Oscar-Contending Documentary ‘Nothing Compares’ Reexamines Sinéad O’Connor, Singer Who “Booted The Door Down” And Paid The Price

Clayton Davis Reputations go a long way in Hollywood, and when you’re seeking Oscar attention, a good one provides a significant edge against the competition. While more than a few contenders in this year’s mix have had previous run-ins with colleagues and journalists, those without that baggage have social media, and the industry, rooting for them. At the top of the list is Brendan Fraser, one of the best comeback stories in years. In Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” (Aronofsky and Fraser are both on the cover of this week’s New York issue of Variety) where he plays a 600-pound man looking to reconnect with his daughter, he delivers an astounding performance. The adaptation of Samuel D. Hunter’s play may face an uphill battle in other major categories, based on reactions so far. However, the star of “The Mummy” (1999) and “Encino Man” (1992) has been able to rise above any criticism, especially after Variety posted a viral video of him getting emotional during the film’s standing ovation at Venice.

Brandy Norwood has reportedly suffered from a seizure and remains in hospital where she is being monitored.MORE: Tim McGraw reveals long-term effects of multiple surgeries after health battleTMZ reported the news, sharing that LAPD sources claimed there was a EMS call to her home on 11 October and her parents remain at her bedside. Her reps have not yet shared any official comment.

Fa la la! Lifetime unveiled its 2022 “It’s a Wonderful Lifetime” movie lineup — complete with 26 new films.

Naman Ramachandran After 22 weeks in cinemas across Ireland and the U.K., writer-director Colm Bairéad’s “An Cailín Ciúin” (“The Quiet Girl”) has crossed €1 million ($971,000) at the box office. The film is Ireland’s entry in the Oscars’ international feature category. Based on Irish author Claire Keegan’s story “Foster,” the coming-of-age film, set in rural Ireland in 1981, follows Cáit (Catherine Clinch) as she is sent from her overcrowded, dysfunctional household to live with distant relatives for the summer. It has been an unstoppable force on the festival and awards circuit, winning top prizes at the Berlin, Dublin and Taipei film festivals and sweeping the Irish Film and Television Awards. Produced by Cleona Ní Chrualaoi for Inscéal, the film is distributed by Break Out Pictures and Curzon.

HBO debuted the trailer for Year One: A Political Odyssey, which examines President Joe Biden’s first year in office, with what the premium network calls a “rare glimpse into the inner working of the White House.”

EXCLUSIVE: One of the most honored documentaries of the year is heading to the very big screen.

Michaela Zee editor President Joe Biden’s turbulent first year in office is the focus of HBO’s forthcoming documentary, “Year One: A Political Odyssey.” In the trailer, which Variety can exclusively reveal, the documentary chronicles Biden’s first year as president, from his inauguration in 2021 to the State of the Union speech in March. Directed by Emmy-winning filmmaker John Maggio, “Year One” explores the dynamics of the President’s inner circle, featuring archival news footage and insider interviews with secretary of state Antony Blinken, national security advisor Jake Sullivan, secretary of defense Lloyd Austin, CIA director William Burns and White House chief of staff Ron Klain, among other members of Biden’s cabinet.

A phony pawn shop. A fake liquor store. A village made up of one faux storefront after another, like something from a Hollywood backlot. What was this strange, ersatz Main Street erected on an army base in Virginia in 1967? A place dubbed “Riotsville.”

The Prince estate has revealed that it denied permission for Sinead O’Connor to use her version of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ in a new documentary about her career because they “didn’t feel she deserved to use the song”.Although best known via O’Connor’s 1990 cover of it, ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ was written and originally performed by Prince. Hence the need for the estate – via its publishing deal with Universal Music – to grant permission for O’Connor’s version of the song to be included in the documentary, which is called ‘Nothing Compares’.“Nothing compares to Prince’s [1993] live version with Rosie Gaines that is featured on the ’Hits 1’ album and we are re-releasing that album on vinyl on 4 Nov”, Prince’s half-sister Sharon Nelson tells Billboard.

The Only Way is Essex star Dani Imbert has shared her thoughts on Ella Rae Wise and Pete Wicks’ blossoming romance. There’s been undeniable chemistry between both Ella, 22, and Pete, 33, with the pair first locking lips last year and while they've never officially coupled up before, the current season of TOWIE is documenting them appearing to rekindle their romance. While things seem to be going quite well between the two, there are concerns about the 11-year age gap between them.

