Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 1st to 7th, 2021 - Update #24

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

COMICS TO FILM - From Negromancer:   Here is my review of "The Suicide Squad."

TELEVISION - From YahooAP:   CNN has fired three employees for going to work although they had not received a COVID-19 vaccination.

TELEVISION - From Variety:   Actress Colbie Smolders, who has made numerous appearances in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will play real-life political commentator, Ann Coulter, in FX's "Impeachment: American Crime Story."  She replaces actress Betty Gilpin, who had to withdraw from the project due to scheduling conflicts.  "Impeachment" focuses on the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky.

ANIMATION - SouthPark:   MTV Entertainment Studios inks new and expansive deal with creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone through 2027. South Park TV series extending to season 30 for Comedy Central linear. 14 South Park original made-for-streaming movies exclusively for Paramount+ starting with two films in 2021

SCANDAL - From YahooWashPost:   In Hawaii, a case of mistaken identity so crazy that you have to read it yourself.  The victim spent over two years in jail and also in a mental institution.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Taylor Sheridan has created a prequel to his hit TV series, "Yellowstone."  Entitled "1883," the series will star Sam Elliot, Tim McGraw, and Faith Hill.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Apple's "Apple Original Films" is closing in on a big deal to obtain worldwide rights to director Matthew Vaughn's star-studded next film, "Argylle."

MUSIC/SCANDAL - From TheDailyBeast:  This month, specifically Aug. 25th, is the 20th anniversary of the plane crash in the Bahamas that killed singer and actress Aaliyah D. Haughton, simply known as "Aaliyah."  This article talks about a new book, "Baby Girl: Better Known as Aaliyah," that makes the claim that the singer was drugged by one of her entourage and carried onto the plane before it crashed.

From Complex:   There have been hints that Aaliyah's music will be available on all streaming platforms this month (Aug. 2021).  In response, her family issues a statement about unauthorized projects.

COVID - From Stat:  For many people, the belated realization that COVID-19 will be "a long war" sparks anger and denial.

CELEBRITY/COVID-19 - From YahooEntertainment:  Actress Jennifer Aniston says that she has had to cut ties with "a few people" over COVID-19 vaccinations.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Actor Brendan Fraser, best known for Universal's wonderful "The Mummy" franchise, has landed two huge acting gigs.  He has joined Martin Scorsese's highly-anticipated "Killers of the Flower Moon" and also Max Barbakow's comedy, "Brothers."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Nicholas Hoult will star in Universal Pictures' "Renfield," which focuses on Count Dracula's henchman.

MEDIA - From Deadline:  Meet "DirecTV Stream," the new entity born as a result of AT&T spinning off DirecTV.

CELEBRITY - From CNN:   Emmy winning television personality and comedian, Kathy Griffin, has announced that she has lung cancer and will have surgery.

STREAMING - From Variety:   Amazon has released an image from and a release date (Sept. 2, 2022) for its series, "The Lord of the Rings."

BUSINESS - From WSJ:  Reese Witherspoon’s media business, Hello Sunshine, is selling itself to a firm backed by private-equity giant Blackstone Group Inc., reportedly for 900 million dollars.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 7/30 to 8/1/2021 weekend box office is Disney's "Jungle Cruise" with an estimated take of 34.2 million dollars.

From Deadline:   New Line Cinema's "The Conjuring" franchise, which is currently comprised of seven movies, has crossed the two-million dollar mark in worldwide box office.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Alex Kurtzman, the architect behind CBS Studios' "Star Trek" universe, has signed an overall mega-deal with CBS Studios.  The deal is reportedly worth 150 million dollars, which would put Kurtzman among the top writer-producers in TV.

MUSIC/POLITICS/BLM - From YahooRollingStone:   Willie Nelson returned to the stage Saturday (July 31st) to take part in the Poor People’s Campaign march for voting rights outside the Texas Capitol in Austin.

MOVIES - From TimesUK:   From "The Sunday Times" comes this article:  "Is Matt Damon the Last of Hollywood's Leading Men."  The actor says, “Movies as we know them aren’t going to be a thing in our kids’ lives.” “And that makes me sad.”

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Veteran movie car coordinator Dennis McCarthy breaks down the back stories behind two of the biggest vehicular stars of "F9" as Yahoo Entertainment presents exclusive 3D augmented-reality renderings of the film’s "Dodge Charger Wide Body" and "Dodge Charger Hellcat" — two of the nine Chargers McCarthy and his 12-person team built for the film — which you can virtually place in your family room.

BLACK FILM - From TheGuardian:   Melvin Van Peebles and Perry Henzell made seminal 70s films – now their kids have recovered their fathers’ would-be classics.

OBITS:

From Deadline:   Songwriter and musician, Dennis "Dee Tee" Thomas, has died at the age of 70, Saturday, August 7, 2021.  Thomas an alto saxophone player was one of the founding members of the American R&B, soul, funk, disco, jazz, and pop band, "Kool and the Gang," and he had been with the band since its inception in 1964 until his death.

From YahooSports:  Former Major League Baseball pitcher, J.R. Richard, has died at the age of 71, Wednesday, August 4, 2021.  A Houston Astros legend, Richard was one of the most feared pitchers of the 1970s.  Richard had a stroke in July 1980 that effectively ended his career.

Fantagraphics to Release Simon Hanselmann's "Crisis Zone" in a Hardcover Book

Simon Hanselmann’s Hilarious Eisner Award-Winning Pandemic Webcomic CRISIS ZONE To Be Published by Fantagraphics in August

The Unabridged and Uncensored Publication Includes 500 Additional Panels and Extensive “Director’s Commentary” from Hanselmann

SEATTLE, WA - In March 2020, as the planet began to enter lockdown, acclaimed cartoonist Simon Hanselmann decided that what the world needed most was free, easily accessible entertainment — so he set out to make the greatest webcomic ever created! The result is also certain to be one of the most acclaimed and eagerly anticipated graphic novels of 2021: CRISIS ZONE, coming from Fantagraphics this August.

Set in the colorful NSFW world of the bestselling Megg, Mogg and Owl series, CRISIS ZONE was born amidst the uncertainty of the Covid-19 crisis. As the pandemic continued to escalate far beyond any reasonable expectations, CRISIS ZONE escalated right along with it — in real time, with daily posts on Instagram. Its battle mission was to amuse the masses: after all, no matter how horrible and bleak everything seemed, at least Werewolf Jones wasn’t in your house! Over the course of 2020, CRISIS ZONE amassed unprecedented amounts of new fans to the Megg and Mogg universe and is presented here unabridged and uncensored, with a slew of added pages and scenes deleted from the webcomic, as well as an extensive “Director’s Commentary” from Hanselmann himself.

Watch Megg attempt to bury herself in a digital world of escapism! See Mogg fall down the rabbit hole of paranoia and conspiracy theories! Experience Owl's metamorphosis from timid and uptight worrywort to a no-holds-barred, asskicking leader and back again! Witness Werewolf Jones's journey from reluctant erotic performer, to viral TikTok stardom, to Netflix sensation! Bouncing rapidly between comedy, horror, action, and relational soap-operatics, CRISIS ZONE refuses to take the pedal off the gas as we all hurtle towards unknown destinations.

