The Trailer for the Upcoming Film "The Suicide Squad" Sets a Record

James Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” Sets a New Record for Most Views of a Red Band Trailer in a Week

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures dropped a heavy-hitting red band trailer for the R-rated actioner “The Suicide Squad” that, in the spirit of the Squad, is kicking some serious ass. With 151.1 million views, “The Suicide Squad” has set a new record for most views of a red band trailer in a week and counting.

The trailer—the first released for the film—delivers intense action and wry humor, and global fans showed up in a big way in support of writer/director James Gunn’s vision. In total, the trailer trended in 40 markets on YouTube and 28 markets on Twitter.

About “The Suicide Squad”:
From writer/director James Gunn comes Warner Bros. Pictures’ superhero action adventure “The Suicide Squad,” featuring a collection of the most degenerate delinquents in the DC lineup.

Welcome to hell—a.k.a. Belle Reve, the prison with the highest mortality rate in the US of A. Where the worst Super-Villains are kept and where they will do anything to get out—even join the super-secret, super-shady Task Force X. Today’s do-or-die assignment? Assemble a collection of cons, including Bloodsport, Peacemaker, Captain Boomerang, Ratcatcher 2, Savant, King Shark, Blackguard, Javelin and everyone’s favorite psycho, Harley Quinn. Then arm them heavily and drop them (literally) on the remote, enemy-infused island of Corto Maltese. Trekking through a jungle teeming with militant adversaries and guerrilla forces at every turn, the Squad is on a search-and-destroy mission with only Colonel Rick Flag on the ground to make them behave…and Amanda Waller’s government techies in their ears, tracking their every movement. And as always, one wrong move and they’re dead (whether at the hands of their opponents, a teammate, or Waller herself). If anyone’s laying down bets, the smart money is against them—all of them.

The film stars Margot Robbie (“Birds of Prey,” “Bombshell”), Idris Elba (“Avengers: Infinity War”), John Cena (upcoming HBO Max series “Peacemaker,” “Bumblebee”), Joel Kinnaman (“Suicide Squad”), Jai Courtney (the “Divergent” franchise), Peter Capaldi (“World War Z,” BBC’s “Doctor Who” ), David Dastmalchian (upcoming “Dune,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp”), Daniela Melchior (“Parque Mayer”), Michael Rooker (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films), Alice Braga (“Elysium”), Pete Davidson (“The King of Staten Island,” TV’s “Saturday Night Live”), Joaquín Cosio (“Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” TV’s “Narcos: Mexico”), Juan Diego Botto (“The Europeans”), Storm Reid (“The Invisible Man,” “A Wrinkle in Time”, “Euphoria”), Nathan Fillion (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” TV’s “The Rookie”), Steve Agee (“Brightburn,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”), Sean Gunn (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, the “Avengers” films), Mayling Ng (“Wonder Woman”), Flula Borg (“Ralph Breaks the Internet”), Jennifer Holland (“Brightburn,” upcoming HBO Max series “Peacemaker”) and Tinashe Kajese (TV’s “Valor,” “The Inspectors”), with Sylvester Stallone (the “Rocky,” “Rambo” and “Expendables” franchises), and Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom,” “Suicide Squad”).

Gunn (the “Guardian of the Galaxy” films) directs from his own screenplay, based on characters from DC. The film is produced by Charles Roven and Peter Safran, with Zack Snyder, Deborah Snyder, Walter Hamada, Chantal Nong Vo, Nikolas Korda and Richard Suckle executive producing.

Gunn’s creative team includes director of photography Henry Braham (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2”), production designer Beth Mickle (“Captain Marvel”), editors Fred Raskin (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood”) and Christian Wagner (the “Fast & Furious” films) and Oscar-nominated costume designer Judianna Makovsky (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone”). The music is by John Murphy (“Kick-Ass”).

Warner Bros. Pictures Presents An Atlas Entertainment/Peter Safran Production, A James Gunn Film, “The Suicide Squad.” The film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is set for release internationally beginning July 29, 2021 and in North America in theaters and IMAX on August 6, 2021; it will be available in the U.S. on HBO Max for 31 days from theatrical release.

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 22nd to 30th, 2020 - Update #31

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   The winner of the 11/27 to 11/29/2020 weekend box office was DreamWorks Animation's "The Croods: A New Age" with an estimated take of 9.7 million dollars.

POLITICS - From GuardianUK:   Why Biden shouldn't extend an olive branch to Republicans

CULTURE - From YahooLife:  If it isn't the most unusual location for a McDonald's restaurant in America, it is one of the most.  See the Ace Hardward-McDonald's in Washington D.C.

MOVIES - From Time:   "Time Magazine" names the "Ten Best" acting performances in film for 2020.

SPORTS/CULTURE - From NPR:   Sarah Fuller of the Vanderbilt Commodores football team becomes the first woman in history to play in a "Power 5" conference football game.  Vanderbilt is a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) as is their opponent in the game played on Sat. Nov. 28th, 2020, the University of Missouri Tigers.

SPORTS/MUSIC - From ESPN:   Grammy-winning, Canadian recording artist, "The Weeknd," will be the headlining act at the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show.

From CoS:  "The Weeknd" did not receive one 2021 Grammy nomination when they were recently announced, although he seemed to be a lock to receive several due to the smash success of his 2020 album, "After Hours."  Sources close to him believe that this lack of nominations is due to him performing at the Super Bowl LV halftime show.

STREAMING - From IndependentUK:   Acclaimed director David Lynch is apparently working on a series entitled "Wisteria" for Netflix.

OSCARS - From Variety:   Netflix could break an 85-year-old Oscar record.  That would be for the studio with the most "Best Picture" nominations in a year - held by MGM with five in 1937.

From Variety:  If you don't like the Academy Awards diversity standards, comedian and actor, Andy Samberg, says that you can f**k off.

