Tag: Entertainment-Variety

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” has won the top Visual Effects Society Award for outstanding VFX in a photoreal feature at the 24th Visual Effects Society Awards.

The film which dominated with 10 nominations, took home seven awards in total including outstanding character in a photoreal feature for Varang (played by Oona Chaplin, outstanding CG cinematography, and the Emerging Technology Award, given to the Kora Fire Toolset.

In total, “Avatar: Fire and Ash” needed over 3,000 visual effects shots. And since this was the third film in the franchise, the team upped their game. Aside from improving character animation, visual effects supervisor Eric Saindon at Weta FX says, technology-wise, fire was one of the hardest things to do properly in visual effects. Not only do people know what fire looks like, but it never looks the same. “Every time you look at a fire, it could dance a little differently depending on the environment it’s in or burn a different color.” That meant that any scene with fire required them to ensure they were pushing the right amount of fuel and oxygen to get the fire right. “The scale of the embers gives the idea of size,” he told Variety.

“KPop Demon Hunters” won three awards, including the top prize of outstanding animation in an animated feature, and outstanding character in an animated feature for Rumi.

“Zootopia 2” won outstanding environment in an animated feature for Marsh Market. In building that biome, co-director Jared Bush told Variety, “Marsh Market is for semi-aquatic animals. It’s for marine mammals.” He added that it would be a very comfortable place for beavers, who are adept in water and on land.

“Sinners” won the award for outstanding supporting visual effects in a photoreal feature.

“The VES is honored to recognize brilliant artistry and technological innovation across a wide range of disciplines,” said VES Board Chair, Kim Davidson. “The craft of visual effects is constantly evolving to push the limits of our imaginations, and tonight’s inspiring winners and nominees represent best-in-class work from around the world. Congratulations to all!”

In TV, “Andor” took home two awards including outstanding special (practical) effects in a photoreal project. “Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age” also nabbed two awards taking home the prize for outstanding visual effects in a photoreal episode.

Comedy duo Randy and Jason Sklar (the Sklar Brothers) hosted the 24th Annual VES Awards for the second consecutive year.

This year’s special honorees included film producer Jerry Bruckheimer receiving the VES Lifetime Achievement Award, and Wētā Workshop co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Sir Richard Taylor receiving the VES Visionary Award.

In his speech, Bruckheimer said, “You create the magic. You create the things that people go to theaters for. You’re the people that we dream about when we go to the movies, when we go into that dark space in the theater, and the work that you do is truly phenomenal.”

The VES Awards were held on Feb. 25 at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.

Below is the full list of winners for the 24th Annual VES Awards:

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

“Avatar: Fire and Ash”
Richard Baneham
Peter Litvack
Eric Saindon
Nicky Muir
Steve Ingram

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

“Sinners”
Michael Ralla
James Alexander
Nick Marshall
Espen Nordahl
Donnie Dean

OUTSTANDING ANIMATION IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

“KPop Demon Hunters”
Joshua Beveridge
Jacky Priddle
Benjamin Hendricks
Clara Chan

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE

Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age; “The Big Freeze”
Russell Dodgson
Tracey Gibbons
Francois Dumoulin
Gavin McKenzie

OUTSTANDING SUPPORTING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL EPISODE

The Residence; “The Fall of the House of Usher”
Seth Hill
Tesa Kubicek
John Nelson
Gabriel Vargas

OUTSTANDING VISUAL ARTS IN A REAL-TIME PROJECT

“Ghost of Yōtei”
Jason Connell
Matt Vainio
Joanna Wang
Jasmin Patry

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A COMMERCIAL

BMW; “Heart of Joy | Meet Okto the Octopus”
Tom Raynor
Helen Tang
Jack Harris
Alex Kulikov

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A SPECIAL VENUE PROJECT

The Wizard of Oz at Sphere
Ben Grossmann
Tamara Watts Kent
Dr. Irfan Essa
Matt Dougan
Glenn Derry

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

“Avatar: Fire and Ash”; Varang: Leader of the Ash Clan
Stephen Clee
Stuart Adcock
Keven Norris
Joseph Kim

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

“KPop Demon Hunters”; Rumi
Sophia (Seung Hee) Lee
Andrea Centeno
Marc Souliere
Joshua Beveridge

OUTSTANDING CHARACTER IN AN EPISODIC, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT

It: Welcome to Derry; “The Thing in the Dark;” The Pickle Monster
Philip Harris-Genois
Pierric Danjou
Chloe Ostiguy
Jonathan Bourdua

OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” Bridgehead Industrial City
Gianluca Pizzaia
Steve Bevins
Dziga Kaiser
Zsolt Máté

OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

“Zootopia 2”; Marsh Market
Limei Z. Hshieh
Alexander Nicholas Whang
Joshua Fry
Ryan DeYoung

OUTSTANDING ENVIRONMENT IN AN EPISODIC, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT

Andor; “Welcome to the Rebellion;” The Senate District
John O’Connell
Falk Boje
Hasan Ilhan
Kevin George

OUTSTANDING CG CINEMATOGRAPHY

“Avatar: Fire and Ash”
Steve Deane
AJ Briones
Zachary Brake
Andrew Moffett

OUTSTANDING MODEL IN A PHOTOREAL OR ANIMATED PROJECT

“Avatar: Fire and Ash”; The Windtraders’ Gondola
Michael Smale
Sam Sharplin
Joe W. Churchill
Jacqi Dillon

OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN A PHOTOREAL FEATURE

“Avatar: Fire and Ash”; Simulating Pandora
Nicholas Illingworth
Sarah C. Farmer
James Robinson
Ryan Bowden

OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN ANIMATED FEATURE

“KPop Demon Hunters”
Filippo Maccari
Nikolaos Finizio
Daniel La Chapelle
Srdjan Milosevic

