Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 9th to 15th, 2023 - Update #13

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

COMIC-CON - From Variety:  The "Dune: Part Two," "Jury Duty," and "Abbott Elementary" panels at San Diego Comic-Con 2023 have been cancelled due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.

NETFLIX - From TheNewYorker:  This shocking article discusses how little money many of the cast members of Netflix's "Orange is the New Black" made during and after the series. Consider this an explanation of the Hollywood writers strike and the impending actors strike.

EMMYS - From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 75th Primetime Emmy Awards have been announced.  HBO's "Succession" leads with 27 nominations.  The winners will be announced September 18, 2023 and broadcast on Fox.

DISNEY - From THR:  Disney has extended Bob Iger's contract as CEO through 2026.  Iger was previously CEO from 2005-2020 before retiring.  He returned in  2022 after his replacement, Bob Chapek, was fired by Disney's board of directors.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Sony Pictures and Apple Original Films have released the first trailer for director Ridley Scott's "Napoleon," starring Oscar-winner Joaquin Phoenix in the title role.  The film is set for a worldwide theatrical release November 22nd, 2023.

From Deadline:  Director Michael Mann's latest film, "Ferrari," is headed to the Venice Film Festival.  The epic film, starring Adam Driver and Penelope Cruz, will open Christmas Day 2023.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 7/7 to 7/9/2023 weekend box office is Sony Pictures' "Insidious: The Red Door" with an estimated take of 32.6 million dollars.

CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  "Mission: Impossible" franchise director, Christopher McQuarrie, says that the first time he met Tom Cruse, the star told him that he (Cruise) makes "mass entertainment." Cruise also reveals the weirdest myth about him.

MOVIES - GiantFreakinRobot:  The site has been reporting since Dec. 2022 that Universal Pictures is rebooting its franchise, "The Mummy," that began with the 1999 film of the same title.  The latest is the actors Oded Fehr (Ardeth Bey) and John Hannah (Jonathan Carnahan) are returning.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Soap opera actress, Andrea Evans, has died at the age of 66, Sunday, July 9, 2023.  Evans was best known for playing the role of troublemaking teen, "Tina Lord," on ABC's "One Life to Live" from 1979-81, 1986-90, 2008, 2011.  She also starred in NBC's soap, "Passions" (2000-08), and CBS' "The Young and the Restless" and "The Bold and the Beautiful."  Evans was a two-time nominee at the Daytime Emmy Awards.  Evans career was also hampered for most of the 1990s as she retreated from public view because of violent stalker.

From Deadline:  Film and television writer, director, and producer, Manny Coto, has died at the age of 62, Sunday, July 9, 2023.  He wrote episodes of such TV series as "Star Trek: Enterprise," Fox's "24," and "Dexter," to name a few.  He was on of 12 people who won the "Outstand Drama Series" Primetime Emmy Award for "24" in 2006. In 2011, he shared an Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Drama Series" for Showtime's "Dexter."

WRITERS/ACTORS STRIKE:

From Variety:  The SAG/AFTRA strike begins in New York and Los Angeles.  Hollywood actors began striking today, Fri., July 14th.

From Deadline:  The site has the video of the powerful strike speech given by SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, the actress best known for CBS' former sitcom, "The Nanny."

From Deadline:  Concerning the Hollywood writers strike (via the WGA), the Hollywood Studios (as represented by the AMPTP) is to let the writers go broke before resuming talks deep into the Fall.

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA is already preparing strike picket signs in case the actors' strike begins next week.

From Deadline:  WGA is picketing the New York City filming location of the 12th series of FX's "American Horror Story" (entitled "Delicate") after series co-creator Ryan Murphy threaten litigation against an east coast strike captain.

From THR:  TV super-producer, Ryan Murphy, in a letter from his attorney to the leadership of the Writers Guild of America, threatened litigation against Warren Leight, an East Coast strike captain and Strike Rules Compliance Committee member who has subsequently forfeited those positions.

From Deadline:  The Hollywood studios via the AMPTP has given Canadian actors a new contract, including a 5 percent raise.

From Deadline:  Writers Strike puts the spotlight back on the challenge from writers for animation productions to be covered by the WGA.

From THR:  Studios won't give writers better pay, and now, are laying off janitors.

From Deadline:  The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has reached a tentative new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So what does the Writers Guild (WGA), currently on strike and negotiating with the AMPTP, think of that deal.

From Deadline:  Netflix shareholders declined to support the 2023 pay packages of top executives during a non-binding vote at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday.  The vote won't prevent these execs from getting their loot (an total of $166 million), but this is a rare public rebuke.  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has urged shareholders to vote "No" because the pay was "inappropriate" at this time.

From Deadline:  Warner Bros Discovery chief David Zaslav gave the commencement address at Boston University. There he was met with jeers and also chants of "pay your writers" from picketers and from some in the audience.

From Deadline:   President Joe Biden speaks on the Writers Guild of America strike.

From Deadline:  Retaliation! The studios have starting informing writer-producers who have "overall" and "first-look" deals that such deals are being suspended.

From Deadline:  Retaliation!  Prolific HBO creator, David Simon, who is best known for "The Wire," is one of the many writers who have had their overall deals suspended the studios due to the WGA strike.  Simon has been with HBO for 25 years.

From Deadline:  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is on strike.

From Deadline:  Disney, HBO/HBO Max, and CBS have sent letters to showrunners (the TV equivalent of film directors) instructing them to return to work, inspite of the writer's strike.

From Deadline:  The WGA's chief negotiator, Ellen Stutzman, talks about the state of the writers' strike, including the lack of engagement on the part of the strike's other party, AMPTP.

From Deadline:  What went wrong between the WGA and AMPTP? What could they not agree on that led to a strike?

From Deadline:  The site explains the WGA strike: the issues, the stakes, movies and TV shows affected, and how long it might last.

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 1st to 10th, 2023 - Update #27

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Warner Animation Group is now Warner Bros Pictures Animation, and that is just part of the rebranding from new President of Feature Animation, Bill Damaschke.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  NBC has cancelled the sitcom, "Young Rock," after three seasons on the network.  The series focuses on different chapters in the life of Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.

MUSIC - From Variety:  Grammy-winning legend, Madonna, and Grammy and Oscar-winner, Sam Smith, drop their new collabo, the single, "Vulgar."

SCANDAL - From THR:  Actor and voice performer, Jay Johnston, has been arrested by the FBI for his alleged participation in the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol. Charged by the Department of Justice in connection to his presence at the Capitol, Johnston was arrested Wednesday in Los Angeles.  Johnson is best known for his voice role as "Jimmy Pesto Sr.," a pizzeria owner on Fox's long-running animated series, "Bob's Burgers," and for appearing on such series as "Mr. Show with Bob and Dave" (HBO) and "The Sarah Silverman Program" (Comedy Central).

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Due to its recent rise in ratings, Cartoon Network is giving its "Adult Swim" banner an extra hour of programming each evening, starting in late August.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  For the first time, the NFL highlights and analysis TV series, "Inside the NFL, moves to The CW, beginning Sept. 5th.  The series began in 1977 on HBO (1977-2008). It moved to Showtime (2008-21), and then most recently was on Paramount+ (2021-23).

NETFLIX - From Variety:  Zack Snyder days that his epic sci-fi film, "Rebel Moon," will be two films, and each will have two versions.  There will be a version that "anyone can enjoy," and there will be a version that is explicit and for "adults only."

DISNEY - From THR:  ABC has defeated a lawsuit from Ingo Rademacher over his dismissal from the daytime soap opera, "General Hospital," for refusing to get the COVID-19 vaccine.  Rademacher left or was fired from the series around November 2021.

SCANDAL - From THR:  Disgraced director, Bryan Singer (Fox's "X-Men" franchise), is planning a documentary film that would address the sexual misconduct accusations against him.  A 2019 expose in "The Atlantic" magazine detailed accusations against Singer by four accusers.

