Fox among 4 given honorary Oscars
Four standing ovations in one night might seem a little over-the-top, even by Hollywood standards. But at the Governors Awards Saturday — where Michael J. Fox, Euzhan Palcy, Peter Weir and Diane Warren were celebrated with honorary Oscar statuettes — each moment felt worthy.
After several pandemicadjusted years, the annual event put on by the Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was back in full form and teeming with stars.
Fox, who was given the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award for his contributions to Parkinson’s disease research, gave a sharp, funny, thoughtful speech to accept the award. The 61-year-old “Back to the Future” and “Family Ties” star was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 1991 at age 29, and in 2000 started a foundation to fund further research into the condition. To date, the foundation has raised more than $1.5 billion.
“My optimism is fueled by my gratitude,” Fox said.
When Warren, 67, took the stage, the prolific songwriter and 13-time Oscar nominee said the words she has been waiting to say for 34 years, since she got her first Oscar nomination: “I’d like to thank the Academy.”
Weir, 78, was a leading voice in the Australian
New Wave movement, with pictures like “Picnic at Hanging Rock,” “The Last Wave” and “Gallipoli,” before successfully transferring to Hollywood filmmaking where he directed films like “Dead Poets Society” and “The Truman Show.”
“I had a wonderful 20 years of making studio pictures,” Weir said.
Viola Davis helped close out the night celebrating
Palcy, who was first Black woman to direct a film produced by a major studio (MGM with “A Dry White Season”).
“Black is bankable. Female is bankable,” Palcy, 65, said. “My stories are not Black, they are not white, they are universal.”
Styles, Wilde ‘taking a break’:
After dating for nearly two years, Harry Styles and Olivia Wilde are reportedly “taking a break,” People magazine reported Friday. One friend told the magazine that “they have different priorities that are keeping them apart,” while another source called it “a very amicable decision.”
Styles and Wilde have been dating since he starred in her recent film, “Don’t Worry Darling,” following Wilde’s breakup from actor Jason Sudeikis.
Actor Frank dies: Jason David Frank, who played the Green Power Ranger Tommy Oliver on the children’s series “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers,” has died at age 49. Justine Hunt, Frank’s manager,
said in a statement Sunday that Frank passed away. She did not name the cause of death or say when he died, but asked for “privacy of his family and friends during this horrible time as we come to terms with the loss of such a wonderful human being.”
“Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” debuted on
Fox in 1993 and went on to become a pop culture phenomenon. Though his role wasn’t intended to be permanent, Frank was later brought back as the White Ranger and the leader of the team. Across spinoff TV series, Frank’s Tommy Oliver returned as other rangers and appeared in films as well.
Nov. 22 birthdays: Actor Terry Gilliam is 82. Actor Tom Conti is 81. Musician Steven Van Zandt is 72. Bassist Tina Weymouth is 72. Actor Richard Kind is 66. Actor Jamie Lee Curtis is 64. Actor Mariel Hemingway is 61. Actor Mark Ruffalo is 55. Actor Scarlett Johansson is 38. Singer Candice Glover is 33. Actor Dacre Montgomery is 28.