Smackdown '16: Nicole, Viola, Michelle, Naomie, Octavia

Presenting the Supporting Actresses of '16. This year's slate of nominees features a selfless adoptive mother, a doting but suddenly resentful wife, a woman whose tragic past has suddenly resurfaced, a savvvy mother hen and supervisor struggling to gain respect, and an addict who makes her sensitive son's life a nightmare of instability.

THE NOMINEES 

One long-time-coming breakthrough for an exciting actress (Get it Naomie Harris), two Oscar winners elevating their films with warmth and precision (Kidman & Spencer), and two Oscar darlings who arguably should have won already attacking tragic material (Williams and Davis). Who will be triumphant in the smackdown?

THIS MONTH'S PANELISTS

Though we usually arrange for special guests including actors, writers, and film critics, for the first Smackdown of the new season, we opted to do it all 'in house' with only TFE crew just to get the series back up and running: Nathaniel, Abstew, Chris, and Murtada (you can read about the team here) are discussing the nominees. And now it's time for the main event... 

2016
SUPPORTING ACTRESS SMACKDOWN 

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Red Carpet Lineup: Best, Boldest, and Most Basic BAFTA Beauties

Nathaniel here since our fashion expert Jose Solis is unavailable to share his red carpet expertise. Argh! Unlike Jose I cannot tell you who these actresses are wearing -- my gawking is strictly actress-focused. But have I ever told you about my favorite "category" on red carpets? It's "Actresses Who Show up in Costumes as Fictional Characters Nobody Has Invented Yet" which is just what Noomi Rapace and Anya Taylor Joy did at this weekend's BAFTAs! 

Boldest: Noomi & Anya

What kind of fictional characters are these? Please help me write those character profiles in the comments won't you? More gowns from superstars like Emma Stone, Penélope Cruz, and Nicole Kidman follow after the jump...

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Pictures from the Oscar Luncheon

by Murtada

The question on a lot of people’s minds after the SAG Awards is how political are the Oscars going to be. If there was any doubt in anyone’s mind, Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs put that to rest. Addressing those gathered for the traditional luncheon, she alluded to the banned Muslim nominees, Asghar Farhadi and others, by pointing to the empty chairs:

Today we celebrate you. Your work and your achievements, but everyone knows there are some empty chairs in this room which has made Academy artists, activists. There is a struggle globally today over artistic freedom that feels more urgent than at anytime since the 1950s. Art has no borders. Art has no language and doesn’t belong to a single faith. No, the power of art is that it transcends all these things. And strong societies don’t censor art. They celebrate it.

By calling the nominees “activists”, Boone Isaacs is sanctioning political speeches at the ceremony which could make for an interesting show. Still the mood was not somber at the luncheon, and many nominees took the time to socialize. Isabelle Huppert and Michelle Williams caught up at the cocktail hour. Others did that even while taking their places for the annual class photo. More favorite moments after the jump.

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The Next La La Land?

Manuel here catching us up on a project that is primed to be billed as "The next La La Land." Not only is Michael Gracey's upcoming musical The Great Showman scheduled for release next Christmas (just in time for the holidays and awards season) but it features music by La La Land duo Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, who'll soon no doubt be credited with single-handedly bringing the original movie musical back to life. 

Focused on the life of P.T. Barnum, the film has suffered through a long development period but is finally shooting here in New York...

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The Oscar Week

In this weekly feature from Murtada we will follow the Oscar contenders and examine how their many interviews and appearances impact their chances. This week we check in with Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Ryan Reynolds, and Michelle Williams.

Emma Stone
It seems every week there is some event or interview with one of the stars of La La Land. That campaign is going on full throttle to maintain the film’s frontrunner status...

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