Showing posts with label Halle Berry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Halle Berry. Show all posts

Saturday, April 22, 2023

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 16th to 22nd, 2023 - Update #14

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Less than two weeks before a mini-trial is scheduled to begin in New Mexico over the October 2021 killing of "Rust" cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, all charges are going to be dropped against Alec Baldwin... for now.

From Deadline:  Despite the criminal charges against Alec Baldwin being dropped, the family of Halyna Hutchins will press ahead with their civil suit against him. Baldwin was holding the prop gun that fired the bullet that killed Hutchins on the set of the Western film, "Rust," in October 2021.

From Deadline:  Special prosecutors say that despite dropping charges against Alec Baldwin, he is not absolved his role in the shooting death of Halyna Hutchins, the cinematographer on the Western film, "Rust."  Charges could be refiled after "further investigation."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   Three-time Emmy nominee Gail O’Grady is set for a key recurring role in J.J. Abrams and LaToya Morgan’s Max period drama, "Duster," which will star Josh Holloway and Rachel Hilson.

MOVIES - From VarietyLouis Leterrier, who is the director of the upcoming "Fast X," will direct the "Fast & Furious" film that follows.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Lionsgate Television is in early development of a TV series based on the Stephanie Meyer's best-selling "Twilight" book series.  The final entry in the film adaptation of the series, "Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn: Part 2," arrived in 2012.  There is currently no writer attached to the project, nor is there a buyer.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Emmy and Tony Award-winner Courtney B. Vance has joined Disney's live-action version of its 2002 animated hit, "Lilo & Stitch."  He play the character, "Cobra Bubbles," a role originally voiced by Ving Rhames.

MOVIES - From DeadlineWarner Bros has won the rights to the hot package, "Maude v Maude," starring Oscar-winners Halle Berry and Angelina Jolie.  Both will also produce, with Halle producing under her HalleHolly banner she formed with her partner, Holly Jeter.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Martin Scorsese has set the runtime of his next film, "Killers of the Flower Moon," at 3 hours and 26 minutes.  The film is due October from Paramount Pictures and later on Apple TV+. The film stars Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio.

DISNEY - From THR:  King of Disney Bob Iger talks about firing Ike Perlmutter's ass and dealing with big baby, Ron DeSantis.

From THR:  A week and a half ago, after Disney fired him, former Marvel Entertainment boss, Ike Perlmutter, releases a statement.  Perlmutter is still Disney's largest shareholder.

NETFLIX - From Variety:  Netflix has won the global rights to the French fantasy-drama, "Vortex."  It will make the series available in 190 countries beginning June 2nd.

GUILDS - From DeadlineWGA (Writers Guild of America) members have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. The vote, which was approved by nearly 98% of the eligible voting members, authorizes the WGA West Board and the WGA East Council to call a strike if a fair deal for a new film and TV contract isn’t reached by May 1, when the current pact expires.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Sylvester Stallone will star in and produce Amazon Studios' action-comedy, "Never Too Old to Die."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 4/14 to 4/16/2023 weekend box office is Universal/Illumination Entertainment's "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" with an estimated take of 87 million dollars.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  When she was 13 year old, Samantha Geimer, was raped by Oscar-winning French-Polish director, Roman Polanski.  In a new interview conducted by Polanski's wife, Emmanuelle Seigner, Geimer denies that she is a victim and that what happened with Polanski has "never been a problem for her."


Thursday, April 14, 2022

Review: "KINGSMAN: The Golden Circle" Improves on the First Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 22 of 2022 (No. 1834) by Leroy Douresseaux

Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017)
Running time: 141 minutes (2 hours, 21 minutes)
MPAA – R for sequences of strong violence, drug content, language throughout and some sexual content
DIRECTOR:  Matthew Vaughn
WRITERS:  Jane Goldman and Matthew Vaughn (based on on the comic book, The Secret Service, by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons)
PRODUCERS:  Adam Bohling, David Reid, and Matthew Vaughn
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  George Richmond (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Eddie Hamilton
COMPOSERS:  Henry Jackman and Matthew Margeson

COMEDY/ACTION/SPY/SCI-FI

Starring:  Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Mark Strong, Halle Berry, Pedro Pascal, Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, Edward Holcroft, Hanna Alström, Calvin Demba, Thomas Turgoose, Tobi Bakare, Bruce Greenwood, Emily Watson, Elton John, Sophie Cookson, and Michael Gambon

Kingsman: The Golden Circle is a 2017 spy movie and action-comedy from director Matthew Vaughn.  It is a direct sequel to the 2015 film, Kingsman: The Secret Service.  Both films are based on characters and elements from the 2012 comic book, The Secret Service, by Mark Millar and Dave Gibbons.  The Golden Circle focuses on two elite secret organizations that must band together to defeat a common enemy that is holding the world hostage.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle opens a year after Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton) defeated and killed the diabolical Internet billionaire, Richmond Valentine.  Eggsy has officially joined the independent intelligence agency, Kingsman, and has taken his late mentor. Harry Hart's (Colin Firth) position as agent “Galahad.”  Eggsy is also dating Tilde (Hanna Alström), Crown Princess of Sweden, whom he saved from Valentine.

One night in London, Eggsy is ambushed by Charlie Hesketh (Edward Holcroft), a rejected Kingsman applicant.  Eggsy defeats Charlie, who escapes.  However, Charlie has a new employer, a mysterious organization known as “The Golden Circle.”  Its leader, Poppy Adams (Julianne Moore), the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of illegal drugs and narcotics, launches an attack against the Kingsman that leaves the agency devastated.  The survivors, Eggsy and Merlin (Mark Strong), make contact with “Statesman,” the American counterpart of Kingsman, which uses a Kentucky-based bourbon whiskey business as a front.  [The Kingsman's front is as a Savile Row tailor.]

With the help of the Statesman, Agent Whiskey (Pedro Pascal) and Ginger Ale (Halle Berry), Eggsy tries to stop Poppy Adams' plot to use a toxin in the drugs and narcotics she sells to hold the world for ransom.  She wants her demands met or she will withhold an antidote to the toxin, which means hundreds of millions of people will die.  In order to stop her, Eggsy will have to face many challenges … and a number of surprising reveals.

