In the run-up to the Oscars on Sunday (March 10), a coalition of actors, musicians and activists will issue an open letter to Hollywood on the significance of Christopher Nolan’s film Oppenheimer and the real-life threats of nuclear war.
The coalition includes members of Oppenheimer‘s cast and crew, as well as such bold-faced names as Annie Lennox, Graham Nash, Jackson Browne, Emma Thompson, Jane Fonda, Julianne Moore, Lily Tomlin, Michael Douglas, Rosanna Arquette and Viggo Mortensen. J. Robert Oppenheimer’s grandson, activist Charles Oppenheimer, also joined this call-to-action. The letter will be posted on MakeNukesHistory.org Wednesday (March 6), and will be printed in a full page ad in Thursday’s Los Angeles Times.
The campaign is taking place across Los Angeles and includes, in addition to billboards, a mural in West Hollywood and more than 1,000 street posters, proclaiming “Oppenheimer Started It, We Can End It” and “13 Oppenheimer Nominations; 13,000 Nuclear Weapons.”
Nash recently released an official statement for the the “John Lennon Real Love” award : Over many years, I watched John and Yoko ‘fight the good fight’ for many whose voices were not being heard, a fight that Yoko continues to this day,” Nash’s statement continued. “I’m proud to be associated with the many fine artists who were previously honoured with the John Lennon Real Love Award.”
The “John Lennon Real Love” award was first established in 2014. Since then, various beloved artists have received the honor, including Rosanne Cash, Patti Smith, Ani DiFranco, and Donovan. According to the award’s website, the “John Lennon Real Love” award “celebrates artists for their creative brilliance, support of charitable causes and/or enduring commitment to social activism.”
Graham Nash has released the new track, “A Better Life,” from his first new studio album in seven years. The LP, Now, arrives May 19, 2023, via BMG.
Speaking when the LP was announced, Nash said, “I believe that my new album Now is the most personal one I have ever made. At this point in my life, that’s something to say.” He expanded on his theme in a recent interview with Variety, noting that “it is the duty of all artists to reflect the times in which they live, which is why there is MAGA stuff on Now, and songs such as 'Stars and Stripes' that discuss what Trump has done to the truth.”
