Latest news with #KodakTheatre
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Primetime 585 Shining Star: Rachel Stoner
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — Friday's Primetime 585 Shining Star highlights Rachel Stoner — a junior at Brighton High School. This weekend, Rachel competed two solos in the Empire Dance Challenge, held locally at the Kodak Theatre in Rochester. Rachel won first place in the highly competitive field of senior open solos for her solo 'I Won't Complain' and was 4th overall, out of 81 senior solos. Rachel's second solo placed 3rd in the senior contemporary category and 8th overall out of 81 senior solos. This summer Rachel will travel to West Coast Dance Explosion in Chicago, to compete at Nationals along with some of her other 25 North teammates. She will also be traveling to Syracuse University for two weeks to participate in an on-campus pre-college medical camp. At Brighton, Rachel is currently taking two AP classes at Brighton and carries a 3.73 GPA. Rachel is also a talented singer and has been a mass cantor at Our Lady of Lourdes Church for the past three years. Rachel's future plans include attending college on a Pre-Med track, majoring in Chemistry, and keeping dance incorporated in her life! News 8 and Primetime585 recognizes dance as also a type of sport and respect the significant time spent putting in their craft. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Los Angeles Times
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Oscars flashback: Clint Eastwood leads the way
In any given year, what makes for a best picture? Are there clues as to what might win, strewn throughout any given Oscars broadcast? As a matter of fact, there usually are — at least if you know what to look for: a sweep, a director win or even a chance to make history. Still, at the 77th Academy Awards ceremony, held Feb. 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, 'Million Dollar Baby' was not a lock on the prize — until all at once, it was. Over the last 20 years, guessing how voters will choose the best picture frequently comes down to a few factors — the most obvious being if the director wins ahead of the best picture prize. Since the 2005 awards, 13 best picture winners also had directors who won that night. Still, that's no guarantee a best picture contender will even have a director nominee. For a time, there was a run of director-best picture parallels — between the 2005 and 2011 awards — that made the two biggest prizes of the night seem intertwined. Clint Eastwood kicked that stretch off by earning his second directing award and second best picture win for 'Million.' The presentation was a fantastic bit of Oscar history. First, Eastwood, along with fellow producers Albert S. Ruddy and Tom Rosenberg, accepted the award from presenters Barbra Streisand and Dustin Hoffman. 'I'm so happy to give this to you again, Clint,' she said after opening the envelope — telling the world that not only had he won tonight, she'd been the one to present him with his first directing Oscar in 1993, for 'Unforgiven.' Then Eastwood had his own flashback to recall: This was Ruddy's second (and final) Oscar, his first being for 'The Godfather,' which he accepted at the 1973 awards from … Clint Eastwood. '[E]very time I started going to this [awards ceremony], I'd say, 'I'm going to enjoy myself whether I win or lose,'' Ruddy (who died in 2024) told the audience. 'But believe me … it's better to win! I love it.' Ruddy gave thanks to his family, the cast of 'Million' — Eastwood, Morgan Freeman and Hilary Swank — then also thanked Anjelica Huston, who'd introduced him to the works of F.X. Toole, the author of the short story that inspired 'Million' screenwriter Paul Haggis. He added, 'I'm going to sit down and get a piece of lemon pie with the real filling, I'm going to look at this, and then I'm going to die and go to heaven.' Along with his directing Oscar in 1993, Eastwood also won best picture for 'Unforgiven' that year too. He has one other Oscar, for the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award from 1995. This was Rosenberg's first nomination and only win thus far. 'Million' also took home the lead actress award (Swank) and supporting actor (Freeman). The remaining films on the nomination slate included five-Oscar winner 'The Aviator,' whose director Martin Scorsese was not included as one of the nominated producers. Those were Michael Mann, who has four nominations and no wins; and Graham King, who would take home his first Oscar in 2007 when Scorsese's 'The Departed' won best picture. One-time Oscar winner 'Finding Neverland' had two producers: Richard N. Gladstein and Nellie Bellflower. This was Bellflower's only nomination thus far; and Gladstein's second. 'Ray' (which won two Oscars) director Taylor Hackford has one win for live-action short film; and his co-producers, Stuart Benjamin and Howard Baldwin, received their first nominations with 'Ray.' Michael London, who produced 'Sideways,' also received his first and so far only nomination on this evening.
