Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr recently opened up about the viral joke that host Jimmy Kimmel had made about the actor's addiction issues on Oscars night. Hollywood star Robert Downey Jr has finally opened up about how he feels regarding host Jimmy Kimmel's viral Oscar joke regarding his addiction issues. While many people deemed the joke problematic, Downey Jr himself is not too bothered about it. Speaking to Esquire, Robert Downey Jr said, "I don’t care. I love Jimmy Kimmel. I think he’s a national treasure.” That night, Downey won an Oscar for his role in the Christopher Nolan directorial, Oppenheimer. Prior to his win, Kimmel had made a joke about how the night is one of the 'highest' points of his career. The camera then panned to Downey, who laughed and pointed towards his nose and then mimed the words 'keep it moving' to Jimmy. In the same interview, Downey's close friend, Jodie Foster, said that she was worried for Downey's health at one point. “I took him aside at one point during filming and said, ‘Look, I couldn’t be more grateful for what you’ve given in this film. But I’m scared of what happens to you next. Right now, you are incredibly good at balancing on the barstool. But it’s really precarious, and I’m not sure how that’s going to end,'” Jodie told the publication. Downey has been open about battling addiction. On the work front, he will next be seen in Park Chan-wook's TV series, The Sympathizer.  Source: India Today  

Michelle Yeoh acknowledges she may have confused Emma Stone at the Oscars on Sunday. Yeoh and fellow best actress Oscar winners Sally Field, Jennifer Lawrence, Charlize Theron and Jessica Lange were all on stage to present the award for the category. After Yeoh announced Stone had won for her performance in “Poor Things,” she handed the Oscar statuette to Lawrence, who gave it to Stone. Yeoh took to Instagram Monday to explain the gesture. “Congratulations Emma!! I confused you, but I wanted to share that glorious moment of handing over Oscar to you together with your best friend Jennifer!! She reminded me of my Bae Jamie Lee Curtis. always there for each other!!” she wrote. Yeoh won her own best actress Oscar 2023 for her role in “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” while Jamie Lee Curtis won the Academy Award for supporting actress for her performance in the same film. Stone and Lawrence have been close friends for years. In her acceptance speech, Stone said, “It’s about a team that came together to make something greater than the sum of its parts. And that is the best part about making movies. It’s all of us together.”

A 97-year-old Mel Brooks accepted a lifetime achievement Oscar in Hollywood on Tuesday, more than half a century after he won his only Academy Award with "The Producers." At a black-tie gala, Brooks -- who memorably sent up Adolf Hitler in seminal satire "The Producers," as well as exposing racial bigotry in films like "Blazing Saddles" -- joked that he felt bad about the fate of his previous Oscar for best original screenplay.  "I miss it so much. I never should have sold it," he said, to raucous laughter in the ballroom. "I won't sell this one, I swear to God!" Brooks added. The legendary US comic and filmmaker is already one of the select few entertainers to win an Oscar, Emmy, Tony, and Grammy -- collectively called an "EGOT" -- across a career spanning eight decades. His latest honor came at the Governors Awards, hosted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which each year honors four beloved industry veterans, many of whom are felt to have not received their dues at the regular Oscars.  Angela Bassett, who was Oscar-nominated for playing Tina Turner in "What's Love Got to Do With It" and Queen Ramonda in 2022 superhero sequel "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," without winning either, was also honored Tuesday. Noting that she was only the second Black actress to earn an honorary Oscar, after Cicely Tyson, Bassett paid tribute to other Black female Hollywood pioneers such as Hattie McDaniel, who won an Oscar for "Gone with the Wind" in 1940. It would be another half-century until McDaniel was followed by Whoopi Goldberg. "My prayer is that we leave this industry more enriched, forward-thinking and inclusive than we found it," said Bassett.  "A future where there won't be a 'first', or an 'only', or suspense around whether 'history will be made' with a nomination or a win."   - 'Voting' - As well as reflecting on stellar careers, the Governors Awards represent a key chance for this year's Oscars hopefuls to schmooze and network with Academy voters on behalf of their latest films. Attendees included Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr and Florence Pugh on behalf of "Oppenheimer," and Greta Gerwig and Margot Robbie for "Barbie." Emma Stone -- fresh from her Golden Globes win for "Poor Things" -- also attended, as did Paul Giamatti from "The Holdovers," and Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese on behalf of "Killers of the Flower Moon." "It's award season. There's a lot of emotion and expectation in the air. Some of you are probably even aware that voting ends in seven days," joked the night's host, comedian John Mulaney. This year's Governors Awards were delayed due to the Hollywood actors' strike, which prevented stars from working or promoting their movies for months, before a deal with studios was clinched in November. The night's other honorees were "E.T" editor Carol Littleton, and Michelle Satter, founding senior director of the Sundance Institute's Artist Programs, which have helped foster the early careers of filmmakers from Quentin Tarantino to "Everything Everywhere All At Once" directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.  The 96th Academy Awards will take place on March 10.   Source: Bennington Banner

