News Analysis India

Tag: Academy Awards

  • Oscars 2024: Oppenheimer To Poor Things, A Look At The Complete List Of Nominees | Movies News

    New Delhi: The 96th annual Academy Awards are scheduled to take place at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, Los Angeles on March 10, reported Deadline.

    With 13 nominations in total, director Christopher Nolan's biopic 'Oppenheimer' leads the nominations list, followed by 'Poor Things' with 11 noms and Martin Scorsese's 'Killers of the Flower Moon' with 10.

    Big names like Jodie Foster, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, and Robert Downey Jr. are among the actors nominated.

    See the full list of nominees below:

    1. Best Picture American Fiction Anatomy of a Fall Barbie The Holdovers Killers of the Flower Moon Maestro Oppenheimer Past Lives Poor Things The Zone of Interest

    2. Actor in a Leading Role Bradley Cooper Colman Domingo Paul Giamatti Cillian Murphy Jeffrey Wright

    3. Actress in a Leading Role Annette Bening Lily Gladstone Sandra Huller Carey Mulligan Emma Stone

    4. Actor in a Supporting Role Sterling K Brown Robert De Niro Robert Downey Jr Ryan Gosling Mark Ruffalo

    5. Actress in a Supporting Role Emily Blunt Danielle Brooks America Ferrera Jodie Foster Da'Vine Joy Randolph

    6. Directing Justine Triet Martin Scorsese Christopher Nolan Yorgos Lanthimos Jonathan Glazer

    7. Writing (Adapted Screenplay) American Fiction Barbie Oppenheimer Poor Things The Zone of Interest

    8. Writing (Original Screenplay) Anatomy of a Fall The Holdovers Maestro May December Past Lives

    9. International Feature Film Io Capitano Perfect Days Society of the Snow The Teachers' Lounge The Zone of Interest

    10. Animated Feature Film The Boy and the Heron Elemental Nimona Robot Dreams Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

    11. Documentary Feature Film Bobi Wine: The People's President The Eternal Memory Four Daughters To Kill a Tiger 20 Days in Mariupol

    12. Live Action Short Film The Actor Invincible Knight of Fortune Red, White and Blue The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar

    13. Documentary Short Film The ABCs of Book Banning The Barber of Little Rock The Island In Between The Last Repair Shop Nai Nai and Wai Po

    14. Animated Short Film Letter to a Pig Ninety-Five Senses Our Uniform Pachyderme War Is Over!

    15. Film Editing Anatomy of a Fall The Holdovers Killers of the Flower Moon Oppenheimer Poor Things

    16. Production Design Barbie Killers of the Flower Moon Napoleon Oppenheimer Poor Things

    17. Costume Design Barbie Killers of the Flower Moon Napoleon Oppenheimer Poor Things

    18. Music (Original Score) American Fiction Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny Killers of the Flower Moon Oppenheimer Poor Things

    19. Music (Original Song) The Fire Inside I'm Just Ken It Never Went Away Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People) What Was I Made For?

    20. Makeup and Hairstyling Golda Maestro Oppenheimer Poor Things Society of the Snow

    21. Sound The Creator Maestro Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One Oppenheimer The Zone of Interest

    22. Visual Effects The Creator Godzilla Minus One Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One Napoleon

  • The Oscars best picture rules are changing. Here’s how it’ll affect contenders and movie theaters

    By Associated Press

    The theatrical requirements for movies vying for the Oscars top prize are getting a little tougher.

    Starting with the 97th Academy Awards in 2025, best picture hopefuls will have to spend more time in theaters to qualify for film’s top prize. The changes, announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this week, come after three years of adjusted release standards due to the pandemic.

    On top of the current one week “qualifying run” in one of six U.S cities — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco or Miami — best picture contenders would now must also now play for an additional seven days in 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets. Additionally, there’s several other new rules about when the movies must play in theaters.

    “It is our hope that this expanded theatrical footprint will increase the visibility of films worldwide and encourage audiences to experience our art form in a theatrical setting,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement.

    It’s part gesture to theaters still struggling from the pandemic, partly for audiences in markets outside of New York and Los Angeles who don’t always get theatrical access to best picture contenders, and partly a statement to deep pocketed streaming services that theaters remain paramount for Hollywood’s top prize.

    The film academy’s leaders also say the decision was born out of many conversations with industry partners and that they feel that this “evolution benefits film artists and movie lovers alike.”

    But some in the industry questioned what it really changes, who it benefits and who it might hurt.

    Michael O’Leary, the President and CEO of the National Association of Theater Owners, applauded the “important initiative.” In a statement, O’Leary said it “affirms that theatrical exhibition is the keystone of the industry.”

    For traditional studios, from the big ones like Warner Bros., Universal and Disney, to the smaller players, like A24 and Neon, behind recent best picture winners “ Everything Everywhere All At Once ” and “Parasite,” it likely affects very little.

    For streaming services, it could be a case-by-case adjustment depending on the company but not a hurdle. Amazon is already planning to release 12 to 15 movies theatrically every year, as they’ve already done with Ben Affleck’s “Air.” Apple is also set to spend $1 billion a year on movies that will land in cinemas before streaming, including Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon.”

    Netflix has had a bigger theatrical footprint lately too. Not only do they control two U.S. theaters — New York’s Paris Theater and Los Angeles’ American Cinematheque — but they’ve also historically given theatrical runs to their awards hopefuls. All of Netflix’s nominees since “Roma” have met the requirement. Its most recent best picture nominee, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” played in hundreds of theaters.

    The new rule may weed out the possibility of a grassroots campaign on behalf of a very small film, however. Independent theaters and those willing to play independent films have become rarer and the competition is fierce for those screens in the major markets. Some of the bigger indie stalwarts are even scheduling major studio films, leaving fewer times and screens available for true independents.

    Much like the diversity requirements that went into effect this year, few could think of recent best picture players that wouldn’t have met this threshold. Apple’s best picture winner “CODA” played in about 40 theaters. Even non-traditional Oscar “underdogs” like “ Drive My Car ” and “ RRR ” had substantial theatrical runs.

    “It’s important to consider that qualifying is merely a first step in a long process that involves robust and costly campaigning,” said Dan Berger, the president of the independent film company Oscilloscope. “I think it’s fair to say that nearly any film that doesn’t meet these parameters never stood a chance in a best picture race anyway.”

    Berger added: “Hopefully the result of this isn’t more robust and more costly campaigning that only serves to further divide merit based results from campaign based results.”

    There are a lot of unknowns about the specifics of the expansion, including whether there will be minimum of showtimes and screens. Could companies simply rent out eight screens that will play to minimal or no crowds in densely populated areas that are relatively cheap and that are also not historically great for indie films? It’ll check the box, but will it help theaters, the films or audiences? And will it lead to an even greater year-end bottleneck of releases?

    Questions also remain about how it will affect the eligibility of animated films and documentaries, which wouldn’t have to meet these requirements to qualify in their individual categories but now might have to adopt a different strategy to be in contention for best picture.

    Others are more hopeful and know that the academy’s board of governors meet often to reassess rules as the landscape continues to change.

