Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 19th to 28th, 2023 - Update #19

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

CANNES - From Deadline:  Two-time Palme d'Or winner Ruben Ostlund will be the Cannes Film Festival jury president at the 76th edition of the festival, which runs from May 16th and 27th, 2023.

CELEBRITY - From THR:  Actress-producer Keke Palmer has given birth to a baby boy she has named "Leo."  Palmer's boyfriend, Darius Jackson, is the father.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 2/24 to 2/26/2023 weekend box office is Marvel Studios' "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" with an estimated take of 32.2 million dollars.

From Here:  Leroy Douresseaux's review of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."

AWARDS - From Deadline:  At the 2023 NAACP Image Awards, Angela Bassett was named "Entertainer of the Year."  She also won two other awards, "Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series" ("9-1-1") and "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture" ("Black Panther: Wakanda Forever").  "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" won 9 awards, including "Outstanding Motion Picture."

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Harvey Weinstein was sentenced Thursday, Feb. 23rd in downtown Los Angeles to 16 years in prison for rape and other sex crimes. The disgraced Oscar-winning producer was also sentenced to 23 years in prison for similar crimes in Manhattan in March 2020.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Director Andy Muschietti and partner Barbara Muschietti are expanding the universe of their films, "IT" and "IT Chapter Two," with an "IT" prequel television series, "Welcome to Derry," for HBO Max.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  New Line Cinemas and Warner Bros Pictures are planning more "Lord of the Rings" movies.

OSCARS - From Deadline:  Producer Barbara Broccoli talks about her film "Till" and the Academy Awards reaction to it.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 2/17 to 2/19/2023 weekend box office is Disney/Marvel Studios' "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" with an estimated take of 104 million dollars.

AWARDS - From Deadline:  The winners list at the 2023 BAFTAs might not look diverse, but the nominations list seems to be more diverse than the 2023 Academy Awards nominees list.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Actor and producer Alec Baldwin will now face reduced charges due to the fatal shooting on the set of the Western film, "Rust," in October 2021.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney is producing a live-action version of its beloved animated film, "Lilo & Stitch."  "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" director Dean Fleischer Camp will helm the film and actor Zach Galifianakis will star in the film.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Film producer and former studio executive, Walter Mirisch, has died at the age of 101, Friday, February 24, 2023.  Mirisch won an Oscar for producing "In the Heat of the Night" (1967).  Along with his brothers, Marvin and Harold, Mirisch formed the production company, The Mirisch Company.  It would go on to produce several movies, including the early entries in the "Pink Panther" film series.  Mirisch had also been the oldest living Oscar winner.

From Deadline:  Stand-up comedian and actor, Richard Belzer, has died at the age of 78, Sunday, February 19, 2023.  Belzer began his career in the early 1970s and release the comedy album "Another Lone Nut" in 1997.  As an actor, he is best known for playing the character, Det. John Munch on the former NBC crime drama, "Homicide: Life on the Streets" (1993-99) and on the NBC drama, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999-2016).

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AWARDS:

From Oscar:  The nominations for the 2023 / 95th Academy Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Sunday, March 12, 2023.

From Deadline:  The winners at the 2023 / 29th annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards have been announced.  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" wins the big prize, "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture," one of four awards the film won.

From Deadline:  The winners at the 2023 / 34th annual Producers Guild Awards have been announced.  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" wins the top prize, "Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding  Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures."

From Deadline:  At the 2023 / 50th annual Annie Awards (for animated productions), "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio" wins the "Best Feature" award, one of its four wins.  "Best Indie Feature" goes to "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On."

From Variety:  The winners of the 2023 EE BAFTA Film Awards have been announced.  The French film, "All Quiet on the Western Front" wins a record seven awards including "Best Film."  "The Banshees of Inisherin" won four, including "Best British Film."

From Deadline:  The winners of the 75th annual Directors Guild Awards have been announced.  The top honor, "Outstanding Directorial Achievment in a Theatrical Feature Film," went to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

From Deadline:   The winners at the 2023 / 21st annual VES Awards, handed out by the Visual Effects Society, have been announced.  "Avatar: The Way of Water" topped the night with 9 wins.

From Deadline:  "Top Gun: Maverick" wins "Best Picture" at the "AARP Movies for Grownups Awards" held Saturday night in Beverly Hills.

From Variety:  The nominations for the 2023 Writers Guild Awards have been announced.  Winners will be announced Sunday, March 5, 2023.

From Variety:  The nominations for the 2023 EE BAFTA Awards have been announced. The Netflix World War I drama, "All Quiet on the Western Front," leads with 14 nominations.  The winners will be announced Sunday, February 19, 2023.

From Deadline:  The winners were announced at the 2023 / 28th annual Critics Choice Awards.  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" was named "Best Picture."

From Deadline:  The nominees for the 2023 / 34th Producers Guild of America Awards have been announced in both film and TV categories.  The winners will be announced Sat. Feb. 25th, 2023.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Sun., Feb. 26th, 2023.

From Deadline:  The National Society of Film Critics has named "Tar" its "Best Picture" of 2023 and its star, Cate Blanchette, as "Best Actress."

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 23rd Annual Black Reel Awards have been announced.  "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and "The Woman King" have tied for the lead in nominations with 14 apiece.  The winners will be announced February 6, 2023.

From Deadline:  The Black Film Critics Circle named "The Woman King" the "Best Film" of 2022.

From Deadline:  The winners of the 2022 Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "Tar" tie for "Best Picture" award.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 80th annual Golden Globes Awards were announced today (Mon., Dec. 12th).  "The Banshees of Inisherin" led the film field with eight nominations. ABC's "Abbot Elementary" lead the TV side with five nominations.  The winners will be announced January 10, 2023.

From Deadline:  The American Film Institute (AFI) has named its "AFI Awards Film" list of "Top 10 Films of 2022."  The list includes "Avatar: The Way of Water," "Top Gun: Maverick," and "The Woman King."

From THR:  The African-American Film Critics Association name "The Woman King" the "Best Film of 2022."

From Deadline:  The nominations for the "2023 Critics Choice Awards" in the television categories have been announced.  ABC's sitcom, "Abbot Elementary" leads the nominations.  The winners will be announced Sunday, January 15, 2023 and broadcast on The CW.

From Variety:  The 2022 / 88th Annual New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) Awards have been announced.  Todd Field's "Tar" wins "Best Film" and "Best Actress" (Cate Blanchett).  Keke Palmer wins "Best Supporting Actress" for her performance in "Nope."