OUTSTANDING EFFECTS SIMULATIONS IN AN EPISODE, COMMERCIAL, GAME CINEMATIC, OR REAL-TIME PROJECT

“Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age”; The Big Freeze
Edward Ferrysienanda
Kevin Christensen
Guy Schuleman
Kevin Tarpinian

OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A FEATURE

“F1: The Movie”; Modern Race and POV Footage
Hugo Gauvreau
Chris Davies
Raushan Raj
Amaury Rospars

OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN AN EPISODE

The Last of Us; “Through the Valley;” A Storm of Ice, Fire and Flesh
Tobias Wiesner
Mark Julien
Owen Longstaff
Brendan Naylor

OUTSTANDING COMPOSITING & LIGHTING IN A COMMERCIAL

BMW; “Heart of Joy | Meet Okto the Octopus”
Alex Kulikov
Jack Harris
Adam Chabane
Nicola Borsari

OUTSTANDING SPECIAL (PRACTICAL) EFFECTS IN A PHOTOREAL PROJECT

Andor; “Who Are You?”
Luke Murphy
Dean Ford
Jody Eltham
Darrell Guyon

EMERGING TECHNOLOGY AWARD

“Avatar: Fire and Ash”; Kora Fire Toolset
Alexey Dmitrievich Stomakhin
John Edholm
Murali Ramachari
Aleksandr Isakov

OUTSTANDING VISUAL EFFECTS IN A STUDENT PROJECT

“Azimuth”
Thomas Teisseire
Cassandre Cinier
Martin Bluy
Mathis Giraudeau

Park Chan-wook will preside over the jury of the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.

The celebrated South Korean director, screenwriter and producer will succeed French actor Juliette Binoche, whose jury handed the Palme d’Or to Jafar Panahi’s Iranian drama “It Was Just an Accident.”

Known for his baroque and subversive work, Park has a long history with Cannes. He presented his feature debut, “Oldboy,” at the 2004 festival, where it won the Grand Prize and later became a cult film. He’s returned to the competition with most of his films since then, including “Thirst,” which picked up the Jury Prize in 2009, “The Handmaiden” in 2016 and “Decision to Leave,” which won best director in 2022.

“Park Chan-wook’s inventiveness, visual mastery, and penchant for capturing the multiple impulses of women and men with strange destinies have given contemporary cinema some truly memorable moments,” said festival president Iris Knobloch and director Thierry Frémaux in a joint statement. “We are delighted to celebrate his immense talent and, more broadly, the cinema of a country deeply engaged with the questioning of our time.”

Park will become the first South Korean president of the Cannes Film Festival in its 79-year history. Wong Kar-wai is the only other Asian filmmaker to have headed the jury, 20 years ago.

Park, whose latest film “No Other Choice” was nominated for three Golden Globes, said, “The theater is dark so that we may see the light of cinema. We confine ourselves within the theater so that our souls may be liberated through the window of film.

“To be enclosed in a theater to watch films, and enclosed again to engage in debate with the members of the jury, this double, voluntary confinement is something I await with great anticipation,” he continued.

Alluding to ongoing wars and political tensions, he said, “In this age of mutual hatred and division, I believe that the simple act of gathering in a theater to watch a single film together, our breaths and heartbeats aligning, is itself a moving and universal expression of solidarity.”

Cannes has long championed South Korean cinema. Back in 2002, the festival awarded Im Kwon-taek with the best director award for “Strokes of Fire.” Bong Joon-ho became the first Korean director to win the Palme d’Or in 2019 for “Parasite” and then made history winning best picture, director, screenplay and international feature at the Oscars.

Over the years, Cannes also shined a spotlight on a new generation of South Korean directors who presented their films in competition; notably Hong Sang-soo, with “Tale of Cinema” in 2005, Kim Ki-duk with “Breath” in 2007 and Lee Chang-dong with “Poetry,” which won best screenplay in 2010. Others have included Kim Jee-woon with “A Bittersweet Life” in 2005, Yeon Sang-ho in “Train to Busan” in 2016, Byun Sung-hyun with “The Merciless” in 2017 and Lee Won-tae with “The Gangster, the Cop, the Devil” in 2019.

Protestors gathered outside of Wednesday night’s “Scream 7” premiere at the Paramount Studios lot in Los Angeles, calling for a boycott of the horror film in a show of support for Palestine.

About 25 demonstrators were seen positioned around the lot with flags, drums and bullhorns. They were heard chanting phrases like “Paramount, Paramount, what do you say?” and “Palestine will live forever!”

While speaking on the red carpet, “Scream 7” director Kevin Williamson shared his thoughts on the protest.

“We live in a world where a lot of bad things are happening out there, and I think a lot of people want to be heard and they want to have their voice heard about the bad stuff that’s happening,” Williamson told Variety. “My heart goes out to them. I don’t know if canceling Paramount+ is the way to do it. But I think people should listen to their inner self and do what feels good for them.”

The outrage likely stems from the firing of the former series star Melissa Barrera. In the wake of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack and Israel’s subsequent retaliation, Barrera took to Instagram to share her views on the conflict. She was largely critical of Israel, and she accused the nation of “genocide and ethnic cleansing.” She also shared a post from Jewish Currents Magazine about distorting “the Holocaust to boost the Israeli arms industry.” Shortly after, “Scream” producer Spyglass Media Group exclusively revealed to Variety that it had dropped the “In the Heights” actress from the franchise because of the posts.

“Spyglass’ stance is unequivocally clear: We have zero tolerance for antisemitism or the incitement of hate in any form, including false references to genocide, ethnic cleansing, Holocaust distortion or anything that flagrantly crosses the line into hate speech,” a Spyglass spokesperson told Variety at the time.

Co-star Jenna Ortega, citing scheduling conflicts, exited “Scream 7” shortly after, along with original director Christopher Landon, who said he received death threats over Barrera’s firing. The script had to be rewritten, and Neve Campbell’s original heroine, Sidney Prescott, was inserted as the lead. Williamson, who wrote the first “Scream” movie, took over as director.

