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James Stewart began his professional acting career on the stage in the early 1930s, and it wasn't the rosiest beginning. He was cast in a string of walk-on parts and stage manager positions on Broadway and was canned from several of them for missing his cues. Still in his mid-20s, Stewart even contemplated leaving acting behind and returning to school. Luckily, he landed the lead role in a play called "Yellow Jack" in 1934, and critics loved him. Encouraged to stay in showbiz, Stewart drifted toward Hollywood, where he starred in his first film, Tim Whelan's "The Murder Man," in 1935. 

From there, it was a meteoric rise for Stewart, who appeared in six feature films in 1936 alone, working for prestigious and successful directors like William Wellman and W.S. Van Dyke. Stewart's acting career would take a serious upturn in 1938 when he starred in "You Can't Take It With You,...

“Remember who you are. Remember.” This is one of the most iconic lines coming from one of the most iconic voices in pop culture. For nearly 70 years, James Earl Jones made a mark on the screen, stage, and television. Many know him as the iconic voice behind Darth Vader of the Star Wars saga and Mufasa of The Lion King franchise.

But there is a lot more storied history from the world-famous gravel voice that brought the entire galaxy to its knees and that led a boy to be king.

Humble Beginnings

Born on the 17th of January 1931 in Mississippi, James Earl Jones found his passion in poetry and acting to overcome his stutter, making him embrace his deep voice. It is truly amazing how overcoming a disability led him to be one of the most recognizable voices in film.

He then ventured into theater, eventually debuting in 1957 on Broadway...

Laura Wright is celebrating her 54th birthday today. Wright was born Laura Alice Sisk in Washington, D.C. on September 11, 1970, and grew up in Clinton, Maryland. She rocked the high school stage in plays like Gypsy, Our Town, and You Can’t Take It with You. She even took the reins and […]

The post Laura Wright Celebrates Her Birthday appeared first on Soap Opera News.

I spent my first decade in New York working at Variety’s former offices on Park Avenue South and more than once found myself sharing an elevator with James Earl Jones while he was on his way to or from Verizon to shoot commercials. The giant of an actor, who died today at age 93, never failed to say a warm, “Good morning” or “Good afternoon,” and even if I hadn’t recognized his face or his imposing 6-foot, 2-inch frame, there was no mistaking that sonorous voice.

His voice was the earth-shaking basso rumble coming from behind the forbidding mask of Darth Vader in the Star Wars saga, starting with the original 1977 film, and the stentorian growl of Mufasa, King of the Pride Lands and father of Simba in The Lion King.

It was also the voice of a revered stage actor, who forged his reputation in the 1960s and ‘70s,...

An absolute titan of the industry is sadly no longer with us. James Earl Jones, the prolific acting talent who made an indelible mark on cinema through his voice roles for Darth Vader in "Star Wars" and Mufasa in "The Lion King," has passed away at the age of 93. Jones' death was confirmed by Deadline, who report the legendary actor passed away at his home in Dutchess County, NY.

Jones appeared in several stone-cold classics such as "Dr. Strangelove," multiple "Star Wars" movies (as the iconic voice of Darth Vader), the "Coming to America" movies, "The Lion King," and "The Hunt for Red October," but his contributions to the arts go far beyond his most famous roles. Having first got his start in theater and television, his Broadway performances span the likes of "Of Mice and Men" in the 1970s, "Othello" in 1982, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" in 2008, and...

James Earl Jones, the revered actor who voiced Star Wars villain Darth Vader, starred in Field of Dreams and many other films and Broadway shows and is an Egot winner, died this morning at his home in Dutchess County, NY. He was 93.

His reps at Independent Artist Group confirmed the news to Deadline.

Widely regarded as among the world’s great stage and screen actors Jones is one of the few entertainers to have won the Egot, though his Academy Award was Honorary. Jones has received two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Daytime Emmy, a spoken-word Grammy Award in 1977 and three Tony Awards.

The actor amassed nearly 200 screen credits during his brilliant 60-year career, starting some early-’60s TV guest roles and Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 classic Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). He probably is best known for his voice...

Frank Capra was a three-time Oscar winner who dominated the box office throughout the 1930s with his populist fables, nicknamed “Capra-corn.” Yet how many of these titles remain classics? Let’s take a look back at 12 of Capra’s greatest films, ranked worst to best.

Born in 1897 in Siciliy, Italy, Capra came to the United States with his family in 1903. His work often reflected an idealized vision of the American dream, perhaps spurned by his own experiences as an immigrant. Depression-era audiences lapped up his sweetly sentimental screwball comedies, which often centered on the plight of the common man.

He earned his first Oscar nomination for directing “Lady for a Day” (1933), and his loss was infamously embarrassing: when presented Will Rogers opened the envelope, he said, “Come up and get it, Frank!” Capra bounded to the stage, only to learned that Frank Lloyd (“Cavalcade”) has won instead.

