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

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

OBITS:

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

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

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AWARDS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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BRITTNEY GRINER:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From CBSSports:  The Brittney Griner situation explained.

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 20th to 31st, 2020 - Update #41

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   Actress Tina Louise remembers her fellow "Gilligan's Island" cast mate, Dawn Wells, who died of COVID-19 yesterday (Dec. 30th).  Louise is now the last surviving member of the beloved 1960s TV series, which continues to gain new fans.

COVID-19-STIMULUS - From YahooFortune:   Some people may have already started getting their $600 stimulus check Tuesday night, Dec. 29th.

COVID-19 - From WDSU:   Congress-elect Luke Letlow, Republican from Louisiana, has died of COVID-19.  The 41-year old had recently won Louisiana's 5th U.S. Congressional district seat, representing Central and Northeast Louisiana.  He was slated to be sworn into office in Sunday, January 3rd, 2021.

MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered:   Director Steven Soderbergh and writer Scott Burns are developing a "philosophical sequel" to their now-prescient 2011 film, "Contagion."

STREAMING - From CBC: How the streaming wars will change movies in 2021

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  The winner of the 12/25 to 12/27/20 weekend box office is "Wonder Woman 1984" with an estimated take of 16.7 million dollars.

PIXAR - From VictoriaAdvocate:   Meet Texas A&M graduate Cheyenne Chapel, a CG artist behind Pixar's new animated film 'Soul' which premieres this Christmas on Disney+.

KAREN ALERT - From TheGrio:  A white woman assaults a black man and his son over her "stolen" iPhone.  It turns out that she had left it in an Uber a day or so earlier. 

From TheGrio:  A California "Karen" with a taser demands that her black neighbors "act white."

POLITICS - From MSN: Mike Pence Cannot Block the Certification of Joe Biden’s Victory When the Senate Formally Counts Electoral College Votes on Jan. 6th, 2021.

COVID-19 - From Deadline:  Actor Shemar Moore, star of CBS' "S.W.A.T.," has announced that he has COVID-19.

CELEBRITY - From THR:   NBA champion and legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar writes about celebrities who basically destroy and hurt their careers via crazy social media commentary.

CULTURE - From TheRoot:  The city council of Murdock, a small town in Minnesota, has given a permit for a hate-group to open a "whites-only" church, and now, people are fighting back.

BREAKING NEWS - From CNN:   Nashville, Tennessee, police now believe this morning's explosion in the downtown area was "intentional."

CELERITY - From YahooReuters:   Billionaire investor, Ron Burkle, has bought the late Michael Jackson's "Neverland" ranch for 22 million dollars, 78 million less than what was the 100 million asking price in 2015.

COVID-19 - From YahooNews:  L.A. County hit another record with 148 COVID-19 deaths in a day.

BLM-COVID-19 - From YahooNews:  A black female doctor dies of COVID-19 after complaining of racist treatment in her battle against the virus.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Warner Bros. has set the the theatrical release dates for three films.  The "Mad Max" prequel, "Furiosa," gets June 23, 2023.  The animated hybrid "Road Runner" movie, "Coyote vs. Acme," gets July 21, 2023.  The movie version of "The Color Purple" musical gets December 20, 2023.

POLITICS - From CNN:  Former Democratic presidential candidate, Andrew Yang, has filed papers to run for mayor of New York City.

POLITICS - From YahooNews:  President Donald - unhappy, unleashed, and unpredictable.

POLITICS - From YahooFinance:   The new stimulus checks will go out to fewer people ... in addition to being smaller.

SPORTS - From YahooSports:  The Los Angeles Lakers get their 2020 NBA Championship rings.

CULTURE - From YahooNews:  MacKenzie Scott, former wife of Amazon's Jeff Bezos, upends philanthropy by giving away billions of dollars fast.

STREAMING - From CNN:  Inside the 5,000+-pages long Covid-19 stimulus bill is a new law that punishes streamers that pirate large amounts of copyrighted content.  Supposedly, the law specifically doesn't apply to people who use illegal streaming services or "individuals who access pirated streams or unwittingly stream unauthorized copies of copyrighted works," but is focused on "commercial, for-profit streaming piracy services" that make money from illegally streaming copyrighted material.

MOVIES - From THR:   Indie filmmaker turned hit-maker, David Gordon Green, is in talks to direct Blumhouse and Morgan Creek Productions sequel to the 1973 movie sensation, "The Exorcist."

AWARDS - From ChicagoSunTimes:   The Chicago Film Critics Film Association has named "Nomadland" its best film of 2020.  The late Chadwick Boseman was named best actor for his performance in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

ANIMATION - From Deadline:   U2's Bono, Pharrell Williams, and Halsey will lend their voices to Universal/Illumination's "Sing 2."

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   The winner of the 12/18 to 12/20/2020 weekend box office is "Monster Hunter" with an estimated take of 2.2 million dollars.

COVID-19 - From ScienceMagazine:  Mutant coronavirus in the United Kingdom sets off alarms but its importance remains unclear

LGBTQ - From TheMirror:   Comedian and actress, Eddie Izzard, reveals her prounouns - "she" and "her."

MOVIES - From Deadline: Universal Pictures has landed the rights to an adaptation of the graphic novel, "The Electric State," with Millie Bobby Brown attached to star and Joe and Anthony Russo ("Avengers: Endgame") on board to direct. The Russos will also produce through their AGBO banner.

BLM - From WashPost:   The Rev. William H. Lamar IV is the pastor of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington D.C. that was attacked on Sat., Dec. 12th, 2020 by members of the racist group, the "Proud Boys."  The "Boys" were in Washington for a pro-Trump rally/riot.  Rev. Lamar wrote an opinion piece for the "Washington Post" entitled "My church will replace our Black Lives Matter sign. Will America replace its racist myth?" One of the quotes is "...that White men can employ violence to take what they want and do what they want and call that criminality justice, freedom and liberty."

OBITS:

From Deadline:  American choreographer, actor, and dancer, Adolfo Quiñones, who was better known as "Shabba Doo," has died at the age of 65, Wednesday, December 30, 2020.  A dance pioneer, Shabba Doo was a member of "The Original Lockers," innovators in the dance style known as "locking."  However, Shabba Doo was best known for playing the role of "Orlando" also known as "Ozone," in the 1984 break-dancing films, "Breakin'" and "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo."

