Topline:
The 96th Academy Awards aired Sunday night. Below is the full list of 2024 Academy Award nominees, with winners marked in bold.
The winners: As predicted, Oppenheimer and Poor Things were the big winner of the night.
Read on... for the rest of the winning movies this year.
WINNER: Oppenheimer, Emma Thomas, Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan, ProducersAmerican Fiction, Ben LeClair, Nikos Karamigios, Cord Jefferson and Jermaine Johnson, Producers
Anatomy of a Fall, Marie-Ange Luciani and David Thion, Producers
Barbie, David Heyman, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Robbie Brenner, Producers
The Holdovers, Mark Johnson, Producer
Killers of the Flower Moon, Dan Friedkin, Bradley Thomas, Martin Scorsese and Daniel Lupi, Producers
Maestro, Bradley Cooper, Steven Spielberg, Fred Berner, Amy Durning and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers
Past Lives, David Hinojosa, Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler, Producers
Poor Things, Ed Guiney, Andrew Lowe, Yorgos Lanthimos and Emma Stone, Producers
The Zone of Interest, James Wilson, Producer
WINNER: Emma Stone, Poor Things
Annette Bening, NyadLily Gladstone, Killers of the Flower Moon
Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
Carey Mulligan, Maestro
WINNER: Oppenheimer, Christopher NolanAnatomy of a Fall, Justine Triet
Killers of the Flower Moon, Martin Scorsese
Poor Things, Yorgos Lanthimos
The Zone of Interest, Jonathan Glazer
WINNER: Cillian Murphy, Oppenheimer
Bradley Cooper, Maestro
Colman Domingo, Rustin
Paul Giamatti, The Holdovers
Jeffrey Wright, American Fiction
WINNER: "What Was I Made For?" from Barbie; Music and Lyric by Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell
"The Fire Inside" from Flamin' Hot; Music and Lyric by Diane Warren
"I'm Just Ken" from Barbie; Music and Lyric by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt
"It Never Went Away" from American Symphony; Music and Lyric by Jon Batiste and Dan Wilson
"Wahzhazhe" from Killers of the Flower Moon; Music and Lyric by Scott George
WINNER: Oppenheimer, Ludwig Göransson
American Fiction, Laura Karpman
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, John Williams
Killers of the Flower Moon, Robbie Robertson
Poor Things, Jerskin Fendrix
WINNER: The Zone of Interest; Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn
The Creator; Ian Voigt, Erik Aadahl, Ethan Van der Ryn, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic
Maestro; Steven A. Morrow, Richard King, Jason Ruder, Tom Ozanich and Dean Zupancic
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One; Chris Munro, James H. Mather, Chris Burdon and Mark Taylor
Oppenheimer; Willie Burton, Richard King, Gary A. Rizzo and Kevin O'Connell
Live action short film
WINNER: The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar, Wes Anderson and Steven Rales
The After, Misan Harriman and Nicky Bentham
Invincible, Vincent René-Lortie and Samuel Caron
Knight of Fortune, Lasse Lyskjær Noer and Christian Norlyk
Red, White and Blue, Nazrin Choudhury and Sara McFarlane
WINNER: Oppenheimer, Hoyte van Hoytema
El Conde, Edward Lachman
Killers of the Flower Moon, Rodrigo Prieto
Maestro, Matthew Libatique
Poor Things, Robbie Ryan
WINNER: 20 Days in Mariupol; Mstyslav Chernov, Michelle Mizner and Raney Aronson-Rath
Bobi Wine: The People's President; Moses Bwayo, Christopher Sharp and John Battsek
The Eternal Memory; Maite Alberdi
Four Daughters; Kaouther Ben Hania and Nadim Cheikhrouha
To Kill a Tiger; Nisha Pahuja, Cornelia Principe and David Oppenheim
WINNER: The Last Repair Shop, Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers
The ABCS of Book Banning, Sheila Nevins and Trish Adlesic
The Barber of Little Rock, John Hoffman and Christine Turner
