by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
Support Leroy on Patreon:
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:
MOVIES - From Variety: AMC Theatres will require patrons to wear masks when it reopens its theaters after initially not requiring them.
GEORGE FLOYD - From YahooNews: New Mexico Shooting Raises Specter Of Right-Wing Violence Around Statue Protests
BLM - From YahooLifestyle: Support grows for making "Juneteenth" (June 19th) an official holiday.
MOVIES - From Deadline: Mark Wahlberg's canine adventure film, "Arthur the King," movies to Lionsgate. The film reunited Wahlberg with is "2 Guns" and "Contraband" director, Baltasar Kormakur.
BLM-HOLLYWOOD - From BET: Actress Gabrielle Union talks her "America's Got Talent" departure and on holding "bad apples" accountable.
GEORGE FLOYD - From YahooNews360: Why was George Floyd's death the breaking point?
POLITICS - From YahooNews: Five bombshells about President Trump from John Bolton's book, "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir."
MOVIES - From Deadline: Actress Kristen Stewart will portray Princess Diana in director Pablo Larrain's film, "Spencer."
BLM-EDUCATION - From YahooNews: Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, are donating $120 million toward student scholarships at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The couple is giving $40 million to each of three institutions: the United Negro College Fund, Spelman College and Morehouse College. The organizations said it is the largest individual gift in support of student scholarships at HBCUs.
GEORGE FLOYD - From CNN: Martin Gugino, the 75-year-old protester who was pushed by two Buffalo, New York, police officers earlier this month, has a fractured skull and is not able to walk, his lawyer said in a statement provided to CNN on Monday.
From YahooEntertainment: Whoopi Goldberg says police officers have to 'relearn how to police': 'Because now they're soldiers — and we're not in a war'
SPORTS - From YahooSports: Here is a look at Super Bowl champion QB Tom Brady in his new uniform for his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
POLITICS - From InformedComment: How American cities were Reduced to Esper’s “Battlespace”: From Fallujah to Minneapolis
OSCARS - From Deadline: The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced that the 2021 / 93rd Academy Awards ceremony has been moved from February 28, 2021 to April 25, 2021 - the latest date ever for the Oscars. Films will be eligible to compete for the 93rd Academy Awards though Feb. 28th.
MOVIES - From Deadline: Director Antonie Fuqua and actor Will Smith's runaway slave thriller, "Emancipation," will be introduced at the virtual Cannes market and will begin production in early 2021.
LGBTQ - For BuzzFeed: The Supreme Court on Monday issued its most sweeping decision ever to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination, finding that a federal ban on sex discrimination in workplaces also protects employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.
POLITICS-CELEBRITY - From FoxNews: U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) challenges actor Ron Perlman... to wrestle with former wrestling coach and protector of sexual assailants, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).
GEORGE FLOYD - From People: Legendary singer, actress, and filmmaker, Barbra Streisand, has given Gianna Floyd, the daughter of the police-slain George Floyd, an unknown numbers of shares of stock in The Walt Disney Company.
MOVIES - From Deadline: After his "Gone with the Wind" op-ed, Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley ponders permanent Hollywood change.
BLM - From Deadline: "Saturday Night Live" alum, Jay Pharoah, was profiled by the Los Angeles Police Department and then one of them put his knee on his neck.
OBITS:
From Deadline: The British actor, Ian Holm, has died at the age of 88, Friday, June 19, 2020. Holms was best known for his appearances in such films as "Alien," "Chariots of Fire," "The Sweet Hereafter," and "The Fifth Element." He also appeared in "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" film series. Holm won a Tony Award in 1967 for his performance in "The Homecoming." He received a best supporting Oscar nomination for his role in "Chariots of Fire" (1981), a role for which he won the BAFTA.
From CNN: Former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland (1993-98), Jean Kennedy Smith, has died at the age of 92, Wednesday, June 17, 2020. She was also the last surviving sibling of assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy.
---------------------------------------------------
BLACK LIVES MATTER News:
From YahooFinance: Why Black wealth has stayed 'relatively flat' since Tulsa massacre
From InTheseTimes: The four questions we must ask before we agree to police reform.
----------------------------------------------------
CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 NEWS:
From CDC: The Centers for Disease Control has a "COVID Data Tracker."
From YahooNews: Why does COVID-19 kill some people and hardly affects others?
From YahooNews: Yahoo has a dedicated page of links updating news about COVID-19.
From Deadline: The news site "Deadline" has a dedicated page for news about coronavirus and the film, TV, and entertainment industries.
From TheNewYorker: The venerable magazine has a dedicate COVID-19 page free to all readers.
From YahooNews: Re: the federal government's response to COVID-19: What if the most important election of our lifetime was the last one - 2016?
From YahooLife: What is "happy hypoxia?" And do you have this COVID-19 symptom?
From JuanCole: Remeber when President Donald went crazy and suggested that we ingest household cleaning supplies and UV light to fight COVID-19. Here is the video and commentary from Juan Cole.
From TheIntercept: The federal government has ramped up security and police-related spending in response to the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic, including issuing contracts for riot gear, disclosures show. The purchase orders include requests for disposable cuffs, gas masks, ballistic helmets, and riot gloves...
From NPR: A sad milestone: over 100,000 American have died due to COVID-19.
From TheAtlantic: The Coronavirus Was an Emergency Until Trump Found Out Who Was Dying. The pandemic has exposed the bitter terms of our racial contract, which deems certain lives of greater value than others.
From ProPublica: Hospital's Secret COVID-19 Policy Separated Native American Mothers From Their Newborns
----------------
Showing posts with label Whoopi Goldberg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whoopi Goldberg. Show all posts
Saturday, June 20, 2020
Saturday, January 25, 2020
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.
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.
Saturday, September 14, 2019
Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 8th to 14th, 2019 - Update #24
Support Leroy on Patreon:
COMICS-FILM - From ShadowandAct: Rihanna addresses rumors that she is being considered to play Poison Ivy in Matt Reeves "The Batman." Still in development, the film would star Robert Pattison as Batman.
----------
DISNEY - From Variety: Walt Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger has stepped down from Apple's board of directors as Disney and Apple launch competing streaming services.
---------
MOVIES - From THR: Why J.J. Abrams and his wife Katie McGrath said yes to WarnerMedia and no to Apple, although Apple offered them $500 million for an exclusive deal, where WarnerMedia offered $250 million.
----------
ANIMATION - From YahooEntertainment: Longtime voice actor, Frank Welker, talks about being the voice of Fred Jones for 50 years on today, September 13th, the 50th anniversary of "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!"
----------
SCANDAL - From Deadline: Emmy-winning actress Felicity Huffman has been sentenced to two weeks/14 days in jail for in the infamous college admissions scandal. She will have to self-report to Bureau of Prisons officials on October 25 to begin serving her time in a California facility.
----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap: This season on an episode of her hit ABC series, "Black-ish," Tracee Ellis Ross will reunite with Jill Marie Jones, Persia White and Golden Brooks, her three co-stars from the UPN/The CW series, "Girlfriends" (2000-2008).
----------
MOVIES - From Newsarama: A brand new "Jurassic World" short film will debut Sunday, September 15, 2019 on cable network, FX.
----------
MOVIES - From THR: J.J. Abrams and his wife, Katie McGrath, through their company, Bad Robot, have signed an overall film, TV, game, and digital production deal with WarnerMedia.
----------
AVATAR - From Deadline: What does James Cameron feel now that "Avengers: Endgame" has passed his 2009 film, "Avatar," as the all-time box office champ? He feels "relief" and he explains why.
----------
MOVIES - From Deadline: Viacom is in the lead to obtain the the portion of the Miramax film library that is up for sale. beIN Media Group owns the 700-title library and wants to sell 30 percent to 50 percent, while maintaining a controlling stake. Lionsgate has withdrawn its bid.
----------
STREAMING - From ShadowandAct: Whoopi Goldberg will join CBS All Access' new adaptation of Stephen King's classic novel, "The Stand." A miniseries for the streaming service, it will run for 10 episodes. Stephen King will write the final episode of the series, which will take the story beyond what was in the original novel.
From BleedingCool: This article includes lots of information on "The Stand," and its includes the video of Whoopi announcing her casting on "The View," Wednesday morning, Sept. 11, 2019. Stephen King was a guest on that episode.
----------
TELEVISION - From Variety: Two-time Emmy Award winner, Uzo Aduba, will join FX's "Fargo" Season 4, which will feature Chris Rock.
----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap: Jennifer Lopez is reportedly in talks to headline 2020 Super Bowl halftime show.
----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline: Actor John C. Reilly will play owner Jerry Buss in HBO's pilot about the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. He replaces Michael Shannon.
----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline: TV super-producer David E. Kelley and Jack Bender are developing Stephen King's new novel, "The Institute" as a limited series.
----------
TELEVISION - From BleedingCool: Dan Curtis TV series, "Dark Shadows" (1966-71), is being revived a fourth time. "Dark Shadows: Reincarnation" is being developed for The CW. Previously, there was a 12-episode run in 1991 for NBC, an unaired 2004 pilot, and a 2012 film from director Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp.
----------
MOVIES - From Deadline: The John Travolta-Nicolas Cage film, Face/Off, (directed by John Woo), is being remade...
----------
MOVIES - From YahooPeople: "Crazy Rich Asians" director John M. Chu says he supports the film's co-writer, Adele Lim, who quit the sequel over a pay disparity dispute.
----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo: The winner of the 9/6 to 9/8/2019 weekend box office is "It: Chapter Two" with an estimated box office take of 91 million.
----------
MOVIES-STREAMING - From YahooAP: Eddie Murphy is getting some of the best reviews of his career in "Dolemite is My Name."
From YahooMovies: Thirty-three years after his movie, "The Golden Child," Eddie Murphy has reunited with Jasmine L. Reate. She played the boy ("the Golden Child") that Murphy's character, Chandler Jarrell) had to save.
----------
STREAMING - From Variety: Netflix has officially announced that Gillian Anderson ("The X-Files") is joining the fourth season of Netflix's "The Crown" as Margaret Thatcher. This news had been circulating since early in the year, but Netflix would not confirm it until now.
OBITS:
From YahooMusic: The rock 'n' roll singer, songwriter, and musician, Eddie Money, has died at the age of 70, Friday, September 13, 2019. From 1978 to 1991, he had several Top 40 hits, including such hooky rock standards as "Two Tickets to Paradise" and "Baby Hold On."
From Deadline: The stage, film, and television actor John Wesley has died at the age of 72, Sunday, September 8, 2019. He has over 100 TV and film credits, including appearances on TV series like "In the Heat of the Night," "Martin," and "Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad." Wesley was a Vietnam veteran having served in the United States Army.
COMICS-FILM - From ShadowandAct: Rihanna addresses rumors that she is being considered to play Poison Ivy in Matt Reeves "The Batman." Still in development, the film would star Robert Pattison as Batman.
----------
DISNEY - From Variety: Walt Disney chairman and CEO Bob Iger has stepped down from Apple's board of directors as Disney and Apple launch competing streaming services.
---------
MOVIES - From THR: Why J.J. Abrams and his wife Katie McGrath said yes to WarnerMedia and no to Apple, although Apple offered them $500 million for an exclusive deal, where WarnerMedia offered $250 million.
