Entertainment
Check out full list of Oscars 2025 nominations
The nominations for the 97th Academy Awards were announced Thursday and it was a big morning for “Emilia Pérez,” “The Brutalist” and “Wicked.”
After acknowledgement of the impact of ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles by Academy leadership, Bowen Yang and Rachel Sennott revealed the nominees for the film industry’s top prize, previewing the race that will play out in the weeks to come, culminating at the March ceremony.
“Emilia Pérez” led with 13 nominations, followed by “The Brutalist” and “Wicked” with 10 each.
The musical “Emilia Pérez” has seen success in spite of some controversy. The movie’s four Golden Globe wins did some to calm the criticism over many aspects of the film, including Selena Gomez’s perceived struggles with her character’s Spanish dialogue and various issues with the movie’s representation of the transgender community.
“The Brutalist,” by director Brady Corbet, stars Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones as Hungarian refugees who come to the US after WWII. The film, which won big at the Golden Globes, was recently embroiled in controversy over its use of artificial intelligence in dialect, with Corbet giving an assertive defence of his performers amid the debate.
“Wicked,” meanwhile, certainly had the blockbuster audience vote and this time that also translated into awards recognition. The musical from director Jon M. Chu scored a nomination for best picture as well as individual honours for stars Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, the latter of whom was a first-time nominee. Erivo was previously nominated for best actress for her role in “Harriet.” (If she adds an Oscar to her awards collection, she will achieve EGOT status, joining fewer than 30 artists who have each won Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Awards.)
With “Wicked” and “Emilia Pérez,” this year marks the first time two musicals have been nominated in the best picture category since 1968 when “Oliver!” and “Funny Girl” both scored nominations, according to the Academy.
The acting categories were largely dominated by first-time nominees, with 13 individuals scoring their first Oscar nods, including Kieran Culkin, Demi Moore, Isabella Rossellini and Zoe Saldaña.
Conan O’Brien is set to host the ceremony, taking place on March 2 and airing on ABC.
A list of nominees follows below.
Best picture
“Anora”
“The Brutalist”
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“I’m Still Here”
“Nickel Boys”
“The Substance”
“Wicked”
Best actor in a leading role
Adrien Brody, “The Brutalist”
Timothée Chalamet, “A Complete Unknown”
Colman Domingo, “Sing Sing”
Ralph Fiennes, “Conclave”
Sebastian Stan, “The Apprentice”
Best actress in a leading role
Cynthia Erivo, “Wicked”
Karla Sofía Gascón, “Emilia Pérez”
Mikey Madison, “Anora”
Demi Moore, “The Substance”
Fernanda Torres, “I’m Still Here”
Best actor in a supporting role
Yura Borisov, “Anora”
Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”
Edward Norton, “A Complete Unknown”
Guy Pearce, “The Brutalist”
Jeremy Strong, “The Apprentice”
Best actress in a supporting role
Monica Barbaro, “A Complete Unknown”
Ariana Grande, “Wicked”
Felicity Jones, “The Brutalist”
Isabella Rossellini, “Conclave”
Zoe Saldaña, “Emilia Pérez”
Best director
Sean Baker, “Anora”
Brady Corbet, “The Brutalist”
James Mangold, “A Complete Unknown”
Jacques Audiard, “Emilia Pérez”
Coralie Fargeat, “The Substance”
Best Cinematography
“The Brutalist”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Maria”
“Nosferatu”
Best international feature film
“I’m Still Here”
“The Girl with the Needle”
“Emilia Pérez”
“The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
“Flow”
Best adapted screenplay
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Nickel Boys”
“Sing Sing”
Best original screenplay
“Anora”
“The Brutalist”
“A Real Pain”
“September 5”
“The Substance”
Best live-action short film
“A Lien”
“Anuja”
“I’m Not a Robot”
“The Last Ranger”
“A Man Who Could Not Remain Silent”
Best animated short film
“Beautiful Men”
“In the Shadow of the Cypress”
“Magic Candies”
“Wander to Wonder”
“Yuck!”