I enjoyed Kingsman: The Secret Service quite a bit, but it was mostly a substance-free past-time.  As much as I enjoyed the film, I had mostly forgotten about it a few hours after seeing it.  Kingsman: The Golden Circle isn't quite as substance-free as its predecessor.  The bonds and obligations of friendship and love weigh on the characters, especially Eggsy.  He can no longer just live for the job, not when there is a serious relationship commitment in front of him.

I found some of the Statesman characters to be either superfluous or simply boring, with the exception of Halle Berry's Ginger Ale.  I am a longtime fan of Berry's, and she makes the casually smart and calm Ginger an endearing character.  Elton John also makes a surprising and shocking turn as something of a fun and offbeat action hero.

The film also has a wacky-ass and fun soundtrack.  It uses John Denver's 1971 hit, “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” including a poignant version sung by Mark Strong's Merlin.  There are a few Elton John hits, of course, some performed in the film by Elton.  The best song on the soundtrack may be a funky, country rock version of Cameo's “Word Up” by the German musical act “The BossHoss.”

Taron Egerton as Eggsy has star appeal and leading man quality, which is a surprise to me.  I wish the film had given some of the narrative time devoted to the Statesman characters back to Eggsy.  Egerton takes the Kingsman film franchise to the next level.  Kingsman: The Golden Circle is an improvement over the original film, enough of an improvement that I hope to see another sequel.

7 of 10
B+

Wednesday, February 16, 2022


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Friday, January 14, 2022

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 9th to 15th, 2022 - Update #23

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

DISNEY+ - From Deadline:  Actor Tim Allen is returning to his popular "The Santa Clause" film franchise. He will star in and executive produce a Disney+ TV series that will act as a sequel to "The Santa Clause" trilogy.

NETFLIX - From DeadlineWes Anderson will write and direct a feature adaptation of Roald Dahl's short story, "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar," for Netflix.  The story was published in Dahl's 1977 collection, "The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More."

CELEBRITY - From Deadline:   Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Inc. has acquired full control of German film and TV firm Telepool, including the 50 percent stake previously owned by Swiss financier Elysian Invest.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Writer-director Robert Rodriguez is among a group developing a reboot of the classic masked vigilante character, "Zorro," with the hero now being female instead of male.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Paramount Pictures is remaking director Alfred Hitchcock's "To Catch a Thief" with Gal Gadot as the lead.  Eileen Jones will write the script.

From DeadlineMichael Sarnoski, who directed last year's acclaimed drama, "Pig" (starring Nicolas Cage), is in negotiations to direct the next "A Quiet Place" film.

STREAMING - From Variety: "Spider-Man: No Way Home" director Jon Watts is one of the producers of a revival of the "Final Distination" horror franchise for HBO Max.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Michael Bay, Patrick Hughes, and Gareth Evans' are united to reboot Evan's cult 2011 film, "The Raid," for Netflix.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The NAACP-CBS Studios venture has announced its first projects.  One of them is a reboot of the 1991 cult comedy, "Soapdish," in which one of the film's star, Whoopi Goldberg, will reprise her role ("Rose Schwartz") from the film.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 1/7 to 1/9/2022 weekend box office is Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios' "Spider-Man: No Way Home" with an estimated take of 33.02 million dollars.

From Negromancer:  My review of "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  ABC has renewed "Grey's Anatomy" for a 19th season. Ellen Pompeo has signed a deal to return as the show's title character, Meredith Grey.

PIXAR/DISNEY+ - From Deadline:  Pixar's "Turning Red" will be the third straight Pixar Animation Studio film to skip theaters and go straight to Disney+.  The other two were "Soul" (2020) and "Luca" (2021).

OBITS:

From Variety:  American television host, stand-up comedian, and actor, Bob Saget, has died at the age of 65, Sunday, January 9, 2022.  Saget was best known for playing the role of widowed father, "Danny Tanner," in the ABC sitcom, "Full House" (1987-95).

From Deadline:  Actor and television executive, Dwayne Hickman, has died at the age of 87, Sunday, January 9, 2022.  Hickman was best remembered for starring as "Dobie Gillis," the eternally romantic teen in the former CBS TV series, "The Many Loves of Dobie Gills" (1959-62).  Hickman was also a programming executive at CBS from 1977 to 1988, and from 1989 to 1996, he directed episodes of various television sitcoms.

From Deadline: American songwriter and lyricist, Marilyn Bergman, has died at the age of 93, Saturday, January 8, 2022.  She was best known for her partnership with her husband, Alan Bergman.  The duo won two “Best Song” Oscars: “The Windmills of Your Mind” from “The Thomas Crown Affair” (1968) and the title song for “The Way We Were” (1973). They won an Oscar for “Best Original Song Score” for “Yentl” (1983).  The two also won four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award for “Song of the Year” for “The Way We Were.”

From Deadline:  American television director, Dick Carson, died at the age of 92, Sunday, December 19, 2021.  He was nominated for the Daytime Emmy 12 times and won five of them, mostly for his work on "The Merv Griffin Show" and "Wheel of Fortune."  Dick was also the younger brother of television legend, the late Johnny Carson."  Dick also directed several episode of "The Tonight Show," including episodes of the series before his brother became the host.

SIDNEY POITIER - From Variety:  Oscar-winner Halle Berry pens tribute to Sidney Poitier, "An Angel Watching Over All of Us."

From Deadline:  Former President Barack Obama pays tribute to Oscar winner, the late Sidney Poitier, who died Thurs., Jan. 6th, 2022.

From Variety:   "Why Sidney Poitier Is the Most Important Actor in American History" by Steven Gaydos

From Deadline:  Star tributes continue to pour in for Sidney Poitier.

From Deadline:  This is the site's Sidney Poitier (1927-2022) page.

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AWARDS:

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2022 / 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards have been announced.

From Variety:  The snubs and surprises in the nominations for the 28th Screen Actors Guild Awards.

From Variety:   At the 2022 / 79th Golden Globes, "The Power of the Dog" wins "Best Motion Picture-Drama" and "West Side Story" wins "Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy."

From VarietyThe National Society of Film Critics names the Japanese film, "Drive My Car," the best film of 2021.

From AwardsWatch:  The nominations for the 22nd Annual Black Reel Awards were announced a few weeks ago. Netflix's Black Western, "The Harder They Fall," has a record 20 nominations.  The winners will be announced February 27, 2022.

