Bafta Page 2

The 2017 BAFTA Television awards took place over the weekend and saw crime drama 'Happy Valley' unsurprisingly win the coveted Best Drama Series prize. More winners for the Virgin TV sponsored awards show included 'Planet Earth II' and 'Damilola, Our Loved Boy'.

Sarah Lancashire wins an award at the TV BAFTAs

'Happy Valley' was up against 'The Durrells', 'War & Peace' and 'The Crown' for the top prize, the latter of which didn't take home any awards despite being nominated for five awards in four categories. Meanwhile, 'Happy Valley' also saw protagonist Sarah Lancashire win Best Leading Actress.

Continue reading: 'Happy Valley' Takes Home Best Drama At The 2017 TV BAFTAs

Although she’s pretty much the nailed-on favourite to win at The Oscars later this month, having swept the awards season in all the Best Actress categories for her role opposite Denzel Washington in Fences, Viola Davis has warned against a possible future backslide in the diversity seen in this year’s film awards nominations.

Having scooped the BAFTA for her role as the beleaguered Rose on Sunday night (February 12th), Davis sounded a note of caution at the press conference afterwards, as predictions for the 2018 awards season have already started “and very few African American names are in there.”

Viola Davis with her BAFTA on Sunday night

Continue reading: Viola Davis Unsure About '#OscarsSoWhite' Success

Period drama 'Wolf Hall' was the big winner at 2016's House of Fraser British Academy Television Awards, with the show taking home Best Drama Series and star Mark Rylance landing the Leading Actor accolade. Despite the happy news though, director Peter Kosminsky had something very serious to say about the BBC.

Wolf Hall wins big at the BAFTA Television Awards

Unsurprisingly, 'Wolf Hall' - the recipient of the Best Miniseries Golden Globe earlier this year - has nailed the BAFTAs with two prizes, as Mark Rylance himself adds another shiny trophy to his collection, the latest of which include a BAFTA Film Award and an Oscar for 'Bridge Of Spies'. But it was Peter Kosminsky who got the biggest applause of the night.

Continue reading: BAFTA Television Awards 2016: 'Wolf Hall' Wins And Director Defends The BBC

'Wolf Hall' vies against 'This is England '90' and 'Doctor Foster' in the 2016 BAFTA TV Award nominations with four nominations. The Mark Rylance drama series has kept audiences gripped since it hit the small screen, but is it enough to impress at this year's award ceremony?

Wolf Hall leads nominations

Unsurprisingly, it has landed the most categories in total alongside 'Peter Kay's Car Share'. Leading Actress nominee Claire Foy faces off against the likes of Suranne Jones from 'Doctor Foster' Sheridan Smith in 'The C-Word' and 'Ruth Madeley' in 'Don't Take My Baby'; the latter two shows of which also compete in for Single Drama with 'Cyberbully' and 'The Go-Between'. 'Wolf Hall' also has an excellent contender for Leading Actor, but how will Mark Rylance fare alongside Ben Whishaw from 'London Spy', Stephen Graham from 'This is England '90' and Idris Elba from 'Luther'?

Continue reading: 'Wolf Hall' Starring Mark Rylance Is The Biggest BAFTA TV 2016 Contender

Rebel Wilson provided one of the more controversial moments at this year’s BAFTAs by making jokes about the ongoing debate over the lack of diversity in the movie industry, and then shocking some viewers by mentioning that she was practicing her “transgender face”.

Taking to the stage to present the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor to Mark Rylance (for Bridge of Spies) at the Royal Opera House in London, the How To Be Single star took aim at the #OscarsSoWhite controversy in her own inimitable style.

“It's so great to be here at this really serious event,” the Australian actress said. “I have never been invited to the Oscars, because as you know they are racists, but the BAFTAs have diverse members and that's what we all want to see in life. Diverse members.”

Continue reading: Rebel Wilson Sparks Controversy With "Transgender Face" Comments At BAFTAs

'Downton Abbey' star Maggie Smith became the luckiest woman at the BAFTAS (and possibly in Britain) this weekend when she received a great big Valentine's kiss off none other than Oscar favourite Leonardo Dicaprio, following his Best Leading Actor win for 'The Revenant'. 

