Sheryl Lee Ralph is getting her Hollywood Walk of Fame star at the end of January. Most people got to know Sheryl as an actress thanks to Abbott Elementary, but she?s been working as an actress and activist for decades. In 1990, she founded The D.I.V.A. Foundation and she?s been involved with Project Angel Food since the 1980s. Both are non-profit organizations that work with LA residents that have HIV/AIDS and/or other serious illnesses. Sheryl?s also a really positive influence on her fellow actors: On the Abbott set, she has a ?no negative body talk? rule. So, needless to say, Sheryl deserves all of the accolades that are coming her way.

To celebrate getting her star, Sheryl did an exclusive cover story with People. Despite not looking a day over 48, she turned 68 on December 30. During her interview, Sheryl talks about her long career and all of the hard work that she put in to get where she is today. She also drops some wisdom and perspective about her road to success, including the support and advice she got along the way.

So many symbols to choose from: ?It?s not as if they just hand these things out like candy,? she says of the ceremony, taking place on Jan. 29. Still, the multi-hyphenate star, who graces this week?s cover of PEOPLE, has no idea which entertainment symbol will be used to denote her life?s work. ?Oh my goodness, I don?t know. I should ask,? she says. ?It could be for the Tonys, for the Grammys, the Emmys and who knows what?s next.?

Cicely Tyson predicted her success: ?One day I was on a plane, and Cicely Tyson said, ?Many great things are going to happen to you. Many, many, many,? ? Ralph recalls. ?The elders have been good to me, and they would not be surprised.?

Hard work pays off: ?I?m in a show that is literally lightning in a bottle,? Ralph says. ?But it was not given to me. I worked towards this moment, and it took a young person to see and value the work and offer me this way forward. That doesn?t happen a lot, but it happened to me.?

She loves being busy: ?I love a full plate,? she says. ?My team says I?m always on the go, but that?s what I?ve known. There was a time where if you didn?t strike while the iron was hot, it wasn?t happening for you. You had to go and get it.?

The road to success wasn?t always paved: ?It?s easy to look at the highway and think it?s always been like that, but no, there was a time when it was a dirt road, and somebody had to bust rocks to clear it, and it wasn?t easy.?

Her big break was playing Sidney Poitier?s daughter: After graduating as a member of the first class of women to attend Rutgers College in New Jersey and facing ?no after no? in her pursuit of an acting career, Ralph stumbled upon success when she moved to Los Angeles on a whim and landed an audition opposite Poitier at age 19 and won the role over his own daughter [in A Piece of the Action].

What Poitier taught her: Poitier, who also directed the film, gifted her a box of makeup and hair products along with this advice: ?I?m sorry the industry doesn?t have more to offer you, because you deserve it. You better learn how to take care of yourself, because there are not too many people out there that can,?? Ralph recalls. ?That?s how I started learning the things I needed in an industry that didn?t know what to do with me.?

On her 2022 Emmy win: ?It was a complete shock,? she says of the moment. ?I was there to be supportive of my cast. I did not think it was going to be me. When they said my name, it was as if every angel in my life flew up and said, ?Come on, come on. This is the moment. This is the time.? When I got up there and did what I did, sang what I sang, said what I said, it was my whole life speaking for me, and it was never just for me, it was for others, because if it had not been for others, I wouldn?t be there.?

The best is yet to come: In all, Ralph says achieving what she has at this stage of her life proves one thing: ?Don?t give up. If you don?t make it at 20 or 30, so what? Hold on to your dreams, because you can make it at 40 or 50, and it ain?t over when you?re 60. The best is yet to come, and I?m here to receive it.?

[From People]

I really like her analogy about the road not always being smooth, even if it?s easy to take the tough times for granted once things are easier-going. I absolutely love what she says about how you can be successful at any age. We know that society tends to write people ? especially women ? off as they get older. It feels harder to reinvent yourself and like less people are paying attention to give you any chance or consideration. So, Sheryl reminding us of her later-in-life success inspires me. She?s not wrong! Vera Wang didn?t design her first dress until she was 40, Toni Morrison was 39 when she wrote The Bluest Eye (her first novel), and although, like Sheryl, she?d had success before, Betty White wasn?t a household name until she joined the Mary Tyler Moore Show at age 51. Heck, Martha Stewart?s career as a lifestyle mogul didn?t take off until she was in her 40s and Laura Ingalls Wilder didn?t publish her first book until she was 65. Congrats to Sheryl on her star and career.