“Scream 7,” which premieres on Friday, follows Campbell’s Sidney Prescott as she relocates to Woodsboro for a quiet life with her daughter, only to have Ghostface return to burn it all down. Campbell stars alongside fellow original cast members Courteney Cox, David Arquette and Matthew Lillard, as well as Isabel May, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mason Gooding, Anna Camp, Joel McHale and Mckenna Grace.

SPOILER ALERT: This article contains spoilers for the Season 1 (or Season 10? Season 9?) premiere of “Scrubs” (2026), which premiered Wednesday night on ABC.

When the cast and producers of hit early 2000s comedy “Scrubs” reunited for a panel at the ATX TV festival in 2022, the question naturally turned to a series revival. Most of the cast loved the idea — but figured it was a non-starter. “It can’t be a full season of a show,” said star Donald Faison (Turk), who suggested a TV movie instead. “Everyone is doing things.”

But creator Bill Lawrence — who’s pretty busy at the moment (“Shrinking,” “Rooster,” “Bad Monkey”) — nonetheless was eager to get the gang back together again. “I just thought it would happen,” he says. “People often go, ‘why would you reboot this?’ If you enjoyed spending time with and working with people you know, I would think you would be crazy to not take a shot. Even if the worst thing that happens is that you get to spend some time again with people you love. We had reached points in our lives that we weren’t getting to spend as much time with each other — because everybody’s successful and doing their own thing — that everybody would ultimately be receptive to giving another spin and seeing if we had fun again.”

Star Zach Braff (J.D.) noted that the “Scrubs” rewatch podcast that he and Faison hosted over the pandemic, “Fake Doctors, Real Friends,” helped garner interest in a revival. And then there are those T-Mobile ads, where Braff and Faison play themselves — but remind viewers of their “Scrubs” characters’ chemistry. “I think that kicked it into even a higher gear,” he says. “I think that that’s when Bill started actually trying to figure out how to make it work.”

Because Lawrence is obligated to produce his other shows — and he’s under contract at Warner Bros. TV, whereas “Scrubs” is produced by Disney — he tapped “Scrubs” alum Assem Batra to showrun the revival. “I feel this show in my soul,” she says. “The balance of heart and funny. Bill gave me a lot of leeway of what will this be. It feels like we’ve been talking about it for years, so it’s exciting that it’s finally happening.”

Now that the “Scrubs” revival has officially premiered on ABC (next day on Hulu), here are some things to know about the show’s return:

The new “Scrubs” opens with a bit of an homage to “The Pitt” before revealing it’s all a J.D. fantasy, and he’s really working as a successful, but bored, concierge doctor.

“I’ll tell you right now, my favorite medical show on TV is ‘The Pitt,’” Lawrence says. “I’ll put Scrubs as a close second, but I’m obsessed, and it kind of represents that world of what it means to be dropped into a place that you know, on some level, just by the very simple act of being there. It’s because you want to be of service and do things that matter for the world. Man, that’s the kind of a storytelling arena that always hooks me.”

But as J.D. visits Sacred Heart, he realizes he misses the calling of being in the middle of the action. And so when Dr. Cox (John C. McGinley) offers him the job to replace him as chief of medicine, he accepts.

Says Braff: “That’s in him, that passion, and that’s when Cox says, ‘what are you doing?’ He has the attitude of, ‘I trained you to be far more than what you’re doing, and you’re better than just being a concierge doctor. You should come back and make a difference.’ I think that really lands with JD, especially when he sees what a difference he can make. In that two days he spends at the hospital, he gets a little glimpse of what it’s like to be a teacher, to share your knowledge. It just kind of comes back into his system. Like, ‘I miss this. This is a lot harder, and the money might not be as good, but I want to make a difference again.”

The decision by Dr. Cox to retire was also out of necessity — McGinley was busy shooting Lawrence’s new HBO Max series “Rooster.” But that Dr. Cox/J.D. relationship is still front and center in the first episode. “We always kept that dynamic where Cox did not let him in, and he’s letting him in a little bit more now,” Aseem says.

As “Scrubs” returns after 15 years, its characters are now the veteran doctors teaching a whole new generation of “newbies.”

New cast members include Joel Kim Booster as Dr. Eric Park, J.D.’s new rival (and someone who was expecting to replace Dr. Cox in charge) and Vanessa Bayer as hospital HR director Sibby. Ava Bunn, Jacob Dudman, David Gridley, Layla Mohammadi and Amanda Morrow play the new generation of interns.

“It’s 21 minutes and 30 seconds, and you almost feel like you’re doing two shows,” Batra says. “You’re doing a show with our legacy cast, and you’re doing a show with the new cast. So it is tricky, but we hope there’s enough for old fans and new fans to hook into this.”

Among the themes for the returning “Scrubs” characters: What it’s like to be getting older.

“In healthcare, you’re dealing with humanity so much every day, and part of humanity is aging and getting older, and what that means emotionally and spiritually and physically,” Batra says. “It’s almost organic to see our cast go through these issues in a hospital setting. We’re actually talking head on about, ‘what does it feel to get older?’ And we have an episode of that coming up.

Fans quickly learn that J.D. and Elliot (Sarah Chalke) have divorced.

“The Elliot/J.D. relationship was always tricky, because people root for them so much,” Batra says. “But if you go back and look at their dynamic in the first season, it was a hot mess. There was something we felt we could get out of them not being together that would be more complex and layered than if everything had worked out. It felt like Turk and Carla were always the core, the solid couple. We were actually excited to do this, because even being split for Elliot and J.D. didn’t mean they don’t love each other. And being able to have that arc for them of how do they come back together, even if it’s not romantically, we don’t know. But seeing them rebuild something together is also gives us so much to do.”

