Wicked: Last News

The Simpsons voice actor Hank Azaria has channelled his many characters on the animated series for a cover of Wicked anthem ‘Defying Gravity’.He shared a clip of his rendition on social media, which featured the likes of Chief Wiggum and Professor Frink, ahead of the Oscars last Sunday (March 2).Azaria wrote: “If this evening’s #Oscars opening took place in Springfield… only Professor Frink was harmed in the making of this video.”He has worked on the show since 1989 and voiced numerous characters, including Moe Szyslak, Superintendent Chalmers, Comic Book Guy and Snake.On the night, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo opened the 2025 Oscars with a medley of ‘Defying Gravity’, ‘Home’ and ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’.A post shared by Hank Azaria (@hankazaria)Both Grande and Erivo were nominated for their respective Wicked roles, with Grande nominated in the Supporting Actress category and Erivo as Best Actress.The singer’s competition included Felicity Jones (The Brutalist), Monica Barbaro (A Complete Unknown), Isabella Rossellini (Conclave) and Zoe Saldaña, who won the category for her role in Emilia Pérez.Her co-star was up against Karla Sofia Gascon (Emilia Perez), Demi Moore (The Substance) and Fernanda Torres (I’m Still Here), with Mikey Madison winning out for Anora.In the end, Wicked picked up two Oscars for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design.Elsewhere, Azaria recently wrote about his fears about being replaced by AI and how the art of voice acting is much more than replicating a sound.In an op-ed for The New York Times, he wrote: “I imagine that soon enough, artificial intelligence will be able to recreate the sounds of the more than 100 voices I created for characters on The Simpsons over almost four

“Jeopardy!” fans expressed their disbelief after all three contestants were left stumped by a final question about a character in a beloved piece of pop culture.On Thursday’s episode of the long-running game show, contestants Mary Walheim, Alfred Wallace and three-day defending champion Bryce Wargin came up short when presented with a clue in the “Fictional Characters” category. The prompt read: “Boq is one of these fictional people, ‘Not as big as the grown folk… but neither were they very small.'”Walheim was left with a dollar in total winnings after betting $5,999 of her total $6,000 haul when she incorrectly guessed “What is a Lilliputian?”“I’m afraid it’s not the Lilliputians from ‘Gulliver’s Travels,'” “Jeopardy!” host Ken Jennings told her.Walheim’s competitors, Wallace and Wargin, also appeared to believe that the clue referred to the 6-inch-tall men living on the island of Lilliput in Jonathan Swift’s classic 1726 novel.Wallace’s answer was revealed to be “What are lili?” The contestant, who wagered $10,000 of his $10,600 in winnings, noted that his response was “almost Lilluputian.” Jennings agreed, adding that Wallace had likely run out of time to write the characters’ full name.Wargin’s first guess was “What are Lilliputians?” before he crossed the answer out and wrote, “dwarves.” Jennings then informed the contestants that “What is a Munchkin?” was the correct answer.

Wicked: For Good premiered at CinemaCon – here’s what you can expect from the forthcoming sequel to the 2024 blockbuster.Per Variety Fair, the clip made its debut at the week-long media event, which concludes today (April 3). Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo appeared onstage to introduce the trailer for the film, which is due for release November 21.“It has been quite a year since we joined you here last year,” Erivo said to the crowd, per the CinemaCon X/Twitter account.

VOD release to ring in the new year, the movie musical is now part of NBC’s streamer, Peacock. Based on the long-running Broadway musical of the same name (and the novel that inspired it), “Wicked” is a prequel to “The Wizard of Oz” that explores the life of the Wicked Witch of the West before her encounter with Dorothy and that bucket of water.

Wicked stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo opened the 2025 Oscars with a medley of ‘Defying Gravity’, ‘Home’ and ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’ – watch footage of the moment below.The duo took to the stage at last night’s (March 2) Academy Awards ceremony after a montage of clips from previously Oscar-nominated films were shown.Grande kicked off the performance by singing the Wizard of Oz classic ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’, with Erivo taking on Diana Ross’ ‘Home’ from The Wiz.

Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande brought their characters — and their tunes — from the hit movie musical to life at the 97th Academy Awards on Sunday night at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California.Erivo and Grande — nominated for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively — performed a medley of tunes from across the “Wizard of Oz” universe to open Hollywood’s biggest night.First Grande, decked out in a ruby red gown, sang “Over the Rainbow” from the 1939 film “The Wizard of Oz.” Then, Erivo, dressed in a white gown with adornments, belted out “Home” from “The Wiz” stage and screen adaptations. And the two divas brought it home with a showstopping rendition of “Defying Gravity” from “Wicked.”Follow The Post’s live updates from the Oscars 2025 for winners, red carpet pics and moreIt was a theater kid fantasy that brought a little bit of the Tonys to the Oscars.Second only to the 13 nods for “Emilia Pérez,” “Wicked” landed 10 Oscar nominations, tying with “The Brutalist.” In addition to Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, the movie is up for Best Picture, Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design and Best Original Score.However, none of the film’s tunes were eligible for Best Original Song since they were written by Stephen Schwartz for the stage production that opened on Broadway in 2003.And in a change from years past, none of this year’s Best Original Song nominees will be performed during the awards ceremony.But “Wicked” gave the show a broom-flying boost to start the night.

