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Donald Trump said Monday that Washington would “not put up with” Volodymyr Zelensky’s rhetoric much longer, as the US president prepared to meet his top team after a disastrous Oval Office row with the Ukrainian leader.”This is the worst statement that could have been made by Zelensky, and America will not put up with it for much longer,” Trump said on social media, citing a story quoting Ukraine’s president saying the end of the war with Moscow was far off.”This guy doesn’t want there to be Peace as long as he has America’s backing.” Trump also took aim at European leaders who met Zelensky for crisis talks in London at the weekend, saying that they had “stated flatly that they cannot do the job without the US.” “Probably not a great statement to have been made in terms of a show of strength against Russia. What are they thinking,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.Trump’s broadside came after a meeting between Trump, Vice President JD Vance and Zelensky at the White House on Friday which descended into an extraordinary on-camera argument.Trump and Vance raised their voices and accused Zelensky of being disrespectful and ungrateful for US military assistance, as the Ukrainian pushed his demand for American security guarantees as part of any truce.Zelensky was then told to leave the White House, with a crucial deal giving Washington preferential access to Ukraine’s mineral resources left unsigned.Trump will now meet his top aides on Monday to discuss next steps on Ukraine. “What we need to hear from President Zelensky is that he has regret for what happened, he’s ready to sign this minerals deal and that he’s ready to engage in peace talks,” US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz told Fox News.White House officials did not confirm a report by the news outlet Axios that Trump was considering cutting all military aid to Kyiv following the row.European leaders, who have offered peacekeepers to guarantee any ceasefire but also want a US “backstop,” met in London on Sunday in a desperate bid to resolve the row.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke by telephone Monday with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy to discuss the leaders’ meeting in London.Rubio “confirmed the United States is ready to negotiate to end the Ukraine-Russia conflict and will continue working with the UK towards peace in Ukraine,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said.But in a sign of the tensions at play, Germany’s likely next chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday he thought Trump had deliberately escalated the Oval Office clash. “According to my assessment this was not a spontaneous reaction to what Zelensky was saying but clearly a deliberate escalation,” Merz told a press conference in Berlin.Waltz had earlier denied that the clash was deliberate.”This was no ambush,” Waltz told Fox. “This was an opportunity and a moment, and I think President Zelensky truly did his country a real disservice.” 

A 24-year-old man accused of firing from a rooftop on a US Independence Day parade, killing seven people and injuring 48, pleaded guilty on Monday just minutes before opening arguments were set to begin in his trial.Robert Crimo III was charged with murder, attempted murder and dozens of other counts for the attack on a July 4, 2022 parade in the affluent Chicago suburb of Highland Park.Jury selection was completed last week and opening arguments in Crimo’s trial were scheduled to begin on Monday at the Lake County Courthouse in Waukegan, Illinois.But Crimo changed his plea to guilty just moments before they began.Sentencing was set for April 23. Crimo faces a sentence of life in prison without parole.Ashbey Beasley, a Highland Park resident, was among the members of the public who had turned up for opening arguments.”My son and I were at the parade and ran for our lives,” Beasley told Fox 32 TV.She said the guilty plea was met in court with a “huge collective feeling of relief.””Our community wanted justice,” Beasley said.According to prosecutors, Crimo climbed onto a rooftop overlooking the parade route armed with a semi-automatic rifle and emptied three 30-round magazines into the crowd before fleeing.Crimo was allegedly disguised in women’s clothing and had used makeup to conceal several distinctive facial tattoos, including the word “Awake” above his left eyebrow and the number “47” on his temple.He was captured about eight hours later following a car chase.Crimo’s father, Robert Crimo Jr, pleaded guilty in November 2023 to reckless conduct for helping his son obtain the assault rifle used in the shooting, a rare case in which a parent was held criminally responsible for the actions of their child.Crimo Jr, who owned a delicatessen in Highland Park and once ran for mayor, pleaded guilty to seven misdemeanor counts for helping his son obtain a state firearms permit even though he knew he had a history of mental illness.He was sentenced to 60 days in jail.- Erratic behavior -Amid a huge number of deadly firearms incidents involving young people, pressure has been mounting in the United States to punish parents who make it possible for their children to get weapons.The parents of a 15-year-old boy who killed four people at a high school in Michigan in 2021 were convicted of involuntary manslaughter last year for buying their son a gun even though they were aware of troubling signs that he might be a threat.According to police, Robert Crimo III had a history of erratic behavior.Police were called to the Crimo home twice in 2019: once in April to investigate a suicide attempt by the younger Crimo and again in September because a relative said he had threatened to “kill everyone” in the family.Located 25 miles (40 kilometers) north of Chicago, Highland Park is known for being home to some of Chicago’s elite: basketball superstar Michael Jordan lived there during his years with the NBA’s Bulls.And in the 1980s, Highland Park served as the backdrop for iconic films including “Risky Business” and “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”

