Five Things to Know about Scarlett Johansson

Actress Scarlett Johansson is in Cannes making her directorial debut and as star of a new Wes Anderson film. KEVIN WINTER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
Actress Scarlett Johansson is in Cannes making her directorial debut and as star of a new Wes Anderson film. KEVIN WINTER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
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Five Things to Know about Scarlett Johansson

Actress Scarlett Johansson is in Cannes making her directorial debut and as star of a new Wes Anderson film. KEVIN WINTER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
Actress Scarlett Johansson is in Cannes making her directorial debut and as star of a new Wes Anderson film. KEVIN WINTER / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File

One of Hollywood's top-grossing actresses, Scarlett Johansson will walk the red carpet twice at Cannes, for her directorial debut with "Eleanor the Great" and for Wes Anderson's film "The Phoenician Scheme", which premieres Monday.

Here are five things to know about the teen star turned Hollywood A-Lister:

Starlet Scarlett

When baby Johansson was born into a Jewish family in Manhattan in 1984, early signs suggested stardom was ahead.

Her parents named her after Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With the Wind", and at a young age she was drawn to tap dance and theatre.

Barely into double-digits she made her screen debut, and soon after Robert Redford cast her in "The Horse Whisperer" for her first major role.

Then, just shy of 20, she hit the big time with Sofia Coppola's art-house classic "Lost in Translation".

In the film, which unfolds in the alienating surroundings of a Tokyo hotel, Johansson manages to touch the heart of an ever-sardonic Bill Murray as well as charming spectators and critics worldwide.

Cha-ching!

Over the next decades, Johansson has starred in a string of hits and top directors have queued up to cast her, from Wes Anderson and the Coen brothers to Jonathan Glazer and Christopher Nolan.

Catapulting her into movie stratosphere, she joined the Marvel universe as the indomitable Black Widow in 2010 and made eight films with the franchise.

During this collaboration she topped the Forbes list of highest-paid actresses and featured in hits including "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018), one of the top-10 highest grossing films of all time according to IMDB Pro.

Other missions

But Johansson the box-office megastar has also missed out on, or sidestepped, plenty of big roles.

There was a potential "Mission Impossible" movie but this was shelved, officially due to scheduling clashes.

She did not land the lead in "Les Miserables", which went to Anne Hathaway, who won an Oscar for it, nor did she get Lisbeth Salander in "Millennium".

But she was plenty busy, often starring in lower-budget films that wowed critics and audiences.

These included a stand-out performance as an alien in Jonathan Glazer's remarkable "Under the Skin" (2013), shot in wintery backstreets, abandoned houses and seedy minivans.

So far, she has not won an Oscar, but she was nominated for best actress and supporting actress in 2020 for her roles in indie favorites "Marriage Story" and "Jojo Rabbit".

That voice

It is unmistakable and Johansson has capitalized on it, though sometimes with unwanted repercussions.

She brought her deep, distinctive vocals to the voice of Samantha in "Her" (2013) by Spike Jonze, about an artificial intelligence system Joaquin Phoenix falls for.

But in May last year Johansson accused tech firm OpenAI of using her voice in their own generative AI ChatGPT, which responded by modifying its tone.

She can also be heard in hit animations including "The Jungle Book" and the two "Sing" films.

Johansson has also released two albums, "Anywhere I Lay My Head" in 2008 and a year later "Break Up".

They did not rock the music world, but reviewing the inaugural album, Pitchfork called it a "curio" while praising the "wide textural range" of Johansson's voice.

Against the grain

Never reluctant to speak her mind, Johansson has been outspoken on various social and film-related issues.

She has supported victims of harassment, pushed for gender-equal pay and spotlighted the impact of streaming on theatrical releases.

She is also willing to take more controversial stances, not least in defending Woody Allen -- who has cast her in three films -- when much of Hollywood has shunned him over a long-running sexual assault scandal.

"I love Woody. I believe him, and I would work with him any time," she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2019.



Singer Bonnie Tyler in Induced Coma in Portugal

FILE PHOTO: British singer Bonnie Tyler performs the song "Believe in me" during the dress rehearsal for the final of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest at the Malmo Arena Hall May 17, 2013. REUTERS/Jessica Gow/Scanpix
FILE PHOTO: British singer Bonnie Tyler performs the song "Believe in me" during the dress rehearsal for the final of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest at the Malmo Arena Hall May 17, 2013. REUTERS/Jessica Gow/Scanpix
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Singer Bonnie Tyler in Induced Coma in Portugal

FILE PHOTO: British singer Bonnie Tyler performs the song "Believe in me" during the dress rehearsal for the final of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest at the Malmo Arena Hall May 17, 2013. REUTERS/Jessica Gow/Scanpix
FILE PHOTO: British singer Bonnie Tyler performs the song "Believe in me" during the dress rehearsal for the final of the 2013 Eurovision Song Contest at the Malmo Arena Hall May 17, 2013. REUTERS/Jessica Gow/Scanpix

Husky-voiced Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler was Friday in an induced coma in a hospital in Portugal after emergency surgery, a spokesperson said.

The 74-year-old star, best known for her 1983 mega-hit "Total Eclipse of the Heart", was operated on earlier in the week at a hospital in Faro in southern Portugal.

