Will Smith
Cannes Creative Space: Telepool CEO Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann on Moving Into Production and “More Modest” Box Office Expectations
Veteran media executive Yoko Higuchi-Zitzmann took over as CEO of Telepool in January, barely a year after Will and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook took full control, in December 2021, of the German rights giant. The appointment was a bit of a coup. The Japan-born, Germany-educated Higuchi-Zitzmann has more than a quarter century of experience in […]
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Will Smith, Martin Lawrence Help Kick Off CinemaCon from Set of ‘Bad Boys 4’
Sony’s CinemaCon presentation kicked off Monday evening in Las Vegas with a little help from Mike Lowrey and Marcus Bennett. The leads of the Bad Boys franchise — played respectively by Will Smith and Martin Lawrence — added some star power to the festivities, even if it happened to be remote via a recorded message from […]
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Oscars Producers Talk Jimmy Kimmel, Will Smith, Absent A-Listers and Next Year’s Show (Exclusive)
On Monday morning, Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner, the veteran live TV and awards show specialists who served as executive producers of Sunday night’s 2023 Oscars telecast, spoke exclusively with The Hollywood Reporter about the Jimmy Kimmel-hosted show — how they feel it went; how they hope people interpret its forthcoming ratings; what they made of […]
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Jimmy Kimmel Takes Shots at Will Smith’s Oscars Slap Throughout 2023 Show
Host Jimmy Kimmel had a lot to say at the 2023 Oscars about Will Smith slapping Chris Rock during last year’s Academy Awards ceremony. His jokes started during the opening monologue of Sunday’s Oscars telecast, with Kimmel alluding to the infamous moment while recognizing the Irish performers who were attending. “Five Irish actors are nominated […]
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Academy President Cool With Will Smith Getting His Oscar Engraved: “We Can Arrange”
Janet Yang, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, said Will Smith is welcome to get an engraved nameplate added to his best actor Oscar statuette, despite being banned from Academy events for a decade after slapping Chris Rock during last year’s ceremony. Last month, Smith duetted a video on TikTok that […]
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Chris Rock’s Flubbed Will Smith Joke Edited Out of ‘Selective Outrage’ Special
A joke about Will Smith featured in Chris Rock: Selective Outrage has been edited out after Rock flubbed it at his live show. During a run of jokes about the Oscar-winning actor and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, toward the end of Rock’s March 4 show — the streamer’s first-ever live, global streaming event — the comedian […]
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Jonathan Majors, Spike Lee Reteam for Amazon Movie ‘Da Understudy’
On the heels of a box office success with Creed III, Jonathan Majors has set up a new film project that could reteam him with his Da Five Bloods director Spike Lee. Majors is set to star in Da Understudy, playing a Broadway actor who finds a role he’s willing to kill for. Lee is […]
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‘The View’ Weighs In on Chris Rock’s Netflix Special, Addressing Will Smith Slap: “He Kept Her Name Out of His Mouth”
The View is weighing in on Chris Rock’s Netflix special where he addresses Will Smith’s Oscar night slap. During Chris Rock: Selective Outrage, which aired live Saturday on the streaming platform, the comedian covered a range of topics, but the most anticipated one was saved for last as he slammed Smith for the infamous confrontation […]
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Richard Williams Says Will Smith’s Oscars Ban Should “Definitely” Be Lifted: “I’ll Always Stand by Him”
Richard Williams says stands by Will Smith nearly a year after the Oscar-winning actor, who portrayed Venus and Serena’s father in King Richard, slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. In a new interview with iTV that aired Monday, Williams — who last March released a brief statement via his son and spokesperson Chavoita LeSane […]
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AAFCA Awards: ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,’ ‘Till,’ ‘Emancipation’ Among Top Winners
The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) Award ceremony honored the variety of Black experiences depicted on screen, along with Black excellence in front of and behind the camera. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Till, Emancipation and The Woman King were among the top winners at Wednesday’s event at the Beverly Wilshire hotel. The event, hosted by […]
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How Marlon Wayans Made an Hour of Comedy Out of “Slapgate” With New HBO Max Special
When Marlon Wayans answers the phone to talk about his new HBO Max special God Loves Me, clanking noises fill the background. “I just have a crazy day,” he admits. “I feel like the gym is the one hour I get to myself to just think about all the fucking work I have to do.” […]
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Will Smith Returns to Awards Stage for the First Time Since the 2022 Oscars
Will Smith returned to the awards season circuit Wednesday to accept the Beacon Award at the African American Film Critics Association Awards. The speech marked the Oscar winner’s first in-person acceptance at an awards show since he slapped Chris Rock onstage at the 2022 Academy Awards. He accepted the award alongside his Emancipation director Antoine […]
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