"Crisis Zone is (I'm told) the ultimate piece of pandemic art,” said Hanselmann. “You won't find a better record of what went down in 2020. Nominated for the Harvey Award and Cartoonist Studio Prize and winner of the Eisner Award for best webcomic. Snubbed by the Pulitzer. Clowns! Big mistake!"

Fantagraphics will publish the hilarious, off-the-wall comic on August 17, 2021.

CRISIS ZONE is available for pre-order now via Fantagraphics: fantagraphics.com/crisis-zone

Crisis Zone by Simon Hanselmann
$29.99 • August 2021 • ISBN: 9781683964445
292 pages • Full Color • 8.5” x 11.1”


For more info, follow:

About Simon Hanselmann:
Simon Hanselmann's New York Times Best-Selling Megg, Mogg and Owl series has been translated into thirteen languages, nominated for multiple Ignatz and Eisner awards, and won Best Series at the Angouleme International Comics Festival in 2018. He currently lives in Seattle, Washington with his wife and daughter.

About Fantagraphics:
For over 45 years, Fantagraphics has published the very best comics and graphic novels that the medium has to offer. Our mission is to celebrate great cartooning in all of its incarnations, from the form’s early luminaries to contemporary artists currently forging the future of visual storytelling. Not content to rest on our laurels and extensive roster of talented artists, we constantly seek out fresh voices from across the globe. Thus, we honor the rich history of comics while providing a platform for bold new stories, styles, and perspectives that push the boundaries of the medium. Fantagraphics remains peerless in our commitment to be the publisher of the world's greatest cartoonists.

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Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 18th to 24th, 2021 - Update #17

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   CBS has revealed a first-look teaser trailer for "CSI: Vegas," the sequel to its long-running, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

CULTURE - From Slate:  BY Dahlia Lithwick: "We Are All Our Own Militia Now": The new Texas abortion law, paired with rising vigilantism and the ideas that fuel “stand your ground,” points to a frightening future.

MUSIC - From YahooTheRoot:   The first Prince album to be released posthumously will be available for streaming beginning July 30th.  Prince died in April 2016, and the album, entitled "Welcome 2 America," was apparently recorded 11 years ago.

MOVIES - From RollingStone:   A year from now, July 22, 2022, Jordan Peele's next feature film will debut ... says Peele.  He releases a teaser poster for the film with a title, and the title is "Nope."

STAR TREK - From WeGotThisCovered:  While the streaming series, "Star Trek: Picard," is currently in production of its second season, rumors say that there could be as many as three more seasons.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Rob Zombie has provided a first look at the makeup and costume design for his big screen adaptation of "The Munsters."

TELEVISION/OLYMPICS - From Deadline:   The site offers the Tokyo Olympics full TV & streaming schedule: how to watch everything from gymnastics to track & field, basketball and soccer on NBC, Peacock and more.

SPORTS - From YahooSports:   The Milwaukee Bucks are the 2021 NBA World Champions.  They beat the Phoenix Suns 105-98 in Game 6 on Tues. July 20th to win the best-of-seven series, 4 games to 2.  Star player Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 50 points.  This is the Bucks first NBA title since 1971.

CELEBRITY - From APNews:   HarperOne will publish Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis' memoir, "Finding Me," April 19, 2022. Davis is currently working on the memoir.

SCANDAL - From ABCNews:   This morning (Tues., July 20th), New York State Dept. of Corrections officials handed over convicted rapist, Harvey Weinstein, for extradition to California to face sexual assault charges there.

COVID-19 - From THR:   Hollywood’s major studios and guilds have come to a tentative, short-term agreement on new on-set COVID-19 protocols, finally taking vaccines into account.

CELEBRITY - From YahooLife:   Grammy-winning recording artist, Megan Thee Stallion, is the cover stallion on the 2021 edition of the "Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit" issue.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Lionsgate has acquired worldwide rights to Kevin Smith’s "Clerks III," which is in pre-production in New Jersey and will begin production next month.  The film will be a sequel to his 1994 cult hit classic, "Clerks," and to he first sequel, 2006's "Clerks II."

MOVIES - From Collider:   Warner Bros. releases a bunch of character posters for its upcoming blockbuster film, "Dune," which is due October 22nd in theaters and on HBO Max.

MOVIES - From Collider:   Actor Bill Skarsgard (Pennywise the Clown in "It") is joining "John Wick 4."

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 7/16 to 7/18/21 weekend box office is "Space Jam: A New Legacy" with an estimated take of 31.6 million dollars.

BUSINESS - From Deadline:  There are rumors of a Comcast/ViacomCBS merger and NBCUniversal/Lionsgate merger, among others.

ANIMATION - From THR:   There will be at least two animated series based on "Game of Thrones." While a single animated project was previously reported to be in development in January, HBO Max is now working on at least two more potential shows.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 1st to 5th, 2021 - Update #14

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered:   Christina Ricci has been cast in a mystery role in "The Matrix 4."

AMAZON - From InTheseTimes:  Bezos the Great and Powerful: Beyond the dangers of corporate consolidation, Amazon’s acquisition of MGM has exposed an American economy that’s mostly make-believe.

CULTURE/BLM - From THR: Tom Hanks penned a guest essay for The New York Times on Friday in which he called for the truth of the Tulsa race massacre to be taught in schools.

POLITICS - From Variety:   Facebook says that it will suspend former president Donald Trump from its Facebook and Instagram social media platforms until at least January 2023.  Further, Trump will only be reinstated "if conditions permit."

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Emmy-winning actor, Billy Porter, and executive producer Greg Berlanti are developing a TV series, "Fruits of Thy Labor," for NBC's "Peacock" streaming service.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:   Nickelodeon has released a teaser trailer and art form the "Spongebob Squarepants" spinoff, "The Patrick Star Show."

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Hong Kong actor and filmmaker, Donnie Yen, is joining Keanu Reeves in "John Wick 4."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Despite all Tom Cruise's cussin' and hollarin', production on "Mission: Impossible 7" in the U.K. will shut down for 14 days because of a positive COVID-19 test.

FILM FESTIVALS - From Variety:   The lineup for the 2021 Cannes Film Festival has been announced.  This year's festival will be held from July 6th to 17th, 2021.

DISNEY - From Deadline:   "Indiana Jones 5" will begin filming in the United Kingdom next week, according to sources.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   Paramount Pictures brings resurrects movie-going with "A Quiet Place Part II" ... or do "Deadline" says.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Actor Sebastian Stan (Marvel's "Winter Soldier") has posted a new photo of himself as the rocker, Tommy Lee (of the band "Motley Crue") to promote Hulu's limited series, "Pam & Tommy."

OBITS:

From Deadline:   The actress Romy Walthall has died at the age of 57, Wednesday, 19, 2021.  Her first screen was in 1984 and her last in 2011.  Walthall made appearances in some of the biggest television series of the 1980 and 90s.  This included "T.J. Hooker," "Moonlight," "Matlock," "In the Heat of the Night," "L.A. Law," and "The X-Files," to name a few.  Walthall also had small role in the director John Woo's hit movie, "Face/Off," starring Nicolas Cage and John Travolta.

