Louis C.K. Collects Five Primetime Emmy Award Nominations

Louis C.K. is still a Primetime Emmy Awards darling…

Following a record-setting nine nominations last year, the 46-year-old Mexican American actor/comedian cleaned up once again during Thursday morning’s Emmy nominations.

Louis C.K.

Louis C.K., a four-time Emmy-winner, earned five nominations for the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, the most individual nominations of anyone, Latino and non-Latino, this year.

Louis C.K., the creator of FX’s dark comedy series Louie, is nominated for Actor in a Comedy for his laugh-inducing performance as the show’s title character.

His behind-the-scenes work on Louie has also resulted in nods in the Writing for a Comedy Series and Directing for a Comedy Series categories. Louis C.K., one of the executive producers onthe show, saw the series receive a Comedy Series nomination.

And last but certainly not least, Louis C.K. earned a nomination in the Guest Actor in a Comedy Series category for hosting an episode of Saturday Night Live earlier this year. The actor/comedian, a two-time SNL host, has earned Emmy love for both his hosting stints on the long-running NBC sketch comedy series.

But Louis C.K. isn’t the only Latino to receive multiple nominations…

Fred Armisen, a former Saturday Night Live cast member, earned a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series nod for portraying various characters on his critically acclaimed IFC satirical sketch comedy series Portlandia.

The 47-year-old half-Venezuelan American actor, who created the series with co-star Carrie Brownstein, also earned a nod in the Writing for a Variety Series for hisbehind-the-scenes work on the series.

Helena Bonham Carter, a two-time Oscar nominee, has earned her third career Primetime Emmy nod. The 48-year-old part-Spanish actress earned her first nomination in 11 years in the Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie category for her portrayal of the late Elizabeth Taylor in the BBC/BBC America production Burton and Taylor.

Alfred Molina earned his first-ever Primetime Emmy Award nomination. The 61-year-old half-Spanish actor is nominated in the Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie category for his performance in HBO’s The Normal Heart.

Lin-Manuel Miranda, who earned his first-ever Daytime Emmy Award nod earlier this year, now has his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

The Tony Award– and Grammy-winning American composer, rapper, lyricist and actor picked up the nod in the Original Music and Lyrics category for penning the lyrics to “Bigger!,”a tune performed by Neil Patrick Harris at the 2013 Tony Awards.

The 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be held on Monday August 25, 2014 at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, and will be broadcast live by NBC.

Here’s a look at the categories with Latino nominees.

Comedy series
“The Big Bang Theory” (CBS)
“Louie” (FX)
“Modern Family” (ABC)
“Orange Is the New Black” (Netflix)
“Silicon Valley” (HBO)
“Veep” (HBO)

Actor in a Comedy
Louis C.K (“Louie”)
Don Cheadle (“House of Lies”)
Ricky Gervais (“Derek”)
Matt LeBlanc (“Episodes”)
William H. Macy (“Shameless”)
Jim Parsons (“The Big Bang Theory”)

Writing for a Comedy Series
David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik (“Episodes”)
Louis C.K. (“Louie”)
Liz Friedman and Jenji Kohan (“Orange Is the New Black”)
Alec Berg (“Silicon Valley”)
Simon Blackwell, Tony Roche and Armando Iannucci (“Veep”)

Directing for a Comedy Series
Iain B. MacDonald (“Episodes”)
Paris Barclay (“Glee”)
Louis C.K. (“Louie”)
Gail Mancuso (“Modern Family”)
Jodie Foster (“Orange Is the New Black”)
Mike Judge (“Silicon Valley”)

Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Bob Newhart (“The Big Bang Theory”)
Nathan Lane (“Modern Family”)
Steve Buscemi (“Portlandia”)
Jimmy Fallon (“Saturday Night Live”)
Louis C.K. (“Saturday Night Live”)
Gary Cole (“Veep”)

Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Andre Braugher (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”)
Adam Driver (“Girls”)
Jesse Tyler Ferguson (“Modern Family”)
Ty Burrell (“Modern Family”)
Fred Armisen (“Portlandia”)
Tony Hale (“Veep”)

