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Thursday, January 14, 2016

Latest Movie News From Moviefone

Latest Movie News From Moviefone

Oscars 2016: Jennifer Lawrence Sets Age Nomination Record

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73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards - Press RoomMeryl Streep is the reigning queen of the Oscars, with a record 19 nominations under her esteemed belt. But another actress is on a hot streak that may soon threaten the thespian: Jennifer Lawrence just landed her fourth Academy Award nomination, for "Joy," and with it, the distinction of being the youngest person ever to nab that many Oscar nods.

Lawrence, 25, had previously set a record with her nomination for "American Hustle" two years ago, in which she became the youngest person (at 23) to earn three nominations from the Academy. (Her first two came for 2010's "Winter's Bone" and 2012's "Silver Linings Playbook"; she took home the latter Best Actress trophy.) But the actress keeps besting herself, and at the rate she's going -- four nominations in six years -- it seems plausible that she could surpass Streep's hallowed tally.

For one thing, Lawrence got an earlier start than Streep in the Oscars game (Lawrence earned her first nod at age 20; Streep's first nomination came at age 29 for 1978's "The Deer Hunter"). And Yahoo! makes a pretty convincing case for how Lawrence can continue her Oscars domination:

Let's say Lawrence was to keep up that pace (four nominations in six years) for the next four decades, until she reaches the same age Streep is today, 66. According to our calculations, Lawrence would have 31 nominations by time she turned 66. Streep, by contrast, has 19.

And with a string of prestigious projects in the works -- co-starring with Chris Pratt in the sci-fi romance "Passengers," playing the lead in Steven Spielberg's war photographer biopic "It's What I Do," a part in Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan" follow-up -- it seems a sure bet that Lawrence has at least a couple more nominations coming her way in the next few years. We certainly wouldn't delight in seeing Meryl lose her title, but if anyone is capable of carrying on our greatest living actress's legacy, it's Lawrence. Stay tuned.

[via: Yahoo! Movies]

Photo credit: Getty Images

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Oscars 2016: 6 Lessons Learned From This Year's Nominations

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This year's Oscar race was the most wide-open and unpredictable in years -- until Thursday morning's announcement of the Academy's nominations. Now, most of the top categories have clear favorites.

Of course, the nominations list also tells us a lot more than just who's up for a trophy on Feb. 28. It also reveals much about the decision-making process of the Academy, the conventional wisdom in Hollywood, and even the trends that help determine what you'll be watching at the multiplex over the next year. Let's break down just what the nominations can teach us:

1. "The Revenant" Is Now the Official Front-runner
Remember when "Spotlight" was thought to have the inside edge? No more.

The frontier-survival drama earned an astounding 12 nominations, more than any other film this year. (In fact, it was a surprise that it didn't earn a 13th nod, for Best Adapted Screenplay.) Since the movie with the most nominations often wins Best Picture, "Revenant" is the favorite in the top category. It's also the favorite in many of the other categories it's nominated in, especially Director, Actor, and Cinematography.

2. That Populism Thing Finally Worked
A few years ago, the Academy expanded the Best Picture category beyond five nominees in order to make room for critically-acclaimed blockbusters (read: movies like Christopher Nolan's, ones that will generate a rooting interest that'll make a mass audience want to watch the Oscar telecast).

Since then, the awards have still tended to go to art-house fare, but in the nominations, at least, Academy voters are recognizing that some hit movies can actually be worthy of mention in the same breath as grown-up character dramas. As a result, "Mad Max: Fury Road" earned 10 nominations (second only to "Revenant"), while "The Martian" earned the third most, with seven. Of course, the Academy could have gone truly populist and nominated the year's most beloved movie, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," for more than just the five citations for its post-production work. Guess the voters were willing to take populism only so far.

3. The Golden Globes Were... Right?
Few experts take the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's annual champagne-fueled bash seriously as an Oscar predictor. After all, they're just 90 journalists from around the world, not the 6,200 Hollywood insiders who make up the Academy. Most of Sunday night's Globe winners and nominees heard their names read again on Thursday morning. They did fail to predict two of the Academy's biggest snubs -- "Martian" director Ridley Scott and "Steve Jobs" screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, both Globe winners, both omitted on Oscar morning -- but then, everybody else thought they'd get nominated, too.

4. Weinsteins Down, A24 Up
It was pretty funny on Sunday night when Globes host Ricky Gervais joked about awards being bought and paid for, and then the camera cut to Harvey Weinstein, the indie mogul and awards-campaigning master who's managed to earn surprising nominations and wins for his films for a quarter-century. Even Weinstein laughed.