CULTURE - From Yahoo/NYT:  A new generation of rich kids wants to tear down capitalism.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   Actor Idris Elba will interview rock music legend and former Beatle, Sir Paul McCartney for a BBC One special, "Idris Elba Meets Paul McCartney."

MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered:  Disney is apparently considering or developing a spinoff of 20th Century Fox's "Alien" franchise that involves a younger version of the beloved character "Ellen Ripley," made famous by Oscar-nominated actress, Sigourney Weaver.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Netflix has removed Comedy Central's "Chappelle's Show" from its streaming service at the request of the series' star, Dave Chappelle.  Chappelle claims that ViacomCBS

POLITICS - From YahooNYT:  The things Donald Trump really liked about being President of the USA.

MOVIES - From Collider:  Writer-director Chris Columbus provides an update on "Gremlins 3," which would be the second sequel to "Gremlins," the beloved 1984 he wrote.

GRAMMYS - From THR:   Trevor Noah, the host of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," will host the 2021 Grammy Awards.

From ETOnline:  South Korea's musical act, BTS, has become the first K-Pop (Korean pop) act to receive a Grammy Awards nomination in a major category - "Best Pop Duo/Group Performance" for their English-language single, "Dynamite."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Sports journalists, Jemele Hill, formerly of ESPN, and Kelley Carter, are  joining Gabriele Union and Sony Pictures TV to develop the half-hour comedy, "New Money," for Showtime.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:   Cherokee American actor Wes Studi revisits the Oscar-winning film, "Dances With Wolves" (including winning "Best Picture"), in which he appeared and also talks about the changing depictions of Native Americans in film and television

TELEVISION - From YahooEntertainment:   "Saturday Night Live" writer reveals how Eddie Murphy saved the late-night show 40 years ago.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   The winner of the 11/20 - 11/22/2020 weekend box office is "Freaky" with an estimated take of 1.2 million dollars.

CELEBRITY - From THR:   Tyler Perry's giveaway of food and gift cards at Tyler Perry Studios on Sunday, Nov. 22nd attracted thousands.  People started lining up in their cars on Saturday...

MOVIES - THR: Tyler Perry, Melanie Lynskey and Ron Perlman are the latest stars to join the all-star cast of Adam McKay’s satire, "Don’t Look Up."

MOVIES - From ShadowandAct:  Grammy-winning recording artist and actor, Nelly, will portray seminal rock 'n' roll musician, Chuck Berry, in "Clear Lake," an upcoming biographical film about the late Buddy Holly.

CELEBRITY - From ShadowandAct:   Taylor Simone Ledward, the widow of actor Chadwick Boseman ("Black Panther"), is the administrator of the late actor's estate.

POLITICS - From Truthout:  President Joe Biden should cancel student debt on "Day One" of his administration.

MOVIES - From THR:   Channing Tatum has reunited with his "21 Jump Street" collaborator, Phil Lord and Chris Miller, for a "tongue-in-cheek" thriller based on the "Universal Monsters" franchise.

OBITS:

From YahooHuffPost:   The British actor and weightlifter and bodybuilder, David Prowse, has died at the age of 85, Saturday, November 28, 2020.  Prowse was best known for playing "Darth Vader" in the original "Star Wars" trilogy, beginning with "Star Wars" in 1977.  Prowse wore Vader's costume, but actor James Earl Jones provided Vader's voice.

From ESPN:   Argentine professional football (soccer) player, Diego Maradona, has died at the age of 60, Wednesday, November 25, 2020.  Considered one of the greatest players of all time, Maradona captained Argentina to the 1986 World Cup championship.

From YahooEntertainment:   The brother of actors, Bill Murray and Brian Doyle-Murray, Ed Murray, has died at the age of 76, Monday, November 23, 2020.  Ed was one of the inspirations for the iconic sports movie, "Caddyshack" (1980), which Brian co-wrote and in which Bill starred.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From 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

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.

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

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

JOHN LEWIS:

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

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

OBITS:

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

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

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

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 NEWS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BLACK LIVES MATTER:

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

"Saving Our Selves: A BET COVID-19 Relief Effort" Airs Wed., April 22nd

Anthony Anderson Joins Kelly Rowland, Terrence J, and Regina Hall as Host of “SAVING OUR SELVES: A BET COVID-19 RELIEF EFFORT” Special Set to Air on Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 8 PM EDT

Performances by Alicia Keys, John Legend, Usher, Jhene Aiko, Chloe X Halle, CeeLo Green, H.E.R., Ella Mai, Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris, Swae Lee, Tyrese Gibson, Buju Banton, DJ D-Nice, SiR, D Smoke and Charlie Wilson

Gospel Performance by Kirk Franklin, Fantasia, Jonathan McReynolds, Kelly Price, Tasha Cobbs, Le’Andria Johnson and Melvin Crispell III

Additional Appearances by Tiffany Haddish, Idris Elba, Ciara, Don Cheadle, Mike Epps, Deon Cole, Angela Rye, Dr. Rheeda Walker, Charlamagne Tha God, Symone D. Sanders, DJ Khaled and Chance The Rapper

Special to Simulcast Across BET, BET HER, BET International Channels and to Over-the-Air Broadcast Viewers via Bounce

BET Has Partnered with United Way to Create a Relief Fund to Receive Financial Donations That Will Be Disbursed to Local Charities That Provide Food and Emergency Assistance to Those Who Need Help Most

For More Information Visit BET.com/COVID19

#BETCOVIDRELIEF

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BET announces comedian and actor Anthony Anderson as the fourth host of the upcoming “SAVING OUR SELVES: A BET COVID-19 RELIEF EFFORT,” special. Anderson joins stars Kelly Rowland, Terrence J, and Regina Hall as host for the two-hour special broadcast. “SAVING OUR SELVES: A BET COVID-19 RELIEF EFFORT,” is set to air on Wednesday, April 22, 2020 at 8 PM EDT.