Oscars taking place this evening (March 2).The 97th Academy Awards are being hosted by Conan O’Brien for the first time, the comedian taking over duties from Jimmy Kimmel.Leading this year’s nominations is Netflix musical Emilia Pérez, which is up for 13 awards including Best Picture, while epic drama The Brutalist and Broadway adaptation Wicked follow behind with 10 nominations apiece.Other strong contenders include papal thriller Conclave and Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown with eight nods each, while comedy drama Anora has six nominations.This year’s ceremony will get a bit of a change-up, with no performances for Best Original Song, while the show is expected to honour Los Angeles following the recent devastating wildfires.

Oscars might be one of the most eclectic yet, between musical adaptations, sci-fi blockbusters and body horror nightmares.The 97th Academy Awards, hosted by Conan O’Brien, will take place on Sunday, March 2 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles.Emilia Pérez leads this year’s pack with 13 nominatins, followed by The Brutalist and Wicked with ten nods each, and Conclave and A Complete Unknown with eight.All five of those films are up for Best Picture, alongside Anora, Dune: Part Two, I’m Still Here, Nickel Boys and The Substance. If you’re looking to catch up on all these films, here’s where they are available in the UK.Jacques Audiard’s musical crime film follows a Mexican cartel leader who wants to disappear and transition into a woman with the help of a lawyer.

2025 Oscars has announced a slew of performers ahead of next week’s ceremony – find out more below.It was previously that this year’s ceremony will not include live performances for the Best Original Song category, where previously artists nominated in the category would perform throughout the night in the lead-up to the award being presented. Instead, the show is spotlighting “personal reflections” from the songwriters.Now, the Academy has announced a number of performers for the ceremony, including Wicked co-stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

Kristen Bell after she previously presented in 2018, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.Timothée Chalamet and Demi Moore were the big winners on the night after the former took home Outstanding Performance By A Male Actor In A Leading Role for his portrayal in the Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown while the latter took the same award in the female category for The Substance, ahead of Anora’s Mikey Madison and Wicked’s Cynthia Erivo.The cast of Conclave took home the win for Outstanding Performance By A Cast In A Motion Picture while Shōgun triumphed in the television categories, winning five awards, including Outstanding Performance By An Ensemble In A Drama Series.Kieran Culkin picked up yet another supporting male actor award for his role in A Real Pain, having already won the Golden Globe, BAFTA and the weekend’s Independent Spirit Awards while Zoe Saldaña also continued her run of wins, picking up the supporting female actor award for her role in Emilia Pérez.The winners were voted on by the thousands of active SAG-AFTRA union members, making it the only major awards show to be determined entirely by actors’ peers and comes ahead of the Oscars on March 2.See the full list of SAG Awards winners below:Best Actor Best Actress Best Supporting Actor Best Supporting Actress Best Ensemble CastA Complete UnknownAnoraConclave – WINNEREmilia PérezWicked Best Action Performance By A Stunt Ensemble Best Drama Series Ensemble Best Actress – Drama Best Actor – Drama Best Comedy Series Ensemble Best Actor – Comedy Best Actress – Comedy Best Actor – Limited Series Best Actress – Limited Series Best Action Performance By A Stunt Ensemble

Pete Davidson has shared his hopes that ex-fiancé Ariana Grande will an Oscar for her role in Wicked.Ahead of Saturday Night Live‘s SNL 50: The Homecoming concert on Friday (February 14), The King of Staten Island actor told Page Six that he and Grande, who were engaged for four months before splitting in October 2018, don’t see each other often.“When they do, things are friendly,” he said. “When we see each other, which is few and far between, because we’re not in the same circles, it’s all love.

Ariana Grande has suggested that she grew “tired” of being a pop star, likening it to playing “a character”.During a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the singer and actor explained: “This feeling that people are seeing me – like, actually me – it’s so silly because I’ve been seen for so long, but it feels like it’s maybe for the first time and it’s just different.”The publication then reflected on Grande’s “confusing statement” about her identity – referring to her “instantly recognisable ponytail”, “oversized sweatshirts and sky-high boots” that she is known for.But the star said this was “not really her”, and no more her than her Wicked character Glinda is. “At a certain point, you get tired of that [pop star] character, because it is a character,” Grande continued.