Best animated feature film
“Flow”
“Inside Out 2”
“Memoir of a Snail”
“Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl”
“The Wild Robot”
Best documentary short
“Death By Numbers”
“I Am Ready, Warden”
“Incident”
“Instruments of a Beating Heart”
“The Only Girl in the Orchestra”
Best documentary feature film
“Black Box Diaries”
“No Other Land”
“Porcelain War”
“Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat”
“Sugarcane”
Best original song
“El Mal,” from “Emilia Pérez”
“The Journey,” from “The Six Triple Eight”
“Like a Bird,” from “Sing Sing”
“Mi Camino,” from “Emilia Pérez”
“Never Too Late,” from “Elton John: Never Too Late”
Best original score
“The Brutalist”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”
Best makeup and hairstyling
“A Different Man”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Nosferatu”
“The Substance”
“Wicked”
Best costume design
“A Complete Unknown”
“Conclave”
“Gladiator II”
“Nosferatu”
“Wicked”
Best editing
“Anora”
“The Brutalist”
“Conclave”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Wicked”
Best sound
“A Complete Unknown”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Emilia Pérez”
“Wicked”
“The Wild Robot”
Best production design
“The Brutalist”
“Conclave”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Nosferatu”
“Wicked”
Best visual effects
“Alien: Romulus”
“Better Man”
“Dune: Part Two”
“Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”
“Wicked”
During a recent livestream with popular streamer, Peller, Benede admitted to sharing twin daughters with Marley after the streamer brought it up.
The Instagram model and TikToker, Sandra Benede has admitted she is the mother of Nigerian singer, Naira Marley’s twin daughters, Aishat and Simiat Fashola.
She, however, clarified that they are not married.
Peller said: “Let me tell you something, Naira Marley posted your daughters today. Sandra Benede has twins and didn’t tell anyone on social media. You kept it away from Jarvis and I despite the fact that we tell you everything about us. It’s a good thing, twins. They look so beautiful, their lips look like yours, their noses, everything.
“People will respect you more if they know you are a mother. They look like you but I hope they won’t copy you by doing BBL. They look so great, I love them.”
Sandra Benede Inferred: “And they speak so well.”
Peller asked: “Did you and Naira Marley wed?”
Sandra Benede simply replied: “No.”
Recall that Sandra Benede and Naira Marley sparked relationship rumours in May 2022 after she decided to wish him a happy birthday with a heartfelt video they created.
In the clip, Naira Marley and the social media influencer both laid down on a bed but he seemed shy as she played with his chin and showed his face on camera.
She posted the clip with a birthday message: ”Happy birthday to mines. Wishing you many more years of greatness. Minesbaby.”
Sandra Benede also shared a picture they took together and captioned it; ”We play too much.”
A Pentecostal church in South Africa celebrated Easter Sunday with mass wedding ceremonies for around 3,000 people, with many of them entering into polygamous marriages.
The International Pentecost Holiness Church said mass weddings are part of its Easter festivities and the tradition of polygamy, which is observed in some African cultures, has been incorporated into the church.
Sunday’s ceremonies would see some men marry their sixth or seventh wives, church spokesperson Vusi Ndala said. Other grooms were set to marry multiple brides at one time, Ndala said.
“Polygamy is not only embraced but held in high regard” in the church, Ndala said.
The International Pentecost Holiness Church was founded in South Africa in the early 1960s. It is an African-initiated church, meaning it was founded by Africans rather than foreign missionaries, and blends Pentecostal beliefs with local traditions.
The church has held mass weddings before, including in 2023 when around 400 couples or bridal parties tied the knot. It says this year’s event was its largest by far.
Ndala said the large number of people being married this year was because of “a large number of men marrying more than one wife at a go.”
In some cases, grooms brought their current wife or wives to be with them for their new marriage.
The weddings were held at the church’s headquarters, a huge, dome-shaped building in the town of Heidelberg, near Johannesburg, that can seat 60,000 people.
The congregants who were being married waited in long white tents set up in open fields next to the church building, where they were given bridal flowers, food packs and water. They then filed into the church building in long queues, the women wearing white bridal gowns and many of the men in matching white suits and red ties.
Polygamy is legal in South Africa if the union is registered as a customary marriage.
By Francesca Hangeior
Singer Peter Okoye, one half of the now-defunct music duo P-Square, has openly criticised his family after testifying against his elder brother, Jude Okoye, who is currently facing money laundering charges.
Jude and Northside Music Limited are being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of laundering N1.38 billion, $1 million, and £34,537.59.
In a post shared via his Instagram story on Tuesday, Peter said he prioritises his mental health above all else, questioning the real meaning of family.
He insisted that true family bonds should be rooted in love, loyalty, and trust—not manipulation, betrayal, or theft.
Peter described toxic family dynamics as exhausting and disgraceful, declaring that he would no longer sacrifice his peace of mind for anyone.
He wrote: “Don’t let ‘family’ be the reason you’re drowning in silence. I did – for over 20 years plus. And it almost cost me everything,” the 43-year-old wrote.
“But now I know better – love doesn’t manipulate, loyalty doesn’t betray and family does not steal from you. Family that steals and breaks you isn’t family at all.
“Real family doesn’t drain you, shame you, discriminate against you or ignore your pain. My sanity matters. My mental health is a priority. If it costs my mental health, then it’s too expensive”.
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