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Ariana Grande and Kieran Culkin join the film Academy: Who else is in?

Ariana Grande and Kieran Culkin join the film Academy: Who else is in?

USA Today5 days ago
Ariana Grande is certified popular with the film Academy.
The "Wicked" star is part of 2025's class of 534 inductees into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, announced on June 26. (Her equally popular co-star Cynthia Erivo joined in 2020.)
The list of new members in the actor category includes Gillian Anderson, Naomi Ackie, Monica Barbaro ("A Complete Unknown"), Dave Bautista, Jodie Comer, "Succession" stars (and battling screen siblings) Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong, Oscar best actress winner Mikey Madison ("Anora"), Jason Momoa ("Aquaman"), Adriana Paz ("Emilia Pérez'), Aubrey Plaza ("My Old Ass" ), Andrew Scott ("All of Us Strangers") and Sebastian Stan ("The Apprentice").
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"These exceptionally talented individuals have made indelible contributions to our global filmmaking community," Academy CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Janet Yang said in a joint statement about the new members in 19 Academy branches.
The animation branch inductees include the team behind "Inside Out 2": Kelsey Mann, Deanna Marsigliese and Alessandra Sorrentino.
Four-time Oscars host Jimmy Kimmel and his wife, writer/producer Molly McNearney, were inducted into the associates category, along with 2025 Oscar host Conan O'Brien.
New members in the directors category include Gia Coppola ("The Last Showgirl") and Brady Corbet ("The Brutalist" writer and director was also inducted into the writers group).
The team behind Oscar best documentary winner "No Other Land" was inducted into the documentary group: Yuval Abraham, Basel Adra, Hamdan Ballal and Rachel Szor.
Brandi Carlile and Jack Dolman ("Wicked") were among the musicians invited into the music branch.
A complete list of the 534 inductees is here.
Aside from the honor and bragging rights, the major perk of Academy admission is the power to vote on movies for the Oscar awards. The Academy has "an ongoing commitment to representation, inclusion and equity" for membership, according to the group's statement.
The incoming group is 41% women, 45% are from underrepresented communities, and 55% are from 60 countries and territories outside the United States.
The Academy announced on June 17 that "Mission: Impossible" star Tom Cruise, country music legend Dolly Parton, choreographer Debbie Allen and production designer Wynn Thomas will receive honorary career Oscars at the Academy's Governors Awards on Nov. 16.
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'Seize this moment': Pope Leo XIV's hometown approves purchase of house where he grew up
'Seize this moment': Pope Leo XIV's hometown approves purchase of house where he grew up

USA Today

timean hour ago

  • USA Today

'Seize this moment': Pope Leo XIV's hometown approves purchase of house where he grew up

Burt Odelson, Dolton's attorney who orchestrated the deal, told USA TODAY that the owner of the house agreed to sell at an undisclosed price amid threats of Dolton taking the house via eminent domain. DOLTON, IL – The tiny hamlet where Pope Leo XIV was raised landed a miracle on July 1 after a village board approved the purchase of the house where he grew up, a move they hope will spark a revival for the blighted small town. The Dolton Village Board approved the purchase at a special meeting on July 1, marking a coup for the small town that's experienced rough decades amid a loss of manufacturing jobs and a previous corrupt mayor. Many thought Dolton didn't have the money or political will to land the little ranch house where Leo played priest as a young Robert Francis Prevost. "We can either seize this moment and move forward or let it go to an investor," said Dolton Mayor Jason House, addressing the crowd at the public meeting. "You cannot cut your way out of a deficit — you have to make sure you have economic opportunities." Childhood homes of Leo's predecessors have also become museums and pilgrimage sites, drawing hundreds of thousands of people. It's expected that Leo's house will also become a museum or shrine, USA TODAY previously reported. People from around the country have already begun treating it as a pilgrimage site. Some began arriving within hours of the announcement that Leo had become pope on May 8. Attorney on the deal: 'This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' Dolton's approval of the purchase also comes as a surprise — the house was in the process of being sold at an auction that was supposed to close July 17, according to the listing. Village attorney Burt Odelson, who orchestrated the deal, told USA TODAY that the homeowner agreed to sell outside of the auction. Auctioneer Paramount Realty, a New York-based firm known for selling the childhood home of President Donald Trump for over $2 million, did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's requests for comment. Homeowner Paweł Radzik did not immediately respond either. Odelson declined to share the final price but said it was "significantly lower than what they thought they would get." He said he had secured financing for the purchase and that the paperwork would be completed in about a week. The prominent Chicago attorney said the owner agreed to sell in response to threats that Dolton would take the house via eminent domain. Odelson described the coup as a capstone in his decades-long career. "Even for me, who's done a lot and seen a lot, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said the South Side Chicago native. "I've dealt with presidents, senators, mayors, but there's always another one. Not for this— he's the only American pope." The Pope Leo effect: Many US Catholics don't fully practice their faith. Could Leo's papacy change that?

