Conan O’Brien’s Oscar pompadour, David Chang’s chef-tastic SAG gig, ‘English Teacher’ renewed, and more of today’s top stories
Gold Derby’s top news stories for Feb. 7, 2025.
Oscars release key art of Conan O’Brien with golden pompadour
You know it’s almost time for the Oscars when the key art starts rolling out. On Friday, ABC and Disney released the first official image for the 97th Academy Awards, which will be hosted by Conan O’Brien. The comedian’s infamous pompadour, usually light orange, has turned sparkly gold for this special occasion. See the high-res pic below.
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“My hair is very susceptible to the weather, and there needs to be some moisture in the air,” O’Brien recently revealed on his podcast about his luscious locks. “So, when I’m in places like Seattle, Boston — where I’m from — when there’s some humidity in the air, my hair is absolutely fantastic. It’s big and springy, and it shoots out. So, moisture in the air is the Viagra for my pompadour.”
O’Brien has hosted the Emmy Awards twice (in 2002 and ’06), but this is his first time emceeing the biggest awards show in the world. Of course, he’s mostly known for being the ringleader of his own quirky talk show, which took on several iterations through the years, including Late Night (1993-2009), The Tonight Show (2009-10), Conan (2010-21), and now Conan O’Brien Must Go (2024-present).
SAG Awards announces head chef, writers
The attendees at the 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards will soon be shouting, “Yes, Chef!” to David Chang. The celebrated culinary artist (who’s also a million-dollar winner on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire) will create a special menu for the A-list guests at the Shrine Auditorium in his new position as the event’s head chef. The menu will reflect Chang’s own signature approach to food, including some tasty favorites from his restaurant company, Momofuku.
The guild has also named Rashida “Sheedz” Olayiwola and Louis Virtel as the ceremony’s writers. They both have experience writing for awards shows and live events, with Olayiwola tackling the 2024 BET Awards and Soul Train Awards, and Virtel penning the 2024 Academy Awards and Jimmy Kimmel Live. The 2025 SAG Awards will stream Sunday, Feb. 23 on Netflix beginning at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Kristen Bell will host the kudos, while Jane Fonda will receive the prestigious Life Achievement Award.
Pari Dukovic/FX
English Teacher renewed for Season 2
FX’s fan-fave comedy series created by and starring Brian Jordan Alvarez has been renewed for Season 2. English Teacher‘s sophomore year will consist of 10 episodes and will premiere sometime in 2025.
The good news comes just hours before the Critics Choice Awards, where English Teacher is nominated three times for Best Comedy Series, Best Comedy Actor (Alvarez), and Best Comedy Supporting Actress (Stephanie Koenig). In addition, the program is one of the best reviewed of the 2024 calendar year, earning a spot on many TV critics’ top 10 lists, and scoring a 98 percent at Rotten Tomatoes.
Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images
Nickel Boys writers to receive prestigious Writers Guild prize
The co-writers of Nickel Boys, RaMell Ross and Joslyn Barnes, have been tapped to receive the Writers Guild of America West’s 2025 Paul Selvin Award. The prestigious prize is named after the general counsel to WGAW for 25 years, and is presented annually to “the member or members whose script best embodies the spirit of the constitutional and civil rights and liberties that are indispensable to the survival of free writers everywhere.”
The period film recently picked up two Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Ross and Barnes. It is based on The Nickel Boys novel from 2019 by Colson Whitehead, which chronicles the true-life story of a reform school in Florida that abused its students.
Oscars consider implementing AI policy for future films
The growing popularity of AI is causing the Motion Picture Academy to “explore changing its Oscar submission requirements,” reports Variety. The use of artificial intelligence in Oscar frontrunner The Brutalist for Adrien Brody‘s Hungarian dialogue kick-started the conversation when it came to light last month. In addition, the same “Respeecher” technology was credited in Emilia Pérez, while the “AudioShake” tool notably helped Angelina Jolie sound morel like opera singer Maria Callas in Maria.
There is currently an “optional disclosure form” for AI use at the Academy, but the Governors and Branch executive committees are now in talks about whether to make the disclosure “mandatory” beginning with next year’s 2026 Oscars. The new rule book is expected to come out in April, and the Academy’s SciTech Council is prepping the specific verbiage.
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