It noted that invitations were extended to a total of 819 artistes and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures.
According to the Academy, the 2020 class comprises 45% women, 36% underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 49% international from 68 countries, as part of its goal to double the number of women and underrepresented ethnic/racial communities.
It also noted that if the 819 members accept the invites, agent members of the 2020 class will be allowed voting privileges at the upcoming Oscars.
— Genevieve Nnaji MFR (@GenevieveNnaji1) July 1, 2020
In a tweet on Wednesday, the actress thanked the Academy, saying she was honoured to be a part of the family.
Other notable artists who were selected include Awkwafina, Zendaya Cynthia Erivo, Eva Longoria, John David Washington, Ladj Ly, Bernie Taupin, among others.
Bollywood on Friday called off its Oscars night, the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, because of the spreading coronavirus.
Organisers of the Indian cinema’s biggest awards ceremony said they had to postpone the three-day event in Indore starting March 27 because of the “sensitivity” of the mounting health crisis.
Bollywood’s biggest names including Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif were due to attend the gala where “Gully Boy”, an international hit about a Mumbai rapper, was favourite for the top awards.
Organisers said in a statement the decision to call off the show was taken “with due regard to growing concerns” around the spread of COVID-19, while keeping the health and safety of fans and the general community.
“A fresh date and plans for hosting IIFA in Madhya Pradesh will be announced at the earliest,” it added.
With nearly 1,800 titles released in 2018, India is the world’s biggest film industry in terms of movies made and is now a major exporter.
After using venues in several countries and other Indian cities, the 2019 IIFA returned to the Bollywood capital in Mumbai.
But the government has warned against holding mass gatherings because of the virus, which has infected 30 people in India so far.
Many conferences, celebrations for next week’s Holi religious festival and public events have been cancelled in recent days.
More than 3,300 people have died worldwide from the virus.
This week in entertainment news, we are covering a number of stories for you, including the Burna Boy afrobeat controversy, Davido’s latest milestone and the stunning variety of bespoke fashion at, arguably, the most prestigious film awards in the world, the Oscars.
Vibez is your weekly recap of top stories making the rounds in the showbiz world.
South Korean film director Bong Joon Ho (R) accepts the award for Best Director for “Parasite” from US director Spike Lee (L) during the 92nd Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 9, 2020. Mark RALSTON / AFP
South Korean shares linked to director Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning movie “Parasite” — a dark comedy about the gap between rich and poor — have soared after investors piled in following its unprecedented Academy Awards.
Shares in its production company, distributor and even an instant noodle maker featured in the film have all shot up since “Parasite” became the first non-English-language film to win Hollywood’s top prize on Sunday, prompting celebrations in South Korea.
By Wednesday’s close, Barunson E&A, the company that produced “Parasite”, was up 91 per cent on Seoul’s junior Kosdaq market from Friday, the last trading day before the Oscars ceremony.
Nongshim, a top South Korean food and beverage maker that makes the two instant noodles in the recipe featured in the movie, was up 11 per cent over the same period.
And “Parasite” distributor CJ ENM, already one of South Korea’s biggest media companies, was up 4.5 percent in the main Kospi market.
“Parasite” cost a reported 13.5 billion won to make — $11 million — but since its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May, it has earned $130 million worldwide.
US media giant HBO has secured the rights to adapt it into a miniseries.
Showbiz stars dazzled at the Oscars on Sunday 9, February, 2020.
Oscars night is the most glamorous in Hollywood, and the best in showbiz did not disappoint with their sartorial choices on Sunday.
Pink gowns were a serious trend, along with basic black and statement necklaces. And then of course, there were showstopping fashion moments that don’t neatly fit into any category.
Here is a look at the highlights from the Oscars red carpet:
Pretty in pink
Several A-listers went for feminine elegance in shades of pink.
Laura Dern, who won the best supporting actress crown for her work as a divorce lawyer in “Marriage Story,” wore a custom Armani gown with a bead-encrusted, tasseled black bodice and a flowing baby pink skirt.
Laura Dern attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Radhika Jones at Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on February 09, 2020 in Beverly Hills, California. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images/AFP
And she brought the ultimate accessory: her actress mom Diane Ladd, a three-time Oscar nominee herself.
Regina King, who won the same award last year for her role in “If Beale Street Could Talk,” stunned in a blush Versace gown with an asymmetrical neckline, one strap and sparkling silver detailing across the bodice.
And Idina Menzel — who performed the nominated song from “Frozen II” with several other actresses who voice Queen Elsa in foreign-language versions of Disney’s animated film — wore a strapless magenta J Mendel gown with a voluminous sash.
