Oscars 2025: Music of James Bond Celebrated in Song by Lisa, Doja Cat and Raye
The James Bond franchise got its own moment at the 2025 Oscars with a medley dedicated to the films and performed by Lisa, Doja Cat and Raye, with a preamble by Margaret Qualley in the form of a dance to the movie's theme. Lisa sang a snippet of 'Live and Let Die' while showing off her own dance moves, Doja took on 'Diamonds are Forever,' originally sung by Shirley Bassey, and Raye sang 'Skyfall,' for which Adele won an Oscar in 2012.
James Bond has been in the headlines quite a bit lately, and not because there's a new movie in the franchise.
More from The Hollywood Reporter
Kieran Culkin Asks His Wife for Another Child While Accepting Best Supporting Actor Oscar
Hulu's Livestream of the Oscars Glitches Out as Ceremony Begins
Halle Berry Gets Payback, Kisses Adrien Brody on Oscars Red Carpet
Last week, news broke that producers and siblings Michael G. Wilson, 83, and Barbara Broccoli, 64, the guardians of the Bond film franchise, were selling their interest in their late father's EON — the company that's kept the Broccoli dynasty in creative control of 007 since the character first swaggered onto the screen in 1962 — to Amazon.
In November, the two were feted with the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, one of several Governors' Awards honors. And on Oscar night, the two were recognized as Bond received a musical tribute to its decades of film-specific songs.
The music of Bond is as iconic as the character himself, blending cinematic grandeur with pop sensibilities. The surf-guitar melody of the 'James Bond Theme' was written by Monty Norman and arranged by John Barry. But just as impactful have been songs written specifically for the franchise, including Shirley Bassey's 'Goldfinger' (1964) and 'Diamonds Are Forever' (1971); Paul McCartney's 'Live and Let Die (1973), Duran Duran's 'A View to a Kill' (1985), Adele's 'Skyfall' (2012), Sam Smith's 'Writing's on the Wall' and Billie Eilish's 'No Time to Die' (2020) — all three songs from the 2000s were Oscar winners.
Asked about her song partners on the red carpet, Raye said 'They are two ridiculous true artists. … I love them both so much.'
The British singer brought down the house with her take on 'Skyfall.' Note to the franchise's future music supervisor: if this was an audition, she nailed it.
Best of The Hollywood Reporter
20 Times the Oscars Got It Wrong
The Best Anti-Fascist Films of All Time
Dinosaurs, Zombies and More 'Wicked': The Most Anticipated Movies of 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hypebeast
an hour ago
- Hypebeast
Stormzy Announces New Film Studio, '#Merky Films', and His First Lead Acting Role
Today, British rapperStormzyannounced#Merky Films, the latest extension to a growing creative empire he has amassed under his#Merkyimprint. The award-winning artist is also set to star in its very first release,Big Man, a short-film that will see the grime superstar take on his first lead acting role. #Merky Filmsjoins a roster that includes#Merky Books,#Merky Foundationand#Merky FC –ventures that have kept Stormzy, aka Big Mike, busy outside of music. With a mission to 'champion new voices' and 'celebrate culture and inspire meaningful change' in British cinema,#Merky Filmsdebut project was brought to life with the help ofApple, a coveted partner for the 31-year-old south Londoner. Directed by Oscar winnerAneil Karia,Big Manwas shot entirely on iPhone 16 Pro and sees Stormzy star as Tenzman, its lead character who's described as being a former rap star 'navigating a restless and uncertain chapter of his life.' 'Music is my first love, but film is my second,' says Stormzy, adding that '#Merky Filmsis something I've been dreaming about for ages.' He describes his latest venture as 'a space for powerful British stories and a solid home for fresh, unexpected art' and says it's 'a natural next step for everything we do at #Merky – sharing our stories, spotlighting important voices and making room for those who deserve to be seen and heard.' Big Manis set to release June 18 onYouTube.
