Rochelle Oliver, who starred on Broadway in Lillian Hellman’s Toys in the Attic and Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and taught acting at New York’s respected Hb Studio since the 1970s, has died. She was 86.
Oliver died April 13, the Hb Studio announced. “Those who knew Rochelle will know what a luminous artist, sensitive and passionate teacher she was,” it said in an Instagram post. She died two days shy of her birthday.
For the big screen, Oliver starred in the Horton Foote-written 1918 (1985) and Courtship (1987) and appeared in such other films as The Happy Hooker (1975), Paul Mazursky‘s Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976), John Sayles’ Lianna (1983), An Unremarkable Life (1989), Martin Brest’s Scent of a Woman (1992) and Woody Allen’s Hollywood Ending (2002).
She also recurred as Judge Grace Larkin on Law & Order from 1993-03.
A protégé of Uta Hagen — who also taught for decades at Hb and...
Oliver died April 13, the Hb Studio announced. “Those who knew Rochelle will know what a luminous artist, sensitive and passionate teacher she was,” it said in an Instagram post. She died two days shy of her birthday.
For the big screen, Oliver starred in the Horton Foote-written 1918 (1985) and Courtship (1987) and appeared in such other films as The Happy Hooker (1975), Paul Mazursky‘s Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976), John Sayles’ Lianna (1983), An Unremarkable Life (1989), Martin Brest’s Scent of a Woman (1992) and Woody Allen’s Hollywood Ending (2002).
She also recurred as Judge Grace Larkin on Law & Order from 1993-03.
A protégé of Uta Hagen — who also taught for decades at Hb and...
- 5/7/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
At the fifth annual Primetime Emmy Awards in 1953, Helen Hayes won the Best Actress award, thereby becoming the first performer to ever achieve the Triple Crown of Acting. This past Oscar and Tony recipient had now won all three of the American entertainment industry’s most prestigious acting prizes, demonstrating remarkable talent across film, stage, and television. Over the years, 14 women and nine men have followed in her footsteps. Scroll through our photo gallery to learn which two dozen entertainers belong to this exclusive group.
To be included on this list, an individual must have won each award in a competitive acting category. This excludes, for example, James Earl Jones, who was lauded with an honorary Oscar in addition to competitive Emmys and Tonys. Also left out are artists like Mel Brooks, John Legend, and Elton John, all or some of whose wins from the three organizations were for non-acting achievements.
To be included on this list, an individual must have won each award in a competitive acting category. This excludes, for example, James Earl Jones, who was lauded with an honorary Oscar in addition to competitive Emmys and Tonys. Also left out are artists like Mel Brooks, John Legend, and Elton John, all or some of whose wins from the three organizations were for non-acting achievements.
- 4/5/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Given the back-to-back additions of Alicia Vikander and Viola Davis to the list of Best Supporting Actress Oscar winners with the five highest amounts of screen time, one might have reasonably expected subsequent recipients of the award to follow suit. However, since they all clocked in under 29 minutes, none of the last half dozen victors even cracked the top 30, and that trend is almost sure to continue in 2024. Indeed, all but one of the category’s five current hopefuls are nominated for performances that are shorter than at least half of the ones that have ever merited this honor.
The 2024 supporting actress nominees have an average screen time of 29 minutes and 48 seconds, or 22.97% of their respective films. These amounts are almost four minutes and over 3% greater than last year’s. In terms of physical time, their average is the 16th highest in the category’s 88-year history, while their percentage mean is the 25th highest.
The 2024 supporting actress nominees have an average screen time of 29 minutes and 48 seconds, or 22.97% of their respective films. These amounts are almost four minutes and over 3% greater than last year’s. In terms of physical time, their average is the 16th highest in the category’s 88-year history, while their percentage mean is the 25th highest.
- 3/5/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Normally, when you think of the kinds of roles that lend themselves to Oscar nominations and wins, it’s the big, splashy attention-getters that usually come to mind. Playing a historical figure or an A-list celebrity in a biopic is usually a good bet, for example, as is any prestige role that can bury an actor under latex and prosthetics. But if you take a quick look at many of the professions of the characters that have led its actors to Oscar nominations, you’ll find one route that might surprise you — play a teacher.
In a way, that makes sense, because teachers are, in their own way, performers, communicating facts and ideas in the most persuasive way possible. Even so, there is a wide array of personalities drawn to teaching — from nurturing caregivers (John Keating in “Dead Poets Society” comes to mind) to borderline sociopaths — that have proven to...
In a way, that makes sense, because teachers are, in their own way, performers, communicating facts and ideas in the most persuasive way possible. Even so, there is a wide array of personalities drawn to teaching — from nurturing caregivers (John Keating in “Dead Poets Society” comes to mind) to borderline sociopaths — that have proven to...
- 2/9/2024
- by Tom O'Brien and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Normally, when you think of the kinds of roles that lend themselves to Oscar nominations and wins, it’s the big, splashy attention-getters that usually come to mind. Playing a historical figure or an A-list celebrity in a biopic is usually a good bet, for example, as is any prestige role that can bury an actor under latex and prosthetics. But if you take a quick look at many of the professions of the characters that have led its actors to Oscar nominations, you’ll find one route that might surprise you — play a teacher.
In a way, that makes sense, because teachers are, in their own way, performers, communicating facts and ideas in the most persuasive way possible. Even so, there is a wide array of personalities drawn to teaching — from nurturing caregivers (John Keating in “Dead Poets Society” comes to mind) to borderline sociopaths — that have proven to...
In a way, that makes sense, because teachers are, in their own way, performers, communicating facts and ideas in the most persuasive way possible. Even so, there is a wide array of personalities drawn to teaching — from nurturing caregivers (John Keating in “Dead Poets Society” comes to mind) to borderline sociopaths — that have proven to...
- 2/8/2024
- by Tom O'Brien, Chris Beachum and Misty Holland
- Gold Derby
A column chronicling events and conversations on the awards circuit.
As the town takes off for the holidays and comes to a virtual standstill, the Oscar race roars on as eagle-eyed pundits continue to fanatically parse yesterday’s release of the shortlist in 10 categories (3 of them shorts) that could, I said could, give clues as to the ways the Oscar winds are blowing towards the start of nomination voting on January 11.
Meanwhile, the level of Q&As, talk show appearances, various honors announcements coming almost daily from the Palm Springs and Santa Barbara Film Festival, nominations from Golden Globes and Critics Choice, plus invites to parties have kept us hopping ever since the SAG strike ended and actors could once again do what they do best – talk about themselves. By the way, yesterday they announced Jo Koy as the Globes host and that follows the announcement of Chelsea Handler returning...
As the town takes off for the holidays and comes to a virtual standstill, the Oscar race roars on as eagle-eyed pundits continue to fanatically parse yesterday’s release of the shortlist in 10 categories (3 of them shorts) that could, I said could, give clues as to the ways the Oscar winds are blowing towards the start of nomination voting on January 11.
Meanwhile, the level of Q&As, talk show appearances, various honors announcements coming almost daily from the Palm Springs and Santa Barbara Film Festival, nominations from Golden Globes and Critics Choice, plus invites to parties have kept us hopping ever since the SAG strike ended and actors could once again do what they do best – talk about themselves. By the way, yesterday they announced Jo Koy as the Globes host and that follows the announcement of Chelsea Handler returning...
- 12/22/2023
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Fans of Judy Blume’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.” had to wait more than 50 years to see the classic children’s novel transferred to the big screen, but their patience was finally rewarded this spring. Written and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig (“The Edge of Seventeen”) and featuring such A-listers as Rachel McAdams and Kathy Bates, the faithful film adaptation boasts an awe-inspiring Rotten Tomatoes critics score of 99% and was even described by its source’s author in a “Today” interview as “better than the book.” As the 2024 movie awards season begins, its best shot at a Golden Globe nomination lies with its 15-year-old star, Abby Ryder Fortson, who would be the fifth youngest contender in the history of her category.
At this point, Fortson is hovering directly outside of Gold Derby’s predicted six-person Best Comedy/Musical Actress lineup with the support of just over a quarter of our oddsmakers.
At this point, Fortson is hovering directly outside of Gold Derby’s predicted six-person Best Comedy/Musical Actress lineup with the support of just over a quarter of our oddsmakers.
