Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Jan. 7th to 13th, 2024 - Update #31

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From THR:  Word is that Top Cruise: Maverick co-writer Ehren Kruger has started working on a third installment of the Top Gun film franchise.  "Maverick" director Joseph Kosinski is likely to return for the third film, which would reunited Tom Cruise with co-stars Miles Teller and Glen Powell.

MOVIES - From THR:  David Gordon Green directed the recent, "The Exorcist: Believer," the first film in the rebooted "The Exorcist" trilogy.  Now, comes news that Green will not direct the next film, "The Exorcist: Deceiver," which has also lost its April 18th, 2025 release date.

MOVIES/MUSIC - From THR:  The Michael Jackson biopic, "Michael," is scheduled to be released globally to movie theaters April 18, 2025.  Michael's nephew, Jaafar Jackson, will star as the music icon.

STAR TREK - From Deadline:  Toby Haynes (Disney+'s "Andor) will direct and Seth Grahame-Smith will write a new "Star Trek" film.  It will be separate from the main Chris Pine-led series that began with 2009's Star Trek.  A fourth film in that series is still in development.

MOVIES - From THR:  Oscar-winning director, Danny Boyle, and writer Alex Garland are reunited for "28 Years Later," the long-awaited follow-up to the sci-fi/horror movie hit, 28 Days Later, and its sequel, 28 Weeks Later.  "28 Years Later" will also kick off a new trilogy.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar winners Leonardo DiCaprio and Sean Penn will join Regina Hall in a new film from writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza). The film will begin shooting this year for Warner Bros.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Tom Cruise has a strategic partnership deal with Warner Bros. Discovery. He will develop and produce original and franchise theatrical titles in which he will also star.  It is not an exclusive deal, as Cruise is still working on "Mission: Impossible 8" with Paramount a shot-in-space movie with director Doug Liman for Universal.

MOVIES - From EW:  "Purple Rain," the 1984 Oscar-winning music drama starring the late Grammy winner, Prince, is being adapted into a Broadway musical.  The musical will feature Prince's music, and the book will be written by Brandon Jacob-Jenkins.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 1/5 to 1/7/2023 weekend box office is Warner Bros.'s "Wonka" with an estimated 14.4 million dollars.

EMMYS - From Deadline:  20-year-old actress Storm Reid has won her first Emmy Award.  During Night #1 at the Creative Arts Emmys, Reid snagged "Guest Actress in a Drama Series" for her role as "Riley Abel" on HBO's "The Last of Us." Reid has appeared in such films as A Wrinkle in Time (2018) and The Suicide Squad (2021).

From Blavity:  Over 41 years after her first television series appearance (on NBC's former drama, "Fame"), actress Jasmine Guy earned her first Emmy nomination a few months ago.  Last night (Sat., Jan. 6th), Jasmine won her first Emmy "Outstanding Actress in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series" for "The Chronicles of Jessica Wu." Guy is best known for playing the character "Whitley Gilbert-Wayne" on the former NBC sitcom, "A Different World" (1987-93).

From Deadline:  Five-time Emmy nominee, actress Judith Light, has finally won her first Emmy Award, "Guest Actress in a Comedy Series" for streamer Peacock's "Poker Face."  It was also Peacock's first Emmy win.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  "Shout! Studios" has taken exclusive worldwide rights to Jim Henson’s beloved fantasy adventure movies, The Dark Crystal (1982) and Labyrinth (1986).  This is part of a new multi-year distribution alliance with The Jim Henson Company that began Jan. 1st, 2024.  Under the deal, Shout! holds rights to the titles in regards to streaming, video-on-demand, broadcast, digital download, and all packaged media, as well as limited non-theatrical rights, according to "Deadline."

AWARDS:

From THR:  Key award season dates leading up to the 2024 / 96th Academy Awards, which are Sunday, March 10th, 2024.

From Variety:  The Producers Guild of America has announced the nominees for the 2024 / 35th annual Producers Guild Awards.  For the first time in the history of the awards, two international films, "Anatomy of a Fall" and "The Zone of Interest," have made been nominated in the PGA's top category, "Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures." The winners will be announced Feb. 25th.

From Variety:   The nominees for the 2024 / 51st Annie Awards have been announced.  Netflix's "Nimona" leads the features categories with nine nominations.  The winners will be announced Sat., Feb. 17th.

From Deadline:  The Screen Actors Guild nominations for the 2024 / 30th annual SAG Awards have announced. "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" leads the film side of things with four nominations apiece.  The winners will be announced Saturday, Feb. 24th.

From Variety:  The Directors Guild of America has announced the nominations for the 2024 / 76th DGA Awards.  In the top category, "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film of 2023," the nominees are Greta Gerwig for "Barbie," Christopher Nolan for “Oppenheimer,” Martin Scorsese for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Yorgos Lanthimos for “Poor Things,” and Alexander Payne for “The Holdovers.”  The winners will be announced Feb. 10th.

From AwardsWatch:  The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) revealed the nominees for the "2024 / 38th Annual ASC Awards" with categories in feature film, documentary, television and music video categories.  The winners will be announced March 3rd, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS) announced the winners in 21 categories for the 2023 Seattle Film Critics Society Awards.  Director Celine Song’s "Past Lives" was named the "Best Picture of 2023."

From AwardsWatch:  The Cinema Audio Society (CAS) has announced the nominations for the 60th CAS Awards.  The winners will be announced March 2nd.

From AwardsWatch:  The Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) has announced the nominations for the 28th Art Directors Guild Awards. The winners will be announced Feb. 10th.