No matter, because...

Exclusive: To celebrate the 100th anniversary of Columbia Pictures, the municipality of Cannes will present a free photographic exhibition titled “Lighting the Way: From the Torch Lady to Leading Ladies.” The photos will be on display for the general public on Cours Félix Faure in Cannes from May 13 to June 10.

Led by Columbia Pictures’ iconic Lady with the Torch, the exhibition will consist of over 30 rare photographs from Columbia’s archive and highlighting legendary actresses from Hollywood’s Golden Age and beyond, including Katherine Hepburn, Deborah Kerr, Claudette Colbert, Ann-Margret, Meryl Streep, Viola Davis, Julia Roberts, Michelle Yeoh and Rita Hayworth. A restored version of Hayworth’s Gilda is screening as part of the Cannes Film Festival’s Cannes Classics program this year.

Said Tom Rothman, Chairman & CEO of Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group, “Columbia Pictures may have been founded by men, but women have always been vital to its growth and impact.

Oscar-winning actor Louis Gossett Jr. died of a lung condition, according to his death certificate obtained by TMZ. The actor died in Santa Monica on March 29 at the age of 87.

According to the report, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Copd), was the main cause of death, TMZ says, with heart failure and atrial fibrillation contributing factors.

A cause of death was not known at the time of Gossett’s passing last month.

His family announced the death in a statement on March 29: “It is with our heartfelt regret to confirm our beloved father passed away this morning.” It continued, “We would like to thank everyone for their condolences at this time. Please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”

The first Black actor to win a Best Supporting Oscar, Gossett was born on May 27, 1936, in Brooklyn. He made his stage debut at 17 in a school production of You Can’t Take It with You...

Carrie Robbins, whose more than 30 years as a Broadway costume designer saw her involvement in 1972’s Grease, for which she contributed the production’s signature poodle skirts, and the nuns’ habits of 1983’s Agnes of God, died following a brief illness with Covid on Friday, April 12, at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Manhattan. She was 81.

Her death was announced by her friend Daniel Neiden.

Robbin’s Broadway career began somewhat inauspiciously with Leda and the Little Swan, a play that closed on Broadway before its scheduled opening at the Cort Theatre in 1968. Written by Amber Gascoigne and dealing with sex between generations of one family, Leda was called by William Goldman in his classic theater book The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway “the hardest show of the season to sit through.”

Robbins rebounded quickly on Broadway with a revival of You Can’t Take It With You the following year, and,...

Louis Gossett Jr. has passed away at 87, sad news in the world of entertainment. The actor was the first-ever Black man to win a supporting actor Oscar for An Officer and a Gentleman and was also a primetime Emmy winner for his role in the television series, Roots.

Gossett Jr.’s first cousin announced his uncle’s death to The Associated Press on Friday, March 29. It’s being reported that the actor died in Santa Monica, California the night before.

Louis Gossett Jr.’s Legacy

It’s important to note that the cause of Gossett Jr.’s passing has not been released as of this writing.

Gossett’s first major role was in 1977, playing Fiddler in the groundbreaking TV miniseries Roots, which depicted the horrendous acts of slavery.

He would end up winning an Emmy for this portrayal. He became the third Black Oscar nominee in 1983, winning the statue for...

Louis Gossett Jr., who won an Emmy for his role in the groundbreaking TV miniseries Roots and an Oscar for An Officer and a Gentleman, died Thursday night in Santa Monica. He was 87.

His death was first reported by his nephew to the Associated Press. No cause of death was given.

“It is with our heartfelt regret to confirm our beloved father passed away this morning,” his family said in a statement obtained by Deadline. “We would like to thank everyone for their condolences at this time. Please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”

The first Black actor to win a Best Supporting Oscar, Gossett was born on May 27, 1936, in Brooklyn. He made his stage debut at 17 in a school production of You Can’t Take It with You and soon would successfully audition for the Broadway production Take a Giant Step, then perform in a star-making supporting...

Louis Gossett Jr., who won a supporting actor Oscar for playing the hard-as-nails drill instructor in 1982’s “An Officer and a Gentleman” a few years after winning an Emmy for his role as the cunning Fiddler in “Roots,” died early Friday morning. He was 87.

Gossett’s family announced his death in a statement, writing: “It is with our heartfelt regret to confirm our beloved father passed away this morning. We would like to thank everyone for their condolences at this time. Please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”

In Taylor Hackford’s “An Officer and a Gentleman,” Gossett’s Sgt. Emil Foley memorably drove Richard Gere’s character to the point of near collapse at a Navy flight school. Gossett was the first Black man to win the best supporting actor Oscar for that role.

In addition to “An Officer and a Gentleman,” Gossett is best known...

Stars can be found in the unlikeliest of places. Marilyn Monroe was noticed at a munitions factory and Haley Joel Osment was scouted in Ikea, but the 20th century’s most prolific actor was discovered on a cactus.

