Tag Archives: Penelope Cruz

Stephanie Beatriz Among Latino Entertainment Journalists Association’s Film Award Honorees

Posted on by
Reply

Stephanie Beatriz is the LEJA choice…

The Latino Entertainment Journalists Association (LEJA) has revealed the winners of its annual awards, with the 40-year-old Colombian and Bolivian American actress among this year’s honorees.

Stephanie BeatrizBeatriz took home the Best Voice or Motion Capture Performance for her role as Mirabel Madrigal in Disney’s hit animated film Encanto, which was named Best Animated Film by the association.

The chart-topping single “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” which she performs alongside fellow voice cast members Carolina Gaitán, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz and Diane Guerrero, was named Best Song Written for a Film. The track was written by Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Encanto

Meanwhile, the Encanto score, by Germaine Franco – the first Latina to be nominated for an Oscar for original score – was named Best Musical Score.

Oscar-hopeful Ariana DeBose, already a SAG Award winner, was named Best Supporting Actress.

The 31-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/singer/dancer continued her winning ways for her scene-stealing role as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.

Spanish Oscar-winning actress Penelope Cruz was named Best Actress in a Leading Role for the work in Pedro Almodovar’s Spanish-language film Parallel Mothers, which took home the Best Foreign Language Film prize.

Anthony Ramos and his fellow In The Heights cast members won the Best Ensenble Casting award.

The LEJA membership also selected Miranda as the recipient of the Latino Activism Award. Meanwhile, John Leguizamo was honored with the 2022 Rita Moreno Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing the actor, producer and comedian as a tireless force in the Latino community. The Latino Breakout Award was bestowed on West Side Story star Rachel Zegler.

The Latino Entertainment Journalists Association is committed to developing and celebrating Latino voices among all areas and backgrounds of the entertainment industry.

Here’s the full list of winners:

Best Picture
“The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)

Best Director
Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)

Best Actor in a Leading Role
Andrew Garfield, “Tick, Tick … Boom!” (Netflix)

Best Actress in a Leading Role
Penélope Cruz, “Parallel Mothers” (Sony Pictures Classics)

Best Actor in a Supporting Role
Troy Kotsur, “CODA” (Apple Original Films)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role
Ariana DeBose, “West Side Story” (20th Century Studios)

Best Voice or Motion Capture Performance
Stephanie Beatriz, “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures)

Best Animated Film
“Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures)

Best Foreign Language Film
“Parallel Mothers” (Sony Pictures Classics) (Spain)

Best Documentary Film
“Flee” (Neon)

Best Original Screenplay
“C’mon C’mon” (A24)

Best Adapted Screenplay
“The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)

Best Ensemble Casting
“In the Heights” (Warner Bros)

Best Production and Set Design
“Dune” (Warner Bros)

Best Cinematography
“Dune” (Warner Bros)

Best Costume Design
“Cruella” (Walt Disney Pictures)

Best Editing
“The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)

Best Hair and Makeup
“Cruella” (Walt Disney Pictures)

Best Sound Design
“Dune” (Warner Bros)

Best Visual Effects
“Dune” (Warner Bros)

Best Musical Score
“Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures)

Best Stunt Design
“No Time to Die” (MGM/United Artists Releasing)

Best Song Written for a Film
“We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from “Encanto” (Walt Disney Pictures)

First Look at Penelope Cruz in the Italian Film “L’immensita”

Posted on by
Reply

Penelope Cruz is ready to showcase her Italian language skills…

The 47-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress, who recently earned an Academy Award nod for her Spanish language role in Parallel Mothers, will star in the Italian drama L’immensita, which is currently in post-production. A first look photo of Cruz in the film has been released.

Penelope Cruz, L’immensitaEmanuele Crialese’s film is set in 1970s Rome. The Borghetti family has just moved into one of the many freshly-built apartment blocks in the city. Despite the beautiful, sweeping views of the city from their top floor apartment, the family is not as close as they once were. Clara (Cruz, who speaks Italian) and Felice (Vincenzo Amato) are no longer in love, but are unable to leave each other. Clara finds refuge from her loneliness in the shelter of her special relationships with her three children. The oldest, Adriana, an unknown child in their new neighborhood, deliberately presents as a boy to the neighborhood children, pushing the family’s bond towards breaking point.

The film is produced by Mario Gianani and Lorenzo Gangarossa for Fremantle’s Wildside with Dimitri Rassam for Chapter 2.

Warner Bros Italia is also co-producing and will distribute the film in Italy.