Writing for a variety series
“The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central)
“Inside Amy Schumer” (Comedy Central)
“Key & Peele” (Comedy Central)
“Portlandia” (IFC) 
[Fred Armisen]
“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” (NBC)

Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
Jessica Lange (“American Horror Story: Coven”)
Sarah Paulson (“American Horror Story: Coven”)
Helena Bonham Carter (“Burton and Taylor”)
Minnie Driver (“Return to Zero”)
Kristen Wiig (“The Spoils of Babylon”)
Cicely Tyson (“The Trip to Bountiful”)

Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
Colin Hanks (“Fargo”)
Jim Parsons (“The Normal Heart”)
Joe Mantello (“The Normal Heart”)
Alfred Molina (“The Normal Heart”)
Matt Bomer (“The Normal Heart”)
Martin Freeman (“Sherlock: His Last Vow”)

Original Music and Lyrics
“No Trouble” from “A Christmas Carol — The Concert”
“Les Mis” from “Key & Peele”
“Home for the Holiday (Twin Bed)” from “Saturday Night Live”
“Merroway Cove” from “Sofia the First: The Floating Palace”
“Day Is Gone” from “Sons Of Anarchy”
“Bigger!” from “67th Tony Awards” [Lin-Manuel Miranda, lyrics]

Directing for a miniseries, movie or a dramatic special
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (“American Horror Story: Coven”)
Adam Bernstein (“Fargo”)
Colin Bucksey (“Fargo”)
Stephen Frears (“Muhammad Ali’s Greatest Fight”)
Ryan Murphy (“The Normal Heart”)
Nick Hurran (“Sherlock: His Last Vow”)

Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie
“Fargo” (Dana Gonzales)
“Fargo” (Matt Lloyd)
“Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond”
“Killing Kennedy”
“The Normal Heart”
“Sherlock: His Last Vow”

Costumes for a Series
“Boardwalk Empire”
“Downton Abbey”
“Game of Thrones”
“Mad Men”
“Once Upon a Time” [Eduardo Castro]

Outstanding Cinematography For Reality Programming
Project Runway (Lifetime) [Gus Dominguez, Director of Photography]

Bonham Carter Earns Critics’ Choice Television Award Nod for “Burton and Taylor”

Helena Bonham Carter’s on-screen transformation as a Hollywood legend is still earning recognition…

The 47-year-old part-Spanish actress, who earned a British Academy of Film and Television ArtsTV Awards nomination last month, has been nominated for a Critics’ Choice Television Award from the Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

Helena Bonham Carter in Burton and Taylor

Bonham Carter received the nod in the Best Actress in a Movie or Mini-Series category for her portrayal of the late Elizabeth Taylor in the BBC biopic Burton and Taylor.

She’ll face off against Return to Zero’s Minnie Driver, A Day Late and a Dollar Short’s Whoopi Goldberg, Bonnie & Clyde’s Holliday Grainger, American Horror Story: Coven’s Jessica Lange and The Trip to Bountiful’s Cicely Tyson.

Meanwhile, Louis C.K. has been nominated for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance in his FX series Louie.

The 46-year-old Mexican American actor, who just earned a similar nod from the Television Critics Association, will compete against The Mindy Project’s Chris Messina, Silicon Valley’s Thomas Middleditch, The Big Bang Theory’s Jim Parsons, Parks and Recreation’s Adam Scott and The Crazy OnesRobin Williams.

Programs and performances for this round of Critics Choice Television Awards are eligible if they were telecast between June 1, 2013 and May 31, 2014. But submissions still are being accepted for The Most Exciting New Series category, and any series premiering after May 1, 2014 is eligible –  including any announced summer, fall or winter premieres.

That category will be announced on June 9 — 10 days before CW broadcasts the Critics Choice Television Awards on June 19,  at 8:00 pm ET, hosted by Cedric the Entertainer.

The awards show will be tape-delayed for an 8:00 pm PT start time.

