Entertainment

The Critics Choice Association has announced its picks for the year’s best movies, and Kenneth Branagh‘s Belfast and Steven Spielberg‘s West Side Story lead the field in the film category, with 11 nominations apiece. 

Branagh was nominated in the Best Director and Best Screenplay categories for his drama, which also earned Best Supporting Actor nods for both Jamie Dornan and Ciarán Hinds; Best Supporting Actress for Caitríona [katrina] Balfe; Best Young Actor/Actress for Jude Hill and Best Acting Ensemble, among others.

Spielberg was also given a Best Director nomination; West Side Story also earned noms for Ariana DeBose and Rita Moreno in the Best Supporting Actress category, while Rachel Zegler is up for Best Young Actor/Actress, and the cast was also nominated in the Best Acting Ensemble category.

Other heralded films included Dune and The Power of the Dog, which picked up ten noms each. Licorice Pizza and Nightmare Alley collected eight, while King Richard and Don’t Look Up were each nominated for six awards.

Hosted by Taye Diggs and Nicole Byer, the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards will air live on The CW and TBS, from the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel on in Los Angeles, on Sunday, January 9, 2022.  The Critics Choice Television Awards nominees were announced December 6; winners will also be announced January 9.

Here are the film nominations for the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards:

BEST PICTURE
Belfast
CODA
Don’t Look Up
Dune
King Richard
Licorice Pizza
Nightmare Alley
The Power of the Dog
tick, tick…Boom!
West Side Story

BEST ACTOR
Nicolas Cage – Pig
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog
Peter Dinklage – Cyrano
Andrew Garfield – tick, tick…Boom!
Will Smith – King Richard
Denzel Washington – The Tragedy of Macbeth

BEST ACTRESS
Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
Lady Gaga – House of Gucci
Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza
Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos
Kristen Stewart – Spencer

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Jamie Dornan – Belfast
Ciarán Hinds – Belfast
Troy Kotsur – CODA
Jared Leto – House of Gucci
J.K. Simmons – Being the Ricardos
Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power of the Dog

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Caitríona Balfe – Belfast
Ariana DeBose – West Side Story
Ann Dowd – Mass
Kirsten Dunst – The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
Rita Moreno – West Side Story 

BEST YOUNG ACTOR/ACTRESS
Jude Hill – Belfast
Cooper Hoffman – Licorice Pizza
Emilia Jones – CODA
Woody Norman – C’mon C’mon
Saniyya Sidney – King Richard
Rachel Zegler – West Side Story 

BEST ACTING ENSEMBLE
Belfast
Don’t Look Up
The Harder They Fall
Licorice Pizza
The Power of the Dog
West Side Story

BEST DIRECTOR
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Guillermo del Toro – Nightmare Alley
Steven Spielberg – West Side Story
Denis Villeneuve – Dune 

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Paul Thomas Anderson – Licorice Pizza
Zach Baylin – King Richard
Kenneth Branagh – Belfast
Adam McKay, David Sirota – Don’t Look Up
Aaron Sorkin – Being the Ricardos

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Lost Daughter
Siân Heder – CODA
Tony Kushner – West Side Story
Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, Eric Roth – Dune

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(SPOILERS AHEAD) Sex and the City fans were served a major surprise at the end of the first episode of the new sequel series, And Just Like That… — and Peloton was at the center of the plot point.

Now, the fitness company has responded with the help of Chris Noth in the form of a new ad.

In the revival, Noth’s Mr. Big, husband to Sarah Jessica Parker‘s Carrie Bradshaw, dies of a heart attack after his regular workout on a Peloton bike. Having suffered from heart-related issues throughout the series, Carrie finds him collapsed in the shower, and he dies in her arms.

In the newly released 30-second ad, which is narrated by actor Ryan Reynolds and created by his Maximum Effort company, Noth appears by the fire alongside real-life Peloton instructor Jess King, who appeared as a cycling instructor in the show.

