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ZEE5 Global to premiere Kajal Arefin Ome directed telefilm 'Thanda'
ZEE5 Global, the largest OTT platform for South Asian content, is set to stream 'Thanda', a ZEE5 Original telefilm created by popular director Kajal Arefin Ome.
The platform has dropped an intriguing poster of the telefilm recently on its social media handles.
Thanda, starring the famous faces of Ome's fan-favourite drama series Bachelor Point including Chashi Alam, Ziaul Hoque Polash, Marzuk Russell and Mishu Sabbir, is all set to bring some comical delight to viewers, ZEE5 said in a press release.
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It says: "Thanda captures the delights of bachelorhood as the protagonists find their way through modern life. The film stars the very famous four Chashi Alam, Ziaul Hoque Polash, Marzuk Russell and Mishu Sabbir in lead roles, portraying contrasting personalities."
Scheduled to be released in June on ZEE5 Global, Thanda is a fictional comedy film about the lives of four bachelors living in Dhaka. It will be free to watch for viewers across Bangladesh.
Archana Anand, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 Global, said, “We’re building out a very strong library of local Bangla Originals on ZEE5 to add to our huge content offering, and are now happy to add Thanda to this. Thanda is an out-and-out entertainer for our viewers, and they can expect many more interesting stories and laughs from this film.”
Read Bengali OTT Platforms for Watching Movies, Web Series, Musical Shows
The ZEE5 App can be downloaded from Google Play Store or the iOS App Store. ZEE5 is also available on www.ZEE5.com.
The app is also available on Samsung Smart TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Amazon Fire TV.
Bangladesh's Billal to perform with West Bengal's Haimanti Sukla
Bangladeshi playback singer Billal Hossain Jewel will perform with renowned Indian Bengali singer Haimanti Sukla.
Haimanti Sukla, a famed Bengali singer of India's West Bengal state, said: "The duet recording of songs is likely to be done in Kolkata after considering the Covid-19 situation."
Billal did not have to look back after his first album "Sei Je Bolei Gelo" hit the market in 2004. The singer hoped that his duet songs with Haimanti Sukla will become popular among the listeners of two Bengals.
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Jolie says judge in Pitt divorce won’t let children testify
Angelina Jolie criticized a judge who is deciding on child custody in her divorce with Brad Pitt, saying in a court filing that the judge refused to allow their children to testify.
Jolie, who has sought to disqualify Judge John Ouderkirk from the divorce case, said in the filing Monday that he declined to hear evidence she says is relevant to the children’s safety and well-being before issuing a tentative ruling. The documents don’t elaborate on what that evidence may be.
“Judge Ouderkirk denied Ms. Jolie a fair trial, improperly excluding her evidence relevant to the children’s health, safety, and welfare, evidence critical to making her case,” according to the filing in California’s Second District Court of Appeal.
Read:Churchill painting owned by Angelina Jolie sells for $11.5M
The actress also said the judge “has failed to adequately consider” a section of the California courts code, which says it is detrimental to the best interest of the child if custody is awarded to a person with a history of domestic violence. Her filing did not give details about what it was referring to, but her lawyers submitted a document under seal in March that purportedly offers additional information.
Jolie sought a divorce in 2016, days after a disagreement broke out on private flight ferrying the actors and their children from France to Los Angeles. Pitt was accused of being abusive toward his then-15-year-old son during the flight, but investigations by child welfare officials and the FBI were closed with no charges being filed against the actor. Jolie’s attorney said at the time that she sought a divorce “for the health of the family.”
Her new filing says the judge has “refused to hear the minor teenagers’ input as to their experiences, needs, or wishes as to their custody fate,” citing a California code that says a child 14 or over should be allowed to testify if they want to.
Three of Jolie and Pitt’s six children are teenagers, 17-year-old Pax, 16-year-old Zahara, and 14-year-old Shiloh. The oldest, Maddox, is 19 and not subject to the custody decision. They also have 12-year-old twins, Vivienne and Knox.
In response to Jolie’s filing, Pitt’s attorneys said, “Ouderkirk has conducted an extensive proceeding over the past six months in a thorough, fair manner and reached a tentative ruling and order after hearing from experts and percipient witnesses.”
