland's mistakes as a president, and until that subsides, the public will continue to not have any trust in him. It was no surprise that he was the first to be eliminated from the race.

Two-time Ross Award winning director Mercer Leigh Stanley was a top contender. She has the name and the reputation for her works in Trisomy-21 (2015) and Boys Over Flowers (2017) both recognized as Best Pictures, the first person to win a Ross Award twice.

Indeed, Mercer Leigh Stanley's reputation followed her. Her controversial Best Picture win in 2017, coupled with River Johnson's, sparked a heated debate on the corruption behind the prestigious Ross Awards, going as far as boycotting the ceremony and petitioning to change the venue's name from The Stanley Auditorium to one without her name on it.

Although the internal investigation has yet to prove suspicious actions behind Mercer Leigh Stanley's controversial win, this would definitely follow her had she won the presidential race.

Hollywood Studios would see their final president had Mercer Leigh Stanley won the night. It would be an endless topic of conversation not only regarding racism and nepotism, but with corruption. She was next to follow Neal Polanski out of the presidential ballot.

Newcomer Kenya Shamekh-Garfield was met with enthusiasm and positive outlook when she announced her candidacy for president. Fresh off Lawrence Harland University with an administrative degree, Kenya Shamekh-Garfield rattled the platform with her new ideas and push for change. She ran her entire campaign with the purpose of cleansing the corruption out of Hollywood Studios and starting anew - with her. She held immense power by successfully convincing the audience with Mercer Leigh Stanley's involvement with Omar Vanderkoff in snagging her second Ross Award win in 2017, and Neal Polanski who abetted in Omar Vanderkoff's corrupt actions. She managed to turn the audience against both candidates.

Her fervor did not end well with the audience, unfortunately. The public started perceiving her actions as only pointing fingers and constantly finding someone to blame rather than fixing the problem through actions. Mercer Leigh Stanley picked up on the reactions and turned it against Kenya Shamekh-Garfield who she labelled as an "unfit leader" with her constant accusations.

"She's the Abigail to my John Proctor. This is a witch hunt for her, not a presidential run".

Kenya Shamekh-Garfield came close to winning but was a few votes away from winning the position. She later apologized for her actions and will step out from the limelight to find ways on improving herself.

Seasoned-director Emerson Wright is more known for his works with Vanessa Harding (1906) and Caleb Adams (Devil in the White City, Valley of the Kings), which are now considered cult classics. He also directed Hollywood Studios' recent highly-acclaimed film, Ghost of Tsushima.

Emerson Wright had always been laying low behind the scenes, and only came out during Ross Awards with contenders worth watching. He ran for the position focusing on the comfort of seeing a household name with the familiar face. A name not yet tarnished with racism and corruption.

Emerson Wright was recognized as the president-elect of Hollywood Studios on August 1, 2019. Just as Kenya Shamekh-Garfield's plan, Emerson Wright vowed to purge the studio of every name associated with both Lawrence Harland and Omar Vanderkoff.

His first day in office will be on the new year, with a Hollywood Studios that is free of corruption.

Upon interviewing the president-elect, he divulged his plan to halt directing films to focus on his new job and also shared his fear of how his presidency will affect the future of Hollywood Studios going forward. He intends to collaborate with both MC-Wylde and Cygna Entertainment and looks forward for his first Ross season as the president.

The Art of Impermanence: The Take on Evan Tanaka's Controversial Retirement By: Aramis Giordano Original Publication Date: 29 September 2019

Following a very successful two-year career, musical prodigy Evan Tanaka finally announces his retirement from the music industry citing "the search for new horizons" and "making a name" for himself in other forms of medium as the main reasons for the drive.

Evan Tanaka was first introduced to the public as one of the hopeful candidates in the newly-created series Surveillance following the dissolution of X Factor. Hosted by Davis Wylde himself, Evan Tanaka landed second place on September 6, 2017, just one rank under the winner, Joanna Park. Two days after the finale, he was cast as Captain Yoo Joongki in the cultural phenomenon Descendants of the Sun, which propelled Evan to stardom.

His lucrative musical career spans 16 albums, with the upcoming release of his final album Wabi-Sabi: The Art of Imperfection, Impermanence, and Incompletion on November 1st. With 16 albums, he managed to record 246 songs and 215 tour dates; Evan cites the record-breaking numbers to be the reason for his retirement. "It's all just numbers to me, at this point. I'm losing my youth years because I've been chasing these numbers the past two years", Evan starts. "I want to see myself grow old. I want to return to the screen as I intended when I joined Surveillance in the first place".

After getting recognized as one of the three People of the Year (with Davis Wylde and Keira Kuyama), Evan Tanaka pondered about his future as a music artist. "I've released way too many songs that my legacy are only shown in numbers. I wanted to be remembered for myself as a person, not as that guy who had more albums than Clapton".

Upon releasing his debut album Ganbaruzo!, Evan wanted to promote his music through his Japanese origins - to have the mass audience celebrate the beauty of his culture and history. His album trilogy The Evan Experience were named after three periods in Japanese history: Asuka, Heian, and Showa, while showcasing the Japanese culture through the album covers.

His biggest world tour "Operation Downfall" (90 shows) had two legs named "Operation Olympia" and "Operation Coronet". All three were the names of the operations to defeat the Japanese empire during World War II.

His Ikigai series were also based on the Japanese history and culture: Fall of Edo, Meiji Restoration, Kogarashi, and Rangaku. "I wanted the culture I hold dearly in my heart to be appreciated and celebrated by those who don't have knowledge about it." Evan wanted to have a conversation about his origins, and it was a topic he did not cease to promote throughout his music career. He reveals that he has been planning to retire for a while now and dedicated his final three albums to the Japanese art of Zenga, one that is based on the Buddhist belief of impermanence and oneness with nature.

He shifted his music to being one with nature through the promotion of zen paintings and quotes. "My life is always so chaotic and loud. Arenas filled with people screaming, cameras swarming with paparazzi yelling. It's hard to find some time to just listen to my thoughts and enjoy the sound of the wind passing through".

He wants a break from the chaos. Indefinitely; and this was shown in the serene music video of "UN Village" depicting the daily life in a traditional village in Japan: the sun creeping through the cracks of the window, the sizzling of morning grub on the stove, the wagon waiting to be dragged up to the hill where Evan finds a tree to lay against until he falls asleep to the sound of birds chirping. It's a life he longs for. It's a life he knows he can't attain.

"For now, I want to release meaningful projects. Ones I believe would make me realize who I really am as an artist - as an actor. And, I am very grateful to have a mentor like Davis who supports me throughout this endeavor".

Although, why did Evan partake on a career he did not plan to be in the first place? Surveillance offered a platform to be in the entertainment industry, and Evan reveals that his reason for participation was to be an actor, not a singer.

"Davis offered it to me. He saw something in me that I didn't, and I trust and respect his vision. That's why I lasted as long as I did", Evan reveals. "But I believe that my time as an artist is due. I feel saturated, and that's not what I aim to be".

With the influence he's garnered from having a huge following, Evan hopes for his message and philosophy to linger on in the lives of those who enjoyed his music. "The title of my debut album is an important one in my life. Ganbaruzo. I tell myself that every day, and it is now more necessary than ever for me to take in the meaning that goes along with that mundane saying".

Following the surprise announcement of his final album, Evan talks about wrapping the filming of the new horror-romance movie Hotel del Luna which he plays a small role as a serial killer. "It's definitely a shock and a change of environment, but I finally feel like I'm home again".

He declines to comment about any of his future projects. "They're all up in the air right now". As of now, conversations within Evan's large following is split between supporting and being against the artist's retirement and pursuit in acting.

When asking for any possibility of returning to the music industry in the far future, Evan gives a definite answer, "I don't plan to, at least with my current mindset".

We anticipate further announcements from Davis Wylde in regards to any future artist that could follow the steps of the music prodigy.