Completing the look was a massive teardrop diamond necklace.
US actress Regina King attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party following the 92nd annual Oscars at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills on February 9, 2020. (Photo by Jean-Baptiste Lacroix / AFP)
Young Julia Butters, the child actress who featured in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” joined the pink parade in a frothy cotton candy pink Christian Siriano dress.
The showstoppers
Some outfits just pop the instant you see them.
Janelle Monae, who opened the gala with a rousing medley number, shut the red carpet down in head-to-toe glittering silver Ralph Lauren. The backless gown had long sleeves, a full ball skirt and a slouchy hood.
Janelle Monáe attends the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on February 09, 2020 in Hollywood, California. Amy Sussman/Getty Images/AFP
Pop iconoclast Billie Eilish, the big winner at the Grammys two weeks ago and a performer on Sunday, kept up her signature “pajama couture” look in a white Chanel jacket and trousers, blinged out in the interlocking double-C logo.
Her lime green hair and claw-like black fingernails provided major contrast.
US singer-songwriter Billie Eilish attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party following the 92nd Oscars at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills on February 9, 2020. (Photo by Jean-Baptiste Lacroix / AFP)
And actor Billy Porter, who rocked the Oscars red carpet last year in a head-turning Christian Siriano tuxedo gown, donned a daring Giles Deacon gown with a sleeveless, gold, feather-detailed bodice and a wild print skirt.
Making a statement
Natalie Portman, a best actress Oscar winner in 2011 for “Black Swan,” let her feelings about the lack of nominations for female filmmakers be known — she had their names stitched into the black Dior cape she wore over her gown.
Those names included Lorene Scafaria (“Hustlers”), Lulu Wang (“The Farewell”), Greta Gerwig (“Little Women”) and Marielle Heller (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”).
US-Israeli actress Natalie Portman arrives for the 92nd Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 9, 2020. (Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP)
“I wanted to recognize the women who were not recognized for their incredible work this year in my subtle way,” Portman told the Los Angeles Times.
Basic black
Portman was not the only Hollywood star in basic black.
Penelope Cruz turned heads in her Chanel halter gown with the house’s signature white camellia on the bodice.
Saoirse Ronan, a nominee for best actress for her turn as Jo March in “Little Women,” wore a Gucci gown with a black bodice that exploded in a cream-colored flounce at the waist and a pale lilac skirt.
And by and large, the men went for the classic black tux, including best actor winner Joaquin Phoenix, who has worn the same Stella McCartney suit for the entire awards season.
Remembering Kobe
Veteran director Spike Lee, who won the best adapted screenplay Oscar last year for race drama “BlacKkKlansman,” rocked purple on the red carpet once again — this time to honor late basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
US director Spike Lee attends the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscar Party following the 92nd Oscars at The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts in Beverly Hills on February 9, 2020. (Photo by Jean-Baptiste Lacroix / AFP)
His jacket lapels bore the number 24, worn by the Lakers icon and Oscar winner, who was killed in a helicopter crash two weeks ago.
“Tribute. Honor. Homage. We all miss him,” Lee told ABC.
Best Actor winner Joaquin Phoenix; Best Actress winner Renee Zellweger; and Best Director winner Bong Joon-ho pose with their Oscars. Photos: AFP
Here are the winners in key categories for the 92nd Academy Awards, which were handed out on Sunday in Hollywood.
South Korean film “Parasite” was the big winner of the night, taking home four prizes — for best picture, best director, best original screenplay and best international feature film.
Best picture: “Parasite”
Best director: Bong Joon-ho, “Parasite”
Best actor: Joaquin Phoenix, “Joker”
Best actress: Renee Zellweger, “Judy”
Best supporting actor: Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood”
Best supporting actress: Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Best international feature film: “Parasite” (South Korea)
Best animated feature: “Toy Story 4”
Best documentary feature: “American Factory”
Best original screenplay: “Parasite” – Bong Joon-ho, Han Jin-won
Best adapted screenplay: “Jojo Rabbit” – Taika Waititi
Best original score: “Joker” – Hildur Gudnadottir
Best original song: “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from “Rocketman”
Brad Pitt accepts the Actor in a Supporting Role award for ‘Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood’ onstage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Dolby Theatre on February 09, 2020, in Hollywood, California. Kevin Winter/Getty Images/AFP
Brad Pitt’s Oscar win on Sunday marks a fitting comeback for the veteran actor whose personal life, rather than his on-screen roles, has dominated headlines in recent years.