“To new beginnings,” Noth beams. “I feel great — should we take another ride?”

In voiceover, Reynolds says, “And just like that, the world was reminded that regular cycling stimulates and improves your heart, lungs and circulation … Cycling strengthens your heart muscles, lowers resting pulse and reduces blood fat levels. He’s alive.”

Reynolds’ involvement is particularly clever.  In 2019, Reynolds tapped actress Monica Ruiz for an ad for his Aviation American Gin, which came out shortly after she appeared in a Peloton commercial critics called sexist. In the Peloton ad, a husband gifted his wife one of the bikes, and she slavishly tracked her progress for him.

In Reynolds’ spot, Ruiz was seemingly still in character from the Peloton spot. She and her girlfriends sit wordlessly for a few beats, the implication is that she just told them about her “gift,” and made a big decision about her relationship.

“To new beginnings,” she toasts.

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Kim Kardashian has announced to her more than 269 million Instagram followers that she passed California’s “Baby Bar” exam on the fourth try. 

The First-Year Law Students’ Examination helps assess the preparation of lawyers-to-be for a given state’s Bar exam. Despite its “baby” descriptive — it covers three subjects as opposed to the Bar’s full 15 — it’s a bear.

Kim broke the good news, naturally, with a stunning picture posted to social media. 

“…I am really proud of the woman looking back today,” Kim posted. “For anyone who doesn’t know my law school journey, know this wasn’t easy or handed to me. I failed this exam 3 times in 2 years, but I got back up each time and studied harder and tried again until I did it!!!”

Her third attempt was hampered by having COVID and a 104-degree fever, Kim explained, adding she’s “not making excuses.”

“I was told by top lawyers that this was a close to impossible journey,” Kim said: “[I]t feels so so sooooo good to be…on my way to achieving my goals.”

The daughter of famed O.J. Simpson attorney Robert Kardashian also noted her dad “would be so proud” if “so shocked to know that this is my path now.”

“He would have been my best study partner,” Kim said. “I am told he was notorious for making fun of people who didn’t pass on their first attempt like he did, but he would have been my biggest cheerleader!”

Kim closed with, “Bottom line is don’t ever give up even when you are holding on by a thread, you can do it!!!!! Set your mind to it and get it done because it feels soooooo good once you get to the other side!”

 

 

 

 

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Nominations for the 79th Golden Globes were announced on Monday morning at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles, with Snoop Dogg doing the honors — not that they’re being televised on NBC this year.

A blistering racial controversy behind the scenes at the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) led its longtime broadcast partner to drop the annual show.

A press release notes, “The HFPA will recognize the best in film and television on Sunday, January 9, 2022.” However, two big questions remain: Where will they be broadcast, and, even more importantly, will any celebs show up?

In February of this year, a Los Angeles Times exposé revealed the HFPA hadn’t included a Black member in 20 years. Following the controversy — and the ouster of one of its heads over racially insensitive emails — Hollywood shunned the organization.Tom Cruise even went so far as to return his three trophies in protest.

In August, the HFPA announced reforms to its bylaws and membership rules with the intention of bringing diversity to its ranks.

That said, here are this year’s nominees: 

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Drama
Brian Cox – Succession
Lee Jung-jae – Squid Game
Billy Porter – Pose
Jeremy Strong – Succession
Omar Sy – Lupin

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Leonardo DiCaprio – Don’t Look Up
Peter Dinklage – Cyrano
Andrew Garfield – Tick, Tick… Boom!
Cooper Hoffman – Licorice Pizza
Anthony Ramos – In the Heights

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy
Marion Cotillard – Annette
Alana Haim – Licorice Pizza
Jennifer Lawrence – Don’t Look Up
Emma Stone – Cruella
Rachel Zegler – West Side Story

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama
Mahershala Ali – Swan Song
Javier Bardem – Being the Ricardos
Benedict Cumberbatch – The Power of the Dog
Will Smith – King Richard
Denzel Washington – The Tragedy of Macbeth