From AwardsWatch:  The Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) has announced it 2024 ASTRA Film Awards.  "Barbie" won eight awards, including "Best Picture.

From AwardsWatch:  The Greater Western New York Film Critics Association (GWNYFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" was named "Best Picture."

From NSFC:  The National Society of Film Critics announce its 58th annual NSFC Awards.  "Past Lives" was named "Best Picture of 2023."

From Deadline:  The 2024 / 81st Golden Globes Awards ceremony was held Sun. night, Jan. 7th, 2024.  "Oppenheimer" won five awards, including "Best Motion Picture-Drama," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), "Best Actor-Drama" (Cillian Murphy), and "Best Supporting Actor-Motion Pictures" (Robert Downey, Jr.). "Poor Things" won "Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy."

From Deadline:  NIGHT 2 of the 75th Creative Arts Emmys took place Sun., Jan. 7th, 2024.  (Former) President Barack Obama and Keke Palmer were among the winners.

From Deadline:  NIGHT 1 of the 75th Creative Arts Emmys took place Sat., Jan. 6th, 2024.  HBO's "The Last of Us" lead the night with 8 wins, including wins in both "Guest Actor in a Drama Series" categories: Nick Offerman (Guest Actor) and Storm Reid (Guest Actress).

From AwardsWatch:  The 5th annual DiscussingFilm Critics Awards were announced.  "Oppenheimer" won eight awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:   The Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards. "Past Lives" won three awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Celine Song).

From AwardsWatch:  The Georgia Film Critics Association (GFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" won seven honors, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" was named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Columbus Film Critics Association (COFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won six awards including "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese).

From AwardsWatch:  The Costume Designers Guild (Local 892) announced the official nominees list for the 26th CDGA (Costume Designers Guild Awards). The annual CDGA ceremony will take place Wed., Feb. 21st, 2024.

From Variety:   The British Academy has unveiled the results of the first round of voting across all 24 categories for the 2024 / 77th BAFTA Film Awards.  These results are known as "the longlists."  "Barbie," "Killers of the Flower Moon," and "Oppenheimer" all appeared on the longlist of 15 categories.  The nominations will be announced Jan. 18th, and the winners will be announced Feb. 18th.

From AwardsWatch:  The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle (OFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won five awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese), and "Best Actress" (Lily Gladstone).

From AwardsWatch:  The Critics Association of Central Florida (CACF) has announced the winners of its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won 10 awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan). 

From AwardsWatch:  U.K. Film Critics Association (UKFCA) has announced the winners of its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won three awards: "Best Film," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From Variety: The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild (MUAHS, IATSE Local 706) has announced nominations for the 11th MUAHS Guild Awards. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 led with five mentions in the film categories and ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" led with four in the television categories. The winners will be announced Sunday, February 18, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Nevada Film Critics Society has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" won five awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  Hayao's Miyazaki's anime film, "The Boy and the Heron" was named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "American Fiction" won six awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Cord Jefferson), and Best Actor (Jeffrey Wright).

From AwardsWatch:  The San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) has announced its 2023 film awards.  Always trying to be difficult, it named "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" the "Best Picture."  It named Martin Scorsese "Best Director" for "Killers of the Flower Moon."

From AwardsWatch:  The Dublin Film Critics Circle has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" wins "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Celine Song)"

From AwardsWatch:  The North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" wins five awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  The Southeaster Film Critics Association (SEFCA) has announces its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won eight awards including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Poor Things" won six awards, including "Best Pictuere," "Best Director" (Yorgos Lanthmos), "Best Actress" (Emma Stone"), and "Best Supporting Actor" (Mark Ruffalo).

From AwardsWatch:  The Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCC) has announced it 2023 film awards.  "Poor Things" won four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Yorgos Lanthimos), and "Best Actress" (Emma Stone).

From AwardsWatch:  The St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) has announced its 2023 awards.  "Oppenheimer" won seven awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy)

From AwardsWatch:  The Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS) has named its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture."  Oppenheimer wins six, including "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics Association (DFWFCA) has named its 2023 films awards.  "The Holdovers" wins "Best Picture."  "Oppenheimer" wins four, including "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) have announced their 2023 film awards.  "The Zone of Interest" wins "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (for Jonathan Glazer).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2023 Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA) awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture," one of two awards its won.  "Oppenheimer" wins five, including a "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The nominations for the 2024 / 24th annual Black Reel Awards have been announced.  "The Color Purple" leads with 19 nominations.  The winners will be announced Jan. 16th, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Phoenix Critics Circle (PCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" wins "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) have named "Killers of the Flower Moon" the "Best Film" of 2023.  Christopher Nolan wins "Best Director" for "Oppenheimer."

From AwardsWatch:  The Las Vegas Film Critics Society have named "Oppenheimer" the "Best Picture" of 2023, with the film's director, Christopher Nolan, winning "Best Director."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2023 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture," and Christopher Nolan wins "Best Director" for "Oppenheimer."

From THR:   The winners at the 2023 / 49th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  The Holocaust historical drama, "The Zone of Interest," wins four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Jonathan Glazer), and "Best Actress" (Sandra Huller).

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2024 / 29th annual Critics Choice Awards have been announced. "Barbie" leads with 18 nominations.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2024 / 81st annual Golden Globe Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Jan. 7th, 2024 on CBS and Paramount Plus.

From AwardsWatch:  The Las Vegas Film Critics have announced their 2023 LVFC Awards nominations.  "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" are the leading vote getters.  The winners will be announced Wed., Dec. 13th.

