Hollywood braced for best picture photo finish at Oscars

Agencies
March 4, 2018

Hollywood, Mar 4: Hollywood is set for a real-life cliffhanger Sunday at the Oscars -- the race for best picture is coming down to the wire to cap an awards season overshadowed by scandal over sexual misconduct in showbiz.

Dark crime comedy "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" has begun to pull away in late betting for the industry's biggest prize, but Oscarologists believe fairy tale romance "The Shape of Water" and socially-conscious horror movie "Get Out" will make it a photo finish.

"I don't remember a year with so much uncertainty. There are at least four strong possibilities to win," Variety's awards editor Tim Gray told AFP, adding Christopher Nolan's sweeping war epic "Dunkirk" to the mix.

"I'm guessing that 'The Shape of Water' will win, but that's just a guess."

The 90th Academy Awards -- hosted for the second straight year by late night funnyman Jimmy Kimmel -- will be beamed live around the world by ABC from Hollywood's Dolby Theatre.

The show caps a difficult few months during which the industry has declared war on the pervasive culture of sexual impropriety unearthed by the downfall of movie mogul and alleged serial sex attacker Harvey Weinstein.

With the #MeToo and Time's Up campaigns against sexual misconduct and gender inequality dominating the 2018 awards circuit, this year's Oscars gala is seen as an opportunity for Tinseltown to support female filmmaking.

Greta Gerwig is only the fifth woman in Oscars history to be nominated for best director, but faces tough competition from Guillermo Del Toro, the runaway favorite for "The Shape of Water."

There was also the first nod in history for a female cinematographer, Rachel Morrison, who shot Dee Rees's racial drama "Mudbound."

- Avoiding another flub -

The Time's Up initiative is not planning a coordinated protest on Sunday -- like the striking red carpet "blackout" at the Golden Globes.

But leaders of the movement told journalists there would be "a moment that's been carved out" during the ceremony.

"It's really important that you know that Time's Up is not about the red carpet," said powerhouse Hollywood producer Shonda Rhimes ("Grey's Anatomy," "Scandal").

"And those women you saw on the red carpet representing Time's Up are now off the red carpet working their butts off being activists."

In another nod to the women's movements, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has tapped past winners Jennifer Lawrence and Jodie Foster to present the best actress Oscar, according to Variety.

Traditionally, the previous year's best actor winner would present that statuette, but Casey Affleck, who triumphed in 2017 for "Manchester by the Sea," withdrew under a cloud of sexual harassment accusations he denies.

Organizers are looking to rebound after last year's flubbed announcement by Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway of the best picture winner -- the trophy was initially given to "La La Land," when the actual winner was "Moonlight."

In a surprise turn of events, Beatty and Dunaway have been tapped to present the same prize this time around, according to The Hollywood Reporter, although the Academy did not respond to AFP's request for confirmation.

- Box office record -

"The Shape of Water," a Cold War-set story of love between a mute cleaning woman and a mystery merman-like creature, tops the nominations with 13, although observers expect the spoils to be fairly evenly spread.

"Dunkirk" heads into Sunday's gala in second place with eight nods, while "Three Billboards" picked up seven.

Frances McDormand ("Three Billboards") and British veteran Gary Oldman ("Darkest Hour"), who have dominated the awards season, are expected to bag the lead acting statuettes.

The Oscars come this year with theaters registering the biggest February in domestic box office history, the $996.4 million total largely driven by the record-breaking success of Marvel's "Black Panther." 

"Reports on the death of movie theaters have, again, been greatly exaggerated," BoxOffice.com chief analyst Shawn Robbins wrote in a commentary on the new figures.

"The Post," ($18.1 million), "The Shape of Water" ($16.1 million) and "Three Billboards" ($12.2 million) were the month's top three earners among the best picture nominees.

According to the National Weather Service, the intermittent weekend rain is expected to die down in time for Sunday's ceremony, as around 3,400 guests descend on Hollywood Boulevard.

The ceremony has only been postponed because of the weather once in its history -- during the Los Angeles Flood that killed more than 100 people in 1938.

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News Network
July 6,2020

Jul 6: Tony Award-nominated actor Nick Cordero, who specialized in playing tough guys on Broadway in such shows as Waitress, A Bronx Tale and Bullets Over Broadway, has died in Los Angeles after suffering severe medical complications after contracting the coronavirus. He was 41.

Cordero died Sunday at Cedars-Sinai hospital after more than 90 days in the hospital, according to his wife Amanda Kloots. “God has another angel in heaven now,” she posted on Instagram. “Nick was such a bright light. He was everyone’s friend, loved to listen, help and especially talk. He was an incredible actor and musician. He loved his family and loved being a father and husband.”

