Entertainment

Annie Awards Nominations Announced

Published

10 years ago

November 28, 2016

BURBANK, Calif., (FNN NEWS) By ASIFA-Hollywood — The International Animated Film Society, ASIFA-Hollywood, announced nominations today for its 44th Annual Annie Awards™ recognizing the year’s best in the field of animation. For a complete list of nominations, please visit www.annieawards.org.

This year’s Best Animated Feature nominations include: Finding Dory (Pixar Animation Studios), Kubo and the Two Strings (Laika), Kung Fu Panda 3 (DreamWorks Animation), Moana (Walt Disney Animation Studios) and Zootopia (Walt Disney Animation Studios).

Nominees in the Annies™ newest category, Best Feature-Independent, spotlighting features with a much smaller distribution footprint than major studio releases, include: Long Way North (Sacrebleu Productions, Maybe Movies, Norlum Studios, France 3 Cinéma and 2 Minutes), Miss Hokusai (Production I.G.), My Life As A Zucchini (Rita Productions, Blue Spirit Productions, Gebeka Films, KNM), The Red Turtle (Studio Ghibli, Wild Bunch, Why Not Productions) and Your Name (CoMix Wave Films).

“Once again, this year has seen another increase in Annie submissions, and a continuing and broadening interest from not only the animation community, but also the film industry in general, ” said ASIFA’s executive director, Frank Gladstone. “We are ever mindful that the Annie Awards have become an early and welcomed addition into the ‘Award Season’ mainstream.”

The Annie Awards cover 36 categories and include Best Animated Feature, Best Animated Feature-Independent, Special Productions, Commercials, Short Subjects, Student Films and Outstanding Individual Achievements, as well as the honorary Juried Awards. The winners will be announced at a black tie ceremony on Saturday, February 4, 2017 at UCLA’s Royce Hall. A pre-reception and press line begins at 5:00 pm with the awards ceremony following at 7:00 pm. A post-show celebration immediately follows the ceremony. All events will be held at Royce Hall.

“It has turned out to be an especially successful year for animation on movie screens, on broadcast and cable TV, for new streaming networks, in games and VR,” said ASIFA-Hollywood President, Jerry Beck. “I really believe we are in a new ‘golden age’, as outstanding examples of the art form – whether hand drawn, CG, stop motion or mo-cap – are represented by this years Annie nominees.”

The Juried Awards honoring career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation will also be presented. Three Winsor McCay recipients have been selected by the ASIFA-Hollywood Board of Directors – legendary animator Dale Baer; independent animation champion Caroline Leaf; and influential anime director Mamoru Oshii, for their career contributions to the art form; the Ub Iwerks Award will go to Google Spotlight’s Virtual Reality Platform for technical advancement; Life, Animated, a documentary about animation’s effect on one young autistic man’s journey will receive this year’s Special Achievement Award; and the June Foray Awardwill be given to Bill & Sue Kroyer for their career-long benevolent, public-spirited influence within the animation community. Certificate of Merit awards will be presented to Leslie Ezeh, ASIFA-Hollywood volunteer coordinator and Gary Perkovac, ASIFA-Hollywood’s office manager.

ASIFA-Hollywood is the world’s first and foremost professional organization dedicated to promoting the Art of Animation and celebrating the people who create it. Today, ASIFA-Hollywood, the largest chapter of the international organization ASIFA, supports a range of animation activities and preservation efforts through its membership. Current initiatives include the Animation Archive, Animation Aid Foundation, animated film preservation, special events, classes and screenings.

Entertainment

Regan Hutsell of Texas Crowned Miss America 2027 in West Palm Beach

Published

1 day ago

September 7, 2026

FNN NEWS

Regan Hutsell, representing Texas, reacts as she is crowned the 99th Miss America during the national competition in West Palm Beach, Florida. Hutsell became the fourth Miss Texas to capture the Miss America title. Photo: Miss America

The former Radio City Rockette and Birmingham Royal Ballet performer captured the national title in West Palm Beach after winning preliminary fitness and talent awards.

