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Your 2025 Oscars wrap!

<div class="theconversation-article-body">In a year with few surprises in the awards categories, there was also a dearth of surprises on the red carpet. The sartorial themes included sparkling metallics, coloured menswear and bows, bows and more bows. Metallic gowns that resemble the Oscar statue are a familiar sight at the Academy Awards and this year was no different. Some of the standouts included best actress nominee Demi Moore in a magnificently glittering silver Armani Privé gown, Selena Gomez in custom Ralph Lauren encrusted with 16,000 individual blush-toned jewel teardrops, and Emma Stone in a minimalist Louis Vuitton sheath covered in iridescent fish scales. In the menswear category, tuxedos reign supreme. This year was notable only for the diversity of colours in which these suits came. Best actor nominee Timothée Chalamet lived up to his reputation for monochrome, richly hued ensembles in a custom butter yellow leather suit by Givenchy, paired with a matching silk shirt and delicate neck brooch in place of a tie. His best actor nominated compatriot, Colman Domingo (one of the best dressed men in Hollywood) was pristine in a double-breasted red silk jacket with black lapels, black trousers and matching red shirt by Valentino, similarly eschewing a tie in favour of a fine gold brooch. Andrew Garfield wore louche chocolate brown Gucci and Jeremy Strong wore a suit by Loro Piana in an unusual tone of olive green. Bows of varying size and stature were perhaps the strongest theme of the night. Best actress winner Mikey Madison in black and pink Dior, best supporting actress nominee Felicity Jones in shimmering liquid silver Armani, Elle Fanning in white and black Givenchy and Lupita Nyong’o in white Chanel were all adorned with bows at their waists. The most remarkable bow of the night though was best actress nominee Cynthia Erivo in a structured deep emerald-green velvet Louis Vuitton gown, the broad, wing-like sleeves of which were crafted as a bow. Notable mentions must also go to those attendees who do not fit neatly into any thematic category. Best supporting actress nominee Ariana Grande wore a meticulously crafted pale pink Schiaparelli confection and Lisa (of Blackpink and now White Lotus fame) perfected a feminine take on masculine suiting in a tuxedo dress by Markgong. The only real surprise was the lack of political statements on display. Unlike recent years, when pins and ribbons in support of Ukraine and Palestine were widely worn, this year only Guy Pearce was spotted wearing a Free Palestine pin, Conclave writer Peter Straughan wore a Ukrainian flag pin and Kayo Shekoni had “free Congo” emblazoned on the sole of her high heels. – Harriette Richards <h2>The best picture: Anora</h2> And the best picture Oscar goes to … Anora – the film that was favoured to win, so no surprises here. Though he had been working for more than a decade at the time, writer-director-editor Sean Baker came onto the independent movie scene with a bang with 2015’s Tangerine, a gimmicky film that was mainly celebrated for being shot on an iPhone. Why this would be celebrated is anyone’s guess. I suspect it’s because of the “I could do it too” factor – something the average person certainly couldn’t say if we’re talking 35mm celluloid. Since then, Baker’s films have relished in embracing the digital, neon world, but always in a kind of sentimental and shallow, rather than critical, register. None of his films are awful – and maybe that’s saying something in this day and age. Anora also is not awful, but it’s not particularly memorable either. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z20wJkdKz98?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Anora follows a run of the mill American dream-type story about a hard-working stripper who seems to strike fairytale gold when a young, fun Russian oligarch falls in love with her. Only the dream turns out to be more of a nightmare (kind of) when things don’t quite work out and the film ends with the titular character once again independent and free. The idea of undercutting the fairytale setup of the typical rom-com is not at all original, and the film strikes me as even more schmaltzy in its rejection of the fairytale dream than if it had embraced it and played like a tween-focused Nickelodeon film (it’s about as poignant as this). The film’s cardinal sin, however – and it’s certainly not alone in this – is its critical overlength. Each of the film’s sections could have had some 20 minutes cut and we would have had an enjoyably tight romp at 80 minutes. Instead, Anora drags on, swept up in its imagining of its own profundity – at times pretentious, but mainly tedious. – Ari Mattes <h2>Not the year to stick a neck out</h2> The speeches this year were conspicuously meek. No announcer majorly insulted anyone else. No winner assaulted anyone else. Even the James Bond retrospective lacked energy. What’s going on in Hollywood? There are clues that help explain this curious flatness. Host Conan O’Brien mentioned the pressure of “divisive politics” while reflecting on California’s wildfires. Several winners spoke about the importance of shared experience, of what unites us, of film as a medium that brings people together, a force for “<a href="https://pitchfork.com/news/oscars-2025-clement-ducol-and-camille-win-best-original-song-for-el-mal-from-emilia-perez/">good and progress in the world</a>” and “<a href="https://www.townandcountrymag.com/leisure/arts-and-culture/a63981052/adrien-brody-best-actor-oscars-2025-speech-transcript/">a reminder not to let hate go unchecked</a>”. The directors of No Other Land, receiving their Oscar for best documentary, shared the one clear critical voice. Palestinian Basel Adra wished his newborn daughter a life without the fear that governs daily life in his homeland. Israeli co-director Yuval Abraham agreed: “There is another way. It’s not too late for life and for the living. There is no other way.” However, that was the only moment people at the Oscars seemed willing to confront the political elephant in the room. Anora director Sean Baker used his last (of four!) acceptance speeches to compel more people to help keep cinema doors open. He made his point passionately: this was the best way to sustain an industry that could continue to make brilliant movies. That said, the most emotive speeches of past Oscars events went much further than just commenting on the bread and butter concerns of the film industry. This year, there were more clues in what people did not say. There were feints at Russian dictators – but nobody mentioned the war in Ukraine. There was no discussion of a certain election result, nor of filmmakers’ fears that Washington is now in the control of a governing faction that loathes them. Most revealing of all: nobody raised a peep about the President or his friends. Hollywood’s collective discipline was on show tonight – and 2025 is not the year to stick a neck out. – Tom Clark <h2>A banner year for independent film</h2> Independent films were the big winners for this year’s Oscars. While many of the technical awards went to the big budget films, such as Wicked (the US$145 million film won costume design and production design) and Dune: Part 2 (made at a budget of US$190 million, and winning sound and visual effects), the night’s major awards went to small productions. While the definitions of “independence” and “studio” films don’t exist in a neat binary when it comes to production and global distribution, we can distinguish between film juggernauts and smaller films. Three independent films won significant awards that are of note. Latvian film Flow was the first independent film to win best animated feature, up against major films Inside Out 2 (Pixar Films) and The Wild Robot (DreamWorks). The film follows a cat, a dog, a capybara, a secretary bird and a ring-tailed lemur navigating a post-apocalyptic world with rising sea levels. The film also only used free and open-source software Blender and mostly used sounds from real world counterparts of the various characters. It was made for a budget of just €3.5 million (A$5.9 million). The best documentary film nominees were dominated by independent films. Notably, the winner No Other Land has sadly been unable to find a distributor to release the film in the United States. (It is available for streaming in Australia on DocPlay, and in select cinemas.) The film was only eligible because the Film Lincoln Centre in New York facilitated a one-week, qualifying theatrical run. The night’s top glories went to Anora, made on a budget of just US$6 million (A$9.7 million) and taking home the awards for best film, director, actress, screenplay and editing. In his acceptance speech for best director, Sean Baker spoke of the importance of films getting a theatrical release. Films, he said, are about humanity – and that is best experienced in watching a film with other people. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ozpV7LyJ4YQ?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> During awards season, Baker has often spoken about the importance of small budget films in the expression of core human experiences. The final message of the night went to Baker when he thanked the Academy for recognising a truly independent film: “Long live independent film!” Indeed, independent films ruled this year’s Oscars. – Stuart Richards <h2>Best actor and actress</h2> Mikey Madison, who won the best actress award for Anora, is quite good in the role. That said, it’s difficult to evaluate her performance in such a meandering film. She tries hard playing a stripper who falls for Prince Charming – a Russian oligarch (Hollywood’s anti-Russian sentiment has certainly grown in recent years) who turns out to be a bit of a weakling with meanie parents. But Madison never really convincingly embodies the character, and we’re ever aware as we watch the film that she’s an actress working her way through relevant emotions and intensities. That said, Madison is good at yelling and stripping, and this is the main way she shows her chops here. She screamed well in Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood (2019), too. The bar this year was admittedly pretty low, and truth be told Madison’s performance in Anora (aside from Fernanda Torres for I’m Still Here) is probably the best out of the nominees. In contrast, Adrien Brody, who won the best actor award, is absolutely unforgettable in the flawed but magnificent The Brutalist – the best he’s been since The Pianist, and the deserved winner by a mile out of a similarly mediocre field. Brody is simply a pleasure to watch, and drives, in a wholly embodied way, this grandiose and exceedingly long film (the fact it doesn’t feel long is largely due to his magnetism). The screenplay, in which the character comes across as a combination of arrogant, sweet and at times comedic, allows Brody to display the full range of his talent, and he plays the whole thing with an endearing vulnerability. But, again, it’s unfair to compare Brody and Madison – The Brutalist is a spectacularly accomplished cinematic epic, while Anora feels as stylish and profound as a social media video (I know that’s the point, but that doesn’t make it any more compelling). – Ari Mattes <h2>A lacklustre year for music</h2> This was a strong year for music-based films, with three of the most nominated ones being musicals of various types: the big-budget Broadway adaptation Wicked, the original film musical Emilia Pérez, and the musician biopic A Complete Unknown. The music of the ceremony itself was nicely assembled, with a live orchestra (conducted by Michael Bearden) accompanying proceedings from above the stage. But the show was marred by an absence: the best song nominations were not performed live. The new songs this year were so bland, however – especially when compared to the Wicked score and Bob Dylan – that I can hardly blame the producers. The nominations included a dull Elton John song, some soft guitar rock from Sing Sing, Diane Warren’s 16th (!) nominated song (more soft rock), and two forgettable songs from Emilia Pérez (one of which, El Mal, was the winner). So little faith did the Academy have in the songs that only a few seconds were played from each, mostly covered by a montage of interviews with the songwriters. This year’s nominated best scores were not much more memorable, but Daniel Blumberg deserved his win for The Brutalist. It demonstrates a high level of composition and orchestration craft. It uses edgy instrumental textures to increase the feelings of uncertainty and imbalance that the film imparts. The show included a lot of Wizard of Oz. Ariana Grande sang Over the Rainbow from the 1939 film and Cynthia Erivo sang Home from The Wiz, the 1974 soul musical based on the book. Then they performed Defying Gravity from Wicked together. Another subtle Wizard of Oz nod was the music played during the commercial breaks: a loop based on Brand New Day from The Wiz, whose 1979 film version had its music produced by the late Quincy Jones. Queen Latifah and backup dancers brought some much needed energy to the last hour of the ceremony with Ease on Down the Road, also from The Wiz, as part of a Jones tribute. One surprise was an unnecessary but enjoyable James Bond sequence featuring Margaret Qualley dancing to John Barry’s famous theme, a performance of Live and Let Die by K-pop star Lisa, Doja Cat singing Diamonds Are Forever, and Raye’s rendition of Skyfall. This plus the various numbers from the Oz Musical Universe only highlighted how lacklustre this year’s nominated music was. – Gregory Camp By <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/harriette-richards-992933">Harriette Richards</a>, Senior Lecturer, School of Fashion and Textiles, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/rmit-university-1063">RMIT University</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ari-mattes-97857">Ari Mattes</a>, Lecturer in Communications and Media, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-notre-dame-australia-852">University of Notre Dame Australia</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gregory-camp-1280180">Gregory Camp</a>, Senior Lecturer, School of Music, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-auckland-waipapa-taumata-rau-1305">University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/stuart-richards-9983">Stuart Richards</a>, Senior Lecturer in Screen Studies, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-south-australia-1180">University of South Australia</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tom-clark-4911">Tom Clark</a>, Chair of Academic Board, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/victoria-university-1175">Victoria University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/from-the-fashion-to-the-speeches-to-the-music-this-was-an-oscars-of-few-surprises-5-experts-break-it-down-251264">original article</a>. </div>

