Entertainment

While the Denis Villeneuve film Dune scored six Oscars Sunday night, he and the craftspeople behind it are already working on its sequel. 

Backstage at the Oscars Sunday night, with his newly-engraved Academy Award in hand, cinematographer Greig Fraser dropped some hints about the follow-up. Fraser has logged an impressive filmography of late, having spent time behind the camera not only for the sci-fi epic, but also The Batman, Rogue One: A Star Wars story, The Mandalorian, and the Oscar winning Zero Dark Thirty.

“Well, I can’t give you any scoops, I hate to say it,” Fraser said, adding with a smile, “I’ve been trained by the House of the Mouse at Lucasfilm to not give you any scoops, so I won’t tell you anything beyond that.”

He continued, “But I can tell you that this is a bigger story. I read the script, and I’m more blown away by this script than I was by Part One.”

Fraser also said, “I’m more excited. In fact, I was sitting in a meeting with Denis and Patrice and Paul [Dune‘s Oscar winning production designer Patrice Vermette and VFX supervisor Paul Lambert] the other day at Denis’ house, talking about this film. And I turned to Denis, and said, ‘I can’t believe these people pay us to do this. Like this is ridiculous. They pay us to make these movies, which are so exciting and so amazing.'”

Fraser allowed, “So I can tell you it’s bigger and better and amazing, so I apologize for not giving you more than that.”

Dune Part II hits theaters in 2023.

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The Sandra Bullock/Channing Tatum romantic treasure hunt romp The Lost City hit paydirt at the box office over the weekend, unseating last week’s champ The Batman with a $31 million debut. 

Matt Reeves‘ acclaimed Caped Crusader film swung in at second place in its fourth week in theaters, taking in $20.1 million. To date, the movie starring Robert Pattinson as the Dark Knight and Paul Dano as The Riddler, has earned more than $332 million domestically, and has a worldwide total to date of more than $672 million. 

In third place this week was the RRR, from Indian director SS Rajamouli. The picture made around $10 million, slightly under what was expected from the hitmaker.

In fourth place this week was the Tom Holland-starring video game adaptation Uncharted, which added $4.9 million to its coffers; to date, the film has made more than $357 million globally.

In other Tom Holland-related news, however, his Spider Man: No Way Home crossed the rarefied $800 million domestic high-water mark; while it landed at #8 this week, it has made more than $1.8 billion worldwide since its release in December.

Rounding out the Top Five this week was the manga film Jujutsu Kaisen 0, which earned $4.5 million.

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(NOTE LANGUAGE) By now, we all have either heard of or witnessed Sunday night’s very intense Oscar moment of Will Smith walking on stage and slapping Chris Rock in the face, after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett’s shaved head.

The very uncomfortable and extremely awkward moment came while Rock presented the award for Best Documentary. Addressing Pinkett, the comedian joked, “Jada I love you, G.I. Jane 2, can’t wait to see it.”

The exchange brought attention from not only the Academy, of course, but also the LAPD as well as stars and fellow comedians expressed mixed emotions about Smith’s actions.

“There’s no excuse for that, Will Smith,” said Stephen A. Smith on Twitter. After congratulating Smith for winning Best Actor for King Richard, the sports journalist posted a video condemning him. “I love the brother and I’m proud of him, but boy was that a shameful act…” Stephen Smith said.

Likewise, journalist Maria Shriver condemned Smith saying, “#WillSmith says he wants to be a vessel for love. Love is not violent.”

Comedian George Wallace tweeted, “Will Smith is lucky his momma wasn’t there tonight. She would’ve kicked his a** for acting like that.”

“Let me tell you something, it’s a very bad practice to walk up on stage and physically assault a Comedian,” Kathy Griffin said in her Twitter post. “Now we all have to worry about who wants to be the next Will Smith in comedy clubs and theaters.”

“The West Philly came out Will Smith tonight,” said comedian Michael Blackson. “Congrats on finally winning…but you should have handled the Chris Rock situation a little better like behind closed doors…”

On the other hand, some stars say they understood why Smith reacted the way he did. In support of his father (and mother) Jaden Smith posted a simple, “And That’s How We Do It.”

In a now-deleted tweet, Rep. Ayanna Pressley who, like Pinkett, suffers from the hair loss disease alopecia, thanked Smith. “Shout out to all the husbands who defend their wives living with alopecia in the face of daily ignorance and insults.”

“I feel you will smack the s*** out one you n***** bout my wife on national tv,” said Cardi B’s husband, rapper Offset.