From Deadline:   American stunt coordinator and film director, Buddy Van Horn, has died at the age of 92, Tuesday, May 11, 2021.  Van Horn was actor Clint Eastwood's stunt double and was credited as the stunt coordinator on Eastwood films from 1972 to 2011.  Van Horn also directed three films in which Eastwood starred, "Any Which Way You Can" (1980), "The Dead Pool" (1988), and "Pink Cadillac" (1989).

From XXL:   Dashawn Maurice Robertson, known as the rapper "Lil Loaded," has died at the age of 20, Monday, May 31, 2021.  Lil Loaded came to fame in 2019 when his song, "Blocc Baby" went viral.  He self-released his one studio album, "A Demon in Blue," October 2020, as a digital download/streaming.

 

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 1st to 10th, 2021 - Update #33

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

STREAMING - From THR:   Eddie Murphy's sequel film, "Coming 2 America," was Amazon's first streaming film to finish #1 on Nielsen's streaming rankings (for the week of March 1 to 7).  Now, it has become the first feature film from any of the four platforms that Nielsen monitors to repeat at #1 (March 8 to 14).

MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered:   Rumors say that Robert Downey, Jr. is still trying to get troubled movie star, Johnny Depp, a part in Downey's third entry in his "Sherlock Holmes" franchise.

TELEVISION - From THR:  Tyler Perry is developing a new series, "Mabel" for Showtime.  "Mabel" will act as a prequel to Perry's "Madea" films as the new series will chronicle Madea's life going back to 1972.

SCANDAL - From THR:  The magazine and its website offer an article featuring tales of Hollywood and Broadway super-producer, Scott Rudin's abusive behavior towards his young assistants and other professionals. 

From Deadline:  Oscar-nominated producer Megan Ellison, who has worked with Scott Rudin says that his behavior is worst than what "The Hollywood Reporter" claims.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Rising stars Jorge Lendeborg Jr. and Tosin Cole are in negotiations to lead New Line’s reimagining of the 1990 cult comedy, "House Party," produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter's The SpringHill Company. Award-winning music video director Calmatic will be helming in his feature debut.

SCANDAL - From YahooLATimes:   Zachary J. Horwitz, who is an actor under the name, Zachery Avery, was arrested on Tues., April 6th under the federal charge of operating a ponzi scheme.  Horwitz reportedly owes investors 227(!) million dollars.

DC COMICS TO MOVIE - From THR:   "Justice League" actor Ray Fisher gives a bombshell interview about his experiences with key figures in the making of the film, including acclaimed writer-director Joss Whedon.

From Vulture:  A history of allegations of abuse on the part of Joss Whedon.

COVID-19 - From Deadline:  California Gov. Gavin Newsom says that the state will be ending most COVID restrictions and will be "opening up" on June 15th, 2021.

From Deadline: Tyler Perry is reportedly going to end the COVID quarantine bubble at his studio in Atlanta because most of his crew has been vaccinated.

SPORTS - From YahooSports:  The Baylor University Bears are the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament Champions.  The Bears (28-2) beat the Gonzaga University Bulldogs (31-1) 86-70 in the men's championship game on Monday, April 5, 2021 at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   Byron Allen's Allen Media Group owns the free-to-air TV network, "This TV."  Now, This TV has signed a distribution deal with eight major ABC-owned TV station subchannels in order to expand its reach.

CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:   30 years ago, actress Melanie Thandiwe Newton's name was misspelled in the credits of her first film, the Australian pic, "Flirting."  Since then, the world knows her as "Thandie Newton," but now she is reclaiming the "w" and she is Thandiwe Newton.  "Thandiew" is pronounced "tan-DEE-way."

LGBTQ - From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar-winning actress, Kate Winslet, says she knows many gay actors, especially young actors, who fear that coming out will derail their careeers.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Former movie studio boss and Oscar-winning producer, Harvey Weinstein, is appealing his New York state sex crime convictions, which landed him in prison for 23 years.  Meanwhile, on April 9th, there will be a hearing to extradite him to Los Angeles to face multiple sex crime charges.

MOVIES/STREAMING(?) - From WeGotThisCovered:  Paramount is reportedly developing a "Star Trek" project that is set only on Earth.

SAG AWARDS - From Variety:   If you care ... "Variety" is live-blogging / updating the 2021 / 27th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards with the announcement of the winners as they happen.

From THR:  "The Trial of the Chicago 7" tops the 2021 SAG Awards.

From THR:   Michael Keaton becomes the first actor to be part of three winning ensembles in the category of "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture."  In addition to being a cast member of tonight's winner, "The Trial of the Chicago 7," Keaton was also a member of "Birdman" (2014) and "Spotlight" (2015), which both won "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture."

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 4/2 to 4/4/2021 weekend box office is "Godzilla vs. Kong" with an estimated take of 32.2 million dollars. This is the best pandemic-era opening weekend.

From Deadline:  "Godzilla vs. Kong" earns an estimated 48.5 million dollars during its first five days at the domestic box office.

From Deadline:   Warner Bros./Legendary's "Godzilla vs. Kong" opened on Wed., March 31st, 2021 and had the biggest opening day since the COVID pandemic, 9.6 million dollars in domestic box office.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Emmy-winning actress Zendaya has been cast as "Lola Bunny" in "Space Jam: A New Legacy," the sequel to the 1996 film, "Space Jam," which starred Michael Jordan.  The film is due July 16, 2021.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Actor Edward Norton said that he got his breakthrough role, as a 19-year-old altar boy who kills a Catholic bishop in the 1996 film, "Primal Fear," when Leonardo DiCaprio passed on the role.  Norton would earn an Oscar nomination for the part.

MUSIC - From Variety:   HYBE (formerly known as "Big Hit Entertainment"), the home of South Korean pop super-group, BTS, and Ithaca Holdings, which manages Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande (among others), have merged.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Popular cast member, Rege-Jean Page, will not be returning for Season 2 at "Bridgerton."

MOVIES - From THR:   Actor Steven Yeun is in talks to join Oscar-winner Jordan Peele's upcoming thriller.  The title of the film has not been announced, but it is due July 2022.

MOVIES - From THR:  Anthony Ramos has apparently made a star turn in the upcoming film, "In the Heights."  Now, he is in final negotiations to be the lead in next installment of the "Transformers" film franchise.  Steve Caple, Jr., who directed "Creed II," is scheduled to direct the film.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   CBS has officially picked up "CSI: Vegas," a sequel to the original series, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," for the upcoming TV season.  Original series stars, William Petersen and Jorja Fox, will return to join a new cast.

JAMES BOND - From Collider: How to Watch the James Bond Movies in Order (Chronologically and by Release Date)

OBITS:

From XXL:   The rapper, Earl Simmons, better known as "DMX," has died at the age of 50, Friday, April 9, 2021.  His debut LP, 1998's "It's Dark and Hell is Hot," debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 LP chart.  His first five LP would reach #1 and would be certified platinum.  DMX was also an actor and appeared in numerous films, including the 2001 hit, "Exit Wounds."