Best Television Series, Musical or Comedy
The Great
Hacks
Only Murders in the Building
Reservation Dogs
Ted Lasso

Best Television Series, Drama
Lupin
The Morning Show
Pose
Squid Game
Succession

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama
Uzo Aduba – In Treatment
Jennifer Aniston – The Morning Show
Christine Baranski – The Good Fight
Elisabeth Moss – The Handmaid’s Tale
MJ Rodriguez – Pose

Best Performance by an Actor, Limited Series, Anthology Series or Motion Picture made for Television
Paul Bettany – WandaVision
Oscar Isaac – Scenes From a Marriage
Michael Keaton – Dopesick
Ewan McGregor – Halston
Tahar Rahim – The Serpent

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Drama
Kristen Stewart – Spencer
Olivia Colman – The Lost Daughter
Lady Gaga – House of Gucci
Nicole Kidman – Being the Ricardos
Jessica Chastain – The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Best Limited Series, Anthology Series or a Motion Picture made for Television
Dopesick
American Crime Story: Impeachment
Maid
Mare of Easttown
The Underground Railroad

Best Picture, Musical or Comedy
Cyrano
Don’t Look Up
Licorice Pizza
Tick, Tick… Boom!
West Side Story

Best Motion Picture, Drama
Belfast
CODA
Dune
King Richard
The Power of the Dog

Best Supporting Actress, Motion Picture
Caitriona Balfe – Belfast
Ariana Debose – West Side Story
Kirsten Dunst – The Power of the Dog
Aunjanue Ellis – King Richard
Ruth Negga – Passing

Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture
Ben Affleck – The Tender Bar
Jamie Dornan – Belfast
Ciarán Hinds – Belfast
Troy Kotsur – CODA
Kodi Smit-McPhee – The Power of the Dog

Best Director, Motion Picture
Kenneth Branagh –  Belfast
Jane Campion – The Power of the Dog
Maggie Gyllenhaal – The Lost Daughter
Steven Spielberg – West Side Story
Denis Villeneuve – Dune

Best Screenplay, Motion Picture
Licorice Pizza
Belfast
The Power of the Dog
Don’t Look Up
Being the Ricardos

Best Original Score, Motion Picture
Alexandre Desplat – The French Dispatch
Germaine Franco – Encanto
Jonny Greenwood – The Power of the Dog
Alberto Iglesias – Parallel Mothers
Hans Zimmer – Dune

Best Actress in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Hannah Einbinder – Hacks
Elle Fanning – The Great
Issa Rae – Insecure
Tracee Ellis Ross – Black-ish
Jean Smart – Hacks

Best Actor in a TV Series, Musical or Comedy
Anthony Anderson – Black-ish
Nicholas Hoult – The Great
Steve Martin – Only Murders in the Building
Martin Short – Only Murders in the Building
Jason Sudeikis – Ted Lasso

Best Supporting Actress, Television
Jennifer Coolidge – The White Lotus
Kaitlyn Dever – Dopesick
Andie MacDowell – Maid
Sarah Snook – Succession
Hannah Waddingham – Ted Lasso

Best Supporting Actor, Television
Billy Crudup – The Morning Show
Kieran Culkin – Succession
Mark Duplass – The Morning Show
Brett Goldstein – Ted Lasso
O Yeong-su – Squid Game

Best Original Song, Motion Picture
“Be Alive” from King Richard
“Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto
“Down To Joy” from Belfast
“Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” from RESPECT
“No Time To Die” from No Time To Die

Best Picture, Foreign Language
Compartment No. 6
Drive My Car
The Hand of God
A Hero
Parallel Mothers

