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Denzel Washington Lost Best Actor to Kevin Spacey and Stopped Voting for Oscars: ‘They Don’t Care About Me? I Don’t Care. I Gave Up. I Got Bitter.’

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Denzel Washington Lost Best Actor to Kevin Spacey and Stopped Voting for Oscars: ‘They Don’t Care About Me? I Don’t Care. I Gave Up. I Got Bitter.’


Denzel Washington revealed to Esquire magazine as part of a new cover story that he got bitter after losing the best actor Oscar to Kevin Spacey in 2000. Washington was already a three-time Oscar nominee and one-time winner when his performance as Rubin Carter in “The Hurriance” landed him in the Oscar for best actor opposite Spacey (“American Beauty”), Russell Crowe (“The Insider”), Richard Farnsworth (“The Straight Story”) and Sean Penn (“Sweet and Lowdown”). Washington won a Golden Globe for his performance, but the Oscar went to Spacey.

“At the Oscars, they called Kevin Spacey’s name for ‘American Beauty,’” Washington said. “I have a memory of turning around and looking at him, and nobody was standing but the people around him. And everyone else was looking at me. Not that it was this way. Maybe that’s the way I perceived it. Maybe I felt like everybody was looking at me. Because why would everybody be looking at me? Thinking about it now, I don’t think they were.”

“I’m sure I went home and drank that night. I had to,” Washington said about his reaction to losing. “I don’t want to sound like, ‘Oh, he won my Oscar,’ or anything like that. It wasn’t like that. And you know, there was talk in the town about what was going on over there on that side of the street, and that’s between him and God. I ain’t got nothing to do with that. I pray for him. That’s between him and his maker.”

“The Hurricane” marked the second time Washington had found himself in the best actor race. He was previously nominated in the category for playing the title role in Spike Lee’s “Malcom X,” but the Oscar went to Al Pacino for “Scent of a Woman” instead. After losing best actor for a second time, Washington grew bitter and had his wife, Paulette, start voting in his place for the Academy Awards.

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“I went through a time then when [my wife] Pauletta would watch all the Oscar movies—I told her, I don’t care about that. Hey: They don’t care about me? I don’t care,” Washington said. “You vote. You watch them. I ain’t watching that. I gave up. I got bitter. My pity party.”

Two years after losing best actor, Washington would finally win his first Academy Award for best actor thanks to “Training Day.” His victory made him only the was the second African-American performer to win the category, following Sidney Poitier for 1963’s “Lilies of the Field.” Washington has since gone on to earn four more Oscar nominations, most recently in 2022 for “The Tragedy of Macbeth.” He’s now back in the Oscar race in the supporting category field for “Gladiator 2.”

Head over to Esquire’s website to read Washington’s cover story in its entirety.



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Can Jayden Daniels’ second act land the Commanders in the Super Bowl?

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Can Jayden Daniels’ second act land the Commanders in the Super Bowl?


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The second act of Jayden Daniels’ NFL career will come with high expectations – for himself and the Washington Commanders.

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In 2024, the Commanders made the NFC championship game, with their rookie quarterback as the main reason. For a franchise devoid of success for more than two decades and a carousel at quarterback, Daniels was more than a revelation. He took on a mystic presence. He was a savior.

Now the Commanders will enter the 2025 season considered Super Bowl contenders (fair or not) and Daniels will be on MVP shortlists. An ESPN poll that took the temperature of NFL executives and coaches left Daniels as the No. 5-ranked quarterback in the league. Ahead of him were the powerful AFC quartet of quarterback: Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow.

“I gotta go out there and prove myself each and every day, no matter if it was last season, this season, 10, 20 years down the road,” Daniels said in May, “you have to prove yourself each and every season.

“Outside noise doesn’t matter,” he continued, “have to go there and keep proving yourself.”

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Taken second overall in the new Commanders regime by general manager Adam Peters and head coach Dan Quinn, Daniels carried over his production from Louisiana State to the pros. He rushed for the most yards ever by a rookie quarterback (891). The 2023 Heisman Trophy winner completed 69% of his passes and threw 25 touchdowns – five of which came in the final 30 seconds of regulation or overtime – to nine interceptions. He easily won Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Off the field, Daniels was instrumental in catalyzing the culture change Quinn instilled from the top of the organization down.