‘Mamma Mia!' star reveals the ‘special' advice Norman Lear gave him before his death
‘Mamma Mia!' star reveals the ‘special' advice Norman Lear gave him before his death

New York Post

time6 hours ago

  • New York Post

‘Mamma Mia!' star reveals the ‘special' advice Norman Lear gave him before his death

Sometimes, the right words come at exactly the right time. The 'Mamma Mia!' star Juan Pablo Di Pace is revealing the advice Norman Lear gave him before the late screenwriter's death in 2023 at age 101. Lear is credited as an executive producer on Di Pace's upcoming film 'Before We Forget.' In addition to starring in the movie, Di Pace also co-wrote and co-directed it. 7 Di Pace stars in, wrote and directed the upcoming film 'Before We Forget.' Getty Images 7 Lear is credited as an executive producer on Di Pace's 'Before We Forget.' AP 'In the process of editing, I remember there were all these opinions flying around,' Di Pace, 45, exclusively told The Post. 'He point-blank said to me, 'Listen, Juan Pablo, you and Andrés [Pepe Estrada] should do the film you want to make. Don't listen to anyone. Because at the end of the day, it's your legacy, and it's your film.' Pepe Estrada, editor of the 2022 Oscar-nominated international feature 'Argentina, 1985,' wrote and directed the flick alongside Di Pace. The 'Fuller House' actor explained that he and Pepe Estrada were introduced to Lear through Brent Miller, another executive producer on 'Before We Forget.' 7 Di Pace plays the older version of Matias in 'Before We Forget.' Act III Productions 'It was an incredible thing to be walking alongside Andrés with the blessing of Norman Lear,' Di Pace said. He added that Lear was a 'really wonderful presence' and said the advice the 'All in the Family' creator gave him 'changed [his] whole perspective of the process.' 'That might be a simple thing to hear, but coming from him — and especially when you are doing a piece that is so personal and that you want it to have your voice — for a debut, first-time director, it was very special to hear it from him,' Di Pace concluded. 7 Di Pace is known for his roles in 'Fuller House,' 'Mamma Mia!' and 'A.D.: The Bible Continues.' Di Pace is known for his role as Fernando, Kimmy Gibbler's on-again, off-again lover, in 'Fuller House.' He also portrayed Jesus in NBC's 'A.D.: The Bible Continues,' Petros in the first 'Mamma Mia!' film, and he finished fifth on Season 27 of 'Dancing with the Stars.' The actor-turned-director makes his feature debut with 'Before We Forget,' a nostalgic, years-spanning story of queer first love. 7 Di Pace played Fernando, Kimmy Gibbler's on-again, off-again love, in 'Fuller House.' ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection 7 Di Pace portrayed Jesus in NBC's 'A.D.: The Bible Continues.' Joe Alblas/LightWorkers Media/NB Di Pace plays the older version of Matias, a filmmaker struggling to complete a movie inspired by his first love, Alexander, a Swedish boy he met at boarding school. Lear was lauded for his contributions to LGBTQ+ storytelling during the inaugural Pride LIVE! Hollywood festival last month. During a tribute panel featuring several of his former collaborators, 'Clean Slate' co-creator Dan Ewen described Lear as 'that rare magic that happens when a great humanist is also in charge of some s–t.' 7 Lear was recently celebrated for his contributions to LGBTQ+ storytelling. Getty Images 'What Norman never lost was the purest curiosity about mankind I've ever come across. 'What's next for mankind? What are the conversations mankind needs to have?'' Ewen said. 'And when someone like that is in a situation to have those conversations and convey those conversations in aggregate to a wonderful number of people, that's where magic happens.' 'Before We Forget' is set for theatrical release in New York on July 11, Los Angeles on July 18 and additional markets on July 25.

Brian Cox Decided to Become a Character Actor After Visiting Hollywood: ‘It Really Gave Me the Creeps'
Brian Cox Decided to Become a Character Actor After Visiting Hollywood: ‘It Really Gave Me the Creeps'

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Brian Cox Decided to Become a Character Actor After Visiting Hollywood: ‘It Really Gave Me the Creeps'

Brian Cox has become an icon in the U.S. thanks in part to roles in 'Succession' and 'X-Men,' but the acclaimed Scottish actor is revealing just how much he decided to pivot his career when he relocated to the States. Cox said during a discussion with Issac Butler for the Criterion Channel's 'The Craft of Acting' series (in the below video) that he made the decision to pursue supporting roles after getting his start on the West End in theater. After breaking out in the U.S., he proudly embraced being a character actor instead of a leading man. More from IndieWire SCAD Takes Cannes: IndieWire's Future of Filmmaking 'The Eva Victor Grad Program': Inside the Year-and-a-Half the Director Spent Preparing to Make 'Sorry, Baby' 'I came to that decision much later because I had been a leading actor [in England]. I'd done a lot of theater, a lot of television, stuff like that. But when I decided to come here, I just didn't want to go that route,' Cox said. 'I came here in the '70s. I remember going to Hollywood […] and I really didn't like it. It really gave me the creeps, actually. I thought, 'Well, I got that out of my system, right?' But, I still wanted to do movies, and I wanted to do American movies because that was my inspiration when I was a child. So what happened was that I decided to become a character actor.' Cox cited how he was inspired by late supporting actors from the Golden Age of cinema to bring gravitas to each role, regardless of how many scenes his character appeared in. 'I'm so influenced by people like William Deist and William Bendix and all those supporting actors of the '30s and '40s and what they did. I mean, they were the boosters of those films. Without them, there would be nothing, you know?' Cox said. 'I thought, 'That's my job. That's what I'll do. I'll be happy to do that.' Also, the challenge of giving an arc to a part, which is really difficult when you've only got three scenes and then there doesn't seem to be a connection [between them]. There is an inner connection; it's never the outer connection. That's why I decided to be a character actor.' And it turned out to be a career-making decision: Cox has won two Olivier Awards, an Emmy, and a Golden Globe across his storied career. Cox has also lamented the current state of Hollywood today in recent years, saying in 2024 that TV has replaced films as the best mode of creativity for actors. 'What's happened is that television is doing what cinema used to do,' Cox said. 'I think cinema is in a very bad way. I think it's lost its place because of, partly, the grandiose element between Marvel, DC and all of that. And I think it's beginning to implode, actually. You're kind of losing the plot.' Best of IndieWire Guillermo del Toro's Favorite Movies: 56 Films the Director Wants You to See 'Song of the South': 14 Things to Know About Disney's Most Controversial Movie Nicolas Winding Refn's Favorite Films: 37 Movies the Director Wants You to See

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