France 3 Cinéma and Pathé are also co-producing in France, and Pathé will release the film in France and Switzerland.

Writers are Crialese, Francesca Manieri and Vittorio Moroni

Cruz last week scored a Best Actress Oscar nomination for her role in Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers. It was the Spanish actress’s fourth Academy Award nomination.

Penélope Cruz to Star in Michael Mann’s Enzo Ferrari Biopic “Ferrari”

Posted on by
Reply

Penélope Cruz is revving her engines for a new role…

The 47-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress, who earned an Academy Award nod this week, will star in director Michael Mann’s passion project Ferrari.

Penelope CruzCruz is among a roster of All-Star cast members that includes Adam Driver and Shailene Woodley for the big-budget biopic of racing mogul Enzo Ferrari.

Driver is replacing Hugh Jackman in the title role while Parallel Mothers star Cruz will play Enzo’s wife Laura.  Woodley will play mistress Lina Lardi.

Four-time Oscar nominee Mann is gearing up for a May start in Italy.

STX is handling international rights and has now picked up the domestic rights in a big deal with Mann. Amazon is aboard in a handful of international markets. STX International will look to close remaining deals this week with some big international pacts already secured, including Leone in Italy.

The movie, which Mann has been working on for two decades, is set during the summer of 1957. Ex-racecar driver, Ferrari, is in crisis. Bankruptcy stalks the company he and his wife, Laura, built from nothing ten years earlier. Their tempestuous marriage struggles with the mourning for one son and the acknowledgement of another. He decides to counter his losses by rolling the dice on one race – 1,000 miles across Italy, the iconic Mille Miglia.

The project has famously been through multiple iterations, but this is as far along as the casting has been at any stage.

Mann will direct from a script by Troy Kennedy and Mann based on Brock Yates’ book Enzo Ferrari – The Man and the Machine.

“Being able to have these wonderfully talented artists, actors Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz and Shailene Woodley, bring to life these unique characters on location in Modena and the Emilia-Romagna is a vision fulfilled,” says Mann.

“Ferrari is so much more than a story about a man and his machine,” says Adam Fogelson, Chairman of STXfilms Motion Picture. “It is an extraordinary and emotional story that Michael has been developing for years and the entire team at STX is looking forward to the start of production with this dream cast and filmmaker. Adam Driver is one of the most talented and fascinating actors working today, and we could not be more thrilled to pair him with Penélope, whose legendary career builds with every role she takes.”

Cruz, nominated this week for the Best Actress Oscar in Parallel Mothers, won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Vicky Cristina Barcelona and was nominated another two times for her roles in Volver and Nine. In addition to Parallel Mothers for Sony, she currently stars in IFC’s Official Competition opposite Antonio Banderas.

Penelope Cruz & Javier Bardem Make Oscar History with their Academy Award Nominations

Posted on by
1

It’s a joint celebration for Penelope Cruz & Javier Bardem…

The 47-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress and her 52-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actor husband have each earned an Academy Award nomination from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the 94th Oscars.

In the process Cruz and Bardem have become the sixth married couple to be nominated in acting categories in the same year at the Oscars.

Penelope Cruz & Javier BardemBardem is nominated for best actor for his role as Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos, while Cruz earned a nomination for her role as Janis in Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers.

It’s Cruz’s second nomination for a Spanish-speaking role, and her second nod for her work in an Almodovar film. She previously earned a Best Actress nomination in 2007 for Volver.

She took home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar in 2009 for Vicky Cristina Barcelona.

Bardem previous won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor in 2008 for No Country for Old Men.

Ariana DeBose has earned her first Oscar nomination…

The 31-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/singer and recent Golden Globe winner is the looming favorite in the Best Supporting Actress category after earning the nod for her scene-stealing work as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.

Guillermo del Toro has earned a nod in the Best Picture category for producing Nightmare Alley, a neo-noir psychological thriller that the Mexican Oscar-winning filmmaker also directed and co-wrote.

Carlos López Estrada has earned his first Oscar nomination.

The Mexican filmmaker is nominated in the Animated Feature Film category for co-directing Disney’s Raya and the Last Dragon.

Germaine Franco will compete against Alberto Iglesias in the Music (Original Score) category.

The Latina film composer, the first woman to score a Disney animated feature film, is nominated for her work on Encanto; the 66-year-old Spanish composter is nominated for his work on Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers.

Lin-Manuel Miranda is one step closer to an EGOT…

The Puerto Rican Emmy, Grammy and Tony Award-winner is nominated in the Music (Original Song) category for “Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto.