But the Weinstein Company co-chair probably wasn't laughing Thursday morning, when he failed to secure widely anticipated Best Picture and Director nominations for "Carol" or Best Picture and Original Screenplay nominations for "The Hateful Eight." Still, he did land nine nominations for those two films, including three acting nods. Meanwhile, upstart indie distributor A24, despite spending very little on "For Your Consideration" ads, earned seven nominations for three films: the Amy Winehouse bio "Amy" (Best Documentary Feature), brainy sci-fi drama "Ex Machina" (Best Original Screenplay and Best Visual Effects), and intense literary adaptation "Room" (Best Picture, Best Director for Lenny Abrahamson, Best Actress for Brie Larson, and Best Adapted Screenplay). Those nominations -- and the likely win for front-runner Larson -- will make A24 a force to be reckoned with, not just at future Oscar ceremonies, but also when it comes to raising money for new films.

5. Best Supporting Actress Is Still Up for Grabs
Jennifer Jason Leigh may get it, not just for her noteworthy role in the "Hateful Eight" ensemble, but for her long career of uncompromising work. Rooney Mara might have a better shot if the Academy had shown more support for "Carol," but at least she's not competing with co-star Cate Blanchett in the lead category. If she were, it could risk costing both stars the prize by splitting the vote.

Rachel McAdams may offer the only chance "Spotlight" has of earning a major prize; same with Globe winner Kate Winslet and "Steve Jobs." Alicia Vikander (above) has the thankless equivalent of last year's Felicity Jones role (as Eddie Redmayne's supportive wife), but this nomination and her striking performance as an android in "Ex Machina" mark her as a star on the rise. So there's a slim chance Oscar could reward her for this role, but right now, this race is still too close to call.

6. #OscarsSoWhite -- Again
The 2014 slate, which saw multiple victories and nominations for "12 Years a Slave" and its cast, is looking more and more like a fluke. Last year's list, despite the presence of "Selma," saw no performers of color nominated. Despite the outcry that caused, neither did this year's list.

The only major nomination for a film concerning people of color was the Original Screenplay nod for the white writers of "Straight Outta Compton," a movie thought to have a modest chance at a Best Picture nomination. And the lack of attention paid to "Creed" director/co-writer Ryan Coogler and actors Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson will forever leave us scratching our heads. You can blame the Academy for its myopia, but the truth is, there were very few movies this year that gave performers (or directors or writers) of color a chance to shine. (Iñárritu is a notable exception behind the camera.) As Viola Davis noted at the Emmys last fall, you can't win for roles that don't exist. Given that it takes about two years for a movie to go from a greenlit idea to a theatrical release, you'd have thought that the landmark Oscars of 2014 would have resulted in a wave of similar movies that would be reaping the benefits now.

But such films are still more the exception than the rule in Hollywood. The industry is only just starting to realize that diversity is good for the box office, so it may be a while before it discovers that it's good for the Oscars as well.
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'Power Rangers' Star Charged With Murder After Allegedly Stabbing Rommate

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Premiere Of "Dirty Love" - ArrivalsAlmost one year after he was arrested for allegedly fatally stabbing his roommate, former "Power Rangers" actor Ricardo Medina has been charged with murder.

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office announced the charge this week in connection with the January 31, 2015 incident, in which Medina is said to have stabbed his roommate, Josh Sutter, following an argument in their apartment. Medina, who was arrested again on Wednesday, faces one count of murder, and could spend 26 years to life in prison if convicted.

Authorities say that Medina and Sutter got into an argument over Medina's girlfriend, and the altercation became physical. Medina allegedly stabbed Sutter multiple times with a sword, per law enforcement.

Medina was originally arrested at the time of the incident, but claimed he stabbed Sutter in self defense. He was not charged at that time, and was soon released from police custody. His arrest this week came after the DA's office spent additional time investigating the incident.

The actor's arraignment is set for Tuesday is Los Angeles County Court. Prosecutors are expected to request that Medina's bail be set at $1 million.

Medina appeared on both "Power Rangers Wild Force" and "Power Rangers Samurai" TV series. His other acting credits include stints on episodes of "E.R." and "CSI: Miami."

[via: Variety]

Photo credit: Getty Images

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The 14 Most Oscar-Nominated Stars in Academy Awards History

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The 2016 Oscar nominations are finally here, so of course it's the perfect time to look back at Academy Awards past and answer the question: Who's been nominated for the most Oscars? And we'll do one better: Tally up their wins. Find out the biggest Academy Awards darlings right now.