----------
ANIMATION - From YahooEntertainment: Longtime voice actor, Frank Welker, talks about being the voice of Fred Jones for 50 years on today, September 13th, the 50th anniversary of "Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!"
----------
SCANDAL - From Deadline: Emmy-winning actress Felicity Huffman has been sentenced to two weeks/14 days in jail for in the infamous college admissions scandal. She will have to self-report to Bureau of Prisons officials on October 25 to begin serving her time in a California facility.
----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap: This season on an episode of her hit ABC series, "Black-ish," Tracee Ellis Ross will reunite with Jill Marie Jones, Persia White and Golden Brooks, her three co-stars from the UPN/The CW series, "Girlfriends" (2000-2008).
----------
MOVIES - From Newsarama: A brand new "Jurassic World" short film will debut Sunday, September 15, 2019 on cable network, FX.
----------
MOVIES - From THR: J.J. Abrams and his wife, Katie McGrath, through their company, Bad Robot, have signed an overall film, TV, game, and digital production deal with WarnerMedia.
----------
AVATAR - From Deadline: What does James Cameron feel now that "Avengers: Endgame" has passed his 2009 film, "Avatar," as the all-time box office champ? He feels "relief" and he explains why.
----------
MOVIES - From Deadline: Viacom is in the lead to obtain the the portion of the Miramax film library that is up for sale. beIN Media Group owns the 700-title library and wants to sell 30 percent to 50 percent, while maintaining a controlling stake. Lionsgate has withdrawn its bid.
----------
STREAMING - From ShadowandAct: Whoopi Goldberg will join CBS All Access' new adaptation of Stephen King's classic novel, "The Stand." A miniseries for the streaming service, it will run for 10 episodes. Stephen King will write the final episode of the series, which will take the story beyond what was in the original novel.
From BleedingCool: This article includes lots of information on "The Stand," and its includes the video of Whoopi announcing her casting on "The View," Wednesday morning, Sept. 11, 2019. Stephen King was a guest on that episode.
----------
TELEVISION - From Variety: Two-time Emmy Award winner, Uzo Aduba, will join FX's "Fargo" Season 4, which will feature Chris Rock.
----------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap: Jennifer Lopez is reportedly in talks to headline 2020 Super Bowl halftime show.
----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline: Actor John C. Reilly will play owner Jerry Buss in HBO's pilot about the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. He replaces Michael Shannon.
----------
TELEVISION - From Deadline: TV super-producer David E. Kelley and Jack Bender are developing Stephen King's new novel, "The Institute" as a limited series.
----------
TELEVISION - From BleedingCool: Dan Curtis TV series, "Dark Shadows" (1966-71), is being revived a fourth time. "Dark Shadows: Reincarnation" is being developed for The CW. Previously, there was a 12-episode run in 1991 for NBC, an unaired 2004 pilot, and a 2012 film from director Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp.
----------
MOVIES - From Deadline: The John Travolta-Nicolas Cage film, Face/Off, (directed by John Woo), is being remade...
----------
MOVIES - From YahooPeople: "Crazy Rich Asians" director John M. Chu says he supports the film's co-writer, Adele Lim, who quit the sequel over a pay disparity dispute.
----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo: The winner of the 9/6 to 9/8/2019 weekend box office is "It: Chapter Two" with an estimated box office take of 91 million.
----------
MOVIES-STREAMING - From YahooAP: Eddie Murphy is getting some of the best reviews of his career in "Dolemite is My Name."
From YahooMovies: Thirty-three years after his movie, "The Golden Child," Eddie Murphy has reunited with Jasmine L. Reate. She played the boy ("the Golden Child") that Murphy's character, Chandler Jarrell) had to save.
----------
STREAMING - From Variety: Netflix has officially announced that Gillian Anderson ("The X-Files") is joining the fourth season of Netflix's "The Crown" as Margaret Thatcher. This news had been circulating since early in the year, but Netflix would not confirm it until now.
OBITS:
From YahooMusic: The rock 'n' roll singer, songwriter, and musician, Eddie Money, has died at the age of 70, Friday, September 13, 2019. From 1978 to 1991, he had several Top 40 hits, including such hooky rock standards as "Two Tickets to Paradise" and "Baby Hold On."
From Deadline: The stage, film, and television actor John Wesley has died at the age of 72, Sunday, September 8, 2019. He has over 100 TV and film credits, including appearances on TV series like "In the Heat of the Night," "Martin," and "Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad." Wesley was a Vietnam veteran having served in the United States Army.
Friday, February 22, 2019
Academy Announces First Round of Presenters for 91st Oscars
ROUND ONE: STARS LINE UP FOR THE OSCARS
Awkwafina, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Tina Fey, Whoopi Goldberg, Brie Larson, Jennifer Lopez, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Amandla Stenberg, Charlize Theron, Tessa Thompson, Constance Wu
Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic to Perform During the “In Memoriam” Segment
Oscar® producer Donna Gigliotti, and co-producer and director Glenn Weiss, announced the first round of presenters for the 91st Academy Awards®. The show will honor the incredible slate of nominees – from blockbusters to independent films – and embrace the diversity of the global movie-going audience. The Oscars® airs live on the ABC Television Network, February 24, 2019 and will be broadcast in more than 225 countries and territories.
“The Oscar nominees have generated tremendous worldwide attention through their captivating stories, achievements and performances,” said Gigliotti and Weiss. “We want to give the public an opportunity to once again experience the moments that have moved us all. It is a celebration of our universal love of movies.”
The producers will continue to announce talent joining the show in the coming weeks, and, as previously announced, the show will feature musical performances of the five Original Song nominees.
“From blockbuster hits to intimate tales of the human spirit, the movies we celebrate at the Oscars connect us in a way that is both moving and powerful,” said Karey Burke, President, ABC Entertainment. “Donna and Glenn will deliver a tribute worthy of the talent that will present and receive Oscar gold, and I’m so proud that ABC is home to this monumental night.”
“The Oscars is the most-watched live entertainment event of the year,” said Academy president John Bailey. “The show connects us with the power and history of the movies as it reconnects home audiences with their favorite films and stars.”
“This is an important moment in Oscar history,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “This year’s show maintains Oscar traditions, and is also evolving to reflect our global audience.”
The 91st Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 8:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. PST.
------------------------
Awkwafina, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Tina Fey, Whoopi Goldberg, Brie Larson, Jennifer Lopez, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Amandla Stenberg, Charlize Theron, Tessa Thompson, Constance Wu
Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic to Perform During the “In Memoriam” Segment
Oscar® producer Donna Gigliotti, and co-producer and director Glenn Weiss, announced the first round of presenters for the 91st Academy Awards®. The show will honor the incredible slate of nominees – from blockbusters to independent films – and embrace the diversity of the global movie-going audience. The Oscars® airs live on the ABC Television Network, February 24, 2019 and will be broadcast in more than 225 countries and territories.
“The Oscar nominees have generated tremendous worldwide attention through their captivating stories, achievements and performances,” said Gigliotti and Weiss. “We want to give the public an opportunity to once again experience the moments that have moved us all. It is a celebration of our universal love of movies.”
The producers will continue to announce talent joining the show in the coming weeks, and, as previously announced, the show will feature musical performances of the five Original Song nominees.
“From blockbuster hits to intimate tales of the human spirit, the movies we celebrate at the Oscars connect us in a way that is both moving and powerful,” said Karey Burke, President, ABC Entertainment. “Donna and Glenn will deliver a tribute worthy of the talent that will present and receive Oscar gold, and I’m so proud that ABC is home to this monumental night.”
“The Oscars is the most-watched live entertainment event of the year,” said Academy president John Bailey. “The show connects us with the power and history of the movies as it reconnects home audiences with their favorite films and stars.”
“This is an important moment in Oscar history,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “This year’s show maintains Oscar traditions, and is also evolving to reflect our global audience.”
The 91st Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live on the ABC Television Network at 8:00 p.m. EST/5:00 p.m. PST.
------------------------
Monday, September 18, 2017
Amazon Announces New Kids Shows and Returning Favorites for Fall 2017
Amazon Announces Fall Slate for Kids Originals Including If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Sid & Marty Krofft’s Sigmund and the Sea Monsters
Wishenpoof and The Stinky & Dirty Show return for second seasons
New fall programming highlights impactful storytelling and inspiring characters
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon announced its fall slate for kids originals, exclusively on Prime Video. Amazon Studios creates series for kids with heart for both enjoyment and impact to inspire a generation of lifelong creative learners. The fall slate includes Wishenpoof (September 26), Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (October 13), If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (November 7), and The Stinky & Dirty Show (Fall 2017); all series will premiere on these dates in the US and UK, and made available worldwide at a later date.
“We’re honored to reintroduce If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Sigmund’s iconic character to a new generation of kids and families”
“We’re honored to reintroduce If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Sigmund’s iconic character to a new generation of kids and families,” said Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming at Amazon Studios. “Our fall slate will bring customers more engaging and heartwarming stories to enjoy with their families.”
Wishenpoof – New season premieres on September 26, 2017
Wishenpoof centers on Bianca (Addison Holley), a fairy who can grant wishes using Wish Magic. The series highlights her thought process as she thinks, decides and solves problems in her own creative way. Each episode features a new song by Bianca for viewers to sing along with and imaginative stories to follow. Created by Angela C. Santomero (Blue’s Clues, Creative Galaxy, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Super Why!) and produced by Out of the Blue Enterprises, the show features guest voice talent Jason Priestly (Beverly Hills, 90210) as Bianca’s dad. The series’ learning approach is based on Ellen Galinsky’s “Seven Essential Life Skills” framework that focuses on skills to help children reach their full potential by having empathy for others, tackling challenges, communicating effectively, thinking critically, and to never stop learning. Season one is rated 4.7 out of 5 stars by customers with 79% 5-star reviews.
Starting September 26, the Wishenpoof season two soundtrack will be available to stream exclusively via Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime Music. In addition, the Wishenpoof Wish Magic Adventure Game by Haywire Group is now available on Amazon.
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters – New series premieres on October 13, 2017
Sid & Marty Krofft’s Sigmund and the Sea Monsters follows two beachcombing brothers, Johnny (Solomon Stewart) and Scotty (Kyle Breitkopf), who find Sigmund – a real live sea monster. The two brothers befriend the harmless and funny Sigmund and hide him in their clubhouse. However, keeping him a secret may be nearly impossible since the town’s overzealous Captain Barnabas (David Arquette) is obsessed with proving that sea monsters are real. With the help of their cousin Robyn (Rebecca Bloom), this team of friends makes it their mission to protect their new friend and have a great and memorable summer. Based on the nostalgic 1970s live-action series, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters is directed by Ron Oliver and is executive produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. The series will also feature a cover of the original theme song, “Friends” by The Roots.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie – New series premieres on November 7, 2017
When you give a mouse a cookie, he’ll probably ask for a glass of milk, and then...who knows what he’ll ask for next? Based on the beloved books by Laura Numeroff (Dennis the Menace) and Felicia Bond and executive produced by Numeroff, Bond and Emmy Award-winning writer Ken Scarborough (Arthur, Sesame Street, Curious George) who also serves as head writer, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie follows the adventures of Mouse, Oliver, Moose, Pig, Cat, and Dog, as they discover that when you’ve got a curious Mouse for a friend one thing always leads to another, then another, and then another! The show's learning approach was developed in consultation with authors Mimi Ito and John Seely Brown and revolves around a cause and effect narrative structure that sparks imagination and the creativity engendered by knowing that possibilities are endless. The pilot and beloved book are both rated 4.7 out of 5 stars by customers with 82% 5-star reviews for the pilot and 84% 5-star reviews for the book. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie will feature new recordings by Grammy nominated recording artist Lisa Loeb.
