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03/12/2026

Jim Boeheim blasts Syracuse's 'best players' for Adrian Autry's firing
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Adrian Autry was unsuccessful as the successor to Jim Boeheim at Syracuse with 49 wins in three seasons before he was fired this week.

Boeheim believes Autry is a winning coach and suggested the Orange didn't get enough from their best players this season.

"His two best players had horrible years," Boeheim told ACC Network. "If you take any team in this league, and you take their two best players and they have really, really bad years -- like Cam Boozer and Isaiah Evans have a bad year at Duke -- they don't win. That's what happened this year at Syracuse. His two best players just didn't play well."

Syracuse brought back its top two scorers from 2024-25. But J.J. Starling and Donnie Freeman didn't consistently perform at the same level in 2025-26. Starling dipped from 17.8 points per game last season to 10.9 in 2025-26. Freeman averaged 16.5 points per game but shot poorly in ACC play.

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Syracuse elevated Autry, a former player and assistant coach for Boeheim, to head coach in 2023. But the Orange went 15-17 in Autry's final season.

Boeheim said the Orange are nearing a crossroads and the program either must lower expectations or increase NIL commitments. He drew parallels between two other programs who fired coaches after the season.

"If you don't have enough resources, that puts you behind," he told ACC Network. "You look at the league -- BC, Georgia Tech, now Syracuse -- three of the (lowest for) NIL money in the league. You have to look at that."

--Field Level Media

March 12, 2026 at 08:12PM via MAG

Adrian Autry was unsuccessful as the successor to Jim Boeheim at Syracuse with 49 wins in three seasons before he was fired this week.

03/12/2026

Kate Middleton Makes Rare Reference to Her Cancer Diagnosis, Saying She's 'a Lot More Conscious' About Alcohol Now
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Kate Middleton shared that she has significantly reduced alcohol consumption after her cancer diagnosis

NEED TO KNOW

The Princess of Wales announced in March 2024 that she was undergoing treatment for cancer and said she was in remission in January 2025

Princess Kate has spoken openly about the challenges of post-cancer recovery and finding a "new normal" in her life

Kate Middletonrevealed a lifestyle change she made after her cancer diagnosis.

The Princess of Wales, 44, shared the insight while visiting the Southwark Brewing Company in London on March 12, one of several stops she andPrince Williammade around the River Thames that day.

While pouring pints at the business, Princess Kate said, "Since my diagnosis, I haven't had much alcohol. It's something I have to be a lot more conscious of now," Matt Wilkinson ofThe Sunwrote onX.

The royal editor added that Kate then turned her attention to William and said, "But you like cider," referring to her husband's go-to drink.

The Princess of Wales made the candid comment about her lifestyle change 13 months after she announced that she wasin remissionfrom cancer.

In March 2024, Kate released a video message announcing that she wasundergoing treatment for cancer, which had been detected following anabdominal surgerytwo months prior.

Prince William's wife reduced her royal duties to focus on her health that year, and she announced in September 2024 that she had completedchemotherapy treatment.

In January 2025, she announced with "relief" that she was in remission after paying an unannounced visit to The Royal Marsden Hospital in London. The outing came with the confirmation that Princess Kate had received treatment there during her cancer journey.

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The Princess of Wales resumed a more regular schedule of royal duties following her remission announcement and hasopenly spoken about the challenges of the phase following cancer treatment.

"You put on a sort of brave face, stoicism through treatment. Treatment's done, then it's like, 'I can crack on, get back to normal,' but actually, the phase afterwards is really, really difficult," she said while visiting Colchester Hospital in July 2025.

"You have to find your new normal, and that takes time — and it's a roller coaster, it's not smooth, like you expect it to be. But the reality is you go through hard times," Kate added.

Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!

The Princess of Wales recentlyreleased a video message to commemorate World Cancer Dayon Feb. 4, where she shared her solidarity with anyone affected by cancer.

"On World Cancer Day, my thoughts are with everyone who is facing a cancer diagnosis, undergoing treatment or finding their way through recovery. Cancer touches so many lives — not only patients, but the families and friends and caregivers who walk beside them," she said in the voiceover of a video shared toInstagram, which featured footage of her meeting people at The Royal Marsden Hospital's Chelsea hub in January 2025.

