Sigourney Weaver Narrates NatGeo Series, "Secrets of the Whales," Beginning April 22nd

National Geographic Taps Multi-Award-Winning Sigourney Weaver as Narrator for SECRETS OF THE WHALES, an Awe-Inspiring Look at the Mysterious and Beautiful World of Whales

Academy Award-Winning Filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer-At-Large James Cameron to Serve as Executive Producer

Latest Work of National Geographic Explorer and Photographer Brian Skerry to be Featured in National Geographic Magazine and Book Timed to the Special

Epic Four-Part Series Will Be Marquee Event Premiere of National Geographic’s 2021 Earth Day Celebration

WASHINGTON, D.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--National Geographic announced that Golden Globe and BAFTA Award-winning actress Sigourney Weaver (“Alien,” “Avatar,” “Gorillas in the Mist”) will narrate its global television event, SECRETS OF THE WHALES, which chronicles the whale way of life and their challenges and triumphs in an ever-changing ocean. Additionally, the network announced that renowned filmmaker and National Geographic Explorer-at-Large James Cameron will serve as executive producer. SECRETS OF THE WHALES will premiere globally on Earth Day 2021 in 172 countries and 43 languages.

    “I’m proud to work with my longtime partner, National Geographic, in showing incredible new insights into the inner world of whales, their emotion and culture. These majestic, mysterious animals continue to surprise us.”

The four-part event series is the work of acclaimed National Geographic Explorer and Photographer Brian Skerry, as he helps tell the story of a species he’s been documenting for decades. Filmed across three years in 24 locations, it’s a profoundly personal saga, venturing deep into the world of whales to reveal life and love from their perspective. Skerry’s latest work will also be featured in National Geographic magazine and the National Geographic book “Secrets of the Whales” timed to the special.

In SECRETS OF THE WHALES, Weaver guides viewers on a journey to the heart of whale culture to experience the extraordinary communication skills and intricate social structures of five different whale species. With the help of new science and technology, viewers witness whales making lifelong friendships, teaching clan heritage and traditions to their young and grieving deeply for the loss of loved ones.

“National Geographic has long been deepening our connection to the world around us, and I’m honored to team up with them to narrate this stunning series,” says Weaver. “Viewers get up close and personal and experience the extraordinary emotion, grace and power of these magnificent creatures. They get to know them intimately in order to ultimately realize just how like them we truly are.”

“SECRETS OF THE WHALES has all the elements I love — new tech used for scientific inquiry, wrapped in great storytelling that visually excites and emotionally resonates,” says Cameron. “I’m proud to work with my longtime partner, National Geographic, in showing incredible new insights into the inner world of whales, their emotion and culture. These majestic, mysterious animals continue to surprise us.”

“Capturing these whales on film has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my entire life, and I’m thrilled to bring the complexity and beauty of these creatures right to viewers’ living rooms,” says Skerry. “It is my hope that in venturing into their world, viewers recognize themselves in these animals’ joy, pain, love and relationships and are as inspired by them as I am.”

One of the world’s top ocean photographers, Skerry has spent more than 10,000 hours underwater, documenting uncharted territory and elucidating environmental issues, often leading to policy change. Skerry’s work expands upon National Geographic’s legacy of exploration and dedication to conservation and protecting the animal species that inhabit our planet as they grapple with an ecosystem under threat. On April 22, the company celebrates our wonderful world across its portfolio, raising awareness of the immense challenges facing Earth and inspiring stewardship for generations to come.

SECRETS OF THE WHALES is produced for National Geographic by Red Rock Films. For Red Rock Films, Brian Armstrong and Shannon Malone-DeBenedictis are executive producers. For Earthship, James Cameron and Maria Wilhelm are executive producers and Kim Butts is associate producer. For National Geographic, Pamela Caragol is executive producer and Geoff Daniels is executive vice president of global unscripted entertainment for National Geographic Global Networks.

About National Geographic Partners:
National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between the National Geographic Society and Disney, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 132 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,YouTube, LinkedIn and Pinterest.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 20th to 30th, 2020 - Update #39

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

TELEVISION - From Variety:  NBC has set the cast for Dwayne Johnson's comedy about his younger years, "Young Rock."  Adrian Groulx will play 10-year-old Dwayne.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Netflix has published the first stills of Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher and newcomer Emma Corrin as Princess Diana in Season 4 of The Crown.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Dozens of organizations are appealing to the Congress of the United States to help save the movie theater business.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Oscar-winning director, Barry Levinson ("Rain Man"), has a new film, "Francis and the Godfather," about the making of the legendary, Oscar-winning film, "The Godfather."  Oscar Isaac will play the film's director, Franics Ford Coppola, and Jake Gyllenhaal will play the film's producer, Robert Evans.

COVID-19 - From Deadline:   Emmy-winning actor Jim Parsons ("The Big Bang Theory") has revealed that both he and his husband, Todd Spiewak, was diagnosed with COVID-19 back in March.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Amazon has bought Sacha Baron Cohen's sequel to his 2006 film, "Borat."  It will debut on Amazon in late October 2020.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney will produce a sequel to it hit, live-action version of "The Lion King."  Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins will direct the sequel.

AVATAR - From Deadline:   Director James Cameron says that his "Avatar 2" is 100 percent complete and that "Avatar 3" is 95 percent finished.

CHADWICK BOSEMAN - From Deadline:   Sienna Miller has said that the late actor Chadwick Boseman ("Black Panther") raised her salary on their film, "21 Bridges," by giving up part of his.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  A Netflix price hike is "probable."

MOVIES - From THR:   Director M. Night Shyamalan reveals the title ("Old") and artwork for his new film.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   The winner of the 9/25 to 9/27/2020 weekend box office is "Tenet" with an estimated take of $3.4 million.

