Hollywood power failure stalls prep work for Oscars ceremony

Diane Garrett With Women’s History Month well underway, Variety asked female leaders in Hollywood a simple question: Are we better off today than we were five years ago? More pointedly, how many gains have there really been in the battle for gender equality since the industry’s great #MeToo reckoning – and what is the outlook for further change? Lately, there have been mixed signals: Time’s Up faded away in January after a series of missteps, and high-profile female Oscar contenders ended up empty handed once again in traditionally male-dominated categories earlier this month. Harvey Weinstein is in jail but new reports of sexual misconduct by other men in positions of authority continue to pop up with unsettling frequency. Recent academic studies have not given those fighting for gender equality much to cheer about either.

Kate, Princess of Wales, is sending a message to Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, with a "power play" to prove the Royal Family "matters". On Tuesday, the 41-year-old mother-of-three donned a cream blazer and went into business mode meeting representatives of huge firms including IKEA, Co-op, Unilever, Lego, finance giants Natwest, Aviva, Deloitte and the Bank of England no less. The Princess was able to host the companies worth billions of pounds as she championed early years development with the launch of her new "Business Taskforce for Early Childhood" later.

Tom Cruise was “a little sensitive” for missing the 2023 Oscars after Top Gun: Maverick was snubbed.Cruise, whose new film received six nominations, was not in attendance at the Los Angeles ceremony. According to Entertainment Tonight, this was because the actor is shooting Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part II on location in the UK.Appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Letterman said that the supposed production issues were “nonsense,” and that he should have attended to celebrate “his big jet pack Maverick show”.Kimmel then responded: “Yeah. It seems like he should’ve been there, but he was not there.

Brooke Shields is opening up about being sexually assaulted by a powerful Hollywood executive over 30 years ago.

Jimmy Kimmel’s wife, Molly McNearney, says her husband took it easy on Will Smith at the 95th Academy Awards on Sunday.Kimmel hosted Hollywood’s biggest night at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, one year after Smith slapped Chris Rock onstage in response to Rock making a joke about Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.McNearney, an executive producer for this year's Oscars, tells  why her husband didn’t go «harder» on Smith. «We didn't want to make this year all about last year,» McNearney explains. «I cannot tell you how many Will Smith jokes we had that then we got rid of. We think that only the best for that room made it.

Oscars since Will Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock on stage rolled around, fans and even fellow celebrities alike couldn't help but recall the shocking moment.The Academy ensured no such moment would ever happen again, even having a crisis team involved, and Will was banned from attending any Academy events for the next ten years.Chris on the other hand, is free to return, though it seems he preferred to keep his distance on the anniversary of the altercation, and not only did he not attend the Oscars – he has claimed he was however asked to host but turned it down – but he was far away from the Dolby Theater and Los Angeles too.WATCH: Will Smith apologizes to Academy after Chris Rock altercationMORE: Chris Rock's daughter Zahra breaks silence after being called 'rich and spoiled' by famous dadRight as Hollywood's biggest and most beloved stars gathered on the red – or rather champagne – carpet, the comedian was spotted across the country all the way in Miami. However, he still tuned in and watched the show, attending a watch party hosted by fellow comedian Whitney Cummings at the Four Seasons Hotel in Surfside, Florida, in partnership with Vanity Fair and injectable brand Xeomin, who Christina Aguilera recently partnered with.MORE: Who is Chris Rock's ex-wife and why did they split?In a video shared on Twitter by one of the party's attendees, Whitney is seen standing on top of the bar, shocked as Chris made his seemingly unexpected appearance.. @chrisrock just walked into the @VanityFair @XeominAesthetic #oscars #Oscars2023 viewing party in Miami and we were not prepared! @WhitneyCummings was pretty shocked as well..

Will Smith was keeping a low profile while the 95th Academy Awards were taking place at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Sunday.Not too far away from the event in San Dimas, California, the 54-year-old actor was seen driving a car around 4 p.m. PT.The sighting comes about a year after Smith made headlines for slapping Chris Rock across the face during the 2022 Oscars in reaction to the comedian making a joke about Smith's wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

The Oscars 2023 returned to our screens on Sunday night, celebrating the very best talent in film, design and sound.

Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. “I wanted to say thank you for this acknowledgment because it couldn’t be done without my cast.”Fraser came out on top of what was widely considered to be a neck-and-neck race, with Austin Butler (“Elvis”) and Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin“) also considered to be front-runners.

The elephant in the room. It’s been one year since Will Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock at the Academy Awards, but the incident’s aftermath was very much present at the 2023 Oscars.

If you’re watching the 2023 Oscars and notice a notable absence and a bunch of jokes about punches, you might be wondering: is Will Smith banned from the Oscars? 

Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are all loved up!

Will Smith and Chris Rock.Hollywood A-listers are hitting the red carpet and going for the gold again — likely with less controversy than last year — during the 95th Academy Awards at 8 p.m. Sunday, March 12. The 2023 Oscars ceremony — held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles — is airing live on ABC and streaming on ABC.com, Hulu Live TV, YouTube TV, AT&T TV and FuboTV.“Everything Everywhere All at Once” seemingly has the most momentum of all nominees, topping this year’s nods with 11 — including Best Picture, Actress in a Leading Role (Michelle Yeoh), Actor in a Supporting Role (Ke Huy Quan) and Actress in a Supporting Role (Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu).

slap that was heard around the world last year, the Academy is determined to avoid another debacle.“We have a whole crisis team, something we’ve never had before, and many plans in place,” the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Bill Kramer told Time.“We’ve run many scenarios. So it is our hope that we will be prepared for anything that we may not anticipate right now but that we’re planning for just in case it does happen.”Will Smith — who later in the evening won Best Actor for his role in “King Richard” — unexpectedly rushed onto the stage and slapped presenter Chris Rock after the comedian told a joke about Smith’s wife.

the most — unhinged, unexpected moments in the prestigious show’s 94-year history. “Jada, I love you. ‘GI Jane 2,’ can’t wait to see you,” Rock quipped about Jada Pinkett Smith’s bald head while presenting an award — prompting Smith to run onstage and strike him.

Lights, camera, fashion! The 2023 Academy Awards are almost upon Us.  

Oscars red carpet — has been experiencing a series of losses and recoveries in power. Ovation Hollywood, a shopping area previously known as Hollywood & Highland, has seen several key areas go completely dark, including credential and safety offices. The Dolby Theater, which will host the Oscars ceremony on Sunday, is part of the Ovation site.

The biggest night in Hollywood – the 95th Academy Awards – is almost here, and Monday’s headlines will be filled with the gongs, the gowns and the gushing acceptance speeches. We asked four beauty industry experts to talk us through exactly what it takes to get the A-listers ready for big red carpet events like the Oscars… SKIN Sarah Chapman, facialist Celebrity clients include: Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, The Duchess of Sussex “I often see people for a one-off treatment before an event, so the goal is to maximise glow. My focus would be a really deep cleanse, hydration, massage and skin tightening using microneedling, stem cells and peptides, along with lots of hyaluronic acid and refined oils.

spectacularly slapped by Will Smith at last year’s Academy Awards, but it’s the Duke and Duchess of Sussex who could be getting their own smackdown at the 2023 Oscars. A public relations expert believes that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle may be roasted by big names at the ceremony, set to take place this Sunday, March 12, in Los Angeles. While the privacy-conscious couple won’t be in attendance at the glitzy event, PR guru Matt Yanofsky said there’s a good chance they’ll still be referenced on Hollywood’s big night.

Makeover alert! The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has decided to try something new ahead of the 95th Oscars on Sunday, March 12.