From AwardsWatch:  The Columbus Film Critics Association announced the nominations for their annual film awards.  Director Jane Campion's "The Power of the Dog" leads with 12 noms.  The winners will be announced Thurs., Jan. 6th, 2022.

From Deadline:  The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has named the Japanese film, "Drive My Car," the "Best Picture" of 2021.

From Deadline:  The 2022 / 37th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards have announced their nominations. "Zola" leads with six nominations. The winners will be announced Sun., March 6, 2022.

From THR:  The 2022 / 79th Golden Globes Awards nominations have been announced.  "Belfast" and "The Power of the Dog" lead with seven nominations each.  Winners will be announced Jan. 9th, 2022.

From GoldDerby:   The 2022 Critics Choice Awards nominations have been announced. "Belfast" and "West Side Story" leads with 11 nominations each. Winners will be announced Jan. 9th, 2022.

From Deadline:   The American Film Institute announced the "2021 AFI Awards" Top 10 list, and the list includes "Dune," "The Tragedy of Macbeth," and "West Side Story."

From THR:  Director Aleem Khan's "After Love" tops the 2021 British Independent Film Awards, winning six awards, including "Best Film of 2021."

From Variety:   The New York Film Critics Circle has named the Japanese drama, "Drive My Car," as the "Best Film of 2021."

From Deadline:  The National Board of Review hands director Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" it "Best Film" and "Best Director" awards.  Will Smith picks up the "Best Actor" award for "King Richard."

From THR:  Netflix’s "The Lost Daughter," directed by actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, dominated the 2021 Gotham Awards in New York on Monday night (Nov. 29th).  The film won in four of the five categories in which it was nominated, including "Best Feature."

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"RUST" ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING DEATH:

From Deadline:  This link will take you to Deadline's Halyna Hutchins page, which articles related to everything about her shooting death on the set of the Western film, "Rust."

From Deadline:   Alec Baldwin has finally turned over his cell phone to police for their probe into the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of Baldwin's Western film, "Rust," last October in New Mexico.

From Variety:  One of the producers of tragic Western film, Rust, Emily Salveson, pushes tax shelters and hid income.

From THR:  "I let go of the hammer and 'Bang,' the gun goes off" says Alec Baldwin says in his first interview of the moment when a gun he was holding accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film, "Rust."

From DeadlineAlec Baldwin will sit down with ABC's news-reading clown George Stephanopoulos for a one hour special tomorrow night to talk about what happened on the set of the movie "Rust."  It will be Baldwin’s first extensive interview about the shooting.

From Deadline:  Industry veteran, Thall Reed, the father of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the Western, "Rust," may have handed the police a tip on why the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was shot to death on the set.

From THR:  A search warrant affidavit filed Tuesday for a prop shop sheds light on how alleged live ammunition ended up on the set of the Western film, "Rust," where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in October.

From Deadline:  A month after cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was shot and killed on the New Mexico set the movie Western, "Rust," by a prop gun “discharged” by Alec Baldwin, those closest to the cinematographer held a private ceremony and interred her ashes at an unknown location.

From Deadline:  Actor Daniel Baldwin defends his brother, Alec Baldwin, in the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film, "Rust."  "Someone loaded that gun improperly," Daniel says.

From Deadline:  The newest lawsuit involving the tragic shooting on the set of the Western film, "Rust," has been filed by the film's script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell, against Alec Baldwin, the producers, the production company, armorer Hanna Gutierrez Reed, and others.

From DeadlineSerge Svetnoy, the gaffer on "Rust," has filed a lawsuit against several parties related to the film, including the production, the financiers, star Alec Baldwin, armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, and first Assistant Director David Halls.

From THR:   In the wake of the tragic accidental shooting on the set of his film, "Rust," Alec Baldwin on Monday took to social media to urge Hollywood to employ a police officer on every film and TV set that uses guns.

From THR:   The budget for "Rust" - Alec Baldwin was set to earn $150,000 as lead actor and $100,000 as producer, while $7,913 was earmarked for armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and $17,500 was set aside for the rental of weapons and $5,000 for rounds.

From Deadline:  Attorneys for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the set of the film, "Rust," said that they’re looking into whether a live bullet was placed in a box of dummy rounds with the intent of  “sabotaging the set.”

From THR:   Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the film, "Rust," released a statement through her lawyers.  She says she had “no idea where the live rounds came from” that were recovered by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's during the investigation of the accidental on-set shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.

From Jacobin:  An opinion piece says that cinematographer Halyna Hutchins' death on the set of the film, "Rust," was not a freak accident, but was about Alec Baldwin and his fellow producers' cost-cutting decisions.  Baldwin accidentally fired the gun that killed Hutchins.

From Deadline:   Two of executive producers on "Rust," Allen Cheney and Emily Salveson, disavow responsibility for the film's troubled production.

From THR:   Iconic "Ghostbusters" actor Ernie Hudson is reeling from the news of the death of Halyna Hutchins, like the rest of Hollywood. Hudson also appeared in the film, "The Crow," the film in which its star, Brandon Lee, was killed because of an on-set accidental shooting.  He also agrees with the call to ban real guns from movie sets.

From THR:  The Sheriff of Sante Fe County says that his office has recovered three guns and 500 rounds of ammunition from the set of the movie "Rust" where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed.

From Deadline:  Regarding criminal charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust," District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweis, "all options are on the table - no one has been ruled out."

From THR:  Does Hollywood Need Guns? Will new regulations lead to an overreactions to a tragedy.

From Deadline:   "Rust" producers have opened an internal investigation into the fatal shooting on the set of the Western film.  They have hired outside lawyers to conduct interviews with the film's production crew.

From Deadline:  "Rust's" AD (assistant director), Dave Halls, has come under scrutiny in the wake of the on-set shooting death of the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.

From Deadline:  The affidavit of Sante Fe Sheriff's Department Detective Joel Cano has been made public. It can be read at "Deadline."  The affidavit was for a search warrant from the property were the Western, "Rust," was being filmed.

From THR:  The production company behind "Rust" has shut the film down until the police investigation into the fatal, on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is through.  The Sante Fe County Sheriff's Office has also revealed a timeline of the shooting.

From Deadline:  The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department confirmed Thursday night that Alec Baldwin “discharged” a prop gun on the New Mexico set of the movie, "Rust."  As a result, one crew member, director of photography Halyna Hutchins, was killed and director Joel Souza was injured and remains in a local hospital - his condition unknown.