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Weinstein jury still has one charge to go after partial verdict in sex crimes retrial
The group was stuck on the third charge: a rape accusation involving a woman who also said she had a consensual relationship with the Oscar-winning producer. Under New York law, the third-degree rape charge carries a lesser penalty than the other two counts. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Weinstein denies all the charges. In an unusual exchange with the judge during some legal arguments before the partial verdict was disclosed Wednesday, he insisted it was unfair to continue the trial after two jurors came forward with concerns about the proceedings. Advertisement 'I can't be judged by a situation that's going on like this,' said Weinstein, 73, saying the judge was 'endangering' him. Jury-room strains started leaking into public view Friday, when a juror asked to be excused because he felt another was being treated unfairly. Then Monday, the foreperson complained that other jurors were pushing people to change their minds and talking about information beyond the charges. Advertisement The man raised concerns again Wednesday. In a closed-door discussion with prosecutors, defense lawyers and the judge, the foreperson said another juror was yelling at him for sticking to his opinion and at one point vowed, 'You going to see me outside.' 'I feel afraid inside there,' the foreperson told the judge and attorneys, according to a transcript. The judge sent the jury home for the day after the partial verdict, but the foreperson later asked to come back and recapped his concerns to Farber in court. The foreperson said he was willing to return Thursday, with Farber saying the man wouldn't be forced to go into the jury room if he didn't want to. It's unclear how deliberations could proceed if that happens, and it's equally uncertain what the court would then do. Weinstein's initial conviction five years ago seemed to cement the downfall of one of Hollywood's most powerful men in a pivotal moment for the #MeToo movement against sexual misconduct. But that conviction was overturned last year, and the case was sent back for retrial in the same Manhattan courthouse. Weinstein's accusers said he exploited his Tinseltown influence to dangle career help, get them alone and then trap and force them into sexual encounters. His defense portrayed his accusers as Hollywood wannabes and hangers-on who willingly hooked up with him to court opportunity, then later said they were victimized to collect settlement funds and #MeToo approbation. Miriam Haley, the producer and production assistant whom Weinstein was convicted — twice, now — of sexually assaulting, said outside court Wednesday that the new verdict 'gives me hope.' Accuser Kaja Sokola also called it 'a big win for everyone,' even though Weinstein was acquitted of forcibly performing oral sex on her when she was a 19-year-old fashion model. Her allegation was added to the case after the retrial was ordered. Advertisement The third accuser, Jessica Mann, was still waiting for an outcome. The hairstylist and actor testified for days — as she did in 2020 — about the rape she said she endured in a Manhattan hotel room and about why she continued to see and have consensual encounters with Weinstein afterward. 'Rape can happen in relationships — and in dynamics where power and manipulation control the narrative," Mann said in a statement Wednesday. Weinstein also was convicted of raping another woman in California. He's appealing that conviction. The Associated Press generally does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted, unless they agree to be identified. Haley, Mann and Sokola did so.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Adults' star Malik Elassal: Add Canadian comedian, actor and writer to the list of comedy sensations
For decades, comedy has been considered one of Canada's greatest exports, including notable talents like Eugene Levy, Martin Short, Catherine O'Hara and the late John Candy. Adding to that legacy is Malik Elassal, who stars in the popular new show Adults (on Disney+ in Canada, Hulu in the U.S.), created by Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon). Making the move from Alberta to the U.S., incredibly skilled in hysterical stand-up comedy, with moments from his sets going viral, Elassal is set to be another of one Canada's comedy legends. And what makes Adults a great introduction for many is that the show really showcases each cast member's unique comedy strengths. "We all come from these different places, but when we come together there's something between all of us," Elassal told Yahoo Canada. "Amita [Rao] is an improviser. Lucy [Freyer] was an actor in Juilliard. But then when we come together, we sort of have our our own rhythm that's outside of improv training, outside of