Karla Sofía Gascón Makes History as First Openly Trans Oscar-Nominated Actress

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Emilia Pérez first picked up Oscar buzz when it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where film pundits praised the musical-drama-comedy’s leading lady, Karla Sofía Gascón’s performance. Gascón received her flowers Thursday morning making history as the first openly trans actress to earn an Oscar nomination.

Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez, follows a cartel leader, played by Gascon, who is in search of gender affirming surgery and seeks help from a Mexico city lawyer Rita, played by Zoe Saldaña. After becoming Emilia Perez, the former drug boss returns to Mexico, reunites with her estranged wife Jessi (Selena Gomez) and kids, under the guise of “Aunt Emilia,” and kickstarts a nonprofit for victims of drug violence.

Gascón previously won the best actress award alongside her Emilia Pérez stars Gomez, Saldaña, and Adriana Paz at Cannes. She’s also picked up best actress nominations at the Critics Choice, Golden Globes, and the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

As Emilia Perez won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture in a Musical or Comedy category, Gascón stood before the microphone, highlighting the importance of representation and self-actualization.

“You can maybe put us in jail,” Gascón said to the Globes audience. “You can beat us up, but you never can take away our soul, our existence, our identity.”

Although Gascón is the first openly trans actress to receive a nomination, the first Oscar nomination for a performer went to the singer Anohni in 2016 for best song. Anohni later boycotted the award ceremony. Elliot Page also received a nomination for the 2007 film Juno, and came out as trans in 2020.

Before Gascón’s transition, she starred in Mexican telenovelas like 2009’s Corazón Salvaje and the 2013 film Nosotros los Nobles. She announced her transition in 2018 autobiography, Karsia, Una Historia Extraordinaria, and picked up roles in MasterChef Celebrity Mexico and Netflix’s Rebelde.

Despite online critics bashing the film’s portrayal of transness and lack of Mexican born protagonists, Emilia Pérez picked up a leading 13 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Original Score.

Don Lemon Says the ‘Public Misses’ Matt Lauer and ‘Would Accept’ His Comeback After Sexual Misconduct Allegations: ‘Women Love Him … Ratings Would Be Great’

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Don Lemon appeared on the “Hollywood Raw Podcast” with hosts Dax Holt and Adam Glyn (via Entertainment Weekly) and shared his belief that “the public misses” Matt Lauer, who served as the co-anchor of NBC’s “Today” from 1997 to 2017. Lauer was fired in 2017 after an NBC employee accused him of sexual assault. Several more women then came forward with sexual misconduct claims against him. Although Lauer denied the sexual assault allegations, he did admit in a statement at the time that “there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.”

When asked on the podcast if Lauer could mount a comeback to the news industry, Lemon answered: “I think that if he could come back to digital, he can set his own course.”

“I only got to know Matt after, you know, the whole situation happened, because we live in the same town and we have mutual friends,” Lemon said. “Whenever I see Matt out and about — or you know, if we go out to dinner, my husband and I go out to dinner with him and his fiancée — and people love him. Women love him! They’re like, ‘Man, oh my God, can I get a picture? I love you. I miss you on television.’ I think the public loves him. The public misses him, but it’s just the… it’s the people inside the business who are afraid.”

Lemon speculated that “maybe in this whole Trump era” where being “canceled is over” there is a chance for Lauer to return, although he added: “I think it’s more the people who are inside of the business who are concerned about, you know, what happened with Matt. I’ll put it this way. I think the general public would accept Matt back. And I think people would watch him and I think the ratings would be great.”

“I don’t know anything about what happened, I know nothing about that at all,” Lemon concluded, referring to the allegations against Lauer. “Women can feel the way that they feel and I understand that but that’s their business. I know when I’m out with him, everybody loves Matt, and everybody flocks to Matt and everyone wants a picture and everyone says ‘I miss you and we wanna see you back on television.’ I hear it every time.”

