Awards
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Sweet Relief Musicians Fund celebrated the legacy of legendary folk singer Joan Baez on Saturday, Feb. 8 at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco. Performers included Emmylou Harris, Rosanne Cash, Margo Price, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Morello, Joe Henry, Lucinda Williams, Taj Mahal and Baez herself. There were also appearances by Jackson Browne and the Glide […]
Sabrina Carpenter is the latest act to join the list of performers at the upcoming BRIT Awards (March 1), and will collect the global success award on the night. The “Espresso” singer will head to The O2 Arena in London to perform during the ceremony. She joins JADE, Myles Smith, Shaboozey, Teddy Swims and The […]
Singer-songwriter Buffy Sainte-Marie is no longer appointed to the Order of Canada.
Her appointment to one of the country’s highest honors has been terminated by the Governor General, as announced in the Canada Gazette on Feb. 8. The termination Ordinance was signed on Jan. 3.
Sainte-Marie is one of the country’s most-celebrated musicians and has been a leader on Indigenous issues for decades, but her reputation has shifted over the last year. In the fall of 2023, a CBC Fifth Estate investigation cast doubt on her claims of Indigenous ancestry.
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Sainte-Marie had previously claimed she believed she was born on the Piapot First Nation reserve in Saskatchewan. She said she had been adopted by the Santamaria family that raised her in Wakefield, Massachusetts, attributing her adoption to the Sixties Scoop, a period in the 1960s when many Indigenous babies were taken from their parents and adopted by white families.
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CBC‘s investigation produced a birth certificate for Sainte-Marie which lists her presumed adoptive parents as her birth parents. It also features interviews with Sainte-Marie’s family members calling her claim to Indigenous identity “an elaborate fabrication,” and contextualizes Sainte-Marie’s career within a phenomenon of high-profile public figures who have fabricated Indigenous identity.
As a young adult, Sainte-Marie was adopted by Emile Piapot and Clara Starblanket Piapot of the Piapot First Nation in Saskatchewan in accordance with Cree law and customs.
Sainte-Marie issued a statement around the investigation. “For a long time, I tried to discover information about my background,” she wrote. “Through that research what became clear, and what I’ve always been honest about, is that I don’t know where I’m from or who my birth parents were, and I will never know.”
In a follow-up statement, she affirmed her truth. “I have never lied about my identity,” Sainte-Marie said, adding that the investigation included “mistakes and omissions.”
The investigation prompted calls from some Indigenous groups and artists for major organizations to rethink their celebration of Sainte-Marie.
In a career spanning six decades, Sainte-Marie has won an Oscar and a Golden Globe (both for co-writing “Up Where We Belong” from An Officer and a Gentleman), the Polaris Music Prize, seven Juno Awards (including four in categories honoring aboriginal or indigenous music), and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award, in addition to her appointment to the Order of Canada. She was first appointed to the Order in 1997, and in 2019 was made a Companion of the Order, the highest level within the Order.
Sainte-Marie, 83, had a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972 with “Mister Can’t You See.”
A group called the Indigenous Women’s Collective called on the Junos to rescind Sainte-Marie’s 2018 award for Indigenous Album of the Year, with Cree opera singer Rhonda Head supporting the call.
The Canada Gazette provides no detail on the termination of Sainte-Marie’s Order of Canada. The Order of Canada Termination Policy states that an Advisory Council can recommend termination to the Governor General if an appointee’s conduct departs significantly from their standard of public behavior and may undermine the credibility of the Order.
CBC reports that in its 50-year history, Sainte-Marie is the ninth person to have their appointment to the Order terminated.
This story was originally published by Billboard Canada.
Anora appears to be the front-runner to win the Oscar for best picture. On Friday (Feb. 7) the film won the top award at the Critics Choice Awards. On Saturday (Feb. 8) it won the top prizes at both the Directors Guild of America Awards and the Producers Guild of America Awards.
The PGA Awards recognize the year’s best-produced features, documentaries, series and specials, as voted on by the PGA, which has more than 8,400 members. The 36th annual PGA Awards were held at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
Since its inception in 1990, the PGA Award for best theatrical motion picture has gone to the subsequent Oscar winner for best picture on all but 10 occasions.
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The correlation between the two awards has become even stronger since 2009, when both the PGA and the Academy Awards began using ranked-choice voting (sometimes called a preferential ballot). Since 2009, the PGA winner and the subsequent Oscar winner have agreed in all but three years. The last time the two award bodies diverged was in 2020, when the PGA award went to 1917, but the Oscars favored Parasite.