From Deadline:  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" wins the "Best Feature" award at the 2022 / 32nd Annual Gotham Awards, one of two wins for the film.

From IndieWire:  The nominations for the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced.   "Everything Everywhere All at Once" leads with eight nominations.  The winners will be announced March 4th, 2023.

From Variety:  The nominations for the 2022 / 32nd Annual Gotham Awards were announced a month ago.  Todd Field's "Tar" leads with five nominations.  The winners will be announced Monday, November 28th.

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TYRE NICHOLS:

From NBCNews:  Tyre Nichols' death: A summary and timeline of his encounter with Memphis police officers

From YahooNews:  In the 67 minutes of the Tyre Nichols video, brutality followed by nonchalance.

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BRITTNEY GRINER:

From CBSNews:  WNBA star Brittney Griner has been released from her Russian imprisonment in a one-for-one prisoner swap for notorious international arms dealer, Viktor Bout.

From NBCNews:   Brittney Griner will enter a system of isolation, grueling labor and psychological torment when she is transferred to a penal colony, the successor to the infamous Russian gulag, to fulfill a nine-year sentence handed down Tuesday in Moscow, former prisoners and advocates said.

From NBCNews:  A Russian court has rejected Brittney Griner's appeal of her nine-year prison sentence on (fake) drug charges.

From Reuters:  Russia says that it is ready to talk prisoner swamp for Brittney Griner and U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan, but also scolds the U.S. Embassy.

From TheDailyBeast:   Legendary NBA bad boy and champion (Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls), Dennis Rodman claims that he has been given permission to go to Russia and help free imprisoned hostage, WNBA star, Brittney Griner.

From Vox:  Vox's Jonathan Guyer talks the Brittney Griner case with Danielle Gilbert, a Dartmouth professor who is writing a book about states and rogue actors that take hostages.

From ESPN:   A Russian court sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison Thursday, Aug. 4th.  Griner was arrested Feb. 17 for bringing cannabis into the country and pleaded guilty July 7, though the case continued under Russian law.

From ESPN:  The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

From RSN:  "Will Support From LeBron James, Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and Other Celebrities Help Free Brittney Griner From a Russian Prison?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar via Substack

From ESPN:  Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday to bringing hashish oil into Russia, telling a judge that she had done so "inadvertently" while asking the court for mercy.

From CBSSports:  The Brittney Griner situation explained.

From RSN:  According to The Washington Post Editorial Board: "Brittney Griner is a hostage, plain and simple."

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 15th to 21st, 2023 - Update #19

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

SUNDANCE - From Deadline:  Director Doug Liman says that "Justice," his self-funded documentary about sexual assault allegations against now Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, might be far from finished as new tips started pouring within a half hour of the highly-secretive project being announced on Thursday (Jan. 19th).  The film made its debut at the Sundance Film Festival 2023 on Friday (Jan. 2th).

From HuffPost:  This is another article on the documentary, "Justice," which focuses on the history of sexual abuse on the part of disgraced and disgraceful Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

RUST - From Deadline:  New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies announced that Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed will face criminal charges for the October 2021 fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film, "Rust."  Each will be charged with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Disney is developing its next TRON film, "Tron: Ares," with Jared Leto as its star.  Joachim Ronning is in negotiations to direct.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  After diving deep into the Los Angeles Lakers' dynasty in the HBO miniseries, "Winning Time,"  executive producer and writer, Rodney Barnes, will take on the legendary boxer and icon of African-American manhood, Jack Johnson, as writer and executive producer in a new HBO miniseries starring Oscar-winner, Mahershala Ali.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Antoine Fuqua is set to direct "Michael," a Lionsgate drama telling the complex life story of the iconic singer Michael Jackson.  John Logan has written the script. The film will be produced by Graham King via his GK Films alongside the co-executors of Jackson’s estate, John Branca and John McClain.

NETFLIX - From Variety:  Netflix executives unveil its lineup of 2023 releases, which include director Zack Snyder's "Rebel Moon" (a sci-fi film in the vein of "Star Wars") and "Knives Out 3."

TELEVISION - From Variety:  NBC's comedy revival, "Night Court," debuted its first two episodes to strong ratings, making it NBC's best comedy premiere since its 2017 "Will & Grace" revival.

MOVIES - From THR:  Michael B. Jordan will star in "Rainbow Six," an adaptation of a novel by Tom Clancy.  The film will be directed by Chad Stahelski ("John Wick" franchise) and will also be a follow up to the 2021 film, "Without Remorse" (based on another Clancy book), which Paramount Pictures licensed to Amazon for streaming.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Oscar winner and big screen legend, Meryl Streep, is joining Season 3 of Hulu's hit mystery-comedy, "Only Murders in the Building," but the specifics of her role is being kept secret.

MARVEL STUDIOS - From Deadline: China’s unofficial ban on Marvel Studios is apparently lifting. Disney/Marvel’s "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" (Feb. 7th) and "Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania" (Feb. 17th) have both secured release dates in China, ending a three-and-a-half year period during which movies featuring Marvel characters did not gain entry to the world’s second largest box office market. 

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 1/13 to 1/15/2023 weekend box office is "Avatar: The Way of Water" with an estimated take of 31.1 million dollars.

From Here:  Leroy Douresseaux's review of "Avatar: The Way of Water."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The cable networks, "USA Network" and "Syfy," have renewed their horror series, "Chucky" for a third season.

From Deadline:  The cable network, "Syfy," has renewed its comedy-drama-fantasy series, "Reginald the Vampire" for a second season.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director Todd Field ("Tar") talks about the time superhero Tom Cruise told him how to save Field's 2001 film, "In the Bedroom," from the depravations of convicted sexual predator and Oscar-winning studio boss, Harvey Weinstein.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Legendary American singer-songwriter and guitarist, David Crosby, has died at the age of 81, Thursday, January 19, 2023.  Crosby was a founding member of "The Byrds," one of the most influential rock bands of all time.  He later co-founded the folk rock super-group, "Crosby, Stills & Nash," with Stephen Stills and Graham Nash.  Neil Young would later join and on-off over the next five decades, they were sometimes known as "Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young."  Crosby also recorded as a solo artist, and he was a 10-time Grammy Award nominee.

From Deadline:  Italian actress, Gina Lollobrigida, has died at the age of 95, Monday, January 16, 2023.  An icon of Italian cinema, Lollobrigida  was also known for such American and international productions as "Beat the Devil" (with Humphrey Bogart, 1953), "Solomon and Sheba" (1959), and "Come September" to name a few.