Says Chalke: “Elliot and J.D. figuring out who they’re going to be to each other in this new iteration, that was really, I thought, such a smart way in. I thought it just leaves so much room for story lines and for conflict and interest. It’s such a unique experience to get to come back and play a character that you spent eight years doing. It’s unique to get to do it once, but then to get to do it again, feels really lucky.”

Batra and Braff, who directed the pilot, say they wanted to keep the return of “Scrubs” more grounded vs. the flights of fancy the show was famous for later in its run.

“I think what we both understood and agreed on was we had to keep it tonally grounded,” Batra says. “We couldn’t start at the ‘Scrubs’ 10 at goofiness. We had to give people a way in, to hook in emotionally. We know it’s going to get pushed more toward the comedy, but we really wanted to connect with our audience, and so we have grounded it more in that for now.”

Says Braff: “Outside of the fantasies, we really wanted to ground the show back to where it was in Season 1 of the original show. We got broader and broader over the years, and it almost became cartoonish at points. And we want to be real. When I was directing, I  would catch myself and the other cast and go, ‘that’s kind of a heightened version of that. How would you really say it in the real world?’ And I just kept trying to ground it.”

That’s not to say there isn’t some fan service. Eccentric surgeon Hooch (Phill Lewis) — seemingly fired in Season 8 — is back, as is bro doctor The Todd (Robert Maschio).

“The Todd was a tricky one, because we’re like, ‘well, the Todd in this day and age, it’s so problematic,’” Batra says. “So for the spin on the Todd, he thinks he understands what’s going on, and he’s kind of like, ‘you get consent.’ So he’s not a bad guy. He’s just a dated guy, and he’s trying very hard to understand the rules, but probably getting them wrong. So that’s how we decided to address Todd in this day and age.”

Also making return appearances: Judy Reyes as Carla, Christa Miller as Jordan and Neil Flynn as The Janitor. “It is difficult to thread that needle of giving the fans everything they want, even just with availability and being able to introduce a new cast, versus putting emphasis on older cast,” Batra says. “After the pilot, we got eight episodes, which I think also determined what we can do. Hopefully in success and a Season 2, we’ll be able to bring back a lot more fan favorites and address some of the things. Sam Lloyd [who played Sacred Heart lawyer Ted] passed away, and we wanted to do a memorial to him. Something like that may come up next season, because we really feel his absence in the show.”

And yes, Turk and J.D. revive their “eagle” lift in the season opener — but soon realize that their bodies aren’t cut out for it anymore.

“We just didn’t want it to be a greatest hits nostalgia session,” Braff says. “Although we do have characters that people like, and of course, we do our probably first and last ‘eagle’ at 50 years old in the pilot, I think mostly it’s like, we want to introduce a new audience that doesn’t know ‘Scrubs’ to this world and have it be the case that you could just start the show anew without having known anything about ‘Scrubs.’ In that case, it’s about a doctor who returns to work at a hospital after being gone for many years.”

ABC is branding this as “Scrubs” Season 1, even if it’s technically Season 10. But Lawrence prefers to call it Season 9.

“I would say that this is the ninth season of Scrubs, and it just takes place 20 years later,” Lawrence says. That’s because the previous final season of “Scrubs” was actually a bit of a different show, as attention turned to new characters played by Eliza Coupe, Kerry Bishé, Michael Mosley and Dave Franco.

“The ninth season of ‘Scrubs’ wasn’t supposed to be ‘Scrubs,’” Lawrence notes. “It was called ‘Scrubs Med,’ and it was supposed to be a fun spin off. And as a spin off, I don’t regret it at all. I think a lot of those actors and actresses, Mike Mosley and Eliza Coupe and Kerry Bouche, Dave Franco, they were doing really funny, cool stuff. And if it would have been interesting to see where it went. But for me, the show ‘Scrubs’ ended the eighth year, and this is kind of picking it up 20 years later.”

Adds Braff: “In terms of going back to the Bill Lawrence vision of ‘Scrubs,’ it’s Seasons 1 through 8. And if you look at eight the way it ends, when all those images are projected on that sheet, that’s just what J.D. hopes will happen. That’s what he daydreams will happen. It’s not saying necessarily that any of those things actually occurred.”

That means some of what happened in Season 9 is no longer canon, and the new “Scrubs” instead picks up after the events of Season 8.

 “It doesn’t mean that we don’t respect Season 9, but we feel like that was more of the spin off thing,” says Batra. “So we really decided, let’s follow after Season 8. We knew we would annoy some people with that, people who are hardcore about all that, but we decided that just felt right to us tonally and everything else.

Adds Faison: “For all my nerds out there, just look at Season 9 as a ‘what if.’”

The cast and producers are on board to keep the “Scrubs” revival going.

“We definitely want to keep going and tell more ‘Scrubs’ stories,” Braff says. “This is sort of like an audition, if you will, to see if people like it. And I think if people like it, I know that we and ABC would like to do more.”

SPOILER ALERT: Details follow for Season 14, Episode 7  of “The Masked Singer,” “Spice Girls Night,” which aired Feb. 25 on Fox.

 “The Masked Singer” headed to the hills for this week’s episode, as Heidi Montag was the latest celebrity to be unmasked on Season 14 of the Fox singing reality competition.

Among the panelists, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg got it right with Montag. Guest panelist Taraji P. Henson went with Anna Faris. Ken Jeong thought it was Mandy Moore. Rita Ora guessed Moore as well, and Robin Thicke went with Leighton Meester.

In her final appearance, Montag — as Snow Cone — alluded to the loss of her home with husband Spencer Pratt during last year’s fires in Pacific Palisades. “The Spice Girls took over the world with girl power and left a legacy for generations to come. That’s all we can every ask for, something to pass on. This is especially true for me and my husband. Together we built a home where our kids could grow up surrounded by love and laughter. And then without warning, everything changed. We lost everything. Photos, favorite toys, I mean, this is the home my kids came home to from the hospital. I get so emotional. Putting our lives back together has tested me in ways I could never imagine. But you know what I’m learning? Nothing good or bad lasts forever. But love is our legacy.”