Island in Between, S. Leo Chiang and Jean Tsien
Nai Nai & Wài Pó, Sean Wang and Sam Davis
WINNER: Oppenheimer, Jennifer Lame
Anatomy of a Fall, Laurent Sénéchal
The Holdovers, Kevin Tent
Killers of the Flower Moon, Thelma Schoonmaker
Poor Things, Yorgos Mavropsaridis
WINNER: Godzilla Minus One; Takashi Yamazaki, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Tatsuji Nojima
The Creator; Jay Cooper, Ian Comley, Andrew Roberts and Neil Corbould
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3; Stephane Ceretti, Alexis Wajsbrot, Guy Williams and Theo Bialek
Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One; Alex Wuttke, Simone Coco, Jeff Sutherland and Neil Corbould
Napoleon; Charley Henley, Luc-Ewen Martin-Fenouillet, Simone Coco and Neil Corbould
WINNER: Robert Downey Jr., Oppenheimer
Sterling K. Brown, American Fiction
Robert De Niro, Killers of the Flower Moon
Ryan Gosling, Barbie
Mark Ruffalo, Poor Things
WINNER: The Zone of Interest, United Kingdom
Io Capitano, Italy
Perfect Days, Japan
Society of the Snow, Spain
The Teachers' Lounge, Germany
WINNER: Poor Things, Holly Waddington
Barbie, Jacqueline Durran
Killers of the Flower Moon, Jacqueline West
Napoleon, Janty Yates and Dave Crossman
Oppenheimer, Ellen Mirojnick
WINNER: Poor Things, Production Design: James Price and Shona Heath; Set Decoration: Zsuzsa Mihalek
Barbie, Production Design: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
Killers of the Flower Moon, Production Design: Jack Fisk; Set Decoration: Adam Willis
Napoleon, Production Design: Arthur Max; Set Decoration: Elli Griff
Oppenheimer, Production Design: Ruth De Jong; Set Decoration: Claire Kaufman
WINNER: Poor Things; Nadia Stacey, Mark Coulier and Josh Weston
Golda; Karen Hartley Thomas, Suzi Battersby and Ashra Kelly-Blue
Maestro; Kazu Hiro, Kay Georgiou and Lori McCoy-Bell
Oppenheimer; Luisa Abel
Society of the Snow; Ana López-Puigcerver, David Martí and Montse Ribé
WINNER: American Fiction; Written for the screen by Cord Jefferson
Barbie; Written by Greta Gerwig & Noah Baumbach
Oppenheimer; Written for the screen by Christopher Nolan
Poor Things; Screenplay by Tony McNamara
The Zone of Interest; Written by Jonathan Glazer
WINNER: Anatomy of a Fall; Screenplay - Justine Triet and Arthur Harari
The Holdovers; Written by David Hemingson
Maestro; Written by Bradley Cooper & Josh Singer
May December; Screenplay by Samy Burch, story by Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik
Past Lives; Written by Celine Song
WINNER: The Boy and the Heron; Hayao Miyazaki and Toshio Suzuki
Elemental; Peter Sohn and Denise Ream
Nimona; Nick Bruno, Troy Quane, Karen Ryan and Julie Zackary
Robot Dreams; Pablo Berger, Ibon Cormenzana, Ignasi Estapé and Sandra Tapia Díaz
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Amy Pascal
WINNER: War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko, Dave Mullins and Brad Booker
Letter to a Pig, Tal Kantor and Amit R. Gicelter
Ninety-Five Senses, Jerusha Hess and Jared Hess
Our Uniform, Yegane Moghaddam
Pachyderme, Stéphanie Clément and Marc Rius
WINNER: Da'Vine Joy Randolph, The Holdovers
Emily Blunt, Oppenheimer
Danielle Brooks, The Color Purple
America Ferrera, Barbie
Jodie Foster, Nyad
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit npr.org.
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Harry Houdini was the greatest showman of his time. 100 items from Houdini’s life are up for auction on Oct. 31 in Los Angeles, marking the 100th anniversary of his death.
Why it matters: Superfan Kevin Connolly’s collection was amassed over half a century and includes handcuffs owned by Houdini, a signed, life-sized portrait of Houdini in chains and a pocket watch given to Houdini by his wife at the height of his career.