The Stinky & Dirty Show – New season premieres in Fall 2017
Based on the “I Stink!” book series by Kate and Jim McMullan, The Stinky & Dirty Show follows the adventures and mishaps faced by best friends and unlikely heroes, Stinky the garbage truck and Dirty, the backhoe loader. They are a dynamic and hilarious duo of resourcefulness that learn when things don’t go as expected, asking “what if” can lead to success. The series is written and developed by Guy Toubes (The Adventures of Chuck & Friends, Littlest Pet Shop, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi), executive produced by Toubes and Holly Huckins, and animated by Brown Bag Films, Ltd (Peter Rabbit, Octonauts, Doc McStuffins). This season will once again feature original music from acclaimed folk singer and songwriter Dan Bern and celebrity voice talent, including Whoopi Goldberg (The View), Mark Hamill (Spacey), Jane Lynch (Glee), Andy Richter (Arrested Development), Joan Cusack (Shameless) and Wallace Shawn (Toy Story). The series’ learning approach is based on Jessica Lahey’s New York Times best-seller “The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed,” specifically modeling resourcefulness, resilience, teamwork, and the benefits of failure. Season one is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars by customers with 87% 5-star reviews.
Prime members will be able to stream the series exclusively via the Amazon Prime Video app for compatible TVs, connected devices including Fire TV, mobile devices, and online at www.amazon.com/primevideokids. Members can also download the series to mobile devices for offline viewing at no additional cost to their membership. Amazon kids originals are also available on FreeTime Unlimited, the all-you-can-eat subscription service designed from the ground up for kids. FreeTime Unlimited is available exclusively on Amazon devices, including Amazon Fire TV and Fire tablets, and a year-long subscription is included with every Fire Kids Edition.
Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free trial at www.amazon.com/prime. For a list of all Amazon Video compatible devices, visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.
About Amazon Original Kids Programming
In 2014, Amazon Studios began introducing kids originals for Prime Video, kicking off with the Emmy award-winning series, Tumble Leaf, about a delightfully curious blue fox, and his best friend Stick, a quirky caterpillar, as they embark on a fun and nature-filled adventure. Today, customers can enjoy a growing selection of original kids series and specials including Just Add Magic, Lost in Oz, Annedroids, Dino Dana, Thunderbirds Are Go!, Danger & Eggs, and An American Girl Story which consists of four separate specials. Two additional series will debut this fall including Sigmund and the Sea Monsters and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.
The mission of Amazon’s original preschool series is to inspire lifelong creative learning in children beginning at the preschool age. The aim is to validate, maintain and foster young children’s creative, joyful, and curious learning spirit through offering core content that is integrated with skills children need now and for the future. This is accomplished by integrating an innovative curriculum thread through all preschool shows including The Stinky & Dirty Show, Creative Galaxy, Wishenpoof, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, working with established creators and educational advisors that comprise the Thought Leader Board and developing learning experiences that extend beyond the screen. All of this is to give parents confidence that these programs will provide valuable skills and life lessons that children can use in their real life—while being entertaining at the same time.
To date, Amazon Original Kids Series and Specials have won 16 Daytime Creative Arts Emmys, including “Outstanding Children’s Animated Program” in 2016 for Niko and the Sword of Light and again in 2017 for Lost in Oz: Extended Adventure; as well as “Outstanding Pre-School Children’s Animated Program” in 2015 and 2016 for Tumble Leaf and again in 2017 for The Snowy Day. Prime Video’s growing line-up of award-winning and critically-acclaimed Originals for kids and families are available to stream and enjoy using the Amazon Prime Video app for compatible TVs, connected devices, including Amazon Fire TV and mobile devices, or online at www.amazon.com/primevideokids.
About Amazon Video
Amazon Video is a premium on-demand entertainment service that offers customers the greatest choice in what to watch and how to watch it. Amazon Video is the only service that provides all of the following:
In addition to Prime Video, the Prime membership includes unlimited fast free shipping options across all categories available on Amazon, more than two million songs and thousands of playlists and stations with Prime Music, secure photo storage with Prime Photos, unlimited reading with Prime Reading, unlimited access to a digital audiobook catalog with Audible Channels for Prime, a rotating selection of free digital games and in-game loot with Twitch Prime, early access to select Lightning Deals, exclusive access and discounts to select items, and more. To sign-up for Prime or to find out more, visit: www.amazon.com/prime.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
-------------------------------
Wishenpoof and The Stinky & Dirty Show return for second seasons
New fall programming highlights impactful storytelling and inspiring characters
SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon announced its fall slate for kids originals, exclusively on Prime Video. Amazon Studios creates series for kids with heart for both enjoyment and impact to inspire a generation of lifelong creative learners. The fall slate includes Wishenpoof (September 26), Sigmund and the Sea Monsters (October 13), If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (November 7), and The Stinky & Dirty Show (Fall 2017); all series will premiere on these dates in the US and UK, and made available worldwide at a later date.
“We’re honored to reintroduce If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Sigmund’s iconic character to a new generation of kids and families”
“We’re honored to reintroduce If You Give a Mouse a Cookie and Sigmund’s iconic character to a new generation of kids and families,” said Tara Sorensen, Head of Kids Programming at Amazon Studios. “Our fall slate will bring customers more engaging and heartwarming stories to enjoy with their families.”
Wishenpoof – New season premieres on September 26, 2017
Wishenpoof centers on Bianca (Addison Holley), a fairy who can grant wishes using Wish Magic. The series highlights her thought process as she thinks, decides and solves problems in her own creative way. Each episode features a new song by Bianca for viewers to sing along with and imaginative stories to follow. Created by Angela C. Santomero (Blue’s Clues, Creative Galaxy, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Super Why!) and produced by Out of the Blue Enterprises, the show features guest voice talent Jason Priestly (Beverly Hills, 90210) as Bianca’s dad. The series’ learning approach is based on Ellen Galinsky’s “Seven Essential Life Skills” framework that focuses on skills to help children reach their full potential by having empathy for others, tackling challenges, communicating effectively, thinking critically, and to never stop learning. Season one is rated 4.7 out of 5 stars by customers with 79% 5-star reviews.
Starting September 26, the Wishenpoof season two soundtrack will be available to stream exclusively via Amazon Music Unlimited and Prime Music. In addition, the Wishenpoof Wish Magic Adventure Game by Haywire Group is now available on Amazon.
Sigmund and the Sea Monsters – New series premieres on October 13, 2017
Sid & Marty Krofft’s Sigmund and the Sea Monsters follows two beachcombing brothers, Johnny (Solomon Stewart) and Scotty (Kyle Breitkopf), who find Sigmund – a real live sea monster. The two brothers befriend the harmless and funny Sigmund and hide him in their clubhouse. However, keeping him a secret may be nearly impossible since the town’s overzealous Captain Barnabas (David Arquette) is obsessed with proving that sea monsters are real. With the help of their cousin Robyn (Rebecca Bloom), this team of friends makes it their mission to protect their new friend and have a great and memorable summer. Based on the nostalgic 1970s live-action series, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters is directed by Ron Oliver and is executive produced by Sid and Marty Krofft. The series will also feature a cover of the original theme song, “Friends” by The Roots.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie – New series premieres on November 7, 2017
When you give a mouse a cookie, he’ll probably ask for a glass of milk, and then...who knows what he’ll ask for next? Based on the beloved books by Laura Numeroff (Dennis the Menace) and Felicia Bond and executive produced by Numeroff, Bond and Emmy Award-winning writer Ken Scarborough (Arthur, Sesame Street, Curious George) who also serves as head writer, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie follows the adventures of Mouse, Oliver, Moose, Pig, Cat, and Dog, as they discover that when you’ve got a curious Mouse for a friend one thing always leads to another, then another, and then another! The show's learning approach was developed in consultation with authors Mimi Ito and John Seely Brown and revolves around a cause and effect narrative structure that sparks imagination and the creativity engendered by knowing that possibilities are endless. The pilot and beloved book are both rated 4.7 out of 5 stars by customers with 82% 5-star reviews for the pilot and 84% 5-star reviews for the book. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie will feature new recordings by Grammy nominated recording artist Lisa Loeb.
The Stinky & Dirty Show – New season premieres in Fall 2017
Based on the “I Stink!” book series by Kate and Jim McMullan, The Stinky & Dirty Show follows the adventures and mishaps faced by best friends and unlikely heroes, Stinky the garbage truck and Dirty, the backhoe loader. They are a dynamic and hilarious duo of resourcefulness that learn when things don’t go as expected, asking “what if” can lead to success. The series is written and developed by Guy Toubes (The Adventures of Chuck & Friends, Littlest Pet Shop, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi), executive produced by Toubes and Holly Huckins, and animated by Brown Bag Films, Ltd (Peter Rabbit, Octonauts, Doc McStuffins). This season will once again feature original music from acclaimed folk singer and songwriter Dan Bern and celebrity voice talent, including Whoopi Goldberg (The View), Mark Hamill (Spacey), Jane Lynch (Glee), Andy Richter (Arrested Development), Joan Cusack (Shameless) and Wallace Shawn (Toy Story). The series’ learning approach is based on Jessica Lahey’s New York Times best-seller “The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed,” specifically modeling resourcefulness, resilience, teamwork, and the benefits of failure. Season one is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars by customers with 87% 5-star reviews.
Prime members will be able to stream the series exclusively via the Amazon Prime Video app for compatible TVs, connected devices including Fire TV, mobile devices, and online at www.amazon.com/primevideokids. Members can also download the series to mobile devices for offline viewing at no additional cost to their membership. Amazon kids originals are also available on FreeTime Unlimited, the all-you-can-eat subscription service designed from the ground up for kids. FreeTime Unlimited is available exclusively on Amazon devices, including Amazon Fire TV and Fire tablets, and a year-long subscription is included with every Fire Kids Edition.
Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free trial at www.amazon.com/prime. For a list of all Amazon Video compatible devices, visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.
About Amazon Original Kids Programming
In 2014, Amazon Studios began introducing kids originals for Prime Video, kicking off with the Emmy award-winning series, Tumble Leaf, about a delightfully curious blue fox, and his best friend Stick, a quirky caterpillar, as they embark on a fun and nature-filled adventure. Today, customers can enjoy a growing selection of original kids series and specials including Just Add Magic, Lost in Oz, Annedroids, Dino Dana, Thunderbirds Are Go!, Danger & Eggs, and An American Girl Story which consists of four separate specials. Two additional series will debut this fall including Sigmund and the Sea Monsters and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.
The mission of Amazon’s original preschool series is to inspire lifelong creative learning in children beginning at the preschool age. The aim is to validate, maintain and foster young children’s creative, joyful, and curious learning spirit through offering core content that is integrated with skills children need now and for the future. This is accomplished by integrating an innovative curriculum thread through all preschool shows including The Stinky & Dirty Show, Creative Galaxy, Wishenpoof, and If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, working with established creators and educational advisors that comprise the Thought Leader Board and developing learning experiences that extend beyond the screen. All of this is to give parents confidence that these programs will provide valuable skills and life lessons that children can use in their real life—while being entertaining at the same time.