Britain’s Royal Society will hold a crunch meeting on Monday following calls to expel technology billionaire Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, from the prestigious institute of scientists.Founded in 1660, the Royal Society describes itself as a “fellowship of many of the world’s most eminent scientists” and is a key voice in the global scientific community.Past members have included Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Charles Darwin, Dorothy Hodgkin, Benjamin Franklin and Stephen Hawking.But after members raised concerns about Musk, the owner of SpaceX, Tesla and the social network X who was elected a fellow in 2018, the organisation said it would discuss “the principles around public pronouncements and behaviours of fellows”.Nobel prize winners were among more than 3,000 people who signed an open letter last month saying Musk had broken the Society’s code of conduct by promoting “unfounded conspiracy theories”.Researchers say changes Musk made to X after his 2022 takeover of the site formerly known as Twitter have led to a spike in misinformation.The 53-year-old has also repeatedly used his own account to spread falsehoods including inaccurate claims about Covid-19, vaccines, miscarriages and heart problems.Ahead of the debate, Musk said “only craven, insecure fools care about awards and memberships”.He was responding to an X post by Nobel Prize laureate and Royal Society fellow Geoffrey Hinton, known as the “Godfather of AI,” who called for Musk to be expelled. “Not because he peddles conspiracy theories and makes Nazi salutes, but because of the huge damage he is doing to scientific institutions in the US,” Hinton said.Musk now holds increasing sway in the White House as a close advisor to US President Donald Trump. He has rejected comparisons between the gesture he made at a Trump inauguration event earlier this year and a Nazi salute, and said Hinton’s comments were “carelessly ignorant, cruel and false”.”What specific actions require correction?” he said. “I will make mistakes, but endeavour to fix them fast.”- ‘Respect for evidence’ -Stephen Curry, author of the open letter and professor of structural biology at Imperial College London, said it was “not about policing political views, this is not about enforcing some kind of political conformity”.”I think the main charges that are troubling to many people is that Elon Musk has not shown respect for evidence,” he said.”He’s widely reported to be one of the most active disseminators of misinformation on Twitter and that’s not something that is consistent with the code of conduct.”The Society, which has 1,800 fellows and foreign members including 85 Nobel laureates, says it aims to encourage the use of science “for the benefit of humanity and the good of the planet”.The meeting, to which all members have been invited, was set to take place Monday evening behind closed doors, but it was not clear what action the Society might take.In a statement to AFP, the Society said that “any issues raised in respect of individual fellows are dealt with in strict confidence”.

US President Donald Trump will set out his governing vision Tuesday to a country roiled by his moves to dramatically reshape the federal government and redefine foreign policy as he delivers his first address to Congress since returning to office.His speech at the US Capitol — scheduled for 9:00 pm (0200 GMT Wednesday) — comes just six weeks after his inauguration and four years since his supporters stormed the building following his 2020 election defeat.”TOMORROW NIGHT WILL BE BIG. I WILL TELL IT LIKE IT IS!” he promised on Truth Social on Monday.The Republican president is expected to tout the bevy of executive orders issued during his first 43 days in office, and outline the remaining 1,419 days.Trump, together with his billionaire advisor Elon Musk, have already shown their intent to push hard and fast to implement the president’s “Make America Great Again” agenda — even if it means testing the constitutional limits of his authority, or straining ties with allies.Since his inauguration, Trump has moved to unilaterally dismantle federal agencies, fired thousands of government workers and begun holding undocumented migrants at the US military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.- Oval Office blow-up -He has also publicly mused about annexing Canada, using economic force if necessary, and claimed the European Union was created to “screw” the United States. Trump’s extraordinary public clash with President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office on Friday, in which he berated his Ukrainian counterpart, was just the latest example of a US paradigm shift.Only a few members of his Republican Party, which narrowly controls both chambers of Congress, have publicly pushed back against the president.Legal attempts to thwart Trump and Musk’s government overhaul efforts continue to work their way through the courts, with the conservative-dominated Supreme Court expected to weigh in on several major questions.Members of the nine-member high court, three of whom were appointed by Trump during his first term, may attend his speech Tuesday, per custom. – ‘Triumphant return’ -House Speaker Mike Johnson — a staunch Trump ally — touted what he said would be the president’s “triumphant return” to Congress, arguing that he had accomplished so much already that listing his achievements “could fill