Andrea constand

Andrea Riseborough ’s late-blooming word-of-mouth awards campaign for her title role in To Leslie has resulted in the British star’s first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, upending received wisdom about the direction of this year’s race. Riseborough joins Cate Blanchett, Ana de Armas, Michelle Williams and Michelle Yeoh in this year’s Oscar Best Actress race. “I’m astounded,” she told Deadline this morning. “It’s such an unexpected ray of light. It was so hard to believe it might ever happen because we really hadn’t been in the running for anything else. Even though we had a lot of support, the idea it might actually happen seemed so far away.” So how did it happen? Directed by Michael Morris and based on the semi-autobiographical experience of writer Ryan Binaco, To Leslie premiered at last year’s SXSW but flew largely under the radar, grossing a little over $27,000 on an underwhelming release by Momentum Pictures in October. That makes it among the … [Read more...] about Andrea Riseborough Reacts To Surprise Best Actress Oscar Nomination For ‘To Leslie’: “I’m Not Entirely Sure How This Happened”

The UK’s Plimsoll Productions has appointed formats and distribution veteran Andrea Jackson as Creative Director of Factual Entertainment. This makes her Plimsoll’s lead for developing, packaging and executive producing formats and factual entertainment content. In her new role, Jackson will report to Plimsoll CEO Grant Mansfield and join the ITV Studios -owned company’s executive leadership group. Plimsoll bought Jackson’s unscripted distribution business Magnify Media in 2020, five years after she established the company. Magnify had continued to operate independently following the sale but is now set to “fully integrate” into the ITV Studios distribution operation. The distributor’s key titles include Fox’s Malika: The Lion Queen , BBC One’s My Unique B & B and ABC’s The Women of 9/11 . Jackson’s previous roles include eight years as Managing Director of DRG, which sold to MTG before its catalogue was sold on to All3Media. She also co-founded Zeal … [Read more...] about Plimsoll Productions Names Andrea Jackson As Creative Director Of Factual Entertainment

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit. AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale spoke a real truth about the money-making Hollywood awards machine as he opened the proceedings for Friday’s annual AFI Awards honoring the year’s best in movies in television as chosen by a distinguished jury. “This is the only event of its kind where you are informed of your honor and then not asked to pay to attend,” he said. The Top 10 films AFI selected this year include Avatar: The Way of Water, Elvis , Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans , Nope , She Said, T á r, Top Gun: Maverick , The Woman King and Women Talking , with an AFI Special Award for The Banshees of Inisherin. On AFI’s top 10 TV list are The Bear , Mo , Pachink o, Severance , Somebody Somewhere, Abbott Elementary, Hacks , Reservation Dogs , Better Call Saul and anthology series The White Lotus. Stars, creatives and executives connected … [Read more...] about AFI Awards Bring Out The Best In The Season; ‘The Whale’ Rising?; Oscar’s Longshots Hoping For A Miracle – Notes On The Season

This is where Oscar season gets ugly. As I wrote earlier today , the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences put out a statement in which they said they were “conducting a review of the campaign procedures around this year’s nominees,” but did not mention any specific film or campaign that drove them to deliver this rather vague release. Here it is again: It is the Academy’s goal to ensure that the Awards competition is conducted in a fair and ethical manner, and we are committed to ensuring an inclusive awards process. We are conducting a review of the campaign procedures around this year’s nominees, to ensure that no guidelines were violated, and to inform us whether changes to the guidelines may be needed in a new era of social media and digital communication. We have confidence in the integrity of our nomination and voting procedures, and support genuine grassroots campaigns for outstanding performances. I chose not to put words in the Academy’s mouth in our … [Read more...] about Oscars: Controversy Over ‘To Leslie’ Campaign Heats Up But Is It All Much Ado About Nothing?

Actor Christina Ricci shared a lengthy post on Instagram Friday questioning The Academy’s decision to review this year’s nominations following Andrea Riseborough ’s Best Actress nod for her performance in lowkey indie To Leslie . “Seems hilarious that the ‘surprise nomination’ (meaning tons of money wasn’t spent to position this actress) of a legitimately brilliant performance is being met with an investigation,” Ricci wrote. “So it’s only the films and actors that can afford the campaigns that deserve recognition? Feels elitist and exclusive and frankly very backward to me.” Ricci added that she is sure that Riseborough had “nothing to do with the campaigning” for the nomination, which she said is never orchestrated by the actor, “yet now her nomination will be tainted by this.” Ricci’s post concluded: “If it’s taken away shame on them.” The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences put out a statement Friday saying it is “conducting a review of the campaign … [Read more...] about Christina Ricci Questions The Academy’s Review Following ‘To Leslie’ Campaign: “If It’s Taken Away Shame On Them”