From Deadline:  The actress, Dawn Wells, has died at the age of 82, Wednesday, December 30, 2020 of complications of COVID-19.  Welles was best known for the role of "Mary Ann Summers" on the late CBS sitcom, "Gilligan's Island" (1964-67).  Over a six-decade career, Wells appeared in numerous television series, including "77 Sunset Strip," "Bonanza," and the soap opera, "The Bold and the Beautiful."

From Deadline:   Television writer and producer, William Link, has died at the age of 87, Sunday, December 27, 2020.  Link was best known for co-creating the TV series NBC's "Columbo" and CBS' "Murder, She Wrote."  Link and his long-time writing partner, Richard Levinson, won two Primetime Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama."  Link was nominated for the Emmy nine other times.

From Deadline:   Veteran television and film animator, Tuck Tucker, has died at the age of 59, Tuesday, December 22, 2020.  Tucker was best known for his work on Nickelodeon's "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Hey Arnold!"  However, he had numerous credits, including on "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy," to name a few.

From CNN:   Former Major League Baseball pitcher, Phil Niekro, has died at the age of 81, Saturday, December 26, 2020.  He was known for his "knuckleball" pitch, and his 318 career wins is the most by a knuckleball pitcher.  He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.  Phil and his late brother, Joe Niekro (also an MLB pitcher), had 539 career victories between the two of them - the most combined wins by brothers in baseball history.

From CNN:   Former pro basketball coach and player and NBA champion, K.C. Jones, has died at the age of 88, Friday, December 25, 2020.  Jones won 8 championships as a member of the Boston Celtics (1959-66).  He won two as a Celtics assistant coach (1972, 1981), and two more as the Celtics head coach (1984, 1986).  In 1955 and 1956, Jones won two NCAA championships with his future Celtics teammate, Bill Russell, as members of the University of San Francisco men's basketball team.  He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame - Class of 1989.

From Deadline:   Rapper, songwriter, and recording artist, John "Ecstasy" Fletcher, has died at the age of 56, Wednesday, December 23, 2020. Fletcher was best known as a member a co-founder of the pioneering rap group, "Whodini," which was among the most commercially successful of the early rap groups, having multiple albums certified gold or platinum.

From Variety:   Broadway actress and recording artist, Rebecca Luker, has died at the age of 59, Wednesday, December 23, 2020, following a battle with ALS.  She was a three-time Tony Award nominee ("Showboat," "The Music Man," and "Mary Poppins").  She performed numerous Broadway-related recordings, but also recorded four solo albums.

From NFL:   Former NFL linebacker, Kevin Greene, has died at the age of 58, Monday, December 21, 2020.  Greene started his career with the Los Angeles Rams, and he played three seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  He was a member of the Steelers team that lost Super Bowl XXX.  As a coach, Greene won a member of the 2010 Green Bay Packers that won Super Bowl XLV.  Green was inducted into the "Pro Football Hall of Fame" in 2016.

From Deadline:  Country singer-songwriter, K.T. Oslin, has died at the age of 78, Monday, December 21, 2020. A late bloomer, Oslin had a string of hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  Her 1987 album, "80s Ladies," topped the "Billboard" Country LP chart.  Oslin won three Grammy Awards including the 1989 award for "Best Country Song" for "Hold Me."

From Deadline:  American stage and television actress, Peg Murray, has died at the age of 96, November 29, 2020.  Murray won a Tony Award for her performance in the original Broadway production of "Cabaret" (1966).  Her TV credits include the daytime soap operas, "Another World" and "All My Children."

 

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 17th to 23rd, 2019 - Update #26

Support Leroy on Patreon:

BOX OFFICE - From TheWrap:  Disney's "Frozen II" is reviving the box office with a 42 million dollar opening Friday.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Director Tim Miller talks about his film, "Terminator: Dark Fate," its box office failure, clashes with James Cameron, and not having final control of the film.

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MOVIES - From THR:  With the opening of "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood," it is time to take a look back at the early work of the film's star, Tom Hanks.  Do you know his early film, "He Knows You're Alone"?  Do you remember his star turn in the notorious 1982 TV movies, "Rona Jaffe's Mazes and Monsters"?  [I remember the latter, dear readers. - Leroy]

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MOVIES - From ShadowandAct:  Lena Waithe talks about sharing a "story by" credit with controversial author, James Frey ("A Million Little Pieces"), on the upcoming film, "Queen & Slim."

From ShadowandAct:  I did not know that there was tension over Black British actors playing African-American chacters, but there is.  So "Queen & Slim" stars, Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith, talk about it.

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CULTURE - From TheGuardian:  At the Anti-Defamation League's "Never is Now" summit on antisemitism and hate, actor Sacha Baron Cohen called tech giants like Facebook, Twitter, Google, and YouTube the greatest propaganda machine in history.  Cohen, in a wide-ranging speech, said that Facebook, if it had existed at the time, would have let Adolf Hitler buy ads for the "final solution" to Germany's "Jewish problem."

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MOVIES-MUSIC - From Deadline:  "Bohemian Rhapsody" producer, Graham King, has secured rights from the Michael Jackson estate to make a film about the "King of Pop's" life.  King will have access to all of Jackson's music.

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SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Apple is delaying the release of director George Nolfi's "The Banker," starring Samuel L. Jackson and Anthony Mackie.  The film is based on a true story about Bernard Garrett, Sr., and some troubling allegations have been levied against Bernard Jr., a consultant on the film who has also been involving in its promotion.

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TELEVISION - From TheDailyBeast:  Legends John Cleese and Eric Idle talk about 50 years of "Monty Python's Flying Circus," President Trump, and "Brexit."

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BROADWAY - From THR:  The planned Michael Jackson Broadway musical, "MJ the Musical," has found its Michael, Tony nominee, Ephraim Sykes.

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BLM - From THR:   Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wonders if films about American slavery are good for African-Americans.