Anora is currently odds on favourite to win Best Picture at the Oscars.Sean Baker’s sex worker drama received six nominations ahead of the forthcoming 97th Academy Awards ceremony in LA on Sunday, March 2.It is up against the likes of musical thriller Emilia Pérez, Brady Corbet’s architectural epic The Brutalist, Wicked and Bob Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown.Anora currently has booking odds of 4-9 closely followed by The Brutalist on 9-4. Papal drama Conclave is just behind with odds of 16 to 1 while Emilia Pérez and A Complete Unknown are further back on odds of 22-1, according to Oddschecker.

Wicked songs at the 2025 Oscars, saying the idea felt like “wishful thinking”.This year’s ceremony will not include live performances for the Best Original Song category, where previously artists nominated in the category would perform throughout the night in the lead-up to the award being presented. Instead, the show is spotlighting “personal reflections” from the songwriters.While the majority of the Oscar nominations were revealed earlier this year, the shortlist for Best Original Song and Best Original Score were unveiled in December.

Ariana Grande has revealed she pushed back against the Wicked composer’s attempts to make Glinda’s songs more hip-hop in nature.The blockbuster is the first of a two-part film adaptation of the hit stage musical and it made memorable use of the show’s original songs, which were written by Stephen Schwartz.In a new interview with IndieWire, Grande – who has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars for her role as the Galinda/Glinda character in the film – has spoken about how Schwartz himself suggested altering the songs, including ‘Popular’, so that they fit more closely with the music Grande has made in her career.“I was concerned, but it was met with so much mutual love and respect,” Grande said about her reaction to his suggestion. “I lovingly reached out and said, ‘I don’t think this is very in character.

Take That will perform at this year’s BAFTAs ceremony, it’s been confirmed.READ MORE: BAFTAs 2025 nominations – see full listThe boyband will sing their 2008 hit ‘Greatest Day’, in honour of it prominently featuring in the opening sequence of Sean Baker’s sex worker drama Anora.Take That currently comprises three of its original members – Gary Barlow, Howard Donald and Mark Owen. There will likely be another former member present at the ceremony though, with Robbie Williams’ CGI chimp biopic Better Man nominated for the Best Special Visual Effects award.Jeff Goldblum will also be performing on stage, playing the piano during the In Memoriam section, which honours those from the movie industry who have passed away in the last 12 months.Goldblum stars in the Broadway adaptation Wicked, which is in the running for seven BAFTAs including Leading Actress for Cynthia Erivo and Supporting Actress for Ariana Grande.

Ariana Grande has explained “perplexing” changes to her speaking voice which, after starring in Wicked, fans noticed seemed higher than normal.During an appearance on the SmartLess podcast on Monday (February 3), the ‘Eternal Sunshine’ singer was asked by co-hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett about techniques she employed to protect her voice on tour.Grande explained that she sometimes shifts to a higher pitch when required to talk for long periods of time, as has happened over the course of the infamously emotional Wicked press tour, which saw Grande and co-star Cynthia Erivo regularly breaking down in tears.“The thing that I do that perplexes people so much – and it’s just so funny because if you’re a person who uses their voice, you know about this – is if I have a long day of press or if I have to sing, I’ll place [my voice] a little higher,” she said.“I’ll change my vocal placement to kind of preserve. But that is just something that’s healthy for the voice.

Jeff Goldblum has announced his new album ‘Still Blooming’, which will feature appearances from Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo and Scarlett Johansson.His fourth studio album in total, it sees him reunite with The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra and it will be released on April 25 via Decca. You can pre-order/pre-save your copy here.Goldblum has also shared the record’s lead single ‘The Best Is Yet To Come’, which features guest vocals from Johansson.

Westlife because they “looked down” on the backing vocals gig.The Wicked star attended the prestigious drama school – the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in Central London – in the late 2000s, and in 2024, she was appointed vice president of the institution.In a new interview with The Guardian, Erivo spoke about the school and the regressive attitudes she felt it had when she studied there. Recalling that she had secured a gig as a backing singer for the Irish boy band, she said that RADA prevented her from taking up the job.Explaining that it would have required her to miss the first two weeks of her course, she said: “The people running the place don’t necessarily understand people who aren’t given everything.

Ariana Grande is feeling victorious. The actress, 31, had a touching reaction to receiving her first Oscar nomination on Thursday. Grande is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in “Wicked” alongside.

Oscar nominations are being announced today (January 23).Those in the running for awards at the 2025 Oscars ceremony – which takes place on March 2 – will be confirmed today at 1.30pm (8.30am ET/5.30am PT). Watch the nominations via the live stream below.The nominations come ahead of the 97th Academy Awards, and will be announced by Wicked and Saturday Night Live (SNL) star Bowen Yang and Bottoms and Shiva Baby’s Rachel Sennott.