In another clue package on the show, Montag alluded to her music career: “I poured everything I had into it. Even turned down a record deal with David Foster. But when I released it, nobody bought it. For years, I was devastated. But when I was at my lowest point, everyone rallied behind me. Fans started buying my music again. And this once again album became No. 1.”

Here’s what she said on night 1 of this season: “I’m here to clear the air. I’ve been misunderstood. Look, from day one I knew I was destined for stardom. Sure, I was just modeling snow boots for a kids catalog. But I was the whole package. And then wham, I finally got my big break. I landed a role on one of TV’s hottest shows. Until one moment spoiled everything. I was kicked to the curb. You should have seen what the headlines said about me. All lies. Hollywood completely iced me out. And ever since then, I’ve been trying to shake that image… I’m not what you think. And I’m going to prove those people wrong.”

Ora opened the show by singing “Spice Up Your Life,” one of the Spice Girls’ classic tracks — along with the show’s remaining contestants. Guest panelist Taraji P. Henson — unmasked earlier this season as Scarab — also joined in, dressed as “Scarab Spice,” aka Scary Spice. McCarthy Wahlberg dressed as Baby Spice, Ora was Posh Spice, Thicke was Ginger Spice and Jeong was “Old Spice.”

On this week’s episode, the bottom two were Crane and Snow Cone. They battled by both performing their own versions of “Stop,” by Spice Girls. Crane was saved, leaving Snow Cone to be unmasked as Montag.

With Snow Cone gone, that leaves High Voltage, Pangolin, Eggplant, Galaxy Girl, Stingray, Cat Witch, Pugcasso and Crane left in the competition.

Heidi Montag (Snow Cone) joins Billy Ray Cyrus (Owl), Teddi Mellencamp (Calla Lily), Claudia Oshry (Queen Corgi), Taraji P. Henson (Scarab), Tone Loc (Handyman), Tiffany Haddish (Le Who Who), Todd and Julie Chrisley (Croissants) and David “Big Papi” Ortiz (Googly Eyes) as the celebrities unmasked so far on “The Masked Singer” Season 14.

Back for Season 14 are host Nick Cannon, alongside panelists McCarthy Wahlberg, Jeong, Ora and Thicke.

New this season is “America’s Insider,” in which singer, dancer and social media personality Kylie Cantrall will share behind-the-scenes hints and clues for viewers. The twist: Cantrall is in costume as Cat Witch, but will only unmask for viewers — so the audience knows who she is, but the panelists don’t.

“The Masked Singer” Season 14 themed episodes include a tribute to “Star Trek,” the ‘90s comedy “Clueless,” the comic franchise “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and the blockbuster “Twilight Saga” films. Also Fox’s new “Fear Factor” reboot will feature host Johnny Knoxville in a “Fear Factor: House of Fear Night,” and an “Ozzfest Night” honors late rocker Ozzy Osbourne, including a special tribute by “Masked Singer” alum Kelly Osbourne (Season 2’s Ladybug) saluting her father’s musical influence.

The 18 Masked contestants in Season 14 include Eggplant, Pugcasso, Queen Corgi, the Croissants, Owl, 14 Karat Carrot, Snow Cone, Galaxy Girl, High Voltage, Googly Eyes, Scarab, Handyman, Crane, Le Who Who, Pangolin, Stingray, Cat Witch and Calla Lily.

Per the show, the Season 14 contestants have sold a combined 94 million records, received 47 Teen Choice Award nominations, 12 Emmy nominations, two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, one Tony Award win and one Academy Award nomination.

Here were the performances on Wednesday’s episode.

Crane

Song: “Say You’ll Be There,” by Spice Girls

Clue: Train. “Not every journey sparkles, but this one was pure gold for my soul.”

Panel guesses: Keke Palmer, Ciara, Mya

Previous song: “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay,” by Whitney Houston

Previous panel guesses: Misty Copeland, Mya, Ashanti

Crane voiceover: “I feel lucky to have an actual Spice Girl take me under her wing. Mel B. But, I’ve had an OG Spice in my corner since before I could even walk: My grandma. I remember being 5 and seeing her dressed as Tina Turner for Halloween. Legs out, strutting like a diva. I guess that’s where I got it from. She’s literally like my second mom. Sewing my costumes, making my evening gowns for pageants. Front row at every performance. I could hear her voice screaming the loudest: ‘That’s my baby! Do your thing, girl!’ And now to spice up her life a little bit, grandma! Your baby’s on your favorite show! I can’t wait for you to figure out it’s your baby under this mask all along.”

Snow Cone

Song: “Wannabe,” by Spice Girls

Clue: Wedding cake. “I’ve always embraced new beginning, especially after life’s toughest chapters. Resilience can be its own kind of healing..”

Panel guesses: Anna Faris, Heidi Montag, Leighton Meester

Previous songs: “When I Grow Up,” by the Pussycat Dolls; “Stronger,” by Britney Spears

Previous panel guesses: Mischa Barton, Nicole Richie, Taylor Momsen, Avril Lavigne, Paris Hilton, Mandy Moore

Snow Cone voiceover: “The Spice Girls took over the world with girl power and left a legacy for generations to come. That’s all we can every ask for, something to pass on. This is especially true for me and my husband. Together we built a home where our kids could grow up surrounded by love and laughter. And then without warning, everything changed. We lost everything. Photos, favorite toys, I mean, this is the home my kids came home to from the hospital. I get so emotional. Putting our lives back together has tested me in ways I could never imagine. But you know what I’m learning? Nothing good or bad lasts forever. But love is our legacy.”