Pitt’s filing said the judge found Jolie’s testimony “lacked credibility in many important areas, and the existing custody order between the parties must be modified, per Mr. Pitt’s request, in the best interests of the children.”
Read:Angelina Jolie lauds Bangladesh’s leadership role in Rohingya crisis
It says Jolie’s objections and further delays in reaching an arrangement would “work grave harm upon the children, who will be further denied permanence and stability.”
It’s not clear what the current custody arrangement is because the court seals most files. When the divorce process began, Pitt sought joint custody and Jolie sought primary physical custody — meaning the children would live more than half the time with her. But changes have been made that have not been made public.
Peter Harvey, a lawyer for Jolie who is close to the case but not directly involved, said the actress “supports joint custody” but the situation is complicated and he can’t go into detail because the court proceedings are under seal.
Divorce lawyers for both sides declined to comment on the new filings.
Harvey told The Associated Press that Jolie’s family struggles have prompted her to take a more active role in changing the law’s approach to custody issues.
“Ms. Jolie has been working privately for four and a half years to both heal her family and to fight for improvements to the system to ensure that other families do not experience what hers has endured,” said Harvey, a former attorney general of New Jersey who has been working with Jolie on policy issues.
Read: Judge says Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are now single
Jolie has sought to disqualify Ouderkirk, a private judge she and Pitt chose to maintain their privacy, arguing that he has an improper business relationship with one of Pitt’s attorneys.
She said in Monday’s filing that if the tentative custody decision is made final by Ouderkirk, she will appeal it.
Jolie, 45, and Pitt, 57, were among Hollywood’s most prominent couples for 12 years. They had been married for two years when Jolie filed for divorce. They were declared divorced in April 2019, after their lawyers asked for a judgment that allowed a married couple to be declared single while other issues remained, including finances and child custody.
For youth-connect, Vivo ropes in Bidya Sinha Mim
Leading global smartphone brand Vivo has roped in actress and model Bidya Sinha Mim as its brand ambassador for its flagship V series.
As part of this collaboration, Mim will appear in different key visuals of the smartphone maker to further strengthen the image of its premium V series. This is a continuation of Vivo's association with various opinion leaders to further the value of the flagship series in Bangladesh.
Bidya Sinha has a strong fan following in Bangladesh, whom Vivo has referred to as a "perfect fit" for the youth-centric smartphone brand. She has been part of the Vivo family since the launch of the V20 series last year. Vivo hopes that this collaboration further strengthens the brand’s connection with the local consumers of Bangladesh.
Read:Vivo V21 Review with Price in Bangladesh
On the collaboration, Mim said she is thrilled to partner with a youth-centric brand like Vivo, especially for the premium V series. “I have been a fan of Vivo for such a long time, and I have previously worked with some of their products. It is my absolute honour to represent a brand that is loved by the youth."
Tanzib Ahamed, Deputy Brand Manager of Vivo Bangladesh, said, “Our V series has been about excellence and precision. We are delighted to partner with Mim for our flagship V series, which is known and loved for its sleek design and ultimate camera photography."
"The youth loves Bidya Sinha Mim for her talent and beauty, and she is perfect for this role. We hope that Mim’s inclusion will enhance the overall local connection of the V series and will also be in sync with the brand’s spirit," he added.
Grammys overhaul process for picking nominees for top awards
The Grammy Awards have changed its tune and voted to remove its anonymous nomination review committees — groups that determined the contenders for key awards at the coveted music show.
The Recording Academy made the announcement Friday after the board of trustees met and approved the change. The decision came hours after The Associated Press reported that the academy was planning to discuss its nomination review committees and whether it was time to eliminate them.
“It’s been a year of unprecedented, transformational change for the Recording Academy, and I’m immensely proud to be able to continue our journey of growth with these latest updates to our awards process,” Harvey Mason Jr., the academy’s interim president and CEO, said in a statement Friday.
