Jimmy Kimmel to Host the 95th Oscars. Photo: ABC/Jeff Lipsky.
Given that the first time Jimmy Kimmel hosted the Oscars, we got the memorable ‘La La Land’/’Moonlight’ Best Picture mix-up, you might think he’d be wary of coming back.
But that was in 2017, and Kimmel actually came back in 2018 for a less dramatic ceremony. Now, after five years away, he will once more lead the show for the 95th Oscars, which will be held next year.
The announcement was made by Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, the executive producers and showrunners for the next show.
Kimmel, who hosts popular late-night show ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ joins a three-peat club that also includes Jerry Lewis, Steve Martin, Conrad Nagel and David Niven. He has some way to go, however, to compete with the likes of Billy Crystal, who has wrangled the show nine times and Bob Hope, who hosted 11 times in his career.
“Being invited to host the Oscars for a third time is either a great honor or a trap,” Kimmel says in a statement. “Either way, I am grateful to the Academy for asking me so quickly after everyone good said no.”
“We’re super thrilled to have Jimmy score his hat trick on this global stage,” Weiss and Kirshner said in a joint statement. “We know he will be funny and ready for anything.”
“Jimmy is the perfect host to help us recognize the incredible artists and films of our 95th Oscars,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang enthuse. “His love of movies, live TV expertise, and ability to connect with our global audiences will create an unforgettable experience for our millions of viewers worldwide.”
Chris Rock presents the Oscar® for Documentary Feature during the live ABC telecast of the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo Credit: Blaine Ohigashi / A.M.P.A.S.
Naturally, neither the Academy nor the producers are speaking as to whether anyone was asked before Kimmel, though there had been speculation that producers reached out to Chris Rock in the wake of last year’s Will Smithslap incident.
The Academy and those running the show have struggled with plummeting ratings and finding the right hosts in recent years. In 2020, the show relied on a variety of hosts after first choice Kevin Hart left the gig under fire for problematic attitudes on social media.
In 2021, the pandemic forced the ceremony out of its usual Dolby Theatre home and once again employed a changing roster of presenters instead of the traditional host for a muted ceremony. This year represented a return to a more normal ceremony, albeit with three hosts – Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes.
The 95th Oscar nominations will be announced on January 24th, 2023, with the ceremony to be held on March 12th.
Will Smith accepts the Oscar® for Actor in a Leading Role during the live ABC telecast of the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo Credit: Kyusung Gong / A.M.P.A.S.
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Louise Fletcher in ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.’ Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. YouTube channel.
Louise Fletcher, whose subtle, creepy performance seared a classic, conflicted movie villain into the public consciousness – and won an Academy Award in the process – has died. She was 88.
Estelle Louise Fletcher was born in 1934 in Birmingham, Alabama. Her father was an episcopal priest and both of her parents were deaf. That would lead to an emotional element when she won her Oscar for ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’; she utilized sign language as part of her acceptance speech.
Introduced to acting by an aunt she and her siblings spent a year and further summers with to ensure they learned to speak, she attended school at the University of North Carolina and then headed to Los Angeles, where she started to find acting work making guest appearances on shows such as ‘Bat Masterson’, ‘Maverick’, ‘The Untouchables’, ‘Wagon Train’, and ‘Perry Mason’.
Yet after an uncredited movie debut in ‘A Gathering of Eagles’, she decided to give up acting and focus on family. It was Robert Altman who persuaded her to return to the screen for 1974’s ‘Thieves Like Us’. Her performance caught the attention of Milos Forman, who thought she might be right for ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’s rigid, rule-enforcing Nurse Ratched.
In addition to the Academy Award, she became only the third woman to win the BAFTA and the Golden Globe for a single performance.
(L to R) Producer Michael Douglas, director Miloš Forman, Louise Fletcher, and Jack Nicholson from ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest’ at the 48th Academy Awards. Photo courtesy of Oscars.org.
