Life & Style | Actor McConaughey named professor at University of Texas

Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey will join the University of Texas as a professor who this fall will teach in the university’s Department of Radio-Television-Film.

McConaughey has been a visiting instructor at the flagship campus in Austin since 2015 and the university said in a statement this week that the appointment recognizes his “outstanding work as a teacher and mentor.”

He will continue teaching a Script to Screen film production class for which he developed the course curriculum.

The university says McConaughey is respected for his “willingness to work with students beyond the classroom.”

McConaughey earned a film degree from the school in 1993. He’s appeared in more than 50 films, including “Dazed and Confused,” ‘’The Wolf of Wall Street” and “Dallas Buyers Club,” for which he won an Oscar and Golden Globe for his leading role.

This girl is on fire: Maren Morris leads CMA nominations

Maren Morris has a chance to win up to eight trophies including album of the year at the 2019 Country Music Association Awards thanks to her work as an artist, songwriter and producer.

With the success of her album “GIRL,” which Morris co-produced, the Grammy winner scored nominations like single of the year, song of the year and female vocalist of the year. The album’s title track, which Morris co-wrote, topped Billboard’s country airplay chart this year, the first time a solo female had a No. 1 hit on that chart in well over a year.

The CMAs also announced that Dan Smyers of Dan + Shay could win up to six awards work as an artist, co-producer of their self-titled third album and as a co-writer of their crossover hit, “Speechless.” Shay Mooney of the Grammy-winning duo earned three nominations, including duo of the year.

Carrie Underwood returned to the top category, entertainer of the year, for the first time since 2016, alongside Garth Brooks, Eric Church, Chris Stapleton and last year’s winner, Keith Urban. There were no women nominated in the top category in 2018 and 2017.

Deneuve and Kore-eda transcend language for ‘The Truth’

French actress Catherine Deneuve says the language barrier working with Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda caused some frustration but that she was happy in the end.

The 75-year-old stars in his latest film, “The Truth,” which opened the 76th Venice International Film Festival yesterday.

Deneuve plays a French movie star whose tricky relationship with her grown daughter comes to a head after the publication of her memoir. Juliette Binoche plays the daughter.

“The Truth” is Kore-eda’s first film shot outside of Japan and not in the Japanese language. Deneuve says the process of working through an interpreter to speak to the director was very unique and sometimes difficult.

“The Truth” is one of 21 films at the festival competing for the Golden Lion which will be announced on Sept. 7.