[thevanitychariot]

The Chariot: Issue X

Beijing Lee Under Fire After Announcing Johnson v. Harland By Aramis Giordano Original Publication Date: 08 September 2021

Criticisms from all sides enveloped the entertainment industry after the announcement of a new MC-Wylde movie Johnson v. Harland centering around the Omar Vanderkoff scandal that brought down the Harland empire back in 2017, giving rise to the current administration under Emerson Wright. The movie is expected to deal with the aftermath of River Johnson winning Best Actress against Keira Kuyama and the investigation that ensued unearthing the corruption under the Lawrence Harland administration. The Driscoll Reports released in 2019, released by the principal investigator Dominic Driscoll, showed that Omar Vanderkoff was involved in eliminating Caterina Sultana and Bodhi Zhao off of X-Factor earlier in 2017 and using his power to influence the 2017 Ross Awards results in River Johnson’s favor.

No official statements from Hollywood Studios, River Johnson, and Lawrence Harland have been released besides Keira Kuyama sharing her thoughts of the reimagining of the events. She shared with her YouTube viewers that the movie is based on the dialogues and creative imaginations of a subset of people who created the movie - it will not be accurate to what exactly happened. Embattled president Beijing Lee has been quiet throughout the chaos that ensued.

Filming was in under very tight wraps, considering the magnitude of controversy it would have received had it been announced earlier on. Newcomers Ava Fletcher and Chihiro Amari will be playing River Johnson and Keira Kuyama respectively. Caleb Adams will be playing President Lawrence Harland who is facing the scandal that will eventually dethrone him from office while Omar Vanderkoff will be portrayed by Heath Roux in the movie.

Meanwhile in MC-Wylde, there are conversations rising regarding a possible recall for a new president following a sub-optimal year in the number of movies released by the once-prolific MC-Wylde. Many of those working in the industry are voicing their concerns on how Beijing’s administration is creating an unpredictable workplace without any job stability. Since Beijing took office, job prospects have decreased compared to the last three years under Davis Wylde’s leadership. 

With the announcement, Beijing’s reputation as the current president of MC-Wylde continues to suffer.

Calls for Diversity Increase Amidst Asian-Majority Ross Awards Nominees

By Lancer Knight Original Publication Date: 06 November 2021

This year’s Grand Nomination Event became one of the most historical yet. Following a subpar number of movies released, expectations for this year’s Ross Awards were low. The release of the controversial Johnson v. Harland ignited an interest in the Grand Nomination Event held on Saturday, October 30, 2021. The Ross Committee continued having five nominees for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress; and six nominees for Best Actor and Best Actress, acts that started last year to accommodate the increasing number of films being released every year. Johnson v. Harland dominated with nominations from each of the four acting categories: Ava Fletcher (Best Actress), Caleb Adams (Best Actor), Chihiro Amari (Best Supporting Actress), and Roman Alexander (Best Supporting Actor). Meanwhile, Chihiro Amari became the first actress to be nominated for two categories in one year (Best Actress for Squid Game and Best Supporting Actress for Johnson v. Harland). Keira Kuyama is once again nominated for Best Actress for her work in The Uncanny Counter, being one of the first actors to be nominated while still holding the crown [Best Actress, The King: Eternal Monarch (2020)]. Alongside Keira, Tala Evangelista is also nominated for Best Supporting Actress in Borderland, in the same category she won last year [Best Supporting Actress, Avatar: The Last Airbender (2020)].

Even with the historical events unfolding this year, conversations still continue regarding unequal access to movies for the non-White and non-Asian actors. The Best Supporting Actress category is filled with five Asian actresses, while only two non-White and non-Asian actors were nominated this year, making up 9% of the total nominees: Maya Abdullahi for Best Actress (The United States vs. Billie Holiday) and Emmanuel Rajabu (Muyembe). Meanwhile, all four of the Best Picture nominated films only tell Asian stories with Squid Game, Expedition, The Promised Neverland, and My Name. This is all in the midst of the growing pressure for the two presidents, Emerson Wright and Beijing Lee, to produce and release movies with increased diversity and Brown and Black representation. Since Emerson Wright became president, 33% of his films were dedicated in highlighting Black stories while only 22% highlighted Latin American stories. In contrast to Beijing Lee’s presidency, in which 100% of his films released since becoming president were Asian stories. One film, Escape from Mogadishu, takes place in Somalia, with zero speaking roles given to a Black actor.

The Best Director category also faces racial inequality and tension, with the same three directors getting recognized two years in a row: Mercer Leigh Stanley, Erika Yamamoto, and Eliza Maleenon. The only difference between this year’s nominees from last year’s nominees is that Carmela Velazquez takes Kenya Shamekh-Garfield’s spot - this creates a culture of Brown and Black actors and directors having to compete against each other for only one spot in the nomination pool while White and Asian actors and directors continue to dominate.

Cygna Entertainment, a subsidiary of MC-Wylde, continues to be the only company to highlight and share Black stories in the industry with 100% of their films dedicated in doing so. The company was created by Davis Wylde in an effort to separate these stories from his profitable Asian films, while creating a platform for Black artists to share their ideas and movies with the audience.

Even with the establishment of Cygna Entertainment, only 5.4% of Ross nominees have been Black with currently only one Ross Award winner, Aretha Clark (A Woman’s Crusade). Latin American actors only make up 3.2% of nominees and Middle Eastern actors with 2.1%. White and Asian actors dominate the Ross Awards nomination pool with 47.4% and 42.1% respectively. The relatively higher percentage of Black actors being recognized for the Ross Awards is directly due to the fact that Cygna Entertainment only creates films highlighting Black stories, while Latin American and Middle Eastern actors do not have the same privilege and are at the mercy of both Emerson Wright and Beijing Lee.

Moving forward, the audience should place more pressure on both presidents in releasing more movies that provide platform for Brown and Black actors to excel and be recognized so the future Ross Awards ceremonies do not continue to be 85% White and Asian.

The Chariot’s People of the Year

The entertainment industry continues to evolve and adapt to the current times, and two women have risen to the occasion, and against all odds, to advance the industry to become more welcoming, inclusive, and diverse.

1. Carmela Velazquez – in an industry that has not been inclusive to Latin American talents, Carmela has become the beacon to actors and producers who want to share their stories. She has become the first ever Latina to be nominated for Best Director in the Ross Awards, despite rampant sexism and racism within the entertainment industry. Her nomination gives hope to the very little number of Latin American talents in creating more films to highlight their heroes and struggles, and open doors for future actors to showcase their skills and talents. Alongside other Latinas in the industry, such as Tonya Mendoza, she has been very active in collaborating with Emerson Wright to produce and create movies that tell stories of Latin Americans worldwide. Following her directorial debut with In Peace and War (2018) which was nominated for Best Picture, Carmela has faced numerous roadblocks in promoting Latin American stories to then-Hollywood president Lawrence Harland. It was not until this year in which Carmela had successfully produced and directed a film with all Latin American talent.

2. Kenya Shamekh-Garfield – being the first and only Black director to have won Best Director and Best Picture in Ross Awards history, Kenya continues to inspire and attract Black talent in the industry through Cygna Entertainment. Despite not being part of the leadership in the company, Kenya is the most active member and constantly collaborates with low-budget companies and aspiring college students in providing a platform in sharing their stories to the unwelcoming industry. Kenya first garnered the attention when she became the main opponent of Emerson Wright in the fight to take over Lawrence Harland’s spot as president of Hollywood Studios. After the election, Kenya focused her time and attention in creating and directing Black-centered movies, starting with On Her Own Ground, in which she won Best Director, then followed by Chisholm, which was the Best Picture of the same year. Since Beijing Lee helming the presidency in MC-Wylde, Kenya has been the most vocal against his stance on releasing only Asian films under his presidency. She has been active on raising the issue and gathering funds to uplift Black and Brown voices, against the White and Asian majority.

[thevanitychariot]

The Chariot: Issue VIII

Original Publication Date: May 24, 2020

Changing Times Require Changing Cultures By: Aramis Giordano Original Publication Date: 25 March 2020

The new year and a new Hollywood administration is ushering in many necessary changes. As we are advancing through the current generation in entertainment, we are highlighting the shortcomings that the previous administration failed to focus on and fix.

