TRASH IN MY EYE Reviews: Tom Cruise

Showing posts with label Tom Cruise. Show all posts

Saturday, May 24, 2025

Review: "MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – THE FINAL RECKONING" is a Long Goodbye

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 23 of 2025 (No. 2029) by Leroy Douresseaux

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025)

Running time: 169 minutes (2 hours, 49 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for sequences of strong violence and action, bloody images, and brief language

DIRECTOR: Christopher McQuarrie

WRITERS: Christopher McQuarrie and Erik Jendresen (based upon the television series created by Bruce Geller)

PRODUCERS: Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Fraser Taggart (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Eddie Hamilton

COMPOSERS: Max Aruj and Alfie Godfey

ACTION/ADVENTURE/SPY/THRILLER

Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Esai Morales, Pom Klementieff, Shea Whigham, Greg Tarzan Davis, Holt McCallany, Janet McTeer, Nick Offerman, Hannah Waddingham, Tramell Tillman, Rolf Saxon, Lucy Tulugarjuk, Charles Parnell, Mark Gatiss, and Henry Czerny and Angela Bassett

SUMMARY OF REVIEW:

-- Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is a Mission: Impossible film, and fans of the franchise will like it to one extent or another

-- However, even as a fan, I find it to be too long and not as good as the previous film, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One

-- I think that the possibility of Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning being Tom Cruise's final Mission: Impossible film (at least as a lead) added to my desire to like it more than I probably should

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning is a 2025 action-thriller and espionage film directed by Christopher McQuarrie and starring Tom Cruise. It is the eighth film in the Mission: Impossible film series which began with the 1996 film, Mission: Impossible, and is based on the American television series, “Mission: Impossible” (CBS, 1966-73), that was created by Bruce Geller. This film is also a direct sequel to 2013's Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. In The Final Reckoning, Ethan Hunt learns that our lives are the sum of our choices as he and his IMF team race to stop an assassin from gaining control of a rogue AI that wants to destroy humanity.

Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning opens in the wake of the events depicted in Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One. The IMF (Impossible Mission Force) has failed to put an end to the machinations of either “The Entity,” the most powerful ever AI (artificial intelligence), or the assassin, Gabriel (Esai Morales), who wants to control The Entity. The Entity is plotting global nuclear annihilation against humanity.

IMF agent Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) turns himself over to authorities and is brought before President of the United States Erika Sloane (Angela Bassett), who was once the Director of the CIA. He asks her for the resources to find the sunken advanced Russian submarine, the “Sevastopol.” There, he hopes to obtain the “the Rabbit's Foot,” the core module that contains the original source code for The Entity. IMF computer technician, Luther Stickwell (Ving Rhames), has created malware in the form of a kind of flash drive that when inserted into the core module will help imprison The Entity where it can no longer be a threat to humanity.

President Sloane gives Ethan permission to act independently, and he brings together a new ragtag IMF team that includes technical field agent, Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg); a professional thief, Grace (Hayley Atwell), a French assassin, Paris (Pom Klementieff), a U.S. intelligence agent, Theo Degas (Greg Tarzan Davis); CIA agent William Donloe (Rolf Saxon); and Rolf's wife, Tapeesa (Lucy Tulugarjuk). Ethan and his IMF team head to South Africa for an epic showdown while the world's nuclear powers await nuclear Armageddon.

I divide the six Mission: Impossible movies into two trilogies. Mission: Impossible (1996), Mission: Impossible 2 (2000), and Mission: Impossible III (2006) make up the first trilogy. Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol (2011), Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), and Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018) form the second trilogy. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning are, for the time being, the two-part conclusion to Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible franchise.

And let's be honest, unlike the original “Mission: Impossible” TV series, which was an ensemble espionage drama, the Mission: Impossible films are a Tom Cruise vehicle / espionage action movies. The Final Reckoning is all about Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt. Heck, the theme of this film is that Ethan's life is the sum of his choices. Yes, the other characters all get their moment or, in some cases, moments to shine, but this film is about Tom/Ethan.