Fletcher had more luck on TV, starring in TV Movies including ‘The Karen Carpenter Story’ and scoring an Emmy nomination for series ‘Picket Fences’ as a woman who rejects her deaf daughter (played by fellow Oscar winner Marlee Matlin).
Sci-fi fans will know her best as Kai Winn, the scheming religious leader from the planet Bajor in ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’, who sought political power and went to great lengths to achieve it.
She would go on to describe the feeling of winning her Oscar as exhilarating but fleeting, and she was glad she didn’t win earlier in her career. “I got the Oscar when I was 41,” Fletcher told the New York Times. “If I was 23, it would have been hard to deal with. Hell, at my age it was hard to deal with. It was like being thrown an explosive.”
Fletcher died at her home in Montdurausse, France, surrounded by family.
The “slap heard about the world” continues to resonate with repercussions.
Months after March 27th’s Academy Awards, people are still talking about the incident between comedian/actor Chris Rock and movie star Will Smith.
While the Oscars had been proceeding normally – the first full, in-person ceremony since the pandemic began – events took a turn when Chris Rock arrived on stage to present Best Documentary and in his presenter’s remarks made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head.
Seemingly unaware that Pinkett smith had been dealing with alopecia for years, Rock made a joke comparing her to the main character in ‘G.I. Jane’ and, after briefly laughing, Will Smith got to his feet, marched on stage and slapped Rock. As he retook his seat, Smith yelled, “keep my wife’s name out of your f*****g mouth”, stunning the audience that might have thought it was a comedy bit set up by the Academy, its writers and the two performers.
He has returned via his YouTube channel, answering questions about the event. And, in one particular segment, he apologized to Rock and his family.
“I was fogged out by that point. It is all fuzzy. I’ve reached out to Chris and the message that came back is that he’s not ready to talk. When he is, he will reach out. I will say to you, Chris, I apologize to you. My behavior was unacceptable and I am here whenever you are ready to talk. I want to apologize to Chris’s mother. I saw an interview she did, and that was one of the things I just didn’t realize. I wasn’t thinking, but how many people got hurt in that moment.”
“I want to apologize to Chris’ mother, I want to apologize to Chris’s family, specifically Tony Rock. We had a great relationship. Tony Rock was my man. This is probably irreparable. I spent the last three months replaying and understanding the nuance and complexity of what happened in that moment. I’m not going to try to unpack all of that right now, but I can say to all of you, there is no part of me that thinks that was the right way to behave in that moment. No part of me that thinks that is the optimal way to handle a feeling of disrespect or insult.”
Smith also covered whether Pinkett Smith prompted him to act: “No. I made a choice on my own, from my own experience, and my history with Chris. Jada had nothing to do with it. I’m sorry, babe, and I want to say sorry to my kids and my family for the heat that I brought on all of us.”
Finally, he offered his perspective and what he intends to do now. “Two things. One, disappointing people is my central trauma. I hate when I let people down, so it hurts me psychologically and emotionally that I didn’t live up to peoples’ image and impression of me,” he admits.
“The work I am trying to do is, I am deeply remorseful and I’m trying to be remorseful without being ashamed of myself. I’m human and I made a mistake and I’m trying not to think of myself as a piece of shit so I would say to those people, I know it was confusing, I know it was shocking, but I promise you I am deeply devoted and committed to putting light and love and joy into the world,” Smith continues. “If you hang on, I promise we will be able to be friends again.”
Will Smith accepts the Oscar® for Actor in a Leading Role during the live ABC telecast of the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo Credit: Blaine Ohigashi / A.M.P.A.S.
Will Smith on Netflix’s ‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman.’
He might be keeping a low profile after the events of this year’s Oscars, but it appears Will Smith already foresaw himself getting into trouble a while before the event itself.
Sitting down with David Letterman for an episode of the latter’s Netflix talk series ‘My Next Guest Needs No Introduction’, the actor made the usual pleasant chitchat and jokey banter with the comedian and host, but he also got candid about past struggles, including with alcohol and psychedelics.