Why now: The auction marks two milestones: 100 years since Houdini's death and the winding down of 71-year-old Connolly's collecting efforts, which enriched his and his family's lives.
The backstory: Houdini was a master showman and immigrant success story that inspired many for generations. He died 100 years ago.
What's next: The sale is set to take place at the Magic Castle in L.A. on Oct. 31.
Read on… to find out about a secret code in Houdini’s pocket watch.
Master escape artist and world-famous entertainer Harry Houdini had been dead for decades by the time teenager Kevin Connolly sat down with his dad in their New Jersey home in the late 1960s to watch Houdini, the biopic with actor Tony Curtis in the title role.
“I'm so engrossed in the movie that I'm crying that he passed away. And my dad looks down at me and says, 'What's the matter, son?' I said, 'Houdini died,'" Connolly said.
His father then comforted him.
That experience with the movie and with his father sparked a five-decade-plus collector’s obsession in the teen that led him to amass thousands of items from Harry Houdini’s life and career.
The collection includes handcuffs owned by Houdini, a signed life-size portrait of Houdini in chains, a linen bag his wife, Bess Houdini, made him and a pocket watch she gifted him on his birthday in 1910, at the height of his career.
“Engraved inside the cover is a very personal note from her to him that also contains a little hidden code in the inscription,” said Gabe Fajuri, president and principal auctioneer at Potter & Potter Auctions. The watch has the highest valuation of the items, with an estimate between $20,000 and $40,000.
The auction house has been displaying these 100 items at its Chicago offices and will transport them to the Magic Castle in Hollywood for display on Oct. 30 and the final auction the day after.
The auction starts October 31, 2026 at noon Pacific Time.
You can see some of the items and join the auction here.
Viewing of the items on Oct. 30 is limited to Magic Castle members, info here.
“ These are things that potentially have his DNA on them. These are things that Houdini himself owned, handled, used, treasured,” Fajuri said.
The auction marks two milestones: 100 years since Houdini's death and the winding down of 71-year-old Connolly's collecting efforts, which enriched his and his family’s life.
“It broadened our world, and it was nice to be recognized for your collecting abilities,” he said.
Connolly’s collection has turned him into a Houdini authority, attracting the attention of Houdini biographers, film documentarians, as well as museums and galleries.
Houdini was born in Hungary in 1874. He came to the U.S. as a young child and moved to New York with his father, a rabbi, at 13. He began performing as a magician four years later and shot to stardom on the vaudeville circuit with bold escape acts. There wasn’t a straitjacket, chains or ropes that he couldn’t escape.
Connolly admires how Houdini inspired a generation of immigrants with these stunning feats.
One of those acts is captured in the very first Houdini item Connolly bought after watching that Houdini movie. It’s a photo of Houdini hanging upside down from a rope in front of a building, two stories up. His arms are bound to his body. Crowds look up from the street, staring at Houdini as he attempts to escape. “TORONTO OCT. 18/’16” is written along the bottom edge of the photo.
“That one is not in the auction,” he said. Oct. 18 is Connolly’s father’s birthday, which makes it special. Plus, “That would be probably the last one I'd let go, because that's the one that started it all.”
Topline:
Los Angelistas, founded in 2023, organizes free weekly walks for women throughout the city. On Nov. 1, the group heads to Angelino Heights, a tiny neighborhood next to Echo Park known for its antique Victorian homes.
Why: Los Angelistas help local women make friends, get exercise and learn more about L.A..
The backstory: The group started as a couple of friends who would spend time together on walks. Now, there are over 7,000 members. The social club meets weekly and during October, walks are Halloween-themed.
Read on for details of the walking group's "Thriller” walk in Angelino Heights on Sunday, Nov. 1.
With Halloween approaching, a women’s walking group is helping Angelenos explore the city’s spooky and historic landmarks. Their next outing is Angelino Heights — home to century-old Victorian homes and an iconic piece of pop culture history.
