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Some of the best episodes of Seinfeld were based on real stories from the writers’ personal lives, be it an embarrassing dating anecdote or a kooky holiday invented by an alcoholic father. But the show occasionally took inspiration from real-world events, too. Some examples of this trend are more obvious, like the time Kramer fled from the cops with an accused murderer in a white Ford Bronco.

But other allusions to news stories were more subtle and easier to miss, especially now that three whole decades have passed. So, with the help of the hosts of The Place to Be: A Seinfeld Podcast, here are some of the Seinfeld storylines that you may not have known were ripped from the headlines, such as…

[subtitle]‘The Sponge’ Originated with an NPR Segment [/subtitle]

We all remember the time Elaine went full Tommy Lee Jones from The Fugitive on the city of New York...

A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit.

The awards season has begun!

That is always a statement I find amusing at this time of year as it is used by various publications and groups to announce that the Oscar race is on. For many of us, it began several months ago, first at CinemaCon in April, where studios trotted out hopefuls such as Killers of the Flower Moon, Napoleon, The Color Purple, Barbie, Oppenheimer, just to name five we are still talking about in one way or another. Or how about Cannes for a soft start with a strong lineup that also put additional films in the race like Neon’s Anatomy of a Fall and A24’s The Zone of Interest, both nominated not just for foreign language film at the Golden Globes this weekend but also Best Motion Picture Drama (and don’t forget the...

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including the Palm Springs Film Awards and events for The Brothers Sun and Night Swim.

Night Swim premiere

Stars Wyatt Russell and Kerry Condon joined producers Jason Blum and James Wan at the Los Angeles premiere of their Universal horror film on Wednesday.

Kerry Condon, Amélie Hoeferle, Bryce McGuire, Gavin Warren and Wyatt Russell James Wan and Jason Blum

New York Film Critics Circle Awards

Killers of the Flower Moon, Past Lives, Christopher Nolan, Lily Gladstone, Charles Melton and Da’Vine Joy Randolph were among the honorees at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards on Wednesday.

Benny Safdie, Christopher Nolan, Dane DeHaan, David Krumholtz and Hoyte van Hoytema Samy Burch, Todd Haynes and Charles Melton

Killers of the Flower Moon luncheon

Martin Scorsese and Lily Gladstone attended a lunch event...

Singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas won Chairman’s Award for their chart-topper ‘What Was I Made For?’ from ‘Barbie’ at the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s annual gala hosted by Mary Hart.

Billie Eilish paid a tribute to her parents and recalling their journey as aspiring actors, Eilish got candid about the emotional song’s personal meaning, reports Variety.

She dedicated her award to “Anyone who experiences hopelessness and the feeling of existential dread, and feeling like ‘what’s the point’.”

“We all feel like that occasionally,” Eilish said. “I have really not wanted to be here. Sorry, dark, damn. I’ve spent a lot of time feeling that way. I want to say to anyone that feels that way, be patient with yourself, and know that it’s worth it all. And I think it’s good to be alive.”

As per Variety, ‘Barbie’ writer-director Greta Gerwig...

The Palm Springs International Film Festival’s annual gala recognizing some of the year’s finest achievements in cinema Thursday evening saw several honorees let their guards down, allowing the tearducts to flow.

Mary Hart returned as host for the starry awards gala held at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

Billie Eilish and Finneas became the first songwriters ever to receive the Chairman’s Award for their chart-topper “What Was I Made For?” from “Barbie.” Before paying tribute to their parents and recalling their journey as aspiring actors, Eilish got candid about the emotional song’s personal meaning.

She dedicated her award to “Anyone who experiences hopelessness and the feeling of existential dread, and feeling like ‘what’s the point?'”

“We all feel like that occasionally,” Eilish said. “I have really not wanted to be here. Sorry, dark, damn. I’ve spent a lot of time feeling that way.

After a year that saw actors hit the picket lines for four months, it’s no surprise that the awards season has felt more urgent and emotional than previous years. That was no more apparent than at the 35th annual Annual Palm Springs International Film Awards Thursday. The event, hosted by Mary Hart, honored 9 acting nominees and one feature film (Martin Scorsese’s “Killers of the Flower Moon”) that, no doubt, we’ll be hearing more of in the coming months.

The night was filled with tears and laughter, starting with Danielle Brooks, who won the Spotlight Actress Award for her role as Sofia in “The Color Purple.” The actress gave Oprah Winfrey a shout-out, praising her for taking Steven Spielberg’s advice while making the 1985 film and not losing weight. For Brooks, it allowed curvy women to feel they had a space in Hollywood. She also talked about the...

Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell have another hit on their hands with “What Was I Made For,” a track from Greta Gerwig’s Barbie that has already snagged a Golden Globe nomination and five Grammy nominations, including record and song of the year.