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AWARDS:

From Variety:  The nominations for the 2023 EE BAFTA Awards have been announced. The Netflix World War I drama, "All Quiet on the Western Front," leads with 14 nominations.  The winners will be announced Sunday, February 19, 2023.

From Deadline:  The winners were announced at the 2023 / 28th annual Critics Choice Awards.  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" was named "Best Picture."

From Deadline:  The nominees for the 2023 / 34th Producers Guild of America Awards have been announced in both film and TV categories.  The winners will be announced Sat. Feb. 25th, 2023.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Sun., Feb. 26th, 2023.

From Deadline:  The National Society of Film Critics has named "Tar" its "Best Picture" of 2023 and its star, Cate Blanchette, as "Best Actress."

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 23rd Annual Black Reel Awards have been announced.  "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and "The Woman King" have tied for the lead in nominations with 14 apiece.  The winners will be announced February 6, 2023.

From Deadline:  The Black Film Critics Circle named "The Woman King" the "Best Film" of 2022.

From Deadline:  The winners of the 2022 Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "Tar" tie for "Best Picture" award.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 80th annual Golden Globes Awards were announced today (Mon., Dec. 12th).  "The Banshees of Inisherin" led the film field with eight nominations. ABC's "Abbot Elementary" lead the TV side with five nominations.  The winners will be announced January 10, 2023.

From Deadline:  The American Film Institute (AFI) has named its "AFI Awards Film" list of "Top 10 Films of 2022."  The list includes "Avatar: The Way of Water," "Top Gun: Maverick," and "The Woman King."

From THR:  The African-American Film Critics Association name "The Woman King" the "Best Film of 2022."

From Deadline:  The nominations for the "2023 Critics Choice Awards" in the television categories have been announced.  ABC's sitcom, "Abbot Elementary" leads the nominations.  The winners will be announced Sunday, January 15, 2023 and broadcast on The CW.

From Variety:  The 2022 / 88th Annual New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) Awards have been announced.  Todd Field's "Tar" wins "Best Film" and "Best Actress" (Cate Blanchett).  Keke Palmer wins "Best Supporting Actress" for her performance in "Nope."

From Deadline:  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" wins the "Best Feature" award at the 2022 / 32nd Annual Gotham Awards, one of two wins for the film.

From IndieWire:  The nominations for the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced.   "Everything Everywhere All at Once" leads with eight nominations.  The winners will be announced March 4th, 2023.

From Variety:  The nominations for the 2022 / 32nd Annual Gotham Awards were announced a month ago.  Todd Field's "Tar" leads with five nominations.  The winners will be announced Monday, November 28th.

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BRITTNEY GRINER:

From CBSNews:  WNBA star Brittney Griner has been released from her Russian imprisonment in a one-for-one prisoner swap for notorious international arms dealer, Viktor Bout.

From NBCNews:   Brittney Griner will enter a system of isolation, grueling labor and psychological torment when she is transferred to a penal colony, the successor to the infamous Russian gulag, to fulfill a nine-year sentence handed down Tuesday in Moscow, former prisoners and advocates said.

From NBCNews:  A Russian court has rejected Brittney Griner's appeal of her nine-year prison sentence on (fake) drug charges.

From Reuters:  Russia says that it is ready to talk prisoner swamp for Brittney Griner and U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan, but also scolds the U.S. Embassy.

From TheDailyBeast:   Legendary NBA bad boy and champion (Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls), Dennis Rodman claims that he has been given permission to go to Russia and help free imprisoned hostage, WNBA star, Brittney Griner.

From Vox:  Vox's Jonathan Guyer talks the Brittney Griner case with Danielle Gilbert, a Dartmouth professor who is writing a book about states and rogue actors that take hostages.

From ESPN:   A Russian court sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison Thursday, Aug. 4th.  Griner was arrested Feb. 17 for bringing cannabis into the country and pleaded guilty July 7, though the case continued under Russian law.

From ESPN:  The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

From RSN:  "Will Support From LeBron James, Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and Other Celebrities Help Free Brittney Griner From a Russian Prison?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar via Substack

From ESPN:  Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday to bringing hashish oil into Russia, telling a judge that she had done so "inadvertently" while asking the court for mercy.

From CBSSports:  The Brittney Griner situation explained.

From RSN:  According to The Washington Post Editorial Board: "Brittney Griner is a hostage, plain and simple."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 11th to 17th, 2021 - Update #28

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS: 

AWARDS - From Deadline:  The American Cinema Editors have announced the winners at the 2021 / 71st ACE Eddie Awards.  Aaron Sorkin's film, "The Trial of the Chicago 7" (Netflix), won the marquee "Eddie," which is "Best Edited Feature Film (Dramatic)."

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  In the wake of an explosive allegations about his abusive behavior that stretches back years, Oscar-winning film producer, Scott Rudin, says that he will "step back" from active involvement in his Broadway productions.

ANIMATION-STREAMING - From Deadline:   The upcoming fourth season of Netflix's animated series, "Castlevania," will be its last.  Netflix is reportedly considering a new series set in the universe of Castlevania with an entirely different cast of characters.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney claps back at screenwriting brothers, James and John Thomas, who are trying to reclaim the rights to their 1984 spec script that became the 1987 20th Century Fox film, "Predator."  Disney owns the property as a result of buying 20th Century Fox.

DISNEY - From BleedingCool:  Actor Mads Mikkelsen has joined the cast of "Indiana Jones 5" in an unknown role. The film is being directed by James Mangold

MOVIES - From ShadowandAct:   The site looks at five underrated Black actresses who deserve more roles: CCH Pounder, Debbi Morgan, Tamara Tunie, Lisa Gay Hamilton, and Lorraine Toussaint.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Two-time Oscar-winner Renee Zellewegger in the golf comedy, "The Back Nine," the will be directed of Michael Patrick King of "Sex and the City."

BLM - From YahooNYT:   In 2006, an African-American female Buffalo police officer, Cariol Horne, stopped a fellow officer from choking a handcuffed man.  She was eventually fired for this.  Now, a New York state court has vindicated Horne by restoring her back pay and pension.

CULTURE - From HuffPost:  Back in 2015, Dan Price, the CEO of "Gravity Payments" (a credit card processing company), slashed his $1.1 million a year salary to $70,000 per year so that he could pay all his employees $70,000 per year.  Fox News and Fox Business called him a "socialist" and said that his employees would end up on "bread lines."  Six years later, his number of employees has doubled and the payments the company processed has gone from 3.8 billion to 10.2 billion.