Following the 2019 Ross Awards with Vanessa Harding finally taking home the crown, three of the Best Actress winners (River Johnson, Riza Yuki, and Vanessa Harding) shared their experiences of the life post-Ross recognition. River (Omelas) opened up as to how the industry shunned her after being booed out of stage for winning over Keira Kuyama (Your Lie in April) back in 2017. Riza Yuki (Death Note: Zero) also followed the same suit the year after in 2018 for winning over Keira Kuyama (The Town Without Me).

With the public humiliation, River's career took a great hit and unofficially became the face of the silenced and attacked women in the industry. She vocalized transparency and awareness of how the media is shaping the audience's minds and opinions by pitting talented women again each other. Since River's 2017 win, it has became an annual tradition for women to talk about the gender issue prior to awarding Best Actress.

2019 also saw the rise of culturally-important stories, such as Don't Cry for Me Argentina and Things Fall Apart and also provided platforms for South and Southeast Asian women to flourish, such as Samar Chopra (Hotel del Luna), Kiev Harjanti (A Story I Couldn't See), and Anjali Varma (Still Seventeen), yet none of these women and films were recognized for their contributions in the industry.

Three months into his presidency, Emerson Wright has exemplified the importance of diversity, not only in roles, but also in perspectives. He wants to provide a platform on those whose voices are rarely heard with the White-majority Hollywood under Lawrence Harland's administration and the Asian-majority MC-Wylde under Davis Wylde's leadership. Within three months, three movies have been released that showed the range of talent from Middle Eastern and Black actors and directors.

Emerson Wright started his presidency with the release of The Messiah, directed by Walid Abd al-Rahman, showcasing the first main roles given to those of Middle Eastern descent. The second movie focused on the story embodying the complexity of the relationships between the Mexican cartels and the Italian mafia in Zero Zero Zero. The third movie, groundbreaking with being the first movie to present an all-Black cast and director, On Her Own Ground tells the story of the first ever self-made female millionaire.

Emerson also wanted to purge the administration of the blame and blackball culture pushing forth the agenda by having his first movie star Chrystia Allwright as the female lead. Prior to his administration, Chrystia was blackballed after winning Best Actress (The Eureka Moment) in 2015 against the fan-and-industry favorite, Vanessa Harding (1906). For four years, Chrystia was unable to star in any movie role until Cygna Entertainment, a subsidiary of MC-Wylde, provided the opportunity, with her sister Kendra Allwright helming.

As a director himself, Emerson knows how to win both the administration and the crowd by bringing forth the powerful comebacks of classic actors such as Aubree Jones and Clapton Robinson, further sparking excitement within the entertainment industry. As the new president is releasing groundbreaking films, Davis Wylde sits idly and continues to draw in large crowd praising the films highlighting Asian excellence.

So far, he has released four very successful films: Vagabond (Beijing Lee, Meili Wang), Crash Landing on You (Park Jungmin, Joanna Park), Guardian: Great and Lonely God (Rayyan Ong, Malivalaya Leechaiyapornkul), and To the Kingdom of the Gods (Jeong Minhyuk, Joanna Park).

As it's approaching its third year, the Asian Age does not seem to be slowing down. The longest generation so far spanned almost four years (Stagnant Age, April 2013-November 2016); it won't be long until this current generation surpasses it - unless this rapidly-evolving movement caused by the Emerson's changes welcomes in a new revival.

Meet the Visionaries of the Ross Awards Committee By: Aramis Giordano Original Publication Date: 12 April 2020

The corruption scandal that took down the previous administration of Hollywood Studios finally lead to the formation of the Ross Awards committee, formed to independently screen and choose the nominees and winners from this point forward. After four months of deliberating how to build the framework of the new leadership roles, the Ross Committee decided to mirror the current administrations of MC-Wylde and Hollywood Studios. 

Both Davis Wylde and Emerson Wright held debriefings for the past four months to discuss the future of the committee and how it will maintain its lack of bias and independency. The topic of corruption was brought up the most with the fear of repeating what happened in the 2016 Ross Awards in which previous Hollywood Studios Chairman Omar Vanderkoff was accused of falsifying the Best Actress results. 

Davis Wylde and Emerson Wright agreed to establish an official impartial screening tool for the committee administration to use when hiring their staff. It will assess and analyze previous workplaces, experience, education, and connections within the industry. The committee decided to announce that a staff with a history of working with either MC-Wylde or Hollywood Studios would have their applications reviewed with the utmost precaution prior to moving ahead. On April 12, 2020, the official administration that would build the future of the Ross Awards Committee were announced. Hans Neumann would serve as the committee's president, Jolie Laurent as the vice president, and Godfrey Howard as the chief of staff. They request the rest of the year to fill in the empty positions, create new roles, and allow interns and volunteers to collaborate together in preparation for this year's Ross Awards. "People never had anyone to put their blames on whenever they don't like the results of the Awards", Anika host Anika Sunisa begins. "The Ross has always caused the greatest divide within the industry and the general mass audience and we've always pit the candidates against each other as if they're modern-day gladiators". "Hans Neumann is placed in the most dangerous position in the industry for all the arrows and guns will be pointed at him by the time December comes", Vanity Chariot editor Lancer Knight claims. "He will definitely be the most talked about, if not most attacked, president in entertainment history", he finishes. Presidents have never had it easy with the audience, as shown by the very publicized witch hunt that led to Lawrence Harland stepping down the previous year. Hans Neumann should have expected it to be the case prior to accepting the coveted role. "In the case of Emerson", Anika continues the discussion. "He has his reputation preceding him as someone generally well-liked." That was also the case with Lawrence Harland. He has a very over-the-top personality, which was shown in the types of movies he released. Lawrence wanted to create spectacles that would leave legacies for as long as possible; he also focused a lot of his attention on presenting himself as a cult personality, especially with the establishment of Lawrence Harland University. "This is in contrast to Davis and Emerson who want to create films to tell stories that are current and relevant and let time decide its fate". Lancer agrees to Anika's claims. It will definitely be interesting to see how this decision of opening up the Ross committee will affect the future of the awards ceremony and how it will play a role in shaping the entertainment industry. On the other hand, after the announcement comes the abrupt statement that current MC-Wylde Chief of Staff McCormick Hawthorne is stepping down after two years of service. Following the resignation, he disclosed his plans to go back to teaching film history in Lawrence Harland University this upcoming school semester. It was reported that Seema Banerjee will replace him after a long discussion among the three leaders of the company. Davis Wylde also announced the official Chairman of Cygna Entertainment, Manuela Valdiviero. Vanessa Harding unofficially held the position previously and would only do the role during pre-production of the films. The official appointment of Manuela Valdiviero serves as a good sign for a bright and prolific years ahead for Cygna Entertainment.

Emerson Nation is Catching Fire By: Aramis Giordano Original Publication Date: 24 May 2020

Five months into his presidency and Emerson Wright had already taken the entertainment industry by storm. In early May, the Hollywood president announced the upcoming revival of the esteemed The Hunger Games series by releasing a prequel that is being helmed by the master himself, Gary Ross.
 Following the announcement, social media sites exploded with excitement by sharing predictions, posting theories, and hosting watch parties in preparation for the upcoming movie. The fifth The Hunger Games film, titled Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, will center around Coriolanus Snow as the mentor of the District 12 female tribute in the 10th Hunger Games. Filming has commenced with information that Damien Avanda will be portraying the future president of Panem, while Persia Chapman plays alongside him as Lucy Gray Baird, tribute from District 12. "It's the biggest project of my career thus far and we're making sure we do the movie justice," Emerson assured during the press conference held on May 17, 2020. During the same event, he also announced that Hollywood is finally releasing three live adaptions of Avatar: The Last Airbender in collaboration with Davis Wylde. The trailer for the first movie was dropped, which tells the story of the adventures in the first book, with newcomer Chaucer Lim playing the titular character, and Cara Miyazaki, Mishima Kenshi, and Ikeda Marusa portraying the fan-favorites Katara, Sokka, and Zuko respectively. This unprecedented collaboration marks an important event in the entertainment industry's history as both Emerson Wright and Davis Wylde shared their resources in "recreating the masterpiece that is Aang's story". No news have been made regarding the live adaptation of Legend of Korra as of yet. These two colossal announcements gave the current administration the nickname "Emerson Nation", a wordplay based on Avatar: The Last Airbender in which the Fire Nation rapidly takes over the world.