The South African ex-Paralympian served almost nine years for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius claimed he shot her thinking it was an intruder, something the model's family find hard to believe.   South African athlete Oscar Pistorius was released on parole on Friday, nearly 11 years after murdering his then-girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in an incident the former Paralympic star claimed was an act of self-defense. "The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is able to confirm that Oscar Pistorius is a parolee, effectively from 5 January 2024. He was admitted into the system of Community Corrections and is now at home," the DCS said in a statement.   The athlete killed Steenkamp, a 29-year-old law graduate and model, by firing four shots through the bathroom door at his Pretoria home in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013. Pistorius, now 37, has repeatedly said he believed that he was shooting at an intruder while his girlfriend was lying asleep in his bed. Prosecutors argued he killed her intentionally during a late-night argument. The sprint star, who has been a double-amputee since infancy and dubbed "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fiber prosthetic legs, was sentenced to 13 years and five months in prison following a trial that gripped not only South Africa, but also the watching world.   Changing sentences In October 2014, Pistorius was initially sentenced to a maximum of five years for culpable homicide for killing Steenkamp. He was released on house arrest in October 2015 after serving one sixth of his sentence. However, the state appealed, and in December 2015, the Supreme Court of Appeal overturned the conviction for culpable homicide, finding him guilty of murder instead and sentencing him to six years. The sentence was later increased to 13 years after prosecutors argued the punishment was too lenient.   In November 2023, a panel granted him release on parole after recognizing he had completed the minimum detention requirement under South African law. At the time of the killing, Pistorius was at the peak of his career having won six gold medals over three Paralympic Games.   What are the conditions of Pistorius' parole? Pistorius' parole conditions include several restrictions, such as a curfew limiting when he can leave his house, a prohibition on alcohol consumption, and mandatory participation in an anger management program. He will also have to undergo a program on violence against women, as well as perform community service.   Pistorius was expected to initially live at his uncle's mansion in the upscale suburb of Waterkloof in Pretoria. He will not be allowed to leave that district authorization.   He will have to meet regularly with his parole officers and will be subjected to unannounced visits by authorities. The former Olympic athlete is also barred from talking to the media until his sentence expires in 2029. Violation of any of these conditions could result in his return to jail.   What is the Steenkamp family's stance? The family of Reeva Steenkamp say they believe Pistorius intentionally killed his girlfriend after becoming enraged in an argument. While the family did not oppose his parole application in November last year, Steenkamp's mother June said in a victim statement that she did not believe Pistorius had been fully rehabilitated. She said she still believed Pistorius was lying about the killing but had managed to forgive him as "I would not be able to survive if I had to cling to my anger."   June also said she believed Pistorius was still refusing to admit to "the dastardly murder of Reeva." She only wanted him to one day come clean, she said. In new comments on Friday, June said that she had accepted Pistorius' parole as part of South African law, but added: "There can never be justice if your loved one is never coming back, and no amount of time served will bring Reeva back." "We, who remain behind, are the ones serving a life sentence," she said.

