Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 6th to 12th, 2017 - Update #36

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CULTURE - From TheDailyBeast:  James Alex Fields Jr. identified as the driver who barreled his car into a crowd during protests at Charlottesville, Virginia.

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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  "Silver and Black," the Spider-Man universe film from Sony is due Feb. 8, 2019.  The film will feature Spider-Man characters, Black Cat and Silver Sable.  Gina Prince-Bythewood is directing.

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CULTURE - From GuardianUK:  On Friday night (8/11th), White Nationalists and white racist begin siege of Charlottesville, Virginia.

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COMICS-FILM - From Newsarama:  "Hellboy" creator Mike Mignola says film reboot (which is no longer being called "Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen") is closer to his personal vision for the character.

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COMICS-FILM - From WeGotThisCovered:  Substantial changes will be made to "Justice League," as an early cut of the film is reportedly "unwatchable."  The film is due for release November 17th, 2017.

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  The real-life "Annabelle" doll is a simple Raggedy Ann doll.

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  NBC is trying to reboot classic TV sitcom, "The Munsters," again.  Remember "Mockingbird Lane?"

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BLM - From RSN:  Spike Lee says he fully supports beleaguered NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

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ANIMATION - From YahooNews:  The "Deadpool" animated television series being developed by Donald Glover and his brother Stephen will have a tone different from the live-action film series starring Ryan Reynolds.

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SPORTS - From YahooSports:  The NBA has announced its five Christmas Day 2017 games, including a rematch of this year's championship series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the world champions Golden State Warriors.

COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Ryan Reynolds shares a first look at Josh Brolin as "Cable" in "Deadpool 2."

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MOVIES - From THR:  Author William Gibson's seminal cyberpunk novel, Neuromancer (1984) may finally be making it to the big screen through "Deadpool" director, Tim Miller.

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DISNEY - From CBR:  Disney has announced that it is starting its own streaming service in 2019.  Thus, it will be pulling its films and television series from Netflix.  Marvel Studios original series (such as "Daredevil" and "Luke Cage") will remain with Netflix.

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COMIC-FILM - From TheWrap:  Riz Ahmed of "Rogue One" in early talks to join Tom Hardy in Sony's "Venom."

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Louis C.K. says that he may not do another season of his Emmy-winning FX series, "Louie."

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COMICS-BOOKS - From EW:  Seven things you need to know about African-American/Latino Spider-Man, Miles Morales, according to Jason Reynolds, the author of the YA novel, "Miles Morales: Spider-Man.

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STAR WARS - From YahooMovies:  Set photos from "The Last Jedi" offer fresh clues.

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooMovies:  Kate Beckinsale explains why she once said "No" to a Wonder Woman film.

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TELEVISION - From THR:  Maya Rudolph is going to star in Fox's live musical version of "A Christmas Story."

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MOVIES - From THR:  Selena Gomez joins Elle Fanning in Woody Allen's next film.

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TELEVISION - From BleedingCool:  In the new FOX/Marvel X-Men, TV series, "The Gifted," the X-Men are apparently"no more."

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MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Milla Jovovich may the the "Blood Queen" in "Hellboy: Rise of the Blood Queen."

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TELEVISION - From TVLine:  Peter Krause is joining Angela Bassett in the 9-1-1 drama for FOX produced by Ryan Murphy ("Glee," "American Horror Story").

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  David Letterman will have a short run talk show (of sorts) on Netflix.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Milo Gibson, son of Mel Gibson, will appear in the WWII drama, "Hurricane."  Milo made his feature film debut in his father's hit 2016 WWII film, "Hacksaw Ridge."

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DISNEY - From THR:  Alfre Woodard has joined Disney's live-action remake of "The Lion King," which is being directed by Jon Favreau.

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TELEVISION - From ShadowandAct:  Filiming begins on Mario Van Peebles' supernatural drama for Syfy, "Superstition."

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TELEVISION - CinemaBlend:  Karl Urban in talks to take the lead in a "Judge Dredd" TV series.  Urban starred in the 2012 film, "Dredd," which disappointed at the box office, but later became a home video and cult hit.

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TELEVISION - From TVovermind:  X-Files Season 11 begins production.

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CELEBRITY- From THR:  Chris Pratt ("Guardians of the Galaxy") and Anna Faris ("Scary Movie," "Mom") have announced that they are separating after eight years of marriage.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 8/4 to 8/6/2017 weekend box office is "The Dark Tower" with an estimated take of $19.5 million.

From Deadline:  China leads international box office.

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  James Gunn is writing "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" and helping Marvel Studios honcho Kevin Feige make plans for Marvel's cosmic properties.

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POLITICS - From Truthout:  Will Altering the 13th Amendment Bring Liberation to the Incarcerated 2.3 Million?