BREAKING - From THR:  98 percent of the members of Hollywood’s largest union, SAG-AFTRA, have given the green light to their negotiators to call a strike if deemed necessary in upcoming labor negotiations with the Hollywood studios.

APPLE - From Deadline:  Apple has announced its first major device launch in nearly a decade its VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) headset and platform, "Vision Pro."  Apparently, the starting price will be $3499.00

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 6/2 to 6/4/2023 weekend box office is Sony Pictures Animations' "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" with an estimated take of 120.5 million dollars.

From Deadline:  "Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse" grosses 88.1 million dollars at the international box office. Combined with its 120.5 million at the domestic box office, that is a global total of 208.6 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winning directors Francis Ford Coppola and Kevin Costner talk about risking their fortunes bankrolling passion projects.  For Coppola, it is "Megalopolis," his epic, troubled sci-fi film.  For Costner, it is "Horizon," the first of four films set in the pre- and post-Civil War expansion of the American West.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  The Disney layoffs have hit Pixar with 75 jobs being made redundant at the legendary animation studio.  Among those let go are Angus McLane, the director of Pixar's "Lightyear" and Galyn Susman, the film's producer.  Susman had been with Pixar since 1995 and is apparently the person who saved "Toy Story 2."

DISNEY - From Deadline:  British actor Hugo Speer, one of the original actors from the 1997 film, "The Full Monty," was dropped from the forthcoming Disney spinoff series because (according to him) a few people saw him... naked.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The CW's "The Winchesters" is officially dead, as Warner Bros. has not been able to find another home for the series, which The CW cancelled after one season.  It is a spinoff and prequel to The CW's long-running "Supernatural."

MOVIES - From Variety:  Harrison Ford says he takes some of the blame for his clash with Brad Pitt over the script for the 1997 film thriller, "The Devil's Own."

LGBTQ+ - From Variety:  Elliot Page reveals in his upcoming book, "Pageboy," that a famous actor threatened to force sex on when he came out as gay over decade ago when he was "Ellen Page." The forced sex would prove that he wasn't gay - just afraid of men...

CELEBRITY - From PerezHilton:  Reality television star family, the Duggars, will always be with us. Hilton details how family patriarch, Jim Bob Duggar, stole his children's reality TV money. The post starts off funny and then, starts to read like an expose on a cult leader.

MOVIES - From TheWrap:  Universal Pictures is in active development on an untitled new “Fast & Furious” film starring Dwayne Johnson as "Luke Hobbs." The film won’t be a sequel to 2019's “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” or a spinoff.  Instead, it will be a direct continuation of the main “Fast Saga” story, serving as a bridge between the recently released “Fast X” and and its follow-up, “Fast X: Part II.”

From CBR:  Star Vin Diesel is reportedly upset with another "Fast & Furious" co-star over stealing attention from him.

DISNEY - From CBR:  Disney and Lucasfilm have revealed seven new "character posters" from "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny."

HARRISON FORD - From Variety:  Harrison Ford told a trio of stunt workers on the set of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" the following: "Leave me the f**k alone."  Why? Read and find out.

From CBR:  Harrison Ford has now changed his stance and agrees with "Blade Runner" director, Ridley Scott. Ford believes that the film's lead character, "Rick Deckard," is a replicant.

AWARDS - From Deadline:  Here is your 2023-24 award season calendar, beginning on May 31, 2023 with the "Television Academy Honors" ceremony and ends on ends on March 10th, 2024 with the 96th Academy Awards.

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

WRITERS STRIKE:

From Deadline:  The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has reached a tentative new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So what does the Writers Guild (WGA), currently on strike and negotiating with the AMPTP, think of that deal.

From Deadline:  Netflix shareholders declined to support the 2023 pay packages of top executives during a non-binding vote at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday.  The vote won't prevent these execs from getting their loot (an total of $166 million), but this is a rare public rebuke.  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has urged shareholders to vote "No" because the pay was "inappropriate" at this time.

From Deadline:  Warner Bros Discovery chief David Zaslav gave the commencement address at Boston University. There he was met with jeers and also chants of "pay your writers" from picketers and from some in the audience.

From Deadline:   President Joe Biden speaks on the Writers Guild of America strike.

From Deadline:  Retaliation! The studios have starting informing writer-producers who have "overall" and "first-look" deals that such deals are being suspended.

From Deadline:  Retaliation!  Prolific HBO creator, David Simon, who is best known for "The Wire," is one of the many writers who have had their overall deals suspended the studios due to the WGA strike.  Simon has been with HBO for 25 years.

From Deadline:  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is on strike.

From Deadline:  Disney, HBO/HBO Max, and CBS have sent letters to showrunners (the TV equivalent of film directors) instructing them to return to work, inspite of the writer's strike.

From Deadline:  The WGA's chief negotiator, Ellen Stutzman, talks about the state of the writers' strike, including the lack of engagement on the part of the strike's other party, AMPTP.

From Deadline:  What went wrong between the WGA and AMPTP? What could they not agree on that led to a strike?

From Deadline:  The site explains the WGA strike: the issues, the stakes, movies and TV shows affected, and how long it might last.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 19th to 28th, 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:

CANNES - From Deadline:  Two-time Palme d'Or winner Ruben Ostlund will be the Cannes Film Festival jury president at the 76th edition of the festival, which runs from May 16th and 27th, 2023.

CELEBRITY - From THR:  Actress-producer Keke Palmer has given birth to a baby boy she has named "Leo."  Palmer's boyfriend, Darius Jackson, is the father.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 2/24 to 2/26/2023 weekend box office is Marvel Studios' "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" with an estimated take of 32.2 million dollars.

From Here:  Leroy Douresseaux's review of "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania."

AWARDS - From Deadline:  At the 2023 NAACP Image Awards, Angela Bassett was named "Entertainer of the Year."  She also won two other awards, "Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series" ("9-1-1") and "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture" ("Black Panther: Wakanda Forever").  "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" won 9 awards, including "Outstanding Motion Picture."

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Harvey Weinstein was sentenced Thursday, Feb. 23rd in downtown Los Angeles to 16 years in prison for rape and other sex crimes. The disgraced Oscar-winning producer was also sentenced to 23 years in prison for similar crimes in Manhattan in March 2020.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Director Andy Muschietti and partner Barbara Muschietti are expanding the universe of their films, "IT" and "IT Chapter Two," with an "IT" prequel television series, "Welcome to Derry," for HBO Max.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  New Line Cinemas and Warner Bros Pictures are planning more "Lord of the Rings" movies.

OSCARS - From Deadline:  Producer Barbara Broccoli talks about her film "Till" and the Academy Awards reaction to it.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 2/17 to 2/19/2023 weekend box office is Disney/Marvel Studios' "Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania" with an estimated take of 104 million dollars.

AWARDS - From Deadline:  The winners list at the 2023 BAFTAs might not look diverse, but the nominations list seems to be more diverse than the 2023 Academy Awards nominees list.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Actor and producer Alec Baldwin will now face reduced charges due to the fatal shooting on the set of the Western film, "Rust," in October 2021.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Disney is producing a live-action version of its beloved animated film, "Lilo & Stitch."  "Marcel the Shell With Shoes On" director Dean Fleischer Camp will helm the film and actor Zach Galifianakis will star in the film.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Film producer and former studio executive, Walter Mirisch, has died at the age of 101, Friday, February 24, 2023.  Mirisch won an Oscar for producing "In the Heat of the Night" (1967).  Along with his brothers, Marvin and Harold, Mirisch formed the production company, The Mirisch Company.  It would go on to produce several movies, including the early entries in the "Pink Panther" film series.  Mirisch had also been the oldest living Oscar winner.

