PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (AP) — Nicole Kidman gave a long-awaited dedication to her late mother Friday night at the Palm Springs Film Festival.
“I feel my momma right now. This is for you, momma,” Kidman said onstage in tears. The Australian actor and producer’s mother died last year shortly after Kidman arrived at the Venice Film Festival to promote “Babygirl."
“I didn’t get to do it at the Venice Film Festival," the actor said. "Thank you for giving me the chance to say this is for my mom. My whole career has been for my mom and dad.”
Kidman's “Scarpetta” co-star and friend Jamie Lee Curtis presented her with the International Star Award during the 36th annual International Film Awards at the festival in Palm Springs, California.
The intimate gala kicked off Hollywood’s whirlwind award season, honoring some of the film industry’s most anticipated award contenders.
Kidman was among notable A-listers including Adrien Brody, Zoe Saldaña, Isabella Rossellini and Angelina Jolie, who was presented with the Desert Palm Achievement Award-Actress by her godmother, acclaimed actor Jacqueline Bisset.
Jolie, who portrays opera singer Maria Callas in the Netflix biopic “Maria,” is nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture.
“I’m all right today because when I walk off of this stage, I am more myself because of you, Zahara, and your brothers and sisters,” the Academy Award-winning actor said to her daughter while reflecting on Callas’ difficult life. Jolie's speech came days after finalizing a divorce settlement with Brad Pitt that reached over eight years.
The night was full of onstage reflection as recipients and presenters gave long, heartfelt speeches at the non-televised event.
Colman Domingo, who was presented with the Spotlight Award by good friend Demi Moore, reflected on art’s impact on him as a child and its power to transform lives. The speech was a nod to his recent film, “Sing Sing,” which tells the story of incarcerated men who find purpose while acting in a theater group.
“I found art when I really needed it to be a parachute to save my life,” Domingo said. “Art saves lives. It saved mine. It will save yours.”
While receiving the Chairman Award, Timothée Chalamet said he feels “clear-sighted” about his career and credits music icon Bob Dylan for indirectly providing him with the perspective he has to work as an actor out of love for the art form.
Chalamet stars as Dylan in “A Complete Unknown” and spent more than five years preparing for his transformation into the folk musician.
“A wise man once said, ‘They can hurt your feelings if they boo you, they can also kill you with kindness.’ I took my anxiety about tonight as a good sign that I’m actually focused on what really matters. The work and the opportunity to do the work again," Chalamet said.
Intermixed with the sentiment, stars also took the time to poke fun at themselves and their peers.
Jennifer Coolidge presented Ariana Grande with the Rising Star award, noting the “Wicked” actor and pop star was already a household name.
“Hasn’t Ariana already risen?” Coolidge said.
Grande, who endearingly almost dropped the heavy award onstage, said she expected to receive “the withering star” award at age 31 and playfully gave thanks to her “good friends Botox and Juvederm.”
Chalamet, who presented director Denis Villeneuve with the Visionary award alongside Amy Adams, reminded the director that he had worked more production days with the director than actor Jake Gyllenhaal.
“Perhaps if I could paint a throughline for Denis' movies is that they just keep getting bigger and better. Apologies to Jake Gyllenhaal once more, who was in the earlier, smaller movies,” Chalamet said.
Kieran Culkin cheekily pointed out he was receiving a Breakthrough Award-Actor for his work in Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain” after working in the industry for over 30 years.
“It’s weird to be here, to have been doing this for over 36 years. Perfect time to get my breakthrough award,” Culkin said.
Mikey Madison received the Breakthrough Award-Actress for her work in Sean Baker’s “Anora,” while Adrien Brody received the Desert Palm Achievement Award-Actor.
The ensemble cast from “Conclave” took home the Ensemble Performance Award, with director Edward Berger praising unique performances by each of his actors in the religious drama.
“Emilia Pérez” earned the event's Vanguard Award. Actor Alan Cumming lauded the film and said his immediate reaction was, “What the actual (expletive) is going on here?’ I stayed utterly mesmerized until the credits.”
The stars won’t spend too much time in the California desert before traveling two hours west to Los Angeles in time for the 82nd Golden Globe Awards on Sunday.
Timothee Chalamet poses with the chairman's award for "A Complete Unknown" in the press room during the 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Palm Springs, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Jacqueline Bisset, left, and Angelina Jolie, winner of the desert palm achievement award, actress for "Maria", pose in the press room during the 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Palm Springs, Calif. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)
Nicole Kidman accepts the international star award for "Babygirl" during the 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Palm Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
Nicole Kidman accepts the international star award for "Babygirl" during the 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Awards Gala on Friday, Jan. 3, 2025, in Palm Springs, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Jayden Daniels sitting in the second half wasn’t the plan when the playoff-bound Washington Commanders visited the Dallas Cowboys with only seeding at stake.