“I drank, and it usually takes about 45 minutes to kick in. And I’m sitting there, and you always feel like, ‘Maybe it won’t kick in this time.’” Says Smith. “So, I’m drinking and sitting there, and then all of a sudden it’s like I start seeing all of my money flying away, and my house is flying away, and my career is going away.” The actor continues, “My whole life is getting destroyed.”
His vision also featured daughter Willow calling for help. “Then slowly, I stopped caring about my money, I just wanted to get to Willow. I stopped caring about my house, I stopped caring about my career,” Smith recalls. “This is my fear in real life, and I’m in there and I’m wanting to vomit and all of that, and I hear a voice saying: ‘This is what the f**k it is. This is what the f**k life is.’”
While no one is suggesting that Smith is psychic, it’s certainly an intriguing coincidence that he should talk about career damage some time before his incident a couple of months ago.
The slap, which will forever be seared into Hollywood – and particularly Oscar – history, happened at the Academy Awards on March 27th.
As comedian and presenter Chris Rock joked about Jada Pinkett Smith’s shaved head, her husband Will Smith marched on stage and slapped him.
Will Smith slaps Chris Rock at the 94th Academy Awards. Photo via Twitter.
“Jada, I love you. ‘G.I. Jane 2’? Can’t wait to see it,” Rock said as part of a short monologue that had previously been drawing laughs in the room. Pinkett Smith, who has recently spoken about her experiences dealing with alopecia, rolled her eyes at the gag. Seeing his wife’s discomfort, Smith took to the stage, walked directly up to Rock, and struck him on the face. “Will Smith just smacked the [expletive] out of me,” Rock remarked as Smith returned to his seat. Once he was sat down again, Smith repeatedly shouted at Rock: “Leave my wife’s name out of your [expletive] mouth.”
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith during the live ABC telecast of the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo Credit: Al Seib / A.M.P.A.S.
In the film categories, Oscar frontrunner ‘Power of the Dog’ tied ‘House of Gucci’ for the most nominations with three each, however it was surprisingly left off the list for Best Cast, which is basically SAG’s Best Picture category. On the other hand, ‘Gucci,’ which had essentially left the Oscar race till now with only Lady Gaga still in the hunt for Best Actress, has seen a resurrection of sorts with it’s Best Cast nomination and now has a better shot at multiple nominations at the Academy Awards. Rounding out the Best Cast category are ‘Don’t Look Up,’ ‘Belfast,’ ‘CODA’ and ‘King Richard.’
Other surprises in the film categories include Oscar frontrunner for Best Actress, Kristen Stewart being left off of the list for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her work in ‘Spencer.’ As well as actor Peter Dinklage, who will likely be nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his role in ‘Cyrano,’ but was unfortunately snubbed by his fellow actors.
There were also some unexpected nominations, as Javier Bardem scored an Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for his work in ‘Being the Ricardos,’ and Jennifer Hudson was nominated for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for her role in ‘Respect.’
In the Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role category, both Ben Affleck and Bradley Cooper managed to receive nominations for their work in ‘The Tender Bar’ and ‘Licorice Pizza,’ respectively, putting both actors squarely in the Oscar race. Likewise, Ruth Negga’s Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role nomination for her work in ‘Passing,’ also makes her an Oscar contender.
On the television side, nominees for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series include ‘The Handmaid’s Tale,’ ‘The Morning Show,’ ‘Squid Game,’ ‘Succession,’ and ‘Yellowstone.’ Nominees for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series are ‘The Great,’ ‘Hacks,’ ‘The Kominsky Method,’ ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ and ‘Ted Lasso.’
As previously announced, receiving the Life Achievement Award at the 28th annual ceremony will be Oscar winning actress, Helen Mirren. Last year’s ceremony was held virtual due to the pandemic, but this year it will be live again from Barker Hanger in Santa Monica, airing on TNT and TBS at 5pm PST on Sunday, February 27th.