From Deadline:  Stand-up comedian and actor, Richard Belzer, has died at the age of 78, Sunday, February 19, 2023.  Belzer began his career in the early 1970s and release the comedy album "Another Lone Nut" in 1997.  As an actor, he is best known for playing the character, Det. John Munch on the former NBC crime drama, "Homicide: Life on the Streets" (1993-99) and on the NBC drama, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999-2016).

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

AWARDS:

From Oscar:  The nominations for the 2023 / 95th Academy Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Sunday, March 12, 2023.

From Deadline:  The winners at the 2023 / 29th annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards have been announced.  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" wins the big prize, "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture," one of four awards the film won.

From Deadline:  The winners at the 2023 / 34th annual Producers Guild Awards have been announced.  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" wins the top prize, "Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding  Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures."

From Deadline:  At the 2023 / 50th annual Annie Awards (for animated productions), "Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio" wins the "Best Feature" award, one of its four wins.  "Best Indie Feature" goes to "Marcel the Shell with Shoes On."

From Variety:  The winners of the 2023 EE BAFTA Film Awards have been announced.  The French film, "All Quiet on the Western Front" wins a record seven awards including "Best Film."  "The Banshees of Inisherin" won four, including "Best British Film."

From Deadline:  The winners of the 75th annual Directors Guild Awards have been announced.  The top honor, "Outstanding Directorial Achievment in a Theatrical Feature Film," went to Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for "Everything Everywhere All at Once."

From Deadline:   The winners at the 2023 / 21st annual VES Awards, handed out by the Visual Effects Society, have been announced.  "Avatar: The Way of Water" topped the night with 9 wins.

From Deadline:  "Top Gun: Maverick" wins "Best Picture" at the "AARP Movies for Grownups Awards" held Saturday night in Beverly Hills.

From Variety:  The nominations for the 2023 Writers Guild Awards have been announced.  Winners will be announced Sunday, March 5, 2023.

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.

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

TYRE NICHOLS:

From NBCNews:  Tyre Nichols' death: A summary and timeline of his encounter with Memphis police officers

From YahooNews:  In the 67 minutes of the Tyre Nichols video, brutality followed by nonchalance.

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

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 April 1st to 10th, 2021 - Update #33

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

STREAMING - From THR:   Eddie Murphy's sequel film, "Coming 2 America," was Amazon's first streaming film to finish #1 on Nielsen's streaming rankings (for the week of March 1 to 7).  Now, it has become the first feature film from any of the four platforms that Nielsen monitors to repeat at #1 (March 8 to 14).

MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered:   Rumors say that Robert Downey, Jr. is still trying to get troubled movie star, Johnny Depp, a part in Downey's third entry in his "Sherlock Holmes" franchise.

TELEVISION - From THR:  Tyler Perry is developing a new series, "Mabel" for Showtime.  "Mabel" will act as a prequel to Perry's "Madea" films as the new series will chronicle Madea's life going back to 1972.

SCANDAL - From THR:  The magazine and its website offer an article featuring tales of Hollywood and Broadway super-producer, Scott Rudin's abusive behavior towards his young assistants and other professionals. 

From Deadline:  Oscar-nominated producer Megan Ellison, who has worked with Scott Rudin says that his behavior is worst than what "The Hollywood Reporter" claims.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Rising stars Jorge Lendeborg Jr. and Tosin Cole are in negotiations to lead New Line’s reimagining of the 1990 cult comedy, "House Party," produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter's The SpringHill Company. Award-winning music video director Calmatic will be helming in his feature debut.

SCANDAL - From YahooLATimes:   Zachary J. Horwitz, who is an actor under the name, Zachery Avery, was arrested on Tues., April 6th under the federal charge of operating a ponzi scheme.  Horwitz reportedly owes investors 227(!) million dollars.

DC COMICS TO MOVIE - From THR:   "Justice League" actor Ray Fisher gives a bombshell interview about his experiences with key figures in the making of the film, including acclaimed writer-director Joss Whedon.

From Vulture:  A history of allegations of abuse on the part of Joss Whedon.

COVID-19 - From Deadline:  California Gov. Gavin Newsom says that the state will be ending most COVID restrictions and will be "opening up" on June 15th, 2021.

From Deadline: Tyler Perry is reportedly going to end the COVID quarantine bubble at his studio in Atlanta because most of his crew has been vaccinated.

SPORTS - From YahooSports:  The Baylor University Bears are the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament Champions.  The Bears (28-2) beat the Gonzaga University Bulldogs (31-1) 86-70 in the men's championship game on Monday, April 5, 2021 at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   Byron Allen's Allen Media Group owns the free-to-air TV network, "This TV."  Now, This TV has signed a distribution deal with eight major ABC-owned TV station subchannels in order to expand its reach.

CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:   30 years ago, actress Melanie Thandiwe Newton's name was misspelled in the credits of her first film, the Australian pic, "Flirting."  Since then, the world knows her as "Thandie Newton," but now she is reclaiming the "w" and she is Thandiwe Newton.  "Thandiew" is pronounced "tan-DEE-way."

LGBTQ - From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar-winning actress, Kate Winslet, says she knows many gay actors, especially young actors, who fear that coming out will derail their careeers.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Former movie studio boss and Oscar-winning producer, Harvey Weinstein, is appealing his New York state sex crime convictions, which landed him in prison for 23 years.  Meanwhile, on April 9th, there will be a hearing to extradite him to Los Angeles to face multiple sex crime charges.

MOVIES/STREAMING(?) - From WeGotThisCovered:  Paramount is reportedly developing a "Star Trek" project that is set only on Earth.

SAG AWARDS - From Variety:   If you care ... "Variety" is live-blogging / updating the 2021 / 27th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards with the announcement of the winners as they happen.

From THR:  "The Trial of the Chicago 7" tops the 2021 SAG Awards.

From THR:   Michael Keaton becomes the first actor to be part of three winning ensembles in the category of "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture."  In addition to being a cast member of tonight's winner, "The Trial of the Chicago 7," Keaton was also a member of "Birdman" (2014) and "Spotlight" (2015), which both won "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture."

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 4/2 to 4/4/2021 weekend box office is "Godzilla vs. Kong" with an estimated take of 32.2 million dollars. This is the best pandemic-era opening weekend.

From Deadline:  "Godzilla vs. Kong" earns an estimated 48.5 million dollars during its first five days at the domestic box office.

From Deadline:   Warner Bros./Legendary's "Godzilla vs. Kong" opened on Wed., March 31st, 2021 and had the biggest opening day since the COVID pandemic, 9.6 million dollars in domestic box office.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Emmy-winning actress Zendaya has been cast as "Lola Bunny" in "Space Jam: A New Legacy," the sequel to the 1996 film, "Space Jam," which starred Michael Jordan.  The film is due July 16, 2021.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Actor Edward Norton said that he got his breakthrough role, as a 19-year-old altar boy who kills a Catholic bishop in the 1996 film, "Primal Fear," when Leonardo DiCaprio passed on the role.  Norton would earn an Oscar nomination for the part.

MUSIC - From Variety:   HYBE (formerly known as "Big Hit Entertainment"), the home of South Korean pop super-group, BTS, and Ithaca Holdings, which manages Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande (among others), have merged.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Popular cast member, Rege-Jean Page, will not be returning for Season 2 at "Bridgerton."

MOVIES - From THR:   Actor Steven Yeun is in talks to join Oscar-winner Jordan Peele's upcoming thriller.  The title of the film has not been announced, but it is due July 2022.

MOVIES - From THR:  Anthony Ramos has apparently made a star turn in the upcoming film, "In the Heights."  Now, he is in final negotiations to be the lead in next installment of the "Transformers" film franchise.  Steve Caple, Jr., who directed "Creed II," is scheduled to direct the film.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   CBS has officially picked up "CSI: Vegas," a sequel to the original series, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," for the upcoming TV season.  Original series stars, William Petersen and Jorja Fox, will return to join a new cast.