On Thursday night in the desert, the song propelled them to the stage to pick up a Chairman’s Award during the Palm Springs Film Awards and Eilish took the opportunity to dedicate the trophy to a target audience while also revealing emotional truths about her life and when she wanted it to end.

“I would really like to say that this award and any recognition that this song gets, I just want to dedicate to anyone who experiences hopelessness, the feeling of existential dread and feeling like, what’s the point, why am I here and why am I doing this?” Eilish explained while standing next...

The Beverly Hills Temple of the Arts at the Saban Theatre, the largest arts and entertainment synagogue in the U.S., is offering complimentary seating to striking members of the Writers Guild and SAG-AFTRA and their immediate families for its High Holy Day Services on Rosh Hashanah (September 15 and 16) and Yom Kippur (September 24 and 25). Tickets for non-Temple members for both services normally cost $500 each.

“As an arts and entertainment industry synagogue, we feel it is our moral duty to support writers and actors in our community and pray for a quick resolution to their current strikes,” said Rabbi David Baron.

Guests for Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day of the year, will include Cristiano J. Zeledón, a former U.S. Marine who will recount how he was wounded during a Russian missile strike in Ukraine while providing volunteer humanitarian aid there; Aron Bell, 96, who will share his story of how he and his late brothers,...

After years of pandemic-necessary calendar shifts, outright cancellations, and toned-down events, awards season is back in full force. One dependably early season event that just made its triumphant return, more or less in business-as-usual mode: the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s annual Film Awards Gala.

Launching even before the Golden Globes (and following both the Gothams and the NYFCC gala), the annual event has long been considered as a friendly space for Oscar nomination frontrunners to work out their skills giving an acceptance speech in front of a large audience at the Palm Springs Convention Center — an audience that just so happens to include a sizable amount of Academy members.

For its first show since January 2020 (and the 34th overall) the Psiff Film Awards Gala on Thursday evening not only handed out trophies to 2022 favorites like Michelle Yeoh (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) and Colin Farrell (“The Banshees of Inisherin...

An awards-season tradition returned to the California desert for the first time in three years on Thursday night, when Hollywood’s 2023 kicked off with the 34th annual Palm Springs International Film Awards, which took place at the beginning of the Palm Springs International Film Festival. Tables weren’t crammed together as closely as usual inside the cavernous Palm Springs Convention Center, but there was a special energy in the room due to the fact that the 2021 and 2022 events had been canceled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Mary Hart, who always hosts the event, was missing in action this year, replaced by “Entertainment Tonight” correspondents Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner. But as usual, the festival lined up a group of presenters who promise to be in the thick of awards season for the next two months, with honorees including Austin Butler, Danielle Deadwyler, Brendan Fraser, Sarah Polley, Michelle Yeoh, Colin Farrell,...

In Palm Springs they do it all a little differently. At least that is the impression you might have gotten if you attended Thursday night’s 34th annual International Film Awards gala that kicked off the Palm Springs Film Festival, back in action for the first time since January of 2020, just weeks before Covid would shut everything down. However, the bejeweled and upper crust of Palm Springs society were gathered again at the massive Palm Springs Convention Center to celebrate a select group of stars who not so coincidentally happen to be among the most buzzed of Oscar contenders.

Related Story Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards 2023: Best Of The Red Carpet & Party Gallery Related Story Peter Bart: Could Awards-Season Galas Help Cure Hollywood's Movie Malaise? Related Story New York Film Critics Circle Awards: Martin Scorsese's 'Tár' Rave; Surprise Appearances By Stephen Colbert, Seth Meyers, David Byrne...

“Entertainment Tonight’s” Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner will host the Palm Springs International Film Festival Film Awards gala on Jan. 5.

The Emmy-winning duo — who also hosted the Daytime Emmys earlier this year — take over emcee duties at the Palm Springs gala from former “Et” anchor Mary Hart.

“The Palm Springs International Film Awards has partnered with ‘Entertainment Tonight’ since 2004, and over those 18 years, Mary Hart has done an amazing job as host of the show,” said Psiff chairman Harold Matzner in a statement. “Due to her schedule, she is not able to be with us this year and she will be missed.”

Matzner continued: “We are very excited to continue our partnership with ‘Et’ having both of their on-air anchors Kevin Frazier and Nischelle Turner join us as co-hosts. They will have big shoes to fill, but I know they will make this a fun and memorable evening!”

In...

“Entertainment Tonight” has found its newest co-host, elevating Nischelle Turner to the top job alongside current host Kevin Frazier. With the promotion, Turner makes history as the first Black woman to serve as co-host of “Et.”

“It means everything to me,” Turner tells Variety of the historic moment. “Make no mistake about it: I believe and have always believed that I was the best person for the job, but it was never lost on me that it was also bigger than just me. I would be representing an underserved group of people who are finally getting a moment in the spotlight — and a well-deserved moment.”