As for Lemon, the former CNN anchor was fired from the network in 2023 after Variety published a report on his alleged sexist behavior towards female colleagues through the years. Lemon attempted his own comeback on a digital platform with “The Don Lemon Show” on X, but it was abruptly canceled by Elon Musk. Lemon is currently suing Musk over fraud, breach of express contract and more.

Watch Lemon’s full interview on the “Hollywood Raw Podcast” in the video below.

‘Labyrinth’ Sequel in Development Nearly 40 Years After David Bowie-Led Original, with Robert Eggers Directing: Report

Jen Juneau is a News and Movies Staff Writer at PEOPLE. She started at the brand in 2016 and has more than 15 years’ professional writing experience.

Labyrinth is reportedly getting a sequel, nearly 40 years after the original.

Deadline reports that Robert Eggers (Nosferatu) has finalized a deal to direct a follow-up to the 1986 Jim Henson musical fantasy film, which starred the late David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King and Jennifer Connelly, in one of her earliest big-screen roles, as Sarah.

Eggers, 41, will also co-write the screenplay alongside Sjón, whom he previously collaborated with on The Northman (2022), per Deadline. The outlet further reports that producers on the TriStar Pictures project will include Chris Columbus and daughter Eleanor Columbus plus Jim’s daughter Lisa Henson, with executive producer Brian Henson, Jim’s son.

Plot details are unknown at this time.

A rep for Eggers declined to confirm the project, while a rep for Sony Pictures, which counts TriStar among its subsidiaries, has not responded to PEOPLE’s request for comment.

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A sequel to Labyrinth has been in development for at least nine years and was initially slated to be directed by Scott Derrickson (Doctor Strange) from a script by Guardians of the Galaxy co-writer Nicole Perlman, Entertainment Weekly reported in January 2016. Four years later, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Maggie Levin would write the screenplay.

The original film featured Connelly, now 54, as Sarah, a teenager who goes through an otherworldly maze to rescue her infant brother Toby, whom she wished away to Jareth (Bowie, who died in 2016 at the age of 69). Sarah has to rescue her brother from Jareth before he becomes a goblin himself.

The first film was directed by Muppets creator Jim, and was the last movie he directed before his death in 1990 at age 53. Besides Connelly and Bowie, plus the humans playing baby Toby and Sarah and Toby’s parents, Labyrinth’s other characters are played by puppets.

While the 1986 film received mixed reviews and was a commercial failure, it has gained a cult following in the nearly four decades since its release.

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Eggers’ most recent film, Nosferatu, was released on Christmas Day last month, to mostly positive reviews. The remake of the 1922 classic Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror stars Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, Bill Skarsgård, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Emma Corrin and Willem Dafoe.

Nosferatu currently holds an 85% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and has been nominated for numerous awards, including four at the upcoming Oscars ceremony: Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

Teen who killed 3 girls at Taylor Swift-themed dance class in U.K. gets over 50 years in prison

A teenager who stabbed three young girls to death at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in England was sentenced Thursday to more than 50 years in prison for what a judge called “the most extreme, shocking and exceptionally serious crime.”

Judge Julian Goose said 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana “wanted to try and carry out mass murder of innocent, happy young girls.”

Goose said that he couldn’t impose a sentence of life without parole, because Rudakubana was under 18 when he committed the crime.

But the judge said he must serve 52 years, minus the six months he’s been in custody, before being considered for parole, and “it is likely he will never be released.”

Rudakubana was 17 when he attacked the children in the seaside town of Southport in July, killing Alice Da Silva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6. He wounded eight other girls, ranging in age from 7 to 13, along with teacher Leanne Lucas and John Hayes, a local businessman who intervened.

The attack shocked the country and set off both street violence and soul-searching. The government has announced a public inquiry into how the system failed to stop the killer, who had been referred to the authorities multiple times over his obsession with violence.

Rudakubana faced three counts of murder, 10 of attempted murder and additional charges of possessing a knife, the poison ricin and an al-Qaida manual. He unexpectedly changed his plea to guilty on all charges on Monday.

But he wasn’t in court to hear sentence passed on Thursday.