Also read: BTS on 1st Grammy nod: 'It’s hard to express in words'
“This is a new Academy, one that is driven to action and that has doubled down on the commitment to meeting the needs of the music community. While change and progress are key drivers of our actions, one thing will always remain — the Grammy Award is the only peer-driven and peer-voted recognition in music,” he continued. “We are honored to work alongside the music community year-round to further refine and protect the integrity of the awards process.”
The Weeknd blasted the Grammys and its nomination review committees, calling them “corrupt" after he earned zero nominations for the 2021 show. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/)
The major change comes months after The Weeknd blasted the Grammys and called them “corrupt” after he earned zero nominations for the 2021 show despite having the year’s biggest single with “Blinding Lights.” Nominees will now be based purely on votes made by the academy’s 11,000+ voting members, and the academy said that “more than 90 percent of its members will have gone through the requalification process by the end of this year, ensuring that the voting body is actively engaged in music creation.”
For the Grammys’ top four awards — album, song and record of the year, along with best new artist — a nomination review committee of at least 20 music generalists in past years selected the top eight nominees from those voted into the top 20.
The majority of the 80-plus Grammy categories were voted by nomination review committees, which were intended to safeguard a specific genre’s integrity and to serve as additional checks and balances. While nominees for some categories like best pop vocal album and best pop solo performance were based purely on votes, a number of genre categories had nomination review committees. Those included the rap, rock, R&B, country, dance/electronic music, American Roots, Latin, jazz and gospel/Christian music fields. Nomination review committees for those groups consisted of 13 to 17 voting members who selected five nominees from the top 15.
But questions have loomed for years around the nominations process with music industry players calling for more transparency because the selection of finalists happens behind closed doors. Others have claimed that members of key nominating committees promote projects they worked on or projects they favor based on personal relationships.
Last year the academy announced that musicians invited to participate in a nomination review committee would have to agree to the terms of a conflict of interest disclosure form and reveal if they would benefit from an artist’s nomination for that category, whether the ties are financial, familial or creative.
That seemed like a response to former Recording Academy CEO Deborah Dugan, who was fired only months into her job and days before the 2020 Grammys. Dugan had said the awards show was rigged and muddled with conflicts of interest.
The Grammys have been criticized over the diversity in its top prizes, which rarely go to rap and contemporary R&B stars, including Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem and Kanye West. Those acts are mostly restricted to winning rap and R&B Grammys, not the major ones.
Doubts about the Grammys voting process reached greater heights when The Weeknd — who topped the charts with “Blinding Lights” and “Heartless,” launched an uber-successful album with “After Hours” and even performed at the Super Bowl — was severely snubbed at this year’s show, held last month. The Grammys contrasted most of the other music awards shows, where The Weeknd was a key nominee (he earned 16 Billboard Music Award nominations Thursday), and he vowed to boycott the show.
Also read: Grammy-winning duo Daft Punk break up after 28 years
Change has been a center of conversation at the Grammys for years. The organization has been criticized over the diversity in its top prizes, which rarely go to rap and contemporary R&B stars, including heavyweights like Beyoncé, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, Drake, Jay-Z, Mariah Carey and John Legend. While those acts have won in the rap and R&B categories, when it comes to major prizes such as album, song and record of the year, the winners tend to be in the pop, rock, jazz or country genres. The organization has also been targeted for its lack of female winners in the top categories.
Three years after Macklemore & Ryan Lewis won three rap Grammys in 2014 over Kendrick Lamar, a decision that was heavily criticized, a nomination review committee was added to the rap field to help prevent similar problems from occurring. (Photo by Dan Steinberg)
While there is some negativity linked to nomination review committees, some members preferred them so they can protect who is allowed to be part of a specific genre. For instance, the rap field at the Grammys added a nomination review committee three years after Macklemore & Ryan Lewis won three rap Grammys in 2014 over Kendrick Lamar, a decision that was heavily criticized by the music community and public, and even Macklemore himself.
Other changes announced Friday include limiting how many genre categories voters can vote in, which has been reduced from 15 to 10. The academy said that “those 10 categories must be within no more than three (genre) fields.” All voters can vote for the top four awards.
The academy also introduced two new awards, bringing its total to 86: best global music performance and best música urbana album.
