Latest news with #TheAwardist
San Francisco Chronicle
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
Cooper Koch was celebrating his Emmy nod. Then he got a call from prison
When Cooper Koch landed an Emmy nomination for his role as one half of the notorious duo in Netflix's 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story,' he received a surprising call straight from prison. 'I spoke (with) Lyle today,' Koch said on an Entertainment Weekly's podcast, ' The Awardist,' on an episode released Wednesday, July 16. 'He called to send his congrats and was very, very sweet. Koch was referring, of course, to Lyle Menendez, who, like Erik, was convicted in 1996 for killing their parents. 'He was jealous that I was at Wimbledon this weekend,' added the actor, who was recently cast in ' Artificial,' the $40 million OpenAI movie to be directed by Luca Guadagnino. 'He was just so, so sweet… and they're doing really well.' Emmy nominations were announced on Tuesday, July 15, with Koch earning a nod for outstanding lead actor in a limited or anthology series for his role in the nine-episode Netflix true-crime hit produced by Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. The series also received nominations for outstanding limited or anthology series and supporting actor and actress for Javier Bardem and Chloe Sevigny, who played the Menendez parents. Nicholas Alexander Chavez, who played Lyle Menendez, was not nominated. Lyle and Erik Menendez were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility for parole for the 1989 murders of their parents, José and Kitty Menendez, at their multi-million dollar Beverly Hills home. The brothers claimed the killings were in self-defense after years of sexual, emotional and physical abuse, and the trial was a media sensation that divided public opinion. In October, then-Los Angeles district attorney George Gascón, a former San Francisco D.A., recommended a resentencing of 50 years to life, a move formally approved in May by L.A. County Superior Court Judge Michael Jesic, making the brothers immediately eligible for parole. Then, on July 7, L.A. County Superior Court Judge William Ryan ordered prosecutors to explain why the brothers' murder convictions should not be re-examined in light of new evidence — including a letter from Erik and testimony by former Menudo member Roy Rosselló — supporting their claims of sexual abuse. The parole board hearings for Erik, 54, and Lyle, 57, are scheduled for Aug. 21-22. Koch said on the podcast he hoped 'the brothers (get) released by the end of the summer.' In September, Kock told Variety he had visited the brothers at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility near San Diego with prison reform advocate Kim Kardashian and her mother, Kris Jenner, and sister, Khloé Kardashian. When he met Erik, Koch said they 'just looked at each other, and immediately embraced. He was so kind.' On this week's podcast episode, Koch reiterated his appreciation for playing Erik. 'The best part about this whole thing was just getting the opportunity to be a part of this show and tell this story and just embody this person who I just care so deeply about,' he said. The 77th Emmy Awards, hosted by comedian Nate Bargatze, is scheduled for Sept. 14 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The awards will be broadcast on CBS and Paramount+.
New York Post
16-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Cooper Koch reveals what Lyle Menendez said after ‘Monsters' Emmy nomination
Cooper Koch recently received a congratulatory phone call from incarcerated Lyle Menendez. On Tuesday, the actor, 29, earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series for his performance as Erik Menendez in Netflix's 'Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story.' After the news hit, Koch's phone rang. Advertisement 9 Cooper Koch. / 'I spoke to Lyle today. He called to send his congrats and was very, very sweet,' the star shared on Entertainment Weekly's 'The Awardist' podcast on Tuesday. 'He was jealous that I was at Wimbledon this weekend. He was just so, so sweet …. and they're doing really well.' Koch also confessed that he was 'so nervous' about the nominations. Advertisement 'It's just a terrible morning,' he admitted. 'You're so anxious and you're just playing that game with yourself, 'You know what? It's OK either way. It's OK. I'm going to die one day and no one's going to remember or care if I had an Emmy nomination or not.'' Despite the jitters, Koch is just grateful to have been a part of the series, which also starred Nicholas Alexander Chavez as Lyle. 9 Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez in the Netflix show. Miles Crist/Netflix '[But the] best part about this whole thing was just getting the opportunity to be a part of this show and tell this story and just embody this person who I just care so deeply about,' Koch explained. Advertisement Javier Bardem was also nominated for Best Supporting Actor, and Chloe Sevigny earned a nod for Supporting Actress for taking on the boys' parents, José and Kitty Menendez. Ryan Murphy's 'Monsters' received a nod for Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series. 