[thevanitychariot]

The Chariot: Issue IV

Original Publication Date: 02 September 2017

Pioneering the Asian Age By: Aramis Giordano

The Carlsburgh Mysteries finale signaled the end of The Stagnant Age, which spanned three years (2013-2016) starting with The Eternal Fire (April 16, 2013) and ending with Inferno (November 11, 2016), and gave rise to the new era in the entertainment industry – The Asian Age - which began with Death Note (March 24, 2017). The growing interest towards the Asian culture, history, and language began in Davis Wylde’s revolutionary short-lived series Dandridge (2016) through his incorporation of various taboo storylines and diverse characters. One of the main supporting characters, Daniella Kobayashi, played by Keira Kuyama, drew public interest in the Japanese and Korean cultures through her weekly vlogs reacting to Korean popular music videos, trying out Japanese and Korean cuisines, and her vacation video blogs in Asian countries. Through Keira’s videos, her viewers, who are mostly avid fans from the Western hemisphere of both Carlsburgh Mysteries and Dandridge, celebrate various Asian cultures with her – something that is unprecedented in the White-majority entertainment industry.

This growing interest in Asian culture lead to the MC Company (now MC-Wylde) releasing the first live adaptation of Death Note, which was initially criticized for casting White actors for its major roles. The success of Death Note prompted then-MC Company to release more live adaptations of Japanese anime (the Sword Art Online series and Your Lie in April). Interest in Korean films followed with the release of Boys Over Flowers after an increase in KPOP react videos by Keira Kuyama herself.

​During the promotion tour for ALfheim Online in the summer of 2017, Keira stayed in Seoul, South Korea to immerse herself in the Korean culture, which led to a number of Korean videos further increasing the public’s growing interest on the cultural and historical videos outside the White Western media. This fast-growing interest of both Japanese and Korean cultures is the reason Davis Wylde created a new series manufacturing new celebrities, called Surveillance, which will go against The X Factor after the show faced backlash earlier in the year for its lack of diversity.

Former X Factor director, Omar Vanderkoff, steps down and is replaced by Alistair Sullivan for the upcoming ninth season after facing criticism of how he handled the diversity issue in Season 8. Omar Vanderkoff helmed the successful series since its conception in 2012, which saw the rise of Music Generation’s Aubree Jones. With his resignation as The X Factor’s director, Hollywood Studios President, Lawrence Harland, acknowledged his contribution to the entertainment industry in the last five years and promoted him as the company’s chairman (who is also responsible for the Ross Awards) after the previous chairman, Francis Daehler, resigned last week. Hollywood Studios has recently been facing a lot of backlash due to its lack of diversity in its movies. In this year’s contenders for the Ross Awards, Hollywood Studios is releasing Omelas and 1872, both studded with White casts, and the studio is facing a growing pressure to incorporate more diversity in its workplace and movies.

MC-Wylde, officially used for the first time in Your Lie in April, is aiming to release more movies within the next few years that celebrates diversity, especially catering to the Asian wave. Davis Wylde particularly incorporates celebrities from very diverse backgrounds in his films, gaining public approval after an unprecedented hiring of Asian directors for Death Note (Itsuki Nakamura), Sword Art Online (Erika Yamamoto), and Your Lie in April (Eliza Maleenon), and casting Asians of different nationalities in major roles such as Rohan Kumar (Boys Over Flowers) and Park Jungmin, Riza Yuki, and Bodhi Zhao (You Lie in April). Davis cites that he wants to “normalize diversity in the entertainment industry by acknowledging the creative contributions of non-White artists” amid criticism from his White viewers accusing him of racism towards Whites. “People of color are very underrepresented since the conception of the entertainment industry in 2009. I cannot name a movie or a show with a Latin American or Asian as its lead”. Davis further defends his stance by saying he wants to provide a platform for people of color to catch up on the achievements that White celebrities have experienced in the last eight years. This year’s contenders for the Ross Awards are very racially and culturally diverse; and frankly, this might be a very exciting era of change and progress.

Indiana Jenkins: Dead in Phuket By: Aramis Giordano Original Publication Date: 10 September 2017

Phuket, Thailand. It was supposed to be a fun weekend for the group consisting of Indiana Jenkins and her fiancé Rutherford Jackson, and the couple Emilio Rojas and Madison Leigh Stewart, which ended in Indiana’s body washing ashore Raya Island in the evening of Friday, September 9, 2017. The Thai police was notified of Indiana’s disappearance early morning Friday when her friend, Madison Leigh, found her missing in the yacht they were aboard on. The four left Los Angeles to Phuket on Wednesday, September 6, 2017, and stayed at a local hotel upon arrival. Madison Leigh claims that the couple has been arguing over Indiana’s nightclub life over the labor day weekend a few days before, but didn’t treat it as something worrisome. The four planned to board the yacht on Thursday evening, September 7, 2017, which was rented by Rutherford Jackson as a getaway. Indiana invited Madison Leigh for the trip last week without any arguments from Rutherford. “It was very last minute and Diana said that Rudy was very excited about it”, Madison Leigh claims.

As this story progresses, Vanity Chariot has interviewed both Madison Leigh as the memories are still fresh in her head. “We went drinking at a club near where the yacht was docked,” Madison Leigh starts. “We’ve had a few drinks, but Indiana maybe had a little bit more wine”. Madison Leigh describes Rutherford as “quiet” and “reserved” that night, which is completely different than his usually loud personality. “Something was odd that night and I thought it was just from their argument earlier”. It was Indiana’s idea to go drinking before they boarded the yacht, which Rutherford was against with. Before leaving the hotel room, Madison Leigh overheard them from the other room arguing over Indiana wanting to go out, and Rutherford worrying over her “throwing herself to another guy”. She heard the door slam and Indiana knocked on her door asking if she’s ready.

It was an hour after they arrived at the club when Rutherford catches up to Indiana, Madison Leigh and Emilio. Rutherford had a blank expression on his face and didn’t seem angry. It was Indiana’s fifth shot when she started dancing with Emilio, in which Madison Leigh wasn’t worried about.

Half an hour later, Rutherford walked Indiana, Madison Leigh, and Emilio to board the Serendipity. There was a small dinner set up for the four, but Indiana wanted to rest for a while. Rutherford asked Madison Leigh and Emilio to go ahead and finish the dinner and he’ll set up another one just for the two of them later in the night. He walked Indiana to the bedroom, and that was the last time Madison Leigh saw Indiana that night.

The captain of the yacht, Klahan Chankul, claimed not to hear any suspicious arguments throughout the rest of the night.

Meanwhile, Madison Leigh and Emilio had dinner and went to the game room around midnight - an hour after Rutherford walked Indiana to the bedroom. Madison Leigh wanted to check up on Indiana, but Emilio told her to not bother the couple. That was the last memory Madison Leigh had before crashing on the couch.

Around 2:30 AM, Madison was the first one to wake up, noticing Emilio absent in the game room. She found him sleeping on the deck, but neither Indiana nor Rutherford were around. Madison Leigh checked the bedroom to see Rutherford pacing back and forth sweating - he asked Madison Leigh if she had found Indiana yet and said that he fell asleep when he was supposed to be watching over her. They both go to the captain and Emilio who have not seen her. After looking through the yacht, the captain of the yacht found that the dingy has been detached. That was when Madison tried calling Indiana, but to no avail. The captain docked the yacht and asked Madison to phone the police.

A search was conducted throughout dawn and there were still no signs of Indiana. Thai police took Rutherford Jackson into custody for questioning and as a possible suspect. Emilio and Madison followed.

Rutherford was held until early afternoon where he called his parents in Los Angeles about the issue.

Later in the evening, Thai police contacted Rutherford, Emilio, and Madison that Indiana’s body had been found. Upon initial inspection, she had multiple bruises throughout her arms and legs, but no signs of bleeding. Her body is being sent back to Los Angeles upon her parents’ requests for autopsy. Thai police asks Rutherford to stay for further questioning.