Hugo Covarrubias and Tevo Díaz (Bestia) will face off against Alberto Mielgo and Leo Sanchez (The Windshield Wiper) in the Animated Short Film category.

The Oscars will be awarded on Sunday, March 27 from the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.

Here’s the full list of nominees:

Best Picture

Belfast
Laura Berwick, Kenneth Branagh, Becca Kovacik and Tamar Thomas, Producers

CODA
Philippe Rousselet, Fabrice Gianfermi and Patrick Wachsberger, Producers

Don’t Look Up
Adam McKay and Kevin Messick, Producers

Drive My Car
Teruhisa Yamamoto, Producer

Dune
Mary Parent, Denis Villeneuve and Cale Boyter, Producers

King Richard
Tim White, Trevor White and Will Smith, Producers

Licorice Pizza
Sara Murphy, Adam Somner and Paul Thomas Anderson, Producers

Nightmare Alley
Guillermo del Toro, J. Miles Dale and Bradley Cooper, Producers

The Power of the Dog
Jane Campion, Tanya Seghatchian, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning and Roger Frappier, Producers

West Side Story
Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers

Actor in a Leading Role

Javier Bardem
Being the Ricardos

Benedict Cumberbatch
The Power of the Dog

Andrew Garfield
tick, tick…Boom!

Will Smith
King Richard

Denzel Washington
The Tragedy of Macbeth

Actress in a Leading Role

Jessica Chastain
The Eyes of Tammy Faye

Olivia Colman
The Lost Daughter

Penélope Cruz
Parallel Mothers

Nicole Kidman
Being the Ricardos

Kristen Stewart
Spencer

Actor in a Supporting Role

Ciarán Hinds
Belfast

Troy Kotsur
CODA

Jesse Plemons
The Power of the Dog

J.K. Simmons
Being the Ricardos

Kodi Smit-McPhee
The Power of the Dog

Actress in a Supporting Role

Jessie Buckley
The Lost Daughter

Ariana DeBose
West Side Story

Judi Dench
Belfast

Kirsten Dunst
The Power of the Dog

Aunjanue Ellis
King Richard

Directing

Belfast
Kenneth Branagh

Drive My Car
Ryusuke Hamaguchi

Licorice Pizza
Paul Thomas Anderson

The Power of the Dog
Jane Campion

West Side Story
Steven Spielberg

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)

CODA
Screenplay by Siân Heder

Drive My Car
Screenplay by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Takamasa Oe

Dune
Screenplay by Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth

The Lost Daughter
Written by Maggie Gyllenhaal

The Power of the Dog
Written by Jane Campion

Writing (Original Screenplay)

Belfast
Written by Kenneth Branagh

Don’t Look Up
Screenplay by Adam McKay; Story by Adam McKay & David Sirota

King Richard
Written by Zach Baylin

Licorice Pizza
Written by Paul Thomas Anderson

The Worst Person in the World
Written by Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier

Documentary Feature

Ascension
Jessica Kingdon, Kira Simon-Kennedy and Nathan Truesdell

Attica
Stanley Nelson and Traci A. Curry

Flee
Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie

Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, Joseph Patel, Robert Fyvolent and David Dinerstein

Writing with Fire
Rintu Thomas and Sushmit Ghosh

Animated Feature Film

Encanto
Jared Bush, Byron Howard, Yvett Merino and Clark Spencer

Flee
Jonas Poher Rasmussen, Monica Hellström, Signe Byrge Sørensen and Charlotte De La Gournerie

Luca
Enrico Casarosa and Andrea Warren

The Mitchells vs. the Machines
Mike Rianda, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Kurt Albrecht

Raya and the Last Dragon
Don Hall, Carlos López Estrada, Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho

International Feature Film

Drive My Car (Japan)
A C&I Entertainment/Culture Entertainment/Bitters End Production

Flee (Denmark)
A Final Cut for Real/Sun Creature/Vivement Lundi !/MostFilm/Mer Film/VICE/Left HandFilms Production

The Hand of God (Italy)
A The Apartment Production

Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom (Bhutan)
A Dangphu Dingphu: a 3 pigs Production

The Worst Person in the World (Norway)
An Oslo Pictures/MK Productions/Film iVäst/Snowglobe/B-Reel/Arte France Cinéma Production