Hours earlier he had been led into the dock at Liverpool Crown Court in northwest England, dressed in a gray prison tracksuit. But as prosecutors began outlining the evidence, Rudakubana interrupted by shouting that he felt ill and wanted to see a paramedic.

Goose ordered the accused to be removed when he continued shouting. A person in the courtroom shouted “Coward!” as Rudakubana was taken out.

The hearing continued without him.

Prosecutor Deanna Heer described how the attack occurred on the first day of summer vacation when 26 little girls were “gathered around the tables making bracelets and singing along to Taylor Swift songs.”

Rudakubana, armed with a large knife, intruded and began stabbing the girls and their teacher.

The court was shown video of the suspect arriving at the Hart Space venue in a taxi and entering the building. Within seconds, screams erupted and children ran outside in panic, some of them wounded. One girl made it to the doorway, but was pulled back inside by the attacker. She was stabbed 32 times but survived.

Gasps and sobs could be heard in court as the videos played.

Heer said two of the dead children “suffered particularly horrific injuries which are difficult to explain as anything other than sadistic in nature.” One of the dead girls had 122 injuries, while another suffered 85 wounds.

The prosecutor said Rudakubana had “a longstanding obsession with violence, killing, genocide.”

“His only purpose was to kill. And he targeted the youngest and most vulnerable in society,” she said, as relatives of the victims watched on in the courtroom.

Heer said that when he was taken to a police station, Rudakubana was heard to say: “It’s a good thing those children are dead, I’m so glad, I’m so happy.”

The killings triggered days of anti-immigrant violence across the country after far-right activists seized on incorrect reports that the attacker was an asylum-seeker who had recently arrived in the U.K. Some suggested the crime was a jihadi attack, and alleged that police and the government were withholding information.

Rudakubana was born in Cardiff, Wales, to Christian parents from Rwanda, and investigators haven’t been able to pin down his motivation. Police found documents about subjects including Nazi Germany, the Rwandan genocide and car bombs on his devices.

In the years before the attack, he had been reported to multiple authorities over his violent interests and actions. All of the agencies failed to spot the danger he posed.

In 2019, he phoned a children’s advice line to ask “What should I do if I want to kill somebody?” He said he had taken a knife to school because he wanted to kill someone who was bullying him. Two months later, he attacked a fellow student with a hockey stick and was convicted of assault.

Prosecutors said Rudakubana was referred three times to the government’s anti-extremism program, Prevent, when he was 13 and 14 — once after researching school shootings in class, then for uploading pictures of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi to Instagram and for researching a London terror attack.

But they concluded his crimes should not be classed as terrorism because Rudakubana had no discernable political or religious cause. Heer said “his purpose was the commission of mass murder, not for a particular end, but as an end in itself.”

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said this week the country must face up to a “new threat” from violent individuals whose mix of motivations test the traditional definition of terrorism.

“After one of the most harrowing moments in our country’s history, we owe it to these innocent young girls and all those affected to deliver the change that they deserve,” Starmer said after the sentencing.

Several relatives and survivors read emotional statements in court, describing how the attack had shattered their lives.

Lucas, 36, who ran the dance class, said that “the trauma of being both a victim and a witness has been horrendous.”

“I cannot give myself compassion or accept praise, as how can I live knowing I survived when children died?” she said.

A 14-year-old survivor, who can’t be named because of a court order, said that while she was physically recovering. “we will all have to live with the mental pain from that day forever.”

“I hope you spend the rest of your life knowing that we think you’re a coward,” she said.

The prosecutor read out a statement from the parents of Alice Da Silva Aguiar, who said their daughter’s killing had “shattered our souls.”

“We used to cook for three. Now we only cook for two. It doesn’t seem right,” they said. “Alice was our purpose for living, so what do we do now?”

Don Lemon thinks former ‘Today’ host Matt Lauer deserves a comeback: ‘Women love him’

Don Lemon is predicting a major comeback for Matt Lauer, eight years after the former news anchor’s colossal fall from grace.

During his Wednesday visit to the Hollywood Raw Podcast with Dax Holt and Adam Glyn, Lemon proved that he is in Lauer’s corner while pondering his friend’s future career prospects. Asked if he believes Lauer could successfully return to the industry, Lemon replied, “I think that if he could come back to digital, he can set his own course.”