IMAGO/Jennifer Bloc/Faye Sadou/Avalon, Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon, Backgrid and via Instagram/People

Last month, Megan Thee Stallion went to court again, this time to file for a new restraining order against Tory Lanez and his family. Tory has been locked up for a year, but he and his family have not stopped waging a completely bonkers campaign against Megan. Megan has the receipts too ? the family has paid off bloggers plus various friends and associates to spread defamatory lies about Megan. Megan had enough and she went to court. They gave her a five-year restraining order.

Megan Thee Stallion has been granted a five-year restraining order against incarcerated rapper Tory Lanez, with an expiration date of Jan. 9, 2030. Megan claims Lanez (real name Daystar Peterson) has been harassing her from behind bars as he serves a 10-year sentence stemming from a July 2020 incident where he shot at her feet. Judge Richard Bloom confirmed the order on Thursday, writing that Megan had ?sustained burden of proof? to grant the motion.

Megan?s request for a restraining order described Lanez as a ?violent and dangerous criminal? with an ?established pattern of behavior [demonstrating] the reasons this civil harassment restraining order is necessary to protect Ms. Pete and her wellbeing.? Before this filing, Megan under an order that was only in effect from 2020 through 2023.

Megan?s request for a restraining order also accused Lanez of employing third-party ?bloggers? to defame her while he is in prison. According to court reporter Meghann Cuniff, who was present in the Los Angeles courtroom during Thursday?s hearing, Megan testified via video call and described her as being in an emotional state. Cuniff said Megan was fearful of what could happen to her after Lanez?s release. Megan is quoted saying, ?I feel like maybe he?ll shoot me again, and maybe this time I won?t make it.?

[From Variety]

Throughout this whole years-long ordeal, I?ve been so proud of Megan for standing up for herself and speaking out, in real time, about what?s being done to her. She?s incredibly brave, and she?s also been open about how much this has cost her emotionally and psychologically. This is not the end of Tory terrorizing her, but this restraining order is really important. I hope Megan and her lawyers do the most to ensure that Tory stays in prison for a long time.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.

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One of Mr. Rosie?s favorite movies is School of Rock. He rewatches it every yearish. So, when we found out that Frankie the security detail and Blondie the vocalist got married last weekend, we both did one collective, ?Awww!? 23 years after meeting as child actors on set, Angelo Massagli and Caitlin Hale tied the knot on January 4. It?s like a real-life sequel. Instagram videos and pictures from their wedding reveal that most of their fellow ?classmates? and co-stars were there to celebrate with them. I love this!

Two School Rock costars just celebrated their nuptials by getting the band back together. Caitlin Hale and Angelo Massagli, who starred as Marta (nickname: Blondie) and Frankie in Richard Linklater?s 2003 comedy, have officially tied the knot. And who better to share the news than one of their former ?classmates? ? Rivkah Reyes, who played bassist Katie in the movie.

Reyes took to TikTok on Sunday with a video of the festivities set to the tune of Stevie Nicks? ?Edge of Seventeen? ? a song featured in the film thanks to Joan Cusack?s Principal Mullins performing a drunken rendition. The video includes cameos from several grownup School of Rock alums, including Brian Falduto, Joey Gaydos Jr., Rivkah Reyesm Robert Tsai, Maryam Hassan, Aleisha Allen and Cole Hawkins.

?Celebrating the marriage of CAITLIN & Angelo with my forever fam #schoolofrock #wedding,? Reyes captioned the video, which sees various cast members posing for pictures, lip-synching, showing off on the dance floor, and enjoying the colorful reception. At one point, they all gather for a silly photo booth snap. The video ends on newlyweds Hale and Massagli sharing a dance.

School of Rock saw the child actors star alongside Jack Black, who played overly-enthusastic guitarist Dewey Finn, who poses as a substitute music teacher after being ousted from his band. While teaching at the elite private elementary school, he exposes his students to hard rock, inspires their love of music and eventually helps them form a band.

Hale and Massazli met as children, while filming the movie in 2002, though Massagli has said that he recalls being impressed by Hale even before she landed the gig.

?I remember my first audition for School of Rock like it was yesterday,? he told Inside Edition in 2021. ?I get in there and the little blonde girl next to me, she gets called in first and she starts singing show tunes and just blows the roof off the place. It was excellent.?