From THR:  The winners at the 2023 European Film Awards have been announced.  "Anatomy of a Fall" won five awards including for "Best Film," "Best Director" (Justine Triet), and "Best Actress" (Sandra Huller).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2023 National Board of Review film honors have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won "Best Film," "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese), and "Best Actress" (Lily Gladstone).

From AwardsWatch:  The American Film Institute (AFI) names its top ten films: American Fiction, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, May December, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.  It also names its top ten television series: Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Beef, Jury Duty, The Last of Us, The Morning Show, Only Murders in the Building, Poker Face, Reservation Dogs, and Succession.

From AwardsWatch:  "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" lead the nominations for "Astra Film & Creative Arts Awards," which are put on by the "Hollywood Creative Alliance" (formerly known as the Hollywood Critics Association).  The winners will be announced Jan. 6th, 2024 in Los Angeles.

From Deadline:  At the 2023 / 26th British Independent Film Awards, director Andrew Haigh's "All of Us Strangers" won seven awards, including "Best British Independent Film."

From Variety:  The winners at the 2023 / 89th New York Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" (directed by Martin Scorsese) was named "Best Film of 2023."  Christopher Nolan won "Best Director" for his film, "Oppenheimer."

From Variety:  The winners at the 2023 / 33rd Annual Gotham Awards were announced Mon., Nov. 27th.  Writer-director Celine Song's South Korean romantic drama, "Past Lives" won the "Best Feature" award.

BEST PICTURE COUNT:

All of Us Strangers: 1

American Fiction: 1

Barbie: 1

The Boy and the Heron: 1

The Holdovers: 1

Killers of the Flower Moon: 9

Oppenheimer: 11

Past Lives: 7

Poor Things: 3

The Zone of Interest: 2

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Review: "LICORICE PIZZA" is a Dumb Title for a Freaking Fantastic Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 36 of 2022 (No. 1848) by Leroy Douresseaux

Licorice Pizza (2021)
Running time:  133 minutes (2 hours, 13 minutes)
MPA – R for language, sexual material and some drug use
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Paul Thomas Anderson
PRODUCERS:  Paul Thomas Anderson, Sara Murphy, and Adam Somner
CINEMATOGRAPHERS:  Paul Thomas Anderson (D.o.P.) and Michael Bauman
EDITOR:  Andy Jurgensen
COMPOSER:  Jonny Greenwood
Academy Award nominee

ROMANCE/COMEDY/DRAMA/HISTORICAL

Starring:  Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Will Angarola, Griff Giacchino, James Kelley, Maya Rudolph, Iyana Halley, Ryan Heffington, Benny Safdie, Joseph Cross, and Bradley Cooper

Licorice Pizza is a 2021 coming-of-age comedy and drama and period film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson.  The film focuses on the adventures and misadventures of a teenage boy and a 20-something young woman as their romantic relationship develops.

Licorice Pizza is set in San Fernando Valley, California, circa 1973.  The film introduces 15-year-old Gary Valentine (Cooper Hoffman), a child actor.  While preparing for “picture day” at his high school, Gary notices the photographer's assistant, Alana Kane (Alana Haim).  Gary is smitten with her and strikes up a conversation, but Alana, who says that she is 25-years-old (although she could be as much as 28-years-old), tries to rebuff him, to no avail.

A kind of romance begins while Gary becomes a budding teenage businessman and while Alana tries to get her life together.  This version of “first love,” however, involves a treacherous navigation as both are attracted to other people.  This includes other teen girls for Gary and actors and politicians for Alana.  Meanwhile, there is an entire San Fernando Valley of adventures to be had and some growing up to do.

The Los Angeles Times described Licorice Pizza as a “family-and-friends-project” because much of the cast of the film is made up of Paul Thomas Anderson's family and friends.  The lead actor, Cooper Hoffman, is the son of the late actor, Philip Seymour Hoffman, who appeared in several of Anderson's films.  A former local restaurant that Anderson patronized is recreated for the film.  Living and deceased Hollywood celebrities appear as characters in the film, including legendary television star and studio executive, Lucille Ball, and film producer, Jon Peters.  Gary Valentine and his adventures are based on the life of former child actor turned film and TV producer, Gary Goetzman, a friend of Anderson's and the producing partner of actor Tom Hanks.  The film even takes its title from, “Licorice Pizza” (1969-85), a former Southern California record store chain that, through sales and acquisitions, became part of the “Musicland” brand.

Thinking about Licorice Pizza, I can only regard it as perfect, and I feel that its perfection comes from the fact that the concept, plot, story, setting, and characters come from a place of love and of familiarity for Anderson.  Everything feels natural and real, and there were instances when I was watching this film that it felt like I was staring through a window in time at something that had actually taken place.

To me, Anderson's screenplay is perfect down to the punctuation and indention.  To change it would be to ruin it.  Even the soundtrack is filled with songs that seem as if they were recorded long ago, but were always meant for Licorice Pizza.

Gary Valentine and Alana Kane (love those names) are so well-developed and so naturally developed that I found myself loving them, being annoyed at them, and being worried for them – as if they were my own charges.  As Gary, Hoffman gives one of the best performances of a teenage character that I have ever seen.  Alana Haim is Meryl Streep and Glenn Close good as Alana Kane, and her not receiving an Oscar nomination for this performance is artistic theft.

