Russia Boycotts Academy Awards, Set to Forgo Oscar Submission

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham and Elon Musk are feuding over how the United States should handle Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. And the result of their disagreement could prompt a shift in U.S. policy, the lawmaker suggested.

There are few things more infuriating than being lied to by your own government, the government you pay for, the one your ancestors risked their lives to protect. Does that happen to you? Of course, it has. It enrages you.

China still has much to gain from its current relationship with Russia even as the invasion of Ukraine drags on, turning Russia into an international pariah and threatening to rub off on China’s reputation as well.  "China has, in effect, doubled down on its support for the Putin war effort, and we saw this, for instance, last month when China's third rank leader went to Moscow, spoke to the State Duma, and in very clear terms, expressed Beijing's support for Russia," Gordon Change, author of "The Coming Collapse of China," told Fox News Digital.  "Then, [we] see Jinping himself when he was in Uzbekistan for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit, actually confirmed that endorsement," Chang added. "The only conclusion that we can come to is that Beijing is not backing away from Russia."  The China and Russia dynamic has remained a troubling one for the United States since even before the invasion of Ukraine started in March 2022.

Activist and Nobel Peace Laureate Malala Yousafzai has joined Pakistani film “Joyland’s” team as Executive Producer, a Variety report stated. “Joyland,” directed by Saim Sadiq, is Pakistan’s official submission in the foreign language film category at the Oscars. Yousafzai is backing the film through her own production company, Extracurricular Productions. 

SoundCloud has been restricted in Russia, with the country claiming “false information” about a “special military operation” in Ukraine have been circulating on the music streaming site.According to Interfax, who cite information from communications watchdog Roskomnadzor (RKN) (via Reuters), “Roskomnadzor restricted access to the SoundCloud service in connection with placement of materials containing false information regarding the nature of the special military operation on the territory of Ukraine.”The report continued, claiming that SoundCloud has been blocked at the request of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, with the alleged messages circulating on the website including information on “attacks on civilians, strikes on civilian infrastructure, about numerous civilian casualties at the hands of Russian soldiers”.It said access to the service was blocked at the behest of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, adding that the information in question related to the special operation’s form and methods of warfare including “attacks on civilians, strikes on civilian infrastructure, about numerous civilian casualties at the hands of Russian soldiers”.Elsewhere, as the war between Ukraine and Russia continues, a rapper from Russia is believed to have taken his own life after he refused to be drawn into fighting in President Vladimir Putin’s war.Walkie, whose real name was Ivan Vitalievich Petunin, told fans in a Telegram video that he couldn’t “take the sin of murder on my soul” and that his final protest would be expressed by his death.

Naman Ramachandran Malala Yousafzai, who heads her own film and TV production company, Extracurricular Productions, is joining “Joyland,” Pakistan’s Oscar submission in the international feature category, as an executive producer. The film had its world premiere at Cannes earlier this year where it won the Queer Palm and the jury prize at the festival’s Un Certain Regard strand. It subsequently had its North American premiere at Toronto. It is currently playing at both the BFI London Film Festival, where it is competing for the Sutherland Award, which recognizes the most original and imaginative directorial debut, and the Busan International Film Festival, where it is in the A Window on Asian Cinema strand.

Zack Sharf Halloween is upon us, which means it’s perfect timing for Ti West’s “X” and David Cronenberg’s “Crimes of the Future,” two of the best new horror movies of the year, to hit streaming platforms. But that’s not all this scary season.

Clayton Davis Can Will Smith overcome the controversy surrounding the slap heard around the world to win his second Oscar? That’s the question facing Apple after it announced that it will release “Emancipation,” a drama about an escaped slave that it paid Smith $35 million to star in and produce. The streamer is betting that the furor over Smith’s assault of Chris Rock at the Oscars has died down, particularly after Smith recorded an awkward apology video. But even if Smith becomes the first performer since Tom Hanks to score back-to-back Oscars for best actor, he won’t be able to pick up his prize in person. Nor will he even be able to accept it via satellite. That’s because in April, facing almost certain expulsion, Smith decided to resign from membership of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences. That was followed almost immediately by the Academy Board of Governors’ decision to ban him from the Oscars telecast and Academy-sponsored events for 10 years.

Emancipation – and people are already calling it an Oscar-worthy performance. Smith, 54, resigned from the Academy on April 1, five days after he slapped comedian Chris Rock, 57, on stage on March 27. The Academy president David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson banned the actor from attending Academy events for 10 years.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent Showrun and directed by Academy Award winner Juan Jose Campanella (“The Secret in Their Eyes”), burgeoning hit Paramount+ franchise “The Envoys” has gone into production on Season 2 in Galicia, North-West Spain. Miguel Angel Silvestre (“En el corredor de la muerte”) and Luis Gerardo Méndez (“Club de Cuervos”) are reprising their roles as Vatican dispatched miracle corroborators, playing alongside Assira Abbate (“Empire of Lies”), who also starred in Season 1. Described as a gripping thriller, Season 2 is again produced by VIS, Paramount’s international studio, in collaboration with 100 Bares, Campanella’s Buenos Aires production label and, this time round, Galicia’s A Coruña-based Portocabo. A producer on Movistar Plus+ hits “Hierro” and “Rapa,” Portocabo has also been behind pioneering premium TV co-productions with Portugal (“Dry Water”). 

The trailer for Will Smith‘s upcoming historical thriller Emancipation just debuted online!

TheSingapore Film Commission has selected He Shuming’s Singapore-Korea co-production Ajoomma as its submission to the best international feature category at the Oscars.

Marina Ovsyannikova, the Russian TV news producer who staged an anti-war protest live on state TV last March, has escaped house arrest according to multiple reports. It’s unclear how Ovsyannikova slipped away or where she went, but she apparently has her 11-year-old daughter in tow.

James Bond bosses are hard at work in looking for a new actor to take over as 007 after Daniel Craig stepped down last year. But the franchise leads, Michael G Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, are also looking for a new artist to take over the Bond song for the next movie.

Peter Facinelli is just catching up.

Daily Mail reported that his body was found in the Russian city of Krasnodar on Friday (September 30).Petunin had already served in the Russian Army, but his request for a deferment because of mental illness was not granted. Walkie had released 10 albums since his 2015 debut, his most recent was “Walk Out Boy 3.” As of Monday, his most popular song on Spotify has nearly 2 million streams.Since President Vladimir Putin announced the draft on Sept.

Moving forward. Will Smith attended a screening for Emancipation, his first movie since he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in March.

[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]

Awards season is heating up with Will Smith’s next movie.

J. Kim Murphy In a surprise shift to this year’s awards season, Will Smith’s next film “Emancipation” will release in 2022 after all. Apple announced the news Monday, releasing the first trailer for the Antoine Fuqua-directed historical drama. “Emancipation” premieres in theaters on Dec. 2 and will stream on Apple TV+ starting Dec. 9. Though “Emancipation” had originally been set for a 2022 release date, Apple elected to delay the film to 2023 after Smith became embroiled in controversy for slapping Chris Rock onstage at the Academy Awards. The embattled actor has since publicly apologized for his actions, sharing an emotional video released online in June, but has largely steered clear of the public eye since the Oscar ceremony.

The Scottish Greens are planning to ditch their “blanket” opposition to arms exports after Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.

Native American activist Sacheen Littlefeather, whose historic and headline-making surprise appearance at the 1973 Academy Awards was heard around the world, has died at 75 years old.