Los Angeles Times
24-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Oscars flashback: An Oscar for playing an Oscar winner
Never question the way Hollywood loves a good old biopic. After all, the 77th Academy Awards ceremony, held on Feb. 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles, provides all the proof you need. Not only did lead actor go to Jamie Foxx for playing Ray Charles in 'Ray,' but the supporting actress win went to a stellar performance by Cate Blanchett for playing legend Katharine Hepburn. In awarding the Oscar to Blanchett for portraying Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's 'The Aviator,' the academy set a new milestone. Blanchett's award was the first time a performer had won an Oscar for a portrayal of a previous Oscar winner. Hepburn, who died in 2003, was nominated 12 times and ultimately won four Oscars — all in leading roles. And those who enjoy synchronicity might enjoy knowing that Hepburn was often referred to as 'the great Kate' — something Cate Blanchett likely appreciates. Over the years, Blanchett has actually made it something of a habit to get nominated for playing real people — she played Queen Elizabeth I twice in 'Elizabeth' and 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age,' and was nominated for them in 1999 and 2008; and she played a facet of Bob Dylan in 'I'm Not There,' picking up a nomination in 2008. This was Blanchett's second nomination (she has eight total) and her first win. She would win again in 2014 as the lead in 'Blue Jasmine.' Accepting the award from presenter Tim Robbins, she made sure to reference the source of inspiration for her role. After thanking her family and husband, producer Andrew Upton, she noted, 'When you play someone as terrifyingly well known as Katharine Hepburn, it's a collaborative effort; you need as much help as you can get. And thank you, of course, to Miss Hepburn. The longevity of her career, I think, is inspiring to everyone.' She then thanked Scorsese, and added, 'I hope my son will marry your daughter.' Scorsese, in the audience, laughed heartily. The director had spotted Blanchett two decades earlier at the Golden Globes, as Vanity Fair reported. And as Scorsese observed her in the ballroom, he realized that she would be perfect for a film he was developing — 'The Aviator.' He and his wife agreed simultaneously: 'We both looked at each other and said, 'Katharine Hepburn, there she is.'' With that as a backdrop, it's hard to imagine the other actresses in the running had much of a chance. Three of the nominees were on their first nods: Virginia Madsen, for playing a waitress hanging out with a pair of wine drinkers in 'Sideways'; Sophie Okonedo as the wife of a hotelier sheltering victims of a genocide in 'Hotel Rwanda'; and Natalie Portman as the duplicitous Alice/Jane in 'Closer.' Portman would go on to win in 2011 for 'Black Swan' and be nominated again in 2017 for 'Jackie.' The others have not been nominated since. Laura Linney rounded out the list on the second of her three nominations, her first and only so far in a supporting role, for playing the researcher wife of the title character of 'Kinsey.'
USA Today
15-02-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Adrien Brody is still the youngest best actor Oscar winner: How old was he?
The coveted Oscar for best actor marks a peak achievement in a movie star's career. But the honor can come sooner for some stars than for others. Adrien Brody, 51, is the only actor under 30 to have won the Academy Award in the actor in leading role category, a record he's maintained for over 20 years. The New York native won back in 2003 for his role as Polish pianist and Holocaust survivor Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's 2002 war film "The Pianist." "I haven't really written a speech because every time I wrote a speech for the past one of these things I didn't win. But, you know, there comes a time in life when everything seems to make sense and this is not one of those times," Brody said at the 2003 ceremony at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. "It means a great deal to me. And if it weren't for the insomnia and those sudden panic attacks, this has been an amazing, amazing journey." The actor has made his way back into the best actor race more than two decades later as a Oscar nominee for his role as Hungarian-Jewish immigrant in "The Brutalist." Rate your 'Film of the Year': Join our Movie Meter panel and make your voice heard! Brody has already cemented his status as an Oscar frontrunner this year after taking home wins at the Golden Globes in January and the Critics Choice Awards last week. He is also nominated at the SAG Awards that are scheduled for Feb. 23, a week ahead of the Oscars. How old was Adrien Brody when he won his Oscar? Adrien Brody was 29 when he won the best actor Oscar at the 75th Academy Awards on on March 23, 2003, less than a month before he turned 30. Who is the youngest best actor nominee? Late actor Jackie Cooper was the youngest performer to be nominated in the best actor Oscar category at the age of 9 during the 1931 ceremony for his role in "Skippy." However, Lionel Barrymore won the race that year for his role in "A Free Soul" when he was 53. Who are the best actor nominees this year? When are the Oscars? The 97th Academy Awards are set for Sunday, March 2, 2025. What time are the Oscars? The 2025 Oscars will air on March 2, 2025 from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET.