The former CNN anchor went on to share that to this day, Lauer is still approached by fans in public.

“I only got to know Matt after, you know, the whole situation happened, because we live in the same town and we have mutual friends,” Lemon explained. “Whenever I see Matt out and about — or you know, if we go out to dinner, my husband and I go out to dinner with him and his fiancée — and people love him.”

He added, “Women love him! They’re like, ‘Man, oh my God, can I get a picture? I love you. I miss you on television.’ I think the public loves him. The public misses him, but it’s just the… it’s the people inside the business who are afraid.”

Lauer was famously fired from his role as a Today anchor in 2017 when former NBC employee Brooke Nevils alleged that he sexually assaulted her. Lauer denied the allegations, which were detailed in Ronan Farrow’s 2019 book about the #MeToo movement, Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predator. Afterward, several more women came forward with sexual misconduct claims against Lauer, which he acknowledged in a statement, saying, “Some of what is being said about me is untrue or mischaracterized, but there is enough truth in these stories to make me feel embarrassed and ashamed.”

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Lemon went on to argue that Lauer might have a better chance of returning to the industry in light of President Donald Trump’s reelection. (More than a dozen women have accused the sitting president of sexual assault or harassment and in one 2023 case, he was found liable of sexual abuse.)

“Maybe in this whole Trump era, when canceled is over, maybe there is a way that he’ll come back,” Lemon said of Lauer. “I think it’s more the people who are inside of the business who are concerned about, you know, what happened with Matt.”

He continued, “I’ll put it this way. I think the general public would accept Matt back. And I think people would watch him and I think the ratings would be great.”

As for the allegations against Lauer, Lemon said, “I don’t know anything about what happened, I know nothing about that at all.” He praised the former TV host as a “talented person,” adding, “Women can feel the way that they feel and I understand that but that’s their business. I know when I’m out with him, everybody loves Matt, and everybody flocks to Matt and everyone wants a picture and everyone says ‘I miss you and we wanna see you back on television.’ I hear it every time.”

Last year, Lauer made a rare public appearance at the wedding of Lemon and his longtime partner, Tim Malone. Lemon, a news anchor himself, was abruptly fired from CNN in 2023, following an extensive Variety report with allegations of sexist behavior and the denigration of female colleagues dating back to 2008.

Lemon attempted his own comeback with The Don Lemon Show on X, but the show was abruptly canceled by the social media platform’s owner, Elon Musk. Lemon is now suing Musk, alleging fraud, negligent misrepresentation, misappropriation of his name and likeness, unjust enrichment, and breach of express contract.

Kendrick Lamar Enlists SZA as Special Guest for Super Bowl Halftime Show

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Kendrick Lamar is bringing along an old friend for his Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show performance with the announcement that his frequent collaborator and former label mate SZA will join him on stage.

In a promotional clip shared on his social media accounts, Lamar is shown chatting on his cell on a football field, stating that he has plans to bring another artist along during the performance. “I’ve been thinking about a guest performer,” he states before getting cut off by SZA, who spills a cooler of blue drink onto him in slow motion.

The guest appearance doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as the two have long been collaborators. Most recently, SZA turned up for two songs — “Luther” and “Gloria” — on Lamar’s surprise-released album “GNX,” while he returned the favor on SZA’s “30 for 30” off “Lana.”

The Super Bowl performance is a well-timed tee-up for Lamar and SZA’s upcoming 2025 Grand National Tour, slated to kick off in Minnesota on Apr. 19. The 19-date trek will make stops in Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Detroit and Los Angeles, before wrapping at Washington, D.C. on June 18.

Super Bowl LIX is scheduled to be played on February 9, 2025, at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans and will air on Fox. The telecast will be produced by DPS with Roc Nation and Jesse Collins serving as executive producers. Hamish Hamilton will direct, while creative direction is being handled by pgLang.