Movies

Oscars 2025: who will likely win, who should win, and who barely deserves to be there

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ari-mattes-97857">Ari Mattes</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-notre-dame-australia-852">University of Notre Dame Australia</a> We’ve probably all had a moment when we stopped taking the Oscars too seriously. For me, it was when Denzel Washington <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/timlammers/2024/05/02/why-denzel-washington-once-told-a-co-star-losing-an-oscar-is-better/#:%7E:text=Washington's%20second%20Oscar%20win%20%E2%80%94%20which,called%20at%20the%20Academy%20podium.">won best actor</a> for Training Day (2001), a crime film in which he displays virtually none of his acting chops. And as popular cinema becomes uglier (it’s mostly shot on digital video now, which almost never looks as good as film) and streamers (or logistics companies such as Amazon) take over film production, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to appreciate the point of the ceremony. From this year’s ten nominees for best picture, The Brutalist, Conclave and I’m Still Here are good – while (most of) the other nominees are only okay. <h2>Some well-made films, but nothing outstanding</h2> Writer-director Sean Baker’s Anora is nominated for best picture this year, after already <a href="https://aframe.oscars.org/news/post/2024-cannes-film-festival-winners-list-palme-dor">winning the Palme d’Or</a>. It’s a moderately sweet film in the tradition of Pretty Woman – having more nudity and sex, and a disappointing ending, doesn’t automatically make it edgier. It’s too long by at least half an hour, with some okay performances. It’s certainly not bad, but the idea that this is one of the “best pictures” of 2024 is alarming – or would be, if I wasn’t already so cynical. Most importantly, there’s nothing formally or aesthetically compelling about it, in which case I might have forgiven the silly (anti) Cinderella story. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vgrXTvL_l_c?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Another nominee, A Complete Unknown, is similarly well-made. Timothée Chalamet gives a predictably moody performance as Bob Dylan, and it’s fun to learn something about the relationships between Dylan and musical legends Joan Baez and Pete Seeger. But there’s also something fundamentally weird about watching a memoir about a person as iconic as Dylan. It veers too often into the terrain of impersonation, and this is even more off-putting given Dylan is still alive. Throw in Chalamet’s (certainly accomplished) singing of Dylan’s songs, and it feels like we’re watching someone do karaoke really well. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FdV-Cs5o8mc?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> The Substance tries to shock and titillate the viewer with its caricature of celebrity in an era of body modification and mega-media corporations. Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid try hard to be funny, but the whole thing plays like an undergraduate essay that makes the same point ad nauseam. Though the actors surely had fun, there’s nothing compelling about their guffawing. This is also the problem with messy hybrid musical-thriller Emilia Pérez, the other over-the-top genre film tipped by some to win the award. The film, following a cartel leader who disappears and transitions into a woman, is overly dependent on making a point about the world outside of itself. This point is so obvious that it rapidly becomes tedious, with insufficient attention given to the formal and narrative tensions and ambiguities that compel an audience to engage with a film on a serious, visceral level. Dune: Part Two sounds and looks good, but is more meandering than Part One in developing Herbert’s unwieldy epic. If you liked Part One, you’ll probably like Part Two, but it’s not exactly cutting-edge material. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Qlbr7gJgBus?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Nickel Boys is a low-key, sentimental rendition of Colson Whitehead’s novel about two African American boys sent to a reform school in Florida in the early 1960s, and their coming of age as they survive myriad abuses. It’s watchable, if not particularly memorable. Finally, Wicked is, well … Wicked. If you like the musical you may like the film (although the live aspect of musicals makes this one play better on the stage than on the screen, unlike The Wizard of Oz, which was made for the screen). In any case, it’s not ridiculously bad, even though it is too long. <h2>A few top contenders</h2> Walter Salles’ I’m Still Here – which traces the struggle of an activist in Brazil after the forced disappearance of her husband in 1970 – works well in its evocation of place and time, and should soften the heart of even the most cynical viewer. Based on Marcelo Rubens Paiva’s 2015 memoir, the entire film is washed over with a faint scent of nostalgia that complements the idea of failing to find, and then remembering, that which is missing. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gDunV808Yf4?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Conclave, adapted from Robert Harris’ novel, is another solidly made affair. It follows the political machinations of the Vatican as the Dean of Cardinals sets up a conclave to elect a new pope after the previous one dies of a heart attack. Ralph Fiennes is as effective and sombre as usual in the lead role as Cardinal Lawrence and various twists and turns keep us watching throughout. But one suspects the primary pleasure of the film is that it seems to offer an insider’s view of the Vatican, including all the fetishistic processes and rituals. Despite its serious tone, Conclave is a fun romp. And what a pleasure it is to watch Isabella Rossellini on the big screen once again. <h2>The strongest nominee</h2> The film that is most classically like a best picture nominee is The Brutalist – an epic, visually-magnificent study of the struggles of (fictional) architect László Toth, a Hungarian Jew who moves to America following the Holocaust. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GdRXPAHIEW4?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Testament to the technical accomplishments of the film, and its superb creation of a coherent world, The Brutalist runs close to four hours (thankfully with an intermission) without becoming tedious. It chugs along with the relentless momentum of a steam engine. Adrien Brody is charming as Toth, endowing the character with a roguish and playful quality, and the supporting cast are solid. Akin to one of Toth’s constructions (as we hear in the epilogue section), the film neither indicates nor tells us anything beyond itself. There may be conclusions to be drawn regarding the relationship between art, power and capitalism, but the film gives you the space to devise these yourself. The film is, in a sense, beautifully mute. Out of all the nominations, The Brutalist is the only one that feels like a genuine best picture contender (with something of the grandeur of classical Hollywood cinema about it). Although many critics <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/oscars-2025-who-will-win-should-win-1236146220/">are</a> <a href="https://variety.com/lists/2025-oscars-predictions/">predicting</a> Anora will win, The Brutalist is the strongest of the nominees. That said, my pick for the best film of 2024 goes to a production that didn’t get a best picture nomination (as usual). Magnus von Horn’s The Girl With the Needle is a stunning Danish expressionistic nightmare that seamlessly integrates formal experimentation with a thrilling and horrific true crime narrative. It is absolutely sensational – the kind of thing you never forget. Thankfully, it has been recognised through its nomination for best international feature film.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/250783/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NdjhUNH5v3Q?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ari-mattes-97857">Ari Mattes</a>, Lecturer in Communications and Media, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-notre-dame-australia-852">University of Notre Dame Australia</a> Image credits: Brookstreet Pictures This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/oscars-2025-who-will-likely-win-who-should-win-and-who-barely-deserves-to-be-there-250783">original article</a>. </div>

