Latest news with #HonoraryOscar
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
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'Weapons' star Amy Madigan recalls why she and Ed Harris didn't clap for Elia Kazan at 1999 Oscars: 'Nope'
The "On the Waterfront" director received an Honorary Oscar for his career, decades after he testified at the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1952. Key Points Weapons star Amy Madigan explained why she and husband Ed Harris didn't clap for Elia Kazan at 1999 Oscars. "There was no way we were going to do that," Madigan said in a new interview. Kazan, who directed On the Waterfront, testified at the House Un-American Activities Committee. Weapons actress Amy Madigan is currently courting Oscar buzz for her role as Aunt Gladys in the breakout horror hit, but she's also addressing an Academy Awards controversy she was present for nearly three decades ago. Following an introduction by Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese at the 1999 Oscars, stars like Warren Beatty and Kathy Bates were shown standing to applaud On the Waterfront director Elia Kazan's acceptance of an Honorary Award from inside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. However, a shot from the live broadcast showed Madigan and her husband, actor Ed Harris, looking stone-faced as they watched Kazan accept his statuette in the room. "Yeah, there was no way we were going to do that. No way," Madigan, 74, said during a recent interview with the New York Times, though the quote was not included in the final piece, and instead posted to social media by journalist Kyle Buchanan. Madigan touched on Kazan's House Un-American Activities Committee testimony in 1952 amid the blacklisting of Hollywood figures suspected of being communists during the Red Scare. "My father, who's not with us anymore, he was a political analyst and a journalist and he was working on Capitol Hill when McCarthyism was going on and it really, really affected him deeply," Madigan continued. "And yeah, that whole thing was really bringing it back to me. I was like, 'Nope.'" Entertainment Weekly has reached out to representatives for Madigan and Harris for additional comment. Kazan became a pariah in some Hollywood circles following his HUAC testimony, during which he named eight people who'd participated in Communist Party activities alongside him. In a 1997 interview with the Times, Kazan reflected on pushback he received over the years. "You want to know the truth? Not one bit," he said when asked if he was bothered by the anger against him nearly five decades after his HUAC testimony. "I've had so much praise in my life. Some of it deserved, some of it not deserved. What does it matter?'' Kazan continued, ''That whole time wasn't very nice. People were really hurt by what went on. I was part of it, I suppose. I spoke my mind and I had a right to do it.'' Though Kazan died in 2003 at 94, his Hollywood legacy lives on through his son, Matilda and Bicentennial Man writer Nicholas Kazan, and his actress granddaughters Maya (The Knick) and Zoe Kazan (Olive Kitteridge). In a recent interview with EW, Madigan additionally reflected on her Weapons success. Writer-director Zach Cregger's horror hit has earned $150 million at the global box office after only 10 days in release. "It's not that I discount it, but in this business, nothing's real till it's real," she said about the thought of returning for a sequel, comparing the buzz to chatter about her potential Oscar nod for the film. "I just had such a great time working with Zach and being inside that brain of his. That's really the gift of how the movie came out. The other stuff has to do with all sorts of conversations that I would never be privy in and business things like that. But, you know, I love Gladys, so I'll leave it at that." Weapons is now playing in theaters nationwide. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly Solve the daily Crossword
Indian Express
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
F1: Brad Pitt, Joseph Kosinski reminds what going to the movies is all about