- 12/8/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
In 1964 Barbra Streisand became a star when she opened the original Broadway production of “Funny Girl” as real-life actress, singer and comedian Fanny Brice. Despite rave reviews, she ended up losing the Tony for Best Actress in a Musical to Carol Channing for “Hello, Dolly!” But in 1968 Babs made her motion picture debut in a film adaptation of “Funny Girl” directed by William Wyler, reprising her role as Fanny. She went on to win the Oscar for Best Actress (famously in a tie with Katharine Hepburn for “The Lion in Winter”). In 1970 Eileen Heckart was Tony nominated for her featured performance as Mrs. Baker in “Butterflies are Free,” but lost to her co-star Blythe Danner. But in 1972 Heckart reprised her role in a film adaptation, which won her an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.
SEERay Richmond: Oprah discusses taking her ‘The Color Purple’ journey full circle following Thursday night world...
SEERay Richmond: Oprah discusses taking her ‘The Color Purple’ journey full circle following Thursday night world...
- 11/29/2023
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
Inga Swenson, who was nominated for three Emmys for her role as German cook Gretchen Kraus on the 1980s ABC sitcom “Benson,” has died at age 90.
The character Gretchen originated on the ’70s series “Soap,” as did Benson, the character played by Robert Guillaume, who headlined the eponymous spin-off.
Swenson died Sunday night of natural causes in Los Angeles at a board and care facility. Her son, Mark, told TMZ on Friday that her husband, Lowell Harris, was with her when she died.
Swenson was also a trained lyric soprano, who was nominated for two Tony Awards for her roles in the musicals “110 in the Shade” and “Baker Street.” Her other Broadway credits included serving as a stand-in for Julie Andrews’ in the 1960 production of “Camelot” and “The First Gentleman” in 1957, for which she won a Theatre World Award.
She had supporting roles in the 1962 films “The Miracle Worker” and...
The character Gretchen originated on the ’70s series “Soap,” as did Benson, the character played by Robert Guillaume, who headlined the eponymous spin-off.
Swenson died Sunday night of natural causes in Los Angeles at a board and care facility. Her son, Mark, told TMZ on Friday that her husband, Lowell Harris, was with her when she died.
Swenson was also a trained lyric soprano, who was nominated for two Tony Awards for her roles in the musicals “110 in the Shade” and “Baker Street.” Her other Broadway credits included serving as a stand-in for Julie Andrews’ in the 1960 production of “Camelot” and “The First Gentleman” in 1957, for which she won a Theatre World Award.
She had supporting roles in the 1962 films “The Miracle Worker” and...
- 7/28/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Actor and singer Inga Swenson, who played Gretchen the cook on the popular ’80s sitcom “Benson,” on Sunday in Los Angeles. Swenson died of natural causes, according to TMZ. She was 90.
She was known for starring as Gretchen Kraus in the ABC series “Benson,” which aired for seven years from 1979 to 1986. The show follows Benson DuBois (Robert Guillaume) who is hired as head of household for a governor; Gretchen was the German cook with whom Benson had a workplace rivalry and friendship. For her role as Gretchen, Swenson was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress. “Benson” was a spin-off of the show “Soap,” in which Swenson also appeared for multiple episodes as the character Ingrid Svenson.
A trained lyric soprano, Swenson also had a successful career on Broadway, performing in lauded starring roles in the 1960s. She starred as Lizzy Curry in “110 in the Shade” and Irene Adler in “Baker Street,...
She was known for starring as Gretchen Kraus in the ABC series “Benson,” which aired for seven years from 1979 to 1986. The show follows Benson DuBois (Robert Guillaume) who is hired as head of household for a governor; Gretchen was the German cook with whom Benson had a workplace rivalry and friendship. For her role as Gretchen, Swenson was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actress. “Benson” was a spin-off of the show “Soap,” in which Swenson also appeared for multiple episodes as the character Ingrid Svenson.
A trained lyric soprano, Swenson also had a successful career on Broadway, performing in lauded starring roles in the 1960s. She starred as Lizzy Curry in “110 in the Shade” and Irene Adler in “Baker Street,...
- 7/28/2023
- by Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
Inga Swenson, the two-time Tony-nominated singer and actress who as the dictatorial German cook Gretchen Kraus sparred with Robert Guillaume‘s character on the 1980s ABC sitcom Benson, has died. She was 90.
Swenson died Sunday night of natural causes in hospice care in Los Angeles, her son, Mark Harris, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Swenson also sparkled in two critically acclaimed 1962 films released seven weeks apart — as the mother of Helen Keller (Patty Duke) in Arthur Penn’s The Miracle Worker (1962) and as the wife of a U.S. senator with a dark secret (Don Murray) in Otto Preminger’s political thriller Advise & Consent (1962).
On the strength of those performances, the Nebraska native — no, she was not born in Germany — was cast in 1963 as the spinster Lizzy in 110 in the Shade, based on N. Richard Nash’s play The Rainmaker. She received a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical for that performance,...
Swenson died Sunday night of natural causes in hospice care in Los Angeles, her son, Mark Harris, told The Hollywood Reporter.
Swenson also sparkled in two critically acclaimed 1962 films released seven weeks apart — as the mother of Helen Keller (Patty Duke) in Arthur Penn’s The Miracle Worker (1962) and as the wife of a U.S. senator with a dark secret (Don Murray) in Otto Preminger’s political thriller Advise & Consent (1962).
On the strength of those performances, the Nebraska native — no, she was not born in Germany — was cast in 1963 as the spinster Lizzy in 110 in the Shade, based on N. Richard Nash’s play The Rainmaker. She received a Tony nomination for best actress in a musical for that performance,...
- 7/28/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Inga Swenson, the versatile actress best known for memorable portrayals of combative women on the TV hits Soap and Benson, has died. Her son confirmed the news to TMZ. Swenson was 90.
Swenson’s involvement on the shows began with a multi-episode arc on Soap in 1978 as the conniving revenge-seeking Ingrid Svenson, the Swedish birth mother of Corinne Tate (Diana Canova). That led to a new role on the show’s spinoff, Benson, as Gretchen Kraus, an autocratic and combative German cook.
Over the course of the latter Swenson’s character was frequently at odds with Benson (Robert Guillaume) himself, often trading insults with him as he sought to run household affairs for Governor Eugene X. Gatling (James Noble). Despite their rivalry, Benson and Kraus later became close friends on the show. Swenson was Emmy nominated three times for the role, in 1980, 1982 and 1985.
A year before her first TV credit – an...
Swenson’s involvement on the shows began with a multi-episode arc on Soap in 1978 as the conniving revenge-seeking Ingrid Svenson, the Swedish birth mother of Corinne Tate (Diana Canova). That led to a new role on the show’s spinoff, Benson, as Gretchen Kraus, an autocratic and combative German cook.
Over the course of the latter Swenson’s character was frequently at odds with Benson (Robert Guillaume) himself, often trading insults with him as he sought to run household affairs for Governor Eugene X. Gatling (James Noble). Despite their rivalry, Benson and Kraus later became close friends on the show. Swenson was Emmy nominated three times for the role, in 1980, 1982 and 1985.
A year before her first TV credit – an...
- 7/28/2023
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
With her 2023 Emmy nomination for Netflix’s Wednesday, Jenna Ortega becomes the second-youngest nominee for best lead actress in a comedy.
Ortega, at 20, is only older than Patty Duke, who was 17 at the time of her Emmy nomination in 1964 for her eponymous series, The Patty Duke Show. While The Patty Duke show was a sitcom, Duke was nominated before the Emmys split the actress race between comedy and drama. At the time, it was an award for “Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series.”
Ortega, a Gen Z horror staple in films like Scream and X, broke out as Wednesday Addams in the Netflix comedy about the classic misanthrope created by Charles Addams, the first four episodes of which were helmed by Tim Burton (who will also direct Ortega in the upcoming sequel to his 1988 film Beetlejuice). The series mostly removes Wednesday from her famous family and drops her into Nevermore Academy,...
Ortega, at 20, is only older than Patty Duke, who was 17 at the time of her Emmy nomination in 1964 for her eponymous series, The Patty Duke Show. While The Patty Duke show was a sitcom, Duke was nominated before the Emmys split the actress race between comedy and drama. At the time, it was an award for “Outstanding Continued Performance by an Actress in a Series.”
Ortega, a Gen Z horror staple in films like Scream and X, broke out as Wednesday Addams in the Netflix comedy about the classic misanthrope created by Charles Addams, the first four episodes of which were helmed by Tim Burton (who will also direct Ortega in the upcoming sequel to his 1988 film Beetlejuice). The series mostly removes Wednesday from her famous family and drops her into Nevermore Academy,...