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Anne Rice, the author best known for penning Interview With the Vampire, later adapted to the 1994 Warner Bros. movie starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, died of complications from a stroke on Saturday, her son, Christopher Rice, announced on Twitter. She was 80. Interview with the Vampire and its sequels reinvigorated and redefined the genre and paved the way for True Blood, Vampire Diaries and the rest.  Rice’s nearly 40 novels published over a half-century sold some 135 million copies, placing her among the most popular fantasy writers of all time. In addition to Interview with the Vampire — both a critical and box office success, grossing $223.7 million worldwide — six of Rice’s other novels, including Exit to Eden and Queen of the Damned, were adapted for the big and small screens.  AMC is currently in production on two series based on her works…

Chris Wallace, anchor of Fox News Sunday since 2003, announced on Sunday that he was leaving the channel for CNN’s upcoming streaming service, CNN+. “After 18 years, this is my final Fox News Sunday,” Wallace said. “It is the last time — and I say this with real sadness — we will meet like this.” Calling his time at Fox News “a great ride,” Wallace said he’s “decided to leave Fox, explaining, “I want to try something new, to go beyond politics to all the things I’m interested in.” CNN said in a statement on Sunday that Wallace’s new show, available when CNN+ launches, will be a weekday program featuring interviews with “newsmakers across politics, business, sports and culture”…

Actress Cara Williams, who received an Oscar nomination for her performance in director Stanley Kramer‘s 1958 film The Defiant Ones, died Thursday of a heart attack at her home in Beverly Hills, her daughter, Justine Jagoda, tells The Hollywood Reporter. She was 96. Williams went on to star in a pair of CBS sitcoms — playing the TV wife of future M*A*S*H star Harry Morgan on Pete and Gladys, which ran 1960-62, followed by her eponymous show in 1962. Her other credits include the films We Go to Monte Carlo, alongside Katherine Hepburn, and Never Steal Anything Small, in which she shared a dance with James Cagney. Williams also played a moll in the Danny Kaye comedy The Man From the Diners’ Club. She was married to actor John Drew Barrymore, the son of movie legend John Barrymore and the father of actress Drew Barrymore, from 1953-59…

 

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It topped the box office, but Steven Spielberg‘s West Side Story remake only managed to pull in an estimated $10.5 million in its opening weekend, despite earning stellar reviews.

The splashy reworking of the the 1961 film musical, starring Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler, fared even worse overseas, where it earned just $4.4 million.

Disney’s Encanto slipped to second placetwo, delivering an estimated $9.4 million in its third week of release and bringing its domestic total to $71.3 million. Internationally, the film added an estimated $80.5 million, bringing its worldwide tally to $151.8 million.

Grabbing third place is Ghostbusters: Afterlife, earning an estimated $7.1 million. After four weeks, the sequel to 1989’s Ghostbusters 2 has nabbed $112 million domestically and another $52.7 million overseas. Its worldwide box-office total now stands at $164.7 million.

House of Gucci landed in fourth place, delivering an estimated $4.1 million in its fourth week of release. Its global tally now stands at $93 million.

Rounding out the top five is Disney’s Eternals, earning an estimated $3.1 million in its sixth week in theaters. The film has racked up $161.2 million in North America so far, to go with another $234.1 million overseas. Its current worldwide total now stands at $395.3 million.

Elsewhere, National Champions, starring J.K. Simmons, failed to gain any yardage in its opening weekend, earning an estimated $300,000 for a 13th-place finish.

Red Rocket, starring Simon Rex, did well in limited release, drawing an estimated $96,593 from just six theaters for an impressive $16,098 per-screen average.

 

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Armie Hammer has checked out of a Florida treatment facility where he spent most the of year following allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct. 

On Sunday, Hammer’s lawyer told E! Online, “I can confirm that Mr. Hammer has left the treatment facility and is doing great.” An exact exit date was not confirmed. 

The news comes after reports that the Call Me By Your Name actor entered rehab on May 31 seeking treatment for drug, alcohol, and sex issues — just months after he was embroiled in controversy after two women came forward lodging serious accusations against him. 

