Category: Entertainment

Paul Thomas Anderson has gone from Oscar nominee to Academy Award winner, as his film One Battle After Another won best adapted screenplay at the 2026 Oscars.

“I owe a huge debt of adoration and love to Thomas Pynchon,” he began his speech, paying tribute to the novelist behind the 1990 novel Vineland, which loosely inspired One Battle After Another.

“Any writer knows that … your special thanks is really to your family and the people that you share a roof with that put up with what it means to live with a writer,” Anderson said. “I wrote this movie for my kids to say sorry for the housekeeping mess that we left in this world we’re handing off to them, but also with the encouragement that they will be the generation that hopefully brings us some common sense and decency.”

The award marks PTA’s first Oscar. Also securing his first Academy Award was Ryan Coogler, whose movie Sinners won best original screenplay.

During his speech, Coogler thanked the academy for recognizing the film and his fellow nominees for “the gifts that your movies were and for y’all friendship over the past couple years and months.” He expressed gratitude to Warner Bros., the cast and crew of Sinners, his parents, producer Sev Ohanian and his partner, Zinzi Coogler, whom he called “the best mom and wife in the world.”

“Every day I get to spend with you is better than the one that came before it,” he said to Zinzi. He then shared a message to his children. “I apologize for all the time away. Dad loves you. Memories are all we have. I hope I give you some great ones,” he said. “When y’all blessed to live a long life, and dad becomes just a memory, I want y’all to remember this one thing: I love y’all more than anything.”

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Sean Penn won best supporting actor at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday night for his role as Steven J. Lockjaw in One Battle After Another.

This was Penn’s sixth Oscar nomination and his third win. He was nominated alongside Benicio Del Toro, Jacob Elordi, Delroy Lindo and Stellan Skarsgård.

Last year’s winner, Kieran Culkin, took to the stage to announce this year’s best supporting actor nominees. Culkin won the award in 2025 for his performance in A Real Pain. Penn did not attend the ceremony, so Culkin accepted the award for him.

“Sean Penn couldn’t be here, or didn’t want to, so I accept this award on his behalf,” Culkin said.

Penn was previously nominated for his roles in Dead Man Walking, Sweet and Lowdown and I Am Sam. He won his first Oscar for Mystic River in 2004, before winning again in 2009 for Milk.

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The first-ever Oscar for achievement in casting was handed out Sunday, with Cassandra Kulukundis winning for her work on One Battle After Another.

Kulukundis thanked the academy for adding the category and the “casting directors that fought tirelessly to make it happen despite everything in their way.”

She also dedicated the award to “casting directors who never got a chance to get up here, who didn’t even get a chance to get their name on the movie.”

Addressing the film’s director, Paul Thomas Anderson, Kulukundis noted that they’ve worked together on 10 movies in the span of more than 30 years. She added, “I have one before you, which is also crazy. … I hope you get one tonight.”

The achievement in casting category is the first new competitive award at the Oscars in 24 years.

Each nominee in the category was introduced by a member of the film’s cast: Paul Mescal for Nina Gold (Hamnet), Gwyneth Paltrow for Jennifer Venditti (Marty Supreme), Wagner Moura for Gabriel Domingues (The Secret Agent), Delroy Lindo for Francine Maisler (Sinners) and Chase Infiniti for Kulukundis (One Battle After Another).

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KPop Demon Hunters has taken home the gold at the 2026 Academy Awards, picking up the award for best animated feature film.

It beat out fellow nominees Arco, Elio, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain and Zootopia 2.

Directors Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans and Michelle Wong took the stage to accept the Oscar, with Kang dedicating the award to Koreans everywhere. “For those of you who look like me, I’m so sorry that it took us so long to see us in a movie like this,” she said. “This is for Korea and for Koreans everywhere.”

Wong thanked their partners at Netflix, Sony Pictures Animations and Sony Pictures Music, as well as their spouses; she ended with a special shoutout to her mother.