    “It’s about time that the academy made a move to recommit to theatrical. The Oscars were inching closer and closer to becoming the Emmys,” said one top awards strategist and academy member who requested anonymity to speak candidly about the changes. “Could they have gone further? Of course. But it’s a good faith step in the right direction.” 

    The theatrical requirements for movies vying for the Oscars top prize are getting a little tougher.

    Starting with the 97th Academy Awards in 2025, best picture hopefuls will have to spend more time in theaters to qualify for film’s top prize. The changes, announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences this week, come after three years of adjusted release standards due to the pandemic.

    On top of the current one week “qualifying run” in one of six U.S cities — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, San Francisco or Miami — best picture contenders would now must also now play for an additional seven days in 10 of the top 50 U.S. markets. Additionally, there’s several other new rules about when the movies must play in theaters.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    “It is our hope that this expanded theatrical footprint will increase the visibility of films worldwide and encourage audiences to experience our art form in a theatrical setting,” Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy President Janet Yang said in a statement.

    It’s part gesture to theaters still struggling from the pandemic, partly for audiences in markets outside of New York and Los Angeles who don’t always get theatrical access to best picture contenders, and partly a statement to deep pocketed streaming services that theaters remain paramount for Hollywood’s top prize.

    The film academy’s leaders also say the decision was born out of many conversations with industry partners and that they feel that this “evolution benefits film artists and movie lovers alike.”

    But some in the industry questioned what it really changes, who it benefits and who it might hurt.

    Michael O’Leary, the President and CEO of the National Association of Theater Owners, applauded the “important initiative.” In a statement, O’Leary said it “affirms that theatrical exhibition is the keystone of the industry.”

    For traditional studios, from the big ones like Warner Bros., Universal and Disney, to the smaller players, like A24 and Neon, behind recent best picture winners “ Everything Everywhere All At Once ” and “Parasite,” it likely affects very little.

    For streaming services, it could be a case-by-case adjustment depending on the company but not a hurdle. Amazon is already planning to release 12 to 15 movies theatrically every year, as they’ve already done with Ben Affleck’s “Air.” Apple is also set to spend $1 billion a year on movies that will land in cinemas before streaming, including Ridley Scott’s “Napoleon.”

    Netflix has had a bigger theatrical footprint lately too. Not only do they control two U.S. theaters — New York’s Paris Theater and Los Angeles’ American Cinematheque — but they’ve also historically given theatrical runs to their awards hopefuls. All of Netflix’s nominees since “Roma” have met the requirement. Its most recent best picture nominee, “All Quiet on the Western Front,” played in hundreds of theaters.

    The new rule may weed out the possibility of a grassroots campaign on behalf of a very small film, however. Independent theaters and those willing to play independent films have become rarer and the competition is fierce for those screens in the major markets. Some of the bigger indie stalwarts are even scheduling major studio films, leaving fewer times and screens available for true independents.

    Much like the diversity requirements that went into effect this year, few could think of recent best picture players that wouldn’t have met this threshold. Apple’s best picture winner “CODA” played in about 40 theaters. Even non-traditional Oscar “underdogs” like “ Drive My Car ” and “ RRR ” had substantial theatrical runs.

    “It’s important to consider that qualifying is merely a first step in a long process that involves robust and costly campaigning,” said Dan Berger, the president of the independent film company Oscilloscope. “I think it’s fair to say that nearly any film that doesn’t meet these parameters never stood a chance in a best picture race anyway.”

    Berger added: “Hopefully the result of this isn’t more robust and more costly campaigning that only serves to further divide merit based results from campaign based results.”

    There are a lot of unknowns about the specifics of the expansion, including whether there will be minimum of showtimes and screens. Could companies simply rent out eight screens that will play to minimal or no crowds in densely populated areas that are relatively cheap and that are also not historically great for indie films? It’ll check the box, but will it help theaters, the films or audiences? And will it lead to an even greater year-end bottleneck of releases?

    Questions also remain about how it will affect the eligibility of animated films and documentaries, which wouldn’t have to meet these requirements to qualify in their individual categories but now might have to adopt a different strategy to be in contention for best picture.

    Others are more hopeful and know that the academy’s board of governors meet often to reassess rules as the landscape continues to change.

    “It’s about time that the academy made a move to recommit to theatrical. The Oscars were inching closer and closer to becoming the Emmys,” said one top awards strategist and academy member who requested anonymity to speak candidly about the changes. “Could they have gone further? Of course. But it’s a good faith step in the right direction.”
     

  • They make me vomit: Actor Richard Dreyfuss on Oscar diversity rules

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss issued some criticism for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ new diversity and inclusion standards, saying that the updated requirements for Oscar contention “make me vomit.”Dreyfuss’ comments came during a wide-ranging interview on PBS’ ‘Firing Line With Margaret Hoover’, in which the actor discussed civics education in the US, partisan discourse and the Academy’s diversity inclusion initiative, reports ‘Variety’.”It’s an art. No one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give in to the latest, most current idea of what morality is. What are we risking? Are we really risking hurting people’s feelings? You can’t legislate that,” Dreyfuss said.”You have to let life be life. I’m sorry, I don’t think there is a minority or majority in the country that has to be catered to like that.”The four new diversity and inclusion standards were first announced in 2020; they will be instituted for the upcoming 2024 Academy Awards, with two of the four needing to be fulfilled for a valid submission for best picture.The four standards are described as expanding on-screen representation, themes or narrative; expanding representation among creative leadership and department heads; providing industry access and opportunities to underrepresented demographics; and expanding representation in audience development.Dreyfuss’ comments continued with a defence of Laurence Olivier’s performance in the 1965 feature ‘Othello’, in which the English actor played the Shakespeare lead in blackface.”He played a Black man brilliantly. Am I being told that I will never have a chance to play a Black man? Is someone else being told that if they’re not Jewish, they shouldn’t play (in) ‘The Merchant of Venice’? Are we crazy?” Dreyfuss stated.”This is so patronising. It’s so thoughtless and treating people like children.”Dreyfuss’ most prominent credits include ‘Jaws’, ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’, ‘American Graffiti’, ‘W.’, and ‘Mr. Holland’s Opus’.He won the Academy Award for best actor for ‘The Goodbye Girl’. The interview with Dreyfuss also touched on renewed efforts to control curriculum and ban certain books in public schools. 