The PGA expanded the number of nominees for its top award from five to 10 in 2010, the same year the Oscars made a similar expansion.
The Greatest Night in Pop, a Netflix film about the 1985 “We Are the World” recording session, won outstanding producer of televised or streamed motion pictures. The film was nominated for three Primetime Emmys last year, including outstanding documentary or nonfiction special, and was nominated for a Grammy for best music film.
Saturday Night Live, now in its 50th season on NBC, won Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment, Variety, Sketch, Standup & Talk Television, a remarkable feat for a show this deep into its run. It beat Ali Wong: Single Lady, The Daily Show, Last Week Tonight With John Oliver and The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
The Wild Robot won Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures. It has won in the animated film category at most film awards shows and is considered the front-runner to win the Oscar for best animated feature.
Special awards were also presented to Chris Meledandri (David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures – presented by Steve Carell), Dana Walden (Milestone Award – presented by Bob Iger), Taika Waititi (Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television – presented by Jon Favreau), and Lynda Obst & Paula Weinstein (Trailblazer Award – presented by Jane Fonda and Kate Hudson).
The 2025 Producers Guild Awards event chairs are Mike Farah and Joe Farrell. The 2025 Producers Guild Awards were produced by Anchor Street Collective and written by Lauren Cortizo, Jody Lambert and Matt Oberg for the guild. Branden Chapman served as executive producer, and Carleen Cappelletti was co-executive producer.
Here’s the complete list of 2025 nominees by the Producers Guild of America, with winners marked.
Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
WINNER: Anora
The Brutalist
A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
A Real Pain
September 5
The Substance
Wicked
Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures
Flow
Inside Out 2
Moana 2
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
WINNER: The Wild Robot
Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Drama
Bad Sisters
The Diplomat
Fallout
WINNER: Shōgun
Slow Horses
Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy
Abbott Elementary
The Bear
Curb Your Enthusiasm
WINNER: Hacks
Only Murders in the Building
David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Limited or Anthology Series Television
WINNER: Baby Reindeer
FEUD: Capote Vs. The Swans
The Penguin
Ripley
True Detective: Night Country
Outstanding Producer of Televised or Streamed Motion Pictures
Carry On
WINNER: The Greatest Night in Pop
The Killer
Rebel Ridge
Unfrosted
Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television
30 for 30
Conan O’Brien Must Go
The Jinx – Part Two
WINNER: STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces
Welcome to Wrexham
Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment, Variety, Sketch, Standup & Talk Television
Ali Wong: Single Lady
The Daily Show
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver
The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
WINNER: Saturday Night Live
Outstanding Producer of Game & Competition Television
The Amazing Race
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Top Chef
WINNER: The Traitors
The Voice
The following nominees were previously announced.
Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Picture
Gaucho Gaucho
Mediha
Mountain Queen: The Summits of Lhakpa Sherpa
Porcelain War
WINNER: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
We Will Dance Again
Outstanding Children’s Program
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
WINNER: Sesame Street
SpongeBob SquarePants
Outstanding Short-Form Program
The Crown: Farewell To a Royal Epic
Hacks: Bit By Bit
The Penguin: Inside Gotham
Real Time with Bill Maher: Overtime
WINNER: Shōgun – The Making of Shōgun
Outstanding Sports Program
Formula 1: Drive to Survive
Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants
Messi’s World Cup: The Rise of a Legend
WINNER: Simone Biles Rising
Triumph: Jesse Owens and the Berlin Olympics
PGA Innovation Award
Critterz
Emperor
Impulse: Playing with Reality
WINNER: Orbital
The Pirate Queen with Lucy Liu
What If…? – An Immersive Story
Sabrina Carpenter, who took home her first Grammy awards last weekend, has given fans a glimpse at her celebratory night — on film. Featured in her photographs are industry peers Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, Chappell Roan and Beyoncé, among others.
The Short n’ Sweet singer seemingly went to a Grammys after party also attended by Swift, Antonoff, Margaret Qualley and Amber Mark. She shared a snapshot of herself getting cozy with the group on a couch, and another in which Swift, wearing the jacket that she caught from Janelle Monáe during Sunday’s (Feb. 3) ceremony, embraces her with a big hug.