three hours.” “Normally, at this point in a new president’s term, they would not deliver a State of the Union. It would be just simply a joint address, as it’s entitled,” Johnson told Fox News.”But in this case, it actually will be more like a State of the Union address, because President Trump has such a long series of victories.”Trump’s tight grip on the Republican Party has only grown stronger since his 2024 comeback, and few are willing to risk losing their seat by antagonizing him and his base.But with narrow majorities in Congress and several competing factions, the party could struggle to push through his legislative agenda, including major tax cuts.Democrats, meanwhile, are struggling to organize a united front capable of combating Trump’s media and political onslaught. Michigan’s new senator, Elissa Slotkin, will provide the traditional opposition rebuttal to the president’s address.The 48-year-old former CIA analyst, described by Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as a “rising star” in the party, said in a statement that she looked forward to “speaking directly to the American people.”Lawmakers traditionally bring guests to presidential addresses and Democrats announced a list aimed at highlighting the Trump-Musk cuts, from fired federal workers to a child who was saved by a now-scuttled health program. 

Independent film “Anora” — the tale of a sex worker whose marriage to the son of a Russian oligarch quickly unravels — was the big winner at the Oscars on Sunday, scooping five awards including best picture.Sean Baker’s black comedy also took home the Academy Awards for best director, best editing, best original screenplay and best actress for 25-year-old star Mikey Madison.”This is a dream come true,” said Madison.”I grew up in Los Angeles, but Hollywood always felt so far away from me. So to be here standing in this room today is really incredible.”A shellshocked Madison later told reporters backstage she was still processing a win that looked set to open career doors — even though she had no idea what was next.”I just know that tonight I’m going to go home to my new puppies and probably clean up their mess,” she laughed.Her win was something of an upset, as she bested 1990s megastar Demi Moore, who had been the odds-on favorite to cap a late career flourish with a golden statuette for body-horror flick “The Substance.”Baker used one of his four acceptance speeches to urge support for independent movies. “I want to thank the Academy for recognizing a truly independent film. This film was made on the blood, sweat and tears of incredible indie artists,” he said.The five wins by “Anora” — out of six nominations — was an impressive haul for a movie made for just $6 million, a tiny sum by Hollywood standards.The film’s triumph came at the expense of “Conclave” — a film about the secretive and cut-throat election of a new Catholic leader that had been lent an uncanny timeliness by the real-life health woes of Pope Francis.The Vatican intrigue, starring Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini, earned top honors from Britain’s BAFTAs, and the Hollywood actors’ SAG Award, but had to settle Sunday for best adapted screenplay, despite having been seen as a favorite heading into the night.- ‘Defying Gravity’ and Conan -The more than three-and-a-half hour Oscars broadcast was a relatively staid affair, with little of the political tub-thumping that has characterized previous editions.Unlike last year’s host Jimmy Kimmel, host Conan O’Brien ignored President Donald Trump and, despite an astounding week of politics around the war in Ukraine, the ceremony had only one mention of the conflict, and only one speech concentrated on the situation in Gaza.Instead, the gala was a more traditional Hollywood event, kicked off with glossy high-production glitz.”Wicked” stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo began the show with a soaring medley honoring the land of Oz that brought the house down, including a rapturously received “Defying Gravity” from their nominated film.O’Brien took aim in his opening monologue at the controversy that has surrounded “Emilia Perez,” whose transgender star sank the film’s Oscar hopes when a series of offensive tweets were unearthed.”Little fact for you: ‘Anora’ uses the F-word 479 times. That’s three more than the record set by Karla Sofia Gascon’s publicist,” he said.Brazil won its first Oscar for best international feature for “I’m Still Here,” and Latvia’s “Flow” won the award for best animated film.- Culkin, Brody and Saldana -With the exception of Madison, the acting prizes went where they had been expected to go.Kieran Culkin looked his usual flustered self as he took the best supporting actor Oscar for “A Real Pain.””I’ve already lost whatever speech I prepared,” he said. “I have no idea how I got here. I’ve just been acting my whole life. It’s just been a part of what I do.”Adrien Brody won his second career Oscar for his role as Laszlo Toth, a Hungarian Jewish architect making a new life in the United States after World War II in “The Brutalist.” Brody, whose first statuette was for 2002’s “The Pianist,” joins an elite club of double winners including Marlon Brando and Jack Nicholson.Oscars show producers tried to play Brody off the stage twice during his lengthy acceptance, offering one of the few moments of levity in an otherwise serious speech.”Please, I’ve done this before,” he said.”Emilia Perez” star Zoe Saldana won for best supporting actress, and she emotionally thanked her family.”My grandmother came to this country in 1961, I am a proud child of immigrant parents with dreams and dignity and hard-working hands, and I am the first American of Dominican origin to accept an Academy Award,” she said.”I know I will not be the last.”