In her new role, announced by executive producer Erin Johnson, Turner joins an elite (and small) group of women who have co-hosted the top-ranked entertainment news show — Mary Hart (who anchored from 1982-2011) and Nancy O’Dell (2011 to 2019).

“I do feel like that’s rarefied air in television,...

In the world of celebrity interviewers, softball questions are often the coin of the realm. And then there’s Leta Powell Drake, who was the longtime program director of Lincoln, Neb. CBS station Koln-tv and for 21 years the producer and host of its “Morning Show.” In the ’70s and ’80s, she interviewed some of the most famous names in entertainment with an approach that combined the charm of Mary Hart, the enthusiasm of Jiminy Glick, and the bluntness of Mike Wallace. It left many of her subjects staring wide-eyed into the camera, it’s impossible to imagine today, and it must be seen to be believed.

Currently obsessed with Leta Powell Drake, the greatest interviewer of all time. pic.twitter.com/3oCYAd9vZD

— John Frankensteiner (@JFrankensteiner) November 12, 2020

From asking “Splash” star Tom Hanks “How do you kiss underwater without bubbles coming out of your nose and mouth?” to telling Gene Hackman...

With the election less than a week away, here are the stars who will be voting for President Donald Trump’s second term in 2020.

“This November, we must vote to help keep President Trump in office, so he can carry the torch for this land of the free” Voight said in a July 22 Twitter video. -Jon Voight

After the Senate acquitted Trump on impeachment charges, the rapper/rocker posted a picture of himself with the President at a golf course. -Kid Rock

In November 2019, “Duck Dynasty” star Willie Robertson appeared at a Louisiana Trump rally, with his father Phil. -Willie Robertson

Gary Busey, who appeared on the fourth season of NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice,” still considers the president “one of his best friends.” -Gary Busey

Actor Stephen Baldwin constantly shows his support for the President on Twitter and most recently tweeted, #TRUMP2020ToSaveAmerica

“I think he’s fantastic. I love him.

ABC will air a special tribute to beloved TV host Regis Philbin on Tuesday to celebrate his life and career.

The hour long tribute, “Regis Philbin: The Morning Maestro – A Special Edition of 20/20,” will air on ABC on Tuesday, July 28 at 8 p.m. Edt.

Per ABC, the special edition of “20/20” features an exclusive interview with “Live with Kelly and Ryan” host Kelly Ripa, Philbin’s former co-host for a decade. The program will also include Philbin’s final television interview with Jimmy Kimmel in March 2020 as well as interviews with his co-hosts through the years, including Kathie Lee Gifford and Mary Hart; interviews with his childhood friends; a tour of the Bronx where he grew up; an emotional surprise visit with students at his high school; and a trip down memory lane with Philbin screening some of his favorite clips of “Live.” Philbin hosted the “Live!” franchise for 28 years.

In the wake of Regin Philbin’s death, ABC News will pay tribute to the television pioneer’s life and legacy with the primetime special Regis Philbin: The Morning Maestro – A Special Edition of 20/20. The special will air on July 28 at 8pm Et.

Philbin is known for hosting the Live franchise for 28 years. First with Kathie Lee Gifford and then with Kelly Ripa. The special edition of 20/20 will feature an exclusive interview with Ripa who now co-hosts Live with Kelly and Ryan.

The program will also include Philbin’s final television interview with Jimmy Kimmel in March 2020 as well as, interviews with his co-hosts through the years including Gifford and Mary Hart, interviews with his childhood friends, a tour of the Bronx where he grew up, an emotional surprise visit with students at his high school, and a trip down memory lane with Philbin screening some of his favorite clips of Live.

Regis Philbin, the longrunning host of talk shows and game shows such as Who Wants to be a Millionaire died on Friday night of natural causes at the age of 88, according to a family statement on Saturday. 

Following the news, Hollywood figures took to social media to pay tribute to the talk show host who entertained audiences on the small screen for over 60 years. Alongside Kathie Lee Gifford, Kelly Ripa, Mary Hart and more, Philbin hosted live morning programs in Los Angeles and New York from the early 1970s through 2011. 

Gifford wrote on Twitter, "...

The blockbuster age, it’s usually said, began with the release of “Jaws” and “Star Wars.” But you could argue that the blockbuster mentality didn’t fully kick in until ordinary moviegoers began to fixate on the question of what was doing well (or not) at the box office. It’s hard to hang that development on any particular date or movie, but it probably coincided with the rise of “Entertainment Tonight”, the first show to beam the weekend box-office report into a jillion homes, and the one that popularized the winners-and-losers, here’s-what’s-number-one! school of breathless inside-Hollywood-for-the-masses financial babble.

