Roman Polanski Loses Court Battle to Be Reinstated Into the Academy

Netflix has suspended its service in Russia entirely in protest of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.The streaming service joins a growing list of companies that have stopped serving Russia since the full-scale invasion began on February 24.Netflix had previously announced a hold on Russian projects and acquisitions and refused to carry 20 Russian propaganda channels that it was required to host under Russian law. Now, the service has been shut down entirely in the country.“Given the circumstances on the ground, we have decided to suspend our service in Russia,” a spokesperson told Variety of the move.The platform’s previous sanctions on the country had seen four Russian original works put on pause.

Star of the X Factor star, Ray Quinn, has announced that his fiancee Emily Ashleigh is pregnant with the couple's first child together.The 33 year old star shared the news in a stunning video on Instagram where the couple were seen in a theatre. In the beautiful video, Ray's stunning fiancee walks down the theatre aisle dressed in a beautiful white dress.

The stars and sun seemed to have aligned on blue carpet at the 2022 edition of the Film Independent Spirit Awards.

Vladimir Putin doesn't trust anyone or anything - not even Conor McGregor and his own brand whiskey. Putin, the despotic leader who invaded Ukraine without reason last month, met McGregor during the 2018 World Cup held in Russia.During their brief liaison, the Notorious offered the Russian premier a bottle of his Proper Twelve whiskey as a gift.

Peta Murgatroyd is speaking out after having an emotional reunion with her husband Maksim Chmerkovskiy following his return home from Ukraine. Chmerkovskiy boarded a Finnair flight to the United States after making it to Warsaw, Poland on Tuesday as Russia continues to attack Ukraine. On Wednesday, Chmerkovsky and Murgatroyd were photographed embracing after he landed at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).The couple held hands as they exited the airport.

Matt Reeves never meant for Colin Farrell to look unrecognizable in “The Batman.”In the finished film, Farrell’s appearance is utterly obliterated in the role of Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot, the scarred and dumpy mid-level Gotham City gangster with the (unwelcome) nickname of “the Penguin.” But when the 55-year-old director — who co-wrote “The Batman” with Peter Craig — first approached Farrell for the role, he was focused on Farrell’s ability to bring grit and sensitivity in the same performance.“He could have that mix of being incredibly, incredibly scary and volatile, and then all of a sudden, you’d see this vulnerable side that really made you feel for that guy,” Reeves tells Variety. “So I really wanted him to play the character.” When they met, however, Reeves noticed that Farrell had recently gained weight for a different movie, which fit into his conception of the longstanding Batman villain as a mobster akin to John Cazale’s Fredo in “The Godfather” films.“I thought John Cazale has a kind of Penguin nose,” Reeves says.

Troy Kotsur kicked off the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday with his win for Best Supporting Male Actor for his Apple TV+ film CODA.The move solidified his standing as an Oscars frontrunner after his win in the same category late last month at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.Kotsur, who is deaf, stars in the inspiring film as a deaf fisherman who relies on his hearing daughter to help him, his wife and his other son — all deaf — navigate a fishing community that doesn't respect or understand them. Big win: Troy Kotsur kicked off the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards on Sunday with his win for Best Supporting Male Actor for his Apple TV+ film CODAKotsur joked in his acceptance speech that his character wouldn't fit in Santa Monica, because a fisherman from Gloucester, Massachusetts wouldn't be able to afford a beer in the coastal Southern California city.The Independent Spirit Awards were back Santa Monica, California, for the first time in two years as the ceremony returned to celebrating independent cinema.

Tributes have been flooding in to honour Chadwick Boseman, who passed away on Friday at age 43 after a years-long battle with colon cancer.

Rebecca Rubin News Editor, OnlineAcademy Museum creative director Peter Castro is under investigation by the Los Angeles Police Department for sexual assault, Variety has confirmed.“We have been informed of the investigation involving alleged conduct by a museum employee outside of work. We are aware that the alleged conduct did not occur at the Academy or the Academy Museum and that the accuser is not affiliated with either,” an Academy Museum spokesperson said in a statement.