MUSIC - From YahooLife:   Sign O' The Times: how Prince created a masterpiece – and ruined his career

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Apple has apparently bought directors Joe and Anthony Russo's film, "Cherry," starring Tom Holland ("Spider-Man: Homeing") and Ciara Bravo.

POLITICS - From YahooEntertainment:   Dwayne Johnson, a political independent who has voted for both Democratic and Republican candidates, has made his first ever presidential endorsement, choosing the Democratic presidential tickets of Joe Bidden and Kamala Harris.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:   YouTube star Arif Zahir will replace Mike Henry as the voice of "Cleveland Brown" on Fox's long-running animated series, "Family Guy."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Ice Cube to star in an untitled science fiction film for director Rich Lee with Timur Bekmambetov and Patrick Aiello producing.

MOVIES - From CBR:  Well, bless his heart - is what you're going to say after reading this "analysis" of the great film director, the late Stanley Kubrick.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Disney moves Marvel Studios' "Black Widow" release date to May 2021, a full year after its original release date, the latest in release date changes due to the COVID-19 shutdown of movie theaters.  However, Disney holds Pixar's "Soul" to its original release date (Nov. 20th, 2020) and also decides not to move it to Disney+ for streaming.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Bradley Cooper has chosen Oscar-nominated actress, Carey Mulligan, to play Leonard Bernstein's wife, Felicia, in his Netflix film about Leonard, "Maestro."

LGBTQ - From MensHealth:   16 bisexual movies you need to see.

FILM FESTIVALS - From blogTO:  The blog lists its 10 best films at this year's "Toronto International Film Festival."

STREAMING - From EW:  "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance" won recently won an Emmy ("Outstanding Children's Program"), but Netflix has cancelled it after one season.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  The winner of the 9/18 to 9/20/20 weekend box office is "Tenet" with an estimated take of 4.7 million dollars. 

From CNBC:  Movie theater stocks tank after another disappointing box office weekend.

EMMYS - From Deadline:  If you care, this article has a full list of winners at the 2020 / 72nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

From EW:  If you care, this article has a full list of winner at the 2020 / 72nd Annual Creative Arts Emmy Awards. 

From YahooEntertainment:  Last night's Emmy winters delivered impassioned pleas for social reform and for voting.

From Billboard:  Records were set at the 2020 Primetime Emmy Awards, including Zendaya, at 24, being the youngest actress to win "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" (for HBO's "Euphoria") and "Schitt's Creek" being the first comedy series to sweep all seven major awards in the comedy category.

From Deadline:  Actor Ron Cephas Jones and his daughter, Jasmine Cephas Jones, become the first father and daughter to win an Emmy the same year.  Ron won for "Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series" (This is Us"), and Jasmine won for "Best Actress in a Short From Comedy or Drama" (for Quibi's "#FreeRayshawn").

From YahooEntertainment:  Every year, there is controversy during the Emmy's "In memoriam" segment.

OBITS:  

From ESPN:  Hall of Fame NFL offensive player, Gale Sayers, has died at the age of 77, Wednesday, September 23, 2020.  A halfback, Sayers was known as the "Kansas Comet," and played seven seasons for the Chicago Bears.  Sayers is also famous for his friendship with his cancer-stricken teammate, Brian Piccolo (who died in 1970), and Sayers' biography was the basis for the beloved 1971 TV Emmy Award-winning movie, "Brian's Song."

From WashPost:   Brian Piccolo's eldest daughter, Lori Piccolo, remembers Gale Sayers and his relationship with her late father.

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

From THR:   Astrologer and dancer, Jackie Stallone, has died at the age of Monday, September 21, 2020.  Stallone was also the mother Hollywood superstar, Sylvester Stallone, and singer-actor, Frank Stallone, and the late actress, Toni D'Alto.

From YahooSports:   Hall of Fame NFL defensive player, Larry Wilson, has died at the age of 82, Thursday, September 17, 2020.  Playing at the position of "safety," Wilson played all 13 of his NFL seasons (1960-72) with the St. Louis Cardinals (now Arizona Cardinals).  He was the 1966 "NFL Defensive Player of the Year."  He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978.

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:  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.

7/30 - 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 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.

8/9 - From YahooNews:  The rest of the world is incredulous at the pitiful U.S. response to COVID-19.

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.

9/28 - From Deadline:  John Hopkins University's coronavirus tracker reports that over 1 million people have died of COVID-19 worldwide.

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 9th to 15th, 2020 - Update #24

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:

ANIMATION - From THR:  The Oregon-based animation studio, Laika, has laid off 56 employees due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the studio says they will be rehired at a future date.  The studios has produced several Oscar-nominated animated films, including "Coraline," "ParaNorman," and "The Missing Link."

MOVIES - From Variety:  Comedian Tig Notaro will replace actor-comedian Chris D'Elia in Zack Snyder's zombie movie, "Army of the Dead."  D'Elia has been recently accused of sexually harassing underage girls.  "Army of the Dead," which has been called a "spiritual sequel" to Snyder 2004 film, "Dawn of the Dead," will undergo reshoots to add Notaro into the film.

ANIMATION-POLITICS - From Deadline:  "The Simpsons'" Marge Simpson hits back at a White House aide who compared Democratic Vice-Presidential pick, Kamala Harris' voice to hers.

TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  The pop culture network, G4, is apparently making a return, and former G4 host, actress Olivia Munn, is reportedly returning as part of the relaunch deal.

AVATAR - From YahooEntertainment:  "Avatar 2," James Cameron's sequel to his mega-hit, "Avatar," will make use of practical set in addition to a massive use of CGI and motion-capture.