After the film, the duo stayed in touch through a group chat with their former costars. After Hale happened to move near Massagli in Florida, they reunited and eventually became a couple. They previously teased their engagement with an October Instagram post, when they donned formal attire and showed off the sparkling engagement ring.

Hale and Massagli have stepped away from Hollywood, since their childhood roles. Hale works as an OB-GYN ultrasound technologist and Massagli graduated from the University of Miami School of Law in 2019.

[From Entertainment Weekly]

Well, they have one helluva meet cute. It makes for a good Hallmark movie. I wonder if Jack Black and Mike White were invited. Either way, it doesn?t matter! It looks like it was a really fun wedding. I love a good winter-themed wedding. The more Winter Wonderland, the better. Caitlin looked really pretty. I?m not a huge fan of the leg slit, but she rocked the dress with confidence. Her hair and earrings looked great and I think the gloves work because of how simple the rest of her outfit was. Congratulations to Caitlin and Angelo! May they have a lifetime of happiness together.

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Among the surprises in this week?s SAG award nominations (of which there were many), was Jamie Lee Curtis showing up in the supporting actress category. Jamie costars with Pamela Anderson in The Last Showgirl, and while Pamela has been on the campaign circuit, Jamie hasn?t been working it the same way. Except this week she did do a bit of promotion, appearing on The Tonight Show on Wednesday. You wouldn?t think much of an actor going on TV to support a project, except that Jamie lives in the Pacific Palisades which, as Jamie said to Jimmy Fallon, ?is on fire right now.? So instead of canceling on Jimmy, Jamie used the platform as a plea/PSA to viewers. She implored people to do anything they can to help, whether it?s donating money or blood, and she also encouraged everyone everywhere (all at once? not sorry) to pack an emergency kit of essentials in case you have to flee. To quote Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own, ?That?s good advice!?

?I flew here last night. I was on a plane, started getting texts, and it?s f?king gnarly, you guys,? she said. ?It?s just a catastrophe in Southern California.?

?Everything,? she added. ?The market I shop in, the schools my kids go to, friends ? many, many, many, many friends now ? have lost their homes. So it is, it?s a really awful situation.?

She said she intended to return home ?first thing tomorrow? to be with family and assist friends, and encouraged viewers to support the American Red Cross and do ?whatever you can do? to help, including giving blood and donating to animal shelters.

She also reminded people across the country to always have an evacuation kit prepared.

?Have an emergency kit with prescription glasses, medicines, dog food, baby formula, all the things you need if you have to flee,? she said.

In an Instagram post afterward, she also suggested that people ?laminate a card with all of the important telephone numbers because when all of the technology shuts down and there?s no electricity in the panic people forget how to reach each other.?

She said in earlier posts that ?my community and possibly my home is on fire? but that her family is safe.

?It is a terrifying situation and I?m grateful to the firefighters and all of the good Samaritans who are helping people get out of the way of the blaze,? she said.

Multiple fires in Los Angeles County have destroyed hundreds of homes, including those of numerous celebrities, and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Five people have died. The Palisades fire has gutted the affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

[From HuffPost]

I grew up in San Francisco and remember that in elementary school I was always required to have an emergency kit packed and kept in the classroom in case of an earthquake, complete with non-perishable food. I think my mother also kept a kit in the trunk of her car, but the only item I remember is the sleeping bag that sat next to it. So I want to thank Jamie Lee Curtis for reminding me to organize a kit again, and I also really, really appreciate that she mentioned dog food as part of the essentials, as well as her suggesting people contact animal shelters to help. Animals need our help now too! Plus that tip about laminating important phone numbers is genius. I was in New York for Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and none of us with iphones could get a signal. One person in our group had an ancient flip phone, and by gosh it was the only cell among us that worked. And on top of handing out all these good ideas, Jamie is also putting her money where her mouth is ? she and her family are donating $1 million to relief efforts.

The imagery we?re seeing out of LA is truly apocalyptic, so to those in the area: please stay safe. To everyone else, please help in any way you can. And pack your kits!

