‘West Side Story’ star Rachel Zegler says she wasn’t ‘invited’ to the Oscars: ‘Disappointed’

Calling all movie lovers! The 94th Academy Awards are celebrating the biggest films of the year on Sunday, March 27.

Scots Twitter reacted after finding out that a plot of Scottish land would be a gift in goodie bags at the 2022 Oscars.

Denis Villeneuve is getting ready to celebrate the 10 Academy Award nominations his “Dune” has earned at the Oscars this Sunday, but the Canadian director reveals he’s already looking ahead to the sci-fi epic’s sequel.

Oscar win “didn’t open the door” for more Black female actors.Berry won the Oscar for Best Actress in 2002 for her role in Monster’s Ball making her the first Black female actor to win the Oscar in history.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefWhether or not “The Power of the Dog” wins the big prize at the Academy Awards on Sunday, David Strong, chief executive of the New Zealand Film Commission for the past eight months, is guaranteed to be an in-demand visitor to Los Angeles over the next week.With the Jane Campion-directed film handily showcasing New Zealand’s talent, locations and craft strengths, the country has now reopened its borders to international visitors. Also sweetening the deal are more studio spaces.Ahead of Strong’s flight to Los Angeles, where he has a week of meetings set up with Hollywood decision makers, he spoke to Variety about what New Zealand has to offer going forward.What has been the impact of “The Power of the Dog” and its Oscar nominations? It’s already been a big success story for us.

THIS weekend’s Oscars are in crisis — with half of the Best Picture films battling Covid scares. Nominees have dubbed the panic “swab sweat” — as they nervously await two mandatory PCR tests 48 hours ahead of Sunday’s ceremony.

The 31-year-old American actor is one of the big favourite to pick up a gong at Sunday’s Oscars. Awards season is in full swing in Hollywood, with the 94th Academy Awards taking place this weekend.

Oscars just around the corner, preparations are underway to roll out the red carpet and make room for the film industry’s biggest stars. Hosted on 27 March by trio Regina Hall, Wanda Skyes, and Amy Schumer, the ceremony returns to the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. The ceremony has been held there since 2002, when the Hollywood location was known as the Kodak Theatre.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorThe 94th Academy Awards is returning to the Dolby Theatre this Sunday, and Swarovski has teamed up with Emmy-award creative director and designer David Korins (“Hamilton”, “Dear Evan Hansen”) to provide 90,000 Swarovski Crystals for the stage design.Perhaps the most dazzling aspect to Korins’ staging is the crystal curtain, which is made from Swarovski Crystals. “The beautiful thing about working with Swarovski Crystals is that you use them just the way they are.

TheWrap’s Steve Pond predicts that Wegner will take home the trophy, giving her the edge over “Dune” DP Greig Fraser (the cinematographer of Campion’s previous movie “Bright Star”), who has scored the BAFTA and ASC precursors. But Wegner’s nomination alone still marks a milestone.She joined Rachel Morrison (who photographed 2017’s “Mudbound”) as the only women ever nominated in the category. That’s two out of more than 500 cinematography nominees since the first Oscars in 1929.

94th annual Academy Awards isn't sharing many secrets about the upcoming ceremony, but they know one thing for certain: "Beyoncé gon' Beyoncé.«That was producer Will Packer's response to a question about the iconic performer's recently announced performance of her Best Original Song nominee, „Be Alive“ from during Thursday's press conference about the upcoming Oscars. Packer took the stage alongside producer Shayla Cowan, director Glenn Weiss, musical director Adam Blackstone, production designer David Korins, and two of the three hosts of this year's ceremony, Regina Hall and Wanda Sykes.

The hit Disney movie Encanto will be getting two live performances at the 2022 Oscars!

Clayton Davis One of the greatest working actors of today, Jessica Chastain eyes her first possible Oscar win on Sunday for best actress for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye” from Searchlight Pictures.Also serving as a producer, she would be the second woman to win an acting Oscar for a movie she also produced. The first was Frances McDormand for “Nomadland” (2020), winning best picture.Blazing onto the Hollywood scene significantly in 2011, Chastain transitioned into film after earning acclaim in the world of theater.