OBIT:

From People:  Country music legend, singer, songwriter, musician, and Grammy-winning recording artist, Glen Campbell has died at the age of 81, Tuesday, August 8, 2017.  Before he solo career blew up in the mid to late 1960s, Campbell was a much in-demand session musician who played on the recordings of legends like Nat King Cole, Frank Sinatra, and Elvis Presley, to name a few.

From Variety:  The man in the monster suit, Haruo Nakajima, has died at the age of 88.  He wore the Godzilla suit in every "Godzilla" film from the original film to "Godzilla vs. Gigan" (1972).

From SportsIllustrated:  Former Major League Baseball manager and player, Don Baylor, has died at the age of 68, Monday, August 7, 2017.  He was the 1979 American League MVP, and he won a World Series title with the 1987 Minnesota Twins.  He was also the first manager of the Colorado Rockies.

From SportsIllustrated:  Former Major League Baseball player Darren Daulton died at the age of 55, Sunday, August 6, 2017.  He has been fighting brain cancer for 4 years.  He was best known as a catcher for the Philadelphia Phillies.  He was on the 1993 National League pennant winning Phillies that lost the 1993 World Series to the Toronto Blue Jays.  In his final year of his career, Daulton was on the 1997 Florida Marlins that won the World Series.

Woody Allen's "Wonder Wheel" to Close 55th New York Film Festival

The Film Society of Lincoln Center Announces World Premiere of Woody Allen’s Wonder Wheel as Closing Night of the 55th New York Film Festival

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced Woody Allen’s Wonder Wheel as the Closing Night selection of the 55th New York Film Festival (September 28 – October 15, 2017), making its World Premiere at Alice Tully Hall on Saturday, October 14, 2017. Amazon Studios will release Wonder Wheel on December 1, 2017, the first film the studio will distribute independently.

In a career spanning 50 years and almost as many features, Woody Allen has periodically refined, reinvented, and redefined the terms of his art, and that’s exactly what he does with his daring new film. We’re in Coney Island in the 1950s. A lifeguard (Justin Timberlake) tells us a story that just might be filtered through his vivid imagination: a middle-aged carousel operator (James Belushi) and his beleaguered wife (Kate Winslet), who eke out a living on the boardwalk, are visited by his estranged daughter (Juno Temple)—a situation from which layer upon layer of all-too-human complications develop. Allen and his cinematographer, the great Vittorio Storaro, working with a remarkable cast led by Winslet in a startlingly brave, powerhouse performance, have created a bracing and truly surprising movie experience.

New York Film Festival Director and Selection Committee Chair Kent Jones said, “I’m not quite sure what I expected when I sat down to watch Wonder Wheel, but when the lights came up I was speechless. There are elements in the film that will certainly be familiar to anyone who knows Woody Allen’s work, but here he holds them up to a completely new light. I mean that literally and figuratively, because Allen and Vittorio Storaro use light and color in a way that is stunning in and of itself but also integral to the mounting emotional power of the film. And at the center of it all is Kate Winslet’s absolutely remarkable performance—precious few actors are that talented, or fearless.”

The New York Film Festival has showcased Allen’s work on two other occasions: Bullets Over Broadway was Centerpiece of NYFF32 in 1994 and Celebrity was Opening Night of NYFF36 in 1998.

The 18-day New York Film Festival highlights the best in world cinema, featuring works from celebrated filmmakers as well as fresh new talent. The selection committee, chaired by Jones, also includes Dennis Lim, FSLC Director of Programming; Florence Almozini, FSLC Associate Director of Programming; and Amy Taubin, Contributing Editor, Film Comment and Sight & Sound.

Earlier this summer, NYFF announced Richard Linklater’s Last Flag Flying as Opening Night and Todd Haynes’s Wonderstruck as the Centerpiece selection. The retrospective section honors Robert Mitchum’s centenary.

Tickets for the 55th New York Film Festival will go on sale September 10. VIP passes and packages are on sale now and offer one of the earliest opportunities to purchase tickets and secure seats at some of the festival’s biggest events, including the just-announced Closing Night. Learn more at filmlinc.org/packages.

FILM SOCIETY OF LINCOLN CENTER

The Film Society of Lincoln Center is devoted to supporting the art and elevating the craft of cinema. The only branch of the world-renowned arts complex Lincoln Center to shine a light on the everlasting yet evolving importance of the moving image, this nonprofit organization was founded in 1969 to celebrate American and international film. Via year-round programming and discussions; its annual New York Film Festival; and its publications, including Film Comment, the U.S.’s premier magazine about films and film culture, the Film Society endeavors to make the discussion and appreciation of cinema accessible to a broader audience, as well as to ensure that it will remain an essential art form for years to come.

The Film Society receives generous, year-round support from Shutterstock, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. American Airlines is the Official Airline of the Film Society of Lincoln Center.