Performances include Alicia Keys with a special tribute to New York City, and a Gospel moment with Kirk Franklin featuring Fantasia, Jonathan McReynolds, Kelly Price, Tasha Cobbs, Le’Andria Johnson, and Melvin Crispell III. Exclusive performances by John Legend, Usher, Jhene Aiko, Chloe X Halle, CeeLo Green, H.E.R., Ella Mai, Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris, Swae Lee, Tyrese Gibson, Buju Banton, DJ D-Nice, SiR, D Smoke, and Charlie Wilson.

Additional celebrity guest appearances will include Tiffany Haddish, Idris Elba, Ciara, Don Cheadle, Mike Epps, Deon Cole, Angela Rye, Dr. Rheeda Walker, Charlamagne Tha God, Symone D. Sanders, DJ Khaled and Chance The Rapper.

Expanding the reach of the telecast, BET will simulcast the special across BET and BET Her domestically, as well as their channels internationally bringing awareness to over 90 million homes. Additionally, BET will join forces with Bounce to help expand the audience to include free, over-the-air broadcast viewers with Bounce simulcasting “SAVING OUR SELVES: A BET COVID-19 RELIEF EFFORT.”

Addressing the communities around the world, a global check-in segment for “BET SAVING OUR SELVES: COVID-19 RELIEF EFFORT” will highlight how various regions around the globe are coping through COVID-19. BET Breaks’ International talent Nomalanga (South Africa), Flora Coquerel (France), and Jourdan Riane (UK) will report on how the pandemic is affecting their countries. British Hip Hop Artists behind the viral “Don’t Rush” social media challenge, Young T and Bugsy, and Idris Elba’s wife, Sabrina Elba, will make appearances as well. Internationally, the show will be broadcast on Saturday, April 25 in the UK at 9:00 pm BST, Korea at 9:00 pm KST, Africa at 6:00 pm CAT, and France at 10:30 pm CEDT.

The focus of the initiatives is to combat the racial disparities of the COVID-19 pandemic. Recent findings have shown that Black Americans are being disproportionately harmed by the health and financial devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic. BET, in partnership with the NAACP, United Way Worldwide, leaders in the African American creative, civil rights and business communities will provide critical financial, educational and community support directly to the African Americans hardest hit by this crisis. Corporate brand donors who have generously contributed to the fund include Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Toyota, Salesforce, McDonald’s, AARP, Pine-Sol®, Morgan Stanley, TJ Maxx, Weight Watchers, and NBA.

You can now donate to the fund online via BET.com or by texting BETGives to 51555. More information on BET’s partnership with UWW and additional extensions of our relief efforts are forthcoming. For further details, please visit BET.com/COVID19.


About BET
BET, a subsidiary of ViacomCBS Inc. (NASDAQ: VIACA, VIAC), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news, and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel is in 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, sub-Saharan Africa, and France. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions including BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

About United Way
United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. Supported by 2.9 million volunteers, 9.8 million donors worldwide and $4.7 billion raised every year, United Way is the world’s largest privately-funded nonprofit. We’re engaged in 1,800 communities across more than 40 countries and territories worldwide to create sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our communities. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, government, civic and faith-based organizations, along with educators, labor leaders, health providers, senior citizens, students and more. For more information about United Way, please visit UnitedWay.org. Follow us on Twitter: @UnitedWay and #LiveUnited.

About BOUNCE
Bounce (@bouncetv) is the popular multi-platform entertainment network targeting African Americans, with programming seen over-the-air, on cable, on DISH channel 359, over-the-top on Roku®, on mobile devices via the Bounce and Brown Sugar apps and on the web via BounceTV.com. Bounce features a programming mix of original series and movies, off-network series, theatrical motion pictures, specials, live sports and events and more. Bounce is part of The E.W. Scripps Company (NASDAQ: SSP).

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

Review: "Thor: Ragnarok" Strikes an Odd, Pleasant Note

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 7 (of 2020) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This movie review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Thor: Ragnarok (2017)
Running time:  130 minutes (2 hours, 10 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief suggestive material
DIRECTOR:  Taika Waititi
WRITERS: Eric Pearson and Christopher L. Yost and Craig Kyle (based on the comic book and characters created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber, and Jack Kirby)
PRODUCERS:  Kevin Feige p.g.a
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Javier Aguirresarobe, ASC (D.o.P.)
EDITORS:  Zene Baker and Joel Negron
COMPOSER:  Mark Mothersbaugh
NAACP Image Award winner

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION/DRAMA

Starring:  Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, Cate Blanchett, Anthony Hopkins, Idris Elba, Jeff Goldblum, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban, Mark Ruffalo, Benedict Cumberbatch, Taika Waititi (voice), and Clancy Brown (voice) with Stan Lee

Thor: Ragnarok is a 2017 superhero movie from Marvel Studios, directed by Taika Waititi.  It is the third film in Marvel's Thor film series, following Thor (2011) and Thor: The Dark World (2013).  Thor is a Marvel Comics character that first appeared in the comic book, Journey into Mystery #83 (cover dated: August 1962).  Created by artist Jack Kirby and writers (and siblings) Stan Lee and Larry Leiber, Thor is based on the Norse mythological deity of the same name.  Thor: Ragnarok finds the Norse god of thunder a slave on an alien world while his home of Asgard is controlled by the goddess of death.

Thor: Ragnarok opens two years after the battle of Sokovia (as seen in Avengers: Age of Ultron).  Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is imprisoned by the fire demon, Surtur (voice of Clancy Brown), who reveals that Thor's father, Odin (Anthony Hopkins), is no longer on the realm of Asgard.  Surtur explains that he himself will destroy the realm by uniting his crown with the “Eternal Flame” that burns in Odin's vault, thus initiating the prophesied end-times, “Ragnarök.”  Thor frees himself and defeats Surtur, and he takes Surtur's crown, believing that he has prevented Ragnarök.