From THR:  "Rust" director, Joel Souza, who was wounded in the accidental on-set shooting, says that he is "gutted" by the death of his cinematographer on the film, Halyna Hutchins.

From Deadline:  The fatal shooting on the set of "Rust" may have been "recorded" according to detective for Santa Fe Sheriff's Department.

From Deadline:  The production company behind the film, "Rust," will launch an internal safety review after the fatal accident that killed Halyna Hutchins; possible prior gun incidents; and a camera crew walkout.

From CNN:   Crew member yelled "cold gun" as he handed Alec Baldwin prop weapon, court document shows.

From Variety:  Actor Alec Baldwin releases statement on the death of Halyna Hutchins: "There are no words to convey my shock and sadness."

From Variety:  The prop gun that killed “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza on during an on-set accident on Thursday contained a “live single round,” according to an email sent by IATSE Local 44 to its membership.


Friday, December 10, 2021

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 1st to 11th, 2021 - Update #30

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

HARRY POTTER - From Deadline:   HBO Max released the first image of Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint reunited for the "Harry Potter" 20th anniversary special, "Return to Hogwarts."

TELEVISION - From Variety:  According to sources, HBO is developing a reboot of its acclaimed TV series, "Six Feet Under" (2001-05).

BLM - From HuffPost:  "I'm Black But Look White. Here Are The Horrible Things White People Feel Safe Telling Me." by Miriam Zinter. “There is a strategic force dedicated to segregation and racism,” Zinter says.

SCANDAL - From THR:  Former "Empire" actor, Jussie Smollett, has been convicted on five of the six charges he faced because of an alleged hoax he staged three years ago.

TYLER PERRY - From Deadline:   BET is expanding its Tyler Perry originals slate with the greenlight of "Zatima," a spinoff series of "Sistas," on BET+. The 10-episode hour-long series will see Devale Ellis and Crystal Renee Hayslett reprise their roles as "Zac" and "Fatima," respectively.

CELEBRITY - From THRJennifer Aniston talks about the "Friends" reunion, her career, upcoming projects, and life.

AWARDS - From Deadline:  Disney/Marvel Studios' "Black Widow" was chose "The Movie of 2021" at the "2021 People's Choice Awards." Halle Berry also accepted "The People's Icon" award.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Jordan Peele's screenplay for "Get Out" just topped the Writers Guild of America's list of "101 Greatest Screenplays of the 21st Century (So Far)."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  AMC has renewed "Fear the Walking Dead" for an eighth season.  Actress Kim Dickens, a regular on Seasons 1 to 4," will return as a series regular in Season 8 after appearing in the current Season 7.

MOVIES - From DeadlineDave Bautista ("Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3) is in negotiations to star in writer-director M. Night Shyamalan's secret project, "Knock at the Door."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Sylvester Stallone is in negotiations to star in and exec produce "Kansas City," a drama series from Taylor Sheridan and Terence Winter for Paramount+.  It will be Stallone's first major foray into television.

MOVIE NEWS - From THR: Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" has been banned from Saudi Arabia and other Gulf States, likely because the film has a transgender character.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 12/3 to 12/5/2021 weekend box office is Disney's "Encanto" with an estimated gross of 12.7 million dollars.

SPIDER-MAN - From Variety:  CCXP Worlds 21 (Brazil Comic Con), Sony Pictures Animation debuts a two-minute "first look" teaser for "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One)," which is due in theaters October 7, 2022.  A sequel to the Oscar-winning hit, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," the teaser features eye-popping graphics.

BREAKING NEWS - From Deadline:  CNN said today that anchor Chris Cuomo, host of the network's "Cuomo Prime Time" political talk show, has been “terminated” by the network, “effective immediately.” The move comes as an outside law firm was retained to discover how much Cuomo aided his brother, former New York state governor Andrew Cuomo, when he faced multiple allegations of sexual harassment.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:   Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry has signed a multi-picture deal with Netflix in the wake of her directorial debut, "Bruised," which is a massive hit on Netflix.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winner Nicolas Cage will play "Dracula" in Universal Pictures film about the count's henchman, entitled "Renfield." Nicholas Hoult will play Renfield."

ANIMATION/NETFLIX - From IGN:  The animated virtual band, Gorillaz, is getting a full-length animated film from Netflix, confirms the band's co-creator Damon Albarn.

MOVIES - From TheAVClub:  The site has a list of movies coming out to theaters or streaming for the month of December 2021.

AWARDS:

From Deadline:   The American Film Institute announced the "2021 AFI Awards" Top 10 list, and the list includes "Dune," "The Tragedy of Macbeth," and "West Side Story."

From THR:  Director Aleem Khan's "After Love" tops the 2021 British Independent Film Awards, winning six awards, including "Best Film of 2021."

From Variety:   The New York Film Critics Circle has named the Japanese drama, "Drive My Car," as the "Best Film of 2021."

From Deadline:  The National Board of Review hands director Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" it "Best Film" and "Best Director" awards.  Will Smith picks up the "Best Actor" award for "King Richard."

From THR:  Netflix’s "The Lost Daughter," directed by actress Maggie Gyllenhaal, dominated the 2021 Gotham Awards in New York on Monday night (Nov. 29th).  The film won in four of the five categories in which it was nominated, including "Best Feature."

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OBITS:

From Deadline:  American musician and songwriter, Michael Nesmith, has died at the age of 78, Friday, December 10, 2021.  Nesmith was best known for being the wool-capped singer and guitarist of the pop-rock band, "The Monkees" and for also being one of the stars of  "The Monkees" television series that ran from 1966 to 1968 on NBC.  In 1981, Nesmith also won the first Grammy Award given for "Video of the Year," which he won for his hour-long television show, "Elephant Parts."

From Deadline:   American film producer, Martha De Laurentiis, has died at the age of 67, Saturday, December 2012.  She was the wife of the legendary Italian-born American film producer, the late Dino De Laurentiis.  Until 1995, she was known by her birth name, Martha Schumacher.  She produced such film as "Silver Bullet" (1995), "Breakdown" (1997), "U-571" (2000), and "Hannibal" (2001), to name a few.

From Deadline:  Former U.S. Senator, Republican from Kansas (1969-96), Bob Dole, has died at the age of 98, Sunday, December 5, 2021.  Dole ran for president in 1988, losing the nomination to eventual President George H.W. Bush, and in 1996, when he won the Republican nomination before losing to President Bill Clinton.