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AWARDS - From Variety:  The 2020 Film Independent Spirit Award nomination have been announced.  The winners will be revealed Sat., Feb. 8, 2020, one day before the Academy Awards.

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MOVIES - From GQ:  A look at the 50-year friendship of Oscar winners, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, the stars of Martin Scorsese's film, "The Irishman."

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MOVIES - From THR:  "Robocop Returns" a direct sequel to the original "Robocop" film (1987), has a new director, Abe Forsythe, who has been getting buzz for his zombie comedy, "Little Monsters," starring Lupita N'yongo.  Forsythe replaces Neill Blomkamp.

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SCANDAL-MUSIC - From YahooCelebrity:  Actor and Grammy-winning recording artist, Harry Connick, Jr., claims that in the early 1990s, legendary actor and singer, the late Frank Sinatra, acted “completely inappropriate” with Connick’s then-girlfriend and now-wife, model Jill Goodacre.

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COMICS-FILM - From Deadline:  The news of a sequel to Todd Phillips' "Joker" and new films featuring origin stories of other DC Comics' characters may not be correct... yet.

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BOX OFFICE - From DigitalSpy:  Writer-director Elizabeth Banks acknowledges that her just-released reboot of "Charlie's Angels" is a flop, but is still proud of the film.

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STAR TREK - From THR: Noah Fawley, creator of the "Fargo" TV series for FX, will reportedly direct the fourth film in the "Star Trek" reboot series.  Chris Pine will reportedly return as Captain Kirk.  This film is separate from Quentin Tarantino's long-developing "Star Trek" project.

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MOVIES - From TheHollywoodReporter:  Screenwriter Gregory Allen says that once upon a time a Hollywood executive suggested that Oscar-winning actress, Julia Roberts, play Harriet Tubman, a real-life Black American historical figure.  The exec said that Tubman lived so long ago that no one would remember that she was Black.

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MOVIES - From  Variety:  Actress Pom Klementieff ("Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2") has been cast in "Mission: Impossibe 7," which is due July 2021.

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STREAMING - From Deadline:  Netflix has hired legendary screenwriter Robert Towne and acclaimed director David Fincher to pen a TV pilot script that will act as a prequel to the classic 1974 film, "Chinatown."   Towne won an Oscar for writing "Chinatown."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:   The winner of the 11/15 to 11/17/2019 weekend box office is "Ford v Ferrari" with an estimated gross of 31 million dollars.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  President Donald Trump names his first "National Medal of Arts" recipients.

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STREAMING - From FlickeringMyth:  Bill Murray will reunite with Peter and Bobby Farrelly on the Quibi comedy, "The Now," in a recurring role.  Murray appeared in the brothers 1996 film, "Kingpin."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:   John Woo comments on the reboot of his 1990s hit film, "Face/Off," and adds his comments to the Scorsese vs. Marvel Studios comic book movies debate.  He also mentions that Oscar-winner Lupita N'yongo has left the remake of his 1989 film, "The Killers."

OBITS:

From Variety:  The actor, Michael J. Pollard, has died at the age of 80, Wednesday, November 20, 2019.  He earned an best supporting actor, Oscar nomination for his appearance in the film, "Bonnie and Clyde" (1967).  He also appeared in Rob Zombie's gruesome cult classic, "House of 1000 Corpses" (2003).

From YahooSports:  Former National Football League player, Fred Cox, has died at the age of 80, Wednesday, November 20, 2019.  Cox was a "kicker" for the Minnesota Vikings for 15 years and played in all four of the Vikings "Super Bowl" appearances.  However, Cox may be best remembered for inventing the soft football that would become the "Nerf" football.

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.

----------
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]

----------
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.

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

----------
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.

----------
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."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 1st to 6th, 2018 - Update #35

Support Leroy on Patreon.

STREAMING - From ScreenDaily:  Kiernan Shipka will be the star of the untitled "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" series that is based on the horror comic book, "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina."

----------
SCANDAL - From THR:  Four women accuse Oscar-winning filmmaker, Paul Haggis, of sexual misconduct, including two rapes.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From Local10:  Black Panther movie causing excitement around the country.

From Comicsverse:   This Is Everything You Need to Know About 2018 Comic Book Movies and TV Shows Coming Out in 2018.

---------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Ridley Scott in talks to direct "Merlin Saga" for Disney.  The movie would be based on the book series by T.A. Barron.

----------
CULTURE - From TheNewRepublic:  "Water in the raw," the latest stripped-down lifestyle scam.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Marvel Studios' "Captain Marvel" has cast DeWanda Wise (Netflix's "She Gotta Have It") in an unspecified supporting role.  The film stars Oscar-winner Brie Larson and Oscar-nominee Jude Law and is directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck.  The movie is scheduled to open March 8, 2019.

----------
STREAMING - From TVLine:  Hulu is reviving "Animaniacs."  The animated TV series originally aired for 1993 to 1998, first on Fox Kid and Kids' WB, neither of which exist anymore.  Steven Spielberg will return to executive produce.

----------
CANNES - From Variety:  Cate Blanchett has been named Cannes Jury President for this year's film festival (the 71st edition of the festival), which begins May 8th and ends May 19th, 2018.

----------
STREAMING - From ShadowandAct:  The sequel to the Will Smith Netflix's film, "Bright," directed by David Ayer and co-starring Joel Edgerton, is official.  Max Landis will not be returning as writer.  [By the way, this film is not in theaters; viewers can stream it on Netflix.

----------
STREAMING - From ShadowandAct:  Hulu developing a period comedy/drama about drag queen icon and celebrity, RuPaul, entitled "Queen."  J.J. Abrams is producing.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From ShadowandAct:  Grammy-winner Kendrick Lamar and TDE are producing the "Black Panther" soundtrack.  The soundtrack album will contain music featured in the film and inspired by the film.  This is the first time that Marvel Studios will integrate multiple original songs in a Marvel Cinematic Universe film.

----------
SPORTS - From ESPN:  What does NBS star hope to find with the Boston Celtics?

----------
STREAMING - From Variety:  Netflix's stock reaches an all-time high, $206.21 per share before closing at $205.05, coming off good news about the Will Smith-David Ayer film, Bright.

