Stars praise gender-neutral prizes
Two stars at the Venice Film Festival, Cate
Blanchett and Tilda Swinton, have praised the decision by the Berlin festival to award gender-neutral prizes, with Swinton predicting other award ceremonies will follow suit.
Organizers of the Berlin International Film Festival announced last month that they would stop awarding separate acting prizes to men and women starting next year. The best actor and actress Silver Bear prizes will be replaced by best leading performance and best supporting performance awards
Swinton, who received a Golden Lion Lifetime Achievement award at the Venice festival’s opening ceremony, said divisions by gender were a “waste of life.”
“And so I’m really happy to hear that about Berlin,” she said Thursday. “And I think it’s pretty much inevitable that everybody will follow, because it’s just obvious to me.”
Blanchett, president of the Venice jury this year, said she instinctively calls herself an “actor.” She said it’s hard enough “to sit in judgment of other people’s work” and then even harder to break it down further along gender lines. “I’m of a generation where the word ‘actress’ was used always in a pejorative sense. So I think I claim the other space,” she said. “I think good performances are good performances, no matter the sexual orientation of the performers who are making them.”
Johnson, family test positive for virus:
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and his family tested positive for the coronavirus. Johnson announced their
diagnosis Wednesday in a video on Instagram.
He said he was shocked after hearing their test results, calling the ordeal “one of the most challenging and difficult things we’ve ever had to endure.”
The actor said he along with his wife, Lauren Hashian, and two young daughters contracted the virus, but have now recovered. He said his daughters “bounced back” after having sore throats for a couple of days. But for Johnson and his wife, he said they both had a “rough go.”
Johnson said he and his family caught the virus from close family friends, who told him they did not know where they contracted the virus.
Perry becomes a billionaire:
Media mogul Tyler Perry has become a billionaire, according to Forbes.
The business magazine calculated that Perry’s library of TV series and films — including his iconic Madea character, who stars in 11 movies — is worth
$320 million. Tyler Perry Studios clocks in at $280 million, and the producer owns $300 million worth of cash and investments, a $60 million stake in BET+ and $40 million in “homes and toys.”
“Perry has succeeded for two reasons: He has honed a product that too many others viewed as destined for the discount bin,” Forbes wrote. “And he made sure to control it all.”
Sept. 4 birthdays: Actor Mitzi Gaynor is 89. Singer Merald “Bubba” Knight is 78. Bassist Ronald LaPread is 70. Actor Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs is 67. Actor Damon Wayans is 60. Actor Noah Taylor is 51. Actor Max Greenfield is 40. Singer Beyoncé Knowles is 39. Comedian Kyle Mooney is 36. Singer James Bay is 30.