Appelhans sent encouraging words to young filmmakers, artists and musicians around the world. “Tell your story. Sing in your voice,” he said. “I promise you the world is waiting.”

KPop Demon Hunters 2 is officially in development at Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation, with Kang and Appelhans coming back to direct.

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Amy Madigan won best supporting actress at the 98th Academy Awards on Sunday night.

This was her second Oscar nomination and first win. Madigan was awarded the prize for her performance as Aunt Gladys in Weapons. She was nominated alongside Elle Fanning, Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Wunmi Mosaku and Teyana Taylor.

Last year’s winner, Zoe Saldaña, took to the stage to announce this year’s best supporting actress nominees. Saldaña won the award in 2025 for her performance in Emilia Pérez.

Madigan made history with her nomination for Weapons. It came a record-setting 40 years after she was first nominated for best supporting actress for her performance in the 1985 film Twice in a Lifetime. Her win for Weapons has now set a record for the longest gap between nominations before a win.

While onstage, Madigan shouted out her fellow nominees in her category, saying that everyone has been so welcoming to her across the entirety of awards season. She also made the crowd laugh as she talked about how she created her acceptance speech.

“I was in the shower last night trying to think of something to say as I was shaving my legs,” Madigan said, before looking down at her outfit. “I have pants on, I don’t have to worry about that.”

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The 98th annual Academy Awards went down in Hollywood Sunday, with host Conan O’Brien kicking things off with a taped segment set to Beastie Boys’ “Sabotage,” which had him made up to look like Amy Madigan’s character in Weapons and dropping into Oscar-nominated films.

He opened his monologue by saying he was honored to be the “last human host of the Academy Awards,” before joking, “Last year when I hosted Los Angeles was on fire, but this year everything’s going great.”

Noting that security was tighter at the Oscars this year, he joked it was because of concerns over “attacks from both the opera and ballet communities,” a reference to Timothée Chalamet’s recent comments, adding “they’re just mad you left out jazz.”

There were also cracks about the Oscars getting political, joking there’s an alternate Oscars hosted by Kid Rock at Dave & Buster’s, as well as jokes about it being Netflix’s Ted Sarandos’ first time in a theater and several about the nominated films, including Hamnet and Bugonia sounding “like off-brand lunch meat.”

But it wasn’t all jokes, with Conan then getting serious about why the Oscars are important.

“Everyone watching around the world is all too aware that these are very chaotic, frightening times,” he said. “It’s at moments like these that I believe that the Oscars are particularly resonant.”

“Every film we salute is the product of thousands of people speaking different languages, working hard to make something of beauty,” he added. “We pay tribute tonight, not to just film but to the ideals of global artistry, collaboration, patience, resilience and that rarest of qualities today, optimism.”

Finally he noted, “So let us celebrate not because we think all is well, but because we work and hope for better in the days ahead.”

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Production has started on the fifth and final season of Mayor of Kingstown.

Paramount+ announced that cameras have started rolling in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on the hit drama series, which stars Jeremy Renner and Edie Falco.

Also returning for the final season are Laura Benanti, Hugh Dillon, Taylor Handley, Tobi Bamtefa, Derek Webster, Necar Zadegan, Nichole Galicia and Lennie James.

Joining the show for the fifth season is David Morse, who will play Russell Hardy, a seasoned FBI agent sent to Kingstown.

“In the wake of Tracy’s murder and the vengeance visited upon Callahan by Mike (Renner) and Kyle (Handley), FBI agent Russell Hardy (Morse) arrives in Kingstown searching for the ‘fugitive’ Callahan. A true lawman, Agent Hardy threatens to unearth all of Mike’s sins and secrets, and disrupt Kingstown’s tenuous balance of power,” according to the official season 5 synopsis.

This final season will consist of eight episodes. Taylor Sheridan co-created Mayor of Kingstown with Dillon. Dave Erickson serves as its showrunner.

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The 98th Academy Awards will be held Sunday, where the best movies from the past year will be honored and celebrated.