The 64th annual Grammy Awards will air live on January 31, 2022. Nominees will be announced later this year, and eligible songs and albums must be released between Sept. 1, 2020 and Sept. 30, 2021.
5 arrested in violent robbery of Lady Gaga’s dogs
The woman who returned Lady Gaga’s stolen French bulldogs was among five people arrested in connection with the theft and shooting of the music superstar’s dog walker, Los Angeles police said Thursday.
Detectives do not believe that the thieves initially knew the dogs belonged to the pop star, the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. The motive for the Feb. 24 robbery, investigators believe, was the value of the French bulldogs — which can run into the thousands of dollars.
The dog walker, Ryan Fischer, is recovering from a gunshot wound and has called the violence “a very close call with death” in social media posts. He was walking Lady Gaga’s three dogs — named Asia, Koji and Gustav — in Hollywood just off the famed Sunset Boulevard when he was attacked.
Video from the doorbell camera of a nearby home shows a white sedan pulling up and two men jumping out. They struggled with Fischer and one pulled a gun and fired a single shot before fleeing with two of the dogs, Koji and Gustav.
Also read: Lady Gaga’s dog walker speaks out after Hollywood shooting
The video captured Fischer’s screams of, “Oh, my God! I’ve been shot!” and “Help me!” and “I’m bleeding out from my chest!”
Lady Gaga offered a $500,000 reward — “no questions asked” — to be reunited with the dogs. The singer had been in Rome at the time filming a movie.
The dogs were returned two days later to an LAPD station by a woman who originally appeared to be “uninvolved and unassociated” with the crime, police initially said. The woman, identified Thursday as 50-year-old Jennifer McBride, had reported that she’d found the dogs and responded to an email address associated with the reward, police said.
McBride turned out to be in a relationship with the father of one of the suspects, the LAPD said Thursday. It was not immediately clear if she had received the reward.
Police arrested James Jackson, 18; Jaylin White, 19; and Lafayette Whaley, 27, in connection with the violence. They are charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to commit robbery and second-degree robbery, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Jackson, who authorities say was the shooter, also faces charges of assault with a semiautomatic firearm and a felon carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle. White faces one count of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury.
White’s father, 40-year-old Harold White, and McBride were arrested and accused of being accessories to the attack. The elder White also was charged with one count of possession of a firearm and McBride faces a charge of receiving stolen property.
Also read: Lady Gaga falls off stage while dancing with fan
Jackson, Whaley and the Whites are all documented gang members, according to the LAPD.
The five suspects were scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. It was not immediately clear if they had attorneys who could speak on their behalf.
All five were being held on $1 million bail each, online jail records show.
Lady Gaga did not immediately address the arrests on her social media accounts Thursday afternoon. Fischer and Lady Gaga’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment.
Not quite a movie, but the Oscars were a love letter
The 93rd Academy Awards wasn’t exactly a movie, but it was a show made for people who love learning about movies. And it stubbornly, defiantly wasn’t trying to be anything else. It wasn’t an advertisement for the nominated films that audiences at home may or may not have seen, a well-heeled stand-up routine or a star-studded concert. Although it did, curiously, turn into a brief musical trivia game 2 hours and 40 minutes into the evening. Best actress winner Frances McDormand said later upon collecting her trophy that, “They didn’t ask me but if they had, I would have said karaoke.”
There probably would have been fewer bleeps.
It was a show unlike any others this year and if you didn’t have a working knowledge of the films going into the night, the ceremony may have been a little mystifying. The spectacular musical numbers, atop the new Academy Museum and in Iceland, were pre-recorded and broadcast during the pre-show. There were no montages, barely any clips and only one major trailer debut during the commercial breaks (for Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” ). Aside from Regina King’s brisk strut through Los Angeles’ historic Union Station that kicked of the show with candy colored credits, it was a subtle, subdued and sincere affair (mostly).