- 7/12/2023
- by Esther Zuckerman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
All My Children actor Jeffrey Carlson, known for his groundbreaking role as a trans character on the soap show, has reportedly died. He was 48 and no details were immediately available on the cause or location.
The actor had been on the daytime TV series since 2006.
The news was announced by Time Out New York theater editor Adam Feldman on Twitter.
Feldman said Carlson was a “‘”powerful actor.”
Carlson came to the show as a character named Zarf in August 2006, then returned that November as a trans woman named Zoe.
The Shakespeare Theatre Company wrote a tribute on Facebook. “Stc is saddened to learn of the recent passing of Jeffrey Carlson. Jeffrey gave beautiful and nuanced performances during his career, which took him from television and film to Broadway and, fortunately for us, to Stc.”
The post noted his memorable performances included Lorenzaccio (2005), Hamlet (2007), 2008’s Free For All, and Romeo and Juliet...
The actor had been on the daytime TV series since 2006.
The news was announced by Time Out New York theater editor Adam Feldman on Twitter.
Feldman said Carlson was a “‘”powerful actor.”
Carlson came to the show as a character named Zarf in August 2006, then returned that November as a trans woman named Zoe.
The Shakespeare Theatre Company wrote a tribute on Facebook. “Stc is saddened to learn of the recent passing of Jeffrey Carlson. Jeffrey gave beautiful and nuanced performances during his career, which took him from television and film to Broadway and, fortunately for us, to Stc.”
The post noted his memorable performances included Lorenzaccio (2005), Hamlet (2007), 2008’s Free For All, and Romeo and Juliet...
- 7/9/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
During the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the entertainment industry completely shut down. But as time progressed and we learned more about how the virus operates, Covid specialists were brought onto projects to help keep filming safe. Around this time, Little House on the Prairie alum Melissa Gilbert got the opportunity to audition for a television series filming in Canada, but she ultimately decided to turn it down. Here’s why.
Melissa Gilbert didn’t want to be away from husband Timothy Busfield
The producers of the television show wanted to bring Gilbert in for an audition, but if she got the role, she’d have to film in Canada for several months.
“I wouldn’t be allowed to visit home at all because of quarantine rules,” she wrote in her 2022 memoir, Back to the Prairie. “Tim would soon be filming his show For Life in New York City and...
Melissa Gilbert didn’t want to be away from husband Timothy Busfield
The producers of the television show wanted to bring Gilbert in for an audition, but if she got the role, she’d have to film in Canada for several months.
“I wouldn’t be allowed to visit home at all because of quarantine rules,” she wrote in her 2022 memoir, Back to the Prairie. “Tim would soon be filming his show For Life in New York City and...
- 7/9/2023
- by Kelsey Goeres
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
David Lynch does not like talking about his movies. He’d prefer the work speak for itself, thank you very much. But in bending over backwards to avoid discussing what something might “mean,” or deflecting questions with humor and/or cryptic pronunciations, the Blue Velvet filmmaker occasionally drops a breadcrumb hint about what makes him creatively tick. An audience member at a Q&a once asked Lynch whether there was a connection between The Wizard of Oz and the movie he’d just screened, Mullholland Drive. His reply: “There’s...
- 6/3/2023
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Actor, producer, and writer Mel Brooks discussed his first date with his late wife, Anne Bancroft. Brooks says he faced significant financial difficulty early in his career. He reveals he had to tell Bancroft he was “broke” during their first date.
Mel Brooks says he was ‘broke’ Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft | Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
During an interview with ABC News, Brooks spoke about his first date with Bancroft. He admits she gave him $20 under the table because he couldn’t afford to pay for the meal.
“I didn’t have any money, and I was dating Anne Bancroft,” Brooks tells interviewer George Stephanopoulos. “She was on Broadway and The Miracle Worker. We were at a Chinese restaurant one night, and I said, ‘I’m broke.’ She slipped me a $20 bill under the table. And the bill came up to $14 or $15. It wasn’t that expensive.
Mel Brooks says he was ‘broke’ Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft | Jim Smeal/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images
During an interview with ABC News, Brooks spoke about his first date with Bancroft. He admits she gave him $20 under the table because he couldn’t afford to pay for the meal.
“I didn’t have any money, and I was dating Anne Bancroft,” Brooks tells interviewer George Stephanopoulos. “She was on Broadway and The Miracle Worker. We were at a Chinese restaurant one night, and I said, ‘I’m broke.’ She slipped me a $20 bill under the table. And the bill came up to $14 or $15. It wasn’t that expensive.
- 4/13/2023
- by Sheiresa Ngo
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Sometimes, the antagonism you see between two characters in a movie isn't acting. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" is one of the most infamous examples thereof; their feud has inspired books, podcasts, and even a mini-series.
In the film (directed by Robert Aldrich), they play the Hudson sisters, Jane (Davis) and Blanche (Crawford). The limelight has moved past them both; Jane was a child star whose talents didn't last to adulthood while Blanche had a film career before being paralyzed in a car crash. Jane has to dote on the incapacitated Blanche, only furthering the resentment. There's a clear meta-textual undercurrent; Davis and Crawford were not considered "bankable" as women in their fifties, and there's no industry as hostile to middle-aged women as Hollywood.
Davis/Crawford's infighting began before the film even started production. According to Davis, Crawford initially suggested she play Jane and Davis play Blanche,...
In the film (directed by Robert Aldrich), they play the Hudson sisters, Jane (Davis) and Blanche (Crawford). The limelight has moved past them both; Jane was a child star whose talents didn't last to adulthood while Blanche had a film career before being paralyzed in a car crash. Jane has to dote on the incapacitated Blanche, only furthering the resentment. There's a clear meta-textual undercurrent; Davis and Crawford were not considered "bankable" as women in their fifties, and there's no industry as hostile to middle-aged women as Hollywood.
Davis/Crawford's infighting began before the film even started production. According to Davis, Crawford initially suggested she play Jane and Davis play Blanche,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
It was an epic night for the Academy, with now-classic films and performances in competition, an anomaly between Best Picture and Best Director nominations, a young actress redefining the acting categories and the culmination of a decades-long feud. Let’s flashback to when first-time host Frank Sinatra guided the 35th Academy Awards ceremony on April 8, 1963.
In the years of the Best Picture category being limited to five films, the Best Director category typically fell in line with those productions, with maybe one variation. In 1963, only two directors from Best Picture nominees received bids; unsurprisingly, those two films also had the most nominations and the most wins. David Lean‘s sprawling epic biopic “Lawrence of Arabia” led the pack, coming into the night with ten bids and leaving with seven statues, including Best Picture and Lean’s second career win for Best Director. It has the unusual distinction of being the...
In the years of the Best Picture category being limited to five films, the Best Director category typically fell in line with those productions, with maybe one variation. In 1963, only two directors from Best Picture nominees received bids; unsurprisingly, those two films also had the most nominations and the most wins. David Lean‘s sprawling epic biopic “Lawrence of Arabia” led the pack, coming into the night with ten bids and leaving with seven statues, including Best Picture and Lean’s second career win for Best Director. It has the unusual distinction of being the...
- 2/21/2023
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
Cate Blanchett is going for her third Oscar with “TÁR,” but before that, she’ll have a chance to capture her third Best Actress BAFTA Award. Should she do so, she’ll move up to second place on the all-time winners list in the category.
A three-time BAFTA champ, Blanchett has two Best Actress trophies for “Elizabeth” (1998) and “Blue Jasmine” (2013) and one for Best Supporting Actress for “The Aviator” (2004). In the lead category, she’s one of 11 with two victories. That list gets drastically smaller the higher you go. She’s looking to become just the fourth person with three Best Actress wins, one shy of Maggie Smith‘s record of four.
Blanchett would join Anne Bancroft, Audrey Hepburn and Simone Signoret as three-time champs — but their ledgers come with a caveat. Until the ceremony in 1969 when they were consolidated into Best Actress, the BAFTAs had two actress categories: Best...
A three-time BAFTA champ, Blanchett has two Best Actress trophies for “Elizabeth” (1998) and “Blue Jasmine” (2013) and one for Best Supporting Actress for “The Aviator” (2004). In the lead category, she’s one of 11 with two victories. That list gets drastically smaller the higher you go. She’s looking to become just the fourth person with three Best Actress wins, one shy of Maggie Smith‘s record of four.
Blanchett would join Anne Bancroft, Audrey Hepburn and Simone Signoret as three-time champs — but their ledgers come with a caveat. Until the ceremony in 1969 when they were consolidated into Best Actress, the BAFTAs had two actress categories: Best...