Movies

2025 Oscar nominations revealed

The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards have been announced after being postponed twice due to the devastating wildfires in LA. Aussie actor Guy Pearce has picked up a best supporting actor nomination for his role in The Brutalist. A few other Aussies who were nominated include Adam Elliot, an Oscar-winning animator, who is up for best animated feature for Memoir of a Snail, and Greig Fraser for his cinematography in Dune: Part Two. This year's early star is Spanish-language Netflix film Emilia Pérez, with 13 nominations, followed by The Brutalist and Wicked on 10 each. Emilia Pérez dominated the nominations picking up best picture, as well as best actress for Karla Sofía Gascón, the first openly trans actor ever nominated for an Oscar. The film also landed nominations for directing, original screenplay, two of its songs, and for supporting actress Zoe Saldaña. The Broadway adaptation of Wicked picked up 10 nominations including best picture and acting nods for Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. The Brutalist also scored 10 nominations including best picture, best director, and nominations for actor Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce, and Felicity Jones. The 97th Academy Awards will take place on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, which will be around 10am AEDT on March 3. <h3>Here is the full list of nominees</h3> Best Picture <ul> <li>Anora</li> <li>The Brutalist</li> <li>A Complete Unknown</li> <li>Conclave</li> <li>Dune: Part Two</li> <li>Emilia Pérez</li> <li>I'm Still Here</li> <li>Nickel Boys</li> <li>The Substance</li> <li>Wicked</li> </ul> Director <ul> <li>Anora — Sean Baker</li> <li>The Brutalist — Brady Corbet</li> <li>A Complete Unknown — James Mangold</li> <li>Emilia Pérez — Jacques Audiard</li> <li>The Substance — Coralie Fargeat</li> </ul> Leading Actor <ul> <li>Adrien Brody in The Brutalist</li> <li>Timothee Chalamet in A Complete Unknown</li> <li>Colman Domingo in Sing Sing</li> <li>Ralph Fiennes in Conclave</li> <li>Sebastian Stan in The Apprentice</li> </ul> Leading Actress <ul> <li>Cynthia Erivo in Wicked</li> <li>Karla Sofia Gascon in Emilia Perez</li> <li>Mikey Madison in Anora</li> <li>Demi Moore in The Substance</li> <li>Fernanda Torres in I'm Still Here </li> </ul> Supporting Actor <ul> <li>Yura Borisov in Anora</li> <li>Keiran Culkin in A Real Pain</li> <li>Edward Norton in A Complete Unknown</li> <li>Guy Pearce in The Brutalist</li> <li>Jeremy Strong in The Apprentice</li> </ul> Supporting Actress <ul> <li>Monica Barbaro in A Complete Unknown</li> <li>Ariana Grande in Wicked</li> <li>Felicity Jones in The Brutalist</li> <li>Isabella Rossellini in Conclave</li> <li>Zoe Saldana in Emilia Perez</li> </ul> Animated Feature Film <ul> <li>Flow</li> <li>Inside Out 2</li> <li>Memoir of a Snail</li> <li>Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl</li> <li>The Wild Robot</li> </ul> Cinematography <ul> <li>The Brutalist — Lol Crawley</li> <li>Dune: Part Two — Greig Fraser</li> <li>Emilia Perez — Paul Guilhaume</li> <li>Maria — Ed Lachman</li> <li>Nosferatu — Jarin Blaschke</li> </ul> Costume design <ul> <li>A Complete Unknown — Arianne Phillips</li> <li>Conclave — Lisy Christl</li> <li>Gladiator II — Janty Yates and Dave Crossman</li> <li>Nosferatu — Linda Muir</li> <li>Wicked — Paul Tazewell</li> </ul> Documentary feature film <ul> <li>Black Box Diaries</li> <li>No Other Land</li> <li>Porcelain War</li> <li>Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat</li> <li>Sugarcane</li> </ul> Documentary short film <ul> <li>Death by Numbers</li> <li>I Am Ready, Warden</li> <li>Incident</li> <li>Instruments of a Beating Heart</li> <li>The Only Girl in the Orchestra</li> </ul> Film editing <ul> <li>Anora — Sean Baker</li> <li>The Brutalist — David Jancso</li> <li>Conclave — Nick Emerson</li> <li>Emilia Pérez — Juliette Welfling</li> <li>Wicked — Myron Kerstein</li> </ul> International feature film <ul> <li>Brazil: I'm Still Here</li> <li>Denmark: The Girl with the Needle</li> <li>France: Emilia Pérez</li> <li>Germany: The Seed of the Sacred Fig</li> <li>Latvia: Flow</li> </ul> Makeup and hairstyling <ul> <li>A Different Man — Mike Marino, David Presto and Crystal Jurado</li> <li>Emilia Pérez — Julia Floch Carbonel, Emmanuel Janvier and Jean-Christophe Spadaccini</li> <li>Nosferatu — David White, Traci Loader and Suzanne Stokes-Munton</li> <li>The Substance — Pierre-Olivier Persin, Stéphanie Guillon and Marilyne Scarselli</li> <li>Wicked — Frances Hannon, Laura Blount and Sarah Nuth</li> </ul> Music (original score) <ul> <li>The Brutalist — Daniel Blumberg</li> <li>Conclave — Volker Bertelmann</li> <li>Emilia Pérez — Clément Ducol and Camille</li> <li>Wicked — John Powell and Stephen Schwartz</li> <li>The Wild Robot — Kris Bowers</li> </ul> Music (original song) <ul> <li>El Mal from Emilia Pérez; Music by Clément Ducol and Camille; Lyric by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard</li> <li>The Journey from The Six Triple Eight; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren</li> <li>Like A Bird from Sing Sing; Music and Lyric by Abraham Alexander and Adrian Quesada</li> <li>Mi Camino from Emilia Pérez; Music and Lyric by Camille and Clément Ducol</li> <li>Never Too Late from Elton John: Never Too Late; Music and Lyric by Elton John, Brandi Carlile, Andrew Watt and Bernie Taupin</li> </ul> Production design <ul> <li>The Brutalist — Production Design: Judy Becker; Set Decoration: Patricia Cuccia</li> <li>Conclave — Production Design: Suzie Davies; Set Decoration: Cynthia Sleiter</li> <li>Dune: Part Two — Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau</li> <li>Nosferatu — Production Design: Craig Lathrop; Set Decoration: Beatrice Brentnerová</li> <li>Wicked — Production Design: Nathan Crowley; Set Decoration: Lee Sandales</li> </ul> Short film (animated) <ul> <li>Beautiful Men</li> <li>In the Shadow of the Cypress</li> <li>Magic Candles</li> <li>Wander to Wonder</li> <li>Yuck!</li> </ul> Short film (live action) <ul> <li>A Lien</li> <li>Anuja</li> <li>I'm Not a Robot</li> <li>The Last Ranger</li> <li>The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent</li> </ul> Sound <ul> <li>A Complete Unknown — Tod A. Maitland, Donald Sylvester, Ted Caplan, Paul Massey and David Giammarco</li> <li>Dune: Part Two — Gareth John, Richard King, Ron Bartlett and Doug Hemphill</li> <li>Emilia Pérez — Erwan Kerzanet, Aymeric Devoldère, Maxence Dussère, Cyril Holtz and Niels Barletta</li> <li>Wicked — Simon Hayes, Nancy Nugent Title, Jack Dolman, Andy Nelson and John Marquis</li> <li>The Wild Robot — Randy Thom, Brian Chumney, Gary A. Rizzo and Leff Lefferts</li> </ul> Visual effects <ul> <li>Alien: Romulus — Eric Barba, Nelson Sepulveda-Fauser, Daniel Macarin and Shane Mahan</li> <li>Better Man — Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft and Peter Stubbs</li> <li>Dune: Part Two — Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe and Gerd Nefzer</li> <li>Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes — Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story and Rodney Burke</li> <li>Wicked — Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, David Shirk and Paul Corbould</li> </ul> Adapted screenplay <ul> <li>A Complete Unknown — Screenplay by James Mangold and Jay Cocks</li> <li>Conclave — Screenplay by Peter Straughan</li> <li>Emilia Pérez — Screenplay by Jacques Audiard; In collaboration with Thomas Bidegain, Léa Mysius and Nicolas Livecchi</li> <li>Nickel Boys — Screenplay by RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes</li> <li>Sing Sing — Screenplay by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar; Story by Clint Bentley, Greg Kwedar, Clarence Maclin, John "Divine G" Whitfield</li> </ul> Original screenplay <ul> <li>Anora — Written by Sean Baker</li> <li>The Brutalist — Written by Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold</li> <li>A Real Pain — Written by Jesse Eisenberg</li> <li>September 5 — Written by Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum; Co-Written by Alex David</li> <li>The Substance — Written by Coralie Fargeat</li> </ul> Image: Al Seib/AMPAS/ Shutterstock Editorial

Movies

Hero cop from Bondi Junction attack nominated for major award

The hero cop who brought an end to the Bondi Junction stabbing in April has been nominated for Australian of the Year. Inspector Amy Scott, who fatally shot Joel Cauchi during the April 13th attack, is up for the coveted award in New South Wales for her quick-thinking and courage during the terrifying ordeal. Scott is up for NSW Australian of the Year alongside the likes of former cricketer and charity boss Kath Koschel and youth advocate Daniel Principe. The nomination commends Scott for her "unparalleled bravery and dedication to service" during the horror attack, which killed six people and injured another 12. "Without hesitation or regard for her own safety, Inspector Scott responded with exceptional courage, not waiting for backup and choosing to face the threat head-on and alone, a decision that would define her heroism," the statement confirming her nomination read. <div> <div>"Her actions saved countless lives and showcased her unwavering leadership in the face of extreme danger. Inspector Scott's fearless and decisive actions are an inspiration to all Australians."</div> </div> <div> <div>The award recipients for the NSW Australian of the Year will be announced on November 13th.</div> </div> In October, Inspector Scott <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/health/caring/hero-cop-breaks-silence-on-westfield-bondi-junction-stabbing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">spoke</a> about the horrific attack during an NRL event to honour emergency services, telling 9News, "The incident was obviously extremely traumatic for so many people so when people are so kind and acknowledge us in the way they have it's really helped the healing process I would say." Image credits: Nine

News

Tributes flow for Oscar-winning writer of Chinatown and Mission Impossible

Robert Towne has passed away aged 89. Towne was nominated for four Oscars during his career. He won an Oscar for writing the 1974 crime and corruption thriller Chinatown starring Jack Nicholson as a private detective. He has been remembered as one of Hollywood's greatest screenwriters, with people from the film industry paying tribute to him online. Lee Grant, who won best supporting actress for her role in Shampoo, which Towne co-wrote, paid tribute to him on X. "His life, like the characters he created, was incisive, iconoclastic & entirely originally [sic]," she wrote. "He gave me the gift of Shampoo. He gave all of us the gift of his words & his films. There isn’t another like him. There won’t be again." The American Film Institute also paid tribute to him on X: "From writing masterpieces like Chinatown, Shampoo & countless others, his influence is everlasting." Towne was also regarded for his role as a script doctor - fixing or adding to existing scripts like Bonnie and Clyde and The Godfather. While he didn't get an official credit, The Godfather's writer-director Francis Ford Coppola used his Oscars best adapted screenplay acceptance speech to thank him for writing a pivotal "very beautiful" scene between Al Pacino and Marlon Brando's characters. "That was Bob Towne's scene," he said during the 1973 ceremony. Towne is survived by his second wife Luisa, and daughters Chiara and Katharine. Image: David Bloomer/Paramount Classics/Kobal/ Shutterstock Editorial

Caring

"No disrespect": Home and Away star's swipe at Robert Irwin's Logie nomination

Home and Away veteran Lynne McGranger has taken a savage swipe at Robert Irwin, who has earned his first Gold Logie nomination. The young wildlife warrior is among a group of Aussie TV old-hands in the running for the 2024 Gold Logie, with the 20-year-old being the youngest male ever nominated for the award. Also battling it out for the Gold is Larry Emdur, Andy Lee, Asher Keddie, Julia Morris, Sonia Kruger, and ABC's Tony Armstrong. The nomination comes hot on the heels of Irwin's TV debut as co-host of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me out of Here! alongside Julia Morris, as he took over from Dr Chris Brown for the 2024 season. After Robert's nomination was announced, despite how well the new season of I'm A Celeb was received, many wondered how someone with so little TV experience could find himself in the running for the award. One of those skeptics was Home and Away actress Lynne McGranger, who made a cheeky swipe towards Robert when commenting in support of her Channel Seven colleague Larry Emdur who is up for the award for the first time. "I'm sorry but ol'mate Irwin has been on telly for a bloody minute!! No disrespect intended. #Lazforgold 🫶🏾🥇😍" she wrote on Larry's Instagram post, with over 300 people liking the comment. The comment came after Larry shared a screenshot of a message he was sent, with someone congratulating him on the nomination but telling him they'd be voting for Irwin. Lynne's rogue comment was met with mainly support from people. "You said what everyone is thinking," one person said. "I agree 💯 #Lazforgold all the way! No disrespect intended for Irwin … Larry has my vote 🙌 he truly deserves to win 🥇," another commented. "You have my first vote ever today, only for you Larry, for the laughter that lights up my life!" another dedicated fan said. Lynne's comments weren't the first time someone called out Robert's nomination, after sister Bindi Irwin was quick to <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/family-pets/it-just-got-real-bindi-irwin-s-cheeky-swipe-at-brother" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tease</a> on Instagram. <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">Bindi took to social media to share a cheeky throwback post of her clutching her own Silver Logie in 2008, for Most Popular New Female Talent for her work in Bindi the Jungle Girl. <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">“Hey Australia, vote for my awesome brother so he can catch up to me 16 years later …” she captioned the post. <p style="font-size: 16px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; caret-color: #212529; color: #212529; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif, 'Apple Color Emoji', 'Segoe UI Emoji', 'Segoe UI Symbol', 'Noto Color Emoji';">"At least mine's gold," Robert teased, to which Bindi replied "You haven't won it yet..." alongside a laughing emoji. Image credits: Instagram