    LOS ANGELES: Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss issued some criticism for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ new diversity and inclusion standards, saying that the updated requirements for Oscar contention “make me vomit.”
    Dreyfuss’ comments came during a wide-ranging interview on PBS’ ‘Firing Line With Margaret Hoover’, in which the actor discussed civics education in the US, partisan discourse and the Academy’s diversity inclusion initiative, reports ‘Variety’.
    “It’s an art. No one should be telling me as an artist that I have to give in to the latest, most current idea of what morality is. What are we risking? Are we really risking hurting people’s feelings? You can’t legislate that,” Dreyfuss said.
    “You have to let life be life. I’m sorry, I don’t think there is a minority or majority in the country that has to be catered to like that.”
    The four new diversity and inclusion standards were first announced in 2020; they will be instituted for the upcoming 2024 Academy Awards, with two of the four needing to be fulfilled for a valid submission for best picture.
    The four standards are described as expanding on-screen representation, themes or narrative; expanding representation among creative leadership and department heads; providing industry access and opportunities to underrepresented demographics; and expanding representation in audience development.
    Dreyfuss’ comments continued with a defence of Laurence Olivier’s performance in the 1965 feature ‘Othello’, in which the English actor played the Shakespeare lead in blackface.
    “He played a Black man brilliantly. Am I being told that I will never have a chance to play a Black man? Is someone else being told that if they’re not Jewish, they shouldn’t play (in) ‘The Merchant of Venice’? Are we crazy?” Dreyfuss stated.
    “This is so patronising. It’s so thoughtless and treating people like children.”
    Dreyfuss’ most prominent credits include ‘Jaws’, ‘Close Encounters of the Third Kind’, ‘American Graffiti’, ‘W.’, and ‘Mr. Holland’s Opus’.
    He won the Academy Award for best actor for ‘The Goodbye Girl’. The interview with Dreyfuss also touched on renewed efforts to control curriculum and ban certain books in public schools.
     

  • ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ enters Sunday’s Oscars as unlikely favorite

    By AFP

    HOLLYWOOD: “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a wacky sci-fi film featuring multiple universes, sex toys and hot dog fingers, enters Sunday’s Oscars ceremony as the highly unorthodox frontrunner for best picture.

    Academy bosses hope audiences will tune in to see whether the zany $100 million-grossing hit can claim Hollywood’s most coveted prize — and draw a line under Will Smith’s infamous slap at last year’s gala.

    “Everything Everywhere” — which leads the overall nominations count at 11 — follows a Chinese immigrant laundromat owner locked in battle with an inter-dimensional supervillain who happens to also be her own daughter.

    Michelle Yeoh’s heroine Evelyn must harness the power of her alter egos living in parallel universes, which feature hot dogs as human fingers, talking rocks and giant dildos used as weapons.

    The film has dominated nearly every awards show in Hollywood, with its charismatic, predominantly Asian stars becoming the feel-good story of the season.

    “It’s a group of very likable people behind the movie who it’s impossible to not be happy for,” Hollywood Reporter awards columnist Scott Feinberg told AFP.

    But although the quirky film is widely expected to dominate Oscars night, it could hit a stumbling block for best picture.

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences uses a special “preferential” voting system for that award, in which members rank films from best to worst.

    The approach punishes polarizing films.

    One Oscars voter who asked not to be identified told AFP that some members — particularly among the Academy’s older ranks — are “more divided about ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’”

    “It was very bold and unique, but not a traditional movie… it could be further down the ballot for a lot of people,” the voter said.

    If any rival can benefit, it is likely “All Quiet on the Western Front,” Netflix’s German-language World War I movie that dominated Britain’s BAFTAs.

    Another potential beneficiary is “Top Gun: Maverick,” the long-awaited sequel from Tom Cruise — no less a figure than Steven Spielberg recently said the actor and his film “might have saved the entire theatrical industry” from the pandemic.

    “It was that movie that brought audiences back to movie theaters,” said the anonymous Oscars voter.

    REVIEW | ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’: This multiversal madness is absurdist comedy at its best

    Toss-ups

    While the best picture race has a clear favorite, the acting contests are incredibly tight.

    “I can’t remember a year, at least in the time I’ve been doing it, where three of the four acting categories were true toss-ups,” said Feinberg.

    For best actress, Cate Blanchett had long been favorite to win a third Oscar for “Tar,” but “Everything Everywhere” love could propel Yeoh to a historic first win by an Asian woman in the category.

    “I think that Michelle Yeoh will probably win,” said the Oscars voter. “Cate Blanchett has already won twice… some people vote with that in the back of their mind.”

    Best actor is a three-horse race between Austin Butler (“Elvis), Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) and Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”).

    And the supporting actress race may be even closer.

    Angela Bassett, the first Marvel superhero actor ever nominated with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” is up against “Everything Everywhere” star Jamie Lee Curtis and “Banshees” actress Kerry Condon.

    One category does appear to be locked.

    Ke Huy Quan, the former child star of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies,” has won every best supporting actor prize going and looks near-certain to complete a comeback story for the ages.

    ‘The Slap’

    Hanging over the ceremony is the specter of “The Slap” — the shocking moment at last year’s Oscars when Smith assaulted Chris Rock on stage for cracking a joke about his wife.

    At a press conference this week, Oscars executive producer Molly McNearney said: “We’re going to acknowledge it, and then we’re going to move on.”

    Organizers were criticized last year for allowing Smith to remain at the show after the attack, and even collect his best actor award.

    He was later banned from Oscars events for a decade, meaning he cannot present the best actress statuette this year, as is traditional.

    A “crisis team” has been set up for the first time, to immediately respond to any unexpected developments.

    READ MORE | ‘Larger than life’: Indian film-maker Rajamouli shoots for Oscar fame

    Blockbusters

    Partly thanks to “The Slap,” last year’s Oscars TV ratings improved from record lows, but remained well below their late 1990s peak, as interest in awards shows wanes and doomsayers continue to predict the demise of theatergoing.

    This year, organizers have brought back Jimmy Kimmel as host for a third stint, and hope that nominations for widely watched blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” will bring viewers back.

    In 1997, when the wildly popular “Titanic” won 11 Oscars, a record 57 million tuned in.

    “If the public cares about the movies, they care about the Oscars, relatively more,” said Feinberg.

    HOLLYWOOD: “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a wacky sci-fi film featuring multiple universes, sex toys and hot dog fingers, enters Sunday’s Oscars ceremony as the highly unorthodox frontrunner for best picture.

    Academy bosses hope audiences will tune in to see whether the zany $100 million-grossing hit can claim Hollywood’s most coveted prize — and draw a line under Will Smith’s infamous slap at last year’s gala.

    “Everything Everywhere” — which leads the overall nominations count at 11 — follows a Chinese immigrant laundromat owner locked in battle with an inter-dimensional supervillain who happens to also be her own daughter.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Michelle Yeoh’s heroine Evelyn must harness the power of her alter egos living in parallel universes, which feature hot dogs as human fingers, talking rocks and giant dildos used as weapons.

    The film has dominated nearly every awards show in Hollywood, with its charismatic, predominantly Asian stars becoming the feel-good story of the season.

    “It’s a group of very likable people behind the movie who it’s impossible to not be happy for,” Hollywood Reporter awards columnist Scott Feinberg told AFP.

    But although the quirky film is widely expected to dominate Oscars night, it could hit a stumbling block for best picture.

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences uses a special “preferential” voting system for that award, in which members rank films from best to worst.

    The approach punishes polarizing films.

    One Oscars voter who asked not to be identified told AFP that some members — particularly among the Academy’s older ranks — are “more divided about ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’”

    “It was very bold and unique, but not a traditional movie… it could be further down the ballot for a lot of people,” the voter said.

    If any rival can benefit, it is likely “All Quiet on the Western Front,” Netflix’s German-language World War I movie that dominated Britain’s BAFTAs.