"As anyone who has experienced this journey will know, it's not linear. There are moments of fear and exhaustion. But also moments of strength, kindness, and profound connection," she continued. "Today is a reminder of the importance of care, understanding and hope. Please know you are not alone."

Read the original article onPeople

March 12, 2026 at 07:42PM via MAG

The Princess of Wales announced in March 2024 that she was undergoing treatment for cancer and said she was in remission in January 2025

03/12/2026

Gene Simmons says stars should 'shut up' about politics – 'Nobody cares'
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Gene Simmonsthinks Hollywood stars should kiss their political activism goodbye.

The KISS rocker, 76,told TMZon March 10 celebrities should quit talking politics and keep their opinions to themselves.

"Everybody in the world should listen to what actors and comedians say, because they're so qualified," he quipped sarcastically before adding, "Do your art and shut up! Nobody's interested in your opinions. That includes me! Who I vote for, who I like."

He continued, "People in America work hard for their living, and they don't want to be lectured to by people who live in mansions and drive Rolls-Royces. It's time for everybody in the entertainment industry to shut their piehole and just do your art. Nobody cares what you think. I don't."

Kiss rocker Gene Simmons'life on and off the stage

Simmons made the comments in the man-on-the-street interview after TMZ asked for his thoughts onBen Stillerrecently calling outPresident Donald Trumpand asking the White House to remove "Tropic Thunder" footage from a social media video tied to the Iran war. "We never gave you permission and have no interest in being a part of your propaganda machine," Stiller wrote on X. "War is not a movie."
Rock legends Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss formed the band KISS in 1973 in New York. In 2023, Simmons chatted with USA TODAY about the final band's days: "It's complex. I can sit here in my hotel room and wax poetic about all of this stuff, but those are matters of the mind, the semantics emanating out of my oral passage. You can talk about something but until you're there, the matters of the heart don't kick in. There is an enormous sense of pride the band has, including Tommy (Thayer) and Eric (Singer), who have been with us more than 20 years. We're enormously proud of what we did."" style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS pose on Westminster Bridge in London at the start of their first ever European tour in 1976. The band members are, from left to right: Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, Ace Frehley and Gene Simmons." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley, members of the heavy metal band KISS, perform at the Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Dec. 27, 1976." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Gene Simmons of KISS spits fire during a performance at Cumberland County Memorial Auditorium in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on Dec. 27, 1976." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Paul Stanley performs during the KISS concert at Corpus Christi's Memorial Coliseum on Jan. 19, 1984, in Texas. This was the band's first tour without their signature makeup." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS guitarist Paul Stanley and bassist Gene Simmons perform July 19, 1996, at Gund Arena in Cleveland, Ohio." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS members perform at Memorial Coliseum in Corpus Christi, Texas, on Feb. 24, 1986." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS performs at GreenVille Memorial Auditorium in South Carolina, on July 1, 1979." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS performs at GreenVille Memorial Auditorium in South Carolina, on July 1, 1979." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS performs at GreenVille Memorial Auditorium in South Carolina, on July 1, 1979." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Gene Simmons waves his top-knotted hair and stuck out his famous tongue, a lot, at his fans packing Municipal Auditorium Jan. 30, 1983, in Nashville." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS performs at Rochester Community War Memorial in Rochester, New York, in 1986." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS performs at Rochester Community War Memorial in Rochester, New York, in 1986." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Members of KISS pose for photographers in the photo room at the 38th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 28, 1996. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Paul Stanley, lead singer for the rock group KISS, holds up a Pl***oy Magazine, in which the band has a spread, with the other members of the band on Jan. 29, 1999, during a press conference in Miami, Florida." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Paul Stanley of KISS during a pregame performance at Super Bowl 33 on Jan. 31, 1999, in Miami Gardens, Florida." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS perform at the HSBC arena in Buffalo, New York, on June 24, 2000." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Gene Simmons grabs lead singer of Stone Temple Pilots Scott Weiland as they arrive at the "My VH1 Music Awards" on Nov. 30, 2000." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Gene Simmons and his wife, Shannon Tweed, arrive at the world premiere of Warner Bros. "Swordfish" on June 4, 2001." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Paul Stanley jokes with former bandmate Gene Simmons and his girlfriend Shannon Tweed as they arrive at the premiere of the new film "Rock Star" in Los Angeles on Sept. 4, 2001." