Seemingly out of nowhere, Conan O’Brien is hosting the 97th Academy Awards. The announcement was made by ABC and The Academy early this morning, on a Friday, no less, with a subdued amount of fanfare. This will be O’Brien’s first time emceeing the Oscars.

The Breakdown: Sign up for Gregory Ellwood’s new newsletter column and get Oscar Predictions before they are posted online. You don’t want to miss this.

Continue reading Conan O’Brien Is Your Surprise 2025 Oscars Host at The Playlist.

[This edition of the Contender Countdown was originally published in The Breakdown newsletter on Monday, Nov 11. Get all of The Playlist’s Oscar rankings including Best Picture, Best Actress, and more in The Breakdown first. Subscribe here.]

A week before Thanksgiving we will know. By that point, all the films that are potential Best Picture contenders will have screened for AMPAS, guild, and the media (assuming we still have any influence).

Continue reading ‘Nosferatu’ Steps Out From The Oscars Shadows [Contender Countdown] at The Playlist.

Steve McQueen will tell you the toughest part of making his new WW II period drama wasn’t the set pieces. It wasn’t the visual effects. It was finding “the love.” For the two-time Oscar winner, the most important part of “Blitz” was capturing the relationship between a young boy (Elliott Heffernan) and the mother (Saoirse Ronan) who sends him to the British countryside for his safety when the Nazis bombed London relentlessly during eight months beginning in 1940.

Continue reading Steve McQueen Reflects On The “Useful & Urgent’ Message Of ‘Blitz’ at The Playlist.

Women ruled the music world over the past 12 months so it was no surprise that female acts dominated the top categories after the 2025 Grammy Awards nominations were revealed. Gayle King, Jim Gaffigan, and several Grammy winners including Brandy Clark, Kirk Franklin, David Frost, Robert Gordon, Kylie Minogue, Gaby Moreno, Deanie Parker, Ben Platt, Mark Ronson, Hayley Williams, and Victoria Monét announced the honorees. Beyoncé led all nominees with 11 and now has 99 nominations overall along with 32 previous wins. 

Continue reading Beyonce, Charli XCX & Billie Eilish Rule 2025 Grammy Awards Nominations at The Playlist.

If you are curious as to what films Oscar voters overseas may be inclined to support, look no further than the nominees for the 37th European Film Awards. The European Film Academy revealed this year’s crop of honorees this morning and two potential Best Picture nominees, Pedro Almodovar’s “The Room Next Door” and Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez” led all films with four nominations including Best European Film. Mohammad Rasoulof’s “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” also earned a Best European Film nom as well as Director and Screenplay.

Continue reading ‘The Room Next Door’ & ‘Emelia Perez’ Top 2024 European Film Awards Nominations at The Playlist.

In a literal gift for the cast and crew of “Agatha All Along,” Walt Disney Television and Marvel Studios have decided to reclassify the hit Disney+ program in the Comedy Series category for awards purposes. This is a major change after the “WandaVision” spin-off was originally deemed a Limited Series. This is great news if you’re rooting for the “Agatha” to earn guild or Emmy Awards recognition. It might be even better if you’re hoping for a surprise second season.

Continue reading ‘Agatha All Along’ Jumps To Comedy Series, Is A New Season Announcement Imminent? at The Playlist.

Here’s the thing. Will Sharpe has taste. He’s starred in Joe Barton‘s critically acclaimed series “Girl/Haji.” He wrote and directed the critically acclaimed HBO limited series “Landscapers,” and he earned an Emmy nomination for his role in the smash second season of Mike White’s “The White Lotus.” And, now, he’s a key figure in Jesse Eisenberg’s Sundance breakout, “A Real Pain” which just delivered the third-best per-screen average of 2024.

Continue reading How Will Sharpe Found A Complicated Character In ‘A Real Pain’ at The Playlist.

If you have not watched the final two episodes of “Agatha All Along,” we suggest you stop reading this story and rectify that immediately. Spearheaded by creator and executive producer Jac Schaeffer, the nine-episode limited series introduced pivotal new characters to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, featured awards-worthy performances from Kathryn Hahn, Patti LuPone, and Sasheer Zamata, among others, and featured a tonal shift that shouldn’t have worked, but succeeded smashingly.

Continue reading ‘Agatha All Along’: Jac Schaeffer Answers Our Questions On The Final Two Episodes & Why That Big Kiss Was So Important at The Playlist.

This impressive Saoirse Ronan performance in Steve McQueen’s “Blitz” wasn’t supposed to happen. Her role as Rita, a young mother protecting her son George (newcomer Elliott Hefferman) during the Nazi bombing of London in World War II could have gone to someone else. Because, in theory, Ronan was looking for a long, extended break.

READ MORE: ‘Blitz’ Review: Steven McQueen’s WWII London Bombing Drama Is Dazzling [NYFF]

“I had been gone from the 5th of January in Australia for about four months [filming ‘Foe‘], and then I went straight into ‘The Outrun’ and essentially prepping that and shooting that over about six months,” Ronan explains.