    Another potential beneficiary is “Top Gun: Maverick,” the long-awaited sequel from Tom Cruise — no less a figure than Steven Spielberg recently said the actor and his film “might have saved the entire theatrical industry” from the pandemic.

    “It was that movie that brought audiences back to movie theaters,” said the anonymous Oscars voter.

    REVIEW | ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’: This multiversal madness is absurdist comedy at its best

    Toss-ups

    While the best picture race has a clear favorite, the acting contests are incredibly tight.

    “I can’t remember a year, at least in the time I’ve been doing it, where three of the four acting categories were true toss-ups,” said Feinberg.

    For best actress, Cate Blanchett had long been favorite to win a third Oscar for “Tar,” but “Everything Everywhere” love could propel Yeoh to a historic first win by an Asian woman in the category.

    “I think that Michelle Yeoh will probably win,” said the Oscars voter. “Cate Blanchett has already won twice… some people vote with that in the back of their mind.”

    Best actor is a three-horse race between Austin Butler (“Elvis), Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) and Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”).

    And the supporting actress race may be even closer.

    Angela Bassett, the first Marvel superhero actor ever nominated with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” is up against “Everything Everywhere” star Jamie Lee Curtis and “Banshees” actress Kerry Condon.

    One category does appear to be locked.

    Ke Huy Quan, the former child star of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies,” has won every best supporting actor prize going and looks near-certain to complete a comeback story for the ages.

    ‘The Slap’

    Hanging over the ceremony is the specter of “The Slap” — the shocking moment at last year’s Oscars when Smith assaulted Chris Rock on stage for cracking a joke about his wife.

    At a press conference this week, Oscars executive producer Molly McNearney said: “We’re going to acknowledge it, and then we’re going to move on.”

    Organizers were criticized last year for allowing Smith to remain at the show after the attack, and even collect his best actor award.

    He was later banned from Oscars events for a decade, meaning he cannot present the best actress statuette this year, as is traditional.

    A “crisis team” has been set up for the first time, to immediately respond to any unexpected developments.

    READ MORE | ‘Larger than life’: Indian film-maker Rajamouli shoots for Oscar fame

    Blockbusters

    Partly thanks to “The Slap,” last year’s Oscars TV ratings improved from record lows, but remained well below their late 1990s peak, as interest in awards shows wanes and doomsayers continue to predict the demise of theatergoing.

    This year, organizers have brought back Jimmy Kimmel as host for a third stint, and hope that nominations for widely watched blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” will bring viewers back.

    In 1997, when the wildly popular “Titanic” won 11 Oscars, a record 57 million tuned in.

    “If the public cares about the movies, they care about the Oscars, relatively more,” said Feinberg.

  • ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ enters Sunday’s Oscars as unlikely favorite

    By AFP

    HOLLYWOOD: “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a wacky sci-fi film featuring multiple universes, sex toys and hot dog fingers, enters Sunday’s Oscars ceremony as the highly unorthodox frontrunner for best picture.

    Academy bosses hope audiences will tune in to see whether the zany $100 million-grossing hit can claim Hollywood’s most coveted prize — and draw a line under Will Smith’s infamous slap at last year’s gala.

    “Everything Everywhere” — which leads the overall nominations count at 11 — follows a Chinese immigrant laundromat owner locked in battle with an inter-dimensional supervillain who happens to also be her own daughter.

    Michelle Yeoh’s heroine Evelyn must harness the power of her alter egos living in parallel universes, which feature hot dogs as human fingers, talking rocks and giant dildos used as weapons.

    The film has dominated nearly every awards show in Hollywood, with its charismatic, predominantly Asian stars becoming the feel-good story of the season.

    “It’s a group of very likable people behind the movie who it’s impossible to not be happy for,” Hollywood Reporter awards columnist Scott Feinberg told AFP.

    But although the quirky film is widely expected to dominate Oscars night, it could hit a stumbling block for best picture.

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences uses a special “preferential” voting system for that award, in which members rank films from best to worst.

    The approach punishes polarizing films.

    One Oscars voter who asked not to be identified told AFP that some members — particularly among the Academy’s older ranks — are “more divided about ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’”

    “It was very bold and unique, but not a traditional movie… it could be further down the ballot for a lot of people,” the voter said.

    If any rival can benefit, it is likely “All Quiet on the Western Front,” Netflix’s German-language World War I movie that dominated Britain’s BAFTAs.

    Another potential beneficiary is “Top Gun: Maverick,” the long-awaited sequel from Tom Cruise — no less a figure than Steven Spielberg recently said the actor and his film “might have saved the entire theatrical industry” from the pandemic.

    “It was that movie that brought audiences back to movie theaters,” said the anonymous Oscars voter.

    REVIEW | ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’: This multiversal madness is absurdist comedy at its best

    Toss-ups

    While the best picture race has a clear favorite, the acting contests are incredibly tight.

    “I can’t remember a year, at least in the time I’ve been doing it, where three of the four acting categories were true toss-ups,” said Feinberg.

    For best actress, Cate Blanchett had long been favorite to win a third Oscar for “Tar,” but “Everything Everywhere” love could propel Yeoh to a historic first win by an Asian woman in the category.

    “I think that Michelle Yeoh will probably win,” said the Oscars voter. “Cate Blanchett has already won twice… some people vote with that in the back of their mind.”

    Best actor is a three-horse race between Austin Butler (“Elvis), Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) and Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”).

    And the supporting actress race may be even closer.

    Angela Bassett, the first Marvel superhero actor ever nominated with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” is up against “Everything Everywhere” star Jamie Lee Curtis and “Banshees” actress Kerry Condon.

    One category does appear to be locked.

    Ke Huy Quan, the former child star of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies,” has won every best supporting actor prize going and looks near-certain to complete a comeback story for the ages.

    ‘The Slap’

    Hanging over the ceremony is the specter of “The Slap” — the shocking moment at last year’s Oscars when Smith assaulted Chris Rock on stage for cracking a joke about his wife.

    At a press conference this week, Oscars executive producer Molly McNearney said: “We’re going to acknowledge it, and then we’re going to move on.”

    Organizers were criticized last year for allowing Smith to remain at the show after the attack, and even collect his best actor award.

    He was later banned from Oscars events for a decade, meaning he cannot present the best actress statuette this year, as is traditional.

    A “crisis team” has been set up for the first time, to immediately respond to any unexpected developments.

    READ MORE | ‘Larger than life’: Indian film-maker Rajamouli shoots for Oscar fame

    Blockbusters

    Partly thanks to “The Slap,” last year’s Oscars TV ratings improved from record lows, but remained well below their late 1990s peak, as interest in awards shows wanes and doomsayers continue to predict the demise of theatergoing.

    This year, organizers have brought back Jimmy Kimmel as host for a third stint, and hope that nominations for widely watched blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” will bring viewers back.

    In 1997, when the wildly popular “Titanic” won 11 Oscars, a record 57 million tuned in.

    “If the public cares about the movies, they care about the Oscars, relatively more,” said Feinberg.