In the mid-1930s, ex-cowboy Henry Wagstaff Twiford was walking across the red rust of the Mojave desert when he stumbled upon a baby raven in an abandoned nest. He took him home, named him Jimmy, and reared him on boiled eggs, eggshells, and milk. Over the course of the next two decades, Jimmy became a star that needed no surname, billed alongside Bette Davis and Judy Garland during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Before he died, the raven was said to have appeared in more than 1,000 films.

That is the extent of what most people know about Jimmy — if they’ve heard of him at all. Despite his vast back catalogue, no...

“It Happened One Night,” which premiered at Radio City Music Hall on Feb. 22, 1934, helped usher in the screwball romantic comedy, changed the careers of stars Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, director Frank Capra and screenwriter Robert Riskin and transformed the Poverty Row Columbia Pictures into a major player. And let’s not forget, “It Happened One Night” also made Oscar history winning five major Oscars: picture, director, adapted screenplay and both actor and actress. It would be 41 years before “One Flew of the Cuckoo’s Nest” would accomplish the same feat at the Academy Awards.

Based on the short story “Night Bus,” the smart, endearing road movie focuses on spoiled rotten Ellie Andrews (Colbert) who has gone against her wealthy father’s (Walter Connelly) wishes by marrying the gold-digging King Westley (Jameson Thomas). Before their wedding night, her father whisked her away to his yacht in Florida. She manages to...

A constellation of renowned Broadway stars is set to grace the stage for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation’s (Pff) 14th annual Broadway Belts for Pff! on March 18 at Sony Hall in New York City.

The 14th annual Broadway Belts for Pff! benefit for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation will take place on March 18

The benefit concert promises an evening of unforgettable performances aimed at raising funds and awareness for the more than 250,000 Americans living with pulmonary fibrosis.

The Broadway Belts for Pff! 2024 starring line-up will feature:

Liz Callaway

Robert Creighton

Jose Llana

Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer

Benjamin Pajek

Jasmine Amy Rogers

Raena White

Additional cast members will be announced soon. All performances are based on professional availability.

Led by Tony-award winning actress and comedienne Julie Halston, Broadway Belts for Pff! showcases Broadway’s top talent performing their favorite show tunes in a magical and memorable celebration.

“The Broadway community is deeply committed...

Paramount+’s long-in-the-works crime drama series Happy Face is headed to production with Emmy-nominated and Tony Award-winning actor Annaleigh Ashford set as the lead. Michael Showalter has been tapped to direct the first episode of the the CBS Studios-produced series, from executive producers Jennifer Cacicio – who also serves as showrunner – and Robert and Michelle King. Filming on the eight-episode first season is slated to begin production this year for a 2025 premiere on Paramount+.

Happy Face reunites Ashford with the Kings having guest starred on their other two Paramount+/CBS Studios original series, the current hit Evil the recently wrapped The Good Fight.

The CBS Studios-produced Happy Face is inspired by the true-life story of Melissa Moore; the Happy Face podcast from iHeartPodcasts and Moore; and the autobiography Shattered Silence, written by Moore with M. Bridget Cook.

Indie producer Harry Cohn, brother Jack and their associate Joe Brandt created the CBC Film Sales Company in 1918. And on Jan. 10, 1924, the trio formed the Poverty Row studio, Columbia Pictures. According to Enclyclopedia.com, by the mid-20s “Cohn had gained reputation as one of the industry’s toughest businessmen.” That’s putting it mildly.

Though “B” movies and series such as The Three Stooges, “Blondie” and “The Lone Wolf” were the bread and butter of the studio, Cohn slowly attracted top talent and directors and turned such newcomers as Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, William Holden and Kim Novak into stars.

Frank Capra changed the fortunes of the studio. Signing with Columbia in 1928, he made 25 films for Columbia. His optimistic, common man movies attracted critics and audiences alike during the Depression. His 1934 screwball comedy “It Happened One Night,” penned by Robert Riskin and starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, swept the Oscars winning five.

J.J. Abrams touts Warren Beatty’s Bonnie and Clyde and Shampoo for must-see viewing as part of the January 2024 Turner Classic Movies lineup in his own TCM Picks video that dropped on Tuesday.

“They could not be more different,” Abrams says of Arthur Penn’s 1967 crime spree drama Bonnie and Clyde, which also starred Faye Dunaway, and Hal Ashby’s Oscar-winning dramedy Shampoo. Bonnie and Clyde “portrayed violence in a way that had not typically been seen in American cinema and really ushered in a new age of bold graphic storytelling in a way that you really hadn’t seen before,” Abrams says in the video.

Having made a name for himself in Hollywood with television and popular series like Felicity, Alias and Lost, you can see the grounds for Abrams’ eventual success making action tentpole movies, given his love for classic Hollywood pics.

Shampoo becomes a time capsule movie for Abrams,...