Like Dead Reckoning Part One, The Final Reckoning is a non-stop thrill machine full of heart-pounding races, chases, standoffs, last-second escapes, and near death experiences with Tom Cruise running more than he ever has. I initially balked at Dead Reckoning's runtime of two hours and forty-three minutes, but the film didn't feel that long. The Final Reckoning feels too long at two hours and forty-nine minutes.

I don't really have anything else to say. Like all the previous films, The Final Reckoning is a perpetual thrill-machine. If it were any other film, I'd give it a grade of “B.” However, I am a sucker for both Tom Cruise and for his Mission: Impossible films, which I still, for the most part, re-watch. I will watch Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning again – many times, so it gets a preferential grade.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 18th to 24th, 2025 - UPDATE #11

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?: There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

CANNES 2025:

From Variety: Iranian director, Jafar Panahi, won the top prize at the 2025 / 78th Cannes Film Festival, the "Palme d'Or," for his film, "It Was Just an Accident." This is the sixth consecutive year that U.S. distributor, Neon, has the distribution rights to the "Palme d'Or" winner.

From Deadline: Oscar-winner Denzel Washington arrived at the Cannes Film Festival 2025 for the premiere of his collaboration with director, Spike Lee, the upcoming film, "Highest 2 Lowest." There, he was surprised with an "Honorary Palme d'Or."

MOVIES - From Deadline: There are updates on the third "Downton Abbey" feature film.

STREAMING - From Deadline: Prime Video will not be renewing its fantasy series, "The Wheel of Time" for a fourth season. This announcement comes over a month after the Season 3 finale debuted April 17th, 2025.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Andrew Koji, Jason Momoa, Noah Centineo, and Roman Reigns are in talks to star in Legendary Entertainment’s live-action "Street Fighter" movie, based on the Capcom video games, sources tell Deadline. There have been three previous live-action "Street Fighter" films, including the infamous 1994 movie starring Jean-Claude Van Damme.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: Shemar Moore addressed the fact that he is the only actor from CBS' recently ended series, "S.W.A.T." (2017-25), that will be moving over to the new series, "S.W.A.T. Exiles." Moore says, "I'm the quarterback."

SCANDAL - From Deadline: Stunt performer, Casey Michaels, was working on the final season of "Game of Thrones" when she shattered her left ankle performing a stunt she argues was not designed competently by the coordinators on-set. Her career ended, Michaels sued HBO, claiming she had been robbed of a promising career. HBO eventually paid her $9.3 million, including legal costs, as part of a settlement in 2023, with the company’s lawyers apologizing. Michaels has given an interview to "Deadline" because she believes her experience exposes everything that’s wrong with her profession.

DISNEY/ANIMATION - From ComicBook: The Cartoon Network's former animated series, "The Amazing World of Gumball," is returning in a new animated series, "The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball." It will debut on Disney+ and Hulu later this year and on Cartoon Network internationally.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 5/16 to 5/18/2025 weekend box office is Warner Bros./New Line Cinema's "Final Destination: Bloodlines" with an estimated take of 51 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Deadline: A new Tom Cruise project with director Doug Liman and costar Ana De Armas looks to be pricey.

OBITS:

From Deadline: American television producer and director, Jeff Margolis, has died at the age of 78, Friday, May 23, 2025. He was a prolific producer and/or director of numerous award shows, live events, specials, and variety show. His career as a TV director began in the mid-70s and including directing two episodes of the former CBS variety series, "Tony Orlando and Dawn." Margolis was nominated for eight "Primetime Emmy Awards," and won twice: "Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special" for "Sammy Davis, Jr. 60th Anniversary Celebration" and "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing for a Music or Variety Program" for "The 67th Annual Academy Awards."

From Deadline: American film and television actor, George Wendt, has died at the age of 76, Tuesday, May 20, 2025. Wendt was best known for the role of "Norm Peterson" on the former NBC sitcom, "Cheers" (1982-93). He was nominated six times in the Primetime Emmy Awards category, "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series." Wendt's passing reportedly coincides with the 32nd anniversary of the "Cheers" finale episode.