To date, Amazon Original Kids Series and Specials have won 16 Daytime Creative Arts Emmys, including “Outstanding Children’s Animated Program” in 2016 for Niko and the Sword of Light and again in 2017 for Lost in Oz: Extended Adventure; as well as “Outstanding Pre-School Children’s Animated Program” in 2015 and 2016 for Tumble Leaf and again in 2017 for The Snowy Day. Prime Video’s growing line-up of award-winning and critically-acclaimed Originals for kids and families are available to stream and enjoy using the Amazon Prime Video app for compatible TVs, connected devices, including Amazon Fire TV and mobile devices, or online at www.amazon.com/primevideokids.
About Amazon Video
Amazon Video is a premium on-demand entertainment service that offers customers the greatest choice in what to watch and how to watch it. Amazon Video is the only service that provides all of the following:
- Prime Video: Thousands of movies and TV shows, including popular licensed content plus critically-acclaimed and award-winning Amazon Original Series and Movies from Amazon Studios like Transparent, The Man in the High Castle, Love & Friendship, and kids series Tumble Leaf, available for unlimited streaming as part of an Amazon Prime membership. Prime Video is also now available to customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe at www.primevideo.com.
- Amazon Channels: Over 100 video subscriptions to networks like HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, PBS KIDS, Acorn TV, and more, available to Amazon Prime members in the US as add-ons to their membership. To view the full list of available channels, visit www.amazon.com/channels.
- Rent or Own: Hundreds of thousands of titles, including new release movies and current TV shows available for on-demand rental or purchase for all Amazon customers.
- Instant Access: Customers can instantly watch anytime, anywhere through the Amazon Video app on compatible TVs, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire tablets, or online. For a list of all compatible devices, visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.
- Premium Features: Top features like 4K Ultra HD, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and mobile downloads for offline viewing of select content.
In addition to Prime Video, the Prime membership includes unlimited fast free shipping options across all categories available on Amazon, more than two million songs and thousands of playlists and stations with Prime Music, secure photo storage with Prime Photos, unlimited reading with Prime Reading, unlimited access to a digital audiobook catalog with Audible Channels for Prime, a rotating selection of free digital games and in-game loot with Twitch Prime, early access to select Lightning Deals, exclusive access and discounts to select items, and more. To sign-up for Prime or to find out more, visit: www.amazon.com/prime.
About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about and follow @AmazonNews.
-------------------------------
Saturday, July 22, 2017
Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 16th to 22th, 2017 - Update #35
Support Leroy on Patreon.
SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2017:
From YahooMovies: "Wonder Woman 2" is official. Patty Jenkins returning as director is not official.
From CBR: The 2017 Eisner Awards (for excellence in comics) were announced Friday night, July 21st.
From YahooMovies: Channing Taturm says his long planned X-Men movie, "Gambit," is getting a bit of a rethink.
From THR: Dwayne Johnson will play Shazam villain, "Black Adam," but not in the "Shazam" movie, according to DC Entertainment CCO, Geoff Johns.
From IMDb: Todd McFarlane announces that he is working on a new movie version of his comic book, "Spawn," which was previously adapted as a 1998 film and as an animated TV series which aired on HBO.
From YahooMovies: Halle Berry declares that she is Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot's biggest fan right now.
From Deadline: Syfy teases its upcoming Superman prequel TV series, "Krypton," with a teaser trailer.
From TVGuide: The title of "American Horror Story" Season 7 is "Cult."
From Variety: During a Comic-Con panel, Noah Hawley, the creator of FX's "Fargo" and "Legion" (based on the X-Men franchise), announced that he is developing a film based on "Doctor Doom," the lead villain in Marvel Comics' "Fantastic Four" franchise.
----------
MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered: Joss Whedon reportedly doing extensive reshoots on "Justice League" after taking over for Zack Snyder.
----------
MOVIES - From Variety: New films by George Clooney, Stephen Frears, and Guillermo del Toro, among others, will be screened at the 74th (2017) Venice Film Festival.
----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooSports: The "Juice" will be loose. O.J. Simpson has been granted parole after spending 9 years in a Nevada prison, and he will be released in October of this year.
----------
TELEVISION - From Variety: Lena Dunham, creator of HBO's "Girls," is joining the cast of the seventh season of "American Horror Story."
----------
CELEBRITY - YahooNews: Actress Jada Pinkett Smith says that she was a drug deal when she met the late rapper/actor, Tupac Shukar.
----------
TELEVISION - From ShadowandAct: "Game of Thones" creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss announce "Confederate."
---------
BLM - From NYDailyNews: Is the killing a blonde, white woman (Justine Diamond) by police the point where police brutality jumps the shark?
----------
COMICS-FILM - From Variety: Jon Watts is in talks to direct the sequel to his hit film, "Spider-Man: Homecoming."
----------
MOVIES - From IndieWire: Darren Aronofsky ("Requiem for a Dream," "Black Swan") has film due in a few months, "mother!" He is already working on the film after that - an artificial intelligence courtroom drama...
----------
MOVIES - From YahooMovies: Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" turns 30, and Matthew Modine wishes his character's ("Joker") deleted sex scene was still in the movie.
----------
MOVIES - From Variety: Andy Muschietti, who has directed the highly anticipated film version of Stephen King's "It," is attached to Sony's film version of the 1980s animated series, "Robotech."
----------
TELEVISION - From Variety: Alec Baldwin play Col. Nathan Jessup in NBC's live production of "A Few Good Men."
----------
DISNEY: From ShadowandAct: Will Smith will play the genie in Disney's live-action version of its animated classic, Aladdin, in which Robin Williams gave voice to the genie.
----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo: The winner of the 7/14 to 7/16/2017 weekend box office is "War for the Planet of the Apes" with an estimated take of $56.5 million.
From Variety: "War for the Planet of the Apes" has a $102.5 million global box office opening.
----------
From THR: Why is Hollywood glamorizing binge-drinking for women asks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?
----------
ECO - NewYorkDailyNews: Mark Ruffalo and Fisher Stevens implore Sen. Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats to fight "dirty energy bill."
----------
TELEVISION - From YahooTV: First look at Al Pacino as legendary college football coach, Joe Paterno, in director's Barry Levinson's still-untitled film for HBO.
----------
DISNEY - From YahooMovies: Newly minted "Disney Legend" Whoopi Goldberg says bring back "Song of the South," Disney's controversial 1946 live-action/animated film, which has often been called "racially insensitive." Disney has not released the film on Blu-ray or DVD or the old laser disc.
----------
TELEVISION - From ScreenDaily: Actress Jodie Whittaker is the first female to play the lead on the British television series, "Doctor Who." She is the 13th actor to play "The Doctor" on the iconic BBC series.
----------
MOVIES - From YahooMusic: The biopic of the iconic rock music group, Queen, is apparently finally happening. It is currently called "Bohemian Rhapsody" (after an iconic Queen song) and will star Emmy-winner Remi Malek ("Mr. Robot") as the lead singer of Queen, the late Freddie Mercury.
OBITS:
From YahooTV: The actor John Heard died at the age of 72, Friday, July 21, 2017. Heard was best known for playing the father of Macauley Culkin's character in "Home Alone" (1990) and "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992). He also received a 1999 Emmy nomination for a guest role in "The Sopranos."
From YahooMusic: Chester Bennington, the front man of the band, Linkin Park, has apparently died by suicide at the age of 41.
From the LATimes: Legendary horror movie director, George A. Romero, has died at the age of 77, Sunday, July 16, 2017. He was best known for his film Night of the Living Dead (1968) and its sequels, Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Day of the Dead 1985).
From Variety: The actor Martin Landau died at the age of 89, Saturday, July 15, 2017. He won an best supporting actor Oscar for his performance in Tim Burton's "Ed Wood." Many will remember Landau for his role in the original "Mission: Impossible" TV series.
TRAILERS:
From EW: A first teaser for "Pacific Rim: Uprising," the sequel to "Pacific Rim."
From ShadowandAct: First trailer for Guillermo del Toro's Cold War-era "fairy tale," "The Shape of Water."
From YahooMovies: The "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" behind-the-scenes reel presented at D23 2017.
From EW: The first teaser for Disney and Ava DuVernay's "A Wrinkle in Time."
SAN DIEGO COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL 2017:
From YahooMovies: "Wonder Woman 2" is official. Patty Jenkins returning as director is not official.
From CBR: The 2017 Eisner Awards (for excellence in comics) were announced Friday night, July 21st.
From YahooMovies: Channing Taturm says his long planned X-Men movie, "Gambit," is getting a bit of a rethink.
From THR: Dwayne Johnson will play Shazam villain, "Black Adam," but not in the "Shazam" movie, according to DC Entertainment CCO, Geoff Johns.
From IMDb: Todd McFarlane announces that he is working on a new movie version of his comic book, "Spawn," which was previously adapted as a 1998 film and as an animated TV series which aired on HBO.
From YahooMovies: Halle Berry declares that she is Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot's biggest fan right now.
From Deadline: Syfy teases its upcoming Superman prequel TV series, "Krypton," with a teaser trailer.
From TVGuide: The title of "American Horror Story" Season 7 is "Cult."
From Variety: During a Comic-Con panel, Noah Hawley, the creator of FX's "Fargo" and "Legion" (based on the X-Men franchise), announced that he is developing a film based on "Doctor Doom," the lead villain in Marvel Comics' "Fantastic Four" franchise.
----------
MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered: Joss Whedon reportedly doing extensive reshoots on "Justice League" after taking over for Zack Snyder.
----------
MOVIES - From Variety: New films by George Clooney, Stephen Frears, and Guillermo del Toro, among others, will be screened at the 74th (2017) Venice Film Festival.
----------
CELEBRITY - From YahooSports: The "Juice" will be loose. O.J. Simpson has been granted parole after spending 9 years in a Nevada prison, and he will be released in October of this year.
----------
TELEVISION - From Variety: Lena Dunham, creator of HBO's "Girls," is joining the cast of the seventh season of "American Horror Story."
----------
CELEBRITY - YahooNews: Actress Jada Pinkett Smith says that she was a drug deal when she met the late rapper/actor, Tupac Shukar.
----------
TELEVISION - From ShadowandAct: "Game of Thones" creators David Benioff and D.B. Weiss announce "Confederate."
---------
BLM - From NYDailyNews: Is the killing a blonde, white woman (Justine Diamond) by police the point where police brutality jumps the shark?
----------
COMICS-FILM - From Variety: Jon Watts is in talks to direct the sequel to his hit film, "Spider-Man: Homecoming."
----------
MOVIES - From IndieWire: Darren Aronofsky ("Requiem for a Dream," "Black Swan") has film due in a few months, "mother!" He is already working on the film after that - an artificial intelligence courtroom drama...
----------
MOVIES - From YahooMovies: Stanley Kubrick's "Full Metal Jacket" turns 30, and Matthew Modine wishes his character's ("Joker") deleted sex scene was still in the movie.