From Deadline:   The voice-over artist, Mark Elliot, has died at the age of 81, Saturday, April 3, 2021.  He was best known for his work with The Walt Disney Company doing voice-overs for Disney promos and trailers.

From Deadline:   The film and television actress, Gloria Henry, has died at the age of 98, Saturday, April 3, 2021.  Henry is best known for playing "Alice Mitchell," the mother of Dennis Mitchell in the former CBS sitcom, "Dennis the Menace" (1959-63).  She also appeared in numerous TV series, such as "Perry Mason," "The Thin Man," and "Dallas," to name a few.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 7th to 13th, 2021 - Update #29

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS: 

CELEBRITY - From WeGotThisCovered:  After securing his place as a box office star, actor Robert Downey, Jr. is reportedly now focused on winning an Oscar.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Netflix's password sharing crackdown may be beneficial to the company in the long term.

MOVIES - From THR:  Warner Bros. has released a series of six posters for director Jon M. Chu's "In the Heights," the musical film adaptation of Lin Manuel Miranda's Broadway musical.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Disney Channel has ordered "Descendants: The Royal Wedding," an animated special set to premiere this summer.  The special will also pay memory to late cast member Cameron Boyce, who appeared as "Carlos." Boyce died in July 2019 of epilepsy at the age of 20.

MOVIES/COVID-19 - From Deadline:  Los Angeles County officials say that movie theaters can reopen Monday (March 15th), because the county has met COVID requirements.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Netflix makes a worldwide rights deal for actor Dev Patel's directorial debut, "Monkey Man," which recently completed filming.

From Deadline:  Netflix had a hit with the sci-fi/horror film, "Bird Box," starring Julia Roberts.  The streamer is planning "local language" spinoffs of the film.  The first will be a Spanish-language spinoff of Bird Box.

CULTURE - From Jacobin:  Actor and activist Danny Glover talks about the struggle of workers in Alabama to organize a union at Amazon.

MUSIC - From RollingStone:   Grammy-winning recording artist, The Weeknd, says he is finished with the Grammy Awards because of the awards' "secret committees" (expert committees).

CULTURE - From BuzzFeed:   Actress Katie Leung, who played "Cho Chang" in the Harry Potter film series, says that she faced online racist attacks after her casting in the series was announced.  Leung also says that the film's publicist told her to deny that she was experiencing racist attacks.

MOVIES - From RSNNewYorker:  "The New Yorker's" Vinson Cunningham interviews Spike Lee.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Oscar winners, Natalie Portman and Lupita Nyong'o, are set to star in the television limited series, "Lady in the Lake," for Apple TV+

BLACK FILM - From Deadline:   The African-American Film Critics Association has named "Judas and the Black Messiah" the best film of 2020.

BAFTA - From THR:   The 2021 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) nominations have been announced, featuring a more diverse group of nominees since last year's #BAFTAsSoWhite controversy.  The winners will be announced over two days April 10th and 11th.

AWARDS - From Variety:  The nominees for the 2021 Directors Guild Awards have been announced with some history made.  The winners will be announced Saturday, April 10th.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   The CW has found the leads for its live-action pilot, "The Powerpuff Girls."  They are Chloe Bennet (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Dove Cameron (Descendants) and Yana Perrault (Jagged Little Pill).

MOVIE - From Deadline:   Steven Spielberg is developing a film that is based on his boyhood.  Multiple Oscar-nominee Michelle Williams will play a character based on Spielberg's mother.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Actor Josh Holloway has snagged the lead in LaToya Morgan and J.J. Abrams 1970s Southwest crime series, "Duster."  This is reunion as Holloway was one of the leads in Abram's Emmy-winning his series, "Lost" (ABC).

HARRY & MEGHAN - From YahooLife:  Meghan’s racism claims come as no surprise to Black Britons.

MEDIA - From FastCompany:  The site and magazine offer a profile on NBA superstar LeBron James and super-agent Maverick Carter's media company, The SpringHill Company.

AWARDS - From Deadline:  The nominees for the 2021 / 32nd annual Producers Guild Awards have been announced.  Winners will be announced at a virtual show on March 24th.

From Variety:    "Judas and the Black Messiah" becomes the first film with an all-black producing team (Shaka King, Ryan Coogler, and Charles D. King) to be nominated by the Producers Guild Awards.

From Deadline:  The winners at the 2021 /26th annual Critics Choice Awards have been announced.  "Nomadland" wins best picture, and "The Crown" wins best TV drama series.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2021 48th annual Annie Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced at a virtual show on April 16, 2021.

HARRY & MEGHAN - From YahooEntertainment:   11 bombshells from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

From BET:  5 revelations you might have missed during Meghan Markle’s bombshell CBS interview with Oprah Winfrey 

From BET:  Tyler Perry played a part in helping Harry & Meghan escape the royal Red Lectroids.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 3/5 to 3/7/2021 weekend box office is Disney's "Raya and the Last Dragon" with an estimated take of 8.6 million dollars.

From Deadline:  Film industry worries about "Raya and the Last Dragon's" sluggish opening weekend at the North American box office.

OSCARS - From NoFilmSchool:   Watch 10 Animated Short Films on the Shortlist for the 2021 Academy Awards.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 21st to 28th, 2021 - Update #21

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   The winner of the 2/26 to 2/28/2021 weekend box office is the animated "Tom & Jerry" with an estimated take of 13.7 million dollars, the second highest pandemic opening weekend.

GOLDEN GLOBES - From Deadline:  "Deadline" is live-blogging the Golden Globes, which will allow readers to keep up with the announcement of winners.

From Deadline:   Ellen Pompeo penned an open letter the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and “White Hollywood” a day before the 2021 Golden Globes.

From Deadline:  The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which puts on the Golden Globes, does not have a single voting member who is black.  The Directors Guild of America has joined the chorus of voices castigating the HFPA for this.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  "Justice League" actor Ray Fisher and Warner Bros. still having a public feud.

COVID-19 - From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar-nominated actress, Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine), has revealed that her father, Michael, recently died of complications of COVID-19.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar-nominated filmmaker, Lee Daniels, talks about creating his own lane in Hollywood and why he still independently finances his films.

COMICS TO FILM - From Deadline:   Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and producer J.J. Abrams prep "Superman" reboot for Warner Bros.  There is no word on whether Henry Cavill, who has been playing Superman since "The Man of Steel" will be back.

SPORTS - From YahooSports:  The WNBA finally rids itself of its worst owner, former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler, with a new ownership group.  One of the owners is a player, Renee Montgomery, whom Loeffler once disparaged.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Winston Duke ("Black Panther") is in talks to play African-American historical figure, Marcus Garvey," in Amazon's "Marked Man."

MOVIES - From IndieWire:   No longer involved in the Marvel's "Blade" franchise, Wesley Snipes is developing his own "Blade-killer" movie.  It is a supernatural action movie with elements of shapeshifters and time travel.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Steve Soderbergh will direct Zoe Kravitz in New Line's "KIMI" for HBO Max.