Nick Cordero entered the emergency room on March 30 and had a succession of health setbacks, including mini-strokes, blood clots, septis infections, a tracheostomy and a temporary pacemaker implanted. He had been on a ventilator and unconscious and had his right leg amputated. A double lung transplant was being explored.

Kloots, sent him daily videos of her and their 1-year-old son Elvis, so he could see them if he woke up, and urged friends and fans to join a daily sing-a-long. A GoFundMe page to pay for medical expenses has raised over $600,000.

“I tell him, I say, ‘You’re gonna walk out of this hospital, honey. I believe it. I know you can,’” she told “CBS This Morning” over the summer. ”‘We’re gonna dance again. You’re gonna hold your son again.’ My line is, ‘Don’t get lost. Get focused.’”

The lanky Cordero originated the menacing role of husband Earl opposite his estranged wife, played by Jessie Mueller, in Waitress as well as the role of Sonny in Chazz Palminteri’s A Bronx Tale. It was at Bullets Over Broadway where Cordero met his wife. The two married in 2017.

Cast members from “Waitress” — Jessie Mueller, Keala Settle, Kimik Glenn and songwriter Sara Bareilles — helped raise money for Cordero by covering his song “Live Your Life.” Sylvester Stallone sent a video with best wishes.

Kloots had said that it was difficult to tell whether Cordero understood what happened to him, but said he could respond to commands by looking up and down when he was alert.

Her husband played a mob soldier with a flare for the dramatic in Broadway’s Woody Allen 1994 film adaptation of Bullets Over Broadway, for which he received a Tony nomination for best-featured actor in a musical. He moved to Los Angeles to star in Rock of Ages.

On the small screen, Nick Cordero appeared in several episodes of Blue Bloods and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and he had a role in the film Going in Style.

Actor and guitarist for Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Van Zandt offered Cordero his first TV acting gig in the final episode of Lilyhammer. After he was hospitalized, Van Zandt teamed up with Constantine Maroulis and Vincent Pastore to make a video performing “Live Your Life.”

Cordero was last onstage in a Kennedy Center presentation of Littler Shop of Horrors. His off-Broadway credits include The Toxic Avenger and Brooklynite.

The coronavirus has sickened other Broadway veterans, including the actors Danny Burstein, Tony Shalhoub, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Gavin Creel, Aaron Tveit and Laura Bell Bundy as well as composer David Bryan. It has also claimed the life of Tony-winning playwright Terrence McNally.

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News Network
June 17,2020

Jerusalem, Jun 17: Calling Sushant Singh Rajput as "a true friend", Israel has expressed its deepest condolences at the passing away of the young Bollywood star.

Rajput, 34, was found dead in his Bandra apartment on Sunday.

On Tuesday, Gilad Cohen, deputy director-general of Israel's foreign ministry, took to Twitter to mourn the actor's sudden demise.

"Sending my deepest condolences on the passing of Sushant Singh Rajput, a true friend of Israel. You will be missed!" Cohen wrote while sharing the link of the song "Makhna" from the actor's last film "Drive".

Sushant and his co-star Jacqueline Fernandez had shot the song in Israel as part of its ongoing efforts to bring Bollywood to the country.

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Agencies
July 8,2020

Washington D.C, Jul 8: Adding another feather to her cap, actor Priyanka Chopra on Wednesday announced that she has been chosen as the ambassador of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) 2020.

Priyanka has joined the list of 50 celebrated filmmakers and actors who are invited as the ambassadors of the TIFF.

The 37-year-old star put out a post on Instagram and shared a montage featuring snippets of her empowering addresses at the TIFF. Along with the video, Priyanka noted that the TIFF has been a second home for her.

She wrote, "Throughout my career TIFF has been a second home for me, with many of my films, as both an actor and producer, making their world debut at the festival."

Talking about the film festival that focuses on special stories and storytellers, the 'Dostana' star added, "TIFF has always been at the forefront of supporting and championing global content that showcases diversity and inclusion, a charge led by my friend @cameronpbailey and his talented team, who work with passion to shine a spotlight on these special stories and storytellers."

"Even more than that, one of the most exceptional parts of the festival are the fans of cinema who congregate to celebrate the magic of the movies, and who have always embraced me with so much warmth and love," Priyanka added.

She shared that she feels proud to serve as the ambassador to the festival and noted," I am very proud to serve as an ambassador this year, and I look forward to continuing a relationship that I value tremendously."

The esteemed film festival will be opting for digital screenings and virtual red carpets in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The festival is scheduled to kick off from September 10 to September 19, 2020. 

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