STREAMING - From BleedingCool:  Horror label, Blumhouse Productions, is teaming up with Amazon Original Movies to produce eight thematically connected films.  The first four debut in October 2021, with the remaining four coming in 2021.  There are synopses for the first four films.

TELEVISION - From THR:  Seth MacFarlane of "Family Guy" is producing a new TV adaptation of author Herman Wouk's novels "The Winds of War" (1971) and "War and Remembrance" (1978) for Universal Consent Productions.  Both books were previously produced as TV miniseries for ABC.  At the time of its release in 1983, "The Winds of War" was the most watched miniseries of all time.  "War and Remembrance" the miniseries ran from November 1988 to May 1989.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:   Oscar-winnner Octavia Butler talks about being paid what she's worth for film and TV roles.

POLITICS - From BET:   Former Vice President Joe Biden, the 2020 presumptive Democratic nominee for President of the United States, has chosen California Senator Kamala Harris as his running mate. The formal nomination will take place during the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention next week. 

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  "SpongeBob SquarePants" is getting a spin-off.  It's the animated TV series, "The Patrick Star Show," and it will feature Patrick hosting his own late-night talk show.  Voice recording on the series has reportedly started.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Martin Scorsese has signed a first-look deal with Apple.  The Oscar-winning director will base his production banner, Sikelia Productions, at Apple for film and TV series developments.

JAMES BOND - From YahooEntertainment:  Sean Connery voted best James Bond by a fan vote.  [I choose Roger Moore - Leroy.]

MUSIC - From YahooToday:  Twin brothers, Tim and Fred Williams, have gone viral on YouTube with their reaction to Grammy-winning recording artist, Phil Collins' iconic drum fill on his 1981 hit, "In the Air Tonight."

WARNER MEDIA - From Deadline:  Now, the layoffs at WarnerMedia begin in a bid to streamline the company.

From Deadline:  WarnerMedia has undergone some big changes at the very top of the company with a chairman and two executives leaving.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Garth Davis, who directed the 2016 Oscar-nominated drama, "Lion," will direct Jared Leto is Disney's planned third "Tron" film.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Actor Ben Affleck's next effort at directing film will be "The Big Goodbye."  The film will tell the behind-the-scenes story of the making of one of Hollywood's greatest films, "Chinatown" (1974).

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  The top film for the 8/7 to 8/9/2020 weekend box office is "Tax Collector" (starring Shia LeBeouf) with an estimated take of $317,000.  The movie exhibition marketplace is still being stricken by COVID-19.

ANIMATION - From LATimes:  Black animators demanded change in Hollywood for years.  Now, in the wake of George Floyd's death, they have Hollywood's attention.

DISNEY - From EW:  The documentary film, "Howard," takes a look at the life and work of playwright and lyricist, Howard Ashman, who wrote the lyrics to Alan Menken's music for Disney's animated films, "The Little Mermaid" and "Beauty and the Beast."

OBITS:

From THR:  One of America's all-time great media moguls, Sumner Redstone, has died at the age of 97, Tuesday, August 11, 2020.  He is best known for bringing Viacom, Paramount Pictures, and CBS together to form one media giant.  When CBS and Viacom split, Redstone remained chairman of both companies, although each had its own CEO.

From Deadline:  The actor and singer, Trini Lopez, has died at the age of 83, Tuesday, August 11, 2020 of complications of COVID-19.  His hit songs include the 1963 version of the song, "If I Had a Hammer," and the 1965 version of "Lemon Tree."  His best known role was as one of the "Dirty Dozen" (Pedro Jimenez), in the 1967 film, "The Dirty Dozen."

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.

8/9 - From YahooNews:  The rest of the world is incredulous at the pitiful U.S. response to COVID-19.

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.

BLACK LIVES MATTER:

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

From Billboard:  In an interview will the venerable music publication, legendary country music singer-songwriter and actress, Dolly Parton, expresses support for the "Black Lives Matter" movement.

Review: "Terminator: Dark Fate" Tries... Lawd, It Tries

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 3 (of 2020) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
Running time:  128 minutes (2 hours, 8 minutes)
MPAA – R for violence throughout, language and brief nudity
DIRECTOR:  Tim Miller
WRITERS:  David S. Goyer, Justin Rhodes, and Billy Ray; from a story by James Cameron, Charles H. Eglee, Josh Friedman, David S. Goyer, and Justin Rhodes (based upon characters created by James Cameron and Gale Anne Hurd)
PRODUCERS:  James Cameron and David Ellison
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Ken Seng
EDITOR:  Julian Clarke
COMPOSER:  Junkie XL

SCI-FI/ACTION/THRILLER

Starring:  Linda Hamilton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, Gabriel Luna, Diego Boneta, and Fraser James

Terminator: Dark Fate is a 2019 science fiction and action-thriller from director Tim Miller.  The film is the sixth in the Terminator film franchise, but Terminator: Dark Fate is a direct sequel to the original film, The Terminator (1984) and its sequel, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), both of which were directed by James Cameron, who is a co-writer and co-producer on this new film.  In Dark Fate, a soldier from the future arrives in the present day to protect a young woman marked for termination by another kind of soldier from the future.

Terminator: Dark Fate opens in 1998 when events that began fourteen years earlier come to a close... of sorts.  The story moves forward to the year 2020 when two fighters from the future (the year 2042) arrive separately in Mexico City.  One is Grace (Mackenzie Davis), a cybernetically-enhanced human soldier.  The other is an advanced Terminator model, the Rev-9, (Gabriel Luna), sent by “Legion,” an A.I. (artificial intelligence) built for cyber-warfare that threatens the existence of humanity in the future.