“He’s an amazing teammate. The amount of work that he puts in that goes unseen here to get ready to play, to learn it, to teach others to, you know, connect the guys … there is no flinch in Jayden Daniels,” Quinn said in May. “He’s as focused and relentless as you could about getting better. And so that’s why I said for us around here, like, man, we appreciate that and there’s a lot of things that, he and the rest of us are really digging in hard on to say, ‘All right, can we get this better?’”

Jayden Daniels’ 2025 NFL season goals? From learning to mastery

Throughout Daniels’ first full offseason as a pro, the coaching staff and the quarterback concentrated on taking aspects of his game from “really good” to “elite” with the goal of being “the best at this concept,” Quinn said.

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The freedom an offseason provides was new to Daniels. Some of that was difficult to navigate, Daniels said, but he leaned on his support system.

“It was fun just to sit back and reflect and figure out how I’m going to move throughout this offseason and move forward,” Daniels said.

For offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, that meant receiving plenty of texts and calls from Daniels, who is a football junkie. Kingsbury didn’t have to give him any homework.

“His mind is never very far away from the game, so if he sees something or has a thought, he likes to reach out and talk through it,” Kingsbury said in May. “And so that relationship has really grown, I think kind of figuring out where we want to continue to get better at.

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“That’s all he kind of thinks about is how he can get better and watches a ton of film, watches a ton of football overall. And so, that organically really takes care of itself in a way when you have a guy who wants to be that great.”

A potential head-coach candidate once again, Kingsbury, quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard and assistant quarterbacks coach David Blough were all retained by the Commanders this offseason with the goal of providing a stable “ecosystem,” in the words of Peters, for Daniels.

“It’s huge,” Kingsbury said of the continuity at Daniels’ disposal. “I think you look traditionally through the NFL, the guys who’ve had a ton of success have been able to stay in those long-term, all-time greats and just the comfort level and then you being able to take the ownership of it and understand it inside and out, where now you’re correcting people, you don’t even need the coaches. And he’s kind of getting to that point.”

Going into Year 2, Kingsbury said, Daniels shifted from learning to mastery of the scheme. Daniels said “transparency” between he and Kingsbury has improved; he relays what he likes, Kingsbury offers his viewpoints and they agree on the middle ground.

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 “Just watching him move around, he’s not thinking as much, he’s playing fast and letting his natural gifts kind of take over and that’s what we want to see,” Kingsbury said. “So, I expect him to take a big jump.”

The spotlight will only increase. The Commanders are scheduled to play in 10 standalone windows this season, starting Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers on “Thursday Night Football.”

Commanders have ‘massive opportunity’ with Jayden Daniels on rookie contract

Throughout last season, Daniels faced questions regarding his durability. The 6-foot-4 passer is listed at a generous 210 pounds. Big hits he took in the first month of the season didn’t assuage those concerns. Daniels suffered a rib injury against the Carolina Panthers on Oct. 20 following a long run that affected him for the better part of a month.

Neither the Commanders nor Daniels had any specific weight goals or bulking desires for the offseason. Quinn said he’s where he expects Daniels to be on the scale, but that working out more has naturally made him leaner.

“He knows what he has to do to protect himself and where he feels comfortable playing,” Kingsbury said. “But the arm strength, it looks better and you can tell he’s stronger, there’s no doubt.”

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While Daniels improved himself, Peters improved the roster. He brought back key veterans who bonded with Daniels in tight end Zach Ertz, linebacker Bobby Wagner and backup quarterback Marcus Mariota. He traded for wideout Deebo Samuel, formerly with the San Francisco 49ers, and left tackle Laremy Tunsil. The Commanders used their first-round draft pick on offensive lineman Josh Conerly.

“We have a massive opportunity, and you know, none of us are taking that lightly,” Commanders owner Josh Harris said regarding Daniels’ rookie contract in February after the team’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC title game.

But Daniels’ favorite target, wide receiver Terry McLaurin, and the front office are locked into a contract standoff that has devolved from standard to bitter.

In Quinn’s mind, whoever Daniels is working with on the field has the benefit of working with a leader who understands the larger goal.

