Awards

The Ben Affleck Matt Damon Robin Williams Award moment arrives on April 27, 2026, and it is already one of the most emotionally significant events in Hollywood this year. The Good Will Hunting duo will travel to San Francisco to receive the 9th Robin Williams Legacy of Laughter Award, presented personally by Robin’s own children, Zak, Zelda, and Cody Williams. This is not a typical industry honor. It is something far more personal than that. What Is the Ben Affleck Matt Damon Robin Williams Award? The Robin Williams Legacy of Laughter Award, now in its 9th year, is presented by Glenn Close’s nonprofit Bring Change to Mind. The award recognizes recipients for their impact and the power of storytelling and connection to spark real change. The event, the Revels and Revelations Celebration, takes place at Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture in San Francisco on April 27, 2026. Bring Change to Mind focuses on ending the stigma around mental health and was cofounded by Emmy-winning actress Glenn Close. Past recipients of the award include Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Stiller, Will Smith and his family, Amy Poehler, and Ryan Reynolds. The event is already sold out, which tells you everything you need to know about how significant this particular night feels to the people who care about Robin Williams’ legacy. Why Robin’s Children Are Presenting the Award Affleck and Damon will receive the award from Robin’s own children, Zak, Zelda, and Cody Williams. That detail changes the entire emotional weight of the moment. This is not a standard industry presentation. It is Robin’s family choosing to place this honor in the hands of two men their father believed in completely, at a time when nobody else had reason to. There is a full-circle quality to it that is genuinely difficult to put into words. Read more: Oprah Winfrey 1986 Oscars Gown Was So Brutally Heavy It Left a Permanent Scar Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Statement About Robin Williams Source: Photo by Eva Rinaldi / Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons. Their joint statement to The Hollywood Reporter is worth reading slowly. “Robin wasn’t just someone we admired. He made our dreams come true. We owe everything to him. He said yes to our movie and we got it made. Receiving the Legacy of Laughter Award, created in honor of Robin Williams, is incredibly meaningful to us. His legacy isn’t just about his talent and how much he made the world laugh — it’s about how deeply he cared. This honor carries his spirit, and that means everything to us.” That is not a press release. That is two people writing about someone they loved and lost, trying to find words equal to what he meant to them. They do not quite get there, because nobody could. But the attempt is everything. The Moment That Changed Everything for Affleck and Damon Damon recalled watching Williams perform on their very first day of shooting. “We weren’t working that day and we just saw them rehearse and we were kind of sitting off to the side of the camera.” He told E!: “I couldn’t believe it. I was just looking at Robin start to speak and say these words that Ben and I had just worked on for five years.” Think about what that moment meant. Five years of work. A script nobody believed in yet. And then Robin Williams starts saying those words, and the tears come before the director even calls action. After Williams passed away in 2014, both men paid tribute publicly. Affleck wrote “Thanks chief — for your friendship and for what you gave the world,” while Damon said in a statement: “Robin brought so much joy into my life and I will carry that joy with me forever.” While making press rounds for his film The Instigators in 2024, Damon also expressed support for efforts to create a statue honoring Williams at the Public Garden, saying: “It would be like the most beautiful installation and like such a tribute to that guy. I think he would’ve loved that.” Read more: Oscars 2027 Date Officially Confirmed — Your Complete Awards Season Calendar Is Here About Bring Change to Mind and Why This Event Matters Founded by Glenn Close in 2010, Bring Change to Mind works to end discrimination related to mental illness and foster open discussions about mental health among young people. The cause is deeply personal for Close. Her sister lives with bipolar disorder and her nephew with schizoaffective disorder, and she has spoken publicly about both for years. The 2026 event marks a milestone for Bring Change to Mind as it celebrates 15 years of impact and a decade steering student programming. Philanthropist Pam Baer will also be honored with a Champion of Change Award for her leadership in advancing mental health awareness. Robin Williams died by