The Best Picture Race Comes Into Focus: A Look at Some Key Players

Metallica have announced that their annual ‘Metallica Night’ event with the San Francisco Giants baseball team will be returning for an eighth year.The event, which has previously seen Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield perform the national anthem and drummer Lars Ulrich throw out the ceremonial first pitch, has been cancelled for the past two seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic.This year’s ‘Metallica Night’ will take place on May 24 at Oracle Park – formerly AT&T Park – in San Francisco, as the Giants take on the New York Mets. Tickets are on sale here.“It’s a tradition that we’ve missed the last two seasons, so we’re really excited for the return of Metallica Night at Oracle Park with our hometown baseball team, the San Francisco Giants,” the band said in a statement.“This year marks the eighth time we’ll take the field for the National Anthem, first pitch, and a few other pre-game shenanigans, and it all takes place on Tuesday, May 24th against the New York Mets.”A post shared by Metallica (@metallica)Special packages for the event include a ticket to the game and a limited-edition Metallica/Giants T-shirt; a portion of the proceeds from every Metallica Night Special Event ticket sold will benefit the band’s All Within My Hands foundation.In 2020, Metallica‘s All Within My Hands Foundation donated $350,000 to a series of charities providing aid and care during the coronavirus crisis.“In the wake of the spread of the coronavirus, the most vulnerable people in our communities need help now more than ever,” Metallica said in a statement at the time.

Liam Gallagher has shared his views on the British Monarchy, sharing his love for the Queen, who he describes as “a little Jedi”.Gallagher was speaking to NME for this week’s Big Read cover feature about his massive forthcoming Knebworth gigs and third studio album ‘C’MON YOU KNOW’.During the feature, Gallagher was alerted to a tweet he sent out at the start of 2022, which read: “So I’ve missed out on the NYs honours list AGAIN ffs what more do I have to do to get myself 1 of those SIR things oh well onwards and sideways LG x.”Responding to NME, he said: “There’ll be some fucker there going” – he puts on posh accent – ‘Who does he think he is, scruffy little shit from Manchester thinking the Queen is gonna give him that?’“If I can wind some cunt up [on the] first of January, start as I mean to go on.”Going on to discuss his views on the Monarchy and Queen Elizabeth II, he added: “Unless they delivered it to my fucking door through the letterbox, like the Royal Mail fucking should do… I’m certainly not going there and bending down for no cunt.“Not that I’m anti-Royals – I like the Queen. I think she’s like a little Jedi.

Conway The Machine has surprised fans with the release of a new mixtape, ‘Greetings Earthlings’ – you can listen to it below.The Griselda rapper is due to release his new album, ‘God Don’t Make Mistakes’, on February 25, marking his debut on Eminem‘s Shady Records.Today (February 20), just five days out from the album’s release, Conway has dropped off a new mixtape which features various freestyles/remixes over songs from Kanye West, J. Cole, Big Sean, and Nicki Minaj.‘Greetings Earthlings’ also includes the rapper’s ‘TRU Bethel’ collaboration with 2 Chainz, which fans have been patiently waiting to arrive on streaming services for almost two years.Up until now, the track – which was first previewed about 20 months ago during one of Conway’s Instagram Live sessions – was only available as part of Conway’s ‘Missing Bricks’ vinyl-only EP, which was released early last year.“I spent my birthday Cooking up a plate for y’all and it’s All star weekend too so I’m in a good mood,” Conway said of his new mixtape on Instagram.

Maura Higgins has slammed trolls for claiming she’s “too skinny” as she revealed she can receive hundreds of messages a day criticising her appearance. Irish beauty Maura, 31, rose to fame on Love Island in 2019 and has since carved out a successful career, signing a modelling contract last year with Elite Models, which also represents the likes of Kendall Jenner.

Eamonn Holmes' agent has denied claims the TV star was axed from his Friday slot on ITV show This Morning because “viewers didn't want to watch him anymore”. The 62 year old, alongside his wife, Ruth Langsford have been replaced from hosting the Friday shows by Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary. ITV's decision decision to replace him reportedly followed ITV bosses carrying out extensive analysis which revealed that Eamonn’s popularity had waned, The Mail on Sunday has claimed.

Leo Barraclough International Features EditorVariety has been given exclusive access to the international trailer (below) for World War II drama “First Oscar,” which is inspired by the true story of the making of documentary “Moscow Strikes Back,” winner of an Oscar in 1943, the first year when documentaries had their own Academy Award.“First Oscar” is in post-production, and will be released on March 24.