STREAMING - From THR:   ViacomCBS makes its pitch for the streaming service, "Paramount+" which is a rebranding of CBS All Access. There will be sports, reboots, sequels, and spinoffs.

COMICS TO FILM - From VanityFair:  The true history of "Justice League: The Snyder Cut."

SCANDAL - From THR:   Revered and controversial French actor, Gerard Depardieu, was charged by French authorities with rape this past December.  The news just broke recently, and the charge relates to an accusation of the rape of a young actress back in December 2018.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   BET has renewed "Tyler Perry's The Oval" for a third season after its Season 2 premiere.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Netflix has won the auction for a story pitch for a film called, "The Bluff," which would be a vehicle for Zoe Saldana.

COVID-19 - From WebMD:  500,000 Americans now dead from COVID-19

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 2/19 to 2/21/21 weekend box office is "The Croods: A New Age" with an estimated take of 1.7 million dollars.

SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment:  Actress Gina Carano says that she is not going down without a fight after "devastating" firing from Disney-Lucasfilm, where she was an actress on the Disney+ series, "The Mandalorian."

BLM - From TheRoot:  African-American St. Louis Officer Luther Hall has secured a $5 million settlement agreement in his lawsuit against the city, related to his alleged assault by white members of the St. Louis Police Department while he was working undercover as a demonstrator during protests against police violence.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Fired-from-Lucasfilm actress, Gina Carano, says that she has some shocking stuff to say about Lucasfilm.

2021 Essence Festival Goes Virtual Over Two Weekends in June and July

Statement From ESSENCE Communications Inc. on the 2021 ESSENCE Festival of Culture

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ESSENCE, the leading and only 100% Black-owned media, technology and commerce company at scale dedicated to Black women and communities, announced plans and dates for our 2021 ESSENCE Festival of Culture.

In 2020, in light of the COVID-19 global pandemic, ESSENCE shifted our annual multi-day celebration to an innovative virtual format to ensure continued delivery of our unparalleled Festival, the world’s largest cultural, entertainment and empowerment experience. The first of its kind and scale to be executed virtually during the pandemic, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture – which annually draws more than half a million people over July 4th weekend in New Orleans – extended its reach, engagement and impact via enhanced technology and streaming capabilities to touch more people globally. In a year of unprecedented challenges and mass isolation that made it even more critical to create and deliver the community, connectivity and engagement for which it is most loved, the ESSENCE Festival of Culture provided much-needed, only-at-ESSENCE content and experiences that informed, inspired and empowered – and our community overwhelmingly responded with 45+ million full-stream views of Festival content to date.

This year, with the theme ‘Live Loud,’ ESSENCE is thrilled to curate an invaluable hybrid experience that offers the best of in-person and virtual worlds via a celebration of the resilience, power and achievement of our community and the omnipresence of our culture. The Festival’s virtual programming will include powerful daytime interactive sessions and star-studded evening concerts and connections. Also, in continued partnership with the City of New Orleans and State of Louisiana and under strict adherence to guidance from health agencies, ESSENCE will produce live-to-tape activations available only to local New Orleans and Louisiana residents, honoring essential workers and first responders. The entire Festival, which will present a ‘taste of New Orleans’ and a jam-packed schedule of can’t-miss content centered around culture, equity and celebration, will be broadcast on ESSENCEStudios.com – Friday-Sunday over two weekends, June 25-27 and July 2-4, 2021.

For ongoing updates, including upcoming talent announcements, and additional information, visit ESSENCE.com.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 1st to 6th, 2021 - Update #21

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:   Kemp Powers talks about the two game-changing films in which is was involved, "One Night in Miami," which he wrote, based upon his play, and Pixar's "Soul," which he co-write.

AWARDS - From Variety:  The National Board of Review names Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods" (Netflix) the best film of 2020.   Variety also analyzes this year's awards.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:   Facing expulsion from SAG-AFTRA, the labor union that represents film and television actors, journalists, radio personalities, voice actors, etc., Donald Trump resigns from the union via a letter filled with his usual bluster.  SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris and national executive director David White responded with two words: “Thank you.”

MOVIES - From RottenTomatoes:   15 Up-and-Coming Black Directors Set To Shape the Future of Hollywood

AWARDS - From Variety:   The 2021 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations have been announced.  The winners will be announced April 4, 2021.

From Variety:  The late Chadwick Boseman makes history by becoming the first actor to get for SAG Awards nominations in a single year.

SPORTS - From BET:   Serena Williams Says People Cheered When She And Venus Williams Lost Tennis Matches

BLM - From YahooNews:  Timothy Loehmann, the incompetent cop who killed a black child named Tamir Rice, has been secretly playing semi-professional football in Cleveland for a team of first responders.  Loehmann is no longer a cop or first responder in Cleveland...

AWARDS - From Variety:  The 78th / 2021 Golden Globe Awards nominations have been announced.  The winners will be announced Sun., Feb. 28th, 2021.

From Deadline:  Time to talk about Golden Globes nomination snubs.

AWARDS - From Deadline:   At its third annual celebration of Black cinema, the Critics Choice Association honors the late Chadwick Boseman.

COVID-19 - From YahooLifestyle:   A British study says that the biggest spreaders of new cases of COVID-19 maybe the age group 35 to 49.

DISNEY - From Deadline:   The Walt Disney Company has signed a five year deal with "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler and his company Proximity Media.  Coogler is working on a "Black Panther" sequel and will develop a TV series for Disney+ that will be set in Black Panther's kingdom, Wakanda.

TELEVISION - From TCM:  Two-time Academy Award nominee, actor John Garfield, is Turner Classic Movie's "Star of the Month" (his third time) for the month of February 2021.  Starting Tuesdays this month, TCM will present Garfield's films all day long.

MOVIES - From THR:   Oscar-winner John Legend and and his producing partner, Mike Jackson, talk about the state of black cinema.

STREAMING - From TheRinger:  Is There Such Thing As a Cult Movie in the Streaming Era?

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 1/29 to 1/31/2021 weekend box office is "The Little Things" (starring Oscar winners Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto), with an estimated take of 4.8 million dollars.

From Deadline:   Are Warner Bros.' film that are are released in both movie theaters and on HBO Max making money?

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

POLITICS - From Jacobin:   Everything You Always Wanted to Know about QAnon But Were Too Weirded Out to Ask

BLM - From YahooNews:   Black Lives Matter movement nominated for 2021 Nobel Peace Prize

OBITS:

From Variety:   Canadian actor, Christopher Plummer, has died at the age of 91, Friday, February 5, 2021.  Movie audiences will likely best remember Plummer for his role as "Captain Georg von Trapp" in the 1965 film, "The Sound of Music."  Plummer was nominated for the Academy Award for "Best Supporting Actor three times and won for 2011's "Beginners."  He also won two Tony Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards.  Plummer was most recently seen in the 2019 films, "Knives Out" and "The Last Full Measure."

