Entertainment
Alongside Cannes mainstays, fresh faces try to stand out
Mati Diop only realized long after her Dakar-set “Atlantics” had been selected to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival that she had made history. Diop, the 36-year-old French-born filmmaker of Senegalese heritage, is the first black woman in competition for Cannes’ top honor, the Palme d’Or.
The 72nd Cannes Film Festival, which opens Tuesday will feature a lot of familiar faces who have long made Cannes their home, including Pedro Almodóvar, Ken Loach and Jim Jarmusch, whose zombie comedy “The Dead Don’t Die” will open the festival and mark the director’s ninth time in competition in Cannes.
But Cannes is also where a new cinematic voice can be catapulted onto cinema’s world stage. Diop, who has made a number of acclaimed shorts and who starred in Claire Denis’ “35 Shots of Rum,” will make her feature film debut in Cannes. She’s one of four female directors in the festival’s 21-film main slate, which ties Cannes’ previous high, in 2011.
“I’ve been through all kinds of different emotions from the announcement until now,” said Diop by phone in Paris where she was busy putting the finishing touches on “Atlantics.” ″But it’s very stimulating for me to be part of this specific edition that is remarkable for its novelty. It’s a selection in which there are more women, in which there are first feature films, where Africa is represented.
“This gives me the feeling of being part of some new excitement,” she added. “In a way, it’s a turning point for the festival.”
Whether this year’s edition of Cannes will indeed open a new chapter in the prestigious 72-year history of the French Riviera festival remains to be seen. Certainly, the tremors of last year’s Cannes — where 82 women protested gender inequality on the red-carpeted steps of the Palais des Festivals — are still being felt.
One of the primary figures of that demonstration was Agnes Varda, the French New Wave pioneer who died in March at 90. As a tribute, this year’s official Cannes poster is a picture of Varda shooting her first feature, 1955′s “La Pointe Courte,” peering through a raised camera while standing on the back of a man.
Whether Cannes has done enough to adjust to the #MeToo era is sure to be a prominent subject throughout the festival. This year’s selection committee, for the first time, was half women. Still, some have criticized the festival’s selections — about 25 percent directed by women, in total — as a slight and unconvincing improvement. (By comparison, women directed 40 percent of the Berlin Film Festival’s selections, and 46 percent of those at Sundance.)
“In the time that Agnès Varda started, it was hard for women to be directors,” Thierry Fremaux, artistic director of Cannes, told IndieWire. “More and more, it’s not easy, but it’s easier. We have more female directors in films schools, in universities, and in the industry. It’s logical that at a film festival like Cannes, we have had more women over time, because we have paid more attention.”
Tradition and progress are always in tension at Cannes. For the second straight year, this year’s in-competition selections will feature no Netflix releases. Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” was last year set to premiere at Cannes before French distributors — aiming to preserve the country’s theatrical window — pushed the festival to require that all films up for the Palme d’Or have a release planned in French theaters. Netflix withdrew its films , including “Roma.” (This year, the streamer does have one movie, “Wounds,” in the parallel section Directors’ Fortnight.)
Netflix could still be a presence at Cannes’ film market, the world’s largest. Amazon Studios, which has released its films first in theaters, will have the first streaming series to debut at Cannes. The first two episodes of Nicolas Winding Refn’s 10-part crime drama “Too Old to Die Young” will premiere at the festival.
But some things never change. Tom Bernard, co-president of Sony Pictures Classics, will, as he’s done for decades, be frantically riding a bicycle racing from one screening to the next in search for the specialty distributor’s next acquisition — and, hopefully, a seat. “There’s always discovery,” said Bernard.
Sony Pictures Classics has two films in competition: Almodóvar’s “Pain and Glory” and Ira Sachs’ “Frankie.” Bernard believes that while the streamers may be deeper pocketed, those pledging a theatrical release can offer a different kind of prominence.