Logies 2024 Award nominations revealed

The nominations for the 2024 Logie Awards has just dropped and here are all the stars and shows going for gold this year. Andy Lee, known as the host of The Hundred with Andy Lee is returning to the Logies with his first nomination since 2015, and is hoping to get his very first Gold Logie win for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television. "It's a super exciting time for me and for our show The Hundred which just keeps getting bigger and bigger," he told 9Entertainment. "I think there must've been an administration error and they've confused my name with Hamish [Blake's]," he joked. He is up against, Julia Morris, Robert Irwin and Sonia Kruger among other stars vying for this year's Gold Logie. 60 Minutes and A Current Affair were both nominated in the Best Current Affairs Program category, while Travel Guides and Better Homes and Gardens picked up a nomination in the lifestyle program category. This year's Logies will be hosted by comedian Sam Pang and will be broadcast on Channel Seven on Sunday, August 18. Here is the full list of nominations: <h4>Most popular awards </h4> Gold Logie Award for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television <ul> <li>Andy Lee</li> <li>Asher Keddie</li> <li>Julia Morris</li> <li>Larry Emdur</li> <li>Robert Irwin</li> <li>Sonia Kruger</li> <li>Tony Armstrong </li> </ul> Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter <ul> <li>Hamish Blake, Lego Masters Australia, 9Network</li> <li>Julia Morris, I'm A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!, Network 10</li> <li>Larry Emdur, The Chase Australia and The Morning Show, Seven Network</li> <li>Robert Irwin, I'm A Celebrity … Get Me Out Of Here!, Network 10</li> <li>Sonia Kruger, Dancing With The Stars, The Voice Australia and Big Brother, Seven Network</li> <li>Tony Armstrong, ABC News Breakfast, ABC</li> </ul> Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent <ul> <li>Alyla Browne, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Prime Video</li> <li>Ava Caryofyllis, Bay of Fires, ABC</li> <li>Felix Cameron, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> <li>Imi Mbedla, Bay of Fires, ABC</li> <li>Lee Tiger Halley, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> <li>Tristan Gorey, Home and Away, Seven Network</li> </ul> <h4>Best awards </h4> TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Best Lead Actor in a Drama <ul> <li>Felix Cameron, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> <li>Hugo Weaving, Love Me, BINGE</li> <li>Rob Collins, Total Control, ABC</li> <li>Rob Collins, RFDS, Seven Network</li> <li>Sam Reid, The Newsreader, ABC</li> <li>Simon Baker, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> </ul> TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Best Lead Actress in a Drama <ul> <li>Aisha Dee, Safe Home, SBS</li> <li>Anna Torv, The Newsreader, ABC</li> <li>Deborah Mailman, Total Control, ABC</li> <li>Phoebe Tonkin, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> <li>Rachel Griffiths, Total Control, ABC</li> <li>Sigourney Weaver, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Prime Video</li> </ul> <ul class="ContentAlignment_marginBottom__4H_6E ContentAlignment_overflowVisible__N2zKU List_unordered__yNZx8" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; overflow: visible; color: #000000; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" role="list" data-component="List"> <li class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-left: 1.5rem; margin-bottom: 0.5rem;" data-component="ListItem"> </li> </ul> <p class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #000000; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy <ul> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Ben Feldman, Population 11, Stan</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Bob Morley, In Limbo, ABC</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lincoln Younes, C*A*U*G*H*T, Stan</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Matt Okine, Mother and Son, ABC</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Rob Sitch, Utopia, ABC</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Ryan Corr, In Limbo, ABC</li> </ul> TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Best Lead Actress in a Comedy <ul> <li>Celia Pacquola, Utopia, ABC</li> <li>Danielle Walker, Gold Diggers, ABC</li> <li>Denise Scott, Mother and Son, ABC</li> <li>Kate Box, Deadloch, Prime Video</li> <li>Kitty Flanagan, Utopia, ABC</li> <li>Madeleine Sami, Deadloch, Prime Video</li> </ul> <ul class="ContentAlignment_marginBottom__4H_6E ContentAlignment_overflowVisible__N2zKU List_unordered__yNZx8" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; overflow: visible; color: #000000; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" role="list" data-component="List"> <li class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-left: 1.5rem; margin-bottom: 0.5rem;" data-component="ListItem"> </li> </ul> <p class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #000000; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Best Supporting Actor <ul> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Bryan Brown, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Guy Pearce, The Clearing, Disney+</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Jay Ryan, Scrublands, Stan</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Lee Tiger Halley, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Stephen Curry, Bay of Fires, ABC</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Travis Fimmel, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> </ul> <ul class="ContentAlignment_marginBottom__4H_6E ContentAlignment_overflowVisible__N2zKU List_unordered__yNZx8" style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style: none; padding: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 1.5rem; overflow: visible; color: #000000; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;" role="list" data-component="List"> <li class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; position: relative; padding-left: 1.5rem; margin-bottom: 0.5rem;" data-component="ListItem"> </li> </ul> <p class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 1rem; color: #000000; font-family: abcsans, -apple-system, 'system-ui', 'Segoe UI', Roboto, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: normal; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial;">TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Best Supporting Actress <ul> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Ariel Donoghue, Wolf Like Me, Stan</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Kerry Fox, Bay of Fires, ABC</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Leah Purcell, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Prime Video</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Mabel Li, Safe Home, SBS</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Michelle Lim Davidson, The Newsreader, ABC</li> <li class="paragraph_paragraph___QITb" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Sophie Wilde, Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> </ul> TV WEEK SILVER LOGIE for Best News or Public Affairs Presenter <ul> <li>Ally Langdon, A Current Affair, 9Network</li> <li>David Speers, Insiders, ABC</li> <li>Liz Hayes, Under Investigation with Liz Hayes, 9Network</li> <li>Michael Usher, 7NEWS and 7NEWS Spotlight, Seven Network</li> <li>Peter Overton, 9News, 9Network</li> <li>Sarah Ferguson, 7.30, ABC</li> </ul> Best Drama Program <ul> <li>Love Me, BINGE</li> <li>NCIS: Sydney, Paramount+</li> <li>RFDS, Seven Network</li> <li>The Newsreader, ABC</li> <li>The Tourist, Stan</li> <li>Total Control, ABC</li> </ul> Best Miniseries or Telemovie <ul> <li>Boy Swallows Universe, Netflix</li> <li>Erotic Stories , SBS</li> <li>Safe Home, SBS</li> <li>The Claremont Murders, Seven Network</li> <li>The Clearing, Disney+</li> <li>The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Prime Video</li> </ul> Best Entertainment Program <ul> <li>ABC New Year's Eve, ABC</li> <li>Australian Idol, Seven Network</li> <li>Dancing With The Stars, Seven Network</li> <li>Take 5 With Zan Rowe, ABC</li> <li>The Voice Australia, Seven Network</li> <li>Vision Australia's Carols by Candlelight, 9Network</li> </ul> Best Current Affairs Program <ul> <li>7.30, ABC</li> <li>60 Minutes, 9Network</li> <li>A Current Affair, 9Network</li> <li>Australian Story, ABC</li> <li>Foreign Correspondent, ABC</li> <li>Four Corners, ABC</li> </ul> Best Scripted Comedy Program <ul> <li>Deadloch, Prime Video</li> <li>In Limbo, ABC</li> <li>Mother and Son, ABC</li> <li>Population 11, Stan</li> <li>Strife, BINGE</li> <li>Utopia, ABC</li> </ul> Best Comedy Entertainment Program <ul> <li>Gruen, ABC</li> <li>Hard Quiz, ABC</li> <li>Have You Been Paying Attention?, Network 10</li> <li>Thank God You're Here, Network 10</li> <li>The Weekly With Charlie Pickering, ABC</li> <li>The Yearly With Charlie Pickering, ABC</li> </ul> Best Competition Reality Program <ul> <li>Alone Australia, SBS</li> <li>Australian Survivor: Titans V Rebels, Network 10</li> <li>I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Network 10</li> <li>Lego Masters Australia, 9Network</li> <li>MasterChef Australia, Network 10</li> <li>The Block, 9Network</li> </ul> Best Structured Reality Program <ul> <li>Farmer Wants A Wife, Seven Network</li> <li>Gogglebox Australia, FOXTEL and Network 10</li> <li>Married at First Sight, 9Network</li> <li>Muster Dogs, ABC</li> <li>Old People's Home For Teenagers, ABC</li> <li>SAS Australia, Seven Network</li> </ul> Best Lifestyle Program <ul> <li>Better Homes and Gardens, Seven Network</li> <li>Gardening Australia, ABC</li> <li>Love It Or List It Australia, FOXTEL</li> <li>Restoration Australia, ABC</li> <li>Selling Houses Australia, FOXTEL</li> <li>Travel Guides, 9Network</li> </ul> Best News Coverage or Public Affairs Report <ul> <li>A Silver Lining: Silverchair, Australian Story, ABC</li> <li>Ben Roberts-Smith: The Truth, 60 Minutes, 9Network</li> <li>Bishop of Broome, 7NEWS, Seven Network</li> <li>Israel-Hamas War, 7NEWS, Seven Network</li> <li>Old School — Louise Milligan, Four Corners, ABC</li> <li>The Forever War — John Lyons, Four Corners, ABC</li> </ul> Best Factual or Documentary Program <ul> <li>Hot Potato: The Story of The Wiggles, Prime Video</li> <li>John Farnham: Finding The Voice, Seven Network</li> <li>Matildas: The World at Our Feet, Disney+</li> <li>Nemesis, ABC</li> <li>Revealed: Ben Roberts-Smith Truth on Trial, Stan</li> <li>War On Waste, ABC</li> </ul> Best Sports Coverage <ul> <li>2023 AFL Finals Series, Seven Network</li> <li>2023 NRL Grand Final, 9Network</li> <li>2023 State of Origin, 9Network</li> <li>Australian Open, 9Network</li> <li>FIFA Women's World Cup 2023™, Seven Network</li> <li>Fox League Las Vegas Week, FOXTEL and Kayo Sports</li> </ul> Best Children's Program <ul> <li>Beep and Mort, ABC</li> <li>Bluey, ABC</li> <li>Eddie's Lil' Homies, NITV and Netflix</li> <li>Gardening Australia Junior, ABC</li> <li>Ginger and the Vegesaurs, ABC</li> <li>Play School, ABC</li> </ul> Images: Nine/ Seven