----------
MOVIE - From Variety:  Will Smith and James Lassiter's production company, Overbrook Entertaiment, has decided not to re-up its first-look deal with Sony Pictures.

----------
STAR TREK - From Variety:  It's the 25th anniversary of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine."

----------
CULTURE - From Wired:  Teens aren't partying anymore.

From TheNewYorker:  What If Parents Loved Strangers’ Children As Much As Their Own?

----------
JAMES BOND - From BleedingCool:  The next actor to play James Bond, after Daniel Craig, could be black or a woman, says Bond producer Barbara Broccoli.

---------
HEALTHCARE - From MotherJones:  Go Fund Yourself - crowdfunding personal medical crisis.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" wins the four-day New Year's Day weekend, 12/29/2017 to 1/1/2018 with an estimated take of $68.4 million.

From TheWrap:  For the first time since 1959, the top three movies at the North American box office feature female leads - "Star Wars: The Last Jedi," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Wonder Woman."

---------
MUSIC - From Variety:  Actor-recording artist Justin Timberlake announces a new music album to be released Feb. 2nd, 2018.  Entitled "Man of the Woods," it is first studio LP since the two-set "The 20/20 Experience."  The first single arrives Friday, Jan. 5th.

---------
MUSIC-CULTURE - From TheNewRepublic:  Have the richie-poos taken over the British pop music scene.

----------
STREAMING - From BleedingCool:  Stephen King says that he is in the dark about the development of "Castle Rock," the Stephen King-theme series on Hulu.

----------
TELEVISION - From ShadowandAct:  30 highly anticipated projects from featuring African-Americans in front of or behind the camera that were announced in 2017.

---------
STREAMING - From ShadowandAct:  "She's Gotta Have It" gets a second season from Netflix.  The film is based on Spike Lee's 1986 film.

----------
POLITICS - From NYT:  Nigerians live in huts.  It can no longer be denied - President Trump is a racist and a bigot.

----------
POLITICS - From TIME:  Robert Redford: The GOP 'Tax Scam' Is a 'Dirty Deal' for America.

----------
MOVIE - From TheWrap:  Jodie Foster says big-budget, superhero blockbusters are ruining movie.

----------
BLM - From NewYorkMagazine:  An interview with the late Erica Garner, the anti-police brutality activist and civil rights activist, who died recently.  She was the daughter of Eric Garner, who died as the result of police brutality.

----------
CELEBRITY - From THR:  Zac Efron shares the story of his phone call with the late Michael Jackson that had both of them in tears.

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

VIDEO:

From BleedingCool:  Shannon Tindle, the creator of "Kubo and the Two Strings" has been working on an animated series based on Disney's "The Haunted Mansion," to which Disney still has not committed.  Tindle shared a 60-second animated teaser for the potential series.

From BET:  The cast of "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" on the importance of diversity.

OBITS:

From TMZ:  Actor and comedian, Jerry Van Dyke, has died at the age of 86, Friday, January 5, 2018.  Jerry is best known for his supporting role in the former ABC series, "Coach" (1989 to 1997), alongside series star, Craig T. Nelson.  Jerry is also the younger brother of legendary entertainer, Dick Van Dyke.

From Newsweek:  Singer and child actor, Jon Paul Steuer, has died at the age of 33, Monday, January 1, 2018.  Star Trek fans know Steuer as the first actor to play the child Klingon, Alexander, the son of Worf in "Star Trek: The Next Generations."  He also appeared in the ABC comedy series, "Grace Under Fire."

From CBS:  In a video, CBS Sunday Morning Says "Hail and Farewell" to those we lost in 2017.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 19th to 25th, 2016 - Update #46

Support Leroy on Patreon.

TELEVISION - From Variety:  "Gilmore Girls'" Rory Gilmore meets First Lady Michelle Obama in this video clip.

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OBIT - From Deadline:  The author and screenwriter, Michael Herr, has died at the age of 76, Thursday, June 23rd, 2016.  Herr was the author of the heralded Vietnam War memoir, "Dispatches."  Herr also contributed to two seminal Vietnam War movies, "Apocalypse Now," and "Full Metal Jacket," for which he shared an adapted screenplay Oscar nomination with Stanley Kubrick and Gustav Hasford.

---------------
COMICS - From CinemaBlend:  Director David Ayers warns fans - Suicide Squad is like nothing they've seen.

From YahooNews:  Viola Davis says she almost pepper-sprayed fellow "Suicide Squad" actor, Jared Leto (Joker).

----------------
LGBT - From YahooCelebrity:  Celebs remember their first experience at a gay bar.

---------------
POLITICS - From YahooFinance:  Because the United Kingdom is leaving the the European Union, as a result of the "Brexit" vote, J.K. Rowling says "Goodbye, U.K."

---------------
TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Starz releases a first-look image from "American Gods."

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Hear "Ghostbusters (I'm not Afraid)," the theme for the new "Ghostbusters" film.  The track is by Fall Out Boy featuring Missy Elliot.  The song uses some of Ray Parker Jr.'s theme for the 1984 film.

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COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Bokeem Woodbine joins "Spider-Man: Homecoming," apparently to play a villain.

---------------
OBITS - From Variety:  Conductor and composer, Harry Rabinowitz, has died at the age of 100.  He is known for conducting the music for "Best Picture" Oscar-winner, "Chariots of Fire," among his many credits.

---------------
MUSIC - From YahooMusic:  Led Zeppelin wins the "Stairway to Heaven" copyright infringement lawsuit.

---------------
SPORTS/MOVIE - From YahooNews:  Ben Affleck goes on anti-NFL deflate-gate rant.

--------------
LAW - From YahooNews:  Affirmative Action had a major victory in college admissions in regards to a case brought against the University of Texas.  It must be a bitter loss for neo-segregationist Edward Blum and his skank surrogate, Abigail Fisher.

---------------
STAR WARS - From TheWrap:  Who Forest Whitaker plays in "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story"  Plus, a photo gallery.

---------------
MOVIES - From TheVox:  Jesse Eisenberg talks about being a successful Jewish American.

---------------
COMICS - From YahooMusic:  Hannibal Buress joins "Spider-Man: Homecoming."