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Carpenter posted her pictures on Instagram on Friday (Feb. 7), captioning the collection “film from Sunday,” with a smiley face.
In the slideshow of 15 pictures is a shot of Carpenter with Roan, both with wide, ecstatic grins. Another special moment captured on film is the “Espresso” star getting a hug from album of the year winner Beyoncé.
Carpenter’s photos also document her glamorous Grammy Awards look: that backless, baby blue gown.
She left the 2025 Grammy Awards as a winner in the best pop vocal album and best pop solo performance categories.
Post-Grammys, Carpenter announced a deluxe edition of breakthrough album Short n’ Sweet, with Dolly Parton on a remix of “Please Please Please.” The deluxe release also features bonus tracks “15 Minutes,” “Couldn’t Make It Any Harder,” “Busy Woman” and “Bad Reviews.” It’ll be out on Feb. 14.
The original Short n’ Sweet debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in August. Three singles from the album charted on the Hot 100, led by “Please Please Please,” which reached No. 1.
A Complete Unknown, the James Mangold film about Bob Dylan in the 1960s, won best picture/best movie for grownups at AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards, which were held on Saturday (Feb. 8) at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif. The event had originally been scheduled for Jan. 11, but was postponed due to the wildfires that spread across multiple neighborhoods of the Los Angeles area beginning on Jan. 7.
Alan Cumming, the Tony- and Primetime Emmy Award-winning host of the competition show The Traitors, returned as host of the show, which is in its 24th year. The awards are set to be broadcast by Great Performances on Sunday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT on PBS, its website and the PBS app.
AARP’s Movies for Grownups Awards was established to encourage films and TV shows that resonate with older viewers. On itssite, AARP adds that there is an age requirement for individual honors: “AARP honors 2024’s finest film and TV achievements by talents 50+.” (They go so far as to list ages in the winners list on their site.)
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That 50+ requirement explains why Kieran Culkin (A Real Pain) and Zoë Saldaña (Emilia Pérez), who are winning most awards for best supporting actor and actress, respectively, weren’t nominated here. Culkin is 42. Saldaña is 46. It also explains why Timothée Chalamet wasn’t nominated for best actor for playing Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Chalamet is just 29 — a whippersnapper in AARP terms.
A Complete Unknown competed in the best picture category with Conclave, Emilia Pérez, Gladiator II and September 5. The Dylan biopic won a second award for best time capsule. It was the only double winner at the show.
The awards for best actor and best actress went to Adrien Brody (The Brutalist) and Demi Moore (The Substance), who seem to be the front-runners to win Academy Awards in those categories.
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story won best documentary. The film, directed by Peter Ettedgui, tracks actor Christopher Reeve’s pivot from film star to activist for disability rights following a 1995 horse-riding accident. It triumphed in a tough category that had a greater than usual music emphasis. The other nominees were I Am: Celine Dion, directed by Irene Taylor, which focuses on the singer’s struggle with Stiff Person Syndrome; Luther Vandross: Never Too Much — directed by Dawn Porter, which traces the late R&B star’s life and career; Piece by Piece, directed by Morgan Neville, a journey through the life of Pharrell Williams, told through the lens of LEGO animation; and Will & Harper, directed by Josh Greenbaum, an intimate portrayal of friendship starring Will Ferrell and Harper Steele, friends of 30 years who go on a cross-country road trip.
Glenn Close was the Movies for Grownups Career Achievement Winner, their version of a lifetime achievement award.
Here’s the complete list of nominees for the 2025 Movies for Grownups Awards, with winners marked.