- 2/8/2023
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Awards season always turns up note-worthy moments: showstopping outfits, witty speeches or egregious faux-pas are instantly turned into memes and circulated endlessly on social media.
In 2021, one moment in particular captivated viewers worldwide, and that was watching eight-year-old actor Alan Kim – dressed in a tuxedo – tear up while accepting a Critics Choice Award for his scene-stealing part in the critically acclaimed film Minari.
After a successful season, however, which included a Bafta nod, the young star was eventually shut out of the Oscars. It was a shame – in a year of history-making nominations for the Academy Awards, seeing Kim recognised would have been the cherry on top.
But it was always a long shot. Child actors are a welcome but infrequent inclusion at the Oscars – their rarity though, does make every instance especially memorable.
In the run-up to next month’s ceremony, here is a list of the 13 youngest stars...
In 2021, one moment in particular captivated viewers worldwide, and that was watching eight-year-old actor Alan Kim – dressed in a tuxedo – tear up while accepting a Critics Choice Award for his scene-stealing part in the critically acclaimed film Minari.
After a successful season, however, which included a Bafta nod, the young star was eventually shut out of the Oscars. It was a shame – in a year of history-making nominations for the Academy Awards, seeing Kim recognised would have been the cherry on top.
But it was always a long shot. Child actors are a welcome but infrequent inclusion at the Oscars – their rarity though, does make every instance especially memorable.
In the run-up to next month’s ceremony, here is a list of the 13 youngest stars...
- 2/7/2023
- by Annabel Nugent
- The Independent - Film
February ushers in a new slate of movies and TV shows making their way to HBO and HBO Max, from a slew of James Bond movies to the recently released Olivia Colman-led “Empire of Light” to, yes, the Puppy Bowl.
“The Terminator,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Footloose,” “Taxi Driver” and “The Silence of the Lambs” all mark notable library offerings this month, in addition to “Superbad,” “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” and “Eighth Grade.”
Despite HBO Max pulling a number of originals from its roster over the past several months, HBO Max originals premiering on the platform this month include a Dionne Warwick documentary, an adult European animated series titled “Poor Devil” and “Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special” based on the popular animated series.
HBO Max is also beefing up its sports offerings by streaming soccer matches featuring the U.S. national teams,...
“The Terminator,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Footloose,” “Taxi Driver” and “The Silence of the Lambs” all mark notable library offerings this month, in addition to “Superbad,” “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)” and “Eighth Grade.”
Despite HBO Max pulling a number of originals from its roster over the past several months, HBO Max originals premiering on the platform this month include a Dionne Warwick documentary, an adult European animated series titled “Poor Devil” and “Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special” based on the popular animated series.
HBO Max is also beefing up its sports offerings by streaming soccer matches featuring the U.S. national teams,...
- 2/1/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
Valentine’s Day is fast approaching and HBO Max got the memo. With its list of new releases for February 2023, the HBO streamer is bringing a very special Valentine’s Day episode into the fold.
Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special premieres on Feb. 9 and finds Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy celebrating their first Valentine’s Day together. Consider this a fun little aperitif for the fast approaching Harley Quinn season 3 – which will feature none other than freshly-installed DC czar James Gunn. Other HBO Max original series this month include another C.B. Strike special on Feb. 6 and Spanish-language animated comedy Poor Devil a.k.a. Pobre Diablo on Feb. 17.
February also looks to be a jam-packed month for movies on HBO Max. February 1 sees the arrival of many appealing library titles like Birdman, Casino Royale, The Silence of the Lambs, and The Terminator. Later on HBO Max...
Harley Quinn: A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day Special premieres on Feb. 9 and finds Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy celebrating their first Valentine’s Day together. Consider this a fun little aperitif for the fast approaching Harley Quinn season 3 – which will feature none other than freshly-installed DC czar James Gunn. Other HBO Max original series this month include another C.B. Strike special on Feb. 6 and Spanish-language animated comedy Poor Devil a.k.a. Pobre Diablo on Feb. 17.
February also looks to be a jam-packed month for movies on HBO Max. February 1 sees the arrival of many appealing library titles like Birdman, Casino Royale, The Silence of the Lambs, and The Terminator. Later on HBO Max...
- 2/1/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
In a missive sent around to 2022’s Oscar nominees, stars were told to “read the room” when delivering speeches at the Academy Awards this month. Translation: Get off the stage before the orchestra is forced to awkwardly play you out.
In 1943, Greer Garson set a Guinness World Record for Longest Oscars Acceptance Speech, with her address upon accepting her Best Actress award forMrs Miniver clocking in at five and a half minutes.
Garson isn’t the only winner guilty of indulgence though. Hilary Swank, Adrien Brody and Al Pacino have all ignored the 45-second limit and consequently found themselves at the receiving end of a passive aggressive “Will you wrap this up?” stare.
Some actors, however, know that not every story needs to be so long and that brevity is an undervalued quality. Franklin D Roosevelt’s adage – “Be sincere, be brief, be seated” – could very well be the tagline for this year’s ceremony.
In 1943, Greer Garson set a Guinness World Record for Longest Oscars Acceptance Speech, with her address upon accepting her Best Actress award forMrs Miniver clocking in at five and a half minutes.
Garson isn’t the only winner guilty of indulgence though. Hilary Swank, Adrien Brody and Al Pacino have all ignored the 45-second limit and consequently found themselves at the receiving end of a passive aggressive “Will you wrap this up?” stare.
Some actors, however, know that not every story needs to be so long and that brevity is an undervalued quality. Franklin D Roosevelt’s adage – “Be sincere, be brief, be seated” – could very well be the tagline for this year’s ceremony.
- 1/30/2023
- by Annabel Nugent
- The Independent - Film
In a missive sent around to 2022’s Oscar nominees, stars were told to “read the room” when delivering speeches at the Academy Awards this month. Translation: Get off the stage before the orchestra is forced to awkwardly play you out.
In 1943, Greer Garson set a Guinness World Record for Longest Oscars Acceptance Speech, with her address upon accepting her Best Actress award forMrs Miniver clocking in at five and a half minutes.
Garson isn’t the only winner guilty of indulgence though. Hilary Swank, Adrien Brody and Al Pacino have all ignored the 45-second limit and consequently found themselves at the receiving end of a passive aggressive “Will you wrap this up?” stare.
Some actors, however, know that not every story needs to be so long and that brevity is an undervalued quality. Franklin D Roosevelt’s adage – “Be sincere, be brief, be seated” – could very well be the tagline for this year’s ceremony.
In 1943, Greer Garson set a Guinness World Record for Longest Oscars Acceptance Speech, with her address upon accepting her Best Actress award forMrs Miniver clocking in at five and a half minutes.
Garson isn’t the only winner guilty of indulgence though. Hilary Swank, Adrien Brody and Al Pacino have all ignored the 45-second limit and consequently found themselves at the receiving end of a passive aggressive “Will you wrap this up?” stare.
Some actors, however, know that not every story needs to be so long and that brevity is an undervalued quality. Franklin D Roosevelt’s adage – “Be sincere, be brief, be seated” – could very well be the tagline for this year’s ceremony.
- 1/29/2023
- by Annabel Nugent
- The Independent - Film
In a missive sent around to last year’s Oscar nominees, stars were told to “read the room” when delivering speeches at the Academy Awards this month. Translation: Get off the stage before the orchestra is forced to awkwardly play you out.
In 1943, Greer Garson set a Guinness World Record for Longest Oscars Acceptance Speech, with her address upon accepting her Best Actress award forMrs Miniver clocking in at five and a half minutes.
Garson isn’t the only winner guilty of indulgence though. Hilary Swank, Adrien Brody and Al Pacino have all ignored the 45-second limit and consequently found themselves at the receiving end of a passive aggressive “Will you wrap this up?” stare.
Some actors, however, know that not every story needs to be so long and that brevity is an undervalued quality. Franklin D Roosevelt’s adage – “Be sincere, be brief, be seated” – could very well be...
In 1943, Greer Garson set a Guinness World Record for Longest Oscars Acceptance Speech, with her address upon accepting her Best Actress award forMrs Miniver clocking in at five and a half minutes.
Garson isn’t the only winner guilty of indulgence though. Hilary Swank, Adrien Brody and Al Pacino have all ignored the 45-second limit and consequently found themselves at the receiving end of a passive aggressive “Will you wrap this up?” stare.
