Hollywood strike forces Venice fest to switch opening film

ROME, Italy - The Venice Film Festival has switched its opening selection, after the movie that had been slated to open pulled out because of the ongoing Hollywood strike, organisers said.

Edoardo De Angelis' "Comandante" will now open the 80th Venice International Film Festival, in place of Luca Guadagnino's "Challengers", the festival said in a statement late on Friday.

"Challengers" featuring US star Zendaya, "will not participate at the Festival following a decision made by the production," owing to ongoing industrial action in Hollywood, it said.

"Comandante" will have its world premiere on Wednesday, August 30 in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema on the island of Lido di Venezia during the opening ceremony.

The change comes two weeks after actors joined a writers' strike, triggering the first industry-wide walkout for 63 years, effectively shutting down Hollywood.

The SAG-AFTRA (the Screen Actors Guild) went on strike after negotiations to reach a new deal with production studios ended without an agreement.

The union's demands have focused on dwindling pay in the streaming era, as well as the threat to the industry posed by artificial intelligence.

Based on a true story, "Comandante" depicts the rescue of 26 shipwrecked Belgians during World War II by a submarine skipper played by Pierfrancesco Favino.

De Angelis, 44, was behind 2016 film "Indivisibili" and the TV drama series The Lying Life of Adults.

The Venice festival will end on September 9 with the screening of "La sociedad de la nieve" ("Society of the Snow") by Spanish director Juan Antonio Bayona, the organisers said.

Agence France Presse

'A Star is Born' leads film contenders for SAG awards

LOS ANGELES - Musical drama remake "A Star is Born" led a wide range of contenders for the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Wednesday, landing 4 nominations, including best movie ensemble.

The film will compete for SAG's top movie prize in a diverse group that includes superhero movie "Black Panther," romantic comedy "Crazy Rich Asians," rock biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody," and director Spike Lee's historical drama "BlacKkKlansman."

"A Star is Born," released by AT&T Inc's Warner Bros, features Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga in a classic story about a young woman trying to make it in the music business. Both actors were nominated for individual awards for their performances.

The SAG awards are closely watched as an indicator of likely Oscar success because actors form the largest voting group in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

In the last 23 years, only one film has won the best picture Oscar without being nominated for SAG's top ensemble prize, last year's "The Shape of Water."

SAG award winners will be announced on Jan. 27 at a ceremony in Los Angeles.

"Black Panther" and "Crazy Rich Asians" were both heralded as milestones for diversity in Hollywood, which has faced criticism for under-representation of actors and filmmakers of color. 

"Black Panther" was the first big-budget superhero movie to star a predominantly black cast, while "Crazy Rich Asians" was the first film with an all-Asian cast from a major Hollywood studio in 25 years.

"Vice," which garnered the most Golden Globe nominations, earned SAG acting nods for Christian Bale and Amy Adams for their roles as former Vice President Dick Cheney and his wife, Lynne.

Other actors nominated for leading roles included Rami Malek for playing Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury in "Bohemian Rhapsody," Viggo Mortensen for road-trip comedic drama "Green Book," and John David Washington for "BlacKkKlansman."

In the running for lead actress were Emily Blunt in the musical sequel "Mary Poppins Returns," Glenn Close for drama "The Wife," Olivia Colman for British historical comedy "The Favourite," and Melissa McCarthy in "Can You Ever Forgive Me?"

Blunt scored a second acting nod for her supporting role in horror film "A Quiet Place." Adams and Emma Stone also earned 2 acting nominations each.

In TV, Amazon.com Inc comedy "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and Netflix Inc drama "Ozark" topped the list of SAG nominees with 4 nods each.

"Black Panther" and "Mary Poppins Returns" were released by Walt Disney Co. "Bohemian Rhapsody," "The Favourite," and "Can You Ever Forgive Me?" were distributed by Twenty-First Century Fox Inc.

In addition to "A Star is Born," Warner Bros released "Crazy Rich Asians," while "The Wife" was distributed by Sony Corp .

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Actors of color win big at SAG Awards amid diversity furor

LOS ANGELES -- "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to diverse TV," Idris Elba joked on stage after winning twice at Saturday's Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, where actors of color claimed a slew of wins amid a furor in Hollywood over the lack of on-screen diversity.

Leonardo DiCaprio, Brie Larson and the cast of "Spotlight" -- all white actors -- won the top three film awards of the night, but the rest mainly honored diverse cast and roles. That is in stark contrast to the Oscars, where no actors of color are nominated this year for the industry's highest honors.

"Spotlight," about the Boston Globe's probe of child abuse in the Catholic Church, beat out hip-hop biopic "Straight Outta Compton" for best film ensemble. The movie starred Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams.

"This is not only for survivors of this horrific situation, this is really for the disenfranchised," Keaton said. "This is for the Flint, Michigans in the world, for the powerless."

DiCaprio was named best actor for playing a fur-trapper in pioneer-era retribution drama "The Revenant."

"We all stand on shoulders of giants, so thank all those actors from past who have inspired me and all the actors in this room," DiCaprio said.

Larson, who played a woman held hostage with a young son in "Room," was named best actress, while Sweden's Alicia Vikander won best supporting actress for playing the wife of transgender artist Lili Elbe in "The Danish Girl."

"Spotlight," DiCaprio, Larson and Vikander are all nominated for Oscars, and with their Saturday wins, are cemented as front-runners in their respective categories.

Elba, a black British actor, won two SAG awards: best supporting actor for playing a mercenary commander in Netflix's West African war drama "Beasts of No Nation," and best actor in a limited series for BBC's crime drama "Luther."

