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One of the most famous women in the world, Angelina Jolie, started acting right out of high school. Despite her outward appearance, she has described herself as an awkward outsider at Beverly Hills High School, where she was teased because by her rich classmates. She lived with her mother in an apartment, and the family existed only on child support from her father actor Jon Voight, who had financial problems of his own. She later transferred to a different school and found her identity as what she describes as “a punk chick with tattoos.”

She began her career in a series of forgettable films (“Cyborg 2” anyone?) but then suddenly grabbed attention in the TV mini-series “George Wallace.” The series depicted the life of the title character, who was a controversial governor of Alabama and a presidential candidate. Jolie received very positive reviews as his second wife, Cornelia. Later that same...

In our Oscar odds, Mikey Madison (“Anora”) and Karla Sofia Gascon (“Emilia Perez”) have emerged as the front-runners for Best Actress. But the first of those films is a comedy and the latter is a musical. Since comedies and musicals are separated from dramas at the Golden Globes, that opens up a golden opportunity for a dramatic actress to assert herself this awards season. As of this writing, it looks like that actress will be Angelina Jolie (“Maria”).

Jolie is the front-runner for Best Film Drama Actress for her biographical performance as opera singer Maria Callas. The film is directed by Pablo Larrain, who guided Natalie Portman and Kristen Stewart to Best Actress Oscar nominations for the respective biopics “Jackie” and “Spencer.” Currently, Jolie leads our Globe forecasts with 37/10 odds. Among those backing her are 13 out of 18 Expert journalists we’ve surveyed from major media outlets. Gold Derby Editors are also confident,...

In “Maria”, Angelina Jolie plays Maria Callas. The release dates for this film are; Theaters in the USA, November 2024; streaming on Netflix, December 2024; and Theaters in the UK, January 2025. Angelina Jolie is an accomplished American actress known for her stellar performances and specifically for her portrayals of several real historical figures. She played Cornelia Wallace, the second wife of Alabama, in the 1997 movie “George Wallace”. Jolie’s portrayal of Gia Carangi, America’s first supermodel, who died at the age of 26 due to AIDS-related complications, won her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in the film “Gia” (1998). In the 2007 film “A Mighty Heart”, she was very convincing as Mariane Pearl, the wife of Daniel Pearl, who was kidnapped and murdered by Islamic extremists while reporting in Pakistan for The Wall Street Journal. As Christine Collins in “Changeling” (2008), a movie based on the true story, she moved the hearts of...

If there was a decade that truly helped to shape the future of the crime thriller genre, it was undoubtedly the 1990s. The era churned out numerous movies that have become the benchmark for how to craft a movie about the hunt for a serial killer, or flashing femme fatales with a penchant for murder. Movies such as The Silence of the Lambs, Misery, Se7en and Basic Instinct set a benchmark for not only quality in the crime flick, but also by delivering iconic sequences that are synonymous within the genre. Lambs had Anthony Hopkins’ wonderful Chianti sipping performance, Misery gleefully smashed ankles, Se7en had the tragic head in a box scene, while Basic Instinct allowed Sharon Stone to show more than just her acting ability. The point is, by the time the movie we’re focusing on in this episode was released in 1999, audiences had preconceived expectations, thanks...

When the 2023 Primetime Emmy nominations were revealed, Ali Wong and Pedro Pascal both had the honor of being included in multiple performance lineups. She made history as the first newcomer to the acting categories recognized for both live action (“Beef”) and voice (“Tuca & Bertie”) work, while he became the first actor nominated for three programs on his initial Emmy outing. These achievements made them the newest members of a group of 26 people who earned their first two (or three) acting Emmy nominations in a single year.

Wong’s eventual Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actress win for “Beef” made her the seventh person in this bunch to succeed on one of her bids. The first was Robert Cummings, who received 1955’s Best Single Performance by an Actor prize for “Twelve Angry Men” and simultaneously lost for his regular lead turn on “My Hero.”

The first five champs who followed Cummings were Jack Albertson,...

In 2019, Sandra Oh simultaneously received her seventh and eighth acting Emmy nominations for “Killing Eve” (drama lead) and “Saturday Night Live” (comedy guest). Five years later, her performance bid total is set to reach an even dozen thanks to her respective lead and supporting performances in the telefilm “Quiz Lady” and the limited series “The Sympathizer.” Earning TV academy recognition for these two roles would make her the eighth woman to compete for both possible limited program acting awards at once.

In “Quiz Lady,” which premiered on Hulu last November, Oh plays Jenny Yum, a vivacious yet reckless woman who reunites with her estranged younger sister (Awkwafina) to resolve their mother’s gambling debts. “The Sympathizer,” which began airing on HBO in April, features her in the role of Sofia Mori, a 1970s Japanese American secretary who becomes entangled with a communist spy (Hoa Xuande).

