Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Names and faces
■ Chloe Zhao’s “Nomadland,” a recession-era road trip drama starring Frances McDormand, won the Golden Lion for best film Saturday at a slimmed-down Venice Film Festival, which was held against the backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic. Zhao and McDormand appeared by video from the United States to accept the award, given that virus-related travel restrictions made reaching Venice difficult if not impossible for many Hollywood filmmakers and actors. “Thank you so much for letting us come to your festival in this weird, weird world and way!” McDormand told the masked audience as the Italian marketing team for the film actually accepted the award. “But we’re really glad you let us come! And we’ll see you down the road!” A favorite going into the awards season, “Nomadland” is screening at all the major fall film festivals in a pandemic-forged alliance involving the Venice, Toronto, New York and Telluride festivals. That the 10-day Venice festival took place at all was something of a miracle, given that northern Italy in late February became ground zero for Europe’s coronavirus outbreak. The Cannes Film Festival was canceled and other big international festivals in Toronto and New York opted to go mostly online. But after Italy managed to tame its infections with a strict 10-week lockdown, Venice decided to go ahead, albeit under strict safety protocols. Masks were required indoors and out. Reservations for all were required in advance, with theater capacity set at less than half. The public was barred from the red carpet and paparazzi were given socially distanced positions.
■ Drew Barrymore is setting a high standard for herself as she joins the world of daytime talk show hosts on Monday. She wants to emulate David Letterman and Howard Stern as interviewers. Both men became media stars through their comedy — ironic for Letterman, crude for Stern. Yet each man, as their careers lengthened, became particularly skilled at disarming guests to get beyond stilted “what have you been up to lately” conversations. “We’re all human beings on this planet going through our lives and our journeys and there’s a way to connect through that,” Barrymore said. “We don’t have to poke. I’m not looking to mess someone over. But at the same time, I just like to go in beneath the layers. I can’t stand the surface. I’ve never lived in that space.” “The Drew Barrymore Show,” retrofitted for the coronavirus era, is being distributed by CBS Television. Several boldfaced names will help the 45-year-old actress through her crucial first week: Reese Witherspoon, Jane Fonda, Charlize Theron, Tyra Banks and, on the first show alone, former co-stars Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu and Adam Sandler.