From Variety:  American actor and stuntman, Tommy Lane, has died at the age of 83, Tuesday, November 30, 2021.  He played the villain, "Adam," in the 1973 James Bond film, "Live and Let Die."  he was both an actor and a stuntman in the 1971 film, "Shaft."  Lane was also a jazz musician.

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"RUST" ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING DEATH:

From Deadline:  This link will take you to Deadline's Halyna Hutchins page, which articles related to everything about her shooting death on the set of the Western film, "Rust."

From THR:  "I let go of the hammer and 'Bang,' the gun goes off" says Alec Baldwin says in his first interview of the moment when a gun he was holding accidentally killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the Western film, "Rust."

From DeadlineAlec Baldwin will sit down with ABC's news-reading clown George Stephanopoulos for a one hour special tomorrow night to talk about what happened on the set of the movie "Rust."  It will be Baldwin’s first extensive interview about the shooting.

From Deadline:  Industry veteran, Thall Reed, the father of Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the Western, "Rust," may have handed the police a tip on why the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was shot to death on the set.

From THR:  A search warrant affidavit filed Tuesday for a prop shop sheds light on how alleged live ammunition ended up on the set of the Western film, "Rust," where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in October.

From Deadline:  A month after cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was shot and killed on the New Mexico set the movie Western, "Rust," by a prop gun “discharged” by Alec Baldwin, those closest to the cinematographer held a private ceremony and interred her ashes at an unknown location.

From Deadline:  Actor Daniel Baldwin defends his brother, Alec Baldwin, in the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film, "Rust."  "Someone loaded that gun improperly," Daniel says.

From Deadline:  The newest lawsuit involving the tragic shooting on the set of the Western film, "Rust," has been filed by the film's script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell, against Alec Baldwin, the producers, the production company, armorer Hanna Gutierrez Reed, and others.

From DeadlineSerge Svetnoy, the gaffer on "Rust," has filed a lawsuit against several parties related to the film, including the production, the financiers, star Alec Baldwin, armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, and first Assistant Director David Halls.

From THR:   In the wake of the tragic accidental shooting on the set of his film, "Rust," Alec Baldwin on Monday took to social media to urge Hollywood to employ a police officer on every film and TV set that uses guns.

From THR:   The budget for "Rust" - Alec Baldwin was set to earn $150,000 as lead actor and $100,000 as producer, while $7,913 was earmarked for armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and $17,500 was set aside for the rental of weapons and $5,000 for rounds.

From Deadline:  Attorneys for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the set of the film, "Rust," said that they’re looking into whether a live bullet was placed in a box of dummy rounds with the intent of  “sabotaging the set.”

From THR:   Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the film, "Rust," released a statement through her lawyers.  She says she had “no idea where the live rounds came from” that were recovered by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's during the investigation of the accidental on-set shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.

From Jacobin:  An opinion piece says that cinematographer Halyna Hutchins' death on the set of the film, "Rust," was not a freak accident, but was about Alec Baldwin and his fellow producers' cost-cutting decisions.  Baldwin accidentally fired the gun that killed Hutchins.

From Deadline:   Two of executive producers on "Rust," Allen Cheney and Emily Salveson, disavow responsibility for the film's troubled production.

From THR:   Iconic "Ghostbusters" actor Ernie Hudson is reeling from the news of the death of Halyna Hutchins, like the rest of Hollywood. Hudson also appeared in the film, "The Crow," the film in which its star, Brandon Lee, was killed because of an on-set accidental shooting.  He also agrees with the call to ban real guns from movie sets.

From THR:  The Sheriff of Sante Fe County says that his office has recovered three guns and 500 rounds of ammunition from the set of the movie "Rust" where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed.

From Deadline:  Regarding criminal charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust," District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweis, "all options are on the table - no one has been ruled out."

From THR:  Does Hollywood Need Guns? Will new regulations lead to an overreactions to a tragedy.

From Deadline:   "Rust" producers have opened an internal investigation into the fatal shooting on the set of the Western film.  They have hired outside lawyers to conduct interviews with the film's production crew.

From Deadline:  "Rust's" AD (assistant director), Dave Halls, has come under scrutiny in the wake of the on-set shooting death of the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.

From Deadline:  The affidavit of Sante Fe Sheriff's Department Detective Joel Cano has been made public. It can be read at "Deadline."  The affidavit was for a search warrant from the property were the Western, "Rust," was being filmed.

From THR:  The production company behind "Rust" has shut the film down until the police investigation into the fatal, on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is through.  The Sante Fe County Sheriff's Office has also revealed a timeline of the shooting.

From Deadline:  The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department confirmed Thursday night that Alec Baldwin “discharged” a prop gun on the New Mexico set of the movie, "Rust."  As a result, one crew member, director of photography Halyna Hutchins, was killed and director Joel Souza was injured and remains in a local hospital - his condition unknown.

From THR:  "Rust" director, Joel Souza, who was wounded in the accidental on-set shooting, says that he is "gutted" by the death of his cinematographer on the film, Halyna Hutchins.

From Deadline:  The fatal shooting on the set of "Rust" may have been "recorded" according to detective for Santa Fe Sheriff's Department.

From Deadline:  The production company behind the film, "Rust," will launch an internal safety review after the fatal accident that killed Halyna Hutchins; possible prior gun incidents; and a camera crew walkout.

From CNN:   Crew member yelled "cold gun" as he handed Alec Baldwin prop weapon, court document shows.

From Variety:  Actor Alec Baldwin releases statement on the death of Halyna Hutchins: "There are no words to convey my shock and sadness."

From Variety:  The prop gun that killed “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza on during an on-set accident on Thursday contained a “live single round,” according to an email sent by IATSE Local 44 to its membership.