9 Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez and Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez. ©Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection The series premiered on Netflix in September 2024. The show told the story of Lyle and Erik, who murdered their parents in 1989. Advertisement The brothers have said that they killed their mom and dad in self-defense. Erik and Lyle claimed they suffered years of alleged physical, emotional and sexual abuse. 'I was so moved and I believed them immediately. It was then that I found all the similarities and I became quite obsessed with the case and with their story,' Koch told GQ Australia in December 2024. 'I was taping and taping, auditioning and auditioning, for seven years. Then finally you get the one that is supposed to happen.' 9 An image from the Emmy nominated series 'Monsters.' AP This wasn't the first time the actor tried to take on the part of Erik. 'The reason why he's been with me for so long is because I auditioned to play him seven years ago for the 'Law & Order' series and for the Lifetime movie,' Koch recalled. 'I got to the final rounds in both and I ultimately didn't get it. But I felt like I had to play this part,' he shared. 'I got the audition [for Monsters] and I watched the trial videos for the first time.' 9 Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez, right, and Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez in a scene from 'Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story.' AP The Menendez brothers' case has taken quite a turn since they were convicted of first-degree murder in 1996 and sentenced to life without parole. Advertisement In May, the judge reduced their sentence to 50 years to life. Now, Erik and Lyle are eligible for parole. Koch supported the brothers at their resentencing hearing. 'I'm so grateful that that happened,' he told Variety at the time. 'And so is Erik, I spoke to him yesterday and he is so excited.' 9 Nicholas Alexander Chavez and Cooper Koch. FilmMagic Koch detailed 'the most inspiring' thing he heard Erik say after the re-sentencing. Advertisement 'He is going to be an advocate for other people who have L.W.O.P, which is life without parole,' Koch explained, adding that the Beverly Hills native hopes to make 'a lot of change' in the prison system. 'His life is going to surround making change in the prison system, and I just think that is so beautiful.' In June, true crime expert Ana Garcia weighed in on whether 'Monsters' played a part in the brothers' new prison sentence. 9 Erik Menendez (L) and his brother Lyle during a pre-trial hearing. AFP via Getty Images 'I do believe that the show had an impact,' the journalist told The Post. 'I also believe the documentary did. I also believe that Kim Kardashian writing her essay about why she believed that we should judge them based on how we all now view the kind of sexual abuse they say that they experienced. I think there has been a groundswell of support to have their case re-examined based on how we now understand victims of crime. Meaning they were victims here.' Advertisement Although the 'True Crime News' podcast host isn't sure the resentencing is deserved. 'But as I've said before to you, if every child who was abused killed their parents, we'd have a lot of dead parents. What I ask myself over and over again – this was clearly premeditated. They had so many opportunities not to kill their parents. Yet they went through with this plan, and then it was the cover-up afterwards.' 9 The Menendez brothers' mug shot. AP Along with a strong support system from around the country, Lyle and Erik also have their family members standing by them. Joan VanderMolen, Kitty's sister, has fought for their freedom along with Terry Baralt, José's only living sister. Advertisement 'I hear the Menendez family speaking loudly and clearly to every judge who will listen to them, every prosecutor who will listen to them,' Garcia shared, 'that they believe Lyle and Erik have already served enough time. Is that enough for a murder? For some cases, it is.' Although the siblings have served over 30 years behind bars, Garcia posed the question weighing on the public's mind: 'Have they served enough time for their murders?' 9 Erik Menendez, left, and his brother Lyle, are led into the courtroom in 1990. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Lyle and Erik's parole board hearing was originally scheduled for June 13 but was pushed back to August 21 and August 22. 'One of the brothers actually said on Facebook that they thought it was a good idea,' Garcia added, 'because it gives them more time to prepare, more time for the defense, their attorneys to present because a lot is going to happen at this parole hearing.'