From Variety:   Film, television, and stage actor, Hal Holbrook, died at the age of 95, Saturday, January 23, 2021.  Holbrook's personal assistant confirmed his death Mon., Feb. 1st.  Holbrook starred in films such as "All the President's Men" (1976), "Creepshow" (1982), and "Lincoln" (2012).  He earned a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for his performance in "Into the Wild" (2007).  Holbrook may be best known for his long-running one-man stage show, "Mark Twain Tonight!," for which he won a Tony Award.

From Variety:  Former child star, Dustin Diamond, has died at the age of 44, Monday, February 1, 2021.  He was best known for playing the character, "Samuel 'Screech' Powers" on the NBC TV series, "Saved by the Bell" (1989-93).  Diamond was a cast member of the Disney Channel series, "Good Morning, Miss Bliss," which spawned Saved by the Bell.  He went on to appear in the "Saved by the Bell" sequel series, "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" (1993-94) and "Saved by the Bell: The New Class" (1993-20000).

From Deadline:  Television and producer and executive, Jamie Tarses, has died at the age of 56, Monday, February 1, 2021.  She is remembered for being instrumental in the development of such NBC TV series as "Frasier" and "Friends."  Tarses became president of ABC Entertainment at the age of 32 in 1996, the first woman to hold such a position on an American broadcast network and one of the youngest ever.

From Deadline:   Television writer, producer, and actor, Marc Wilmore, has died at the age of 57, Saturday, January 30, 2021 from complications of COVID-19.  He was a writer on such TV series as "In Living Color," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "The PJs," and "The Simpsons."  Most recently, Wilmore was a writer and executive producer on Netflix's animated series, "F is for Family."  Wilmore was the brother of television host and comic, Larry Wilmore.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 17th to 23rd, 2021 - Update #23

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Variety:  HBO is in early development of a prequel series to its Emmy-winning "Game of Thrones."  It would be based on "Tales of Dunk and Egg," a series of novellas from author George R.R. Martin, whose books are the source material for "Game of Thrones."

BIDEN! - From USAToday:   7 moments you shouldn't miss from the inaugural concert: From Justin Timberlake to Katy Perry's epic finale.

From BET:  Black Women Across The Globe Honor VP Kamala Harris With Their Chuck Taylor Sneakers And Strands Of Pearls.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Oscar-nominee Michelle Pfeiffer former first lady, Betty Ford, in the Showtime anthology series, "The First Lady."  Emmy Award winner Susanne Bier will direct the series.

BIDEN! - From YahooNews:   Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. Kamala Harris made history as the first woman, Black woman and Asian woman to be sworn in as vice president.

From HuffPost:  People Can’t Believe Donald Trump’s Latest Public Schedule Isn’t A Parody

POLITICS-RACE - From YahooFinance:   The uncomfortable truth: Why more white women didn’t rally behind the Biden-Harris campaign

COVID-19 - From Truthout:  US Reaches Grim Milestone of 400K COVID Deaths Days Before Trump Leaves Office

DISNEY - From Deadline:  McG will direct the pilot episode of the Disney+ reboot of the dog-cop movie, "Turner & Hooch."

POLITICS - From Truthout:   The final two races of the 2020 federal election cycle were officially certified on Tuesday, with Democrats Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff declared the official winners of their respective U.S. Senate races against Republican incumbents Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue in Georgia.

SCANDAL-POLITICS - From Deadline:   The actors union, SAG-AFTRA, finds "probably cause" to expel one of its more infamous and hilarious members, former President Donald.

STREAMING - From BleedingCool:  In March, the streaming service, "CBS All Acess," becomes "Paramount+."  A new line-up of series has also been announced.

BIDEN! - From YahooSports:   The story of Joe Biden, high school football star.

AWARDS - From Deadline:  The winners of the International Documentary Association's "IDA Awards" have been announced.  Netflix's "Crip Camp," about a unique summer camp for disabled kids and its role propelling the disability rights movement, won "Best Feature."

STREAMING - From OneRing:   There is now an official synopsis for Amazon's "Lord of the Rings" series.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   "The Marksman," starring Liam Neeson, will apparently win the MLK 4-day holiday weekend (1/15 to 1/19/21) with an estimated take of 3.7 million dollars.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  How 'One Night in Miami' meeting with Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke shows 'complicated relationship' between Black men and America

BLM - From YahooNews:   Black Americans react to the pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol

INSURRECTION - From TheAtlantic: The Boogaloo Bois prepare for civil war.

OBITS:

From Deadline:   Television and radio host and TV spokesman, Larry King, has died at the age of 87, Saturday, January 23, 2021.  He first gained prominence with his radio show, "The Larry King Show" (1978-94).  Many will remember him for his long-running CNN talk show, "Larry King Live" (1985-2010). In 1999, King won a "News & Documentary" Emmy Award for "Larry King Live" and in 2011, he won a "News & Documentary" Emmy "Lifetime Achievement Award." King won to "Peabody Awards," one for radio (1982) and one for television (1992).

From APNews: Hall of Fame Major League Baseball player, Hank Aaron, has died at the age of 86, Friday, January 22, 2021.  Known for decades as the home run king,  Aaron endured so many racist threats as he pursued Babe Ruth's then career home run record of 714.  He surpassed Ruth when he hit number 715 on April 8, 1974, and ended his career with 755.  Aaron on the Milwaukee Braves 1957 World Series champions, the year he also won the National League MVP Award.  A 25-time All-Star, Aaron was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1982.

From Deadline:  Veteran television comedy writer-producer, David Richardson, has died at the age of 65, Monday, January 18, 2021.  He wrote and produced for such series as "8 Simple Rules" and "Malcolm in the Middle."  He wrote episodes of "The Simpsons" and "Two and a Half Men."  He had just finished working on the fifth and final season of Netflix's animated series, "F Is For Family."

From Deadline:  Legendary music producer and convicted murderer, Phil Spector, has died at the age of 81, Saturday, January 16, 2021 from COVID-19 complications.  Spector was known for the "Wall of Sound," an approach to pop music that hit the listener with a dense symphonic array.  He wrote, co-wrote, and produced hits for "the Crystals," "the Ronettes," and Ike and Tina Turner.  He later produced the Beatles album, "Let It Be" (1970).  He also produced or co-produced several solo albums for Beatles members, John Lennon and George Harrison.  In 2009, he was convicted for the 2003 killing of actress Lana Clarkson.

ASSAULT ON THE CAPITOL:

From RollingStone:  "American Unity Is a Fantasy" - National harmony is impossible without true accountability, especially when a major political party enables sedition and white-supremacist terrorism

From Buzzfeed:   BuzzFeed News spoke to two Black officers who described a harrowing day in which they were forced to endure racist abuse — including repeatedly being called the n-word — as they tried to do their job of protecting the Capitol building...

From NBCNews:   Some Democrats in Congress are worried their colleagues might kill them

From Truthout:   At least 28 law enforcement officers from 12 states have been identified as attendees of the so-called “Save America” rally in support of Donald Trump that sparked the storming of the U.S. Capitol building on January 6

From RSNWashPost:   President Donald watched TV while the U.S. Capitol Building was under siege.