A complete list of the 2022 SAG Awards nominees is below:
TV CATEGORIES:
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus)
Oscar Isaac (Scenes from a Marriage)
Michael Keaton (Dopesick)
Ewan McGregor (Halston)
Evan Peters (Mare of Easttown)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Jennifer Coolidge (The White Lotus)
Cynthia Erivo (Genius: Aretha)
Margaret Qualley (Maid)
Jean Smart (Mare of Easttown)
Kate Winslet (Mare of Easttown)
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Michael Douglas (The Kominsky Method)
Brett Goldstein (Ted Lasso)
Steve Martin (Only Murders in the Building)
Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)
Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Elle Fanning (The Great)
Sandra Oh (The Chair)
Jean Smart (Hacks)
Juno Temple (Ted Lasso)
Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
The Great
Hacks
The Kominsky Method
Only Murders in the Building
Ted Lasso
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Brian Cox (Succession)
Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
Kieran Culkin (Succession)
Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game)
Jeremy Strong (Succession)
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show)
Jung Ho-yeon (Squid Game)
Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale)
Sarah Snook (Succession)
Reese Witherspoon (The Morning Show)
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Morning Show
Squid Game
Succession
Yellowstone
Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
Cobra Kai
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
Loki
Mare of Easttown
Squid Game
Netflix can cross another big item of its company bucket list, as they’ve wooed legendary director Martin Scorsese to the fold. Even better, this biographical crime drama features Scorsese working with dome familiar faces. Robert De Niro stars as labor union leader Frank Sheeran, the man famous for killing mob boss Jimmy Hoffa (played here by Al Pacino).
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Green Book (2018)
Tony Lip, a bouncer in 1962, is hired to drive pianist Don Shirley on a tour through the Deep South in the days when African Americans, forced to find alternate accommodations and services due to segregation laws below the Mason-Dixon Line, relied on a guide called The Negro Motorist Green Book.
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Moonlight (2016)
A24
After the biggest Oscar mix-up of all time, this moving indie won Best Picture over “La La Land.” It also scored wins for Mahershala Ali and Best Adapted Screenplay. It received 8 noms in all, including for its stunning cinematography and director Barry Jenkins.
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Spotlight (2015)
Open Road Films
This tense, true-life drama about a team of Boston journalists who exposed decades of abuse in the Catholic church won Best Picture and Original Screenplay, as well as nominations for Rachel McAdams and Mark Ruffalo.
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Argo (2012)
As the Iranian revolution reaches a boiling point, a CIA ‘exfiltration’ specialist concocts a risky plan to free six Americans who have found shelter at the home of the Canadian ambassador.
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The King’s Speech (2010)
The King’s Speech tells the story of the man who became King George VI, the father of Queen Elizabeth II. After his brother abdicates, George (‘Bertie’) reluctantly assumes the throne. Plagued by a dreaded stutter and considered unfit to be king, Bertie engages the help of an unorthodox speech therapist named Lionel Logue. Through a set of unexpected techniques, and as a result of an unlikely friendship, Bertie is able to find his voice and boldly lead the country into war.
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Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Jamal Malik is an impoverished Indian teen who becomes a contestant on the Hindi version of ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?’ but, after he wins, he is suspected of cheating.
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There Will Be Blood (2007)
Paramount Vantage
Daniel Day-Lewis collected his second Best Actor Oscar as larger-than-life Daniel Plainview. Cinematographer Robert Elswit also won an Oscar. The film was nominated for 8 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.
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The Departed (2006)
Warner Bros.
The crime drama that finally won Best Picture and Best Director for Martin Scorsese. No noms for any of the stellar cast… except for Mark Wahlberg. Wha?!
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Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Warner Bros.
Star Hilary Swank and director Clint Eastwood won their second batch of Oscars for this boxing drama. It also won Best Supporting Actor for Morgan Freeman and Best Picture.
