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A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit. It is now just two weeks and counting until ballots go out to Oscar voters. Except that with the speed of this shortened season, which will bring us on February 9 the earliest Oscar show ever, a lot of Academy members just getting into holiday-break…

For Trevor Noah and his crew at The Daily Show, the ongoing Democratic presidential debates are the comedy gift that keeps on giving. Tonight’s showdown in Los Angeles was no exception, as the online team at Comedy Central stayed on the job, even though the narrow field elminated some of the richer comedic foils of…

Depending on which side of the aisle you’re backing, today’s impeachment hearing was either a total Schiff show – or something a bit messier. New York GOP Rep. Lee Zeldin’s fast-talking Long Island accent apparently confused a closed-captioner when he referred to the impeachment hearing as a “Schiff Show,” a reference…

Hollywood reacted this evening to the impeachment of President Donald Trump by the House of Representatives as one might expect of his most implacable foe. But not all of the reactions were joyous. So far, some have noted that it’s a solemn occasion and a day which Americans should not celebrate. And the rare…

Peter Bart and Mike Fleming Jr. worked together for two decades at Daily Variety. In this column, two old friends get together and grind their axes, mostly on the movie business. PETER BART: The major corporate players this year seem more jittery than ever about defying the rules of the marketplace, real or imagined…

The so-called "shortlists" of qualified contenders in nine Oscar categories — including the feature documentary and international film races — landed on schedule Monday, one calendar day ahead of last year's December 17 announcement of the 2019 lists. But when it comes to movie awards, the calendar is a tricky beast…

A day after returning from a love fest at the Army-Navy football game, President Donald Trump was back to dealing with the other side in his morning tweetstorm. Adam Schiff, Hillary Clinton, the FISA courts, Jim Comey, and even former President Barack Obama came in for whacks from Trump’s tweetstick today. Mixed in…

An aggressive President Donald Trump warmed up for his appearance later today at the annual Army-Navy football game with some smash-mouth tweeting. In an unusually busy early morning, the Commander-in-Tweet treated his Democrat foes like it was Ravens vs. Jets, running over them with taunts, threats and retweets. The…

President Trump is getting ready to attend the annual Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia. Or, as The Late Show host Stephen Colbert calls it, “One sporting event where Trump’s got a pretty good chance of not being booed. Even if he is, it’ll be highly regimented.” Colbert noted that pretty soon, the President may…

Trevor Noah was very upset over the President Trump/Greta Thunberg Twitter wars during tonight’s monologue. In a segment with the classy title Look At These Assholes, Noah fretted that Trump’s tweet saying Thunberg should take in a movie and “chill” was bringing down the dignity of his office. “Come on, man. The…

The Late Show host Stephen Colbert said that President Donald Trump may be putting on a brave face in public, but he’s definitely concerned about the ongoing impeachment hearings. Aides describe him as “distracted and unfocused,” which Colbert thought was a hoot. “Unlike the old laser-focused Donald Trump,” he…

Former Fox newscaster Gretchen Carlson today renewed her call for Fox to lift its non-disclosure agreements for employees. Carlson voiced her complaints in an editorial in The New York Times. It arrives as the film Bombshell hits theaters tomorrow, dramatizing the efforts of women (including Carlson) to expose…