Cinematography

Dune
Greig Fraser

Nightmare Alley
Dan Laustsen

The Power of the Dog
Ari Wegner

The Tragedy of Macbeth
Bruno Delbonnel

West Side Story
Janusz Kaminski

Film Editing

Don’t Look Up
Hank Corwin

Dune
Joe Walker

King Richard
Pamela Martin

The Power of the Dog
Peter Sciberras

Tick, Tick…Boom!
Myron Kerstein and Andrew Weisblum

Live Action Short Film

Ala Kachuu – Take and Run
Maria Brendle and Nadine Lüchinger

The Dress
Tadeusz Łysiak and Maciej Ślesicki

The Long Goodbye
Aneil Karia and Riz Ahmed

On My Mind
Martin Strange-Hansen and Kim Magnusson

Please Hold
K.D. Dávila and Levin Menekse

Animated Short Film

Affairs of the Art
Joanna Quinn and Les Mills

Bestia
Hugo Covarrubias and Tevo Díaz

Boxballet
Anton Dyakov

Robin Robin
Dan Ojari and Mikey Please

The Windshield Wiper
Alberto Mielgo and Leo Sanchez

Documentary Short Subject

Audible
Matt Ogens and Geoff McLean

Lead Me Home
Pedro Kos and Jon Shenk

The Queen of Basketball
Ben Proudfoot

Three Songs for Benazir
Elizabeth Mirzaei and Gulistan Mirzaei

When We Were Bullies
Jay Rosenblatt

Music (Original Score)

Don’t Look Up
Nicholas Britell

Dune
Hans Zimmer

Encanto
Germaine Franco

Parallel Mothers
Alberto Iglesias

The Power of the Dog
Jonny Greenwood

Music (Original Song)

“Be Alive” from King Richard
Music and Lyric by DIXSON and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

“Dos Oruguitas” from Encanto
Music and Lyric by Lin-Manuel Miranda

“Down To Joy” from Belfast
Music and Lyric by Van Morrison

“No Time To Die” from No Time to Die
Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell

“Somehow You Do” from Four Good Days
Music and Lyric by Diane Warren

Production Design

Dune
Production Design: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Zsuzsanna Sipos

Nightmare Alley
Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau

The Power of the Dog
Production Design: Grant Major; Set Decoration: Amber Richards

The Tragedy of Macbeth
Production Design: Stefan Dechant; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

West Side Story
Production Design: Adam Stockhausen; Set Decoration: Rena DeAngelo

Costume Design

Cruella
Jenny Beavan

Cyrano
Massimo Cantini Parrini and Jacqueline Durran

Dune
Jacqueline West and Robert Morgan

Nightmare Alley
Luis Sequeira

West Side Story
Paul Tazewell

Makeup and Hairstyling

Coming 2 America
Mike Marino, Stacey Morris and Carla Farmer

Cruella
Nadia Stacey, Naomi Donne and Julia Vernon

Dune
Donald Mowat, Love Larson and Eva von Bahr

The Eyes of Tammy Faye
Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram and Justin Raleigh

House of Gucci
Göran Lundström, Anna Carin Lock and Frederic Aspiras

Sound

Belfast
Denise Yarde, Simon Chase, James Mather and Niv Adiri

Dune
Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Theo Green, Doug Hemphill and Ron Bartlett

No Time to Die
Simon Hayes, Oliver Tarney, James Harrison, Paul Massey and Mark Taylor

The Power of the Dog
Richard Flynn, Robert Mackenzie and Tara Webb

West Side Story
Tod A. Maitland, Gary Rydstrom, Brian Chumney, Andy Nelson and Shawn Murphy

Visual Effects

Dune
Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Brian Connor and Gerd Nefzer

Free Guy
Swen Gillberg, Bryan Grill, Nikos Kalaitzidis and Dan Sudick

No Time to Die
Charlie Noble, Joel Green, Jonathan Fawkner and Chris Corbould

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
Christopher Townsend, Joe Farrell, Sean Noel Walker and Dan Oliver

Spider-Man: No Way Home
Kelly Port, Chris Waegner, Scott Edelstein and Dan Sudick

Penelope Cruz Named Best Actress by National Society of Film Critics 

Posted on by
Reply

Penelope Cruz is the Society’s choice…

The National Society of Film Critics has announced the winners of its 2021 film awards, with the 47-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress among the honorees.

Penelope Cruz, Pedro Almodovar, Madres ParalelasCruz was named Best Actress for her performance in Pedro Almodovar’s Spanish-language film Parallel Mothers, with 55 points.

The NSFC features elected and eligible members from major media outlets. The annual awards honors the best in acting, direction, writing, cinematography and more across onscreen and streaming releases in the US.

Any film that opened in the US on a screen or streaming platform during the year is eligible for consideration.