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> (L-R) Russell Simmons, Paul Stanley of KISS, Carole King, Gene Simmons of KISS and Peter Criss of KISS receive awards at the Hero Awards on Dec. 4, 2001, at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Gene Simmons autographs and promotes his book "Kiss And Make-up" in Century City, California, in Jan. 8, 2002. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS performs during the closing ceremonies for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games in Salt Lake City, Utah." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in California on April 19, 2002." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS bassist Gene Simmons mingles with Pl***oy founder Hugh Hefner during the Tongue Magazine Fall 2002 Issue release party featuring covergirl Carrie Stevens on Sept. 27, 2002, in West Hollywood, California." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Gene Simmons and his son Nick arrive at the premiere of "Shanghai Knights" at the El Capitan Theatre on Feb. 3, 2003, in Los Angeles, California." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Gene Simmons holds his new book at a release party on June 26, 2003, in New York City." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Joe Perry encounters Gene Simmons of the band KISS backstage prior to Aerosmith's show at Meadow Music Theatre on the first night as they tour together in 2003." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Paul Stanley and his family at the after party for MGM's "Agent Cody Banks II" at the Hammer Museum on March 6, 2004, in Westwood, California." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Paul Stanley performs live during the 2004 Rock the Nation World Tour at the Rod Laver Arena on May 13, 2004, in Melbourne, Australia." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Adam Lambert and Paul Stanley perform onstage during the "American Idol" season 8 finale at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on May 20, 2009, in Los Angeles, California." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Los Angeles Dodgers center fielder Matt Kemp poses with Gene Simmons before the game between the Dodgers and the New York Mets at Dodger Stadium on July 5, 2011." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Gene Simmons of KISS poses for a portrait in 2017 in New York City. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Members of the rock band KISS: Paul Stanley (The Starchild, center), Gene Simmons (The Demon), Eric Singer (The Catman) and Tommy Thayer (The Spaceman) in 2017." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The band KISS, including Eric Singer, shown here, perform in Indianapolis on Nov. 25, 2023. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Tommy Thayer of KISS are lowered to the stage at the KFC Yum Center in Louisville, Kentucky, on March 12, 2019." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Gene Simmons of KISS entertains the crowd at the KFC Yum Center on March 12, 2019." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Eric Carr of KISS entertains the crowd at the KFC Yum Center on March 12, 2019." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Gene Simmons of KISS entertains the crowd at the KFC Yum Center on March 12, 2019." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS performs during their End of The Road world tour at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, on March 13, 2019." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS performs during their End of The Road world tour at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan, on March 13, 2019." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Tupac Shakur and KISS present the best pop performance by a duo or group award at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 26, 1996." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The band KISS, including Paul Stanley, shown here, brings The End of the Road World Tour to Grainbridge Fieldhouse on Nov. 25, 2023." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS on tour in 2023." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> The band KISS, including Tommy Thayer, shown here, brings The End of the Road World Tour to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Nov. 25, 2023. " style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS band member Gene Simmons with Potawatomi dancers on Sept. 1, 2023." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> KISS goes on tour in Indianapolis on Nov. 25, 2023." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" /> Fans dress in full KISS regalia as the band brings The End of the Road World Tour to Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Nov. 25, 2023." style="max-width:100%; height:auto; border-radius:6px; margin:10px 0;" loading="lazy" />
KISS rock 'n' roll moments with Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss

Rock legends Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley and Peter Crissformed the band KISSin 1973 in New York. In 2023, Simmons chatted with USA TODAY about the final band's days: "It's complex. I can sit here in my hotel room and wax poetic about all of this stuff, but those are matters of the mind, the semantics emanating out of my oral passage. You can talk about something but until you're there, the matters of the heart don't kick in. There is an enormous sense of pride the band has, including Tommy (Thayer) and Eric (Singer), who have been with us more than 20 years. We're enormously proud of what we did."

In his TMZ interview, Simmons also called outMark Ruffalo, who is known for his outspoken liberal beliefs and criticism of Trump. "What does Mark think about politics? I don't care," Simmons said.

This isn't the first time Simmons has made similar comments about stars getting political. Ahead of the 2016 election, hetold Yahoo Musicthat entertainers should focus on entertaining.

