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After a rough start to 2025 due to the devastating Eaton and Palisades fires, awards season in Hollywood is officially back in the swing of things. The fires, which broke out right after the Golden Globes, even caused some to question awards shows relevance in this time of crisis. Despite several delays, however, the Critics Choice Awards was held at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica on February 7. The following day, the Producers Guild of America Awards (PGA) was held at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles and the Directors Guild of America Awards (DGA) was presented at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. The results from these three prestigious awards shows could give you an edge in your office Oscars bets as many of the same people involved are also voting members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Let’s recap what happened and what it could mean for the Academy Awards. The Critics Choice Awards The fires were acknowledged at every event. Critics Choice Awards host, comedian Chelsea Handler, opened the show by saying, Weve been through a lot lately before cracking a Justin Baldoni-Blake Lively joke to lighten the mood. It set the tone for a self-aware celebration. Voters made up of entertainment journalists and critics spread the love among many films this year. Conclave took home Best Acting Ensemble, which does not have an Oscars equivalent but shows support for the film in general. Kieran Culkin was awarded Best Supporting Actor for his work in A Real Pain while Zoe Saldaa won Best Supporting Actress for her work in Emilia Pérez, making them both front-runners for an Oscar. Riding their Golden Globe momentum, Demi Moore took home the honors for Best Actress for the horror film The Substance and Adrien Brody won Best Actor for his work in The Brutalist. And while he might not have been nominated for an Oscar or a DGA Award, that didnt stop Jon M. Chu from winning Best Director for his work on Wicked: Part Oneor for saying in his acceptance speech, Im going to win that Oscar! before quietly acknowledging, Im not nominated. For the first time ever, Best Picture went to a film that won no other awards: Sean Bakers Anora. It would turn out to be a big weekend for this indie film. The DGA Awards Judd Apatow served as host and brought the funny, but DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter opened the event by expressing gratitude to first responders and urged production companies to bring filming back to the United States so the city could continue to heal. The Oscars link is strong, with only two films in history ever winning Best Picture without first being recognized here. Anora continued its winning streak, taking home top honors for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Theatrical Feature Film. It is also important to note that RaMell Ross took home the Michael Apted First Time Directorial Feature Award for his work on Nickel Boys, which is also up for a Best Picture Oscar. The PGA Awards According to the Hollywood Reporter, PGA presidents Stephanie Allain and Donald De Linehe started the evening by sharing that the organization started a fire fund to support those who were impacted by the disaster. It had already raised $450,000 and attendees were encouraged to keep donating throughout the evening. Like its name suggests, the Producers Guild of America celebrates, well, producersnot individual performers or designers or specialized creators. Membership is about the same size as the Academy, and both organizations utilize a weighted preferential ballot. The big Oscars award precursor here is the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures. The 10 nominees are almost identical to the Academys choices. In the past 15 years, 12 Best Picture winners first took home this prize, including last years champion, Oppenheimer. Just hours after it took home the DGA honors, PGA presenter Jodie Foster announced that Anora would also be the winner here. Where does this leave us in the Oscars race? After this weekend, Anora is the new Best Picture front-runner. The dramedy dethroned Emilia Pérez, which was already losing ground after several controversies, including actress Karla Sofía Gascóns offensive tweets. This musical was once on top with 13 nominations, the highest number this year. Wicked, the other musical in the running, saw a glimmer of hope this weekend with its wins and glowing reception at the Critics Choice Awards, but it might not get Oscars glory until part 2 is released late this year. Anora could not have peaked at a better time. Final Oscars voting begins on February 11 and goes until the 18th; so the movie, the acceptance speeches, and buzz will be top of mind for Academy members. A possible weakness in this film’s ascent to the top is its lack of below-the-line support. Beyond producers, directors, and critics, the Academy is also made up of cinematographers, editors, and other designers who will also need to champion the project, and its lack of nominations in those categories could be telling. Other precursor awards to keep an eye on are the BAFTA Awards, essentially the British Oscars, and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. The BAFTAs take place on February 16 in London, and the SAG Awards are set for February 23 in L.A. If Anora takes home the top prize in either of those ceremonies, it will almost certainly cement its future Oscars win.