Leg soreness led coach Dan Quinn to make the move, and Marcus Mariota turned it into a winning one.
Mariota threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with 3 seconds left, lifting Washington to a 23-19 victory over Dallas on Sunday and clinching the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs for the Commanders.
Mariota threw for two scores and ran for a TD after replacing Daniels, who said he was fine with his coach's decision but later was adamant that they would have had “to drag me off the field,” if his team had been in a win-or-go-home situation.
Instead, the Commanders (12-5) only had playoff seeding on the line, but Quinn's move ended up sparking an offense that produced just 64 yards before the break.
“We were going to have to use the quarterback’s legs more, so it was really my decision to say, ‘Hey let’s go this route,’” Quinn said. “It wasn’t a pre-determined one.”
It turned out Washington didn’t need the rally to keep the sixth seed because Green Bay lost to Chicago on a late field goal. But the victory meant the Commanders finished the regular season on a four-game win streak that answered a three-game skid capped by a loss at home to Dallas.
The Commanders will visit either Tampa Bay or the Los Angeles Rams in the wild-card round next weekend. The Packers will visit NFC East champion Philadelphia, the No. 2 seed.
Brandon Aubrey kicked four field goals for the Cowboys in the first regular-season start for quarterback Trey Lance since Week 2 of 2022, when he was still with San Francisco a year after the 49ers traded up to get him third overall in the draft.
Rico Dowdle's 2-yard TD run lifted the Cowboys to a 19-16 lead midway through the fourth quarter.
Quinn already had his team in the playoffs in his return to Dallas, where he was the defensive coordinator the past three seasons, which also ended with 12-5 playoff teams.
The last of those came crashing down with a blowout wild-card loss at home to Green Bay, and the coaches and players Quinn left behind never had a chance to escape the malaise in a 2024 season that was troublesome from the early days.
Now, the Cowboys (7-10) await the fate of coach Mike McCarthy, who is on an expiring contract after three winning seasons and two losing records, unable to get the club past the divisional round of the playoffs for the first time since the mid-1990s.
“For us to go out there and compete and finish our commitment, that to me was a given,” McCarthy said. “I thought in some ways, the game was a little bit of a microcosm of our season, just going down to the last play. The little things that we didn’t do, was part of the reason why we didn’t win the game.”
Daniels was 6 of 12 for 38 yards when he went to the bench after the break, while Mariota finished 15 of 18 for 161 yards and had a 33-yard run that helped set up the winning score, which capped a 91-yard drive.
“He's such a cool teammate,” Quinn said. “It was fun to be able to celebrate him today because of the work that he does behind the scenes. It takes a lot to be ready like that.”
Lance was 20 of 34 for 244 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions in his first extensive action since the preseason. He threw five interceptions in the preseason finale.
The Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick for Lance last year after Lance lost the battle for the backup job with the Niners. Cooper Rush started the first eight games after Dak Prescott's season-ending hamstring injury this season.
It didn't take Micah Parsons long to make good on his promise that he would get to 10 sacks for the fourth time in his four seasons with Dallas despite missing four games with a high ankle sprain.
Parsons dropped Daniels for a 4-yard loss on the first play of the game and got him again on a 9-yarder two plays later. He had 2 1/2 sacks to finish the season with 12. He is the fourth player with double-digit sacks in his first four seasons, and the other three are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Washington's running game struggled despite the return of running back Austin Ekeler, who left the Nov. 24 loss to the Cowboys with a concussion. While Mariota and Daniels did some damage with their legs, Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr. combined for 22 yards on eight carries.
None of Aubrey's kicks were from 50 yards, but he held on to what is now an NFL record for the most from at least that distance in a season at 14. Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn started and ended the day at 13, and Pittsburgh’s Chris Boswell had a 54-yarder Saturday to finish at 13 as well.
The Commanders are in the playoffs for the first time since 2020, and in the postseason with a winning record for the first time since 2015.
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) celebrates a sack with defensive end Chauncey Golston (99) and linebacker Buddy Johnson (57) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Josh McSwain)
Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) runs with the ball as Dallas Cowboys defensive end Chauncey Golston (99) chases him during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Josh McSwain)
Dallas Cowboys wide receiver KaVontae Turpin reacts during a play against the Washington Commandersduring the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Jerome Miron)
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn reacts to a fourth-down stop against the Dallas Cowboys during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy looks on during the second half of an NFL football game against the Washington Commanders, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin, left, goes up to make a touchdown catch against Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. The Commanders won 23-19. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (26) reacts after Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin caught a touchdown pass in front of him during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, in Arlington, Texas. The Commanders won 23-19. (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)
