Elle Fanning’s Oscar follow-up and Kate Hudson’s hustle into the discussion

Elle Fanning went to the Oscars for the first time last March. She wasn’t nominated but she was part of the team in attendance for A Complete Unknown. The film was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture.

Elle will be returning to the Oscars this March and it’s an excellent follow-up, because once again she’s part of a film with multiple nominations, including one for herself, for Best Supporting Actress in Sentimental Value. At this point, in that category, it’s looking like it’s between Amy Madigan and Teyana Taylor and since Elle’s nomination wasn’t assured, the invitation to be there among the other nominees is the win.

As for Sentimental Value, the film was completely shut out of the Screen Actors Guild nominations, but as Sarah and I have mentioned in the weeks since then, the Oscar Academy is more international than SAG now, so today’s nominations for the movie aren’t a surprise – Sentimental Value has been in the conversation since Cannes. And the fact that all FOUR of the actors featured in the film have been nominated, in addition to director Joachim Trier, tells you how highly the Academy rates it.

Elle and Dakota Fanning were out last night at Chateau Marmont, just hours before finding out the great news. Also at the Chateau… Kate Hudson, now a Best Actress Oscar nominee, and who will never beat the industry plant allegations, LOL. Unlike Sentimental Value, Kate’s nomination was foretold by SAG, and if you’ve been reading this site and also other award season commentary since last September, when her name came out of nowhere to show up on Oscar prediction lists, this is where it was always heading. She is a known name in Hollywood, she’s been working forever, she has so many friends in the industry and among voters, and she was hustlinggggggg. Who do you think Leonardo DiCaprio voted for? He’s been friends with Kate for a long time, but he’s also Chase Infiniti’s co-star.

What else happened today…

I know we don’t talk about best and worst Chrises anymore but the debate was never over the worst Chris. We all know who that is. Anyway, Chris Pratt is out here saying some sh-t. (Pajiba)

I watched Star Search back in the day. I have watched Beyoncé’s appearance on Star Search more times than I could possibly count. I’m sure it will do well on Netflix because Netflix has become a default habit for people – it’s always open on devices and/or if you’re sitting down to watch TV, browsing the library has become a reflex. I just don’t know why Sarah Michelle Gellar is doing this? (Go Fug Yourself)

Wunmi Mosaku is an Oscar nominee! She spoke to The Root right after finding out this morning. (The Root)

Jackson Henry’s charming piece on sheep in period dramas is an adorable and quirky example of the kind of original ideas that A.I. could never generate. (Vulture)

As we have known for years, Martin Short is one of the most popular late night talk show guests because he treats a talk show appearance like a true performance. He prepares his anecdotes, he puts WORK into it because he thinks of it as work, the work of an entertainer, to entertain the audience. If you haven’t already, you need to watch his new interview about being at Selena Gomez’s wedding and how he kinda ruined the cake. The comparison between the cake and Hollywood celebrities getting work done is genius. (EW)

Elle and Dakota Fanning, and Kate Hudson (with Danny Fujikawa) leave Chateau Marmont on January 21, 2026

Photo credits: Roger / PGP / BACKGRID