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Meet James Martin, the First Actor With Down Syndrome to Win an Oscar

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When James Martin was born, doctors told his parents that he might never speak. However, he did not only learn to speak, but 31 years later, on his birthday, he walked on Hollywood’s biggest stage to collect his Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film, An Irish Goodbye. James became the first actor with Down syndrome to win an Academy Award. And, as icing on the cake, the entire audience sang “Happy Birthday” to him.

James Martin never let his condition hold him back.

James Martin’s father, Ivan Martin, is very proud of his son and revealed that he does everything with great gusto, and he’s very glad that his efforts have paid off.

“He has spent his life pushing the envelope. People are very good at saying, ’You can’t do this, and you can’t do that’… He’s done it, and he does it consistently,” he said.

Martin is the first person with Down syndrome to win not just a BAFTA but an Oscar too, and he’s very proud of himself. “It doesn’t matter if you have Down syndrome, as long as you’re doing what you do. I do what I can to be funny,” he said.

His girlfriend also supports him and says the win was a magical moment. “It shows to everyone that it’s changing your mindset on how people with disabilities can achieve as much as everyone else can,” she declared.

For the past 10 years, Martin has been working at Starbucks.

His co-workers and manager at Starbucks are very proud of Martin and his acting success, and to support him, good-luck posters were placed in the coffee chain’s city stores.

However, Martin’s dad revealed that despite the fame, he doesn’t see his son quitting his job as a barista anytime soon.

Martin caught the acting bug after he joined the Belfast-based Babosh theatre company for children with learning disabilities.

There, Martin did all types of shows, and he enjoyed every moment spent there. This was a stepping stone for him, as he later managed to land the lead role in Ups and Downs, starring alongside actress Susan Lynch.

Martin then went on to land a role in the series, Marcella, but his role in An Irish Goodbye, which won him both a BAFTA and an Oscar, is his most high-profile role to date.

Preview photo credit MICHAEL TRAN/AFP/East News, An Irish Goodbye / First Flights and co-producers

After a real tough divorce, Kevin Costner, 67, found love again—And you might know her aswell

Kevin Costner has always spoken of his now ex-wife Christine Baumgartner with fondness so the news of them divorcing after 19 years of marriage came as a shock not only to the couple’s fans but to the actor himself.

However, people close to the couple say Christine, who was the one to file for divorce, allegedly warned her husband that she would leave him had he continued be absent from home because of work.

Apparently, Costner’s absence was ‘hard’ for Baumgartner who wanted him to spend more time at home with his family in Santa Barbara.

“During filming, Kevin is not around very much. His absence has been very hard for her,” a source reportedly said. Another insider reported that while Costner was aware that his wife was not happy in their marriage, her filing for divorce was nonetheless a shock to him.

“Christine doesn’t want him to throw himself into another project. He has been obsessed with filming Horizon since last year. She wasn’t happy about it,” a source reported.

“At times, his career has taken precedence over his home life,” another source added.

“All of this success and excitement over the new project probably took his attention away from his family more than he realized. Since it didn’t look like that would change and likely could get worse, it caused tension at home,” the source added.

Christine cited “irreconcilable differences” and a spokesperson of the actor said in a statement, “It is with great sadness that circumstances beyond Mr. Costner’s control have resulted in Mr. Costner having to participate in a dissolution of marriage action.”

“We ask that his, Christine’s and their children’s privacy be respected as they navigate this difficult time.”

Baumgartner was seeking $161,000 a month in child support for their three children, Cayden Wyatt, 15, Hayes Logan, 14, and Grace Avery, 13.
In order to try and guarantee this income, Baumgartner went to court, but it was Costner who scored the victory, as per his fans, although the actor said there were ‘no winners’ in the bruising battle.

Namely, a judge in Santa Barbara slashed Baumgartner’s child support payments to $63,000 per month, which is less than half of the $129,000 she currently gets and considerably less than the $161,000 she asked for.

“You know, when you have a life that long with somebody, there is no winner…and it’s this big, crazy thing called life and how it unravels so quickly,” the actor told Fox News Digital.

“One minute you feel like you’re on top of the world, and then you realize how, you know, how vulnerable you are,” he added.
However, following the tough period he’s gone through, it seems like the Yellowstone star has found new love.
There have been speculations circulating that Costner is dating singer Jewel.

The two were recently seen together at a Tennis event on Richard Branson’s Necker Island for the Inspiring Children Foundation.

As per TMZ, the two took a plane to the Caribbean and spent nearly a week together.

An insider told the magazine, “There was definitely something going on,” confirming that the pair indeed vacationed in the Caribbean together.

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