Prior to amassing her four...

Actress Angelina Jolie is known for starring in films such as Girl, Interrupted, Maleficent, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, and more. The actress has also graduated to directing with the films Unbroken and First They Killed My Father. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Girl, Interrupted, and has won three Golden Globe Awards.

Jolie has also done voice roles in films such as Shark Tales and the Kung Fu Panda franchise. Her appearance as Master Tigress in the Kung Fu Panda films was received well all over and she reprised her role for three films. The actress has previously mentioned that she preferred looking at her animated films over her live-action films.

Angelina Jolie Prefers To Watch Her Animated Films Over Live-Action Angelina Jolie in Girl, Interrupted

Angelina Jolie has starred in many films over the years and has established herself as a commercially viable star. She has...

Given that it has been accomplished by eight performers, the feat of winning SAG Awards for two different limited series or TV movies isn’t as rare as it once was. Nonetheless, it remains an impressive achievement since no one has yet topped it, but that could change in a matter of months. Heading into the 30th SAG Awards ceremony, two-time Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor victor Mark Ruffalo has a shot at snagging another trophy of the same kind, which would earn him the distinction of being either non-continuing program category’s first triple champion.

Ruffalo’s first two individual SAG Award wins came for his work in the HBO productions “The Normal Heart” (2015) and “I Know This Much Is True” (2021). In this case, he is seeking recognition as a star of the four-part Netflix adaptation of the heavily lauded novel “All the Light We Cannot See,” on...

Evan Peters and his “Dahmer — Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” co-star Niecy Nash-Betts are currently the odds-on favorites to take home the Emmys for Best Limited Series/TV Movie Actor and Best Limited Series/TV Movie Supporting Actress, respectively. If both prevail in January, “Dahmer” will join a very small group of programs that have bagged both prizes.

Since the limited series/TV movie supporting acting categories were created in 1975, only four programs have won both awards. The first to do it was the telefilm “The Promise” (1986), which racked up victories for James Woods in lead and Piper Laurie in supporting. It was followed by another TV movie, 1996’s “Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny” (Alan Rickman and Greta Scacchi), and the two-part miniseries “George Wallace” in 1998 (Gary Sinise and Mare Winningham).

Rounding out the quartet is another miniseries, “Angels in America,” which triumphed for Al Pacino in lead and...

In 2021, 15-year-old Mckenna Grace broke new ground as the first child ever nominated for a guest acting Emmy. The notice came for her performance as Esther Keyes on Hulu’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” which could bring her another Best Drama Guest Actress bid this year. She also currently has a shot at a nomination for Best Movie/Limited Supporting Actress for Peacock’s “A Friend of the Family,” which would make her the all-time youngest performer with mentions in multiple Emmy categories.

Grace, whose 17th birthday will precede the 2023 Emmy nominations announcement by 17 days, appears on “A Friend of the Family” as Jan Broberg, a future actress who was kidnapped at ages 12 and 14 by her neighbor, Robert Berchtold. The true crime series also stars Jake Lacy as Berchtold and Colin Hanks and Anna Paquin as Broberg’s parents. (Watch our exclusive video interview with Grace.)

SEEWill ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ extend...

Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official awards predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis; Awards Circuit Column, a weekly analysis dissecting the trends and contenders by television editor Michael Schneider (for Emmys) and Davis (for Oscars); Awards Circuit Podcast, a weekly interview series with talent and an expert roundtable discussion; and Awards Circuit Video analyzes various categories and contenders by Variety's leading awards pundits. Variety's unmatched coverage gives its readership unbeatable exposure in print and online, as well as provide inside reports on all the contenders in this year's awards season races.

To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Emmys Collective

Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Emmys Hub

To see old predictions and commentary,...

Gold Derby can exclusively reveal the episodes selected by the seven nominees for Best Movie/Limited Supporting Actress as their 2022 Emmys episode submissions.

There are two nominees representing the Hulu limited series “Dopesick.” First-time Emmy nominee Kaitlyn Dever plays Betsy Mallum, a coal miner injured on the job who becomes addicted to opioid pain medication. She submitted to Emmy judges the fifth episode of the eight-episode series, “The Whistleblower,” in which Betsy sells her mother’s jewelry to pay for drugs and has an emotional breakdown when her father pours her pills down the drain, leading her to be sent to rehab.

Mare Winningham plays Betsy’s mother Diane Mallum in “Dopesick.” She’s an eight-time Emmy nominee who won this category for “Amber Waves” in 1980 and “George Wallace” in 1998. Her submission is the seventh episode of the series, “Black Box Warning,” in which Diane takes her daughter out of a house full of addicts.