Prince‘s estate denied Sinead O’Connor use of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ for her new documentary, it has been revealed.Nothing Compares, a new film directed by Kathryn Ferguson, will chronicle O’Connor’s rise to fame in the early ‘90s. In addition to input from people close to the singer, the documentary will include a new interview with O’Connor herself.A great part of this success came from her decision to cover ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ in 1990, with the song partially giving the film its title.However, the cover won’t appear in the film, with Prince’s half-sister and co-heir telling Billboard that the estate refused the request because “I didn’t feel she deserved to use the song.”Sharon Nelson added: “Nothing compares to Prince’s live version with Rosie Gaines that is featured on the ‘Hits 1‘ album and we are re-releasing that album on vinyl on November 4th.“I didn’t feel [Sinéad] deserved to use the song my brother wrote in her documentary so we declined. His version is the best.”Director Ferguson then added: “Initially we had intended to use the song, but we received a refusal (which as the rights holders, was their prerogative).“In the end we were very happy with that section of the film.

Clayton Davis Grammy-winner Jazmine Sullivan has teamed up with Grammy and Oscar-winning songwriter Dernst “D’Mile’ Emile II for a possible Oscar contender for best original song. Variety has exclusively learned the song “Stand Up,” which will be featured in Orion and United Artists Releasing’s upcoming drama “Till,” will be submitted for Academy Awards consideration. The song will be released on Oct. 7. Written by Sullivan and D’Mile, the end-credits song captures the moving spirit of the harrowing true story of Mamie Till Mobley (Danielle Deadwyler) and her relentless pursuit of justice after her 14-year-old son Emmett Till (Jalyn Hill) is lynched in 1955.

Clayton Davis Zar Amir Ebrahimi (also known as Zahra) should be basking in the glow of her best actress win at Cannes for “Holy Spider.” Instead, she’s in a reflective mood when she sits down with Variety for a Zoom interview, recounting the tumultuous 16 years that culminated with earning a prominent role in one of the best-reviewed movies of 2022.   But before the red carpets and splashy premieres, this Iranian actress’s career was derailed and her personal life was upended following the release of a sex tape. As punishment, she faced possible stoning and lashing in her native country. Despite all that she endured, Ebrahimi has persevered and Hollywood is taking notice.

Strictly Come Dancing is hitting our screens and celebrities will be busy putting on their dancing shoes to pair up with their professional partners. This year viewers will see Will Mellor, Helen Skelton and Kym Marsh take to the Strictly dance floor alongside other famous faces from TV, music, sport and comedy to try and win the Glitterball trophy in Strictly 2022. Every year the professionals put together spectacular dance routines for their celebrity partners, all whilst performing in elaborate dance sequences with their professional crew too.

Kanye West has apologised to his ex-wife Kim Kardashian for “any stress that [he’s] caused” her since their break-up.The former couple, who got married in 2014, were reportedly living “separate lives” by early 2021 before Kardashian filed for divorce the following month. They share four children: North, Saint, Chicago and Psalm.Kardashian later began dating Pete Davidson, but the pair broke up this summer.

Wilson Chapman editorAlejandro González Iñárritu has released the first trailer for his Netflix Oscar contender “Bardo” — and the entire movie is now 22 minutes shorter.The Mexican filmmaker and two-time best director winner’s eighth film, “Bardo (or False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths),” premiered at this year’s Venice Film Festival. After screening at Venice and Telluride, Iñárritu went back into the edit room and cut down 22 minutes from the film, bringing its runtime to two hours and 32 minutes, without credits.“The first time I saw my film was with 2,000 people in Venice,” Iñárritu told IndieWire. “That was a nice opportunity to see it and learn about things that could benefit from being tied up a bit, add one scene that never arrived on time, and move the order of one or two things. Little by little, I tightened it, and I am very excited about it.”

Sinéad O’Connor remains one of the most influential music acts to emerge into the pop mainstream in the late ’80s and early ’90s. Now, take a look at her life and career through the lens of Kathryn Ferguson, making her documentary feature debut with “Nothing Compares,” an in-depth look at O’Connor’s creative legacy.

By this time, don’t we know just about everything there is to know about Alfred Hitchcock? Few, if any, other filmmakers have had their lives and careers examined, explored and analyzed as much as has the vaunted master of suspense. So unless incontrovertible evidence were to be suddenly found that the director secretly fathered a dozen illegitimate children by as many women and personally supplied Churchill with an untraceable poison powder to drop into Stalin’s tea in Yalta, only to see the prime minister chicken out, it’s quite unlikely that much new will ever be added to his life story that we don’t already know.

Conor McGregor has admitted he "can't believe" he's being paid to film a Hollywood remake of Road House. McGregor, 34, is currently in the Dominican Republic completing his filming duties for his role in the remake of the 1989 action film, which featured blockbuster stars such as Patrick Swayze and Sam Elliott.