Here’s a look at the nominees:

BEST COMEDY SERIES

The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Broad City (Comedy Central)
Louie (FX)
Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Silicon Valley (HBO)
Veep (HBO)

BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Louis CK, Louie (FX)
Chris Messina, The Mindy Project (FOX)
Thomas Middleditch, Silicon Valley (HBO)
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Adam Scott, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Robin Williams, The Crazy Ones (CBS)

BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Ilana Glazer, Broad City (Comedy Central)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep (HBO)
Wendi McLendon-Covey, The Goldbergs (ABC)
Amy Schumer, Inside Amy Schumer (Comedy Central)
Amy Poehler, Parks and Recreation (NBC)
Emmy Rossum, Shameless (Showtime)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Andre Braugher, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (FOX)
Keith David, Enlisted (FOX)
Tony Hale, Veep (HBO)
Albert Tsai, Trophy Wife (ABC)
Christopher Evan Welch, Silicon Valley (HBO)
Jeremy Allen White, Shameless (Showtime)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Mayim Bialik, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Laverne Cox, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Kaley Cuoco, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Allison Janney, Mom (CBS)
Kate Mulgrew, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Merritt Wever, Nurse Jackie (Showtime)

BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A COMEDY SERIES
Uzo Aduba, Orange Is the New Black (Netflix)
Sarah Baker, Louie (FX)
James Earl Jones, The Big Bang Theory (CBS)
Mimi Kennedy, Mom (CBS)
Andrew Rannells, Girls (HBO)
Lauren Weedman, Looking (HBO)

BEST DRAMA SERIES
The Americans (FX)
Breaking Bad (AMC)
Game of Thrones (HBO)
The Good Wife (CBS)
Masters of Sex (Showtime)
True Detective (HBO)

BEST ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Hugh Dancy, Hannibal (NBC)
Freddie Highmore, Bates Motel (A&E)
Matthew McConaughey, True Detective (HBO)
Matthew Rhys, The Americans (FX)
Michael Sheen, Masters of Sex (Showtime)

BEST ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
      
Lizzy Caplan, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Vera Farmiga, Bates Motel (A&E)
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife (CBS)
Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black (BBC America)
Keri Russell, The Americans (FX)
Robin Wright, House of Cards (Netflix)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES
Josh Charles, The Good Wife (CBS)
Walton Goggins, Justified (FX)
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Peter Sarsgaard, The Killing (AMC)
Jon Voight, Ray Donovan (Showtime)
Jeffrey Wright, Boardwalk Empire (HBO)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES
Christine Baranski, The Good Wife (CBS)
Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad (AMC)
Annet Mahendru, The Americans (FX)
Melissa McBride, The Walking Dead (AMC)
Maggie Siff, Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Bellamy Young, Scandal (ABC)

BEST GUEST PERFORMER IN A DRAMA SERIES
Beau Bridges, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Walton Goggins, Sons of Anarchy (FX)
Allison Janney, Masters of Sex (Showtime)
Joe Morton, Scandal (ABC)
Carrie Preston, The Good Wife (CBS)
Diana Rigg, Game of Thrones (HBO)

BEST MOVIE
An Adventure in Space and Time (BBC America)
Burton and Taylor (BBC America)
Killing Kennedy (National Geographic Channel)
The Normal Heart (HBO)
Sherlock: His Last Vow (PBS)
The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime)

BEST MINI-SERIES      
American Horror Story: Coven (FX)
Bonnie & Clyde (A&E/History/Lifetime)
Dancing on the Edge (Starz)
Fargo (FX)
The Hollow Crown (PBS)
Luther (BBC America)

BEST ACTOR IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES

David Bradley, An Adventure in Space and Time (BBC America)
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: His Last Vow (PBS)
Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dancing on the Edge (Starz)
Martin Freeman, Fargo (FX)
Mark Ruffalo, The Normal Heart (HBO)
Billy Bob Thornton, Fargo (FX)