Well … I love this film, and I demand that you watch it.  Or I'll beg if that's what it takes.  The lives of white kids in 1970s San Fernando Valley is a star system away from when and how I grew up.  Still, I could feel that era and the lives of these people in my heart.  Honestly, Licorice Pizza is a stupid-ass title for a stupendous-ass film.  If the title is what is holding you back from seeing it, ignore that title and see one of the truly great films of the last several years.

10 of 10

Wednesday, June 15, 2022


NOTES:
2022 Academy Awards, USA:  3 nominations: “Best Motion Picture of the Year” (Sara Murphy, Adam Somner, and Paul Thomas Anderson), “Best Achievement in Directing” (Paul Thomas Anderson), and “Best Original Screenplay” (Paul Thomas Anderson)

2022 BAFTA Awards:  1 win:  “Best Screenplay-Original (Paul Thomas Anderson);  4 nominations: “Best Film” (Sara Murphy, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Adam Somner), “Best Director” (Paul Thomas Anderson), “Best Leading Actress” (Alana Haim), “Best Editing” (Andy Jurgensen)

2022 Golden Globes, USA:  4 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy,” “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Alana Haim), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy” (Cooper Hoffman), and “Best Screenplay – Motion Picture” (Paul Thomas Anderson)


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

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

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AWARDS:

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

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

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

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

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

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OBITS:

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

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

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

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

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"RUST" ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING DEATH:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 15th to 21st, 2019 - Update #24

Support Leroy on Patreon:

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Jim Parsons and Mayim Bialik, who played nerd couple, "Sheldon & Amy" on CBS' recently ended "The Big Bang Theory," are reportedly reunited for a new sitcom on Fox.  "Entitled "Carla," it is a based on the BBC series, "Miranda."

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SPORTS - From Deadline:  "The Immaculate Reception" has been named the greatest play in the history of the National Football League (NFL) by a nationwide panel of 68 media members.  This article has video of the deflected pass that Pittsburgh Steelers running back, Franco Harris, caught ran for a touchdown in the Steelers first playoff win.

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BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  The "Downton Abbey" movie looks like it will squash "Rambo Last Blood" and Brad Pitt's "Ad Astra" to win the weekend box office.

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MOVIES - From YahooMoviesUK:  Samara Weaving, who is starring in "Bill & Ted 3," says that Keanu Reeves is unaware of his huge online fanbase.

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ECO - From Time:  Angelina Jolie writes for "Time Magazine": Climate Change Is Already Displacing Millions of People. It's Our Responsibility to Help Them

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Joe and Anthony Russo ("Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame") will receive will receive the 2019 Publicists Motion Picture Showman of the Year Award from the International Cinematographers Guild.

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STREAMING - From USAToday:  Amazon's "Lord of the Rings" TV series will film in New Zealand (and it already is) as Peter Jackson's film trilogy did.

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DISNEY - From Deadline:  "Vanity Fair" has an advanced excerpt from Disney CEO Bob Iger's memoir, "The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company."  Iger says that if Apple CEO Steve Jobs had lived, Disney and Apple would have merged.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  "Hogan's Heroes" is coming back.  Albert Ruddy, co-creator of the original 1960s comedy TV series, is joining Village Roadshow and Rough Pictures, to produce a sequel that focuses on the descendants of the original TV show who are now treasure hunters.

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STREAMING - From Deadline: NBCUniversal has named its new streaming service "Peacock."  A number of Peacock's series will be reboots of old NBC and Universal properties, like "Saved by the Bell."

From TVLine:  One of the series that NBCUniversal is reviving for its streaming service, "Peacock," is "Saved by the Bell."  Is anyone from the original cast coming back?

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STREAMING - From Deadline:  There will be a second reboot of the old ABC TV series, "Battlestar Galactica."  Fans remember Syfy's 2003-09 series.  Now, NBCUniversal, which owns the property, has ordered a reboot from "Mr. Robot" creator, Sam Esmail.  The new series will debut on NBCU's new streaming service, which was recently named, "Peacock."

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MOVIES - From CBR:  Original "Ghostbusters" star, Dan Aykroyd, will return for the upcoming "Ghostbusters 2020."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:   The winner of the 9/13 to 9/15/2019 weekend box office is "It: Chapter Two" with an estimated take of 40.7 million dollars.

TELEVISION - From Variety:  Emmy-winning actress Jane Lynch has revealed that she has joined Grammy and Tony Award-winning singer-songwriter, Cyndi Lauper, and former "Seinfeld" writer, Carol Leifer, in developing a new comedy similar to NBC's long-running hit, "The Golden Girls."  They hope to sell the series to Netflix.

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MOVIES - From TheGuardian:  In its "100 best films of the 21st century" list, the site goes with Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood" (2007) as the top film.  And they stupidly start with the year 2000.

From TheGuardian:  Paul Thomas Anderson talks about his film being #1.

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EMMYS - From IndieWire: Here is the winners' list from the second night of the 2019 Creative Arts Emmy Awards.

From Variety:  Last night, Saturday, September 14, 2019 was "Night 1" of the 2019 Creative Arts Emmy Awards."  This article has a full list of winners.

From TheWrap:  Last night at the 2019 Creative Arts Emmys, legendary TV producer, Norman Lear, became the oldest Emmy Award winner at the age of 97 years and 49 days old.  He beat a record that had been set half and hour earlier when David Attenborough won an Emmy at the age of 93 years old.

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CULTURE - From THR:  "Who decides who is allowed to say the "N-word?" Kareem Abdul-Jabbar supports writer Walter Mosley's decision to quit the writing staff of "Star Trek: Discovery" after Mosley was admonished for telling a story that involved him using the word "nigger."