FILM AWARDS
Best Picture/Best Movie for Grownups
WINNER: A Complete Unknown
Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Gladiator II
September 5
Best Actress
Pamela Anderson (The Last Showgirl)
Marianne Jean-Baptiste (Hard Truths)
Nicole Kidman (Babygirl)
WINNER: Demi Moore (The Substance)
June Squibb (Thelma)
Best Actor
WINNER: Adrian Brody (The Brutalist)
Daniel Craig (Queer)
Colman Domingo (Sing Sing)
Ralph Fiennes (Conclave)
Jude Law (The Order)
Best Supporting Actress
WINNER: Joan Chen (Didi)
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor (Nickel Boys)
Lesley Manville (Queer)
Connie Nielsen (Gladiator II)
Isabella Rossellini (Conclave)
Best Supporting Actor
Clarence Maclin (Sing Sing)
Guy Pearce (The Brutalist)
WINNER: Peter Sarsgaard (September 5)
Stanley Tucci (Conclave)
Denzel Washington (Gladiator II)
Best Director
Pedro Almodóvar (The Room Next Door)
WINNER: Jacques Audiard (Emilia Pérez)
Edward Berger (Conclave)
James Mangold (A Complete Unknown)
Ridley Scott (Gladiator II)
Best Screenwriter
Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, Nicolas Livecchi (Emilia Pérez)
Jay Cocks and James Mangold (A Complete Unknown)
WINNER: Winnie Holzman (Wicked)
Peter Straughan (Conclave)
Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts (Dune: Part Two)
Best Ensemble
A Complete Unknown
Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice
His Three Daughters
September 5
WINNER: Sing Sing
Best Intergenerational Film
Didi
Here
His Three Daughters
The Piano Lesson
WINNER: Thelma
Best Time Capsule
WINNER: A Complete Unknown
The Brutalist
Here
Maria
September 5
Best Documentary
I Am: Celine Dion
Luther: Never Too Much
Piece by Piece
WINNER: Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
Will & Harper
TV AWARDS
Best TV Series or Limited Series
The Crown
Hacks
Palm Royale
WINNER: Shōgun
Slow Horses
Best Actress (TV)
Jennifer Aniston (The Morning Show)
WINNER: Jodie Foster (True Detective: Night Country)
Jean Smart (Hacks)
Meryl Streep (Only Murders in the Building)
Sofia Vergara (Griselda)
Best Actor (TV)
Billy Crudup (The Morning Show)
Idris Elba (Hijack)
WINNER: Jon Hamm (Fargo)
Gary Oldman (Slow Horses)
Hiroyuki Sanada (Shōgun)
Chelsea Handler made a Wicked joke about Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater that didn’t quite land with the audience at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards. Grande and Slater were seated side-by-side and posed for photos together at the event Friday night (Feb. 7).
Handler, who hosted the awards ceremony for the third year in a row, directed her attention toward the couple during Friday’s speech at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif.
“It is so nice to see some of our beloved child stars all grown up and thriving. Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and Ariana Grande are all nominated tonight,” Handler said, leading up to the joke.
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“And now, Ariana has even found love with a Munchkin,” she quipped, to a quiet response in comparison to the laughs she’d gotten elsewhere in her comedic speech. Grande’s been linked to Slater since 2023, when they met on the set of Wicked.
Handler attempted to quell the seemingly awkward reaction from the crowd, insisting, “That’s good news, everybody.”
Slater portrayed Boq, a character from Munchkinland, in the film.
The pop star and actor have mostly kept their relationship private. Grande was previously married to luxury realtor Dalton Gomez; the pair finalized their divorce in March 2024. Slater was previously married to therapist Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a young child; they settled their divorce in September 2024.
When it came time to mention Wicked star Cynthia Erivo in her speech, Handler heaped praise on her performance.
“My god,” the host said. “The most radical hero of any movie this year, or maybe even this decade. And not because you were green — because you were, and you are, epic, and it’s an honor to be in the same room as you.”
Then came a punchline involving Erivo and Grande: “I loved the Wicked press tour,” said Handler. “The two of them all over each other. I remember the first time I did molly.”
The Wicked team took home three honors at the 2025 Critics Choice Awards: Jon M. Chu won best director, Nathan Crowley and Lee Sandales won for best production design and Paul Tazewell won for best costume design. The film was nominated for a total of 11 awards, including for best picture, which Wicked lost to Anora. Best actress went to Demi Moore (The Substance) rather than Erivo, while best supporting actress went to Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez) rather than Grande.
See Handler’s bit about Grande and Slater in the clip from her Critics Choice Awards speech below.
Wicked, Emilia Pérez and The Substance each won three awards at the 30th annual Critics Choice Awards, which were held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. on Friday (Feb. 7). But none of those films took the top prize, best picture, which went to Anora (which won no other awards on the night).
Jon M. Chu, the director of Wicked, won best director. He’s the third director to win a Critics Choice Award for a musical, following Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge!) and Damien Chazelle (La La Land). Chazelle went on to also win the Oscar for that film. Luhrmann and Chu weren’t even nominated for these films. Wicked’s other Critics Choice Awards were best production design and best costume design.