The performance will be Lamar’s second during the halftime show, following his featured spot during Dr. Dre’s 2022 all-star tag team of Lamar, Mary J. Blige, Snoop Dogg, Eminem and 50 Cent. It also follows Lamar’s musical battle with Drake earlier this year, which not only resulted in a resounding win for the Compton-born rapper, but one of the year’s biggest songs with “Not Like Us.”

Demi Moore, 62, earns first ever Oscar nomination after career-defining comeback

The Oscar 2025 nominees were announced on Thursday afternoon and fans have been shocked by some of the top selections.

Saturday Night Live and Wicked star Bowen Yang and Bodies Bodies Bodies actress Rachel Sennott announced the nods this morning, while Conan O’Brien will host the main show next month.

Among the Academy Award nominees, Demi Moore landed her first nomination for her efforts in the Substance, after smashing her awards season.

The 62-year-old was mentioned in the best actress list, alongside WIcked’s Cynthia Erivo, Anora star Mikey Madison, Fernanda Torres for I’m Still Here and Karla Sofía Gascón for Emilia Pérez.

Timothee Chalamet has been recognized for his efforts as Bob Dylan in the recent A Complete Unknown biopic, earning a best actor nod alongside a host of other huge stars.

The Brutalist star Adrien Brody also makes up the list, beside Ralph Fiennes for Conclave, Sing Sing’s Colman Domingo and The Apprentice actor Sebastian Stan.

Cynthia’s Wicked co-star Ariana Grande earned her first ever Oscar nod in the best supporting actress category, going up against Monica Barbaro for A Complete Unknown, Felicity Jones in the Brutalist, Conclave’s Isabella Rossellini and Zoe Saldana for Emilia Pérez.

Succession stars Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong will be battling it out against each other for supporting actor, thanks to their incredible efforts in A Real Pain and The Apprentice respectfully.

Anora star Yura Borisov, A Complete Unknown’s Edward Norton and The Brutalist actor Guy Pearce also make up the category.

In a huge change from previous years, the Academy announced that there would be no live performances of the best original song nominees – due to the ongoing LA wildfires.

Normally the festivities include live performances of all the nominees for the best original song category, Last year memorably included a larger-than-life I’m Just Ken rendition led by Ryan Gosling and a whole host of fellow Kens.

An internal letter, via Entertainment Weekly, said the show will ‘reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry’ and include ‘powerful musical moments.

‘We will celebrate their artistry through personal reflections from the teams who bring these songs to life. All of this, and more, will uncover the stories and inspiration behind this year’s nominees.’

Instead, there is expected to be a spotlight on the songwriters behind the nominations.

The Brutalist has received high praise from critics and is expected to win several awards at the Oscars. The nearly four-hour-long film from Bradley Corbet has already won three Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture Drama.

The Brutalist also won nine Bafta nominations and another nine nominations at the Critics Choice Award.

The epic period drama film is the biopic of an imaginary Hungarian architect and Holocaust survivor, László Tóth – played by Adrian Brody.

The Substance is another huge film this season. The body horror flick starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley has delighted and disgusted fans since it was released in September 2024.

History was made for Demi at the Golden Globes as she won the Best Actress award for the first time ever.

‘Thirty years ago, I had a producer tell me that I was a popcorn actress and at that time, I made that mean that this wasn’t something that I was allowed to have, that I could do movies that were successful, that made a lot of money, but that I couldn’t be acknowledged,’ she said on stage during Sunday’s ceremony.

‘I bought in, and I believed that, and that corroded me over time, to the point where I thought a few years ago that maybe this was it, maybe I was complete. I’ve done what I was supposed to do.

‘And as I was at kind of a low point, I had this magical, bold, courageous, out-of-the-box, absolutely bonkers script come across my desk called The Substance, and the universe told me that you’re not done.’

The film has also received five Bafta nominations, plus six Critics Choice Award nominations.

The awards season has already been filled with drama as shows have been boycotted and cancelled because of the fires.

Some celebrities – including Stephen King – have spoken about cancelling the Oscars and revealed that he wouldn’t be voting for any of the films in the lead-up to the show.