MUSIC - From HuffPost:   Mick Jagger of "The Rolling Stones" and Dave Grohl of "Foo Fighters (and formally of "Nirvana") have come together for a new single, "Eazy Sleazy," that takes on conspiracy theories and anti-vaxxers.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Universal Pictures is making a film that is based on one of the characters from the original "Dracula" novel, "R.M. Renfield," Dracula's henchman.  Chris McKay is in talks to direct and produce.  The film will be produced by Skybound Entertainment, the company belonging to Robert Kirkman, the creator of "The Walking Dead" comic book.

STREAMING-BLM - From Deadline:  The state of Georgia recently passed a slate of Jim Crow laws to keep African-Americans from voting.  Some business have decided not to do business with the state, and that includes Apple's filmmaking division.  It's film, the runaway slave thriller, "Emancipation," will not film in Georgia and may film in Louisiana, where the actual events upon which this film is based, took place.  Antoine Fuqua is directing and Will Smith stars.

STREAMING - From YahooEntertainment:   Superstar actress Melissa McCarthy and her husband, writer-director Ben Falcone wanted to work with Oscar-winning actress, Octavia Spencer.  They created that chance in the Netflix superhero comedy, "Thunder Force," about ordinary women with regular body types as superheroes.

POLICE/SCANDAL - From TheHill:   There is a report that Boston Police kept child sexual abuse allegations against now-former union president, Patrick Rose, Sr., secret.

From NBCBoston10:  This article includes a photo of Patrick Rose, Sr., former Boston police patrolman and Boston Police Union head, who is facing multiple charges of child sexual abuse.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 4/9 to 4/11/2021 weekend box office is "Godzilla vs. Kong" with an estimated take of 13.4 million dollars.

CELEBRITY - From THR:   Carrie-Anne Moss is returning to "The Matrix" film franchise for next year's "The Matrix 4."  In a recent interview, Moss says she was offered a "grandmother role" the day after she turned 40 years old.

STREAMING - From YahooSports:   Actor Kevin James will play Super Bowl-winning New Orleans Saints coach, Sean Payton, in Netflix's film, "Home Team."  The film will recount the year Payton coached his son's sixth-grade football team.

MOVIES - From YahooAVClub:   Paramount Pictures and Hasbro are moving up the release date for for "Sanke Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins" from October 22nd to July 23rd, 2021.

TELEVISION - From BleedingCool:  This is an update on the USA network and SyFy's "Chuck" series, an reboot/revival of the "Child's Play" film series.

AWARDS - From Deadline:   At the 2021 BAFTAs (British Academy Awards), "Nomadland" wins 4 awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Chloe Zhao) and "Best Actress" (Frances McDormand).

From Deadline:    At the 2021 / 73rd Directors Guild Awards, Chloe Zhao won the top prize for her film, "Nomadland."  She is only the second woman to win the award for "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film."  Kathryn Bigelow was the first when she won for her film, "The Hurt Locker."  This article also includes a complete list of winners.

From Variety:   Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods," Christopher Nolan's "Tenet," and David Fincher's "Mank" top the 2021 Art Directors Guild Awards.

MARVEL - From THR:   Marvel Entertainment's new comic book distribution deal - with Penguin Random House Publisher Services - has some comic book stores worried about the future of the market.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  English actress, Helen McCrory, has died at the age of 52, Friday, April 16, 2021, after a battle with cancer.  McCrory is known for appearing in the James Bond film, "Skyfall" (2012), and in the last three "Harry Potter" films.  McCrory may be best remembered for being a member of the main cast of the British period crime drama TV series, "Peaky Blinders."  McCrory had been married to English actor, Damian Lewis, since 2007 and was the mother of two children.

From Variety:  The former actor and stuntman, Felix Silla, has died at the age of 84, Friday, April 16, 2021.  Silla wore the costume to play "Cousin Itt" in the former ABC television series, "The Addams Family" (1964-66).  [The late actor Anthony Magro provided Itt's voice.]   Although two other actors provided the voice, Silla also provided the physical performance (wearing the costume) for "Twiki" in the former NBC TV series, "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" (1979-81).

From APNews:  American investment advisor and convicted fraudster, Bernie Madoff, has died at the age of 82, Wednesday, April 14, 2021, in prison at the Federal Medical Center at the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina.  Madoff is best known for operating the largest "Ponzi scheme" in world history, which allowed him to steal from the rich and the poor, the famous and the ordinary.  In June 2009, he was sentenced to 150 years in prison.

From IndyStar:  Former professional basketball player and coach, Bobby "Slick" Leonard," has died at the age of 88, Tuesday, April 13, 2021.  He played college basketball for the Indiana University Hossiers and was a member of the 1953 NCAA Tournament championship team.  His seven-year career in the National Basketball Association (NBA) included stints with the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers and the Chicago Packers/Zephyrs.  In 1968, Leonard began coaching the Indiana Pacers of the ABA (American Basketball Association), where he coached the team to three ABA titles, 1970, 1972, and 1973.  He continued to coach the Pacers when they joined the NBA in 1976 and remained coach until 1980.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 1st to 8th, 2020 - Update #30

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:

STAR TREK - From Deadline:  Paramount Pictures new film chief, Emma Watts, is trying to figure out the direction of the "Star Trek" film franchise.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Lionsgate has announced a fifth installment of the "John Wick" film franchise.  It will be shot back-to-back with the previously announced "John Wick 4."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  A federal judge has given the U.S. Justice Department permission to terminate the "Paramount Consent Decrees."  This will allow movie studios once again to take significant ownership stakes in movie theater chains for the first time since the late 1940s.

ANIMATION - From BleedingCool:  Hulu's revival of the animated series, "Animaniacs," debuts November 20th.

SCANDAL-MUSIC - From YahooEntertainment:  Grammy-winning music producer and songwriter, "Detail" (Noel Fisher), has been charged will multiple accounts of rape by the L.A. County District Attorney's Office.  In 2015, he shared a Grammy Award win for "Best R&B Song" ("Drunk in Love" by Beyonce featuring Jay-Z) with seven other artists.

ANIMATION - From EW:  The Disney+ reboot of the Disney Channel animated TV series, "The Proud Family" (2001-2005) will feature Keke Palmer who will play a new character.

SPORTS - From NFL:  University of Maryland head football coach, Michael Locksley, has formed a nonprofit support group for minority college and NFL head coaches, including future coaches of color.  It is called "the National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches."