The Berlin Film Festival today announced eight titles that have been added to its Berlinale Special program. The new crop of films includes Golda , starring Helen Mirren, Camille Cottin, and Liev Schreiber. Directed by Guy Nattiv from a screenplay by Nicholas Martin, the pic follows the intensely dramatic and high-stakes responsibilities and decisions that Golda Meir, former Israeli prime minister, faced during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Mirren stars as Meir. Jane Hooks and Michael Kuhn are producers on the pic. Embankment is handling sales. Other titles added to the program include Netflix’s Kill Boksoon . Jeon Do-Yeon, who won the best actress award at Cannes in 2007 for Secret Sunshine , stars in the pic, which follows a single mother and renowned hired killer who struggles to find a balance between her personal and work life. Also selected is Andrea Di Stefano’s Last Night of Amore , starring Pierfrancesco Favino, Linda Caridi, Antonio Gerardi, and Francesco … [Read more...] about Berlin Film Festival Adds Eight Titles To Berlinale Special Lineup Including ‘Golda’ Starring Helen Mirren & Camille Cottin

TMZSports.com "I was on my knees crying. I loved Stephan." UFC legend Diego Sanchez says he was crushed by the sudden death of his longtime friend and The Ultimate Fighter 1 star Stephan Bonnar ... who passed away unexpectedly on December 22. Getty UFC Hall of Famer Stephan Bonnar Dead at 45 "It was devastating. It was truly devastating. I was halfway through Christmas Eve just spending time with my family and I had someone text me, tried calling me, and then they texted me, 'You really wanna take this call.' I called them back and they gave me the news," Sanchez told us. Diego and Stephan were both castmates on TUF1 -- which aired in early 2005 -- and are credited with helping the promotion grow into the biggest in all MMA. The season produced fighters like Josh Koscheck , Kenny Florian and Forrest Griffin among others. Bonnar's finale fight with Griffin is one of the most famous fights in the promotion's history. … [Read more...] about Diego Sanchez ‘Truly Devastated’ By Stephan Bonnar’s Death

Bravo dropped the trailer for Summer House Season 7 and the heat is on as Danielle Olivera and Lindsay Hubbard’s friendship is tested. The reality series returns on Monday, February 13 starting at 9 p.m. ET. Watch the preview in the video posted above . Also back for the new season of Summer House are Mya Allen, Amanda Batula, Kyle Cooke, Paige DeSorbo, Ciara Miller and Carl Radke. Joining the veterans are new friends Samantha Feher, Chris Leoni and Gabby Prescod. In the trailer, former full-time cast member Andrea Denver makes an appearance as well. Southern Charm star Craig Conover, who is dating DeSorbo also drops by, while Winter House Kory Keefer also pays a visit. Cooke is turning 40 during the new season of the show and starts questioning if he can support a family. He will also find himself at odds with Radke, who is not only his long-time friend but one of his business partners. Batula is now happily married and is thinking of starting a family but … [Read more...] about Bravo Drops ‘Summer House’ Season 7 Trailer & Teases Feud Between Danielle Olivera & Lindsay Hubbard That Led To Fallout

Gallery Launch Gallery Backgrid Tristan Thompson held a funeral for his late mother this weekend -- which a handful of notable celebrities flew out for to pay their respects ... including the Kardashians. The NBA player was on hand Saturday in Toronto -- where a service was held for his mom, Andrea , who died suddenly over a week ago after suffering a heart attack. Tristan was dressed in all black outside, where Andrea's casket was eventually carried through as well. Backgrid Looks like some famous faces attended the celebration of life ... Drake , for instance, was notably on the scene. Ditto for Kim , Khloe and what seems to be Kylie . We know Kris Jenner was there too, but she doesn't appear in any of these shots. In addition to these stars, there were other friends and family who were supporting Tristan. Everybody looks somber, and most everyone was dressed in traditional funeral attire. … [Read more...] about Tristan Thompson’s Mother’s Funeral Draws Celebrities to Toronto

The Göteborg Film Festival has unveiled the 53 Nordic Films that will take part in the latest edition of the Nordic Film Market , running February 2 – 5. Scroll down for the list. The line-up consists of 17 completed feature films, 15 works in progress, 11 films in development presented at the market’s co-financing platform Discovery, and another 10 features in development from up-and-coming Swedish creators at Talent to Watch. The 2023 edition of Nordic Film Market will comprise a full on-site event in Göteborg alongside digital screenings on the festival’s dedicated industry platform. This year the festival has said close to 500 invited buyers, distributors, sales agents, producers, festival programmers, and other key industry delegates from 32 countries are expected to attend. Elsewhere, the 17th edition of the TV Drama Vision summit will run February 1–2. Göteborg will run January 27 – February 5. As previously announced, Holy Spider breakout Zar Amir Ebrahimi … [Read more...] about Göteborg’s Nordic Film Market Unveils 2023 Lineup