Maggie Smith is one lucky lady

With the BAFTAs landing on Valentine's Day this year, organisers decided to set up a Kiss Cam to celebrate, like they have at sporting events. And to Maggie's surprise, the camera landed on her and Leo who was seated behind her, prompting him to lean forwards and plant a tender peck on her blushing cheek as host Stephen Fry announced their names. Adorably, the actress promptly appeared to return the kiss.

Continue reading: Leonardo DiCaprio Is Maggie Smith's BAFTA Valentine

When it comes to racial inequality in the film industry, comedian Sacha Baron Cohen wasn't afraid to put his point across as he arrived at the 69th BAFTA awards at the weekend. With the Academy Awards still causing a lively diversity debate, he insists that the problem goes much deeper than the Oscars.

Sacha Baron Cohen talks diversity at the BAFTAs

Cohen was at the BAFTAs to present the award for Best Leading Actress, and he acknowledged that the British award ceremony was also at risk of being condemned for its under-representation of black actors, actresses and filmmakers. 'I'm here to give the award for the best white actress', he joked to reporters on the red carpet, according to the Guardian. 'I hear many Caucasians were nominated.'

Continue reading: Sacha Baron Cohen Jokes About 'Best White Actress' Award At BAFTAs

Stephen Fry has deleted his twitter account after coming under fire for a joke he made while hosting the BAFTA awards on Sunday evening (February 14th). Fry, who has hosted the awards ceremony for 10 years, had hit back at the online critics before removing his twitter account completely.

Stephen Fry has deleted his twitter account.

After costume designer Jenny Beavan won the Best Costume Design award for her work on Mad Max: Fury Road, Fry joked: “Only one of the great cinematic costume designers would come to an awards ceremony dressed as a bag lady.”

Continue reading: Stephen Fry Leaves Twitter After Backlash Over BAFTAs 'Bag Lady' Joke

Leonardo Dicaprio took home his first ever BAFTA on Sunday night (February 14th), during the star-studded ceremony at London’s Royal Opera House. DiCaprio picked up the Best Leading Actor award for his portrayal of 19th century frontiersman Hugh Glass in The Revenant, which also scooped Best Picture.

Leonardo DiCaprio has won Best Actor at this year’s BAFTAs.

Accepting the award DiCaprio said: “I'm absolutely humbled and I'm absolutely honoured by this award tonight. I have to say as an actor I have been inspired by so many British actors throughout the years.”

Continue reading: Leonardo DiCaprio Wins Best Actor BAFTA, As Oscars Glory Is In Sight

This is the point where the industry weighs in on the conversation that has been limited mainly to critics so far. Unsurprisingly, Carol and The Revenant feature heavily in the BAFTA race. But unlike the awards season to date, genre films like Mad Max: Fury Road and The Martian were virtually locked out of the major categories. (The Martian managed nods for actor Matt Damon and director Ridley Scott.)

Also unexpected for Bafta was the absence of local favourites like Tom Hardy, Charlotte Rampling and Carey Mulligan, and not even one craft nomination for Spectre. Bafta voters also failed to nominate two other current favourites: Creed and Joy.

Continue reading: Awards Season Shifts Up A Gear With BAFTA Nominations

Last year’s Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne has received his second BAFTA nod in as many years for his star turn in The Danish Girl, with Bridge of Spies and Carol leading the 2016 BAFTA nominations with appearances in nine categories each.

Todd Haynes’ 1950s-set lesbian romance Carol, starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, is jockeying with Steven Spielberg’s Cold War drama that features Tom Hanks and Mark Rylance in the most categories. Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, who missed out on the Best Film last year for Birdman, is back in contention with The Revenant which has eight nominations.

Mad Max: Fury Road, which saw director George Miller return after a lengthy absence, has seven nominations, while Ridley Scott’s The Martian and British film Brooklyn received six. All with five nods were The Big Short, The Danish Girl and Ex-Machina. Alicia Vikander, who features in both of the latter two movies, is up for both Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for her respective roles.

Continue reading: Eddie Redmayne, 'Carol' And 'Bridge Of Spies' Lead 2016 BAFTA Nominations

Benedict Cumberbatch and Eddie Redmayne go head to head at this years BAFTAS with 'The Imitation Game' and 'The Theory Of Everything' leading nominations with thirteen categories between their respective flicks.