Los Angelistas organizes weekly walks throughout Los Angeles. October draws some of its biggest crowds, according to the group. Earlier this month, the group visited the Spadena House in Beverly Hills for a witch-themed walk and explored Los Feliz for a murder-themed tour.
On Nov. 1, the group heads to Angelino Heights, a tiny neighborhood next to Echo Park known for its Victorian homes.
“It has so much history, but also really beautiful, stunning Victorian architecture,” said Jillian Goodman, one of the group’s three co-founders. “It’s such a cool place that I don’t think many people know about.”
Some of the homes have been backdrops for films and TV shows, including Michael Jackson’s 1983 “Thriller” video — which will be a stop on the tour.
Los Angelistas began in April 2023, when Goodman and a few women who met through another social club decided to continue spending time together through walks.
The group has since grown to more than 7,000 members, Goodman said. Its organizers live across L.A., allowing them to host events in neighborhoods like Brentwood, Mid-City and Glendale.
Goodman said the walks encourage women to discover parts of L.A. they might pass by without stopping.
“Everyone thinks of L.A. as a driving city. No one ever really stops and takes a breath,” Goodman said.
The “Thriller” walk
Who: Women only kids and pets welcome
When: Sunday, Nov. 1. Meet at 9:30 a.m.; the walk starts at 9:45 a.m.
Where: 631 Belmont Ave., Los Angeles
Cost: Free
More info: The group’s Instagram
For Goodman, watching members build friendships that extend beyond the walks has been one of the most rewarding parts of the group’s growth.
“They go to each other’s weddings. They go to concerts. Seeing people connect, not just in the group, but then having that extend outside has been amazing to watch,” she said.
The group has also helped members support one another during devastating times. Amid last year’s Eaton and Palisades wildfires, some members helped others find places to stay, despite having only met on walks.
“I thought that was so beautiful and wonderful that without us they wouldn’t have known each other,” Goodman said.
A slew of Medicare Advantage plans are disappearing for next year, leaving seniors in many areas with fewer options. In 193 counties across the country, no plans are offered at all.
Why now: Medicare's annual open enrollment period kicked off October 15 and runs until December 7, and seniors enrolled in those privatized Medicare plans that are closing in certain markets should carefully review their options.
Read on to learn about options if your Medicare Advantage plan is ending.
A slew of Medicare Advantage plans are disappearing for next year, leaving seniors in many areas with fewer options. In 193 counties across the country, no plans are offered at all.
Medicare's annual open enrollment period kicked off October 15 and runs until December 7, and seniors enrolled in those privatized Medicare plans that are closing in certain markets should carefully review their options.
Medicare Advantage means private insurers run Medicare for older Americans who choose it over traditional Medicare, where the federal government itself administers the program. More than half of the 70 million Americans in Medicare choose Medicare Advantage. It's popular because it covers services like vision and dental, often with lower premiums than traditional Medicare. It also often folds in the "Part D" drug benefit, simplifying that decision.
But a downside of Medicare Advantage is that companies can pick and choose where they offer plans. If a certain community is not profitable, a company can leave that market. And that has been happening on an increasingly large scale the last three years, according to research published in JAMA.
Big swaths of rural America are losing Medicare Advantage choices and so are some major metro areas.
Last year, 2.9 million seniors were in Medicare Advantage plans that closed up shop, according to JAMA. This year, an analysis of insurance company announcements by An Arm and A Leg podcast, shows at least 2 million people will be affected. Other preliminary estimates range from 3.2 million to 5 million seniors. About 35 million people are enrolled in Medicare Advantage.
According to an analysis of federal data by the health policy research organization KFF, the 193 counties that will have zero Medicare Advantage plans are mostly rural. Last year that number was about 120 counties without a plan offered.
KFF's numbers also show that there will be far fewer plans offered in some metro areas. Dallas, Minneapolis, Seattle, Houston and Portland all have between a quarter and a third fewer Medicare Advantage plans for seniors.
If your plan is ending, and you don't choose another, the insurance company will assign you to another Medicare Advantage plan or the government will enroll you in traditional Medicare — but without a supplemental or drug plan.
