Posts tagged with "Oscar nomination"

HAILEE STEINFELD × .PAAK

Today, multiplatinum pop singer and songwriter and Academy® Award-nominated actress Hailee Steinfeld returns with a new single entitled “Coast” [feat. Anderson .Paak].

Listen to “Coast” [feat. Anderson .Paak]—HERE.
Watch the lyric video for “Coast” [feat. Anderson .Paak]—HERE.

Regarding the single, she exclusively spoke to Rolling Stone and shared, “I am so happy to finally be able to share Coast with the world. This song is deeply personal to me and was influenced by my California roots and the music I grew up listening to with my family. The only artist I envisioned collaborating with on this track was my friend, Anderson .Paak. Knowing he loved the song enough to lend his genius to it is absolutely surreal, and I am forever grateful to have his support. This is only the beginning and I can’t wait to share the rest of what’s to come with you all soon.”

Meanwhile, the publication praised the song as “vibey, electric guitar-backed pop earworm.”

Anderson .Paak echoed her excitement, “Hailee is a good friend and I was already a fan of her work on the big screen, but when she played me “Coast” I was honestly in shock at how fire it was! You don’t hear too many pop records with an infectious groove like that. It’s a great summer song and I think our voices surprisingly blend together really well.”

”Coast” sets the stage for more music to come from Hailee Steinfeld. Back in 2020, she served up the Half Written Story EP. Reeling in nearly half-a-billion streams, it boasted fan favorites such as “I Love You’s” and “Wrong Direction.” Of the EP, i-D claimed it was “a searingly honest collection of proper pop songs’ with ‘f*ck you excellence,” while Forbes declared, “When you hear her intimate, her attitude in the joyous pop, the production and the passion she brings to the first five songs it is clear her love of music is genuine.” Meanwhile, V Magazine raved, “It’s a raw and emotive body of work for the starlet.”

Get ready for more music from Hailee Steinfeld soon! She’s on the eve of her biggest, boldest, and brightest chapter yet.

ABOUT HAILEE STEINFELD:
Republic Records multi-platinum recording artist Hailee Steinfeld remains a force to be reckoned with in pop music. Including her breakout double-platinum debut single “Love Myself,” her growing discography encompasses the quadruple-platinum hit “Starving,” double platinum-certified “Most Girls,” and platinum-certified singles “Let Me Go” and “Rock Bottom.” To date, Steinfeld has amassed a total of nearly 10 billion streams globally and joined artists like Katy Perry, Charlie Puth, and Meghan Trainor on tour.

Beyond her thriving music career, she stands out as an Academy Award® nominated actress. Most recently, Steinfeld starred in Apple TV+’s hit original show Dickinson which earned her a coveted 2020 Peabody Award. She also served as executive producer for all three seasons, as well as wrote and released the original song “Afterlife” ahead of the first season, showcasing her prowess on and off-screen. Additionally, she took on the leading role of Kate Bishop in Marvel’s hit series Hawkeye for Disney+ and voiced the role of Vi in Arcane, based on Riot Games’ League of Nations, for Netflix. In July 2023, she reprises the role of “Spider-Gwen” in the Academy® Award-winning animated film Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse.

Steinfeld made her big-screen debut in the Coen Brothers’ 2010 film True Grit, garnering an Oscar® nomination for “Best Supporting Actress.” During 2015, she starred in the blockbuster Pitch Perfect 2 and in 2016, she starred in The Edge of Seventeen, landing two Critics’ Choice® Award nominations and a Golden Globe® nomination. She returned with a starring role in 2017’s Pitch Perfect 3, scoring three Teen Choice Award nominations for her work in both film and music. That same year, Steinfeld also won “Best Push Artist” at the MTV EMAs, Musical.ly‘s “Top Covered Artist” award at the Billboard Music Awards, and was honored by Variety with the “Crossover Artist“ award at its annual Hitmakers event. 2018 saw her star in Paramount’s Transformers universe smash Bumblebee. In support of the release, the multi-faceted artist also released “Back To Life“—an original song from the film’s soundtrack.

In 2020, Hailee released “Wrong Direction” to critical acclaim. The single amassed nearly 5 million streams and set the stage for the release of her sophomore EP Half Written Story. This year, she makes her long awaited return to music with a new single “Coast” [feat. Anderson .Paak].

Follow Hailee Steinfeld:

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MARY J. BLIGE TOUR

One of Time Magazine’s icons listed in “The 100 Most Influential People of 2022” and the recipient of the 2022 “Billboard ICON Award,” the undisputed Queen of Hip Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige, announces her Good Morning Gorgeous tour presented by Hologic in partnership with The Black Promoters Collective (BPC). GRAMMY Award-winning and Oscar-nominated Blige will perform in 23 cities with special guests, platinum-selling, GRAMMY Award-winning artist Ella Mai and platinum-selling rising star Queen Naija beginning on Saturday, September 17, in Greensboro, NC, and ending on Saturday, October 29 in Atlantic City, NJ. The tour also stops in Los Angeles, New York, and Atlanta.