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"I really believe democracy doesn't work well when celebrities butt their heads into places they don't belong," he said, adding, "I'd like to think people that are voting are voting their conscience and for that reason I don't think people should care who Gene Simmons is voting for."

Gene Simmonsspills on solo tour, future of KISS: 'The avatars are just a placeholder'

Speaking to CNN in December, Simmonsalso said thathis political views are nobody's business.

"Since when is who I support or not support the business of anyone except my conscience?" he asked, arguing it's "insanity" that "anybody cares" what a guy "who sticks his tongue out" for a living has to say about politics.

Simmons and his fellow KISS stars Paul Stanley and Peter Criss werehonored during the Kennedy Center Honors ceremonylast year, hosted by Trump. Simmons, who once appeared on "The Celebrity Apprentice," had previously been critical of the president.

"Look what that gentleman did to this country and the polarization — got all the cockroaches to rise to the top," heSpin magazine in 2022. "Once upon a time, you were embarrassed to be publicly racist and out there with conspiracy theories. Now it's all out in the open because he allowed it."

He added of Trump, "I don't think he's a Republican or a Democrat. He's out for himself, any way you can get there. And in the last election, over 70 million people bought it hook, line and sinker."

In 2012,Simmons told Noisecreepthat he regretted voting for formerPresident Barack Obamain 2008 and was "very disappointed" in the job he had done in office. He argued at the time thatMitt Romney, Obama's Republican opponent in the 2012 election, was "much more qualified."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Gene Simmons says celebrities should stop talking politics

March 12, 2026 at 07:12PM via MAG

Gene Simmonsthinks Hollywood stars should kiss their political activism goodbye. The KISS rocker, 76,told TMZ...

03/12/2026

Katherine Heigl defends participating in dog rescue fundraiser at Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago: 'Animals don’t vote'
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Katherine Heigl is defending her decision to attend a dog rescue fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, the exclusive Palm Beach club owned by Donald Trump.

Key Points

"Animals don't vote. The only room they don't like is the euthanasia room at a shelter," the actress shared in a statement.

Heigl has long advocated for pets' rights, establishing the Jason Heigl Foundation for animal welfare with her mother Nancy in 2008.

Katherine Heiglis hitting back at criticism over her recent attendance of a charity event held at Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump's exclusive Palm Beach club.

TheGrey's Anatomystar was one of hundreds in attendance on Sunday at the 2026 edition of Wine, Women & Shoes, an annual fundraiser benefitting Florida's Big Dog Ranch Rescue, the nation's largest no-kill dog shelter. The event was held this year at the sprawling, 17-acre estate that serves as Trump's primary residence, as well as plays host to a wide variety of weddings, galas, and other special events.

Heigl has become an elusive star since the height of her fame in the late 2000s and early 2010s, and the rare red carpet appearance March 8 attracted a good deal of attention. Much of that attention has been critical due to the association with the sitting president, whoseapproval rating has been plummetingamid the ongoing war against Iran.

Never one to shy away from controversy, Heigl finally addressed her decision to the attend the event, which she contended existed in an entirely separate sphere from politics.

"Animals don't vote. The only room they don't like is the euthanasia room at a shelter," the actress said in a statement shared withPage Sixon Wednesday. "They are completely at the mercy of us, and they have no voice of their own."

"This event was about animal advocacy — something that has always been deeply personal to me... Anyone who knows me knows that protecting animals is one of my greatest passions," she continued.

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Entertainment Weeklydid not immediately hear back from representatives for Heigl.

Heigl's advocacy for the cause of animal welfare is long running and well documented.

The actress and her mother Nancy established theJason Heigl Foundationfor animal welfare and advocacy in 2008 in honor of their late brother and son, who died in a car accident. The Heigls have raised "more than $8 million" since the organization's inception in order to support animals in need, according to itswebsite.

Get your daily dose of entertainment news, celebrity updates, and what to watch with ourEW Dispatch newsletter.

The three-day gala benefitting Big Dog Ranch Rescue raised $5.5 million in pursuit of its goal to open facilities in Alabama, Texas, California, and North Carolina, according toThe Palm Beach Post.

The event was co-chaired by Lara Trump, the president's daughter-in-law, and was attended by other figures in his extended circle, like Fox News host Jeanine Pirro, whom the president appointed United States Attorney for the District of Columbia back in August.