The 60-members NSFC include critics from major papers and outlets in Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Chicago including from outlets Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, the New Yorker, the Christian Science Monitor and NPR.

Here’s the full list of winners:

Best Picture:

WINNER: DRIVE MY CAR (48 points)

RUNNERS-UP:
PETITE MAMAN (25 points)
THE POWER OF THE DOG (23 points)

Director:

WINNER: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, DRIVE MY CAR and WHEEL OF FORTUNE AND FANTASY (46 points)

RUNNERS-UP:
Jane Campion, THE POWER OF THE DOG (36 points)
Céline Sciamma, PETITE MAMAN (28 points)

Actress:

WINNER: Penélope Cruz, PARALLEL MOTHERS (55 points)

RUNNERS-UP:
Renate Reinsve, THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD (42 points)
Alana Haim, LICORICE PIZZA (32 points)

Actor:

WINNER: Hidetoshi Nishijima, DRIVE MY CAR (63 points)

RUNNERS-UP:
Benedict Cumberbatch, THE POWER OF THE DOG (44 points)
Simon Rex, RED ROCKET (30 points)

Supporting Actress:

WINNER: Ruth Negga, PASSING (46 points)

RUNNERS-UP:
Ariana DeBose, WEST SIDE STORY (22 points)
Jessie Buckley, THE LOST DAUGHTER (21 points)

Supporting Actor:

WINNER: Anders Danielsen Lie, THE WORST PERSON IN THE WORLD (54 points)

RUNNER-UPS:
Vincent Lindon, TITANE (33 points)
Mike Faist, WEST SIDE STORY, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, THE POWER OF THE DOG (26 points)

Screenplay:

WINNER: Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe, DRIVE MY CAR (46 points)

RUNNERS-UP:
Pedro Almodóvar, PARALLEL MOTHERS (22 points)
Paul Thomas Anderson, LICORICE PIZZA (20 points)

Cinematography:

WINNER: Andrew Droz Palermo, THE GREEN KNIGHT (52 points)

RUNNERS-UP:
Ari Wegner, THE POWER OF THE DOG (40 points)
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, MEMORIA (35 points)

Nonfiction Film:

WINNER: FLEE (41 points)

RUNNERS-UP:
PROCESSION and THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (28 points)

Film Heritage Award:

The late Bertrand Tavernier and Peter Bogdanovich, distinguished critic-filmmakers who never lost their passion for other people’s movies and film history. Both crowned their careers with invaluable chronicles of their engagement with the cinema: Tavernier with the books “50 Years of American Cinema and American Friends,” and Bogdanovich with the books “Who the Devil Made It” and “Who the Hell’s In It?”

Maya Cade for the Black Film Archive, which expands knowledge of and access to Black films made between 1915 and 1979, and includes her critical essays that define the project and consider the films in relation to each other and to the cinema overall.

Special Citation for a Film Awaiting U.S. Distribution: Jean-Gabriel Périot’s documentary “Returning to Reims,” which draws on Didier Eribon’s 2009 memoir about his French hometown and the inequities of class and education that shaped him and his family.

Pedro Almodovar to Direct First Full-Length English-Language Feature “A Manual for Cleaning Women”

Posted on by
Reply

Pedro Almodovar is switching tongues, and he’s recruiting an Oscar-winning actress to help…

The 72-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning film director, screenwriter and producer is preparing to direct his first full-length English-language feature A Manual for Cleaning Women, with Cate Blanchett set to produce and star in the film.

Pedro Almodovar

Still in the early stages of development, the film is based on Lucia Berlin’s 43-part collection of short stories, examining the lives of women working a wide variety of demanding jobs.

Blanchett, Andrew Upton and Coco Francini will produce for Dirty Films, with Almodóvar for El Deseo, and Brian Oliver and Bradley Fischer for New Republic Pictures.

The film is Almodóvar’s follow-up to Parallel Mothers, the Sony Pictures Classic drama starring Penélope Cruz about two mothers who give birth the same day, and the English-language short The Human Voice starring Tilda Swinton, which was shortlisted by the Film Academy last year.

Almodovar has won two Academy Awards: He picked up the Best Foreign Language Film award for All About My Mother and the Best Original Screenplay award for Talk To Her.

Kid Cudi Earns Two SCL Awards Nominations from Society of Composers & Lyricists

Posted on by
Reply

Kid Cudi is doubling his chances…

The 37-year-old half-Mexican American apper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor, whose real name is Scott Mescudi, has earned two SCL Awards nominations from the Society of Composers & Lyricists , his first-ever nods from the organization.