Also read: A complete list of all the winners at the 2021 Oscars
Few would deny that the Oscars had gotten, if not stale, too safe. Certainly there were moments of excitement, whether in an unexpected winner, an true upset or something as colossal as announcing the wrong best picture winner. And this year had some historic possibilities up its sleeves, some of which it made good on ( like Chloé Zhao winning for directing and Youn Yuh-jung for supporting actress ) and some of which it didn’t (a Black woman still has yet to win two Oscars).
But it also had an impossible checklist: Revitalize the format, celebrate the movies, bring back awards show glamour, avoid a ratings disaster, get audiences excited about going back to the movies and put on a pandemic-safe show in person and without Zoom. It’s a big haul, not to mention the non-pandemic fact that the only thing that had gotten more predictable than the Oscars was people criticizing the Oscars: Too long, too boring, too preachy, not preachy enough, too irrelevant, too many montages (or not enough montages). It’s the show that many love to hate and no format or venue tweaks was ever going to change that.
Union Station, a legendary movie location already, provided a grand and fresh setting for the proceedings. They were shooting it all in 24 frames-per-second. The presenters were called cast members. Once it all got underway, however, it became clear that the transit hub was being used neither as supporting character nor symbol: It was just background — a place to construct the elegant Art Deco banquets where the nominees were seamlessly cycled in and out throughout the ceremony. And the cast of Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt, Rita Moreno and Reese Witherspoon? They were just presenters too. No one even seemed to interact with one another.
The ceremony was imbued with interesting personal anecdotes and a flurry of factoids about everyone’s love of the movies that will surely necessitate some Wikipedia updates. There were beautiful and funny moments too and some that wouldn’t be possible if an orchestra was there playing people off. Would we have heard best supporting actor winner Daniel Kaluuya thank his parents for, well, doing what they needed to do to have him? Or best international film director Thomas Vinterberg reveal, through tears, that his daughter was killed in a car crash four days into filming “Another Round?”
Also read: Frances McDormand a double Oscar winner for 'Nomadland'
With more time and a more intimate setting that felt like a throwback to the earliest days of the Oscars, when they were just an untelevised banquet for 270 people, it seemed the winners were ready to get personal with their speeches. They were talking to a small room of friends and peers: Not the anonymous faces of sponsors and friends of the studios/networks/financiers that usually help populate the 3,400 seats at the Dolby Theater (not to mention the global audience). Plus, the walk to the stage was mercifully short. And it was inspired to have Marlee Matlin present in American Sign Language and Bong Joon Ho in Korean.
Yet as the night wore on, some of the choices started to get more questionable. The biggest change was the decision to not present the best picture award last. Although likely conceived to ensure a finale with a star and not a stage of producers, it backfired. After “Nomadland” won the top prize, McDormand seemed even less interested in collecting hers. And it certainly didn’t help that the show ended on a down note when best actor went not to the late Chadwick Boseman as expected, but to Anthony Hopkins who simply wasn’t in attendance. It’s not a judgment of either performance, just the fact that it was an abrupt and unsatisfying conclusion. And just like that, the 93rd Oscars were over.
Usually the host bears the brunt of the blame or praise for the failure or success of an awards show. This year, however unfair, judgment is going to land on the most famous of the three producers: Steven Soderbergh. Like some Soderbergh productions, the 93rd Oscars were so different, with a voice and a pacing all its own, that its magic might not be immediately evident. But there was also, to use a film school cliché, a lot of telling and not a lot of showing. Never was that so clear as when the broadcast sped through the In Memoriam as though on fast forward.
There’s a danger in promising too much and the more-like-a-movie-less-like-a-television show concept was, in retrospect, a little lofty for what we got. No one’s asking for their money back: The 93rd Oscars were by far the best movie awards show of the past year. Hopefully it’s also the last pandemic show we’ll ever have to endure.
Anthony Hopkins wins best actor Oscar for 'The Father'
Anthony Hopkins has won his first Oscar since he took one home for playing Hannibal Lecter.
Despite his pedigree, Hopkins was a surprise winner.
Also Read: ‘Nomadland’ wins best picture at a social distanced Oscars
The late Chadwick Boseman was expected to win the award, which in a very rare move from the academy was the last to be handed out this year instead of best picture.