It didn’t take long for other media outlets, notably newspapers, to pick up on it. The weekend box-office report soon became a national spectator sport, a way for all of America to look into the world of movies and decide who was up and who was down. The...

People are eager to return to the old normal, and the fate of awards shows is not the top priority, but it is a concern. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences on April 28 addressed the question of eligibility in a time of coronavirus, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. did the same. But the question remains about the fate of ceremonies, no matter when the world opens up again.

In the history of major awards, no show was ever cancelled, but adjustments were occasionally needed. To paraphrase Tolstoy, happy kudocasts are all alike; every crisis-stricken award show is stricken in its own way.

Nobody expects a dramatic change in the upcoming kudocasts. But as Monty Python reminded us, nobody expected the Spanish Inquisition either. Here are some past examples of how people adjusted.

Emmys

The award for the most beleaguered ceremony goes to the 53rd annual Emmys. It was scheduled for Sept.

We couldn’t even get one day. With the Golden Globes this weekend and the Oscars not far around the corner in the busiest, most cramped month of awards season ever, the 31st annual Palm Springs Film Festival couldn’t wait a full day after New Year’s to throw us deep into glitzy tributes, emotional speeches and cute anecdotes.

We had that in abundance at Thursday night’s Film Awards Gala as hosted by Mary Hart, which honored 10 of the year’s likely Oscar contenders and gave each more than an opportunity for a dry run if they hit the stage of the Beverly Hilton this Sunday or the Dolby Theater early next month.

Honorees at this year’s gala included Cynthia Erivo, Joaquin Phoenix, Antonio Banderas, Laura Dern, Zack Gottsagen, Quentin Tarantino, Jennifer Lopez, Jamie Foxx, Charlize Theron, Adam Driver, Renée Zellweger and Martin Scorsese. Here’s some...

Everything about the Palm Springs International Film Festival's Film Awards Gala is supersized. The venue is massive, hosting approximately 2,500 guests. The honorees list is huge, with a dozen award winners taking the stage in the same night. (By comparison, Sunday's Golden Globes will dole out 14 awards on the film side.) 

Twelve honorees. Twelve acceptance speeches. Thirteen presenters. Nearly $2.5 million raised for the fest's educational programming. It all made for a jam-packed and starry night inside the Palm Springs Convention Center where Mary Hart handled hosting duties and American Express, At&...

Everything about the Palm Springs International Film Festival's Film Awards Gala is supersized. The venue is massive, hosting approximately 2,500 guests. The honorees list is huge, with a dozen award winners taking the stage in the same night. (By comparison, Sunday's Golden Globes will dole out 14 awards on the film side.) 

Twelve honorees. Twelve acceptance speeches. Thirteen presenters. Nearly $2.5 million raised for the fest's educational programming. It all made for a jam-packed and starry night inside the Palm Springs Convention Center where Mary Hart handled hosting duties and American Express, At&...

With a focus on Italian films accompanying a large selection of international features, most of which are competing for Oscars, the 31st annual Palm Springs Intl. Film Festival will run Jan. 3-12.

“An Almost Ordinary Summer,” directed by Simone Godano, will kick off the festival on Jan. 3. Other Italian films to unspool are “The Champion,” “Simple Women,” “The Disappearance of My Mother,” “A Soul Journey,” “Martin Eden,” “Sole” and “The Traitor.”

The festival will close Jan. 12 with “Military Wives,” directed by Peter Cattaneo.

Last year, Psiff attracted more than 136,000 attendees and festival organizers anticipate just as many in 2020.

“Some of our guests get a chance to see 40 movies in 10 days,” says festival chairman Harold Matzner. “I don’t know how they do it, but they do, and it’s an incredible cultural experience.”

For her inaugural year, artistic director Lili Rodriguez added big awards season contenders including “Pain and Glory,...

The 31st annual Palm Springs International Film Festival will present Academy award-winner Renée Zellweger with the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress for her performance in the musical drama “Judy.” Zellweger is the first honoree to be announced.

“Renée Zellweger inhabits the essence of the iconic Judy Garland in ‘Judy.’ This is a layered performance that captures Judy’s trademark spirit, along with the heartbreak and insecurities she experiences in London while performing at a series of sold out shows,” festival chairman Harold Matzner said. “For this outstanding performance, a career best for Zellweger — and one in which she remarkably does her own singing — it is our honor to present the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress to Renée Zellweger.”

“Judy,” produced by Roadside Attractions and Ld Entertainment, is a biographical film about iconic “The Wizard of Oz” star Judy Garland’s path to showbiz.

Zellweger is best known for her starring...

It’s the end of an era in entertainment newsmagazines: Nancy O’Dell is leaving Entertainment Tonight after eight years as co-host.