Continue reading Saoirse Ronan Sings In ‘Blitz’ But Wants Greta Gerwig To Direct Her In A Musical at The Playlist.

An October, well, November surprise has arrived this awards season. Jon M. Chu’s “Wicked,” which some early box office forecasts have penciled in for a $100 million+ U.S. opening the weekend of November 14, has screened for select members of the media and the current Broadway cast. A formal review is prohibited, but we are currently allowed to discuss its charms in terms of awards season. And that surprise we just mentioned? It’s none other than Ariana Grande.

Continue reading Ariana Grande Will Cast A Spectacular Spell As ‘Wicked’ Drops On Oscar Season at The Playlist.

The first real bellwether of the 2025 awards season has arrived. The nominee for the 34th Gotham Awards have been revealed, and it was quite a good morning for NEON, A24, and Amazon MGM Studios, in particular. And, in not a surprise, Sean Baker‘s Palme d’Or winning “Anora” led all nominees with four nominations including Best Feature, Best Director (Baker), Outstanding Lead Performance (Mikey Madison), and Supporting Performance (Yura Burisov).

Continue reading ‘Anora’ & ‘Nickel Boys’ Tops 2024 Gotham Awards Nominations at The Playlist.

We hope you’re signed up and enjoying the daily Playlist Newsletter but are you ready for even more exclusive Playlist content? Later this month, The Playlist will launch a brand new newsletter column, The Breakdown. Written by yours truly, this twice-a-week column will give an insider perspective on awards season, box office, the streaming business, film festivals, and other industry topics. It will be a destination for analysis and commentary for those looking to take a deeper dive into the business of Hollywood.

Continue reading Introducing The Breakdown, A New Newletter Column From The Playlist at The Playlist.

Everything must come to an end, but after watching the third season of “Somewhere Somebody” we wish this HBO gem could stick around for another two or three years. Somehow, creators Hannah Bros and Paul Thureen and their writing staff have crafted a final go-around that is even more heartbreaking and uplifting than the second season, which just happened to win a Peabody Award. And, at the center of this diamond is once again Bridget Everett with arguably the performance of her career.

Continue reading Bridget Everett On Saying Goodbye To ‘Somebody Somewhere’: “We Felt Lucky To Ever Get Season One” at The Playlist.

There is always a shortlist of actors deserving of an Academy Award. Ralph Fiennes is one of them. He earned a Supporting Actor nomination in 1994 for “Schindler’s List,” but lost out to Martin Landeau for “Ed Wood.” He landed a Best Actor nod in 1997 for “The English Patient,” but Geoffrey Rush had that one in the bag for “Shine.” And in the almost three decades since, he’s been overlooked for incredible work in films such as “The End of the Affair,” “The Constant Gardner,” “Coriolanus,” and “The Grand Budapest Hotel.” That may change with his celebrated performance as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence in Edward Berger’s adaptation of Robert Harris‘ novel, “Conclave.”

READ MORE: For his contemporary “Conclave,” Edward Berger embraces the discourse [Interview]

The fact Fiennes is not synonymous with the Oscars is sort of head-scratching.

Continue reading Ralph Fiennes Isn’t Distracted By Oscar Buzz For ‘Conclave,’ Just Doing “Good Work” at The Playlist.

Some of the best films of the year are finally arriving in theaters. This week’s entry is “Conclave,” a sly thriller from Edward Berger that has been generating strong reviews and audience enthusiasm since its debut at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival. And while the movie’s trailers have been selling the movie’s twists and pack of scheming cardinals, it is also a decidedly modern depiction of a papal selection.

READ MORE: ‘Conclave’ Review: Ralph Fiennes smolders in slow burn Vatican thriller [Telluride]

Adapted from Robert Harris‘ 2016 novel, the Focus Features release finds Ralph Fiennes portraying Cardinal Lawrence, a member of the Vatican who is put in charge of managing the Papal conclave after the unexpected passing of the Pope.

Continue reading For His Contemporary ‘Conclave,’ Edward Berger Embraces The Discourse [Interview] at The Playlist.

One of the O.G. reality competition franchises is attempting a comeback. “Project Runway,” the two-time Emmy Award-winning fashion extravaganza, has a new home. Freeform announced a deal with current franchise rights holder Spyglass Media Group and producers Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz from Alfred Street Industries for a new “Runway” season to land on the cable outlet in 2025. The 10-episode season will also be available to stream shortly after that (perhaps the next day) on Hulu and DIsney+.

Continue reading Can ‘Project Runway’ Find Life Again At Freeform & Hulu? at The Playlist.

We’ve seen enough. It’s time to rank the Best Picture players for the 2025 Academy Awards. This year’s race may still be unsettled, but Sean Baker’s “Anora” has rolled through festival season, earning genuine adoration and respect. It arrives in limited release on Friday with a chance to notch one of the top per-screen averages of the year. If AMPAS and guild members weren’t aware of it already, those box office headlines should grab their attention.

Continue reading The First Best Picture ‘Blitz’ Arrives With More Still To Come at The Playlist.