BEST ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES
Helena Bonham Carter, Burton and Taylor (BBC America)
Minnie Driver, Return to Zero (Lifetime)
Whoopi Goldberg, A Day Late and a Dollar Short (Lifetime)
Holliday Grainger, Bonnie & Clyde (A&E/History/Lifetime)
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven (FX)
Cicely Tyson, The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES
Matt Bomer, The Normal Heart (HBO)
Warren Brown, Luther (BBC America)
Martin Freeman, Sherlock: His Last Vow (PBS)
Colin Hanks, Fargo (FX)
Joe Mantello, The Normal Heart (HBO)
Blair Underwood, The Trip to Bountiful (Lifetime)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MOVIE OR MINI-SERIES
Amanda Abbington, Sherlock: His Last Vow (PBS)
Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Coven (FX)
Ellen Burstyn, Flowers in the Attic (Lifetime)
Jessica Raine, An Adventure in Space and Time (BBC America)
Julia Roberts, The Normal Heart (HBO)
Allison Tolman, Fargo (FX)

BEST REALITY SERIES       
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (FOX/National Geographic Channel)
Deadliest Catch (Discovery)
Duck Dynasty (A&E)
Mythbusters (Discovery)
Top Gear (BBC America)
Undercover Boss (CBS)

BEST REALITY SERIES – COMPETITION
The Amazing Race (CBS)
Project Runway (Lifetime)
Shark Tank (ABC)
Survivor (CBS)
Top Chef (Bravo)
The Voice (NBC)

BEST REALITY HOST
Tom Bergeron, Dancing With the Stars (ABC)
Carson Daly, The Voice (NBC)
Cat Deeley, So You Think You Can Dance (FOX)
Gordon Ramsay, MasterChef (FOX)
RuPaul, RuPaul’s Drag Race (Logo)
Neil deGrasse Tyson, Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (FOX/National Geographic Channel)

BEST TALK SHOW
Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (NBC)
The Ellen DeGeneres Show (Time Telepictures)
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (Comedy Central)
The Colbert Report (Comedy Central)
Conan (TBS)

BEST ANIMATED SERIES
Archer (FX)
Bob’s Burgers (FOX)
The Simpsons (FOX)
Family Guy (FOX)
Phineas and Ferb (Disney XD)
Adventure Time (Cartoon Network)

Bonham Carter Nominated for BAFTA TV Award for Portraying Elizabeth Taylor

Helena Bonham Carter is being recognized for her Elizabethan performance…

The 47-year-old part-Spanish actress has earned a nomination for the British Academy of Film and Television ArtsTV Awards.

Burton and Taylor

Bonham Carter – A BAFTA winner in the film category for The King’s Speech – is nominated for Leading Actress for her portrayal of the late Elizabeth Taylor in the BBC biopic Burton and Taylor, which centers on Taylor’s ill-fated reunion with Richard Burton on and off the stage for the critically reviled 1983 revival of Noel Coward’s stage play Private Lives.

The Oscar-nominated actress has said taking on the role was terrifying — “playing Elizabeth Taylor, a screen icon.” But that the role also became a touch irresistible.

“That’s one of the things about being an actor,” says Bonham Carter. “You get these little gifts. You get to step into the lives of these people you know about, but don’t really know. It’s a challenge.”

It’s Bonham Carter’s second BAFTA TV Award nomination. She was previously nominated for her starring role in 2009’s dramatic television film Enid, which was broadcast on BBC Four.

The International category features Breaking Bad, House Of Cards, Denmark’s Borgen, and France’s The Returned.

This year’s ceremony will be held in London on May 18.

Here’s the list of the major drama and comedy nominees:

LEADING ACTOR
JAMIE DORNAN, The Fall, BBC Two
SEAN HARRIS, Southcliffe, Channel 4
LUKE NEWBERRY, In The Flesh, BBC Three
DOMINIC WEST, Burton and Taylor, BBC Four

LEADING ACTRESS
HELENA BONHAM CARTER, Burton and Taylor, BBC Four
OLIVIA COLMAN, Broadchurch, ITV
KERRIE HAYES, The Mill, Channel 4
MAXINE PEAKE, The Village, BBC One