No Time to Die. Originally slated to open in early 2020, Daniel Craig’s final outing as 007 became the first high-profile release to announce a major Covid-related postponement.

Editors note: Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series debuts and celebrates the scripts of films that will be factors in this year’s movie awards race.

CELEBRITIES have been showing off their matching pyjamas as they wake up on Christmas Morning with their families. Wayne Rooney, Lisa Armstrong and Gordon Ramsay all revealed they'd worn the same outfits overnight for sweet snaps on Instagram.

So long, 2021! As the end of the year approaches, Us Weekly’s Stylish is taking a look back at the best red carpet fashion moments of 2021.

Tom Holland is speaking out about those Martin Scorsese comments about Marvel movies, addressing the remarks in a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

Clayton Davis Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar and Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories.

Clayton Davis Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar and Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories.

Clayton Davis Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar and Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories.

Clayton Davis It’s time to have a serious conversation about “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and what it can achieve at the Oscars this year.Looking at the Oscars shortlists announced on Tuesday, the third chapter in the Tom Holland universe showed up in two categories — sound and visual effects — despite its late release.Unlike most superhero pics, critical and audience opinion are aligned (at 94% and 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively) about the film.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has postponed the Governors Awards due to complications of the current Covid surge. No new date was announced.  Here is the statement from an Academy spokesperson:

The 2022 Oscar shortlists are here which means multiple Academy branches have given us some insight into what they like and, well, what they don’t. But before we jump into those tantalizing tea leaves, let us consider the box office sensation that is defying all pandemic expectations, “Spider-Man: No Way Home.” A Sony Pictures-Marvel Studios co-production that has proven that millions of moviegoers will risk the Omicron variant to see your friendly neighborhood, amazing, MCU Spider-Man (or should that be “men?”) on the big screen.

Jon Burlingame editorThe music shortlists for Oscar consideration, announced Tuesday by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, might just be the most star-studded lineup in history.Nearly all of the 15 songs on the list for potential nomination have been written or recorded by pop superstars, and the approximately 375 members of Oscar’s music branch are going to have a difficult time paring the list down to five best-song nominees.The most interesting matchup involves spouses Jay-Z (cited for his song “Guns Go Bang” from “The Harder They Fall,” Jay-Z also serving as the film’s producer) and Beyoncé (for her “Be Alive” from “King Richard”).Three songs on the shortlist are by past Oscar winners: H.E.R., last year’s victor for “Fight

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today unveiled its shortlist of 15 films that will advance to the next stage of voting in the International Feature Film category at the Oscars. Notable among omissions is Julia Ducournau’s Titane, the entry from France which won the Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or — becoming only the second movie directed by a woman to scoop that prize.

Jessica Kiang As sharply engineered as a reel of razor wire, Shariff Korver’s “Do Not Hesitate” is not the first film to expose the sheer lunacy of sending callow, heavily armed young men, versed in a machismo that sees sensitivity as weakness, into hostile territory and expecting everything to work out fine. But Korver sets his film, which is the Dutch international Oscar selection, apart from the “Jarheads” and the “Full Metal Jackets” of the world with the precision of its craft and the narrowness of its focus.

Preparing to direct "A Journal for Jordan," a bittersweet love story opening on Christmas Day, Denzel Washington says he took a "master class." That master class consisted of starring in a movie directed by Joel Coen, "The Tragedy of Macbeth," which opens the same day. "I steal from the best," Washington says with a smile.

"We had Editing, Score, Picture. The only guy who f---ed up was the lead and the director? I can do the math on who the asshole is here," Affleck said in an interview with Howard Stern on Thursday in which he discussed how he went on an intensive awards campaign with Warner Bros.

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit.

93 international films, 138 documentary features, 84 songs and 137 scores in contention. The shortlists will consist of 10 films in the visual-effects and makeup categories, and 15 in all the others.Here are some thoughts on what might advance to the next round in some of the categories:Best International Feature FilmFor the second consecutive year, you shouldn’t really expect the most challenging, disturbing films to make the international shortlist.

EXCLUSIVE: Polygram Entertainment, the film and television arm of Universal Music Group, is embarking on a feature documentary about iconic singer Donna Summer, with some of the biggest names in nonfiction attached to the project.

EXCLUSIVE: Jeffrey Wright and Grantham Coleman have joined the cast of Netflix’s Rustin along with Lilli Kay, Jordan-Amanda Hall, Jakeem Dante Powell, Ayana Workman, Jamilah Nadege Rosemond, Jules Latimer, Maxwell Whittington-Cooper, Frank Harts, Kevin Mambo.