"We made a film about real people and real lives, and to be awarded for that is very special," Elba said of his "Beasts" win.

In the television categories, which featured far more diverse actors and roles, Netflix's women's prison show "Orange Is the New Black," won the best comedy series ensemble award for the second consecutive year.

"Look at this stage," cast member Laura Prepon said while accepting the award. "This is what we talk about when we talk about diversity. Different race, color, creed, sexual orientation."

"Orange" star Uzo Aduba won best comedy series actress for playing kooky inmate Crazy Eyes, Queen Latifah won best actress in a TV miniseries for playing blues singer Bessie Smith in HBO's "Bessie," and Viola Davis won best drama actress for ABC's "How to Get Away with Murder." All three actresses are black.

Jeffrey Tambor won best comedy series actor for playing Maura Pfefferman, an aging wealthy transgender woman in Amazon's "Transparent."

"I'd like to dedicate this award to the non-Maura Pfeffermans who don't have a lot of cash for their operations, for their medicine, for their freedom," Tambor said.

Kevin Spacey was named best drama actor for political thriller "House of Cards," and British period drama "Downton Abbey" was named best drama ensemble.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Oscar-winning actor Ernest Borgnine dead at 95

LOS ANGELES – Veteran actor Ernest Borgnine, the star of dozens of films and television shows who won an Oscar for his portrayal of a shy butcher in love in “Marty,” died Sunday, his manager said. He was 95.

“It’s a very sad day. The industry has lost someone great, the caliber of which we will never see again. A true icon,” the manager, Lynda Bensky, said in an email to AFP.

“But more importantly the world has lost a sage and loving man who taught us all how to ‘grow young’. His infectious smile and chuckle made the world a happier place.”

Bensky said the actor died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, with his family at his side.

Born to Italian immigrants on January 24, 1917 in Hamden, Connecticut, Borgnine was primarily known for his roles in comedies such as the popular TV series “McHale’s Navy” and dramas like the World War II film “The Dirty Dozen.”

The US Navy veteran won an Academy Award for best actor for his role in the 1955 film “Marty,” which also took home Oscars for best picture, best director and best screenplay.

Borgnine — who began his career as a stage actor and first shot to prominence in Hollywood when he played Sergeant “Fatso” Judson in “From Here to Eternity” — was also known for his role on the television series “Airwolf.”

He also appeared on the celbrity game show “The Hollywood Squares”.

Borgnine continued to work into his 90s, voicing the character Mermaid Man on the animated children’s series “SpongeBob SquarePants”.

In 2009, he appeared in a guest starring role on long-running TV drama “ER” for which he earned an Emmy nomination.

The year before, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for his work in the made-for-TV movie “A Grandpa for Christmas”.

The Screen Actors Guild gave him a Lifetime Achievement Award last year.

The gap-toothed actor wed five times, including once to Broadway megastar Ethel Merman — a marriage that lasted only a month. He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Tova. Borgnine had four children.

In an interview with AFP in 2007, Borgnine emphasized the importance of being a team player as an actor.

“When you’re part of an ensemble like I was in ‘From Here To Eternity’ and ‘The Poseidon Adventure’ you realize you stick out badly if you try to steal a scene instead of being a part of a team,” he said.

“Acting to me is very simple. You just need to use your heart and your head together.”

Borgnine said at the time that he would advise aspiring actors to “get a real job before you try to get an acting job.”

“Learn about life and then learn your craft. And don’t wear dark glasses on screen because you think you’re cool. The eyes are an actor’s best asset,” Borgnine said.

source: interaksyon.com

'The Help' wins best film at SAG awards

LOS ANGELES - The Screen Actors Guild on Sunday picked the actors in drama "The Help" as the top ensemble cast of 2011 and gave it two other awards for best lead actress and supporting actress, in a surprise over heavily favored silent movie romance "The Artist."

"The Help" earned three awards overall and "The Artist" only one for French actor Jean Dujardin as best actor in a drama for his role as a fading actor at the end of the talkies.

Dujardin seemed genuinely surprised as he held his statue, thanking the audience of A-list actors including Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep and Michelle Williams.

He noted that as a kid he was always a dreamer and that his teachers called him "Jean of the moon."

"I was always dreaming," he said. "I realize now that I never stopped dreaming. Thank you very much. Thank you for this dream."

Viola Davis was named best actress in a movie for civil rights-era drama "The Help," and she too talked of dreaming big as a kid and encouraged others to do so.

"Dream big and dream fierce," she said.

Others winning SAG film honors included Christopher Plummer with the first film honor for supporting actor. Plummer, 82, who plays an elderly man who reveals his homosexuality, much to the chagrin of his family, thanked his fellow actors from the stage, calling them a wacky but wonderful bunch of artists.

"I just can't tell you what fun I've had being a member of the world's second oldest profession," Plummer joked on stage. "When they honor you, it's like being lit by the holy grail. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Octavia Spencer won supporting actress in a movie with her role as a poor maid "The Help." It proved to be a surprise over Berenice Bejo of silent film romance, "The Artist."

SAG's film awards are closely watched for their impact on Oscars because actors make up the biggest voting group at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences which picks winners. The Academy Awards take place in Los Angeles on Feb. 26.

But unlike academy voters focused on film, SAG members also pick winners in TV awards, and in that arena, "Boardwalk Empire" was named best drama series for the second straight year and "Modern Family was picked top comedy, also for the second year. –Reuters

source:gmanetwork.com