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (FNN) — Regan Hutsell, representing Texas, has been crowned the 99th Miss America, capturing the national title following several days of competition in West Palm Beach.

Hutsell emerged from a field of 52 delegates representing the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Her victory makes her the fourth Miss Texas to win the Miss America title in the organization’s 105-year history, according to the Miss America Organization.

The final competition was held at the Palm Beach County Convention Center.

From Radio City Rockette to Miss America

Hutsell entered the competition with an extensive professional dance background.

At 18, she began her professional dance career as a Radio City Rockette and later performed internationally with the Birmingham Royal Ballet, traveling throughout Europe.

Her dance background proved significant during Miss America competition. Hutsell captured preliminary awards in both fitness and talent, earning the talent honor for her jazz dance performance to “Le Jazz Hot.”

Personal Journey Inspires Service Initiative

Hutsell has also publicly discussed overcoming an eating disorder and struggles involving perfectionism and body image while pursuing her professional dance career.

Those experiences became the foundation for her community service initiative, “Your Body Is Your Home.”

Through the initiative, Hutsell seeks to encourage positive self-worth, healthier internal dialogue and the message that a person’s value should not be determined by physical appearance.

Her personal experience gives the initiative a direct connection to the challenges she encountered while working in elite performing arts.

Hutsell Marks Historic Milestone

According to the Miss America Organization, Hutsell also made history as the first woman of color to win the Miss America crown while wearing her natural hair.

The milestone adds another chapter to the evolution of a competition that has increasingly emphasized education, service, leadership and professional development alongside its longstanding traditions.

Hutsell received a distinctive crown featuring red and blue stones commemorating America’s semiquincentennial, the nation’s 250th anniversary.

Nearly $90,000 in Scholarships

Education will remain a major component of Hutsell’s year as Miss America.

According to the organization, she has earned nearly $90,000 in scholarships through the Miss America Opportunity.

Hutsell is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in health sciences and plans to become a physical therapist.

“Miss America has always represented hope and inspiration,” Hutsell said in a statement.

She said she looks forward to using the title to encourage people “to walk boldly in their purpose, pursue their wildest dreams, and never give up on themselves.”

Louisiana’s Shelby Bordelon Finishes First Runner-Up

Hutsell advanced to the Top 5 alongside four finalists:

Shelby Bordelon, Louisiana — First runner-up
Kate Dimmett, Illinois — Second runner-up
Sharlize True Trujillo, California — Third runner-up
Evelyn Smith, District of Columbia — Fourth runner-up

The semifinalists were Carly Yoshida of Hawaii, Erika Dalton of Utah, Madison Oh of New York, Lindsay Jones of South Carolina, McKenzie Kerry of Iowa and Jane Granberry of Mississippi.

Celebrity Panel Selects Miss America

The final night was hosted by Jennifer Hale and Billy Gilman.

The celebrity judging panel included Kate Shindle, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Regina Benjamin, Vicki Vlahos, Hal Rubenstein, Ubah Hassan and Ellen Latham.

The competition followed two nights of preliminary events before the field was narrowed for the final rounds.

Scholarships Remain Central to Miss America

The Miss America Organization says its national, state and local programs provide more than $5 million in tuition scholarships annually, along with an additional $35 million in in-kind scholarship opportunities.

Hutsell’s nearly $90,000 in scholarship earnings will help support her health sciences education as she works toward her goal of becoming a physical therapist.

What’s Next for the New Miss America?

As Miss America, Hutsell begins a year of appearances, community engagement and advocacy centered on the organization’s mission of “Empowering Women to Lead with Purpose.”

Her year of service is also expected to expand the reach of Your Body Is Your Home, combining her personal experience with her focus on self-worth and healthy body image.

From professional dancer to national titleholder, Hutsell now takes her message to a national audience while representing Miss America during its 105th anniversary era.

Follow Florida National News for continuing coverage from West Palm Beach and major entertainment, lifestyle and cultural events across Florida.