An actress receiving two Primetime Emmy nominations in a single year may seem like a rare occurrence, but it is actually fairly common. In fact, there have been 65 instances since 1967, including two last year involving Aidy Bryant and Jean Smart. What is uncommon is a woman earning double recognition within the same genre, with Bryant being one of only a dozen to ever be so honored (discounting guest categories). Now, Toni Collette has a shot at becoming the lucky 13th.

For her work on the two limited series “The Staircase” and “Pieces of Her,” Collette could be nominated this year as both a featured player and a lead. On the former show, she plays Kathleen Peterson, the subject of a real early 2000s murder case that ended in the conviction of her husband, Michael. Her potential supporting notice for playing Peterson would be her third in the category following bids...

(L-r): Dale (voiced by Andy Samberg) and Chip (voiced by John Mulaney) in Disney’s live-action Chip ‘N Dale: Rescue Rangers, exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Disney Enterprises, Inc. © 2022 Disney Enterprises, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

School’s almost out for the Summer! Who’s up for a trip? Or at least one through one of your favorite streaming services? Yes, the suitcase can remain in the back of the closet for a bit. But what’s the destination for this virtual excursion.? Well, for many of us, this new film is a nostalgic journey back in time, though it is set in the modern-day. A little over 30 years ago, before most kids’ cartoons were shuttled off to basic cable channels and eventually streaming apps, broadcast TV animation was in the midst of a creative (and ratings) explosion. Yes, Saturday mornings were still hanging on, but the place to be was the late afternoon,...

Speaking at the Warner Bros Discovery upfront, new CNN boss Chris Licht delivered his most expansive public comments since taking over from Jeff Zucker, promising a morning show “disruptor” and a challenge to cable news norms.

Licht also said Chris Wallace’s talk show, Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, has gone back into production and will now stream on HBO Max and air Sunday nights on linear CNN. Wallace decamped from Fox News last year and resurfaced with the series on CNN+ but the abrupt unplugging of that new streaming outlet last month left the show briefly in limbo. Wallace was one of several high-priced hires who joined CNN as it ramped up CNN+. Before his 18 years at Fox, Wallace worked at ABC News and NBC News.

Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront: Deadline’s Complete Coverage

Refocusing CNN on its straight-news roots is a strategy Licht and Warner Bros Discovery...

For those of us waiting for a sequel to the delightful Chicken Run, time to celebrate with this press release from Netflix:

Combine a world-famous, four-time Academy Award® winning animation studio with a global entertainment company and what have you got? A match made in animation heaven.

Last year, Aardman and Netflix released the first fruit of our collaboration, the acclaimed musical Robin Robin, which recently made the Oscars shortlist and BAFTA longlist for animated short films. Directed by Mikey Please and Dan Ojari, our beautiful animated short has sincerity, humour, and a warmth that you cannot fake. Born out of our shared passion for animation, compelling stories and timeless characters, this partnership laid the foundations for two upcoming projects we’re excited to share new details about.

First up is a project incredibly dear to the hearts of Aardman, and something that everyone at Netflix is excited about.

Fresh off his Emmy win for his supporting turn on “Mare of Easttown,” Evan Peters is sitting pretty in first place in our Screen Actors Guild Awards odds for limited series/TV movie actor. Just like at the Emmys, this would be his first SAG Award nomination, and should he take home the prize on Feb. 27, he’ll become the category’s second youngest winner ever.

Peters turns 35 on Jan. 20 and would be just the second thirtysomething to win the award after Darren Criss, the youngest winner at 31 when he triumphed for “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” in 2019. Prior to Criss, Gary Sinise was the youngest champ, having been 40 when he prevailed for “Truman” in 1996. Sinise nabbed a second statuette two years later for “George Wallace.”

The average winning age is 53.85. The two oldest champs are legends who never had a chance to win a SAG Award...

As the British filmmaker most often compared to French auteurs, Joanna Hogg has strangely never had any of her previous films shown in France. But it’s also fitting that her latest, “The Souvenir Part II,” premiered on Thursday in Cannes in the Directors’ Fortnight section.

The festival is also screening Part I, which came out in 2019, enabling audiences to catch up with the action before its sequel – although sequel isn’t quite the right term for this most delicate and exquisite of follow-ups. Aftermath might be more apposite.

The first film dealt with our lead character Julie (played by Honor Swinton Byrne) and her first days at film school in 1980s London, a period marked by a relationship with the charming but raffish Anthony (Tom Burke), who turned out to be a total lying heroin addict.

