MARRAKECH, Morocco — Sean Penn on Tuesday blasted the organizers of the Oscars for being cowards who, in effect, limit the kinds of films that can be funded and made.

The 64-year-old actor said at the Marrakech Film Festival that he gets excited about the Academy Awards only on the rare occasion that films he values are nominated.

“The producers of the academy have exercised really extraordinary cowardice when it comes to being part of the world of expression and, in fact, have largely been part of limiting the imagination and limiting different cultural expressions,” Penn said at the festival, where he received a career achievement award this week.

“I don’t get very excited about what we’ll call the Academy Awards,” he said, noting exceptions when certain films grace the ceremony, including Sean Baker’s “The Florida Project,” Walter Salles’ “I’m Still Here” and Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez.”

Penn’s remarks dovetail with longstanding criticisms of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for lacking diversity within the ranks of its members and the films that they celebrate with awards.

It has in recent years taken steps to reform and rebrand itself, but has faced criticism for not going far enough. The academy did not immediately respond to request for comment on Tuesday.

Penn also lauded Iranian-Danish director Ali Abassi and his latest film “The Apprentice” about President Donald Trump. It faced difficulty finding an American distributor in the lead-up to the U.S. election in November.

“It’s kind of jaw-dropping how afraid this ‘business of mavericks’ is when they get a great film like that with great, great acting,” he said. “They, too, can be as afraid as a piddly little Republican congressman.”

As part of a career tribute, the Marrakech Film Festival is screening four of Penn’s films this week in Morocco’s tourism capital. Local media in Morocco reported several audience members exiting a screening of “Milk” during a scene that depicted two men in bed. Homosexuality is illegal under Morocco's penal code, although cases are not frequently prosecuted.

The actor, whose 2023 film “Superpower” documents war in Ukraine, also voiced support for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and called himself a “patriot in crisis” in response to a question about the American political landscape.

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NEW YORK — ’Tis the season to unpack Spotify Wrapped. And it should come as no surprise that for a second year in a row, Taylor Swift has been named its most-played artist.

On Wednesday, the streaming giant unveiled its annual overview of individual listening trends as well as trends from around the world. Users can now access their top artists, songs, genres, albums and podcasts, as well as uncover which artists had the biggest year on the platform.

Swift was 2024’s most-streamed artist globally, ranking in more than 26.6 billion streams. She’s followed by The Weeknd, Bad Bunny, Drake and Billie Eilish, in that order.

In the U.S., the list looks similar: It’s Swift in the top spot, followed by Drake, Zach Bryan, Morgan Wallen and Kanye West.

Last year, Swift dethroned Puerto Rican reggaetón star Bad Bunny for the top spot, globally. He held the coveted title for three years in a row beginning in 2020.

Swift also earned the title of most-streamed album in 2024, with “The Tortured Poets Department.” She’s followed by Eilish's “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” Sabrina Carpenter's “Short n’ Sweet,” Karol G’s “Mañana Será Bonito” and Ariana Grande’s “eternal sunshine.”

All of those titles are new to 2024 with the exception of Karol G's album, which released early last year.

In the U.S., there are only slight differences: Swift’s album still leads, followed by Wallen’s “One Thing At A Time” — released last year. Then it’s Carpenter, Noah Kahan's “Stick Season,” and Chappell Roan’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” also released in 2023.

Carpenter leads the most-streamed songs both in the U.S. and globally this year, with her summertime smash “Espresso.” It earned over 1.6 billion streams.

Globally, she’s followed by Benson Boone’s “Beautiful Things,” Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” FloyyMenor and Cris MJ’s “Gata Only” and Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control.”

And in the U.S., she’s trailed by Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”, Post Malone and Wallen’s “I Had Some Help” and Tommy Richman’s “Million Dollar Baby.”

That the biggest artists, globally, earned top spots on Spotify Wrapped should come as no surprise — they’re featured prominently across the streaming service, including on its highly influential playlists, in addition to boasting loyal, dedicated fanbases. For independent artists who may appear on an individual listener’s Wrapped, accessing a top spot on the global list would require billions of streams.

Streaming now accounts for most of the money generated by the music industry — a whopping 84% in the United States, according to the Recording Industry Association of America, and 67.3% worldwide, according to a 2024 report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which tracks global sales.

Spotify is the largest platform of all — making up roughly 31% of the total market share — with a reported 626 million users and 246 million subscribers in over 180 markets.

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NEW YORK — Timothée Chalamet offered to pay a $500 fine slapped on the organizer of his lookalike contest in New York City, according to the would-be recipient, who graciously declined.

The “Dune” star famously crashed the Oct. 27 contest in New York City’s Greenwich Village. Just before his arrival, police had forced it out of Washington Square Park, arrested four people and fined organizer Anthony Po $500 for holding an “unpermitted costume contest” after things got rowdy.

Po had posted news of the citation — and it went as viral as the contest footage. Not long after that, Chalamet’s team reached out to Po.

“They offered to pay the ticket, which is truly funny,” the 23-year-old YouTube personality told People. He said he had turned down the offer and that the fine had actually been paid by Partiful, the digital event-invite app that he had used to publicize the spectacle.

But Po did get something from Chalamet’s camp that Partiful couldn’t provide.

“They basically [said] like, ‘We thought it was awesome. Thanks so much,’” Po said Chalamet’s people told him. “It was all good and fun.”

Po noted the fine was a fraction of the $4,000 it cost to put on the contest. If it was law enforcement’s goal to discourage such gatherings in the future, he told People, “they need to do something stronger.”

From combined wire services