Pugcasso

Song: “Too Much,” by Spice Girls

Clue: “Rejected.” “Some people told me I wasn’t good at music. Luckily they weren’t good at their job either, so it all worked out in the end.”

Panel guesses: Pat Monahan of Train; Vance Joy; Charlie Puth

Previous songs: “Ordinary,” by Alex Warren; “Fake Plastic Trees,” by Radiohead

Previous panel guesses: Dan Reynolds, Darren Criss, Ryan Tedder, Jack Johnson, Rob Thomas

Pugcasso voiceover: “Spice Girls? Man they were lucky to have each other. Call me jealous spice, because there were many times where I was on my own, feeling mighty lonely. Like when I was in another country doing the biggest show of my life, surrounded by legends. Bruce Springsteen to my left, John Mayer to my right. And it was my turn to go on stage in front of hundreds of thousands of people. All by myself. And all I could think was… But the moment I stepped on stage, the entire stadium went wild. And sand along to every single word. Turns out I wasn’t alone. I had a hundred thousand voices joining mine.”

Past “The Masked Singer” winners include T-Pain as Monster (Season 1), Wayne Brady as Fox (Season 2), Kandi Burruss as Night Angel (Season 3), LeAnn Rimes as Sun (Season 4), Nick Lachey as Piglet (Season 5), Jewel as Queen of Hearts (Season 6), Teyana Taylor as Firefly (Season 7), Amber Riley as Harp (Season 8), Bishop Briggs as Medusa (Season 9), Ne-Yo as Cow (Season 10), Vanessa Hudgens as Goldfish (Season 11), Boyz II Men as Buffalos (Season 12) and Gretchen Wilson as Pearl (Season 13).

“The Masked Singer” comes from Fox Alternative Entertainment. Rosie Seitchik, Craig Plestis and Cannon are executive producers, while Seitchik serves as showrunner. The series is based on the South Korean format created by Mun Hwa Broadcasting Corp.

Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” was the big winner on the final night of the 57th NAACP Image Awards virtual ceremonies.

The blockbuster movie — which led the Image Award nominations with a dominant 18 nods, including outstanding motion picture — won three categories: stunt ensemble, cinematography (Autumn Durald Arkapaw) and ensemble cast (Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Buddy Guy, Delroy Lindo, Peter Dreimanis, Lola Kirke, Li Jun Li, Saul Williams and Yao). Coogler and Jordan’s previous collaborations, “Black Panther” and its sequel “Wakanda Forever,” also won the ensemble prize on the way to massive trophy hauls at their respective Image Awards telecasts.

Wednesday night’s virtual ceremony, hosted by Angel “ThatChickAngel” Laketa Moore and Khleo Thomas, focused on the non-televised film, television, and writing award categories. Teyana Taylor — who is nominated for six Image Awards, including one for her role in “One Battle After Another” — picked up the prize for outstanding supporting actress in a TV movie, limited series or dramatic special for her work in “Tyler Perry’s Straw.” Her co-star in the Netflix thriller, Glynn Turman, won the supporting actor award.

The late Malcolm-Jamal Warner won the prize for outstanding guest performance for his part in the Fox series “Murder in a Small Town.” It was the second Image Award win for the actor, who died last year at 54.

With the virtual ceremonies complete, the Image Awards week rolls along to its final destination, the 57th Image Awards telecast, hosted by Deon Cole, on Saturday, Feb. 28. The show will be broadcast live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET, CBS and across Paramount networks.

Deon Cole returns to host the show, broadcast from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. While “Sinners” topped the film categories, the recently-wrapped Peacock series “Bel-Air” led the TV categories with seven nominations. The nominees for Entertainer of the Year, the show’s signature category, include Cynthia Erivo, Doechii, Kendrick Lamar, Michael B. Jordan and Teyana Taylor.

Special honorees for this year’s NAACP Image Awards week include Viola Davis, who will be presented with the Chairman’s Award; Colman Domingo, the President’s Award honoree; Salt-N-Pepa and DJ Spinderella who will be inducted into the Image Awards Hall of Fame; A$AP Rocky, to be presented with the Vanguard Award for fashion; and Rev. Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant, who will receive the prestigious Mildred Bond Roxborough Social Justice Impact Award.

The full list of winners from night three can be found below:

Outstanding Children’s Program

“Gracie’s Corner” (YouTube TV)

Outstanding Animated Series

“Gracie’s Corner” (YouTube TV)

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television)

Kyla Pratt – “The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder” (Disney+)

Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Motion Picture)

Quinta Brunson – “Zootopia 2” (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)

Outstanding Stunt Ensemble (Television or Motion Picture)

“Sinners” – Andy Gill (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Outstanding Independent Motion Picture

“Love, Brooklyn” (Greenwich Entertainment)

Outstanding International Motion Picture

“Souleymane’s Story” (Kino Lorber)

Outstanding Documentary (Film)

“Being Eddie” (Netflix)

Outstanding Cinematography in a Motion Picture

Autumn Durald Arkapaw – “Sinners” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Outstanding Editing in a Motion Picture or Television Series, Movie, or Special

Deanna Nowell – “Ironheart” (Disney+)

Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Motion Picture)

Cassandra Mann – “Unexpected Christmas” (3 Diamonds Entertainment LLC)

Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture

Michael B. Jordan, Hailee Steinfeld, Miles Caton, Jack O’Connell, Wunmi Mosaku, Jayme Lawson, Omar Miller, Buddy Guy, Delroy Lindo, Peter Dreimanis, Lola Kirke, Li Jun Li, Saul Williams, Yao – “Sinners” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Outstanding Variety (Series or Special)

“Ali Siddiq: My Two Sons” (YouTube/Moment PPV)

Outstanding Guest Performance

Malcolm-Jamal Warner – “Murder in a Small Town” (FOX)

Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series

Aisha Muharrar – “Hacks” – “Clickable Face” (HBO Max)

Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series

Cynthia Adarkwa – “The Pitt” -“12:00 P.M.” (HBO Max)

Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie or Special

Aireka Muse – “Friends & Lovers” (Lifetime Movie Network)

Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series

Tyler James Williams – “Abbott Elementary” – “The Science Fair” (ABC)

Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series

Mario Van Peebles – “Power Book III: Raising Kanan” – “Allow Me to Re-Introduce Myself” (STARZ)

Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie or Special

Olatunde Osunsanmi – “Star Trek: Section 31” (Paramount+)

Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television)

Chinaka Hodge – “Ironheart” (Disney+)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Television Movie, Limited–Series or Dramatic Special

Teyana Taylor – “Straw” (Netflix)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Television Movie, Limited–Series or Dramatic Special

Glynn Turman – “Straw” (Netflix)

Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble

Steve Harvey – “Celebrity Family Feud” (ABC)

Outstanding Reality Program, Reality Competition or Game Show (Series)

“Celebrity Family Feud” (ABC)

Tuesday, February 24

Cardi B, Don Lemon and SZA joined Michelle Obama and Kendrick Lamar as NAACP Image Award winners on night two of the virtual pre-show.

Cardi B won three Image Awards on Tuesday night, including outstanding female artist and outstanding album for her latest record “Am I the Drama?” Her track “ErrTime” won the prize for outstanding hip-hop/rap song. Before this year’s ceremony, Cardi B had won just one Image Award, for serving as judge and executive producer of “Rhythm & Flow.”

Veteran journalist Don Lemon won two trophies for his eponymous talk show, “The Don Lemon Show”; Lemon’s news and talk series and Obama’s podcast “IMO,” which the former first lady co-hosts with her brother Craig Robinson, won four of the five awards presented for that medium.

Lamar, who was also a big winner on the first night of the three-part virtual ceremony, added two more prizes on night two. The rapper was named outstanding male artist and shared the music video/visual album award with SZA for their Grammy-winning hit “Luther.”

Coogler’s “Sinners” won its first awards out of its 18 nominations, collecting the prizes for outstanding soundtrack and original score.

Watch the virtual pre-show in the video here. The full list of winners from night two can be found below:

Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album

“luther” – Kendrick Lamar & SZA (pgLang under exclusive license to Interscope Records)

Outstanding New Artist

Monaleo – “Who Did the Body?” (Columbia Records)

Outstanding Female Artist

Cardi B (Atlantic Records)

Outstanding Male Artist

Kendrick Lamar (pgLang under exclusive license to Interscope Records)

Outstanding Hip-Hop/Rap Song

“ErrTime” – Cardi B (Atlantic Records)

Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album

“Sinners (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)” (Proximity Media LLC, under exclusive license to Masterworks, a label of Sony Music Entertainment)

Outstanding International Song

“Is It” – Tyla (Epic Records)

Outstanding Jazz Album

“We Insist! 2025” – Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell (Candid Records)

Outstanding Gospel/Christian Song

“Do it Again” – Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul Recordings/Tribl Records)

Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album

“Tasha” – Tasha Cobbs Leonard (Motown Gospel)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Traditional)

803Fresh feat. Fantasia – “Boots on the Ground Remix” (Snake Eyez Music Group/Artist Partner Group)

Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration (Contemporary)

Chris Brown feat. Bryson Tiller & Usher – “It Depends (Remix)” (RCA Records/Chris Brown Entertainment)

Outstanding Original Score for TV/Film

“Sinners (Original Motion Picture Score)” (Proximity Media LLC, under exclusive license to Sony Classical, a label of Sony Music Entertainment)

Outstanding Album

“Am I The Drama?” – Cardi B (Atlantic Records)

Outstanding Podcast – Scripted/Limited Series/Short Form

“Interesting Things with JC” (Jim Connors LLC)

Outstanding Podcast – News and Information

“The Don Lemon Show” (Lemon Media Network)

Outstanding Podcast – Lifestyle/Self-Help

“IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson” (Higher Ground)

Outstanding Podcast – Arts, Sports and Entertainment

“IMO with Michelle Obama and Craig Robinson” (Higher Ground)

Outstanding Podcast – Society and Culture

“The Don Lemon Show” (Lemon Media Network)

Monday, February 23

The 57th NAACP Image Awards week kicked off Monday with former first lady Michelle Obama and rapper Kendrick Lamar winning two of the early prizes.

Obama’s latest book, “The Look” — which explored her style evolution from her time in the White House to life afterwards — won the award for outstanding literary work biography/autobiography. Meanwhile, Lamar’s electrifying Super Bowl halftime performance was named outstanding short-form series or special – reality/nonfiction/documentary. Both Obama and Lamar are repeat winners at the Image Awards: she won in the same category in 2019 for her memoir “Becoming,” while he has nine trophies from the NAACP, including two for his 2025 anthem “Not Like Us.”

The awards were announced during the first edition of a three-night virtual event, where winners will be revealed in the majority of the Image Awards’ more than 90 categories (across film, television and streaming, music, literature and podcasts). The pre-show ceremony, hosted by Angel “ThatChickAngel” Laketa Moore and Khleo Thomas, aired exclusively on YouTube and NAACP+ and focused primarily on the literary categories, as well as two digital content creator prizes. For the first time, the NAACP Image Awards got into gaming, with Berlin Edmond Jr., aka Berleezy, winning the top prize.