It was also an anti-climax on a show where Hopkins wasn’t present to accept the trophy. Joaquin Phoenix’s reading of his name was the last dramatic moment of a most unusual ceremony.
The second Oscar for Hopkins comes nearly 30 years after his first in 1992, for playing Hannibal Lecter in “The Silence of the Lambs.” He’s been nominated four times since without a win.
The 80-year-old Hopkins won the Oscar Sunday night for his role as a man who battles with dementia opposite Olivia Colman in the film directed by Florian Zeller.
Also Read: Chloé Zhao makes Oscar history, winning best director
In addition to Boseman, he beat out fellow nominees Riz Ahmed, Gary Oldman and Steven Yeun.
An Oscars unlike any other to get underway Sunday
An Oscars unlike any before will get underway Sunday night, with history on the line in major categories and a telecast retooled for the pandemic.
The 93rd Academy Awards will begin at 8 p.m. EDT on ABC. There will be no host, no audience, nor face masks for nominees attending the ceremony at Los Angeles’ Union Station — this year’s hub for a show usually broadcast from the Dolby Theatre. In contrast with the largely virtual Golden Globes, Zoom boxes have been closed out — though numerous international hubs and satellite feeds will connect nominees unable to travel.
Show producers are hoping to return some of the traditional glamor to the Oscars, even in a pandemic year. The red carpet is back, though not the throngs; only a handful of media outlets will be allowed on site. (E! red carpet coverage starts at 3 p.m.) Casual wear is a no-no. The pre-show on ABC begins at 6:30 p.m. EDT and will include pre-taped performances of the five Oscar-nominated songs. The ceremony is available to stream on Hulu Live TV, YouTubeTV, AT&T TV, FuboTV and on ABC.com with provider authentication.
Pulling the musical interludes (though not the in memoriam segment) from the three-hour broadcast — and drastically cutting down the time it will take winners to reach the podium — will free up a lot of time in the ceremony. And producers, led by filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, are promising a reinvented telecast.
The Oscars will look more like a movie, Soderbergh has said. The show will be shot in 24 frames-per-second (as opposed to 30), appear more widescreen and the presenters — including Brad Pitt, Halle Berry, Reese Witherspoon, Harrison Ford, Rita Moreno and Zendaya — are considered “cast members.” The telecast’s first 90 seconds, Soderbergh has claimed, will “announce our intention immediately.”
But even a great show may not be enough to save the Oscars from an expected ratings slide. Award show ratings have cratered during the pandemic, and this year’s nominees — many of them smaller, lower-budget dramas — won’t come close to the drawing power of past Oscar heavyweights like “Titanic” or “Black Panther.” Last year’s Oscars, when Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite” became the first non-English language film to win best picture, was watched by 23.6 million, an all-time low.
Also read: Is this an ‘Asterisk Oscars’ or a sign of things to come?
Netflix dominated this year with 36 nominations, including the lead-nominee “Mank,” David Fincher’s black-and-white drama about “Citizen Kane” co-writer Herman J. Mankiewicz. The streamer is still pursuing its first best-picture win; this year, its best shot may be Aaron Sorkin’s “The Trial of the Chicago 7.”
But the night’s top prize, best picture, is widely expected to go to Chloé Zhao’s “Nomadland,” a contemplative character study about an itinerant woman (Frances McDormand) in the American West. Should it be victorious, it will be one of the lowest budget best-picture winners ever. Zhao’s film, populated by nonprofessional actors, was made for less than $5 million. (Her next film, Marvel’s “Eternals,” has a budget of at least $200 million.)
Zhao is also the frontrunner for best director, a category that has two female filmmakers nominated for the first time. Also nominated is Emerald Fennell for the scathing revenge drama “Promising Young Woman.” Zhao would be just the second woman to win best director in the academy’s 93 years (following Kathryn Bigelow for “The Hurt Locker”), and the first woman of color.
History is also possible in the acting categories. If the winners from the Screen Actors Guild Awards hold — “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’s” Chadwick Boseman for best actor, Viola Davis for best actress; Yuh-Jung Youn (“Minari”) for best supporting actress; and Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) for best supporting actor — it would the first time nonwhite actors swept the acting categories — and a dramatic reversal from recent “OscarsSoWhite” years.