O’Dell announced the news herself on Friday’s broadcast, according to our sister site Variety, sharing with viewers: “I’m excited to tell you about the start of a new chapter in my life.” She remembered how honored she was to take over Et hosting duties from the legendary Mary Hart, and thanked her co-workers, along with her longtime manager and agent John Ferriter, who passed away just last week. She’s taking a break to spend more time with her daughter,...

Nancy O’Dell is leaving her post at “Entertainment Tonight” after nine years of co-hosting the show.

“Tonight, I’m excited to tell you about the start of a new chapter in my life,” O’Dell said on Friday night’s broadcast. “It means leaving this position, but it does not mean I am leaving the genre. I’ll be back and it won’t be long.”

The longtime TV personality said she plans to “enjoy some time off with the most wonderful gal in my life, my daughter” before she starts her “new project.”

She also took a moment to honor the late William Morris talent rep John Ferriter.

Also Read: CBS and Viacom Inch Closer to Merger With Preliminary Deal on New Leadership Team

“My manager, agent and dear friend of 20 years, John Ferriter, helped me get this job at Et. He passed away just a week ago.

Longtime “Entertainment Tonight” co-host Nancy O’Dell is leaving the newsmagazine show, revealing the news to viewers on Friday’s broadcast.

O’Dell first joined as anchor of the show in 2010, replacing Mary Hart, after spending 13 years co-anchoring “Access Hollywood.”

“For almost nine years, Nancy has welcomed viewers to ‘Et’ every night with her signature southern charm,” said “Entertainment Tonight” executive producer Erin Johnson. “From anchoring both royal weddings, gracing every major award show red carpet and interviewing the likes of Garth Brooks, JLo and Oprah, her expertise behind the microphone is undeniable. We can’t thank Nancy enough for her dedication to keeping ‘Et’ the gold standard in entertainment news and we have no doubt she will continue to succeed in all future endeavors.”

The move comes just a week after the death of her manager and agent of 20 years, John Ferriter. He had recently told O’Dell that “life is too short,...

Nancy O’Dell is leaving her perch as co-host of Entertainment Tonight after nearly a decade with the syndicated entertainment newsmagazine. The veteran showbiz journalist made the announcement at the end of today’s broadcast.

“Tonight, I’m excited to tell you about the start of a new chapter in my life,” she began. “A new chapter for this small-town, grateful girl from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, who used to watch fellow Carolinian Leeza Gibbons and Mary Hart on Entertainment Tonight thinking, ‘Wow, what beautiful, powerful women and what a cool job they have!’ … to now having that job for nine years and being a veteran host on the red carpet for almost 25 years.”

O’Dell went on to say a friend suggested she make a “life list” by putting her career milestones on one side, and what she still wants to accomplish on the other.

“The first list contains...

Entertainment Tonight anchor Nancy O'Dell is leaving the show, she announced at the end of Friday's broadcast. 

O'Dell has been with Et since January 2011 and became co-anchor in May of that year following Mary Hart's retirement. Friday was her last show at the syndicated newsmagazine. In her on-air statement she said she is stepping down to spend more time with her 12-year-old daughter, while also hinting at a new professional opportunity.

"As I take on that list of things still to come, it means leaving this position, but it does not mean I am ...

Thursday night, the 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival hosted another black tie, thousands of attendees for dinner and awards show at the all-star Film Awards Gala.

This fancy dinner and awards show begins the Psiff annually and this year was on January 6.

This year’s most buzz-worthy films and stars traveled to the desert to kick off this year’s award season in high style.

TV personality Mary Hart once again served as the evening's host, her 16th year in that position.

Honorees were presented with either the John Kennedy “The Entertainer” statue or a Chihuly Glass Sculpture.

They are really making a move on the Oscars here (the show). This is what I mean. I have seen a lot of the films up front for awards of some sort. Such as my fave BlacKkKlansman, and worthies such as Green Book and The Favourite. Now I realize this is the season for that,...

Bradley Cooper spoke of the irony of receiving an honor in a room where he shot a scene of “A Star Is Born,” Peter Farrelly and Spike Lee honed their messages, and Glenn Close got the biggest response at this year’s Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala.

Of all the stops on the annual awards-show cattle call, few grab the enthusiastic response of this annual pre-festival gala. It’s the first of many — followed by the AFI luncheon, the Golden Globes, the New York Film Critics’ Dinner, and comes just before voting opens for Oscar nominations. Call it the out-of-town debut for the big show, or spring training for movie pros (just a few blocks from where the Los Angeles Angels once had their pre-season ball field), it showcases contenders who are primed and ready to go.

As long-time festival chairman (and dominant Coachella Valley philanthropist) Harold Matzner noted in his comments,...

While politics weren’t front and center at Thursday’s 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival opening night awards gala, presents and honorees still managed to throw in some zingers about the political turmoil facing the U.S.