----------------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  John Boyega to star in Kathryn Bigelow's movie about the 1967 Detroit riots.  The movie also re-teams Bigelow with screenwriter Mark Boal and financier Megan Ellison.

---------------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Kate Winslet in final negotiations to appear in Woody Allen's next film, which begins shooting in the fall.

---------------
COMICS - From CBR:  Abraham Attah, who played the child soldier, "Abu" in "Beasts of No Nation," will appear in "Spider-Man: Homecoming."

---------------
MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Will Smith most regrets 1999's "Wild Wild West" (which I kinda like), but what hurt the most was the box office failure of 2013's "After Earth" (which I really like), because his son Jaden was involved.

---------------
COMICS - From TheWrap:  Lots of information is leaking out about the "Justice League" movie.

---------------
MUSIC/LEGAL - From YahooMusic:  Led Zeppelin wants a halt to the "Stairway to Heaven" copyright infringement trial.

---------------
COMICS - From IGN:  In the Doctor Strange" film, Mads Mikkelsen will play...

---------------
MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Noomi Rapace to appear in "Alien: Covenant," a follow-up to the film, "Prometheus."

---------------
TELEVISION - From Indiewire:  J.J. Abrams and Tavis Smiley come together for an event TV series about Michael Jackson.  Bad Robot is developing the project on a Smiley book.

---------------
ANIMATION - From TheWrap:  Sony Pictures Animation announces animated TV series based on "Ghostbusters" and "Hotel Transylvania."

--------------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Eli Roth to make his big studio debut by directing a remake of "Death Wish" with Bruce Willis.

---------------
PIXAR - From WashPost:  Sigourney Weaver and Ed O'Neill steal the show in "Finding Dory."

---------------
COMICS - From Gamespot:  The new poster for the "Suicide Squad" is eye-popping.

---------------
SPORTS - From YahooSports:  Cleveland Cavaliers are the 2015-16 NBA Champions.  LeBron James wins the NBA Playoffs MVP.

---------------
BOX OFFICE - BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 6/17 to 6/19/2016 weekend box office is Pixar's "Finding Dory" with an estimated take of $136.1 million.  This is the largest opening weekend ever for an animated feature film.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
STAR TREK - The Death of Anton Yelchin:

OBIT - From YahooMovies:  The actor Anton Yelchin died early Sunday, June 19, 2016.  He was 27-years-old and was best known for his role as Pavel Chekhov in the "Star Trek" reboot film series that began in 2009.  Yelchin's death was apparently an accident and involved his car.

From IMDb:  Remembering Anton Yelchin.

From Variety:  Yelchin's life and career in photos.

From Variety:  Anton Yelchin leaves behind several unreleased films (including "Star Trek Beyond") and a high-profile animated series.

From Variety:  J.J. Abrams, who directed the 2009 "Star Trek" reboot and its 2013 sequel "Star Trek Into Darkness" mourns Yelchin.

From YahooMovies:  Hollywood mourns Yelchin.

From YahooMovies:  Anton Yelchin's most memorable roles.

From YahooMovies:  The original Pavel Chekhov of "Star Trek," Walter Koenig, mourns the death of Anton Yelchin, who played Chekhov in the "Star Trek" reboot film franchise.

From IndieWire:  Anton Yelchin's death made be tied to recently vehicle recall.

From YahooCelebrity:  Anton Yelchin apparently died about a minute after his accident.

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

SPORTS - From YahooSports:  Dustin Johnson wins golf's U.S. Open, his first victory in one of professional golf's four "Major" tournaments.

---------------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Warner Bros. moves the release date of Ben Affleck's upcoming directorial effort, "Live By Night," presumably for Oscar consideration.

---------------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Everything that has led up to "Game of Throne's" "Battle of the Bastards."

---------------
POLITICS - From TIME:  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Trump and ISIS depend on irrationality.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  New trailer for "Jack Reacher: Never Go Back," starring Tom Cruise and releasing October 21, 2016.

From YouTube:  This is the second official trailer for Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - from Tim Burton.

From YahooMovies:  Here is a new clip that gives the first straight-on look at the title character from Steven Spielberg's "The BFG."

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens" - A Negromancer Link-O-Rama - Update #243

Posted by Leroy Doureseaux - on Patreon.

[I will shut down this post on Thursday, December 31, 2015.  I will open a new post, "Star Wars: Rogue One," on Friday, January 1, 2016, but I will continue to post about The Force Awakens as necessary.  Thank you all for visiting - Leroy]

From Negromancer:  My "The Force Awakens" review.

From YahooNews:  Lucas ain't feeling "The Force Awakens."

From Polygon:  The story behind the baton-wielding stormtrooper that yelled "Traitor" at Finn.

From YahooTech:  5 intriguing ideas cut from the film.

From YahooTV:  More speculation of Rey.  Is she Han and Leia's daughter?

From BluRayCom:  Blu-ray release on April 5, 2015?

From ScreenRant:  Dissecting the meanings of Kylo Ren's name.

From YahooMovies:  Ranking the Star Wars movies.

From Variety:  21 reasons TFA deserves every dollar.

From Variety:   Smashes Christmas Day box office record.

From Variety:  Vatican newspaper gets its hate-on.

From ScreenRant:  The return of Anakin?

From Vox:  Reboot the prequels?

From YahooTech:  There are critics who do not like "The Force Awakens."

From CinemaBlend:  Captain Phasma will get more screen time in Ep. 8.

From Polygon:  J.J. says the script for Episode VIII is so good...

From BGR:  Will Han Solo come back in some form?

From YahooTech:  Who are Rey's parents... and grandparents?

From YahooMovies:  The "Associated Press Entertainer of the Year" is "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

From VillageVoice:  "The Force Awakens" inspires right-bloggers.

From YahooMovies:  The Ultimate Force Awakens FAQ, and it is quite good.

From YahooTV:  Carries Fisher to Daisy Ridley - don't go through the crew...

From HitFix:  Carrie's infamous "Good Morning America" interview.

From YahooMovies:  Ewan McGregor has a cameo.

From BusinessInsider:  Harrison Ford made a mint for returning for "The Force Awakens" and will make more.

From YahooNews:  Is "The Phantom Menace" more ambitious than "The Force Awakens."