Despite winning four Golden Globes, five European Film Awards and being nominated for eleven Baftas, Emilia Pérez, Jacques Audiard’s musical about a Mexican drug lord, has been hit with major criticism for its depiction of Mexico.

Mexican screenwriter Héctor Guillén tagged the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences – who run the Oscars – the day after the Globes in a post that highlighted why people are unhappy with the film’s depiction of the country.

The screenwriter shared an image of a poster that read: ‘Mexico hates Emilia Pérez. “Racist Euro Centrist Mockery.” Almost 500K dead and France decides to do a musical. No Mexicans in their cast or crew.

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Sobbing Ariana Grande reacts to first Oscar nod for ‘Wicked’ — and…

The actress, 31, had a touching reaction to receiving her first Oscar nomination on Thursday.

Grande is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Wicked” alongside fellow nominees Monica Barbaro (“A Complete Unknown”), Felicity Jones (“The Brutalist”), Zoe Saldaña (“Emilia Pérez”) and Isabella Rossellini (“Conclave”).

“Picking my head up in between sobs to say thank you so much to @theacademy for this unfathomable recognition. I cannot stop crying, to no one’s surprise,” the singer captioned her Instagram post shortly after the announcement.

“I’m humbled and deeply honored to be in such brilliant company and sharing this with tiny ari who sat and studied Judy Garland singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow just before the big, beautiful bubble entered.”

Grande added: “I’m so proud of you, tiny. thank you again, from the bottom of my heart, for this acknowledgement @theacademy.”

The actress also took a moment to thank “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu “for taking this chance on me and for being the most unbelievably brilliant leader, human being, and most fierce friend,” before acknowledging Cynthia Erivo, 38, who received her own Academy nod for Best Actress.

“I am so deeply proud of my beautiful Wicked family. I am so proud of my Elphie, my sister, my dear @cynthiaerivo,” penned Grande. “Your brilliance is never ending and you deserve every flower (tulip) in every garden. I love you unconditionally, always.”

While Grande admitted that she doesn’t “quite have all my words yet, I’m still trying to breathe,” she does want her immense gratitude to shine through.

“But thank you. Oh my goodness, thank you. Universal, Marc, my family, my heart. lemons and melons and pears, oh my.”

The “Sam and Cat” alum posted an adorable picture of herself as a toddler dressed as Garland’s iconic “Wizard of Oz” character Dorothy, a video of her singing portions of “Defying Gravity” as a teen and snaps of her in costume as Glinda with Erivo.

“Wicked” received 10 Oscar nominations and tied for second-most nominated with “The Brutalist.”

Grande is also nominated in the best supporting actress category at the Critics’ Choice Awards and SAG Awards, which both take place in February.

Ethan Slater, meanwhile, shared his own sweet social media shout-out to his girlfriend.

He posted a shot of Grande from the back holding pink balloons and staring out the window. The pair met on set of the film as he plays munchkin Boq.

Chu, meanwhile, gushed over his own nod via his Instagram Stories.

“It’s way too early, I had too much coffee. But also I was really happy for our movie. Couldn’t be more proud of our crew and cast and everyone in between who made this movie possible,” he wrote on Thursday. “The greatest adventure of creativity I have ever been a part of.”

‘Emilia Pérez’ leads Oscar nominations with 13, setting record for a non-English language film

In the wake of devastating wildfires in Los Angeles that struck at the heart of the movie industry, an embattled Hollywood lined up behind the Netflix narco-musical about trans identity “Emilia Pérez” in Oscar nominations Thursday.

Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” a Spanish language, French-made film, dominated the nominations with a leading 13 nominations, including best picture and best actress for Karla Sofía Gascón, making her 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 Zoe Saldaña.

Netflix, despite its starring role in Hollywood, has never won best picture. Many of its top contenders have previously racked up large numbers of nominations (including “Mank,” “The Irishman” and “Roma”) but gone home with only a handful of trophies.