Who says you can’t laugh and win Oscars, too?

In a stunning year for cinema, the candidates for the coveted best picture category are overflowing with prime comedic endeavors that surpass their dramatic counterparts. From a toy doll to an author with a triumphant “Black book” to a reverse Frankenstein tale that shows a whole lot of sex, the Academy has an opportunity to invite the softer side of cinema to its ceremony.

This year, it’s hard to imagine an Oscar picture lineup that won’t include four of this year’s Globe nominees: “American Fiction” (MGM), “Barbie” (Warner Bros.), “The Holdovers” (Focus Features) and “Poor Things” (Searchlight Pictures).

When it comes to “Barbie,” when analyzing the competitive field, there’s a real possibility for Greta Gerwig’s meta-comedy about the beloved toy doll to rake in upwards of 14 Oscar nominations, which would tie for the most in...

Hank Azaria, who recently went public with his thanks to his friend, the late Matthew Perry, for helping him get sober in 2006, has joined the producing team – along with Jason Biggs and Edie Falco – of The White Chip, an upcoming Off Broadway “recovery comedy” by Sean Daniels.

Also announced today was the cast additions of Crystal Dickinson (Clybourne Park) and Jason Tam (A Chorus Line), who join the previously announced Joe Tapper (You Can’t Take It With You).

“We are so happy to welcome new producers and cast members to our production of Sean’s essential, life-saving play,” said producer Annaleigh Ashford in a statement. “Hank, Jason and Edie, all extraordinary artists, have so selflessly shared their stories of recovery with the public, so to have them join us in amplifying this play is a true honor. We are over the moon, too, that Crystal and Jason – both powerhouse talents – will join Joe onstage.

Ahead of Columbia Pictures’ 100th anniversary on January 10, 2024, Sony Pictures Entertainment has unveiled a new logo for the company to celebrate the occasion.

The design for the centennial logo, which you can view below, is framed on Columbia Pictures’ historic “Lady with the Torch” iconography. An enhanced glow to the torch symbolizes the vibrancy of the company’s history, having grown from humble beginnings to become one of the leading film studios, renowned for producing award-winning and trailblazing films that have boldly reflected societal issues of the times. With the highest number of Academy Award Best Pictures wins, Columbia Pictures has entertained audiences for ten decades and continues to create cultural impact to this day.

Sony will further celebrate the anniversary with the release of a commemorative book highlighting 100 iconic moments of Columbia Pictures. The studio will also mark the occasion with festival screenings and live concerts of prominent film scores,...

What a thrill it must be as an actor to be in a film that becomes a contender for the Academy Award for Best Picture. A few even develop such an impressive resume that they have seven, eight, nine, or more of these credits to their names. Who are the actors who have starred in the most number of Best Picture nominees?

Many of the performers on this list are not a surprise, with multi-Oscar-winners such as Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Cate Blanchett and Bette Davis making the cut. But there are also some fine character actors who appeared in hundreds of films over careers that spanned decades, including Henry Travers (Clarence the angel from “It’s a Wonderful Life) and Thomas Mitchell (Scarlett O’Hara’s dad from “Gone with the Wind”). Mitchell was such a sought-after actor, he appeared in five of the Best Picture nominees in 1940 and 1941. Two...

What a thrill it must be as an actor to be in a film that becomes a contender for the Academy Award for Best Picture. A few even develop such an impressive resume that they have seven, eight, nine, or more of these credits to their names. Who are the actors who have starred in the most number of Best Picture nominees?

Many of the performers on this list are not a surprise, with multi-Oscar-winners such as Meryl Streep, Robert De Niro, Cate Blanchett and Bette Davis making the cut. But there are also some fine character actors who appeared in hundreds of films over careers that spanned decades, including Henry Travers (Clarence the angel from “It’s a Wonderful Life) and Thomas Mitchell (Scarlett O’Hara’s dad from “Gone with the Wind”). Mitchell was such a sought-after actor, he appeared in five of the Best Picture nominees in 1940 and 1941. Two...

This story about “Welcome to Chippendales” stars Kumail Nanjiani and Annaleigh Ashford first appeared in the Down to the Wire: Drama and Limited Series issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine. All actor interviews in that issue were conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike began.

All four main cast members of a limited series about the rise and fall of a male strip club mogul were nominated for Emmys, making “Welcome to Chippendales” one of the big shocks of this year’s noms. Kumail Nanjiani and Annaleigh Ashford tell us how they did it.

Kumail Nanjiani Kumail Nanjiani in “Welcome to Chippendales” (Hulu)

Kumail Nanjiani’s lead actor Emmy nomination for Hulu’s “Welcome to Chippendales” took him completely by surprise, much as his first nomination did in 2019 when he was recognized for an episode of Jordan Peele’s “The Twilight Zone” reboot. “That was the first time I played...

