Artificial

The supporting actor race finds several multiple nominees in the running alongside an icon among Latino entertainment figures looking for his first-ever nod.

Anne Thompson declares, “The favorite is [Andrew] Garfield, who plays tricky billionaire Sam Altman in ‘Artificial.’ It is a winning, if not positive, portrayal.”

“Past winner Sam Rockwell is also a lock,” says Dave Karger, “while veteran John Leguizamo is angling for his first nomination. And the always-reliable Edward Norton would increase his tally to five.”

Glenn Whipp says front-runner Paul Giamatti has been “so good for so long,” it seems as if he has won before, though he hasn’t. But “the way he brings to life the demanding, bighearted theater director in ‘The Debut’ will give him another shot.” As Robert Daniels says, his turn is “made memorable for the actor’s moments of tenacity, anguish and vulnerability. It’s Giamatti giving a classic Giamatti performance.”

1. Paul Giamatti, “The Debut”
2. John Leguizamo, “The Odyssey”
3. Sam Rockwell, “Wild Horse Nine”
4. Andrew Garfield, “Artificial”
5. Edward Norton, “The Invite”
6. John Goodman, “Digger”

RogerEbert.com

Robert Daniels

1. Paul Giamatti, “The Debut”
2. John Leguizamo, “The Odyssey”
3. Andrew Garfield, “Artificial”
4. Sam Rockwell, “Wild Horse Nine”
5. Edward Norton, “The Invite”

“Paul Giamatti got extremely close to winning best actor for ‘The Holdovers.’ His role as a theater director in ‘The Debut,’ isn’t the showstopping kind, but it is made memorable for the actor’s moments of tenacity, anguish and vulnerability. It’s Giamatti giving a classic Giamatti performance.”

Turner Classic Movies

Dave Karger

1. Paul Giamatti, “The Debut”
2. Sam Rockwell, “Wild Horse Nine”
3. John Leguizamo, “The Odyssey”
4. Andrew Garfield, “Artificial”
5. Edward Norton, “The Invite”

“Could this finally be Paul Giamatti’s year? He will definitely earn his third career nomination for going toe-to-toe with Julianne Moore in ‘The Debut.’ Past winner Sam Rockwell is also a lock, while veteran John Leguizamo is angling for his first nomination. And the always-reliable Edward Norton would increase his tally to five.”

Los Angeles Times

Amy Nicholson

1. John Goodman, “Digger”
2. Paul Giamatti, “The Debut”
3. John Leguizamo, “The Odyssey”
4. Sam Rockwell, “Wild Horse Nine”
5. Reggie Absolom, “Club Kid”

“Dismal box office aside, there’s a lot of passion for ‘Digger’ burbling up from the internet. I wouldn’t count it out yet, and John Goodman’s ferocious president goes toe-to-toe with Tom Cruise in every scene.”

IndieWire

Anne Thompson

1. Andrew Garfield, “Artificial”
2. John Leguizamo, “The Odyssey”
3. Paul Giamatti, “The Debut”
4. Sam Rockwell, “Wild Horse Nine”
5. Edward Norton, “The Invite”

“The favorite is Garfield, who plays tricky billionaire Sam Altman in ‘Artificial.’ It is a winning, if not positive, portrayal. His challengers are strong: Leguizamo in ‘The Odyssey,’ which has coattails, Giamatti in ‘The Debut,’ Rockwell, who won for Martin McDonagh’s ‘Three Billboards,’ and four-time nominee Norton in ‘The Invite.’ ”

Tribune News Service

Katie Walsh

1. Sam Rockwell, “Wild Horse Nine”
2. Paul Giamatti, “The Debut”
3. John Leguizamo, “The Odyssey”
4. Edward Norton, “The Invite”
5. Andrew Garfield, “Artificial”

“Giamatti and Rockwell (a previous winner) are reliable standbys, and they’re terrific in ‘The Debut’ and ‘Wild Horse Nine,’ respectively. I would love to see John Leguizamo (‘The Odyssey’) and Andrew Garfield (‘Artificial’) recognized, but to win, it’s a coin toss between Giamatti and Rockwell for me right now.”

Los Angeles Times

Glenn Whipp

1. Paul Giamatti, “The Debut”
2. John Leguizamo, “The Odyssey”
3. Sam Rockwell, “Wild Horse Nine”
4. Edward Norton, “The Invite”
5. Guitarricadelafuente, “La Bola Negra”

“Paul Giamatti has been so good for so long in so many great movies that you assume he must have won an Oscar for one of them. Nope. But the way he brings to life the demanding, big-hearted theater director in ‘The Debut’ will give him another shot.”

A NEW attraction with an enormous lagoon and bright white sands is set to open a few hours from the UK.

Called Alovera Beach, it’s set to open in summer 2028 and the catch is that it’s nowhere near the coast.

Instead, the company called Crystal Lagoons is hoping to open Europe’s largest man-made beach just outside of Spain’s capital, Madrid.

The project itself that’s 104,000 square metres is being built at the cost of €29million (£24.3million).

At its centre will be a 21,000-square-metre artificial lagoon which will be surrounded by 16,000 square metres of white sand which makes for the perfect sunbathing spot.

The lagoon will be suitable for swimming as well as watersports like kayaking, paddleboarding and aqua fitness classes.

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There will also be children’s attractions, relaxation spaces, food outlets and cafes.

On the sand will be an adults-only beach club with separate lounges to relax in as well as restaurants.

During the summer it’s hoping to hold seasonal events too including concerts, guest celebrations and even business events.

Looking at the details on its website, it looks like entry will be through memberships and daily passes.

Plans for Alovera Beach started back in 2017 and it has just taken a huge step forward with developers signing a formal construction-start document on October 21, 2026.

If all goes to plan, work is set to complete in March 2028 with it opening to the public a few months later in the summer months.

When it does open, the inland beach will be easy for Brits to reach as Alovera is a 45-minute drive from Madrid.

One-way flights are as little as £20 and Brits can get there in less than two and a half hours.

The company has made 1,000 projects across 60 countries including the Evermore Orlando Resort.

It has a range of accommodation including guest rooms and suites to Walt Disney World around two enormous beach areas where visitors can try out kayaking and paddleboarding.

The lagoon here is larger than 25 Olympic-size swimming pools and has has two beach areas.

Meanwhile, it emerged over the weekend that Bristol director of rugby Pat Lam did not select three of his key players because of the state of the StoneX Stadium pitch.

Pedro Rubiolo, AJ MacGinty and Steven Luatua were rested for the trip to north London.

“They came off big injuries last season so it wasn’t worth putting them on that pitch,” Lam explained.

“If we were playing the game at home or if it was a semi-final, they would have played.”

Saracens have been contacted for comment.

Lam has previously voiced his opposition to artificial pitches being used in the Prem.

Following the Bears’ league win at Newcastle in April, Lam blamed the pitch for causing a number of injuries to his team.

“These pitches are hard – I’m not a big fan of them,” Lam said at the time.

“We always take injuries on them and we’ve taken a few more.”

Newcastle installed a new pitch at Kingston Park this summer before the 2026-27 season and have kept it fully artificial.