Their target is a young Mexican woman, Daniella “Dani” Ramos (Natalia Reyes); Grace wants to protect her, and the Rev-9 wants to kill her.  Grace is able to temporarily fend off the Rev-9 in order to protect Dani, but she cannot defeat the Terminator.  To do that, Grace and Dani will need the help of a mysterious woman named Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) and an old T-800 Terminator that calls itself “Carl” (Arnold Schwarzenegger), and even they may not be enough help.

Ten years ago, Warner Bros. attempted to reboot the Terminator film franchise with the film, Terminator: Salvation (2009).  I really liked that film and thought that it had saved the franchise, which seemed rudderless in the wake of the entertaining, but superfluous Terminator: Rise of the Machines (2003).

Ten years later, we get Terminator: Dark Fate, and I think this entertaining sequel, reboot, re-imagining can revive the Terminator franchise, as far as the larger narrative is concerned.  Can Dark Fate save the franchise financially and in terms of popularity?  Outside of a few studios (Marvel, Pixar, Lucasfilm) and one genre, superhero films, predicting box office success of big-budget, “tent-pole,” event films, is a crap-shoot.

That aside, I really like Terminator: Dark Fate.  Most of the film is a series of impossible-looking action sequences.  The fate of Dark Fate is in the hands of sound editors, sound mixers, CGI artists, and film editors.  Dark Fate is an extended thrill ride, a giant thrill machine, a breathtaking race, a heart-stopping chase, etc.  The airplane duel and the entire waterfall/hydro-power battle are jaw-dropping sequences.  Dark Fate gives its audience second, thirds, and fourth servings when it comes action and thrills.

However, in terms of drama and character, Terminator: Dark Fate is skimpy.  Most of the characterization and personalities are copied or are leftovers from James Cameron and Terminator co-creator Gale Anne Hurd's work on the first two films.  Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor is good here, but she could have been better.  Dark Fate's story material is so underdeveloped that Hamilton seems forced to overact.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the rest of the cast does its best being really intense.  I must note, however, that Gabriel Luna does a wonderful job being creepy, chilling, and cold-freaking-blooded as the Rev-9 Terminator.  If this film has an actor having a star turn, it's Luna.

My quibbles aside, I think Terminator: Dark Fate points to an interesting and intriguing new direction for the Terminator films.  I found myself enjoying it so thoroughly, it wasn't until I started writing this review that I even gave a thought to the character and drama writing.  Let's be honest, what you feel immediately while watching a movie is what really counts in terms of entertainment value.  And Terminator: Dark Fate is the real fucking deal when it comes to action movies.

A-
7.5 of 10

Saturday, November 2, 2019


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

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 25th to 31st, 2019 - Update #26

Support Leroy on Patreon:

POLITICS - From TheIntercept:  The Best Movie Ever Made About the Truth Behind the Iraq War Is “Official Secrets” says "The Intercept."

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BOX OFFICE - From YahooEntertainment:  Yahoo takes a look at the Summer 2019 box office winners and losers.

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POLITICS - From RSN:  "The Only Way to Take Our Country Back Is One Person at a Time" by Jane Fonda.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Dennis Quaid and Madalen Mills joins Queen Latifah in the film adaptation of the children's book, "The Tiger Rising."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  James Cameron talks about returning to "Terminator," the franchise he created in the new film, "Terminator: Dark Fate."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Anthony Michael Hall will appear in the 2020 film, "Halloween Kills."  He will portray "Tommy Doyle," who was one of the two children Laurie Strode (played by Jamie Lee Curtis) was babysitting in the original "Halloween."

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CELEBRITY/SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment:  Apparently, the late and legendary actor, Marlon Brando, one confronted his close friend, Michael Jackson, about child sexual abuse allegations against Jackson.  Now, a podcast is claiming that it has obtained audio of an interview that Brando allegedly gave to the Los Angeles District Attorney Office about those allegations.

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Oscar-nominated actress Naomi Harris ("Moonlight") star in the miniseries, "The Third Day," for HBO-Sky.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey is now a "professor practice" in the Department of Radio-Television-Film at the University of Texas, Austin.

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  An employee at Old Navy’s Philadelphia store accused the company of purposefully sidelining people of color during a taping of Netflix’s “Queer Eye,” saying white employees were bused in from other stores for the day of the shoot.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Himesh Patel ("Yesterday") has joined Chris Nolan's much-anticipated 2020 film, "Tenet."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  In Europe, film festivals are screening films from directors beset by #MeToo problems like Roman Polanski and Nate Parker.  In the U.S. and Canada, festivals have steered clear of those directors.

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STREAMING - From Deadline:  Netflix will release Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman" to theaters November 1, 2019 and will begin streaming it November 27th.

From Deadline:  Netflix has announced both the theatrical and streaming release dates for its award-contending Fall films, including "Dolemite is My Name" and "Marriage Story."

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Viola Davis will portray First Lady Michelle Obama in a one-hour drama, "First Ladies," that Showtime has on fast-track development.  Davis will also be one of the executive producers on the project.

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AWARDS - From Indiewire:  If you care, this link is to a list of the winners at last night's 2019 MTV Video Music Awards (the VMA's).  The night's top award, "Video of the Year," went to Taylor Swift for "You Need to Calm Down."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 8/23 to 8/25/2019 weekend box office is "Angel Has Fallen" with an estimated take of 21.25 million dollars.

From Variety:  In international box office news, "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" has a 102 million dollar debut in China.

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DISNEY - From Indiewire:  Using information gleaned at the D23 Expo, the writer of this article talks about 9 potential monster hit films upcoming from Disney.