Entertainment

Tom Cruise Brings Hollywood Star Power to Daytona as ‘Days of Thunder’ Sequel Energizes NASCAR

Published

2 days ago

September 6, 2026

FNN NEWS

Hollywood superstar Tom Cruise waves to fans during his appearance at Daytona International Speedway during the 2026 Coke Zero Sugar 400 weekend. Cruise visited Daytona as excitement builds around his return as Cole Trickle in the upcoming Days of Thunder sequel. Source: Arthur Dell Morgan / Florida National News

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 Utah’s Teen Elle Anderson Crowned Miss America’s Teen 2027

Published

2 days ago

September 6, 2026

FNN NEWS

Miss Utah’s Teen Elle Anderson celebrates onstage after being crowned Miss America’s Teen 2027 in West Palm Beach, Florida. Anderson made history as the first Miss Utah’s Teen to capture the national title, emerging from a field of 52 delegates. Source: Miss America

Anderson makes history as Utah’s first Miss America’s Teen winner, earning the national crown after preliminary wins in talent and evening wear

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (FNN) — Miss Utah’s Teen Elle Anderson was crowned Miss America’s Teen 2027 on Saturday, becoming the first representative from Utah to win the national title and the 21st young woman to wear the Miss America’s Teen crown.

Anderson emerged from a field of 52 state delegates representing all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico during the national competition in West Palm Beach.

Her victory follows preliminary awards in talent and evening wear. Anderson earned the talent recognition for her violin performance of “Czardas” by Vittorio Monti.

Elle Anderson Makes History for Utah

Anderson’s victory marks a milestone for the Miss Utah organization as its first Miss America’s Teen national title.

Beyond competition, Anderson has focused her platform on youth leadership, service and emergency preparedness.

Her Community Service Initiative, Every Beat Matters, was created in honor of her late brother and promotes teen-focused CPR training and emergency readiness.

The initiative centers on three principles — Confidence, Preparation and Rescue — with the goal of giving young people practical skills that could help save lives.

More Than $40,000 in Scholarships

Anderson has earned more than $40,000 in scholarships through the Miss America Opportunity.

She is enrolled at Brigham Young University, where she plans to study journalism and business. Anderson also plans to pursue law school.

Her combination of academic goals, community service and performing arts experience helped distinguish her throughout the national competition.

Anderson: ‘You Don’t Need a Crown to Be a Leader’

As Miss America’s Teen 2027, Anderson will serve as a national ambassador for the program, traveling and encouraging young women to pursue leadership and community service.

“I want every young person I meet this year to walk away knowing that their voice matters, their choices matter, and most importantly, they matter,” Anderson said in a statement.

“You don’t need a crown to be a leader. You don’t need a title to serve. You don’t need to wait for someone to tell you that you’re ready. You are ready,” she added.

Anderson said she wants to spend her year as Miss America’s Teen reinforcing that message to young women across the country.

Miss America’s Teen 2027 Top Five

Anderson secured the crown after advancing through multiple rounds of competition and reaching the Top 5.

Madalyn Sullivan of Mississippi was named first runner-up, followed by Zoe Zogleman of Texas as second runner-up, Natalia Yurecko of Minnesota as third runner-up and Logan Wells of South Carolina as fourth runner-up.

Semifinalists included Melony Tidmore of Georgia, Aria Christensen of Oregon, Tianna Lei Wailehua of Hawaii, Camdyn Lee of North Carolina, Lucille Esler of New York and Kendall Laroche of New Hampshire.

A New National Role Begins

With the crown, Anderson begins a yearlong national role representing Miss America’s Teen and promoting her Every Beat Matters initiative.

Her historic victory combines several elements of the Miss America Opportunity — scholarship, talent, service, education and leadership — while giving Utah its first Miss America’s Teen national title.

For Anderson, the crown also provides a national platform for a deeply personal mission: helping young people develop the confidence and preparation to respond when someone’s life may depend on them.