    HOLLYWOOD: “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” a wacky sci-fi film featuring multiple universes, sex toys and hot dog fingers, enters Sunday’s Oscars ceremony as the highly unorthodox frontrunner for best picture.

    Academy bosses hope audiences will tune in to see whether the zany $100 million-grossing hit can claim Hollywood’s most coveted prize — and draw a line under Will Smith’s infamous slap at last year’s gala.

    “Everything Everywhere” — which leads the overall nominations count at 11 — follows a Chinese immigrant laundromat owner locked in battle with an inter-dimensional supervillain who happens to also be her own daughter.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Michelle Yeoh’s heroine Evelyn must harness the power of her alter egos living in parallel universes, which feature hot dogs as human fingers, talking rocks and giant dildos used as weapons.

    The film has dominated nearly every awards show in Hollywood, with its charismatic, predominantly Asian stars becoming the feel-good story of the season.

    “It’s a group of very likable people behind the movie who it’s impossible to not be happy for,” Hollywood Reporter awards columnist Scott Feinberg told AFP.

    But although the quirky film is widely expected to dominate Oscars night, it could hit a stumbling block for best picture.

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences uses a special “preferential” voting system for that award, in which members rank films from best to worst.

    The approach punishes polarizing films.

    One Oscars voter who asked not to be identified told AFP that some members — particularly among the Academy’s older ranks — are “more divided about ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’”

    “It was very bold and unique, but not a traditional movie… it could be further down the ballot for a lot of people,” the voter said.

    If any rival can benefit, it is likely “All Quiet on the Western Front,” Netflix’s German-language World War I movie that dominated Britain’s BAFTAs.

    Another potential beneficiary is “Top Gun: Maverick,” the long-awaited sequel from Tom Cruise — no less a figure than Steven Spielberg recently said the actor and his film “might have saved the entire theatrical industry” from the pandemic.

    “It was that movie that brought audiences back to movie theaters,” said the anonymous Oscars voter.

    REVIEW | ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’: This multiversal madness is absurdist comedy at its best

    Toss-ups

    While the best picture race has a clear favorite, the acting contests are incredibly tight.

    “I can’t remember a year, at least in the time I’ve been doing it, where three of the four acting categories were true toss-ups,” said Feinberg.

    For best actress, Cate Blanchett had long been favorite to win a third Oscar for “Tar,” but “Everything Everywhere” love could propel Yeoh to a historic first win by an Asian woman in the category.

    “I think that Michelle Yeoh will probably win,” said the Oscars voter. “Cate Blanchett has already won twice… some people vote with that in the back of their mind.”

    Best actor is a three-horse race between Austin Butler (“Elvis), Brendan Fraser (“The Whale”) and Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin”).

    And the supporting actress race may be even closer.

    Angela Bassett, the first Marvel superhero actor ever nominated with “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” is up against “Everything Everywhere” star Jamie Lee Curtis and “Banshees” actress Kerry Condon.

    One category does appear to be locked.

    Ke Huy Quan, the former child star of “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies,” has won every best supporting actor prize going and looks near-certain to complete a comeback story for the ages.

    ‘The Slap’

    Hanging over the ceremony is the specter of “The Slap” — the shocking moment at last year’s Oscars when Smith assaulted Chris Rock on stage for cracking a joke about his wife.

    At a press conference this week, Oscars executive producer Molly McNearney said: “We’re going to acknowledge it, and then we’re going to move on.”

    Organizers were criticized last year for allowing Smith to remain at the show after the attack, and even collect his best actor award.

    He was later banned from Oscars events for a decade, meaning he cannot present the best actress statuette this year, as is traditional.

    A “crisis team” has been set up for the first time, to immediately respond to any unexpected developments.

    READ MORE | ‘Larger than life’: Indian film-maker Rajamouli shoots for Oscar fame

    Blockbusters

    Partly thanks to “The Slap,” last year’s Oscars TV ratings improved from record lows, but remained well below their late 1990s peak, as interest in awards shows wanes and doomsayers continue to predict the demise of theatergoing.

    This year, organizers have brought back Jimmy Kimmel as host for a third stint, and hope that nominations for widely watched blockbusters like “Top Gun: Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” will bring viewers back.

    In 1997, when the wildly popular “Titanic” won 11 Oscars, a record 57 million tuned in.

    “If the public cares about the movies, they care about the Oscars, relatively more,” said Feinberg.

  • Hollywood’s Asian stars welcome ‘long overdue’ breakthrough at Oscars

    By AFP

    LOS ANGELES: From Oscars favourites “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “RRR” to an unprecedented four acting nominations, Asian representation in Hollywood has finally achieved a remarkable and overdue breakthrough this year, industry insiders say.

    Among many records tumbling this awards season, Malaysian “Everything Everywhere” star Michelle Yeoh is only the second Asian best actress nominee in 95 years of Oscars history, with a strong chance of becoming the first winner Sunday.

    Only four Asian actors have ever won Oscars. That is the same number nominated this year alone, including Yeoh’s co-stars Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu, and Hong Chau of “The Whale.”

    Then there is India’s all-singing, all-dancing “RRR,” heavily tipped to win best original song, and Nobel literature laureate Kazuo Ishiguro’s nominated screenplay for “Living.”

    Behind the camera, best picture frontrunner “Everything Everywhere” — a $100 million box office hit with 11 Oscar nominations — has an Asian co-director, Daniel Kwan, and an Asian producer, Jonathan Wang.

    “There’s something really beautiful about being able to show that if you put people in these roles, people will go see it,” Wang told AFP.

    “Why is it only white characters who go on the fun adventures, but Asian and Black characters and Latino characters have to experience the suffering? It’s time to flip that on its head. And people are going to run to the box office.”

    ALSO READ| ‘Larger than life’: Film-maker Rajamouli shoots for Oscar fame

    It is all a far cry from Hollywood’s past. At the recent Screen Actors Guild awards, James Hong, the 94-year-old veteran who appears in “Everything Everywhere,” reflected on how white actors with “their eyes taped up” once played leading Asian roles because producers thought “the Asians are not good enough and they are not box office.”

    “But look at us now,” he said, to a huge ovation.

    ‘Long overdue’

    Back in 1965, Hong co-founded the East West Players, a Los Angeles theatre group created to boost the visibility of Asian American actors and issues. The company has welcomed this year’s diverse Oscar nominations, which artistic director Snehal Desai says are “much appreciated and long overdue.”

    “These are artists who have been doing this work for decades. We are glad for the visibility and recognition, but it really should not have taken this long,” he said.

    Vietnam-born Quan, a major child star in the 1980s with “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies,” all but abandoned acting for decades due to a lack of roles. “Quan’s story of his prolonged absence from the industry, in particular, strikes a resonant chord for our community, as we continue to fight for more opportunities and quality representation,” the group said in a statement.

    ALSO READ | Oscar Predictions: Will ‘Everything’ take everything?

    Kristina Wong, an actor and comedian currently appearing in a one-woman show co-produced by East West Players, said she had been driven to write her own productions because it was the only way to see “weird” immigrant stories told. “It is either this or sit around and audition for bubble gum commercials,” she told AFP.