The threats to Asgard have not ended.  Thor's estranged brother, Loki (Tom Hiddleston), is posing as Odin, but Thor and Loki eventually find Odin in Norway.  Odin explains to his sons that he is dying and that his death will free his firstborn child, Hela (Cate Blanchett), from a prison where he sealed her long ago.  When Hela is freed, Ragnarök is imminent.  But before Thor can stop Hela and save Asgard, he must escape from his own imprisonment, the garbage planet, Sakaar, where he is an enslaved gladiator.  And Thor's greatest opponent turns out to be an old friend.

Thor: Ragnarok plays out as one would expect.  Thor saves the day with a lot of help from friends old and new and from adversaries-turned-allies old and new.  What makes this film different and so very endearing is the work of director Taika Waititi, the New Zealand-born director whose films (such as 2014's What We Do in the Shadows) are known for the both the originality of execution and their offbeat sensibilities.  That that originality and sensibility show in Thor: Ragnarok's color palette, its costume designs, sets and art direction.  Some critics and fans have claimed that all Marvel Studios' films look alike, which is certainly not true.  In fact, no superhero movie looks like Thor: Ragnarok, and Mark Mothersbaugh's fantastic, glorious, ear-candy musical score is the finishing touch that makes Thor: Ragnarok stand out from any pack.

Waititi and his cast make the most of Eric Pearson and Christopher L. Yost and Craig Kyle's screenplay.  The pace and acting is lively, wry, spry, and witty, and, in fact, Thor: Ragnarok is, to date, the film that makes the best use of Chris Hemsworth's droll sense of humor.  The film is a bit soft in the middle, but its unique visual appearance keeps the film from going dry.

Some time ago, I read that Marvel Studios had been trying to find the right balance of superhero fantasy, action, and humor in the Thor films, but believed that they had not quite done so in the first two films.  The third time is the charm.  Thor: Ragnarok is the best film in the Thor series, and it is the kind of superhero film that will appeal to movie audiences that don't normally watch superhero movies.

8 of 10
A

Friday, February 21, 2020


NOTES:
2018 Black Reel Awards:  1 nomination: “Outstanding Supporting Actress, Motion Picture” (Tessa Thompson)

2018 Image Awards (NAACP):  1 winner: “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (Idris Elba); 1 nomination: “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture” (Tessa Thompson)


The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.


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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 15th to 21st, 2020 - Update #21

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 and Hollywood and Beyond:

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 Deadline:  Writing for "The Washington Post," director Christopher Nolan said movie theaters need our help due to losses via COVID-19.

From YahooSports:  Several more National Basketball Association (NBA) players have tested positive for COVID-19, including two unknown members of the Los Angeles Lakers and three members of the Philadelphia 76ers.  So the NBA league office is directed teams to close their practice facilities.

From YahooCelebrity:  Actor Daniel Dae Kim ("Lost," "Hawaii Five-O") announced that he has tested positive for COVID-19

From NBCNews:  Hollywood power couple, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson, leave an Australian hospital and return to their Aussie home for home quarantine as they recover from COVID-19.

From Deadline:  NBA star Kevin Durant is one of four members of the Brooklyn Nets who has tested positive for COVID-19.

From Variety:  Disney has pulled Marvel Studios' "Black Widow" from its May 2020 release date due to COVID19 concerns.  The new release date is unknown.

From Variety:  Some North American movie theaters have closed or have reduced seating capacity because of COVID-19.  So Universal Pictures will make some of its movies available on-demand as soon as Friday, March 20th, including "The Hunt" and "The Invisible Man."  DreamWorks Animations's "Trolls World Tour" will arrive April 10th.

From THR:  Actor Idris Elba says he has tested positive for COVID-19.

From YahooEntertainment:  Actress and former "Bond girl," Olga Kurylenko, has tested positive for COVID-19.  Olga appeared in the 2008 James Bond film, "Quantum of Solace."

From Deadline:  Director Baz Lurhmann and his family head into quarantine after one of the actors in his Elvis Presley biopic, Tom Hanks, tests positive for COVID-19.

From RSN:  6 quick about poverty and COVID-19 in the United States.

From YouTube:  In this video announcement, Ben Mankiewicz of Turner Classic Movies (TCM) announces that the 2020 TCM Classic Film Festival has been cancelled due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

##############################

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:   The winner of the 3/13 to 3/15/20 weekend box office is Pixar's "Onward" with an estimated take of 10.5 million dollars.

From Variety:  The box office in North America craters due to COVID-19 fears.  Tickets sales are an estimated 55.3 million dollars for the weekend.  That is the lowest since a weekend in mid-September 2000 grossed 54.5 million dollars.

----------
MOVIES NEWS:

From Deadline:  Jamie Foxx has signed on to direct a faith-based film, entitled "When We Pray."

From YahooEntertainment:  Cast and crew of "The Hunt" talk about the time President Trump attacked their movie.

From WallStreetJournal:  Five tips to finding a good Adam Sandler movie.


TELEVISION NEWS:

From Deadline:  Quibi is reviving the Comedy Central series, "Reno 911!"

OBITS:

From THR:  The actor, Lyle Waggoner, has died at the age of 84, Tuesday, March 17, 2020.  He is best known for playing "Steve Trevor" on ABC's "Wonder Woman" (1976-77).  When the series moved to CBS and became known as "The New Adventures of Wonder Woman" (1977-79), Waggoner portrayed Steve Trevor, Jr.  Waggoner was also a cast member on "The Carol Burnett Show" from 1976 to 1974.

From CBSSports:  Former world champion boxer, Roger Mayweather, has died at the age of 58, Wednesday, March 17, 2020.  Mayweather was also an accomplished boxing trainer and he was the uncle of boxing champion and superstar, Floyd Mayweather, Jr.

From THR:  The film and television actor, Stuart Whitman, has died at the age of 92, Monday, March 16, 2020.  His best known films include "The Comancheros" (1961), "The Longest Day" (1962), "Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines" (1965), and "The Mark" (1961), for which he received a best actor Oscar nomination.  His best known TV role was probably as "Marshal Jim Crown" in CBS's "Cimarron Strip" (1967-68).