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Oscars 2016: Lady Gaga on EGOT Track With Best Song Nomination

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73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards - Press RoomLady Gaga is having a great week: After earning a Golden Globe on Sunday for her acting debut in "American Horror Story: Hotel," Gaga just nabbed her first Oscar nomination, earning a nod for Best Original Song. And you know what that means: Mother Monster is officially on EGOT watch.

While some media outlets mistakenly reported this weekend that Gaga's Globes win put her on the EGOT path (those misbegotten tweets were hastily deleted), Thursday's nomination -- for co-writing the tune "Til It Happens to You" from documentary "The Hunting Ground" -- now confirms that the musician-turned-actress is indeed on her way to earning another component of the crowning four achievements in entertainment: An Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony. Gaga already has a whopping six Grammys on her shelf, with another nomination pending, also for "Til It Happens to You."

So how likely is it that Gaga will actually walk away with an Academy Award next month? The Oscars usually favors flashy nominees (think Adele, who won in 2013 for the "Skyfall" theme, or last year's winners, Common and John Legend, for their "Selma" anthem, "Glory"), and the music superstar is no slouch in that department. But this year's field is pretty stacked, with other big names including Sam Smith (another Bond theme, "The Writing's On the Wall," from "Spectre") and The Weeknd ("Earned It" from "Fifty Shades of Grey." Yes, "Fifty Shades" is officially an Oscar nominee. We can't believe it, either).

Gaga is arguably a bigger star than either of those artists, and her co-writer, Diane Warren, is an Oscar favorite, with seven previous nominations under her belt (though no wins). So a triumph on Oscar night is certainly possible, but not necessarily a given. (That falls in line with this awards season being one of the hardest to predict in recent memory.)

We'll be watching with bated breath on Oscar Sunday. The Academy Awards ceremony airs on ABC on February 28.

Photo credit: Getty Images

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'The Walking Dead' Season 6 Mid-Season Premiere Poster Offers Clues

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"A Larger World" looms ahead on "The Walking Dead" Season 6. The AMC show shuffles back to us on Sunday, February 14, and it's now inviting fans to piece together clues on what's to come.

AMC just posted the new mid-season premiere poster, along with this little tease of an intro:

"What does the world have in store for Rick and the survivors when The Walking Dead returns this February? Today AMC unveiled the official poster for the second half of The Walking Dead Season 6, which features a collage of images from upcoming episodes. Check out each image yourself and look for clues about what's to come.

Over the last week, each image from the poster was released separately on The Walking Dead Instagram."


Here's that Instagram, with fans sharing some pretty interesting (and funny) guesses for each photo. The images are "from upcoming episodes," so not just standalone clues. On its own, we'd say that cross hinted to Paul "Jesus" Monroe, a new character coming up, but maybe that's just someone else holding a cross. The hands we should see right in Episode 9. Morgan Jones (Lennie James) on a horse bodes ill for the horse, since #NoHorseIsSafe on TWD. There's a scarred Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and our old buddy the RV -- but what's up with the satellite, do you think? Clues on that?

Check out the vertical version, in case your mind can process the images better this way:


Thoughts? All will be revealed starting Sunday, February 14, when the final eight episodes of Season 6 begin.

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'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' Blu-ray: Early Details on Deleted Scenes

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There's no word yet on when "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" will be released on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital HD. The movie is still too busy trying to break the "Avatar" record around the globe. But when the Blu-ray is released, there will be about 10-20 minutes of new scenes for fans to enjoy.

Back in December, before the movie even came out, Collider talked to director J.J. Abrams about his original first cut, which was about 2 hours, 35 minutes. He said there were around a dozen full scenes they deleted and, at the time, he figured "quite a few of them" would make the Blu-ray.

Collider just updated in January to share a new interview with Neal Scanlon (CFX & SMUFX Creative Supervisor), Chris Corbould (SFX Supervisor), Roger Guyett (VFX Supervisor ILM), and Patrick Tubach (VFX Supervisor ILM). They talked a bit about deleted scenes, including this exchange with details on a cut Maz Kanata scene:

Collider: A lot of people have been talking, and J.J. talked over the weekend, about deleted scenes from the movie. I guess the Blu-ray, I think he told me, would have 10 or 20 minutes of added scenes. I'm curious for both of you, have you seen a lot of the deleted scenes? Do you remember a lot of stuff? Were you sad to see something go?

CHRIS CORBOULD: There was a particular part of a scene that never made it, where they go underneath the castle and they're going into the underground passageways, and stormtroopers are coming down the stairs and Maz uses her powers to collapse the ceiling.