For Mikey Madison, the first time is definitely a charm.The 25-year-old American won the best actress Oscar Sunday for her first major film role in “Anora,” in which she captivated audiences as a sassy sex worker who marries a Russian oligarch’s son — and learns tough lessons about the rich-poor divide.Madison made a major critical breakthrough in Sean Baker’s movie, which first won hearts at the Cannes film festival, where it received the Palme d’Or.She was perhaps the most surprising winner of the night, besting heavy favorite Demi Moore (“The Substance”), Cynthia Erivo (“Wicked”), Fernanda Torres (“I’m Still Here) and scandal-mired Karla Sofia Gascon (“Emilia Perez”).”I grew up in Los Angeles, but Hollywood always felt so far away from me. So to be here standing in this room today is really incredible,” Madison said, reading nervously from a piece of paper.”I also just want to again recognize and honor the sex worker community. I will continue to support and be an ally of all the incredible people, the women that I’ve had the privilege of meeting from that community.””Anora” tells the story of Ani, a Brooklyn sex worker who makes her living in high-end Manhattan clubs. Her luck seems to change when she meets Ivan, a young man who turns out to be the son of a Russian oligarch.Ivan quickly immerses Ani in his life of parties, drugs and sex and, during a wild trip to Vegas, marries her.But the quickie marriage incenses Ivan’s parents, who head to New York to set things right, and Ani quickly finds herself out of her depth.She is forced into a zany search for an AWOL Ivan through Brooklyn’s “Little Odessa” — Brighton Beach — and an uncomfortable trip back to Sin City to get the marriage annulled, on which she experiences the cruelty of class warfare.Madison trained in pole dancing for three months and frequented sex clubs to research the role. The Los Angeles native also perfected a Brooklyn accent and learned some basic Russian.- Modern-day Cinderella -Baker first noticed Madison in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood,” in which she had a small part as a member of Charles Manson’s murderous hippie cult. The US filmmaker said he was captivated by her presence, and seeing her role in horror franchise reboot “Scream” (2022) cemented his interest.”I’ve never worked with an actor who has dedicated herself more,” he told AFP in Cannes last year. “She has comic timing. She was everything I thought she would be… I know she will be a star.”In “Anora,” he cast her as a modern-day Cinderella, a fighter whose fairy tale ending is ripped from her grasp. In one 28-minute scene, she hits, shrieks and even bites the two-bit Russian and Armenian hoods who come to make her see reason. Madison did all of her own stunts.The role follows a pattern for Madison, who appears to like roles that are the polar opposite of her actual self. She describes herself as quite shy.”I’m a little sick of talking about myself. Do you know what I mean? I feel embarrassed sometimes talking about myself,” she told Deadline in February.- ‘That looks fun’ -Born in California on March 25, 1999, to two psychologists, Madison grew up in the greater LA area, with no dreams of making it big in Hollywood. The homeschooled horse lover trained as an equestrian before being bitten by the acting bug in her teens.”I thought that looks fun or that looks like a safe place to explore all of those things without having to do it in real life,” she told The New York Times in an interview published in January.Still in her teens, she made her breakthrough as Pamela Adlon’s rebellious daughter in television’s “Better Things.” The show ran from 2016 to 2022. She shot “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” between seasons, and then got the surprising role in “Scream.” Madison is also part of the Apple TV+ mini-series “Lady in the Lake” starring Natalie Portman.Madison is close to her parents and twin brother, and eschews social media.”I would understand a curiosity toward a character in film, but that’s never been something I’ve really understood — like, the curiosity towards the actor themselves,” she told the Times.