Sasha Urban editorDog lovers may have been disappointed that this year’s most-nominated film at the Oscars, “The Power of the Dog,” doesn’t have anything to do with actual pups. But that isn’t stopping the online veterinarian service Pawp from getting in on the action.Each time “The Power of the Dog” is verbally mentioned during the telecast this Sunday, Pawp is pledging to donate $10,000 to animal rescues.

As I tipped in my story on the Best Original Song performers announced on Tuesday for the 94th Annual Academy Awards, another key movie song not mentioned in their release, “We Don’t Talk About Bruno” from Encanto will also be performed on the big show even though it wasn’t even submitted by Disney and songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda for consideration in the category where Miranda is a nominee for another tune from the same film, “Dos Oruguitas” also from Encanto. 

The 94th Academy Awards are just three days away and this afternoon producers Will Packer and Shayla Cowan, hosts Wanda Sykes and Regina Hall, director Glenn Weiss, musical director Adam Blackstone and production designer David Korins took questions from the press about the telecast. A ceremony that has already upset members of the Academy over how eight categories will be incorporated into the broadcast.

A match made in Italy! Jessica Chastain and her husband, Gian Luca Passi de Preposulo, keep their relationship out of the spotlight, but what they do share makes their romance sound like a fairy tale.

The most unpredictable category at the 2022 Oscars seems to be Best Actress and the latest predictions have taken a surprising turn.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorWill Packer, the producer of this year’s Oscars telecast, said the annual celebration of movies is working to create a more streamlined and television-friendly experience. It’s one that will embrace social media, with Packer telling journalists on Thursday that allowing fans to vote on their favorite movie of the year on Twitter will help democratize the experience.

Woody Harrelson is the epitome of a television actor making a successful transition to the big screen. The 60-year-old Texas native became a household name in the late 80s with his hilarious turn as the dim-witted, good-natured Woody on the sitcom Cheers before heading off for the movies. It wasn’t long before he was awarded with Oscar nominations for his work in 1997’s The People Vs. Larry Flynt, 2010’s The Messenger and 2018’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri. While he may not have taken home the big prize, he certainly cemented himself as an A-list actor. More recently, he can be seen in Solo: A Stars Wars Story and the superhero flick Venom.

In a year of controversy and a self-described untypical Oscars, co-host Wanda Sykes today promised there would be some jabs in the March 27 ceremony but no one will get hurt.

Final preparations are underway for the 94th Academy Awards and a long-awaited return to Hollywood's glamorous normalcy after a muted ceremony and ratings low last year.  Here's everything you need to know about the 2022 Oscars, including where to watch the live show, who's expected to win and what the big controversies are this year. When are the Oscars? The Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 27, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles.The ceremony is set to begin at 8 p.m. ET and will be broadcast live on ABC.

When is it happening? The 2022 Oscars takes place this Sunday (March 27). The event usually takes place towards the end of February, but this year’s edition was moved forward by about a month to provide extra buffer against potential resurgences of COVID.Where is it happening? The ceremony is held at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles, and will have a host this year for the first time since 2017.How can I watch it in the UK?The Oscars will be broadcasted live from 1am GMT on Monday morning (March 28).

Emilio Mayorga Jose Zelada and Richard Claus’ “Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon” (Peru, Netherlands), Cesar Cabral’s “Bob Spit: We Do Not Like People” (Brazil) and Hugo Covarrubias’ Oscar-nommed “Beast” (Chile) are some of the animated works in the running for the 5th Quirino Awards, the biggest prize event on Spain, Portugal and Latin America’s burgeoning animation scene.In addition to a ceremony, the Quirino Awards includes an industry co-production and business forum for animation titles from the region.The Quirino event will also host meetings including one of the Ibero-American CAACI state film-TV agencies, and another of Ibermedia, the region’s key international co-pro and distribution fund. Brazilian feature “Bob Spit” and Chilean short “Beast” nabbed the highest number of nominations, each securing four.

sound branch also revealed that guild members are planning on wearing their guild badges upside down as a form of silent protest over the demotion of crafts at the Oscars. The source disclosed that there are discussions exploring the idea of potentially turning their Oscar statues upside down upon receipt at the show, as a way of protesting the Academy’s decision.More than 80 people, including 16 Academy Award winners, signed the letter to the Academy, which is posted in full below.“As a community of sound artists, we respectfully disagree and are opposed to the changes that are being made for the broadcast of the 94th Oscars ceremony,” says the group’s letter to Academy President David Rubin and ABC.