Kid CudiKid Cudi earned one nod in the Song Drama/Documentary category for co-writing “Guns Go Bang,” alongside Jay-Z and Jeymes Samuel for the Netflix film The Harder They Fall.

He’s also nominated in the Song Musical/Comedy category for co-penning “Just Look Up,” with Nicholas Britell, Ariana Grande and Taura Stinson, for Netflix’s Don’t Look Up.

Germaine Franco is also a two-time nominee…

The 34-year-old Latina film composer is nominated in the Studio Film category for her work on Walt Disney Pictures’ Encanto.

She’s also nominated in the Interactive category for her work on Kung Fu Panda: Land of Awesomeness.

Lin-Manuel Miranda has earned a nod in the Song Musical/Comedy category.

The 41-year-old Puerto Rican multi-hyphenate is nominated for penning the track “Home All Summer” for In The Heights, the film adaptation of his Tony Award-winning Broadway musical of the same name.

Alberto Iglesias is competing in the Independent category.

The 66-year-old Spanish award-winning composer is nominated for his acclaimed work on Pedro Almodovar’s Spanish-language film Parallel Mothers, which stars Penelope Cruz.

Cristobal Tapia de Veer is a nominee in the Television category.

The 48-year-old Chilean film and television score composer, arranger, producer and multi-instrumentalist is nominated for his work on Apple TV’s The White Lotus.

The annual SCL Awards, now in their year, honor music in visual media — film, television, streaming, interactive — spanning seven categories plus the David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent.

The in-person trophy show — COVID-19-permitting — will be hosted by Darren Criss on Tuesday, February 1, at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

Composer Carter Burwell and filmmakers Joel Coen & Ethan Coen will receive the Spirit of Collaboration Award for their 17-film team-up along with a musical tribute performance. The live lineup includes Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear and Judith Hill.

The 76-year-old Society of Composers & Lyricists is the primary organization for professional film, TV, video game, and musical theater composers and lyricists.

Here are the nominees for the third annual SCL Awards:

STUDIO FILM

Nicholas Britell
DON’T LOOK UP
Netflix

Hans Zimmer
DUNE
Warner Bros.

Germaine Franco
ENCANTO
Walt Disney Pictures

Alexandre Desplat
THE FRENCH DISPATCH
Searchlight Pictures

Jonny Greenwood
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Netflix

INDEPENDENT FILM

Kubilay Uner
AMERICAN TRAITOR: THE TRIAL OF AXIS SALLY
Vertical Entertainment

Daniel Hart
THE GREEN KNIGHT
A24

Rachel Portman
JULIA
Storyville Films/CNN

Alberto Iglesias
PARALLEL MOTHERS
Sony Pictures Classics

Jonny Greenwood
SPENCER
Neon/Topic Studios

SONG MUSICAL/COMEDY

Nicholas Britell, Ariana Grande, Scott Mescudi, Taura Stinson
“Just Look Up” from DON’T LOOK UP
Netflix

Jamie Hartman, Jennifer Hudson, Carole King
“Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” from RESPECT
MGM/United Artists

Amie Doherty
“Fearless” from SPIRIT UNTAMED
DreamWorks Animation

Kris Bowers, Siedah Garrett
“Together All the Way” from DEAR WHITE PEOPLE
Netflix

Lin-Manuel Miranda
“Home All Summer” from IN THE HEIGHTS
Warner Bros.

SONG DRAMA/DOCUMENTARY

Billie Eilish & Finneas O’Connell
“No Time To Die” from NO TIME TO DIE
MGM/United Artists

Diane Warren
“Somehow You Do” from FOUR GOOD DAYS
Vertical Entertainment

Rufus Wainwright
“Secret Sister” from REBEL HEARTS
Discovery+

Diane Warren
“(Never Gonna) Tame You” from THE MUSTANGS: AMERICA’S WILD HORSES
Virgil Films

Shawn Carter, Scott Mescudi, Jeymes Samuel
“Guns Go Bang” from THE HARDER THEY FALL
Netflix

TELEVISION

Natalie Holt
LOKI
Disney+

Jung Jae-il
SQUID GAME
Netflix

Nicholas Britell
SUCCESSION
HBO

Christophe Beck
WANDAVISION
Disney+

Cristobel Tapia de Veer
THE WHITE LOTUS
Apple TV+

INTERACTIVE

Austin Wintory
ALIEN FIRETEAM ELITE
Cold Iron

Hildur Guđnadóttir & Sam Slater
BATTLEFIELD 2042
Digital Illusions CE & Electronic Arts

Germaine Franco
KUNG FU PANDA: LAND OF AWESOMENESS
Universal Beijing Resort & Dreamworks Animation

DAVID RAKSIN AWARD

Joy Ngiaw
BLUSH
Apple TV+

Anne-Kathrin Dern
THE CLAUS FAMILY
Netflix

Stephanie Economou
JUPITER’S LEGACY
Netflix

Almudena Amor Named to Variety’s International Breakout Stars of 2021 List

Posted on by
Reply

Almudena Amor has had a break-out year… And, she’s being recognized for it.