From BusinessInsider:  Theories about Rey's parents.

From YahooNews:  J.J. says that Alec Guinness is in TFA.

From TheWrap:  Without China, TFA falls short of breaking global and foreign box office records set by Jurassic Park earlier this year.

From BoxOfficeMojo:  "The Force Awakens" has the largest single day opening, $120 million, including the $57 million from Thursday night showing.  The film has also set other box office records.

From HollywoodLife:  5 biggest spoilers in the film. (SPOILERS)

From Variety:  $72.7 at international box office.

From YahooMovies:  Daniel Craig's has a cameo as a member of the First Order. (SPOILERS)

From YahooMovies: Record setting opening night on Thursday.

---------------
From VillageVoice:  Amy Nicholson calls TFA the third good Star Wars film.

From TheVox:  A not exactly glowing review by Todd VanDerWerff.

From THR:  Todd McCarthy reviews the film WITH spoilers.

From NYT:  Manohla Dargis reviews for The New York Times.

From TheVerge:  A spoiler free review by Bryan Bishop.
 
---------------
From YahooMovies:  Star Wars: The Force Awakens - the second teaser/trailer.

From YouTube:  Star Wars: The Force Awakens - the first teaser/trailer.

From Instagram:  A 15-second clip from the film that is a straight tease.

From TheVerge:  The new trailer is here.

From SlashFilm:  Eeeek!  Japanese trailer has new footage.

From Deadline:  Chinese trailers with lots of new footage and dialogue!

From TechCrunch:  There is a new TV spot... with new footage!!!

From YouTube: TV Spot #1
From YouTube:  TV Spot #2
From YouTube:  TV Spot #3
From TheVerge:  TV Spot #4
From YouTube:  TV Spot #5
From YouTube:  TV Spot #6
From YouTube: TV Spot #7
From YouTube:  TV Spot #8
From YouTube: TV Spot #9
From Facebook:  "All the Way" TV spot (#10).
From YouTube:  TV Spot #11
From YouTube: TV Spot #12
From YouTube: TV Spot #13
From YouTube: TV Spot #14
From YouTube: TV Spot #15 - Oscar Isaac introduces the clip in Spanish.
From YouTube: TV Spot #16
From YouTube: TV Spot #17
From YouTube: TV Spot #18
From YouTube: TV Spot #19
From YouTube: TV Spot #20
From YouTube: TV Spot #21

From YouTube:  "In 5 days" spot.

------------------
From YouTube:  The long version of the Chewbacca BB-8 Verizon commercial:  "A better network as explained by Star Wars.

From YouTube:  C-P30 and R2-D2 meet BB-8 in commercial for "Priority."

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

From YahooNews:  Angry fans who want the return of the Expanded Universe (Star Wars Legends) threaten to spoil the film if they don't get their way.

---------------
From YahooNews:  Katie Couric talks to John Boyeag.

---------------
From YahooMovies:  The Rey toy reveal freak-out.

---------------
From Vulture:  Harrison Ford snuck into a preview.

---------------
From YahooMovies:  Actors replay their expressions from watching the movie.

---------------
From IMDb:  Actors describe their characters in "The Force Awakens."

From YahooNews:  Lupita Nyong'o talks a little about Maz Kanata.

From THR:  J.J. suggests Ava DuVernay for future Star Wars film.

From Deadline:  Spielberg thought it should be J.J. Abrams.

From YahooMovies:  Beastie Boys and "Lost" influence the name of new Star Wars character.

From YahooMovies:  Robert Downey, Jr. mentors John Boyega.

From YahooMovies:  Kylo Ren is a mess and other press junket reveals.

From YahooMovies:  Abrams talks about the best way to watch the movie.

From Deadline:  New character posters featuring Finn and Poe Dameron.

From CinemaBlend:  Lucas has seen "The Force Awakens."

From YahooTV:  Who is Supreme Leader Snoke?

From RollingStone:  The magazine's in-depth feature on Star Wars.

From HitFix:  Speculation on Vader's helmet.

From Mashable:  Harrison Ford saw the film and likes it.

From YahooTV:  J.J. talks to Howard Stern.

From HitFix:  "The Force Awakens" soundtrack listing.

From YahooNews:  The new planets are revealed.

From Variety:  It's official: PG-13 for "sci-fi action violence."

From Variety:  Win tickets to the Los Angeles or London premiere.

From Variety:   More commentary from Lucas.

From CheatSheet:  A essay about Lucas' "displeasure" at being left out of the making of Episode 7.

From YahooMovies:  Why do people care what this bitch said?

From Deadline:  John Boyega trying to manage expectations.

From CBS:  The network's morning news airs part of an interview Charlie Rose conducted with George Lucas.  The rest of the interview will air in December in conjunction with the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors, which Lucas is receiving.

From CinemaBlend:  Meet the "Starkiller Base."

From YahooNews:  More about Lupita Nyong'o's character "Maz Kanata."

From YahooGames:  Don't call her princess.

From YahooGames:  Stills to be published in Entertainment Weekly reveal a few things.

From YahooNews:  Still more EW stills.

From FlickeringMyth:  Supreme Leader Snoke?

From CinemaBlend:  What is Daisey Ridley going to do on opening day?

---------------
From Hitfix:  Daniel Fleetwood died just days after getting a special screening of "The Force Awakens."

From TheVerge:  Dying fan sees unedited version of "The Force Awakens."
---------------

From SideshowCollectibles:  Cause you want to see it again.  Plus 10 moments worth experiencing again.

From SideshowCollectibles:  See the new posters.

From FlickeringMyth: Will Yoda return?

From TheCheatSheet:  More speculation on why Luke was left out of second trailer.

From FlickeringMyth: No more trailers, says J.J.

From CinemaBlend:  The Luke Skywalker/Kylo Ren theory.

From YahooNews:  Stormtroopers mass at Great Wall of China.

From CinemaBlend:  10 things Cinema Blend noticed about the new trailer.

From Hitfix:  See Daisy Ridley's reaction to the latest trailer.

From CinemaBlend:  Boyega flips over latest trailer.

From TheWrap:  Crashing results from being trying to buy tickets online.