From YahooSports:   A so-called "Olympic hero" was part of the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6th.  Swimmer Klete Keller won silver and bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Games; gold and bronze at the 2004 Athens Games; and gold at the 2008 Beijing Games.  Now, he has won Nazi gold for appearing at the white supremacist games.

From RSNNewYorker:  What Should We Call the Sixth of January 2021?

From Truthout:  The Right Is Planning More Armed Coup Attempts, According to the FBI

From NBC2:  Police found a pickup truck full of bombs and guns near Capitol, feds say

From YahooNews:  Arnold Schwarzenegger invokes Nazi Germany in powerful video denouncing Capitol Hill riot

From Fox5DC:  A second police officer who responded to the Wednesday, Jan. 6th Trump-incited riot at the U.S Capitol building.  Some media outlets are reporting the death of Howard Liebengood, 51-years-old, as an "off-duty" death.  The local Fox affiliate, "Fox 5" TV station, is among those reporting Liebengood's death as a suicide connected to the riot.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 10th to 16th, 2021 - Update #34

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

STIMULUS - From YahooMoney:   Here's who gets a payment under Biden's $1,400 stimulus check proposal

From Truthout:  As part of his COVID stimulus package, President Biden wants a $15 minimum wage.

COVID-19 - From YahooNews:   Coronavirus death toll tops 2 million worldwide

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Even more stars, including Robert De Niro and Chris Rock, join David O. Russell's new untitled film for New Regency.

TELEVISION - From TVInsider:   Jared Padalecki, formerly of the long running, "Supernatural," will star in The CW's "Walker," a reboot of the long-running CBS series, "Walker, Texas Ranger."  Padalecki was initially developing the series for his Supernatural co-star, Jensen Ackles, before taking the lead himself.  He says that Jensen may still be involved in the series.

TELEVISION - From TCM:  To commemorate the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday 2021, TCM has scheduled a day of reality-based films to document and celebrate the Black Experience.

MOVIES - From EW:    Here is a first look at the R-rated reboot of the "Mortal Kombat" franchise.

AWARDS - From Variety:  Chloe Zhao's "Nomadland" tops the 2020 Gotham Awards.  At the virtual ceremony, Taylor Simone Ledward Boseman tearfully accepted the tribute to her late husband, Chadwick Boseman, that was delivered by actor Andre Holland.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Zoe Saldana and Oscar-winner Rami Malek join director David O. Russell's untitled New Regency film.  Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington are already on board.

POLITICS - From YahooNews:   The U.S. House of Representative impeaches President Donald... again.  This time it is on one charge, "incitement to insurrection."  He becomes the first U.S. president to be impeached twice.

From LATimes:  232 to 197 - 232 is the largest numbers of votes ever tallied to impeach a U.S. president.

From RSNWashPost:  Don't forget when President Donald called the Georgia Secretary of State and berated him to change the vote...

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   OWN and Tyler Perry's drama, "The Haves and the Have Nots," will end after its current eighth season.  It is the last series created under Tyler Perry's deal with OWN.

BOND - From Deadline:   The upcoming James Bond film, "No Time to Die," is moving again - from Easter weekend 2021 to some time in the fall not yet specified.

BIDEN! - From Deadline:  Oscar-winner Tom Hanks will host the primetime "Celebrating America" special that will culminate the inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on January 20, 2021.

COVID-19 - From PageSix:   Action movie icon, Bruce Willis, asked to leave a Rite-Aid pharmacy in Los Angeles after he refused to wear a mask.  He left without making a purchase.

STREAMING - From THR:   Netflix says its 2021 slate will feature "a new movie every week."

CULTURE - From BET:  "Brough Brothers Distillery" in Louisville, Ky. made history in 2020 as the first Black-owned whiskey distillery in the state. On New Year’s Eve, the three brothers, Victor, Christian, and Bryson Yarbrough produced their first 5-gallon barrels, according to Whisky Advocate."

SPORTS - From YahooSports:  The University of Alabama Crimson Tide football team beat the Ohio State University Buckeyes 52-24 to win the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship.  It is Alabama's third title in the College Football Playoff era, and its sixth national title in 12 years.  By Alabama's count, this is their 18th national college football championship.  The Crimson Tide finish the 2020 season with a 13-0 record.

From YahooSports:  Alabama Crimson Tide head football coach has won his seventh national championship with Alabama's 52-24 win over the Ohio State Buckeyes.  He has won six with the Tide: 2009, 2011, 2012 2015, 2017, 2020.  His first national title was in 2003 as head coach of the Louisiana State University Tigers.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  The winner of the 1/8 to 1/10/2021 weekend box office is "Wonder Woman 1984" with an estimated take of 3 million dollars.

STREAMING PREVIEW - From BleedingCool:  Apple TV has released the first teasertrailer for "Cherry," a new film from brothers Joe and Anthony Russo ("Avengers: Endgame") and starring Spider-Man himself, Tom Holland.

ASSAULT ON THE CAPITOL:

From Buzzfeed:   BuzzFeed News spoke to two Black officers who described a harrowing day in which they were forced to endure racist abuse — including repeatedly being called the n-word — as they tried to do their job of protecting the Capitol building...

From NBCNews:   Some Democrats in Congress are worried their colleagues might kill them

From Truthout:   At least 28 law enforcement officers from 12 states have been identified as attendees of the so-called “Save America” rally in support of Donald Trump that sparked the storming of the U.S. Capitol building on January 6

From RSNWashPost:   President Donald watched TV while the U.S. Capitol Building was under siege.

From YahooSports:   A so-called "Olympic hero" was part of the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6th.  Swimmer Klete Keller won silver and bronze medals at the 2000 Sydney Games; gold and bronze at the 2004 Athens Games; and gold at the 2008 Beijing Games.  Now, he has won Nazi gold for appearing at the white supremacist games.

From RSNNewYorker:  What Should We Call the Sixth of January 2021?

From Truthout:  The Right Is Planning More Armed Coup Attempts, According to the FBI

From NBC2:  Police found a pickup truck full of bombs and guns near Capitol, feds say

From YahooNews:  Arnold Schwarzenegger invokes Nazi Germany in powerful video denouncing Capitol Hill riot

From Fox5DC:  A second police officer who responded to the Wednesday, Jan. 6th Trump-incited riot at the U.S Capitol building.  Some media outlets are reporting the death of Howard Liebengood, 51-years-old, as an "off-duty" death.  The local Fox affiliate, "Fox 5" TV station, is among those reporting Liebengood's death as a suicide connected to the riot.

OBITS:

From YahooSports:   Former NFL player, Tim Lester, has died at the age of 52, Tuesday, January 12, 2021 from complications of COVID-19.  Lester was a running back/fullback and was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 1992.  He played from 1992 to 1999 for the Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Dallas Cowboys.  Lester was best known for his four-year tenure with the Steelers (1995-98), where he blocked for legendary Steeler, Jerome Bettis, for three of those seasons.