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“I know he’s worked hard through the offseason, but he’s just in command of the things that he wanted to work,” Quinn said. “He and his teammates, they’ve really put in a lot of work together.

“You can sense when people are going for it and you know, he’s certainly one that is.”



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For Sterling K. Brown, Hulu’s ‘Washington Black’ seeks Black joy, not pain

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For Sterling K. Brown, Hulu’s ‘Washington Black’ seeks Black joy, not pain


Hulu Original Series “Washington Black” stars Ernest Kingsley Junior and Sterling K. Brown.

James Pardon/Disney

“Your legacy isn’t just the work that you do, it’s the opportunities that you create for other people.” —Sterling K. Brown.

For Sterling K. Brown, part of the appeal of producing and starring in Hulu’s Washington Black (July 23) was mentoring Ernest Kingsley Jr., the young actor playing the title character. “If I’m in a position where I can help somebody get an opportunity to do it, that means a lot to me, because your legacy isn’t just the work that you do, it’s the opportunities that you create for other people,” Brown said. Based on the bestselling novel, Kingsley plays George Washington “Wash” Black, a young boy who escapes slavery and, through his scientific mind, sets off an unexpected adventure. Brown plays Medwin, whose life intersects with Wash. “It seems most Black stories that are for mainstream consumption have to do with Black pain, have to do with Black trauma,” Brown said. “So I thought, how awesome would it be to take this historical context but to still illuminate, [and] highlight, joy, hope, faith, love, etc.” And for Kingsley, the story has broad appeal—”that universal story of us going through that harrowing narrative and pain in our past and triumphing over it.”

SUBSCRIBE TO THE PARTING SHOT WITH H. ALAN SCOTT
ON APPLE PODCASTS OR SPOTIFY AND WATCH ON YOUTUBE

Editor’s Note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for publication.



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Costco is opening a new Washington state location in August. See where

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Costco is opening a new Washington state location in August. See where


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Costco is gearing up to open seven new warehouses around the world in August, including one in Washington state.

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The expansions follow three new openings in South Korea, Sweden, and Midland, Texas, in June and July. Several new locations also opened in the U.S. in the spring.

The wholesale warehouse juggernaut is headquartered in Issaquah, Washington, and is a staple of American shopping and a cult hero for shoppers around the world, with millions of card-carrying members and hundreds of locations in the U.S. and abroad.

Chief Financial Officer Gary Millerchip said in March that Costco has a goal of opening around 25 to 30 new locations every year, splitting new openings between international and domestic markets.

Here’s where Costco is opening locations in August 2025:

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Where is Costco opening stores?

Costco lists seven locations with future opening dates in August on its “Coming Soon” page:

  • Spring Valley, Nevada (TBA)
  • Rimouski, Quebec (opening Aug. 5)
  • The Villages, Florida (opening Aug. 6)
  • North Guadalajara, Mexico (opening Aug. 7)
  • Richland, Washington, 3125 Queensgate Dr. (opening Aug. 8)
  • Allen, Texas (opening date TBA)
  • East Newmarket, Ontario, Canada (TBA)

How many Costco stores are in Washington state?

Including the Richland location, there are 35 Costco stores in Washington state, according to the company’s website.

Costco debuts special hours for some club members

On June 30, Costco debuted expanded shopping hours just for its executive members. The new exclusive hours for these members are:

  • Sunday: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
  • Monday-Friday: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
  • Saturday: 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

What are the Costco membership tiers?

According to Costco’s website, the membership tiers and their benefits are:

  • Executive membership
    • $130 annual membership fee
    • Includes a free Household Card
    • Valid at all Costco locations worldwide
    • Annual 2% Reward on qualified Costco purchases
    • Additional benefits and greater savings on Costco Services
    • Extra benefits on select Costco Travel products
  • Business membership
    • $65 annual membership fee
    • Includes a free Household Card
    • Add Affiliate Cardholders for $65 each
    • Valid at all Costco locations worldwide
    • Purchase for resale
  • Gold Star membership
    • $65 annual membership fee
    • Includes a free Household Card
    • Valid at all Costco locations worldwide

Contributing: USA TODAY



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