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A Beautiful Mind (2001)
He saw the world in a way no one could have imagined. John Nash (Russel Crowe) is a brilliant but asocial mathematician fighting schizophrenia. After he accepts secret work in cryptography, his life takes a turn for the nightmarish.
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Gladiator (2000)
In the year 180, the death of emperor Marcus Aurelius throws the Roman Empire into chaos. Maximus is one of the Roman army’s most capable and trusted generals and a key advisor to the emperor. As Marcus’ devious son Commodus ascends to the throne, Maximus is set to be executed. He escapes, but is captured by slave traders. Renamed Spaniard and forced to become a gladiator, Maximus must battle to the death with other men for the amusement of paying audiences.
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American Beauty (1999)
Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter’s attractive friend.
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Good Will Hunting (1997)
MIramax
It didn’t win Best Picture, but those feel-good wins for an overwhelmed Robin Williams (Best Supporting Actor) and screenplay (Matt Damon and Ben Affleck) gave us some of our favorite Oscar moments ever.
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Jerry Maguire (1996)
TriStar Pictures
Ready for something upbeat after all those downer dramas? Cuba Gooding Jr.‘s star athlete is every bit as entertaining as his unforgettable acceptance speech. Also nominated: Tom Cruise and director Cameron Crowe.
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Braveheart (1995)
Enraged at the slaughter of Murron, his new bride and childhood love, Scottish warrior William Wallace slays a platoon of the local English lord’s soldiers. This leads the village to revolt and, eventually, the entire country to rise up against English rule.
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Forrest Gump (1994)
Life is like a box of chocolates…you never know what you’re gonna get. A man with a low IQ has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love eludes him.
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Schindler’s List (1993)
Universal
Steven Spielberg‘s acclaimed Holocaust drama won seven Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Cinematography. Stars Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes were nominated (and robbed)?
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Howards End (1992)
Sony Pictures Classics
Emma Thompson won Best Actress for this sumptuous Merchant-Ivory film. It also won awards for screenplay and art direction. It was nominated for Best Picture, Director, Cinematography, Costume Design, Music, and Supporting Actress (Vanessa Redgrave).
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Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Orion
The first horror film to win Best Picture at the Oscars (it also won Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Director) remains one of the greatest films of the genre. Anthony Hopkins was perfection as Hannibal Lecter and we’re right there with Clarice (Jodie Foster) for every heart-stopping moment.
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Driving Miss Daisy (1989)
The story of an old Jewish widow named Daisy Werthan and her relationship with her black chauffeur, Hoke. From an initial mere work relationship grew in 25 years a strong friendship between the two very different characters in a time when those types of relationships where shunned.
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Rain Man (1988)
A journey through understanding and fellowship. Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt’s father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country.
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Terms of Endearment (1983)
Paramount
This mother-daughter tearjerker scored 5 Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Shirley MacLaine) and Best Supporting Actor (Jack Nicholson) and Best Adapted Screenplay.
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Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Paramount
Steven Spielberg‘s ode to B-movie serials is not only one of the greatest popcorn films of all time, it won 5 Oscars: Best Art Direction, Film Editing, Sound, and Visual Effects, and a Special Achievement Award for Sound Effects Editing. Best Picture went (controversially) to “Chariots of Fire.”
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Rocky (1976)
When world heavyweight boxing champion, Apollo Creed wants to give an unknown fighter a shot at the title as a publicity stunt, his handlers choose palooka Rocky Balboa, an uneducated collector for a Philadelphia loan shark. Rocky teams up with trainer Mickey Goldmill to make the most of this once in a lifetime break.
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The Godfather (1972)
Paramount
Spanning the years 1945 to 1955, a chronicle of the fictional Italian-American Corleone crime family. When organized crime family patriarch, Vito Corleone barely survives an attempt on his life, his youngest son, Michael steps in to take care of the would-be killers, launching a campaign of bloody revenge.
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The French Connection (1971)
The famous car chase still makes audiences gasp and New York City was rarely grittier than in William Friedkin’s police thriller that won Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and Best Actor for Gene Hackman as dogged cop Popeye Doyle.
