Oscar

ADD AN “OSCAR WINNER” BARBIE DOLL TO YOUR COLLECTION

She’s been an astronaut, a judge and has done practically everything else but will Barbie now be an Oscar winner?  Odds are good since Barbie got 9 nominations for Golden Globes. According to an insider, if Margot Robbie wins an Oscar for playing the iconic doll or the movie happens to win one for best movie or best screenplay, plans are already underway with Mattel to launch a very limited edition “Oscar winner” Barbie. The proceeds will be donated to the Academy’s Film Museum. Limited edition Barbies are very collectible and can sell for a small fortune, so this will be a win-win situation in terms of marketing and for the film museum.

Photo: Warner Bros

CAN WILL SMITH PART WITH HIS OSCAR?

Will Smith has been trying to come to find closure since the infamous 2022 Oscar slap heard around the world. After serious soul-searching and meditation,  he’s thinking about returning his Best Actor Academy Award. An insider revealed that the statue is a painful reminder of what SHOULD have been one of the best evenings of his life, but definitely wasn’t. He’s moved the award from a prominent shelf in his home to a less obvious place, but he still senses its presence and it‘s a constant reminder of the disastrous evening. Since he’s already banned from the Academy for 10 years, Will feels returning the statue and having it permanently housed at the Academy Museum in Los Angeles will be a win win. He won’t have to SEE the award and it will surely become a big attraction at the museum. To be clear, Will is NOT turning down the honor, so he will forever be known as an Academy Award winner for Best Actor,  he’s just thinking of giving back the statue.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

JAMIE LEE CURTIS IS URGING OSCAR NOMINEES AND WINNERS TO DONATE THEIR GOWNS TO CHARITY

Jamie Lee Curtis is on a roll when it comes to raising money for a good cause. As we previously revealed, her charity My Hand In Yours is raking in the dough for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles after her Oscar win. Now she’s planning to auction off the custom Dolce & Gabbana gown she wore when she won the Academy Award, with all proceeds benefiting the charity. ALSO – she’s leaning on her fellow nominees and winners (like her EEAAO co-star, Michelle Yeoh) to donate THEIR Oscar outfits. Her goal is to raise another million for the charity!

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

JAMIE LEE CURTIS’S OSCAR GAVE HER CHARITY A BOOST

Let’s face it, Jamie Lee Curtis gives captivating acceptance speeches! (Angela Bassett might not agree) But here’s a nice surprise:  Jamie’s Oscar win is actually helping charity.  She is a founder of My Hand in Yours, a charity benefiting Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. Soon after her Academy Award win, many of the items the charity sells online quickly sold out – especially prints of an autographed photo of Jamie from her successful movie franchises, Halloween. In addition to the $150 signed photos, the charity sells everything from jewelry to candles, scarves to dog bowls, and Jamie has raised over a million dollars for the hospital.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

THE ACADEMY HAS NOT FORGOTTEN BRUCE WILLIS

Despite bringing in billions in total box office revenue, Bruce Willis has never been nominated for an Academy Award. Although he has two Emmys and a Golden Globe on his mantle (among other accolades) he’s never been in the running for an Oscar, but that’s about to change. An insider told me that Bruce is set to be honored with an honorary Oscar for his decades of contributions to the movie industry. Because of time constraints there likely isn’t enough time to make it happen when the awards are handed out on March 12, so it’s set to happen next year. Since Bruce’s health woes affect his ability to communicate, the plan is for the award to be accepted by his wife Emma Heming along with his ex-wife Demi Moore and his five daughters.

 

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

BRITNEY’S FIANCEE IS PARTYING WITHOUT HER

OK- here’s a little Oscar mystery. Britney Spears’ personal trainer fiancee Sam Asghari turned up dressed in a tuxedo, at the Elton John AIDS viewing party ALONE. No Britney. What do you suppose happened? Certainly Britney was the one invited. Invitees donate a lot of money to enjoy this event. Tickets just to the after-party cost over $5000 apiece- and the dinner tickets (when Sam arrived) costs $9000 per person. Did Britney back out at the last minute? If so, why did Sam come alone? Does he have wealthy friends to hang with inside? Hmmm…

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

THE TIME WAS JUST RIGHT FOR RIZ AHMED

We didn’t realize that Riz Ahmed, 38, was already an established star in the UK in 2016 when he filmed HBO’s The Night Of, in which he played a young man accused of murder. It was a very impressive introduction in the US. (He also happens to be a rapper back home known as Riz MC) He had more film roles here and even more in England in the last few years before Sound of Metal, which we saw during the pandemic on Prime. An excellent little movie. But during an ordinary Oscar year, it probably would have been overlooked with so many bigger more publicized films. So the pandemic WAS helpful, and so was the recent and extreme pressure in Hollywood to embrace diversity. Perfect timing! Riz is the first Muslim nominated for Best Actor. And it IS about time.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA: Riz arriving at the Toronto Film Festival 2019

WILL RAMI MALEK ROCK THE ACADEMY?

Our favorite winners at The Golden Globes were, hands down, Sandra Oh for the Killing Eve series and Rami Malek as Best Actor for Bohemian Rhapsody. The HFPA really got it right with these two, and Rami was a total and delightful surprise. Come to think of it, did ANY other leading man up for Best Actor this year deserve the award MORE than Rami? He had the difficult job of BECOMING an iconic rock star and his performance was flawless. Not only that, but the movie was universally appreciated and successful. We hope he gets an Oscar too.

Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA

BRIE LARSON: THE GIRL MOST LIKELY

Best Actress nominee Brie Larson, 26, arrived at LAX without much fanfare, but those days will soon be over. She took a very dreary challenging role in the movie Room and made it something special. The movie was not easy to watch, but her performance was subtle and brilliant. Brie’s main Oscar competition is likely Saoirse Ronan in Brooklyn but that role too closely resembled Saoirse’s own life story. Brie’s currently filming the big budget extravaganza Kong: Skull Island and she’s been working in various far-away jungle locations in third world countries. We think she’ll have an Oscar in her suitcase when she flies back to the jungle.

Photo Credit: AKM-GSI

OSCAR WINNER JEAN DUJARDIN IS PRACTICING HIS ENGLISH IN NEW YORK

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Three years ago Jean Dujardin, 42, was the toast of the acting world – he was the FIRST French actor to win a Best Actor Oscar. The movie was a silent one – The >Artist. Ironically his character in the movie struggled when “talkies” replaced silent films, and sound turned out to be Dujardin’s problem in real life. Suddenly the handsome actor was bombarded with Hollywood scripts and he could barely speak or understand a word of English! What WAS he thinking? He should have been taking full time Berlitz English lessons! This was his big break! He’s been accurately described as the “French George Clooney” and could be a huge leading man in the US. He’s still a big deal in France but his Hollywood career has yet to take off. (Above, Jean is in New York checking his messages)

Photo Credit: Pacific Coast News