From TheNewYorkTimes:  Novelist and screenwriter Walter Mosley explains why he quit "Star Trek: Discover."

OBITS:

From ABC:  Groundbreaking female journalist and political commentator, Cokie Roberts, has died at the age of 75, Tuesday, September 17, 2019.  A three-time Emmy winner, Roberts may be best known for her association with National Public Radio (NPR) and ABC News.  Roberts was a longtime panelist on ABC's Sunday morning news show, "The Week" and ABC's evening news show, "World News Tonight."

From YahooEntertainment:  Actor Brian Turk died at the age of 49, Friday, September 13, 2019.  He was best known for his role as "Gabriel" in HBO's "Carnivale" (2003-2005).  He was a football player at the University of Southern Califonia, and began his acting career in 1993.

From RollingStone:  Singer-songwriter, producer, and recording artist, Ric Ocasek, has died at the age of 75, Sunday, September 15, 2019.  Ocasek is best remembered as the lead singer, primary songwriter, and rhythm guitarist of "the Cars," a band known for fusing pop and new wave music.  Ocasek was also a prolific music producer for other acts including Weezer, No Doubt, and Bad Brains, to name a few.

From YahooEntertainment:  Ric Ocasek, lead singer of the 1970s-80s New Wave rock band, died of cardiovascular disease according to an autopsy report released today, Monday, September 16, 2019, by the New York City medical examiner’s office.  Ocasek passed away Sunday.

2018 Oscars "Best Picture of the Year" - "The Shape of Water"

Best Picture

The Shape of Water - Guillermo del Toro and J. Miles Dale, Producers - WINNER

Nominees
Call Me by Your Name - Peter Spears, Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges and Marco Morabito, Producers

Darkest Hour - Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Lisa Bruce, Anthony McCarten and Douglas Urbanski, Producers

Dunkirk - Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers

Get Out - Sean McKittrick, Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm Jr. and Jordan Peele, Producers

Lady Bird - Scott Rudin, Eli Bush and Evelyn O'Neill, Producers

Phantom Thread - JoAnne Sellar, Paul Thomas Anderson, Megan Ellison and Daniel Lupi, Producers

The Post - Amy Pascal, Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger, Producers

Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri - Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Martin McDonagh, Producers

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2018 Oscars "Best Director" - Guillermo del Toro

Directing

The Shape of Water - Guillermo del Toro - WINNER

Nominees
Dunkirk - Christopher Nolan
Get Out - Jordan Peele
Lady Bird - Greta Gerwig
Phantom Thread - Paul Thomas Anderson

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 17th to 23rd, 2017 - Update #31

Support Leroy on Patreon.

BLM - From Lobelog:  Free Ahed Tamimi!  She hurt the IDF's masculinity.

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MOVIES - From TheVillageVoice:  "Searching for Daniel Day-Lewis."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Quentin Tarantino's "Jackie Brown" will be 20 years old Christmas Day.

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STAR TREK - From Deadline:  Paramount has set Mark L. Smith to write the screenplay for the announced R-rated Star Trek movie that Quentin Tarantino says he wants to direct and J.J. Abrams will produce.

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SPORTS - From BET:  Former Major League Baseball player, Darryl Strawberry, admitted to having sex in the team clubhouse during games.

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POLITICS - From teleSUR:  Oxfam describes the situation in Yemen as an "apocalypse," after 1000 days of a U.S. backed military campaign by Saudi Arabia.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  The board of directors of The Weinstein Company will meet today to consider bids to buy the company, in the wake of the co-founder Harvey Weinstein facing multiple accusations of sexual abuse, harassment, and misconduct.

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MOVIES - From GQ:  "The Dark Optimism of Paul Thomas Anderson."

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MOVIES - From RollingStone:  Cher makes her grand entry in the "Mamma Mia" sequel.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Josh Gad joins Disney's "Artemis Fowl" film.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Nick Castle who played Michael Myers in John Carpenter's 1978 "Halloween" is returning to play the character again in next year's David Gordon Green directed reboot.

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Bradley Cooper's "A Star is Born" remake, in which he stars with Lady Gaga, has been moved from a Summer 2018 release date to October 2018.

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MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Yahoo's "50 Best Movies of 2017."  Their pick for best is "Lady Bird."

From YahooEntertainment:  Yahoo's "10 Worse Movies of 2017."  "Baywatch" is the winner/loser.

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SPORTS - From YahooEntertainment:  NBA legend, former L.A. Laker, Kobe Bryant, talks about his animated short film, "Dear Basketball," directed by Disney legend, Glen Keane.

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BLM - From YahooLifestyle:  George Zimmerman, who killed an African-American child named Trayvon Martin, has threatened to kill Jay-Z who is produced a six-part docuseries about Trayvon Martin, "Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story."

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COMICS - From THR:  Elvis Presley will battle aliens!  "Bubba Ho-Tep," the Joe R. Lansdale novella that became a 2002 cult film (from director Don Coscarelli), will get a prequel comic book from IDW Publishing in 2018.

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MOVIES - From BoxOfficeMojo:  There will be a whole lotta movies released on Christmas Day 2017.

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MOVIES - From TheHollywoodReporter:  Paramount Pictures announces release dates for GI Joe, Micronauts, and Dungeons & Dragons films.

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ANIMATION - From ShadowandAct:  Adam Reid's animated sci-fi comedy, "Barry and Joe: The Animated Series," gets some backing from late-night talk show host, Conan O'Brien.