ANIMATION - From THR:  The beloved 1990s Nickelodeon animated series, "Ren & Stimpy," is being rebooted for Comedy Central.  The new show will have a new creative team and series creator, John Kricfalusi, will apparently not be invovled.

TELEVISION - From LATimes:   TV networks pledged to improve diversity in 1999. Will this time be any different?

POLITICS - From Salon:   If Trump Wins, It Is the End of Democracy

DISNEY - From Variety:   Disney will finally forego a theatrical release for its event-film, "Mulan," a live-action remake of its classic 1990s animated film.  "Mulan" has seen its released delayed by COVID-19, and the film will instead debut on Disney+ on Sept. 4th, 2020.

MUSIC-POLITICS - From THR:  Legendary rock musician, Neil Young, is suing the campaign of President Trump for copyright infringement.  This involves the campaign playing Young's songs at campaign rallies.

NETFLIX - From CBR:  Netflix is apparently looking for their own "Star Wars" and "Harry Potter" type franchises.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  Director Dave Franco's "The Rental" is the top movie at the 7/31 to 8/2/2020 weekend office.  It repeats as the top movie at the box office having won its debut weekend.

SPORTS - From Variety:  Dwayne Johnson and his business partner, Dany Garcia, have teamed up with RedBird Capital to buy the failed sports league, the XFL.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Courteney Cox will reprise her role as "Gale Weathers" in the new "Scream" film from Paramount and Spyglass.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Rhode Island Residents Receive State Checks Signed By "Mickey Mouse" And "Walt Disney."

AWARDS - From Deadline:  The 2020 BAFTA TV Awards were announced Fri., July 31st.  Surprise winners include "Stath Lets Flats" and "The End of the F***ing World."

CULTURE - From YahooNews:  The racist origins of some commonly used terms.

MOVIES-CULTURE - From IndieWire:  Idris Elba Says Racist Films and TV Shouldn’t Be Censored: Add Warning Labels Instead.

JOHN LEWIS:

From RSN:  Civil rights legend Congressman John Lewis' final message to us.

From IReadsYou:  A review of "March: Book One," the first volume of Congressman John Lewis' graphic novel trilogy about his life and work.

OBITS:

From Variety:  Canadian stage, screen and television actor, Brent Carver, has died at the age of 68, Tuesday, August 4, 2020.  Carver won a Tony Award in 1993 for his performance in the 1993 Broadway musical, "Kiss of the Spider Woman."

From Deadline:  American film producer and studio executive, Tom Pollock, has died at the age of 77, Saturday, August 1, 2020.  He was the chairman of Universal Pictures from 1986 to 1995.  During his tenure, Universal released numerous box office hits and Academy Award winning and nominated films including "Jurassic Park" (1993) and "Schindler's List" (1993).  Pollock was also an entertainment lawyer and he negotiated the deal that gave George Lucas sequel and merchandising rights to Lucas' film, "Star Wars" (1977), rights that normally remained with the movie studio, in this case 20th Century Fox.

From Deadline:  The actor and television advertising pitchman, Wilford Brimley, has died at the age of 85, Saturday, August 1, 2020.  Brimley is best known for appearing in such film, as "The China Syndrome" (1979), "The Thing" (1982), "Tender Mercies" (1983), and "The Natural" (1984), and "The Firm" (1993).  He was also the longtime face of television ads the Quaker Oats Company.  He promoted diabetes education and appeared in diabetes related ads for the medical home-delivery service Liberty Mutual.

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 NEWS:

From CDC:   The Centers for Disease Control has a "COVID Data Tracker."

From YahooNews:  Why does COVID-19 kill some people and hardly affects others?

From YahooNews:  Yahoo has a dedicated page of links updating news about COVID-19.

From Deadline:  The news site "Deadline" has a dedicated page for news about coronavirus and the film, TV, and entertainment industries.

From TheNewYorker:  The venerable magazine has a dedicate COVID-19 page free to all readers.

From YahooNews:  Re: the federal government's response to COVID-19: What if the most important election of our lifetime was the last one - 2016?

From YahooLife:  What is "happy hypoxia?"  And do you have this COVID-19 symptom?

From JuanCole:  Remeber when President Donald went crazy and suggested that we ingest household cleaning supplies and UV light to fight COVID-19.  Here is the video and commentary from Juan Cole.

From TheIntercept:  The federal government has ramped up security and police-related spending in response to the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic, including issuing contracts for riot gear, disclosures show. The purchase orders include requests for disposable cuffs, gas masks, ballistic helmets, and riot gloves...

From TheAtlantic:  The Coronavirus Was an Emergency Until Trump Found Out Who Was Dying. The pandemic has exposed the bitter terms of our racial contract, which deems certain lives of greater value than others.

From ProPublica:  Hospital's Secret COVID-19 Policy Separated Native American Mothers From Their Newborns

From TheGuardian:  More than 20 million Americans could have contracted COVID-19, experts say.

From RSN/WashPost:  The COVID-19 mutation that has taken over the world.

7/13 - From YahooSports:  Maybe a pandemic means that there will not be college football this fall.

7/13- From YahooNews:  The CDC adds four new symptoms (including nausea and purple or blue lesions on feet and toes) to the list of COVID-19 symptoms.

7/19 - From YahooFinance:  Harvard Public Health professor Dr. Howard Koh says the U.S. "needs to regroup" to find COVID-19.

7/22 - From YahooNews:  A public health employee predicted Florida's coronavirus catastrophe — then she was fired.

7/22 - From YahooLifestyle:  Florida mom loses son, 20, to coronavirus, and then days later, her daughter.

7/23 - From TheWrap:  The site has a list of movie and TV stars, entertainment and sports figures who have tested positive for COVID-19

From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar-winning filmmaker Mel Gibson reveals that he was hospitalized with COVID-19 for a week in April.

From Bloomberg:  Will the COVID-19 pandemic turn Millennials into socialists?

7/27 - From CNN:   Chief of critical care at Baltimore's Mercy Medical Center, Dr. Joseph Costa, passes away due to Covid-19 complications... after treating the hospital's sickest COVID-19 patients.  He was 56 and leaves behind family, including a husband of 28 years.

7/29 - From YahooPolitico:  Rep. Louie Gohmert, the defiant Texas Republican U.S. congressman who refused to wear a mask, has tested positive for COVID-19.

7/30 - From Deadline:  Emmy-winning actor Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") reveals that he had a bout with COVID-19.