Held at the Palm Springs Convention Center, the star-studded soirée, which kicks off the 11-day fest, was a celebration not only of achievements in cinema and big screen acting, but of the pervasive power in film to not only entertain, but elevate the soul and spirit in times of emotional struggle and searing physic pain. Or, as is the case with America under Trump, times of rampant political tumult and devastating humanitarian crises.

“The Favourite” star Olivia Colman, winner of the Desert Palm Achievement Award, Actress, described her character Queen Anne as “someone in whom resides all the madness, frustration and confusion and instability of a powerful person unfit for a for the job.

You can declare the start of the awards season whenever you like, but as the first splashy awards show of 2019, the 30th annual Film Awards Gala at the Palm Springs International Film Festival seems like as good of place to start as any.

Host Mary Hart and Chairman of the Board of the Palm Springs International Film Society Harold Matzner revealed that of 64 honorees recognized at past galas, 57 of them have gone on receive Oscar nominations. This year’s honorees included Rami Malek, Regina King, Alfonso Cuarón, Bradley Cooper and more. And their speeches felt like a precursor to what promises to be a long and surprising awards race.

But the annual gala is a looser occasion than the Oscars ceremony, and on Thursday night we picked up a few things about what the next few months of awards shows has in store.

Also Read: Laura Dern and Issa Rae...

“Mary Poppins Returns” will receive the Ensemble Performance Award at the 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, the festival announced on Friday.

Stars Emily Blunt, Pixie Davies, Nathanael Salah and Joel Dawson are expected to accept the award at the festival, which will be hosted by Mary Hart and Entertainment Tonight. The award will be presented to the cast by the film’s director Rob Marshall.

Academy Award-winner “Argo” and Academy Award nominees “American Hustle,” “The Big Short,” and “The Social Network” are past honorees of the ensemble award.

Also Read: 'Aquaman,' 'Mary Poppins' Lead Crowded Field in First 'Star Wars'-Free Box Office in 3 Years

“Mary Poppins Returns is a happy film, that re-creates the magic and adventure of the first film,” said Festival Chairman Harold Matzner in a statement. “Emily Blunt and Lin-Manuel Miranda lead an excellent ensemble cast that also includes Colin Firth,...

Timothée Chalamet will receive the Spotlight Award, Actor at the 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival in January, the festival announced Wednesday.

The actor will receive the award at the Film Awards Gala for his role in “Beautiful Boy.” The event will be held on Jan. 3 and will be hosted by Mary Hart and Entertainment Tonight.

“Timothée Chalamet gives a heartwarming, but tragic performance as a young man struggling with drug addiction in the film ‘Beautiful Boy,'” Festival chairman Harold Matzner said. “Last year Timothée was the recipient of the Festival’s Rising Star Award for his role in ‘Call Me by Your Name.’ He is definitely a rising star. It is our honor to present the Spotlight Award, Actor to Timothée Chalamet.”

Also Read: 'Beautiful Boy' Film Review: Timothée Chalamet and Steve Carell Shine in Harrowing Look at Addiction

Previously announced honorees include Glenn Close,...

Spike Lee, who’s in this year’s awards race with BlackKklansman, is set to receive the the Career Achievement Award from the Palm Springs International Film Festival during its Awards Gala on January 3.

The outspoken filmmaker’s long career ranges from such 1980s fare as She’s Gotta Have It and Do the Right Thing through Malcom X, Get on the Bus and Summer of Sam to the more recent OldBoy, Inside Man and Chi-Raq. BlackKklansman stars John David Washington as Ron Stallworth, the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a name for himself, he bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan.

“Spike Lee has been an outstanding warrior for equal rights while creating an iconic body of film and television work over his 30-year career,” Psiff Chairman Harold Matzner said. “In BlacKkKlansman, Lee...

Bradley Cooper will be presented with the Director of the Year Award for directing this year’s “A Star Is Born” at the 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival, the festival announced Wednesday.

Cooper will receive the award at the festival’s Film Awards Gala hosted by Mary Hart and “Entertainment Tonight” on Thursday, Jan. 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

Cooper joins Glenn Close, Alfonso Cuarón, Rami Malek, Melissa McCarthy and “Green Book” director Peter Farrelly and stars Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali as other honorees at this year’s festival.

Also Read: 'A Star Is Born': How Bradley Cooper Worked for 6 Months to Become Country Singer Jackson Maine

Past recipients of the Director of the Year Award include Stephen Daldry, Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Steve McQueen, Alexander Payne, Sean Penn, Jason Reitman, David O. Russell and Robert Zemeckis. Cooper received the festival’s Desert Palm Achievement...