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TELEVISION - From ShadowandAct:  HBO has picked up two new shows from Issa Rae, the creator of the acclaimed HBO series, "Insecure."

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SCANDAL - From Deadline:  BBC preps a feature-length, definitive documentary about the "Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct scandal."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 12/15 to 12/17/2017 weekend box office is "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" with an estimated take of $220 million.

From Deadline:  "I, Tonya" leads specialty box office for the second weekend.

From Variety:  "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" hits $230 million in international box office.

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From YahooEntertainment:  Bob and Harvey Weinstein apparently blacklisted Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino from films in which they were involved, including "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "Bad Santa."

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STREAMING - From IndieWireTV:  Ian McKellen wants to play Gandalf in Amazon's upcoming "Lord of the Rings" TV series. McKellen says he is not to old because Gandalf is over 7000 years old.

OBITS:

From TheWrap:  Sports broadcaster, Dick Enberg, has died at the age of 82, Thursday, December 21, 2017.  Over his nearly 60-year career, Enberg worked for CBS, NBC, and ESPN covering eight Super Bowls, multiple World Series, and the Wimbledon tennis tournament.  He is also famous for his catchphrase, "Oh, my!"

From Variety:  Film production designer, Therese DePrez, has died at the age of 52, Tuesday, December 19, 2017.  DePrez is best known for her work on Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan," but over her long career, she had worked on such films as Spike Lee's "Summer of Sam" and John Cameron Mitchell's "Hedwig and the Angry Inch."

From Deadline:  The actress Hiep Thi Le has died at the age of 46, Tuesday, December 19, 2017.   She was best known for playing the role of real-life Le Ly Hayslip in Oliver Stone's 1994, "Heaven and Earth."  Le was also a celebrated restaurateur and chef.

From THR:  The actress Heather North has died at the age of 71, Thursday, November 30, 2017.  Although she appeared in numerous films and TV shows ("The Monkees," "My Three Sons"), North is best known as the voice of "Daphne Blake," on various "Scooby-Doo" animated TV series, beginning with the second season of the first Scooby-Doo series, "Scooby-Doo Where Are You!"

From BleedingCool:  Bob Givens, the man who created the official design for Bugs Bunny, has died at the age of 99, Thursday, December 14, 2017.  Given was asked to redesign the "too cute" Bugs, and Given's iconic look first appeared in the animated short film, "A Wild Hare."  Given, once an employee of Walt Disney, participated in the notorious 1941 strike at Disney.  [Thank you and rest in peace, Mr. Givens. - Leroy]

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 22nd to 31st, 2017 - Update #46

Support Leroy on Patreon.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Paramount Pictures' "Pet Sematary" remake will be directed by Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer, the directors of the buzzed about horror film, "Starry Eyes."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Blake Lively's spy thriller, "The Rhythm Section" is due in 2019.

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SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Harvey Weinstein has been expelled from the Producers Guild of America for life, following scores of sexual misconduct allegations.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Lupita Nyong'o and Josh Gad to star in zombie romantic comedy, "Little Monsters.

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SCANDAL - From Variety:  Kevin Spacey becomes the latest big-time Hollywood actor to be accused of some kind of sexual misconduct.  His accuser is Anthony Rapp of "Star Trek: Discovery."

From Variety:  Kevin Spacey's response to those accusations have irked some.

From Deadline:  Netflix is cancelling Kevin Spacey's streaming series, "House of Cards," after next year's sixth season in light of allegations against the two-time Oscar winner.

From HuffPost:  Remember that creepy Kevin Spacey joke on "Family Guy" in 2005?

From YahooNews:  Sexual misconduct accusations have dogged Kevin Spacey for year, according to "Newsweek."

From TheWrap:  Netflix is looking at creating a spinoff of its hit series, "House of Cards," which is will end after the sixth season - in light of accusations against series star, Kevin Spacey.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 10/27 to 10/29/2017 weekend box office is "Jigsaw" with an estimated take of $16.25 million.

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MOVIES - From Collider:  Quentin Tarantino has summoned big studios to look at the first script for his anticipated Charles Manson project.

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SCANDAL:  From YahooGMA:  Actress Annabella Sciorra ("Jungle Fever," "The Sopranos") is the latest to accuse Harvey Weinstein of rape.

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COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  Zachary Levi, best known for NBC's "Chuck," has been tapped for the lead role in New Line Cinema's "Shazam," film based on the DC Comics character.

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MOVIES - From YahooEntertaiment:  Writer-director Robert Rodriguez ("Spy Kids") once dated Rose McGowan, who says she was raped by Harvey Weinstein, who released several of Rodriguez's films.

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ANIMATION - From TheVillageVoice:  This article argues that "South Park," has backed off criticizing President Trump and the alt-right, when it has historically not back off any sacred cows.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Tom Hanks to star in science fiction film, "Bios."

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MOVIES - From Collider:  Vin Diesel releases information about the upcoming ninth and tenth installments of the "Fast & Furious" film franchise.

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CULTURE - From SplinterNews:  The military has a serious White Nationalists problem?  [Yes, it does. This is not new news. - Leroy]

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Who knows what is going on with the "Bad Boys" film franchise, but producer Jerry Bruckheimer is developing a TV spin-off.  The character played by Gabrielle Union, who was in "Bad Boys 2," will be the focus on the series.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Adam Driver ("Star Wars") is attached to star in Spike Lee's "Black Klansman" film.