In the new film, time has gone by and Julie is completing her graduation film.

Aardman Animations–the UK-based studio behind Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep–presented a behind the scenes look and teaser trailer for its upcoming stop-motion animated musical holiday special, Robin Robin, Thursday during the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

The 30-minute program, which will debut Nov. 27 on Netflix, is the first original production to team Netflix with Aardman–whose work has won multiple Oscars for productions including Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, A Close Shave and The Wrong Trousers. This collaboration will continue with a sequel to Aardman’s Oscar-nominated feature Chicken Run and a Shaun the Sheep Christmas special.(Netflix recently ...

Aardman Animations–the UK-based studio behind Wallace & Gromit and Shaun the Sheep–presented a behind the scenes look and teaser trailer for its upcoming stop-motion animated musical holiday special, Robin Robin, Thursday during the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

The 30-minute program, which will debut Nov. 27 on Netflix, is the first original production to team Netflix with Aardman–whose work has won multiple Oscars for productions including Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, A Close Shave and The Wrong Trousers. This collaboration will continue with a sequel to Aardman’s Oscar-nominated feature Chicken Run and a Shaun the Sheep Christmas special.(Netflix recently ...

For creative technologist and screenwriter Jessie Hughes, female-driven animated television wasn’t easy to find growing up.

Aside from the odd exception, she found that most of the shows she preferred featured male leads crafted by male writers.

“All my favourite animated shows that I used to watch, such as Family Guy, American Dad, and South Park, had male leads,” she told If.

“Even Spongebob Squarepants has a male main character.

“When I realised that, I thought, ‘Oh, isn’t this odd?'”

It’s an imbalance Hughes hopes to address with her show Head Above Water, a subversive animated comedy series featuring feminist mermaids and exhausted sirens, being brought to life with the help of Brisbane-based motion studio Breeder.

Set in an underwater metropolis centred around the Department of Justice, the sirens go about their days devouring society’s bad apples, such as misogynists and mansplainers.

The 27-year-old crafted...

Clarence Williams III, an actor known for portraying Linc Hayes on “The Mod Squad” and Prince’s father in “Purple Rain,” died on June 4. He was 81.

Williams’ management confirmed his death to Variety, citing the cause as colon cancer.

Williams broke through in 1968 as one of the stars of the counterculture cop show “The Mod Squad,” also starring then-unknown actors Peggy Lipton and Michael Cole. He was a mainstay of the series until its end in 1973, and went on to have a career in film, television and theater spanning four decades.

Williams portrayed Prince’s father in 1984’s “Purple Rain” and had a recurring role as FBI Agent Roger Hardy on beloved TV show “Twin Peaks.” He also had a long-running collaboration with director John Frankenheimer, playing Bobby Shy in 1986’s “52 Pick-Up,” Chaka in 1994’s “Against the Wall,” Archie in the 1997 TV movie “George Wallace” and Merlin in 2000’s “Reindeer Games.

This Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. review contains no spoilers.

Marvel has already had a big year on the small screen through their Disney+ offerings WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, but on the heels of the latter’s finale comes a strange, quirky show to Hulu.

Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. takes the humor of Deadpool, the weirdness of WandaVision, and a small dash of the animation style from Wallace & Gromit to create something…even stranger than it sounds. This adult animated series comes in part from the brains behind Robot Chicken, which does a lot to explain how those three things can be mashed together–to varying degrees of success.

The conceit behind the series is that M.O.D.O.K. (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing), who has long been a part of the Marvel comics universe, has a family that lives in the suburbs.

Bubba Wallace Documentary Series Ordered For Netflix — Netflix has ordered a documentary series about NASCAR Cup Series driver Darrell “Bubba” Wallace. The series is currently in production and will follow Wallace behind the scenes of the 2021 NASCAR season as he competes for the newly formed 23Xi Racing team, which was created by Wallace, Michael Jordan, and [...]

Continue reading: Erik Parker’s Bubba Wallace NASCAR Documentary TV Series is currently in Production at Netflix...

Actor Tye Sheridan is wearing a different hat with his new media-tech startup — which he claims will let indie filmmakers deliver blockbuster-level VFX on a fraction of the budget.

Sheridan (above right) co-founded Wonder Dynamics with visual-effects artist Nikola Todorovic (above left). Over the last four years, the duo have been quietly experimenting with using artificial intelligence and machine learning to create interactive video applications. Now Wonder Dynamics is gearing up to introduce a new AI production tool that they promise will let independent artists produce dazzling VFX and CGI animations for far less than is required today.

“It breaks down the barriers to achieving your wildest vision,” Sheridan told Variety. “A lot of times people dream up this story but it’s not possible to make because it would cost $200 million. AI can democratize VFX.”