The singer "has been put into an induced coma by her doctors to aid her recovery," AFP quoted a spokesperson as saying on Friday.

"We know that you all wish her well and ask for privacy at this difficult time please."

Tyler shot to fame in the 1970s with hits including "Lost in France" and "It's a Heartache".

"Total Eclipse of the Heart" later topped the charts in both Britain and the United States.

The Grammy-nominated Tyler, who was born Gaynor Hopkins, was due to start a European tour on May 22 in Malta, to mark 50 years since the release of "Lost in France" which was her breakthrough hit in 1976.

Other concert dates have been planned for Germany, the Czech Republic and Turkey, with a final show planned in Cardiff in December.

Other hits include "Holding Out For A Hero" in 1984 which featured on the soundtrack to the huge US box office success "Footloose".

In 2013, Tyler represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmo, Sweden, with the song "Believe In Me", finishing in 19th place.

She was recognized in 2022 by the late queen Elizabeth II who, before her death, awarded Tyler an honor for her five-decades-long music career.


AI Actors Not Eligible for Golden Globes, Say Organizers

Nikki Glaser will host the Golden Globes again on January 10, 2027. Amy Sussman / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
Nikki Glaser will host the Golden Globes again on January 10, 2027. Amy Sussman / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
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AI Actors Not Eligible for Golden Globes, Say Organizers

Nikki Glaser will host the Golden Globes again on January 10, 2027. Amy Sussman / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File
Nikki Glaser will host the Golden Globes again on January 10, 2027. Amy Sussman / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File

Performances by AI-generated actors will not be eligible for Golden Globe awards, organizers said Thursday, days after they were also ruled out of Oscars contention.

The new guidelines will not automatically disqualify performances that have used artificial intelligence to enhance an actor, but require that a live human be the main element, said AFP.

"Submissions in which a performance is substantially generated or created by artificial intelligence are not eligible" for consideration in the annual film and television prize-giving extravaganza, which kicks off Hollywood's awards season, organizers said.

"The use of AI for technical or cosmetic enhancements (such as de-aging, aging, or visual modifications) may be permissible, provided the underlying performance remains that of the credited individual and AI does not replace or materially alter the performer's work."

The new rules come days after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said it was cracking down on the use of AI.

The body that doles out the Oscars said only real human performers -- not their AI avatars -- are eligible for the film world's biggest prizes, and screenplays must have been penned by a person, rather than a chatbot.

The use of artificial intelligence remains one of the most sensitive issues in the entertainment industry and was central to the 2023 strikes that shut down Hollywood, as actors and writers warned that unchecked technology threatened their livelihoods.

The new restrictions come after an AI version of the late Val Kilmer was unveiled to an audience of movie theater owners, a year after the "Top Gun" star's death.

A youthful, digital version of Kilmer appeared in the trailer for archaeological action pic "As Deep as the Grave," telling another character: "Don't fear the dead and don't fear me."

The project was created with the enthusiastic support of the actor's family, who granted access to Kilmer's video archives, which were used to recreate the actor at multiple stages of his life.


K-pop Stars BTS Draw 50,000-strong Crowd in Mexico

In this handout picture released by Mexico's presidential press office, some 50,000 fans of South Korea's K-pop band BTS came to see the band at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City. Handout / Mexico's Presidency press office/AFP
In this handout picture released by Mexico's presidential press office, some 50,000 fans of South Korea's K-pop band BTS came to see the band at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City. Handout / Mexico's Presidency press office/AFP
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K-pop Stars BTS Draw 50,000-strong Crowd in Mexico

In this handout picture released by Mexico's presidential press office, some 50,000 fans of South Korea's K-pop band BTS came to see the band at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City. Handout / Mexico's Presidency press office/AFP
In this handout picture released by Mexico's presidential press office, some 50,000 fans of South Korea's K-pop band BTS came to see the band at the Palacio Nacional in Mexico City. Handout / Mexico's Presidency press office/AFP

Around 50,000 fans of K-pop superstars BTS gathered outside Mexico's National Palace on Wednesday to get a look at the group, who waved to the crowd from a balcony after meeting with President Claudia Sheinbaum.

BTS will perform shows in Mexico City on May 7, 9, and 10, with more than 135,000 tickets for the stadium showcase getting snapped up in a matter of minutes, said AFP.

The group returned to the world spotlight in March after an almost four-year pause so its members could carry out their obligatory military service.

Kim Nam-joon, one of the members of the group, said to the crowd in Spanish: "I love you, I adore you. Thank you very much!"

"I already told them they have to come back next year," Sheinbaum said, later posting a photo with the group and holding their latest album "ARIRANG."

Lizeth Zarate, a coordinator for the Zocalo -- Mexico City's main square located in front of the presidential palace -- said the Wednesday crowd was around 50,000.

"They're my whole world," Estefany Victoriano, a 25-year-old secretary, told AFP.

Another onlooker, 18-year-old Zoe Perez, was on the verge of tears.

"I'm speechless, and it's a very beautiful feeling to see them in person. Since I couldn't get tickets, well, it makes me a little emotional," she said.