The Vanity Chariot will continue reporting as the story progresses.

The Asian Saga By: Aramis Giordano Original Publication Date: 30 October 2017

The Asian Age has been conquering the entertainment industry ever since it started with Death Note on March 24 this year. Following the release of the first movie of the trilogy, MC-Wylde introduced more Japanese-based movies, the Sword Art Online series and Your Lie in April. Even after the success of these movies, Davis Wylde starts off another avalanche by announcing the Asian Saga – a proposed five to ten Korean-based movies to be released throughout the first six months of 2018. Production for four confirmed Asian Saga movies have already concluded: Erica Maleenon’s Descendants of the Sun (February 24, 2018) stars Evan Tanaka, Keira Kuyama, Park Jungmin, and Joanna Park, Jang Minho’s W and W2 (November 3, 2017 and March 9, 2018) stars Park Jungmin, Joanna Park, Nam Taemin, and Lee Jiyeon and is the first movie to ever be studded with an entire Korean cast, Anh Siyeon’s Feral (January 12, 2018) stars Lee Jiyeon, Yoon Jaehwa, and Jeong Minhyuk, and Choi Soohyun’s The Pinocchio Syndrome and The Pinocchio Syndrome 2 (March 16 and March 30, 2018) stars Nam Taemin, Song Yeonhee, and Jeong Minhyuk.

Due to the complicated plot lines and the anticipation and hype surrounding Jang Minho’s W, Davis Wylde confirmed that the original movie will be split into two parts – with the release of the first movie being moved up to November 3, just a week prior to the Grand Nomination Event on November 11. This year marks the first time Davis will be participating in the Ross Awards competition as the president of an established film studio. He cites the unprecedented movie with W to his confidence on the success of the movie and the dedication of the fans to the Asian wave. W2 remains in its March 9, 2018 slot to mark the weekly release of the Asian Saga movies.

Following the move of splitting W into two movies was another announcement of a two-parter, The Pinocchio Syndrome and The Pinocchio Syndrome 2 to be both released alongside the other Korean-based movies. With The Pinocchio Syndrome, Davis was dedicated on presenting and elaborating a storyline that would be too dense for one movie and he is optimistic that the two films would greatly contribute to the success of the Asian Saga. Together with the news of The Pinocchio Syndrome, two more Korean-based movies have been greenlit and are ready for production: I Can Hear Your Voice and While You Were Sleeping. Davis opened Surveillance: Reel 2 to fill the cast of the future Asian Saga movies with the chosen housemates, all of Asian descents. The first two evicted housemates, Jeon Jihoon and Rio Tran are confirmed to have been casted for the Asian Saga.

In response to his unconventional casting, Davis shares his fear of what is now called the Spencer-McKinley Syndrome, in which the same actor is casted for all the main roles. In some cases, the actor plays a similar role in every movie, known as typecasting, due to its success from their previous similar roles. The combination of typecasting and Spencer-McKinley Syndrome lead to audience fatigue, which was very prevalent during the Stagnant Age. Although, this has been plaguing the industry since the Golden Age, it did not come into scrutiny until the previous age, notably with Jaci Spencer and Shannon McKinley. Davis plans to have different actors playing the main roles in each of the Asian Saga movies to avoid the syndrome and hoping to prolong the current prosperous era.

During an interview about the future of the entertainment industry beyond the Asian Saga, Davis Wylde teased the remake of Carlsburgh Mysteries for its five-year anniversary in 2019 with a working title of just Carlsburgh alone; he also continued hinting that iCarly will also be released that same year to celebrate its ten-year anniversary. Any further information on the two future movies are not shared until closer to the production dates.

2018 is right around the corner and MC-Wylde has already finished filming nine movies for the next year’s awards season proving to be a tough competition for Lawrence Harland’s Hollywood Studios, which has been facing backlash on its attempt to join in the Asian Age by confirming the production of Daisy Campbell’s Tokyo Ghoul, slated to be released April 14, 2018. The backlash started from the announcement of Alexander Avanda and Riella Harland playing the main characters Ken Kaneki and Touka Kirishima, both of whom are of Japanese descent. No comments have been made from the representative of the studio, although it is certain that the movie will be released without any changes in its cast.

[thevanitychariot]

The Chariot: Issue III

Original Publication Date: 03 March 2017

Cosgrove-Wylde Empire Rises Amid Ross Awards Competition By: Aramis Giordano

Hollywood royalties, Davis Wylde (Carlsburgh Mysteries and Dandridge creator) and Miranda Cosgrove (The Hunger Games and MC Company founder) announced the genders and the names of their twins on March 3, 2017 in front of a sea of supporters. Among the attendees are Miranda Cosgrove’s iCarly co-stars, Minemise Carole, Nathan Kress and Jerry Trainor; and Carlsburgh Mysteries veterans, Jaci Spencer, Shannon McKinley, Caleb Adams, Valerie Martin, and Taelyn Robins. Davis Wylde announced the name of the older daughter, Mallory Claire Cosgrove, while Miranda Cosgrove announced the name of the younger son, Donovan William Wylde. There are many conversations happening after the announcement in how the couple are going to pass down the MC Company to either Mallory or Donovan in the distant future. Meanwhile, in preparation for the 2017 Ross Awards, the MC Company announced the release date of the adaptation of the widely-read manga, Death Note, from February 17 to March 24, 2017. During casting, Death Note faced backlash in January for casting Alexander Avanda as Light Yagami and Dandridge’s Andrew Richard as L. Both Alexander Avanda and Andrew Richard faced pressure to drop the movie and were soon replaced by Ikeda Marusa and Akira Nishimura respectively. Death Note is the first Hollywood movie to be made up of an all person-of-color-cast. Alongside Death Note, the race for the Ross Awards intensifies as the year progresses. Vanessa Harding announces her involvement in an unnamed biopic of the first woman to run for president, Victoria Woodhull. Vanessa Harding faced criticism after three consecutive years of losing the Best Actress award for her roles as Annestine Millington (The Regnancy, 2014), Annalisa Passarelli (1906, 2015), and Alice Paul (A Woman’s Crusade, 2016). Vanessa announced her hiatus after losing the award against her competitor, Taelyn Robins (Inside the O’Brien’s), but soon changes her mind after taking on the role for her unnamed movie. More movies are being produced to compete against Death Note and Victoria Woodhull’s biopic. Some of the ideas being thrown out there include Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist, Susannah Cahalan’s Brain on Fire, Emily Transue’s On Call, and Rebecca Skloot’s Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. It will be an interesting and tough competition this year, looking at the possible participants, and the MC Company rising is definitely to be expected, as seen in the previous Ross Awards. Congratulations to the new parents and welcome to the industry, Mallory and Donovan.

Tensions Increase After X Factor Eliminates Final Candidate of Color By: Aramis Giordano Original Publication Date: 21 March 2017 

