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Diana Musical and ‘Space Jam’ Snag the Most Razzie Awards

Cast members Lebron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ceyair Wright, Harper Alexander and Director Malcolm D. Lee pose as they attend the premiere for the film Space Jam: A New Legacy in Los Angeles, California, US July 12, 2021. (Reuters)
Cast members Lebron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ceyair Wright, Harper Alexander and Director Malcolm D. Lee pose as they attend the premiere for the film Space Jam: A New Legacy in Los Angeles, California, US July 12, 2021. (Reuters)
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Diana Musical and ‘Space Jam’ Snag the Most Razzie Awards

Cast members Lebron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ceyair Wright, Harper Alexander and Director Malcolm D. Lee pose as they attend the premiere for the film Space Jam: A New Legacy in Los Angeles, California, US July 12, 2021. (Reuters)
Cast members Lebron James, Don Cheadle, Cedric Joe, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ceyair Wright, Harper Alexander and Director Malcolm D. Lee pose as they attend the premiere for the film Space Jam: A New Legacy in Los Angeles, California, US July 12, 2021. (Reuters)

A musical about Diana, the late Princess of Wales, and a remake of the semi-animated "Space Jam" starring LeBron James took home the most Razzies, the awards that skewer the year's lamest films on the eve of the big Oscar ceremony.

The Razzies announced the winners ahead of Sunday's Academy Awards, handing out five prizes to "Diana: The Musical," the film version of a Broadway production that closed in December after just 33 regular performances.

After its ignominious demise on stage, the film version snagged Razzies for worst picture, worst actress for Jeanna deWaal in the title role, worst supporting actress for Judy Kaye, and worst director for Christopher Ashley.

The Diana duo of Joe DiPietro and David Bryan claimed worst screenplay for what the Razzies called "some of the year's most ridiculed dialogue and lyrics, including rhyming 'Camilla' with both 'Manilla' and 'Godzilla,'" the Razzies said in a statement announcing the winners.

"Space Jam: A New Legacy" won three Razzies: worst actor for LeBron James, worst rip-off or sequel, and worst screen couple for James combined with any of the cartoon characters.

The movie put the NBA star, shot in live action, in a cosmic basketball game with Looney Tunes characters, remaking the 1996 original with Michael Jordan.

As usual, the Razzies ridiculed a former Oscar winner, naming Jared Leto worst supporting actor for his over-the-top performance as Paolo in "House of Gucci."

The Razzies gave Bruce Willis his own special category, nominating him eight times for "Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie," in eight forgettable films. The one called "Cosmic Sin" took the prize.

Four-time Razzie winner Will Smith received the only true honor, the redeemer award, for his role in "King Richard," for which Smith is also nominated for a best actor Oscar.

The Razzies, the self-described "ugly cousin to the Oscars," started in 1980 as the Golden Raspberry Awards, created by UCLA film school graduates and film industry veterans John J.B. Wilson and Mo Murphy.

More than 1,100 Razzie members from across the United States and about two dozen other countries vote on the awards, according to the Razzie website.

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Entertainment

Israeli Oscars Entry Evokes Empathy to Palestinians but Irks Government

Basel Adra, from left, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, and Yuval Abraham accept the award for best documentary feature film for "No Other Land" during the Oscars on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Basel Adra, from left, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, and Yuval Abraham accept the award for best documentary feature film for "No Other Land" during the Oscars on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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Israeli Oscars Entry Evokes Empathy to Palestinians but Irks Government

Basel Adra, from left, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, and Yuval Abraham accept the award for best documentary feature film for "No Other Land" during the Oscars on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Basel Adra, from left, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal, and Yuval Abraham accept the award for best documentary feature film for "No Other Land" during the Oscars on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

The director of Israel's entry for the 2026 Oscars about a Palestinian boy's quest to see the sea hopes it will help arouse compassion in his homeland during so much conflict. Prospects for lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians have rarely looked so bleak after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks, two years of war in Gaza and surging settler violence in the West Bank.