    “I’ve done that life. And it sucks. It’s not fulfilling creatively. There is still a lack of opportunities in general,” said Wong.

    But with her “Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord” a Pulitzer drama finalist, and “Everything Everywhere” racking up awards and box office receipts, “I think we’re ready” for new stories, she said. “We’ve been seeing the same tired old stories about… this white guy action hero, going ‘I’m going to fix this with a gun.’”

    “It’s made me excited, thinking maybe there’s an audience ready to be challenged.”

    ‘Pull the ladder’

    Still, Asian success at the Oscars has remained limited to a tiny group. Just 23 Asian actors’ performances have ever been nominated, representing a mere 1.2 per cent of all nominations, according to a New York Times study. Only Ben Kingsley, whose father was Indian, has been nominated more than once. And there has never been a year in which more than one Asian actor won.

    ALSO READ | Oscar-bound short film lifts veil on Iranian women rejecting male domination

    Could this be the year representation goes beyond a few, specific individuals?

    South Korea-born Joel Kim Booster, who wrote and starred in gay rom-com “Fire Island,” said having his work championed by two Asian executives at Disney-owned Searchlight had “really pushed this project through and made sure that it was going to get made.”

    “For a long time, there was this pull-the-ladder-up-behind-me mentality” among many minorities who found success in Hollywood, he told AFP.

    “There was a scarcity… a mentality of ‘there’s only room for one of us at the table and that’s going to be me.’ I think that has dissipated in a big way.”

    LOS ANGELES: From Oscars favourites “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “RRR” to an unprecedented four acting nominations, Asian representation in Hollywood has finally achieved a remarkable and overdue breakthrough this year, industry insiders say.

    Among many records tumbling this awards season, Malaysian “Everything Everywhere” star Michelle Yeoh is only the second Asian best actress nominee in 95 years of Oscars history, with a strong chance of becoming the first winner Sunday.

    Only four Asian actors have ever won Oscars. That is the same number nominated this year alone, including Yeoh’s co-stars Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu, and Hong Chau of “The Whale.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Then there is India’s all-singing, all-dancing “RRR,” heavily tipped to win best original song, and Nobel literature laureate Kazuo Ishiguro’s nominated screenplay for “Living.”

    Behind the camera, best picture frontrunner “Everything Everywhere” — a $100 million box office hit with 11 Oscar nominations — has an Asian co-director, Daniel Kwan, and an Asian producer, Jonathan Wang.

    “There’s something really beautiful about being able to show that if you put people in these roles, people will go see it,” Wang told AFP.

    “Why is it only white characters who go on the fun adventures, but Asian and Black characters and Latino characters have to experience the suffering? It’s time to flip that on its head. And people are going to run to the box office.”

    ALSO READ| ‘Larger than life’: Film-maker Rajamouli shoots for Oscar fame

    It is all a far cry from Hollywood’s past. At the recent Screen Actors Guild awards, James Hong, the 94-year-old veteran who appears in “Everything Everywhere,” reflected on how white actors with “their eyes taped up” once played leading Asian roles because producers thought “the Asians are not good enough and they are not box office.”

    “But look at us now,” he said, to a huge ovation.

    ‘Long overdue’

    Back in 1965, Hong co-founded the East West Players, a Los Angeles theatre group created to boost the visibility of Asian American actors and issues. The company has welcomed this year’s diverse Oscar nominations, which artistic director Snehal Desai says are “much appreciated and long overdue.”

    “These are artists who have been doing this work for decades. We are glad for the visibility and recognition, but it really should not have taken this long,” he said.

    Vietnam-born Quan, a major child star in the 1980s with “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies,” all but abandoned acting for decades due to a lack of roles. “Quan’s story of his prolonged absence from the industry, in particular, strikes a resonant chord for our community, as we continue to fight for more opportunities and quality representation,” the group said in a statement.

    ALSO READ | Oscar Predictions: Will ‘Everything’ take everything?

    Kristina Wong, an actor and comedian currently appearing in a one-woman show co-produced by East West Players, said she had been driven to write her own productions because it was the only way to see “weird” immigrant stories told. “It is either this or sit around and audition for bubble gum commercials,” she told AFP.

    “I’ve done that life. And it sucks. It’s not fulfilling creatively. There is still a lack of opportunities in general,” said Wong.

    But with her “Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord” a Pulitzer drama finalist, and “Everything Everywhere” racking up awards and box office receipts, “I think we’re ready” for new stories, she said. “We’ve been seeing the same tired old stories about… this white guy action hero, going ‘I’m going to fix this with a gun.’”

    “It’s made me excited, thinking maybe there’s an audience ready to be challenged.”

    ‘Pull the ladder’

    Still, Asian success at the Oscars has remained limited to a tiny group. Just 23 Asian actors’ performances have ever been nominated, representing a mere 1.2 per cent of all nominations, according to a New York Times study. Only Ben Kingsley, whose father was Indian, has been nominated more than once. And there has never been a year in which more than one Asian actor won.

    ALSO READ | Oscar-bound short film lifts veil on Iranian women rejecting male domination

    Could this be the year representation goes beyond a few, specific individuals?

    South Korea-born Joel Kim Booster, who wrote and starred in gay rom-com “Fire Island,” said having his work championed by two Asian executives at Disney-owned Searchlight had “really pushed this project through and made sure that it was going to get made.”

    “For a long time, there was this pull-the-ladder-up-behind-me mentality” among many minorities who found success in Hollywood, he told AFP.

    “There was a scarcity… a mentality of ‘there’s only room for one of us at the table and that’s going to be me.’ I think that has dissipated in a big way.”

  • Hollywood’s Asian stars welcome ‘long overdue’ breakthrough at Oscars

    By AFP

    LOS ANGELES: From Oscars favourites “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “RRR” to an unprecedented four acting nominations, Asian representation in Hollywood has finally achieved a remarkable and overdue breakthrough this year, industry insiders say.

    Among many records tumbling this awards season, Malaysian “Everything Everywhere” star Michelle Yeoh is only the second Asian best actress nominee in 95 years of Oscars history, with a strong chance of becoming the first winner Sunday.

    Only four Asian actors have ever won Oscars. That is the same number nominated this year alone, including Yeoh’s co-stars Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu, and Hong Chau of “The Whale.”

    Then there is India’s all-singing, all-dancing “RRR,” heavily tipped to win best original song, and Nobel literature laureate Kazuo Ishiguro’s nominated screenplay for “Living.”

    Behind the camera, best picture frontrunner “Everything Everywhere” — a $100 million box office hit with 11 Oscar nominations — has an Asian co-director, Daniel Kwan, and an Asian producer, Jonathan Wang.

    “There’s something really beautiful about being able to show that if you put people in these roles, people will go see it,” Wang told AFP.

    “Why is it only white characters who go on the fun adventures, but Asian and Black characters and Latino characters have to experience the suffering? It’s time to flip that on its head. And people are going to run to the box office.”