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A new study shows that bird flu has silently spread from animals to some veterinarians. The study published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention echoes two smaller ones that detected evidence of infection in previously undiagnosed farmworkers. In those studies, several of the infected workers remembered having symptoms of H5N1 bird flu, while none of the veterinarians in the new paper recalled any such symptoms. The new study is more evidence that the official U.S. tally of confirmed human bird flu infections 68 in the last year is likely a significant undercount, said Dr. Gregory Gray, an infectious disease researcher at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. This means that people are being infected, likely due to their occupational exposures, and not developing signs of illness and therefore not seeking medical care, Gray said. He said it shows that officials cannot fully understand bird flu transmission by only tracking people who go to medical clinics with symptoms. Study suggests bird flu cases are undercounted CDC researchers went to an American Association of Bovine Practitioners veterinary conference in September 2024 in Columbus, Ohio. They recruited 150 vets from 46 states to fill out a questionnaire and agree to have their blood drawn. None said they had suffered red eyes or other symptoms associated with bird flu. Testing found three of the vets, or 2%, had evidence of antibodies to H5N1 infection. All three worked with dairy cattle, as well as other animals. None said theyd worked with a herd that was known to be infected, although one had worked with a flock of infected poultry. Gray and some colleagues did a study last year of 14 dairy farmworkers and found two, or 14%, had evidence of past infections. Both had experienced symptoms but were never diagnosed. Another study published last year by the CDC checked 115 dairy workers. The researchers found that eight of them, or 7%, had evidence in their blood of recent infection. Half recalled feeling ill. The studies were far too small to use as a basis to provide a solid estimate of how many undiagnosed human infections are out there, Gray said. But even just a very small percentage could translate to hundreds or thousands of Americans who were infected while working with animals, he noted. That’s not necessarily a reason to be alarmed, said Jacqueline Nolting, an Ohio State University researcher who helped CDC with the latest study. Available studies suggest people who are infected mount antibody responses and may develop natural immunity, which is good news, she said. However, if the virus changes or mutates to start making people very sick, or to start spreading easily from person to person, that would be a completely different story, Nolting said. Experts urge caution around animals The H5N1 bird flu has been spreading widely among wild birds, poultry, cows and other animals. Its escalating presence in the environment increases the chances people will be exposed, and potentially catch it, officials have said. Right now the risk to the general public is low, the CDC says. But officials continue to urge people who have contact with sick or dead birds to take precautions, including wearing respiratory and eye protection and gloves when handling poultry. No ones really questioning that the virus has been moving around the country more than has been reported, said Keith Poulsen, director of the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. He said he expected to see stepped-up information reminding veterinarians across the country to protect themselves with gloves, masks and other equipment to halt infection. The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institutes Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Mike Stobbe, Associated Press Associated Press writer JoNel Aleccia contributed to this report.
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Igloo is recalling more than 1 million of its coolers sold across the U.S., Mexico and Canada due to a handle hazard that has resulted in a handful of fingertip injuries, including some amputations. The now-recalled Igloo 90 Qt. Flip & Tow Rolling Coolers have a tow handle can pinch users’ fingertips against the product posing potential amputation and other crushing risks, according to a Thursday recall notice from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Igloo has received 12 injury reports in the U.S., the CPSC notes, which include fingertip amputations, bone fractures, and lacerations. There are no known injuries in Canada or Mexico. Consumers in possession of the coolers are urged to stop using them immediately and contact Igloo for a free replacement handle. The now-recalled coolers were sold at major retailers like Costco, Target, Dicks and Amazon between 2019 and January 2025 for between $80 and $140. About 1.06 million were purchased in the U.S., in addition to 47,000 in Canada and another 23,000 in Mexico. The affected products can be identified by model number and description. They were sold in multiple colors with the word IGLOO printed on the side and manufactured in the U.S. prior to January 2024. Consumers can register for the recall online or contact Katy, Texas-based Igloo at 888-943-5182 or igloo90qt@sedgwick.com to request a handle replacement. In a statement, Igloo said that it was recalling these rolling coolers and providing free replacement handles with consumer safety as our top priority. The company added that, “through rigorous testing and proactive steps, we are constantly improving our products to meet the highest safety standards.” Additional information can be found on the websites for the CPSC, Health Canada and the OECD’s global recall portal.
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