P. Diddy witnessed the shocking moment in person and posted to his Instagram story saying, “S*** happens sometime…We’re gonna move on with Love.”

According to a report by Page Six, Diddy confirmed Smith and Rock reconciled after the incident. “That’s not a problem. That’s over. I can confirm that…It’s all love. They’re brothers,” he said.

There has been talk about whether or not Smith will get to keep his first-ever Oscar. Writer/Director Marshall Herskovitz called upon the Academy to “take disciplinary actions.”

In response to the incident the organization said, “The Academy does not condone violence of any form.”

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Jessica Chastain had been nominated twice before nabbing Oscar gold Sunday night for her performance as the disgraced televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye.

However, backstage at the Oscars, she admitted hers was the first Academy Award trophy she’d ever even held.

“I’m friends with [The Theory of Everything winner] Eddie Redmayne and I’ve been to his house in London, and…Everyone was like, ‘Oh, look, his Oscar!’ And they all picked it up, and I was like, ‘I can’t pick it up!’ Like, I felt superstitious. So this is the very first time I’ve even held it!”

Considering that, where she’ll display it wasn’t on her mind either, “I have had no thought of where it’s going to go. But I will respect it for sure, wherever it is,” she said with a laugh.

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As has been their tradition, The Razzie Awards announced their picks for the worst film of 2021 on Saturday — a night before the Oscars — and Netflix’s filmed version of the Princess Diana Broadway musical, Diana, won the most Razzies, taking home five trophies, including worst picture, actress, supporting actress, director and screenplay. Warner Bros.’ Space Jam revival received the second highest number of Razzies — three — with star LeBron James walking off with worst actor dishonors. Space Jam: A New Legacy also won for worst screen couple and remake, rip-off or sequel. Will Smith, who’s won four Razzies over the course of his career, got its Redeeemer Award for his role in King Richard — though this was bestowed before his Oscars outburst. See the full list here…

The Goldbergs‘ Wendi McLendon-Covey has closed a new deal to return to the popular ABC sitcom, according to Deadline. The network hasn’t officially renewed the series, but with her signing, a pickup seems likely. McLendon-Covey has emerged as the lead of The Goldbergs after the comedy lost two core cast members — George Segal, who died last spring, and Jeff Garlin, who exited in December following multiple misconduct allegations and HR investigations…

Deadline reports Spider-Man: No Way Home reached a rare domestic box office milestone on Sunday, becoming one of only three movies in Hollywood history to reach $800M, after 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens and 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, with $936.6M and $858.3 million, respectively. Additionally, the film — starring Tom Holland, Zendaya and Benedict Cumberbatch — sold over 2.1 million units in the U.S. during its first week of digital release, according to the outlet. No Way Home, which debuted on digital platforms 88 days after its theatrical release for $19.99, has grabbed close to $42 million…

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Sunday night, fans of West Side Story‘s Rachel Zegler got to see their girl at the 94th Academy Awards, after she’d initially been slighted a seat. 

As reported, her fans had gone ballistic online when she told them she wasn’t invited, but the Academy later invited her to present at the show. 

When it was her turn, she couldn’t resist a little shade, evidently.

Her co-presenter, Euphoria‘s Jacob Elordi commented at the podium, “I can’t believe we are here tonight at the Oscars. Growing up in Australia, I never thought that I would stand here on this stage.”

Zegler added, “And I never thought I would be here six days ago. Dreams really come true, pretty fast, too.”

Earlier on the red carpet earlier in the evening, Zegler told Entertainment Tonight that she was surprised so many people had her back online.

“People were upset, and I was not expecting it,” she admitted.

She added, “So, it’s very wonderful to be here. I’m really thankful to the Academy inviting me to present, and for all the people at Snow White who…let me get on a plane.”

Zegler was allowed a short break in the U.K. shoot of a live-action version of the famous fairy tale so that she could attend the event.

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The Oscars are back and so is the extravagant and fierce fashion!

The 94th Academy Awards — hosted by Amy Schumer, Wanda Sykes, and Regina Hall — aired live Sunday night from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles and while the films and its stars were the highlight for some, for others the red carpet fashion choices were the true stars of the show. 

Here’s are some of the night’s looks. 

Zendaya: Styled by Law Roach, the Euphoria star took over the red carpet in a two-piece look from Valentino Haute Couture designed by the brand’s creative director Pierpaolo Piccioli. Many eagle-eyed fans have called her look a subtle nod to Sharon Stone‘s 1998 look where she wore a crisp white shirt along with a satin maxi skirt.

Timothée Chalamet: The Dune star made jaws drop in a custom Louis Vuitton cropped embroidered jacket — with no shirt underneath — and black pants.

