Marvel’s first acting Oscar nomination

Angela Bassett’s powerful performance as Queen Ramonda in the Black Panther sequel Black Panther: Wakanda Forever earned her a best supporting actress nomination for the 95th Academy Awards.

While it was not her first nomination, (Bassett received a best actress nomination for her portrayal of Tina Turner in the 1993 biopic What’s Love Got to Do With It?), this did mark a few firsts.

The nod made her the first person of colour, the first woman and the first Marvel Studios actor to be nominated for a performance in a comic book adaptation.

Bassett said in a statement to CNN, “What has drawn me to each of the women I’ve portrayed throughout my career is their strength, compassion, resilience, and power. Wakanda Forever’s Queen Ramonda is a character that touched my spirit because she is a mother and a leader, who must care for her grieving nation as much as she cares for her family in mourning. Ramonda is a love letter that reflects and acknowledges what we women do every day.”

Fast and Furious movies made Vin Diesel drive slower

Vin Diesel used to enjoy driving at high speeds, but playing Dom Toretto in the Fast and Furious movies inspired him to slow down a little

While promoting the sixth Fast and Furious movie, Vin Diesel revealed that the franchise has actually made him take his foot off the accelerator when driving personally. “I used to get speeding tickets, back in New York when I was crazy,” he told. “Then I started playing the Dom Toretto role, and I feel like if I’m caught one mile over the speed limit there’s going to be a national holiday.”

As the face of the franchise, Diesel wields a certain amount of influence, and it’s a relief to see him use that power wisely. Let’s leave the speeding to fictional superhero drivers, OK?

Beyoncé, the Grammy queen

Beyoncé was already a queen, but now she’s the queen of the Grammys. Bey just became the most awarded artist in Grammys history, with a record 32 wins. The award that put her over the edge was best dance/electronic album, which she won for her celebrated record “Renaissance.”

Four songs from “Renaissance” were nominated for Grammys this year, with “Break My Soul” earning nods for song and record of the year. Beyoncé won Grammys for best traditional R&B performance and best electronic dance recording for “Plastic Off the Sofa” and “Break My Soul,” respectively, and the R&B performance, for “Cuff It”.

Beyoncé has racked up 88 Grammy nominations over her career. She was already the most awarded woman performer before the latest milestone.

Published in Dawn, Young World, February 11th, 2023