Thursday, September 23, 2021

Review: "John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum" Will Help You Get Your Keanu On

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 56 of 2021 (No. 1794) by Leroy Douresseaux

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
Running time:  131 minutes (2 hours, 11 minutes)
MPAA – R for pervasive strong violence, and some language
DIRECTOR:  Chad Stahelski
WRITERS:  Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten and Chris Collins & Marc Abrams; from a story by Derek Kolstad (based on characters created by Derek Kostad)
PRODUCERS:  Basil Iwanyk and Erica Lee
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Dan Lausten (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Evan Schiff
COMPOSERS:  Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard

ACTION/THRILLER

Starring:  Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Anjelica Huston, Said Taghmaoui, Jerome Flynn, and Randall Duk Kim

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is a 2019 action and crime-thriller starring Keanu Reeves and directed by Chad Stahelski.  It is a direct sequel to 2017's John Wick: Chapter 2 and the third film in the John Wick film series.  Parabellum finds John Wick on the run with a price on his head and assassins everywhere looking to claim the reward for killing him.

As John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum opens, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) makes his way through Manhattan.  John is on the run because he is just about to be labeled “excommunicado.”  His crime was the unauthorized killing of “High Table” (the ruling entity of the assassin's guild) crime lord, Santino D'Antonio, on the grounds of the New York Continental Hotel, a “consecrated” space where killings are not allowed.  At 6 PM Eastern Standard Time, when John is officially “excommunicado,” there will be a 14 million dollar bounty on him, and hit men and hit women everywhere are going to target him.

John turns to a few old acquaintances for help on his way out the city.  He travels to Morocco where he hopes to find the “Elder,” the boss (more or less) of the High Table, whom John believes will restore his status.  In Casablanca, John seeks help from Sofia (Halle Berry), a former friend and manager of the Moroccan Continental, but an old grudge might stand in the way of her helping him.  Meanwhile, the High Table has sent an “Adjudicator” (Asia Kate Dillon) to deal with everyone who has helped John, including the Continental's manager, Winston (Ian McShane), and the crime lord, “The Bowery King” (Laurence Fishburne).

A few weeks ago, a cable television listing reminded me that I had not seen  John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, so I turned to “DVD Netflix” for help.  In my reviews of the earlier John Wick films, I wrote that I had been a fan of Keanu Reeves since I first encountered him the 1980s in films like Dangerous Liaisons (1988) and River's Edge (1986), although I am not a fan of his popular 80s film, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure (1989).  I also wrote that I had never thought of Reeves as a great or even as a good actor; he is either way too stiff or too wooden as a performer.  Still I have enjoyed and even loved Reeves in films like the original Point Break (1991) and in The Matrix film trilogy.

Reeves' star had dimmed for several years, but the John Wick films' success and an appearance in Toy Story 4 saw people feeling that Keanu love again.  And we're supposed to get The Matrix: Resurrections in December 2021.  What can I say about John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum?  The truth is that if you enjoy Keanu Reeves' films, you will enjoy Parabellum.

I can't fake it and say that this is about the love of cinema.  I love seeing Keanu in this film's violent fight scenes and bloody shootouts, with their gunshots to the head and blood spurting and ejaculating from bodies and heads.  Parabellum gives us the added joy of marital arts sword play, with Mark Dacascos as the character “Zero.”  He is Japanese assassin leading a team of ninja-like assassins, slashing and stabbing many other characters, but their ultimate goal is John Wick.

Keanu Reeves is one of my favorite movie stars, and John Wick is one his roles that I love the most.  Yes, Parabellum's main ambition is to present itself as revenge-thriller with a little wit, a little more style, and even more stylized ultra-violence.  And I like John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum enough to give it a fairly high grade and to also eagerly await a fourth installment in this thrilling franchise.

7 of 10
B+

Thursday, September 16, 2021


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Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 21st to 31st, 2021 - Update #34

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Netflix is closing in on a 400-million dollar deal to mak two sequels to the hit 2019 film, "Knives Out."

TELEVISION - From Variety:    Actor Donald Faison will play "Professor Utonium" in "Powerpuff," The CW's live-action version of "The Powerpuff Girls."

MOVIES - From Vulture:   The second unit director and stunt coordinator on Brad Pitt's upcoming thriller, "Bullet Train," says that Pitt did 95 percent of his own stunts on the film.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  The winner at the 3/26 to 3/28/2021 weekend box office is "Nobody" with an estimated take of 6.7 million dollars.

From Forbes:    Are movie theaters around the world going broke.

From Deadline:  "Godzilla Vs Kong" storms the international box office on its opening weekend with an estimated take of 121.8 million dollars at 38 overseas market. 

From Deadline:  "Godzilla Vs. Kong" looks at having the biggest domestic opening since the pandemic began.

AWARDS-NAACP - From Deadline:  Here is a list of winners at the 2021 / 52nd NAACP Image Awards, which wrapped up Sat., March 27th after a week of honors.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Eliza Hittman talks about her groundbreaking film about a teen seeking an abortion, "Never Rarely Sometimes Always," and how one Oscar voter rejected it.

From Variety:  This article details the disagreement between director Eliza Hittman and Oscar winner and voter, Keith Merrill ("The Great American Cowboy"), over her film, "Never Rarely Sometimes Always."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   George R.R. Martin's book series, "A Song of Fire and Ice," is the basis for HBO's Emmy-winning TV series, "Game of Thrones" and for a planned slew of spinoffs.  Now, Martin has signed a five-year overall development deal with HBO and its streaming sister, HBO Max.

TELEVISION - From Variety:  Embattled co-host, Sharon Osbourne, has left the CBS daytime talk show, "The Talk," in the wake of recent controversies regarding her defending her racist pal, Piers Morgan, and allegations of racist behavior to past co-hosts.  Osbourne was the last original co-host that launched the show 11 years ago.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:   Director Fraser Heston speaks about his famous father, legendary Hollywood actor, Charlton Heston, on the 65th anniversary of his most famous film, "The Ten Commandments" (1956).  Fraser also speaks about his father's controversial support of the National Rifle Association (NRA).

TRAILER - From THN:   There is a trailer for the animated family film, "Felix and the Hidden Treasure" (June 4th, with previews on the weekend before May 31st).

SPORTS-TELEVISION - From NFL:  The NFL has announced its new broadcast deals that will begin in 2023 and through 2033.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Actor Bo Burnham has reportedly joined HBO's drama series about the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s.  Burnham will reportedly play Boston Celtics great, Larry Bird.  About 20 roles have been cast, including the roles of Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Coach Pat Riley, to name a few.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. Television has fired Greg Spottiswood, from his job as executive producer and co-showrunner of the CBS legal drama, "All Rise," which he created.  Spottiswood has been accused of unprofessional behavior in the series' writers room.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Disney's "Black Widow" has given up the May 7-9, 2021 weekend.  So the Jason Statham action movie, "Wrath of Man," directed by Guy Ritchie, moving from its April 23rd spot to take the May 7th weekend spot.