After a long season of red carpet events, Hollywood’s top stars brought their best fashion yet to the Oscars on Sunday. While some A-listers matched their looks to their roles (hello, cast of “Wicked”), others went for classic old school Hollywood glamour.Here is a glimpse at some of the red carpet looks at the Dolby Theatre:- ‘Wicked’ fashion -The land of Oz is full of dramatic fashion statements in “Wicked,” and the film’s stars delivered a few more on Sunday.Ariana Grande has worn an array of Glinda-coded pink gowns since kicking off a long press tour for the hit musical and then for awards season.But the nominee for best supporting actress saved the best for last, floating down the red carpet in a sculptural pale Schiaparelli peplum gown.The strapless bodice flounced at the waist and laced up the back. The dress then cascaded to the floor in a glimmering cloud of tulle.Co-star Cynthia Erivo, a nominee for best actress, went for her Elphaba moment in a majestic dark green velvet Louis Vuitton gown with a high pointed collar, a wide neckline, a full skirt and her signature long nails.Jeff Goldblum — who plays the Wizard — wore a cream double breasted Prada jacket, dark pants, floral shirt and a purple floral brooch.- Pristine white -For mere mortals, wearing white is a challenge. For Hollywood stars, it screams old-school glamour.Elle Fanning (“A Complete Unknown”) wore a lacy white Givenchy gown with a prominent black bow at the waist — and a vintage Cartier diamond necklace. Her blonde tresses were swept into a sleek up-do.Lupita Nyong’o, who voiced Roz in the animated feature “The Wild Robot,” rocked a white Chanel gown with pearl-encrusted straps, a silvery bodice overlay and a sweet bow at the waist.And Penelope Cruz looked like an ethereal goddess in a white Chanel gown with shiny brooches down the front.- Glitter -The red carpet sparkled with glittering confections.Demi Moore may not have won the best actress Oscar for her gripping turn in body horror flick “The Substance,” but she was dressed for the moment, wearing a body-skimming silver Armani gown with a plunging neckline and full train.Selena Gomez, who co-stars in narco musical thriller “Emilia Perez,” wowed fashionistas in a fully beaded metallic rose Ralph Lauren column gown, her hair in a neat bob.And past best actress winner Emma Stone shimmered in a sequined nude Louis Vuitton gown, her pixie cut slicked back.- Royalty -Amid a flurry of nude, shimmering gowns, a few stars stood out for wearing bold hues fit for royalty.Zoe Saldana, who won the best supporting actress Oscar for her work in “Emilia Perez,” reigned supreme in a burgundy tiered Saint Laurent bubble gown with sheer black opera gloves.And Colman Domingo, who often wins the red carpet for Hollywood’s men, wore a custom Valentino belted red jacket with black lapels and a sparkling brooch over black trousers.

Sean Baker, whose career chronicling the lives of sex workers and marginalized communities has made him a leading light of the US indie movie scene, won the Oscar for best director on Sunday.Baker earned the coveted Academy Award with “Anora,” his latest neorealistic portrayal of society’s underbelly, in which a stripper thinks she has struck it rich with a Russian oligarch’s son.Winning best director with his first nomination, Baker fended off Brady Corbet (“The Brutalist”), James Mangold (“A Complete Unknown”), Jacques Audiard (“Emilia Perez”) and Coralie Fargeat (“The Substance”).”Anora” also won best picture and best actress, and Baker himself collected additional gold statuettes for best original screenplay and best editing.Baker made an impassioned plea for filmmakers to keep making movies for the big screen, saying the theater-going experience is “under threat.””During the pandemic, we lost nearly 1,000 screens in the US, and we continue to lose them regularly. If we don’t reverse this trend, we’ll be losing a vital part of our culture,” he told the audience. “This is my battle cry. Filmmakers: Keep making films for the big screen. I know I will. Distributors: please focus first and foremost on the theatrical releases of your films.”It has been a long road to Hollywood’s grandest stage for the 54-year-old Baker, a slight and unfailingly affable character with an encyclopedic knowledge of film, who is known for casting non-actors and real sex workers in his movies.Despite a devoted arthouse following, Baker’s only previous encounter with the Oscars maelstrom came when Willem Dafoe — a rare big-name star in the director’s oeuvre — was nominated for a supporting role in “The Florida Project.”That fleeting glimpse into awards campaigning was “a crazy, crazy run,” but US audiences have been told “only come to the theater for the big blockbusters — everything else you can get on Netflix,” Baker later told AFP.With “Anora,” which won the Palme d’Or on its debut at the Cannes film festival in May, Baker has finally broken through to wider audiences. By far his most successful film, it has grossed around $40 million.”Anora” won this year’s top prize from Hollywood’s directors guild last month, where the visibly shocked and characteristically modest Baker told peers his “imposter syndrome” was “skyrocketing.”