7/31 - From YahooEntertainment:  Writer and actress, Lena Dunham, creator of HBO's "Girls, reveals that she contracted COVID-19 and the symptoms she experiences and still experience.

7/30 - From YahooGMA:  In their bid to crackdown on illegal gatherings amid COVID-19, New York authorities break up an alleged sex party.

7/31 - From Slate:  COVID-19 is airborne - for reals!

8/2 - From TheDailyBeast:  In Mississippi, COVID-19 has coroners terrified.

8/6 - From CNN:  Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (Republican) has tested positive for COVID19.

8/6 - From YahooNews:  Testing everyone constantly could stop the spread of COVID-19... according to this article.

8/8 - From YahooNYT:  The coronavirus is new, but your immune system might recognize it.

8/8 - From YahooNBC:  They thought COVID-19 was a hoax, and they almost died from it or are watching family and loved ones suffer with it or die from it.

BLACK LIVES MATTER:

From RSN:   Judge's Blistering Opinion Says Courts Have Placed Police Beyond Accountability

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 1st to 8th, 2020 - Update #30

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

Support Leroy on Patreon:

REVIEW - From Patreon:  My "Birds of Prey" review.

AWARDS - From Deadline:  The winners at the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards were announced.  "The Farewell" was named "Best Feature" of 2019.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Former talk show host, David Letterman, says that Quentin Tarantino once threatened to kill him.

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TELEVISION - From THR:  The recently completed seventh season of "Ray Donovan" is the last for the series.  Showtime has cancelled the crime drama, which stars Liev Schreiber.

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MOVIES - From IndieWire:  "The Matrix 4" begins filming.  This article has photos from the set, and Keanu's "Neo" seems different from the Neo of the original trilogy.

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DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney has signed a deal with Grammy-winning recording artist, Bruno Mars, in which Mars would produce and star in a music-driven film.

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TRAILER - From Variety:  The first trailer for the upcoming "Saw" reboot film, "Spiral," debuts.  The film, which stars Chris Rock and Samuel L. Jackson, is due May 15, 2020.

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ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. Animation commits to its first major producer deal.  The signee is "Family Guy" writer-producer, Wellesley Wild.

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MOVIES - From Newsarama:  Actor Henry Golding has posted a photo from his upcoming film, "Snake Eyes" (G.I. Joe Origins), which is due Oct. 23rd.

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CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  Actress Shannen Doherty (Beverly Hills 90210," "Charmed") revealed that she has received a Stage 4 diagnosis after her breast cancer had been in remission.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Tyler Perry has confirmed that he is reviving his former TBS TV series, "House of Payne" (2007-2012) for BET with the original cast.  Perry also has a greenlight from BET for a new series, "Tyler Perry's Assisted Living."

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Director Antoine Fuqua and actor Chris Pratt, who worked together on the remake of "The Magnificent Seven," to develop a TV series, "The Terminal List."

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STREAMING - From Deadline:  Tyler Perry revealed that 26 million people watched the first weekend of his Netflix film, "A Fall from Grace."  Netflix later confirmed the numbers for the thriller which stars Crystal Fox and Mehcad Brooks.

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DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney's streaming service, Disney+, apparently has 26.5 million subscribers.

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DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney apparently paid $75 million for the global movie rights to the Tony Award-winning musical, "Hamilton."  The film is apparently due Fall 2021.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 1/31 to 2/2/2020 weekend box office is "Bad Boys for Life" with an estimated take of 17.7 million dollars.  This is the film's third straight weekend atop the box office.

From PasteMagazine:  The box office for the opening weekend of the thriller, "The Rhythm Section," is an estimated 2.8 million dollars.  That is the worst debut ever for a film that opens on 3,000 or more screens.

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TELEVISION - From YahooEntertainment:  The third season of Fox's "The Masked Singer" opens with a shocker.

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SUPER BOWL - From YahooSports:  The Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20 to win Super Bowl LIV.  Patrick Mahomes named the MVP of the game.

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BRITISH ACADEMY - From Deadline:   "1917" won the "Best Film" award at the 2020 BAFTA Film Awards, one of the seven awards it won to lead the night, which included a "Best Director" for Sam Mendes.  Joaquin Phoenix won the "Best Actor" award, one of three awards for "Joker."

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  "Parasite" and "JoJo Rabbit" lead the 2020 / 72nd Writers Guild Awards.

From Deadline:  "Parasite," "Once Upon a Time... in America," and "Avengers: Endgame" top the  the Art Directors Guild's 2020 / 24th annual ADG Awards.

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SPORTS - From YahooSports:  Lamar Jackson, the quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens, is the 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP).  He is the second unanimous winner in NFL history, following Tom Brady's unanimous winner in 2010.

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DISNEY - From THR:  100 years ago, the late great Walt Disney got his first animation job.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winner Spike Lee will direct a film version of Oscar-winner David Byrne's "American Utopia" stage show.

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STREAMING - From Deadline:  Adam Sandler re-signs with Netflix for four more films.  In the first deal, Sandler starred in five films and in his first stand-up comedy special in 22 years.  He also produced two films for the streamer.

OBITS:

From THR:  An icon of Hollywood's "Golden Age" and giant of American cinema, Kirk Douglas, has died at the age of 103, Wednesday, February 5, 2020.  Douglas appeared in numerous great films:  "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1954), "Paths of Glory" (1957), and "Spartacus" (1960), to name a few.  He received best actor Oscar nominations for "Champion" (1949), "The Bad and the Beautiful" (1951), and "Lust for Life" (1956).  Kirk Douglas was the father of Oscar-winning actor, Michael Douglas.

From THR:  The actor Robert Conrad has died at the age of 84, Saturday, February 8, 2020.  Conrad was best known for the numerous television series in which he starred.  His most beloved TV series may be "The Wild Wild West" (CBS, 1965-69), but others may prefer "Baa Baa Black Sheep" (NBC, 1976-78).

From THR:  The actor, Orson Bean, has died at the age of 91, Friday, February 7, 2020.  He made over 200 appearances on "The Tonight Show" with Johnny Carson and appeared on many game shows from the 1960s to the 1980s.  He voiced "Bilbo Baggins" in the 1977 animated film version of "The Hobbit."  Many will remember Bean as the story owner, "Loren Bray," on "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman."

From Variety:  Television writer, director, and producer, Gene Reynolds, has died at the age of 96, Monday, February 3, 2020.  Reynolds co-created the "MASH" TV series (CBS, 1972-73) with Larry Gelbart, and he was one of the creators of the "Lou Grant" TV series (CBS, 1977-82).  He was a six-time Emmy Award winner.