suicide in 2014. The award was created in 2017 to honor his memory. The connection between his legacy and mental health advocacy is not incidental. It is the heart of why this award exists and why receiving it from his children carries the weight it does. Frequently Asked Questions What is the Ben Affleck Matt Damon Robin Williams Award called? The Robin Williams Legacy of Laughter Award, presented by Bring Change to Mind, now in its 9th year. Who is presenting the award to Ben Affleck and Matt Damon? Robin Williams’ three children, Zak, Zelda, and Cody Williams, will personally present the award to Affleck and Damon. Where and when is the award ceremony taking place? The Revels and Revelations Celebration takes place on April 27, 2026, at Fort Mason Center for Arts and Culture in San Francisco. Why are Ben Affleck and Matt Damon receiving the Robin Williams Award? In recognition of their impact through the power of storytelling and their deep personal connection to Robin Williams through Good Will Hunting, which earned all three of them Academy Awards. Who founded Bring Change to

The Oprah Winfrey 1986 Oscars Gown story is one of Hollywood’s most painfully funny fashion tales, and she finally told the full version of it on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. A nearly 12-pound beaded collar. A hairdresser pushing her into the dress from the floor. A limo ride spent completely flat on her back. And at the end of one of the biggest nights of her career, a real scar on her neck. Here is the complete story. The Oprah Winfrey 1986 Oscars Gown That Almost Choked Her Watch: Oprah Recalls Her “Horrible” Oscars Night on Colbert Source: Video via The Late Show with Stephen Colbert (Official YouTube Channel / CBS). She ordered a custom design from Dolly Parton’s dressmaker for the event: a white, long-sleeved, silky gown with a beaded, golden collar. On paper, it sounded extraordinary. In practice, it was a slow-motion disaster from the moment she tried to put it on. The collar on the gown weighed approximately 12 pounds. To put that in perspective, 12 pounds is roughly the weight of a bowling ball. Hanging around your neck. All night. At the Oscars. “When I went to sit back in the chair, the collar choked me, and I ended the night with a scar on my neck. So when you see me sitting in the chair, I’m actually trying to pull that collar down so that I don’t choke,” she told Colbert. The scar was not metaphorical. It was completely real. She spent the entire evening with her hand pressed to her collarbone trying to pull the collar away from her skin. Every photo from that night, she now explains, captures that exact quiet battle. The Fitting Disaster Nobody Warned Her About “I didn’t realize you had to have it fitted before the actual event,” she told Colbert. “I had used Dolly Parton’s dressmaker. It’s supposed to be a big deal. He came over for a fitting and returned it, but when I tried to wear it half an hour before leaving, it wouldn’t fit. My hairstylist had to lay me down on the floor and press down on my rear.” She was planked flat in the back of the limo the entire ride to the ceremony. And when she finally arrived? Everyone was already inside, and there was no more red carpet. She missed the red carpet at the Oscars. On the night she was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Because of a 12-pound collar that would not let her stand up straight. She had previously shared a version of this story nearly 15 years ago with Jimmy Kimmel, describing it as “one of the most horrible nights of my life.” The Colbert appearance was the most detailed she has ever been about it. Read more: Mike Myers Shrek AFI Tribute to Eddie Murphy Was the Most Unforgettable Moment of the Night What Oprah Was Nominated for at the 1986 Oscars Source: Photo by Bill Ebbesen / Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons. For her portrayal of Sofia in The Color Purple, Steven Spielberg’s film adaptation of the 1982 novel by Alice Walker, Winfrey received a nomination for Best Actress in a Supporting Role. It was her film debut. Her breakthrough performance. One of the most significant nights of her professional life. And she spent it trying not to be strangled by her own collar. She joked to Colbert: “I heard the voice of God say to me, ‘You’re not going to win because you can’t get out of the chair.’ I wouldn’t have been able to get out of the chair.” That is both a genuinely funny line and a quietly poignant one. The biggest award recognition of her career, and her clearest memory of the night is the weight around her neck. For the record, the Best Supporting Actress award that night went to Anjelica Huston for her performance in Prizzi’s Honor, making her the third member of the Huston family across three generations to win an Oscar. The category also included Margaret Avery, Amy Madigan, and Meg Tilly. Oprah’s nomination alone, for a first-time film actress, was a remarkable achievement. The fact that she spent the ceremony quietly wrestling with a 12-pound collar makes the whole thing even more bittersweet in retrospect. The Fashion Lesson Oprah Took From That Night Her takeaway was simple, direct, and has apparently governed every wardrobe choice she has made since. “After that, I decided that, no matter what you’re doing, you want to be comfortable. So I don’t do anything that’s not comfortable now,” she told Colbert. The proof was sitting right there on his stage. She sat in Colbert’s plush chair wearing a denim jacket worth $2,250 and jeans worth $1,250, both from Chloé. Still expensive, obviously. But completely, gloriously comfortable. And honestly, that is the right lesson. Most people have worn something painful for an important occasion, spent the whole night managing the discomfort instead of enjoying the moment, and walked away with either a story or a scar. Oprah got both. She just made sure it never happened again. Read more: Oscars 2027 Date Officially Confirmed — Your Complete Awards Season Calendar Is Here Frequently Asked Questions About Oprah Winfrey’s 1986 Oscars Gown How heavy was Oprah Winfrey’s 1986 Oscars gown? The beaded cape-like collar alone weighed close to 12 pounds, making it extremely uncomfortable to wear throughout the entire evening. Did Oprah Winfrey’s Oscars gown really leave a scar? Yes. Oprah confirmed on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert that the heavy collar choked her throughout the night and left a permanent scar on her neck. What was Oprah nominated for at the 1986 Oscars? Oprah received her Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role as Sofia in The Color Purple, directed by Steven Spielberg. She lost to Anjelica Huston for Prizzi’s Honor. Who won Best Supporting Actress at the 1986 Oscars? Anjelica Huston won the award for her performance in Prizzi’s Honor, beating out Oprah Winfrey,

The Oscars 2027 date is locked in: Sunday, March 14, 2027. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will host the 99th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, and for the first time ever, they’ve confirmed two full ceremonies at once. Here’s every major awards date you need to bookmark right now. Oscars 2027 Date: Everything the Academy Just Confirmed The headline is simple, but the details matter: The mid-March slot continues a trend the Academy established in 2025 and held through 2026, moving the ceremony out of late February to give the awards race more breathing room after the condensed pandemic-era schedule. Nominations will again fall on a Thursday, the pattern that quietly became standard starting in 2025. One number worth noting: the 2026 ceremony drew 17.86 million viewers, a slight dip from 2025’s five-year high but still the second-strongest performance in nearly a decade. Studios and streaming platforms will be watching closely. The Academy has officially confirmed the dates on its website. The Historic 100th Oscars: 2028 Date Already Locked Here’s what makes this announcement genuinely unprecedented: the Academy didn’t stop at 2027. The 100th Academy Awards are set for Sunday, March 5, 2028, the centennial ceremony marking 100 years since the very first Oscars were held in 1929. No other major awards body has publicly confirmed dates two full years in advance. The Academy did it because this milestone demanded it. A few things change dramatically after 2028: For filmmakers, studios, and streamers, two-year visibility into the awards calendar is invaluable. Productions already greenlit today can be strategically positioned for either the 99th or 100th ceremony. Read more: Mike Myers Shrek AFI Tribute to Eddie Murphy Was the Most Unforgettable Moment of the Night Full Awards Season Calendar: Every Confirmed Date Hollywood Sign overlooking Los Angeles ahead of Oscars 2027 season April-June 2026: The Season Begins The awards year opens earlier than most fans realise. Long before Oscar campaigning heats up, television and stage are already handing out hardware. Date Award April 23 Peabody Awards: winners announced May 10 BAFTA Television Awards May 26-28 Sports Emmys and News and Documentary Emmy Awards June 7 Tony Awards: Broadway’s biggest night June 28 BET Awards The Tony Awards on June 7 set the cultural tone for the summer. With Broadway recovering strongly, this ceremony carries genuine prestige weight heading into the second half of the year. July-September 2026: Emmy Season Summer belongs to television, and 2026 Emmy season is shaping up to be one of the most competitive in years, with streaming platforms dominating