X Factor returns for its eighth season after a year-long hiatus following Tanner Hammond’s win on January 2016. This new season, hosted by Season 7’s Persia Chapman, is the first one under Lawrence Harland’s reign and accompanies the rise of The MC Company and Davis Wylde Studios. Both Miranda and Davis agreed to mentor any candidates from this season and help them succeed, as how they propelled the Carlsburgh Mysteries trio and the Dandridge cast to fame. Miranda and Davis announced that they are looking into four or five candidates from this season and help them find their right career path in the industry. Lawrence and Davis had a meeting prior to this season’s boot camp on increasing diversity within its candidates, instead of filling the twenty spots with people of European backgrounds. The commencement of this season’s boot camp saw two mixed sections of candidates from different backgrounds, yet only two of them made it to the Top 20 - Bodhi Zhao and Caterina Sultana. Within the first four days of the season, X Factor managed to eliminate its first Asian candidate, and the first Latin American candidate followed him afterwards three days later, March 21. Caterina Sultana’s elimination prompted liberal viewers to boycott the remaining episodes of the X Factor, sharing their disappointment and anger on multiple social media accounts. Many of them are asking to give Bodhi and Caterina another chance by opening two spots within the next few days for them to return to - just as how the X Factor opened one spot for Curtis Osbourne in Season 6 (which Curtis eventually wins). The mass public is putting pressure on Lawrence Harland to initiate more changes in the show, and offer more diverse roles for people of color to star in. The X Factor director, Omar Vanderkoff, shared to the public about the set schedule for this season’s X Factor, defending Curtis Osbourne’s comeback in Season 6 to be “part of the surprise”. Omar reiterates that X Factor Season 8 is following the generic rules, with no twists or surprises, and does not anticipate on making any changes. He ends his announcement saying that he will work alongside Lawrence Harland and Davis Wylde in making Season 9 more inclusive to candidates of different races. Davis Wylde made a public announcement following Omar Vanderkoff’s of his private talk with both Bodhi Zhao and Caterina Sultana, offering them recurring roles in the next season of Dandridge. Davis Wylde’s Dandridge is pioneering changes in diversity of Hollywood movies and shows by incorporating same-sex romantic storylines, Islamophobia protests, and normalizing diversity with main characters of different backgrounds and religions, such as Jerome Garcia (Antonio Santos), Shauna Khalfallah (Sophia Osman), Daniella Kobayashi (Keira Kuyama), Abigail Patel (Sahana Mittal), among others.

[thevanitychariot]

The Chariot: Issue IX

The Dawn of the Revival Age By Lancer Knight Original Publication Date: 05 November 2020

2020 was met with consecutive blockbusters that saw the rise of Crash Landing On You, the establishment of a strong series such as Fullmetal Alchemist, and the return of The Hunger Games series with Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. 

This year also ushered in many changes welcomed by the new president of Hollywood Studios, Emerson Wright. He terminated the blackballing culture by casting Chrystia Allwright into the major role in his first movie, The Messiah, as the studio’s president; and he’s issuing an end in ageism within the entertainment industry by bringing back the popular artists from previous generations, such as Clapton Robinson and Aubree Jones in his second movie, Zero Zero Zero. 

Although he’s already created a major upset within the status quo with his first two films, he continued to initiate a new era of diversity, by telling stories of those who were silenced in the previous administrations. His third and fourth movies shared the struggles of successful Black women in history: first with Madam CJ Walker in On Her Own Ground, and second with Anita Hill in The Year of the Woman: Hill v. Thomas.

In contrast to rapid evolution of the industry under Emerson Wright, MC-Wylde president Davis Wylde adhered to the formula that solidified him as a great president in the previous years. Crash Landing On You served as a long-awaited reunion of the cast of W, playing the major roles in the movie: Park Jungmin, Joanna Park, Nam Taemin, Lee Jiyeon, and Han Youngchul. He also released the sequel of the star-studded series Kingdom and introduced a series adaptation of the fan-favorite manga, Fullmetal Alchemist. Although familiar, these formulas have been working in Davis’s favor and continues to shine the spotlight on Asian storytelling.

Following the tumultuous end to Lawrence Harland’s administration, Emerson created a friendly business alliance with Davis Wylde with the adaptation of Avatar: The Last Airbender. The two mega studios collaborated with the cast and resources to release a very successful series met with positive reception.

This year was also the ultimate test for the future of Cygna Entertainment, a subsidiary of MC-Wylde. Established in 2018, Cygna Entertainment is presided by Aleksei Tereshchenko and had three movies under its wing: Immortal Life, Tabula Rasa, and Things Fall Apart. Upon creation, Davis Wylde shared that Cygna was going to be an “extension” of the platform he’s providing in telling more stories. Aleksei’s mission was to release movies that would not have been approved by the two bigger studios for production.

Unfortunately since its inception, none of the movies under Cygna has ever been recognized by the Ross Awards. It has been considered a major upset by various film critics and the future of the company rest with the release of their only film this year: Chisholm, which tells the story of the first Black woman to run for presidency in the United States.

Another one of the more influential changes to occur this year is the establishment of the Ross Committee with Hans Neumann recognized to be the first president. This move acts as a giant leap forward to removing bias and corruption that occurred under Lawrence Harland’s presidency and created an administration with the sole purpose of providing policies and overseeing the nomination and award ceremonies. 

With Vanessa Harding releasing Dearest Zelda, the conversation started regarding the possibility of a “double win”, in which last year’s winner is eligible to be nominated again in the upcoming awards ceremony. Hans Neumann confirmed the allowance of “double win” a few days before the Grand Nomination Event on November 5.

Another topic of discussion proliferated in the industry when Gary Ross ended his retirement to direct the fifth Hunger Games movie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, since being the namesake of the awards ceremony, many directors felt that it would be biased for Gary Ross to be nominated. The Ross Committee presided over the issue and came into conclusion that Gary Ross is eligible for the nomination. 

Even though these policies were announced, none of these situations arose during the Grand Nomination Event for the 2020 Ross Awards.

The seventh Ross Awards is as diverse as ever, celebrating the talents and successes of artists of various generations and genres. The nominations are virtually shared equally within all three film studios. Cygna Entertainment’s Chisholm submitted two nominees (Adanna Nwakali for Best Actress and Richelle Paisley for Best Supporting Actress) in which both were recognized. Chisholm is also nominated for Best Picture, a complete turnaround from the previous years of neglect from the Ross Awards nomination.

Three movies share the title with the most nominations of the season - The Year of the Woman: Hill v. Thomas, Chisholm, and Fullmetal Alchemist - one movie for each film studio.

The Best Actress category welcomed back Chrystia Allwright for her role as Eva Geller in The Messiah. The category also introduced Adanna Nwakali (Chisholm) and Maya Abdullahi (The Year of the Woman: Hill v. Thomas) as the first Black women to be nominated for Best Actress. The only Black winner was in 2016 when Aretha Clark brought home the Best Supporting Actress title for playing Ida B. Wells in A Woman’s Crusade.

Caleb Adams is also once again nominated for Best Actor for his role as F. Scott Fitzgerald in Dearest Zelda. This nomination leaves him on par with Vanessa Harding as the most nominated actor in Ross history (a staggering five nominations), even though he only had a Best Supporting Actor nomination in 2016 in comparison to five Best Actress nominations for Vanessa. Keira Kuyama trails behind with four nominations.

With all these major changes in the industry, the next year is definitely looking bright.

The Chariot's People of the Year

The Vanity Chariot continues to recognize those who are very influential throughout the year in the entertainment industry, whether positive or not.

2019

1. Lawrence Harland - his final year of presidency was mired with controversy especially revolving around Omar Vanderkoff and his pursuit for normalizing white supremacy, which lead to the first election in the entertainment industry in search for the next president to take over his position. His fall highlighted the needs for improvement within Hollywood Studios regarding racism, sexism, and nepotism. Regardless of the later controversies, Lawrence Harland is often credited for lifting the industry out of the Stagnant Age by heavily promoting the Ross Awards as an incentive to create more films. He also established the Harland University to educate the future members of the industry, which includes acting, cinematography, administration, and screenplay. Throughout his presidency, he focused a lot of his resources on providing a platform for low-budget films and directors, such as Davis Wylde and Mercer Leigh Stanley.

2. River Johnson - she became a victim of the media after winning Best Actress in the 2017 Ross Awards against fan-and-media favorites Vanessa Harding and Keira Kuyama. River's reputation suffered a great amount following the controversial win. She started speaking out against misogyny and how the media and the industry love to pit women against each other. She took a break from acting to host lectures and gatherings to highlight the need for feminism and equal treatment in Hollywood Studios. An independent investigation revealed that Hollywood Chief of Staff Omar Vanderkoff influenced the results to sway the Best Actress award towards River Johnson with the hopes of preserving white supremacy. The backlash that followed led to the downfall and the purging of the Harland administration from Hollywood Studios. This event propelled River Johnson as the face of the renewal and restoration of a better and fairer Hollywood.

2020

1. Emerson Wright - upon taking over Hollywood Studios at the start of the new year, Emerson tirelessly worked to undo the wrongdoings left by the Harland administration. He released his first movie that welcomed Middle Eastern actors and storylines into the industry. Emerson also ended toxic cultures that thrived under Harland, such as blackballing and ageism by bringing back Chrystia Allwright and Aubree Jones, among others. Additionally, this year served as a beacon to those whose voices were silenced by both Harland and Wylde administrations, and will continue to be next year, as Emerson announced his multiple collaborations with Tonya Mendoza and Adanna Nwakali.