Read the original article onEntertainment Weekly

March 12, 2026 at 05:42PM via MAG

Katherine Heigl is defending her decision to attend a dog rescue fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago, the exclusive Palm Beach club owned by Donald Trump.

03/12/2026

‘Sinners’ Should Win Best Picture. It’s Not Even Close.
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And then there were two—frontrunners.

Ryan Coogler'sSinnersis themost nominated(16) film in Oscar history.Paul Thomas Anderson'sOne Battle After Another, such are the Oscars-so-white ways of Hollywood, is still touted as the favorite for Best Picture.

Nonetheless,Sinnersshould win the Oscar for Best Picture. And the race shouldn't even be close.

Apologies for the ample spoilers ahead.

OBAA, a dark comedy and action thriller set in a fictional California town, begins with a focus on Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio), a member of a revolutionary group called the French 75, and his partner Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), a Black woman. It opens with the group raiding an immigration detention center. In the process, Perfidia, who's characterized as domineering and insatiable in her sexual appetite, humiliates Colonel Lockjaw (Sean Penn), strife that sets off Lockjaw's psychosexual obsession with her, desire replete with a tryst. Perfidia becomes pregnant, and Bob trades the life of a leftist revolutionary for fatherhood. In the film's long prologue, Perfidia abandons her new family, is caught, snitches on her comrades, and gets ghost.

The second half of the film picks up when their daughter, Willa (Chase Infiniti), is a teenager. Lockjaw, who's been offered the chance to join a cabal of powerful Christian nationalists, starts hunting Willa to test his paternity of her and the attendant risks to his dreams of leveled-up white supremacy.

Before the PTA acolytes blaspheme me a hater: Kudos for directing the performances of Deandre (Regina Hall), who along with Willa, are Black characters distant from satire. Kudos for Sensei Sergio St. Carlos (Benicio del Toro), who's a calming force on the film and funny without straining for laughs. Kudos to Penn for disappearing into the role of the racist officer, one conflicted with unforgettable idiosyncrasies. Kudos to the pulse-gunning action of the film's last third. Kudos to Anderson for dramatizing a secret society of prominent white men who echo the Epstein files.

Critics have hailedOBAAas a "deeply humanist story of rebellion." Proclaim "there is nothing trivial in [PTA's] portrait of shattered lives and relationships and of an American society shaken to its core." But I found those claims to be untrue. The film is undeserving of the Oscar for Best Picture, most of all because its portrayal of Black people is somewhere between insidiously problematic and flagrantly anti-Black.

The most glaring example is Perfidia (this ain't me knocking Taylor or her prodigious talent but a critique of the role), who's sexualized to the point that I wondered whether she should be read as satirical. While Black women, too, contain multitudes, her hypersexuality seems grounded in the stereotype of a promiscuous Black woman (never to be divorced from the virtuous white woman) and appears aimed at titillation rather than some other essential story function. Perfidia is also presented as a woman who's at least a second-generation revolutionary, and aren't revolutionaries people of principle? It was tough for me to buy that a legacy revolutionary would snitch with the quickness on her coconspirators, if at all. The "no snitching" dictum in Black culture is rooted in a legitimate mistrust of the justice system. That Perfidia and others in the group go from radicals to state informants in the time it takes a gr***de to blow maligns the integrity of Black resistance.

Perfidia also abandons her infant—"You realize I put myself first, right?" she tells Bob on her way out—a decision I judged against the extensive discourse on a so-called crisis of broken Black families. Plus, Perfidia is the only member of the group who murders someone during their missions. And whom does she kill? A Black security guard.

The lone Black male member of the French 75 is Laredo (Wood Harris). Laredo has almost no lines, but Anderson saw fit to depict a moment in which he kisses Mae (Alana Haim) and says, "Regular working white girl. Now do your thing," before sending her off to a bank job. A cringe line that seems meant to reify the trite trope of Black men objectifying and coveting white women.

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The problematic portrayal of Blackness extends to Junglepussy (Shayna McHayle), who jumps on a bank teller's counter during that same lethal mission and declares her code name. While McHayle uses Junglepussy as her rap moniker, it's telling that Anderson chose not only to keep the name for her character but to have her trumpet it—and that her moniker is the lone one borrowed from real life. Not to mention that Bob, the man in an in*******al relationship with a Black woman, is christened "Ghetto Pat," which is a hella curious handle, ain't it, given the long history of Black people being maligned as "ghetto"?