Some actors, however, know that not every story needs to be so long and that brevity is an undervalued quality. Franklin D Roosevelt’s adage – “Be sincere, be brief, be seated” – could very well be...
- 1/29/2023
- by Annabel Nugent
- The Independent - Film
In a missive sent around to this last year’s Oscar nominees, stars were told to “read the room” when delivering speeches at the Academy Awards this month. Translation: Get off the stage before the orchestra is forced to awkwardly play you out.
In 1943, Greer Garson set a Guinness World Record for Longest Oscars Acceptance Speech, with her address upon accepting her Best Actress award forMrs Miniver clocking in at five and a half minutes.
Garson isn’t the only winner guilty of indulgence though. Hilary Swank, Adrien Brody and Al Pacino have all ignored the 45-second limit and consequently found themselves at the receiving end of a passive aggressive “Will you wrap this up?” stare.
Some actors, however, know that not every story needs to be so long and that brevity is an undervalued quality. Franklin D Roosevelt’s adage – “Be sincere, be brief, be seated” – could very well...
In 1943, Greer Garson set a Guinness World Record for Longest Oscars Acceptance Speech, with her address upon accepting her Best Actress award forMrs Miniver clocking in at five and a half minutes.
Garson isn’t the only winner guilty of indulgence though. Hilary Swank, Adrien Brody and Al Pacino have all ignored the 45-second limit and consequently found themselves at the receiving end of a passive aggressive “Will you wrap this up?” stare.
Some actors, however, know that not every story needs to be so long and that brevity is an undervalued quality. Franklin D Roosevelt’s adage – “Be sincere, be brief, be seated” – could very well...
- 1/29/2023
- by Annabel Nugent
- The Independent - Film
(For nearly 30 years, Susan Haskins-Doloff was co-host and executive producer of the classic PBS TV show “Theater Talk,” featuring fascinating and witty interviews with the leading stars and other creators of Broadway’s greatest shows.)
As the 2022 Tony Awards approach, and I think about handicapping this year’s nominees, I am also remembering some of the more outstanding dramatic performance I have witnessed over the years. Long, long ago, my mother took me to see “A Raisin in The Sun.” Lorraine Hansberry’s ground-breaking play, which opened on Broadway in 1959, had already received due praise, winning the Pulitzer Prize and The New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards. It didn’t get any Tony’s though. It was nominated in 4 categories, including Best Play, but lost that to The Miracle Worker. “A Raisin in The Sun” closed two months after the Tony Ceremony, with 530 performances.
It then went on the road...
As the 2022 Tony Awards approach, and I think about handicapping this year’s nominees, I am also remembering some of the more outstanding dramatic performance I have witnessed over the years. Long, long ago, my mother took me to see “A Raisin in The Sun.” Lorraine Hansberry’s ground-breaking play, which opened on Broadway in 1959, had already received due praise, winning the Pulitzer Prize and The New York Drama Critics’ Circle Awards. It didn’t get any Tony’s though. It was nominated in 4 categories, including Best Play, but lost that to The Miracle Worker. “A Raisin in The Sun” closed two months after the Tony Ceremony, with 530 performances.
It then went on the road...
- 6/3/2022
- by Susan Haskins-Doloff
- Gold Derby
Crackle is now the exclusive streamer of the beloved series Sherlock starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.
“Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: Csse), one of the largest operators of streaming advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) networks, today announced an agreement with BBC Studios to license the exclusive rights to the mystery crime series Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. The series will be available exclusively on the Crackle Plus streaming services starting April 1.”
Read more at Crackle
From Matthew McConaughey using his iconic catch-phrase to Leo finally snagging an Oscar, here are the greatest speeches in Oscar’s history.
“When it comes to the Oscars, seeing how filmmakers react to receiving acknowledgment from their peers during their acceptance speeches is usually the highlight of the show. James Cameron’s ‘I’m king of the world!’ proclamation for Titanic (1997) stands out; so does Patty Duke’s two-word response (‘Thank...
“Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: Csse), one of the largest operators of streaming advertising-supported video-on-demand (AVOD) networks, today announced an agreement with BBC Studios to license the exclusive rights to the mystery crime series Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman. The series will be available exclusively on the Crackle Plus streaming services starting April 1.”
Read more at Crackle
From Matthew McConaughey using his iconic catch-phrase to Leo finally snagging an Oscar, here are the greatest speeches in Oscar’s history.
“When it comes to the Oscars, seeing how filmmakers react to receiving acknowledgment from their peers during their acceptance speeches is usually the highlight of the show. James Cameron’s ‘I’m king of the world!’ proclamation for Titanic (1997) stands out; so does Patty Duke’s two-word response (‘Thank...
- 3/25/2022
- by Lee Parham
- Den of Geek
For 35 years, Marlee Matlin has been the only deaf actor to be nominated for an Oscar, for her debut film in 1986’s “Children of a Lesser God.” She won that Best Actress Oscar, but it was ultimately not a bellwether for further awards recognition for deaf actors. This year, Matlin stands a chance of not only returning to the Oscars herself for her performance in the acclaimed film “Coda,” but she may finally have company if the academy nominates her co-star, Troy Kotsur.
So far this award season, Kotsur has been cleaning up with wins and nominations for his performance as the foul-mouthed Frank in “Coda.” Like his wife, Jackie (Matlin), and their son, Leo (Daniel Durant), Frank is deaf, but that’s just one part of him. He’s also a virile man who has a great passion for his wife, an accomplished fisherman and a loving father to...
So far this award season, Kotsur has been cleaning up with wins and nominations for his performance as the foul-mouthed Frank in “Coda.” Like his wife, Jackie (Matlin), and their son, Leo (Daniel Durant), Frank is deaf, but that’s just one part of him. He’s also a virile man who has a great passion for his wife, an accomplished fisherman and a loving father to...
- 12/28/2021
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
When you grow up disabled, the names of other disabled or Deaf icons are always running through your mind — Helen Keller being one of the mainstays. Whether one is actually deaf or not, any perceived limitation causes someone to bring up the author and disability rights advocate, for good and ill.
My earliest memories of Keller come from the place I’ve loved and chosen to cover for my career: the movie screen. Patty Duke’s Oscar nominated performance in 1962’s “The Miracle Worker” wasn’t the first movie about a disabled person I saw, but it was the most ubiquitous.
It’s an image that has become ingrained in nearly all discussions of disability representation on-screen. Despite the fact that 1 in 4 people in the United States have some form of disability, they only make up about 3.1 percent of on-screen portrayals, which is actually a 10-year high according to GLAAD.
My earliest memories of Keller come from the place I’ve loved and chosen to cover for my career: the movie screen. Patty Duke’s Oscar nominated performance in 1962’s “The Miracle Worker” wasn’t the first movie about a disabled person I saw, but it was the most ubiquitous.
It’s an image that has become ingrained in nearly all discussions of disability representation on-screen. Despite the fact that 1 in 4 people in the United States have some form of disability, they only make up about 3.1 percent of on-screen portrayals, which is actually a 10-year high according to GLAAD.
- 11/30/2021
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
“A Quiet Place” breakout Millicent Simmonds and “Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” star Rachel Brosnahan will play Helen Keller and her teacher Anne Sullivan in the forthcoming feature film “Helen & Teacher.”
Simmonds, who is deaf, is a distant cousin of Deafblind activist Keller, and her casting marks a significant turning point for deaf representation on screen. Most adaptations of Keller’s story over the years have generally featured non-deaf actors.
Simmonds will star opposite Brosnahan, who will portray her committed yet controlling translator and companion Sullivan. Cornerstone will handle international sales and distribution, and is set to kick off sales at the American Film Market next month. UTA Independent Film Group and WME are overseeing the U.S. sale.
“Helen & Teacher” is based on the original screenplay by Laetitia Mikles and Westmoreland, in consultation with a team at the Helen Keller National Center for Youth and Adults.
Set during the early 1900s,...
Simmonds, who is deaf, is a distant cousin of Deafblind activist Keller, and her casting marks a significant turning point for deaf representation on screen. Most adaptations of Keller’s story over the years have generally featured non-deaf actors.
Simmonds will star opposite Brosnahan, who will portray her committed yet controlling translator and companion Sullivan. Cornerstone will handle international sales and distribution, and is set to kick off sales at the American Film Market next month. UTA Independent Film Group and WME are overseeing the U.S. sale.
“Helen & Teacher” is based on the original screenplay by Laetitia Mikles and Westmoreland, in consultation with a team at the Helen Keller National Center for Youth and Adults.