Emilia Pérez won best foreign language film, best original song for “El Mal,” and best supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña, who was took the lead on singing “El Mal” in the film.
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The Substance won best actress for Demi Moore, best original screenplay and best hair & make-up.
Films receiving two awards were A Real Pain, Conclave and Challengers.
“El Mal,” co-written by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard, also won the Golden Globe Award for best original song on Jan. 5. With these two wins, “El Mal” appears to be the front-runner in the race for best original song at the Oscars.
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross’ acclaimed score for Challengers won the Critics Choice Award for best original score, just as it won at the Golden Globes. But it cannot win the Oscar as it wasn’t even nominated. It’s just the third film score to win both the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award and not even be nominated at the Oscars. The first two were Howard Shore’s score for The Aviator and Justin Hurwitz’s score for First Man.
Chelsea Handler hosted the Critics Choice Awards for the third year in a row. The show was originally set for Sunday, Jan. 12, but was postponed to Sunday, Jan. 26, and then postponed again, because of wind-whipped wildfires in Los Angeles that began on Jan. 7. The three-hour show, which included awards for both film and television, aired at 7 p.m. ET/PT on E!. The show will also be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
Here’s the full list of nominations on the film side for the 2025 Critics Choice Awards, with winners marked.
Best Picture
A Complete Unknown
WINNER: Anora
The Brutalist
Conclave
Dune: Part Two
Emilia Pérez
Nickel Boys
Sing Sing
The Substance
Wicked
Best Song
“Beautiful That Way” – The Last Showgirl – Music by: Andrew WyattLyrics by: Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Li“Compress/Repress” – Challengers – Music by: Trent Reznor, Atticus RossLyrics by: Trent Reznor, Luca GuadagninoWINNER: “El Mal” – Emilia Pérez – Music by: Clément Ducol, CamilleLyrics by: Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard“Harper and Will Go West” – Will & Harper – Sean Douglas, Kristen Wiig
“Kiss the Sky” – The Wild Robot – Music & Lyrics by: Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi“Mi Camino” – Emilia Pérez – Music & Lyrics by: Clément Ducol, Camille
Best Score
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Clément Ducol & Camille – Emilia Pérez
WINNER: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two
Best Acting Ensemble
Anora
WINNER: Conclave
Emilia Pérez
Saturday Night
Sing Sing
Wicked
Best Actor
WINNER: Adrien Brody – The Brutalist
Timothée Chalamet – A Complete Unknown
Daniel Craig – Queer
Colman Domingo – Sing Sing
Ralph Fiennes – Conclave
Hugh Grant – Heretic
Best Actress
Cynthia Erivo – Wicked
Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez
Marianne Jean-Baptiste – Hard Truths
Angelina Jolie – Maria
Mikey Madison – Anora
WINNER: Demi Moore – The Substance
Best Supporting Actor
Yura Borisov – Anora
WINNER: Kieran Culkin – A Real Pain
Clarence Maclin – Sing Sing
Edward Norton – A Complete Unknown
Guy Pearce – The Brutalist
Denzel Washington – Gladiator II
Best Supporting Actress
Danielle Deadwyler – The Piano Lesson
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor – Nickel Boys
Ariana Grande – Wicked
Margaret Qualley – The Substance
Isabella Rossellini – Conclave
WINNER: Zoe Saldaña – Emilia Pérez
Best Young Actor/Actress
Alyla Browne – Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
Elliott Heffernan – Blitz
WINNER: Maisy Stella – My Old Ass
Izaac Wang – Didi
Alisha Weir – Abigail
Zoe Ziegler – Janet Planet
Best Director
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Sean Baker – Anora
Edward Berger – Conclave
Brady Corbet – The Brutalist
WINNER: Jon M. Chu – Wicked
Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
RaMell Ross – Nickel Boys
Denis Villeneuve – Dune: Part Two
Best Original Screenplay
Sean Baker – Anora
Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, Alex David – September 5
Brady Corbet, Mona Fastvold – The Brutalist
Jesse Eisenberg – A Real Pain
WINNER: Coralie Fargeat – The Substance
Justin Kuritzkes – Challengers
Best Adapted Screenplay
Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez
Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox – Wicked