JAMES BOND - From Collider: How to Watch the James Bond Movies in Order (Chronologically and by Release Date)

OBITS:

From XXL:   The rapper, Earl Simmons, better known as "DMX," has died at the age of 50, Friday, April 9, 2021.  His debut LP, 1998's "It's Dark and Hell is Hot," debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 LP chart.  His first five LP would reach #1 and would be certified platinum.  DMX was also an actor and appeared in numerous films, including the 2001 hit, "Exit Wounds."

From Deadline:   The voice-over artist, Mark Elliot, has died at the age of 81, Saturday, April 3, 2021.  He was best known for his work with The Walt Disney Company doing voice-overs for Disney promos and trailers.

From Deadline:   The film and television actress, Gloria Henry, has died at the age of 98, Saturday, April 3, 2021.  Henry is best known for playing "Alice Mitchell," the mother of Dennis Mitchell in the former CBS sitcom, "Dennis the Menace" (1959-63).  She also appeared in numerous TV series, such as "Perry Mason," "The Thin Man," and "Dallas," to name a few.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 1st to 6th, 2021 - Update #21

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:   Kemp Powers talks about the two game-changing films in which is was involved, "One Night in Miami," which he wrote, based upon his play, and Pixar's "Soul," which he co-write.

AWARDS - From Variety:  The National Board of Review names Spike Lee's "Da 5 Bloods" (Netflix) the best film of 2020.   Variety also analyzes this year's awards.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:   Facing expulsion from SAG-AFTRA, the labor union that represents film and television actors, journalists, radio personalities, voice actors, etc., Donald Trump resigns from the union via a letter filled with his usual bluster.  SAG-AFTRA president Gabrielle Carteris and national executive director David White responded with two words: “Thank you.”

MOVIES - From RottenTomatoes:   15 Up-and-Coming Black Directors Set To Shape the Future of Hollywood

AWARDS - From Variety:   The 2021 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations have been announced.  The winners will be announced April 4, 2021.

From Variety:  The late Chadwick Boseman makes history by becoming the first actor to get for SAG Awards nominations in a single year.

SPORTS - From BET:   Serena Williams Says People Cheered When She And Venus Williams Lost Tennis Matches

BLM - From YahooNews:  Timothy Loehmann, the incompetent cop who killed a black child named Tamir Rice, has been secretly playing semi-professional football in Cleveland for a team of first responders.  Loehmann is no longer a cop or first responder in Cleveland...

AWARDS - From Variety:  The 78th / 2021 Golden Globe Awards nominations have been announced.  The winners will be announced Sun., Feb. 28th, 2021.

From Deadline:  Time to talk about Golden Globes nomination snubs.

AWARDS - From Deadline:   At its third annual celebration of Black cinema, the Critics Choice Association honors the late Chadwick Boseman.

COVID-19 - From YahooLifestyle:   A British study says that the biggest spreaders of new cases of COVID-19 maybe the age group 35 to 49.

DISNEY - From Deadline:   The Walt Disney Company has signed a five year deal with "Black Panther" director Ryan Coogler and his company Proximity Media.  Coogler is working on a "Black Panther" sequel and will develop a TV series for Disney+ that will be set in Black Panther's kingdom, Wakanda.

TELEVISION - From TCM:  Two-time Academy Award nominee, actor John Garfield, is Turner Classic Movie's "Star of the Month" (his third time) for the month of February 2021.  Starting Tuesdays this month, TCM will present Garfield's films all day long.

MOVIES - From THR:   Oscar-winner John Legend and and his producing partner, Mike Jackson, talk about the state of black cinema.

STREAMING - From TheRinger:  Is There Such Thing As a Cult Movie in the Streaming Era?

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 1/29 to 1/31/2021 weekend box office is "The Little Things" (starring Oscar winners Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, and Jared Leto), with an estimated take of 4.8 million dollars.

From Deadline:   Are Warner Bros.' film that are are released in both movie theaters and on HBO Max making money?

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

POLITICS - From Jacobin:   Everything You Always Wanted to Know about QAnon But Were Too Weirded Out to Ask

BLM - From YahooNews:   Black Lives Matter movement nominated for 2021 Nobel Peace Prize

OBITS:

From Variety:   Canadian actor, Christopher Plummer, has died at the age of 91, Friday, February 5, 2021.  Movie audiences will likely best remember Plummer for his role as "Captain Georg von Trapp" in the 1965 film, "The Sound of Music."  Plummer was nominated for the Academy Award for "Best Supporting Actor three times and won for 2011's "Beginners."  He also won two Tony Awards and two Primetime Emmy Awards.  Plummer was most recently seen in the 2019 films, "Knives Out" and "The Last Full Measure."

From Variety:   Film, television, and stage actor, Hal Holbrook, died at the age of 95, Saturday, January 23, 2021.  Holbrook's personal assistant confirmed his death Mon., Feb. 1st.  Holbrook starred in films such as "All the President's Men" (1976), "Creepshow" (1982), and "Lincoln" (2012).  He earned a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for his performance in "Into the Wild" (2007).  Holbrook may be best known for his long-running one-man stage show, "Mark Twain Tonight!," for which he won a Tony Award.

From Variety:  Former child star, Dustin Diamond, has died at the age of 44, Monday, February 1, 2021.  He was best known for playing the character, "Samuel 'Screech' Powers" on the NBC TV series, "Saved by the Bell" (1989-93).  Diamond was a cast member of the Disney Channel series, "Good Morning, Miss Bliss," which spawned Saved by the Bell.  He went on to appear in the "Saved by the Bell" sequel series, "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" (1993-94) and "Saved by the Bell: The New Class" (1993-20000).

From Deadline:  Television and producer and executive, Jamie Tarses, has died at the age of 56, Monday, February 1, 2021.  She is remembered for being instrumental in the development of such NBC TV series as "Frasier" and "Friends."  Tarses became president of ABC Entertainment at the age of 32 in 1996, the first woman to hold such a position on an American broadcast network and one of the youngest ever.

From Deadline:   Television writer, producer, and actor, Marc Wilmore, has died at the age of 57, Saturday, January 30, 2021 from complications of COVID-19.  He was a writer on such TV series as "In Living Color," "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," "The PJs," and "The Simpsons."  Most recently, Wilmore was a writer and executive producer on Netflix's animated series, "F is for Family."  Wilmore was the brother of television host and comic, Larry Wilmore.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 19th to 25th, 2020 - Update #24

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

MUSIC - From RollingStone:  54 years after moving to the U.S., Canadian-born rock legend and musician, Neil Young, is official a U.S. citizen.

---------
SUNDANCE - From Variety:  Director Justin Simien ("Dear White People") says that his film "Bad Hair," which opened at the Sundance 2020 is a tribute to exploited black women everywhere.

----------
STAR TREK - From THR:  President Trump has initiated a new branch of the military, the "Space Force."  The new logo for the "Space Force" looks strikingly similar to the insignia for Star Trek's "Starfleet Command."

----------
DISNEY - From THR:  The latest Walt Disney animated classic feature film to get a live-action remake is one of its all-time greatest and certainly its most stories, "Bambi" (1942).

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  Columbia Pictures wants to reboot its 1997 "Anaconda" film, which starred Jennifer Lopez, and Ice Cube, and Jon Voight, among others.

----------
GRAMMYS - From Variety:  The "Recording Academy," which hands out the music industry's "Grammy Awards" are denying that the nomination process is rigged... which everyone has suspected... like forever.

----------
MOVIES - From GamesRadar:  Bill Murray says that he is reprising his "Ghostbusters" role as "Peter Venkman" for the summer release, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife."