Set during the early 1900s,...
- 10/14/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
The first James Bond film, ‘Dr. No,” starring Sean Connery, Ursula Andress, Jack Lord and Joseph Wiseman, opened in England on Oct. 2, 1962. But the 007 classic didn’t open in New York and Los Angeles until May 29, 1963. Let’s travel back almost six decades to look at the top events, movie, TV series, books and other cultural events of that year in James Bond history, which was punctuated by the tragic assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas on Nov. 22.
35th Annual Academy Awards
Best Picture: “Lawrence of Arabia”
Best Director: David Lean, “Lawrence of Arabia”
Best Actor: Gregory Peck, “To Kill a Mockingbird
Best Actress: Anne Bancroft, “The Miracle Worker”
Best Supporting Actor: Ed Begley, “Sweet Bird of Youth”
Best Supporting Actress: Patty Duke, “The Miracle Worker”
Top 10 highest grossing films
“Cleopatra”
“How the West Was Won”
“It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”
“Tom Jones”
“Irma La Douce...
35th Annual Academy Awards
Best Picture: “Lawrence of Arabia”
Best Director: David Lean, “Lawrence of Arabia”
Best Actor: Gregory Peck, “To Kill a Mockingbird
Best Actress: Anne Bancroft, “The Miracle Worker”
Best Supporting Actor: Ed Begley, “Sweet Bird of Youth”
Best Supporting Actress: Patty Duke, “The Miracle Worker”
Top 10 highest grossing films
“Cleopatra”
“How the West Was Won”
“It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World”
“Tom Jones”
“Irma La Douce...
- 10/8/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Michael Constantine, who played Gus, the father of Nia Vardalos’ Toula Portokalos in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” by far the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time, died on Aug. 31. He was 94.
Constantine’s agent confirmed the news of his death to Variety. He died of natural causes.
“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” scored a domestic gross of $241 million in 2002; No. 2 on the list is “What Women Want” with $183 million. The film drew a SAG Awards nomination for outstanding performance by the cast of a theatrical motion picture.
As Roger Ebert recounted, Constantine’s Gus “specializes in finding the Greek root for any word (even ‘kimono’), and delivers a toast in which he explains that ‘Miller’ goes back to the Greek word for apple, and ‘Portokalos’ is based on the Greek word for oranges, and so, he concludes triumphantly, ‘In the end, we’re all fruits.’ ”
Variety said: “Constantine fares...
Constantine’s agent confirmed the news of his death to Variety. He died of natural causes.
“My Big Fat Greek Wedding” scored a domestic gross of $241 million in 2002; No. 2 on the list is “What Women Want” with $183 million. The film drew a SAG Awards nomination for outstanding performance by the cast of a theatrical motion picture.
As Roger Ebert recounted, Constantine’s Gus “specializes in finding the Greek root for any word (even ‘kimono’), and delivers a toast in which he explains that ‘Miller’ goes back to the Greek word for apple, and ‘Portokalos’ is based on the Greek word for oranges, and so, he concludes triumphantly, ‘In the end, we’re all fruits.’ ”
Variety said: “Constantine fares...
- 9/9/2021
- by Carmel Dagan
- Variety Film + TV
When Audra McDonald was nine, she was offered to play “the little Black servant girl” in a production of William Gibson’s “The Miracle Worker.”
McDonald desperately wanted the part, but her parents stepped in and refused.
“They said no, it’s a demeaning role, you don’t have to do that, there are other roles you can do. You may not be happy with this now, but one day you’ll understand that you don’t have to perpetuate that stereotype. I was furious at the time, but boy do I understand it now,” McDonald said.
The legendary Broadway actor recounted the anecdote (one she’s previously shared) and revealed how her parents’ decision has “played into a lot of my role choices” during a wide-ranging keynote conversation at Series Mania.
Having accepted the festival’s first ever Etoile Award, which honors an international star in the TV industry,...
McDonald desperately wanted the part, but her parents stepped in and refused.
“They said no, it’s a demeaning role, you don’t have to do that, there are other roles you can do. You may not be happy with this now, but one day you’ll understand that you don’t have to perpetuate that stereotype. I was furious at the time, but boy do I understand it now,” McDonald said.
The legendary Broadway actor recounted the anecdote (one she’s previously shared) and revealed how her parents’ decision has “played into a lot of my role choices” during a wide-ranging keynote conversation at Series Mania.
Having accepted the festival’s first ever Etoile Award, which honors an international star in the TV industry,...
- 8/28/2021
- by Will Thorne
- Variety Film + TV
The SNL star said he lost his sense of smell, one of the virus’ symptoms
Did Michael Che catch Covid-19 last year? We don’t know, but but the “SNL” co-head writer said in his new HBO Max sketch series “That Damn Michael Che” that at some point, he experienced symptoms that sure sound like Covid-19.
“I remember I got in the shower and I couldn’t smell my shampoo and I was like, what the f— is going on,” Che said during an aside in the show’s fifth episode, “Well Played, Crackers.”
“I started smelling everything,” Che continued. “Remember that scene in the Hellen Keller story when she’s walking around (going) ‘water, water?’ That was me with covid symptoms, smelling spices and peppers…. Is this just me, no one else went through this?”
The movie Che’s talking about is the 1962 classic “The Miracle Worker,” starring Patty Duke,...
Did Michael Che catch Covid-19 last year? We don’t know, but but the “SNL” co-head writer said in his new HBO Max sketch series “That Damn Michael Che” that at some point, he experienced symptoms that sure sound like Covid-19.
“I remember I got in the shower and I couldn’t smell my shampoo and I was like, what the f— is going on,” Che said during an aside in the show’s fifth episode, “Well Played, Crackers.”
“I started smelling everything,” Che continued. “Remember that scene in the Hellen Keller story when she’s walking around (going) ‘water, water?’ That was me with covid symptoms, smelling spices and peppers…. Is this just me, no one else went through this?”
The movie Che’s talking about is the 1962 classic “The Miracle Worker,” starring Patty Duke,...
- 5/11/2021
- by Samson Amore
- The Wrap
Awards season always turns up note-worthy moments: showstopping outfits, witty speeches or egregious faux-pas are instantly turned into memes and circulated endlessly on social media.
But so far this year, one moment in particular has captivated viewers worldwide and that was watching eight-year-old actor Alan Kim – dressed in a tuxedo – tear up while accepting a Critics Choice Award for his scene-stealing part in the critically acclaimed film Minari.
After a successful season, however, which included a Bafta nod, the young star was eventually shut out of the Oscars. It is a shame – in a year of history-making nominations for the Academy Awards, seeing Kim recognised would have been the cherry on top. But it was always a long shot. Child actors are a welcome but infrequent inclusion at the Oscars – their rarity though, does make every instance especially memorable.
In the run-up to next month’s ceremony, here is a...
But so far this year, one moment in particular has captivated viewers worldwide and that was watching eight-year-old actor Alan Kim – dressed in a tuxedo – tear up while accepting a Critics Choice Award for his scene-stealing part in the critically acclaimed film Minari.
After a successful season, however, which included a Bafta nod, the young star was eventually shut out of the Oscars. It is a shame – in a year of history-making nominations for the Academy Awards, seeing Kim recognised would have been the cherry on top. But it was always a long shot. Child actors are a welcome but infrequent inclusion at the Oscars – their rarity though, does make every instance especially memorable.
In the run-up to next month’s ceremony, here is a...
- 4/8/2021
- by Annabel Nugent
- The Independent - Film
German actress Helena Zengel is enchanging filmgoers, critics and her peers for her captivating performance as an orphan who is kidnapped and raised by the Kiowa tribe in Universal’s Paul Greengrass film “News of the World.” With the Oscar race gathering momentum, Zengel could prove a dark horse entry in the category for Best Supporting Actress, particularly as she was just nominated at the Golden Globes. Only 12 years old, she could join the select company of 21 actors who received their first nomination when they were under the age of 18. It’s a wide-ranging group, including future stars such as Jodie Foster (“Taxi Driver”), Saoirse Ronan (“Atonement”), Natalie Wood (“Rebel Without a Cause”) and River Phoenix (“Running on Empty”).
SEECould ‘News of the World’ be this year’s ‘Ford v Ferrari’ at the Oscars? Never underestimate a dad movie
To wrest an Oscar nomination away from an adult actor who...
SEECould ‘News of the World’ be this year’s ‘Ford v Ferrari’ at the Oscars? Never underestimate a dad movie
To wrest an Oscar nomination away from an adult actor who...