Roman Polanski is the acclaimed director of such Oscar-winning films as “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Pianist”, but he’s also a fugitive from justice after fleeing the U.S. in 1978 rather than face a possible prison sentence for charges of sexually assaulting 13-year-old girl.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentAbel Ferrara will be awarded the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker Award at the Venice Film Festival.Ferrara, who is based in Rome these days, will be handed the award honoring an artist’s original mark on contemporary cinema during a ceremony on Sept. 5 prior to the screening of his latest doc titled “Sportin’ Life.” The doc is described in a Venice statement as an “intimate and lush” look at his own life.It’s Ferrara’s “world refracted through his art – music, filmmaking, his collaborators and inspirations… his partner Cristina Chiriac and their daughter Anna, their life in the eternal city, Roma… as the corona virus descends and paralyses the world,” the statement said.

Movie director Roman Polanski, who was expelled from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences over charges of unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl, on Tuesday lost a court bid to be reinstated as a member.Polanski, 87, who won an Oscar in 2003, was expelled by the Academy in May 2018 because of the long-standing criminal case which dates back to 1977, City News Service in LA reported.The director of Chinatown and Rosemary's Baby had argued in a civil lawsuit that he was denied due process by the Academy when it decided to expel him under a code of conduct drawn up in response to sexual misconduct allegations against dozens of men in the entertainment industry.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterA judge on Tuesday denied Roman Polanski’s request to be reinstated to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, finding that the organization behind the Oscars had a right to expel him in May 2018.Polanski sued the Academy in April 2019, alleging that he had been thrown out without any warning and without a fair process. Polanski fled the United States in 1978, after pleading guilty to the rape of a 13-year-old girl.

WWE fans have been left outraged after an image of what appeared to be a Klu Klux Klan rally was displayed on their virtual fan wall on the latest edition of Monday Night Raw.

Jasmine Madatian is joining the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in the newly created position of managing director, communications. She will report to chief marketing officer Christina Kounelias, who announced her hiring Tuesday.

The Lord Of The Rings: Battle For Middle Earth is a cult-classic real time strategy game and now fans are attempting to recreate the game in Unreal Engine 4.Originally teased back in 2018, little has been heard about the project since, however a substantial update has surfaced and showcases just under 20 minutes of gameplay.The fan-made remake is being dubbed as Battle For Middle Earth: Reforged and is a recreation of the licensed games that Electronic Arts (EA) released in the early 2000s. Since then the license has stuck in limbo since it reverted back to Warner Bros.

The latest addition to Academy Aperture 2025, an initiative of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to improve inclusion in the motion picture industry, is a virtual conversation series — open to Academy members and the public— focused on race and gender equity in film, the organization announced on Thursday. "Academy Dialogues: It Starts with Us" panels, the first round of which will roll out on the Academy’s YouTube page through October, will “focus on the industry-wide systemic changes that are needed to afford greater opportunities to women and people from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities and to create a new narrative for recovery,” the Academy said in a statement.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterWhoopi Goldberg, Lee Daniels, Marvel executive Victoria Alonso and more Hollywood heavyweights are on board for a new virtual conversation series from the the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.The series, titled “Academy Dialogues: It Starts With Us,” is part of the group’s Aperture 2025 equity and inclusion initiative.

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is live and offering up major deals on various styles of Hunter rain boots. Ahead of this Nordstrom sale, we've been scouring the Nordstrom virtual catalog preview and just a few of the brands we've seen on sale include Kate Spade, Burberry, Fendi, Hanky Panky, Nike, Stella McCartney, Charlotte Tilbury, Theory, Adidas, La Mer, Barefoot Dreams, Tumi,Superga, Sunday Riley, Steve Madden, Quay Australia, AG Jeans, Fendi, Alo, The North Face, Patagonia and so many more.Shoppers can score major discounts on women's apparel, activewear, leggings, beauty, jackets, loungewear, skincare, underwear, diamonds, shoes and on-trend sneakers.

Rihanna took to Instagram to share a video of Melania and Donald Trump disembarking Air Force One, in which the First Lady refuses to let go of her Birkin bag in order to hold her husband's hand.In the background of the video, Rihanna's hit single "Needed Me" plays."Melania likes art.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeTyler Perry and his Perry Foundation will be honored by the Television Academy as the recipient of this year’s Governors Award, which will be handed out during the Primetime Emmys televised event on Sunday, Sept. 20.Perry is the first individual to receive the Governors Award since 2014; last year, the Academy opted not to give out the honor at all.