----------
STREAMING - From Newsarama:  On the Wed., Jan. 22nd episode of ABC's talk show, "The View," guest Patrick Stewart surprised co-host Whoopi Goldberg by asking her to reprise her "Star Trek: The Next Generation" role as "Guinan" on Season 2 of "Star Trek: Picard."  Stewart, of course, stars in the title role of "Picard," which just launched on the streaming service, CBS All Access

----------
STREAMING - From THR:  Leslie Jones talks about how she got "Game of Thrones" writers-producers, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, to direct her Netflix special, "Time Machine."

----------
DISNEY - From YahooMovieUK:  Actor Warwick Davis says that there is "a lot of work going on" n the planned Disney+ spin-off of the 1988 film, "Willow."  Made by Lucasfilm and directed by Ron Howard, the film starred Davis as an aspiring sorcerer trying to protect the child of an ancient prophecy.

----------
STREAMING - From Deadline:  Netflix explains its rating methods, talks viewership stats for two shows, and announces how a big a debut "The Witcher" made.

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  Universal Pictures and director Davie Leitch ("Deadpool 2") are developing a film based on the old ABC TV series, "Kung Fu," which starred the late David Carradine and ran from 1972 to 1975 (and I loved it!).

----------
SCANDAL -From Deadline:  In March of 2018, Universal marketing chief, Josh Goldstine, was fired for unspecified inappropriate behavior.  Today, Goldstine's name is cleared and he will be nearly 20 million dollars richer.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 1/17 to 1/19/2020 weekend box office is "Bad Boys for Life" with an estimated take of 59.17 million dollars.  The film will also win the "Martin Luther King Jr. Day" four-day holiday weekend with a take that is currently estimated at 68 million dollars.

From Variety:  "Bad Boys for Life" debuts with an estimated worldwide box office near 100 million dollars.

----------
AWARDS - From Variety:  Here is a complete list of winners at last night's (Sun., Jan. 19th) 2020 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards.

From Variety:  “Parasite” wins "best motion picture cast" at the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards.  It is the first foreign language film to win the SAG Awards' top prize.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Writer Chris Bremner who worked on "Bad Boys for Life," the third film in the "Bad Boys" film franchise, will pen a script for a fourth installment.  Bremner is also working on a script for "National Treasure 3."

----------
AWARDS - From Deadline:  The winners of the 2020 Producers Guild Awards were announced last night (Sat., Jan. 18th).  The top prize went to director Sam Mendes' "1917."

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Creator Julian Fellowes says that he will begin work on a sequel to the hit 2019 "Downtown Abbey" film after working on his HBO drama, "The Gilded Age."

----------
STAR TREK - From YahooEntertainment:  Producer Alex Kurtzman explains how "Star Trek: Picard" (from streaming CBS Access) connects unites the "Star Trek" timelines.

----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline:   NBA legend and Hall of Fame basketball player, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and cable network, History, have teamed for "Black Patriots."  This one-hour documentary chronicles the role of African-Americans and Black people during the Revolutionary War.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Broadcast journalist, Jim Lehrer, has died at the age of 85, Thursday, January 23, 2020.  Lehrer is best known for joining Robert MacNeil to create "The Robert MacNeil Report" for WNET, before moving to PBS shortly afterwards.  The show became known as the "The MacNeil/Lehrer Report" a year later.  MacNeil retired in 1995, and Lehrer continued to host or co-host the show, which is currently known as "PBS NewsHour."

From Deadline:  One of the co-founding members of the UK comedy troupe, "Monty Python," Terry Jones, has died at the age of 77, Tuesday, January 21, 2020.  Jones directed or co-directed three of the "Monty Python" films and worked on several films outside of Python.  He wrote several goblin and fairy-related books that artist Brian Froud illustrated.  Jones was born in Wales.

From Deadline:  The character actor, Jack Kehoe, died at the age of 85, Tuesday, Jan 14, 2020.  His film and TV career lasted about 30 years, and Kehoe was known for his appearances in such films as "Serpico," "The Sting," "Car Wash," and "The Untouchables" (1987).  Kehoe apparently began studying acting in the 1950s and he began appearing on stage sometime afterwards.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 27th to 31st, 2019 - Update #31

Support Leroy on Patreon:

STAR TREK - YahooEntertainment:  Patrick Stewart gives a few detail on his upcoming "Star Trek" series for the streaming CBS All Access.

----------
COMICS-FILM - From THR:  James Gunn in talks to direct the Warner Bros./DC Comics film, "Suicide Squad."

----------
MOVIES - From Collider:   Zendaya is being considered to play Timothy Chalamet's love interest in the "Dune" film reboot.

----------
STREAMING - From BloodyDisgusting:  Jordan Peele's reboot of "The Twilight Zone" will debut on CBS All Access in April.

-----------
COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Writer-director Matt Reeves says his film, "The Batman" (due in 2021), will focus on Batman's detective roots and feature multiple villains from Batman's "Rogue's Gallery."

----------
STREAMING - From THR:  Zack Snyder has signed on to direct Netflix's "Army of the Dead," a zombie thriller movie.

----------
MOVIES - From THR:  Ryan Reynolds to star in action-comedy, "Shotgun Wedding," for director Jason Moore ("Pitch Perfect").

----------
MUSIC-GRAMMYS - From YahooEntertainment:  Brandi Carlile, the most nominated woman at the 2019 Grammys, talks to Yahoo about Joni Mitchell, President Barack Obama and "internalized and institutionalized misogyny."

----------
CELEBRITY-CRIME - From Variety:  Jussie Smollett, one of the stars of FOX's "Empire," was hospitalized early Tuesday (Jan. 29th), following an assault in Chicago in what has been described as a "possible hate crime."

----------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Lakeith Stanfield will star in Jordan Peele's "Candyman" reboot.

----------
MOVIES - From Variety:  Oscar Isaac joins Timothy Chalamet in the film reboot of the "Dune," based on Frank Herbert's legendary novel.

---------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  David Mancini and David Kirschner, the creators of the "Child's Play" and "Chuck" film franchise are developing a Chucky TV series for Syfy.

----------
STREAMING - From Deadline:  NEON and Hulu land Lupita Nyong'o's zombie comedy, "Little Monsters."

----------
OSCARS - From TheCut:  What growing up in Hollywood and around the Academy Awards taught actress Amber Tamblyn about the "boys' club."  Tamblyn is the daughter of the Oscar-nominated actor, Russ Tamblyn.

MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Universal's "Dark Universe" may be retitled "Undead Dark Universe."  This may happen via the "Invisible Man" (1933) remake produced by Jason Blum and his Blumhouse Productions.

----------
MOVIES - From Newsarama:  Release dates for upcoming science fiction, fantasy, and genre films.

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 1/25 to 1/27/2019 weekend box office is "Glass" with an estimated take of $19 million.

----------
AWARDS - From People:  Alan Alda is the "2019 Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award" winner.  "People" magazine provides this life in pictures.

----------
AWARDS - From THR:  Here is a complete list of winners at the 2019 / 25th Screen Actors Guild Awards winners.  Disney/Marvel's "Black Panther" wins the tops honor.

The 25th Annual SAG Awards ceremony will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS tonight (Jan. 27, 2019 at 8 p.m. ET/PT).  Four-time SAG Award-winner, Megan Mullaly, will host tonight's ceremony.