From my point of view, [that] worked absolutely brilliantly because you had all the main actors running up and then Maz does her bit and then the whole ceiling collapses in front of them, but that never made it. That was a shot I was quite proud of, actually, it worked really, really well."


Since he didn't specifically confirm that scene will definitely be on the Blu-ray, for now, we should play it safe and consider that a deleted scene that will probably be on disc. Official confirmation will have to wait for the eventual announcement with the release date and special features.

In terms of other things left out of "The Force Awakens," Roger Guyett told Collider there was more of a snowspeeder chase. Patrick Tubach added, "There was a little bit more with the Rathtars going on, just a little bit more of that chase moment going through the hallways and everything. There were some cool stunts and some cool individual shots in there that just didn't make it for one reason or another, and I think it all had to do with the pacing." Collider said we can expect more scenes like that -- parts of action scenes, additional "aerial dogfights," etc.

An official list of bonus features will surely spell out all of the goodies in great detail -- including, we hope, commentary tracks and behind-the-scenes featurettes.

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Oscar Nominations 2016: Snubs and Surprises

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With such a wide-open race this year, it was hard to predict which movies would be the leading candidates to grab an armload of Oscar nominations -- or even how many Best Picture nominees there were likely to be.

Still, there were a lot of names and titles that experts expected to be on the list when the Academy announced its nominations on Thursday morning. Now that the list is out, we can all express the proper shock and outrage and delight over which of our favorites made the cut and which got robbed.
Best Actor
This was one of the easiest categories to predict. But one of the bigger surprises among nominees was Bryan Cranston as Hollywood's favorite blacklisted screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo, in "Trumbo." Fans crossing their fingers for Michael B. Jordan ("Creed") or last year's nominee Steve Carell ("The Big Short") were disappointed as well.
Best Supporting Actor
Aside from Sylvester Stallone (a sentimental favorite for "Creed") and Mark Rylance ("Bridge of Spies"), this category was really up for grabs. The entire "Spotlight" ensemble submitted itself in the supporting category, and only Mark Ruffalo and Supporting Actress nominee Rachel McAdams made the cut. (Tough break, Michael Keaton.)

With Tom Hardy riding the wave of "Revenant" love into the category's final slot -- a surprise of sorts -- that meant snubs for such worthy candidates as Paul Dano ("Love & Mercy") and little Jacob Tremblay (the captive boy in "Room"). Oh, and if you expected the Academy to nominate Idris Elba for "Beasts of No Nation," not only because he was so charismatic and terrifying but also to avoid another #OscarsSoWhite hashtag protest this year, no such luck. Sorry, performers of color, you all got snubbed.Best Supporting Actress
Many wondered if Rooney Mara's bid for Supporting Actress instead of co-lead in "Carol" would persuade the Academy that she belonged in the category. It did. Many also wondered if Jennifer Jason Leigh, in the late-screening "Hateful Eight," could transcend viewers' mixed feelings about the film to earn a supporting nomination. She did. A bit of a surprise was Alicia Vikander (above); while some expected a nomination for her work in "The Danish Girl," it wasn't a sure thing. ​And apparently Tessa Thompson's subtle, scary-good work in "Creed" was too subtle and nuanced for the Academy to take notice.
Best Original Screenplay
Quentin Tarantino often aces this category, but the Academy snubbed his "Hateful EIght" script. Many also thought fan-favorite Amy Schumer would get a nod for her "Trainwreck" script, since the Academy loves actors who generate their own opportunities -- but she was snubbed as well. Hit indie thriller "Sicario" had a shot here, too, but no such luck.

Instead, the nominations went pretty much to the early favorites, with the surprises being Alex Garland's philosophical sci-fi tale "Ex Machina," and "Straight Outta Compton," which otherwise didn't earn any Academy love. A24 had next to nothing in terms of "For Your Consideration" promotion for "Ex Machina," one of the best films of the year. Going into the nominations, it seemed more likely for the film's A.I. subject matter to come true than the film score nods at the ceremony. Pleasant surprise to see the Academy give it some much-deserved acknowledgement.
Best Adapted Screenplay
The most shocking snubs were "The Revenant' (which was nominated in nearly every other possible category, for a total of 12 nods) and Aaron Sorkin's Globe-winning script for "Steve Jobs" (pictured). Sorkin won a few years ago for another digital-era biopic, "The Social Network," but the Academy has apparently unfriended him.
Best Animated Feature
Often, this category throws at least one curveball and nominates a movie that was barely released over a commercial favorite. This year, there were two such curveballs: Brazilian entry "Boy and the World" and, from beloved Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli, "When Marnie Was There."