AWARDS - From Deadline:   "Nomadland" wins the top prize at the 2021/ 32nd Annual Producers Guild Awards.  22 of the 32 winners of the top prize have won the "Best Picture" Oscar.  Last year's PGA winner, "1917" lost to Parasite at the Oscars.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Disney has greenlit a 10-episode TV series that is a reboot of the "National Treasure" film series (2004, 2007).  The TV lead will be a Latina, a DREAMer.  The third film in the original series is still being developed.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Sony Pictures is developing a film based on the classic TV series, "Bewitched" (ABC, 1964-72).  It will reportedly be closer to the series than Sony's 2005 "Bewitched" film.

MOVIES - From Variety:   Disney changes its film release schedule, postponing the release of several film, including the much-anticipated Marvel Studios movie, "Black Widow."

STREAMING - From Variety:  Halle Berry joins Mark Wahlberg in the Netflix spy movie, "Our Man from Jersey."

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Tyler Perry's next film for Netflix is "A Jazzman's Blues," Joshua Boone and Solea Pfeiffer.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Actress Sean Young talks about the shitty men, mostly directors and actors, that she has had to deal with in Hollywood.  The list includes Ridley Scott and James Woods.

AWARDS - From Deadline:   "Promising Young Woman" and "Borat Subsequent Moviefilm" take top honors at the 2021 Writers Guild Awards.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   The "Resident Evil" film franchise reboot will be entitled "Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City."  The film is scheduled for movie theaters Sept. 3rd.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 3/19 to 3/21/21 weekend box office is Disney's "Raya and the Last Dragon" with an estimated take of 5.5 million dollars.  This is the film's third consecutive week at #1.

MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  The character, Sally Hardesty, was the lone survivor ("final girl") in the 1974 film, "The Texas Chain Saw Massacre," will be in the upcoming new "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" film.  A new actress will play the character, as the originator of the role, actress Marilyn Burns, died in 2014.

TELEVISION - From THR:  CBS is rebooting the 1994 film, "True Lies," as a TV series.  They are pushing it back to give the reboot's producers, including James Cameron, the writer-director of the film, more time to develop the project.

MOVIES - From Variety:   Director Chris Columbus confirms that his 1994 smash hit, "Mrs. Doubtfire," which starred the late Robin Williams, does have a R-rated cut.  This rumor all started with a viral tweet that said that there were G, PG. PG-13, R, and NC-17 cuts of the film.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  The actor and poet, Craig "muMs" Grant, has died at the age of 52, Wednesday, March 24, 2021.  A prolific actor, Grant had numerous film, TV, and stage credits.  He is best known for playing "Arnold 'Poet' Jackson" in HBO's "Oz" (1997-2003) for the entirety of its run.  Grant also participated in many slam-poetry events.

From Deadline:  The novelist and screenwriter, Larry McMurtry, has died at the age of 84, Thursday, March 25, 2021.  McMurtry was a prolific novelist, and his 1985 novel, "Lonesome Dove," won the "Pulitzer Prize for Fiction" in 1986, and was adapted into a beloved 1989 television miniseries.  Many of his novels were adapted into film, including "The Last Picture Show" (book-1966; film-1971) and "Terms of Endearment" (book-1975; film 1983), which won the Academy Award for "Best Picture."  In 2006, he won an Oscar for co-writing the screenplay for the 2005 film, "Brokeback Mountain," an adaptation of E. Annie Proulx.

From Deadline:   The actress, Jessica Walter, has died at the age of 80, Wednesday, March 24, 2021.  Walter had a five decade career in film and television, but she was best known for her recent roles.  She was Lucille Bluth on the sitcom, "Arrested Development," which was originally broadcast on Fox and later streamed on Netflix.  Walter also provided the voice for "Malory Archer" on FXX's long running animated series, "Archer."  In 1975, she won an Primetime Emmy Award for her work on the limited series, "Amy Prentiss."  She was also nominated three other times for an Emmy.

From Deadline:   Television and film actor, George Segal, has died at the age of 87, Tuesday, March 23, 2021.  Segal stared in two long-running TV series, NBC's former sitcom, "Just Shoot Me" (1997-2003), and ABC's current sitcom, "The Goldbergs" (2013-).  Segal recently filmed Episode 16, his last, of the current season, and it is scheduled to air April 7th.  Segal also earned an Oscar nomination for "Best Supporting Actor" for his role in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966).

From NBA:  Legendary NBA player and executive, Elgin Baylor, has died at the age of 86, Monday, March 22, 2021.  Playing the position of forward, Baylor is considered one of the NBA's greatest players.  He played 14 seasons for the Minneapolis/Los Angeles Lakers from 1958-71, and he was the vice president of basketball operations for the hapless Los Angeles Clippers for 22 years.  He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977.


Saturday, December 12, 2020

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 6th to 12th, 2020 - Update #24

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

OBIT-COVID-19 - From YahooEntertainment:   Country music's first Black icon, Charley Pride, has died of COVID-19.

MOVIES - From CNN:   It is official, actor Harrison Ford will return for a fifth film in the "Indiana Jones" series, which began in 1981 with the Oscar-winning "Raiders of the Lost Ark."  The film is due July 2022.

PIXAR - From Deadline: Pixar is working on an origin movie for "Buzz Lightyear," the space hero from "Toy Story."  "Captain America's" Chris Evans will voice the lead role.  The film is due in July 2022.

DISNEY+ - From Deadline:   Whoopi Goldberg is returning for a third "Sister Act" film.  Goldberg will reprise her role of Deloris Wilson for "Sister Act 3" and will produce the film along with Tyler Perry for Disney+.

DISNEY+ - From Variety:   Disney+ announces 10 new "Star Wars"-related series and 10 new series from Marvel Studios.

BLM - From WebMD:   In an article for "WebMD," college and pro basketball legend and champion, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar talks about the health of African-Americans and the risks to that posted by the healthcare system.