Watch the virtual pre-show ceremony in the video above. The full list of winners from night one can be found here:

Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography

“The Look” – Michelle Obama (Crown)

Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction

“A More Perfect Party: The Night Shirley Chisholm & Diahann Carroll Reshaped Politics” – Juanita Tolliver (Legacy Lit/Hachette Book Group)

Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional

“Who Better Than You?” – Will Packer (Penguin Random House)

Outstanding Literary Work – Journalism

“On Borrowed Time” – Anissa Durham (Online)

Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author

Charles B. Fancher – “Red Clay” (Blackstone Publishing)

Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction

“Death of the Author” – Nnedi Okorafor (William Morrow)

Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry

“The Intentions of Thunder: New and Selected Poems” – Patricia Smith (Scribner)

Outstanding Literary Work – Children

“Yvonne Clark and Her Engineering Spark” – Allen R. Wells; Illustrated by DeAndra Hodge (Farrar Straus Giroux Books for Young Readers/Macmillan)

Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens

“Nic Blake and the Remarkables: The Book of Anansi” – Angie Thomas (HarperCollins/Clarion Books)

Outstanding Literary Work – Graphic Novel

“Parable of the Talents: A Graphic Novel Adaptation” – Octavia E. Butler, adapted by Damien Duffy, illustrated by John Jennings and David Brame (Abrams ComicArts)

Outstanding Short-Form Series or Special – Reality/Nonfiction/Documentary

“The Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show Starring Kendrick Lamar” (FOX)

Outstanding Digital Content Creator – Gaming/Tech

Berlin Edmond Jr. (@Berleezy)

Outstanding Digital Content Creator – Fitness/Wellness/Food

Keith Lee (@keith_lee125)

“A CNN & Variety Town Hall Event: Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey” reached 8.35 million worldwide on all platforms. Some 5.13 million people in the United States interacted with content from the exclusive interview, while the remaining 3.22 million were international.

On CNN, the interview — which aired on Feb. 21 at. 7 p.m. ET/PT — drew 453,000 viewers, with 57,000 in the key 25-to-54 demographic, according to Nielsen. The full conversation was also available on CNN’s streaming platform and Variety‘s YouTube page.

Clips from the “Town Hall” were a major driver of social media traffic, reaching 46.29 million views across all of Variety‘s platforms. Instagram and Facebook lead with 20.35 million, followed by TikTok at 14.54 million and X at 11.4 million.

The Saturday night broadcast, filmed in front of an audience of University of Texas at Austin students, saw the reunion of Chalamet and McConaughey, who played son and father in 2014’s “Interstellar.” During the roughly 90-minute sitdown, the pair discussed memories from Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi epic, Chalamet’s Oscar-contending performance in “Marty Supreme” and took questions from the audience.

During their chat, Chalamet told McConaughey that “Interstellar” was his “favorite project” he’s ever been a part of, adding that he thought McConaughey’s Cooper was “his most fantastic role.”

“I know you were coming off ‘Dallas Buyers Club,’ but that movie, to me, was the origin point in seeing how you carried yourself on set, how seriously you and Christopher Nolan took the work,” Chalamet said. “It gave me a license. Coming out of high school, it’s hard to take yourself super seriously. You can feel like you’re wasting time or stuck-up or something. And I remember you had a yoga mat, and you’d be working out and sleeping on set. It was all very strange to me. But it was super inspiring. I just can’t thank you enough for being warm to me at that time, when you had no reason to be warm to me. Christopher as well. It just changed my life, man.”

McConaughey graciously responded, “Thanks for that, man. You were pretty easy to be warm to. I remember you had what I felt like was a feverish curiosity at that time. You were figuring some stuff out, but it seemed obvious to me that no matter what you were dealing with, you were going to make your way. And I believe you were in some sort of limbo. You were choosing — something about music, and somebody was putting pressure about, ‘Maybe go this way,’ and you wanted to go this way.”

Watch “A CNN & Variety Town Hall Event: Timothée Chalamet and Matthew McConaughey” below.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission.

The U.S. men’s national hockey team made headlines over the weekend when it defeated Canada 2-1 in the gold medal final at the Winter Olympics, and now, Nike has dropped a new line of merch to commemorate the occasion.

The U.S. men’s win marked the first Olympic gold medal for an American hockey team since the now-legendary “Miracle on Ice” victory by the U.S. over their Soviet opponents in the 1980 Winter Olympics. That win of course, went on to inspire the 2004 film, “Miracle,” starring Kurt Russell.

Now, Nike has dropped a limited-edition line of apparel to celebrate the new Olympic champs, including New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes, who scored the overtime-winning goal over the Canadians in Milan.

The collection includes this officially-licensed hoodie features a “USA Gold” emblem on the front along with the USA Hockey shield and Nike logo. The back of the hoodie features the names and numbers of all the players on the men’s Olympic team.

The hoodie is Made in the USA from a cozy cotton blend with a regular fit. Choose from sizes small to 2XL.

Get the same gold medal-winning graphic on this unisex T-shirt, which is also Made in the USA from a 100% cotton material. The T-shirt also comes in navy, though unlike the hoodie, the back does not feature the roster names. Choose from sizes small to 2XL.

Of course, the U.S. women’s hockey team also took home gold in Milan and Nike has released this white hoodie commemorating their win. The gold graphics on the front of the hoodie also include the “USA Gold” tagline only with the words “Women’s Olympic Champions” instead of “men’s.” You can get the same design in a white T-shirt here.

Nike says the pieces “honor the U.S. Hockey team’s historic win,” with new graphics “printed across the chest so you’ll never forget their triumphant efforts. Secure this celebratory piece today and relive the glory of the U.S. Hockey team’s golden moment for years to come.”

Looking for something a little different? Fanatics also has this unisex T-shirt from Outerstuff, which depicts the silhouette of a hockey player against the American flag. The Team USA Olympic logo also features prominently in the design.

And you can pick up an official Jack Hughes Team USA T-shirt, which celebrates the young hockey hero whose overtime goal lifted the the States to their first Olympic gold medal since Lake Placid. This one is an officially-licensed release from Nike.

You can find more USA Hockey gold medal merch including autographed pucks, posters and other collectibles at Fanatics.com. One thing that may be harder to find: official Team USA Nike hockey jerseys, which sold out online in the days following the Americans’ big Olympic win.