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In the Heat of the Night (1967)
United Artists
This blistering crime drama in which a black cop from Philadelphia (Sidney Poitier) investigates a crime in the deeply racist South won 5 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Rod Steiger. (Poitier won his Best Actor Oscar for “Lilies of the Field.”)
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To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Universal
A landmark American film that’s still enthralling, more than 50 years later. Gregory Peck won a Best Actor Oscar for his career-defining performance as noble lawyer Atticus Finch, who defends a black man (Brock Peters) unjustly accused of rape.
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Gone With the Wind (1939)
MGM
This hasn’t-aged-so-well Civil War epic swept the field with 10 Oscar wins, including the first-ever win for a black actor: Hattie McDaniel. For that alone, it’s a landmark film.
Best Picture nominees ‘Judas and the Black Messiah,’ ‘Nomadland,’ ‘Promising Young Woman,’ ‘Sound of Metal,’ ‘Mank,’ ‘Minari,’ ‘Trial of the Chicago 7,’ & ‘The Father’
Early in the morning on March 15th, Nick Jonas and Prianka Chopra-Jonas announced the nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards. Here are the nominees for this years’ awards:
BEST PICTURE
‘The Father’
‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
‘Mank’
‘Minari’
‘Nomadland’
‘Promising Young Woman’
‘Sound of Metal’
‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
DIRECTOR
Thomas Vinterberg, ‘Another Round’
David Fincher, ‘Mank’
Lee Isaac Chung, ‘Minari’
Chloe Zhao, ‘Nomadland’
Emerald Fennell, ‘Promising Young Woman’
ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE
Riz Ahmed, ‘Sound of Metal’
Chadwick Boseman, ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
Anthony Hopkins, ‘The Father’
Gary Oldman, ‘Mank’
Steven Yeun, ‘Minari’
ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE
Viola Davis, ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
Andra Day, ‘The United States vs. Billie Holiday’
Vanessa Kirby, ‘Pieces of a Woman’
Frances McDormand, ‘Nomadland’
Carey Mulligan, ‘Promising Young Woman’
Sacha Baron Cohen, ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
Daniel Kaluuya, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
Leslie Odom Jr., ‘One Night in Miami’
Paul Raci, ‘Sound of Metal’
Lakeith Stanfield, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
‘Onward’
‘Over the Moon’
‘A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon’
‘Soul’
‘Wolfwalkers’
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
‘Borat Subsequent MovieFilm’
‘The Father’
‘Nomadland’
‘One Night in Miami’
‘The White Tiger’
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
‘Minari’
‘Promising Young Woman’
‘Sound of Metal’
‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
‘Another Round’ – Denmark
‘Better Days’ – Hong Kong
‘Collective’ – Romania
‘The Man Who Sold His Skin’ – Tunisia
‘Quo Vadis, Aida?’ – Bosnia and Herzegovina
‘The Father’
‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’
‘Mank’
‘News of the World’
‘Tenet’
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Sean Bobbitt, ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
Erik Messerschmidt, ‘Mank’
Dariusz Wolski, ‘News of the World’
Joshua James Richards, ‘Nomadland’
Phedon Papamichael , ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
‘Burrow’
‘Genius Loci’
‘If Anything Happens I Love You’
‘Opera’
‘Yes-People’
DOCUMENTARY (SHORT)
‘Colette’
‘A Concerto Is a Conversation’
‘Do Not Split’
‘Hunger Ward’
‘A Love Song For Latasha’
ORIGINAL SONG
‘Fight For You’ from ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’
‘Hear My Voice’ from ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’
‘Husavik’ from ‘Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga’
‘lo Sì (Seen)’ from ‘The Life Ahead (La Vita Davanti a Se)’
‘Speak Now’ from ‘One Night in Miami…’
ORIGINAL SCORE
‘Da 5 Bloods’
‘Mank’
‘Minari’
‘News of the World’
‘Soul’
Delayed by the pandemic, the Oscars ceremony will be on Sunday, April 25 on ABC.