From YahooEntertainment:  The actor Lorenzo Brino, a child star on the TV series, "7th Heaven" (1996 to 2007, TheWB, TheCW), died in a car accident last Monday, March 9th, 2020.  He was 21.  Brino played the character "Sam Camden," and was a series regular from Seasons 6 to 10, and was featured actor in Season 5.

Movie Review: "Hobbs & Shaw" a Good Start for a Spin-Off Series

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 15 (of 2019) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Running time: 135 minutes; MPAA – PG-13 for prolonged sequences of action and violence, suggestive material and some strong language
DIRECTOR:  David Leitch
WRITERS:  Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce; based on Chris Morgan (based on the characters created by Gary Scott Thompson)
PRODUCERS:  Hiram Garcia, Dwayne Johnson, Chris Morgan, and Jason Statham
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Jonathan Sela
EDITORS:  Christopher Rouse
COMPOSER:  Tyler Bates

ACTION

Starring:  Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Helen Mirren, Eiza Gonzalez, Eddie Marsan, Eliana Su'a, Cliff Curtis, Rob Delaney, and Lori Pelenise Tuisano,  with (no screen credit) Kevin Hart and Ryan Reynolds

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is a 2019 action movie from director David Leitch.  It is a spin-off from The Fast and the Furious movie franchise.  Hobbs & Shaw focuses on a federal agent and a mercenary who are forced to work together to keep a super-human villain from obtaining a deadly virus that could lead to human extinction.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw opens in London where Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby) and her team of MI6 agents attempt to retrieve a virus, known as “Snowflake.”  This virus can be programmed to decimate millions of people, and the mysterious terrorist and tech organization, “Eteon,” wants it.  Brixton Lore (Idris Elba) is an Eteon operative with advanced cybernetic implants inside his body that allow him to perform superhuman feats.  Eteon has assigned Lore to obtain Snowflake, but before he can do so, Agent Shaw escapes with the virus.  So Lore uses Eteon's media sources to brand Shaw a traitor who killed her team.

Lawman Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) is a federal agent working for the DSS (Diplomatic Security Service).  Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham) is a former British Special Forces assassin-turned-mercenary.  Hobbs and Shaw are both informed of the missing Snowflake virus and are assigned to work together to find it and Hattie Shaw, who is Deckard's estranged sister.  Hobbs and Shaw have a troubled history together and refuse to team-up.  However, Brixton Lore's advanced cybernetic implants give him strength and speed far beyond that of normal humans.  He is practically a “Black Superman,” and if Hobbs and Shaw want to stop him, they will have to stop him together.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is not a great movie, but it is an entertaining action movie.  If you, dear reader, like the crazy car chases offered by The Fast and Furious franchise, Hobbs & Shaw offers wreck-filled automobile chase scenes that recall the great Mad Max: Fury Road.  Luxury sports cars, souped-up trucks, military vehicles, motorcycles, drones, and more tear across roads, onto walls, and over buildings.  This is a non-stop thrill-machine of car chases, crashes, and wrecks.

I do have to be honest.  I think Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham's screen chemistry seems forced.  It will probably get better in potential sequels.  Personally, I am not crazy about actress Vanessa Kirby; she just doesn't work for me.  Idris Elba delivers a good performance, but he could have made Brixton Lore a remarkable villain is this film's screenwriting were better.

Hobbs & Shaw also offers some surprise appearances by actors who are not featured or emphasized in any of the film's trailers and previews:  Ryan Reynolds, Kevin Hart, and Helen Mirren.  Reynolds and Hart are actually quite good in their supporting roles; Mirren's role (as Magdalene Shaw, Deckard and Hattie's mother) feels contrived and forced.  If there is a sequel to this film, Reynolds and Hart must return in bigger roles.

I do think that Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw runs too long by about 15 or 20 minutes.  The last act is mixed – exciting action set pieces, but the family reunion melodrama is forced.  Maybe the thing that keeps Hobbs & Shaw from being as good as the best Fast & Furious films is that too much of it feels forced.  The filmmakers want this movie to be “2 fast, 2 furious,” but the movie often feels too forced and too contrived.  They need 2 relax.

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw has the ingredients to start a quality action movie franchise.  Warts and all, this first movie is a good start.

6 out of 10
B

Saturday, August 3, 2019


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 23rd to 30th, 2019 - Update #25

Support Leroy on Patreon:

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  The winner of the 6/28 to 6/30/2018 weekend box office is "Toy Story 4" with an estimated take of 58 million dollars.

----------
BOND - From YahooEntertainment:  Actor Idris Elba says he was "disheartened" by the reaction to him, a Black man, possibly playing James Bond.

----------
DISNEY - From Variety:  Melissa McCarthy in talks to play "Ursula" in Disney's planned live-action remake of its 1989 film, "The Little Mermaid."  Rob Marshall of "Mary Poppins Returns" is set to direct.

----------
SCANDAL - From PageSix:  The website notes that Oscar-winning filmmaker, Paul Haggis ("Crash"), is still partying despite a rape allegation against him.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Paul Rudd ("Ant-Man" films) has joined Jason Reitman's "Ghostbusters classic" film.

From Variety:  Mark Wahlberg is replacing Chris Evans in director Antoine Fuqua's upcoming film, "Infinite."

----------
BLM - From YahooFinance:  Slavery reparations could carry a $17 trillion ($17,000,000,000,000) price tag.

----------
MOVIES - From EW:  Jordan Brewster is returning to the "Fast & Furious" franchise.  She will appear in the ninth film  (currently filming in London), after sitting out the eighth installment, "The Fate of the Furious."  She has played, Mia Toretto, the love interest of the late Paul Walker's character, Brian.

----------
STAR TREK - From Deadline:  Pulitzer Prize winning author, Michael Chabon, has been named the showrunner of CBS All Access' "Star Trek: Picard."

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  Mary J. Blige signs first-looks TV development deal with actress-singer, Mary J. Blige.