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Saturday, May 17, 2025

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 11th to 17th, 2025 - UPDATE #13

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?: There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

CANNES 2025 (May 13th to the 24th, 2025):

From Variety: Kristen Stewart gets a standing ovation after the screening of her directorial debut, "The Chronology of Water, " starring Imogen Poots.

From Variety: Oscar-winner, Halle Berry, a member of the Cannes 2025 jury spoke at the jury press conference. She addressed James Bond and her character, "Jinx," from the 2002 Bond film, "Die Another Day." Berry said a spinoff movie featuring Jinx should have happened already.

From Variety: Tom Cruise is telling the story of how his sister, Cass, forced him to meet actor Dustin Hoffman, which led to the two stars making the 1988 Oscar-winning film, "Rain Man." Cruise's latest film, "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning" will debut at Cannes 2025.

From Variety: Director Eli Roth's upcoming film, "Ice Cream Man," which he calls his "most terrifying and insane" film yet, is now fully financed. The film will be looking for buyers at Cannes 2025.

From Variety: Two-time Oscar-winner, Kevin Spacey, is continuing to try to rebuild his career, which was broken by several accusations of sexual harassment and sexual abuse. Spacey has joined the cast of director Matt Routledge's "The Awakening." The film will be looking for buyers at Cannes 2025 (May 13th to the 24th, 2025).

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NETFLIX - From THR: Robert Pattison will join Denzel Washington and Daisy Edgar-Jones in director Fernando Meirelles heist movie, "Here Comes the Flood." The script is written by Simon Kinberg.

STREAMING - From Deadline: After two years under the name of simply, "Max," the streaming service will return to its original launch name, "HBO Max," sometimes this summer.

TELEVISION - From Variety: NBC has given a series order to "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins," starring Tracy Morgan and Daniel Radcliffe. Some of Morgan's "30 Rock" alum are also involved in the series.

TELEVISION/SPORTS - From YahooSports: Michael Jordan, a six-time NBA champion and a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, will join NBC Sports’ coverage of the NBA as a special contributor in October 2025, when the NBA returns to NBC and makes its Peacock debut. Jordan won his six titles with the Chicago Bulls.

STREAMING - From Variety: Peacock has just released a first look image at his upcoming Fall 2025 series, "The Paper," a spinoff of NBC's former sitcom, "The Office." The mockumentary sitcom and workplace comedy takes a look at a dying Midwestern newspaper and its staff of volunteer reporters.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 5/9 to 5/11/2025 weekend box office is Disney/Marvel Studios' Thunderbolts with an estimated take of 33.1 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Variety: Oscar-winner Mikey Madison ("Anora") will co-star with Kirsten Dunst in “Reptilia.” The thriller tells the story of a dental hygienist who is seduced by a mysterious mermaid into the dark and wet underworld of Florida’s exotic animal trade. Alejandro Landes Echavarria will direct from a script he co-wrote.

OBITS:

From Deadline: American actor, Jon Don Baker, has died at the age of 89, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Baker was known as "tough guy" character actor. His most famous role was that of real-life Tennessee Sheriff Buford Pusser in the 1973 film, "Walking Tall." Baker also appeared in three James Bond films, "The Living Daylights" (1987), "Goldeneye" (1995), and "Tomorrow Never Dies" (1999).

From Deadline: American screenwriter and director, Robert Benton, has died at the age of 92, Sunday, May 11, 2025. Benton won the "Best Director" and "Best Adapted Screenplay" Oscars for his work on the 1979 divorce/child custody drama, "Kramer vs. Kramer." He would later win another Academy Award, this time for "Best Original Screenplay" for his film, "Places in the Heart" (1984). He also received four other Oscar nominations.

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Saturday, November 9, 2024

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Nov. 1st to 9th, 2024 - UPDATE #14

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?: There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline: "Gladiator II" director Ridley Scott and star Paul Mescal will reunited in the film, "The Dog Stars." The film is due to start filming next spring.