“Everybody has a very unique thing to offer. We have to offer a theatrical experience, a long run in the theaters in the U.S., a long run in all of the various windows of the movie, so that it reaches many more people over the long run,” said Bernard. “Whereas a lot of the streaming services, it’s a one-and-done proposition.”
This year’s Cannes, where Alejandro Iñárritu will preside over the jury that will decide the Palme d’Or, has some of the Hollywood glitz that has perhaps gone wanting in recent years.
Twenty five years after “Pulp Fiction” won the Palme d’Or, Quentin Tarantino will be back on the Croisette with his 1969 Los Angeles saga “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” with Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie. The Elton John biopic “Rocketman” will splash down. “The Dead Don’t Die” will bring Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton and Adam Driver back to Cannes.
Jarmusch has been coming to Cannes since 1984′s “Stranger Than Paradise.” For him, the festival has been a lifeblood to his artistic freedom.
“In the old days, it was essential for me in my ability to sell the films,” said Jarmusch. “I would often have them premiere there before all the world sales were made so that was incredibly helpful which allowed me to continue as I have having creative control over my films. Cannes is kind of wrapped up in that.”
Other Cannes regulars include the Dardennes brothers (“The Young Ahmed”), Xavier Dolan (“Matthias and Maxime”) and Terrence Malick (“A Hidden Life”), the notoriously press-shy filmmaker whose last Cannes entry, “The Tree of Life,” won the Palme d’Or in 2011.
But part of this year’s excitement is in the new faces. Among those in competition for the first time are Mali-born Ladj Ly’s “Les Misérables” and China’s Diao Yinan (“The Wild Goose Lake”). In Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar, American filmmakers Danielle Lessovitz (“Port Authority”), Annie Silverstein (“Bull”) and Michael Covino (“The Climb”) will all be screening features for the first time in Cannes.
So will Robert Eggers, whose 17th century puritan nightmare “The Witch” was an indie hit in 2015, announcing the arrival of a filmmaker of meticulous period research and genre ambition. His “The Lighthouse,” playing in Directors’ Fortnight, stars Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe as turn-of-the-century lighthouse keepers. Eggers shot it in 35mm and in black and white using old lenses and old-looking filters.
“It takes place on a remote and mysterious island off the coast of Maine but there’s a way in which it should feel ‘once upon a time,’” said Eggers. “Even though it’s rusty, dusty, crusty, musty and grounded in reality, it still has some things about it that should feel like a storybook.”
Dappled in sunshine and splendor along the Mediterranean, Cannes can feel like a different kind of storybook, shining a beacon for cinema. The seas are often rough, and always changing.
Entertainment
Tom Cruise Brings Hollywood Star Power to Daytona as ‘Days of Thunder’ Sequel Energizes NASCAR
Cruise’s Daytona appearance puts NASCAR in the global entertainment spotlight as Cole Trickle prepares to return to the track in 2028
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (FNN SPORTS) — Tom Cruise brought Hollywood star power to Daytona International Speedway, energizing the NASCAR garage and putting one of racing’s most recognizable movie characters back on the starting grid.
The global superstar’s appearance during the Coke Zero Sugar 400 weekend was more than a celebrity visit. Cruise came to Daytona to reconnect with NASCAR, meet today’s drivers and team owners, and introduce the next chapter of Days of Thunder, with Cruise returning as Cole Trickle and Anne Hathaway joining the franchise.
Florida National News was at Daytona capturing Cruise’s interaction with drivers, teams and fans as Hollywood and NASCAR came together at the World Center of Racing.
Cruise Brings Hollywood Star Power to Daytona
Cruise’s presence immediately became one of the biggest stories surrounding the NASCAR weekend.
The actor attended the pre-race drivers meeting and spent time with competitors and team owners as he learned more about how NASCAR has changed since the original Days of Thunder was released in 1990.
Cruise told NASCAR competitors that he wants the new movie to capture more than racing. His interest extends to the teams, people and culture surrounding the sport — an approach that could give NASCAR significant exposure beyond its traditional fan base.