----------
MOVIES - From Variety: Andy Muschietti, who has directed the highly anticipated film version of Stephen King's "It," is attached to Sony's film version of the 1980s animated series, "Robotech."
----------
TELEVISION - From Variety: Alec Baldwin play Col. Nathan Jessup in NBC's live production of "A Few Good Men."
----------
DISNEY: From ShadowandAct: Will Smith will play the genie in Disney's live-action version of its animated classic, Aladdin, in which Robin Williams gave voice to the genie.
----------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo: The winner of the 7/14 to 7/16/2017 weekend box office is "War for the Planet of the Apes" with an estimated take of $56.5 million.
From Variety: "War for the Planet of the Apes" has a $102.5 million global box office opening.
----------
From THR: Why is Hollywood glamorizing binge-drinking for women asks Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?
----------
ECO - NewYorkDailyNews: Mark Ruffalo and Fisher Stevens implore Sen. Chuck Schumer and Senate Democrats to fight "dirty energy bill."
----------
TELEVISION - From YahooTV: First look at Al Pacino as legendary college football coach, Joe Paterno, in director's Barry Levinson's still-untitled film for HBO.
----------
DISNEY - From YahooMovies: Newly minted "Disney Legend" Whoopi Goldberg says bring back "Song of the South," Disney's controversial 1946 live-action/animated film, which has often been called "racially insensitive." Disney has not released the film on Blu-ray or DVD or the old laser disc.
----------
TELEVISION - From ScreenDaily: Actress Jodie Whittaker is the first female to play the lead on the British television series, "Doctor Who." She is the 13th actor to play "The Doctor" on the iconic BBC series.
----------
MOVIES - From YahooMusic: The biopic of the iconic rock music group, Queen, is apparently finally happening. It is currently called "Bohemian Rhapsody" (after an iconic Queen song) and will star Emmy-winner Remi Malek ("Mr. Robot") as the lead singer of Queen, the late Freddie Mercury.
OBITS:
From YahooTV: The actor John Heard died at the age of 72, Friday, July 21, 2017. Heard was best known for playing the father of Macauley Culkin's character in "Home Alone" (1990) and "Home Alone 2: Lost in New York" (1992). He also received a 1999 Emmy nomination for a guest role in "The Sopranos."
From YahooMusic: Chester Bennington, the front man of the band, Linkin Park, has apparently died by suicide at the age of 41.
From the LATimes: Legendary horror movie director, George A. Romero, has died at the age of 77, Sunday, July 16, 2017. He was best known for his film Night of the Living Dead (1968) and its sequels, Dawn of the Dead (1978) and Day of the Dead 1985).
From Variety: The actor Martin Landau died at the age of 89, Saturday, July 15, 2017. He won an best supporting actor Oscar for his performance in Tim Burton's "Ed Wood." Many will remember Landau for his role in the original "Mission: Impossible" TV series.
TRAILERS:
From EW: A first teaser for "Pacific Rim: Uprising," the sequel to "Pacific Rim."
From ShadowandAct: First trailer for Guillermo del Toro's Cold War-era "fairy tale," "The Shape of Water."
From YahooMovies: The "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" behind-the-scenes reel presented at D23 2017.
From EW: The first teaser for Disney and Ava DuVernay's "A Wrinkle in Time."
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 1st to 9th, 2016 - Updated #48
Support Leroy on Patreon.
MOVIES/TV - From Deadline: The new president of the actors' union, SAG-AFTRA, is Gabrielle Carteris, a longtime union activist.
---------------
POLITICS - From THR: Spike Lee interviews Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders.
---------------
TELEVISION - From ScreenRant: Finn Jones, the actor who will portray Iron Fist/Danny Rand in the Marvel/Netflix series, "Iron Fist," talks about his training regimen.
---------------
TELEVISION - From HitFix: Melissa McCarthy will appear in Netflix's revival of "The Gilmore Girls."
---------------
MOVIES - From Deadline: Some ugly dude will play the lead villain in "Wolverine 3."
---------------
MOVIES - From Moviefone: According to Marvel Studio's Kevin Feige, other Marvel characters will appear in Sony's 2017 Spider-Man reboot film.
---------------
MOVIES - From Variety: There will be an "Edge of Tomorrow 2," and the two screenwriters who wrote the script for the Jesse Owens biopic, "Race," will pen this sequel.
---------------
COMICS - From HitFix: Comic book publisher, BOOM! Studios, is publishing a comic book prequel to Universal's upcoming film, "Kong of Skull Island."
---------------
MOVIES - From Deadline: Charlize Theron has finalized a deal to appear in "Fast 8," the next installment of "The Fast and the Furious" franchise.
MOVIES - From HitFix: Kristofer Hivju of "Game of Thrones" also headed to "Fast 8."
--------------
COMICS - From SlashFilm: AMC is bring comic book writer, Garth Ennis' "Preacher" to television. Now, the team behind that series is bringing another Ennis comic book, "The Boys," to Cinemax.
---------------
STAR WARS - From YouTube: First trailer for "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."
---------------
MOVIES - From ScreenRant: First set photo from "The Mummy" reboot with Tom Cruise.
---------------
MOVIES - From HitFix: Ryan Reynolds to return for "Deadpool 2."
---------------
MOVIES - From TheWrap: Warner Bros. moves the release date of "Wonder Woman" up two weeks to June 2017 and moves Andy Serkis' "Jungle Book: Origins" to 2018.
---------------
MOVIES - From TheWrap: Sony has revived its notorious "Cleopatra" film project.
---------------
BREAKING: ATasteofCountry; Country music singer and legend, Merle Haggard, has reportedly died at the age of 79, today, Wednesday, April 6, 2016 - which is also his birthday.
---------------
MUSIC - From YahooMusic: Beyonce addresses "Formation" controversy.
---------------
TELEVISION - From Variety: For the first time, a woman (Richard Talalay) will direct episodes of "Sherlock" starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
---------------
COMICS - From PRNewswire: Online media publisher, Valnet, Inc., has purchased Comic Book Resources (CBR), the comic book news site. CBR often seemed like nothing more than a PR arm of Marvel and DC Comics, but it had its good moments. The sale is apparently in the 8 figures.
---------------
COMICS - From CinemaBlend: Common talks about Jared Leto's method acting approach to playing the Joker in "Suicide Squad."
---------------
OBITS - From Variety: The screenwriter, Barbara Turner, has died at the age of 79, Tuesday, April 5, 2016. She wrote such films as "George" and "Pollock." Turner is also the mother of Oscar-nominated actress, Jennifer Jason Leigh.
---------------
MOVIES - From WeGotItCovered: Denzel Washington's film adaptation of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play, Fences, is scheduled to start film in July.
---------------
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From ABCNews: Laquan McDonald's killer has a new job... with the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police (KKK).
---------------
CRIME - From ThinkProgress: Louisiana man faces 20 years to life for stealing $31 worth of candy from a Dollar General.
---------------
ECO - From EcoWatch: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlfie kills a family of wolves, although Oregon was so afraid to shot a bigger problem - the Bundy clan and their cabal.
---------------
COMICS - From BleedingCool: Sony Pictures has registered a domain name from its 2017 Spider-Man movie.
---------------
COMICS - From ScreenRant: Here is a first look at Mads Mikkelsen as the villain in Marvel's "Doctor Strange."
From IGN: "Doctor Strange" director, Scott Derrickson, tweets a photo of leaders, Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
---------------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap: The cast of "Class," a "Doctor Who" spin-off, has been revealed.
---------------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo: The winner of the 4/1 to 4/3/2016 weekend box office is "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" with an estimated take of $52.3 million dollars.
---------------
THEATER - From TheWrap: Judi Dench won her 8th Olivier Award, the British equivalent of the Tony Awards.
---------------
COMICS - From CBR: See a 12-minute sneak peek at "Batman: The Killing Joke," an upcoming original animated film from the DC Comics Universe.
---------------
COMICS - From BleedingCool: Zack Snyder on why he had to show Bruce Wayne's parents dying again in "Batman v Supeman."
---------------
POLITICS - From BRAdvocate: The improbably journey of new Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.
---------------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist: Dave Bautista of "Guardians of the Galaxy" joins "Blade Runner 2."
---------------
POLITICS - From RSN: Rosario Dawson's open letter to Dolores Huerta.
---------------
CRIME - From TheDailyBeast: Scandal involving San Francisco cops sending racist and homophobic texts continues to grow.
POLITICS - From RSN: Response to Barbra Streisand's "Sexism in Politics" essay, regarding Hillary Clinton.
---------------
MOVIES - From CBR: Marvel's "Doctor Strange" was recently shooting in New York City, and the result was lots of photos of Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor in costume as Doctor Strange and Baron Mordo, respectively.
From YahooMovies: There is smart phone video taken by bystanders of filming.
---------------
MOVIES - From ScreenRant: There will be a sequel to "Sicario" with the original cast returning, Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benecio del Toro.
---------------
COMICS - From Polygon: There is more casting news from Marvel/Netflix's "Iron Fist" television series.
---------------
COMICS - From LatinoReview: There has been a bit of chatter about FOX's X-Men spin-off, "New Mutants," but FOX is saying that some of the casting rumors are untrue.
---------------
MOVIES - From TheWrap: John Carpenter's 1984 film, Starman, is being remade by Shawn Levy, director of "Night at the Museum."
---------------
MOVIES - From NYTimes: Whoopi Goldberg enters the dope game launching marijuana products for women.
---------------
POLITICS - From RSN: Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone announces his support for Bernie Sanders as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.
---------------
ECO - From Grist: The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation gave $1 million to help the Seychelles islands protect their ocean territory.
---------------
MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered: Robin Wright to star opposite Harrison Ford in "Blade Runner 2."
---------------
MOVIES - From TheWrap: Kevin Bacon joins Mark Wahlberg in "Patriots Day."
---------------
CRIME - From BuzzFlash: Another horror story about law enforcement and justice in Louisiana - Two Texas moms jailed over allegedly stealing two hot dogs.
---------------
From YouTube: "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" Blu-ray clip, "Casting Rey."
From YouTube: "Everybody Wants Some" clip, "Rappers Driving"
MOVIES/TV - From Deadline: The new president of the actors' union, SAG-AFTRA, is Gabrielle Carteris, a longtime union activist.
---------------
POLITICS - From THR: Spike Lee interviews Democratic presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders.
---------------
TELEVISION - From ScreenRant: Finn Jones, the actor who will portray Iron Fist/Danny Rand in the Marvel/Netflix series, "Iron Fist," talks about his training regimen.
---------------
TELEVISION - From HitFix: Melissa McCarthy will appear in Netflix's revival of "The Gilmore Girls."
---------------
MOVIES - From Deadline: Some ugly dude will play the lead villain in "Wolverine 3."
---------------
MOVIES - From Moviefone: According to Marvel Studio's Kevin Feige, other Marvel characters will appear in Sony's 2017 Spider-Man reboot film.
---------------
MOVIES - From Variety: There will be an "Edge of Tomorrow 2," and the two screenwriters who wrote the script for the Jesse Owens biopic, "Race," will pen this sequel.
---------------
COMICS - From HitFix: Comic book publisher, BOOM! Studios, is publishing a comic book prequel to Universal's upcoming film, "Kong of Skull Island."
---------------
MOVIES - From Deadline: Charlize Theron has finalized a deal to appear in "Fast 8," the next installment of "The Fast and the Furious" franchise.