"Shaun the Sheep" also made the cut; it didn't do much business here but was a huge hit in the rest of the world. The remaining slots went to front-runners "Inside Out" and "Anomalisa," Charlie Kaufman's critically-beloved stop-motion animated feature. Denied nominations were fellow Pixar pic "The Good Dinosaur" and summer smash "Minions."
Best Documentary
One of the most high-profile films going into awards seasons, HBO's Scientology doc, "Going Clear," was shut out of the category -- leaving many scratching their heads and shaking their fists at Thetans.
Best Original Song
"See You Again" was more than just a fitting send-off tune for Paul Walker's character in "Furious 7." It was a radio hit and integral component to the film's success. Its omission as a nominee is further proof that the Academy is behind the times.
Best Director
Ridley Scott may be the unluckiest director in recent Oscar history. The 78-year-old has never won Best Director, not even when his "Gladiator" won Best Picture in 2001. This year, despite the slew of nominations for "The Martian" (there were seven), he didn't even land a nod himself. He's the only one of this year's five Directors Guild Award nominees who didn't get an Oscar nomination. And despite having scored nominations for his last three Oscar-bait movies -- an impressive run -- David O. Russell got nothing for "Joy." It's sole major nomination went to lead actor Lawrence.

At least when Scott and Russell are hanging out at the Dolby Theatre bar on Oscar night nursing his resentment, he can have company; fellow Best Picture nominee directors Steven Spielberg ("Bridge of Spies") and John Crowley ("Brooklyn") got snubbed as well. So did Todd Haynes for "Carol," despite widespread critical support. As with Best Picture, the surprising inclusion was "Room," whose director Lenny Abrahamson did make the Academy shortlist, despite having been snubbed by the DGA.
Best Picture
As it turned out, there were eight nominees this year, out of a possible 10. For the most part, they echoed the Producers Guild Award nominees, as they usually do. Both groups nominated "The Big Short," "Bridge of Spies," "Brooklyn," "Mad Max: Fury Road," "The Martian," "The Revenant," and "Spotlight." In fact, the only PGA nominees that didn't make the cut were "Sicario," "Ex Machina," and "Straight Outta Compton."

The most surprising inclusion was austere indie drama "Room," which the PGA had snubbed. "Carol" had been a front-runner among critics' groups, but the PGA snubbed it and so did the Academy. And if you were expecting the Academy's newfound populism to be broad enough to include "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," well, these were not the droids you were looking for.
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Alan Rickman's 7 Most Essential Movies

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Alan Rickman, who died on January 14 at age 69, was the actor you loved to hate, the quintessential Brit-typecast-in-villain-roles performer.

But he was so much more, capable of displaying unexpected soulfulness, profound sorrow, surprising tenderness, and on rare occasions, ice-melting joy. He could do more with a raised eyebrow than most actors can do with their entire bodies. Most of all, he had that voice -- No wonder Kevin Smith cast him as the voice of God in "Dogma." But if you still need a reminder of how much he contributed to movies over the past three decades, how varied his work was, and how much he'll be missed, go back and watch these seven films again.

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Oscars 2016: Lack of Diversity Gets #OscarsSoWhite Trending (Again)

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Well, we know one thing Oscars host Chris Rock might cover in this year's monologue...

The 2016 Academy Awards will be handed out on February 28, and they will go to a bunch of very white winners. Entertainment Weekly quipped, "This is the whitest Oscars since last year," since every acting nominee this year -- out of 20 open slots, 10 for women, 10 for men -- is white.

No people of color were nominated in acting categories for a second straight year. No black directors were nominated, and no women of any color were nominated for director at all. Even the one Oscar nomination for "Straight Outta Compton" went to white writers.


"Straight Outta Compton," "Creed," and "Beasts of No Nation" were also overlooked as potential Best Picture nominees, in a field that can include up to 10 nominations. (This year there are eight.)

Tweeters used the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite to bemoan the lack of love for Idris Elba in "Beasts of No Nation" (the Academy may have no clue what to do with Netflix), Michael B. Jordan and/or Tessa Thompson for "Creed," Jason Mitchell and/or director F. Gary Gray for "Straight Outta Compton," Will Smith for "Concussion," Benicio Del Toro for "Sicario," anyone from Spike Lee's "Chi-raq," or ... anyone at all.

Here's just a taste of the online reaction:


Why do you think this is the case, once again, and do you think anything will change next year?