SUPPORTING ACTOR
DAVID BRADLEY, Broadchurch,
ITV
JEROME FLYNN, Ripper Street, BBC One
NICO MIRALLEGRO, The Village, BBC One
RORY KINNEAR, Southcliffe, Channel 4

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
SHIRLEY HENDERSON, Southcliffe, Channel 4
SARAH LANCASHIRE, Last Tango in Halifax, BBC One
CLAIRE RUSHBROOK, My Mad Fat Diary, E4
NICOLA WALKER, Last Tango in Halifax, BBC One

MALE PERFORMANCE IN A COMEDY PROGRAMME
RICHARD AYOADE, The IT Crowd, Channel 4
MATHEW BAYNTON, The Wrong Mans, BBC Two
JAMES CORDEN, The Wrong Mans, BBC Two
CHRIS O’DOWD, The IT Crowd, Channel 4

SINGLE DRAMA
AN ADVENTURE IN SPACE AND TIME
BLACK MIRROR: BE RIGHT BACK,
COMPLICIT
THE WIPERS TIMES

MINISERIES
THE FALL,
THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY
IN THE FLESH
SOUTHCLIFFE

DRAMA SERIES
BROADCHURCH
MY MAD FAT DIARY
TOP OF THE LAKE
THE VILLAGE

INTERNATIONAL
BORGEN
BREAKING BAD
HOUSE OF CARDS
THE RETURNED

Lopez to Receive Vanguard Award at the GLAAD Media Awards

It’s a Vanguard moment for Jennifer Lopez 

The 44-year-old Puerto Rican singer-actress and American Idol judge will be feted at the GLAAD Media Awards next month, the LGBT advocacy organization announced Monday.

Jennifer Lopez

Lopez, an executive producer on ABC Family’s The Fosters, will be recognized with the Vanguard Award at the ceremony, which will take place at the Beverly Hilton on April 12.

The Vanguard Award is presented to artists and media professionals who, through their work, have increased the visibility and understanding of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.

Along with her strong support of LGBT issues in the media, Lopez is being recognized for her work on The Fosters, a GLAAD Media Award-nominated drama series about a lesbian couple raising a family of biological, adopted and foster children. Lopez’s inspiration for producing The Fosters came from her late aunt, who faced prejudice because of her sexual orientation and was unable to have her own family.

“Through her work to bring The Fosters to life and by consistently speaking out as a powerful ally, Jennifer Lopez has not only sent a message of acceptance to LGBT adults and young people, but inspired new support for our community among her many fans around the globe,” said GLAAD CEO and president Sarah Kate Ellis. “Family is about love, and that’s a message Jennifer has shared with millions through her groundbreaking work on The Fosters.”

Previous Vanguard honorees include Antonio Banderas, Drew Barrymore, Kristin Chenoweth, Whoopi Goldberg, Josh Hutcherson, Janet Jackson, Eric McCormack, Liza Minnelli, Sharon Stone and Elizabeth Taylor.

Bonham Carter’s “Burton and Taylor” Airing on BBC America in October

Helena Bonham Carter will bringing her Elizabeth Taylor impersonation to the United States…

The 46-year-old part-Spanish actress stars as the late actress in the BBC biopic Burton and Taylor, which will premiere on BBC America on Wednesday, October 16 at 9 PM as part of the network’s Dramaville block.

Burton and Taylor

Dominic West appears opposite Bonham Carter as Richard Burton in the biopic.

This version of the famed Hollywood couple centers on their ill-fated reunion on and off the stage for the critically reviled 1983 revival of Noel Coward’s stage play Private Lives.

Burton and Taylor aired in July on BBC 4 in the UK and averaged 1.17 million viewers.

The made-for-television movie, a BBC Drama Production co-produced with BBC America, was penned by William Ivory and directed by Richard Laxton.

First Trailer Released for Bonham Carter’s “Burton and Taylor” Biopic

Helena Bonham Carter is a living legend in BBC’s just-released trailer for Burton and Taylor.

Burton and Taylor

The 46-year-old part-Spanish actress, who was cast as the fairy godmother in Disney’s live-action version of Cinderella, channels Elizabeth Taylor in all her glory in the clip for BBC America’s fall biopic about the late actress and her former husband Richard Burton.