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MOVIES - From Indiewire:  John Carpenter doesn't expect the "Halloween" franchise to end anytime soon.  “As long as there’s money in this, I wouldn’t count on an ending,” [Hell, I expect at least one more reboot of the series in the next decade. - Leroy]

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PIXAR - From Variety:  At D23 Expo, Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey were announced as the leads in the upcoming Pixar animated film, "Soul."  The film is set for June 19, 2020.

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DISNEY - From BlackFilm:  Janelle Monae is creating new music for Disney's live-action remake of "Lady and the Tramp."

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STREAMING - From Variety:  There is news on the "Breaking Bad" movie based on the AMC TV series.  it will be released on Netflix October 11, 2019.  It will be titled "El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie."  It was star multiple Emmy winner Aaron Paul.

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DISNEY - From From YahooHufffPost:  Here is a first look at Oscar-winner Emma Stone as Cruella de Vil in the film, "Cruella," which will not debut until May 28, 2021.

OBITS:

From THR:  The actress Valerie Harper has died at the age of 80, Friday, August 30, 2019.  Harper is best known for playing the character, Rhoda Morgenstern, for which she won four Emmys.  She first played the character on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" for 92 episodes from 1970 to 1977, and she played the character in a spinoff series, "Rhoda," from 1974 to 1978.

From Deadline:  Television writer, Gordon Bressack, has died at the age of 68, Friday, August 30, 2019.  Bressack was best known for his work as a writer for animated television series.  He won three Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on "Animaniacs," "Pinky and the Brain," and "Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain."  Bressack was also a playwright.

From Variety:  Film magazine writer and documentary filmmaker, Andrew Horn, died at the age of 66, Saturday, August 24, 2019.  He wrote for "Variety," among other publications, and his documentary films includes one on 1980s rock band, Twisted Sister, entitled "We are Twisted F--cking Sister."

"Avengers: Endgame" Sinks "Titanic" at Global Box Office

"Avengers: Endgame" is the No. 1 Global Release of All Time

In its 13th weekend of release, Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame will overtake the global box office record that has been held by Avatar for the past 10 years.

“A huge congratulations to the Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios teams, and thank you to the fans around the world who lifted Avengers: Endgame to these historic heights,” said Alan Horn, Co-Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of The Walt Disney Studios, of the historic achievement. “Of course, even with the passage of a decade, the impact of James Cameron’s Avatar remains as powerful as ever, and the astonishing achievements of both of these films are ongoing proof of the power of movies to move people and bring them together in a shared experience. The talented filmmakers behind these worlds have much more in store, and we look forward to the future of both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Pandora.”

Avengers: Endgame shattered records when it opened day-and-date April 26, 2019 with $1.2236 billion globally, including $357.1 million and $866.5 million internationally. It crossed the $1 billion mark in just five days and the $2 billion mark in 11.

To date it is the No. 2 domestic and international release of all time, with $853.4 million and $1.9358 billion, respectively. It’s the No. 1 release of all time in 25 territories, and the No. 3 highest grossing film of all time in China with $629 million.

Avatar, released in 2009, has grossed a total of $2.7897 billion.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 1st to 8th, 2019 - Update #23

Support Leroy on Patreon:

COMICS - From Newsarama:  Apparently (X-Men:) "Dark Phoenix" was being rewritten daily during its production.

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MOVIES - From MovieWeb:  Sigourney Weaver says that she will appear in Jason Reitman's upcoming "Ghostbusters 3" film.

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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" apparently does not have a post-credits scene.  When the credits role, the movie is over.

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MOVIES - From Collider:  Producer Jason Blum and actress Jamie Lee Curtis tease a sequel to last year's hit, "Halloween" (2018).

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  NBC is developing a TV series based on Dan Brown's novel, "The Last Symbol."  Entitled "Langdon," the series will focus on Robert Langdon, the character best known as the lead in Brown's worldwide bestselling novel, "The Da Vinci Code."

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MOVIES - From THR:  Brigette Lundy-Paine and Samara Weaving will play the onscreen children of Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, respectively.

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TERMINATOR - From CBR:  James Cameron said that he would return to the "Terminator" franchise (for "Terminator: Dark Fate") on one condition.  Arnold Schwarzenegger had to also return.

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BLM/STREAMING - From YahooNews:  Regarding the Central Park Five and Netflix's "When They See Us," former prosecutor Linda Fairstein is discovering that God don't sleep.

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SPORTS - From NFL:  NFL announces new social grants recipients.

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TELEVISION - From YahooEntertainment:  Mindy Kaling says she was a diversity hire at "The Office."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Woody Allen will begin shooting his 51st film this summer in Spain.  Amazson shelved Allen's last film, "A Rainy Day in New York," and ended its deal with im.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  There was word that writers for Fox's TV series, "Empire," were working on ideas to bring disgraced actor, Jussie Smollett, back to the series.  However, series co-creator Lee Daniels says Smollett will not return.

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SCIENCE - From ScienceMag:  What cats do with their time.

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STREAMING -  From Deadline: Joe and Anthony Russo ("Avengers: Infinity War" and "Endgame") will executive produce an animated series based on the tabletop trading card game, "Magic: The Gathering" for Netflix.

From ShadowsandAct:  Octavia Spencer credits NBA superstar LeBron James with making sure she got paid right for her Netflix limited series about Madam C.J. Walker.

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OSCARS - From Deadline:  Actor Wes Studi and directors David Lynch and Lina Wertmuller will receive Honorary Oscars and actress Geena Davis (The Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award).  They are the winners of the 11th Annual Governors Awards as voted by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Board of Governors.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:   Barry Jenkins ("Moonlight") is in talks to direct a biopic about Alvin Ailey, one of the most important and influential choreographers of the 20th century.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 5/31 to 6/2/2019 weekend box office is "Godzilla: King of the Monsters" with an estimated take of 49 million dollars.