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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  Gareth Evans, the director of the fantastic film, "The Raid," is in talks to direct a film based on the "Deathstroke" character from DC Comics.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Colman Domingo joins Barry Smith's (Moonlight) drama, "If Beale Street Could Talk."  Domingo is known for his role as "Victor Strand" on "Fear the Walking Dead."

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MOVIES - From THR:  Sharon Stone will star as a mob mistress in "Sunny," the English-language debut of Norwegian filmmaker, Eva Sorhaug.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  The daughter of the late actor, Paul Walker, has reached a settlement in her wrongful death lawsuit against Porsche.  Walker and another man were killed in a Porsche car crash in November 2013.

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COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  "Captain Marvel" director Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are in talks to have the star of their film, "Mississippi Grind," Ben Mendelsohn, join their Marvel Studios film as the villain.

From WeGotThisCovered:  Director James Mangold begins work on movie that spins off the character, "X-23," from the hit movie, "Logan."

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SPORTS - From CNN:  The site offers a guide to the 2017 World Series pitting the Los Angeles Dodgers (National League) against the Houston Astros (American League).  This is the Astros second trip to the World Series; they last played in 2005 as the representative of the National League, where they were until 2013.  The Dodgers were last in the World Series in 1988, which they won.

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COMICS-FILM - From Deadline:  Set photo from first day on the set of "Venom" starring Tom Hardy.

From Refinery29:  Why is Tom Hardy always cast as the ugliest comic book characters.

From TheWrap:  Marvel's "Captain Marvel" film will lead into the fourth "Avengers" film.
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TELEVISION - From TVLine:  Ray Donovan is coming back for a sixth season, but there will be a big change.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Oscar-winning actress Renee Zellweger will portray the legendary actress, Judy Garland, who is most famous for role in "The Wizard of Oz."  The film will be set in the final years of Garland's life.

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STAR TREK - From TheWrap:  "Star Trek: Discovery" gets a second season from CBS All Access, the streaming service.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 10/20 to 10/22/2017 weekend box office is "Tyler Perry's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween" with an estimated take of $21.65 million.

From Variety:  Tyler Perry's "Boo 2!" keeps the weekend box office from being a complete disaster.

From Variety:  With its big debut in China, "Kingsman: The Golden Circle" wins the recent international box office.

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SCANDAL - From TheWrap:  James Gunn, director of Marvel's "Guardian of the Galaxy" films, says that he has been trying to warn people about writer-director James Toback, who has been accused by over 30 women of sexual harassment.

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MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Frank Oz talks about the Muppets and his career directing films.

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MOVIES - From SlashFilm:  There is a synopsis and the promise of a trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson's upcoming film, "Phantom Thread."

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POLITICS - From NYTimes:  President Trump isn't Adolf Hitler, but...

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SCANDAL - From LATimes:  "Stranger Things" and "IT" star, "Finn Wolfhard," has led the LA-based talent agency, APA, after his agent, Tyler Grasham, was accused of sexually assaulting a teenager (who is not a director) a decade ago.

From LATimes:  Over 30 women have made sexual harassment claims against director and Oscar-nominated screenwriter ("Bugsy"), James Toback.

From MadameNoire:  Director Michael Canton-Jones days that Harvey Weinstein would not let him cast actress Sophie Okonedo in his 1998 flick, "B. Monkey," because Weinstein did not find her "f***able."  Okonedo would go onto star in "Hotel Rwanda," for which she received a best supporting actress Oscar nomination.  She has won a Tony Award.

OBITS:

From THR:  Actor Jack Bannon has died at the age of 77, Wednesday, October 27, 2017.  He was best known for playing the amiable city editor, Jack Donovan, on CBS's "Lou Grant."

From THR:  Famed cinematographer Harry Stradling, Jr. died at the age of 92, Tuesday, October 17, 2017.  A two-time Oscar nominee, Stradling was known for his work on Western films, like "Little Big Man" and "Rooster Cogburn."  He worked across genres and earned Oscar nods for "1776" and "The Way We Were."

From RollingStone:  The music icon and legend, Fats Domino, died at the age of 89, Tuesday, October 24, 2017.  Domino, a symbol of the dawn of rock and roll, was an architect of rock and roll, and during the second half of the the 1950s, his record sales were reportedly second only to Elvis Presley.  His hits including "I'm Walkin'," "Blue Monday," and "Ain't That a Shame," to name a few.

From TheWrap:  The actor Robert Guillaume has died at the age of 89, Tuesday, October 24, 2017. He was best known for playing the character, Benson DuBois, a butler.  He played Benson as a supporting character in the ABC TV series, "Soap," and as a lead character in the ABC series, "Benson."  He won two Emmys for the role, once as a supporting actor and once as a lead actor.  Guillaume is also known for his voice performance as "Rafiki," in the Disney animated film, "The Lion King."  Guillaume won a Grammy Award for performing the character on "The Lion King" Read-a-long Book.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 1st to 11th, 2017 - Update #51

Support Leroy on Patreon.

COMICS-FILM - From CNET:  Marvel just released a video featurette concerning the first day of filming of "Avengers: Infinity."

From YahooNews:  Video from the set of "Avengers: Infinity War."

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Coen Brothers set to remake "Scarface."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Babak Najafi ("London Has Fallen") set to direct Taraji P. Henson in the thriller, "Proud Mary."

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TELEVISION - From TVLine:  ABC's Thursday night lineup from Shonda Rhimes, "Grey's Anatomy," "Scandal," and "How to Get Away with Murder," will return for another season, 2017-18.

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POLITICS - From Esquire - What Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III as the Attorney General of the United States now the Confederate States of America means to us.

