Entertainment News Roundup: German director makes parents proud with Oscar nomination; Alec Baldwin looms large in ‘Rust’ armorer trial and more

"It was a beautiful time, I felt like I was in a heavenly choir," said Brenda Beadenkopf, whose late father, Charlie Walker, worked with the real-life Bayard Rustin to plan the 1963 March on Washington. German director makes parents proud with Oscar nomination His parents never wanted him to be a filmmaker but now that Ilker Catak has been nominated for an Oscar, the German director says "they're the proudest people in Germany." Catak's film 'The Teachers' Lounge' is one of five films competing next Sunday for best international feature at the Academy Awards in Hollywood.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

From cast to teens, 'Barbie' film's view on patriarchy resonated

Actor Simu Liu, who played one of the Kens in the Oscar-nominated "Barbie" movie, experienced a revelation when he first read the script and its commentary about the harm inflicted by patriarchy. "We all like to think that we're different, that we're progressive," Liu said in an interview with Reuters. "And then we read a scene that calls us out so fully and utterly, that I'm like, 'Oh yeah, I'm part of the problem.'"

From Spain to Hollywood: Inside one of the world's biggest movie star wardrobes

Spanish shoemaker Victor Sanchez could not believe his luck when his company, Peris Costumes, was asked to make the footwear for an Amazon television series based on The Lord of the Rings. "It very beautiful for me to make (the shoes) for 'Rings of Power' as I'm a big fan of the saga," said 32-year-old Sanchez, standing in Peris' shoe factory, where he is manager. "It always makes you feel a little proud."

Alec Baldwin looms large in ‘Rust’ armorer trial

In a Santa Fe, New Mexico, courthouse jurors last week watched video of actor Alec Baldwin rushing from a shack and blazing away with his Colt .45 "Peacemaker" revolver until he runs out of rounds. "One more, one more, one more, right away, let's reload," Baldwin tells Hannah Gutierrez, the chief weapons handler on the set of the movie "Rust", saying she should have had a second gun already loaded.

From march to movie: 'Rustin' inspires generations of activists

When the biographical drama film "Rustin" was released in 2023, it served as a history lesson for some and a walk down memory lane for others. "It was a beautiful time, I felt like I was in a heavenly choir," said Brenda Beadenkopf, whose late father, Charlie Walker, worked with the real-life Bayard Rustin to plan the 1963 March on Washington.

German director makes parents proud with Oscar nomination

His parents never wanted him to be a filmmaker but now that Ilker Catak has been nominated for an Oscar, the German director says "they're the proudest people in Germany." Catak's film 'The Teachers' Lounge' is one of five films competing next Sunday for best international feature at the Academy Awards in Hollywood. "The beauty of it is that all of this was very unexpected. We never set out to make a film that gets Oscar nominated," Catak said. He said the attention the nomination has brought to the film is great as it brings focus to the challenges faced by teachers. "They are overworked, they earn too little, they don't get enough appreciation, all of that hopefully becomes visible through this film," he said.

Hollywood stars invoke 'Oppenheimer' in anti-nukes campaign ahead of Oscars

A U.S.-based disarmament organization has seized on public attention surrounding the Academy Awards-nominated film "Oppenheimer" and enlisted support from Hollywood stars for a pre-Oscars campaign calling for a global end to nuclear weapons.

The Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI), a non-profit think tank, kicked off the effort on Wednesday with an open letter signed by an array of celebrities and activists and posted on the website www.makenukeshistory.org.

Cast call Guy Ritchie 'seminal figure' in film industry at 'The Gentlemen' premiere

Cast from Guy Ritchie’s new TV show said fans of the director’s work will not be disappointed with his series "The Gentlemen," which had its London premiere on Tuesday. "The White Lotus" actor Theo James stars in the crime drama as Eddie Horniman, who is busy working in the army when his father dies and he inherits his family's country estate, which turns out to be concealing a cannabis business.

Hollywood hat trick: Artisan shaped the look of 'Oppenheimer'

To create the look of renowned physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer for the big screen, his trademark hat had to be just right. Two hatmakers had failed to replicate the scientist's unique style when Mark Mejia, owner of Baron Hats, headed to a Hollywood studio lot to try his version on Cillian Murphy, the actor who would play the lead role in "Oppenheimer."

Singapore's exclusive deal with Taylor Swift not a hostile act towards neighbours, PM says

Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Tuesday an incentive provided to Taylor Swift to make Singapore the only stop in Southeast Asia on her world tour was not a hostile act towards its neighbours. "(Our) agencies negotiated an arrangement with her to come to Singapore and perform and to make Singapore her only stop in Southeast Asia," Lee told a press conference in Melbourne, where he is attending a regional summit.

(With inputs from agencies.)