Oscar Ratings Take A Big Jump For Second Straight Year

Ryuichi Sakamoto, a world-renowned Japanese musician and actor who composed for Hollywood hits such as “The Last Emperor” and “The Revenant”, has died. He was 71.

Japanese composer and producer Ryuichi Sakamoto, a pioneer in electronic music and winner of an Oscar, Grammy and BAFTA awards, has died at 71. He died of cancer on March 28, the BBC reported, attributing the confirmation to his office.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor Ryuichi Sakamoto, the renowned composer and member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra who won an Oscar for the score for “The Last Emperor” and composed the haunting score for “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence,” died Tuesday of cancer at 71.

Oscar Pistorius was hoping to get out of prison early, but his request was denied.

Thania Garcia Oscar Isaac and Gaby Moreno pay homage to their Guatemalan roots with a stripped-down rendition of the classic waltz anthem, “Luna de Xelajú.” The lead single off Moreno’s upcoming album arrived Friday alongside a music video directed by Diego Contreras (Fireland) which sees the two guitarists and singers performing the track in one take at the Palace Theater in Los Angeles. “‘Luna de Xelajú’ is considered the 2nd anthem of my country, Guatemala. Written by Paco Pérez in the 1940s,” explains Moreno. “I’ve been singing it since I was a teenager and more recently have been performing this song live in my concerts, usually as an encore. I invited my dear friend and incredible artist, Oscar Isaac, to sing it with me for this very special acoustic version…Just two voices with two guitars, singing together this timeless, sweet, and nostalgic song from our motherland.”

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Veteran film producer Bob Yari (“Crash”) and music executive turned content maker Marvin Peart have formed WonderHill Studios, a film and production entity that will also offer independent theatrical distribtuion.  Yari and Peat privately raised equity for the new company, for which they will serve as co-founders and co-CEOs. The label will also dabble in film acquisitions and rights sales to foreign territories.  “WonderHill Studios is eager to fill a crucial hole within the theatrical and television space, while also focusing on diversity in cinema and television in front and behind the camera. We are dedicated to building a diverse C-suite, and delivering quality independent films to the theatrical marketplace,” Yari said. 

Wynonna Judd is set to return to the CMT Music Awards stage, nearly one year after her and Naomi Judd‘s final performance together at last year’s show, which came just weeks before Naomi’s death.

Wynonna Judd is set to return to the CMT Music Awards stage, nearly one year after her and Naomi Judd's final performance together at last year's show, which came just weeks before Naomi's death.ET can exclusively reveal Judd will team up with recent tourmate Ashley McBryde for their debut television performance set to air live on April 2 on CBS from the Moody Center in Austin, Texas. Following Naomi's death last year, McBryde joined The Judds and they toured together as part of Wynonna's The Judds: The Final Tour, which continued as planned as a tribute to Naomi.Wynonna and McBryde recently kicked off the 2023 leg of the tour, which will also include Brandi Carlile, Kelsea Ballerini, Little Big Town and Tanya Tucker for select dates. Naomi and Wynonna brought down the house at last year's CMT Awards with an unforgettable performance, which also marked their triumphant TV return after more than 20 years.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director The highlight of Brendan Fraser’s Oscars night was winning the Academy Award for best actor thanks to his acclaimed performance in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale,” but perhaps in second place was a long overdue reunion with megastar Dwayne Johnson. The two actors starred together nearly 22 years ago in “The Mummy Returns,” the sequel to Fraser’s 1999 blockbuster “The Mummy” that marked Johnson’s film acting debut in Hollywood. “Very cool full circle moment here with my long time buddy Brendan Fraser and his sons,” Johnson wrote on Instagram along with a video of the two actors reuniting backstage at the 2023 Oscars. “My very first film of my Hollywood career was ‘The Mummy Returns,’ which Brendan was the star. Lots of critics and cynics betting against me at that time, but Brendan welcomed me with open arms and was very supportive. I never forget kind people.”

After debating picks and filling out your party Oscar pools, usually the second most discussed aspect of the Academy Awards tend to be the television ratings. Like many awards programs, the telecast saw a dramatic drop during the pandemic.

Zack Sharf Digital News Director Pauly Shore is over the moon about his “Encino Man” co-stars Brendan Fraser and Ke Huy Quan becoming Oscar winners at the 95th Academy Awards. Fraser took home the Oscar for best actor thanks to his acclaimed performance in “The Whale,” while Ke Huy Quan won best supporting actor for “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which also took home the best picture trophy along with six other Oscars. “Encino Man” made it into host Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue when he observed that 16 actors were nominated for their first Oscars at the 2023 ceremony. Fraser and Quan were both first-time nominees. “Two actors from ‘Encino Man’ are nominated for Oscars,” Kimmel said. “What an incredible night it must be for the two of you, and what a very difficult night for Pauly Shore. Maybe it’s time to reboot ‘Bio-Dome.'”

The Oscars’ annual In Memoriam segment on Sunday included a live performance of the song “Calling All Angels” by Lenny Kravitz.

There were a number of guaranteed wins this Oscar Sunday, but perhaps none as anticipated as the Supporting Actor category. In a surprise to no one, Ke Huy Quan capped off an incredible award season winning his first Academy Award for his performance in The Daniels’ “Everything Everywhere All At Once.” In so doing, he becomes just the second actor of Asian descent to win this category after Haing S.

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic How long does a documentary need to be? Frederick Wiseman frequently goes long, and Oscar-winning “OJ: Made in America” ran nearly eight hours. Lately, with “Bill Russell: Legend” and “Boom! Boom! The World vs. Boris Becker,” streamers have embraced the so-called “two-part documentary” — a fancy term for what used to be called a miniseries. So, while there are no limits on how much longer docs can get, it’s refreshing to see a compelling subject covered in 40 minutes or less, and doubly rewarding to realize that four of the five packaged in ShortsTV’s “2023 Oscar Nominated Short Films: Documentary” found audiences on their own merits, even without theatrical distribution.

Baz Luhrmann says it would be “an amazing historical moment” if Elvis cinematographer Mandy Walker were to triumph at Sunday’s Academy Awards. To quote Lizzo, “It’s been too long,” the filmmaker tells me last night at the Australian Oscar nominees soirée held in the Chateau Marmont’s penthouse suite.

A multitude of stars descended on the red carpet for the US-Ireland Alliance’s 17th Annual Oscar Wilde Awards, which were held on Thursday night (March 9) in Santa Monica, Calif.

The Academy Awards are nearly upon us.

Lindzi Scharf This awards season has seen a return to sparkle, sequins, sexy silhouettes and, well, celebration. “We’re a little more liberated,” says Jessica Paster, a veteran stylist who dressed Aubrey Plaza in a slinky Louis Vuitton dress for the Critics Choice Awards, “Babylon” actress Li Jun Li in a strapless Dolce & Gabbana for the Golden Globes, and Emily Blunt in a form-fitting Oscar de la Renta dress for the SAG Awards. “Before, when people would say black tie, it was a big ol’ ball gown. We still love a big ol’ ball gown, but anything goes now. The pandemic changed a lot about the way we feel. We realized that we have to live our best life, and that means whatever we feel like wearing, we can wear.”

Final Oscar balloting starts today. The 9,579 eligible Academy voters are now going to make their choices, and they have only until March 7 at 5 p.m. PT to do it. There is lots of speculation, but the only thing that really counts right now is what these AMPAS members check off on their digital ballots. Good luck, everyone.