MOVIES - From HitFix: Kristofer Hivju of "Game of Thrones" also headed to "Fast 8."
--------------
COMICS - From SlashFilm: AMC is bring comic book writer, Garth Ennis' "Preacher" to television. Now, the team behind that series is bringing another Ennis comic book, "The Boys," to Cinemax.
---------------
STAR WARS - From YouTube: First trailer for "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."
---------------
MOVIES - From ScreenRant: First set photo from "The Mummy" reboot with Tom Cruise.
---------------
MOVIES - From HitFix: Ryan Reynolds to return for "Deadpool 2."
---------------
MOVIES - From TheWrap: Warner Bros. moves the release date of "Wonder Woman" up two weeks to June 2017 and moves Andy Serkis' "Jungle Book: Origins" to 2018.
---------------
MOVIES - From TheWrap: Sony has revived its notorious "Cleopatra" film project.
---------------
BREAKING: ATasteofCountry; Country music singer and legend, Merle Haggard, has reportedly died at the age of 79, today, Wednesday, April 6, 2016 - which is also his birthday.
---------------
MUSIC - From YahooMusic: Beyonce addresses "Formation" controversy.
---------------
TELEVISION - From Variety: For the first time, a woman (Richard Talalay) will direct episodes of "Sherlock" starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
---------------
COMICS - From PRNewswire: Online media publisher, Valnet, Inc., has purchased Comic Book Resources (CBR), the comic book news site. CBR often seemed like nothing more than a PR arm of Marvel and DC Comics, but it had its good moments. The sale is apparently in the 8 figures.
---------------
COMICS - From CinemaBlend: Common talks about Jared Leto's method acting approach to playing the Joker in "Suicide Squad."
---------------
OBITS - From Variety: The screenwriter, Barbara Turner, has died at the age of 79, Tuesday, April 5, 2016. She wrote such films as "George" and "Pollock." Turner is also the mother of Oscar-nominated actress, Jennifer Jason Leigh.
---------------
MOVIES - From WeGotItCovered: Denzel Washington's film adaptation of August Wilson's Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play, Fences, is scheduled to start film in July.
---------------
BLACK LIVES MATTER - From ABCNews: Laquan McDonald's killer has a new job... with the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police (KKK).
---------------
CRIME - From ThinkProgress: Louisiana man faces 20 years to life for stealing $31 worth of candy from a Dollar General.
---------------
ECO - From EcoWatch: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlfie kills a family of wolves, although Oregon was so afraid to shot a bigger problem - the Bundy clan and their cabal.
---------------
COMICS - From BleedingCool: Sony Pictures has registered a domain name from its 2017 Spider-Man movie.
---------------
COMICS - From ScreenRant: Here is a first look at Mads Mikkelsen as the villain in Marvel's "Doctor Strange."
From IGN: "Doctor Strange" director, Scott Derrickson, tweets a photo of leaders, Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
---------------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap: The cast of "Class," a "Doctor Who" spin-off, has been revealed.
---------------
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo: The winner of the 4/1 to 4/3/2016 weekend box office is "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" with an estimated take of $52.3 million dollars.
---------------
THEATER - From TheWrap: Judi Dench won her 8th Olivier Award, the British equivalent of the Tony Awards.
---------------
COMICS - From CBR: See a 12-minute sneak peek at "Batman: The Killing Joke," an upcoming original animated film from the DC Comics Universe.
---------------
COMICS - From BleedingCool: Zack Snyder on why he had to show Bruce Wayne's parents dying again in "Batman v Supeman."
---------------
POLITICS - From BRAdvocate: The improbably journey of new Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.
---------------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist: Dave Bautista of "Guardians of the Galaxy" joins "Blade Runner 2."
---------------
POLITICS - From RSN: Rosario Dawson's open letter to Dolores Huerta.
---------------
CRIME - From TheDailyBeast: Scandal involving San Francisco cops sending racist and homophobic texts continues to grow.
POLITICS - From RSN: Response to Barbra Streisand's "Sexism in Politics" essay, regarding Hillary Clinton.
---------------
MOVIES - From CBR: Marvel's "Doctor Strange" was recently shooting in New York City, and the result was lots of photos of Benedict Cumberbatch and Chiwetel Ejiofor in costume as Doctor Strange and Baron Mordo, respectively.
From YahooMovies: There is smart phone video taken by bystanders of filming.
---------------
MOVIES - From ScreenRant: There will be a sequel to "Sicario" with the original cast returning, Emily Blunt, Josh Brolin, and Benecio del Toro.
---------------
COMICS - From Polygon: There is more casting news from Marvel/Netflix's "Iron Fist" television series.
---------------
COMICS - From LatinoReview: There has been a bit of chatter about FOX's X-Men spin-off, "New Mutants," but FOX is saying that some of the casting rumors are untrue.
---------------
MOVIES - From TheWrap: John Carpenter's 1984 film, Starman, is being remade by Shawn Levy, director of "Night at the Museum."
---------------
MOVIES - From NYTimes: Whoopi Goldberg enters the dope game launching marijuana products for women.
---------------
POLITICS - From RSN: Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone announces his support for Bernie Sanders as the Democratic nominee for President of the United States.
---------------
ECO - From Grist: The Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation gave $1 million to help the Seychelles islands protect their ocean territory.
---------------
MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered: Robin Wright to star opposite Harrison Ford in "Blade Runner 2."
---------------
MOVIES - From TheWrap: Kevin Bacon joins Mark Wahlberg in "Patriots Day."
---------------
CRIME - From BuzzFlash: Another horror story about law enforcement and justice in Louisiana - Two Texas moms jailed over allegedly stealing two hot dogs.
---------------
From YouTube: "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" Blu-ray clip, "Casting Rey."
From YouTube: "Everybody Wants Some" clip, "Rappers Driving"
Saturday, February 6, 2016
First Slate of Presenters Announced for 2016 Oscars Ceremony
THE ACADEMY ANNOUNCES FIRST SLATE OF PRESENTERS AND PERFORMERS FOR 88TH OSCARS
Oscars producers David Hill and Reginald Hudlin announced today the first slate of presenters for the 88th Oscars telecast. The Oscars, hosted by Chris Rock, will air live Oscar® Sunday, February 28, on ABC.
The presenters and performers, including past Oscar winners and nominees, are:
Benicio Del Toro
Tina Fey
Whoopi Goldberg
Ryan Gosling
Kevin Hart
Lady Gaga
Sam Smith
Charlize Theron
Jacob Tremblay
The Weeknd
Pharrell Williams
“Each of these artists brings a wonderfully distinctive element to the Oscars stage,” said Hill and Hudlin. “Together they represent the many thrilling ways stories can be shared about the human experience, and we’re honored they will be part of the celebration.”
The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016 at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide
------------------------
Oscars producers David Hill and Reginald Hudlin announced today the first slate of presenters for the 88th Oscars telecast. The Oscars, hosted by Chris Rock, will air live Oscar® Sunday, February 28, on ABC.
The presenters and performers, including past Oscar winners and nominees, are:
Benicio Del Toro
Tina Fey
Whoopi Goldberg
Ryan Gosling
Kevin Hart
Lady Gaga
Sam Smith
Charlize Theron
Jacob Tremblay
The Weeknd
Pharrell Williams
“Each of these artists brings a wonderfully distinctive element to the Oscars stage,” said Hill and Hudlin. “Together they represent the many thrilling ways stories can be shared about the human experience, and we’re honored they will be part of the celebration.”
The 88th Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016 at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide
------------------------
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 17th to 23rd, 2016 - Update #57
Support Leroy on Patreon.
POLITICS: From RSN: Michael Moore - Flint water poisoning is a "racial crime."
---------------
MOVIES: From Variety: Sony rebooting Jim Henson's "Labyrinth."
---------------
COMICS - From CBR: Kevin Smith says that DC Entertainment higher-ups are considering a DC Movie/TV crossover for sometime in the future.
--------------
POLITICS - From YahooNews: GOP presidential candidates have been quiet about Flint Michigan water crisis. So has Faux News.
---------------
AWARDS - From BlackReelAwards: 16th annual Black Reel Awards nominations.
---------------
COMICS - From CinemaBlend: Deadpool movie looking at a big opening weekend.
---------------
OSCARS - From ATTN: New York Post has fun with the blizzard and #OscarsSoWhite.
---------------
RACE - From ThinkProgress: Once upon a time, armed black people bucked the government, and they were killed - unlike the White militia at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.
Speaking of - From ThinkProgress: Ursula K. Le Guin sacks Ammon Bundy and his Klan-lings and the newspaper that parrots their nonsense.
---------------
POLITICS - From RSN: Oliver Stone speaks of war-mongering on the part of both Republicans and Democrats.
---------------
CULTURE - From USMagazine: "Actress" Stacey Dash hits back at BET.
---------------
CRIME - From YahooNews: Ex-Oklahoma City police officer, Daniel Holtzclaw, preyed on women in poor neighborhoods and raped at least 13. He was recently sentenced to 263 years in prison.
---------------
CULTURE: From TheVox: Netflix's "Making a Murderer" reveals the systematic problems of the American justice system.
---------------
MOVIES - From EcoWatch: Leonardo DiCaprio says that film "The Revenant" drove home the need to take action on climate change.
---------------
COMICS: From BusinessInsider: Warner Bros. is planning 11 superhero movies through 2020, and most look horrible.
---------------
MUSIC: From TheVillageVoice: The 2015 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll and the Year in Music.
---------------
TRAILER - From Vulture: The red band trailer for Key & Peele's upcoming film, Keanu, has been released.
---------------
OSCARS - From Vulture: Oscar nominee, this year, Mark Ruffalo, is weighing skipping the Oscar ceremony.
---------------
OSCARS - From YahooTV: Will Smith will not attend this year's Oscar ceremony, as his wife is skipping the ceremony also.
---------------
COMICS - From ComicBookBin: Herve St. Louis, the owner of the Bin and the creator of the webcomic strip, "Johnny Bullet," talks about the difficulties of reader surveys.
---------------
COMICS - From BleedingCool: The best work I've ever done says Hellboy creator, Mike Mignola.
---------------
MOVIES - From THR: Nate Turner talks about his hot Sundance film, "Birth of a Nation."
---------------
MOVIES - From THR: Paramount has taken "Terminator 2" off its release schedule and replaced it with the "Baywatch" movie - which I did not know was going to happen.
---------------
OSCARS - From THR: Academy members defend votes - "to imply we are racists is extremely offensive."
Also From THR: Scott Feinberg, awards analyst, on Oscar omissions.
---------------
STAR WARS - From YahooMovies: Star Wars Episode 8 has a new release date moving from May 2017 to December 15, 2017.
---------------
MOVIES - From TheGuardian: Jamie Foxx with the help of an as-yet unnamed paramedic pulled a young man from a burning car.
---------------
COMICS - From YahooMovies: See the "Wonder Woman" clip that played on The CW. The movie resembles "Captain America: The First Avenger." I am not crazy about Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.
---------------
MOVIES - From ComicBook: DC Films releases logos from upcoming movies, including Flash and Cyborg.
---------------
MOVIES - From YahooMovies: Jennifer Lawrence to play Fidel Castro's lover in a film written by "American Hustle" scribe, Eric Warren Singer.