Greg Kwedar, Clint Bentley – Sing Sing
RaMell Ross & Joslyn Barnes – Nickel Boys
WINNER: Peter Straughan – Conclave
Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts – Dune: Part Two
Best Cinematography
WINNER: Jarin Blaschke – Nosferatu
Alice Brooks – Wicked
Lol Crawley – The Brutalist
Stéphane Fontaine – Conclave
Greig Fraser – Dune: Part Two
Jomo Fray – Nickel Boys
Best Production Design
Judy Becker, Patricia Cuccia – The Brutalist
WINNER: Nathan Crowley, Lee Sandales – Wicked
Suzie Davies – Conclave
Craig Lathrop – Nosferatu
Arthur Max, Jille Azis, Elli Griff – Gladiator II
Patrice Vermette, Shane Vieau – Dune: Part Two
Best Editing
Sean Baker – Anora
WINNER: Marco Costa – Challengers
Nick Emerson – Conclave
David Jancso – The Brutalist
Joe Walker – Dune: Part Two
Hansjörg Weißbrich – September 5
Best Costume Design
Lisy Christl – Conclave
Linda Muir – Nosferatu
Massimo Cantini Parrini – Maria
WINNER: Paul Tazewell – Wicked
Jacqueline West – Dune: Part Two
Janty Yates, Dave Crossman – Gladiator II
Best Hair and Makeup
Christine Blundell, Lesa Warrener, Neal Scanlan – Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
Hair and Makeup Team – Dune: Part Two
WINNER: Hair and Makeup Team – The Substance
Frances Hannon, Sarah Nuth, Laura Blount – Wicked
Traci Loader, Suzanne Stokes-Munton, David White – Nosferatu
Mike Marino, Sarah Graalman, Aaron Saucier – A Different Man
Best Visual Effects
Mark Bakowski, Pietro Ponti, Nikki Penny, Neil Corbould – Gladiator II
Pablo Helman, Jonathan Fawkner, Paul Corbould, David Shirk – Wicked
WINNER: Paul Lambert, Stephen James, Rhys Salcombe, Gerd Nefzer – Dune: Part Two
Luke Millar, David Clayton, Keith Herft, Peter Stubbs – Better Man
Visual Effects Team – The Substance
Erik Winquist, Stephen Unterfranz, Paul Story, Rodney Burke – Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Best Animated Feature
Flow
Inside Out 2
Memoir of a Snail
Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl
WINNER: The Wild Robot
Best Comedy
WINNER: A Real Pain
WINNER: Deadpool & Wolverine
Hit Man
My Old Ass
Saturday Night
Thelma
Best Foreign Language Film
All We Imagine as Light
WINNER: Emilia Pérez
Flow
I’m Still Here
Kneecap
The Seed of the Sacred Fig
“El Mal” from Emilia Pérez won best original song at the 30th annual Critics Choice Awards, which were held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif., on Friday (Feb. 7).
The song, co-written by Clément Ducol, Camille and Jacques Audiard, the film’s writer, director and co-producer, also won the Golden Globe Award in that category on Jan. 5.
With these two wins, “El Mal” appears to be the front-runner in the race for best original song at the Oscars. The other Oscar nominees in that category are “El Camino,” also from Emilia Pérez; “Never Too Late” from Elton John: Never Too Late; “The Journey” from The Six Triple Eight; and “Like a Bird” from Sing Song. The latter three songs were not nominated at the Critics Choice Awards.
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Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross’ acclaimed score for Challengers won the Critics Choice Award for best original score, just as it won at the Golden Globes. But it cannot win the Oscar as it wasn’t even nominated. It’s just the third film score to win both the Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award and not even be nominated at the Oscars. The first two were Howard Shore’s score for The Aviator at the 2005 ceremony and Justin Hurwitz’s score for First Man in 2019. (Shore, Hurwitz and Reznor & Ross had all won best original score at the Oscars with previous films, making these shut-outs hard to understand.)
The other best original score nominees at the Oscars are Volker Bertelmann for Conclave, Daniel Blumberg for The Brutalist, Kris Bowers for The Wild Robot and John Powell & Stephen Schwartz for Wicked.
Emilia Pérez also won best the Critics Choice Award for foreign language film. Zoe Saldaña, who sang “El Mal” in Emilia Pérez, (with an assist from Karla Sofia Gascón) won the award for best supporting actress.
Accepting the Critics Choice Award for best original song, Camille said “This gives us such a sense of belonging. It feels so grounding. You know this awards season sometimes is so hectic, so overwhelming. I feel like saying sometimes [sings] I’m just a bird.” Thank you so much to Jacques Audiard to allow the bird in me and us to write. Thanks to the Emilia Pérez team and to Zoe, of course, for being such a great artist.”