Beijing Lee Wins MC-Wylde Presidency Amid a Divisive Election By: Aramis Giordano Original Publication Date: 10 December 2020

Davis Wylde announced during the 2020 Ross Awards his plan to step down as MC-Wylde's founding president within the next year, citing his longing to go back to directing and focusing on continuing Dandridge as one of his reasons of leaving his position. Following his announcement, a slew of prospective candidates announced their interest in pursuing the soon-to-be vacant spot. A discussion was held regarding who should follow after Davis's footsteps.

Directors were put on top of the list from the positive outcomes from Davis and Emerson's leaderships, although the actors are calling for more recognition and opportunities for the leadership position. Candidate River Johnson argued that actors share the same creative minds and proactivity as their directing colleagues and are also capable of eliciting changes, such as the feminist movement lead by River herself, following her 2017 controversial Ross Award win. Her stance was unanimously supported by her fellow actors who subsequently announced their candidacies.

The platform was opened to twelve prospects. Nine of which are actors, one director, one journalist, and one president. The candidacy pool were: Kimona Lange, Curtis Osborne, Meili Wang, Collins Armondie, Lancer Knight, Caleb Adams, Tala Evangelista, Beijing Lee, Adanna Nwakali, River Johnson, Chase Baker, and Hans Neumann.

Throughout the run, many candidates gained traction and support within MC-Wylde. Caleb Adams, for example, lauded his seven-year collaboration with Davis Wylde certifying himself as the candidate who knows his vision, values, and goals the best. Caleb Adams has worked with Davis Wylde on his very first project as director with Carlsburgh Mysteries and continued to work alongside Davis after the show ended.

Other candidates like River Johnson became a figure of female empowerment after witnessing her rise up against misogyny amid a toxic Hollywood culture pitting women against each other. She became the leader of the feminist movement and promised to continue fighting for visibility if she gets elected president.

Other candidates such as Tala Evangelista and Adanna Nwakali were met with unwelcoming remarks considering they've only been in the industry for less than a year. Their lack of experience as actors placed them in a major disadvantage against their other opponents, such as Caleb Adams and River Johnson.

On the other hand, veteran director Collins Armondie did not receive a large percentage of support, in comparison to Emerson Wright when he ran for president. In part, Collins has been out of the public eye for a while and failed to be as easily recognized as Emerson during candidacy.

As the election continued, the final two major candidates were Beijing Lee and Kimona Lange, who were considered underdogs in the early stages of the election. Many threw their support towards Kimona citing that the industry is due to have a strong female leader who could fight against Hollywood's Emerson Wright. On the other hand, a small group of supporters rallied behind Beijing Lee asking him to continue fighting for Asian visibility and providing a larger platform to include the complete Pan-Asian identity.

Election night ended with the announcement of Beijing Lee as the successor of Davis Wylde amid a growing concern among the MC-Wylde family.

Many of the actors mention how Beijing "lacks inspiration" or "leadership skills", focusing on his minimal three years of experience in the industry. "He has never been an active participant behind the scenes and never sought for projects", one MC-Wylde actor shared. "I'm worried about advocacy".

While others emphasize the history surrounding Beijing's win. "That's one of us right there", an actor shared. "We need to be on his side". 

"One of the reasons there's a lot of worry with Beijing winning is because this is the first time a non-White man is taking lead in a company; and people are afraid of that", another actor expresses.

This is the first time someone takes over MC-Wylde and following the footsteps of the founder himself. A sense of joy and excitement followed Emerson's win last year is due to the end of a corrupt administration under Lawrence Harland. This change in administration is sudden, especially while still at the height of the Asian Age and Davis Wylde's presidential career. Beijing stepping in Davis's shoes will lead the company to an unknown destiny.

"It's just too sudden of a change and it's worrisome". River revealed.

After the announcement, Beijing Lee set a list of the Vice President and Chief of Staff he want to work with - to no avail.

"I've asked five people to be my VP and everyone has rejected the offer". Beijing shared with The Chariot. "I didn't realize how strong the pushback would be". 

River Johnson, Kimona Lange, and Sofia Teller have stepped forward to announce they were not accepting Beijing's offer. "I don't think my vision matches his", shared Kimona.

Austin Stewart announced his acceptance to be Chief of Staff before rejecting the offer hours after. "I didn't know what it would entail and how it would affect my relationship with my family".

On January 11, Beijing disclosed that Kiev Harjanti accepted his offer to become Vice President, while naming Bodhi Zhao as his Chief of Staff.

Many comparisons have already surfaced despite Beijing not having occupied the position yet. We are currently at an important moment in the history of the industry in which Emerson has been creating changes to warrant a new era - the Progressive Era; while Davis continues to strengthen the legacy of the Asian Age. The election of Beijing Lee will determine whether the Asian Age continues or the industry moves on with Emerson Wright to the Progressive Era.

Meanwhile, a petition circulated within MC-Wylde asking to delay Beijing's presidency to a later date in the year prompting Davis Wylde to hold an emergency meeting with Vice President Miyurina Hamasaki and Chief of Staff Seema Bannerjee. Upon the end of the meeting, Davis released a report detailing the transition of power in which Beijing will be taken under his shadow for training. Both Kiev and Bodhi will also partake in the same preparation. No date has been announced for the next presidency, but the report estimates it to be Spring 2021.

[thevanitychariot]

The Chariot: Issue V

Original Publication: 16 March 2018

MC-Wylde Soars Despite Miranda Cosgrove Resigning By: Aramis Giordano

Earlier in the year, Davis Wylde and Miranda Cosgrove announced the MC-Wylde, a fusion of the MC Company and Wylde Studios, to continue providing platform for the underrepresented groups of people. As the current entertainment industry is becoming more prolific, coupled with the birth of Donovan and Mallory, Miranda Cosgrove decides to step down from her position as co-president. She cites her resignation as to focus on taking care of her two children, away from the spotlight and the attention from the current Asian Age. The announcement followed after the end of the production of While You Were Sleeping, and Miranda notes that even though it had been a worthwhile experience, both Donovan and Mallory should not be growing up without their parents most of the day, or having the production stages be their playground. “It robs them the life that children should be having, and I don’t want them to grow up in the industry and society with a silver spoon already feeding them”.

With this conundrum facing the MC-Wylde, Davis ends the production of the Asian Saga, claiming that they have “reached an absolute milestone with the first generation” and expresses his excitement on the future of the second generation, presumably after the promotion of a new co-president or vice president. “The nine movies we have finished for the Asian Saga have been nothing but progression and excitement, and I am looking forward to working with the new vice president in producing a record-breaking second generation of Asian Saga movies”.

The announcement of another set of Asian Saga films came alongside the declaration of MC-Wylde’s new vice president, Miyurina Hamasaki. As MC-Wylde’s former Chief of Staff, Miyurina was responsible for team meetings, staffing, casting, and coordination of events and film productions. Davis idolizes Miyurina’s hard work and her dedication on further improving the studio’s public image and equal and fair treatment within the workplace, that making the decision of who to fill up Miranda’s position was “a no-brainer”. Miyurina was responsible on pitching ideas on the creation of what is now known the Asian Saga, and continued to pursue better and more complex storylines as the saga continued until the final movie, Jang Minho’s While You Were Sleeping, who also helmed the box office hit W. As an Asian-American, Miyurina hopes to address more issues regarding historical and current maltreatment against Asian-Americans and more representation of Asian histories and cultures, providing more platforms for other Asian populations, instead of Japanese and Korean. She has currently proposed another set of 6-10 movies for the second generation of the Asian Saga, in which she currently refers to as the Tales from the East. “Even though it is called the Asian Saga, I still believed that we underrepresented the other Asian minorities; my responsibility as the new vice president of the company leading the forefront for progression is to make sure other Asian cultures and histories are valued and represented. The heroes and heroines who non-East Asians look up to will find a place in the spotlight with the Tales from the East, a spotlight that was robbed from them in our current history books and cinematic works”.