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Dakota Johnson is in a Pedro Pascal- Chris Evans love triangle in 'Materialists' trailer
Celine Song, the visionary behind the gutting Past Lives, is back with another love triangle for A24. Materialists, a follow-up to the writer-director's 2023 directorial debut starring Greta Lee, centers on Dakota Johnson's Lucy, an ambitious young matchmaker in New York who, it seems, is quite good at her job. "How many marriages are you responsible for, Lucy?" asks a pal in the trailer unveiled by A24 on Tuesday. Nine, thank you very much. Related: How Celine Song drew from real life for Past Lives, her searing directorial film debut But it appears her skills are inept when it comes to figuring out her own love life, as Lucy finds herself torn between the perfect match (played by Pedro Pascal) and her imperfect ex (Chris Evans), whom she reconnects with at the same time that she meets Pascal's dashing suitor."You are what we call a unicorn, an impossible fantasy," she says to Pascal's rich, handsome bachelor. Glimpses of the unrequited longing prevalent in Song's first feature punctuate the trailer via a lovelorn Evans, leaving Johnson's leading lady uncertain of how her love story will play out. "I don't think I'm very good at my job anymore," she laments. Song wrote and directed the film, which hits theaters on June 13. She also produced alongside her Past Lives collaborators David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon, and Pamela Koffler. The trailer features a new original song by the indie pop band Japanese Breakfast, fronted by Michelle Zauner. Related: Past Lives star Greta Lee, why TMNT should be nominated, and more in EW's The Awardist Though Materialists has a similar love triangle throughline to Song's first feature, Vachon previously teased to GQ that the upcoming film is nothing like Past Lives: "It feels like she makes a different movie every time, that she's going to be the kind of a filmmaker who doesn't make the same movie twice." Watch the trailer for Materialists above. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lupita Nyong'o displaced by LA wildfires, but unsure if home is still standing
The fate of Lupita Nyong'o's home is still unknown in the aftermath of the devastating wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles. The Oscar-winning actress revealed that her housing status is 'to be determined' since she's been unable to return to her West Coast residence in the weeks since the blazes engulfed the L.A. area last month. The fires, fueled by powerful winds and dry conditions, forced over 180,000 people to be put under evacuation orders and claimed the lives of at least 29 people. 'I was displaced,' Nyong'o told Entertainment Weekly on the latest episode of 'The Awardist' podcast. 'I have not been able to return home, but I have received incredible support. And friends have come to my aid, and it has been a time of just — I'm completely humbled.' She said she knows her home is 'not completely gone,' but is unsure just how much damage was done. Nyong'o is currently promoting her newest film, 'The Wild Robot,' a postapocalyptic animated movie featuring a forest fire sequence. She says that given all the recent real-life devastation, she probably won't 'be able to process' that sequence for another 'five years.' Thousands of L.A. residents have lost their homes in the wildfires, for which officials are still attempting to determine a cause. The Eaton and Palisades fires, the most destructive of the blazes, have together destroyed over 16,000 structures, including multiple movie and TV landmarks.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lupita Nyong'o displaced by L.A. wildfires, but unsure if home is still standing
The fate of Lupita Nyong'o's home is still unknown in the aftermath of the devastating wildfires that ravaged Los Angeles. The Oscar-winning actress revealed that her housing status is 'to be determined' since she's been unable to return to her West Coast residence in the weeks since the blazes engulfed the L.A. area last month. The fires, fueled by powerful winds and dry conditions, forced over 180,000 people to be put under evacuation orders and claimed the lives of at least 29 people. 'I was displaced,' Nyong'o told Entertainment Weekly on the latest episode of 'The Awardist' podcast. 'I have not been able to return home, but I have received incredible support. And friends have come to my aid, and it has been a time of just — I'm completely humbled.' She said she knows her home is 'not completely gone,' but is unsure just how much damage was done. Nyong'o is currently promoting her newest film, 'The Wild Robot,' a post-apocalyptic animated movie featuring a forest fire sequence. She says that given all the recent real-life devastation, she probably won't 'be able to process' that sequence for another 'five years.' Thousands of L.A. residents have lost their homes in the wildfires, for which officials are still attempting to determine a cause. The Eaton and Palisades fires, the most destructive of the blazes, have together destroyed over 16,000 structures, including multiple movie and TV landmarks.