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'Shocked' J.K. Rowling, Daniel Radcliffe Honor 'Magnificent' Alan Rickman

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It's a bad day for all fans of actor Alan Rickman, who died January 14 at age 69, but Potter Nation is in deepest mourning. Rickman charmed the Harry Potter fanbase with his on-screen role as Severus Snape, and tributes to the actor and his complex, clever, complicated, frustrating, heartbreaking, always magical character have flooded social media.

The Harry Potter queen herself, author J.K. Rowling, and franchise film star, Daniel Radcliffe, both reacted to the death of the man, not just the actor.

Here's what Daniel just posted to his Google+ page:

Alan Rickman is undoubtedly one of the greatest actors I will ever work with. He is also, one of the loyalest and most supportive people I've ever met in the film industry. He was so encouraging of me both on set and in the years post-Potter. I'm pretty sure he came and saw everything I ever did on stage both in London and New York. He didn't have to do that. I know other people who've been friends with him for much much longer than I have and they all say "if you call Alan, it doesn't matter where in the world he is or how busy he is with what he's doing, he'll get back to you within a day".

People create perceptions of actors based on the parts they played so it might surprise some people to learn that contrary to some of the sterner(or downright scary) characters he played, Alan was extremely kind, generous, self-deprecating and funny. And certain things obviously became even funnier when delivered in his unmistakable double-bass.

As an actor he was one of the first of the adults on Potter to treat me like a peer rather than a child. Working with him at such a formative age was incredibly important and I will carry the lessons he taught me for the rest of my life and career. Film sets and theatre stages are all far poorer for the loss of this great actor and man.


And here are a pair of moving tweets from J.K. Rowling:


Sadly, it was just last week that she honored Snape's birthday, taking the middle road between fans who see him as a hero (she always defended him) and those who see him as a villain:


With Rickman, there's no argument: He was the best.

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Michael Bay's 7 Best Guilty Pleasure Movies, Ranked by Explosions

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Have a favorite city or landmark? Then chances are good that Michael Bay has blown it up.

From "The Rock" to "Transformers: Age of Extinction," Bay has never met a densely-populated area that he couldn't pyrotechnic into oblivion. Hell, the guy killed Chicago twice in two consecutive "Transformers" movies. Because reasons.

In honor of "13 Hours," which, ironically, is also the amount of time Bay wishes he could go without blowing something up, we're ranking his seven best guilty pleasures based on their explosion-y goodness. So strap on your TAC gear and turn up the Aerosmith -- S is about to get R.

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Faye Dunaway's 5 Best Movies

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faye dunaway's best moviesHappy birthday to Faye Dunaway, who was put on this Earth 75 years ago (on January 14, 1941) for a reason: to play grand, old-school divas, aristocrats whose diction is as perfect as their cheekbones, women whose icy exteriors often crack to reveal volcanic passions beneath.

In recent years, she's been relegated to bit parts, but in her prime, she commanded the screen in a way that harkened back to the glamour goddesses of old Hollywood. Here are the five movies you need to see to grasp the full Faye.

'Bonnie and Clyde' (1967)faye dunaway in bonnie and clydeDunaway became a star and a fashion icon as beret-wearing bank robber Bonnie Parker. Arthur Penn's true-crime saga is a landmark in American film history, a turning point in Hollywood's depiction of adult content, and a film whose brutal ballet of violence still has the power to shock, but at its heart is the oddly tender romance between Dunaway's Bonnie and Warren Beatty's Clyde Barrow, Depression-era outlaws who play up to their reputation as media sensations. Even then, Dunaway was making art out of layers of self-aware theatrical artifice.

'The Thomas Crown Affair' (1968)faye dunaway in the thomas crown affairDunaway played Pierce Brosnan's shrink in a winking cameo in the not-bad 1999 remake, but for a stylish heist thriller/cat-and-mouse romance, you can't beat the original "Crown," where Dunaway matches wits with dashing playboy/thief Steve McQueen. The King of Cool had a lot of screen love interests over the years, but Dunaway was the only one who looked like she could eat him for breakfast and be back on the prowl by lunchtime.

'Chinatown' (1974)faye dunaway in chinatownDunaway gives her most romantic and tragic performance as the femme fatale who pulls private eye Jack Nicholson into a morass of unspeakable evil. Actually, she tries to rebuff his chivalry with the icy facade she's built to hide her horrifying secrets, but he can't help himself. Her brittle beauty and inner torment haunt him, as they will you.

'Network' (1976)faye dunaway in networkDunaway won a Best Actress Oscar as the soulless TV executive who'll stop at nothing to drive up ratings. She could have been a cardboard villain, but she's wilier than that. Like other Dunaway characters, her Diana knows how others perceive her and smartly plays to their preconceptions. Besides, in this bleak, prescient satire of TV sensationalism and corporate shamelessness, she's just one villain among many, a symptom of a corrupt system for which there's plenty of blame to go around.