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Photos credit: Jeffrey Mayer/Avalon

Donald Trump is predictably attacking California?s Governor Gavin Newsom in the middle of the state?s large-scale catastrophe. [JustJared]
Did Ryan Reynolds mock Justin Baldoni in Deadpool? [Jezebel]
A note from RCFA about the LA fires. [RCFA]
Anna Faris & Adam Brody lost their homes in the wildfires. [Socialite Life]
What?s going on with the Fox Sports lawsuit? [LaineyGossip]
Interesting review of Red Rooms. [Pajiba]
Trendspotting: ?gray divorces.? [Buzzfeed]
Princess Kate shares a birthday with JK Simmons & Joan Baez. [Hollywood Life]
SOW lives in LA & they are not okay. [Seriously OMG]
?Redneck MacGyver? fixes for your home. [OMG Blog]

Mike and Zara Tindall arrived in Australia last week. Most years ? except for the pandemic years ? the Tindalls get paid to go to Australia around this time. Zara is an ambassador for some Australian horse thing (I?ve never really understood exactly what), and so the Tindalls are in Oz for a week or so every year, doing events and walking red carpets. I have no idea how much they get paid, but I suspect it?s probably in the low six figures. Last year, the Mail tried to convince everyone that Mike and Zara have more ?earning power? than the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, because something something royal-adjacent, I guess. This year, the Mail is saying that the Tindalls are living the life which could have been Harry and Meghan?s. You mean half-in/half-out and striking commercial deals? Gee, I wonder if anyone suggested that? From the Mail?s ?Fun-loving, popular and living the life Harry and Meghan turned their backs on: Inside story of royal couple who are model of what Sussexes could have been ? and the revealing details that show just what they have lost.?

This week marks five years since Megxit, the infamous moment the Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced they were ditching the Royal Family for a life of freedom. They planned to pursue exciting new work opportunities, find fans further afield and enjoy a happiness that had eluded them as senior members of The Firm. So it must be somewhat galling for Harry and Meghan, as they continue to struggle to make their mark in America, to see another royal couple living the life that still eludes them.

Mike and Zara Tindall, daughter of Princess Anne and granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II, are a template of what the couple could have been ? fun-loving, easy-going and immensely popular. And as they throw themselves into their annual summer season Down Under, the Tindalls make combining purposeful endeavours with a jolly good time look effortless. Adored in both hemispheres for their warmth and down-to-earth attitude, they?re not quite what we expect from royalty ? but exactly what the institution needs.

In Australia for the annual equestrian event, the Magic Millions Carnival, where both are ambassadors ? Zara competes and Mike helps with judging karaoke and compering ? they?re a couple who?ve cleverly designed a life that straddles palaces and beaches, monarchy and mates. The Tindalls are proof that you can be both royal and ?normal?. Snapping carefree selfies with admirers at the Pacific Fair Magic Millions Polo event, Zara, 43, and her husband, 46, are a cheery antidote to the Sussexes.

While Meghan, 43, is returning to her role as a lifestyle influencer with carefully curated Instagram posts promoting With Love, Meghan ? her new Netflix show that?s straight from the trad wife playbook ? Harry, 40, seems to fill his days with court cases and surfing. How much easier their life would have been if they?d opted for a low-key but royal-adjacent life like the Tindalls.

The Tindalls arguably enjoy the best life of anyone in the Royal Family and it?s precisely the model Harry and Meghan could have carved out if they?d negotiated Megxit with greater care and diplomacy.

[From The Daily Mail]

If you read the whole piece, the Mail suggests that Zara and Mike should start getting formal roles within the monarchy, and perhaps step into Commonwealth positions like Harry and Meghan had five years ago. I guess after five years, no one over there has given up on trying to rewrite the narrative and reimagine the real history. Harry and Meghan actually suggested something a lot like Mike and Zara?s situation, where they would have been still welcome to appear at family events and still able to do royal work. That option was soundly rejected. Not only that, we were told repeatedly for years that Harry and Meghan had to play by different rules because of their titles, something Zara and Mike have never had to worry about.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid, Avalon Red.

The Kensington Palace social media accounts posted this new portrait of the Princess of Wales for her 43rd birthday today. We didn?t get a new birthday portrait last year, correct? Let me check? no, we didn?t. She gave us a whole photoshoot with costume changes when she turned 40 (in 2022), but I honestly wasn?t expecting a new portrait today, for this birthday. Prince William issued a personal statement alongside the photo, writing: ?To the most incredible wife and mother. The strength you?ve shown over the last year has been remarkable. George, Charlotte, Louis and I are so proud of you. Happy Birthday, Catherine. We love you. W.? That doesn?t sound like William?s ?voice? to me, but whatever. It is what it is.