the nomination landscape. Date Award July 8 Primetime Emmy Award nominations announced July 15 ESPY Awards August 6 Critics Choice Super Awards September 6 MTV Video Music Awards September 14 Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony The Emmy nominations on July 8 are the first major barometer of what the industry considers the year’s best television. Watch closely because Emmy sentiment often predicts which streaming platforms will push hardest during Oscar season. October-December 2026: The Build Begins This is where Oscar campaigning shifts from whisper to roar. Guild screenings intensify, trade paper coverage accelerates, and the first critical rankings start crystallising the contenders. Date Award October 30 Daytime Emmy Awards November 10 Governors Awards December 4 Critics Choice Awards nominations announced December 10 The Game Awards December 15 Oscar shortlists announced The Oscar shortlists on December 15 are the single most important pre-nominations moment of the season. Films that miss shortlist consideration in key categories like Best International Film, Best Documentary, Best Original Song, and Best Visual Effects are effectively eliminated. Studio campaign strategies pivot overnight. January-March 2027: The Final Sprint to the Oscars The most intense ten weeks in Hollywood. Every guild award, critics prize, and precursor ceremony feeds directly into Oscar voting momentum. Miss a week and you miss the story. Date Award January 3 Critics Choice Awards ceremony January 8 AFI Awards January 21 Oscar nominations announced January 30 Directors Guild Awards (DGA) February 7 Grammy Awards February 27 Producers Guild Awards (PGA) February 28 Actor Awards (SAG-AFTRA) March 6 Film Independent Spirit Awards March 14 99th Academy Awards: Oscars 2027 The DGA, PGA, and SAG trifecta in late January and February form the traditional Oscar predictor trio. No Best Picture winner in the last two decades has won without at least two of those three guild prizes. That pattern will define the final two weeks of campaigning. The Grammy Awards on February 7 now air on ABC with simultaneous streaming on Hulu and Disney+ under a new 10-year deal. They add a major cultural moment that briefly pulls attention away from film, and studios with music-driven campaigns will use that window strategically. Read more: Devil Wears Prada 2 Adrian Grenier: The Shocking Truth Behind Nate’s Missing Cameo FAQs: Oscars 2027 Date and Awards Season Calendar What is the Oscars 2027 date? Sunday, March 14, 2027. The 99th Academy Awards will be held at the Dolby Theatre, Ovation Hollywood, broadcast live on ABC in 200+ countries. When will Oscar nominations be announced in 2027? January 21, 2027. Nomination voting opens January 11 and closes January 15, 2027. When are the 2027 Grammy Awards? February 7, 2027. Under a new 10-year rights deal, the Grammys now air on ABC with simultaneous streaming on Hulu and Disney+. When are the 2026 Emmy Awards? The Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony is September 14, 2026. Nominations are announced July 8, 2026. When are the 2026 Tony Awards? June 7, 2026. When is the 100th Oscars ceremony? March 5, 2028, the centennial Academy Awards and the final ceremony at the Dolby Theatre before the move to the Peacock Theater. Where will the Oscars be held after 2028? The Peacock Theater in Los Angeles from 2029 through 2039. The broadcast simultaneously shifts from ABC to YouTube starting in 2029. Why the Oscars 2027 Date Matters More Than Usual Two confirmed ceremonies. A historic centennial on the horizon. A venue change that ends a 25-year era. A broadcast

Mike Myers Shrek AFI tribute stole the entire ceremony, arriving in full green prosthetic makeup to honour Eddie Murphy’s 51st AFI Life Achievement Award in the most iconic way possible. Here’s everything that happened. The Mike Myers Shrek AFI tribute was the moment nobody saw coming and nobody will stop talking about. On April 18, 2026, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Myers walked the red carpet in a classic black tuxedo looking perfectly unremarkable, then took the stage in full green prosthetic Shrek mask to honour his longtime collaborator Eddie Murphy. Here is how one ogre mask turned a prestigious awards night into a moment nobody will forget. The Mike Myers Shrek AFI Tribute Nobody Saw Coming In the now-viral Mike Myers Shrek AFI tribute, Myers walked the red carpet without a hint of what was coming. Black suit, black tie, completely composed. Then he stepped up to the podium and the green mask appeared. The contrast between red carpet Mike and podium Mike made the moment even more dramatic. The crowd, packed with comedy royalty, lost it immediately. It was a full commitment. Green face, ogre ears, the