'Mommie Dearest' (1981)faye dunaway in mommie dearestDunaway went full diva in this Joan Crawford biopic, giving a performance so unrestrained that it all but ended her career as an actress whom viewers could take seriously. But it's really not fair to dismiss Dunaway's Crawford or the movie itself as mere camp excess. After all, she's playing Crawford as a woman who lived her life like she was the tragic, misunderstood heroine of a Crawford movie. If she occasionally turns into a gargoyle (as in the infamous wire-hanger sequence), well, so did Crawford. Dunaway's many layers of artifice prove essential here. At any rate, it's a performance that has to be seen to be believed.

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Oscars 2016 Nominations: Full List of Academy Award Nominees

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Let the games begin! The 88th Academy Awards will be handed out February 28, with Chris Rock hosting for the second time, and now we know who has a shot to win those little naked gold guys. The 2016 Oscar nominations were announced the morning of Thursday, January 14.

Without further ado, here are your nominees (via Deadline):

Best Picture
The Big Short
Bridge Of Spies
Brooklyn
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

Best Actor
Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Matt Damon, The Martian
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl

Best Actress
Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn

Best Supporting Actor
Christian Bale, The Big Short
Tom Hardy, The Revenant
Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight
Mark Rylance, Bridge Of Spies
Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Best Supporting Actress
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Rooney Mara, Carol
Rachel McAdams, Spotlight
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Directing
The Big Short, Adam McKay
Mad Max: Fury Road, George Miller
The Revenant, Alejandro G. Iñárritu
Room, Lenny Abrahamson
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight

Film Editing
Big Short
Mad Max
The Revenant
Spotlight
Star Wars: The Force Awakens


Foreign Language Film
Embrace Of The Serpent
Mustang
Son Of Saul
A War

Original Score
Bridge of Spies
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Sicario
Star Wars

Production Design
Bridge Of Spies
The Danish Girl
Mad Max
The Martian
The Revenant

Visual Effects
Ex Machina
Mad Max
The Revenant
Star Wars
The Martian

Adapted Screenplay
The Big Short
Brooklyn
Carol
Martian
Room

Original Screenplay
Bridge Of Spies
Alex Garland
Inside Out
Spotlight
Straight Outta Compton

Animated Feature Film
Anomalisa
Boy And The World
Inside Out
Shaun The Sheep Movie
When Marnie Was There

Cinematography
Carol
The Hateful Eight
Mad Mad: Fury Road
The Revenant
Sicario

Costume Design
Carol
Cinderella
The Danish Girl
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant

Documentary Feature
Amy
Cartel Land
The Look of Silence
What Happened, Miss Simone
Winter On Fire: Ukraine

Documentary Short Subject

Body Team 12
Chau, Bbeyond the Lines
Claude Lanzmann: Spectres of the Shoah
A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness
Last Day of Freedom

Makeup and Hairstyling
Mad Max
100 Year Old Man
The Revenant

Original Song
Fifty Shades Of Grey, "Earned It"
Racing Extinction, "Manta Ray"
Youth, "Simple Song #3"
The Hunting Ground, "Til It Happens To You"
Spectre, "Writing's On The Wall"

Animated Short Film
Bear Story
Prologue
Sanjay's Super Team
We Can't Live without Cosmos
World of Tomorrow


Live Action Short Film
Ave Maria
Day One
Everything Will Be OK
Shok
Sutter

Sound Editing
Mad Max
The Martian
The Revenant
Sicario
Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Sound Mixing
Bridge Of Spies
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Martian
The Revenant
Star Wars: The Force Awakens


Now go ahead and compare these nominees to the Golden Globe Award winners, which were just announced -- although, granted, they have Drama vs. Comedy/Musical categories.

What do you think? Is this Leo's year? His movie, "The Revenant," led the pack with 12 nominations:

2016 Academy Award Nominees | PrettyFamous


Anyone you're especially glad to see nominated, or especially ticked to see missing?

To the "snubbed" or simply overlooked stars, never fear -- Alan Rickman was never nominated for an Oscar either, and he was better than all of you.

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Alan Rickman Dies at Age 69, Heartbroken Fans Honor Film Legend

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NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 19: Alan Rickman speaks about the film 'A Little Chaos' with Ricky Camilleri during a BUILD series event in New York, Friday June 19, 2015. (Photo by Gabriela Landazuri Saltos, Huffington Post) *** Local Caption *** Alan RickmanHow? Why? What did we do wrong to lose David Bowie and Alan Rickman (not to mention the Powerball, which seems really insignificant now) back-to-back?