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TELEVISION - From Esquire:  What does Alec Baldwin get out of playing Donald Trump on Saturday Night Live.

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BLM - From Time:  She complied with Immigration and still got deported to Mexico, after being in the U.S. for 21 years since she was 14.

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MOVIES - From FlickeringMyth:  Blair Redford joins Marvel/Fox's "X-Men" TV pilot.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  NBC is in talks to revive "American Idol," which ran on FOX for 15 seasons.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director David Gordon Green ("Pineapple Express") will direct the reboot of the "Halloween" horror film franchise.

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooMovies:  A photo of an Iron Man action figure may reveal what Iron Man's armor looks like in "Spider-Man: Homecoming."

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Lee Daniels is in talks to direct Oprah Winfrey in a remake of "Terms of Endearment."  God in Heaven, help us.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Two of the writers behind "Scary Movie" and such parody films as "Vampires Suck" and "Epic Movie," will write and direct a "Star Wars" spoof.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Jack Nicholson will star in the American remake of "Toni Erdmann," the Oscar-nominated German film.

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Billy Dee Williams talks about finally playing Two-Face.

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OBIT - From THR:  The actor Richard Hatch has died at the age of 71, Tuesday, February 7, 2017.  His best known role was as "Captain Apollo" in the original "Battlestar Galactica" (ABC, 1978-79).  He also returned for the 2004-09 reboot of the series.

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Hmm... the Oscar nominees luncheon looks different this year compared to last year.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Matthew McConaughey will star in Harmony Korine's "The Beach Bum."

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SPORTS - From BusinessInsider: The New England Patriots won Super Bowl 51.  When the team visits the White House, Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett will not attend.

From YahooSports:  Devin McCourty becomes the second Super Bowl winning New England Patriot (after Martellus Bennett) who will not go to the White House.

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  All the big Super Bowl movie trailers broadcast during Super Bowl 51 - according to Yahoo.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  M. Night Shyamalan teases "Split" sequel.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 2/3 to 2/5/2017 weekend box office winner is "Split" with an estimated take of $14.6 million.  This is the film's third weekend at #1.

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TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  Some people think Kristen Stewart killed it hosting "Saturday Night Live" last night (2/4/2017).

From YahooNews:  From a special guest appearance, Melissa McCarthy steals the show last night on "SNL," spoofing President Trump's Press Secretary, Sean Spicer.

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AWARDS - From TheWrap:  Damien Chazelle, director of "La La Land," wins at the Directors Guild Awards.

From LATimes:  Winners make politicized speeches at the 2017 DGA Awards.

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AWARDS - From Variety:  "Zootopia" tops at the animation industry's "Annie Awards."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  John Lithgow has joined the cast of "Pitch Perfect."

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POLITICS - From TIME:  Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says President Trump's "Muslim ban" like a bad horror movie.

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ANIMATION - From TheWrap:  The director of "The Lego Movie" sequel is Mike Mitchell, who directed DreamWork Animation's hit, "Trolls."

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MOVIES - From TheWrap:  New Line Cinema is spinning off a horror movie from "The Conjuring 2."  It is "The Nun" and it will be directed by Corin Hardy.

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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  Marvel has found its leads for its TV series, "Runaways," which is set on Hulu.

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ANIMATION - From TheWrap:  Universal and its animation unit, Illumination, books five straight July 4 weekends through 2023 for film debuts, including "Minions 2."

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Penelope Cruz and Edgar Ramirez join "Love Child" from director Todd Solondz.

CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity:  Patton Oswalt gets in a nasty Twitter exchange with a guy who brings up Oswalt's recently deceased wife.

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POLITICS - From YahooCelebrity:  Matthew McConaughey says that it is time to embrace President Trump.  Hell, no!

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MOVIES - From TheVillageVoice: Bilge Ebiri lists the 10 best films of Sundance 2017.

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CULTURE - From TheIntercept:   The FBI has quietly been investigating white supremacist infiltration of law enforcement.

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COMICS-FILM - From ScreenRant:  Kevin Smith does not want to director "The Batman" movie that Ben Affleck recently declined to direct.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Lesley Manville and Vicky Krieps are added to the new film by Paul Thomas Anderson, which stars Daniel Day-Lewis.

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POLITICS - From RSN:  Reuters orders reporters to cover the President Trump administration as if it were an authoritarian regime.

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MOVIES - From YahooFinance:  Apparently, Johnny Depp has almost ruined himself financially with an unsustainable lifestyle.

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Denis Villeneuve has apparently been confirmed as the director of the latest screen adaptation of Frank Hebert's legendary novel, "Dune."  Villeneuve is hot off his Oscar-nominated film, "Arrival" and his upcoming "Blade Runner" sequel.

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MUSIC - From YahooStyle:  Beyonce announces that she is pregnant with twins.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Colin Farrell in talks to join Denzel Washington in the thriller, "Inner City," from director Dan Gilroy ("Nightcrawler")

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TELEVISION - From IndieWire:  Two hot new shows, "American Gods" and "Dear White People," headed to SXSW 2017.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  Here is the Super Bowl commercial for Netflix's "Stranger Things 2" (Season 2).

From YouTube:  Here is an extended version of the "Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2" Super Bowl commercial.

From YouTube:  Here is the 30-second commercial for "Logan" that appeared during Super Bowl 51.

From YouTube:  Here is the Super Bowl commercial for "Ghost in the Shell." It is 30 seconds long.

From YouTube:  Here is the "Transformers: The Last Knight" 30-secon "spot" to be shown during the Super Bowl.