GRAMMYS - Deadline: The nominations for the 2025 / 67th annual Grammy Awards have been announced. Beyonce leads the pack with 11 nominations. The winners will be announced Sunday, February 2, 2025.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 11/1 to 11/3/2024 weekend box office is Sony Picture's "Venom: The Last Dance" with an estimated take of 26.1 million dollars.

From Deadline: Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer speaks on the box office bomb that was the "Borderlands" movie. "Everything that could go wrong did go wrong."

MOVIES - From Variety: Actress-producer Eva Longoria reveals that she has made over 12 million dollars off her 6 million dollar investment in the 2014 film, "John Wick." She says that she is still getting checks off the film a decade after her six million dollar investment saved the film from being cancelled. She says her only regret is not investing in the "John Wick" sequels.

MOVIES - From ScreenRant: The site offers a first-look at actor Billy Zane as legendary actor Marlon Brando in the biopic, "Waltzing with Brando."

MOVIES/CELEBRITY - From THR: Tom Cruise is very busy, including developing a sequel to his 1990 racing movie, "Days of Thunder." Meanwhile, he and Paramount have some disagreements about "Mission: Impossible 8," which apparently has cost... 400 million dollars.

MOVIES - From THR: Oscar-nominee William H. Macy has joined star Glen Powell in Edgar Wright's new film version of the Stephen King/Richard Bachman's novel, "The Running Man."

POLITICS/STREAMING - From YahooEntertainment: Democratic politician and activist, Stacey Abrams told Yahoo Entertainment that she finds the argument that pop stars should stick to music “extraordinarily reductive.” Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are among the pop stars getting political. "We shouldn't expect entertainers to shut up and sing," Abrams says. Abrams and actress and activist, Selena Gomez, have produced a new documentary, "Louder: The Soundtrack of Change" (now streaming on Max), that shows how female musicians have been involved in the fight for equal rights across generations.

OBITS:

From Variety: American film and television actor and voice performer, Tony Todd, has died at the age of 69, Wednesday, November 6, 2024. He was best known for playing the title role in the original "Candyman" films (1992 to 1999, and a cameo in the 2021 film) and in the "Final Destination" film franchise. Todd also appeared in such films as "Platoon" (1986), the 1990 version of "Night of the Living Dead," and "Wishmaster" (1997), to name a few. His best known TV work was as "Kurn," the brother of series regular "Lt. Worf," on "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" over four episodes. Todd was also a prolific voice actor whose work appeared in numerous video games and in animated films and TV featuring DC Comics' characters.

From Deadline: American singer and recording artist, Tyka Nelson, has died at the age of 64, Monday, November 4, 2024. Nelson was the late recording artist Prince's only full sibling. Nelson released four studio albums from 1988 to 2011 and had a Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart in 1988 with "Marc Anthony's Song."

From Variety: American record producer, recording artist, songwriter, bandleader, and film and television composer, Quincy Jones, has died at the age of 91, Sunday, November 3, 2024. Jones may be best known for producing Michael Jackson's three most successful studio albums, "Off the Wall" (1979), "Thriller" (1982), and "Bad" (1987). He provided the musical score for numerous films, including "In the Heat of the Night" (1967), "The Italian Job," and "The Color Purple" (1985), to name a few. He also provided the theme for the TV series, "Hey Landlord" and "Sanford and Son." Jones received 80 Grammy Award nominations and won 28 of them. He won an Primetime Emmy Award for his work on the ABC miniseries, "Roots." He won a Tony Award for the revival of the musical, "The Color Purple." Jones was nominated seven times for the Academy Award and received the "Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award."

From Deadline: Entertainment industry tributes continue to pour in for legendary producer and recording artist, Quincy Jones.

From Variety: "Variety" offers the 15 best examples of recording artists sampling the late Quincy Jones' music. The list includes Kanye West, The Weeknd, and Harry Styles.

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From THR: American television actor, Alan Rachins, has died at the age of 82, Saturday, November 2, 2024. Rachins was best known for playing attorney Douglas Brachman, Jr. on the former NBC legal drama, "L.A. Law" (1986-94) and for playing "Larry," Dharma's hippie father, on the former ABC sitcom, "Dharma & Greg" (1997-2002). He also appeared in the notorious 1995 film, "Showgirls." For his work on "L.A. Law," Rachins received a 1988 Primetime Emmy Award nomination.