From YahooLATimes:  British film director, Michael Apted, has died at the age of 79, Thursday, January 7, 2021.  One of the most prolific English directors of his generation, Apted may be best known for the groundbreaking "Up" documentary series — which chronicled the lives of 14 British men and women starting at age 7 in seven-year increments, from 1964's "Seven Up!" to 2019's "63 Up."  He also directed such films as "Coal Miner's Daughter" (1980), "Bring on the Night" (1985), "Gorillas in the Mist" (1988), and the James Bond movie, "The World is Not Enough" (1999), to name a few.

From LATimes:  Retired Major League Baseball pitcher and manager, Tommy Lasorda, has died at the age of 93, Thursday, January 7, 2021.  Lasorda, of course, is best known as the manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers from 1976 to 1996.  He managed the team to eight division titles, four National League pennants, and two World Series championships (1981 and 1988).

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 1st to 9th, 2021 - Update #30

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

COVID-19 - From NPR:  More than 4000 deaths from COVID-19 recorded on Thursday, Jan. 7th, a grim new record.  365,882 Americans have died from the coronavirus and 21.6 million have been infected.

MUSIC - From THR:   Four-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, Tracy Chapman, has settle her copyright infringement lawsuit against 10-time Grammy nominee, Nicki Minaj, for $450,000.

ASSAULT ON THE CAPITOL:

From NYDailyNews:   Hero Capitol Police cop, Brian Sicknick, killed by blow to the head with a fire extinguisher during Trump-inspired riot

From ABC:   Capitol Police officer, Brian Sicknick, dies from injuries suffered in riots, federal murder investigation opened.

From Forbes:   These five people died as a result of the riot at the U.S. Capitol.

From YahooNews:  President Donald is considering pardoning himself.

From YahooUSAToday:   Yahoo's live-update page on the "crisis of the confirmation."

From BusinessInsider:  Lots of coverage.

From YahooNews:   Some among America's military allies believe Trump deliberately attempted a coup and may have had help from federal law-enforcement officials.

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

MOVIES - From TheIlluminerdi:   Rumor says that Oscar-winner, Jordan Peele, is seeking Jesse Plemons and Daniel Kaluuya, who starred in Peele's "Get Out," to star in his untitled next film.

BIDEN! - From YahooNews:   President Joseph R. Biden's electoral college victory has been confirmed by the U.S. Congress.

TELEVISION-POLITICS - From YahooEntertainment:   MSNBC's Joy Reid says D.C. rioters would have been 'shackled, arrested or dead' had it been a Black Lives Matter protest

MOVIES - From EW:  "Entertainment Weekly" is previewing more than two dozen of 2021's most anticipated movies.

POLITICS - From YahooNews:   Live updates on the riots in support of the outgoing President of the United States and the aftermath.

From YahooNews:  Rioters enter the office of Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

MEDIA - From YahooNews:   Media outlets, such as Newsmax, the Federalist, and Epoch Times, that spread that spread of conspiracy theories, misinformation and disinformation about COVID-19 also received received sizable loans from the federal government as part of the Paycheck Protection Program.

SPORTS - From YahooSports:   University of Alabama wide receiver, DeVonta Smith, is the 2020 Heisman Trophy winner.

POLITICS - From Truthout:  Brad Raffensperger may have stood up to President Donald during that infamous phone call, but the Georgia Secretary of State is no voting rights hero.  He has been caught trying to suppress the vote for the U.S. Senate runoff.

POLITICS - From Deadline:   Right wing media website, "The Daily Wire," is moving into the film and TV business.  The have picked up the streaming rights to the school-shooting film, "Run Hide Fight."  "The Daily Wire" is also developing two TV series.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Tiffany Haddish to star in the film adaptation of the National Book award winner, "Landscape with Invisible Hand," authored by M.T. Anderson.  Cory Finley ("Bad Education") will write and direct for MGM, Brad Pitt's Plan B, and Annapurna.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   The winner of the 1/1 to 1/3/2021 weekend box office is "Wonder Woman 1984" with an estimated take of 5.5 million dollars.

From Deadline:  Pixar's "Soul" leads international box office.

MUSIC - From YahooNews:  The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) says that executors of the estate of the late music legend, "Prince," have under-valued his estate for tax purposes by 82.3 million dollars.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  The Yahoo staff lists their "40 most anticipated films."

CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:   Actress Jada Pinkett Smith says that she does not lend money to family.  She says that instead she only gives money that she is willing to "give away."

MOVIES-MUSIC - From GeekFeed:   Grammy-winners, Daft Punk, recently released a "Complete Edition" of their brilliant musical score for the wonderful 2010 film, "TRON: Legacy."  This new release is the original full musical score with five new tracks.

BLM - From YahooNews:  The white woman who attacked Grammy-winning jazz trumpeter, Kenyon Harrold, and his fourteen-year-old son, Kenyon, Jr., in a New York City hotel over her stolen iPhone has been identified as 22-year-old Miya Ponsetto.  Ponsetto had actually left her iPhone in an Uber.

MOVIES - From THR:   20 films set for release in 2021 that were supposed to be released in 2020.

STREAMING-MOVIES - From CNN:  How one bold decision made 'Trolls World Tour' the most important movie of 2020

OBITS:

From YahooEntertainment:   After a premature death announcement, actress and Bond girl, Tanya Roberts, actually died at the age of 65, Monday, January 4, 2021.  Roberts was best known for playing "Midge Pinciotti," a recurring role on Fox's former sitcom, "That '70s Show."  She also played "Stacey Sutton" in the 1985 James Bond film, "A View to a Kill," which makes her a "Bond girl."  Roberts was also known for playing the lead in the notorious box office bomb, "Sheena," for playing "Julie Rogers," one of the main roles in the final season of ABC's former detective series, "Charlie's Angels."

From CNN:  Former NBA player and coach, Paul Westphal, has died at the age of 70, Saturday, January 2, 2021.  Westphal is best known for his association with the Phoenix Suns, where he both played an coach.  As a player, he helped lead the Suns to the 1976 NBA Championship series, where the lost to the Boston Celtics.  As the Suns head coach, he led them to the 1993 NBA Championship series, where they lost to the Chicago Bulls.  He won an NBA championship as a player with the Boston Celtics, who drafted him, in 1974.  Westphal was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.

From YahooSports:   Former NFL running back, Floyd Little, has died at the age of 78, Friday, January 1, 2021.  Little was a three-time All-American at Syracuse University.  He spent all 9 seasons of his NFL career with the Denver Broncos.  He was inducted into Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2010.

From RollingStone:   The British-American rapper and music producer, Daniel Dumile, best known as "MF Doom," died at the age of 49, October 31, 2020.  Known for being enigmatic and mysterious and for his impossibly intricate rhyme schemes, Dumile recorded under several names.  After his family moved to New York, Dumile began recording with the rap trio, KMD.  He went on to collaborate with a number of the most notable names in hip-hop, including Danger Mouse and Ghostface Killah.

From Deadline:  Former New Jersey high school principal, Joe Louis Clark, has died at the age of Tuesday, December 29, 2020.  Clark was principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey.  He was the inspiration for director John G. Avildsen's 1989 film, "Lean On Me," in which actor Morgan Freeman as Clark.