So, let?s analyze the photo. It doesn?t look like a hacked-together frankenphoto like last year?s scandalous Mother?s Day portrait. It does look edited, but I?m open to the possibility that it?s just the way Kate is standing, with her hips sort of jutting out. It?s thrown off the perspective. Her hands are halfway in her jean pockets, so that you can see that she?s wearing her sapphire engagement ring. She didn?t wear Big Blue to several public appearances last year, so it feels notable. And then there are her clothing choices. The Telegraph?s style people had some thoughts:

This morning the Prince of Wales marked his wife?s 43rd birthday by sharing a new portrait of her on social media. With her hands in her pockets and looking away from the camera, the picture shows Kate looking relaxed and happy in faded dark jeans, a white blouse with pleated bib detail, black tuxedo jacket and checked scarf, with only her sapphire engagement ring to accessorise the look.

The styling is particularly chic, with her sleeves rolled up and top button undone, with the scarf just resting on top, giving it a lived-in look. Naturally, Kate?s trademark long, bouncy blowdry is also present, with minimal make-up too, showing she is a woman unafraid of facing her age.

The look recalls the styling of Kate?s 2016 British Vogue cover, in which she wore a similar shirt with a brown suede jacket and hat. It is very much in keeping with her laid-back approach to dressing when she is ?off-duty?, favouring jeans, sweaters and outerwear to dresses or heels, and being a keen champion of the high street, including brands such as Boden, Hobbs and Reiss.

The photograph was taken by Matt Porteous, a favourite of the family who has taken countless images of the Princess and her children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis over the years. A wildlife and ocean photographer by trade, his background clearly suggests that this is less about royal portraiture, and more about positioning Kate as a relaxed, outdoorsy woman. That said, the image, which is striking in black and white, does recall other famous royal portraiture, most notably Mario Testino?s iconic images of the late Diana, Princess of Wales in the 1990s.

[From The Telegraph]

The comparison to Mario Testino?s incredible work is hilarious. Testino is a deeply flawed, problematic man, but as a photographer, he created some of the most iconic images of Princess Diana. Diana?s sons loved Testino?s photos so much, I believe both brothers still keep some of those Testino portraits featured prominently in their homes. As for Kate?s fashion choices? I agree that she?s going for the more outdoorsy, middle-class vibe that she had in her (kind of terrible) British Vogue editorial all of those years ago. What?s odd about that is Matt Porteous obviously photographed her in some kind of studio. With denim and a scarf, surely the photoshoot should have been outside? She did two notable outdoor ?shoots? last year ? the photo released just before Trooping the Colour (which was also bizarrely edited) and the ?cancer-free? commercial which was widely criticized. Anyway, the choices being made are fascinating.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Matt Porteous for Kensington Palace and KP.

Just after the Golden Globes, Hugh Jackman decided to hard-launch his relationship with Sutton Foster. Hugh and Sutton have likely been dealing with each other for months, if not years. First they were friends and work colleagues, and then there were rumors of their extreme closeness right around the time when Hugh and Deborra-Lee Furness?s marriage fell apart in 2023. Sutton didn?t file for divorce from her husband until last fall though, so it?s possible she was trying to make it work with her husband for a while, even after Hugh left Deb. All I know is that the hard-launch of Sutton and Hugh came after more than a year of speculation. Apparently, Deborra had her suspicions all along, and she feels relief that Hugh is no longer gaslighting her about his thing with Sutton.

It wasn?t sadness, but relief that Deborra-Lee Furness felt when she saw pictures of her ex Hugh Jackman going public with his former co-star Sutton Foster. The Australian actress, 68, was married to the Hollywood star for 27 years before they announced their shock split in September 2023. Soon followed rumors that Jackman, 56, had embarked on a relationship with his The Music Man co-star, 49, who was married to her ex-husband Ted Griffin when the pair first started workshopping the Broadway production back in 2020. They confirmed they are now an item on Monday night after being snapped hand-in-hand on a dinner date in Santa Monica, California.

After months of being ?plagued with suspicions,? Furness can now move on, according to insiders, who claim the images confirmed that her fears were warranted.

?Deborra-Lee feels a sense of relief to be honest with you,? a source told DailyMail.com exclusively. ?She has been plagued with suspicions. She was told it wasn?t true, and that they were nothing more than close friends who worked together. But something in her heart told her that this was not true. She trusted her intuition and her intuition was right. She finally feels at ease after getting confirmation that her fears and suspicions were warranted. She can now fully close this chapter and move on.?