“Emilia Pérez,” though, may be its best chance yet. It became the most nominated non-English language film ever, surpassing Netflix’s own “Roma,” which scored 10 nominations. Only three films — “All About Eve,” “Titanic” and “La La Land” — have scored more nominations in Academy Awards history.

Another musical — “Wicked,” the smash Broadway adaptation — came away with nearly as many nominations. Jon M. Chu’s lavish “Wizard of Oz” riff scored 10 nominations, including best picture and acting nods for its stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.

“The Brutalist,” Brady Corbet’s postwar epic filmed in VistaVision, also came away with a commanding 10 nominations, including best picture, best director and nominations for actor Adrien Brody, Guy Pearce and Felicity Jones. The A24 release

The nominees for best picture are: “Anora”; “The Brutalist”; “A Complete Unknown”; “Conclave”; “Dune: Part Two”; “Emilia Pérez”; “I’m Still Here.”; “Nickel Boys”; “The Substance”; “Wicked.”

In a wide-open Oscar race, the six most honoured films — ” “Emilia Pérez,” “Wicked,” “The Brutalist,” “Anora” (six nominations) “Conclave” (eight nominations) and “A Complete Unknown” (eight nominations) — all fared as expected. The biggest surprises were the Brazilian film “I’m Still Here,” which also landed Fernanda Torres a best actress nomination, and RaMell Ross’ “Nickel Boys,” a POV-shot drama that had been overlooked by many guilds in earlier voting.

Those nominees likely displaced a few best-picture possibilities in “Sing Sing,” “September 5” and “A Real Pain,” though those films all landed nominations elsewhere.

One of 2024’s most audacious films, “The Apprentice ” landed a surprising pair of nominations, for Sebastian Stan and Jeremy Strong. The film dramatizes the formative years of President Donald Trump’ s emergence in New York real estate under the tutelage of attorney Roy Cohn. Trump has called those involved with the film “human scum.”

In the best actor category, where Stan and Brody were nominated, the other nominees were Timothée Chalamet (“A Complete Unknown”), Colman Domingo (“Sing Sing”) and Ralph Fiennes (“Conclave”). Most notably left out was Daniel Craig, acclaimed for his very un-James Bond performance in “Queer.”

Best actress, a category that Demi Moore has appeared to have locked up for her full-bodied performance in “The Substance,” saw nominations for Moore, Gascón, Torres, Erivo and the star of “Anora,” Mikey Madison. Arguably the year’s most competitive category, that left out Marianne Jean-Baptiste (“Hard Truths”), Pamela Anderson, “The Last Showgirl”), Nicole Kidman (“Babygirl”) and Angelina Jolie (“Maria”).

In the directing category, “The Substance” filmmaker Coralie Fargeat managed to crack into the otherwise all-male group of Sean Baker (“Anora”), Corbet, Audiard and James Mangold (“A Complete Unknown”). Most had expected Edward Berger to be nominated for directing the papal thriller “Conclave.”

Supporting actor was led by Kieran Culkin, the favorite for the award, for his performance in “A Real Pain.” The other nominees were: Yura Borisov (“Anora”), Guy Pearce (“The Brutalist”), Edward Norton (“A Complete Unknown”) and Strong.

The supporting actress nominations went to Grande, Saldaña, Jones, Monica Barbaro (“A Complete Unknown”) and Isabella Rossellini (“Conclave”).

The nominations had originally been planned for Jan. 17. But after wildfires on Jan. 7 began burning through the Pacific Palisades, Altadena and other areas around Los Angeles, leaving behind historic levels of destruction, the academy extended its voting window and twice postponed the nominations announcement. Fresh fires outside Los Angeles continued Thursday.

With so many in the film industry reeling from the fires, some called on the academy to cancel the Oscars altogether. Academy leaders have argued the March 2 ceremony must go ahead, for their economic impact on Los Angeles and as a symbol of resilience for the industry. Organizers have vowed this year’s awards will “celebrate the work that unites us as a global film community and acknowledge those who fought so bravely against the wildfires.”

“We will reflect on the recent events while highlighting the strength, creativity, and optimism that defines Los Angeles and our industry,” Bill Kramer, academy chief executive, and Yang said in an email to members Wednesday.