    ALSO READ| ‘Larger than life’: Film-maker Rajamouli shoots for Oscar fame

    It is all a far cry from Hollywood’s past. At the recent Screen Actors Guild awards, James Hong, the 94-year-old veteran who appears in “Everything Everywhere,” reflected on how white actors with “their eyes taped up” once played leading Asian roles because producers thought “the Asians are not good enough and they are not box office.”

    “But look at us now,” he said, to a huge ovation.

    ‘Long overdue’

    Back in 1965, Hong co-founded the East West Players, a Los Angeles theatre group created to boost the visibility of Asian American actors and issues. The company has welcomed this year’s diverse Oscar nominations, which artistic director Snehal Desai says are “much appreciated and long overdue.”

    “These are artists who have been doing this work for decades. We are glad for the visibility and recognition, but it really should not have taken this long,” he said.

    Vietnam-born Quan, a major child star in the 1980s with “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies,” all but abandoned acting for decades due to a lack of roles. “Quan’s story of his prolonged absence from the industry, in particular, strikes a resonant chord for our community, as we continue to fight for more opportunities and quality representation,” the group said in a statement.

    ALSO READ | Oscar Predictions: Will ‘Everything’ take everything?

    Kristina Wong, an actor and comedian currently appearing in a one-woman show co-produced by East West Players, said she had been driven to write her own productions because it was the only way to see “weird” immigrant stories told. “It is either this or sit around and audition for bubble gum commercials,” she told AFP.

    “I’ve done that life. And it sucks. It’s not fulfilling creatively. There is still a lack of opportunities in general,” said Wong.

    But with her “Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord” a Pulitzer drama finalist, and “Everything Everywhere” racking up awards and box office receipts, “I think we’re ready” for new stories, she said. “We’ve been seeing the same tired old stories about… this white guy action hero, going ‘I’m going to fix this with a gun.’”

    “It’s made me excited, thinking maybe there’s an audience ready to be challenged.”

    ‘Pull the ladder’

    Still, Asian success at the Oscars has remained limited to a tiny group. Just 23 Asian actors’ performances have ever been nominated, representing a mere 1.2 per cent of all nominations, according to a New York Times study. Only Ben Kingsley, whose father was Indian, has been nominated more than once. And there has never been a year in which more than one Asian actor won.

    ALSO READ | Oscar-bound short film lifts veil on Iranian women rejecting male domination

    Could this be the year representation goes beyond a few, specific individuals?

    South Korea-born Joel Kim Booster, who wrote and starred in gay rom-com “Fire Island,” said having his work championed by two Asian executives at Disney-owned Searchlight had “really pushed this project through and made sure that it was going to get made.”

    “For a long time, there was this pull-the-ladder-up-behind-me mentality” among many minorities who found success in Hollywood, he told AFP.

    “There was a scarcity… a mentality of ‘there’s only room for one of us at the table and that’s going to be me.’ I think that has dissipated in a big way.”

    LOS ANGELES: From Oscars favourites “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “RRR” to an unprecedented four acting nominations, Asian representation in Hollywood has finally achieved a remarkable and overdue breakthrough this year, industry insiders say.

    Among many records tumbling this awards season, Malaysian “Everything Everywhere” star Michelle Yeoh is only the second Asian best actress nominee in 95 years of Oscars history, with a strong chance of becoming the first winner Sunday.

    Only four Asian actors have ever won Oscars. That is the same number nominated this year alone, including Yeoh’s co-stars Ke Huy Quan and Stephanie Hsu, and Hong Chau of “The Whale.”googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    Then there is India’s all-singing, all-dancing “RRR,” heavily tipped to win best original song, and Nobel literature laureate Kazuo Ishiguro’s nominated screenplay for “Living.”

    Behind the camera, best picture frontrunner “Everything Everywhere” — a $100 million box office hit with 11 Oscar nominations — has an Asian co-director, Daniel Kwan, and an Asian producer, Jonathan Wang.

    “There’s something really beautiful about being able to show that if you put people in these roles, people will go see it,” Wang told AFP.

    “Why is it only white characters who go on the fun adventures, but Asian and Black characters and Latino characters have to experience the suffering? It’s time to flip that on its head. And people are going to run to the box office.”

    ALSO READ| ‘Larger than life’: Film-maker Rajamouli shoots for Oscar fame

    It is all a far cry from Hollywood’s past. At the recent Screen Actors Guild awards, James Hong, the 94-year-old veteran who appears in “Everything Everywhere,” reflected on how white actors with “their eyes taped up” once played leading Asian roles because producers thought “the Asians are not good enough and they are not box office.”

    “But look at us now,” he said, to a huge ovation.

    ‘Long overdue’

    Back in 1965, Hong co-founded the East West Players, a Los Angeles theatre group created to boost the visibility of Asian American actors and issues. The company has welcomed this year’s diverse Oscar nominations, which artistic director Snehal Desai says are “much appreciated and long overdue.”

    “These are artists who have been doing this work for decades. We are glad for the visibility and recognition, but it really should not have taken this long,” he said.

    Vietnam-born Quan, a major child star in the 1980s with “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” and “The Goonies,” all but abandoned acting for decades due to a lack of roles. “Quan’s story of his prolonged absence from the industry, in particular, strikes a resonant chord for our community, as we continue to fight for more opportunities and quality representation,” the group said in a statement.

    ALSO READ | Oscar Predictions: Will ‘Everything’ take everything?

    Kristina Wong, an actor and comedian currently appearing in a one-woman show co-produced by East West Players, said she had been driven to write her own productions because it was the only way to see “weird” immigrant stories told. “It is either this or sit around and audition for bubble gum commercials,” she told AFP.

    “I’ve done that life. And it sucks. It’s not fulfilling creatively. There is still a lack of opportunities in general,” said Wong.

    But with her “Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord” a Pulitzer drama finalist, and “Everything Everywhere” racking up awards and box office receipts, “I think we’re ready” for new stories, she said. “We’ve been seeing the same tired old stories about… this white guy action hero, going ‘I’m going to fix this with a gun.’”

    “It’s made me excited, thinking maybe there’s an audience ready to be challenged.”

    ‘Pull the ladder’

    Still, Asian success at the Oscars has remained limited to a tiny group. Just 23 Asian actors’ performances have ever been nominated, representing a mere 1.2 per cent of all nominations, according to a New York Times study. Only Ben Kingsley, whose father was Indian, has been nominated more than once. And there has never been a year in which more than one Asian actor won.

    ALSO READ | Oscar-bound short film lifts veil on Iranian women rejecting male domination

    Could this be the year representation goes beyond a few, specific individuals?

    South Korea-born Joel Kim Booster, who wrote and starred in gay rom-com “Fire Island,” said having his work championed by two Asian executives at Disney-owned Searchlight had “really pushed this project through and made sure that it was going to get made.”

    “For a long time, there was this pull-the-ladder-up-behind-me mentality” among many minorities who found success in Hollywood, he told AFP.

    “There was a scarcity… a mentality of ‘there’s only room for one of us at the table and that’s going to be me.’ I think that has dissipated in a big way.”