If you want to switch from Medicare Advantage to traditional Medicare and your plan is ending, you can enroll in a Medicare supplemental plan — also known as Medigap — without the same restrictions that you would normally have. If you have a pre-existing condition that has prevented you from enrolling in Medigap before, that could be good news.
Another wrinkle this year is that insurance companies can cap enrollments on some of the Medicare Advantage plans that they do offer.
Which means: If you wait to sign up, a plan you want might already be full.
The companies are supposed to enroll people on a first-come, first-serve basis — and not cherry-pick customers based on health conditions, age, or demographics.
Another reason not to delay is that with so many people on the hunt for new plans, it may take longer than usual to get help.
Here are some tips for navigating Medicare open enrollment this year:
Emily Pisacreta is the senior producer for An Arm and a Leg, a podcast about the cost of healthcare produced in partnership with KFF Health News and distributed by KUOW, Seattle's NPR member station.
Copyright 2026 NPR
Topline:
Federal prosecutors sent letters to county registrars across California on Friday demanding that local officials set aside and verify ballots that the Department of Justice said may belong to noncitizens, according to the Los Angeles County registrar and a letter obtained by The Associated Press.
Why now: The letters are the latest escalation in a legal battle between California and President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice, which has recently focused on the state in its efforts to root out noncitizen voting ahead of the midterm elections. Data shows illegal voting by people who aren’t U.S. citizens is incredibly rare, difficult to prove and has not been shown to change the outcome of races.
The backstory: The letters on Friday came on the heels of statewide sweep by federal authorities earlier in the week, where 28 people from the list of 20,000 were charged with illegally registering to vote. Some were also charged with illegally voting and lying on naturalization paperwork. Those charges could lead to years in prison.
Federal prosecutors sent letters to county registrars across California on Friday demanding that local officials set aside and verify ballots that the Department of Justice said may belong to noncitizens, according to the Los Angeles County registrar and a letter obtained by The Associated Press.
The letters are the latest escalation in a legal battle between California and President Donald Trump’s Department of Justice, which has recently focused on the state in its efforts to root out noncitizen voting ahead of the midterm elections. Data shows illegal voting by people who aren’t U.S. citizens is incredibly rare, difficult to prove and has not been shown to change the outcome of races.
Earlier this month, the federal government targeted Los Angeles County and the California Secretary of State’s office in a lawsuit that aimed to block them from counting the votes of roughly 20,000 people who are “likely” noncitizen voters. A hearing on the case is scheduled for Tuesday.
The Trump administration asked the 9th Circuit court of appeals to rule on the lawsuit barring a decision from the district judge assigned to the case. They set a deadline for Saturday.
Now, according to the LA County registrar’s office, at least 18 counties across the state have received similar letters. They have been given a 48 hour deadline to provide identifying information corresponding with ballots that the federal government believes were sent to noncitizens illegally registered to vote. The letter requests that county officials also sequester any ballots where citizenship cannot be verified.
“Any election official who knowingly processes the ballot of a noncitizen is opening themselves to legal jeopardy,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.
The Justice Department is asking counties to send information about the voters it suspects are noncitizens including social security numbers, ID information, a copy of their registration and more.
That information can help the government and state quickly assess each person suspected of illegally registering to vote, said the letter sent to San Bernardino County voting officials. The letter says the government’s list of suspected noncitizen voters includes 1,133 people from the inland Southern California county.
California’s secretary of state and the Los Angeles County registrar have opposed the federal government’s demands. In legal filings, lawyers for California say the request threatens to delay the certification of the vote and undermine the legitimacy of the November midterms. They have also argued that the federal government’s data is unreliable and that their demands risk disenfranchisement of citizens.
Voting is underway in California, with the state’s more than 23 million registered voters receiving ballots in the mail earlier this month. The state said in legal filings that over 330,000 mail-in ballots have already been counted.
The letters on Friday came on the heels of statewide sweep by federal authorities earlier in the week, where 28 people from the list of 20,000 were charged with illegally registering to vote. Some were also charged with illegally voting and lying on naturalization paperwork. Those charges could lead to years in prison.