Los Angeles Times
14-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
Oscars flashback: When Beyoncé performances did not translate into gold
Beyoncé can seemingly do just about anything — but as it turns out, her performing a nominated song on the Oscars telecast is no guarantee of victory. That's something everyone at L.A.'s Kodak Theatre learned 20 years ago when she sang (or duetted on) three of the five tunes nominated for original song. And the winner? A self-acknowledged 'totally unknown person.' Though in 1963 Robert Goulet performed all the nominated songs at the Oscars, since 1973 priority has primarily gone to the original artists who performed the song in the film. But things went a bit retro in 2005. The winner, 'Al Otro Lado Del Río' ('The Other Side of the River') came from 'The Motorcycle Diaries,' with music and lyrics by Uruguayan singer Jorge Drexler. But it was performed onstage by Antonio Banderas and Carlos Santana, neither of whom was involved with the film. As the L.A. Times reported after the ceremony, Drexler — a physician who turned musician at 30 — wasn't well-known enough to sing his own song on the show. That's not to say he didn't perform his song, though. Instead of a speech, Drexler accepted the award from Prince and sang several lines from his song a capella, ending with, 'Ciao. Thank you. Gracias. Ciao.' 'I'm very bad at giving speeches, and I just really wanted to sing,' Drexler told The Times the day after his win. 'Since they didn't let me sing on the show, but they gave me 45 seconds to do something, I just decided to do what I do best.' The version Banderas and Santana performed of his song was not really his first choice, he said, but was gracious in victory during his interview: 'I'm so grateful to the academy for giving us all a lesson in openness. Against all predictions, they voted for a totally unknown person who had no type of lobby behind him and who made no move to even get nominated.' This was Drexler's first and only Oscar, and the only Oscar for 'Diaries,' which had also been nominated for adapted screenplay. It was the second non-English song to ever win in the category. Drexler wasn't alone, though, in being pushed aside for more ratings-friendly performers. Beyoncé duetted with American Boychoir on 'Vois sur ton chemin (Look to Your Path)' from 'The Chorus.' The song was written by Bruno Coulais (music) and director Christophe Barratier (lyrics). It was Coulais' first and only nomination; first-timer Barratier's film was nominated in the foreign language film category, though it didn't win. In the movie, it had been sung by Jean-Baptiste Maunier, from the choir Les Petits Chanteurs de Saint-Marc. Beyoncé went solo on 'Learn to Be Lonely' from 'The Phantom of the Opera,' written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Charles Hart. Oscar nominee and 'Phantom' actor Minnie Driver performed the song during the closing credits and on the soundtrack. Webber had previously won an Oscar for 1996's 'Evita' and was nominated for his work on 'Jesus Christ Superstar' in the early 1970s; it was Hart's first and only nomination. The film was also nominated for cinematography and art direction but didn't win either of those trophies . Beyoncé returned again to duet with Josh Groban on 'Believe' from 'The Polar Express'; Groban had performed the song in the film and on the soundtrack. It was written by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri; this was Ballard's first nomination and Silvestri's second — he had previously been recognized for his original score on 1994's 'Forrest Gump.' The only nominees who got to perform their own song in their entirety were the members of Counting Crows. Adam Duritz, Charlie Gillingham, Jim Bogios, David Immerglück, Matt Malley and David Bryson were nominated for their music, while Duritz and Dan Vickrey received recognition for their lyrics. The band performed 'Accidentally in Love' from 'Shrek 2,' and were all first-time nominees. The film was nominated for animated feature but didn't win.