  • Jimmy Kimmel to host 95th Academy Awards 

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Late-night star Jimmy Kimmel will be returning as the host of the Oscars for the third time, Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, the executive producers and showrunners behind the Academy Awards announced Monday.

    Kimmel, who hosted the 2017 and 2018 ceremonies, will be the solo host of the 95th Oscars on March 12.

    “Being invited to host the Oscars for the third time is either a great honour or a trap.

    Either way, I am grateful to the Academy for asking me so quickly after everyone good said no,” Kimmel said in a statement.

    Prior to the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” star, Jerry Lewis, Steve Martin, Conrad Nagel and David Niven have hosted the Oscar ceremony thrice.

    “We’re super thrilled to have Jimmy score his hat trick on this global stage.

    We know he will be funny and ready for anything,” Weiss and Kirshner said in a joint statement.

    The announcement comes days after Kimmel extended his deal to continue at ABC for at least three more years, through the 23rd season of “Jimmy Kimmel Live”.

    Nominations for the 95th Academy Awards will be announced on January 24.

    LOS ANGELES: Late-night star Jimmy Kimmel will be returning as the host of the Oscars for the third time, Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, the executive producers and showrunners behind the Academy Awards announced Monday.

    Kimmel, who hosted the 2017 and 2018 ceremonies, will be the solo host of the 95th Oscars on March 12.

    “Being invited to host the Oscars for the third time is either a great honour or a trap.

    Either way, I am grateful to the Academy for asking me so quickly after everyone good said no,” Kimmel said in a statement.

    Prior to the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” star, Jerry Lewis, Steve Martin, Conrad Nagel and David Niven have hosted the Oscar ceremony thrice.

    “We’re super thrilled to have Jimmy score his hat trick on this global stage.

    We know he will be funny and ready for anything,” Weiss and Kirshner said in a joint statement.

    The announcement comes days after Kimmel extended his deal to continue at ABC for at least three more years, through the 23rd season of “Jimmy Kimmel Live”.

    Nominations for the 95th Academy Awards will be announced on January 24.

  • Film academy apologises to Littlefeather who faced harassment for 1973 Oscars speech on Native Americans

    By Associated Press

    NEW YORK: Nearly 50 years after Sacheen Littlefeather stood on the Academy Awards stage on behalf of Marlon Brando to speak about the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood films, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences apologized to her for the abuse she endured.

    The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Monday said that it will host Littlefeather, now 75, for an evening of “conversation, healing and celebration” on Sept. 17.

    When Brando won best actor for “The Godfather,” Littlefeather, wearing buckskin dress and moccasins, took the stage, becoming the first Native American woman ever to do so at the Academy Awards. In a 60-second speech, she explained that Brando could not accept the award due to “the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry.”

    Some in the audience booed her. John Wayne, who was backstage at the time, was reportedly furious.

    The 1973 Oscars were held during the American Indian Movement’s two-month occupation of Wounded Knee in South Dakota.

    In the years since, Littlefeather has said she’s been mocked, discriminated against and personally attacked for her brief Academy Awards appearance.

    In making the announcement, the Academy Museum shared a letter sent June 18 to Littlefeather by David Rubin, academy president, about the iconic Oscar moment. Rubin called Littlefeather’s speech “a powerful statement that continues to remind us of the necessity of respect and the importance of human dignity.”

    “The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified,” wrote Rubin. “The emotional burden you have lived through and the cost to your own career in our industry are irreparable. For too long the courage you showed has been unacknowledged. For this, we offer both our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration.”

    Littlefeather, in a statement, said it is “profoundly heartening to see how much has changed since I did not accept the Academy Award 50 years ago.”

    “Regarding the Academy’s apology to me, we Indians are very patient people — it’s only been 50 years!” said Littlefeather. “We need to keep our sense of humor about this at all times. It’s our method of survival.”

    At the Academy Museum event in Los Angeles, Littlefeather will sit for a conversation with producer Bird Runningwater, co-chair of the academy’s Indigenous Alliance.

    In a podcast earlier this year with Jacqueline Stewart, a film scholar and director of the Academy Museum, Littlefeather reflected on what compelled her to speak out in 1973.

    “I felt that there should be Native people, Black people, Asian people, Chicano people — I felt there should be an inclusion of everyone,” said Littlefeather. “A rainbow of people that should be involved in creating their own image.”

    NEW YORK: Nearly 50 years after Sacheen Littlefeather stood on the Academy Awards stage on behalf of Marlon Brando to speak about the depiction of Native Americans in Hollywood films, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences apologized to her for the abuse she endured.

    The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on Monday said that it will host Littlefeather, now 75, for an evening of “conversation, healing and celebration” on Sept. 17.

    When Brando won best actor for “The Godfather,” Littlefeather, wearing buckskin dress and moccasins, took the stage, becoming the first Native American woman ever to do so at the Academy Awards. In a 60-second speech, she explained that Brando could not accept the award due to “the treatment of American Indians today by the film industry.”

    Some in the audience booed her. John Wayne, who was backstage at the time, was reportedly furious.

    The 1973 Oscars were held during the American Indian Movement’s two-month occupation of Wounded Knee in South Dakota.

    In the years since, Littlefeather has said she’s been mocked, discriminated against and personally attacked for her brief Academy Awards appearance.

    In making the announcement, the Academy Museum shared a letter sent June 18 to Littlefeather by David Rubin, academy president, about the iconic Oscar moment. Rubin called Littlefeather’s speech “a powerful statement that continues to remind us of the necessity of respect and the importance of human dignity.”

    “The abuse you endured because of this statement was unwarranted and unjustified,” wrote Rubin. “The emotional burden you have lived through and the cost to your own career in our industry are irreparable. For too long the courage you showed has been unacknowledged. For this, we offer both our deepest apologies and our sincere admiration.”

    Littlefeather, in a statement, said it is “profoundly heartening to see how much has changed since I did not accept the Academy Award 50 years ago.”

    “Regarding the Academy’s apology to me, we Indians are very patient people — it’s only been 50 years!” said Littlefeather. “We need to keep our sense of humor about this at all times. It’s our method of survival.”

    At the Academy Museum event in Los Angeles, Littlefeather will sit for a conversation with producer Bird Runningwater, co-chair of the academy’s Indigenous Alliance.

    In a podcast earlier this year with Jacqueline Stewart, a film scholar and director of the Academy Museum, Littlefeather reflected on what compelled her to speak out in 1973.

    “I felt that there should be Native people, Black people, Asian people, Chicano people — I felt there should be an inclusion of everyone,” said Littlefeather. “A rainbow of people that should be involved in creating their own image.”

  • Academy Awards announces date for 2023 ceremony

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: The 95th edition of the Academy Awards will take place on March 13, 2023, the organisers have announced.

    The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) shared the news in a statement, also revealing that the nominations for the awards will be unveiled on January 24, 2023. This is the second time that the Oscars will be held in the month of March after the 2022 edition took place on March 28.

    The annual award ceremony will take place at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will air live on ABC in more than 200 territories around the world.

    Additionally, the Governors Awards will take place on November 19, 2022, and the annual Oscar Nominees Luncheon will be held on February 13, 2023.