by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent There’s a reason Poor Things starring Best Oscar Actress nom Emma Stone with 11 Oscar nods charts so high among big movies, Oppenheimer with 13 nods, Barbie with eight, and Killers of the Flower Moon at 10 nominations. After #metoo and #timesup, we are officially in the Post-Ingenue Era in Hollywood. Gone is the unsophisticated often preyed-upon female lead. And this is likely why Barbie’s Margot Robbie missed the Best Actress cut th...

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent In this Birds of Prey meets Joker revenge tale make-over, Emma Stone peels back the eyelids of one Baroness Von Hellman, a vicious-delicious Emma Thompson, who blasts her mad scheme to incorporate rare pelts. Such is the hand-wave plot sum of CRUELLA, opening from Disney on May 28. But wait, demure Emma Stone cranks up the crazy, sets her scenes to broil with She-devil rage worthy of the finest Disney bad girls.  Yes, Emma Stone goes...

Yorgos Lanthimos’s classic comment on the more he works out of Greece the more Greek he feels. For taking on the leading role of Queen Olivia Colman says it is a natural next step. ...

By Maria Esteves – February 27, 2017 The 89th Academy Awards hosted by Jimmy Kimmel was held at Dolby Theatre & Highland Center, Hollywood, C.A on Sunday, February 26, 2017 and televised live on ABC Network and live streamed in more than 225 countries. Presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (A.M.P.A.S.), the Oscars honored outstanding film achievements of 2016. La La Land was top winner with six Oscars including Best Director for DAMIEN CHAZELLE and Best Actre...

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent  Something Emma Stone says in an off-hand way when she and Ryan Gosling pick up the Outstanding Performers of the Year from Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) on Friday night really sticks. Seated beside Gosling, her co-star and co-nominee for the acting Oscars in LA LA LAND, Stone plays with the 20’s fringe on her dress, then offers this insight: “movies make us feel less alone, I guess, that’s what they...

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent When the Oscars streamed the announcements for the first time in their history this morning, anybody in the world got a glimpse at who AMPAS deemed Oscar-worthy for the 89th Academy Awards. The net result? You get emails from everybody and your mother about how right, or wrong your predictions were — maybe not the result the Academy expected, but announcing online is here to stay. Meanwhile, what a line-up, and let’s create the hashta...

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent Oh, to ruin Award Season… but isn’t that what we’re on earth for? To have our dreams shattered but then our lives uplifted, if only in the movies? Enter LA LA LAND, a singing, dancing act of pure wish fulfillment starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. Wait, a musical? Don’t be fooled. This is classic cinema updated with today’s angst. Stone says “the idea of this really modern story of two artists and ...

  Regardless of opinions surrounding his controversial personal life, Woody Allen has strong philosophical views which he passes on through his work.   “The Irrational Man,” stars Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone, whom both turned in yet another powerful performance with stretched out and brutally honest conversations.    What made the movie so great was its directness. While the heavy dialog made for an uncomfortable movie, it was clearly the intention of th...

    Tomorrow is the day we’ve all been waiting for, or at least I have. The Irrational Man looks like yet another one of Woody Allen’s brutally honest and introspective films.    Regardless of opinions of him as a person, he is a beautiful artist who makes movies that really take you out of your every day perspective. Not to mention Joaquin Pheonix has been nearly as consistent as Leo ever since he decided to quit acting for rap. He not only gets into the mi...

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent   Some actors find themselves between jobs, Michael Keaton found himself between careers.  Now Oscar-nominated for Birdman (Or The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), the veteran actor had some “This Is Your Life” moments last night when he received the Modern Master Award from the 30th International Film Festival in Santa Barbara (SBIFF).  “Let’s call it a Renaissance,” intoned Leonard Maltin, who play...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   Inside the 2015 SAG-AFTRA Awards, By Adrienne Papp   Debbie Reynolds and Adrienne Papp By Adrienne Papp One thing about the Hollywood awards season, you can always count on some things that are out-of-left-field unexpected, and there are always things that are completely expected and well-deserved. Voted on by 111,228 eligible SAG-AFTRA members, the SAG Awards are a key event in the buzz creat...

Birdman/The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance, Review: The Expected Vice of Knowledge Back in the 1980s and 1990s, actor Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton) was known for his superhero role, Birdman, which spawned two sequels. He refused to do the third. Now a-used-to-be-big-star, Riggan is trying hard to make a comeback through drama, by staging Raymond Carver’s “What We Talk About When We Talk About Love.” He will be co-starring with Lesley (Naomi Watts), who is also a movie star...

SPOTLIGHT MEDIA PRODUCTIONS   87TH OSCARS® NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED   By Adrienne Papp   Directors Alfonso Cuarón and J.J. Abrams, actor Chris Pine and Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs announced the nominations for the 87th Academy Awards® today (January 15).  For the first time, nominees in all 24 categories were announced live. Cuarón and Abrams announced the nominees in 11 categories at 5:30 a.m. ...

By Maria Esteves – October 25, 2014 The 52nd New York Film Festival 2014 (NYFF52) Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), press conference with director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, cast members actor Michael Keaton, Academy Award nominated supporting actor Edward Norton, actor/stand-up comedian Zach Galifianakis, English actress Andrea Riseborough, Academy Award nominated actress Amy Ryan, actress/model Emma Stone and British actress Naomi Watts moderated by director of...

By Maria Esteves – October 13, 2014 The 52nd New York Film Festival 2014 (NYFF52) Closing Night Gala Presentation of Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu was held at Alice Tully Hall in Lincoln Center, Saturday, October 11, 9:00PM. Red carpet arrivals included industry executives, celebrity guests, cast and crew members. BIRDMAN in U.S. theaters Friday, October 17, 2014. Watch Trailer NYFF52 Closing Night Gala Presentation ...

By Maria Esteves – January 14, 2013 The 85th Academy Awards Nominations were announced by this year’s Oscar host Seth MacFarlane, Academy Award nominee, and actress Emma Stone at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater, Beverly Hills, CA, on Thursday, January 10, 2013, 5:30 AM PT. Twelve Oscar nominations went to Lincoln, directed by Steven Spielberg, eleven nominations went to Life of Pi, directed by Ang Lee, and eight nominations went to Silver Linings Playbook and Les Miserables. Nine-year o...