- ‘Right under our noses’ -Born on February 26, 1971, Baker was initiated in cinema by his mother, a teacher. He got the bug at the age of six when he saw Boris Karloff playing the monster in “Frankenstein.”His first feature, “Four Letter Words,” was released in 2000, shortly after his graduation from New York University, but his life spiralled out of control because of a heroin addiction. Emerging from that dark place, Baker was determined to stay in the industry, even if he was just clinging on by his fingernails. He was a long way from following in the footsteps of his heroes — John Cassavetes, Ken Loach and Mike Leigh — but his story was not over yet.He made “Take Out” (2004) about a Chinese immigrant in New York trying to pay off his debts to a smuggler.But it was “Starlet” (2012), about a porn actress, that got him interested in sex workers, putting him in touch with prostitutes, escorts and exotic dancers, many of whom became friends.Asked why so many of his films focus on sex work, Baker told AFP last May that “we are all fascinated… because it is right under our noses, whether we notice it or not.””No joke. From my kitchen, I can literally look into a happy endings massage parlor,” said Baker, who lives in Los Angeles.Baker’s next film, “Tangerine,” was shot on iPhones and followed two transgender prostitutes through the streets of LA on one crazy day.He followed it with “The Florida Project,” about a six-year-old girl living in a cheap motel with her mother, a stripper who loses her job and begins soliciting sex work online.Bria Vinaite, who plays the struggling mother, was discovered by Baker on Instagram, while one of the child actors was spotted in a supermarket. – ‘The scandalous and the mundane’ -Baker was invited to compete for the Palme d’Or at Cannes for the first time in 2021.”Red Rocket,” the “Lolita”-inspired tale of a porn star returning to his small Texas hometown to groom a young girl, earned Baker typically sterling reviews.He returned to Cannes with “Anora” last year, where ecstatic standing ovations and glowing reviews kickstarted an awards campaign that proved unstoppable.Baker told AFP at the time he had expected a more “divisive” response because “we all have different opinions about sex work.”But for Baker, the lives of these real, often flawed human beings whose days and nights contain both the scandalous and the mundane, “can be explored forever.””I can’t make just — and excuse my terminology here, because it’s an old term — a ‘hooker with a heart of gold’ story,” he added.

Adrien Brody on Sunday completed his return to the top of Hollywood’s A list, winning the second best actor Oscar of his career for his searing portrayal of a Hungarian architect who emigrates to America after World War II in “The Brutalist.”Both of Brody’s Academy Awards have come for Holocaust-related films; he won in 2003 for Roman Polanski’s “The Pianist,” becoming the youngest man ever to triumph in the category at age 29.This time, he bested Timothee Chalamet in Bob Dylan biopic “A Complete Unknown,” Ralph Fiennes in papal thriller “Conclave,” Sebastian Stan as a young Donald Trump in “The Apprentice” and Colman Domingo as a wrongfully convicted inmate in “Sing Sing.””Acting is a very fragile profession. It looks very glamorous and at certain moments, it is,” an emotional Brody told the audience. “No matter where you are in your career, no matter what you’ve accomplished, it can all go away. And I think what makes this night most special is the awareness of that and the gratitude that I have to still do the work that I love.”Winning the golden Oscar statuette caps an extraordinary awards season for the 51-year-old Brody, during which he captured nearly every major award for his work as Holocaust survivor Laszlo Toth, a Bauhaus-trained Jewish architect seeking a new life.In “The Brutalist,” Toth arrives alone in New York and relocates to Pennsylvania, where his cousin Attila (Alessandro Nivola) lives. But that arrangement is short-lived, as Toth doesn’t fit in with Attila’s new life married to a Catholic woman.As he tries to adjust to life in the United States, viewers see Toth struggling to learn English as he battles the demons of his past and the challenges of trying to work in an adopted homeland. Everything changes when he meets industrialist Harrison Lee Van Buren (Oscar nominee Guy Pearce), who commissions him to build a monolithic memorial to his mother — but also insists on controlling his designs.His family life also morphs with the arrival of his wife Erzsebet (Oscar nominee Felicity Jones) and his niece Zsofia (Raffey Cassidy).”The Brutalist,” which runs for three and a half hours, earned 10 Oscar nominations, including one for best picture and another for director Brady Corbet.”If the past can teach us anything, it’s a reminder to not let hate go unchecked,” Brody said Sunday.