The question of streaming movies’ eligibility for the Oscars is now a lot bigger than just (to put it simply) “Steven Spielberg vs. Netflix.”
The Department of Justice wrote to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to warn them that limiting the eligibility of Netflix and other streaming services for the Oscars could be against violate a competition and antitrust law that’s more than a century old.
Makan Delrahim, the chief of the DOJ’s Antitrust Division, wrote to AMPAS CEO Dawn Hudson on March 21. He expressed concerns that the Academy’s new rules would be written “in a way that tends to suppress competition.”
An Academy spokesperson confirmed to Variety that they received the letter and “responded accordingly.”
Delrahim cited Section 1 of the Sherman Act (that dates all the way back to 1980), which “prohibits anti-competitive agreements among competitors.”
He added, “if the Academy adopts a new rule to exclude certain types of films, such as films distributed via online streaming services, from eligibility for the Oscars, and that exclusion tends to diminish the excluded films’ sales, that rule could therefore violate Section 1.”
This all began with Spielberg’s comments that if a movie is on a streaming service, “[it] deserves an Emmy, but not an Oscar.”
His remarks were widely interpreted as a slam against Alfonso Cuarón‘s “Roma,” which briefly played theaters, but then went straight to Netflix. It was nominated for 10 Oscars and won 3, including Best Director.
The rule change the Academy is considering would increase the amount of time a film would have to play in theaters to be eligible for an Oscar. Currently, a “qualifying run” is if a film is shown in a Los Angeles theater for “at least seven consecutive days” during the year in question.
The Academy’s Board of Governors meets on April 23 for its annual awards rules meeting. Stay tuned.
After years of falling ratings — and a historic low tally in 2018 — this year’s Oscars telecast scored a double-digit percentage increase in viewership over last year’s ceremony. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the broadcast notched 29.6 million viewers, which is up 11.5 percent from the 2018 event’s 26.54 million viewers.
As for ratings share, that also saw a significant increase versus 2018’s numbers. This year’s ceremony scored a 7.7 percent share, an increase of 13 percent from 2018’s 6.8 percent share.
Of course, as THR notes, those still aren’t great numbers, especially considering that the show is still rebounding from all-time low totals. But it’s a promising start for the Oscars, which weathered an insane amount of controversy in the lead-up to the broadcast, and still managed to pull off an exciting, breezy, and pretty unpredictable night of television.
While all the behind the scenes chaos probably did play a role in piquing audience curiosity, it probably didn’t hurt that several of the films up for the night’s biggest prizes were also huge hits, with devoted fan bases eager to tune in. And despite the controversy that’s still swirling today over the new Best Picture champ, we have a feeling that the Academy is probably pretty pleased with the overall results.
We’ll see if the sequel in 2020 can live up to 2019’s promise.
It’s almost here! The 91st Academy Awards finally airs this Sunday, February 24th, and we’re counting down the minutes.
We’ve already given you some fascinating Oscars stats, and now we’re bringing you some of the best (and, um, craziest) facts about Hollywood’s biggest awards show. From the first Best Actor winner, to the “one dollar” Oscar rule, here are 25 things you (probably) don’t know about the Oscars.
1. The youngest Oscar winner was Tatum O’Neal (above), who won Best Supporting Actress for “Paper Moon” (1973) when she was only 10 years old. Shirley Temple won the short-lived Juvenile Award at just 6 years old.
2. After winning Best Actress for “Cabaret” (1972), Liza Minnelli became (and still is) the only Oscar winner whose parents both earned Oscars. Her mother, Judy Garland, received an honorary award in 1939 and her father, Vincente Minnelli, won Best Director for “Gigi” (1958).
3. Nameplates for all potential winners (meaning, every nominee) are prepared ahead of time; in 2014, the Academy made 215 of them!