[L-R] Eddie Redmayne, Benedict Cumberbatch and JK Simmons at Palm Springs Film Festival (Credit: Michael Buckner at Getty Images Entertainment)

Cumberbatch and Redmayne themselves have both been selected as nominees for the Best Actor category, while 'The Imitation Game' and 'The Theory Of Everything' are also up for Best Film, Outstanding British film, Best Adapted screenplay, Best Costume design and Best Editing. Redmayne's Stephen Hawking biopic is additionally up for Best Director, Make-up and hair and Music, while Cumberbatch's take on Alan Turing's story is looking at awards for Production design and Sound.

Continue reading: Benedict Cumberbatch Vs. Eddie Redmayne: The Battle Of The BAFTAs

Friday morning's British Academy Film Awards nominations show the predicted BAFTA love for home-grown movies like 'The Imitation Game' and 'The Theory of Everything', but were even more notable for who was missing from the shortlists.

Timothy Spall - snubbed by the academy?

The most obvious snub was for Mike Leigh's acclaimed biographical drama 'Mr Turner', for which Timothy Spall won Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival. But the film only has a handful of technical nods (for cinematography, production design, costumes and make-up/hair), with nothing for Spall or Leigh, and most surprisingly no British Film nomination.

Continue reading: Bafta 2015 Nominations Reveal Secrets Of Awards Season

Awards season is when we get to judge not only the acting performances of our favourite Hollywood stars but also their wardrobe choices. The BAFTA’s is always the best place to make a pre-Oscar’s fashion splash, so with that in mind here’s the best and worst of last night’s red carpet dresses.

Lupita Nyong'o, star of '12 Years A Slave'

The best:

Continue reading: BAFTA's Red Carpet: Best And Worst Dressed On The Night [Pictures]

The Baftas delivered on certain promises, collating some of the world’s biggest stars and funneling them down a red carpet, giving a select few the chance to present an award, and, creating talking points as the perennial battle between who should have won and who did win continued to flare.

Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender in 12 Years a Slave

Gravity was the night’s big success story as it was when it debuted at Venice all those months ago. The case for the film’s British credentials were never in doubt – BAFTA awards home soil movies and, given that the space thriller’s special effects were delivered by a British team in England, Gravity’s passport is a U.K one.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean the coveted Best Director nod should have gone Alfonso Cuaron’s way. Despite the pure, exhilarating brand of entertainment delivered – almost old-school Hollywood – it’s hard to look past Steve McQueen for his work on 12 Years a Slave when looking for someone more deserved of individual recognition.

Yes, 12 Years reeled in two magnificent awards: that of Best Actor for Chiwetel Ejiofor and Best Film. Despite these high-profile gongs, though, there were other categories in which the slave drama missed out on, and almost certainly didn’t deserve to.

The supporting actor categories leap out as key pieces of evidence in the case of 12 Years a Slave. Barkhad Abdhi’s ascension this past 12 months has been a joy to watch, and his performance in Captain Phillips was touching and terrifying in equal measure. But he wasn’t better than Michael Fassbender as Edwin Epps – the evil plantation owner with a scary infatuation with Patsy, played majestically by Lupita Nyong’o.

And, like a seasoned radio professional, that neat segway leads me on to the Best Supporting Actress win for Jennifer Lawrence, which was – despite her current popularity and GIF-worthyness – a ridiculous decision. To put her role in American Hustle above Nyong’o’s in 12 Years was a travesty; to put it above newcomer Nyong’o and Sally Hawkins’ turn in Blue Jasmine is nothing short of wrong.

Continue reading: From 'Gravity' To Barkhad Abdi - Where The Baftas 2014 Got It Wrong

Award season has been grumbling away like Smaug inside Erebor for the last few months; but dragon is slowly awakening. Since the Gotham awards last year, the perennial question of ‘who’ll win what?’ has echoed around the Internet, and the recently announced BAFTA nominations promise to shed some light on the eventual academy recipients.

Gravity is leading the way with 11 Bafta nominations

With that in mind, and with some tightly contested categories to work through, it’s time to start predicting who’ll take home the golden masks, before we start predicting who’ll take home the golden statuettes, you see.