Authorities found Oscar Pistorius had not served enough time for the murder of Reeva Steenkamp to qualify for release. Her parents also opposed his parole application. A parole board in South Africa has denied parole to Oscar Pistorius, the former Paralympic champion jailed for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius applied to be released early after serving half of his 13-year jail sentence for murdering Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in 2013. The department of correctional services said he was denied parole because he hasn't served a 'minimum detention period.' He could only be considered for parole again in August next year.  At a hearing on Friday at the Atteridgeville prison near the capital Pretoria, Steenkamp's mother asked the parole board not to release her daughter's murderer. Ahead of the hearing, she told reporters he was "not remorseful or rehabilitated." "I've just received a call from the parole board ...It is a huge sense of relief for June," Steenkamp's lawyer Tania Koen said. Pistorius met with Steenkamp's parents Pistorius met Steenkamp's parents last year as part of a process that authorities say aims to ensure inmates "acknowledge the harm they have caused to their victims and the society at large." He was jailed in 2016 for a six-year term, but that sentence increased to 13 years after an appeal by prosecutors who argued the initial sentence was too lenient. During his highly publicized trial, the man dubbed the "Blade Runner" for his carbon-fiber prosthetic legs, denied killing Steenkamp in a rage, saying he mistook her for a burglar. He shot her several times through a locked bathroom door in his Pretoria home. A year before killing Steenkamp, Pistorius became the first double amputee to race in the Olympics, competing at the 2012 London Games. He also won several gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Paralympics in Athens and Beijing. He became a household name worldwide and was courted by sponsors, but it all came crashing down after the killing.

Oscar Morel, a New York City man, was convicted Friday of first-degree murder for the broad daylight killings of a Muslim Bangladeshi cleric and his assistant, reports UNB. A state Supreme Court jury convicted Oscar Morel, 37, in the fatal shootings of Imam Maulana Akonjee and Thara Uddin, his friend and assistant. The men were shot as they walked home following prayers on Aug. 13, 2016. Richard A. Brown, district attorney of the borough of Queens, called the killings "a senseless act of gun violence in the middle of the afternoon and carried out in a close-knit neighborhood filled with families and children." Brown said in a statement that he hopes the verdict "will bring some closure to the family and many friends of the two men killed." Morel, of Brooklyn, was convicted following a nearly three-week-long trial. Jurors deliberated for about a day and found Morel guilty of one count of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and one count of second-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He faces life in prison without the possibility of parole when he is sentenced April 18. Some in New York City's Muslim community called the attack on the two Bangladeshi immigrants a hate crime, but prosecutors said the killer's motive was unclear. Afaf Nasher, the executive director of the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, released a statement on behalf of the victims' families expressing gratitude for the conviction. "Maulana and Thara came to this country in search of a better life, instead they found Mr. Morel's hatred," the statement said. "Nothing can ever replace what Mr. Morel took from us, but this verdict helps show that this city will never accept this sort of heartbreaking violence." Prosecutors said Morel approached 55-year-old Akonjee and 64-year-old Uddin from behind as they left the Al-Furqan Jame Masjid mosque and shot them both in the head. The victims were rushed to a hospital, where they died. Morel was arrested the following day after police connected him to a hit-and-run crash near the shooting scene. Prosecutors said the police ballistics lab linked a .38-caliber revolver recovered from Morel's basement to the shootings. Morel denied involvement in the killings. The New York Post reported that defense lawyer Michael Schwed told jurors during the trial that police had planted the murder weapon in Morel's home. Justice Gregory Lasak instructed jurors to disregard Schwed's remark. Schwed said he would appeal the verdict against his client.   FU