From Deadline:  "Godzilla: King of Monsters" trending lower than expected, here and abroad.

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ANIMATION - From THR:  Japan's Studio Ghibli ("Princess Mononoke," "My Neighbor Totoro") announces plans to open in theme park in 2022.

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TECH - From TechRader:  5G and film: how will the tech change how we consume movies?

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MOVIES - From WMagazine:  Summer Movies: An Official Guide to the Non-Blockbusters, From Plus One to Ready or Not

OBITS:

From Deadline:  New Orleans singer, songwriter, and pianist, Dr. John, has died at the age of 71, Thursday, June 6, 2019.  A six-time Grammy Award winner, Dr. John was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2011.  His best known single was the 1973 hit, "Right Place, Wrong Time."

From NOLA:  Celebrated chef and civil rights activist, Leah Chase, has died at the age of 96, Saturday, June 1, 2019.  Known as the queen or matriarch of New Orleans Creole cuisine, Chase career spanned seven decades, she fed everyone from ordinary people to the famous, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and James Baldwin.

From RollingStone:  Former Harlem drug kingpin, Frank Lucas, has died at the age of 88, Thursday, May 30, 2019.  Lucas was immortalized in Ridley Scott's 2007 crime film, "American Gangster," with Denzel Washington playing Lucas.  Lucas claimed he imported heroin from Southeast Asia in the coffins of U.S. soldiers killed in Vietnam in the 1970s, a gambit known as the "Golden Triangle."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 21st to 30th, 2019 - Update #29

Support Leroy on Patreon:

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  The final total on the opening weekend for "Avengers: Endgame" is 357.1 million dollars in domestic box office.  Of course, the film was the #1 at the 4/26 to 4/28/2019 weekend box office.

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  CBS is renewing classic game show, "The Price is Right" for the 2019-20 season.  It is also renewing the entirety of its daytime lineup for next season.  2019-20 will also be "The Price is Right's" 48th season, and the show will hit 9000 episodes in October 2019.

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MOVIES/OBIT - From Variety:  The film writer-director-producer John Singleton has died at the age of 51, Monday, April 29, 2019.  In 1992, Singleton became the first African-American nominated for a best director Oscar for his 1991 film, "Boyz n the Hood," one of two nominations he received for the film.  He also directed films such as "Poetic Justice," "Shaft" (2000), and the second film in the "Fast & Furious" franchise, "2 Fast 2 Furious."  He had been hospitalized when he suffered a stroke on April 17th, from which he never recovered.

From Variety:  Word is that director John Singleton ("Boyz n the Hood"), who suffered a stroke just short of two weeks ago, will be taken off life support, today, Monday, April 29, 2019.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 4/26 to 4/28/19 weekend box office is "Avengers: Endgame" with an estimated take of 350 million dollars.  The film's global box office take is an estimated 1.2 billion dollars.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Guillermo del Toro says a director should always try to exceed the film's production budget.

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MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:   Friday, April 26th, 2019 marks the 40th anniversary release of Ridley Scott's Oscar-winning film, "Alien," which birth a film franchise.  James Cameron, the director of the beloved and Oscar-winning sequel, "Aliens," talks about where the franchise sent wrong.

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Fox has settled a lawsuit that was brought by the family of Joi Harris, a stuntwoman who was killed will committing a stunt on the set of "Deadpool 2."

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MOVIES - From THR:  Disney studio chief Alan Horn is scrapping many film projects that were in development at Fox before the Disney/Fox merger was complete.

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MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar nominated writer-director John Singleton ("Boyz n the Hood") suffered a stroke last week (April 17th).  Apparently, he is worse off than initially reported.   Singleton “is currently hospitalized in a coma and is unable to provide for his personal needs” after suffering a "major stroke."

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BOND - From Variety:  Recent Oscar-winner, Rami Malek ("Bohemian Rhapsody"), will be the villain in the still untitled 25th James Bond film, referred to as "Bond 25."

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MOVIES - From EOnline:  Oscar-nominated actor, Demian Bichir ("A Better Life"), has announced that his wife, Canadian actress and model, Stefanie Sherk, has died at the age of 37.

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BLM - From YahooNews:  On June 7, 1998, three white supremacists in Texas beat a 49-year-old black man, James Byrd Jr., chained him to the back of a pick-up truck and dragged him for three miles, tearing his body apart.  On Wednesday, April 24th, 2019, Texas executed 44-year-old John William King for that crime.  He is the second to be executed for killing Byrd; ringleader Lawrence Russell Brewer was executed in 2011.  A third man received life in prison.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Come May 2019, there will be no cancellations at the The CW.  All of the series' scripted dramas are returning for the 2019-20 broadcast season.

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MOVIES - From Variety: Leonardo DiCaprio is in talks to star in Guillermo del Toro's next film, "Nightmare Alley."  This new film will reportedly be closer to the 1946 novel than its 1947 film adaptation.

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MOVIES - From THR:  James Wan and Gary Dauberman, the masterminds behind "The Conjuring" universe of films, are bringing Stephen King's 1975 novel, "Salem's Lot," to the big screen.  The book has previously been adapted for television via a 1979 miniseries for CBS and a 2004 miniseries for TNT.

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CELEBRITY - From ComicBook:  Writer-director, Kevin Smith ("Clerks"), responds to a fan's accusation that he is "kissing Disney's ass."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The number win film at the 4/19 to 4/21/2019 weekend box office is "The Curse of La Llorona" with an estimate take of 26.5 million dollars.

From YahooEntertainment:  A man has seen Marvel Studios' "Captain Marvel" a record 116 times.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  David Leitch, director of "Deadpool 2" and "Hobbs & Shaw," has signed a first-look deal with Universal.  His wife and longtime producing partner, Kelly McCormick, is a partner in the deal.