Several of those awards appear to be locks, particularly for the late Boseman, who would become the third actor to ever win a posthumous Academy Award following Peter Finch and Heath Ledger. Taylor Simone Ledward, Boseman’s widow, has often accepted previous honors on his behalf.
Also read: Oscar nominations Monday could belong to 'Mank' and Netflix
If there’s one less certain category, it’s best actress. Davis, who has won previously for her performance in “Fences,” is up against Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”) and two-time winner McDormand. Prognosticators call it a three-way toss up.
Sunday’s pandemic-delayed Oscars will bring to a close the longest awards season ever — one that turned the season’s industrial complex of cocktail parties and screenings virtual. Eligibility was extended into February of this year, and for the first time, a theatrical run wasn’t a requirement of nominees. Some films — like “Sound of Metal” — premiered all the way back in September 2019.
The pandemic pushed several anticipated movies out of 2020, but a few bigger budget releases could still take home awards. Pixar’s “Soul” appears a sure-thing for best animated film, and Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” — which last September tried to lead a moviegoing revival that fizzled when virus cases spiked and many theaters couldn’t reopen — will likely win for its visual effects.
But for the first time, Hollywood’s most prestigious awards will overwhelming belong to films that barely played on the big screen. The biggest ticket-seller of the best picture nominees is “Promising Young Woman,” with $6.3 million in box office.
Also read: A Sudan in transition presents first-ever film for Oscars
Lately, with vaccinations expanding, signs of life have begun to show in movie theaters — most of which are operating at 50% capacity. Warner Bros.′ “Godzilla vs. Kong” has made around $400 million worldwide, which theater owners point to as proof that moviegoers are eager for studios to again release a regular diet of big movies. Right now, the date circled on cinema calendars is May 28, when both Paramount’s “A Quiet Place Part II” and Disney’s “Cruella” arrive in theaters — though “Cruella” will simultaneously stream for $30.
But it’s been a punishing year for Hollywood. Around the world, movie theater marquees replaced movie titles with pleas to wear a mask. Streaming services rushed to fill the void, redrawing the balance between studios and theaters — and likely forever ending the three-month theatrical exclusivity for new releases. Just weeks before the Oscars, one of Los Angeles’ most iconic theaters, the Cinerama Dome, along with ArcLight Cinemas, went out of business.
After the pandemic, Hollywood — and the Oscars — may not ever be quite the same. Or as WarnerMedia’s new chief executive Jason Kilar said when announcing plans to shift the studio’s movies to streaming: “We’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Bollywood's Sonu Sood tests positive for Covid
Actor Sonu Sood is the latest Bollywood celebrity to have contracted coronavirus. He is currently in home isolation in the city of Mumbai.
Sonu, who helped thousands of migrant workers stranded by the Covid-19 lockdown in Mumbai return home last year, took to Instagram on Saturday to inform his fans that he has tested positive for Covid.
"Covid-positive. Mood and spirit -- super positive. Hi every, this is to inform you that I have tested positive this morning for Covid-19," the 47-year-old wrote.
Also read: Bollywood's Aamir Khan tests positive for Covid-19
"As a part of precautions, I have already quarantined myself and taking utmost care. But don't worry this gives me ample time to solve your problems. Remember I am always there for you all."
Though he started his acting career in regional language films in southern India in 1999, Sonu began starring in Hindi films in 2002. He earned accolades for his role in Mani Ratnam's Yuva in 2004 and in Aashiq Banaya Aapne a year later.
In 2010, the former model played the lead villain in Abhinav Kashyap's blockbuster Dabangg, co-starring with superstar Salman Khan. He also owns a production house.
Also read: Bollywood actor Gaurav Dixit absconding after drug raids
A number of Bollywood celebrities, right from singer Kanika Kapoor to actors Aamir Khan, Sunny Deol, Amitabh Bachchan and his son Abhishek, have been tested positive for the deadly virus since the pandemic broke out in March last year.
Luckily, all of them have recovered from Covid.