The 27-year-old Spanish actress has been named to Variety’s International Breakout Stars of 2021 list.

Almudena AmorVariety’s international writers picked out a handful of global talents who had an incredible year, including Amor.

Amor had only appeared in a couple of shorts before this year, but 2021 saw the PR-grad-turned-actor cast by Spanish horror legend Paco Plaza as the lead in his San Sebastian competition film La Abuela.

Next, she was picked by Fernando León in what has proved to be her international break-out role, as a foil to Javier Bardem’s lead in the Spanish Oscar submission The Good Boss.

The role earned her a best new actress nomination at the Spanish Academy’s Goya Awards.

In November, she also starred in an entry of Amazon’s acclaimed Spanish horror anthology series reboot Stories to Stay Awake.

But Amor isn’t the only Latina to make the list…

Milena Smit is being celebrated for remarkable run the last two years.

The 35-year-old Spanish actress’ debut feature performance came just last year when she starred alongside Mario Casas, one of Spain’s most marketable leading men, in the award-winning thriller Cross the Line.

She was quickly picked out with a Goya nomination for best new actress. This year, Smit’s talents went global as she starred with Penelope Cruz in Pedro Almodóvar’s Parallel Mothers, earning her another Goya nomination, this time for best supporting actress.

In 2022, she will feature in Netflix’s sci-fi horror series The Girl in the Mirror before returning to the big screen in Tin & Tina, one of Spain’s most promising indies of the coming year.

Here’s the complete list of global artists recognized:

Toheeb Jimoh (U.K.)
Keung To (Hong Kong)
Swamy Rotolo (Italy)
Ondina Quadri (Italy)
Almudena Amor (Spain)
Milena Smit (Spain)
Benjamin Voisin (France)
Don Lee (South Korea-U.S.)
Jung Ho Yeon (South Korea)
Adarsh Gourav (India)
Azmeri Haque Badhon (Bangladesh)

Los Angeles Film Critics Association Names “West Side Story” star Ariana DeBose Best Supporting Actress

Posted on by
Reply

Ariana DeBose is the LA critics’ choice…

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association voted Saturday on the best films and performances of 2021, with the 30-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/singer earning a shout out.

Ariana DeBose, West Side StoryDeBose, who earned her first-ever Golden Globes nod earlier this month, was named Best Supporting Actress for her acclaimed performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story.

Penélope Cruz claimed the Best Actress award for her starring role in Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers.

The 47-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress beat out runner-up Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World) for the honor.

Meanwhile, Alberto Iglesias took home the Best Music/Score honor.

The 66-year-old Spanish composer claimed the award for his score to Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers, a score that already earned him a Hollywood Music in Media Award.

Tatiana Huezo, meantime, tied for the New Generation award with Shatara Michelle Ford.

The 49-year-old Mexican Salvadoran filmmaker earned the recognition for her latest film Prayers for the Stolen.

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association is a group made up of L.A. area print and digital journalists, which today deliberated on winners and runners-up in a total of 14 categories.

Here’s the complete list of winners:

Best Picture
Winner: Drive My Car
Runner-up: The Power of the Dog

Best Director
Winner: Jane Campion, The Power of the Dog
Runner-up: Ryusuke Hamaguchi, Drive My Car

Best Actress
Winner: Penélope Cruz, Parallel Mothers
Runner-up: Renate Reinsve, The Worst Person in the World

Best Actor
Winner: Simon Rex, Red Rocket
Runner-up: Benedict Cumberbatch, The Power of the Dog

Best Documentary
Winner: Summer of Soul
Runner-up: Procession

Best Screenplay
Winner: Drive My Car, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe
Runner-up: Licorice Pizza, Paul Thomas Anderson

Best Animation
Winner: Flee
Runner-up: Belle

Best Supporting Actress
Winner: Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Runner-up: Aunjanue Ellis, King Richard

