Michael B Jordan wins best actor for ‘Sinners', taking home his first Oscar
Los Angeles (AP): Michael B Jordan has been building toward a performance like “Sinners” for over 20 years. Now he has the best actor Oscar as his reward.
Jordan got one trophy for playing identical twins Smoke and Stack in the blues-seeped supernatural horror film set in 1930s Mississippi that earned a record 16 Academy Award nominations.
Last year's winner, Adrien Brody, announced Jordan's name Sunday night, setting off a wild celebration inside the Dolby Theatre. Teyana Taylor, a supporting actress nominee, joined the standing ovation, mouthing, “Yes!”
“Whew, man,” Jordan said, clutching the trophy.
Jordan is the sixth Black man to win the best actor trophy. He joins Will Smith (“King Richard”, 2020), Forest Whitaker (“The Last King of Scotland”, 2006), Jamie Foxx (“Ray”, 2004), Denzel Washington (“Training Day”, 2001) and Sidney Poitier (“Lillies of the Field”), who was the first in 1963.
“I stand here because of the people that came before me — Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, Will Smith,” he said, “and to be up amongst those giants, amongst those greats, amongst my ancestors, amongst my guys, thank you everybody in this room and everybody at home supporting me over my career.”
Jordan added, “I know you guys wanted me to do well and I want to do that because you guys bet on me, so thank you for keep betting on me. I'm going to keep stepping up, and I'm going to keep being the best version of myself I can be.”
The other nominees were Timothee Chalamet in “Marty Supreme”, Leonardo DiCaprio for “One Battle After Another”, Ethan Hawke of “Blue Moon” and Wagner Moura in “The Secret Agent”.
Chalamet had been the early Oscar favourite after wins at the Golden Globes and Critics Choice Awards. But Jordan surprised himself by winning at the Actor Awards, giving him momentum in the final days of Oscar voting.
“Sinners” reunited Jordan and writer-producer-director Ryan Coogler. They go back to their first collaboration in 2013.
“You're an amazing person,” Jordan told Coogler from the stage. “You gave me the opportunity and space to be seen.”
Jordan's breakthrough film role came in Coogler's “Fruitvale Station” for which he received critical praise playing a real-life man who was killed by police. It was Coogler's directorial debut, and they followed with “Creed”, “Black Panther” and now “Sinners”.
Jordan's initial acting success came in television. He had a small yet pivotal role in “The Wire” in 2002, followed by the daytime drama “All My Children”, in which he replaced Chadwick Boseman, and “Friday Night Lights”.
He and Boseman later acted together in “Black Panther” and were close friends until Boseman's death from colon cancer in 2020. Jordan dedicated his acting award from this year's NAACP Image Awards to Boseman.
Jordan, a 39-year-old who also produces and directs, was born in Santa Ana, California, and grew up in Newark, New Jersey.
In a pop-culture moment, he was named People magazine's “Sexiest Man Alive” in 2020.
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8 children between ages of 1 and 14 dead after mass shooting in Louisiana, police say
Shreveport(US) (AP): A gunman in Louisiana killed eight children in shootings at two different homes early Sunday in the nation's deadliest mass shooting in more than two years, police in Shreveport said.
The victims ranged in age from one to about 14 years old, said Shreveport police spokesperson Chris Bordelon. A total of 10 were shot and some of the children were related to the suspect, Bordelon said.
The gunman later died after a chase with officers who fired at the suspect, Bordelon said. The suspect stole a car while leaving the scene of the shootings and was followed by police, according to Bordelon.
Police did not release the name of the suspect but did say he was an adult male. The shootings were the result of a “domestic disturbance,” Bordelon said.
Officials said they were still gathering details at the crime scenes south of downtown Shreveport — the two homes and a third location.
“This is an extensive scene unlike anything most of us have ever seen,” he said.
It was the deadliest mass shooting in the US since eight people were killed in a Chicago suburb in January 2024, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
At a news conference outside the residence where one of the shootings occurred, officials appeared stunned, requesting patience and prayers from the community as they sorted through multiple crime scenes.
“I just don't know what to say, my heart is just taken aback,” Shreveport Police Chief Wayne Smith said. “I cannot begin to imagine how such an event could occur.”
“This is a tragic situation — maybe the worst tragic situation we've ever had,” said Tom Arceneaux, mayor of the city in northwestern Louisiana with about 180,000 residents. “It's a terrible morning.”
Louisiana State Police say their detectives have been asked by Shreveport police to investigate. In a statement, state police say no officers were harmed in the shooting that involved an officer after a police pursuit into Bossier City on Sunday morning.
State police are asking anyone with pictures, video or information to share it with state police detectives.
Louisiana Gov Jeff Landry said in a statement that he and his wife were heartbroken. “We're deeply grateful to the law enforcement officers and first responders working tirelessly on the scene,” he added.