Beloved Oscar winner dies "exactly as he would have scripted it"

Award-winning Hollywood screenwriter David Seidler has died aged 86. The playwright, best known for 2010's The Kings Speech, passed away while on a fly-fishing expedition in New Zealand. "David was in the place he loved most in the world — New Zealand — doing what gave him the greatest peace which was fly-fishing," his manager said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "If given the chance, it is exactly as he would have scripted it." Seidler's cause of death has not been revealed. The British-American playwright, first moved to Hollywood - where he started his career - at the age of 40, with his first job writing Tucker: The Man and His Dreams for Francis Ford Coppola. He also worked on the King and I and Madeline: Lost in Paris. Seidler is best known for The King's Speech, starring Colin Firth and Helena Bonham Carter. The film won him an Oscar and BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay. He previously told The Los Angeles Times that his interest in the story of George VI came from growing up with a stutter, just like the one Colin Firth's character had in the film. "It began, obviously, by the fact that I was a stutterer as a kid — truly a profound stutterer," he told the publication. "I grew up always having a great soft spot in my heart [for him], because I knew he was a stutterer, who had, if not been totally cured, at least improved to the point where he could give these very eloquent, moving, stirring wartime speeches." Seidler is survived by his two adult children. Image: Getty

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The best of the 2024 Oscars

Hollywood’s night of nights is back in full force this year and it's more glamorous and chaotic than ever. Jimmy Kimmel, who returned as a host at the annual Academy Awards for the fourth time, kicked off the festivities by addressing the <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/movies/margot-robbie-snubbed-as-oscar-nominations-announced" target="_blank" rel="noopener">controversial snubs </a>of Margot Robbie for best actress and Greta Gerwig for best director. “Barbie, what a film. What an achievement. To take a plastic doll nobody even liked any more, now Barbie is an icon thanks to Greta Gerwig, who many people believe should be nominated for Best Director,” he began. “I know you are clapping, but you’re the ones who didn’t vote for her, by the way. Don’t act like you had nothing to do with this," he added. While he did compliment Robbie “putting this giant hit together”, his joke about her and co-star Ryan Gosling's appearance fell flat. Despite the awkward joke, Gosling pulled off one of the most memorable moments in Oscars history, as he belted-out an energetic and fabulously pink performance of I’m Just Ken, a Barbie original song, with other Kens including co-star Simu Liu. Gosling began his dazzling performance by serenading co-star Margot Robbie in the audience, who could not hold in her laughter. British-American musician Slash also made a surprise cameo on the electric guitar and everyone in the room could feel the Kenergy. In another unforgettable moment, John Cena caused the audience to erupt with laughter when he slowly emerged from side stage without clothes on, as Kimmel referenced the 1974 Oscars moment when a streaker infamously ran across the stage. “I changed my mind, I don’t want to do the streaker bit anymore,” Cena told Kimmel. “I just don’t feel right about it. This is an elegant event.” Cena then presented the Best Costume Design award while concealing his private parts with a piece of paper. “Costumes... They are so important,” he said, as the audience exploded in laughter. Poor Things won the Best Costume Design award and snagged three other awards including Best Production Design, Best Hair and Makeup, and Emma Stone winning Best Actress. In a more wholesome moment, Messi, a seven-year-old border collie, who starred in Anatomy of A Fall was being a very good boy and could be seen sitting amongst A-list and "clapping" his paws for all the winners. Oppenheimer snagged seven awards, including the Best Picture award, the Best Director award and Cillian Murphy winning his first ever Oscar for Best Actor. “We made a film about the man who created the atomic bomb. For better or worse we’re all living in Oppenheimer’s world, so I would really like to dedicate this to the peace makers everywhere,” Murphy said when he accepted his award. The film landed its first ever honour of the night when Robert Downey Jr also won his first ever Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. The full list of winners can be found <a href="https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2024" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>. Of course, the Oscars aren't just about who takes home what award, but who looked like tens during the red carpet. Check out some of our favourite looks and highlights below: Images: Getty/ news.com.au

Paul Hogan calls Margot Robbie's Oscars snub a "dull tradition"

Paul Hogan has called out The Academy for their "dull tradition” after Margot Robbie and Greta Gerwig were snubbed for an Oscar nomination in February. Despite being the only film directed by a woman to earn more than $1 billion at the box office, Robbie and Gerwig were both <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/movies/margot-robbie-snubbed-as-oscar-nominations-announced" target="_blank" rel="noopener">snubbed </a>in their respective categories of leading actress and best director during the 96th Academy Awards, which sparked outrage online. Speaking to Sunrise on Friday, the Crocodile Dundee actor revealed his thoughts on why he thinks both the Aussie actor and Barbie director missed out on a nomination. “To see them not nominated, that’s a sort of like ... a dull tradition of ‘if it’s not about pain and suffering, it can’t be very good’. It’s not fair,” Hogan said. He then praised Robbie, saying: “She’s great — not only is she beautiful and smart, she’s a nice kid, too.” During the interview on Sunrise, Hogan also reflected on the time he hosted the Oscars in 1987, and said that it was good fun. “It was fabulous because I was probably the first person ever allowed on live television to do the Oscars without presenting a script or having anything written on the auto-cue,” he said. “They were very nervous but Samuel Goldwyn, who was the producer, said, ‘I’ve seen him on television. He’s Hoges … let’s just let him go and it’ll be fun for all of us’.” The actor added that while he rarely felt "intimidated", there were a few times in his career where he was starstruck — most notably when he met the Queen, Princess Diana, and Hollywood legend Elizabeth Taylor. Hogan's first public appearance was in 1971 at Nine's amateur talent programme New Faces. He rose to international fame after his role as Mick "Crocodile" Dundee in the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee, which won him the 1987 Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and a few other nominations at the BAFTAs. Images: Seven/ Getty

Movies

Oscar-nominated actor shares his terrifying diagnosis

Mark Ruffalo has opened up about the moment he found out he had a brain tumour almost two decades ago, and how he broke the news to his then heavily pregnant wife, Sunrise. Speaking with Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett on the Smartless podcast on Monday, the actor revealed that he got his diagnosis after a "crazy dream". “It’s the craziest thing. I was actually shooting The Last Castle with [James] Gandolfini and Robert Redford and I had about a week left on that," he said. The Oscar nominee said that just before he got the diagnosis, he was supposed to be on set at 4am. “I woke up probably around three and I just had this crazy dream, you know, it wasn’t like any other dream I ever had. It was just like, ‘You have a brain tumour.’ It wasn’t even a voice. It was just pure knowledge: ‘You have a brain tumour, and you have to deal with it immediately’,” he continued. Despite having no symptoms other than an ear infection, the actor trusted his gut and went to the doctors anyways. “Listen, this is going to sound crazy, but I had this dream last night that I have a brain tumour," he recalled telling the doctor. She said: "'That is crazy, but there’s no reason you should have to worry about it. I’ll order you a CAT scan, and we’ll go right after work today, and we’ll show how crazy you are.’” Ruffalo then went to the neurologist’s office to read the scan and was shocked to find that his dream was right. “The nurse calls the doctor out, and I could hear them talking in the other room, and she just comes in, and she’s a zombie, and she says, ‘You have a mass behind your left ear the size of a golf ball, and we don’t know what it is. We can’t tell until it’s biopsied,’” he recalled. The Marvel star added that he waited to tell his then nine-months pregnant wife the news simply because she was so excited to welcome their bub. “She had the birth plan, she did the yoga, she had the doula, we had a hot tub ordered. This is like her wedding, you know, man? This is like her christening, her quinceañera, and I was just like, ‘I can’t.’" And when finally did break the news, his wife initially thought he was joking, "and then she just burst into tears and said, ‘I always knew you were going to die young!’” Fortunately for Ruffalo, the brain tumour turned out to be benign, but the surgery did leave him “totally” deaf in one ear. Image: Getty

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Margot Robbie snubbed as Oscar nominations announced

The nominations for the 96th academy awards has been announced, and despite Barbie being nominated for eight awards, there were a few notable snubs that fans aren't happy about. The film’s star, Margot Robbie, was not nominated for best actress, despite co-star Ryan Gosling receiving a nomination for best supporting actor for his role as Ken. The film's director Greta Gerwig, was also snubbed as she was not nominated for best director. Fans took to social media to express their thoughts, with many of them unhappy with the academy's choice. "So Ryan Gosling’s nominated for playing ken but Margot Robbie isn’t nominated for playing barbie… in barbie," one person wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> So Ryan Gosling’s nominated for playing ken but Margot Robbie isn’t nominated for playing barbie… in barbie <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oscars?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oscars</a> <a href="https://t.co/uceB20BB8H">pic.twitter.com/uceB20BB8H</a> — poppy ☾ (@scddevereaux) <a href="https://twitter.com/scddevereaux/status/1749792570840907879?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2024</a></blockquote> "No nomination for Margot Robbie or Greta Gerwig for the #Oscars but Ryan Gosling gets one. Literally the whole point of the Barbie film," another wrote. "Greta Gerwig made a film that was critically acclaimed, culturally impactful, hilarious, unique, visually exceptional, perfectly cast and acted, left people laughing, crying and thinking AND made a billion dollars at the box office. But no Best Director nom?!" another tweeted. One particular tweet went viral, with over 109 thousand likes. "Ken getting nominated and not Barbie is honestly so fitting for a film about a man discovering the power of patriarchy in the Real World," the tweet read. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Ken getting nominated and not Barbie is honestly so fitting for a film about a man discovering the power of patriarchy in the Real World. — Michael. (@yosoymichael) <a href="https://twitter.com/yosoymichael/status/1749794592076034203?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2024</a></blockquote> In a more positive light, America Ferrara, who played Gloria in Barbie, was nominated for best supporting actress with many saying that her character's passionate speech on feminism had sealed the deal. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, and two nods for best song including Gosling's popular solo I'm Just Ken, and Billie Eilish's What Was I Made For. Image: Getty

