Oscars international broadcast cuts '20 Days in Mariupol' win, sparking criticism in Ukraine
The shortened version of the international broadcast of the 96th Oscars has faced harsh criticism in Ukraine for omitting the segment announcing the documentary feature category, which went to Mstyslav Chernovโs โ20 Days in Mariupol.โ.
'Nomadland' wins PGA Award, cementing front-runner status
This image released by Searchlight Pictures shows Frances McDormand, left, and and David Strathairn in a scene from the film "Nomadland." (Searchlight Pictures via AP)NEW YORK โ Chloรฉ Zhao's โNomadland" cemented its Oscar front-runner status Wednesday, winning the top award at the 32nd annual Producers Guild of America Awards. But if any film could claim that mantle, it's โNomadland,โ winner of the Golden Globe best picture award for drama. The PGA Awards are watched especially closely as an Oscar bellwether. The producers use the same preferential ballot as the film academy, and their best-picture fields often nearly mirror each other.
Oscar winner, โSound of Musicโ star Christopher Plummer dies
NEW YORK โ Christopher Plummer, the dashing award-winning actor who played Captain von Trapp in the film โThe Sound of Musicโ and at 82 became the oldest Academy Award acting winner in history, has died. The role catapulted Plummer to stardom, but he never took to leading men parts, despite his silver hair, good looks and ever-so-slight English accent. That choice that was officially validated in the best possible way for the film โ a supporting Oscar nomination for Plummer, his third. Plummer married Tony-winning actress Tammy Grimes in 1956, and fathered his only child, actress Amanda Plummer, in 1957. Plummer married his third wife, dancer Taylor, in 1970, and credited her with helping him overcome a drinking problem.
Actor Kevin Costner talks new thriller โLet Him Go,โ โYellowstone,โ horseback riding, and more
HOUSTON โ One of the most talented actors to grace our screens, with roles in iconic films like โThe Bodyguard, โDances With Wolvesโ โField Of reamsโ and so many more, Academy Award winning actor Kevin Costner chatted with us about his latest project. Kevin is currently starring in a new thriller called โLet Him Go,โ which is in theaters and on demand now. The film also stars another dynamite actress (who Kevin has previously worked with before,) the incredible Diane Lane. The description from the official website says:โFollowing the loss of their son, retired sheriff George Blackledge (Costner) and his wife Margaret (Lane) leave their Montana ranch to rescue their young grandson from the clutches of a dangerous family living off the grid in the Dakotas, headed by matriarch Blanche Weboy. When they discover the Weboys have no intention of letting the child go, George and Margaret are left with no choice but to fight for their family.โWatch a Kevin chats with Lauren Kelly about the movie, his popular series โYellowstone,โ horseback riding, and more.
Actor Elliot Page from โJunoโ and โThe Umbrella Academyโ comes out as transgender
NEW YORK โ Oscar-nominated actor Elliot Page, the star of โJuno,โ โInceptionโ and โThe Umbrella Academy,โ came out as transgender Tuesday in an announcement greeted as a watershed moment for the trans community in Hollywood. And I love that I am queer," Page said in a statement on social media. โI canโt begin to express how remarkable it feels to finally love who I am enough to pursue my authentic self,โ Page wrote. Netflix, maker of the comic book series โThe Umbrella Academy," said, โSo proud of our superhero! We celebrate the remarkable Elliot Page today.โPage broke out in Jason Reitman's 2007 film โJunoโ in a performance as a pregnant teenager that earned him an Academy Award nomination.
โEmpireโ star Taraji P. Henson hailed for mental health work
(AP) โ โEmpireโ star Taraji P. Henson has enjoyed wealth, celebrity, a Golden Globe win and an Academy Award nomination. โItโs OK to not be OK," Henson, the latest recipient of the Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion, told The Associated Press via email. In 2018, the Washington, D.C., native started the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation to stop those with mental illness from being stigmatized โ especially Blacks, who she says are less likely to seek treatment. This year, with the coronavirus pandemic complicating people's mental health struggles, Henson's foundation has been helping African Americans โ who've been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 โ access free online therapy. โWe need more people like Taraji to continue to eliminate the stigma around mental health across all our communities in America.โ___Follow AP New England editor Bill Kole on Twitter at http://twitter.com/billkole.
Czech Oscar winning director Jiri Menzel dies at age 82
PRAGUE Jiri Menzel, a Czech director whose 1966 movie Closely Watched Trains won the Academy Award for the best foreign language film has died. Three years ago, Menzel underwent a brain operation and was kept in an artificially induced coma for several weeks after it. Unlike colleagues such as Milos Forman, Jan Nemec and Ivan Passer, Menzel didnt emigrate after the 1968 Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia. Closely Watched Trains was his first feature movie. His 1985 comedy My Sweet Little Village was nominated for the Academy Award for best foreign film.