For NASCAR, that star power matters.
Cruise is one of the world’s most recognizable movie stars, and a major theatrical production built around stock-car racing could introduce NASCAR’s drivers, teams and tracks to audiences who may rarely, if ever, watch a Cup Series race.
Tom Cruise and Anne Hathaway pose alongside a “Cole Trickle” Days of Thunder race car in a promotional image for Days of Thunder 2.
Photo Credit: Courtesy Photo: Tom Cruise’s X social media
‘Days of Thunder’ Returns for a New NASCAR Generation
Cruise will reprise his role as Cole Trickle, the fearless young driver at the center of the original movie.
Hathaway will co-star as a race-team owner and engineer. Jonathan Levine is set to direct from a screenplay by Will Staples, while Cruise, Jerry Bruckheimer and Tommy Harper are producing.
Paramount Pictures has scheduled the movie for June 2, 2028.
The sequel arrives nearly four decades after the original Days of Thunder brought NASCAR racing to movie theaters around the world.
The 1990 film starred Cruise alongside Robert Duvall, Nicole Kidman, Michael Rooker, Randy Quaid and Cary Elwes. Real NASCAR personalities were also incorporated into the production, establishing a connection between Hollywood fiction and the actual racing community.
Now Cruise is returning to a NASCAR that is dramatically different from the sport Cole Trickle entered in 1990.
NASCAR Drivers Already Want In
Cruise’s Daytona appearance also created another storyline: Which NASCAR stars will make it into the movie?
Three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano, along with Chase Briscoe and Kyle Larson, has expressed interest in appearing in the sequel. Production is expected to begin in early 2027, leaving casting and potential NASCAR cameos among the major developments still ahead.
Their enthusiasm illustrates the cultural reach of the original film within NASCAR itself.
Many of today’s drivers grew up in an era when Days of Thunder had already become part of racing’s popular culture. Appearing alongside Cruise could now give a new generation of NASCAR competitors the opportunity once held by drivers who appeared in the original movie.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. Helps Connect Hollywood With Modern NASCAR
NASCAR’s involvement may extend well beyond cameos.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. has said he has been communicating with people developing the story, including discussions about how the movie can authentically portray today’s NASCAR while respecting what made the original memorable.
That input could prove valuable.
NASCAR has changed dramatically since 1990 — from its race cars and safety technology to team operations, media coverage and the way fans experience the sport. Capturing modern NASCAR while preserving the personality of the original movie will be one of the sequel’s central challenges.
Rick Hendrick Sees a Major Opportunity for NASCAR
Few people have a stronger connection to both chapters than legendary NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick.
Hendrick Motorsports provided technical support for the original movie, beginning a relationship among Hendrick, Cruise and producer Jerry Bruckheimer that stretches back decades.
Hendrick believes the sequel could provide a significant boost for NASCAR, saying the movie could do the sport “a tremendous amount of good.”
That assessment gets to the larger significance of Cruise’s Daytona appearance.
A Days of Thunder sequel isn’t simply another Hollywood production using racing as a backdrop. If NASCAR teams, drivers and tracks become part of the production, the movie could function as a global showcase for the sport.
From ‘Top Gun’ to ‘Days of Thunder’
Cruise has already demonstrated the potential of revisiting a signature movie decades later.
Top Gun: Maverick introduced the Top Gun franchise to a new generation while bringing longtime fans back to theaters. There is no guarantee Days of Thunder will duplicate that success, but NASCAR offers many of the elements associated with Cruise’s biggest action films — speed, technology, competition, danger and spectacle.
The difference this time is that NASCAR itself could share the spotlight.
Cruise isn’t simply returning to the fictional world of Cole Trickle. He is immersing himself in the real NASCAR garage before cameras begin rolling.
Daytona Becomes the Starting Line
That makes Daytona an important part of the sequel’s developing story.