Movies

"His worst moment as a person": Sean Penn unleashes on Will Smith's Oscar's slap

Sean Penn has become visibly angry as he recalled the infamous moment at the 2022 Oscars ceremony when Will Smith stormed the stage to slap Chris Rock. Penn recalled the award ceremony moment as he reflected on the Academy's decision to not let Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, speak at the ceremony. The actor has been a strong advocate for the people of Ukraine in their ongoing war against Russia, and even traveling to the war-torn region to help in their fight. Speaking to <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/features/sean-penn-slams-will-smith-slap-ai-oscars-1235720417/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Variety</a>, Penn shared how frustrated he was that Zelenskyy was silenced, while Smith's actions were the real problem. “The Oscars producer thought, ‘Oh, he’s [Zelenskyy] not lighthearted enough.’ Well, guess what you got instead? Will Smith.” Variety noted that the actor was visibly infuriated speaking on the subject, even turning red during the interview. “I don’t know Will Smith. I met him once,” Penn said. “He seemed very nice when I met him. He was so f***ing good in King Richard.” “So why the f**k did you just spit on yourself and everybody else with this stupid f***ing thing? Why did I go to f***ing jail for what you just did? And you’re still sitting there? Why are you guys standing and applauding his worst moment as a person?” the 63-year-old said, referencing his 1987 arrest and jail stint for punching a film extra in the face. “This f***ing bulls**t wouldn’t have happened with Zelenskyy,” Penn added. “Will Smith would never have left that chair to be part of stupid violence. It never would have happened.” Penn was so shocked and infuriated by the moment that he chose to destroy his two Oscars. "I thought, ‘Well, f**k, you know? I’ll give them to Ukraine. They can be melted down to bullets they can shoot at the Russians,’” he said. When visiting Zelenskyy in Ukraine last fall, Penn showed his support by giving the leader one of his Oscars. At the 2022 Oscar's ceremony, Will Smith stormed the stage and slapped comedian Chris Rock after he made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett-Smith. After returning to his seat, Smith shouted out, “Keep my wife’s name out your f***ing mouth!” Image credits: Getty Images

Movies

Are the Oscars going to take animated films more seriously?

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/robert-boucaut-1215760">Robert Boucaut</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a> “Animation is cinema. Animation is not a genre. And, animation is ready to be taken to the next step – we are all ready for it, please help us, keep animation in the conversation.” This was Guillermo del Toro’s testament accepting the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film in 2023 for <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1488589/">Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio</a>, released by Netflix. As one of the most acclaimed modern auteurs – and one who has <a href="https://www.avclub.com/guillermo-del-toro-is-going-all-in-on-animation-1850539253">announced his intention to stick with animation</a> as his preferred medium – his acceptance speech reads like a plea directly to the academy. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/shW9i6k8cB0?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Animated films at the Oscars</h2> The Oscars have had a storied history of engaging with animated cinema. Since 2002, they have awarded a Best Animated Feature award, first won by Shrek. This was a time of technological innovations for 3D animation (think Toy Story or A Bug’s Life), and of standout A-list voice performances (Robin Williams in Aladdin, or Shrek’s star-studded cast). By including animated films as a standalone category, the Oscars ended up segregating them: animation was treated as its own thing. Beauty and the Beast broke ground as the first-ever animated nominee for the Best Picture Oscar in 1992, but only two films have achieved such a feat since. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iurbZwxKFUE?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Up (2009) and Toy Story 3 (2010) were Best Picture Oscar nominees (and Best Animated Feature winners) of their respective years. However, such recognition only came after the academy expanded its Best Picture category from five nominees to up to 10. This was a concerted effort to include more popular films in the Oscars due to waning audience interest, after Best Picture snubs of The Dark Knight and WALL-E. If animated films have had difficulty breaking into the Oscars’ vision of a Best Picture, then voice talent has been outright bypassed for consideration in acting categories. Since Shrek, stars have increasingly taken on voice work for animated projects in ways that elevates them from a side-hustle to key parts of their CVs. For instance, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L1iX5JiuwI">Chris Pratt</a> and <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/anya-taylor-joy-princess-peach-super-mario-premiere">Anya Taylor-Joy</a>’s promotional duties for The Super Mario Bros. Movie represent significant time and stardom investments for the sake of animated intellectual property. Yet without the physical body to observe, the Oscars have ignored voice work in animated films. The most meaningful push to have a voice performance nominated was for Scarlett Johansson’s in Her where she played a computer operating system. Johansson’s performance was nuanced, played with chemistry against her co-stars, and, ironically, Her was not an animated film. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dJTU48_yghs?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>Are things changing?</h2> The <a href="https://theconversation.com/winning-everything-everywhere-all-at-once-5-experts-on-the-big-moments-at-the-oscars-2023-201661">Oscars this year</a> shifted their brand of “prestige” to value the “cinematic experience” (and box office money) in the age of streaming. The sweep of Everything Everywhere All at Once and Best Picture nominations for Top Gun: Maverick and Avatar: The Way of Water in 2023 signal the academy conspicuously praising populist fare for bringing audiences into the physical cinema. This then hopefully attracts <a href="https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/2023-oscar-ratings-academy-awards-audience-1235550070/">more audience eyeballs to an Oscars telecast</a> where they are likely to have actually seen some of the nominees. Popular film’s infiltration of the Oscars even seeped into the acting categories. Everything Everywhere All At Once’s indie cred made nominations (and three eventual wins) for its stars logical and welcome, but even Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s Angela Bassett scored a Best Supporting Actress nomination, the first acting recognition for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Its online fandom was instrumental here, having opined the academy’s biases against their beloved franchise. Now, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse has arrived ahead of the 2024 Oscars race. The animated film boasts a star-studded cast, including past Oscar nominees and winners like Daniel Kaluuya and Hailee Steinfeld in key supporting roles. Shameik Moore’s lead vocal performance as Miles Morales is also exceptional. Still figuring out what it means to balance being Spider-Man with a complicated home and social life, he sounds remarkably recognisable as a modern teenager. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cqGjhVJWtEg?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> Credit for this extends to a snappy script and intricate editing that bounces through its complex multiverse setting and superhero super-stakes to focus on moving character development. Thematically, it reflects on the artistic value of the superhero genre, unpacking the Spider-Man lore across its many iterations. And, of course, the visual artistry on display is mind-blowing, truly pushing cinematic excess in ways that only animation (currently) can. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse is the kind of popular cinema that the academy is currently primed to take more seriously. It’s on track to become one of the year’s box office successes, serves a dedicated fandom, showcases a stacked cast and dynamically plays with genre and narrative conventions. As part two of a trilogy, it is unlikely to take out the Best Picture race altogether (Beyond the Spider-Verse, coming in 2024, is the more likely candidate if it sticks the landing). But it is still well-positioned to break through the confines of the Best Animated Feature category.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/207716/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/robert-boucaut-1215760">Robert Boucaut</a>, PhD Candidate & Tutor, Media Department, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-adelaide-1119">University of Adelaide</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/are-the-oscars-going-to-take-animated-films-more-seriously-207716">original article</a>. Images: Sony Pictures Animation

Movies

Richard Wilkins' big night out with Russell Crowe after his Oscars win

While Richard Wilkins has been hosting Nine's coverage of the Oscars red carpet for two decades, one year sticks in his memory as being particularly unforgettable. In 2001, Wilkins' second year hosting, he rubbed shoulders with the Hollywood elite on the red carpet before they went inside for the all important ceremony. He spoke with actor Russell Crowe, who later won the Best Actor award for his performance in Gladiator. Following the win, Wilkins and Crowe joined forces for the celebrations. "I was fortunate enough to be hanging out with him and his posse that night, roaring around town," the journalist remembers with a cheeky grin on his face. "When you win an Oscar, on Oscar night, the city is yours," says Dickie, before revealing they were driven around Los Angeles in two huge black SUVs to endless parties. "Popping into Elton John's party and going here and there and everywhere." Despite the fun and chaos of the afterparty, Wilkins explained that a lot of work goes into the coveted hosting gig. "I would spend weeks beforehand ringing all the publicists and telling them where we were gonna be," he said. Wilkins also shared that there a lot of people working behind the scenes on the big night, with producers feeding him information in an ear-piece before he conducts his interviews. "Having producers in my ear and saying Nicole's just arrived, she's wearing a blue dress. She's coming down there and then doing radio interviews and things," he says. "For me and my producer... you know you've earned your pay at the end of Oscars Day that's for sure." Image credits: Nine

