Actor Alan Rickman, Known for Movies Including 'Harry Potter' Series, Dies at 69
Acclaimed actor Alan Rickman died Thursday in London after a battle with cancer. An actor for more than 30 years, Rickman had a loyal fanbase and was long respected for his acting chops. Perhaps best known for his roles in the "Harry Potter" films, and action movie "Die Hard," the English actor was also a star of plays and a director. Fans and colleagues, including Daniel Radcliffe, have taken to social media to express an outpouring of grief. [The Guardian]
“The Revenant” Leads Oscar Race with 12 Nominations...
The Western drama "The Revenant" topped this year’s Academy Award race with 12 nominations, including best picture. The film following frontiersmen in the 1820s also earned Oscar nominations for Leonardo DiCaprio as best actor and Alejandro Inarritu as best director. The action thriller "Mad Max: Fury Road" followed with 10 nominations, including best picture. Other nominees for best picture include “Spotlight,” “Bridge of Spies,” “The Big Short,” "Brooklyn, “The Martian” and “Room.” [NYT & Washington Post]
...But Once Again The Oscars Are Really, Really White
For the second year in a row, not a single performer of color received an Oscar nomination for an acting role, and we’re talking about the year of" Beasts of No Nation," "Straight Outta Compton," and "Creed." With news of yet another year of very white Oscar nominations, people took to social media with the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite to decry the lack of diversity.
The complete list of this year’s nominees can be found here.
The Oscars ceremony will air on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 8:30 p.m. [Washington Post]
Send David Bowie a Final Message
The Belgium online radio station JoeFM is letting fans beam a message to space for David Bowie as a final tribute. The site “Send a Last Message to Major Tom” allows fan to write a message that they’ll then transmit “to somewhere far above the moon.” Fans have been wishing the Starman a safe journey, while others are thanking him for his music and the work he did. [Creativity]
Slate Hails Food Critic Pete Wells a 'Populist Hero'
New York Times food critic Pete Wells recently savaged the esteemed New York restaurant Per Se, inspiring Slate writer Jordan Weissman to hail him as “a kind of populist hero” thanks to how much his reviews emphasize fairness. He knocked Per Se from four stars down to two in part for being a horrible deal and treated the restaurant Daniel similarly in 2013, removing its four-star rating because he believed staffers were giving worse service to customers that they didn’t think were important. [Slate]
Spanish Politician Criticized for Bringing 5-Month Old Baby into Parliament
A member of a Spanish anti-austerity political party brought her baby into work with her, but Spain’s Interior Minister characterized the move as politically-driven, given that there’s a nursery on site in the Parliament building. Women’s groups said the move perpetuates stereotypes about women having a primary role as caregivers. [Quartz]
'Friends' Cast to Reunite for Special Next Month
Ross and Rachel fans the world over are celebrating this week, after news broke that the main cast of the hit '90s sitcom will be back together again on NBC for a two-hour special honoring the show’s director, James Burrows. The special will air in February. [EW]
Netflix and Chill, NBC Says of Ratings for Streamed Shows
There’s been a lot of ink spilled about the recent success of Netflix’s original series, including "Jessica Jones," "Master of None" and "Narcos." But NBC is putting a big wet blanket on that buzz with the release of ratings data they’ve gleaned from a weird, Big Brother-ish program that listens to the audio of shows people watch on streaming devices. According to a Vox report, between 3.2 and 4.8 million viewers watched each of those show's episodes. Those are kind of puny numbers when compared to the 12 million people who tune in for the "The Voice" on NBC every week. [Vox]
One of the Largest Dinosaurs Ever Found is Prepared for its Debut at the American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History will unveil a 122-foot-long titanosaur replica, which is actually too big to fit inside the museum, according to the New York Times. The museum has installed the cast piece by piece, however. A gallery of the installation shows workers hauling the bones in and assembling the massive beast. [NYT]
This column was complied by DNAinfo reporters Jeanmarie Evelly, Emily Frost, Noah Hurowitz, Ewa Kern-Jedrychowska, Carolina Pichardo, Irene Plagianos, Eddie Small, Rachel Holliday Smith and Shaye Weaver.