However, director and writer Shai Carmeli-Pollak has taken heart from the reception to his film "The Sea" which won Israel's top film prize so was automatically submitted for the foreign-language Oscar prize to be decided in March, Reuters reported.

"I met the audience that came to watch it and it was amazing that people could be emotional and sometimes shed a tear for this story while violence and atrocities happened not far from here," Carmeli-Pollak said in an interview this week after a viewing.

"The Sea" tells the story of Khaled, a Palestinian boy in the Israeli-occupied West Bank who fears growing up without seeing the sea and makes the perilous journey alone and without travel papers into Israel to try to reach the coast.

He had recently been turned away at a checkpoint on a school trip to the sea, and his sudden disappearance from home leads his father, an undocumented labourer in Israel, to risk arrest by setting out in search of him.

"The Sea" won Best Picture at September's Ophir awards, the Israeli equivalent of the Oscars, prompting condemnation from Culture Minister Miki Zohar, who pulled funding from the ceremony over the movie's portrayal of the Israeli military.

Israel's government since 2022 has been among the most right-wing in its history, adamantly opposed to Palestinian statehood and committed to expanding settlement in the West Bank.

The 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which killed more than 1,200 people, has hardened many Israelis towards Palestinians and made criticism of the army more sensitive.

'COMPASSION AND LOVE'

Carmeli-Pollak and the Israeli-Palestinian producer of "The Sea", Baher Agbaria, said it was important to make films that helped people hear each other's stories.

"I hope that the film will open other channels - channels of compassion and love - and give other ways that we can live together in this place," Carmeli-Pollak told Reuters.

Agbaria said it felt surprising to bring a Palestinian story to mainstream cinemas in Israel against the backdrop of the war.

"Because (of) what is happening this is time also for this film, you know, for this kind of story, to listen to the others," he said.

The film was released in cinemas in Israel in July and is still running. At the 2025 Oscars, an Israeli-Palestinian film "No Other Land", about the Israeli displacement of a Palestinian community in the West Bank, won the documentary feature film award, also angering Israel's government.

Carmeli-Pollak, a longtime peace activist, said that even though the government did not want him to represent Israel, he was proud to be part of a community of filmmakers who chose to honour "The Sea".

"I represent every people, like both Israelis and Palestinians, that aspire for peace and for equality and for living together in a different way than this government is working for."

Entertainment

Apple Streaming Service Restored after Brief Outage

FILED - 16 September 2023, US, New York: The Apple logo, taken at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa
FILED - 16 September 2023, US, New York: The Apple logo, taken at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa
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Apple Streaming Service Restored after Brief Outage

FILED - 16 September 2023, US, New York: The Apple logo, taken at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa
FILED - 16 September 2023, US, New York: The Apple logo, taken at the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in Manhattan. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa

Apple's streaming service resumed for users in the United States after a brief outage late Thursday, Apple's status page showed.

The number of users reporting issues with Apple TV had dropped to 208, from a peak of about 15,000, according to tracking website Downdetector.com.

The company also experienced issues with Apple Music and Apple Arcade services, both of which were also restored, according to its status page.

Downdetector tracks outages by collating status reports from several sources including users.

Entertainment

Red Sea Film Festival Launches Mobile App Ahead of Fifth Edition

Red Sea International Film Festival logo
Red Sea International Film Festival logo
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Red Sea Film Festival Launches Mobile App Ahead of Fifth Edition

Red Sea International Film Festival logo
Red Sea International Film Festival logo

The Red Sea International Film Festival has unveiled its newly redesigned mobile app, offering a fully integrated digital experience that provides visitors with seamless access to all festival details ahead of its fifth edition, set to take place this December in the historic Al-Balad district of Jeddah.

The updated app enables users to explore the full film lineup, including screening schedules and synopses, browse panel discussions and special events, reserve tickets, and navigate festival venues through interactive maps.

The app is now available for download on the Apple App Store and Google Play, serving as an essential companion for festival-goers.