The insider added: ?She has nothing more to say about her ex-husband and his close friend Sutton.?

The Wolverine star, who played Harold Hill alongside Foster as Marian Paroo in The Music Man, decided to go public with their romance this week as they are no longer ?interested in hiding their love.?

?Enough time has passed for Hugh to stop playing games and hide his feelings and his relationship,? a second insider said. ?They both wanted to be considerate of their exes and anyone else that might be upset, but they aren?t interested in hiding. Hugh?s close friends have seen a rejuvenated glow to him and that is all thanks to Sutton.?

They said Jackman and Foster bonded over their individual marital struggles but didn?t strike up a romance until he was ?out of the heartbreak of his relationship ending.?

[From The Daily Mail]

I said this before, but Hugh and Sutton?s work relationship-turned-romantic relationship definitely has the feel of something which began as an intense emotional affair and then got really chaotic. Chaotic enough to blow up both of their marriages. Emotional affairs are affairs, and yeah, I imagine that Deborra had strong suspicions for a while. Hugh probably told her that she was overreacting, that nothing was happening. I still wonder if Hugh?s nice-guy image and popularity will be affected.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red.

I just wanted to circle back to this year?s SAG nominations, which were released yesterday. People are still sort of shocked by them, and I?m ?people.? Usually, the SAG nominations helped cull down the Oscar races, but it feels like this year?s noms were a grenade in the middle of multiple Oscar campaigns and prognostications. There were some notable surprise nominations ? Jamie Lee Curtis for her supporting role in The Last Showgirl, Jonathan Bailey in supporting for Wicked ? but the ?snubs? are even bigger surprises.

First off, the chaos in Best Actress. SAG nominated Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl), Mikey Madison (Anora), Cynthia Erivo (Wicked), Karla Sofia Gascon (Emilia Perez) and Demi Moore (The Substance). Who thinks that will be the Best Actress shortlist for the Oscars? There?s been so much buzz about Nicole Kidman in Babygirl, it?s stunning that the SAGs blanked her. Angelina Jolie?s performance in Maria garnered a Golden Globe nom and Critics Choice nom, but now the SAGs and BAFTAs have both ignored her. It sucks, but now I believe that Jolie probably has no shot at an Oscar nomination. It?s especially painful because they gave Kristen Stewart a nomination for Pablo Larrain?s Spencer, and I think Larrain?s Maria is a much stronger film, and Jolie gave a much stronger performance than K-Stew.

I have to say though, as chaotic as this Best Actress race is shaping up to be, it gives me hope that Mikey Madison might end up the surprise winner. I love Anora and I?ve thought for a while now that Mikey could have a real shot if she waged a smart campaign. The emergence of Demi Moore as a serious contender is bonkers to me though, but I hated The Substance. If there?s going to be a surprise shakeup in Best Actress, I would assume it will be Nicole Kidman getting in, not Jolie.

It?s also wild to me that Denzel Washington was snubbed for his supporting role in Gladiator II. He was the best part of that ridiculous film, and it was something we never saw from him. He looked like he was having a blast. Plus, HE IS DENZEL. How can you NOT nominate Denzel?

Some mentioned Sebastian Stan in A Different Man ? Stan won the Golden Globe, which was seen as a boost for his Best Actor chances. But I think the SAG noms for Best Actor are probably what the Oscar noms will look like ? Adrien Brody (The Brutalist), Daniel Craig (Queer), Colman Domingo (Sing Sing), Ralph Fiennes (Conclave) and Timothee Chalamet (A Complete Unknown). I just don?t know who will win in that category if those are the Oscar nominees though. Ralph? Timothee? Hm.

In the supporting categories, they?re also saying that Selena Gomez got snubbed for her work in Emilia Perez. I?m not so sure, but something that does interest me is whether the ?backlash? to Emilia Perez grows during the Oscar-voting period. A lot of people have a lot of feelings about the film, the quality of the film and whether the film is exploitative to Latin Americans. Still, many consider Zoe Saldana the frontrunner for Supporting Actress, so who knows. They?re also saying Margaret Qualley got snubbed in supporting for The Substance, which? again, I did not like that movie, but if you?re giving a nom to Demi, sure, Qualley was half of that performance.

