Variety and Gold House to Spotlight Asian Pacific Creatives and Executives in Entertainment With First Annual 8 Up Next List

The Brothers Sun star Justin Chien has spoken out following Netflix‘s decision not to proceed with a second season of the action comedy-drama.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor It took a village of Denis Villeneuve‘s most trusted artisans to pull off “Dune: Part Two’s” epic Harkonnen arena fight scene. As epic as its predecessor, Villeneuve’s sequel raises the bar with striking visuals. None is more jaw-dropping than Feyd-Rautha’s (Austin Butler) celebration sequence.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Oscar-winning directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, known professionally as Daniels, will debut their cinematic follow-up to “Everything Everywhere All at Once” in 2026. Universal Pictures, which recently signed an exclusive first-look deal with the filmmakers, added to its release calendar an “Untitled Event Film Directed by Daniels” on June 12, 2026.

The next movie from Oscar-winning duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, an untitled feature at Universal, finally will open in theaters on June 12, 2026.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Yorgos Lanthimos‘ “Poor Things,” spans five different major locations — London, Paris, a ship, Alexandria and Lisbon — which meant production designers James Price and Shona Heath had a considerable undertaking ahead of them when they signed on. Creating Lisbon proved to be one of the biggest jobs for cinematographer Robbie Ryan and even Lanthimos. As Emma Stone’s Bella Baxter departs her black-and-white world of Victorian-era London and Godwin’s (Willem Dafoe’s) home, the movie transitions into a pastel-colored world — there’s a soundstage with a water tank for the scenic sea view, and a giant picturesque backdrop.

Academy Awards are right around the corner. The event will be hosted on March 10th, with the first round of presenters being announced. The line up has a mixture of actors that include Zendaya and Lupita Nyong’o.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Randy Spendlove, president of worldwide music and publishing at Paramount Pictures, is no stranger to musical biopics. His roster includes “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Rocketman” and “Walk the Line.” When it came time to bring reggae icon Bob Marley’s story to the big screen, his challenge remained the same as always: “How do you tell the story about a legendary figure? How do you accomplish it? And how do we make sure we utilize Bob?” Early meetings took place during the pandemic with Marley’s sons Ziggy and Stephen as well as director Reinaldo Marcus Green over Zoom. The answer would be in authentically preserving Bob Marley’s live recordings and enhancing them – with actor Kingsley Ben-Adir’s vocals layered in.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed the first group of presenters for the 96th annual Oscars on March 10. The envelope please…

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor In Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie,” Margot Robbie’s Stereotypical Barbie’s perfectly pink world is rocked to the core when she has an existential crisis during a dance party. What follows is a sequence of events that propel her into an emotional journey as she begins to grow closer to the real world. “It was important that her evolution into becoming human could be reflected in the hair, makeup and costumes,” says Robbie, who also served as the film’s producer.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Zendaya, Michelle Pfeiffer and Oscar winners Nicolas Cage and Al Pacino are among the first group of presenters for this year’s 96th Oscars ceremony. Also presenting are last year’s four acting winners — Brendan Fraser from “The Whale” and Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Jamie Lee Curtis from the best picture winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once.” Oscar winners Mahershala Ali (“Moonlight” and “Green Book”), Jessica Lange (“Tootsie” and “Blue Sky”), Matthew McConaughey (“Dallas Buyers Club”), Lupita Nyong’o (“12 Years a Slave”) and Sam Rockwell (“Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”) also are set to take the stage. Raj Kapoor serves as the Oscars’ executive producer and showrunner, alongside executive producers Molly McNearney and Katy Mullan.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Pharrell Williams has announced the fourth annual Black Ambition Prize Competition is now open for applications for the 2024 prize cycle. Black Ambition is a non-profit initiative, created by Williams, that aims to provide a bridge to success for Black and Latinx entrepreneurs who are launching tech, design, healthcare and consumer products services start-ups. In a statement to Variety, Williams said: “Our Black Ambition entrepreneurs have raised more than $95 million and generated more than $23 million in revenue.

Gregg Goldstein When film and TV talents collide on the Santa Monica beach at the Film Independent Spirit Awards, anything can happen. Just ask “American Fiction” nominee Jeffrey Wright.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor “American Fiction” director Cord Jefferson, composer Laura Karpman and director John Hoffman (“The Barber of Little Rock”) were among the Oscar-nominated attendees at Gold House‘s inaugural Oscars One House Toast. In partnership with GLAAD, the NAACP Hollywood Bureau, La Cena, IllumiNative, Harness, Pillars Fund, The Blackhouse Foundation, The Female Quotient, and The Latinx House, Gold House honored the 2024 multicultural nominees and achievements across filmmaking at the celebration on Thursday night at Harriet’s Rooftop in West Hollywood.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Oscar-nominated artisans in the race landed historical firsts in numerous categories. After decades in the industry, costume designer Ellen Mirojnick earned her first nod for “Oppenheimer.” Scott George became the first Osage Nation songwriter to be nominated for his song in “Killers of the Flower Moon,” while Diane Warren scored a record 15th nod. John Williams bested his record-breaking achievement when he was recognized for original score.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor The Oscar-nominated song “Wahzhazhe (A Song for My People)” by Scott George has a deep meaning. The lyrics, sung in Osage, invite listeners to stand up, be tall and be proud. “We’re still here after all of that,” George says.

Idris Elba, Margot Robbie, Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Aniston are among 30 presenters announced today for the 30th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards set for Saturday in Los Angeles.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor “Maestro” and “Saltburn” took home the main prizes at the Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild (IATSE Local 706) awards. The guild held its 11th annual awards ceremony Sunday night at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The night kicked off with the honoree awards being presented.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor With just four days remaining until final Oscar voting officially opens, the race has taken a few unexpected turns at the BAFTA Awards. Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” a biographical drama about the father of the atomic bomb, has continued to surge ahead after seven wins, including best film and director. Its trajectory towards a triumphant night on the Dolby Theatre stage on March 10 seems assured.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers for “Central,” the fifth episode of “Expats,” now streaming on Prime Video. Lulu Wang’s “Expats” steps into feature-length territory for this week’s episode, which focuses on the working class women by diving into the lives of the help, Essie (Ruby Ruiz) and Puri (Amelyn Pardenilla).

“It was a dream job. Except it was the job from hell.”