Brendan Fraser is the gift that keeps on giving. After earning a standing ovation in Venice, his new film, “The Whale,” debuted at the Toronto Film Festival, where Fraser received a tribute honor for his performance. The Oscar buzz is real and his hunt for best actor is firmly underway, along with possibilities for his co-stars Hong Chau and Sadie Sink. Can he go the distance?
It wasn’t all about Fraser at TIFF, as three major world premieres also took place. “The Fabelmans” from Steven Spielberg, “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” from Rian Johnson and “The Woman King” from Gina Prince-Bythewood. All three were big crowd pleasers and could do very well at the box office and with industry voters going into awards season.
The Primetime Emmy Awards took place this week, with “Succession” and “The White Lotus” from HBO, and “Ted Lasso” from Apple TV+ earning the top series wins. Some of the biggest moments included a dance from Jennifer Coolidge and a song from Sheryl Lee Ralph during their acceptance speeches. Quinta Brunson’s win for outstanding writing for a comedy series (“Abbott Elementary”) also got attention and was overshadowed by a comedic bit by presenter Jimmy Kimmel.
Hosted by Variety chief correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister and senior awards editor Clayton Davis, Variety’s “The Take,” presented by Apple TV+, is a weekly series that navigates the week’s top stories from entertainment, pop culture and media, while providing expert analysis and exclusive insight on what’s buzzing in Hollywood. Filmed in Variety’s state-of-the-art studio in Los Angeles, new episodes are released on Fridays on Variety.com, YouTube and social media.
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