CYNTHIA ERIVO

Screenwriter Gregory Allen Howard, who skillfully adapted stories of historical Black figures in “Remember the Titans” starring Denzel Washington, “Ali” with Will Smith and “Harriet” with Cynthia Erivo, has died.

It’s easy to forget that the Netflix original film department is still rather young.

This week’s new entertainment releases include fresh music from John Legend and Kane Brown, Samantha Morton stars as the 16th-century queen Catherine de Medici in an edgy Starz series and a race between two upcoming “Pinocchio” films begins with Robert Zemeckis’ adaptation.

Robert De Niro was the honored guest at the 28th annual amfAR Gala Cannes, where one lucky guest won an auction to have lunch with the actor and a piece of his family history.

Jon Batiste won album of the year honors for “We Are” at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, giving him five trophies on a night that saw the ’70s funk of Silk Sonic take record of the year and song of the year and newcomer Olivia Rodrigo take three awards.

Zendaya brought too many wow-moments to count.

Michaela Jaé “Mj” Rodriguez wore vintage Versace Atelier in teal in an homage to Old Hollywood, her hair flowing down her back, at Sunday's slimmed-down Emmy Awards in Los Angeles.

This week’s new entertainment releases include new music from Lindsey Buckingham and Scott McCreery, as well as the return of Clint Eastwood, who has gone back to his Western roots with “Cry Macho,” starring as a former rodeo star hired to bring a young man in Mexico back to his father in the U.S. Fans of TV's “The Morning Show” will also get to see Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell and Billy Crudup kick off Season 2.

Hope for the future of cinema was front of mind for many as the Venice International Film Festival kicked off Wednesday on the Lido.

A superstar-laden Central Park concert meant to celebrate New York City’s recovery from the coronavirus was cut short because of severe weather as Hurricane Henri approached.

When Vanessa Williams hosts this year’s televised Capitol Fourth celebration, she will not only honor the nation’s traditional independence day, but also the country’s newly designated holiday — Juneteenth.

This week’s new entertainment releases include documentaries about celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck and another on a landmark 1969 Harlem concert series known as “Black Woodstock” that featured Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone.

It was a family affair at the Billboard Music Awards: Pink twirled in the air in a powerful performance with her daughter, and Drake was named artist of the decade, accepting the honor alongside his 3-year-old son.

This combination photo shows actress Michaela Coel, from left, Andra Day, Cynthia Erivo, Whoopi Goldberg and Zendaya. Essence announced on Tuesday, March 30, 2021, that the actresses are among the honorees at this year's Essence Black Women in Hollywood event. (AP Photo)LOS ANGELES – Whoopi Goldberg, Andra Day and Zendaya will be among the honorees at this year's Essence Black Women in Hollywood event, which will be livestreamed during Oscars week for the first time this year. Essence on Tuesday announced the honorees for the 14th annual ceremony on April 22. In addition to the Emmy-, Grammy-, Oscar- and Tony-winner Goldberg and “Euphoria” star Zendaya, they include actor, singer and songwriter Cynthia Erivo and actor Michaela Coel.

10 — Nominations for “Mank," the most of any film this year, with nods for best picture, best director for Fincher, best actor for Gary Oldman and best supporting actress for Seyfried. In the best supporting actor category, Heath Ledger and Ralph Richardson were nominated, with Ledger winning for “The Dark Knight” in 2009. 4 — Nominations received by “Nomadland” director Chloé Zhao, a record for a woman in a record year for women. 1 — Man nominated for both best actor and best original song. ___This story has been corrected to reflect that Olivia Colman won best actress in 2019, not 2020.

(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)NEW YORK – A night after winning the top Grammy Award for songwriting, R&B singer H.E.R. Leslie Odom Jr. will also compete for best original song with “Speak Now” from “One Night in Miami...," which he wrote with Sam Ashworth. AdSongs by John Legend, Mary J. Blige, Janelle Monae and Robert Glasper were shortlisted for best original song but didn't make the final cut. The duo of Reznor and Ross have won a number of awards for their scoring work, including an Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe. Terence Blanchard (“Da 5 Bloods"), Emile Mosseri (“Minari") and James Newton Howard (“News of the World") round out the best original score nominees.

Doja Cat arrives at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Sunday, March 14, 2021. He was on hand in person but earlier created an Instagram red carpet moment with his daughter since no kids were allowed at the Los Angeles show. “I actually created a step and repeat and a red carpet,” she told reporters during a virtual news conference before the show. AdDue to pandemic precautions, the “red carpet” was not the usual mass of cameras and TV crews. AdAll three wore Gucci.

FILE - Actress Cynthia Erivo poses for a portrait during the Toronto International Film Festival in Toronto on Sept. 10, 2019. Erivo portrays Aretha Franklin in the National Geographic miniseries Genius: Aretha. (Photo by Arthur Mola/Invision/AP, File)NEW YORK – “The Color Purple” turned into Grammy, Tony and Emmy gold for Cynthia Erivo. The performer’s brilliant performance in the Broadway revival won her the 2016 Tony for best actress in a musical. “I guess I didn’t expect to be this close this soon,” Erivo told The Associated Press of her almost-EGOT status.