Here is the full list of nominations:

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role:
Christian Bale, “Vice”
Bradley Cooper, “A Star Is Born”
Rami Malek, “Bohemian Rhapsody” - WINNER
Viggo Mortensen, “Green Book”
John David Washington, “BlacKkKlansman”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role:
Emily Blunt, “Mary Poppins Returns”
Glenn Close, “The Wife” - WINNER
Olivia Colman, “The Favourite”
Lady Gaga, “A Star Is Born”
Melissa McCarthy, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role:
Mahershala Ali, “Green Book” - WINNER
Timothee Chalamet, “Beautiful Boy”
Adam Driver, “BlacKkKlansman”
Sam Elliott, “A Star Is Born”
Richard E. Grant, “Can You Ever Forgive Me?”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role:
Amy Adams, “Vice”
Emily Blunt, “A Quiet Place” - WINNER
Margot Robbie, “Mary Queen of Scots”
Emma Stone, “The Favourite”
Rachel Weisz, “The Favourite”

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture:
“A Star Is Born”
“Black Panther” - WINNER
The cast for "Black Panther" – Angela Bassett, Chadwick Boseman, Sterling K. Brown, Winston Duke, Martin Freeman, Danai Gurira, Michael B. Jordan, Daniel Kaluuya, Lupita Nyong'o, Andy Serkis, Forest Whitaker, and Letitia Wright
“BlacKkKlansman”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“Crazy Rich Asians”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:
Antonio Banderas, “Genius: Picasso”
Darren Criss, “Assassination of Gianni Versace” - WINNER
Hugh Grant, “A Very English Scandal”
Anthony Hopkins, “King Lear”
Bill Pullman, “The Sinner”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries:
Amy Adams, “Sharp Objects”
Patricia Arquette, “Escape at Dannemora” - WINNER
Patricia Clarkson, “Sharp Objects”
Penelope Cruz, “Assassination of Gianni Versace”
Emma Stone, “Maniac”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series:
Jason Bateman, “Ozark” - WINNER
Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us”
Joseph Fiennes, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
John Krasinski, “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series:
Julia Garner, “Ozark”
Laura Linney, “Ozark”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Sandra Oh, “Killing Eve” - WINNER
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series:
Alan Arkin, “The Kominsky Method”
Michael Douglas, “The Kominsky Method”
Bill Hader, “Barry”
Tony Shalhoub, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” - WINNER
Henry Winkler, “Barry”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series:
Alex Borstein, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Alison Brie, “GLOW”
Rachel Brosnahan, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” - WINNER
Jane Fonda, “Grace and Frankie”
Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series:
“The Americans”
“Better Call Saul”
“The Handmaid’s Tale”
“Ozark”
“This Is Us” - WINNER
Cast of "This Is Us" – Eris Baker, Sterling K. Brown, Niles Fitch, Mackenzie Hancsicsak, Justin Hartley, Faithe Herman, Jon Huertas, Melanie Liburd, Chrissy Metz, Mandy Moore, Lyric Ross, Chris Sullivan, Milo Ventimiglia, Susan Kelechi Watson, and Hannah Zeile

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series:
“Atlanta”
“Barry”
“GLOW”
“The Kominsky Method”
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” - WINNER
Cast of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" – Caroline Aaron, Alex Borstein, Rachel Brosnahan, Marin Hinkle, Zachary Levi, Kevin Pollak, Tony Shalhoub, Brian Tarantina, and Michael Zegen

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series:
“Glow” - WINNER
“Marvel’s: Daredevil”
“Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”
“The Walking Dead”
“Westworld”

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture:
“Ant-Man and the Wasp”
“Avengers: Infinity War”
“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”
“Black Panther” - WINNER
“Mission: Impossible – Fallout”

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

MOVIES - From Polygon:  Polygon is at Sundance to discover movies you should know about

----------
PIXAR - From BleedingCool:  Did you know that Keanu Reeves has a character in "Toy Story 4?"

----------
COMICS-FILM - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. and director James Wan has begin developing a sequel to the hit film, "Aquaman."  Wan is seeking a "seaworthy script."

----------
POLITICS-CRIME - From MediaMatters:  A comprehensive guide to indicted President Trump ally Roger Stone, the racist, sexist conspiracy theorist.

OBITS:

From Variety:  The prolific actor, Dick Miller, has died at the age of 90, Wednesday, January 30, 2019.  If you saw a picture of Miller, you would know that you have seen him in film or on TV.  He appeared in every film directed by Joe Dante, including "Gremlins" and "Gremlins 2."  He also appeared in "The Terminator," among his over 180 acting credits.

From ConsequenceofSound:  Grammy-winning R&B singer and songwriter, James Ingram, has died at the age of 66, Tuesday, January 29, 2019.  Ingram, known for hits like "Baby, Come to Me" and "I Don't Have the Heart," won two Grammys for his vocal performances.  He was nominated twice for Oscars for his songwriting.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 9th to 15th, 2018 - Update #25

Support Leroy on Patreon:

AWARDS - From TheWrap:  The 2018 European Film Awards named director Pawel Pawlikowski's "Cold War" the "Best European Film" of 2018.

----------
SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment:  Jennifer Lawrence denies claims made in a lawsuit that she had a sexual relationship with disgraced movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein.

----------
TELEVISION - From THR:  Disney has fired actor Stoney Westmoreland from its Disney Channel TV series, "Andi Mack."  Westmoreland was arrested in Utah after he used an online dating app to attempt a sexual liason with a 13-year-old.

----------
STREAMING - From Deadline:  Apple TV lands rights to produced new content based on the classic comic strip, "Peanuts."

----------
SCANDAL - From Deadline:  CBS secretly settled a sexual harassment claim by Eliza Dushku for $9.5 million.  The claim concerned Dushku's appearance on the current CBS TV series, "Bull," and its star, Michael Weatherly.

From YahooTV:  Cybill Shepherd says that CBS' now-disgraced for chairman, Les Moonves, cancelled her 1990s CBS comedy series, "Cybill," because she would not have sexual relations with him.

----------
MUSIC - From BleedingCool:  The 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee class will include Janet Jackson, Radiohead, The Cure, Stevie Nicks, Roxy Music, Def Leppard, and The Zombies.  The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on  March 29th 2019 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with a tv broadcast scheduled to air on HBO at a later date.

----------
STREAMING - From Collider:   Steven Yeun, best known for playing Glenn Rhee on "The Walking Dead," will star in an episode of Jordan Peele's "The Twilight Zone" for CBS All Access.

----------
PIXAR - From Deadline:   Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Octavia Butler, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus lead the voice cast of Pixar's film, "Onward," which is being directed by Dan Scanlon and is due March 2020.

----------
AWARDS - From TheWrap:  The 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations have been announced.

----------
STREAMING - From TVLine:  Netflix has greenlit a biographical series based on the life of slain Tejano music singer, the late Selena Quintanilla-Perez a.k.a. "Selena."

----------
CULTURE - From TIME:  "Time Magazines'" has named is "Person of the Year" for 2018, and it is "The Guardians and the War on Truth," with an emphasis on murdered Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.

----------
COMICS - From THR:  There is a new comic book publisher, TKO Studios, that wants to change the way readers buy comic books.

----------
MOVIES - From TheDailyBeast:  Director Adam McKay, who is seeing the release of his Dick Cheney film, "Vice," talks about the time he was forced to film a Donald Trump cameo for his film, "The Other Guys."  Apparently, if you want to film on a Trump property, you have to film a cameo of Trump for your film.

---------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  Starz's hit series, "Power," has shut down production of its sixth season after a production assistant was killed in an on-set accident.

From Deadline:  NBC is developing "Conway," a detective series from Vin Diesel and his One Race TV company and also Universal Television.

----------
STREAMING - From THR:  Netflix has ordered its first "African original" series, "Queen Sono."

----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 12/7to 12/9/2018 weekend box office is "Ralph Breaks the Internet" with an estimated take of $16.1 million.  This is the film's third week in the top spot.

From TheWrap:  Warner Bros. opened its upcoming DC Comics' superhero flick, "Aquaman," in China, two weeks before its U.S. debut.  The result is a $93 million opening weekend in China.