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BROADWAY - From THR:  Phylicia Rashad won a Tony Award for "Best Actress in a Play," for her performance in the revival of "A Raisin in the Sun."  Now, the veteran actress will make a Broadway directing debut in Spring 2020 by directing the play "Blue."

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:   Jimmy Kimmel will present a live 90-minute prime time event on ABC that will pay tribute to Norman Lear’s groundbreaking comedy series, "All in the Family" and "The Jeffersons" (both of which originally aired on CBS).  An original episode from each iconic Lear comedy will be re-created.  "Live In Front Of A Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All In The Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’" will air Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at 8-9:30 PM ET.  Woody Harrelson will play Archie Bunker, with Marisa Tomei as wife Edith in the recreation of All In The Family. Jamie Foxx and Wanda Sykes take the roles of George and Louise Jefferson in the All in the Family spinoff, The Jeffersons.  James Burrows will direct the special.

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MUSIC - From RollingStone:  Rapper-turned-actor, Will Smith, joined his son Jaden Smith, who dabbles in both, onstage at Coachella.

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COMICS-FILM - From Newsarama:  "Avengers: Endgame" directors, Joe and Anthony Russo, are working on a documentary about Marvel Comics' legend, Stan Lee.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  This is the first official trailer for the Will Smith film, "Gemini Man."  Directed by Ang Lee, the film debuts October 11, 2019.

OBITS:

From MeTV:  The actor Richard Erdman died at the age of 93, Saturday, March 16, 2019.  Erdman appeared in over 160 film and TV roles.  He had a memorable role in an episode of "The Twilight Zone" ("A Kind of Stopwatch"), and his career ran for 1944 to 2017.  In recent years, he had a regular role in the NBC comedy, "Community."  I wanted to mention Erdman's passing, which I missed, because I was a fan.  My favorite role of his is probably the 1951 Film-Noir movie, "Cry Danger," which starred the great Dick Powell. - Leroy Douresseaux

From THR:  The actor, Larry "Flash" Jenkins, has died at the age of 63, Thursday, April 25, 2019.  Jenkins was best known for his appearances in the films, "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Edtv."

From Variety:  The actor, Ken Kercheval, has died at the age of 83.  Kercheval was best known for his portrayal of "Cliff Barnes" on CBS' long-running evening soap, "Dallas."  Kercheval and Dallas' star, the late Larry Hagman," were the only actors to appear in all 14 seasons of Dallas (1978-1991), although Kercheval's Barnes was a recurring character.

From THR:  Film producer, Steve Golin, has died at the age of 64, Sunday, April 21, 2019.  At the 88th Academy Awards, Golin won an Oscar for producing "Spotlight" (2015), one of four producers on the film who received a statuette.  Golin was actually competing against himself that night, as another film he produced, "The Revenant," was also up for the best picture Oscar.

From Deadline:  Noted paranormal investigator and author, Lorraine Warren, has died at the age of 92, Thursday, April 18, 2019.  Warren and her late husband, Ed Warren (who died in 2006), are known to film audiences because of they are the subjects of the films, "The Conjuring" and "The Conjuring 2," which were based on real-life events in the lives of Lorraine and Ed.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 11th to 17th, 2018 - Update #18

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ANIMATION - From ICv2:  See the characters posters for the film, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," which is due for release in December.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooLifestyle:  Lee Child, the author of the "Jack Reacher" novels, explains why Tom Cruise won't reprise film roles as Reacher in a proposed TV reboot of the film franchise.

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ANIMATION - From THR:  Director Ralph Bakshi, known for his cult animated films ("Wizards," "Fritz the Cat") talks about how the battle for "Lord of the Rings" almost broke him.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winner Robert Zemeckis returning to science fiction with two film projects, ""Bios" and "Project Blue Book."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  James Cameron says that the "Avatar" sequels have wrapped production.

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STREAMING - From Variety:  Netflix has obtained rights to Chiwetel Ejiofor's directorial debut, "The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind."  The exceptions are China (where Netflix isn't) and the U.K. and Ireland where the BBC has the free TV rights.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  2019 will see Bill Cosby face trial in civil court for an alleged assault of a minor at the Playboy mansion in 1974.

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BOOKS - From TheRoot:  Forever First Lady Michlle Obama's new book, "Becoming," is poised to be the biggest selling book of 2018.

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PIXAR - From Yahoo:  First teaser trailer for "Toy Story 4" introduces new character.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  The German edition of "Playboy" is standing by its article that film composer Ennio Morricone called the films of Quentin Tarantino "trash."  Morricone won his only Oscar for composing music for Tarantino's 2015 film, "The Hateful Eight."  Morricone has been denying he said that.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooSports:  NFL quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, Jared Goff, caught Oscar-winning actress Halle Berry's attention when he used her name for a play call.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 11/9 to 11/11/2018 weekend box office is Univeral and Illumination Entertainment's "Dr. Suess' The Grinch" with an estimated take of $66 million.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  "Won't You Be My Neighbor?," the Mr. Rogers documentary, won "Best Documentary" at the Critics Choice Documentary Awards.

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MOVIES - From TheGuardian:  With the release of the J.J. Abrams-produced, "Overlord," here is a look at films that fuse the horror and war genres.

OBITS:

From Variety:  Legendary Hollywood screenwriter and author, William Goldman, has died at the age of 87, Friday, November 16, 2018.  Goldman won an Oscar for his original screenplay for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and another Oscar for his adapted screenplay for the film, "All the President's Men." A novelist, Goldman also adapted three of his novels, including the beloved "The Princess Bride," for the screen.  He was a chronicler of the film business, as seen in his book, "Adventures in the Screen Trade," and was also a noted "script doctor," doing uncredited rewrites and touch-ups on movies such as "The Right Stuff" and "Indecent Proposal."