And they were ready, style wise, as the Globes split hosts, with Amy Poehler at the Beverly Hilton and Tina Fey at the Rainbow Room in New York. Backstage after the show, Sudeikis told reporters he owns a multitude of hoodies but chose the one emblazoned with “Forward” on the front and “Listen + Lead” on the back as fitting for the unusual night. “I wanted to feel festive and go for it,” she told NBC. Sarah Paulson held her little black pooch on screen and Emma Corrin's fluffy white cat grabbed a moment for itself. AdLydia Marks, a New York set decorator, told The Associated Press the evening's technical challenges were many.

This combination photo shows, from left, Awkwafina, Cynthia Erivo, Joaquin Phoenix, Kristen Wiig and Renee Zellweger, who are among the first presenters announced for the Golden Globes awards ceremony. (AP Photo)LOS ANGELES – “Barb and Star” are headed to the Golden Globes — actors Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo will be among the presenters at the upcoming ceremony. Wiig and Mumolo's latest film, “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” was released last week and some are already calling the campy film a cult classic. She’s won Golden Globes for her acting “Klute,” “Julia” and “Coming Home.”Norman Lear will be honored with the Carol Burnett Award, a counterpart to the DeMille Award that focuses on life achievement in television. Netflix dominated the nominations earlier this month, with its film “Mank” and its television series “The Crown” the leading nominees.

This combination photo shows Leslie Odom Jr. posing for a portrait on Nov. 8, 2019 in New York, from left, H.E.R. On Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021, Leslie Odom Jr., H.E.R. and Andra Day were announced along with Celeste and Diane Warren as the Golden Globe nominees for best original song. Day and Odom Jr. follow the footsteps of Mary J. Blige, Lady Gaga and Cynthia Erivo, who all recently scored acting and music nods in a single year. However, the tracks can compete for best original song at the Oscars.

(AP Photo)LOS ANGELES – Yes, 2020 may seem like a complete fail with all the constant bad news and tragic moments. It’s been filled with gloom and doom, but some celebrities and those inspired by them have tried to brighten a bleak year. He reassigned his 10 seamstresses in New York to produce thousands daily for health care workers on the frontlines. The singer and husband Emilio Estefan's restaurant Estefan Kitchen served up homemade meals for health care workers in Miami. The challenge coordinated offers by celebrities and athletes to raise funds to feed those in need during the pandemic.

And it earned him his first Grammy nomination in six years. 3 spot on the pop charts — is up for best rap song and best rap performance. And Anderson .Paak's “Lockdown," about police brutality and racial injustice, is up for best melodic rap performance and best music video. JAY-Z, THE SONGWRITERS, SHINESHappy wife, happy life: Jay-Z has lent his songwriting hand to his wife Beyoncé and he's earned Grammy nominations for it. PAUL McCARTNEY, THE ART DIRECTORPaul McCartney scored his 79th Grammy nominations this year — as an art director.

2020 Oscar snubs spark diversity backlashThis year's Academy Award nominations have created new controversy over whether the Oscars are too white and too male. Nineteen out of the 20 acting nominees on Monday are white. The exception is Best Actress nominee Cynthia Erivo, who starred in the movie "Harriet." All of the Best Director nominees are men, even though women directed several of this year's best regarded movies. "Entertainment Tonight" host Kevin Frazier reports on the backlash over the lack of diversity.

"Harriet" stars Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman, the woman who escaped slavery and came to be known as the "Moses" of her people for leading others to freedom. (CNN) - A series of controversies surrounding the new biopic "Harriet" doesn't appear to have kept people away opening weekend. But not everyone enjoyed the film and some took exception with the inclusion of a black bounty hunter in the film. "I would say it took a lot of hard work to get to this place [of playing Harriet Tubman] and I didn't take it lightly," Erivo said. "It was a really, really positive relationship and very exciting what we were able to do."

"Harriet" stars Cynthia Erivo as Harriet Tubman, the woman who escaped slavery and came to be known as the "Moses" of her people for leading others to freedom. This is part of the reason why she didn't make one with her latest project about the life of Harriet Tubman. "Harriet" (to be released Nov. 1) stars Cynthia Erivo as Tubman, the woman who escaped slavery and came to be known as the "Moses" of her people for leading others to freedom. "Her presence is very powerful for me," the director said, touching a necklace she wears with a medallion that honors Tubman. And what is Lemmons willing to die for?

Harriet Tubman's road to freedomHarriet Tubman, a tiny woman who could neither read nor write, pulled off superheroine-like exploits in the years before the Civil War. With the help of the Underground Railroad, she not only escaped from a Maryland plantation to freedom in the North, she went back, 13 times over 10 years, to guide more than 70 enslaved people to freedom. And during the war, she became the first American woman to lead troops into battle, near Beaufort, S.C. Martha Teichner visits historic sites that were part of Tubman's remarkable life story, and with actress Cynthia Erivo, who plays the iconic figure in a new biopic, "Harriet."

Best movie cast ever? "Zombieland: Double Tap"The theme of sequel movies hitting theaters this fall continues with a follow-up to 2009's dark comedy "Zombieland." Release date: Nov. 1. The sequel looks even wilder and more imaginative than the first, and we've only seen the trailer. Release date: Nov. 22.