----------
AWARDS - From Deadline:   The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild said Wednesday that it will hold its 2020 awards ceremony on Saturday, January 11th, 2020.

----------
MUSIC - From YabooEntertainment:  The biological father of Grammy-winning rapper and recording artist, Eminem, died earlier this week.  Marshall Bruce Mathers, Jr. was 67.

----------
JAMES BOND - From Variety:  First behind-the-scenes footage from "BOND 25" has been released.

----------
STREAMING - From Variety: Amazon will carry "Small Axe" in the U.S.  "Small Axe" is an anthology series from Steve McQueen ("12 Years a Slave").

From EOnline:  Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and Ariana Grande join Ryan Murphy's adaptation of the Broadway hit, "The Prom," for Netflix.

----------
ANIMATION - From TVSeriesFinale:  There is a new Scooby-Doo animated series coming to Boomerang, "Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?"  Actor Jaleel White is reviving his Steve Urkel character, from the old ABC series, "Family Matters" (1989-1998), for an episode of "Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?"

----------
STREAMING - From Variety:  Viacom partners with Tyler Perry for "BET Plus" streaming service.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 6/21 to 6/23/2019 weekend box office is "Toy Story 4" with an estimated take of 118 million dollars.

----------
MOVIES - From FlickeringMyth:  "Hidden Figures" actor Aldis Hodge has joined the cast of Blumhouse's Universal Monsters remake of "The Invisible Man."

----------
ECO - From Deadline:  Oscar-winning actor, Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), has quit the Royal Shakespeare Company over the theaters sponsorship with oil company, BP.

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Lena Waithe Criticizes Black Movie Stars For Not Financing Indies From Black Filmmakers

----------
STREAMING - From Deadline:  James Marsden is vying for the role of Stu Redman in "The Stand," the CBS Studios/CBS All Access limited series adaptation of the classic Stephen King horror novel.  This streaming series would be the second miniseries adaptation of King's novel, following ABC's 1994 miniseries.

----------
STREAMING-TELEVISION - From Vulture:  "15 Fantasy Adaptations We’re Excited to See on TV Soon" by Devon Ivie

OBITS:

From EW:  Actor Billy Drago died Monday, June 24, 2019 at the age of 73.  Drago is best known for portraying real-life gangster, Frank Nitti, in Brian DePalma's film, "The Untouchables" (1987). He was also a recurring character in The WB's series, "Charmed" (1998-2006).

From Variety:  The actor Max Wright has died at the age of 75, Wednesday, June 26, 2019.  Wright was best known for playing the role of Willie Tanner on the NBC TV series, "Alf" (1986 to 1990).  Will Tanner was the head of the family that took in a back-talking alien, Alf.  Wright appeared in numerous TV series, including "Friends" and "Murphy Brown."  He received a 1998 Tony Awards nomination for his performance in "Ivanov."

From Deadline:  The New Orleans musician, composer, arranger, and record producer, Dave Bartholomew, had died at the age of 100, Sunday, June 23, 2019.  Bartholomew is best known for his partnership with pianist and singer-songwriter, Fats Domino.  He co-wrote such Domino hits as "Ain't That a Shame" (1955) and "I'm Walkin'" (1957).  He also wrote the song "Blue Monday" (1954) that was first recorded by guitarist, Smiley Lewis, and then, became a hit for Domino in 1956.

From Deadline:  The bestselling author and journalist, Judith Krantz, has died at the age of 91, Saturday, June 22, 2019.  Although she had a long career in magazine journalism, Krantz is best known for her career as an author of bestselling novels, including her debut, "Scruples" (1978).  Many of her novels were adapted into television miniseries.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 16th to 22nd, 2018 - Update #25

Support Leroy on Patreon:

TELEVISION - From Variety:   NBC has cancelled two series currently in their second seasons, the supernatural drama, "Midnight, Texas" and the Marlon Wayans domestic comedy, "Marlon."

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Apparently, "Creed II" will be the first film from the "Rocky" franchise to appear in theaters in mainland China.

----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline:  A reboot of "Beverly Hill, 90210" with the original cast is being shopped to networks and streaming services and there is reportedly several interested parties.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From YahooEntertainment:  Jason Momoa on being a biracial "Aquaman": "It's an honor to be a brown-skinned superhero,"

----------
SPORTS - From NBA:  Los Angles Lakers wish us all "Happy Holidays."

From Steelers:  The Pittsburgh Steelers wish us all "Happy Holidays."

----------
DISNEY - From EW:  "Entertainment Weekly" has some "first look" images from Disney's upcoming live-action remake of its animated classic, "Aladdin."  The new film is due May 24, 2019.  These first looks include a photo of Will Smith as "Genie," a role the late Robin Williams voiced in the animated original.

From EW:  And actor Marwan Kenzari as "Jafar" is a sexy beast.

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  Idris Elba said that Neil Cross, the writer and creator of the British crime drama television series, "Luther," is planning a movie version of the series.  Elba has starred in Luther since its 2010 debut.

From Variety:  Bravo is planning a reboot of the Showtime series, "Queer as Folk" (2000-2005).

----------
TELEVISION-SCANDAL - From Variety:  The CBS board of directors has denied former chairman-CEO Leslie "Les" Moonves any of the $120 million severance package that he was due.  Moonves stepped down because of sexual harassment allegations made against him.

----------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  CBS is ending its long-running crime procedural/Sherlock Holmes pastiche, "Elementary," following its upcoming seventh season, which has not premiere date.  All 13 episodes of Season 7 have been shot.

----------
SCANDAL - From THR:  Former model Babi Christina Englehardt says that in she in 1976, she began a secret affair with Woody Allen.  She was 16 year old when it began, and he was 41.

----------
STREAMING-ANIMATED - From TheWrap:  Netflix has announced its voice cast for, "Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance," its animated prequel series to "The Dark Crystal."  The leads Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy and Nathalie Emmanuel.