2023 Logie hot favourites revealed

The nominees for the 2023 TV Week Logie Awards have been announced, just weeks out from the night-of-nights for Aussie television and its stars. It’s the 63rd event of its kind, set to take place at Sydney’s The Star on July 30 for the first time in 27 years, with comedian and presenter Sam Pang at the helm, marking the first time in over a decade that a host has flown solo. “It’s a huge honour to be asked to host the Logies and while it will be weird not having a buzzer or beer in front of me, hopefully I’m up to the challenge,” Pang told Media Week of his upcoming role. “I feel very lucky to be a part of this industry and can’t wait for July 30 in Sydney to celebrate Australian television on its night of nights and guide viewers at home through the entire four hour broadcast.” Pang will be joined by some of the biggest stars in Australian television as audiences all across the nation look to see who’ll be taking home the coveted statues, and who’ll secure their place in the history books with this year’s Golden Logie. Nominated for the latter, the Gold Logie for Most Popular Personality on Australian Television, are Julia Morris, Osher Günsberg, Leigh Sales, Mark Coles Smith, Shaun Micallef, Sonia Kruger, and last year’s Golden Logie winner, Hamish Blake. A number of those same personalities are up for the Bert Newton Award for Most Popular Presenter, too, with Julia Morris, Hamish Blake, Shaun Micallef, Sonia Kruger, Tony Armstrong, and Scott Cam vying for the title. Meanwhile, the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actor is in the sights of James Stewart, Ray Meagher, Sam Neill, Patrick Brammall, Lincoln Younes, and Mark Coles Smith. And striving for the Silver Logie for Most Popular Actress are Ada Nicodemou, Emily Symons, Lynne McGranger, Celeste Barber, Kitty Flanagan, and Julia Zemiro. Amy Shark, Kween Kong, Ayesha Madon, Chloe Hayden, Lilliana Bowrey, and Flex Mami are up for the Graham Kennedy Award for Most Popular New Talent. And when it comes to the award for Most Popular Drama Series, Miniseries or Telemovie, the likes of Home and Away, Mystery Road: Origin, Savage River, Underbelly: Vanishing Act, The Twelve, and Heartbreak High are in with a shot. For Most Popular Entertainment Program, it’s Australia’s Got Talent, Gruen, Hard Quiz, The Voice, LegoMasters Australia, and Gogglebox Australia. For Most Popular Current Affairs Program, 60 Minutes, 7.30, A Current Affair, Australian Story, Four Corners, and Foreign Correspondent. Fisk, Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell, The Front Bar, Wellmania, Have You Been Paying Attention?, and The Hundred with Andy Lee are up for Most Popular Comedy Program. Hunted Australia, Married at First Sight, The Block, Farmer Wants A Wife, MasterChef Australia: Fans & Favourites, and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! are the nominees for Most Popular Reality Program. And for Most Popular Lifestyle Program, the hopefuls are Back Roads, A Dog’s World With Tony Armstrong, Better Homes and Gardens, Selling Houses Australia, Gardening Australia, and Travel Guides. The ‘Most Outstanding’ awards are voted from within the industry itself, and feature their own lists of nominees. The Silver Logie for Most Outstanding Actor is within reach for Mark Coles Smith, Patrick Brammall, Sam Neill, Tim Draxl, Tim Minchin, and Richard Roxburgh. Meanwhile, Claudia Jessie, Harriet Dyer, Claudia Karvan, Milly Alcock, Marta Dusseldorp, and Kate Mulvany are up for Most Outstanding Actress. For Most Outstanding Support Actor, Alexander England, Clarence Ryan, Arka Das, Luke Arnold, Hamish Michael, Thomas Weatherall, and Luke Arnold are nominated. For Most Outstanding Supporting Actress, Brooke Satchwell, Hayler McElhinney, Pallavi Sharda, Miranda Otto, Yerin Ha, and Virginia Gay have received nominations. For Most Outstanding Drama Series, Miniseries or Telemovie, Black Snow, Mystery Road: Origin, In Our Blood, Five Bedrooms, Significant Others, and The Twelve. For Most Outstanding Entertainment Program, Hard Quiz, Gruen Nation, RuPaul’s Drag Race Down Under, Lego Masters Australia, The Masked Singer Australia, and The Cheap Seats. For Most Outstanding Comedy Program, Colin from Accounts, Have You Been Paying Attention?, Fisk, Summer Love, Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell, and Taskmaster. For Most Outstanding Reality Program, Australian Survivor: Heroes v Villains, I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!, Married at First Sight, Hunted Australia, Masterchef Australia: Fans & Favourites, and The Block. Up for Most Outstanding News Coverage or Public Affairs Report are 7NEWS, Foreign Correspondent, Four Corners, and A Current Affair. For Most Outstanding Sports Coverage, broadcasts of the 2022 AFL Grand Final, the 2022 MelbourneCup Carnival, the 2022 FIFA World Cup, the 2023 Australian Open, State of Origin, and the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games. For Most Outstanding Children’s Program, Crazy Fun Park, Barrumbi Kids, Surviving Summer, Turn Up The Volume, Ultimate Classroom, and Bluey. And last but not least, for Most Outstanding Factual or Documentary Program, Australia’s Wild Odyssey, Old People’s Home For Teenages, Alone Australia, Revealed: Trafficked, The Australian Wars, and Todd Sampson’s Mirror Mirror: Love & Hate have received nominations. Images: @Channel7 / Twitter

Oscar-winning politician Glenda Jackson passes away at 87

Two-time Academy Award-winning performer-turned-politician Glenda Jackson has passed away at 87 years old. The news was confirmed by Jackson’s agent, Lionel Larner, who announced that she had died at home in London after a short illness. Larner also noted that Jackson had “recently completed filming The Great Escaper in which she co-starred with Michael Caine.” And 90-year-old Caine had only kind words to say of his co-star, sharing that she was “one of our greatest movie actresses. I shall miss her.” Jackson was born into a working-class family in northwest England, and laid the groundwork for her career in the arts when she won a spot at London’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Her work as an actress was successful, with Jackson taking home her first Academy Award for Best Actress in 1971 and her second in 1974 - for Women in Love and A Touch of Class respectively. Jackson also held two Emmy Award wins, both for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in the series Elizabeth R. She wasn’t to be stopped there, either, with the star also taking home a Tony Award in 2018 for her performance in Three Tall Women. But after more than three decades in the arts, Jackson chose a different path for herself, branching into the world of politics, fuelled by her frustration for the working classes at the hands of then-British Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher between 1979 and 1990. And at 55 years old, in 1992, Jackson secured a seat in parliament. As she said at the time, “we must work for the poor, the homeless, the unemployed, the frail, the sick.” Jackson spent 23 years with the Labour Party, and even served as a minister for transport in Tony Blair’s first government in 1997. However, the two seemed to find themselves on opposing sides when it came to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, with Jackson admitting that the decisions made left her feeling “deeply, deeply ashamed. "The victims will be as they always are, women, children, the elderly.” After leaving politics in 2015, Jackson chose to return to performing, where she went on to enjoy some of the most acclaimed roles of her entire career. And for all of her passion and success, Jackson is remembered fondly by her loved ones - those who knew her beyond her work, and those who supported her for it - who flocked to social media to pay tribute. “Glenda Jackson was both the best actress of our generation and an incredibly principled passionate and eloquent advocate of social justice as an MP and as a government minister. I will remember her as a friend whom I admired greatly and what she achieved will never be forgotten,” former-prime minister for the United Kingdom, Gordon Brown, wrote. “Very sad to hear of the passing of Glenda Jackson. An acclaimed actress, a formidable politician and an inspirational woman to so many of us in the Labour Party,” British politician Angela Rayner said. “My thoughts are with her family, friends and many others who loved her.” “Devastated to hear that my predecessor Glenda Jackson has died. A formidable politician, an amazing actress and a very supportive mentor to me. Hampstead and Kilburn will miss you Glenda,” friend and fellow politician Tulip Siddiq said. And, as her friends and fans the Muppets wrote, “here’s to Glenda Jackson, legendary actress and scourge of the Seven Seas! In her unforgettable episode of The Muppet Show, she and her merry band of plundering pirates turned our theatre into a ship and set out to sea. “We’ll always treasure the time we spent with you, Glenda.” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Here’s to Glenda Jackson, legendary actress and scourge of the Seven Seas! In her unforgettable episode of The Muppet Show, she and her merry band of plundering pirates turned our theater into a ship and set out to sea. We’ll always treasure the time we spent with you, Glenda. <a href="https://t.co/zQ8cPVc8Jk">pic.twitter.com/zQ8cPVc8Jk</a> — The Muppets (@TheMuppets) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheMuppets/status/1669398500243587092?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 15, 2023</a></blockquote> Images: Getty

News

6 movie stars who turned down Oscar-winning roles

The Academy Awards is unarguably the most prestigious and sought after award in the movie industry. Actors must carefully select the scripts that will advance their careers and highlight their acting skills. Although the movie stars below have had successful careers in Hollywood, here are the times the roles they walked away from ended up receiving the prestigious golden statuette. 1. Julia Roberts Julia Roberts was offered the role of Viola de Lesseps in Shakespeare in Love which took Best Picture in the Academy Awards in 1998. People reported that Julia was one contract away from starring in the film when she found out that Daniel Day-Lewis turned down the role. Julia wanted Daniel to play the role of Bard of Avon so when he turned down the role, she decided to pull out. Gwyneth Paltrow was then given the role and ended up winning an Oscar for Best Actress for the film. 2. Harrison Ford Harrison Ford has made a great name for himself in Hollywood. He won an Oscar for his role in The Fugitive and has played two of the greatest action heroes of all time, Hans Solo and Indiana Jones. Harrison could have had one more Oscar on his shelf had he not turned down the offer to act in Syriana. Harrison was offered the role of CIA Agent Robert Barnes but declined the role as he “didn’t feel strongly enough about the truth of the material.” George Clooney ended up with the role and won Best Supporting Actor in 2006. After watching the film, Harrison changed his mind on the film as the issues he had with the material were rectified. 3. Gregory Peck Gregory Peck had been nominated for an Oscar four times before he took home Best Actor in 1963 for his portrayal of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird. Gregory might have taken home an Oscar sooner had he not passed on the offer to star in High Noon. Gregory passed on the role as he had just starred in a western The Gunfighter and wanted to avoid typecasting. The role was then offered to Gary Cooper who won the Oscar for Best Actor for his performance. Gregory later said, "I don't think I would have been as good as Gary Cooper but I still think it would have been a good film with me in it." 4. Gwyneth Paltrow In 2016, The Danish Girl received three nominations and one win at the Academy Awards. The film, however, had been stuck in the development stages for years as actors and directors continually abandoned the project. The role of Gerda Wegner, Lili’s wife, moved from Charlize Theron to Gwyneth Paltrow. Gwyneth was ready to star in the film when a last-minute shooting location changed the actress’ mind. As she didn’t want to spend too much time away from her kids, Gwyneth decided to walk away from the role. Tom Hooper, Eddie Redmayne and Alicia Vikander came on board with the project years later. Alicia played Gerda and won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. 5. Anne Hathaway In 2013, Jennifer Lawrence won her first Oscar for Best Actress for playing Tiffany Maxwell in Silver Linings Playbook. Even though Jennifer was outstanding in the film, she wasn’t the first pick for the role. Film executive Harvey Weinstein admitted that Anne Hathaway was slated for the lead female role and Bradley Cooper’s role was meant for Mark Wahlberg. Both actors were ready to star in the film until Anne had some “creative differences” with director David O. Russell. The differences couldn’t be resolved so Anne left the project and Mark Wahlberg followed her. Anne Hathaway did end up winning an Oscar that year for Best Supporting Actress in Les Miserables. 6. Paul Bettany The portrayal of George Vi in The King’s Speech was not originally intended for Colin Firth. Screenwriter David Seidler believed Paul Bettany was perfect for the role and Paul was offered the part but declined as he didn’t want to be separated from his family for a long period of time. Paul had been working for five months so decided to go home to his family instead of working on a new film in Buckingham Palace. Reflecting on his decision to walk away from the role Paul said, “I regret not working with such amazing, amazing actors and directors and writers. But no, I have to do the right by my family every time.” Colin Firth was chosen for the role and in 2011, he won Best Actor in this film. Images: Getty

Movies

‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ and other Oscars 2023 films show a trend towards linguistic realism in Hollywood