In January, his ex-girlfriend, Paige Lorenze, released unverified DMs that allegedly came from Hammer and claimed the actor harbored fantasies involving cannibalism. In addition, the 22-year-old alleged Hammer was “obsessed” with the idea of “taking a piece of me…and consuming it.”

The second woman, a 24-year-old who goes by the name Effie, claimed she thought the the Golden Globe nominee was going to kill her after he allegedly “violently” raped her on April 24, 2017.

Hammer was subsequently dropped from multiple projects following the accusations. 

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Christina Milian has a few reasons to flash that million-dollar smile. 

The two-time Grammy nominee “loves” Christmas and loves getting into the holiday spirit, particularly now that she’s a mom to three kids: her new baby son, Kenna, his 1-year-old brother, Isaiah, and their nearly 11-year-old sister, Violet Madison.

“All these different stages in their life kind of make it even more exciting for me as a mom to do things that my parents did for us as kids,” Christina tells ABC Audio. “You know, making the cookies or…tracking the footsteps of Santa’s footsteps from the chimney to the door…”

She explains with a big laugh, “If you don’t have a fireplace, sometimes you just do it from the door to the tree!”

With the recent 20th anniversary of her self-titled debut album, and a number of acting roles under her belt, Christina says she wants to give music another go. She recently recorded a song for her STARZ show Step Up, and is looking at going further. “I feel like this is a good age to try one more time,” she explains. “And if it’s not, than I’ll just chill out. Maybe I’ll make a Christmas album,” she says with a laugh. “Maybe next year, I’ll get back in the lab.”

Milian has another reason to smile: She’s collaborating with Crest and Oral-B for an initiative to bring dental care to millions of underserved people in this country.

“[So] many children, especially Black and Hispanic children, do not have the access to oral care or products that they deserve,” she explained, telling ABC Audio that her mother, a Cuban immigrant, suffered needlessly for years because of a lack of access to adequate oral care early in her life.

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Lucy Hale loved starring in The Hating Game and it may have something to do with playing a character that shares her name.  The 32-year-old actress also revealed it wasn’t a coincidence — but fate — that allowed her to bring Lucy Hutton to life in the rom com.

“It was really hard, you know, for everyone to learn my name [on set,]” she joked to ABC Audio. “No, it was great!”

The Hating Game is based off the 2016 book of the same name and Lucy reveals author Sally Thorne, “was heavily involved in casting me” and “always said that she had me in mind when she thought about the movie.”

Lucy was “excited” to be a part of the project because she “loved that book so much,” which is why she understands fans of the book will have big expectations going in to see it on the big screen. “I hope that the people who like the book feel like we did it justice. It’s always hard to get everything right, but I feel like we did a good job,” she expressed.  “The script was just a blast.”

The Pretty Little Liars star also opens up about her love of rom coms, saying she finds them “comforting” to watch because “You always know you’re going to get your happy ending that you’re looking for. You can, like, ease into watching it.”

The Hating Game, also starring Austin Stowell, is now playing in theaters.

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Harry Potter fans get to return to the world of wizardry with a teaser trailer for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. 

The clip advertising the third film in the Fantastic Beasts franchise offers a retrospective of Harry Potter films past, along with clips of diehard fans dressed in wizard robes and wands.

It also offers a first look at Hannibal’s Mads Mikkelsen, who stepped into the role of Gellert Grindelwald after Johnny Depp dropped out of the project following allegations of abuse by his ex-wife, Amber Heard. Depp portrayed Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, released in 2018. 

Mikkelsen can be seen in a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it clip where he’s caught in the middle of a mob of people. Grindelwald is portrayed as the villain in the film, the dark wizard counterpart to Dumbledore. The trailer also sees Jude Law reprising his role as young Dumbledore and Eddie Redmayne as Dumbledore’s ally, Newt Scamander. 

Fantastic Beasts is slated to premiere in the U.S. in April 2022. 

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