From CNN:  American author and novelist, Mary Higgins Clark, has died at the age of 92, January 31, 2020.  Called the "Queen of Suspense," Clark wrote over 50 books and each was a bestseller.  Her 1977 novel, "A Stranger is Watching," was adapted into a 1982 film.  Her 1980 novel, "The Cradle Will Fall," was the first of many of her novels that were adapted for television.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 1st to 11th, 2020 - Update #37

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

Support Leroy on Patreon:

REVIEW - From Patreon:  My review of "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker."

DISNEY - From THR:  Disney+ is seeking to remake "Space Camp," the 1986 adventure movie from 20th Century Fox.

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STAR TREK - From THR:  Director Noah Hawley hints that his "Star Trek" movie might involve a new cast...

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SCANDAL - From Deadline:   Harvey Weinstein's defense team in his sexual assault trial in Manhattan want the media kept out of jury selection.

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TELEVISION - From THR:  Director Bong Joon Ho and Oscar-winner Adam McKay are teaming up to bring Joon's acclaimed film, "Parasite," to HBO as a limited series.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Cable network, FX, has renewed "American Horror Story" for three more seasons, in addition to the already approved tenth season.  The ninth season, "American Horror Story: 1984," finished November 2019.

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CELEBRITY - From THR:  The British royals, Prince Harry and his wife Megan Markle, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have announced that they are stepping down as "senior royals."  They are reducing their royal duties and may split time living in the United Kingdom and North America.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Warner Bros. has signed a deal with Cinelytic to use its A.I. driven project management system.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Silvio Horta, the creator of ABC's "Ugly Betty," was found dead of an apparent suicide Tuesday, January 7, 2020.

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AWARDS - From Variety:  The 2020 / 31st Producers Guild Awards nominations have been announced.  The winners will be announced.  Winners will be announced January 18, 2020.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  The 2020 / 72 Annual Directors Guild Awards nominations have been announced.  The winners will be announced January 25, 2020.

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AWARDS:  From GoldDerby:  The nominations for the 2020 / 73rd BAFTA Awards (the "British Academy Film Awards") have been announced.  The winners will be announced Sunday, February 9, 2020.

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SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Harvey Weinstein's rape trial began today (Mon., Jan. 6th, 2020) in a Manhattan courtroom.  Explosions begin...

From Deadline:  The Los Angeles County District Attorney has charged Harvey Weinstein with four counts of sexual assault.  Weinstein and his attorneys may try to get a delay in the Manhattan trial to deal with the L.A. developments.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  If you care (and I don't), the winners at the 2020 / 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards were announced last night (Sun., Jan. 5th, 2020).  The best picture winners were "1917" (drama) and "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood" (comedy).

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 1/3 to 1/5/2020 weekend box office is "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker" with an estimated take of 33.7 million dollars.

From Variety:  "Frozen II" is now the highest-grossing animated film ever, grossing 1.325 billion in global box office receipts.  The previous record holder was the original "Frozen" (2013) which grossed 1.281 billion.  "Incredibles 2" (2018) sits at 1.243 billion.

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MOVIES - From EW:  A new image from "Bill & Ted Face the Music" features the title characters with their daughters.

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MOVIES - From IndependentUK:   Terry Gilliam finally finished his aborted film, "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote."  Now, he has decided to finish his career with a rant-filled interview about wanting to be a "Black lesbian in transition" and being tired of white men being blamed for everything.

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POLITICS - From InformedConsent:  "Trump, Troll-in-Chief, Wags the Impeachment Dog by Going to War With Iran" by Juan Cole.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  Bong Joon Ho and Quentin Tarantino top 9th AACTA International Awards.

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STREAMING - From TVLine:  Al Pacino's Nazi-hunting series, "Hunters," will arrive Feb. 21st on Amazon.  The series is executive produced by Jordan Peele.

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SCANDAL - From CNN:  Molly Fitzgerald, an actress who appeared in "Captain America: The First Avenger" has been charged with killing her mother, 68-year-old Patricia Fitzgerald, on December 20, 2019.  The 38-year-old Fitzgerald played a "Stark girl" in the first "Captain America" film.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Actor Harry Hamlin says that he was close to winning the role of "Indiana Jones" in "Raiders of the Lost Ark."  He said he lost the role because he dissed director Steven Spielberg.  Hamlin did go on to star in the NBC TV series, "L.A. Law."

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  RuPaul Charles' talk show, entitled "RuPaul," will not continue past its three-week trial run which aired Summer 2019.

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MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Apparently, nearly 23 years after its first release, "Men in Black," still has not made a profit and may be losing money...

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TRAILERS - From THR: The first trailer for "A Quiet Place II" arrives.

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DISNEY - From Quartz:  2019 was Disney's biggest year, but will 2020 be its most important?

OBITS:

From Deadline:  The site offers a photo gallery of  "Notable Hollywood & Entertainment Industry Deaths In 2019."

From RollingStone:  Rock musician and drummer, Neil Peart, has died at the age of 67, Tuesday, January 7, 2020.  Peart was best known as the acclaimed, accomplished and legendary drummer for the legendary rock band, "Rush."

From GuardianUK:  Author and journalist Elizabeth Wurtzel has died at the age of 52, Tuesday, January 7, 2020.  She is best known for the 1994 memoir, Prozac Nation.  The film was adapted into a 2001 film starring Christina Ricci.

From Deadline:  Director, screenwriter, and actor Buck Henry has died at the age of 89, Wednesday, January 8, 2020.  As a screenwriter, Henry is best known for co-writing the film, "The Graduate" (1967), for which he received an Oscar nomination.  As a director, he shared an Oscar nomination with Warren Beatty for directing "Heaven Can Wait" (1978), which he also co-wrote.  He hosted "Saturday Night Live" 10 times during the series first five seasons, and with Mel Brooks, he co-created the TV series, "Get Smart" (1965-1970).

From WCPO:  Former National Football League (NFL) coach, Sam Wyche, has died at the age of 74, Thursday, January 2, 2020.  Wyche is best known for his tenure coaching the Cincinnati Bengals from 1984 to 1991.  He took the Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII, where they lost to the San Francisco 49ers.  However, he was an assistant coach on the 49ers' Super Bowl XVI championship team.  As a NFL player, Wyche was a quarterback and played for the Bengals for three seasons.