Pitt won the golden statuette for his role as a laid-back fading stuntman in Quentin Tarantino’s ode to 1960s Tinseltown, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.”
“This is incredible, really incredible,” the 56-year-old said as he accepted the award — his first Academy Award for acting after more than 30 years in showbiz and three previous performance nominations.
“They told me I only have 45 seconds up here, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week,” he said, in reference to President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial.
“I’m thinking maybe Quentin does a movie about it — in the end, the adults do the right thing.”
His quips were the latest in a string of pithy, often funny speeches delivered as he swept a glut of prizes this award season including a Golden Globe, targeting everything from divorce to Prince Harry.
On Sunday, he bested a crowded field of four former Oscar winners — Joe Pesci and Al Pacino for Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” Anthony Hopkins (“The Two Popes”) and Tom Hanks (“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”).
But it was not his first Oscar — he won a best picture prize in 2014 as one of the producers of “12 Years a Slave.”
Pitt’s performance in “Once Upon a Time…” earned him rave reviews, with Britain’s Sunday Times describing it as the best by a movie star in 2019.
The award is a well-earned win for the Hollywood heartthrob, who has kept a low profile since 2016 as he went through a messy divorce with Angelina Jolie and a bitter custody battle over their six children.
Pitt faced accusations of child abuse, heavy drinking, and drug use.
Since then, he has talked at length about getting sober and attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings for a year and a half after having “taken things as far as I could take” them.
“This is for my kids who color everything I do. I adore you,” he said Sunday.
Even before his relationship with Jolie, Pitt has endured the constant tabloid spotlight — especially during his engagement to Gwyneth Paltrow and subsequent marriage to Jennifer Aniston.
“In the 90s, all that attention really threw me,” Pitt told The New York Times in an interview last year.
“It was really uncomfortable for me, the cacophony of expectations and judgments. I really became a bit of a hermit and just bonged myself into oblivion.”
Focus on producing
Raised in Springfield, Missouri, Pitt was the eldest of three children whose father owned a trucking company and aspired to give his kids a better life.
Pitt moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s on a whim, dropping out of college just two credits shy of earning a degree in journalism.
After doing some odd jobs, including dressing as a chicken for a fast-food restaurant, he started getting small TV roles, including on “Dallas” and “21 Jump Street.”
His breakout role came in 1991 as a sexy hustler in Ridley Scott’s smash hit “Thelma & Louise” starring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon.
That success propelled him to a series of bigger roles — “A River Runs Through It” directed by Robert Redford, “Interview With the Vampire” opposite Tom Cruise, “Legends of the Fall” with Hopkins, and thriller “Se7en” all by 1995.
His first Oscar nod came for another 1995 film, the off-kilter “Twelve Monkeys” directed by Terry Gilliam.
By that time, Pitt was a bona fide A-lister.
After that, he showed versatility in his roles, starring in crime caper “Ocean’s Eleven” with George Clooney, psychological drama “Babel” and Tarantino’s “Inglorious Basterds.”
His other Oscar acting nods came for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” and “Moneyball,” a film he also produced.
Apart from “Once Upon a Time,” his comeback to the big screen in 2019 also included a critically acclaimed performance in space drama “Ad Astra,” in which he plays astronaut Roy McBride.
Going forward, Pitt — whose interests include sculpting and landscaping — has said he plans to increasingly focus on producing movies rather than appearing in front of the camera.
“It’ll be fewer and farther in between for me, just because I have other things I want to do now,” he told the Times.
“When you feel like you’ve finally got your arms around something, then it’s time to go get your arms around something else.”
The cast and crew of ‘Parasite’ accept the Best Picture award onstage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards. Kevin Winter/Getty Images/AFP
Movie history was made at the Oscars Sunday as South Korea’s black comedy “Parasite” became the first non-English-language film to win the best picture award, Hollywood’s biggest prize of all.
“Parasite,” about a poor South Korean family infiltrating a wealthy household, won a total of four awards, defying the received wisdom that the Academy would overlook a subtitled Asian movie.
“I thought I was done for the day and ready to relax,” filmmaker Bong Joon-ho said upon winning best director honors, before promising to “drink until next morning.”
But a bigger shock was in store as the movie beat frontrunner “1917” to win Best Picture.
“It feels like a very opportune moment in history is happening right now,” producer Kwak Sin-ae told an audience of Tinseltown A-listers, who cheered the film’s wins throughout the night at the Dolby Theatre.