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MOVIE AWARDS:

From Deadline: The 2024 / 34th Gotham Awards kick off the 2024-25 movie awards season by announcing its nominations for achievement in film. Director Sean Baker's "Anora," which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes this year, leads with four nominations. The winners will be announced Monday, December 2, 2024.

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 21st to 31st, 2024 - UPDATE #19

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

DISNEY - From Deadline: Layoffs at Disney Entertainment Television have begun with 140 people let go. National Geographic lost 60 employees - 13 percent of its staff.

TELEVISION - From Variety: NBC expects to surpass 1.25 billion dollars in advertising sales from its broadcast of the Paris Olympics. It previously reached 1.25 billion in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

MOVIES - From BBC: The site looks at the "10 best films to watch in August," from Alien Romulus to "The Crow."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 7/26 to 7/28/2024 weekend box office is Disney/Marvel Studios' Deadpool & Wolverine with an estimated take of 205 million dollars.

From Variety: Deadpool vs. Wolverine had a 96 million dollar opening day (Fri., July 26th). It's the largest for an R-rated film and the sixth largest of all time.

From THR: Disney/Pixar's "Inside Out 2" has now surpassed Disney's "Frozen II" as the all-time highest grossing animated film at the global box office. It's 1.462 billion dollars passed the "Frozen" sequel's 1.451 billion dollars.

STAR TREK - From Deadline: Akiva Goldsman says that "Star Trek" might be staged as a musical.

AMAZON - From Deadline: Amazon MGM Studios has confirmed that it has hired former Netflix Chairman of Film and former Vice Chairman of Universal, Scott Stuber, to revive the "United Artists" label for them. Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner also tried to revive United Artists about 16 years ago.

STREAMING - From Deadline: Apple Original Films has won the auction for the rights to adapt author Jonathan Tropper's short story, "The Corsair Code." Tropper will adapt the story, which is attached to actor Chris Hemsworth.

TELEVISION - From Variety: AMC and AMC+'s "The Terror" Season 3 rounds out its cast with CCH Pounder, Judith Light, and Stephen Root.

POLITICS - Variety: Hollywood donors feel tremendous enthusiasm for Democratic Presidential candidate, Vice-President Kamala Harris.

From THR: Netflix's Reed donates $7 million dollars to VP Kamala Harris' election campaign.

FILM FESTIVALS - From Deadline: The full lineup of films for the 81st Venice Film Festival have been announced, and among the big names is "Joker: Folie a Deux." The festival runs from August 28th to September 7th, 2024.

From Deadline: The 49th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival announced its full lineup of "Galas 2024" and "Special Presentations 2024," and which amounts to 63 films from 25 countries. Many include films are from celebrated directors and star some of the biggest names in domestic and international cinema. TIFF 2024 runs September 5th to 15th, 2024.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Recent Oscar winner Brendan Fraser ("The Whale") will portray Supreme Allied Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower in Working Title and Studiocanal‘s upcoming D-Day movie, "Pressure."

AMAZON - From Deadline: Amazon Prime Video has taken another big leap into the UK film and TV industry by acquiring Bray Film Studios, the 70-year-old studios where "Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is filmed.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 7/19 to 7/21/2024 weekend box office is Universal's "Twisters" with an estimated take of 80.5 million dollars.

POLITICS - From Variety: President Joe Biden has ended his re-election bid.

From TheAtlantic or RSN: Just in cast you'd forgotten J.D. Vance's critique, "Opioid of the Masses," of his now running mate, Donald Trump, here are two sources where you can enjoy it.

MOVIES - From Deadline: 2024 marks the 25th anniversary of the release of "Eyes Wide Shut" (1999), director Stanley Kubrick's final film. The film starred Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, who were married at the time of the film's production and release. Recently, Kidman talked about how Kubrick found inspiration in the marriage for his film.

STREAMING - From Deadline: Paramount+ has cancelled "Halo," its video game adaptation, after two seasons.