Sheridan, who starred in Steven Spielberg’s “Ready Player One,” and Todorovic have lined...

Throughout Emmy season, IndieWire will evaluate the top contenders for TV’s most prestigious prize, and it all starts here. At the bottom of this page are IndieWire TV Critic Ben Travers’ predictions for Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or TV Movie. This article will be updated throughout the coming months, along with all our predictions, to reflect an up-to-the-minute state of the race. Make sure to keep checking IndieWire for the latest coverage on the 2020 Emmys, including breaking news, analysis, interviews, podcasts, FYC event coverage, reviews of all the awards contenders, and more. The Creative Arts Emmy Awards will be given out the week of September 14. The 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will take place virtually on Sunday, September 20. (See our awards calendar for a more detailed breakdown of important dates.) ABC is broadcasting the ceremony.

Last Year’s Winner: Patricia Arquette, “The Act”

Still Eligible: No.

20 years after the original, a Chicken Run sequel is officially in the works. Aardman Animations announced today, on the two-decade anniversary of the first film, that they’re partnering with Netflix to make a sequel to their beloved stop-motion family movie about a bunch of chickens who escape their prison-like farm.

Chieken Run 2 will be directed by Sam Fell and produced by Steve Pegram (Arthur Christmas) and Leyla Hobart. Karey Kirkpatrick, John O’Farrell and Rachel Tunnard are penning the script, while Wallace and Gromit creator and Aardman Co-Founder Nick Park has a consulting role.

Peter Lord, Aardman Co-Founder and Creative Director, had this to say in a statement:

“Fans around the world have waited patiently for a sequel idea worthy of Chicken Run so we’re delighted to announce, on the 20th anniversary, that we’ve found the perfect story. Netflix feels like the ideal creative partner for this project too: they celebrate the film-maker,...

European Film Promotion’s networking program Producers on the Move will take place as a digital edition on its original dates – from May 11 to 15 – and independently of the Cannes Film Festival, which has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Twenty up-and-coming European producers will meet online and present their projects in speed meetings and roundtable sessions. A case study as well as talks with experts will round out the program.

Efp, a network of 37 European film promotion institutions, has selected the following producers from 20 different European countries: Vesela Kazakova (Bulgaria), Danijel Pek (Croatia), Mikuláš Novotny (Czech Republic), Monica Hellström (Denmark), Elina Litvinova (Estonia), Aleksi Hyvärinen (Finland), Andrea Queralt (France), Tanja Georgieva-Waldhauer (Germany), John Wallace (Ireland), Giovanni Pompili (Italy), Yll Uka (Kosovo), Marija Razgutė (Lithuania), Alan R. Milligan (Norway), Marta Habior (Poland), Mário Patrocínio (Portugal), Marina Gumzi (Slovenia), Olmo Figueredo González-Quevedo (Spain), Marie Kjellson (Sweden), Flavia Zanon (Switzerland) and Rupert Lloyd (U.

Shaun, everyone’s favorite sheep, is back, and this time he’s facing aliens and robots in “A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon.”

Directors Will Becher and Richard Phelan teamed together on this film for their first full-length collaboration. While the two have been working at Aardman Studios, Phelan’s background was as a story artist and Becher’s background was in animation. Producers saw the two as a perfect fit since they both had desires to direct.

“Wallace and Gromit” and “Shaun the Sheep” creator Nick Park sat in on initial meetings and story discussions about alien invasions and suggested the title, “Farmageddon.” As Becher and Phelan worked out the story, the idea started coming together and the “Farmageddon” title stuck.

When it came to brainstorming ideas, Phelan said, “We had fun with all the sci-fi tropes: Robots, secret government organizations and aliens coming to the farm. We looked...

Martin Luther King Jr., is a celebrated American icon. His wife, Coretta, was a beloved American public figure. President Lyndon Johnson was a colorful Texan, and Governor George Wallace was a good ol' boy son of the South from Alabama. In director Ava DuVernay's Best Picture nominee about the 1965 Selma civil-rights march, however, they're portrayed by David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, and Tim Roth, respectively, who share at least one thing in common: They're British. Selma isn't an exception—rather, the Brits seem to be everywhere lately. Last year's Best Picture winner, 12 Years a Slave, about a 19th-century...

Gary Sinise has been selected to topline CBS’s upcoming “Criminal Minds” spinoff.

The actor will take on the role of Jack Garrett, a 20-year veteran of the FBI, who is in charge of the bureau’s top team handling American cases abroad. The potential spinoff series will be filmed as a “Criminal Minds” episode, which is set to air in mid-February.