---------------
COMICS - From YahooMovies: See the first "Suicide Squad" trailer.
---------------
OSCAR - From YahooMovies: David Oyelowo speaks on #OscarsSoWhite.
---------------
COMICS - From CBR: Steve Rogers to return as Captain America.
---------------
POLITICS - From RSN: Michael Moore calls for President Obama to go to Flint, Michigan in the middle of water crisis.
---------------
AWARDS - From Variety: "Carol" dominates Dorian Awards.
---------------
COMICS - From YahooTV: See the first official picture of the entire Justice League team of DC Films.
---------------
COMICS - From CBB: My review of Vol. 10 of the manga, Terra Formars.
---------------
OSCARS - From YahooTV: I am a fan of Whoopi Goldberg, but she made an ass of herself in this #OscarsSoWhite debate on "The View."
---------------
OSCARS - From Variety: George Clooney says we're moving in the wrong direction, concerning #OscarsSoWhite.
---------------
MOVIES - From BleedingCool: Vin Diesel posts "Fast 8" poster on Instagram.
---------------
TV - From Vulture: Cuba Gooding, Jr. talks about playing O.J. Simpson in FX's upcoming, "The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story."
---------------
RACE - From HuffingtonPost: Back in December, a Black woman died after being forcibly removed from hospital.
---------------
OBIT - From YahooMusic: The singer-songwriter and musician Glenn Frey has died at the age of 67 (Monday, January 18, 2016). He was a founding member of The Eagles, one of the most popular recording acts in the history of music. I still really love his solo hit song, "The Heat is On," the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack.
---------------
CULTURE - From YahooCelebrity: Hannibal Buress still dealing with the aftermath of his Bill Cosby rape joke that started the legendary comedians downfall.
---------------
POLITICS - From RSN: Bernie Sanders healthcare plan would cover everyone (not Hillary's) and it would be administered by the federal government and not by the states... according to RSN.
---------------
OSCARS - From Variety: Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith call for boycott of 88th Oscars.
---------------
SPORTS - From NBCSports: Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin sheds tears in the locker room after his team's painful loss to the Denver Broncos. It is not his fault that the NFL is in the tank for another Brady-Manning matchup.
---------------
CULTURE - From TheVox: Her husband was a rapist, yet the wife also had to answer for his crimes, although she had committed no crime.
---------------
AWARDS - From Variety: 2016 Critics Choice Awards winners.
---------------
COMICS - From CBB: New episode of Johnny Bullet (#57) in English
COMICS - From CBB: New episode of Johnny Bullet (#57) in French
COMICS - From CBB: New episode of Constant (#23 - Chapter Two, Page 1)
---------------
CULTURE - From NRM: Go to the Norman Rockwell Museum to see his classic Civil Rights painting, "The Problem We All Live With."
---------------
MOVIES: From BoxOfficeMojo: "Ride Along 2" wins the 01/15 to 01/17/2016 weekend box office with an estimated take of $34 million. Monday will also be part of the Martin Luther King holiday weekend.
---------------
NEWS - From YahooNews: This is the 30th anniversary of MLK Day, and in South Carolina, the celebration is even bigger now that the Confederate flag over the capitol building was taken down.
---------------
MOVIES - From SlashFilm: Tyler Perry on why he joined TMNT 2 and on Oscars and how to fix lack of diversity.
---------------
COMIC BOOKS - From YahooMovies: The new posters for the "Suicide Squad" film debut.
---------------
NEWS - From ThinkProgess: Another video that Chicago is forced to release shows a police officer shooting an unarmed black teenager.
---------------
CULTURE - From ThinkProgess: The phony debate about political correctness. " It's a get out of jail free card for bigotry, sexism, and lying."
NEWS - From TheIntercept: What is the real story about the U.S. Navy boats that "drifted" into Iranian waters.
---------------
From RSN: A doctor who treats concussions and is an NFL fans says the league is unethical.
---------------
COMICS - From WarrenEllis: Warren Ellis updates his readers and shares 3 questions he asked author Joe Hill (Stephen King's son who is also an author).
---------------
NEWS - From RSN: Flint lives in fear of lead from the drinking water, and the citizens fear that they may already have lead poisoning.
---------------
POLITICS: From YahooNews: Did you know that three Southern states honor Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Martin Luther King Day? Mississippi (of course), Alabama (no doubt), and Arkansas (typical). Well, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson want to change that.
---------------
OSCARS - From GuardianUS: White Hollywood parents of black children should speak about diversity for awards.
---------------
POLITICS - From USUncut: 5 things to know about the Oregon militia movement.
---------------
WORLD NEWS - From LATimes: The U.S. and Iran swap prisoners.
---------------
COMICS - From CBR: Jim Johnson reviews the relaunch of the Uncanny X-Men comic book.
---------------
COMICS FILM - From CBR: There is a petition for a PG-13 cut of the upcoming "Deadpool" film, which is being released with an "R" rating.
---------------
COMICS TV - From CBR: FX's X-Men-related series, "Legion" will take place in an "alternate universe" not connected to the X-Men film series.
---------------
MOVIES - From ThePlaylist: 15 great and unique directors who have never received a best director Oscar nomination.
---------------
TV - From ThePlaylist: Netflix is developing a "Punisher" series.
---------------
OSCARS - From BoxOfficeMojo: A look at the 2016 best picture Oscar nominees and their grosses.
OSCARS: From TheDailyBeast: The Oscars are racist...
---------------
From YouTube: "13 Hours" featurettes - Tig & Dominic; Tanto & Pablo; “Oz & Max” Featurette - https://youtu.be/mSdYKWjoHeg
POLITICS: From RSN: Michael Moore - Flint water poisoning is a "racial crime."
---------------
MOVIES: From Variety: Sony rebooting Jim Henson's "Labyrinth."
---------------
COMICS - From CBR: Kevin Smith says that DC Entertainment higher-ups are considering a DC Movie/TV crossover for sometime in the future.
--------------
POLITICS - From YahooNews: GOP presidential candidates have been quiet about Flint Michigan water crisis. So has Faux News.
---------------
AWARDS - From BlackReelAwards: 16th annual Black Reel Awards nominations.
---------------
COMICS - From CinemaBlend: Deadpool movie looking at a big opening weekend.
---------------
OSCARS - From ATTN: New York Post has fun with the blizzard and #OscarsSoWhite.
---------------
RACE - From ThinkProgress: Once upon a time, armed black people bucked the government, and they were killed - unlike the White militia at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon.
Speaking of - From ThinkProgress: Ursula K. Le Guin sacks Ammon Bundy and his Klan-lings and the newspaper that parrots their nonsense.
---------------
POLITICS - From RSN: Oliver Stone speaks of war-mongering on the part of both Republicans and Democrats.
---------------
CULTURE - From USMagazine: "Actress" Stacey Dash hits back at BET.
---------------
CRIME - From YahooNews: Ex-Oklahoma City police officer, Daniel Holtzclaw, preyed on women in poor neighborhoods and raped at least 13. He was recently sentenced to 263 years in prison.
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CULTURE: From TheVox: Netflix's "Making a Murderer" reveals the systematic problems of the American justice system.
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MOVIES - From EcoWatch: Leonardo DiCaprio says that film "The Revenant" drove home the need to take action on climate change.
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COMICS: From BusinessInsider: Warner Bros. is planning 11 superhero movies through 2020, and most look horrible.
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MUSIC: From TheVillageVoice: The 2015 Pazz & Jop Critics Poll and the Year in Music.
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TRAILER - From Vulture: The red band trailer for Key & Peele's upcoming film, Keanu, has been released.
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OSCARS - From Vulture: Oscar nominee, this year, Mark Ruffalo, is weighing skipping the Oscar ceremony.
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OSCARS - From YahooTV: Will Smith will not attend this year's Oscar ceremony, as his wife is skipping the ceremony also.
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COMICS - From ComicBookBin: Herve St. Louis, the owner of the Bin and the creator of the webcomic strip, "Johnny Bullet," talks about the difficulties of reader surveys.
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COMICS - From BleedingCool: The best work I've ever done says Hellboy creator, Mike Mignola.
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MOVIES - From THR: Nate Turner talks about his hot Sundance film, "Birth of a Nation."
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MOVIES - From THR: Paramount has taken "Terminator 2" off its release schedule and replaced it with the "Baywatch" movie - which I did not know was going to happen.
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OSCARS - From THR: Academy members defend votes - "to imply we are racists is extremely offensive."
Also From THR: Scott Feinberg, awards analyst, on Oscar omissions.
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STAR WARS - From YahooMovies: Star Wars Episode 8 has a new release date moving from May 2017 to December 15, 2017.
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MOVIES - From TheGuardian: Jamie Foxx with the help of an as-yet unnamed paramedic pulled a young man from a burning car.
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COMICS - From YahooMovies: See the "Wonder Woman" clip that played on The CW. The movie resembles "Captain America: The First Avenger." I am not crazy about Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.
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MOVIES - From ComicBook: DC Films releases logos from upcoming movies, including Flash and Cyborg.
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MOVIES - From YahooMovies: Jennifer Lawrence to play Fidel Castro's lover in a film written by "American Hustle" scribe, Eric Warren Singer.
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COMICS - From YahooMovies: See the first "Suicide Squad" trailer.
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OSCAR - From YahooMovies: David Oyelowo speaks on #OscarsSoWhite.
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COMICS - From CBR: Steve Rogers to return as Captain America.
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POLITICS - From RSN: Michael Moore calls for President Obama to go to Flint, Michigan in the middle of water crisis.
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AWARDS - From Variety: "Carol" dominates Dorian Awards.
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COMICS - From YahooTV: See the first official picture of the entire Justice League team of DC Films.
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COMICS - From CBB: My review of Vol. 10 of the manga, Terra Formars.
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OSCARS - From YahooTV: I am a fan of Whoopi Goldberg, but she made an ass of herself in this #OscarsSoWhite debate on "The View."
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OSCARS - From Variety: George Clooney says we're moving in the wrong direction, concerning #OscarsSoWhite.
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MOVIES - From BleedingCool: Vin Diesel posts "Fast 8" poster on Instagram.
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TV - From Vulture: Cuba Gooding, Jr. talks about playing O.J. Simpson in FX's upcoming, "The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story."
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RACE - From HuffingtonPost: Back in December, a Black woman died after being forcibly removed from hospital.
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OBIT - From YahooMusic: The singer-songwriter and musician Glenn Frey has died at the age of 67 (Monday, January 18, 2016). He was a founding member of The Eagles, one of the most popular recording acts in the history of music. I still really love his solo hit song, "The Heat is On," the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack.
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CULTURE - From YahooCelebrity: Hannibal Buress still dealing with the aftermath of his Bill Cosby rape joke that started the legendary comedians downfall.
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POLITICS - From RSN: Bernie Sanders healthcare plan would cover everyone (not Hillary's) and it would be administered by the federal government and not by the states... according to RSN.
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OSCARS - From Variety: Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith call for boycott of 88th Oscars.
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SPORTS - From NBCSports: Pittsburgh Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin sheds tears in the locker room after his team's painful loss to the Denver Broncos. It is not his fault that the NFL is in the tank for another Brady-Manning matchup.
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CULTURE - From TheVox: Her husband was a rapist, yet the wife also had to answer for his crimes, although she had committed no crime.