A Surveillance: Reel 3 is due to air this December for non-Korean and non-Japanese candidates to participate in. “This is not a form of discrimination against the Koreans or the Japanese”, Miyurina promotes. “I want the Thais, and the Pakistanis, and the Indonesians to star in the same blockbuster films that the Koreans and the Japanese are raking glory in. She promises to take part on the casting process for the third reel to make sure that the positions are open for everybody and not just biased towards one race. “I can’t promise the results of who fills in the positions, but be assured that the spotlight can shine at everyone”. Miyurina closes her speech wishing the Ross Award nominees much luck and looks forward to working with Davis and Lawrence closely for the next years to come.

Ross and Racism: How River Johnson is the Catalyst for Something Greater By: Aramis Giordano Original Publication Date: 12 December 2017

This year's Ross Awards is the most anticipated show in the entire history of the industry, mostly because of the interest in the movies nominated from the Asian Age and the drive to witness an historical awards ceremony. The Ross Awards did not disappoint and awarded the first Muslim and Asian winners that day. Sophia Osman won the title Best Supporting Actress for her role as Sughra "Leafa" Daher in ALFheim Online and Park Jungmin was awarded Best Actor for his breakout role as Arima Kousei in Your Lie in April. The most anticipated award of the season, Best Actress, did not fail to create conversations even days after the Ross Awards. Retrospectively, the Best Actress Award has always been the most talked about award with the viewers and has created the most controversial moments in the industry. This year's contenders were nothing but diverse: Keira Kuyama (Your Lie in April), Joanna Park (W), Caterina Sultana (Boys Over Flowers), Vanessa Harding (1872), and River Johnson (Omelas). Three of the five candidates are newcomers and are racial minorities, which sets the expectation that one of them would go home with the award.

Unfortunately, that was not the case. The award was given to River Johnson for her role as Ursula Le Guin, who willfully saved a child being emotionally and physically neglected in exchange for eternal happiness of the entire city of Omelas. Recent polls from various news sites and channels showed that Keira Kuyama and Vanessa Harding were supposed to be head-to-head for the award, and all of the polls have chosen River Johnson as the least likely winner. This begs the question: is this an award for the art of film or just another method to maintain white dominance in the industry? Since compared to Vanessa and Keira's performances, River's was clearly subpar. Which leads to the conclusion that this is not an award for performances. So, what happened? How did River Johnson win?

White. She is white. That's the case for Vanessa Harding also, although her role as the first woman to run for president in an era where women did not have the rights to vote yet, warranted the recognition of being the best actress. Her role as Victoria Woodhull was arguably one of her best and most memorable role as it showcased the drive to achieve an impossible goal. Another big award, Best Director, was handed to Mercer Leigh Stanley for her work in Boys Over Flowers. Together with River Johnson, two of the trifecta awards (Director, Actress, and Actor) were awarded to white artists. Another discussion whether or not Mercer deserved the award continues claiming it was her weakest movie with only two acting nominees.

The Vanity Chariot asked for a statement from the chairman of Hollywood Studios who is also responsible for the Ross Awards, Omar Vanderkoff, but none was given. Looking at the history with how Omar Vanderkoff handled the race issue from X Factor Season 8, an internal investigation should be warranted to prove that Omar had no influence in depriving the Asian nominees of the biggest award at the height of the Asian Age.

Not only River Johnson winning spurred conversations after the awards show, the talk about 1872 and W being snubbed from receiving any awards also flourished. The two movies were considered the golden movies of the year, displaying plotlines and themes that the industry has never experimented with before. 1872 was nominated for all categories yet came home with no awards; that has also been the case with the first Ross Awards which saw an historical seven nominations for Vanessa Harding's The Regnancy, but the movie fell short with no awards won. Although being her fourth Best Actress nomination, the most anybody has ever had, she never had the chance to go up the stage for a victory speech yet. A controversial win in 2015 with Chrystia Allwright put into the spotlight Vanessa's drive to have her movies recognized, and even though she released another historical movie, A Woman's Crusade, the following year, the Ross still did not hand the award to her.

River expected all of this to happen. The moment Taelyn Robins announced her name as the winner, the auditorium echoed with sounds of disapproval, followed by a unified chant with Keira's name prior to River starting her speech. She mentioned how the media "loves to pit women against each other for entertainment" and the viewers everywhere should realize they're falling into their trap. After the show, a rally outside the Stanley Auditorium ensued calling for a boycott for the future Ross Awards and calling out Hollywood Studios for the continuous unacceptance of other races into the industry. River acted as the ignition for the racial protests that will continue throughout 2018 and will be amplified by Tokyo Ghoul in April 14.

Next year's Ross Awards will also be an historical one, since it will include all of the Asian Saga movies. It will also be the fifth awards ceremony and the Chariot will be doing a segment on all the winners from the past five shows. In addition, the Ross Awards also announced Crew Matthew Barton as the permanent host of the ceremony.

Despite the chaos, Davis Wylde remains victorious for taking home all the awards, but Best Actress – an amazing feat for this year’s Ross Awards being his first. It is an exciting year ahead in diversity and history, and we just hope the president of Hollywood Studios, Lawrence Harland, will do everything to clear the studio's image following River's win and Tokyo Ghoul's release.

Asian Age Strengthens in the Face of a Crumbling Harland Empire By: Aramis Giordano Original Publication Date: 16 March 2018

Three months have passed since the most controversial Ross Awards Ceremony that saw cultural and racial minorities as nominees and winners. An anti-racism propaganda also emerged following River Johnson’s win as Best Actress against first-time nominees Keira Kuyama for her work in Your Lie in April and Joanna Park for her role in the blockbuster hit, W. Despite the chaos that ensued three months ago, the tension within the entertainment industry remained. An internal investigation is being conducted in Hollywood Studios with its chairman, Omar Vanderkoff, for possible influence with the Best Actress win. Hollywood Studios president, Lawrence Harland, declined to have an interview while the investigation is taking place.

Unlike Hollywood Studios, which had remained stagnant since last year’s Ross Awards, releasing no movies as of March, MC-Wylde’s The Asian Saga is in full-swing, with a release of one movie every weekend. Its most recent released film, The Pinocchio Syndrome, saw unprecedented success, almost on par with its predecessors, W and Descendants of the Sun. MC-Wylde’s Vice President, Miyurina Hamasaki also updates The Vanity Chariot about the Tales from the East being a very strong contender for a diverse and solid pathway for the future generations of racial minorities to follow. Miyurina mentioned movies, such as Fight My Way, Suspicious Partner, and Missing Nine, having main cast of non-Japanese or non-Korean descents. She acknowledges the talents brought in by the new cast members, such as Samar Chopra, Rio Tran, Kiet Aromdee, Aishah Khan, and Anika Sunisa. She also follows up that most of the movies in the Tales from the East are directed by Hadian Kusuma, an Indonesian-American female director. “I pride on diversity, and not just a homogenous form of diversity away from the typical White European standards that the industry thrived on before MC-Wylde. South and Southeast Asians will both thrive alongside the East Asians who carried The Asian Saga”.

Following Miyurina’s updates on the Tales from the East, she also announces MC-Wylde’s new Chief of Staff, taking her previous position before Davis Wylde promoted her as vice president. Dr. McCormick Hawthorne, an adjunct film history professor at Lawrence Harland University, steps in as Chief of Staff after a three-month discussion with Davis and Miyurina. “Davis and I think that with his knowledge on film backing him, Dr. Hawthorne will deliver new and raw ideas into the table that will mold the film industry that we want – an industry that shares our values and represents us a nation. We are very glad to have him on board”.

As the year progresses, the Asian Saga and Tales from the East will continue to take over the film industry, setting aside the movies released by Hollywood Studios; and with the upcoming release of its most controversial whitewashed film, Tokyo Ghoul, consisting of an all-white cast set in Tokyo, Japan, it is only a matter of time until Lawrence Harland’s empire crumbles down. The industry is changing rapidly, and anybody who does not accept this change will be left behind.