Dominic West co-stars opposite Bonham Carter in the television movie, portraying Burton.

The biopic focuses on the celebrity couple’s love affair as the husband and wife prepare for their 1983 revival of Noel Coward’s stage play Private Lives.

Disney’s “Cinderella,” Starring Bonham Carter, Gets March 2015 Release Date

Helena Bonham Carter will be making fairy tales come true in March 2015.

Disney has scheduled its live-action version of Cinderella, which will star the 46-year-old part-Spanish actress as the fairy godmother, for release on March 13, 2015.

Helena Bonham Carter

Along with Bonham Carter, the cast for Cinderella – to be directed by Kenneth Branagh – includes Lily James, Cate Blanchett and Richard Madden.

Bonham Carter is currently filming the BBC drama Burton and Taylor, the latest re-telling of the Richard BurtonElizabeth Taylor romance.

Bonham Carter Portraying Elizabeth Taylor in “Burton and Taylor”

Helena Bonham Carter has landed a legendary role…

BBC America has released the first image of the 47-year-old part-Spanish actress as Elizabeth Taylor.

Helena Bonham Carter in Burton and Taylor

The two-time Academy Award nominee is portraying Taylor in Burton and Taylor, while Dominic West is portraying Taylor’s two-time husband Richard Burton.

Unlike last year’s Lifetime biopic Liz & Dick, which co-starred Lindsay Lohan and Grant Bowler, all of the the drama in Burton and Taylor appears to be on screen as the film follows the divorced pair’s onstage reunion in a 1983 revival of the Noel Coward play, Private Lives. It ran for just 63 performances on Broadway.

The BBC Drama Productions project will be co-produced by BBC America for its Dramaville block.

In the United Kingdom, Burton and Taylor will be broadcast on BBC Four, although no official airdate has been set.

BBC Worldwide is distributing internationally.

Bonham Carter to Star in the BBC’s Burton & Taylor TV Movie

Helena Bonham Carter will be portraying one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood’s Golden Age in an upcoming BBC project…

The 47-year-old part-Spanish actress and Dominic West have been cast as legendary, volatile ex-lovers Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in the BBC’s television movie Burton & Taylor.

Helena Bonham Carter

The 90-minute film, which will air on the British network’s BBC Four, will chart the pair’s ill-fated appearance in a 1983 revival of the Noel Coward play, Private Lives, which ran for 63 performances on Broadway. Burton and Taylor were famously married twice, from 1964-1974 and again from 1975-1976.

Most recently, Lindsay Lohan and Grant Bowler starred in a Lifetime biopic about the turbulent couple.

Burton & Taylor is an in-house project from BBC Drama Productions based on the screenplay from Made In Dagenham’s William Iory.

Bonham Carter, a two-time Academy Award nominee who most recently starred in the film adaptation of the musical Les Misérables, has starred in The King’s Speech, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, Alice in Wonderland and several of the Harry Potter films.

Spalding Shines in Oscars Tribute Performance

It’s a tradition during the Oscars telecast to pay respect to Hollywood’s fallen talents… And, Esperanza Spalding’s tear-jerking performance during the “In Memoriam” montage at Sunday’s Academy Awards proved to be fitting tribute.

Esperanza Spalding at the Oscars

The 27-year-old part-Mexican singer—who won Best New Artist at the 53rd Grammy Awards, making her the first jazz artist to win the award—sang a restrained and powerful rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” while backed by the Southern California Children’s Choir.

During Spalding’s performance, the names and faces of Hollywood’s lost legends were projected in stark black and white behind her, including Whitney Houston, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, Tim Hetherington and Jane Russell. The moving montage closed with a clip of Elizabeth Taylor as “Cleopatra.”

Esperanza Spalding at the Oscars

It was a pitch perfect performance that allowed millions around the world to see what Grammy voters had already seen in Spalding last year—a true talent with a glorious voice!

Spalding upcoming studio album Radio Music Society is scheduled to be released on March 20, 2012.