But much of the usual frothiness Hollywood’s award season has been severely curtailed due to the fires. The film academy canceled its annual nominees luncheon. Other events have been postponed or downsized. On Wednesday, Kramer and Yang said original song nominees won’t be performed this year. Conan O’Brien, whose Pacific Palisades home was spared by the fires, is hosting.

The Oscar nominations followed a up-and-down year for Hollywood that saw expansive post-strike delays, wide swaths of unemployed workers due to an industry-wide production slowdown and the tragedy of the California fires in January. Most humbling, perhaps, was the presidential election that returned Trump to office in a race where podcaster Joe Rogan seemed to hold more sway than all A-listers combined.

At the same time, even amidst a downturn for the superhero film, the industry rallied behind some galvanizing hits, including Universal Pictures’ “Wicked,” and three Walt Disney Co. $1 billion grossers in “Inside Out 2,” “Deadpool and Wolverine” and “Moana 2,” a film originally developed as a series for Disney+. Those films missed nominations Thursday, except for “Inside Out 2,” which joined the best animated nominees of “The Wild Robot,” “Flow,” “Memoir of a Snail” and “Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl.””

That uncertain state of the movies seemed to be reflected in the Oscar nominations, which were spread across films both widely seen and little noticed, theatrically released and predominantly streaming.

But unlike last year, when Hollywood rallied around the success of “Oppenheimer,” the 2024 movie year offered up no clear frontrunner for the industry’s top honor. With five weeks to go until the Oscar ceremony, at least four or five movies – including “The Brutalist,” “Emilia Pérez,” “Anora,” “Conclave” and “Wicked” – are seen having a shot at best picture.

Everything We Know About Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl Halftime Show — As SZA Unveiled As Guest

Rapper Kendrick Lamar is performing at the Super Bowl Halftime Show in New Orleans next month, following a commercially successful year that was dominated by a high-profile feud — and Apple Music confirmed Thursday that R&B singer SZA would make an appearance in the show.

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Super Bowl LIX will be at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans on Feb. 9. It will air on Fox at 6:30 p.m. EST. The contenders will be decided this Sunday, when the Kansas City Chiefs play the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship and the Washington Commanders play the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship.

Fox Sports said the halftime show will likely happen between 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. EST, though it depends “on how the play on the field progresses.”

Most likely nothing. Artists who perform at the halftime show are typically not paid. The NFL has said in the past it does “not pay the artists,” but covers expenses and production costs. But some artists recently have spent their own money on their performances: In 2021, The Weeknd reportedly spent $7 million, and Dr. Dre reportedly spent a similar amount in 2022. And while they aren’t paid, artists see the benefits of the show elsewhere. Last year’s headliner Usher saw a 550% boost in Spotify streaming after his performance.

Headlining the show won’t be the first time Lamar will grace the halftime stage: He made a guest appearance during the 2022 halftime show that featured Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and more.

129.3 million. That’s how many viewers tuned into Usher’s halftime performance last year — making it the most viewed ever, according to The Associated Press. The Super Bowl is regularly the most-watched television event annually, and last year’s Kansas City Chiefs victory over the San Francisco 49ers was the most watched telecast in history, averaging over 123 million viewers, the NFL said.

Lamar has put out six studio albums and a number of other mixtapes and EPs, including his most recent album, “GNX,” which was surprise released in November. Last year, Lamar was charting on the Billboard Hot 100 amid his highly publicized feud with Drake, with both artists releasing diss tracks about each other. His diss track “Not Like Us” debuted at No. 1 in May, and Billboard reported Lamar’s entire music catalog saw an increase in streaming during the feud. Fans believe the pair has been feuding since 2013, but the dispute was restarted recently when Drake and J. Cole released “First Person Shooter,” in which Cole said he, Drake and Lamar were the “big three” of rap, to which Lamar responded it’s “just big me,” on his verse on “Like That” in March. This is the sixth year the NFL is partnering with Jay-Z’s company Roc Nation and the third year it’s partnering with Apple Music to put on the halftime show.