From NPR:  Country music legend, Roy Clark, has died at the age of 85, Thursday, November 15, 2018.  An guitarist and singer, Clark may be best known the co-host of the long-running country music variety series, "Hee Haw."  Clark was also a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame and of Grand Ole Opry.

From Variety:  Actress and model, Kim Porter, died at the age of 47, Thursday, November 15, 2018.  Porter dated mogul, Sean "Diddy" Combs, and was the mother of three of his children.  She appeared on the cover of magazines such as "Essence" and "Runway."  She appeared in the film, "The Brothers," and on the TV series, "Law & Order."

MARVEL COMICS' STAN LEE:

From TheWrap:  Legendary comic book writer, editor, and creator, Stan Lee, has died at the age of 95, Monday, November 12, 2018.  Lee took Marvel Comics from a second-tier publisher to a global empire by co-creating comic book characters such as the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, X-Men, and the Hulk, to name just a fraction of many.  Lee also made a numerous cameo appearances in films based on the characters he helped to create.

From Variety:  "Stan Lee, Marvel Comicbook Legend, Dies at 95"

From YahooEntertainment:  An interview from 2015 that Yahoo did of Stan Lee on the eve of San Diego Comic-Con International 2015.

From THR:  How Stan Lee brought humanity to Superheroes.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 22nd to 30th, 2018 - Update #22

Support Leroy on Patreon:

MOVIES - From Deadline:  John Woo and Universal Pictures are looking to remake Woo's 1989 Hong Kong crime classic, "The Killer."  Lupita Nyong'o is targets as the film's star.

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BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  "Avengers: Infinity War" has an even bigger opening weekend than first thought.  As of Monday tallies, it is slightly over $258 instead of Sunday's estimate of $250 million.

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EMMYS - From Variety:  The 2018 Daytime Emmys - Winners list.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 4/27 to 4/29/2018 is "Avengers: Infinity War" with an estimated $250 million.  That is a record for an opening weekend at the domestic box office; the previous record holder was "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" which had an opening box office weekend of $247.9.

From Deadline:  "Avenger: Infinity War's" international box office debut, $630 million, is also a record.

From Deadline:  With a $179 million in international box office, "Avengers: Infinity War" is looking at a record global bow.

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MOVIES - From THR: Oscar-winning filmmaker, Bernardo Bertolucci criticizes Ridley Scott for removing Kevin Spacey from "All the Money in the World" and replacing his with Christopher Plummer.

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MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Actor John David Washington talks about the best advice he got from  his father, famed Oscar-winning actor, Denzel Washington.

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SCANDAL - From NBCNews:  Famed comedian, actor, and author Bill Cosby has been found guilty of three counts of "indecent sexual assault."  Cosby could face 10 years in prison on each count.

From YahooEntertainment:  You can say that this bit in a Hannibal Buress standup started the downfall of Bill Cosby.

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ANIMATION - From TheWrap:  Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, and Zach Galifianakis to Star in Laika’s New Animated Feature for Annapurna.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Topher Grace is playing David Duke in Spike Lee's "BlackKkKlansman," which will apparently be "in contention" at this year's Cannes Film Festival.

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ANIMATION - From IndieWire:  Revered Japanese animation studio, Studio Ghibli, will have a theme park based on its films, which included "Princess Monoke" and the Oscar-winning, "Spirited Away."  Concept art for the park, which will open in 2020, has been revealed.

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COMICS-FILM - From JoBlo:  Antoine Fuqua talks about directing a film starring two Marvel characters, "Morbius, the Living Vampire" and "Blade."

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MUSIC - From SeattleTimes:  Rapper Meek Mill freed after several months in prison over a parole violation of decade-old gun and drug charges.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Quentin Tarantino and Leonard DiCapri tease their "Manson murders" movie, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," which is due August 2019.  Tarantino compared it to his Oscar-winning film, "Pulp Fiction."

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ANIMATION-STREAMING - From BleedingCool:  DreamWorks Animation Television and Netflix are working on an animated version of the "Fast & Furious" franchise.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 4/20 to 4/22/2018 weekend box office is "A Quiet Place" with an estimated take of $22 million.

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STREAMING - From ShadowandAct:  Casting begins for Ava DuVernay's "Central Park Five" project for Netflix.

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MOVIES - From IndieWire:  James Cameron hopes for "Avengers fatigue," as there are other sci-fi stories to tell.  [Is there "Terminator" fatigue, this editor asks?]

OBITS:

From THR:  The British film director, Michael Anderson, died at the age of 98, Wednesday, April 25, 2018.  Anderson received a best director Oscar nomination for directing the 1956 version of "Around the World in 80 Days."  He is also known for working in the sci-fi genre, particularly for "Logan's Run" (1976).  Anderson worked with some of the most famous British leading men, including Michael Redgrave and Alec Guinness.

From TheWrap:  Jazz musician Bob Dorough has died at the age of 94, Monday, April 23, 2018.  Dorough was instrumental in the 1970s educational cartoon series, "Schoolhouse Rock!" (ABC).  He wrote and performed iconic Schoolhouse Rock songs, "My Hero, Zero" and "Three is a Magic Number."

From Variety:  The film producer, Philip D'Antoni, died at the age of 89, Sunday, April 15, 2018.  In 1972, D'Antoni won a Golden Globe and an Oscar for producing 1971 best picture Academy Award winner, "The French Connection."  D'Antoni also produced the Steve McQueen classic, "Bullitt," the first film he produced.