Melissa McCarthy will receive this year’s Spotlight Award at the 30th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival in recognition of her dramatic turn in this year’s “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

Richard E. Grant, McCarthy’s co-star in the film, will present the award. McCarthy joins Glenn Close and Rami Malek as the other honorees of this year’s festival.

Previous recipients of the Spotlight Award include Amy Adams, Jessica Chastain, Bryan Cranston, Andrew Garfield, Helen Hunt, Allison Janney, Rooney Mara, Julia Roberts and J.K. Simmons.

Also Read: Glenn Close to Receive Icon Award From Palm Springs Film Festival

McCarthy is a contender for Best Actress for her work as real-life author Lee Israel in “Can You Ever Forgive Me?,” and all of the previous recipients of the Spotlight Award have gone on to receive Academy Award nominations in the year they were honored, with Simmons winning an...

Glenn Close will receive the Palm Springs International Film Festival’s Icon Award at its annual Awards Gala, Psiff organizers announced on Thursday.

The award is the first to be announced for the 2019 gala, which will take place on Thursday, Jan. 3 at the Palm Springs Convention Center and will be hosted by Mary Hart.

Close will be honored for her more than 40-year career, which has included six Oscar nominations, 14 Emmy nominations (including three wins), 13 Golden Globe nominations (two wins) and eight SAG Awards nominations (one win). She is currently considered a strong Oscar contender for her lead role in “The Wife,” in which she stars as a woman who has sacrificed her own literary career to support her husband (Jonathan Pryce).

Also Read: 'The Wife' Film Review: Glenn Close Steps Out of a Famous Husband's Shadow

Past recipients of the Psiff Icon Award include Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep,...

Network Entertainment is teaming with Burt Sugarman on a documentary about the musical variety television series “The Midnight Special.”

Sugarman produced the series, which ran for 450 episodes between 1972 and 1981, and featured performances by James Brown, The Jackson 5, Van Morrison, Marvin Gaye, Rod Stewart, Ike & Tina Turner, Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith, AC/DC, David Bowie, Aretha Franklin, Helen Reddy, Linda Ronstadt, The Beach Boys, Tanya Tucker, Billy Joel, Loretta Lynn, Emmylou Harris, Prince, Diana Ross, and the Bee Gees. Stand-up comedians Steve Martin, Richard Pryor, and George Carlin also appeared.

The show typically featured guest hosts, and Helen Reddy served as the regular host for parts of 1975 and 1976. Wolfman Jack was the announcer and frequent guest host.

The pilot for the series aired in 1972 as a 90-minute special encouraging young people to vote in the upcoming presidential election. It premiered as a weekly series in 1973 in the 1 a.m. to 2:30 a.

Back in the early 1970s, there weren’t any options for seeing pop music performed live on TV. Lip syncing was king — until The Midnight Special came along in early 1973. Now that series’ creator/Ep, Burt Sugarman, is teaming with Derik Murray’s Network Entertainment to produce a feature documentary about it.

During its eight-season run of 450 90-minute episodes, The Midnight Special offered live performances by such iconic acts as James Brown, Aretha Franklin, the Jackson 5, Van Morrison, Marvin Gaye, Rod Stewart, Ike & Tina Turner, David Bowie, Aerosmith, AC/DC, Linda Ronstadt, Billy Joel, Prince, Diana Ross and the Bee Gees. It also featured stand-up comedy from such masters as Richard Pryor, George Carlin and Steve Martin.

“I’m excited to be working with Network Entertainment’s award-winning team to produce this important retrospective on The Midnight Special,” Sugarman said. “In addition to appealing to those who were fans back in the day,...

Democrats are praying for a Blue Wave in the midterms — and Hollywood is going to be a big part of the fundraising push.

The industry is orchestrating a behind-the-scenes blitz that will inject millions into the campaign coffers of candidates across the country — from the outlying exurbs of Houston to the strands of Newport and Huntington Beach, Calif.

So far, the entertainment industry has pumped nearly $21 million into House and Senate races this election cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. That places it 21st on the list of some 80 industries tracked by political donations, according to data, but Hollywood’s high-profile status and tight-knit network make it an attractive draw for candidates.

And entertainment dollars are likely to get much more important as November approaches, as Democrats aim to win back the House and the Senate and the Gop does everything it can to preserve its majorities.

The...

Barack Obama is coming to Beverly Hills next week to rake in dough for the Democrats, but Jeffrey Katzenberg made it rain money for the party on Monday.

In a hosted fundraiser last night at Spago, the former DreamWorks Animation boss and now WndrCo chief and spouse Marilyn helped raise $4.5 million for Democrats running in this year’s deeply contested midterm elections.

“California is critical in Democrat’s efforts to win back the House this fall!” proclaimed the invite to the $25,000 to $250,000 ticketed intimate event for the House Majority Pac. With just 23 seats needed to unlock the Gop and Donald Trump’s leg hold on the House of Representatives, seat rich Cali was certainly represented at the Canon Drive hangout with soon-to-be retiring Gov. Jerry Brown and once and perhaps future House Speaker Nancy Pelosi among those in attendance.

