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Will Smith Apologizes: 'I was out of Line and I was Wrong'

The day after slapping Chris Rock on the Oscars stage and upending the 94th Academy Awards, Will Smith issued an apology to the comedian, to the academy and to viewers at home, saying he was "out of line" and that his actions are "not indicative of the man I want to be."

The fallout from Smith's actions during Sunday's ceremony continued Monday as Hollywood and the public continued to wrestle with a moment that stunned the Dolby Theatre crowd and viewers at home. The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences condemned Smith striking Rock, who had made a joke about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and said it would launch an inquiry.

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A Moment of Silence, and a Plea, for Ukraine at Oscars

For 30 seconds, the Oscars went silent for Ukraine.

A tribute that started with words from the Ukrainian-born Mila Kunis ended with the Academy Awards fading to black about midway through Sunday's show from Los Angeles, with a plea for anyone watching to do whatever possible to send help to those in the war-torn nation.

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Everything You Need to Know about the 2022 Oscars

Final preparations are underway for the 94th Academy Awards and a long awaited return to Hollywood's glamourous normalcy after a muted ceremony and ratings low last year. Here's everything you need to know about the 2022 Oscars, including where to watch the live show, who's expected to win and what the big controversies are this year.

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Shanghai Disneyland Closes as Virus Rises, Shenzhen Reopens

Shanghai Disneyland closed Monday as China's most populous city tried to contain its biggest coronavirus flareup in two years, while the southern business center of Shenzhen allowed shops and offices to reopen after a weeklong closure.

Meanwhile, the cities of Changchun and Jilin in the northeast began another round of citywide virus testing following a surge in infections. Jilin tightened anti-disease curbs, ordering its 2 million residents to stay home.

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Lebanon Ranked Second-Least Happy Country in the World

Finland has been named the world's happiest country for the fifth year running, in an annual U.N.-sponsored index that ranked Afghanistan as the unhappiest, closely followed by Lebanon.

The latest list was completed before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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'The Power of the Dog' Wins Best Picture at UK's BAFTAs

Sci-fi epic "Dune" won five prizes and brooding Western "The Power of the Dog" was named best picture as the British Academy Film Awards returned Sunday with a live, black-tie ceremony after a pandemic-curtailed event in 2021.

New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion was named best director for "The Power of the Dog," becoming only the third woman to win the prize in the awards' seven-decade history.

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Puberty Runs Amok in Pixar's 'Turning Red'

For better and worse, "Turning Red" is like no Pixar film before it.

The film, directed by Domee Shi, who made the lovely Oscar-winning short "Bao," is the first Pixar movie directly solely by a woman. Its leadership team, including producers and art departments, is entirely female. And its protagonist, 13-year-old Meilin Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), is a Chinese-Canadian eighth-grader in the throes of puberty.

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Hollywood Halts Releases in Russia, Including 'The Batman'

Warner Bros. is halting the release of "The Batman" in Russia, just days before it was to open in theaters there, as Hollywood moved to cease distribution plans in the country following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Warner Bros., the Walt Disney Co. and Sony Pictures said Monday that they would "pause" the release of their films in Russia. Each studio has significant upcoming releases that had been set to debut internationally in the coming weeks. "The Batman," one of the year's more anticipated films, launches Friday in North America and many overseas territories, including Russia.

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Munich Fires Russian Conductor Gergiev for Supporting Putin

Valery Gergiev has been fired as chief conductor of the Munich Philharmonic because of his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and for not rejecting the invasion of Ukraine, the German city's mayor said Tuesday.

Munich Mayor Dieter Reiter announced the decision after Gergiev didn't respond to Reiter's demand that the 68-year-old Russian conductor change course.

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Slain Cinematographer's Husband Angry Baldwin Deflects Blame

The husband of a cinematographer shot and killed on the set of the film "Rust" says it's "absurd" that Alec Baldwin believes he's not to blame for the shooting and he was "so angry" when Baldwin didn't accept responsibility.

The remarks made in excerpts from an interview with the "Today" show are the first public words from Matt Hutchins on the Oct. 21 death of his wife Halyna Hutchins.

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