Saturday, January 13, 2024

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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Saturday, July 22, 2023

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 16th to 22nd, 2023 - Update #18

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

CELEBRITY - From THR: For the first time since his medical emergency, Jamie Foxx speaks publicly, releasing a video on his "Instagram" page.

TELEVISION - From Deadline: FX's "Aliens" television series has begun filming in Thailand, but are filming scenes that don't include SAG-AFTRA actors.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment: Antonio Banderas recalls Steven Spielberg's prescient words about CGI on the set of his film, "The Mask of Zorro" (1998). This is the 25th anniversary of the film's release.

MUSIC - From Deadline: Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter and recording artist, Sheryl Crow, calls out country singer Jason Aldean over his violent and obviously racist song, "Try That in a Small Town."

OPPENHEIMER - From Deadline: Actor Cillian Murphy talks about his starring role in "Oppenheimer" and about working with Christopher Nolan again.

From Variety: Matt Damon had told his wife he was taking a break from acting unless director Christopher Nolan called. Then, Nolan called about "Oppenheimer"...

STREAMING - From Deadline: Paramount+ has unveiled a first look at "Pet Sematary: Bloodlines," a prequel to Stephen King's 1983 novel. "Pet Sematary."

MEDIA - From Deadline: Lionsgate seems to be in the lead to buy the film and television entertainment company eOne (Entertainment One) from Hasbro.

STREAMING - From Variety: NBCUniversal's streaming service, "Peacock," has raised its prices for the first time since its launch.

BOX OFFICE - BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 7/14 to 7/16/2023 weekend box office is Paramount Pictures' "Mission Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" with an estimated take of 56.2 million dollars.

From Here: A review of "Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One" by Leroy Douresseaux

From Deadline: Director Christopher McQuarrie considered using the "de-aging" process for Tom Cruise in order to create a young Ethan Hunt, but ultimately chose not to go with it.

OBITS:

From Deadline: Legendary American singer, Tony Bennett, has died at the age of 96, Friday, July 21, 2023. He career spanned decades and generations. He made his first recordings in 1949. He had his first hit in 1951 ("Because of You"). He recorded his first album in 1952 ("Because of You"), which would be one of over 100 albums released. Younger audiences discovered Bennett in the early 1990s and continue to do so, listening to his catalog of jazz, traditional pop, show tunes, and big band, to name a few of the genres of music in which he has performed. He won 19 Grammy Awards and received the Grammy "Lifetime Achievement Award."

From Deadline: American actress Josephine Chaplin has died at the age of 74, Thursday, July 13, 2023. The daughter of legendary filmmaker and actor, Charlie Chaplin, and British actress, Oona O'Neill, Josephine made an appearance as a child actor in her father's Oscar-winning film, "Limelight." Her other roles include "Canterbury Tales" (1972), "Jack the Ripper," and "A Countess from Hong Kong" (1967), which was also her father's final film.

From Deadline: Film and television producer and director, Robert Lieberman, has died at the age of 77, Saturday, July 1, 2023. As a film director, his best known work is the science fiction cult classic, "Fire in the Sky" (1993). As a TV director, he helmed numerous series, including multiple episodes of USA Network's "The Dead Zone" and Syfy's "The Expanse." Lieberman directed over two thousand TV commercials and in 1980, he won the first Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards for "Best Commercial Director," one of two that he won in that category.

WRITERS/ACTORS STRIKE:

From THR: Production works at Warner Bros. Animation (66) and at Cartoon Network (22) have gone public with their attempt to unionize via The Animation Guild.

From Variety: Halted film productions due to the writers and actors strikes are costing each Hollywood studio at least 600,000 dollars per week.

From Variety: Said at a strike meeting: “Without a transformative change in SAG-AFTRA’s current contract with the AMPTP, the acting profession will no longer be an option for future generations of performers, and actors already working in the industry will need to pursue other careers in order to survive.”

From Deadline: If you are a "social media influencer" who is NOT a member of SAG-AFTRA, you can be barred from future membership for promoting a film or television series during the 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.

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Saturday, July 15, 2023

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."