From SheKnows:  Sad Star Wars boycott.  It is put on by people who certainly will see the film.

From Forbes:  The new "Star Wars" is not for you, fanboy.

From Variety:  New (and final) poster revealed; tickets on sale Monday; trailer during Monday Night Football (Oct. 19th).

From YahooFinance:  Netflix is negotiating to get the rights to "The Force Awakens."

From CinemaBlend:  136 minutes long; that's the rumor about TFA's run time.

From YahooMovies:  New Star Wars characters accidentally unveiled.

From YahooNews:  Rumor about Michael B. Jordan and Boba Fett solo movie.

From YahooMovies:  John Boyega brushes past the haters.

From THR:  "The Force Awakens" gets a date for its world premiere, December 14, 2015 - in Los Angeles, CA.

From YahooNews:  Full trailer / final trailer due this month?  Oct. 19th?

From Cinelinx:  Lots of speculation about Finn.

From ScreenRant:  New rumors: Skywalkers and Finn.

From YahooNews: Admiral Ackbar will be in "The Force Awakens."

From BleedingCool:  More Hayden Christensen rumors.

From YahooNews:   Rumors about Max Von Sydow's character in "The Force Awakens."

From THR:  Script made Boyega cry.

From YahooNews:  Hayden Christensen rumors about Episode 8.

From YahooNews: Disney might release the original theatrical cuts of the original Star Wars trilogy.

From YahooMovies:  Star Wars film artifacts on auction.

From IGNAsia:   Mark Hamill in Ireland to film Episode VIII?

From ScreenRant:  A character guide with the website's own evaluations and speculations.

From ScreenRant:  Trading cards may release more tidbits, especially about Rey.

From CinemaBlend:  Rumor is that there will be a post-credit scene on "The Force Awakens."

From Comicvine:  How Marvel Comics' "Shattered Empire" comic book connects to "The Force Awakens."

From Forbes:  What is more important? That "The Force Awakens" be a big hit or be really good?

From TheGuardian:  Anthony Daniels on secrecy and playing C-3PO.

From iDigitalTimes:  Finn and Rey revealed?

From YahooMovies:  33 of the coolest new Star Wars items.

From YahooMovies:  A first  look at "The Force Awakens" toys.

From YahooTech: Meet the high-tech BB-8 from Sphero.

From Collider:  A new villains international poster.

From YahooMovies:  An article about the 15-seconds of heavenly tease.

From YahooGames:  Kylo Ren is not a Sith!

From YahooMovies:  Toy leak reveals Zuvio.

From YahooMakers:  Young girl bullied for being a girl who likes Star Wars gets a special Stormtrooper suit.

From CheatSheet:  They think they have good news about Han Solo solo film.

From HitFix:  "The Force Awakens" heroes make cover of "Empire" magazine.

From Collider:  "The Force Awakens" villains make cover of "Empire" magazine.

From CinemaBlend:  Maz Kanata may stay under wraps until release of film.

From FlickeringMyth:  Early concept art for Maz Kanata, the motion-capture character played by Lupita Nyong'o.

From YahooMovies:   Oscar Isaac was a Lando fan.

From YahooMovies:  John Boyega and the rest of the cast had lots of fun on the set.

From IndieRevolver:  Concept art for the "Knights of Ren," that may also have been early designs for Kylo Ren.

From IndieRevolver:  The first real good look at Luke Skywalker as will possibly be in "The Force Awakens.

From Collider:  Abrams on Captain Phasma.

From FlickeringMyth:  D23 interview with Abrams and cast.

From Collider:  Initial cut of "The Force Awakens" is 124 minutes long (2 hours, 4 minutes).

From Variety:  Cast photo from "Rogue One."

From HitFix:  D23 exclusive Star Wars poster reveals something about Finn.

From AccessHollywood:  New Star Wars details revealed at D23.

From EW:  Entertainment Weekly goes whole hog on coverage of "The Force Awakens."

From YahooMovies:  Some info on some character names from "The Force Awakens."

From YahooBeauty:  CoverGirl launching "Star Wars" makeup line.

From YahooMovies:  "Anakin" as a baby name.

From Toybox: Micro Machines returning for "The Force Awakens."

From EpochTimes:  Rumors about the relationship between the villians.

From YahooMovies:  Mark Hamill gives the best autographs.

From YahooMovies:  No midi-chlorians.

From ScreenRant:  SPOILER:  In "Rogue One," Felicity Jones' character might be Boba Fett's daughter.

From EntertainmentWeekly:  J.J. Abrams apparently broke his back trying to help Harrison on the set of "The Force Awakens."

From Cinelinx:  Rumors of a Star Wars/Netflix deal on a live-action series or more than one abound.

From IBTimes: Tie-Fighter upgrades?

From YahooMovies:  Michael Jackson wanted to be Jar Jar Banks.

From Variety:  Benecio Del Toro for "Star Wars Episode 8."

From TheVerge:  Leaked excerpt of the book, Star Wars: Aftermath, which is set immediately after the events of Return of the Jedi.

From FlickeringMyth:  John Boyega shares image of Finn and Chewbacca in action together.

From TechCrunch:  All in on this Rancor cosplay.

From YahooMovies:  Amy Schumer does the metal bikini.

From ScreenRant:  Han Solo back story revealed in The Force Awakens?

From CinemaBlend:  Production Darren Gilford talks about the lengths to which J.J. Abrams went to connect his film to the original trilogy.

From Fortune:  A short article on Star Wars sequels, spinoffs and re-releases.

From YahooMovies:  Video of Princess Leia's return and more in the "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" behind-the-scenes video from ET.  You must watch this..

From THR:  Comic-Con 2015 panel footage raises questions.

From YahooMovies:  Some advice Harrison Ford gave to Daisy Ridley.

From YahooMovies:  Watch entire San Diego Comic-Con 2015 "Star Wars" panel.

From YahooMovies:  Return of Harrison Ford...

From YahooFinance:  Star Wars Comic-Con panel video offers surprises.

From Collider:  Colin Trevorrow is rumored to be the choice to direct Star Wars IX.  Trevorrow directed the box office smash, Jurassic World.

From Variety:  May the donuts be with you.