----------
SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment: There is a new sexual harassment allegation against Oscar-winning actor, Geoffrey Rush.

----------
CULTURE - From YahooNews:  Merriam-Webster, publisher of "Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary," has announced "justice" as its "word of the year" 2018.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 12/14 to 12/16/2018 weekend box office is "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" with an estimated take of $35.4 million.  That is the largest opening for an animated film in the month of December.

From Deadline:  "Aquaman" still leads the international weekend box office with an estimated take of $126.4 million; for a total box office of $261.3 million.  The film opens in the U.S. this Friday, Dec. 21st.

From Deadline:  The [ridiculous-looking] Peter Jackson-produced film, "Mortal Engines," had a $7.5 million dollar opening.  At a budget of $110+ million, the film made loose $100 million dollars.

----------
From TIME:  The National Film Registry of the Library of Congress adds 25 films to the "National Film Registry."  Those include "Brokeback Mountain" (the most recent film on the list), "Eve's Bayou," Jurassic Park," Cinderella, and "Something Good - Negro Kiss" (from 1898, the oldest).

MOVIE TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  See the second teaser trailer for Disney's live-action "Aladdin."

From YouTube:  Here is the first official trailer for the "Hellboy" reboot film.  Film is due April 2019.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Audrey Geisel, the widow of Dr. Seuss, died at the age of 97, Wednesday, December 19, 2018.  Geisel oversaw the literary estate of Dr. Seuss.

From TheWrap:  Veteran actor Donald Moffat has died at the age of 87, Thursday, December 20, 2018.  A prolific film, television, and Broadway actor, Moffat portrayed President Lyndon Johnson in the film "The Right Stuff" and a corrupt American president in "Clear and Present Danger."  I best remember him as the station master in John Carpenter's "The Thing" (1982).  On stage, Moffat was also a Tony Award-nominated actor.

From Variety:  The actress and groundbreaking film director and producer, Penny Marshall, has died at the age of 75, Monday, December 17, 2018.  Marshall came to fame, starring in the ABC sitcom, "Laverne & Shirley" (1976 to 1983), alongside actress, Cindy Williams.  Marshall went on to become a successful director, becoming the first woman to direct a film that grossed over $100 million ("Big" in 1988).  She was also the second woman to direct a film that received an Oscar nomination for "Best Picture" (1990s "Awakenings").

From THR:  The actor, director, producer, screenwriter, and playwright, Peter Masterson, has died at the age of 84, Wednesday, December 19, 2018.  With Larry L. King, Masterson wrote the book for the Broadway play, "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas" (1978), and King and Masterson (with Colin Higgins) wrote the screenplay for the 1982 film adaptation.  Masterson also directed the 1985 film, "The Trip to Bountiful," for which Geraldine Page won a best actress Oscar.  The film was written by Masterson's cousin, the late Horton Foote.  Masterson and his wife, Carlin Glynn, had four children, including actress Mary Stuart Masterson.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 14th to 20th, 2018 - Update #23

Support Leroy on Patreon:

SPORTS - From Deadline:  NFL owners would like Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos to purchase the Seattle Seahawks.

----------
AWARDS - From Variety:  2018 Gotham Awards nominations announced.  Based in New York City, the Gotham Awards honor independent films and also television.

---------
COMICS-STREAMING - From Variety:  Netflix has cancelled Marvel's "Luke Cage" a few months after its second season debut.

----------
MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Jamie Lee Curtis calls the 1998 reboot film, "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later," a paycheck film, but says that she still loves it.

----------
CELEBRITY-SPORTS - From YahooCelebrity:  Amy Schumer vows not to film in commercials for Super Bowl 53 (Feb. 3rd, 2019) in support of the "take a knee" protests among NFL players.  Schumer wonders why more white players are not taking a kneeling.

From Vulture:  Grammy-winning singer and actress Rihanna said that she turned down the Super Bowl LIII halftime show in support of Colin Kaepernick and his "National Anthem" protests of "taking a knee" during the playing of the Anthem.

----------
MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Liam Hemsworth and Vince Vaughn join "Arkansas," the directorial debut of Clark Duke, the former child actor ("Hot Tub Time Machine").

---------
TELEVISION - From WashPost:  How Julia Louis-Dreyfus quietly became the most successful sitcom star ever

----------
MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Chris Hemsworth has finished filming his part in the "Men in Black" reboot/sequel.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Michael B. Jordan will star in and produce the assassin story, "The Silver Bear," for Lionsgate.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Idris Elba joins Taylor Swift in the film adaptation of the classic Broadway musical, "Cats."

----------
MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Robert Englund says he fought for Freddie Krueger to wear a fedora.

----------
MOVIES - From TheVerge:  An article about Gareth Evan's ("The Raid") latest film, the Netflix drama-thriller, "Apostle," and it how it extends the legacy of Robin Hardy's "The Wicker Man."

----------
ANIMATION - From SlashFilm:  New "Tom & Jerry," "The Flintstones," and "Scooby-Doo" films are in the works.  Some will be animated; some will be live-action/animation hybrids.

----------
BOX OFFICE - BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 10/12 to 10/14/2018 weekend box office is "Venom" with an estimated take of $35.7 million.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From Thrillist:  How Venom's crazy tongue comes to life in "Venom."

----------
MOVIES-POLITICS - From Truthout:  Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 11/9” Shows Democrats' Complicity in Electing Trump

----------
CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  Bryan Singer slams an upcoming "Esquire" magazine profile of him is a rehash of false accusations about him.

----------
COMICS-TV - From TheWrap:  Jack Bannon will star as "Alfred Pennyworth" in "Pennyworth," a 10-episode Batman prequel TV series to premier on Epix.

----------
MUSIC-POLITICS - From TheRoot:  The estate of the late music legend, Prince, asks President Trump to stop playing Prince's song, "Purple Rain," at his political rallies.

