NEW YORK (AP) — The National Board of Review put its full support behind Jon M. Chu's “Wicked,” naming the lavish musical the best film of the year, Chu best director and awarding its stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, a prize for their collaboration, in awards announced Wednesday.
Already a box-office force, “Wicked” is also embarking on an awards campaign expected to make it a major Academy Awards contender. The National Board of Review, a long-running New York-based organization comprised of film enthusiasts and academics founded in 1909, has no correlation with the film academy. But the win hands “Wicked” some early momentum ahead of Monday's Golden Globe nominations, where it should perform well.
"Wicked represents the pure magic that movies can bring to audiences," said Annie Schulhof, NBR president. “Every detail is beautifully crafted and designed, the actors are all exceptional and the music is second-to-none — together it adds up to a transporting experience like no other.”
Best actor went to Daniel Craig for his performance in Luca Guadagnino's William S. Burroughs' adaptation, “Queer.” Nicole Kidman took best actress for Halina Reijn's “Babygirl,” in which she plays a high-ranking executive who has a romance with an intern (Harris Dickinson).
The supporting acting winners were Kieran Culkin for “A Real Pain,” and Elle Fanning for “A Complete Unknown.”
The NBRs add to the recent run of prizes dished out this week, including the Gotham Awards on Monday, the New York Film Critics Circle on Tuesday and the Spirit Awards nominations announced Wednesday. The NBR Awards will be handed out in an untelevised gala Jan. 7 in New York hosted by Willie Geist.
Best Film: “Wicked”
Best Director: Jon M. Chu, “Wicked”
Best Actor: Daniel Craig, “Queer”
Best Actress: Nicole Kidman, “Babygirl”
Best Supporting Actor: Kieran Culkin, “A Real Pain”
Best Supporting Actress: Elle Fanning, “A Complete Unknown”
Best Ensemble: “Conclave”
Breakthrough Performance: Mikey Madison, “Anora”
Best Directorial Debut: India Donaldson, "Good One"
Best Original Screenplay: Mike Leigh, “Hard Truths”
Best Adapted Screenplay: Clint Bentley & Greg Kwedar, “Sing Sing”
NBR Spotlight Award: Creative Collaboration of Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
NBR Freedom of Expression Award: “No Other Land”
Best Animated Feature: “Flow”
Best International Film: “The Seed of the Sacred Fig”
Best Documentary: “Sugarcane”
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: Jarin Blaschke, “Nosferatu”
Outstanding Achievement in Stunt Artistry: "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga"
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This story has been updated to correct the spelling of Jon M. Chu's first name.
This image released by A24 shows Daniel Craig, left, and Drew Starkey in a scene from "Queer." (Yannis Drakoulidis/A24 via AP)
FILE - Ariana Grande, left, and Cynthia Erivo pose for the photographers prior to the the premiere of "Wicked" at Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that the Federal Reserve's ability to set interest rates free of political interference is necessary for it to make decisions to serve “all Americans” rather than a political party or political outcome.
Speaking at the New York Times’ DealBook summit, Powell addressed a question about President-elect Donald Trump's numerous public criticisms of the Fed and of Powell himself. During the election campaign, Trump had insisted that as president, he should have a “say” in the Fed's interest rate policies.
In his remarks Wednesday, Powell said, “We’re supposed to achieve maximum employment and price stability for the benefit of all Americans and keep out of politics completely."
Despite Trump's comments, the Fed chair said he was confident of widespread support in Congress for maintaining the central bank's independence.
“I’m not concerned," he said, “that there’s some risk that that we would lose our statutory independence. “There’s very, very broad support for that set of ideas in Congress, in both political parties, on both side of the Hill.”
On the topic of interest rates, Powell said the Fed can afford to cut its benchmark rate cautiously, because the economy is doing better than the Fed thought it was in September, when it collectively predicted four rate cuts in 2025 after three cuts in 2024.
“We’re not quite there on inflation, but we’re making progress,” Powell said. “We can afford to be a little more cautious."
The Fed has been aiming to deliver a “soft landing” for the economy, whereby the central bank's interest rate hikes manage to help reduce inflation to its 2% target without causing a recession. History has shown it's a rare and difficult feat.
Yet the economy appears largely on track for such an outcome. The job market has slowed. And inflation is down sharply, though in recent months it has remained stuck modestly above the Fed's target, which could make the policymakers reluctant to cut rates much further.
Several other Fed officials have said this week that they expect to keep reducing rates, without committing to a reduction at their next meeting later this month.
On Monday, Christopher Waller, an influential member of the Fed's Board of Directors, said he was “leaning” toward a rate cut when the central bank meets in two weeks. Waller added, though, that if forthcoming data on inflation or hiring appears worse than the Fed expects, he might favor keeping rates unchanged.
On Tuesday, Mary Daly, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, said she supported further lowering rates, without commenting specifically on a timetable.
“Whether it’ll be in December or some time later, that’s a question we’ll have a chance to debate and discuss at our next meeting,” Daly said in an interview on Fox Business News. "But the point is, we have to keep policy moving down to accommodate the economy because we want a durable expansion with low inflation.”
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell speaks at the DealBook Summit in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell reacts while speaking at the DealBook Summit in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell speaks at the DealBook Summit in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell speaks at the DealBook Summit in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell speaks at the DealBook Summit in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell speaks at the DealBook Summit in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell speaks at the DealBook Summit in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