In a world too eager to draw lines between 'cinema' and 'content,' there's something liberating about watching a film that unapologetically blurs them. F1: The Movie is that film. It screeches into the cultural conversation like a perfectly timed overtake — sleek, loud, emotionally resonant, and utterly commercial. But most importantly, it reminds us why we fell in love with going to the movies in the first place. Yes, it's a popcorn flick. But perhaps, it's time we act as if it's a bad thing. There's a particular kind of snobbery that often trails behind the phrase 'popcorn movie.' It suggests something frivolous, temporary, even intellectually disposable. As if real cinema can only happen in quiet conversations, long takes, or prestigious festival halls. But anyone who's ever clutched their armrest during a climactic car chase or felt goosebumps rise as the score swelled in a packed auditorium knows that what commercial cinema offers is no less sacred. As I walked out of my IMAX show of F1, heart racing, breath caught somewhere between awe and adrenaline, I was entertained, sure, but I was also revived. It was a visceral reminder that spectacle, when done with care and vision, is not the enemy of art. It is art. When we talk about blockbusters – real, heart-thumping, stadium-filling blockbusters – we have to start with Tom Cruise. The man has never pretended to chase awards. The Academy's recent decision to honour him with a career-first Honorary Oscar is less about a golden statue and more a belated acknowledgment of something much bigger: Cruise doesn't just make movies. He fights for them. He was one of the first global stars to urge people back to theatres when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak –– even flying to London to support Christopher Nolan's Tenet. That was less about promotion and more about preservation. Cruise, more than a star, has always been a patron of the big screen. His last major commercial success, Top Gun: Maverick, was described by Spielberg as the film that 'saved Hollywood's a**.' That wasn't hyperbole, it was history. But Cruise didn't do it alone. Director Joseph Kosinski, who returned after the elegant dogfights of Maverick, now turns his eye to the tarmac. In F1, Kosinski cements his place as the next great architect of big-budget cinema –– one who understands that spectacle without soul is just noise. Kosinski doesn't just choreograph speed, he composes with it. His action sequences aren't stitched together in the edit, they're scored like symphonies. There's rhythm. Tension. Payoff. Somewhere along the way, 'popcorn movie' became shorthand for something unserious. But what if that label isn't an insult, but an invitation? I've argued against this kind of cinema myself. I've scoffed at Minecraft making millions. I've raised eyebrows at Animal dominating the box office. But then, F1 hit me like a memory I didn't know I'd misplaced. It brought me back to Ta Ra Rum Pum, a racing drama that might not rank high in Bollywood's pantheon but, for me, was where it all began. I rooted for Saif Ali Khan's RV. I sang the title track. I felt something. Maybe I've always had a thing for racing films. Or maybe racing films just know how to tap into something primal: motion, momentum, meaning. There is a strange, beautiful alchemy that happens in a dark theatre. The communal gasps. The silence that falls before the final lap. The vibration of engines that you feel in your ribcage. That can't be replicated on a phone. It's not supposed to be. F1 is a reminder of why we gather in the dark –– why we still need those towering screens and that cavernous sound, and why the theatrical experience isn't dead, just dormant, waiting for the right ignition. And F1 is nothing if not a push-start for cinema. Let's retire the old dichotomy: that art belongs at Cannes and commerce belongs at the box office. History has proven otherwise. From Jaws to Titanic, The Dark Knight to Avatar, and now Maverick to F1—blockbusters can have brains, and heart, and soul. F1 doesn't just make the case for popcorn movies. It makes them personal again. It proves that emotional depth and mass appeal aren't contradictions—they're co-drivers. Beneath the rubber, the smoke, the turbocharged glitz, there's philosophy. Time. Obsession. Mortality. A meditation on the human need to chase, to risk, to move. Blockbusters like F1 don't dumb us down. They lift us up. They unite us, move us, and yes, sell us popcorn. And maybe – just maybe – that's exactly what movies are meant to do.