“Parasite” also won the Oscar for best international feature, and became the first Asian film to scoop Best Original Screenplay.
“We never write to represent our countries,” Bong said earlier in the night when he took the screenplay award. “But this is (the) very first Oscar to South Korea. Thank you.”
Bong also paid tribute to his childhood hero and fellow nominee Martin Scorsese, drawing a standing ovation for the veteran director of “The Irishman.”
Phoenix and Zellweger win
The pre-Oscars favorite “1917,” Sam Mendes’s innovative and personal World War I movie about two soldiers crossing no-man’s-land, had to settle for best cinematography, visual effects and sound mixing prizes.
Joaquin Phoenix won his first Oscar for his turn in supervillain origin story “Joker,” the film that started the night with the most nominations.
In an emotionally charged speech, the actor railed against injustice and “an egocentric worldview” that leads to environmental destruction, before paying tribute to his actor brother River, who died of a drug overdose in 1993.
“I have been a scoundrel in my life,” admitted Phoenix, thanking Hollywood for not “canceling” him out and urging others to show similar forgiveness.
Renee Zellweger sealed a remarkable comeback after six years away from the screen by winning best actress for “Judy,” dedicating the award to Hollywood screen legend Judy Garland.
“Judy Garland did not receive this honor in her time. I am certain that this moment is an extension of the celebration of her legacy,” she said in accepting her second Oscar.
Politics reigns
Pitt, who claimed his first acting Academy Award for his supporting turn in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” was one of several winners to strike a political note.
“They told me I only have 45 seconds up here, which is 45 seconds more than the Senate gave John Bolton this week,” he said, referring to President Donald Trump’s recent impeachment trial.
“American Factory” — the first film from Barack and Michelle Obama’s production house, about a Rust Belt factory reopened by a Chinese billionaire — won Best Documentary.
Barack Obama tweeted his praise for “a complex, moving story about the very human consequences of wrenching economic change.”
Best Adapted Screenplay went to Nazi satire “Jojo Rabbit,” about a young boy corrupted by fascism.
Taika Waititi, who is of Maori origin, said he hoped the win would inspire “all the indigenous kids in the world who want to do art and dance and write stories.”
Musical tributes
The event’s luxury and glamour contrast with the grief enveloping Los Angeles over the recent deaths of Golden Age film legend Kirk Douglas and Oscar-winning basketball star Kobe Bryant.
Record Grammy-winning singer Billie Eilish sang a moving version of “Yesterday” to accompany the “in memoriam” montage for those Hollywood lost this year, which opened with Bryant and closed with Douglas.
Music was a prominent theme throughout the night, which began with a medley addressing a swirling row over the lack of minorities and female directors on the star-studded nominee list.
“We celebrate all the women who directed phenomenal films and I’m so proud to stand here as a black, queer artist,” singer Janelle Monae said.
Elton John, who won for Best Original Song from “Rocketman,” a film about his life, thanked best original song co-winner Bernie Taupin for being there “when I was screwed up, when I was normal.”
Icelandic composer Hildur Gudnadottir won Best Original Score for her haunting music for “Joker.”
“To the girls, to the women, to the mothers, to the daughters, who hear the music bubbling within, please speak up,” she said. “We need to hear your voices.”
No female directors were nominated this year — a theme referred to by several celebrities.
Natalie Portman, a best actress Oscar winner in 2011 for “Black Swan,” literally wore her feelings — she had their names stitched into the Dior cape she wore to the gala.
#MeToo movie “Bombshell,” the true story of sexual harassment at Fox News, won Best Make-up and Hairstyling.
Auto racing film “Ford v Ferrari” bagged two technical prizes, for film editing and sound editing.
The ceremony had no host for a second consecutive time, after last year’s batch of bright guest presenters caused a trend-bucking uplift in TV ratings.
Renée Zellweger accepts the Actress in a Leading Role award for ‘Judy’ onstage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards. Kevin Winter/Getty Images/AFP
Renee Zellweger scored the Oscar for best actress on Sunday for her performance as the American icon Judy Garland in “Judy” — the second Academy Award of her career.
She bested a stacked field that included Cynthia Erivo (“Harriet”), Scarlett Johansson (“Marriage Story”), Saoirse Ronan (“Little Women”) and Charlize Theron (“Bombshell”).
“Boy, it is an honor to be considered in your company,” she said, before praising the power of “heroes” to unite, calling out figures including Neil Armstrong, Selena, Harriet Tubman, and Martin Scorsese.