Before offering to the general public, the Good Morning Gorgeous tour tickets go on presale today with The American Express Card Members beginning June 15 at 10 am local time through June 16 at 10 pm local time. Tickets will be available to the general public on June 17 at 10 am local and range from $69.50 to $189.50. Tickets can be purchased here.

“Mary J. Blige has been one of a select handful of artists at the top of our desired list to partner with since the initial construction of The BPC. Having her support in our mission so early in the process is a testament to the hard work we have put in to bring superior cultural experiences powered by black business to the masses. We firmly believe this is a match made in heaven and are honored to partner with the Queen,” states The BPC Co-Founder and President Shelby Joyner.

“We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Mary J. Blige as the presenting sponsor for her Good Morning Gorgeous tour,” said Steve MacMillan, Hologic’s Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer. “As a global leader in women’s health, we’re committed to emphasizing the lifesaving importance of preventive screenings and the annual Well Woman exam, and Mary’s voice is a powerful way to reach millions of women.”

In addition to the previously stated accolades, the tour follows Blige’s early 2022 album release of Good Morning Gorgeous. The album was released leading into her energetic Super Bowl Halftime performance. The title track rose to #1 at R&B radio for 9 weeks and the song became a viral backdrop for many expressing self-love, with over 40,000 users creating videos using the song on TikTok. A deluxe version was dropped just ahead of her wildly successful Strength of a Woman Woman festival that took place last month in Atlanta.

For more information, go HERE.

Unforgettable Foreign Films

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10 Foreign Films with the Most Unforgettable Love Stories

By Roberta Seret, PhD

I have two loves – literature and film. The most powerful love stories jump off the pages or off the screen, narrating different types of love turmoil, journeying through danger and obstacles to find love. The best love stories occur when love triumphs over evil.

In the past twenty years, I have taught film through my NGO at the United Nations and at New York University. It is a love story that captures my students the most. Their 10 favorite love stories in foreign films deceit different ways of loving, but they all try to overcome these obstacles to find it. Although they may not always get their happy ending, it’s always worth the risk:

1. JOJO RABBIT – (New Zealand) 2019, director Taika Waititi. During World War ll, ten-year-old Jojo is being brainwashed as a Hitler Youth. Strangely, his mother allows this, for it is her only way to protect him. We see how deeply a mother loves her son as she prepares him to be independent. Simultaneously, the director expresses his love for the future of children to do what’s right.

2. HONEYLAND – (Republic of Northern Macedonia) 2019, directors Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary and Best Feature Film, this story recreates a Paradise Lost and its destruction by a greedy man. Love for beauty and nature, and the desire to recapture it, is represented by honey – becoming extinct – and man’s inhumanity to lose it.

3. NEVER LOOK AWAY – (Germany) 2018, director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Based on the life of the famous painter, Gerhard Richter, the director recreates the artist’s search for Truth. It is only through love for Art that the artist can find peace. It is this tumultuous search that pushes him/her to create.

4. CAPERNAUM – (Lebanon) 2018, director Nadine Labaki. Lost children, abandoned, hungry, and forced to go against their conscience, are victims of war-torn Lebanon and Syria. The director opens her heart by using her hand-held camera to capture how children suffer in their struggle to survive. It is through her love for these children that we understand and want to help.

5. FACES PLACES – (France) 2017, directors Agnes Varda and JR. At 89-years-old and one year before her death, famed filmmaker, Agnes Varda embarks on a road trip to show her appreciation to the people of France. As a token of her deep love, she offers them a new type of art – photos of themselves – while she is making a film of their acceptance. Photography mixes with cinematography, the moving image fuses with still art, to show the director’s love for people and give them Art.

6. LION – (India/ Australia) 2016, director Garth Davis. The true story of 5-year-old Saroo, who gets lost on a train in India and cannot communicate in a different dialect to return home. He is placed in an orphanage and adopted by a couple from Tasmania, Australia. Twenty-five years later, his obsession to find his biological mother is proof of his filial love.

7. TONI ERDMANN – (Germany / Romania) 2016, director Maren Ade. A father loves his ambitious, modern daughter and wants to help her understand what happiness and love are. But the generational gap proves to be stronger than his quest. Despite his struggles and sacrifices, she answers when she sings Whitney Houston’s song, “Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.”

8. PHOENIX – (Germany) 2014, director Christian Petzold. Nelly survives World War II because she is obsessed at Auschwitz to be loved again by the man she loves. She does return to him but disfigured, and he does not recognize her. Deceitfully, he schemes to help her survive the traumas of her past. But as she learns the truth, will her love forgive him?