From YahooMovies:  Debut of new TIE fighter that is supposed to be huge.

From SunTimes:  Darth Vader to make an appearance in "Rogue One."

From YahooMovies:  Who and what from The Force Awakens will be at 2015 Comic-Con International.

From THR via YahooMovies:  The LEGO Movie team of Chris Miller and Phil Lord are reportedly directing a Han Solo standalone Star Wars film.

From CinemaBlend:  Donnie Yen for Episode 8.

From CinemaBlend:  Marvel Comics ' "Star Wars: Shattered Empire" fills in some of the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

From ScreenRant:  Rey Solo... maybe or maybe not.

From CinemaBlend:  Ewan McGregor down to come back.

From CinemaBlend:  A new look Stormtrooper.

From MakingStarWars:  Alan Dean Foster talks (a little) about writing novelization of The Force Awakens.

From MakingStarWars:  Concept art for Han Solo, Poe, and Finn.

From CinemaBlend:  Ken Leung is reportedly a cast member in "The Force Awakens."

From HitFix:  177 days until...

From IBT:  Greg Grunberg's role revealed.

From CinemaBlend:  Keeping The Force Awaken screenplay secret.

From Examiner:  J.J. Abrams friend, actor, and The Force Awakens actors says the film is awesome.

From Hitfix:  179 days until... a look at "Star Wars Rebels" and a hint at a future duel between Darth Vader and Ben Kenobi.

From SlashFilm:  Forest Whitaker for "Rogue One."

From FlickeringMyth:  The week in Star Wars, ending June 20th, 2015.

From FlickeringMyth:  New clip from the first episode of "Star Wars Rebels" Season 2.

From TechnoBuffalo:  Leaked photos reveal the return of old friends.

From FlickeringMyth:  Two new photos from The Force Awakens... maybe.

From Deadline via YahooTV:  John Boyega has signed with talent agency WME.

From FlickeringMyth:  A possible first look at Princess Leia in The Force Awakens.

From IBT: Who is Captain Phasma - some spoiler filled (maybe) answers.

From GuardianUK:  A legend died recently, Christopher Lee.  IMDb lists well over 200 TV and film credits for him, and two of those were in Star Wars films (as Dooku).

From EW:  Star Wars toy peeks.

From FlickeringMyth:  Daisy Ridley hints at parentage of Rey

From Toybox:  Possible first look at new Stormtrooper action figure.

From CinemaBlend:  Billie Lourd, the daughter of Carrie Fisher, says that she does not play Princess Leia's daughter in The Force Awakens.

From ThePlaylist:  Han shot first - at least according to an early draft of the Star Wars script.

From ScreenRant:  C-3PO with a red arm?

From SideshowCollectibles:  Everything you need to know about The Force Awakens from the "Hot Toys" people.

From YahooGames:  The "Original Trilogy" novels retold, beginning September 2015.

From YahooGames:  Han Solo married?

From YahooMovies:  I didn't know that there was a short film shown before The Empire Strikes Back, when it was first released back in 1980.  I actually saw it back then, but I arrived late and the movie had already been started for about 5 minutes at least. Anyway, the short, entitled Black Angel, is being turned into a full-length film.

From YahooGames:  Andy Serkis will play a character named Supreme Leader Snoke.

From CinemaBlend:   A look at Lupita Nyong'o's character Maz Kanata via conceptual art.

From YahooMovies:  John Boyega is a total Star Wars nerd.

From TheVox:  Lightsaber colors explained.

From Mashable:  Madame Tusands in London prepares to open Star Wars exhibition.

From YahooTV:  No Princess Leia flashback in "The Force Awaken" ... or so she says.

From HuffingtonPost:  More girls in Star Wars says little Miss Hanks.

From TheVox:  Someone has found the "best" version of the original Star Wars.

From YahooMovies:  Vanity Fair covers "The Force Awakens."

From AccessHollywood:  More about the Vanity Fair shoot.

From YahooGames:  More on Disney not using George Lucas' treatment for a new trilogy.

From YahooMovies:  Episode VII's six confirmed new characters

From YahooMovies:  Disney wary of Star Wars overload.

From Variety:  The first merchandise from "The Force Awakens" hits stores September 4th, 2015.

From HuffingtonPost: "Chewie, we're home."

From Toybox:  BB-8 has his own teaser toy website.

From ScreenRant:  Who is the narrator in Trailer #2?  Is Luke or... the son of Luke.

From YahooMovies:  At Star Wars Celebration - Mark Hamill talks about being wary of J.J. Abrams and about a pivotal meeting with George Lucas.

From IGN:  At Star Wars Celebration - fans learns what could have been had "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" not been cancelled.  Some episodes would taken place after Revenge of the Sith.

From BleedingCool:  Alan Dean Foster, the master of adapting science fiction films into novels, is writing the novelization of "The Force Awakens."

From YahooMovies:  Yes, the release of the second trailer caused a fan freak out.

From CinemaBlend:  The Empire and Rebel Alliance get new names.

From YahooTech:  So how does that awesome little droid, BB-8, work?

From YahooMovies:  What crashed that Star Destroyer in the second teaser.

From YahooMovies: 6 surprises as secrets from the second trailer/teaser for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

From CinemaBlend:  7 big moments in the second teaser that you may have missed.

From YahooMovies:  5 scenes from second trailer that remind us of original trilogy.

From GuardianUK: Second trailer returns to franchise's strengths.

From YahooMovies:  How much it costs to get an autograph or take a picture with a Star Wars personality.

From YahooFinance: Second teaser confirms one leaked plot detail... spoiler alert!

From Polygon: A closer look at the villain's costume and lightsaber.

From YahooTV:  Fun with the fake Carrie Fisher/William Shatner feud.

From YahooMovies:  George Lucas on corporate movie making and Episode VII.

From YahooGames:  See the trailer for the hot "Star Wars: Battlefront" game, due November 2015.

From YahooMovies:  "The Force Awakens" design team talks about designing the next generation.

From TechnBuffalo:  Darth Vader returns for Season Two of "Star Wars Rebels."

From YahooMovies:  30 million views of "The Force Awakens" Trailer #2 in first 24 hours.