“I am in somebody’s face, quite literally, for anywhere from 15 minutes to 4 hours depending on what the makeup is,” explains makeup department head David Williams about the bond between makeup artist and actor, particularly on a show like “Welcome to Chippendales.” For our recent webchat he adds, “You do develop a rapport with that person and an understanding. You get to know their likes and dislikes on a personal level and on a professional level,” he says. “We spend so much time together, they do become an extension of our families.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.

See Exclusive Video Interview: Quentin Plair (‘Welcome to Chippendales’)

“Welcome to Chippendales” was created by Robert Siegel (“Pam & Tommy”), inspired by the book “Deadly Dance: The Chippendales Murders” by K. Scot Macdonald and Patrick MontesDeOca. It stars Oscar and Emmy nominee Kumail Nanjiani as Steve Banerjee, who founded the famed Chippendales stripper troupe.

“Steve would always say this as a comedy, and I find Mrs. Lovett to surely and truly be the clown as she was written to be,” says Annaleigh Ashford of her character in the Broadway revival of “Sweeney Todd.” “But every clown is crying underneath the laughter.” She is one of the lucky actors who can call the late, revered composer Stephen Sondheim by his first name, having previously worked with him on a revival of “Sunday in the Park With George.” That production did not submit for Tony Awards consideration, but her antics as Mrs. Lovett this season has landed her a Lead Actress in a Musical nomination. Watch the exclusive video interview above.

Ashford both feels at home in a comedy and relishes its challenges. “I think it’s the hardest,” she admits, “you have to be more honest than anything else to get a laugh.” Wringing laughter...

It’s easy to get caught up in awards season excitement as the Oscars approach – the glitz and glamour of the red carpet generating global talking points, memes and pub chatter for weeks on end.

But when it’s really broken down, the Oscars are essentially just a microcosm of Hollywood. It’s a depressing fact that films directed by previous winners have more chance of being nominated than those directed by newcomers.

Because of this, the best film in any given year almost never wins the evening’s most coveted prize – in fact, it’s sometimes not even nominated in the first place. The ceremony in 2021, which saw Parasite take home the top prize, was a rare exception.

Over the decades, there have been countless glaring omissions – films that were nominated but were beaten by far inferior films and classic films that failed to secure a single nomination.

As the 2023 Oscars approach,...

It’s great to be Cate. When “Tar” was announced as one of the 2023 Oscar nominees for Best Picture on January 24, it secured Cate Blanchett a record 10th appearance in movies nominated for the Oscars’ top prize. That ties Blanchett with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson for having appeared in the second-most Best Picture nominees in history behind only Robert De Niro, who has been credited with starring in 11 Best Picture nominees.

The caveat: Actor Ward Bond appeared in 13 films that were nominated for Best Picture, but he was uncredited as a performer in a number of the projects. His roster of Best Picture nominees, however, included “Arrowsmith” (1931/32), “Lady for a Day” (1933), “It Happened One Night” (1934), “Dead End” (1937), “You Can’t Take It with You” (1938), “Gone with the Wind” (1939), “The Grapes of Wrath” (1940), “The Long Voyage Home” (1940), “The Maltese Falcon” (1941), “Sergeant York” (1941), “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946), “The Quiet Man” (1952), and “Mister Roberts” (1955).

Back to Blanchett.

Click here to read the full article.

Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford will return to Broadway this spring in a revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

The revival of the Stephen Sondheim musical will be helmed by Hamilton director Thomas Kail and produced by Hamilton producer Jeffrey Seller. Sweeney Todd will play the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, with previews set to begin on February 26, 2023 ahead of a March 26 opening night.

The musical, which features a score by Sondheim and a book by Hugh Wheeler, originally premiered on Broadway in 1979 and was last revived on Broadway in 2005, in a production that starred Patti LuPone and Michael Cerveris and called on its actors to play instruments. This revival will bring back a 26-person orchestra for the first time since the original production, with Alex Lacamoire as music supervisor.

Sweeney Todd tells the story of a murderous barber living in London in the mid-1800s.

With certain cinematic performances, we could not possibly fathom another actor in the same part. Only Bette Davis could have played Margot Channing in "All About Eve." Only Bruce Willis could have played John McClane in "Die Hard." Only Samuel L. Jackson could have played Jules in "Pulp Fiction." Of course, the reality is this isn't true. Countless actors audition and lose out on parts they would be perfect for all the time because of a variety of random reasons completely out of their control, yet when see a transcendent performance, we still believe the actor has performed magic in front of us. The filmmakers got the one person in the entire world made to play this particular character.

For me and many others, one such performance is James Stewart's Oscar-nominated turn as the titular character in Frank Capra's "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." The notion of Stewart as a folksy,...

