nomination
Oscar nominations Tuesday could give blockbusters a boost
A year after a streaming service won Hollywood's top honor for the first time, big-screen spectacles are poised to dominate nominations to the 95th Academy Awards on Tuesday (January 24, 2023).
Nominations will be announced at 8:30 am EST from the academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California. They will air live on ABC's “Good Morning America” and be live-streamed on Oscars.org, Oscars.com, and on several of the academy's social media platforms. Riz Ahmed ("Sound of Metal") and Allison Williams ("M3gan") will read the nominees.
If things go as expected, “Top Gun: Maverick," “Avatar: The Way of Water," “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” and “Elvis” could all rack up somewhere between six and nine nominations. If last year's Oscars were dominated by streaming — Apple TV+'s “CODA” won best picture and Netflix landed 27 nominations — movies that drew moviegoers to multiplexes make up many of this year's top contenders.
Read more: 'Top Gun,' 'Black Panther' advance in Oscars shortlist
That includes “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” the A24 sci-fi indie hit. Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan's multiverse-skipping tale could walk away with the most nominations Tuesday, including nods for Michelle Yeoh and comeback kid Ke Huy Quan.
Also at the front of the pack is “The Banshees of Inisherin,” Martin McDonagh's Ireland-set dark comedy, which is set to score as many as four acting nods, including nominations for Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.
Steven Spielberg's “The Fabelmans” struggled to catch on with audiences, but the director's autobiographical coming-of-age tale is set to land Spielberg his 20th Oscar nomination and eighth nod for best-director. John Williams, his longtime composer, should extend his record for the most Oscar nominations for a living person. Another nod for best score will give Williams his 53rd nomination, a number that trails only Walt Disney's 59.
Read more: Oscar winners cut off their hair to support Iran protests
Many questions remain, though, like whether the love for “Top Gun: Maverick” will go far enough to win Tom Cruise a best actor nomination. The year's other highest-grossing blockbuster, “Avatar: The Way of Water," should score well in the technical categories, though less certain is whether director James Cameron will make it into the best director field. After that category saw the first back-to-back wins for female filmmakers — Chloé Zhao ("Nomadland") in 2021, Jane Campion ("The Power of the Dog") last year — no women are expected to be nominated for best director.
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences will surely celebrate a best picture field populated with blockbusters. Ratings for the telecast have typically been higher in years with much-watched films as favorites. Last year's awards had been looking like a comeback edition for the Oscars before “the slap” came to define the ceremony. In the aftermath, the academy banned Will Smith from attending for the next 10 years. Though he could have still been nominated, Smith's performance as a runaway slave in “Emancipation” didn't catch on.
Last year's broadcast drew 15.4 million viewers, according to Nielsen, up 56% from the record-low audience of 10.5 million for the pandemic-marred 2021 telecast. This year, ABC is bringing back Jimmy Kimmel to host the March 12 ceremony, one that will surely be seen as a return to the site of the slap.
Read More: Oscar Best Picture Winners: Looking Back at the Last 15 Years
But larger concerns are swirling around the movie business. Last year saw flashes of triumphant resurrection for theaters, like the success of “Top Gun: Maverick,” after two years of pandemic. But partially due to a less steady stream of major releases, ticket sales for the year recovered only about 70% of pre-pandemic business. Regal Cinemas, the nation's second-largest chain, announced the closure of 39 cinemas this month.
At the same time, storm clouds swept into the streaming world after years of once-seemingly boundless growth. Stocks plunged as Wall Street looked to streaming services to earn profits, not just add subscribers. A retrenchment has followed, as the industry again enters an uncertain chapter.
In stark contrast to last year's Academy Awards, this year may see no streaming titles vying for the Oscars' most sought-after award — though the last spots in the 10-movie best-picture field remain up for grabs. Netflix's best shots instead are coming in other categories, notably with animated film favorite “Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio” and the German submission, “All Quiet on the Western Front.”
Read More: Will Smith confronts Chris Rock, then wins best actor Oscar
Bogura by-election: Hero Alam’s nomination cancelled again
The nomination papers of Ashraful Hossain Alam alias Hero Alam, who has collected papers for contesting the upcoming by-elections for Bogura-4 and Bogura-6 constituencies as independent candidate, were turned down by the Election Commission on Sunday.
Deputy Commissioner Saiful Islam said the nomination papers of eleven candidates including Hero Alam were cancelled as the Election Commission found mismatched documents against their affidavits.
If there is any objection, he/she can file an appeal against it, he said.
Also Read: Accept Hero Alam’s nomination, HC orders EC
When talking, Hero Alam said “I will file an appeal and if my nomination papers prove valid, I will contest for the two constituencies.”
Hero Alam has collected nomination papers for contesting the upcoming by-election for Bogura-4 and Bogura-6 constituencies as an independent candidate.
The Election Commission has announced the date of the by-election in the vacant post for February 1.
Hero Alam contested for Bogura-4 (Kahalu-Nandigram) constituency as an independent candidate in the 11th national election. He got 638 votes.
Also Read: Bogura by-election: Hero Alam collects nomination
On December 2, 2018, the nomination paper of much-talked-about independent candidate for Bagura-4 seats Ashraful Alam alias Hero Alam was turned down by the Election Commission as he could not properly submit the signatures of one percent voters of his constituency.
Later, he filed an appeal petition challenging the Election Commission’s decision which was rejected by the Appellate Division.
The Supreme Court declared his nomination legal.
Hero Alam also failed to collect nomination paper from Jatiya Party for the by-elections.
Armeen Musa, Nashid Kamal get 2023 Grammy nomination
Bangladeshi singer-songwriter Armeen Musa and her mother and eminent Nazrul exponent Dr Nashid Kamal have been nominated for the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in the category of Best Global Music Album on Wednesday.
The mother-daughter duo's song "Jaago Piya," which was featured on the Berklee Indian Ensemble's debut album "Shuruaat," enabled them as the first Bangladeshis to be nominated for the world's most famous musical awards.
Read more: 15 receive Aga Khan Music Awards 2022
Confirming the news to UNB on Tuesday night, Armeen Musa said she is overwhelmed by this achievement. “Still in disbelief,” she said although the official website of Grammy also confirmed the nomination on Wednesday.
The first in a series of original compositions from the Berklee Indian Ensemble, "Jaago Piya" was originally written and voiced by Armeen Musa, while Dr Nashid Kamal penned the Bengali version of the lyrics.
Legendary Asian musicians including Ustaad Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan and Shreya Ghoshal, to name a few, are also featured on the Berklee Indian Ensemble's (BIE) debut album ‘Shuruaat’, alongside Armeen Musa.
Read more: List of Grammy winners in top categories
One of the most popular music artists in present Bangladesh and the first-ever the first Bangladeshi student in the Berklee Indian Ensemble and a Visva-Bharati trainee in Indian Classical music, Armeen Musa garnered critical acclaim for songs including “Bhromor Koiyo Giya,” “Lona Deyal” and more. She is the founder of the music troop ‘Ghaashphoring Choir’.
Writ seeks cancellation of Tabith’s nomination
A writ petition was filed with High Court on Sunday seeking cancellation of BNP's Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Tabith Awal’s nomination bringing allegation of concealing wealth information in election affidavit.