Entertainment

Director Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners” Gets 16 Oscar Nominations

Published

2 months ago

January 23, 2026

Eric

By Samantha Ofole-Prince

With films like “Black Panther,” “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Creed” and his inaugural feature film “Fruitvale Station,” to his credit, Writer/Director Ryan Coogler has shown versatility as a filmmaker so it’s no surprise his latest film “Sinners” received 16 Oscar nominations.

The most nominations for a single project in Oscar history, “Sinners” earned the acclaimed director his first Oscar nomination for directing.

An original story that delves into the supernatural, it’s a bold departure from his previous work and the film was recognized in several other categories including acting, film editing, makeup and hairstyling, score, casting, cinematography and costume design. Michael B. Jordan, Delroy Lindo and Wunmi Mosaku all received acting nominations.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 09: Ryan Coogler attends The Critics Choice Association’s 8th annual celebration of Black Cinema & Television at Fairmont Century Plaza on December 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Leon Bennett/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)

Combining ambition, emotion and originality, Coogler’s most personal piece of filmmaking, which follows identical twin brothers who return to their Mississippi hometown to open a juke joint, infuses a piece of his own history as well as Black history.

I’ve been blessed,” says Coogler, “where each time I’ve made a film, it’s become more and more personal. And with Sinners, I was really digging into two relationships. One with my maternal grandfather. The other with my Uncle James who actually passed away when I was in post-production on Creed. And with this film, I got a chance to dig into my own ancestral history.”

Coogler’s “Black Panther” is a landmark moment in his career and was the most successful domestic release of 2018, grossing $1.3 billion in theaters worldwide. It is the first Marvel film to have ever been nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards and although the sequel “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” achieved remarkable success grossing over $840 million and received five Oscar nominations, Coogler was always shunned in the directing category, despite these box office successes.

Coogler will compete against directors Chloé Zhao (“Hamnet”), Josh Safdie (“Marty Supreme”), Paul Thomas Anderson (“One Battle after Another”) for the 13½ inch golden statuette.

The Oscar nominations were announced by Danielle Brooks and Lewis Pullman in a live presentation from the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Los Angeles. Winners will be announced on Sunday, March 15 at the Academy Awards ceremony which will be hosted by Conan O’Brien.

Samantha Ofole-Prince is a U.S. based journalist and movie critic who covers industry-specific news that includes television and film.

Entertainment

Hollywood Action Movie Superstar Chuck Norris Dies at 86

Published

2 weeks ago

March 20, 2026

Eric

Chuck Norris, the US martial artist and Hollywood action star most famous for his role in “Walker, Texas Ranger,” has died, his family said Friday. He was 86 years old.

“It is with heavy hearts that our family shares the sudden passing of our beloved Chuck Norris yesterday morning,” the family said in a statement on Instagram.

“He lived his life with faith, purpose, and an unwavering commitment to the people he loved. Through his work, discipline, and kindness, he inspired millions around the world and left a lasting impact on so many lives,” the statement said.

Norris reportedly fell ill on Thursday on the Hawaiian island of Kauai.

Norris turned 86 last week, marking the event with a video of him boxing on social media and saying, “I don’t age. I level up.”

Entertainment

Great Facts About the Forthcoming Oscars You Need to Know

Published

3 weeks ago

March 14, 2026

Eric

By Samantha Ofole-Prince

Below are great facts about the forthcoming Oscars most entertainment buffs may not have know…

1. Oscar is a nickname. The origins of the nickname are not clear, but a popular story has been that Academy librarian Margaret Herrick thought it resembled her Uncle Oscar and said so. The Academy staff began referring to it as Oscar, but the Academy itself didn’t use the nickname officially until 1939.

2. Each Oscar statuette is individually handcrafted, and the Oscar statuette stands at 13½ inches high and weighs 81/2 pounds.

3. The Oscar statuette is the most recognized award in the world and statuettes have been presented since the first initial awards banquet on May 16, 1929.

4. At age 74, Clint Eastwood became the oldest winner to date in the Directing category.

5. Hattie McDaniel is the first African American to win a best supporting actress Oscar. She won for her role as Mammy in the 1939 movie “Gone with the Wind.”

6. Halle Berry is the first African American actress to win best actress Oscar. She won in 2002 for “Monster’s Ball.”

7. In 2002, Denzel Washington became the second African American actor to win the Oscar for Best Actor (“Training Day”), and the first African American actor to have won Oscars for both Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor (Sidney Poitier was the first to win an Oscar in 1963 for “Lilies of the Field “).

8. Whoopi Goldberg and Chris Rock have previously hosted the Oscars, but Billy Crystal remains the longest serving host. Crystal has hosted the Oscars nine times to date.

9. Attendance at the Oscars ceremony is by invitation only. No tickets are sold to the public and in Oscar history; only three circumstances have prevented the Academy Awards presentation from going off as scheduled. The first was in 1938, when destructive floods all but washed-out Los Angeles and delayed the ceremony. In 1968, the Awards ceremony was postponed out of respect for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who had been assassinated a few days earlier, and in 1981, the Awards were postponed for 24 hours because of the assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan.

10. The longest Oscar telecast was the 74th Oscars show in 2002 which had a running time of 4 hours, 23 minutes. Shortest Oscar telecast was the 31st Academy Awards in 1959 which had a running time of 1 hour, 40 minutes.

The Oscars, one of the most-watched live entertainment events of the year, will be held on Sunday, March 15 at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood and will be televised live on ABC, streamed live on Hulu. With 16 nominations, Sinners set the record for most nominations for a film for the 98th Oscars.

Samantha Ofole-Prince is a U.S. journalist and movie critic who covers industry-specific news that includes television and film.

Entertainment

South African Actress, Nomzamo Mbatha, Tells Success Story on Glo-Sponsored African Voices

Published

3 weeks ago

March 9, 2026

Eric

Delectable South African actress, Nomzamo Mbatha, will this week on Globacom-sponsored Cable News Network International’s African Voices Changemakers, reveal her trajectory from the Rainbow Nation to the global stage of make-belief.

In the 30-minute magazine programme, show anchor, Larry Madowo, will engage Mbatha on her soaring career which earned her a mention in the prestigious TIME100 Next in 2025.

The thespian who has been featured in two Hollywood productions has also gained acclaim in the beauty industry as she has signed endorsement deals with Neutrogena and Cream of Nature, both global brands in skincare and haircare, respectively.

Madowo and Mbatha sat for the exclusive interview on set of the final season of the hit television series, Shaka iLembe at the historic Cradle of Humankind outside Johannesburg where she highlighted the cultural significance of Shaka iLembe, and why giving back to her society is at the center of her aspirations as well as the legacy she desires to build beyond the glitz and glamour of the big screen.

This edition of African Voices Changemakers will be broadcast on Saturday at 8:30 a.m. with additional broadcasts at noon same day. On Sunday, further repeats hold at 4:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. and on Monday at 3:00 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. The repeats continue on Tuesday at 5:45 p.m and Saturday, March 14 at 7:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m and Sunday, March15 at 3:30 a.m. and 6:00 a.m as well as Monday, March 16 at 3:00 a.m.