- 2/3/2021
- by Robert Rorke
- Gold Derby
Traditionally, Oscar voters honor smaller roles in the Best Supporting Actress category, especially compared to the corresponding male one. The average supporting female performance clocks in at just 24 minutes and 37 seconds, with the majority of them falling under 22 minutes. Still, a decent amount of long ones have been consistently recognized, including six that reach the one hour screen time mark. Here is a look at the 10 longest (and here are the 10 longest winners):
10. Jennifer Jason Leigh (“The Hateful Eight”)
57 minutes, 45 seconds (34.46% of the film)
2016’s group of Best Supporting Actress nominees boast the highest screen time average (51 minutes and 46 seconds) in the history of both supporting categories. Leigh, Rooney Mara (“Carol”), and winner Alicia Vikander (“The Danish Girl”) concurrently earned spots on this list and all attracted controversy by appearing to have been placed in the wrong category. As crass outlaw Daisy Domergue, Leigh plays the only major female character in “The Hateful Eight,...
10. Jennifer Jason Leigh (“The Hateful Eight”)
57 minutes, 45 seconds (34.46% of the film)
2016’s group of Best Supporting Actress nominees boast the highest screen time average (51 minutes and 46 seconds) in the history of both supporting categories. Leigh, Rooney Mara (“Carol”), and winner Alicia Vikander (“The Danish Girl”) concurrently earned spots on this list and all attracted controversy by appearing to have been placed in the wrong category. As crass outlaw Daisy Domergue, Leigh plays the only major female character in “The Hateful Eight,...
- 2/1/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
In the 92-year history of the Academy Awards, a dozen of the 44 performers nominated for their work in languages other than English have won. The first to be nominated was “Johnny Belinda” star Jane Wyman who delivered her heartbreaking performance in American Sign Language. She won Best Actress in 1949. Thirteen years later, Sophia Loren won this same award for her work in Italian in “Two Women.”
That screen legend is in contention again this year for her searing portrayal in Italian of a Holocaust survivor who takes care of the children of streetwalkers in “The Life Ahead.” This Netflix drama was directed by her son Edoardo Ponti. He and Ugo Chiti adapted Romain Gary’s 1975 novel “The Life Before Us,” which was also the source of the Oscar-winning 1978 French drama “Madame Rosa,” starring Simone Signoret.
After Loren made Oscar history, there have been two more winners for performances in Italian:...
That screen legend is in contention again this year for her searing portrayal in Italian of a Holocaust survivor who takes care of the children of streetwalkers in “The Life Ahead.” This Netflix drama was directed by her son Edoardo Ponti. He and Ugo Chiti adapted Romain Gary’s 1975 novel “The Life Before Us,” which was also the source of the Oscar-winning 1978 French drama “Madame Rosa,” starring Simone Signoret.
After Loren made Oscar history, there have been two more winners for performances in Italian:...
- 1/25/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
Last year we watched as Renee Zellweger followed the yellow brick road all the way to the Wizard of Oscar as Judy Garland in “Judy.” Can lightning (or a tornado) strike two years in a row? That’s surely the hope of Andra Day, looking like a strong Best Actress Oscar contender for her title role in “The United States vs. Billie Holiday.” Like Garland, Holiday rose to stardom in the late 1930s. She also had multiple marriages, faced financial woes and struggled with drugs and alcohol. The question is: can the role in this Hulu release deliver the Oscar to Day?
Before making a decision, keep in mind that the academy has a long history of recognizing actresses for portraying other actresses or entertainers. And the more drama, trauma and tragedy the better. Even raging and hysterical divas are welcome. Let’s look back at some prime and primadonna examples from Oscar’s history.
Before making a decision, keep in mind that the academy has a long history of recognizing actresses for portraying other actresses or entertainers. And the more drama, trauma and tragedy the better. Even raging and hysterical divas are welcome. Let’s look back at some prime and primadonna examples from Oscar’s history.
- 1/22/2021
- by Tariq Khan
- Gold Derby
While it is rare for a long performance to win a Best Supporting Actress Oscar, a fair amount of them have. The average screen time for winners in the category is 28 minutes and five seconds, with over one third of them surpassing 30 minutes. Here is a look at the 10 longest winners of all time. (And here’s the list of the 10 shortest winning performances for Best Supporting Actress.)
10. Katina Paxinou (“For Whom the Bell Tolls”)
43 minutes, 41 seconds (26.46% of the film)
The Greek theatre actress made history in 1944 with her debut film role as anti-fascist guerrilla fighter Pilar. She triumphed at the first ever Golden Globes ceremony and set a new record for longest performance to win in the Best Supporting Actress Oscar category, which she went on to hold for eight years.
9. Kim Hunter (“A Streetcar Named Desire”)
44 minutes, 52 seconds (35.97% of the film)
While Hunter’s role as abused wife...
10. Katina Paxinou (“For Whom the Bell Tolls”)
43 minutes, 41 seconds (26.46% of the film)
The Greek theatre actress made history in 1944 with her debut film role as anti-fascist guerrilla fighter Pilar. She triumphed at the first ever Golden Globes ceremony and set a new record for longest performance to win in the Best Supporting Actress Oscar category, which she went on to hold for eight years.
9. Kim Hunter (“A Streetcar Named Desire”)
44 minutes, 52 seconds (35.97% of the film)
While Hunter’s role as abused wife...
- 12/24/2020
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Amazon’s “Sound of Metal” is a piece of terrific filmmaking — and its achievements are even more impressive considering Hollywood’s depictions of deafness in the past.
“Sound of Metal,” directed by Darius Marder, stars Riz Ahmed as a heavy-metal drummer who begins to lose his hearing. The film has a three-act structure: Attempts by drummer Ruben to cope; his time spent in a deaf community; and his attempts to re-create his life as it was before the hearing loss.
The heart of the film is the middle segment, when community leader Joe (the excellent Paul Raci) tells Ruben that deafness “is not something to fix” and his assignment is simple: “Learn how to be deaf.”
Director Marder tells Variety, “This film is a wake-up. Most people think of deafness as a physical disability. We don’t understand that it is in fact a culture.”
In the past, most onscreen...
“Sound of Metal,” directed by Darius Marder, stars Riz Ahmed as a heavy-metal drummer who begins to lose his hearing. The film has a three-act structure: Attempts by drummer Ruben to cope; his time spent in a deaf community; and his attempts to re-create his life as it was before the hearing loss.
The heart of the film is the middle segment, when community leader Joe (the excellent Paul Raci) tells Ruben that deafness “is not something to fix” and his assignment is simple: “Learn how to be deaf.”
Director Marder tells Variety, “This film is a wake-up. Most people think of deafness as a physical disability. We don’t understand that it is in fact a culture.”
In the past, most onscreen...
- 12/11/2020
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
In the past decade or so, Rita Moreno has received multiple lifetime achievement awards, and would probably receive even more — except that she’s too busy working.
The actress, who turns 89 on Dec. 11, is one of the few people to win an Egot: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. She’s also received the 2004 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the 2009 National Medal of Arts, 2013 SAG Life Achievement Award, Kennedy Center Honors in 2015, and a Peabody Career Achievement in 2019, to name a few.
But she has no intention of resting on her laurels. In “Rita Moreno: A Memoir,” she expresses frustration at not working more. “I still feel that way!” she told Variety shortly after the book came out in 2013. She is always busy: If it’s not film, “I do theater, I do television, concerts, I do talks, lectures, I do a lot of fundraising as a performer.”
Her 70-year career covers the spectrum of entertainment,...
The actress, who turns 89 on Dec. 11, is one of the few people to win an Egot: Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. She’s also received the 2004 Presidential Medal of Freedom, the 2009 National Medal of Arts, 2013 SAG Life Achievement Award, Kennedy Center Honors in 2015, and a Peabody Career Achievement in 2019, to name a few.
But she has no intention of resting on her laurels. In “Rita Moreno: A Memoir,” she expresses frustration at not working more. “I still feel that way!” she told Variety shortly after the book came out in 2013. She is always busy: If it’s not film, “I do theater, I do television, concerts, I do talks, lectures, I do a lot of fundraising as a performer.”
Her 70-year career covers the spectrum of entertainment,...