Deep into the action of the film, Sergio quips to Bob, "I've got a little Latino Harriet Tubman thing going on." What was the point of having Sergio, a Mexican man, turn one of Black history's most iconic figures into a punchline, when he could've mentioned someone like Manuel Luis del Fierro, the Mexican who protected an absconding slave from kidnappers in 1850?

OBAAportends itself a film about a government that has devolved into an authoritarian regime and its relentless persecution of immigrants, about humanity and the measures the people employ to fight oppression. But it's hollow on those subjects. Beyond showing Bob half-watchingThe Battle of Algiersat home, Anderson shortchanges the history of revolutionary social movements. Politics are treated with a flippancy that undermines the import of radical action and the people who dare it—the pure antithesis of the message we need now. How could it do anything but fall short of satirizing a regime that has proved near boundless in its violence and corruption and blatant bigotries, that treats contrition as anathema. And if satire ain't its aim, I can abide even less its antagonism toward my people, not to mention how it trivializes resistance. Plus, the film recapitulates Hollywood's familiar message: The battle for the fate of America, often synonymous with the fate of the world, is at base a battle between white men, struggles that evermore foreordain a great white savior.

Sinners, the genre-bending horror thriller set in Jim Crow–era Mississippi, centers Blackness. It begins with Sammie (Miles Caton), a young blues-loving sharecropper from Mississippi being recruited by his twin cousins Smoke and Stack (both Michael B. Jordan) to play their brand-new juke joint. On the juke joint's first night, white vampires surround it and prey on the patrons, setting off a battle for lives and souls.

Before anybody gets to accusing me of overt bias: Critics contend thatSinners's "moments of tragedy and violence are never dwelled upon properly." Argue it's a "messy picture that throws the kitchen sink at the genre, and yet, somehow, often misses." But I view the film as a triumph for its deliberative treatment of violence. For how it coheres into a story that explores African folklore and the healing power of culture; Black freedom and self-determination; love of family and community; with how it models resisting injustice.

WhileOBAApostures at it,Sinnersis radical in that there are no white saviors, in that Black people are not the stock sidekicks of courageous white people but heroes at the heart of the film. In fact most of its white characters, including all who first surround the juke joint to prey on its patrons, are depicted as hostile to the Black community (as well as the Asian characters and the mixed woman who are its denizens). Like the character of Mary (Hailee Steinfeld), who, though she professes to love Stack, enters a veritable sanctuary for Black folks against warnings. Mary becomes the vampires' first victim, which is also to say their first coconspirator. Like the husband of married vampires who's a Klan member before he's bitten. Like the Klansman who sold the twins the barn that became their juke joint and returns the next day to slaughter all present. And yet, somehow,Sinnersis so soulful that the lead vampire, Remmick (Jack O'Connell), is imbued with more humanity than most of the Black characters inOBAA.

This article appeared in the April/May 2026 issue of Esquiresubscribe

Then there's the fact thatSinnersis just all-around extraordinary movie-making. There's the originality of Coogler's Oscar-nominated screenplay. There's Ludwig Göransson's superb Oscar-nominated score. There's the sublime one-shot scene in which Sammie's singing conjures a journey (in which African times past, present, and future exist all at once) that not only sets the stakes for the main characters but, as Coogler has explained, features "ancestor spirits from both the past and the future" of Black music: African drummers, an electric guitarist, a hip-hop DJ and dancer, even Chinese opera dancers. There's the indelible Oscar-nominated performance of Michael B. Jordan, a man who became two humans, each intimately connected and miraculously distinct.

Damn the naysayers, there is only one—worthiest.

Coogler'sBlack Panther, which was also nominated for Best Picture, became not just a blockbuster but a cultural touchstone. This time, without the help of a superhero franchise, one of Hollywood's finest auteurs has done it again: delivered a transcendent work of art that is at once ingenious, an astute story about America, and a paean to his people. Which is why, come Oscar Sunday, when an A-lister announces the last award, iswearfogod, there better be a whole lot of ecstatic Black folks bounding onto that stage.

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And then there were two—frontrunners. Ryan Coogler'sSinnersis themost nominated(16) film in Oscar history.Pa...

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