Alan Rickman is dead. He died January 14 in London, surrounded by family and friends. Hans Gruber, Severus Snape, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Rasputin, Valmont. Gone. Like Bowie, Rickman was 69. Still like Bowie, he was (secretly, to many of us) battling cancer.

Alan Rickman, one of the greatest actors of all time, started as a theater thespian and was nominated for Tony Awards, but he was never afraid to mix with the popular crowd, too, starring in "Die Hard," the "Harry Potter" films, "Love Actually," "Robin Hood," "Galaxy Quest," "Sense and Sensibility," and literally dozens of other films. We'll get to hear his iconic voice again in "Alice Through the Looking Glass," as he was the voice of Absolem the Caterpillar, but then ... silence.

Somehow, Rickman never won an Oscar. He wasn't even nominated. So today's nominees can keep that in mind -- you can still win and never be on the level of Alan Rickman.

According to The Guardian, which posted news of his passing, Rickman and his wife, Rima Horton, met when they were still teenagers and had been together since 1965. They were married in 2012.

Tributes have been pouring in online -- including beautiful posts from J.K. Rowling and Daniel Radcliffe -- and anyone just waking up to see "Alan Rickman" trending on Twitter is in for a sad shock. But head to that link if you want to read the moving tributes -- which cover his whole filmography, not just the big hits -- and see the photos, videos, GIFs, and memes he inspired. He died too soon, with so much more to give his loyal fans. We've been saying that a lot lately.




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Best of Late Night TV: Adele Raps in Epic Carpool Karaoke, Norman Reedus Plays Charades

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If you're like us and value your sleep, you probably nodded off into your Ambien dreamland before the party started on post-prime time TV. Don't worry; we've got you covered. Here's the best of what happened last night on late night.

Here it is: Adele's Carpool Karaoke. And it's perfect! "The Late Late Show" was so excited about this one, they teased it several days in advance. Here's the British queen driving and singing around London, with James Corden behind the wheel. (It's weird to see him on the other side.) We get a view of England, like a little travelogue, while listening to both of them sing and chat and chug tea. It is a nearly 15-minute video, so you need to carve out some time for it, but it feels like a fun drive with two friends. It's hard not to wish you were there. Adele sings some Spice Girls and even raps Nicki Minaj's "Monster," so don't miss that.

What an odd group. Danny DeVito, Khloe Kardashian, Norman Reedus, and Jimmy Fallon played charades together on "The Tonight Show" Wednesday night. Danny and Khloe were partners and Jimmy partnered with "The Walking Dead" star. Props to Norman for being game to get on all fours with little fingers waggling off his head to portray an ant for "Ant-Man." Not sure Daryl Dixon would've pulled that off. Also, general charades tip: Familiarize yourself with the Electric Slide, in case it comes up.

Still on "The Tonight Show," Fallon broke out his Bob Dylan impression to sing "Hotline Bling." It's so good there are still people in the YouTube video comments who think it's the real Dylan.
Patton Oswalt was on "Conan" and shared a really insightful assessment of the three sets of "Star Wars" films. See if you agree with his take on the evolotion of the franchise from the originals to the prequels to the modern set. Basically, he thinks watching "The Force Awakens" is like doing drugs again with an old '70s party friend who fell off the wagon. "Let's do a line of coke off the lightsaber."
Did you know Ice Cube invented the terms "Bye, Felicia" and "It's on Like Donkey Kong"? He talked to Seth Meyers about adding a "Bye, Felicia" line into "Straight Outta Compton" (it was his son's idea) and Seth said the audience he saw the movie with reacted more to that moment than anything in "Star Wars." "People just lost their minds." Ice Cube said the donkey kong line was really his cousin's quote, but he gets credit.
Chloe Grace Moretz was on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" to explain "The 5th Wave" and talk about filming "The Little Mermaid." She's just getting started on that one, but she has to learn how to swim with a tail ... and she's not that strong a swimmer. Could be interesting!
Here's a video with Paul Giamatti discussing manspreading and bondage. It's good, and gets better as it goes along -- the end is so strong. Paul is co-starring in the new showtime series "Billions," opposite the ginger perfection of Damien Lewis, so he talked that new role. Stephen, unfortunately, watched the first episode with his wife and kids and it is NOT kid-friendly. The opening scene is S&M with Paul tied up by a dominatrix. So Stephen quickly turned it off, and Paul was disappointed. "You missed a teachable moment with your family." Fact. Watch the full video for Paul's excitement about the bondage.

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