Yahoo
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lalo Schifrin, Composer of the Classic ‘Mission: Impossible' Theme, Dies at 93
If he had only composed the unforgettable instrumental theme from Mission: Impossible, Lalo Schifrin would be fondly remembered. But the Argentine native had a seven-decade career that made him one of the premier composers in both film and television. Schifrin died Thursday (June 26) at age 93. Schifrin received 19 Grammy nominations spanning 40 years (1962-2002) and multiple genres (both jazz and pop) and skillsets (composition, arrangement and performance). He won four Grammys. More from Billboard Gone But Not Forgotten: Musicians We Lost in 2025 Ask Billboard: Here Are the Nos. 1 & 2 Reasons That the Hot 100 Has Been Historic This Month Inside Bouyon: How a Fusion of Local Folk Music & Digitized Instruments Gave Way to Dominica's Fast-Spreading Homegrown Genre Schifrin received four Primetime Emmy nominations – three for Mission: Impossible and one for his music for David Wolper's The Making of the President 1964. He received six Oscar nominations, five for scores (Cool Hand Luke, The Fox, Voyage of the Damned, The Amityville Horror and The Sting II) and one for a song, 'People Alone' from The Competition (1980), which he co-wrote with lyricist Will Jennings. Schifrin never won a Primetime Emmy or an Oscar in competition, but in 2018 the Motion Picture Academy awarded him an Honorary Oscar 'in recognition of his unique musical style, compositional integrity and influential contributions to the art of film scoring.' He was just the third film scorer to receive such an award, following Alex North (1985) and Ennio Morricone (2006). A fourth film scorer, Quincy Jones, was awarded an Honorary Oscar posthumously last year. Schifrin's Honorary Oscar was presented by Clint Eastwood, for whom Schifrin had scored many films, from Coogan's Bluff (1968) to The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004). Their work together included the iconic 1971 film Dirty Harry and its four sequels. 'I am very honored by this distinction that touches me profoundly,' Schifrin said in accepting the award. 'My love and appreciation for motion pictures started very early in my life. I remember when I was five years old my parents took me to see a movie, a horror movie, and at that moment I realized that without music it wouldn't be so scary. And it's true. I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to work with great, outstanding directors, producers, and talented musicians in the creation of musical scores to support their projects. … Composing for movies has given me a lifetime of joy and creativity. Receiving this Honorary Oscar is a culmination of a dream. It is a 'mission accomplished.'' For all he accomplished, Schifrin's Mission: Impossible theme is unquestionably his greatest hit. His music for that drama series, which aired on CBS from 1966-73, brought him two Grammy Awards, three Primetime Emmy nominations and high placements on the Billboard charts. His 'Mission-Impossible' theme reached No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1968. It won a Grammy for best instrumental theme in 1968 and was voted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2017. Schifrin's M:I score brought him a second Grammy in 1968 – best original score written for a motion picture or a television show. In the latter category, Schifrin bested scores from four feature films, which is highly unusual for a TV project, then or now. Schifrin's album Music From Mission: Impossible reached No. 47 on the Billboard 200. Schifrin told the New York Post in 2015 that the M:I theme came to him very quickly. And he said he composed it without seeing any footage from the show. 'Bruce Geller, who was the producer of the series, put together the pilot and came to me and said, 'I want you to write something exciting, something that when people are in the living room and go into the kitchen to have a soft drink, and they hear it, they will know what it is. I want it to be identifiable, recognizable and a signature.' And this is what I did.' The theme transferred to the long-running film franchise starring Tom Cruise (who is slated to get his own Honorary Oscar in November.) Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen Jr. of U2 recorded Schifrin's composition for the first M:I film in 1996. Their version reached No. 7 on the Hot 100 and was nominated for a Grammy for best pop instrumental performance – where it competed with Schifrin's own new rendition of the theme which he recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. (Both lost to Béla Fleck & The Flecktones' 'The Sinister Minister.') Schifrin's highest-charting album on the Billboard 200 was a 1962 studio album, Bossa Nova – New Brazilian Jazz, which reached No. 35. He won his first two Grammy Awards in 1965 and 1966 for 'The Cat' and 'Jazz Suite on the Mass Texts,' both of which were voted best original jazz composition. Schifrin also wrote the pitch-perfect theme song for Mannix (also produced by Geller), which helped that Mike Connors P.I. series stay on the air for eight years (one year longer than M:I). His other TV themes include The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Medical Center, Starsky & Hutch, T.H.E. Cat and Petrocelli. His other film scores, not already named, include The Cincinnati Kid, Bullitt, Enter the Dragon and all three Rush Hour films. Born Boris Claudio Schifrin on June 21, 1932, Schifrin was a second-generation musical talent. His father was the concert master for the Buenos Aires Philharmonic for more than three decades. The younger Schifrin began playing piano at the tender age 5. When he was about 16, his classmates turned him to jazz records, and he was hooked for life. He studied music and law for four years at the University of Buenos Aires, and received a scholarship to the Paris Conservatory of Music in 1952. In 1956, Schifrin returned to Buenos Aires, formed his own jazz band and became active writing music for TV and radio programs. Schifrin arrived in New York City in 1958. He reconnected with early mentor Dizzy Gillespie in 1960, and worked on Gillespie's hit album, Gillespiana, which brought both musicians Grammy nominations – Gillespie for best jazz performance – large group (instrumental) and Schifrin for best original jazz composition. Around the same time, Schifrin also arranged jazz albums for the likes of Stan Getz and Sarah Vaughan. Inspired by the success of such film composers as Henry Mancini and Johnny Mandel, Schifrin moved to California in 1963. He landed his first Oscar-nominated score, Cool Hand Luke, just four years later. Schifrin also conducted several of the world's top orchestras, including those in London, Vienna, Los Angeles, Israel, Mexico City, Houston, Atlanta and Buenos Aires. In 1987, he was appointed musical director for the Paris Philharmonic Orchestra, which was formed for the purpose of recording music for films. He held the post for five years. Schifrin received the BMI Lifetime Achievement Award in 1988 and received a Trustees Award at the Latin Grammys in 2017. He was a Lifetime Achievement honoree at the Society of Composers & Lyricists (SCL) Awards. He is survived by his wife, Donna; sons Will, a TV writer (The Fairly OddParents), and Ryan, a writer-director (Abominable); a daughter, Frances; and four grandchildren. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
Express Tribune
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Lalo Schifrin, composer of Mission: Impossible theme, dies at 93
Legendary film and television composer Lalo Schifrin has died at the age of 93. He passed away on June 26, 2025, in Los Angeles, due to complications from pneumonia, confirmed by his son William Schifrin. Born in Buenos Aires in 1932, Schifrin rose to global fame through his fusion of classical music, jazz, and Latin rhythms. Best known for composing the instantly recognizable Mission: Impossible theme, his work reshaped the sound of 20th-century Hollywood and beyond. The Mission: Impossible theme, written in an unconventional 5/4 time signature, debuted in the 1966 television series and became even more iconic through the blockbuster film franchise starring Tom Cruise. Its suspenseful rhythm remains one of the most enduring in pop culture. Schifrin earned six Academy Award nominations and won four Grammy Awards, and was honored with an Honorary Oscar in 2018 for his lifetime contributions to film music. His vast filmography includes Bullitt, Dirty Harry, Cool Hand Luke, Enter the Dragon, and The Amityville Horror. In addition to his film work, Schifrin collaborated with legends like Dizzy Gillespie and conducted world-class orchestras including the London Symphony and Vienna Philharmonic. His musical influence extended to modern artists, with his compositions sampled in hip-hop and electronica. Schifrin is survived by his wife, Donna, their three children, and four grandchildren. His legacy lives on in the countless scenes and soundtracks he helped define.
Egypt Today
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Egypt Today
Tom Cruise to Receive First-Ever Oscar at 2025 Governors Awards
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has revealed that international icon Tom Cruise will be honored with an Honorary Oscar at the upcoming Governors Awards on November 16, 2025, in Los Angeles. Despite receiving four previous Oscar nominations, Cruise has yet to win a competitive award—making this his first-ever Oscar. This lifetime achievement award recognizes Cruise's decades-long career, marked by blockbuster hits and his trademark high-risk stunts, most of which he performs himself. It also acknowledges his vital contribution to reviving the movie theater experience, particularly in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