----------
AWARDS - From TheWrap:  Los Angeles Film Critics Association name Alfonso Cuaron's "Roma" the best film of 2018.

From THR:  The New York Film Critics Online also name "Roma" best film of 2018.

----------
ECO - From RSN:  How the Iconic 1968 Earthrise Photo Changed Our Relationship to the Planet

----------
STREAMING - From SlashFilm:  "Sister Act 3" is being produced for the streaming service, Disney+.  Whoopi Goldberg, who starred in the first two films, will not be involved with the new film... reportedly.

----------
AWARDS - From Deadline:  "Minding the Gap" takes the top prize at the 2018 IDA Documentary Awards.

----------
SPORTS - From ESPN:  University of Oklahoma junior quarterback, Kyler Murray, is the winner of the 2018 Heisman Trophy, as the top player in college football.  Murray is the second consecutive Sooner to win the trophy following the 2017 winner, Baker Mayfield, who is currently a quarterback for the NFL's Cleveland Brown.

OBITS:

From Variety:  One of the most revered jazz singers of the 20th century, Nancy Wilson, has died at the age of 81, Thursday, December 13, 2018.  Wilson, who won three Grammys and recorded more than 70 albums, also had a 1974-75 NBC variety series, "The Nancy Wilson Show."  She was also a frequent guests on variety shows hosted by Carol Burnett, Andy Williams, and Flip Wilson.

From Variety:  The actress Sondra Locke died at the age of 74, November 3, 2018.  She received a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her first movie role in the film, "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter."  She is probably best known for her association with Clint Eastwood.  She appeared in several of his films, including as a murderous, vengeful rape victim in "Sudden Impact."  Locke also had a romantic relationship with Eastwood that was quite contentious.

Negromancer Watches 2017-2018 Movie Award Season - Update #32

Support Leroy on Patreon.

ACADEMY AWARDS - THE OSCARS - (Sunday, March 4, 2018)

From OscarsdotCom:  2018/ 90th Academy Award nominations announces Tuesday, January 23, 2018.

From Variety:  Winners at the 2018 / 90th Academy Awards were announced. "The Shape of Water" is named "Best Picture."

------------------------------------------
THE BRITISH ACADEMY OF FILM AND TELEVISION ARTS - BAFTA - (February 18, 2018)

From Variety:  Winners at the 2018 / 71st British Academy Film Awards announced.  "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" wins both "Best Film" and "Outstanding British Film" of 2017

From Variety:  2018 / 71st British Academy Film Awards (the BAFTAs) announced Tuesday, January 9, 2018.

------------------------------------------
AFRICAN-AMERICAN FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION - (December 12, 2017)

From THR:   2018 AAFCA Awards announced; "Get Out" named "Best Picture."

------------------------------------------
ANNIE AWARDS - 45th Annie Awards - presented by AISFA-Hollywood (Saturday, February 3, 2018)

From EW:  The winners of the 2018 / 45th Annie Awards were announced; "Coco" was named "Best Animated Feature"

From AnnieAwards: Nominations for 2018 / 45th Annie Awards.

------------------------------------------
AUSTRALIAN ACADEMY OF CINEMA AND TELEVISION ARTS INTERNATIONAL ARTS - (Friday, January 5, 2018)

From Variety:  7th Annual AACTA International Awards announced; "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" named "Best Film"

------------------------------------------
BLACK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE - (Monday, December 18, 2017)

From Deadline:  2017 Black Film Critics Circle Awards; "Mudbound" named "Best Film."

-----------------------------------------
BLACK REEL AWARDS - (Thursday, February 22, 2018)

From BlackReelAwards:  The 2018 / 18th Black Reel Award nominations were announced Wednesday, December 13, 2017.

------------------------------------------
BOSTON ONLINE FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION -

From BOFCA:  Boston Online Film Critics Association - 2017 Awards announced.  "Get Out" named Best Picture.

------------------------------------------
BOSTON SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS - (Monday, December 11, 2017)

From BSFC:  2017 Boston Society of Film Critics Award winners announced.  "Phantom Thread" is "Best Picture."

------------------------------------------
BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM AWARD - 2017 BIFA (Sunday, December 10, 2017)

From BIFA: Winners of the 2017 British Independent Film Awards, including "God's Own Country" as "Best British Independent Film."

------------------------------------------
CENTRAL OHIO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION - (Thursday, January 4, 2018)

From COFCA:  2017 COFCA Awards announced; "Lady Bird" named "Best Film"

------------------------------------------
CHICAGO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION - (December 12, 2017)

From CFC:  2017 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards announced; "Lady Bird" named Best Picture.

From CFC:  2017 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards nominations announced December 10, 2017.

------------------------------------------
CHICAGO INDEPENDENT FILM CRITICS CIRCLE - (Saturday, December 30, 2017)

From CIFCC:  2017 CIFFCC Award winners; "Lady Bird" named "Best Independent Film" and "Logan" named "Best Studio Film"

From AwardsWatch:  2017 / 2nd Annual CIFCC nominations.

------------------------------------------
CRITICS CHOICE MOVIE & TELEVISION AWARDS - (Thursday, January 11, 2018)

From CriticsChoice:  23rd Critics Choice Awards announced; "The Shape of Water" named "Best Film o f2017."

From GoldDerby:  Critics Choice Awards 2018 nominees.

------------------------------------------
DALLAS-FORT WORTH FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION - (December 13, 2017)

From DFWCritics:  The DFW Film Critics Awards announced; "The Shape of Water" named "Best Picture."

------------------------------------------
DETROIT FILM CRITICS SOCIETY - (December 7, 2017)

From DFCS:  2017 Detroit Film Critics Society Awards announced; "The Florida Project" named "Best Film."

From DFCS:  2017 DFCS Award nominatons.

------------------------------------------
DIRECTORS GUILD OF AMERICA - (Saturday, February 3, 2018)

From DGA:  70th Annual DGA Awards announced; Guillermo del Toro wins "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film" for "The Shape of Water."

From DGA:  DGA Announces Nominees for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Feature Film for 2017; Awards will be handed out Feb. 3rd, 2018.

------------------------------------------
FLORIDA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE - (Saturday, December 23, 2017)

From FFCC:  Nominations for 2017 FFCC Awards.  Winners announced Dec. 23rd.

From AwardsWatch:  2017 FFCC Award winners.  "Dunkirk" is named "Best Picture."

------------------------------------------
GOLDEN GLOBES - Presented by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (Sunday, January 7, 2018)

From TheWrap:  2018 / 75th Golden Globe Award winners; "Lady Bird" named "Best Picture-Comedy" and "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" named "Best Picture-Drama"

From GoldenGlobes:  2018 / 75th Golden Globe Award nominations (Monday, December 11, 2017).

------------------------------------------
GOTHAM AWARDS - 2017/ 27th Annual IFP Gotham Awards (Monday, November 27th, 2017)

WINNERS - From IndieWire:  27th Annual IFP Gotham Award winners including "Call Me By Your Name" as "Best Feature"

From IFP:  27th Annual IFP Gotham Awards nominations.

------------------------------------------
HOUSTON FILM CRITICS SOCIETY - (January 6, 2018)

From TheChronicle:   The 2017 Houston Film Critics Society Awards were announced.  "Lady Bird" was named best picture of 2017

From TheChronicle:  The 2017 Houston Film Critics Society Award nominations announced Tuesday, December 12, 2017.

------------------------------------------
INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS - (Saturday, March 3, 2018)

From Variety:  2018 Film Independent Spirit Awards ceremony was held.  "Get Out" wins "Best Feature of 2017.

------------------------------------------
INDIANA FILM JOURNALIST ASSOCIATION - (December 18, 2017)

From IndyStar:  The 2017 IFJA Film Awards were announced.  "Lady Bird" was named best picture of 2017.