----------
RELIGION - From YahooNews:  Pope Francis has canonzied Oscar Romero, the late archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador.  On March 24, 1980, Archbishop Romero was murdered by a right-wing assassination while performing Mass in the chapel of the Hospital of Divine Providence.  Pope Francis also canonized Pope Paul VI (1963 to 1978).

OBITS:

From ESPN:  NFL Hall of Famer (Class of 1976), Jim Taylor, died Saturday, October 13, 2018 at the age of 83.  Taylor played for the Green Bay Packers from 1958 to 1966.  He was the NFL MVP in 1962, and was on the Packers 1961, 1962, and 1965 NFL Championship teams, as well as being a member of the team that won Super Bowl I.  A native of Louisiana, he played football at Louisiana State University (LSU).

From CNN:  Billionaire Paul Allen has died at the age of 65, Monday, October 15, 2018.  Allen was the co-founder of Microsoft.  He also owned two professional sports franchises, the NBA's Portland Trailblazers and the NFL's Seattle Seahawks.

From YahooHuffPost:  Brothel owner and celebrity pimp, Dennis Hof, has died at the age of 72, Tuesday, October 16, 2018.  Porn movie acting legend, Ron Jeremy, reportedly found Hof's body.  At one time, Hof owned as many as four brothels, including the "Moonlite BunnyRanch" in Nevada.  He had an HBO series, "Cathouse" (2002 to 2014) and a bestselling autobiography.  Hof was running for Nevada state office.

Review: "Avengers: Infinity War" is the Marvel Movie Maximized

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 6 (of 2018) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)
Running time:  149 minutes (2 hours, 29 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, language and some crude references
DIRECTORS:  Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
WRITERS:  Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (based upon the comic book created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby)
PRODUCER: Kevin Feige
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Trent Opaloch
EDITORS:  Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt
COMPOSER:  Alan Silvestri

SUPERHERO/ACTION/DRAMA/FANTASY/SCI-FI

Starring:  Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Josh Brolin, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillan, Tom Hiddleston, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Idris Elba, Danai Gurira, Dave Bautista, Benecio del Toro, Stan Lee, Bradley Cooper (voice), Vin Diesel (voice), Kerry Condon (voice), and Letitia Wright ( with Samuel L. Jackson and Cobie Smulders)

Avengers: Infinity War is a 2018 superhero movie directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and produced by Marvel Studios. The film is based on the Avengers comic book created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.  This is also the 19th film in Marvel Studios' “Marvel Cinematic Universe.”  Avengers: Infinity War finds “Earth's Mightest Heroes” and their allies attempting to defeat the powerful Thanos before he puts an end to the universe.

Avengers: Infinity War opens after the destruction of Asgard, the home of the Avenger, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), who is also the King of Asgard.  Thor is powerless to stop the destroyer of his home, Thanos (Josh Brolin), an intergalactic despot from the planet, Titan

Thanos is on a quest to collect all of six Infinity Stones and attach them to a gauntlet (glove) on his left hand.  When he has all six of the stones, he can use their combined power to impose his will on all of reality, and Thanos plans on “re-balancing” the universe by killing half the beings in the universe.  Thanos now has the “Space Stone” and the “Power Stone.”

Thanos sends his forces to Earth to find the “Time Stone,” which is in the possession of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and the “Mind Stone,” which is connected to the Avenger known as “The Vision” (Paul Bettany).  Thanos travels through space to collect the other two stones, the “Reality Stone,” which is in the possession of The Collector (Benecio del Toro) and the “Soul Stone,” the whereabouts of which is known by someone close to Thanos.

In space, Thor finds allies in The Guardians of the Galaxy: Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Drax (Dave Bautista), Teen Groot (voice of Vin Diesel), and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) to battle Thanos.  They are joined by Gamora's sister, Nebula (Karen Gillan), and a small band of heroes from Earth:  Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Doctor Strange, but are they enough to stop Thanos who becomes more powerful with each stone he is able to obtain?

On Earth, Captain America (Chris Evans), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) fight the forces of Thanos to protect The Vision's “Mind Stone.”  It is a battle that will take them deep into Africa to the mysterious country of Wakanda.  There, that nation's king, Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and his countrymen will join the Avengers in a battle that will bring a mad Titan to Earth.

I love Avengers: Infinity War, and there is so much to love.  I find myself describing it as “Awesome!”  That is a word I do not use very often; in fact, I don't like it.  However, I saw Avengers: Infinity War, and it made me wanna holler, and I hollered “Awesome!”

I think the element that makes this film so good is that directors, the Russo Bros., and the screenwriters, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, make Thanos a well-rounded character, one of pathos and depth that makes him more than a cartoonish intergalactic despot and world-beater slash world-destroyer.  I think the directors and writers succeed in making Thanos matter because they give him more than motivation; they give him something to lose.  Josh Brolin, an underrated actor, performs Thanos via motion-capture because Thanos is a computer-generated character, but Brolin turns Thanos into a fully realized character makes the computer-rendering used to create him easy to ignore.

Another surprise is Spider-Man and the rising star playing him, Tom Holland.  To me, the best version of Spider-Man is the high school version of him and the boy who wears the Spider-Man mask, Peter Parker.  Holland conveys such freshness and youth; even when he is performing Spider-Man as a voice actor, when the character is computer-generated, the newness comes through.  Like Brolin does with Thanos, Holland makes Spider-Man a fully-realized character, but in this case, Holland creates a lovable, endearing character that might be the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

For me, Avengers: Infinity War is the best Marvel Studios movie after Black Panther.  This movie is brand maximization, of course, the height of what Marvel Studios offers movie audiences, and that is just fine.  The Infinity War filmmakers worked hard, as have previous Marvel filmmakers, to deliver hugely entertaining films.  Besides, Infinity War is its own thing, without having to serve the stories of previous Marvel Studios films.  For movie audience who have come to expect the very best out of Marvel, I can simply say that Avengers: Infinity War is the very best of Marvel Studios.

9 of 10
A+

Sunday, April 29, 2018


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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