Some other snubs, according to experts? nothing for The Room Next Door, but I wasn?t expecting anything for that film? Nothing for Jesse Eisenberg, who wrote, directed and starred in A Real Pain ? but I think Kieran Culkin is probably going to win an Oscar for it, so there?s that. Nothing for Elle Fanning in A Complete Unknown, which? I?m fine with. I enjoyed A Complete Unknown and Elle was good in it, but her performance wasn?t groundbreaking or anything. The few people who have seen The Brutalist also think Felicity Jones is being robbed of a major Oscar campaign, as is Guy Pearce.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, posters from ?Gladitor II?.

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Rolling Stone has a new, in-depth profile on Jeopardy, with the modest title, ?What Is? The Greatest Game Show of All Time?? I mean, I agree, I think Jeopardy IS the most intelligent and clever game show out there. The GOAT of game shows, if you will. Still, the hubris makes me chuckle. The article is part history of the show, and part anointing Ken Jennings as Alex Trebek?s chosen successor. Why a piece like this is coming out now, instead of a full year ago when Mayim Bialik exited and left Jennings as the sole host, I cannot say. But there were facts and anecdotes throughout the article that made the whole thing a nerdy fun read. A few highlights:

TV history: Jeopardy! began life as a private joke between the legendary TV producer Merv Griffin and his wife Julann, who suggested the ?answers in the form of a question? gimmick as a riff on the quiz-show scandals of the Fifties, when contestants were given the answers in advance. The original version, hosted by Art Fleming, ran on and off from 1964 through 1979. But it?s the modern incarnation, which debuted in the fall of 1984 with Trebek as host, that became an institution: a reassuring constant in an otherwise turbulent world. Trebek was one big reason for that. He filled the role for so long and in such an unflappable manner that he lent the nerdy proceedings an almost Rat Pack level of cool.

Random trivia: During commercial breaks, upholding a tradition started by Trebek, Jennings takes questions from the studio audience, which range from Jeopardy!-related (no, he?s never seen a contestant get cold feet and back out) to personal (his favorite sandwich is a BLT) to unanswerable (?Are there more wheels or doors in the world??).

Biography: By some standards, Jennings was the perfect candidate for the job. He had spent his school-age years in South Korea and Singapore ? and watched Jeopardy! daily as a lifeline to American culture. ? Twenty years ago, pausing his day job as a computer programmer to appear on the show, he won 74 consecutive games ? a record that still stands ? and more than $2.5 million. He would later win another $2 million in various tournaments pitting past champions against one another, including 2020?s Jeopardy! The Greatest of All Time. He also had Trebek?s implicit endorsement. (Trebek?s widow, Jean, even gave Jennings a pair of her husband?s cuff links to wear on his first episode.) But he was not an experienced broadcaster, which made some fans skeptical. Others rolled their eyes at another white guy in a profession full of them.

Who is Gainsborough?s rival? ?I saw the look that the contestants would have when he?d walk out on the stage,? [showrunner Michael] Davies says, ?or his facility with the material. I remember at one point, somebody buzzed in and gave the wrong response, and they said, ?Who is Gainsborough?? And he said, ?Oh, no, I?m sorry, it?s Gainsborough?s great rival,? and named some other obscure artist. It was just a moment, [but] who on earth other than Ken Jennings could have that moment??

A haven for facts: ?Jeopardy! is a weirdly unifying thing,? says Jennings, with ?young people, old people, red states, blue states ? it?s an institution that has this universal acceptance. Whatever the forces of anti-science and fake news and whatever are, they seem to have some carve-out for Jeopardy!. Maybe because it?s a game? This is a place where nobody says, ?Why are you doing a category about dinosaurs? Dinosaurs aren?t real.? Or, ?Why are you mentioning the moon landing? We never went to the moon.? For whatever reason, Jeopardy! seems to be immune from that, and maybe that?s a good sign. Maybe we will at some point get back to a more unified culture that agrees on basic facts of the universe. What a dream for America!?

[From Rolling Stone]

?An almost Rat Pack like level of cool,? is a superb characterization of Trebek?s affect on the show. Yet I think it actually works out for the best that Jennings brings such a wholly different vibe as host. I always thought he was a fitting choice from the angle of his being a record-breaking champion, and his comments at the end had my political-philosophical synapses humming (if in a rather trippy way). Here we are in a world where facts are respected in a game show, but not in real life. I only hope we evolve as he says, to once again agree ?on basic facts of the universe.? But I?m not holding my breath, either. In the meantime, I will take Time Wasting Diversions for $1,000 and likely spend the rest of my week pondering that age old question: are there more wheels or doors in the world?

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