4. The first Academy Awards were presented in 1929 at a private dinner of about 270 people. It was first televised in 1953, and now the Oscars ceremony can be seen in more than 200 countries.
7. Peter Finch (“Network“) and Heath Ledger (“The Dark Knight“) are the only actors to be awarded an Academy Award posthumously. Ledger’s Oscar — and his entire fortune — was gifted to his young daughter, Matilda.
9. Katharine Hepburn won a record four Academy Awards — all Best Actress Oscars — the last for “On Golden Pond” (1981), which starred another Hollywood legend, Henry Fonda.
10. The first Oscars were held at the famous Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Today, the ceremony takes place at the Dolby Theatre (around the corner from the Roosevelt), its tenth venue.11. Jack Nicholson (above) is the most-nominated male actor, receiving 12 Oscar nominations beginning with 1969’s “Easy Rider.” His three wins tie him with Walter Brennan and Daniel Day-Lewis.
12. Oscar statuettes are technically property of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As a result, before an Academy Award winner or his/her estate can sell an Oscar, they must first offer to sell it back to the Academy for one dollar (yes, one dollar). This, of course, is to discourage winners from selling the award for financial gain. Oscars awarded before 1950, however, are not bound by this agreement. In 2011, Orson Welles‘s 1941 Oscar for “Citizen Kane” was sold at auction for over $800,000.
13. Only three films have won all of the “Big Five” Academy Award categories: “It Happened One Night” (1934), “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” (1975), and “The Silence of the Lambs” (1991). The “Big Five” categories are: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay (either adapted or original).
14. In 1940, the LA Times broke the Academy’s embargo and published the names of all the Oscar winners prior to the ceremony. As a result, the Academy introduced the sealed envelope tradition that’s still used today.
15. The legendary Alfred Hitchcock was nominated five times for Best Director, but never took home the Oscar. In 1968, though, he took home the Irving J. Thalberg memorial award. His acceptance speech consisted of two words: “Thank you.” 16. “Ben-Hur” (1959), “Titanic” (1997), and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003) (above) are the most successful films in Oscar history, each winning a whopping 11 Oscars. “Return of the King” is the only one to win every award for which it was nominated.
17. Composer John Williams is the most-nominated living person, having earned 50 Oscar nominations throughout his storied career, beginning with 1967’s “Valley of the Dolls.”
18. The longest Oscar acceptance speech ever delivered was five and half minutes, and it was given by 1943 Best Actress winner Greer Garson, who won for “Mrs. Miniver.”
19. Oscar statuettes were made from painter plaster during World War II due to metal shortages. After the war ended, these Oscars were replaced with traditional statues.
20. Bob Hope hosted the ceremony a whopping 19 times, the most of any host in Oscars history.21. With his Best Actor nomination for “American Sniper” (2014), Bradley Cooper (above) has been nominated for an acting Oscar three years in a row. That’s one shy of the record for most consecutive acting nods, held by the late Marlon Brando.
23. At the 29th Academy Awards ceremony held in 1957, the Best Foreign Language Film category was introduced. Previously, the best foreign language film was acknowledged with a Special Achievement Award.
24. In 1999, Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench were both nominated for playing Queen Elizabeth in “Elizabeth” and “Shakespeare in Love.” Dench won Best Supporting Actress, despite only appearing in the film for a total of eight minutes. Meanwhile, Blanchett lost the Best Actress Oscar to Gwyneth Paltrow — also for “Shakespeare in Love.”
25. “O.J.: Made in America,” nominated this year for Best Documentary Feature, has a running time of 7 hours and 47 minutes, making it the longest film ever to nab an Oscar nom.
The famous car chase still makes audiences gasp and New York City was rarely grittier than in William Friedkin’s police thriller that won Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and Best Actor for 
It’s almost here! The 91st Academy Awards finally airs this Sunday, February 24th, and we’re counting down the minutes.
1. The youngest Oscar winner was 
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21. With his Best Actor nomination for “