Some of the old gang were missing as Monday also had frequent Dems donors J.

Jeffrey Katzenberg hosted a fundraiser on Monday night in Beverly Hills that raised more than $4.5 million for the House Majority Pac, seeking to win back Democratic control of the House, organizers said.

The event, held at Spago in Beverly Hills, was priced at $25,000-per-person, with tickets rising to $250,000 per person for co-chairs. Among the guests were House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and California Gov. Jerry Brown. A source said that Pelosi and Brown talked about issues including climate change, healthcare, the border, and the nuclear weapons threat.

“America’s best days are ahead of us, but only if Democrats win back the House and put an end to the divisiveness and intolerance coming from this White House,” Katzenberg said in a statement. “House Majority Pac has led the way countering the flood of desperate spending that Gop outside groups are funneling into critical House races.”

The money will go to candidates in California,...

Entertainment industry power couple Burt Sugarman and Mary Hart are asking a gutsy $5.5 million for one of the four condo units they own on the same floor of the famously celeb-stacked Sierra Towers complex on the border between West Hollywood and Beverly Hills. The high-floor apartment, not contiguous to the others they own and generally considered to be the least desirable in the building as it faces north with a mansion-dotted mountain view rather than south with a more sought-after panoramic city view, was acquired by the couple in the spring of 2016 for $2 million. The renovated unit, which carries Hoa dues of almost $1,800 per month, is configured with one bedroom and two bathrooms in a mite more than 1,200 square feet.

Sugarman, a veteran game-show producer who also produced the Oscar-nominated “Children of a Lesser God,” and Hart, the longtime co-anchor on “Entertainment Tonight,” own three other contiguous units they’ve...

Wonder Woman fans will have to wait almost two years for the superhero flick’s highly anticipated sequel, but don’t expect to see more of the same from Diana and the Amazons. Star Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins dished about the sequel, which is set to be released in November 2019, to Et’s Mary Hart at […]...

Wonder Woman fans will have to wait almost two years for the superhero flick’s highly anticipated sequel, but don’t expect to see more of the same from Diana and the Amazons.

Star Gal Gadot and director Patty Jenkins dished about the sequel, which is set to be released in November 2019, to Et’s Mary Hart at the Palm Springs Film Festival on Tuesday.

“We’re actually making a totally different film with a lot of the same, similar like things that we love, but it’s its own movie completely, so it’s not ‘two’ to us,” the director told Et. “It’s an entirely new adventure together that we couldn’t be luckier [to do].”

Gadot, 32, opened up about her 6-year-old daughter Alma’s response to the Wonder Woman phenomenon.

“She loves it,” Gadot told Et. “She didn’t watch the movie yet, because I’m the mother and I just try and protect her and give...

As awards season takes over Hollywood, keep up with all the ins, outs, and big accolades with our bi-weekly Awards Roundup column.

– The Producers Guild of America (PGA), has announced the 2018 Stanley Kramer Award will honor the acclaimed feature film “Get Out” produced by Sean McKittrick, p.g.a.; Jason Blum, p.g.a.; Edward H. Hamm, Jr., p.g.a.; and Jordan Peele, p.g.a. (McKittrick & Hamm are deemed a producing partnership.)

The Universal Pictures release is the directorial debut of Jordan Peele, who also wrote the screenplay, and features a cast that includes Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root, Lakeith Stanfield, Lil Rel Howery, Erika Alexander, Marcus Henderson, Betty Gabriel, and Catherine Keener.

Read More:Jordan Peele Talks About His Worst Fear in Making ‘Get Out’ — Filmmaker Toolkit Podcast

The Stanley Kramer Award will be presented to “Get Out” at the 29th Annual...

The Palm Springs International Film Festival is right around the corner!

Et’s own Mary Hart is hosting the event, which takes place on Jan. 2, 2018. Gal Gadot will kick off the new year as the festival’s Rising Star Award recipient, following in the footsteps of past winners Jennifer Lawrence, Ruth Negga and Alicia Vikander, who all went on to earn Oscar nominations!

Additionally, Allison Janney will be getting the Spotlight Award, thanks to her critically acclaimed performance in I, Tonya.

“I'm very, very excited and thrilled,” Janney told Et of the honor.

The event, which is sponsored by American Express and Cadillac, will also count Jessica Chastain, Gary Oldman and Mary J. Blige among its nominees.

Also being recognized is Saoirse Ronan for her stellar performance in the coming-of-age drama, Lady Bird.

“I feel like everything we did just sort of clicked into place,” Ronan told Et of filming the movie.

Two more stars to...