Ariana DeBose Turned Down 'West Side Story' A Shocking Amount Of Times

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorTo many, Dante Basco is known as Rufio in Steven Spielberg’s “Hook.” Reality TV fans will remember him on “Hell’s Kitchen,” but over the years he has turned his hand to producing, directing and writing.In “The Fabulous Filipino Brothers,” out now on-demand, he directs and stars, along with his brothers Derek Basco, Dionysio Basco, and Darion Basco, in the film structured as a series of vignettes following four brothers as their Filipino American family prepares for the ultimate Filipino event: a wedding.As the narrative intercuts between the wedding celebration in Pittsburg, Calif., and the vignettes that focus individually on the four siblings during the buildup to the big event, Basco worked with fellow Filipino American cinematographer Andrea Walter to deliver his vision. Says Walter, “Dante and I decided we wanted to give a different look for each brother.

Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated West Side Story will makes its streaming debut on Disney+ in the U.S. and most international countries on March 2, the streamer announced today.

a bevy of Oscar nominations, Steven Spielberg’s “West Side Story” is now officially coming to Disney+ in March. Disney announced Wednesday morning that the critically acclaimed musical will be streaming on Disney+ on March 2 in the U.S.

The 94th Oscar nominations were full of surprises in both satisfying and disappointing ways, but when there are only five nominees in most categories, it's almost guaranteed that a few favorites will miss the cut.Here, the AP takes a look at some of the biggest shocks and upsets.DENIS MISSES IN DIRECTORThere is a general rule in Oscar snubs that you can’t just declare something a snub. You have to say who they should replace and the directing category this year is stacked with talent and merit, including Steven Spielberg for “West Side Story,” Paul Thomas Anderson for “Licorice Pizza,” Ryusuke Hamaguchi for “Drive My Car,” Kenneth Branagh for “Belfast” and Jane Campion (the first woman to ever get two directing nominations) for “The Power of the Dog.” That’s all to say that it was just a competitive year for directing and Denis Villeneuve, whose “Dune” got the second most nominations, simply missed the cut, though he can still celebrate his personal nominations for adapted screenplay and best picture.KSTEW GETS REDEEMEDIt’s been quite a journey for Kristen Stewart on the way to her first Oscar nomination.

Dune is a three-year-plus battle long-fought, and well won by Denis Villeneuve, even if he was boxed out of the Best Director category at the Oscars.

As the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the nominees for the 2022 Oscars on Tuesday (Feb. 8), the LGBTQ+ community was greeted with some good news: for the first time since Sir Ian McKellen was nominated in 2002 for Best Supporting Actor in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, an openly queer-identifying performer was nominated in an action role. Actually, twomembers of the Alphabet Mafia were nominated Tuesday morning: Ariana DeBose, who scored a Best Supporting Actress nod for her role of Anita in Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story; and Kristen Stewart, who was nominated for Best Lead Actress for her turn as Princess Diana in the historical fiction drama, Spencer.

Well, it’s certainly that timer again. The 94th Academy Award ceremony announces its Oscar picks for 2022.

With his 8th Oscar nomination for directing today, Steven Spielberg joins a very select group of four filmmakers who have received 8-plus Best Director nominations. They include Billy Wilder, who also has 8, his contemporary Martin Scorsese, who has 9, and the great William Wyler, who earned 11 total directing nominations.

Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) and Simu Liu (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”) sat down for a virtual chat for Variety’s Actors on Actors, presented by Amazon Studios. For more, click here.Prior to 2021, Ariana DeBose and Simu Liu had certainly worked as actors. DeBose was a Tony nominee (“Summer: The Donna Summer Musical”) who’d appeared in Netflix’s “The Prom” and Apple TV Plus’ “Schmigadoon!” Liu was a former stuntman who’d co-starred on the Canadian sitcom “Kim’s Convenience.”But after their breakout roles last year — DeBose as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s reimagining of “West Side Story” and Liu as Shang-Chi in Marvel Studios’ superhero blockbuster “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” — they’ve both suddenly become household names.

Sci-fi epic blockbuster “Dune” and Jane Campion’s dark Western “The Power Of The Dog” lead the nominations for this year’s British Academy Film Awards, with Benedict Cumberbatch, Leonardo DiCaprio and Lady Gaga among those up for leading actor awards.

Manori Ravindran International EditorThe British Academy of Film and Television Arts has unveiled its awards nominations, and they’re precisely the agents of chaos that many have been anticipating.Only the second edition of the BAFTA Film Awards since the institute’s groundbreaking diversity review in 2020, this year’s nominations are full of surprises that reflect a shifting membership. While James Bond movie “No Time to Die,” which grossed $131 million at the U.K.

was accused of misconduct by a woman named Gabby six years prior, when she would have been 17. The film’s actors Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose and Rita Moreno addressed the accusations against the “Divergent” star in a recent joint interview with the Hollywood Reporter.Steven Spielberg’s film came out in December 2021, a year and a half after Elgort denied the claims. The “Fault in Our Stars” actor was noticeably minimized in the film’s trailers and, as noted by the Reporter, was grouped with the rest of the cast during the press tour, so interviewers could not question him independently.

Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion PicturesBeing the RicardosProducer: Todd Black, p.g.a.BelfastProducers: Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik, Tamar ThomasCODAProducers: Philippe Rousselet, p.g.a., Fabrice Gianfermi, p.g.a., Patrick Wachsberger, p.g.a.Don’t Look UpProducers: Adam McKay, p.g.a., Kevin Messick, p.g.a.DuneProducers: Mary Parent, p.g.a., Cale Boyter, p.g.a., Denis Villeneuve, p.g.a.King RichardProducers: Tim White, p.g.a., Trevor White, p.g.a., Will Smith, p.g.a.Licorice PizzaProducers: Sara Murphy, Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam SomnerThe Power of the DogProducers: Jane Campion, p.g.a., Tanya Seghatchian, p.g.a., Emile Sherman, p.g.a.

Best Picture Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” seems to have taken pole position in the best picture race. Campion won a screenplay Oscar at the 1994 ceremony for “The Piano,” which was also nominated for best pic (it lost to “Schindler’s List.”). Early front-runner “Belfast” should also make the ballot.

Rachel Zegler is finally sharing her thoughts about her onscreen love interest’s sexual assault allegations.

Paul Plunkett An assembly line follows a simple formula. Use the most efficient way to mass-produce something and repeat.

It took some convincing for Ariana DeBose to join the cast of West Side Story!