Daytona International Speedway represents generations of NASCAR history. Cruise’s decision to bring Days of Thunder back into that environment connected the original film, today’s NASCAR and Hollywood’s upcoming sequel in one place.
For longtime NASCAR fans, Cruise’s return revives memories of Cole Trickle.
For younger audiences, the new film could provide their first introduction to the character — and potentially their first meaningful exposure to NASCAR.
For the sport itself, the possibilities are considerably larger.
Cruise and Hathaway give the production international star power. NASCAR provides the speed, personalities, rivalries and authenticity. Daytona provided the stage where those worlds came together.
And NASCAR drivers are already lining up to become part of it.
What’s Next for ‘Days of Thunder’
Attention now turns toward production, which is expected to begin in early 2027. Additional casting, filming locations, participating NASCAR organizations and driver cameos remain among the biggest unanswered questions.
The finished movie is scheduled to arrive in theaters June 2, 2028.
Between now and then, NASCAR has an unusual opportunity: allow one of Hollywood’s biggest stars to take audiences behind the wheel and into the culture of American stock-car racing.
At Daytona, Cruise provided the first taste of what that combination could generate.
The thunder is coming back — and NASCAR could be one of its biggest stars.
Entertainment
Miss Texas, Miss Utah and Miss New Jersey Win 2026 Miss America Preliminary Talent Awards
Miss Texas, Miss Utah and Miss New Jersey earn Miss America talent honors as national competition heads into championship weekend
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (FNN) — The Miss America Organization announced the 2026 Miss America and Miss America’s Teen Kawai Pianos Preliminary Talent Award winners following the Miss America’s Got Talent competition at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach.
The Sept. 3 competition showcased the talents of delegates competing for the Miss America and Miss America’s Teen titles, with performances spanning a range of artistic disciplines.
Miss America preliminary talent winners Miss Texas Regan Hutsell, Miss Utah Erika Dalton and Miss New Jersey Kylie Gene Wright celebrate after receiving Kawai Pianos Preliminary Talent Awards during the Miss America’s Got Talent competition in West Palm Beach, Florida. Source Miss America
Miss America Preliminary Talent Award Winners
Three Miss America delegates received Kawai Pianos Preliminary Talent Awards, with each winner earning a $3,000 scholarship:
- Miss Texas Regan Hutsell
- Miss Utah Erika Dalton
- Miss New Jersey Kylie Gene Wright
The awards recognize artistry, creativity, discipline and dedication demonstrated during the preliminary talent competition.
Miss America’s Teen preliminary talent winners Miss Utah’s Teen Elle Anderson, Miss Oregon’s Teen Aria Christensen and Miss New Hampshire’s Teen Kendall Laroche celebrate with their Kawai Pianos Preliminary Talent Awards during the national competition in West Palm Beach, Florida.
Miss America’s Teen Preliminary Talent Award Winners
Three Miss America’s Teen delegates also earned preliminary talent honors. Each receives a $1,500 scholarship:
- Miss Utah’s Teen Elle Anderson
- Miss Oregon’s Teen Aria Christensen
- Miss New Hampshire’s Teen Kendall Laroche
The six preliminary awards provide a combined $13,500 in scholarships.
Seven Judges Evaluate Miss America Talent Competition
The preliminary talent performances were evaluated by a seven-member judging panel representing entertainment and the performing arts.
Judges included Alida Michal, Brooklyn Mack, Jill Twiss, J. Harrison Ghee, Lora Drasner, Shelly Bramhall and Marisha Wallace.
The talent competition remains a central component of the Miss America program, giving delegates an opportunity to demonstrate performance ability while competing for scholarship awards.
Miss America Championship Weekend Continues in West Palm Beach
The national competition continues Saturday, Sept. 5, with the Miss America’s Teen Final at 7 p.m.
The Miss America Final follows Sunday, Sept. 6, at 7 p.m., when the organization is scheduled to crown the 99th Miss America.
Both events are being held at the Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach as The Palm Beaches hosts the national competition.
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