From BuzzFeed:  The rapper and recording artist, Lexii Alijai, has died at the age of 21, Wednesday, January 1, 2020.  An up-and-coming recording artist, Lexii had released one full-length studio album, "Growing Pains," in September of 2019.  Alijai was also the granddaughter of the late recording artist and producer, Roger Troutman, who founded the 1980s funk band, "Zapp."

From ESPN:  Former Major League Baseball (MLB) player and pitcher, Don Larsen, has died at the age of 90, Wednesday, January 1, 2020.  Larsen was a member of two of the New York Yankees World Series champions (1956, 1958).  Larsen was the first and remains the only player to pitch a perfect game in the World Series, Game 5 of the 1956 World Series.

From ESPN:  Former National Basketball Association (NBA) commissioner, David Stern, has died at the age of 77, January 1, 2020.  Stern was the NBA commissioner from 1984 to 2014, replacing the late Larry O'Brien.   He oversaw the NBA during the most successful period in its history, as the league expanded its international fan base, become a global brand.

From THR:  Industrial designer and neo-futuristic and film concept artist, Syd Mead, has died at the age of 86, Monday, December 30, 2019.  He was best known for his conceptual design for films like "Blade Runner" (1982) and "Tron" (1982) among many.

From NPR:  The English songwriter, musician, writer, and comedian, Neil Innes, has died at the age of 75, Sunday, December 29, 2019.  Innes was known for his collaborations with "Monty Python," writing songs for two "Monty Python" albums, and he wrote and performed both sketches and songs for the final season of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" (1974).  He was also the co-founder (with Python's Eric Idle) of the rock band, "The Rutles," a parody of "The Beatles."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 10th to 16th, 2019 - Update #19

Support Leroy on Patreon:

MOVIES - From Variety:  Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" gets a November 2020 release date.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Chris Rock wild direct comedy pilot, "Saving Kenan," the NBC is developing for Kenan Thompson.

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STREAMING - From TheWrap:  Amazon teases its much-anticipated TV series, "The Lord of the Rings," with a map.

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MUSIC - From PhillyMag:  Meet the lawyer who sued Led Zeppelin.

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AVATAR - From ScreenRant:  James Cameron's "Avatar" sequels to start filming live-action sequences this spring.

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STAR TREK - From Newsarama:  Nickelodeon is developing an animated "Star Trek" TV series for children.

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STREAMING - From Variety:  Spike Lee's next project is a Vietnam veteran drama film for Netflix.  Chadewick Boseman eyed for a lead role.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Octavia Spencer is joining Anna Hathaway in a new adaption of "The Witches" (from the Roald Dahl book) for Robert Zemeckis.

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COMICS-FILM - From Deadline:  Millennium Film has put its "Red Sonja" film project on hold.  It was to be directed by Bryan Singer, who has been hit with multiple child sex-abuse allegations over the last few years.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Actor Chris Evans, director Antoine Fuqua, and super-producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura and producer Mark Vahradian team for "Infinite."

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MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Fox Searchlight releases the first teaser trailer for "Tokien," it biopic of "Lord of the Rings" creator, J.R.R. Tolkien.

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Warner Bros. has hired David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick to start writing "Aquaman 2."  He co-wrote the first film.

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GRAMMYS - From Deadline:  Here is a complete winners list.  Kacey Musgraves wins "Album of the Year" for her album, "Golden Hour."  Childish Gambino (Donald Glover) becomes the first rapper to win "Record of the Year" and "Song of the Year" for his acclaimed song, "This is America."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:   The winner of the 2/8 to 2/10/2019 weekend box office is "The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part" with an estimated take of $34.4 million.

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AWARDS - From TheWrap:  The 2019 BAFTA Award winners have been announced.  "Roma" wins best film and best film not in the English language as well as best director for Alfonso Cuaron (one of four trophies for Cuaron tonight).  "The Favourite" was named best British film.

2019 / 72nd British Academy Awards (BAFTAs) winners list:

BEST FILM
“Roma” *WINNER

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
“The Favourite” *WINNER

OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
“Beast,” Michael Pearce (Writer/Director), Lauren Dark (Producer) *WINNER

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
“Roma” *WINNER

DOCUMENTARY
“Free Solo” *WINNER

ANIMATED FILM
“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” *WINNER

DIRECTOR
“Roma,” Alfonso Cuarón *WINNER

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
“The Favourite,” Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara *WINNER

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
“BlacKkKlansman,” Spike Lee, David Rabinowitz, Charlie Wachtel, Kevin Willmott *WINNER

LEADING ACTRESS
Olivia Colman, “The Favourite” *WINNER

LEADING ACTOR
Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody” *WINNER

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite” *WINNER

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Mahershala Ali, “Green Book” *WINNER

ORIGINAL MUSIC
“A Star Is Born,” Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Lukas Nelson *WINNER

CINEMATOGRAPHY
“Roma,” Alfonso Cuarón *WINNER

EDITING
“Vice” *WINNER

PRODUCTION DESIGN
“The Favourite” *WINNER

COSTUME DESIGN
“The Favourite” *WINNER

MAKE UP & HAIR
“The Favourite” *WINNER

SOUND
“Bohemian Rhapsody” *WINNER

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
“Black Panther” *WINNER

BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
“Roughhouse” *WINNER

BRITISH SHORT FILM
“73 Cows” *WINNER

EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
Letitia Wright *WINNER

Outstanding British Contribution to Cinema: Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley

-------------------------------------------------------

GRAMMYS - From CNN:  Top nominees Kendrick Lamar and Drake and also Childish Gambino decline invitations to perform at tonight's 61st Annual Grammy Awards.

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STREAMING - From DreadCentral:  Shudder begins production on a "Creepshow" TV series with "The Walking Dead's" Greg Nicotero.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  AMC has announced the cancellations of its TV series, "Into the Badlands" and "The Son."

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COMICS-FILM - From HeyUGuys:  The third film in the "Kingsman," series will be a prequel, "Kingsman: The Great Game."  Aaron Taylor-Johnson ("Kick-Ass) and Gemma Arterton ("Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time") are joining the film.

OBIT:

From TheWrap:  Former President and CEO of The Walt Disney Company, Ron W. Miller, has died at the age of 85, Saturday, February 9, 2019.  Miller was president from 1978 to 1983 and was CEO in from 1983 to 1984.  Miller was married to Walt Disney's daughter, the late Diane Marie Disney, with whom he had seven children.  Miller also served in the U.S. Army and played one season in the NFL for the Los Angeles Rams.