A month ago, “The Power of the Dog” looked like it was powered to have a big Oscar night after nabbing a leading 12 nominations. At the time, many were forecasting at least four trophies — and above-the-line ones at that — for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, and Best Supporting Actor for Kodi Smit-McPhee. Some thought it could also pull off a below-the-line win or two, like in Best Original Score for Jonny Greenwood or Best Cinematography for Ari Wegner, who’d be the first female winner in the category. Now, “The Power of the Dog” looks strong in just one category, Best Director, as “Coda” has pocketed some big wins the past few weeks, including at Saturday’s Producers Guild of America Awards. But could a 12-time nominee really walk away with so few wins?

It’s actually not that uncommon for a 12-time nominee...

A weekend trio of big wins for Netflix at the DGA, BAFTA and Critics Choice awards has given Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” the gas required to make it over the finish line. That’s if it can keep its closest competitors — “Belfast” from Kenneth Branagh and “Coda” from Siân Heder — at bay.

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures, which is the top prize from the PGA Awards, has been one of the most vital and telling precursors from all major guilds. In 2009, both the PGA and the Oscars switched the voting for their highest honor to a preferential ballot system. In terms of films perceived to be divisive with audiences, PGA has become the litmus test for whether or not those contenders have the goods to win.

Read more: Variety’s Awards Circuit Predictions Hub

Since 2009, only three movies have...

Netflix has the right to flex after this weekend’s trio of big wins from the Directors Guild of America (DGA), BAFTA and Critics Choice Awards, where it won the top prizes with Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog.” With its mighty 12 nomination haul, and the criticism from Oscar-nominee Sam Elliott over the movie’s homosexual themes, arguably helping it along, the film could be headed for B-e-s-t-p-i-c-t-u-r-e (so to speak). However, with two 50/50 screenplay categories up for grabs — “Belfast” and “Licorice Pizza” battling for original, and “Coda” and “The Power of the Dog” angling for adapted — the answer to which film wins the Academy’s top prize is within those races.

Walking into a ceremony with the most nominations is not always a given for Oscar success, shown by our last three tally leaders: “Mank” (2020), “Joker” (2019), “The Favourite” and “Roma” (2018). Campion’s methodical drama has brought Netflix...

The great stage, film and TV actor James Earl Jones will once again see his name up in lights: Broadway’s 110-year-old Cort Theater is being renamed in Jones’ honor.

The Shubert Organization announced today that the venue will become the James Earl Jones Theatre “in recognition of Mr. Jones’s lifetime of immense contributions to Broadway and the entire artistic community.”

The Cort has been closed for extensive renovation and construction work during the Covid pandemic, with the work expected to be finished this summer. The renamed James Earl Jones Theatre will include a newly built wing when it opens for productions following the construction work. Shubert plans to hold a formal dedication ceremony at that time.

In a statement, Jones said, “For me standing in this very building sixty-four years ago at the start of my Broadway career, it would have been inconceivable that my name would be on the building today.

Cate Blanchett failed to land among this year’s nominees in the Best Supporting Actress race, but the two-time Oscar winner made history anyway with the 94th Academy Awards nominations. By starring in two Best Picture nominees, “Don’t Look Up” and “Nightmare Alley,” Blanchett has been credited in nine movies nominated for the Oscars’ top picture prize. That makes her the only actress ever credited in that many Best Picture nominees, surpassing a record previously held by Olivia de Havilland.

Blanchett’s first role in a Best Picture nominee came for “Elizabeth,” the 1998 film that also gave Blanchett her first Best Actress nomination. Her other Best Picture nominees before this year included all three films in the “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, “The Aviator”, “Babel,” and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” The twosome of “Don’t Look Up” and “Nightmare Alley” marks the first time Blanchett has appeared in...

Exclusive: Six time Emmy-nominated actress Anna Chlumsky has been cast in John Logan’s untitled Blumhouse movie which is set at a gay conversion camp.

She joins Logan’s feature directorial, which is billed as a Lgbtqia+ empowerment feature alongside already announced Kevin Bacon, Carrie Preston and Theo Germain.

Jason Blum and Michael Aguilar are producing. Bacon and Scott Turner Schofield are serving as EPs.

Chlumsky first blasted off opposite John Candy in Uncle Buck and Macaulay Culkin in My Girl back in the early ’90s. She played White House aide Amy Brookheimer on HBO’s comedy series Veep scoring six comedy series supporting actress Primetime Emmy nominations as well a nom for a Critics Choice Award. She won a SAG Award with the cast in the category of Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series. Chlumsky was also lauded with the Gracie Allen Award in 2015 for Outstanding...

Positive Exposure, a 501c3 charitable organization that promotes a more equitable and inclusive world through award-winning photography, films, lectures and educational programs, will present Steven Perlman, Dds, MScD, Dhl, with the Spirit of Change Award and Xian Horn with the Rising Leader Award during their virtual 2021 Change How You See Celebration on September 22nd at 7:00 Pm Et.