more standard actors training, or outside of TikTok." In Aults, a group of friends move in together in Samir's (Malik Elassal) childhood home in New York. Samir is trying, at least sometimes, to take on more responsibility in life, Billie (Lucy Freyer) is pursuing a career in journalism, Anton (Owen Thiele) was Samir's college roommate who can be friends with anyone. Issa (Amita Rao) is taking on odd jobs with her infectious personality, and she's dating Paul Baker (Jack Innanen), who she convinces Samir to let move in with the rest of the group. The show in intensely funny in a way that leans into absurdity at times, awkwardness at others, and navigates different elements and styles of comedy effortlessly, largely thanks to this impressive cast. With Elassal already receiving positive feedback from the show, he's really just happy to make people smile and laugh. "It feels like it falls in line with my love language, to give somebody this big thing and for them to enjoy it," he said. As Elassal described, a lot of the brilliant on-screen chemistry we see between this group of friends in Adults was formed by the natural evolution of the group's off-screen dynamic. "[When] we started hanging out and started being on set, you just realize that somebody has been on the same version of the internet as you," Elassal said about his friendship with fellow Canadian Jack Innanen. "We just really became close." With Samir having a particularly close frienship with Billie in the show, Elassal added that even just taking walks with Lucy Freyer and ribbing each other in real life informed what we see on-screen. Additionally, Kronengold and Shaw looked to the actors to inform their scripts. "We started to find out that things from our lives would end up in the script," Elassal said. "So we'd have takes where we got to add things in there, and that was always really fun." A particularly hysterical moment in the show is Episode 6, where Billie is hosting her boyfriend, and her former high school teacher, played by Charlie Cox, for dinner. As Billie tries to get all of her roommates in line with the hopes of a more sophisticated evening, things quickly take an unexpected and hysterical turn when Cox's character shows up high on a "pony dose" of ketamine, and Paul Baker's friend, who happens to be Julia Fox (who's playing herself), comes over for the meal. "We were block shooting the whole series, so every episode was over the span of like four or five days, or so. And usually we have different locations and we were going to different places, but ... for like four or five days in a row we're just in this house, basically," Elassal explained about that epiosde. "And I'm in this giant suit looking ridiculous and running around, and it just felt like a day that never ended." "It really kind of led into this dreary, looming feeling that the episode has. ... Charlie would show up, and then me and Charlie would have scenes together at like 2:00 a.m., after everybody went home, and he was kissing me on the forehead. It's all just very surreal. ... And then one day they're like, 'Oh, hey, Julia Fox is coming today.' ... You see my reaction to Julia Fox being on my couch in the episode, ... it's basically just how I felt." In terms of what drew Elassal to a career in comedy, there wasn't necessarily a specific "breakthrough" moment, but he can identify the time that he understood the feeling of being able to make someone laugh. "I remember a moment watching my older cousin, when I was younger, stand up and do an impression of his dad to all of the aunts and uncles, ... and him making them all laugh so hard," Elassal said. "And I was like, 'Oh, this is the coolest person I've ever seen.'" "I think something from that time might have gotten in my head of like, that's a real, worthwhile thing to do in your life, is to be able to make a group of people that happy." While a Canadian making the move to the U.S. always feels like a big professional step, it was a "culture shock" for Calgary-raised Elassal. "It's insane. It's such a culture shock," Elassal said. "You're going to the airport in America and they have signs up like, hey please don't bring your gun on the plane. And I'm like, are people doing that? Like, accidentally?" "I mean, there's a craziness to America. And it's fun to live there. But whenever I come back to Canada, I still feel at home, even though New York is home right now." As Elassal's career progresses, from stand-up comedy to TV, and even joining projects from other famed comedians, like Pete Holmes' podcast, "You Made It Weird," we certainly can't wait to see what Elassal does next. "It's unbelievable. I'm consistently so happy to get to meet all these people that I was already such a fan of, and it's amazing to get to work with them," he said. "It's such a dream come true. ... I'm really lucky that I get to have my dreams come true."