whole thing. Myers did not hedge. What Mike Myers Said About Eddie Murphy on Stage Source: Photo by David Shankbone / Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons The Mike Myers Shrek AFI Tribute Speech That Balanced Comedy and Reverence Myers delivered his entire tribute in character behind the podium. He did not break. He did not wink at the audience. He played it completely straight, which made it funnier and more moving at the same time. “None of the Shrek success could have happened without Eddie Murphy,” Myers said. “Eddie’s character, Donkey, is a masterpiece, as is every character Eddie has created over the years. Lovable, hilarious, joyous, vulnerable, and loyal.” He went further: “Eddie combines all of those in a tour de force, and plainly put, Eddie is one of the greatest. It is my absolute honour to be able to tell my kids that I got to work with Eddie Murphy.” Why the Words Landed So Hard Myers has kept a deliberately low profile since 2022. This AFI appearance marks one of his most significant public moments in years, which gave every word extra weight. The speech felt personal and completely unscripted in tone. A room full of people who have spent their careers making others laugh went genuinely quiet for parts of it. Read more: Madonna Coachella 2026 Performance: 7 Powerful Reasons This Iconic Return Left Everyone Speechless The Shrek Connection: Why This Tribute Made Perfect Sense Myers voiced Shrek and Murphy voiced Donkey across four films beginning in 2001. Their chemistry became the defining quality of the franchise and one of the most beloved partnerships in animation history. The Shrek series became one of the highest-grossing animated franchises of all time. That did not happen in spite of Murphy. It happened because of him. Shrek 5 is now confirmed for June 30, 2027, with Myers, Murphy, and Cameron Diaz all returning to their original roles. The AFI moment doubled as a playful, unspoken preview of what is coming. Eddie Murphy’s 51st AFI Life Achievement Award: The Full Night A Room Full of Legends Spike Lee presented the award, telling the audience: “Eddie and I have Brooklyn in our blood. Eddie made us laugh and made our nation feel better. I took a camera and told stories about how our nation could be better. We both pushed culture forward.” Chris Rock delivered the evening’s most resonant line: “There is no us without you.” Dave Chappelle recalled studying Murphy’s stand-up special Raw as a teenager, watching it every day after school as if he were taking a class. Kevin Hart, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan, Arsenio Hall, Kenan Thompson, Bill Burr, Robert Townsend, Judge Reinhold, Eva Longoria, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph all paid tribute across the night. Jennifer Hudson delivered a live Dreamgirls medley backed by a house band led by Rickey Minor. Stevie Wonder described Murphy as “a universal reminder” that laughter can make life livable, and joked about Murphy’s early SNL impressions of him: “He made fun of a blind man.” The gala raised over $2.5 million for AFI’s nonprofit education programs. What Murphy Said When He Accepted Murphy, 65, took the stage to a standing ovation. He held up the silver star trophy and immediately got a laugh: “Have these always been this size? It seems like this is small. Is it?” Then he got real. “Seeing all of my family, all my kids, my beautiful wife, and seeing all the different people I worked with, I’m just really filled up. This is a special moment. I almost teared up. I’m going to get backstage and cry.” He noted the timing felt especially meaningful. He recently turned 65, welcomed his first grandson and third granddaughter, and said he felt like it was “raining blessings.” Where Has Mike Myers Been? Myers’ last on-screen role was David O. Russell’s Amsterdam in 2022. The same year, he created and starred in the Netflix series The Pentaverate. Since then he has lived a deliberately quiet life with wife Kelly Tisdale and their three children. Austin Powers 4 rumours continue to circulate, and Myers has responded to every question about it the same way, telling The Jess Cagle Show in 2022: “I can neither confirm nor deny the existence or non-existence of such a project, should it exist or not exist.” This AFI appearance is one of his most significant public moments since that interview. Read more: Amanda Batula and West Wilson Relationship Timeline: How Their Summer House Romance Truly Began FAQs: Mike Myers Shrek AFI Tribute and Eddie Murphy Award Why did Mike Myers wear a Shrek mask at the AFI Awards? To honour Eddie Murphy, his co-star across four Shrek films, in a playful and deeply personal tribute that only the two of them could have pulled off. What did Mike Myers say about Eddie Murphy