- Chameleon -To put himself into Toth’s shoes, Brody drew inspiration from his own family history. Brody was born on April 14, 1973 to Sylvia Plachy, a photographer of Hungarian descent, and professor Elliot Brody, who is Jewish with Polish roots. Plachy moved from Budapest to New York in the 1950s.”The character’s journey is very reminiscent of my mother’s and my ancestral journey of fleeing the horrors of war and coming to this great country,” Brody said as he accepted a Golden Globe award in January.”I owe so much to my mother, my grandparents for their sacrifice.”Brody started taking acting classes as a teenager, and attended both a special arts summer camp and a prestigious high school for the arts in New York. After a series of small roles, his breakthrough came in Spike Lee’s 1970s crime thriller “Summer of Sam” (1999).Just a few years later, “The Pianist” hit cinemas — Brody took hours of piano lessons to be able to do justice to the role of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a real-life Polish Jewish musician who survived the Nazi occupation of Warsaw during World War II.His 2003 Oscar win was remembered for him planting a huge kiss on presenter Halle Berry that became controversial when she later admitted it took her by surprise. Brody has said his work on “The Pianist” helped inform his portrayal of Toth two decades later.After “The Pianist,” Brody took on varied roles, from a youth with an intellectual disability in M. Night Shyamalan’s horror flick “The Village” to writer Jack Driscoll in the 2005 remake of “King Kong,” his biggest commercial success.He played Salvador Dali in Woody Allen’s “Midnight in Paris,” featured in Wes Anderson’s “The Grand Budapest Hotel” and “The French Dispatch,” and even had a small role in the hit British television series “Peaky Blinders.”He walked the catwalk for Prada, embraced humanitarian causes and even starred in a music video for reggaeton singer Rauw Alejandro.In his personal life, after a relationship with Spanish actress Elsa Pataky, Brody has been dating fashion designer Georgina Chapman — the woman behind the Marchesa label and the ex-wife of disgraced producer Harvey Weinstein — since 2020.

Elon Musk has been making headlines for mass layoffs and funding cuts at US federal agencies under his so-called Department of Government Efficiency. But on Monday, his towering Starship rocket will return to the spotlight with its next test flight.The world’s biggest and most powerful launch vehicle is set for its eighth orbital mission, following a dramatic mid-air explosion over the Caribbean during its last trial.A launch window opens at 5:30 pm (2330 GMT) from SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, with the company carrying a live webcast of the event.Standing 403 feet (123 meters) tall — about 100 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty — Starship is designed to eventually be fully reusable and plays a crucial role in Musk and SpaceX’s vision of colonizing Mars.Meanwhile, NASA is awaiting a modified version of the rocket for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon.The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) grounded Starship after its previous flight on January 16 ended with the upper stage disintegrating in a fiery cascade over the Turks and Caicos Islands, prompting cleanup efforts for fallen debris.On Friday, the FAA said Starship could return to flight before it finalizes its review of SpaceX’s “mishap investigation.”During Joe Biden’s presidency, Musk frequently accused the FAA of excessive scrutiny over SpaceX’s safety and environmental concerns. Now, as one of President Donald Trump’s closest advisors, the world’s richest person faces allegations of wielding undue influence over regulatory agencies overseeing his companies.For the upcoming flight, SpaceX has introduced numerous upgrades to the upper-stage spacecraft, enhancing its reliability and performance.The mission, expected to last just over an hour, includes another attempt to catch the booster stage using the launch tower’s “chopstick” arms — a feat SpaceX has successfully executed twice, including in the last flight.Additionally, the company will deploy Starlink simulators designed to mimic next-generation Starlink satellites, which will burn up upon atmospheric re-entry.Eventually, SpaceX aims to recover the upper stage as well, but for now, it is targeting an ocean splashdown off the west coast of Australia, as in previous flights.Before Starship’s ambitious goals of space exploration can be realized, SpaceX must prove the rocket is flightworthy and safe for crewed missions.The company also needs to demonstrate complex in-orbit refueling — using other Starships as fuel tankers — to enable long-distance space travel.