Ariana DeBose: The West Side Story star was lovely in a vibrant three-piece custom look from Valentino Haute Couture.

Chloe and Halle Bailey: Chloe opted for a dark purple one shoulder number with a slit that ran all the way up the side of her torso, while Halle rocked a bright aqua-colored one shoulder dress with a side stomach cut out and high slit that went to the top of one leg. 

Billie Eilish: The singer wore a voluminous, layered black Gucci look along with side-swept bangs and flipped black hair.

Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker: The engaged couple sizzled on the red carpet hand-in-hand. Kourtney wore a sleeveless vintage black Mugler dress while Travis wore a stylish Maison Margiela suit.

Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith: The power couple lit up the red carpet with Will wearing a dapper three-piece suit and Jada donning a ruched green dress from Jean Paul Gaultier’s spring/summer 2022 couture collection.

Lupita Nyong’o: The actress was radiant in a sparkling gold Prada look that included stylish fringe details

Zoë Kravitz: Kravitz wore a dreamy pink Saint Laurent dress and cropped Audrey Hepburn-inspired bangs.

Jessica Chastain: The actress gorgeously glowed in a bronze and lilac-toned Gucci gown. 

Kristen Stewart: The Spencer actress stood out in a more casual look: short shorts and a matching jacket custom-designed by Chanel.

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The 94th Academy Awards ceremony was held Sunday night at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. Here’s the complete list of winners:

Best Picture
CODA

Best Director
Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog

Best Actor
Will Smith, King Richard

Best Actress
Jessica Chastain, The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Best Supporting Actor
Troy Kotsur, CODA

Best Supporting Actress
Ariana DeBose, West Side Story

Best Adapted Screenplay
CODA, Sian Heder

Best Original Screenplay
Belfast, Kenneth Branagh

Best Animated Feature
Encanto

Best Animated Short
The Windshield Wiper

Best Live Action Short
The Long Goodbye

Best Cinematography
Dune

Best Costume Design
Cruella

Best Documentary Feature
Summer of Soul

Best Documentary Short Subject
The Queen of Basketball

Best Editing
Dune

Best International Feature Film
Drive My Car

Best Makeup and Hairstyling
The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Best Production Design
Dune

Best Original Score
Dune

Best Original Song
“No Time to Die” from No Time to Die

Best Sound
Dune

Best Visual Effects
Dune

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The 94th annual Academy Awards named CODA Best Picture, beating out a category with a whopping 10 nominees.

This marks the first time a movie from a streaming service claimed the night’s highest honor, as it was offered by Apple TV+.  The movie’s producers, Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger accepted the award and thanked the Academy “for letting our CODA make history tonight.”

They also spoke about the numerous difficulties they faced filming the groundbreaking movie, such as delaying scenes shot on the ocean at 4 a.m. because of inclement weather.  Despite everything, they praised director Sian Heder, who “kept the boat afloat and you’ve been the best captain a producer can ever dream of, really.”

CODA became the film to beat on Sunday, winning all three awards for which it was nominated — Best Actor in a Supporting Role, which was won by Troy Kotsur, as well as Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.

CODA is a heartwarming story about a musically talented teenager, played by Emilia Jones, and her relationship with her deaf parents and deaf brother.

The award was presented by Lady Gaga and Liza Minnelli.

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Jessica Chastain was the actress to beat on Sunday night’s Academy Awards — winning Best Actress for her starring role as the late televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker in The Eyes of Tammy Faye.  This is her first win and third nomination for the honor.

Jessica shouted out her fellow nominees, especially The Lost Daughter star Olivia Colman, saying “Being included with you in this conversation was such an honor.”

The actress also had love for her co-star, Andrew Garfield, calling him “brilliant” and praising, “Thank you for bringing out the best in me by showing up bringing the best of you.”  

Chastain celebrated her character, Tammy Faye, whom she praised for showing kindness to everyone regardless of their sexual orientation, health or ethnicity.

“So many people… feel hopelessness and feel alone.  Suicide is a leading cause of death in the United States,” she said, revealing it has affected her family.  She then spoke out against the “bigoted legislation that is sweeping our country with the only goal of further dividing us.” 

Chastain said everyone has a “desire to be accepted for who we are… and to live a life without the fear of violence or terror.”  She added, “I want you to know you are unconditionally loved for the uniqueness that is you.”

If you are in crisis or know someone in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741. You can reach Trans Lifeline at 877-565-8860 (U.S.) or 877-330-6366 (Canada) and The Trevor Project at 866-488-7386.

 

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