Breakout stars Jacob Elordi and Teyana Taylor, along with Hollywood mainstays Jenna Ortega and Jon Bernthal, and new Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro are among the 529 invitees to the newest member class of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The 2026 invitee list includes 95 Oscar nominees — 21 of them winners — … Read more
Can any of this year’s Oscar acting contenders receive a double take? One of the most notable rule changes for the 99th Oscars allows an actor to earn multiple nominations in the same category, provided each performance ranks among the top five vote getters. Previously, only the highest finisher advanced. The move finally aligns the … Read more
Animayo Gran Canaria, Spain’s foremost animation film festival, has awarded its top prizes to family-themed “18 Months” and “Because Today is Saturday.” Both features will go on to compete at the Oscars given that Animayo remains the first and only animation festival in Spain recognized by the Academy as an Oscar-qualifying festival in two categories: … Read more
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the newly elected Board of Governors for the 2026-2027 term year. The new board is comprised of a mixture of new faces to the board, like director Guillermo del Toro and composer Kris Bowers, returning incumbents like actor Lou Diamond Phillips and executive Hannah Minghella, … Read more
Every awards season produces a movie that forces Hollywood to reconsider its own rules and bias. This year that movie did not arrive from a fall festival or a boutique label. It came from a YouTuber. “Obsession,” the breakout horror sensation from writer-director Curry Barker, continues to do unprecedented business, posting $19 million in its … Read more
Tom Hanks recently told Gold Derby while promoting “Toy Story 5” that he is not interested in seeing a new Oscar category created for voice actors. Instead, voice actors should be strongly considered for the main acting categories. “I think they have enough categories,” Hanks said about the Oscars. “The truth is, truly, a voice … Read more
The upcoming film awards season has its first official entry. Variety has learned exclusively that Paris Barclay’s documentary “Billy Preston: That’s the Way God Planned It” is the first film uploaded to the Academy Screening Room. On the members-only platform, Oscar voters can stream movies for awards consideration for the 99th Academy Awards. The upload … Read more
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will present Honorary Oscars to veteran actress Glenn Close, legendary director Sir Ridley Scott and Disney’s first Black animator Floyd Norman, while producers Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, longtime champions of independent film, will receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, following a vote by its Board … Read more
Three months after Sean Penn was noticeably absent after winning Best Supporting Actor for his turn as military colonel Steven J. Lockjaw in One Battle After Another at this year’s Oscars, the actor shared why he had opted out of the ceremony. When appearing at the Tribeca Festival in New York on Friday for a Storytellers series with … Read more
Sean Penn hates selfies and will not, under any circumstances, go to a public gathering with more than eight people — which is why he was noticeably absent from the recent 98th Academy Awards, where he won Best Supporting Actor (his third Oscar). The revelations came during a conversation between Penn and CNN anchor Kaitlin … Read more