Highlights of the evening will also include a very special tribute by Bebe Neuwirth to the late Ann Reinking, a longtime champion of disability advocacy and Positive Exposure.

The show is directed by beloved Broadway actor and director, Nick Corley, who acted in She Loves Me, Mary Poppins, You Can’t Take it with You, A Christmas Carol and was the Associate Director on the recent revivals of Burn This and Plaza Suite. Currently he is the Associate Director of Candace Bushnell’s new show, coming to the Daryl Roth Theater this fall,...

Actress Julie Halston will receive the 2020 Isabelle Stevenson Tony Award, the Tony administration committee announced today.

The award is presented annually to a member of the theater community who has made a substantial contribution of volunteered time and effort on behalf of one or more humanitarian, social service or charitable organizations. Halston is being recognized for her work and advocacy in raising funding and awareness for the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.

“It is with the deepest appreciation that I wish to thank both The Broadway League and The American Theatre Wing for this incredible honor,” said Halston in a statement. “I am so grateful to be a part of the extraordinary Broadway community and I am profoundly indebted to them for their support of my advocacy on behalf of patients struggling with pulmonary fibrosis. I am so genuinely humbled and sincerely touched by this recognition.”

Halston most recently appeared on Broadway in the musical Tootsie.

Exclusive: Six-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee Anna Chlumsky has signed with ICM Partners.

The Chicago native actress who blasted onto the scene at the age of 11 opposite Macaulay Culkin in the 1991 family dramedy My Girl not only reaped Emmy lauds from her turn as Amy Brookheimer in the HBO multi-award winning series Veep, but she also shared in a 2018 SAG Comedy Series ensemble win for the show.

In 2019, Chlumsky was nominated for her sixth consecutive Emmy in the category of Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for Veep. She was also nominated for a Critics Choice Award. Chlumsky has also won the Gracie Allen Award in 2015 for Outstanding Female Actor in a Supporting Role in a Comedy or Musical for her work in the series.

Chlumsky is currently in production in the highly anticipated Shondaland/Netflix limited series Inventing Anna. The series is based on the New York magazine...

The sound of the impact is deafening. More than 18,000 feet above the German city of Fürth, the World War II B-24 bomber they call Dixie Flyer has just delivered its full payload onto a German manufacturer, devastating its ability to build military aircrafts and turning the airfield into a scrap heap. But even before making the full turn out of Bavaria, Dixie Flyer’s copilot and the leader of this bombing group, Maj. James Stewart (Jimmy Stewart to his fans), is nearly lifted out of his chair.

That’s because a German shell (or flak) has pierced directly through the center of his B-24 Liberator. The whiplash is so intense that only harnesses keep him in his seat. Still, Stewart rises in the air; pilot Capt. Neil Johnson’s hands are briefly shaken from the controls; and for a moment, the entire plane is consumed with smoke as it violently ascends.

The movies are poised for a mood swing.

Signs of it were all over the Golden Globes on Sunday. The audience went missing, down a startling 60% in the early numbers. Mired in self-apology, the ceremony chewed its own tail: Something has to be different next year. As for the film awards, they scattered in all directions. Nomadland. Borat. Ma Rainey. Judas. The Chicago 7. The only unity was an underlying vibe. Whether laughing or crying, contemporary or period, fictional or quasi-real, the movies seemed to share an emotional matrix. They were somewhat angry. Mildly depressive. Ideologically correct. Fundamentally earnest.

Even Borat.

That cinematic sulk — far more than production missteps or the failings of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association — has reduced viewer enthusiasm to the vanishing point. But things will change, probably as quickly as this fall. It’s just human nature.

Golden Globes Surprises: Andra Day’s Win And More

To a degree,...

The Academy has released a list of 366 feature films in contention for the upcoming 93rd Oscars. The number of eligible movies is up from the 344 submitted in 2019, although it’s not an AMPAS record. This is the highest total since the 1970 awards, which had 374 eligible entries.

All the expected awards contenders are among the “reminder list of productions eligible for the 93rd Academy Awards,” which include Florian Zeller’s “The Father,” Shaka King’s “Judas and the Black Messiah,” Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari,” Paul Greengrass’ “News of the World,” Regina King’s “One Night in Miami,” Emerald Fennell’s “Promising Young Woman” Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland,” Pete Docter and Kemp Powers’ “Soul,” and Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”

Some of the more unconventional contenders are also on the list, including Robert Downey Jr.’s family pic “Dolittle,” the horror film “The Empty Man” from David Pryor,...

8 random things that happened on this day, February 23rd, in showbiz history

1939 The 11th Academy Awards are held with zany family comedy You Can't Take It With You winning the top prize and Jezebel pulling down both Lead and Supporting Actress. This past summer we spent a lot of time discussing the 1938 film year. What's more, I even ranked all ten Best Picture nominees and guest starred on the "And the Runner Up Is..." podcast about it (icymi). Honestly these viewing projects, but especially 1938, got us through the first few months of the Covid lockdown. 