Comedian Conan O’Brien will host the ceremony for the second time. At the 98th Oscars Creative Team press conference, the ceremony’s executive producer and showrunner, Raj Kapoor, said this year’s Oscars theme is humanity.

“Everything that you see in the show is inspired by human touch and creativity,” Kapoor said. “We’ve completely redesigned what the stage looks like. It’s very immersive. We hope all our nominees are celebrated in a very big way. We have beautiful photos and clips and nomination packages that a lot of time and thought and care has been put into.”

As for specific teases and surprises that will happen during the show, Kapoor confirmed a rumored reunion happening onstage.

“We are very excited to announce that we have a Bridesmaids reunion that is going to be very special,” Kapoor said.

Executive producer Katy Mullan teased two other surprises.

“There’s also going to be a Marvel reunion for the superhero fans. So we’re gonna have superstars, superheroes and there is also gonna be an extraterrestrial on the stage, so you can figure that one out,” Mullan said.

The Oscars will take place on Sunday at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The show will air live on ABC and will also stream live on Hulu.

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In a new series of promos for his upcoming Saturday Night Live stint as host and musical guest, Harry Styles is bullied into leaving Studio 8H by cast members Chloe Fineman and Jane Wickline.

When Harry announces he’s the host and musical guest for Saturday’s episode, Jane says, “I’m sorry, that’s too much.” “Much too much,” agrees Chloe.

“What’s too much?” asks Harry. “You’re doing all this stuff. Let’s just calm down,” Jane says.

“It’s what I signed up for,” he argues. “K, well maybe just sign up for a chill pill,” Chloe says.

“Or a calm-down vitamin, I dunno,” Janes chimes in. “Just stop it.” 

“Alright, fine. I could leave,” says a dejected Harry.

Harry walks offstage as Chloe, referring to Harry, says, “A lot. A lot. A lot. A lot.” 

Jane agrees, “I’ve never liked him.”

In another promo, Harry claims he’s a “bit off” because he’s “pretty nervous standing next to Jane.”

“Harry, you promised you wouldn’t catch feelings,” says Jane, who is gay. 

“Sorry, is there something going on between you two?” Chloe asks.

“There always has been,” Harry confirms. “The original title of my album Fine Line was Fine Wickline.”

Saturday will mark Harry’s second time hosting and performing on the show; he last did it in 2019. He also appeared as the musical guest as a solo artist in 2017 and three previous times with One Direction.

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I got a text! It says that Love Island USA has been renewed for season 8 on Peacock.

This brand-new season premieres June 2 at 9 p.m. ET. It will once again take place in Fiji with Ariana Madix returning as host.

Love Island USA follows singles who go on a search for love while living in a Fijian villa. “Throughout their stay in a tropical oasis, Islanders will couple up to face brand new heart-racing challenges and bigger twists and turns than ever before,” according to season 7’s official synopsis. “Temptations rise and drama ensues as new ‘bombshells’ arrive, forcing Islanders to decide if they want to remain with their current partners or recouple with someone new.”

There is currently no word on who the new Islanders and bombshells will be, but fans can see some of the season 7 favorites on season 2 of Love Island: Beyond the Villa.

The Love Island USA spinoff series will make its season 2 debut with its first two episodes on April 15. A pair of two new episodes will premiere every Wednesday that follows. Peacock has also released the official trailer for the new season.

As was previously announced, the cast of Love Island: Beyond the Villa season 2 includes Bryan Arenales, Gracyn Blackmore, Jeremiah Brown, Clarke Carraway, Amaya Espinal, Hannah Fields, Pepe Garcia, Iris Kendall, TJ Palma, Andreina Santos, Chris Seeley, Belle-A Walker, Coco Watson and Taylor Williams. Additionally, season 7 Islanders Charlie Georgio and Austin Shepard will also appear.

Notably, this cast is missing some of the breakout stars of Love Island USA season 7, including Ace Greene, Chelley Bissainthe, Huda Mustafa, Nicolas Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen.

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