See photos: 21 Movie Sequels That Took Forever to Hit the Big Screen (Photos)

Erica Messer will write and executive produce the developing project; Mark Gordon and Nick Pepper are also set as executive producers.

The spinoff is produced...

Peter Bart and Mike Fleming Jr. worked together for two decades at Daily Variety. In this weekly column, two old friends get together and grind their axes, mostly on the movie business.

Bart: The demonstrations in Paris in response to the Charlie Hebdo assassinations have been stirring, but now come the inevitable debates about “correctness” and “sensitivities.” Salman Rushdie refers to emergence of the “but brigade” – those leaders who advocate free expression, but…

There’s no room for a “but” – and all the constraints that entails. Were the French cartoonists wrong in creating their cartoons? No, I applaud them. That’s what political satire is all about. Were Seth Rogen and James Franco wrong in depicting a specific North Korean dictator? No, their film was, once again, political satire — albeit a clumsy one — and specificity added to its relevance. At many American universities these days, scores of political speakers are...

Hollywood — AFI Fest sure did put together an awkward bloc of scheduling Tuesday night at the Egyptian Theatre. A moving story of a civil rights leader who was gunned down by a sniper followed by… "American Sniper," directed by a guy who talks to a chair and hates Obama. Ok, that's a little unfair, but after Chris Rock's zinger Saturday night, it was sort of hard for my mind not to go there with two films that deal with political ideologies in both overt and subtextual ways. Nevertheless, the onus was on Warner Bros. after Paramount finally vacated the theater around 8:30pm. Because anyone asked to follow Ava DuVernay's "Selma" would be facing a tall order as the film landed like some sort of game changer in this year's Oscar race. Honestly, I'm not convinced the studio knew what it had on its hands, but that sigh...

Angelina Jolie celebrates her 39th birthday today! The A-list actress made her silver screen debut at the early age of seven, when she appeared alongside her father, Jon Voight, in the film “Lookin’ to Get Out.” At the age of sixteen, Angelina began to seriously pursue acting and landed her first leading role in the straight-to-video film “Cyborg 2.” Jolie quickly rose to prominence as an actress and went on to win three Golden Globe Awards – the first was given for her performance in the TV movie “George Wallace,” she received a second Golden Globe for portraying the titular character in the HBO film “Gia,” and won a third for her breakout role as Lisa Rowe in “Girl, Interrupted.” Although she experienced success earl y on in her career, the starlet’s fame reached new heights when she was cast as the title role in the film “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,...

Many happy returns to Hollywood actress, director and Un ambassador Angelina Jolie, who turns 39 today (June 4).

To celebrate Jolie's big day, no doubt spent with partner Brad Pitt and their brood of six, we take a look back at the beautiful star's style evolution in pictures. From a sombre gothic through to androgynous cool and glamorous gowns - view her fashion transition below:

Angelina's first Oscars

Angelina Jolie attends her first ever Oscars with actor father Jon Voight in 1986, and her big-shouldered lacy dress couldn't be from any other decade.

At the Wallace premiere in 1997

A forlorn-looking Angelina Jolie wears dark smoky make-up with a matching hair band and a camel-coloured strapless dress, which looks as sombre as her mood, as she arrives at the George Wallace premiere in '97.

The Gia screening in '98

Angelina Jolie goes for gothic-style dark eye make-up and a plunging black dress with...

It's hard to believe Angelina Jolie has been a fixture of Hollywood for almost 20 years now.

Ever since breaking out in the late '90s with a string of critically-acclaimed performances, the actress quickly established herself as an international star. Between headlining hits like "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" and directing passion projects like "In the Land of Blood and Honey," Jolie is perhaps the biggest Hollywood spokesperson of humanitarian efforts worldwide. This summer, however, Jolie can be seen taking a wicked turn in Disney's "Maleficent" -- a re-imagining of "Sleeping Beauty" from the villain's point-of-view.

From her Oscar-winning godfather to her curiosity with blood, here are 33 things you probably don't know about Angelina Jolie.

1. Jolie was born June 4, 1975 in Los Angeles to Jon Voight and Marcheline Bertrand, both actors.

2. The actress was born Angelina Jolie Voight, but she legally dropped her surname "Voight" in 2002.

3. She is the goddaughter of actress Jacqueline Bisset and actor Maximilian Schell.

CBS’ Under the Dome has been an intriguing if not downright entertaining drama after only two weeks on the air. I can’t say for sure that I love what they’re doing with the concept, but I don’t dislike it, not by a long shot. There’s something here and I feel like, as time goes, Under the Dome’s mystery will become big enough that it’ll suck audiences into it, much in the same way the intense gravity of a black hole sucks in all light. Mare Winningham joined the series to help make that mystery all the more mysterious, taking a role that will certainly leave behind questions begging for answers.