1950 The 7th Golden Globes are held honoring the best of 1949. All the King's Men wins Best Picture (as it also would at the Oscars later). It was the last year of the Globes before they begin to separate their categories into Drama and Comedy but the next piece of Globes trivia is even more unusual.

Broadway stars on a mission to raise funds and awareness for pulmonary fibrosis (Pf) will take the stage virtually for the first time in the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation’s (Pff) 11th annual Broadway Belts for Pff! on Friday, March 12, at 7 p.m. Et.

Broadway stars on a mission to raise awareness for pulmonary fibrosis

The free event will be live-streamed on the Pff’s YouTube and Facebook channels.

Award-winning Broadway actress and comedienne Julie Halston, will host the evening on her popular YouTube series, Virtual Halston along with co-host, Jim Caruso (Jim Caruso’s Cast Party). The evening will feature some of Broadway’s biggest stars as they raise their voices to help those living with the disease. Halston, who lost her husband Ralph Howard to Pf, describes Broadway Belts for Pff! as near and dear to her heart.

“We are bringing the glitz and glamour of Broadway directly to...

The reunion of Sofia Coppola and Bill Murray for the new A24/Apple release “On the Rocks” comes 17 years after their first collaboration on the Oscar-winning “Lost in Translation.” Such repeated pairings between directors and actors have been mainstay a in Hollywood since the earliest days of cinema. In the silent era, there were multiple films from D.W. Griffith and Lillian Gish and Charlie Chaplin and Edna Purviance.

One of the great partnerships during the Golden Age of Hollywood was John Ford and John Wayne. Ford had actually befriended Wayne when the young man was doing odd jobs as well as extra work-including in few of the director’s films-at Fox Studios in the late 1920s. Wayne made his official film debut starring in Raoul Walsh’s 1930 epic western “The Big Trail.”

The film wasn’t a hit and Wayne found himself spending the decade doing “B” westerns including 1938’s...

Have you listened to the 1938 Smackdown yet? Such a lively conversation about very memorable movies, for better and worse. We've embedded it again below but some of my personal favourite bits are Steven Weber's Jimmy Stewart impression, Joanna Robinson's reaction to the "twist" in Of Human Hearts, Glow's Britney Young talking about having a very expressive face and directors asking you to tone it down, and Claudio's deep hatred of opera voices of the 1930s via The Great Waltz. 

As A Special Bonus Treat

I was the guest star on "And the Runner Up" Podcast this week discussing 1938 as well though our focus on that podcast was the Best Picture battle between Boys Town and You Can't Take It With You. You can listen to that here. Kevin is such a great guy and will be one of our panelists for the 1965 Smackdown in October.

1938 Articles

The...

In the Supporting Actress Smackdown series we take a particular Oscar vintage and explore it with a panel of artists and journalists. This episode goes way back to 1938. 

The Actresses & Characters

In 1938 the Academy was still evolving and the "Best Supporting Actress" category was just three years old. Still, their all time favourite type (the long-suffering wife/mom) was already showing its strength. Other then-popular character types like 'the vamp' (Milja Korjus in The Great Waltz) and ditzy/funny moms (Billie Burke in Merrily We Live! and Spring Byington in You Can't Take It With You) didn't stay in vogue with the Academy for as long. In 1938 we also got an historic first: Fay Bainter was the first actor to be double-nominated, competing in both Lead (White Banners) and Supporting (Jezebel) categories simultaneously, winning the latter. Will our panel agree? 

The Panelists

Here to talk about these performances and movies...

We'll be celebrating 1938 in between regular programming for the next few weeks as we approach the next Supporting Actress Smackdown (September 14th). But before you do your own '38 movie explorations, hit the Smackdown titles first so you can vote on the big event! They are:

• The Great Waltz - just $1.99 to rent

This nutso musical bio received 3 Oscar noms, winning for cinematography

• Jezebel - just $1.99 to rent

This problematic Southern Belle drama is the one that lifted Bette Davis from exciting new talent to superstar (and won her her second Oscar). 5 Oscar noms, winning both Actress categories

• Merrily We Live - free (with ads) on Tubi

Screwball comedy about a wealthy family taking in hobos. 5 Oscar noms

• Of Human Hearts - $2.99 to rent

Drama about a preacher's family. Supporting Actress was the only nomination

• You Can't Take It With You - $3.99 to rent

Frank Capra comedy. 7 Oscar nominations, winning...

The 10th Annual Broadway Belts For Pff will take place on Monday, February 24 at the Edison Ballroom. Hosted by Broadway's Julie Halston Tootsie, You Can't Take it With You, Sex and the City and directed by Carl Andress The Confession of Lily Dare, this year's gala event will honor multi-award winning Broadway producer Daryl Roth. Tickets can be purchased at BroadwayBeltsforPFF.org...