9. IDA – (Poland) 2013, director Pawel Pawlikowski. Ida embarks on a spiritual journey to choose between a life of love and family, or God and religion. As she voyages toward the answer, she learns about her history and what the material world can offer. But she keeps repeating, “And then?” She realizes it is love for God and the spirit that can offer her the truest love.

10. CASABLANCA – (USA/ Morocco) 1942, director Michael Curtiz. This is the best love story of all. For those who will see this film for the first time, I am jealous. This is an American movie made in Morocco with an anti-Hollywood ending. It shows and answers what is true love? What we see on the screen is a love that hurts – for all of us. And yet, love must be experienced, and this film must be seen!

Roberta Seret, Ph.D., is the director of Advanced English and Film at the United Nations for the Hospitality Committee and Founder of the NGO at the United Nations, International Cinema Education. She is the author of the Transylvanian Trilogy, with Love Odyssey releasing March 23, 2021. Visit her website for more information.

It’s Raining Men – A Promising Young Woman Edition

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DeathbyRomy’s take on “It’s Raining Men” – the iconic No. 1 dance anthem originally released by The Weather Girls in 1982 – is out today. Listen HERE. Paul Jabara and Paul Shaffer wrote the song, which was nominated for a GRAMMY^®. “It’s Raining Men” is one of two songs that DeathbyRomy recorded exclusively for the Promising Young Woman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. Variety has already predicted an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song for “Come and Play with Me,” the Los Angeles-based artist’s other contribution to the soundtrack. Twenty-year-old singer/songwriter DeathbyRomy pours both pain and euphoria into her catchy yet dark music, pitting electronic melodies and propulsive beats against hypnotic vocals and deeply personal lyrics. She made her Capitol Records debut last fall with the EP Love u – to Death.

Focus Features will release the Sundance hit Promising Young Woman on Christmas Day, Friday, December 25, 2020 in theaters domestically. IndieWire noted, “The film is filled with inspired soundtrack choices – a strings-heavy take on Britney Spears’ ‘Toxic’ teases before it reveals itself at the perfect moment, and an amusing use of an ‘It’s Raining Men’ cover sells Fennell’s pitch-black sense of humor early on.” Idolator said, “As for the soundtrack, there’s so much to love.”

Those who pre-order the 18-track collection in digital format will instantly receive “It’s Raining Men” plus Donna Missal’s interpretation of Cigarettes After Sex’s 2012 breakthrough single, “Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby,” and Cyn’s “Drinks.”

Cyn’s original song “Drinks” has amassed over 20 million global streams. Billie Eilish added it to her Apple Music radio show, “me & dad radio.” Naming “Drinks” a “Song You Need To Know,” Rolling Stone hailed it as “insanely catchy.” “The Mixed Drinks Collection” features the stripped version of “Drinks” and remixes from quartet of renowned producers, all female – MNDR, NERVO, Uffie, and Ladyhawke. uDiscoverMusic said, “[Donna Missal’s] silky vocals stand out against the moody, synth-driven production [on ‘Nothing’s Gonna Hurt You Baby’].”

The film’s director and writer, Emerald Fennell, also served as Executive Soundtrack Producer, teaming up with music supervisor Sue Jacobs and Capitol Records to create what The Daily Beast describes as “a pop music soundtrack that could only be described as glorious.” Vice observed, “[Promising Young Woman] expertly uses femme pop songs to underscore its critically acclaimed twisted tale of trauma and revenge.” Billboard praised Anthony Willis’ “chilling orchestral arrangement of ‘Toxic,’” which can be heard in the film’s new trailer. View HERE.

The soundtrack also features previously unreleased tracks from Muna and Blessus plus Carmen DeLeon’s cover of the Gerry Goffin-Carole King penned “He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss”). Charli XCX’s “Boys,” Paris Hilton’s “Stars Are Blind,” Sky Ferreira’s “Downhill Lullaby” and Juice Newton’s “Angel of the Morning” are among the previously released tracks that Fennell employs to subvert the audience’s expectations over the course of the film. Other featured artists include Maya B and Lily & Madeleine.

Synopsis

From visionary director Emerald Fennell (Killing Eve) comes a delicious new take on revenge. Everyone said Cassie (Carey Mulligan) was a promising young woman… until a mysterious event abruptly derailed her future. But nothing in Cassie’s life is what it appears to be: she’s wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she’s living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs of the past in this thrilling and wildly entertaining story.

Premiering to huge acclaim in Sundance earlier this year, PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN is directed and written by Emerald Fennell (Killing Eve) and stars Academy Award®-nominee Carey Mulligan and Bo Burnham along with an ensemble cast that includes Laverne Cox, Alison Brie, Connie Britton, Jennifer Coolidge, Max Greenfield, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Chris Lowell, Sam Richardson, Molly Shannon, and Clancy Brown. Fennell produced along with Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, and Josey McNamara for LuckyChap Entertainment and Ben Browning and Ashley Fox for FilmNation Entertainment.