Winningham will guest star as the mysterious Agatha, says THR, a seemingly warm woman serving as a caretaker for a house under the dome. She welcomes Big Jim (Dean Norris) into the house, but...

Taxi Driver, North by Northwest, The Manchurian Candidate, JFK – there's a rich history of assassinations in American film. But what's the difference between the accidental killer and the glamorously rebellious hitman?

It was Monday 31 March 1981, coming up to 2.30pm, and John Hinckley was fidgeting by the Florida Avenue entrance of the Washington Hilton, catching the attention of a police lieutenant who stopped to stare over at him. Hinckley jostled with reporters too, complaining that the press were always getting in the way, before finding a place to stand among the TV cameras. It drizzled, off and on, and the sidewalk was damp. His speech inside finished, President Reagan came out of the hotel, flanked by security men, acknowledging the few onlookers across the street and the small crowd of pressmen on the sidewalk beside him. For a moment, Hinckley asked himself the question: "Should I do this or not?" A journalist shouted to the president,...

When Mare Winningham won her first Emmy Award in 1980, she was not allowed to attend the ceremony. As she explained in a chat with Gold Derby, "That was a special night because I had no expectations, no clue that I would win plus it was coupled with the regrettable actors' strike, so none of us went to the awards. At the time, I was actually friends with Dennis Weaver and had played his daughter in that movie that I was nominated for, which was called 'Amber Waves.' I think he was president of SAG at the time, or if he wasn't, he was just the past president. He let me know, 'You're not going to that thing.' Winningham repeated as Best TV Movie/Miniseries Supporting Actress in 1998 for "George Wallace," and was there to accept that Emmy in person. She contends for the fifth time in that category...

Gary Sinise will be where most people now expect him to be on Memorial Day weekend.

With war veteran Lt. Dan in the Oscar-winning 1994 movie "Forrest Gump" among his most famous roles, the "CSI: NY" star rejoins longtime friend and fellow CBS personality Joe Mantegna ("Criminal Minds") in Washington, D.C., to host PBS' telecast of the National Memorial Day Concert for the seventh consecutive year Sunday (May 27).

"Every year, they have it so well-organized," Sinise tells Zap2it. "Joe and I know our place, and we've been through the staging and the various aspects of it, so we just fall into it and it all comes together in the end."

Among other performers slated to appear in the event on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol: Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn; Vietnam War veteran and four-time Emmy winner Dennis Franz, in his first major television appearance since "NYPD Blue...

Yesterday came the news (via Deadline’s Mike Fleming) that Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey, will be released in the official language of Bosnia, known by the acronym Bhs. Jolie shot each scene of the film, which takes place in Bosnia, in both Bhs and English, but its distributor, FilmDistrict, has decided to go with the subtitled version here in North America. “It was always my hope that U.S. audiences would have the opportunity to experience this version,” Jolie said in a statement.

Blood and Honey, which will be released Dec. 23, hasn...

Relativity has hit an unfortunate snag on their big action thriller "The Hunter Killer."  According to Moviehole, director Philip Noyce has dropped out of the project, which he had been attached to since this past February.   This news comes on the heels of rumors of Gerard "needs a super badass role" circling one of the lead roles. Noyce has made his made his name directing high-octane political/action thrillers such as "Patriot Games," "Clear and Present Danger" and "Salt" and "Killer" was more of the same.  It's based on Don Keith and George Wallace's novel "Firing Point," and is more of an ensemble piece than Noyce's Jack Ryan and Angelina Jolie extravaganzas.  It has the delightful team up of a American sub commander and a Navy Seal team who must rescue the Russian president, defeat a renegade Russian admiral, and thwart his coup of the government. Reportedly, Noyce feels...

Relativity has hit an unfortunate snag on their big action thriller "The Hunter Killer."  According to Moviehole, director Philip Noyce has dropped out of the project, which he had been attached to since this past February.   This news comes on the heels of rumors of Gerard "needs a super badass role" circling one of the lead roles. Noyce has made his made his name directing high-octane political/action thrillers such as "Patriot Games," "Clear and Present Danger" and "Salt" and "Killer" was more of the same.  It's based on Don Keith and George Wallace's novel "Firing Point," and is more of an ensemble piece than Noyce's Jack Ryan and Angelina Jolie extravaganzas.  It has the delightful team up of a American sub commander and a Navy Seal team who must rescue the Russian president, defeat a renegade Russian admiral, and thwart his coup of the government. Reportedly, Noyce feels...