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AWARDS - From Variety: 2016 Critics Choice Awards winners.
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COMICS - From CBB: New episode of Johnny Bullet (#57) in English
COMICS - From CBB: New episode of Johnny Bullet (#57) in French
COMICS - From CBB: New episode of Constant (#23 - Chapter Two, Page 1)
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CULTURE - From NRM: Go to the Norman Rockwell Museum to see his classic Civil Rights painting, "The Problem We All Live With."
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MOVIES: From BoxOfficeMojo: "Ride Along 2" wins the 01/15 to 01/17/2016 weekend box office with an estimated take of $34 million. Monday will also be part of the Martin Luther King holiday weekend.
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NEWS - From YahooNews: This is the 30th anniversary of MLK Day, and in South Carolina, the celebration is even bigger now that the Confederate flag over the capitol building was taken down.
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MOVIES - From SlashFilm: Tyler Perry on why he joined TMNT 2 and on Oscars and how to fix lack of diversity.
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COMIC BOOKS - From YahooMovies: The new posters for the "Suicide Squad" film debut.
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NEWS - From ThinkProgess: Another video that Chicago is forced to release shows a police officer shooting an unarmed black teenager.
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CULTURE - From ThinkProgess: The phony debate about political correctness. " It's a get out of jail free card for bigotry, sexism, and lying."
NEWS - From TheIntercept: What is the real story about the U.S. Navy boats that "drifted" into Iranian waters.
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From RSN: A doctor who treats concussions and is an NFL fans says the league is unethical.
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COMICS - From WarrenEllis: Warren Ellis updates his readers and shares 3 questions he asked author Joe Hill (Stephen King's son who is also an author).
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NEWS - From RSN: Flint lives in fear of lead from the drinking water, and the citizens fear that they may already have lead poisoning.
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POLITICS: From YahooNews: Did you know that three Southern states honor Confederate General Robert E. Lee on Martin Luther King Day? Mississippi (of course), Alabama (no doubt), and Arkansas (typical). Well, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson want to change that.
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OSCARS - From GuardianUS: White Hollywood parents of black children should speak about diversity for awards.
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POLITICS - From USUncut: 5 things to know about the Oregon militia movement.
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WORLD NEWS - From LATimes: The U.S. and Iran swap prisoners.
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COMICS - From CBR: Jim Johnson reviews the relaunch of the Uncanny X-Men comic book.
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COMICS FILM - From CBR: There is a petition for a PG-13 cut of the upcoming "Deadpool" film, which is being released with an "R" rating.
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COMICS TV - From CBR: FX's X-Men-related series, "Legion" will take place in an "alternate universe" not connected to the X-Men film series.
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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist: 15 great and unique directors who have never received a best director Oscar nomination.
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TV - From ThePlaylist: Netflix is developing a "Punisher" series.
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OSCARS - From BoxOfficeMojo: A look at the 2016 best picture Oscar nominees and their grosses.
OSCARS: From TheDailyBeast: The Oscars are racist...
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From YouTube: "13 Hours" featurettes - Tig & Dominic; Tanto & Pablo; “Oz & Max” Featurette - https://youtu.be/mSdYKWjoHeg
Saturday, April 11, 2015
Review: "Top Five" is Chris Rock's Woody Allen Thing
Top Five (2014)
Running time: 102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)
MPAA – R for strong sexual content, nudity, crude humor, language throughout and some drug
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Chris Rock
PRODUCERS: Eli Bush, Barry Diller, and Scott Rudin
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Manuel Alberto Claro
EDITOR: Anne McCabe
COMPOSERS: Ludwig Göransson and Ahmir-Khalib “Questlove” Thompson
Black Reel Award winner
COMEDY/DRAMA/ROMANCE
Starring: Chris Rock, Rosario Dawson, J.B. Smoove, Gabrielle Union, Romany Malco, Cedric the Entertainer, Ben Vereen, Sherri Shepherd, Jay Pharoah, Tracy Morgan, Leslie Jones, Hassan Johnson, Tichina Arnold, Luis Guzman, Kevin Hart, Olga Merediz, Laurissa Romain, Miriam Colon, Charlie Rose, Bruce Bruce, Taraji P. Henson, Gabourey Sidibe, Whoopi Goldberg, Adam Sandler, DMX, Jim Norton, and Jerry Seinfeld
Top Five is a 2014 comedy-drama and romance from writer-director Chris Rock. Rock stars as a comedian who is trying to make it as a serious actor, while his fiancée is turning their upcoming wedding into a reality-television event. Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Jay-Z, is a co-producer on this film.
Top Five focuses on Andre Allen (Chris Rock). He had a successful career as a stand-up comedian, and later became a box office star with his hit movie franchise, Hammy The Bear, which yielded three films. Now, Allen is trying to become a serious actor with a new film, Uprize, in which he portrays Dutty Boukman, a prominent figure in the Haitian Revolution.
Allen is also engaged to marry reality-TV star, Erica Long (Gabrielle Union). The wedding planning, the bachelor party, the wedding itself, and even the honeymoon are going to be reality-television programming on the cable network, Bravo. While dealing with the headache of a big wedding, Allen is also busy promoting Uprize, so he grudgingly agrees to a probing interview with The New York Times. Allen is surprised to find himself opening up to Times reporter, Chelsea Brown (Rosario Dawson), but Brown isn't quite being upfront about her intentions.
In Top Five, Chris Rock has delivered a film that recalls the films of Woody Allen. Like Allen, Rock uses comedy to probe the inner recesses of the lead character's mind, faults, shortcomings, and foibles. Also like Allen, Rock uses romance to bring together two conflicted people, whose motivations and yearnings are similar to one another, but are also in conflict with one another.
The drama comes into Top Five because, even with the crazy scenarios and embarrassing moments and revelations, the story takes everything seriously. The sublime and the ridiculous cannot exist without each other, and stupidity does not absolve one of being honest with oneself.
Rock delivers a solid performance, and he only plays himself half the time in the film. Rosario Dawson shows both dramatic and romance-comedy chops. Wow, she is good, and I can't help but think that if she were a white girl that she would have headlined big-time romantic comedies ages ago. Katherine Heigl and Kate Hudson aren't better than Dawson.
J.B. Smoove is smooth, and Cedric the Entertainer kills it and then some in a cameo role. Whoopi Goldberg, Adam Sandler, and Jerry Seinfeld appear together near the end of the film and are a treat, especially Seinfeld, who is a riot. In fact, a number of comic actors and comedians (including Tracy Morgan) make cameo appearances or have bit parts in this movie, and they do their best to make Top Five a must-see movie.
The Hollywood trade press is reporting that producer Scott Rudin wants Chris Rock to quickly make a non-sequel follow-up to Top Five, bringing back some of the cast of this film. This movie is going to be a hard act to follow. Top Five is Rock's best directorial effort to date, and it is one of the best films of 2014. Rock should have received an Oscar nomination for Top Five's screenplay.
9 of 10
A+
Saturday, April 11, 2015
NOTES:
2015 Black Reel Awards: 1 win: “Outstanding Screenplay (Original or Adapted), Motion Picture” (Chris Rock); 6 nominations: “Outstanding Motion Picture” (Scott Rudin and Eli Bush), “Outstanding Actor, Motion Picture” (Chris Rock), “Outstanding Actress, Motion Picture” (Rosario Dawson), “Outstanding Director, Motion Picture” (Chris Rock), “Outstanding Ensemble” (Victoria Thomas), and “Outstanding Original Song (Ahmir-Khalib Thompson-performer and writer and Eliza Colby-performer and writer for the song, “It Ain't Easy”)
2015 Image Awards: 2 nominations: “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (Cedric the Entertainer) and “Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture” (Chris Rock)
The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Review: "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Reboot is Actually Good
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014)
Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for sci-fi action violence
DIRECTOR: Jonathan Liebesman
WRITERS: Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, and Evan Daugherty (based on characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird)
PRODUCERS: Michael Bay, Ian Bryce, Andrew Form , Bradley Fuller, Scott Mednick, and Galen Walker
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Luis Carvalho (D.o.P.)
EDITORS: Joel Negron and Glen Scantlebury
COMPOSER: Brian Tyler
MARTIAL ARTS/FANTASY/ACTION with elements of comedy
Starring: Megan Fox, Will Arnett, William Fichtner, Tohoru Masamune, Whoopi Goldberg, Minae Noji, Abby Elliot, Pete Ploszek, Danny Woodburn, and the voices of Alan Ritchson, Noel Fisher, Jeremy Howard, Johnny Knoxville, and Tony Shalhoub
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a 2014 martial arts fantasy and action film from director Jonathan Liebesman. The film is based on the media franchise, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (also known as the “Ninja Turtles” or by the abbreviation, “TMNT”), which began with a black and white comic book created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird and first published in 1984.
This recent film is also a reboot of the TMNT film franchise, which began with a 1990 film and its two sequels (released by New Line Cinema). Warner Bros. Pictures released a computer-animated TMNT film, also entitled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in 2007. The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie focuses on a group of mutated turtle warriors that emerge from the shadows to protect their home, New York City, and the TV reporter who helps them.
The film introduces April O'Neil (Megan Fox), a television news reporter at station Channel 6. She has been researching a gang called the “Foot Clan,” but few people take her or her investigation seriously. April's cameraman, Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett), humors her, but would rather date April than believe in her as a serious reporter. April's boss, Bernadette Thompson (Whoopi Goldberg), tolerates the young reporter's ambitions, but is deliberately oblivious of April's findings.
April tracks members the Foot Clan and witnesses their attack on a subway station. There, April meets a group of vigilantes determined to foil the clan. Much to her shock, however, they are four teenage mutant ninja turtles: Raphael (Alan Ritchson), Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), Donatello (Jeremy Howard), and Leonardo (Pete Ploszek and Johnny Knoxville). They introduce April to their mentor and surrogate father, Splinter (Tony Shalhoub), a mutated, anthropomorphic rat who is a master of the ninja arts. April also gets caught up in Splinter and the turtles' war against the Foot Clan's leader, The Shredder (Tohoru Masamune), who has a connection to April's past.
Michael Bay and his production company, Platinum Dunes, are two of the entities behind Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014. Bay, who has dedicated his efforts as a film director to the Transformers movie franchise for the last decade, has also restarted many movie franchises through remakes and reboots. Thankfully, this new Ninja Turtles movie is not like Bay's Transformers films or like some of his horror movie reboots.
Many of the sound effects in this movie sound like sound effects in Transformers movies. However, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014 director, Jonathan Liebesman, keeps the Michael Bay touches to a minimum. Using the work of writers Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec, and Evan Daugherty, Liebesman makes a straight-forward movie. It manages to be cute (as when the Turtles bang out a hip hop beat with nunchucks and beat-boxing). The film also manages to offer well-staged martial arts fights and the kind of explosive action sequences that the original film could not. The film also hits some nice notes about the bonds of family and friendship. This movie has the kind of story and action that makes it serious-minded enough to appeal to older audiences while entertaining younger viewers.
I know that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2014 got a lot of bad, poor, and mixed reviews, but these critics and reviewers probably take either themselves or this movie too seriously (or both). For a good time, however, invite these Turtles over, and, of course, enjoy this movie with pizza.
6 of 10
B
Wednesday, January 21, 2015
The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.
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