STREAMING - From BleedingCool:   Amazon is developing a TV series based on the 1997 teen horror flick, "I Know What You Did Last Summer."  Craig Macneill will direct the series pilot.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes will play brothers in "True Story," a Netflix limited series drama.  It written and executive produced by Eric Newman of "Narcos: Mexico."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  HBO has been working on a reboot of its vampire melodrama, "True Blood."  Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (creator of "Riverdale") and Jami O'Brien (creator of AMC'S "NOS4A2") will write the pilot with O'Brien acting as the executive producer with Alan Ball, creator of the original series.

MOVIES - From IndieWire:  The best undistributed films of 2020

OSCARS - From Deadline:   Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh have been announced as the producers for the 93rd Academy Awards, which will be held Sunday, April 25th, 2021.

WARNER MEDIA - From THR:  Oscar-nominated director, Christopher Nolan, rips into WarnerMedia's announced plan to release its 2021 film slate on its streaming service, HBO Max, which Nolan calls "the worst streaming service."

STAR TREK - From Deadline:  Actors who have starred in the "Star Trek" franchise, from the original series to the recent "Star Trek: Discovery," will hold a virtual fund raiser for U.S. Senate candidates from Georgia, Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, on Sat. Dec. 12th, 2020.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Constantin Film has issued an apology for its film, "Monster Hunter," an adaptation of the popular video game.  The film contains dialogue that was considered offensive in China, where the film has been a hit.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  The winner of the 12/4 to 12/6/2020 weekend box office is DreamWorks Animation's "The Croods: A New Age" with an estimated take of 4.4 million dollars.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar-winning screenwriter Alan Ball wonders about the legacy of the Oscar-winning film he wrote, "American Beauty" (1999), because of the scandals related to the film's star, Kevin Spacey.  Spacey won a "Best Actor" Oscar for his performance, but the last few years have seen Spacey beset by accusations of predatory behavior and sexual assault.

TELEVISION - From ShadowandAct:  Oscar and Emmy-winning actress Regina King is producing "Slay," an African-American themed supernatural drama that is in development at The CW.

TELEVISION - From LATimes:  Inside the TV networks' battle for Christmas movie supremacy 

OBITS:

From TMZ:  Character actor and occasional professional wrestler, Tom "Tiny" Lister, Jr. was found dead in his apartment, Thursday, December 10, 2020.  Lister is best known for playing the character, "Deebo," in "Friday" (1995) and its sequel, "Next Friday" (2000).  He appeared in numerous other films, including "The Fifth Element" (1997) and "The Dark Knight" (2008), to name a few.

From Deadline:  The film and television actress, Natalie Desselle, has died at the age of 83, Monday, December 7, 2020 of colon cancer.  Her best known film roles were in "B.A.P.S." (1997) and "Madea's Big Happy Family" (2010).  Desselle made her television debut on a 1996 episode of ABC's former family sitcom, "Family Matters."  Desselle was a main cast member on UPN's TV series, "Eve" (2003-06).

From BET:  Halle Berry issues a statement about the passing of Natalie Desselle, who co-starred with her in "B.A.P.S."
 
From BET:  Halley Berry posts new emotional tribute to former co-star, Natalie Desselle, who died Monday morning, Dec. 7th. 

From YahooEntertainment:  Halle Berry and other celebs react to the death of Natalie Desselle.
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From Deadline:   Film and television character actor and stage actor, Warren Berlinger, has died at the age of 83, Wednesday, December 2, 2020.  He was known for playing next to bigger stars, including a role in the Elvis Presley film, "Spinout" (1966).  Later in his career, he made numerous guest appearances on such TV series as "Happy Days," "Murder, She Wrote," and "Friends," to name a few.  He began his stage career as a nine-year-old in the 1946 Broadway production of "Annie Get Your Gun," and he went on to perform on stage in "Blue Denim" and "Happy Time," to name a few.

From Deadline:   The actor television actor, David Landers, has died at the age of 73, Friday, December 4, 2020.  Landers is best known for playing the role of "Squiggy" on the former ABC sitcom, "Laverne & Shirley" (1976-83).  He was also a noted voice actor who performed in multiple animated film and TV series.


COVID-19:

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:  Remember 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 TheAtlanticThe 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 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.

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

8/9 - From YahooAFP:  According to the real-time tally kept by John Hopkins University, the United States has hit 5 million cases of COVID-19.

8/16 - From Truthout: COVID Deaths Continue to Surge in Countries Led by Far Right Authoritarians

9/19 - From WashPost:  U.S. coronavirus death toll reaches 200,000

9/23 - From CNBC:  Mark Cuban, who owns the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and star of ABC's "Shark Tank," suggests that every household in American get a $1000 check every two weeks for the next two months.

11/7 - From YahooNews:  "It's a slaughter," doctors say of new coronavirus wave.

11/13 - YahooNews:  "We blew it": U.S. reaches 'explosive' COVID-19 spread as virus is nearly impossible to control, experts say.

11/29 From LATimes:  California sets record with most COVID-19 hospitalizations since pandemic began

12/6 - From YahooNBC:  President Donald has announced that his lawyer, former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giulani, has tested positive for COVID-19.

BLACK LIVES MATTER:

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

From TheGuardian:  Yusef Salaam, one of the "Central Park Five," says in an interview, "Trump would have had me hanging from a tree in Central Park."

From NPR:  Prosecutors' plea deal required drug suspect to name Breonna Taylor a "co-defendant."

From ChicagoSunTimes:  Rev. Jesse Jackson: America has millions of people in poverty because Americans choose not to demand the policies that would lift them out of poverty.

From APNews:  No one will be held accountable for the killing of Louisville African-American resident, Breonna Taylor.

From Channel4:  Revealed: Trump campaign strategy to deter millions of Black Americans from voting in 2016

From GuardianUK:  California is going to consider paying reparations to the descendants of African slaves after adopting a landmark law to study and to develop proposals around the issue.

From TheRoot:   What to Do When Your Country Turns Into a Dumpster Fire

From Vox:  It's True: 1 in 1,000 Black Americans Have Died in the Covid-19 Pandemic

From CBS:  Breonna Taylor's boyfriend certain cops didn't identify themselves

From DonaldTrump:  Well, because it has been in the news a lot lately (via Ice Cube and Li'l Wayne), here is "The Platinum Plan."  It is impressive, but no Republican Congress would go along with even 10 percent of this plan which is basically a long list of promises to the Black Americans - individually and as a group.

From Truthout:   Yes, 55 Percent of White Women Voted for Trump. No, I’m Not Surprised.