Gary Sinise has played Det. Mac Taylor on CSI: New York for seven seasons. He co-founded the esteemed Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago when he was only 18 years old, directed and starred in a sterling cinematic adaptation of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men, and played larger-than-life politicians Harry Truman and George Wallace in award-winning television movies. But chances are, you know him first and last as Lieutenant Dan. His Oscar-nominated role as a disabled and angry Vietnam War veteran in 1994’s Forrest Gump resonated with audiences, and when he began visiting soldiers with the Uso, everyone recognized him immediately as that character.

Phillip Noyce will direct Relativity Media's political thriller "Hunter Killer."According to Variety, the film is an adaptation of George Wallace and Don Keith's novel "Firing Point."John Kolvenbach and Arne Schmidt wrote the first draft of the script with Jamie Moss doing a rewrite.The film follows an untested submarine captain who joins forces with a Navy Seal team to save the Russian president and stop a crazed Russian general from starting World War III. Relativity's Ryan Kavanaugh is producing with Neal Moritz and Toby Jaffe of Original Film.Production is expected to begin before the end of the year.Noyce recently directed the Angelina Jolie action film "Salt." His other credits include two films in Paramount's Jack Ryan franchise; "Clear and Present Danger"...

Relativity Media's Hunter Killer will be directed by Phillip Noyce (Salt), based on the Don Keith and George Wallace's novel "Firing Point." John Kolvenbach and Arne Schmidt initially adapted the novel prior to Jamie Moss (X-Men: First Class) doing a rewrite. Variety reports that it was in fact Moss' take on the story that caught Noyce's attention. Hunter Killer tells of an untested submarine captain who teams up with a Navy Seal team in an attempt to rescue the Russian president and stop a rogue Russian General from sparking a third World War. Noyce directed two installments in the Jack Ryan action franchise as well as the recent Angelina Jolie starrer Salt which pocketed close to a solid $300 million worldwide...

Director Philip Noyce is a hot commodity again, thanks to the success of his Angelina Jolie-starrer Salt, which earned modest critical praise (%61 on Rt) and a hefty chunk of box office change (nearly $300 million worldwide). After big-time success in the early 90s (Patriot Games, Clear And Present Danger), the filmmaker offered up two Hollywood non-starters in a row (1997′s The Saint and 1999′s The Bone Collector). He then spent the 2000s making independent dramas with a political bent to them (The Quiet American, Rabbit-Proof Fence and Catch A Fire). All three were impressive but criminally underseen.

Now he’s got offers coming in for fare like Hunter Killer, an action-thriller based on an unpublished novel, titled Firing Point, by Don Keith and George Wallace. The plot concerns “an American submarine commander and a Navy Seal team, who join forces to rescue a Russian president in danger of being overthrown...

Last year he delivered a decent, though completely unbelievably action thriller with Angelina Jolie in Salt. Now it looks like director Phillip Noyce has found his next project in the form of a Black Hawk Down style adaptation. Moviehole reports they've heard the director is in talks to helm an adaptation of Don Keith and George Wallace's unpublished novel Firing Point. Going by the title Hunter Killer, the story follows an American sub commander and a Navy Seal team that must rescue the Russian president and defeat a renegade admiral who’s attempting a coup. The project has been actually in the works since 2008. Pierre Morel (Taken) was once attached to the project, but he's since fallen away from it. Last we heard about a new project from Noyce was his negotiations to direct Timeless from a script by Enchanted screenwriter Bill Kelly. Before that, the director ...

Is there a movie star that the public is more wary of than Angelina Jolie? Tom Cruise has become the punchline to an overextended joke. But bring up Jolie in conversation and you're apt to hear something like fear.

Beneath the complaints about how weird she is, or the desperate claims she's not that beautiful or talented, or the disapproval over her breaking up Brad Pitt's marriage to Jennifer Aniston, snakes a thin coppery current of unease. It's always been something with Jolie. At first, it was her goth look and her tattoos and her public affection toward her brother.

Then, it was her marriage to Billy Bob Thornton and the vials of each other's blood they wore around their necks. (If "Wuthering Heights" were published today, there'd be people worrying that Heathcliff and Cathy don't seem to be making healthy choices.) Motherhood is a role fetishized across the board,...

Mark Valley left his bike in Vancouver. It's there with his radio, some clothes, and hiking gear. He left the items for good luck, and, he admits, so he can playfully brag later if his show Human Target gets picked up for more episodes beyond its current 12. ("I'll say 'Oh, of course it got picked up,"' he says in a faux haughty tone, "'I left my stuff there."') They haven't heard anything yet, but he's hopeful. "I think there's more story to be told." The same can be said of Valley's personal rise to fame. Sitting down with EW.