Ducol, Camille’s romantic partner and collaborator, spoke warmly about Los Angeles in accepting the award. “We’ve been making L.A. our home over the past few months with our family and fell in love with the city and its people. We were so warmly welcomed by the community here and made lasting friendships. Of course, we were heartbroken by the fires and destruction. Now I know why I dreamed of becoming a firefighter when I was young.”
Last year’s Critics Choice Award winners in the music categories were Ludwig Göransson’s Oppenheimer for best original score (which went on to win the Oscar) and “I’m Just Ken” from Barbie for best original song (which was Oscar-nominated, but lost to fellow Barbie song “What Was I Made For?”
Chelsea Handler hosted the Critics Choice Awards for the third year in a row. The show was originally set for Sunday, Jan. 12, but was postponed to Sunday, Jan. 26, and then postponed again, because of wind-whipped wildfires in Los Angeles that began on Jan. 7. The three-hour show, which included awards for both film and television, aired at 7 p.m. ET/PT on E!. The show will also be available to stream the next day on Peacock.
Final-round Oscar voting extends from Feb. 11-18. The 97th Oscars, hosted for the first time by Conan O’Brien, will be held on Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. The show will air live coast-to-coast at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT on ABC and streamed live on Hulu for the first time.
Here are the Critics Choice Award nominees in the two music categories, with winners marked:
Best Song
“Beautiful That Way” – The Last Showgirl – Music by: Andrew WyattLyrics by: Andrew Wyatt, Miley Cyrus, Lykke Li“Compress/Repress” – Challengers – Music by: Trent Reznor, Atticus RossLyrics by: Trent Reznor, Luca GuadagninoWINNER: “El Mal” – Emilia Pérez – Music by: Clément Ducol, CamilleLyrics by: Clément Ducol, Camille, Jacques Audiard“Harper and Will Go West” – Will & Harper – Sean Douglas, Kristen Wiig
“Kiss the Sky” – The Wild Robot – Music & Lyrics by: Delacey, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack, Ali Tamposi“Mi Camino” – Emilia Pérez – Music & Lyrics by: Clément Ducol, Camille
Best Score
Volker Bertelmann – Conclave
Daniel Blumberg – The Brutalist
Kris Bowers – The Wild Robot
Clément Ducol & Camille – Emilia Pérez
WINNER: Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – Challengers
Hans Zimmer – Dune: Part Two
Paramount will pause a handful of awards shows for 2025, including the CMT Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards and more, Billboard has confirmed. Other awards shows being impacted are the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards Mexico and the MTV MIAWs (previously known as the MTV Millennial Awards).
As The Hollywood Reporter first reported, the news came as part of a memo from the office of Bruce Gillmer, Paramount Global’s president of music, music talent, programming and events, media networks/chief content officer, music, Paramount+. According to the memo, the changes come as the company seeks “to reimagine and optimize our events slate going forward.”
Gillmer’s memo added, “Our world-class events remain a key component of Paramount’s music offering as we continue to raise the bar in delivering iconic, unforgettable performances and moments that drive pop culture.”
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In 2022, the CMT Music Awards shifted from CMT to CBS; the annual event had aired on CMT since 2002. In 2023, the show relocated from Nashville to Austin. Last year’s big winners during the CMT Music Awards included Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and Dan + Shay.
At the 2024 MTV EMAs, held in November, artists including Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter emerged as top winners.
The memo follows rounds of layoffs that began last year after Paramount Global co-CEO Chris McCarthy noted plans for the company to reduce its U.S.-based workforce by approximately 15%, including at CMT. In August, Paramount also shuttered Paramount TV Studios amid the restructuring and layoffs. The shifts came after Paramount Global agreed to a merger with David Ellison‘s Skydance in July 2024.
See Gillmer’s memo to staffers below.
Team,
We want to share some news. We are pausing a few events for 2025, as we look to reimagine and optimize our events slate going forward. These include the MTV EMAs, MTV MIAWs, Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in Mexico, and CMT Music Awards.
Our world-class events remain a key component of Paramount’s music offering as we continue to raise the bar in delivering iconic, unforgettable performances and moments that drive pop culture. We have the best team in the business, and we are grateful for your hard work and dedication in bringing these events to life.
Thank you,
Bruce