------------------------------------------
KANSAS CITY FILM CRITICS CIRCLE - (December17, 2017)

From KCFCC:  The Kansas City Film Critics Circle announced the 52nd James Loutzenhiser Awards.  "Get Out" is named best picture of 2017.

------------------------------------------
LAS VEGAS FILM CRITICS SOCIETY - (December 18, 2017)

From AwardsWatch:  2017 LVFCS Awards: "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" wins "Best Picture."

------------------------------------------
LONDON FILM CRITICS' CIRCLE - (Sunday, January 28, 2018)

From Variety:  38th (2018) London Film Critics Awards were announced; "Three Billboard Outside Ebbing, Missouri" named "Film of the Year" for 2017.

From CriticsCircleUK:  The nominees for the 38th London Film Critics Awards were announced December 19, 2017.

------------------------------------------
LOS ANGELES FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION - (Sunday, December 3rd, 2017)

From LAFCA: 2017 winners - "Call Me By Your Name" is the "Best Picture" winner.

------------------------------------------
NAACP IMAGE AWARDS - (Sunday, January 14, 2018 and Monday, January 15, 2018)

From Deadline:  The 49th NAACP Image Awards wrapped up on Monday night, Jan. 15th.  Ava DuVernay was named "Entertainer of the Year."  "Girls Trip" was named Outstanding Motion Picture.

From TheWrap:  Winners in the non-televised categories of the 49th Image Awards were announced.  "Detroit" was named "Outstanding Independent Film."

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

NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW - A group of film enthusiasts, filmmakers, professionals and academics (Tuesday, November 28, 2017)

From NBoR: 2017 winners including "The Post" as "Best Film."

-----------------------------------------
NATIONAL SOCIETY OF FILM CRITICS - (Saturday, January 6, 2018)

From IndieWire:   52nd NSFC Awards announced; "Lady Bird" named "Best Picture."

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

NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE - (Thursday, November 30, 2017)

From NYFCC:  2017 Award winners including "Lady Bird" as "Best Picture."

------------------------------------------
NEW YORK FILM CRITICS ONLINE - an organization of the top online film critics in New York City (December 10, 2017)

From NYFCO:  The 2017 NYFCO Awards; "Mudbound" and "The Florida Project" tie for the "Best Picture" award.

------------------------------------------
NORTH CAROLINA FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION - (Tuesday, January 2, 2017)

From AwardsWatch:  2017 North Carolina Film Critics Association Award nominations.

------------------------------------------
OKLAHOMA FILM CRITICS CIRCLE - (January 3, 2018)

From Collider:  2018 Oklahoma Film Critics Circle Awards were announced. "Get Out" named Best Film of 2017.

------------------------------------------
ONLINE FILM CRITICS SOCIETY - (Thursday, December 28, 2017)

From AwardsWatch:  2017 OFCS Awards; "Get Out" wins "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  2017 OFCS Award nominations.

-------------------------------------------
PHOENIX FILM CRITICS SOCIETY - (Tuesday, December 19, 2017)

From PFCS:  2017 PFCS Awards announced.  "The Shape of Water" named best picture of 2017.

-------------------------------------------
PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA - 29th/2018 Annual Producers Guild Awards (January 20, 2018):

From PGA:  Theatrical Motion Picture and Television winners announced for 2018 Producers Guild Awards.  "The Shape of Water" wins "The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures."

From PGA:  Theatrical Motion Picture and Television Nominees Announced for 2018 Producers Guild Awards announced Friday, January 5, 2018.

From PGA: Nominations for "The Award for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Motion Pictures"

From PGA:  Date set for 2018 Producers Guild.

-------------------------------------------
ST. LOUIS FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION - (Sunday, December 17, 2017)

From AwardsWatch:  2017 St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards announced; "The Shape of Water" wins "Best Film."

-------------------------------------------
SAN DIEGO FILM CRITICS SOCIETY - (Monday, December 11, 2017)

From SDFCS: Winners of the 2017 SDFCS Awards; Jordan Peele's "Get Out" wins "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  Nominees for 2017 SDFCS Awards; winners to be announced Dec. 11th.

--------------------------------------------
SCREEN ACTORS GUILD - Broadcast on TBS and TNT (January 21, 2018)

From THR:  2018 / 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards announced; "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" wins "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture," which is the SAG Awards' version of a best picture category.

From SAG: 2018 / 24th Annual Screen Actors Guild Award nominations

From SAG:  Morgan Freeman to receive Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award.

--------------------------------------------
SEATTLE FILM CRITICS SOCIETY - (Monday, December 18, 2017)

From AwardsWatch:  Nominees for the Seattle Film Critics Society Awards; winners announced Dec. 18th

From AwardsWatch:  2017 Seattle Film Critics Society Awards announced.  "Get Out" wins "Best Picture of the Year."

---------------------------------------------
USC LIBRARIES SCRIPTER AWARD - (Saturday, February 10, 2018)

From Negromancer:  30th annual USC Libraries Scripter Award nominations announced for film and television categories.

---------------------------------------------
UTAH FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION (Sunday, December 17, 2017))

From AwardsWatch:  Utah Film Critics Association announces its 2017 Award winners.  "A Ghost Story" is named "Best Picture."

---------------------------------------------
VISUAL EFFECTS SOCIETY - (February 13, 2018)

From Deadline:  Nominations for the 16th annual VES Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced on Feb. 13th.

---------------------------------------------
WOMEN FILM CRITICS CIRCLE - (Thursday, December 21, 2017)

From CriticalWomenBlogspot:  Women Film Critics Circle - winners and nominees.  "Lady Bird" wins two "Best Film" awards.

----------------------------------------------------------------
WRITERS GUILD OF AMERICA - (Sunday, February 11, 2018)

From TheWrap:  The winners at the 2018 Writers Guild Awards.  Jordan Peele wins best original screenplay for "Get Out."  James Ivory wins best adapted screenplay for "Call Me By Your Name."

From GoldDerby:  The winners and nominees at the 2018 Writers Guild Awards.

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

BEST PICTURE/FILM/FEATURE winners count:

Call Me By Your Name - 2 wins from Gotham Awards, Los Angeles Film Critics Association

Dunkirk - 1 win from Florida Film Critics Circle

The Florida Project - 1 win from Detroit Film Critics Society; 1 tied win (with Mudbound) from the New York Film Critics Online

Get Out - 8 wins from African-American Film Critics Associaiton; Boston Online Film Critics Association; Film Independent Spirit Awards, Kansas City Film Critics Circle; Oklahoma Film Critics Circle; Online Film Critics Society; San Diego Film Critics Society; Seattle Film Critics Society

A Ghost Story - 1 win from Utah Film Critics Association

Girls Trip - 1 win from NAACP Image Awards

God's Own Country - 1 win from British Independent Film Awards 

Lady Bird - 9 wins from Central Ohio Film Critics Association; Chicago Film Critics Association; Chicago Independent Film Critics Cirlce; Golden Globes (Best Picture-Comedy); Houston Film Critics Society; Indiana Film Journalist Association; National Society of Film Critics; New York Film Critics Society, Women Film Critics Circle

Logan - 1 win Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle (as "Best Studio Film")

Mudbound - 1 win from Black Film Critics Circle; 1 tied win (with The Florida Project) from the New York Film Critics Online

Phantom Thread - 1 win from Boston Society of Film Critics

The Post - 1 win from National Board of Review

The Shape of Water - 6 wins from Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences; Critics Choice Awards; Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association; Phoenix Film Critics Society; Producers Guild of America; St. Louis Film Critics Association

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri - 7 wins from Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts International Awards; BAFTAs (Best Film and Outstanding British Film) Golden Globes (Best Picture-Drama); Las Vegas Film Critics Society; London Film Critics Circle; Screen Actors Guild Awards


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