At the 95th Academy Awards, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/mar/13/daniel-kwan-and-daniel-scheinert-win-best-director-oscar-for-everything-everywhere-all-at-once">Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan’s</a> Everything Everywhere All at Once took home <a href="https://variety.com/2023/awards/awards/everything-everywhere-all-at-once-oscars-record-1235544633/">wins in acting, editing and directing categories, and also won the coveted best picture</a> award. The quirky and expansive sci-fi action film is famed for its absurdist take on the idea of a multiverse, yet it is still grounded in realness and humanity: In one masterfully choreographed scene in Everything Everywhere, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2wID9_FFD0">three languages are spoken by three generations of one chaotic immigrant family</a> over dinner. As a linguist, I am interested in how screenwriters and directors use language in film to <a href="https://books.google.ca/books/about/Multilingualism_in_the_Movies.html?id=hfhclpshb8UC&redir_esc=y">do much more than just convey dialogue</a>: Language and subtitles also provide characterization, establish the tone of a scene and ground fictional stories in reality. Increasing use of non-English languages and subtitles demonstrates both a trend toward linguistic realism in Hollywood and also broader acceptance of linguistic diversity in a globalized society. But filmmakers must negotiate the tension between narrative goals and audience engagement. By <a href="https://www.routledge.com/English-with-an-Accent-Language-Ideology-and-Discrimination-in-the-United/Lippi-Green/p/book/9780415559119">examining different ideologies held by filmmakers and audiences alike</a>, we can also still sometimes find long-standing associations between foreign language and villainy. <h2>Languages breaking through</h2> As South Korean filmmaker <a href="https://www.cjenm.com/en/news/director-bong-joonhos-parasite-wins-the-best-foreign-language-film-at-the-77th-golden-globe-awards/">Bong Joon-ho</a> described in his <a href="https://variety.com/2020/film/awards/south-koreas-parasite-crashes-the-subtitles-barrier-1203488979/">Golden Globes acceptance speech for 2019’s Parasite</a>, when audiences move past the “one-inch tall barrier of subtitles” a richer world of film awaits. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0963947013519551">Telling authentic stories</a> in a modern, globalized and multicultural world means fairly portraying the languages spoken and signed all throughout our society. Hence, at times, the need for subtitles. In another scene in Everything Everywhere, spoken language is eschewed altogether: Two rocks converse silently while gazing over a barren canyon, with black and white subtitles appearing on a bright blue sky. This simple yet <a href="https://twitter.com/Refinery29/status/1635118157206794243">emotionally resonant scene</a> was somehow enough to <a href="https://www.refinery29.com/en-gb/everything-everywhere-all-at-once-review">move many viewers to tears</a>. Although <a href="https://ew.com/movies/movie-reviews/tar-cate-blanchett-todd-field-nina-hoss/">Todd Field’s Tár</a> did not clinch any Oscar wins this year, star Cate Blanchett notched multiple <a href="https://www.vogue.com/article/full-winners-list-golden-globes-2023">other acting awards</a> <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2023/01/awards-insider-critics-choice-awards-2023-winners">for her role</a> as the titular orchestra conductor. In some of the film’s best scenes, the maestro uses only German during orchestra rehearsals and subtitles are dropped completely. Non-Germanophone audiences might not understand the words Blanchett says, but they are instead encouraged to focus on the visual aspects of the character’s communication: her facial expressions, physical tics and tremors and the building tension, both visible and audible, between her ego and everyone around her. The Oscar performance of “Naatu Naatu,” from the Indian <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-64935389">Telugu-language blockbuster</a> <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-64935389">RRR</a>, which received a standing ovation, was evidence that performances can cross language boundaries by leaning into creative elements far beyond words. <h2>Two sides of language representation</h2> The flip side of positive aspects of linguistic representation is that filmmakers, free to use the tool of multilingualism to provide characterization and establish tone, and even to showcase threatened languages, are also free to use it to entrench certain linguistic stereotypes, namely the association between foreignness and villainy. The <a href="https://screenrant.com/black-panther-wakanda-forever-talokan-lore-phase-5-complicated/">warriors of the underwater Talokan kingdom</a> in Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever never speak a word of English. In this Marvel Cinematic Universe story, the fictional kingdom of Atlantis was <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-mesoamerican-influences-behind-namor-from-black-panther-wakanda-forever-180981106">repositioned as a Mesoamerican-inspired society</a>. The <a href="https://globalvoices.org/2023/01/05/indigenous-and-proud-a-maya-speakers-reaction-to-black-panther-wakanda-forever/">language of Talokan is the real-world language of Yucatec Maya</a>, spoken by Indigenous people in present-day <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Yucatec-language">Guatemala, Belize and southern Mexico</a>. <h2>Sharing an Indigenous language</h2> Yucatec Maya is stigmatized and marginalized in the geographic areas where it is traditionally spoken, one of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/in-mexico-how-erasing-black-history-fuels-anti-black-racism-175315">long-lasting consequences of colonization</a>. But Coogler’s creative decision to use Yucatec Maya as the language of Talokan, as well as to borrow heavily from Mayan and Aztec cultures for <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/black-panther-wakanda-forever-ruth-e-carter-oscar-costume-design-1235349112/">visual inspiration</a>, has delighted some <a href="https://globalvoices.org/2023/01/05/indigenous-and-proud-a-maya-speakers-reaction-to-black-panther-wakanda-forever/">Maya-speaking Indigenous moviegoers</a> who say they saw their culture represented and are happy to see the language widely shared. Two strong minor characters, Namora and Attuma, speak only in Yucatec Maya throughout the entire movie, with English subtitles in an elegant blue script. <h2>Archetypes of antagonism?</h2> Yet, these characters are the primary villains of the story, portrayed as powerful and physically otherworldly. Thus, while the characters are not one-dimensional, their language seems to narratively underscore certain archetypes of antagonism, beyond simply showcasing a real Indigenous language of the world. This is especially noticeable when contrasted with the protagonists, the mostly-anglophone Wakandans. Although the <a href="https://screenrant.com/black-panther-movie-wakanda-language-xhosa-explained">language of Wakanda is the real-world language of Xhosa</a>, spoken in South Africa, in Wakanda Forever, it was mostly relegated to greetings and asides. Instead, the protagonists speak a kind of pan-African accented English. Unlike in James Cameron’s <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/avatar-the-way-of-water-vfx-oscar-2023-1235343383/">Avatar: The Way of Water</a>, viewers are never explicitly told that what the audience hears has been “translated” for us. <h2>Refreshing to see, hear more languages</h2> In Avatar, which took the <a href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/oscars-2023-all-the-kiwis-nominated-at-the-academy-awards-this-year/G7PU6REBKFDRVLTOTUZJ4TEM4A/">Oscar for best visual effects,</a> the protagonists all speak Na'vi, the language of <a href="https://gamerant.com/avatar-creation-human-navi-hybrids-explained/">the species living across</a> the fictional Pandora. Most of the language has been “translated” in the mind of the narrator, Jake Sully. In a neat expositional trick, the main character narrates the beginning of the film and explains that he learned the alien language well enough that it just sounds like English to him. This way, audiences won’t have to read for the entire film, and the heroes (and actors) can speak only English without sacrificing the “realism” of the science-fictional universe. It has been refreshing to see, <a href="https://mashable.com/article/minari-korean-language">in recent years</a>, many productions in film achieve critical and commercial success in the anglophone world despite being in non-English languages and <a href="https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-03-04/sound-of-metal-deaf-actors-chelsea-lee-jeremy-lee-stone">using subtitles</a>. There’s much more room for films to highlight both linguistic diversity as well as authentic characterization of characters who speak and sign without resorting to potentially harmful tropes. And I’m sure audiences wouldn’t mind hearing more Na'vi in Avatar 3. Image credit: Getty

Movies

The most cringe-worthy moments from the Oscars

On Hollywood’s night of nights, there were many <a href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/entertainment/movies/dazzling-looks-memorable-moments-and-award-sweeps-the-best-of-the-2023-oscars" target="_blank" rel="noopener">standout moments</a> that had movie fans everywhere cheering on the deserving winners, and those that were rightly dubbed best dressed on the carpet. However, despite the record-breaking wins and wholesome on-stage moments, it seems not everyone was happy with how the night panned out. Media personality Piers Morgan had his own hot takes from the night, naming and shaming the most cringe-worthy moments and worst fashion fails. From awkward moments on the champagne carpet to an endless series of highly questionable outfits, the British broadcaster had some interesting thoughts on the night. He started his attack on acting legend Hugh Grant, who “humiliated” a reporter during an interview that was very hard to watch. Hugh Grant was chatting with Ashley Graham in what can only be described as a quintessentially British interview, as he gave short one-worded answers. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Hugh Grant with the greatest Red Carpet interview of all time <a href="https://t.co/cK0E8pBcWK">pic.twitter.com/cK0E8pBcWK</a> — Jared Christopher (@JaredLChris) <a href="https://twitter.com/JaredLChris/status/1635107391476989952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2023</a></blockquote> His reluctance to participate in the back and forth pleasantries infuriated Morgan, as he slammed the actor, saying, “If you don’t want to speak to the media, why the hell walk down the longest red carpet in show business?” While Piers seemed outraged by the exchange, others simply called it “the greatest interview of all time”, praising Grant for his nonchalance. Piers also took issue with any kind of light-heartedness on the stage, as he complained about the brief appearance of the “Cocaine Bear”, wishing for it to be “euthanized live on air”. He also took issue with the overwhelming applause given to Jenny the donkey, known for her role in The Banshees of Inisherin, wondering why the mute mule was given “more applause than most of the overly verbose winners”. Before the show began, all eyes were on the stars of Hollywood and their jaw-dropping fashion choices as they made their way down the gold carpet. But unfortunately for some A-listers, their outfits were just not right for the champagne carpet, or even their age. Rihanna chose to highlight her baby bump with a mixture of sheer tulle and black leather in a bondage-style gown, while Lady Gaga chose to take the drop-waist trend to a whole new level by showing off her ass-ets. Nicole Kidman left half her dress at home, while accessorising with enormous flowers in places no flowers should ever be. Eva Longoria left nothing to the imagination with her plunging gown, while Sofia Carson was channelling 2003 bridal couture with her white ball gown. Allison Williams draped herself in her grandmother’s curtains to pair with her pink lace dress, while singer Tems had no regard for those sitting behind her with her sculptural gown, and Janelle Monae channelled her inner teen with a crop top and clashing skirt. Despite all the drama on and off the stage, this year’s Oscars was full of deserving winners, heart-warming speeches and (some) stunning fashion moments, leaving us counting down to next year’s awards. Image credits: Getty Images

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