TIFF: Melissa Barrera and Paul Mescal in the Dazzling ‘Carmen’

By Abe Friedtanzer

There have been many films recently about young women crossing the border from Mexico to the United States and coming across someone whose attitude towards illegal immigrants softens considerably after the chance meeting. But Carmen is something different entirely, an update of much older material, based on a Seville-set novella and opera from the 1800s by Prosper Mérimée. This time the setting is present day in surroundings that will be more familiar to audiences but just as enchanting…

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Links: Exciting Memoirs, Luscious Italians, and the Out100

• The Hollywood Reporter Paul Mescal and Josh O'Conner to star in early 20th century gay love story, The History of Sound (the curious part is that it's about America and both stars are British and the director is South African)
• The Guardian Eternals banned in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait over gay content
• People actor Kal Penn (Harold & Kumar) has come out publicly before his memoir "You Can't Be Serious" hits. He'll be marrying his partner of 11 years soon

More after the jump including a Paul Newman memoir, new roles for Joe Alwyn and Gael Garcia Bernal, Titane's Oscar dreams, luscious Italians and the annual OUT100 list...

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BAFTA TV Award Winners: I May Destroy You, Welcome to Chechnya

The BAFTA TV Awards were announced yesterday with Michaela Coel's critically acclaimed I May Destroy You winning Best Actress and Best Mini-Series (it had previously taken Writing, Directing, and Editing at the "Bafta Craft awards). The Crown did not fare well (hits too close to home?) and Steve MQueen's Small Axe picked up just one major prize (Supporting Actor for Malachi Kirby). In better news, Paul Mescal won Best Actor for his exquisite work on Normal People and the superb queer documentary Welcome to Chechnya, which Oscar so unwisely snubbed last season, picked up another award. The winners are listed after the jump...

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Which of these '96 babies will be Oscar-nominated first? (or again)

by Nathaniel R

Since it's 25 days till Oscar, we thought we'd talk about Hollywood's brightests stars hitting their quarter century mark in 2021. The year 1996 has been a surprising "early bird" year with the Academy since not many 1990s vintages have produced Oscar nominees yet. People born in 1996 are turning 25 this year but already this vintage has somehow produced FIVE Oscar nominees: Maria Bakalova (nominated this year for Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Lucas Hedges (Manchester by the Sea), Florence Pugh (Little Women), and Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit). Do you think any of them will snag nomination #2 soon?

After the jump we've chosen the six actors "most likely to" follow them to Oscar glory. That said we know that Hollywood is always on the lookout for fresh faces and the next Oscar nominee born in 1996 could well be some unknown who hasn't even landed their first role yet. Who would you bank on from this list or the "alternates"? And what kind of a situation or role do you think it will take? 

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Showbiz History: Babs hits #1 and RuPaul's Drag Race debuts

5 random things that happened on this day, February 2nd, in showbiz history...

1970 The 27th Golden Globes honoring 1969 cinema were held with Anne of the Thousand Days (drama) and something called The Secret of Santa Vittoria (comedy) winning Best Picture. We've literally never heard of the latter until this very moment which is rare for us when it comes to films named "Best Picture" at any award show. Most of the actors who won (barring comedy categories of course) repeated their wins on Oscar night except Best Actress Genevieve Bujold (Anne of th Thousand Days)... 

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