Continue reading: The Baftas 2014: Predicting Best Film, Best Actor, Best Director And Best Supporting Categories

Emeli Sande has been awarded an honorary Doctor of the University degree by the University of Glasgow. The singer received the prestigious honour for her outstanding contribution to the music industry, reports BBC News.

Sande’s degree will no doubt sit proudly next to her other academic achievement – an intercalculated degree in neuroscience from the same university between 2006 and 2009. Professor John Briggs, Clerk of Senate and Vice-Principal of the University of Glasgow, said: “The University of Glasgow is very pleased to recognise Emeli Sande's huge contribution to music, both in the Uk and around the world, by awarding her an honorary degree.”

It’s been a ridiculously successful year for Sande, who performed at both the opening and closing ceremonies at the London Olympics. She has scored three number one singles from her debut album Our Version of Events, which has sold 1.5 million copies in the Uk alone. It spent 66 consecutive weeks in the Top 10, finally dropping out on May 26, 2013.

Continue reading: Emeli Sande? That’S Dr Emeli Sande To You!

No one should be questioning why Helen Mirren has dyed her hair pink, but simply basking in its rouge glory. Mirren should stay pink forever. Despite the 'why' of the pink hair not being needed, her reply, when some children asked her, was as unexpected as the hue itself.

In a Telegraph video of the iconic actress, she said. "I just thought it would be fun. You know honestly, I was watching America's Next Top Model... and you know the British girl who won? Well, she had pink hair and I just thought 'Oooh that's looks really pretty!' So, I'm copying her basically." Who knew Helen Mirren watched ANTM? 

Mirren was at the BAFTAS having been nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Hitchcock, a movie about Alfred Hitchcock during the period in which he filmed his seminal thriller, Psycho. In other exciting Mirren news, the BBC reports that she'll be lending her voice to a Pixar movie. Having played three Queens during her career, she's returning as another matriarch acting the voice of the head of the university that Mike and Sulley attend in the Monsters Inc. prequel movie, Monsters University which is set for release in July 2013.

Continue reading: Helen Mirren Sports Pink Hair To The BAFTAs, Inspired By America's Next Top Model

Awards shows are fun not only to see who wins each award, but also to see what the stars are wearing down the red carpet. We common folk may not be able to purchase the very same, but we can damn sure try to get close. This year's BAFTAS seem to make replicating red carpet styles easier than normal as it seems simplicity is key, and black is best.

The staple of every woman's wardrobe, the solid, stable and dependable LBD (little black dress) has been transformed. No longer little, these gowns hit the floor in a flourish of appropriate drama. X Factor's Caroline Flack turned up in a fairly understated gown, figure hugging in all the right places, with simple lines, the whole outfit is set off by the sheer lace long sleeves which turn what could have been a boring dress into something beautiful.

Laura Whitmore is rocking a jumpsuit with a slit down the front, and long sleeves, bridging the often difficult gap between sexy and sophisticated. She has accessorized her simple elegance with chunky gold cuffs and bright red lipstick. Zoe Ball's shiny dress is certainly the most unusual of the evening, but it fits her perfectly and she needs nothing but a great pair of earrings, a statement pair of rings and a what looks like an effortless hair style to make it work for her.

Continue reading: Dress Code Black: Stars Show Up To BAFTA Awards In Monochrome Attire

As awards season kicks off, today with the BAFTA nominations and tomorrow with the Golden Globe award ceremony, actors, actresses, directors and producers everywhere will be biting their nails and praying for a win from at least one of the big three coming up, the aforementioned two, of the Oscars, nominations for which will also be released tomorrow. 

There are very few surprises in the BAFTA nominations as this year has some clear stand-out offerings to the trade, and as announced by Alice Eve and Jeremy Irvine, here's the low down on the biggest prizes. 

Nominations for best film are the big five: Argo, Les Miserables, Life of Pi, Lincoln and Zero Dark Thirty. Despite BAFTA being a British institution, there's not a British film in sight (except Les Mis, but the majority of leads aren't from the fair isle). Luckily, however, there's a whole separate award for Brits. In that list, the contenders are Anna Karenina, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (that was 2012? it seems so long ago), Les Miserables, Seven Psychopaths and a much deserved Skyfall. 

Continue reading: British Awards Season Begins With The Unsurprising Nominations At The Baftas