Amy Schumer is getting ready for the Oscars by getting ready for her career to end.

Halle Berry is still the only Black woman to ever win Best Actress at the Oscars despite over 90 years of the Academy Awards.

In a letter to members this morning Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences CEO Dawn Hudson says the 94th Oscars have had the biggest voting turnout in Academy history.

Two very famous celeb couples are nominated for Oscars this year and it’ll be sure to be quite the date night!

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.With seven nominations under its belt, “West Side Story” will have a large presence at the Oscars this weekend, with Steven Spielberg’s critically-acclaimed adaptation potentially winning the same best picture statue that the original film did in 1961. So if you’re making your way through this year’s Oscar nominations ahead of awards night, “West Side Story” should be top of mind.After premiering in theaters in December, Spielberg’s highly-anticipated take on the iconic musical hit Disney Plus on March 2, alongside a one-hour special titled “Something’s Coming: West Side Story — A Special Edition of 20/20.”The best way to stream the musical is to subscribe to Disney Plus, which costs  $7.99 per month.

Beyoncé, una de las nominadas al Oscar, se presentará en la próxima edición de los premios. La Academia de las Artes y las Ciencias Cinematográficas anunció el pasado martes la actuación de la intérprete además de otros artistas como Billie Eilish, FINNEAS, Reba McEntire y Sebastián Yatra. Los cantantes presentarán las canciones nominadas de este año durante la entrega televisada del próximo domingo.Ariana DeBose, Penélope Cruz y ‘Encanto’ figuran entre los nominados al Oscar 2022: Mira la lista completaBeyoncé cantará Be Alive, la cual coescribió para King Richard.

Shaun White is one of this year’s Academy Awards presenters. The invitation caught him by surprise and disrupted his plans to spend time in Europe with Nina Dobrev. Still, she convinced him to participate in one of the biggest events of the year.Shaun White’s retirement was inspired by Barack ObamaNina Dobrev & Shaun White look amazing in their bathing suitsA post shared by Shaun White (@shaunwhite)In an interview with Extra, Shaun talked a bit about his trip to Costa Rica and about the opportunity to present an award at the Oscars.

Wolfgang Puck, the famous LA chef who has catered the Oscars' Governor's Ball for almost 30 years, knows there is one food item that he can never not serve - and it's a chicken pot pie.MORE: 8 tips for a successful Oscars party at homeAfter wearing a formal dress and tight-fitting suit for hours, sitting in hair and make-up, and then a four-hour long ceremony, it's not surprising that celebrities gravitate towards comfort food, and that's why Wolfgang - who this year celebrates 28 years of catering the exclusive event - will always stick to what works best.WATCH: Meet the 2022 Oscars hosts"Mac and cheese, chicken pot pie, and risotto all go down well," he tells HELLO! "The savory goes down much better than dessert!"Barbara Streisand and Prince Albert of Monaco are two of the biggest names that are fans of the pot pie in particular; Albert loves it so much that he once tried to get Wolfgang to open a branch of his popular LA restaurant Spago in the principality so the royal could access the meal more regularly.MORE: West Side Story star Rachel Zegler updates fans after Oscars invite snub MORE: The most memorable Oscar dresses of all timeWolfgang, now 72, previously helped to cater the post-Oscars bash at Spago and he shared that the one thing that has kept him going all these years is that he does what he wants to do - and not what the Academy asks.When he was first approached about working with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) he recalls how someone entered his kitchen to ask what they would be serving for the tasting only for him to kick them out when they demanded there be a variety of dishes available.

Editors note: Todd Lieberman is the Oscar-nominated producer of The Fighter with credits including Beauty and the Beast, Wonder and The Muppets. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, he contributes occasional guest columns for Deadline.