- No place like home: Biden hosts 'Quad' leaders
- Zelensky says no UK, US go-ahead to use long-range missiles
- New Zealand edge Australia 31-28 in Bledisloe Cup thriller
- Japan orders evacuations as heavy rains trigger floods in quake-hit area
- New Zealand pilot freed in Indonesia after 19 months in rebel captivity
- Hezbollah in disarray after Israeli air strike kills top commanders
- Leading climate activist released from Vietnam jail
- Ethiopians struggle with bitter pill of currency reform
- Sri Lanka votes in first poll since economic collapse
- Feminist author warns of abortion disaster if Trump wins US election
- US city of Flint still reeling from water crisis, 10 years on
- Arsenal's mean defence faces acid test to shut out Man City again
- Late surge lifts Thailand's Jeeno to LPGA Queen City lead
- DeChambeau says PGA's Ryder Cup decision 'just the start'
- Alcaraz defeated on Laver Cup debut
- Postecoglou embraces 'struggle' to make Spurs a success
- Nice hand 'ashamed' Saint-Etienne 8-0 Ligue 1 mauling
- Boeing CEO says ending strike 'a top priority'
- Harris slams Trump for hypocrisy on abortion as US starts voting
- Academy to host first overseas ceremony to honor young filmmakers
- No doctor necessary: US okays nasal spray flu vaccine for self-use
- Former delivery man Baldwin leads star names at PGA Championship
- Trump shooting: Secret Service admits complacency
- Can an ambitious Milei make Argentina an AI giant?
- Haiti, its suffering growing, in 'race against time': UN expert
- Ibrahim Aqil, the Hezbollah elite unit commander wanted by the US
- Chinese forward Cui signs NBA contract with Brooklyn Nets
- US Fed dissenter calls for 'measured' pace of rate cuts
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload as Kompany demands cap on games
- Norway limits wild salmon fishing as stocks hit new lows
- Top Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut
- Rotterdam fatal knife attacker suspected of 'terrorist motive'
- First early votes cast in knife-edge US presidential election
- Top-ranked Swiatek out of Beijing due to 'personal matters'
- Hard-right Reform UK looks to the future after vote success
- Embiid agrees to NBA contract extension with 76ers
- Joshua aims to complete road to redemption in Dubois bout
- World champion Bagnaia sets pace with lap record at Misano
- Biden says 'working' to get people back to homes on Israel-Lebanon border
- Pope criticises Argentina's crackdown on protesters
- Court limits screenings of videos in France mass rape case
- Gurbaz century takes Afghanistan to 311-4 in 2nd ODI
- Central banks face 'difficult balancing act': IMF chief
- Guardiola tells players to lead change over workload fears
- Paris Olympics sports equipment moves to new homes
- 'Happy' Kinghorn relishing life at Toulouse
- Norris sets Singapore pace as Verstappen only 15th
- Germany to bid to host women's Euro 2029
- Portugal brings deadly forest fires under control
- Postecoglou defends Solanke after slow start to Spurs career
'Everything Everywhere' claims early Oscars as gala kicks off with slap jokes
Subversive sci-fi flick "Everything Everywhere All at Once" collected key early prizes Sunday at the Oscars, where it is favorite to win the highly coveted best picture prize, as the star-studded Hollywood gala began with a flurry of jokes about the infamous slap.
The unorthodox but widely loved "Everything Everywhere" -- which features multiple universes, sex toys and hot dog fingers -- won best supporting actor and best supporting actress for Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis.
"Mom, I just won an Oscar!" said a tearful Quan.
The Vietnam-born actor, 51, was a major child star in the 1980s with "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom" and "The Goonies," but has made a comeback from decades in the Hollywood wilderness.
"My journey started on a boat. I spent a year in a refugee camp. And somehow, I ended up here on Hollywood's biggest stage... this is the American Dream!" he said.
Curtis paid tribute to her parents Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, both Oscar-nominated actors who never won Hollywood's most coveted golden statuettes.
The wacky sci-fi film has grossed $100 million at the global box office, and leads the overall nominations count Sunday, with 11.
It follows a Chinese immigrant laundromat owner (Michelle Yeoh) locked in battle with an inter-dimensional supervillain who happens to also be her own daughter.
Yeoh's heroine Evelyn must harness the power of her alter egos living in parallel universes, which feature hot dogs as human fingers, talking rocks and giant dildos used as weapons.
The film has dominated nearly every awards show in Hollywood, with its charismatic, predominantly Asian stars becoming the feel-good story of the season.
- 'The Slap' -
If any rival can prevail, it is likely "All Quiet on the Western Front," Netflix's German-language World War I movie that dominated Britain's BAFTAs.
The film won best international feature and best cinematography early in Sunday's ceremony.
And as the night progressed, it also gathered Oscars for best original score and best production design -- an award it was not heavily favored for, which raised expectations that it could be on course to spring an major upset.
Another strong best picture contender is "Top Gun: Maverick," the long-awaited sequel from Tom Cruise that helped bring audiences back to movie theaters after the pandemic.
While Cruise did not attend Sunday's ceremony, the night began with a thunderous flyover by two US Navy jets, soaring at 345 mph over the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.
Host Jimmy Kimmel was then lowered onto the stage, and he quickly launched into a monologue which laid into Will Smith's infamous attack on Chris Rock at last year's Oscars.
The specter of "The Slap" has hung over the Oscars since Smith assaulted Rock on stage for cracking a joke about his wife.
Smith was allowed to stay at the gala, and accept Hollywood's top male acting prize soon after, but has since been banned from Academy events for a decade.
"If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point during the show -- you will be awarded the Oscar for best actor, and permitted to give a 19-minute-long speech," joked Kimmel.
- 'Naatu Naatu' -
In the night's other early prizes, "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio" won best animated film.
And "Navalny" won best documentary, with its director reading a message from the imprisoned Russian dissident Alexei Navalny, before his wife took the stage.
"My husband is in prison just for telling the truth," Yulia Navalnaya said.
Dozens of dancers brought a colorful, energetic performance of "Naatu Naatu," the nominated song from Indian crowdpleaser "RRR," to the Oscars stage.
The lead acting contests -- expected to be announced just before the night's final prize of best picture -- are incredibly tight.
For best actress, Cate Blanchett had long been favorite to win a third Oscar for "Tar," but "Everything Everywhere" love could propel Yeoh to a historic first win by an Asian woman in the category.
Best actor is a three-horse race between Brendan Fraser ("The Whale") , Austin Butler ("Elvis) and Colin Farrell ("The Banshees of Inisherin").
- Ratings rebound? -
Academy bosses hope that Oscars television ratings will pick up from recent years, calling in big-hitters from the world of music to perform their nominated songs.
A dressed-down Lady Gaga sang an emotional, heartfelt rendition of her song "Hold My Hand" from "Top Gun: Maverick."
Rihanna is expected to provide the final musical performance with "Lift Me Up" from "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," which also won best costume design.
Partly thanks to "The Slap," last year's TV ratings improved from record lows, but remained well below their late 1990s peak, as interest in awards shows wanes.
This year, organizers hope that nominations for popular blockbusters like "Top Gun: Maverick" and "Avatar: The Way of Water" will bring viewers back.
X.M.Francisco--PC