FX’s hilarious new comedy “English Teacher” has sadly come to the end of its first season. The half-hour comedy is one of the most critically acclaimed new shows of the year, and frankly, we’re not surprised. From a cult classic YouTube series to skits that would make “SNL” envious to an unexpected social media breakout, star and creator Brian Jordan Alvarez has demonstrated a unique comedic voice.

READ MORE: “The Old Man” Review: Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow grapple with fatherhood pain and identity in searingly emotional season 2

Set in contemporary Austin, “English Teacher” finds Alvarez playing Evan, a thirtysomething educator attempting to understand his Gen Z students and often realizing he isn’t “with it” anymore.

Continue reading ‘English Teacher’ Season Finale: Brian Jordan Alvarez On Evan’s Surprising Choice at The Playlist.

A deluge of new films has arrived after the quartet of major fall film festivals, but a TIFF 2023 debut is still one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year (based on its release date, at least). Azazel Jacob’s “His Three Daughters” currently sits with a stellar 84 on Metacritic based on 37 reviews and an impressive 97% on Rotten Tomatoes after 140 reviews. The film’s three leads, Natasha Lyonne, Carrie Coon, and Elizabeth Olsen, are all vying for a competitive Supporting Actress Oscar nomination, but their director may find himself in the Original Screenplay race.

Continue reading ‘His Three Daughters’: Carrie Coon & Elizabeth Olsen Praise Azazel Jacobs’ Screenplay at The Playlist.

We’ve caught Mikey Madison before the roller coaster truly begins. Over the past five months, the “veteran” 25-year-old actress has witnessed her film “Anora” win the Palme d’Or at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival and experienced rapturous screenings at the Telluride, Toronto, and the New York Film Festivals. There is so much more to come, though. A long list of awards show invitations await, including a ticket to the Dolby Theater in March.

Continue reading Mikey Madison Is Enjoying Her Breakout ‘Anora’ Ride at The Playlist.

It’s like something out of a celebrity reporter’s dream. Two stars of the landmark series “Succession,” Kieran Culkin and Jeremy Strong, have already faced off for the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series Emmy Award. Despite Strong having won in 2020, Culkin took the honor for the show’s final season this past January. Now, not even a year later, Culkin and Strong are favorites to face off again in the Supporting Actress category at the 77th Academy Awards.

Continue reading Best Supporting Actor Oscars 2025 Predictions & Contenders at The Playlist.

Good news for Danielle Deadwyler fans. The Atlanta native was snubbed for her celebrated performance in 2022’s “Till,” but that likely won’t happen this season. Assuming enough members watch “The Piano Lesson” – a major assumption – Deadwyler may be the safest nominee in a Supporting Actress Oscars class that is more wide open than it might initially seem. And there is a familiar reason why.

READ MORE: Best Actor Oscars 2025 Predictions and Contenders

As we noted in our Best Actress rundown, “Emilia Perez’s” Zoe Saldana‘s inclusion in this category is fluid.

Continue reading Best Supporting Actress Oscars 2025 Predictions & Contenders at The Playlist.

The art-house hit of the summer wasn’t an A24, Focus Features, NEON, or Searchlight Pictures release. In a surprise to anyone who didn’t see it at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, this year’s box office breakout was Josh Margolin’s directorial debut, “Thelma.” The Magnolia Films pickup centers on the title character, an elderly woman who travels across the San Fernando Valley on a mission to find out who scammed her out of a chunk of money.

Continue reading June Squibb Is Ready For Another Awards Season Spotlight at The Playlist.

If the Best Actor race is just trying to find five worthy nominees, the Best Actress Oscar class for 2025 is a potential bloodbath. And, no, we’re not just talking about potential “The Substance” nominee Demi Moore. At this date, the only guaranteed nom, in theory, is “Anora’s” Mikey Madison. Beyond that, there are a slew of former winners and nominees attempting to make the field.

READ MORE: Best Picture Contenders and Predictions for 2025

Beyond Moore, who will have to campaign from coast to coast like her life depends on it to get members to watch the Cannes favorite, the field also features Venice Best Actress winner and former winner Nicole Kidman for the sexy thriller “Babygirl.” Marianne Jean-Baptiste is looking for her first nomination in 28 years for a spectacular turn in “Hard Truths.” “Maria’s” Angelina Jolie won Supporting Actress in 2000 and is hoping to be Pablo Larrain‘s third Best Actress nominee out of his last four films.

Continue reading Best Actress Oscars 2025 Predictions & Contenders at The Playlist.

Is it wrong to ask for just a mildly competitive Best Actor race? Just once? Granted, we’ve had them before. The 2015 class, in particular, saw arguably five potential winners snubbed from a nomination. But, for the most part, the actors making the final five have featured, at most, one surprise, if at all, in the decade since. The 2025 Oscars class does not look like it will break that streak.

READ MORE: Best Picture Contenders and Predictions for 2025

At the moment, there are three locks for a nod.

Continue reading Best Actor Oscars 2025 Predictions & Contenders at The Playlist.