Best Supporting Actor
Winner (tie): Vincent Lindon, Titane and Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog

Editing
Winner: Joshua L. Pearson, Summer of Soul
Runner-up: Andy Jurgensen, Licorice Pizza 

Best Production Design
Winner: Steve Saklad, Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar 
Runner-up: Tamara Deverell, Nightmare Alley 

Best Music/Score
Winner: Alberto Iglesias, Parallel Mothers
Runner-up: Jonny Greenwood, The Power of the Dog and Spencer

Best Cinematography
Winner: Ari Wegner, The Power of the Dog
Runner-up: Greig Fraser, Dune

Best Film Not in the English Language
Winner: Petite Maman
Runner-up: Quo Vadis, Aida?

Douglas Edwards Experimental Film Prize
The Works And Days (Of Tayoko Shiojiri in the Shiotani Basin)

New Generation
Winner (tie): Shatara Michelle Ford, Test Pattern and Tatiana Huezo, Prayers for the Stolen

Career Achievement Award
Mel Brooks

Penelope Cruz Earns AACTA International Awards Nomination for “Parallel Mothers”

Posted on by
Reply

It’s an AACTA of appreciation for Penelope Cruz…

The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) has announced the nominees for its 11th AACTA International Awards, with the 47-year-old Spanish Oscar-winning actress earning a nod.

Cruz is nominated in the Best Lead Actress category for her starring turn in Pedro Almodovar’s Parallel Mothers. It’s her first-ever AACTA nomination.

Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast and Jane Campion’s The Power Of The Dog leading the pack, at seven and six mentions, respectively.

The 2021 AACTA International Awards will be presented virtually at 7am January 27 Australia time, which is 12pm PT January 26.

Celebrating the most outstanding film and television productions made this year, the awards are determined by many of Australia’s leading filmmakers and content creators.

This is the second year AACTA has extended the awards to include global TV across four categories.

Here’s the full list of nominees:

FILM

BEST FILM
BEING THE RICARDOS
BELFAST
DUNE
LICORICE PIZZA
NITRAM
THE POWER OF THE DOG

BEST LEAD ACTOR
Benedict Cumberbatch – THE POWER OF THE DOG
Caleb Landry Jones – NITRAM
Andrew Garfield – TICK, TICK … BOOM!
Will Smith – KING RICHARD
Denzel Washington – THE TRAGEDY OF MACBETH

BEST LEAD ACTRESS
Penélope Cruz – PARALLEL MOTHERS
Lady Gaga – HOUSE OF GUCCI
Jennifer Hudson – RESPECT
Nicole Kidman – BEING THE RICARDOS
Kristen Stewart – SPENCER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Caitríona Balfe – BELFAST
Cate Blanchett – DON’T LOOK UP
Judi Dench – BELFAST
Kirsten Dunst – THE POWER OF THE DOG
Sally Hawkins – SPENCER

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Bradley Cooper – LICORICE PIZZA
Jamie Dornan – BELFAST
Ciarán Hinds – BELFAST
Al Pacino – HOUSE OF GUCCI
Kodi Smit-McPhee – THE POWER OF THE DOG

BEST DIRECTION
BELFAST – Kenneth Branagh
DUNE – Denis Villeneuve
LICORICE PIZZA – Paul Thomas Anderson
NITRAM – Justin Kurzel
THE POWER OF THE DOG – Jane Campion

BEST SCREENPLAY
BEING THE RICARDOS – Aaron Sorkin
BELFAST – Kenneth Branagh
LICORICE PIZZA – Paul Thomas Anderson
NITRAM – Shaun Grant
THE POWER OF THE DOG – Jane Campion

TELEVISION

BEST DRAMA
MAID
MARE OF EASTTOWN
NINE PERFECT STRANGERS
SQUID GAME
SUCCESSION
THE HANDMAID’S TALE

BEST COMEDY
HACKS
SEX EDUCATION
TED LASSO
THE GREAT
THE KOMINSKY METHOD
THE WHITE LOTUS

BEST ACTOR IN A SERIES
Murray Bartlett – THE WHITE LOTUS
Lee Jung-jae – SQUID GAME
Ewan McGregor – HALSTON
Jeremy Strong – SUCCESSION
Jason Sudeikis – TED LASSO

BEST ACTRESS IN A SERIES
Jennifer Coolidge – THE WHITE LOTUS
Nicole Kidman – NINE PERFECT STRANGERS
Jean Smart – HACKS
Sarah Snook – SUCCESSION
Kate Winslet – MARE OF EASTTOWN