- 12/11/2020
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Fear No Evil / Ritual of Evil
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1969, 1970 / 196 Min. / 1:33.1
Starring Louis Jourdan, Wilfred Hyde-White, Bradford Dillman
Cinematography by Andrew J. McIntyre, Lionel Lindon
Directed by Paul Wendkos, Robert Day
Just as she hops into bed with Charles Aznavour in Shoot the Piano Player, Michèle Mercier exclaims, “Television is a cinema that you can see at home.” Et voilà—from Michèle’s lips to Studio City’s ear, Hollywood responded with a new kind of home entertainment, movies made exclusively for TV. The first examples of this awkward hybrid began to appear in the mid-sixties, but it wasn’t the first time the small-screen tried to expand its horizons; CBS beat movie studios to the punch with Playhouse 90‘s original productions of The Miracle Worker in 1957 and Judgment at Nuremberg in 1959. And there was the occasional holiday treat like NBC’s The Pied Piper of Hamelin starring Van Johnson...
Blu ray
Kino Lorber
1969, 1970 / 196 Min. / 1:33.1
Starring Louis Jourdan, Wilfred Hyde-White, Bradford Dillman
Cinematography by Andrew J. McIntyre, Lionel Lindon
Directed by Paul Wendkos, Robert Day
Just as she hops into bed with Charles Aznavour in Shoot the Piano Player, Michèle Mercier exclaims, “Television is a cinema that you can see at home.” Et voilà—from Michèle’s lips to Studio City’s ear, Hollywood responded with a new kind of home entertainment, movies made exclusively for TV. The first examples of this awkward hybrid began to appear in the mid-sixties, but it wasn’t the first time the small-screen tried to expand its horizons; CBS beat movie studios to the punch with Playhouse 90‘s original productions of The Miracle Worker in 1957 and Judgment at Nuremberg in 1959. And there was the occasional holiday treat like NBC’s The Pied Piper of Hamelin starring Van Johnson...
- 12/8/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
If anyone can save an orphaned girl from the big bad world, it’s Tom Hanks. In one of the richest roles of his career, the two-time Oscar winner plays Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd in “News of the World,” which Universal Studio is releasing on Christmas. The film, directed by Oscar nominee (“United 93”) and “Bourne” franchise mastermind Paul Greengrass, will likely emerge as a major Oscar contender in lots of categories over the next few weeks.
See 2021 Best Picture Oscar predictions
The source material, a 2016 novel by Paulette Jiles, is peerless. Nominated for a National Book Award, “News” offers many selling points that appeal to awards voters. First, it is a two-hander. From “The Miracle Worker” to “Midnight Cowboy,” Oscar rewards films where the interaction between two usually mismatched characters significantly alters each life by the end of the film. “News of the World” takes viewers on a 400-mile...
See 2021 Best Picture Oscar predictions
The source material, a 2016 novel by Paulette Jiles, is peerless. Nominated for a National Book Award, “News” offers many selling points that appeal to awards voters. First, it is a two-hander. From “The Miracle Worker” to “Midnight Cowboy,” Oscar rewards films where the interaction between two usually mismatched characters significantly alters each life by the end of the film. “News of the World” takes viewers on a 400-mile...
- 11/29/2020
- by Robert Rorke
- Gold Derby
If anyone can save an orphaned girl from the big bad world, it’s Tom Hanks. In one of the richest roles of his career, the two-time Oscar winner (“Philadelphia” and “Forrest Gump”) plays Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd in “News of the World,” which Universal Studio is releasing on Christmas. (Watch the trailer here.) The film, directed by Oscar nominee (“United 93”) and “Bourne” franchise mastermind Paul Greengrass, will likely emerge as a leading contender in lots of top Oscar categories as it gets widely seen over the holiday season.
See 2021 Best Picture Oscar predictions
The source material, a 2016 novel by Paulette Jiles, is peerless. Nominated for a National Book Award, “News” offers many selling points that appeal to awards voters. First, it is a two-hander. From “The Miracle Worker” to “Midnight Cowboy,” Oscar rewards films where the interaction between two usually mismatched characters significantly alters each life by the end of the film.
See 2021 Best Picture Oscar predictions
The source material, a 2016 novel by Paulette Jiles, is peerless. Nominated for a National Book Award, “News” offers many selling points that appeal to awards voters. First, it is a two-hander. From “The Miracle Worker” to “Midnight Cowboy,” Oscar rewards films where the interaction between two usually mismatched characters significantly alters each life by the end of the film.
- 11/29/2020
- by Robert Rorke
- Gold Derby
The Chalk Garden
Blu ray
1964 / 106 min. / 1:85:1
Starring Deborah Kerr, Hayley Mills, John Mills
Cinematography by Arthur Ibbetson
Directed by Ronald Neame
Julie Andrews thrived in the role of governess—even when pitted against the Nazis in The Sound of Music she found plenty of time for sing-alongs—the same for Mary Poppins where the greatest threat was Dick Van Dyke’s British accent. But Deborah Kerr was never so lucky in the job; as the tutor assigned to a pair of possibly possessed tykes in The Innocents, she struggled as much with her own demons as the children’s. She still hadn’t learned her lesson when she signed on as companion to a troubled child in 1964’s The Chalk Garden. Kerr’s presence, along with Hayley Mills, Dame Edith Evans, and Hayley’s dad John, may seem inviting, but beware—the production is in the heavy hands...
Blu ray
1964 / 106 min. / 1:85:1
Starring Deborah Kerr, Hayley Mills, John Mills
Cinematography by Arthur Ibbetson
Directed by Ronald Neame
Julie Andrews thrived in the role of governess—even when pitted against the Nazis in The Sound of Music she found plenty of time for sing-alongs—the same for Mary Poppins where the greatest threat was Dick Van Dyke’s British accent. But Deborah Kerr was never so lucky in the job; as the tutor assigned to a pair of possibly possessed tykes in The Innocents, she struggled as much with her own demons as the children’s. She still hadn’t learned her lesson when she signed on as companion to a troubled child in 1964’s The Chalk Garden. Kerr’s presence, along with Hayley Mills, Dame Edith Evans, and Hayley’s dad John, may seem inviting, but beware—the production is in the heavy hands...
- 10/13/2020
- by Charlie Largent
- Trailers from Hell
This year the Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony will look a little different in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. Jimmy Kimmel will be hosting a virtual ceremony; exactly how this will be carried out will be another interesting and likely memorable part of our current times. However, there have been quite a few times the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences has been challenged by an outside event affecting the ceremony, with one such event forty years ago also resulting in a largely empty auditorium – but for an entirely different reason.
An ongoing strike by members of the Screen Actors Guild resulted in a very small crowd at the 32nd gala, which was hosted by Steve Allen and Dick Clark at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on September 7, 1980. Most presenters and 51 of the 52 nominated performers opted to boycott the event, with the exception of one brave soul who chose to accept his statuette in person.
An ongoing strike by members of the Screen Actors Guild resulted in a very small crowd at the 32nd gala, which was hosted by Steve Allen and Dick Clark at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on September 7, 1980. Most presenters and 51 of the 52 nominated performers opted to boycott the event, with the exception of one brave soul who chose to accept his statuette in person.
- 8/27/2020
- by Susan Pennington
- Gold Derby
Normal 0 false false false En-us X-none X-none
By Todd Garbarini
Natalie is a homely and painfully shy young girl with an overbite who hides under her bed when boys disparage her looks, going so far as to knocking their teeth out with a shovel when they, no pun intended, mouth off to her about her less-than-spectacular looks. She constantly needs assurance from others that her plain appearance will one day segue way to something attractive enough to command the attention of members of the opposite sex. The person she looks up to the most, Uncle Harold, is a sweet man who refers to her as “princess” and assures her that she will blossom into a butterfly from the cocoon she has wrapped herself up in. Her “knight in shining armor” fantasy of him is shattered one evening at dinner when Uncle Harold (Martin Balsam) brings his girlfriend, an attractive middle-aged stripper,...
By Todd Garbarini
Natalie is a homely and painfully shy young girl with an overbite who hides under her bed when boys disparage her looks, going so far as to knocking their teeth out with a shovel when they, no pun intended, mouth off to her about her less-than-spectacular looks. She constantly needs assurance from others that her plain appearance will one day segue way to something attractive enough to command the attention of members of the opposite sex. The person she looks up to the most, Uncle Harold, is a sweet man who refers to her as “princess” and assures her that she will blossom into a butterfly from the cocoon she has wrapped herself up in. Her “knight in shining armor” fantasy of him is shattered one evening at dinner when Uncle Harold (Martin Balsam) brings his girlfriend, an attractive middle-aged stripper,...
- 7/18/2020
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
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