Oscar Battle Over Category Move Rages On – And Critics Are Already Bracing for Next Year’s Fight

EXCLUSIVE: Four years after Judith Sheindlin, CBS and others were sued by a producer from the early seasons of the Judge Judy series and the estate of another producer over profits from the big bucks sale of the show’s library, the almost lucratively esoteric dispute looks to have come to the end of the legal road, at least for now.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterAsk 100 people in the entertainment industry what the Academy Awards telecast should entail, and you’re bound to get 100 different opinions.

has won the Oscar for Best Actor at the 2022 Academy Awards moments after he punched Chris Rock in a dramatic on-stage scene.He scored the award for his career-making turn in “King Richard.”“Richard Williams was a fierce defender of his family,” he said, moments after the wild scene.“In this time in my life, in this moment, I am overwhelmed by what God is calling on me to do and be in this world. Making this film, I got to protect Aunjanue Ellis, who was one of the most strongest, most delicate people I ever met. I got to protect Saniyya (Sidney) and Demi (Singleton), the two actresses that played Venus and Serena.

Will Smith is an Oscar winner! Following a bit of controversy at Sunday’s 94th Academy Awards, the 53-year-old actor took home the Best Actor statuette for his role as Richard Williams, the father of Venus and Serena Williams, in King Richard.

And the crowd goes wild! Nobody was safe from Amy Schumer, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes during the trio’s opening monologue at the 2022 Oscars.

Hans Zimmer won his second career Oscar tonight, Original Score for Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. This was Zimmer’s 12th nomination for Original Score, and second win since The Lion King in 1995. He was previously nominated for Rain Man (1989), The Preacher’s Wife (1997), As Good as It Gets (1998), The Prince of Egypt (1999), The Thin Red Line (1999), Gladiator (2001), Sherlock Holmes (2010), Inception (2011), Interstellar (2015), and Dunkirk (2018).

Kirsten Dunst and Jesse Plemons proved, once again, why they are one of awards season's hottest red carpet couples! The A-list duo arrived at the 94 annual Academy Awards in style on Sunday.Dunst stunned in a ruffled red gown. Completing her look, the actress wore her hair pulled up in a glam knot. Plemons was a dapper complement to his leading lady, as he rocked a sleek black tux. The pair, who play husband and wife in the Oscar-nominated film   each snagged nominations for their roles and they are ready to celebrate. «We don’t have kids right now,» Dunst tells ET.

Jane Campion’s western The Power Of The Dog, which leads the pack with 12 nominations, but faces stiff competition from frontrunner Will Smith, who is nominated for his turn as the father of Venus and Serena Williams in King Richard. They are nominated alongside Garfield for his role as Rent playwright Jonathan Larson in Tick, Tick… Boom!, Javier Bardem for Being The Ricardos, and Denzel Washington for The Tragedy Of Macbeth.

The touching AppleTV+ drama has snuck up from behind over the last two weeks, winning both the hugely important SAG Best Ensemble Award and the Producers Guild’s top prize. Suddenly, it’s the one to beat.The first part of director Denis Villenueve’s adaptation of the sci-fi novel was, by far, the most impressive cinematic experience of the year. “Belfast”  “Don’t Look Up”  “Drive My Car” “King Richard” “Licorice Pizza” “Nightmare Alley” “The Power of the Dog” “West Side Story” Awards season has been a coronation for Campion ever since her esoteric Western bombarded the festival circuit.  Anderson’s movie is moving, funny and visually gripping.Kenneth Branagh, “Belfast”Ryûsuke Hamaguchi, “Drive My Car”Steven Spielberg, “West Side Story”Smith gives one of his best performances in years, as the fascinating and complex father of Serena and Venus Williams. Javier Bardem, “Being the Ricardos”Benedict Cumberbatch, “The Power of the Dog”Andrew Garfield, “Tick, Tick … Boom!”Denzel Washington, “The Tragedy of Macbeth”Chastain was the underdog until she won the SAG Award.

Kanye West, 44, made it clear he’s not hiding out despite his recent custody issues over his four kids with Kim Kardashian. The rapper confidently walked and stood by cameras while out and about in Los Angeles in a black jacket with the hood above his head over a gray top and dark gray denim jeans. He also wore his famous black boots as he stopped to pose for a photo with a serious and alert face.

In light of the ongoing war in Ukraine, sources tell Deadline that WME will not be hosting its agency’s Oscar party this year, and instead will be donating $1 million  to UNICEF to support families in Ukraine and other areas displaced by war.

Academy Award nominees were honored at the annual Oscars luncheon on Monday, which celebrated the biggest names in this year's most-celebrated films. That meant stars like Will Smith, Denzel Washington and Bradley Cooper brushing elbows on the red carpet, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz enjoying a day date to celebrate their respective nominations, and plenty more star-studded moments.For star Marlee Matlin, this year's Oscars is a bit of a full-circle event.

Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz are stepping out for the 2022 Oscars Nominees Luncheon!

Ukraine, the conflict with Russia is experienced almost solely through the media. In that theater, it hasn't been close.Virtually all of the war's indelible images — the defiant guards on Snake Island, a woman's chilling offer of sunflower seeds to a Russian soldier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying he wants ammunition instead of a ride — have served to rally the world to his country's side.Ukraine may ultimately be overcome by sheer military might, but the power of war's imagery will likely never be underestimated in the future.News coverage has emphasized a David vs.

COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent health and safety protocols.  With invitations having just started to go out this week for the always glamorous March 27 bash, Page Six is reporting that it will again take place at the Wallis Annenberg Center For The Performing Arts in Beverly Hills, only this time the venue will be reimagined as an 'open air space.