“Judy Garland did not receive this honor in her time. I am certain that this moment is an extension of the celebration of her legacy that began on our film set,” Zellweger said.
“Ms Garland, you are certainly among the heroes who unite and define us, and this is certainly for you.”
Mark Ruffalo presents the Documentary – Feature – award for ‘American Factory’ to Julia Reichert, Steven Bognar, and Jeff Reichert onstage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards. Kevin Winter/Getty Images/AFP
The Barack and Michelle Obama-produced film “American Factory” snagged an Oscar on Sunday for Best Documentary — a win for Netflix, which backed the story of a manufacturing plant in the US Midwest reopened by a Chinese billionaire.
The film charts a Rust Belt community’s journey from optimism at the giant plant’s reopening, which brought back vital jobs, towards creeping anger and disillusionment, as the Chinese management imposed strict, exhausting demands on workers — and sacked those who did not comply.
“Our film is from Ohio and China,” director Julia Reichert said. “But it really could be from anywhere that people put on a uniform, punch a clock, trying to make their families have a better life.”
“Working people have it harder and harder these days, and we believe that things will get better when workers of the world unite,” she said in accepting her statuette.
Congrats to Julia, Steven, and the whole crew on winning Best Documentary for #AmericanFactory, Higher Ground’s first release! So glad to see their heart and honesty recognized—because the best stories are rarely tidy or perfect. But that’s where the truth so often lies. https://t.co/qtdNEw9H3f
Co-directed by Reichert and Steven Bognar, the film is an all-access look at how both American and Chinese workers, from blue-collar to management, had their lives transformed by powerful global economic forces.
Julia Reichert, Jeff Reichert (R) and steven Steven Bognar (L) pose in the press room with the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature for “American Factory”. Photo: FREDERIC J. BROWN / AFP
The story was moving enough to catch notice from none other than the Obamas.
The former first couple acquired “American Factory” early last year at the Sundance Film Festival, where it had won the directing award.
It was released on Netflix in August 2019 as the first offering from the former first couple’s Higher Ground Productions company.
The film’s co-producer and the factory’s chairman were unable to leave China for the ceremony, due to White House restrictions on travel over the coronavirus panic.
“That inconvenience pales when compared to people losing their lives, suffering because of this virus,” co-director Bognar said backstage.
The Obamas congratulated Reichert and Bognar for their win Sunday, with the former president calling the film “a complex, moving story about the very human consequences of wrenching economic change.”
“Glad to see two talented and downright good people take home the Oscar for Higher Ground’s first release,” he tweeted.
Congrats to Julia and Steven, the filmmakers behind American Factory, for telling such a complex, moving story about the very human consequences of wrenching economic change. Glad to see two talented and downright good people take home the Oscar for Higher Ground’s first release. https://t.co/W4AZ68iWoY
Joaquin Phoenix accepts the Actor In A Leading Role award for ‘Joker’ onstage during the 92nd Annual Academy Awards. Kevin Winter/Getty Images/AFP
Joaquin Phoenix capped his awards season sweep with his first Oscar on Sunday for “Joker,” besting a packed field of nominees that included Antonio Banderas, Leonardo DiCaprio, Adam Driver, and Jonathan Pryce.
His first Academy Award follows months of controversy over the arthouse origin story about Batman’s nemesis, which stoked fears of inciting violence even as it hoarded nominations and awards.
“We share the same love, the love of film. This form of expression has given me the most extraordinary life,” the actor said before launching into an emotional call for Hollywood to “use our voice for the voiceless” and “fight against injustice.”
He ended his speech with a tearful tribute to his brother River, who died of an overdose in 1993 at age 23.
“Run to the rescue with love and peace will follow,” Phoenix said, quoting his brother.
Cast and crew of ‘Parasite’ on the Red Carpet at the 92nd Annual Academy Awards at Hollywood and Highland on Sunday, February 09, 2020, in Hollywood. Photo: Amy Sussman/Getty Images/AFP
The South Korean dark comedy “Parasite” on Sunday took home the Oscar for best international feature film — a category that until this year known as Best Foreign Language Film.
“I applaud and support the new direction that this change symbolizes,” said writer-director Bong Joon-ho, who bested a field that included Pedro Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory” and Ladj Ly’s “Les Miserables.”
The film, about a poor South Korean family infiltrating a wealthy household, is expected to battle “1917,” Sam Mendes’s innovative and personal World War I movie, for the night’s top prize, best picture.
“I’m ready to drink tonight,” Bong — who earlier won the award for best original screenplay — said to applause and laughter.