Support for the New York Film Festival is generously provided by Official Partner HBO®, Benefactor Partners Dolby, illy caffé, and The Village Voice, Hospitality Partners Loews Regency New York and RowNYC, and Supporting Partner Manhattan Portage. Deadline Hollywood, The Hollywood Reporter, WABC-7, and WNET New York Public Media serve as Media Sponsors.

For more information, visit www.filmlinc.org and follow @filmlinc on Twitter.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 11th to 17th, 2017 - Updated #29

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POLITICS - From RSN:  Russell Brand says "austerity" is brutality not frugality.

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SPORTS - From BET:  Boxer Floyd Mayweather will make between $200 to $300 million for his "super-fight" with MMA fighter Conor McGregor (who will make $100 million) on August 26th, 2017.

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TELEVISION - From THR:  Glenn Close to star in "Sea Oak," a half-hour zombie drama for Amazon.

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COMICS-FILM - From ThePlaylist:  Marvel Studios has no immediate plans for Marvel Comics' "Fantastic Four."

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OBIT - From THR:  Film editor Bill Butler died at the age of 83 of June 4, 2017.  He earned an Oscar nomination for his work on Stanley Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange."

From Variety:  Film director John G. Avildsen has died at the age of 81, Friday, June 16, 2017.  He won an Oscar for directing the original "Rocky" (1976).  He also directed the original "Karate Kid" films.

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TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  Aisha Tyler is leaving the CBS daytime talk show, "The Talk," after six seasons.

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MOVIES - From EW:  There is a new documentary, "Score," about film music which celebrates some of the greatest musical moments in film history.

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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  Danai Gurira, one of the stars of "The Walking Dead," will appear in both the "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War."

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COMICS-FILM - From Collider:  An R-rated Marvel Studios movie is not out of the questions says Marvel boss, Kevin Feige.  Jessica Chastain in talks to play a villain.

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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  Simon Kinberg set to direct "X-Men: Dark Phoenix," which will begin production soon.

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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  The new cinematic Spider-Man, Tom Holland, has revealed that the upcoming "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is the first film in a trilogy.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Actress and model, Anita Pallenberg, has died at the age of 73, Tuesday, June 13, 2017.  She appeared in the film "Barberella" and in "Performance" with the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger.  She also had three children with Jagger's band mate, Keith Richards.

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MOVIES - From Variety: Michelle Monaghan is returning for "Mission: Impossible 6."  She plays Dr. Julia Meade, the wife of Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt and was last seen in "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" (the fourth film).

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MOVIES - From EW:  Josh Brolin bulks up with muscle for his role as Cable in "Deadpool 2."

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TELEVISION - From THR:  Anthony and Joe Russo, the guys behind the two Captain America movies, "Winter Soldier" and "Civil War," will join Henry Selick, director of "A Nightmare Before Christmas," to bring the video game "Little Nightmares" to television.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Lionsgate is planning to dramatize the story of the controversial rap group, 2 Live Crew, in film.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Woody Allen's upcoming drama, "Wonder Wheels," will debut December 1, 2017.

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SPORTS:  From NYTimes:  The Golden State Warriors win the 2017 National Basketball Association (NBA) Championship, their second in three years.  They beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 129 to 120, to win the best of 7 series, 4 games to 1.

From AOLNews:  Championship teams visit the White House to celebrate with the President of the United States. The Golden State Warriors players voted unanimously not to visit President Trump after winning the 2017 NBA Championship.

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THEATRE - From Variety:  A complete list of 2017 Tony Award winners, including Bette Midler and "Dear Evan Hansen."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:   The winner of the 6/9 to 6/11/2017 weekend box office is "Wonder Woman" with an estimated take of $57 million.

From Deadline:  With an estimated global box office debut of $169.3, "The Mummy" is delivering some of Tom Cruise's best box office numbers.

From Deadline:  Still, Wonder Woman is whipping Tom Cruise's ass at the domestic box office.

From Variety:  The global box office gross of Tom Cruise's "The Mummy" has pushed Universal Pictures past $3 billion in global box office for the calendar year, 3 days faster than last year.

From Variety:  "The Mummy" may be in trouble at the North American box office, but it make $52 million in China.

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CULTURE - From YahooNews:  Tomorrow, June 12th is "Loving Day,"  It is also the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision "Loving v. Virginia."  The AP is republishing its last interview with Mildred Loving.

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TELEVISION - From THR:  "The Hollywood Reporter" offers an appreciation of Adam West, who played Batman/Bruce Wayne in the campy 1960s "Batman" TV series for ABC.  West died on Friday, June 9, at the age of 88.

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SPORTS - From YahooSports:  Rafael Nadal won his 10th French Open men's singles title, the most by anyone, and a record he has held since he won his seventh French Open singles title in 2012.  With this victory, he becomes the first individual to win 10 singles championships in a single Grand Slam event, in this case the French Open.

From TheGuardian:  In the women's singles, Jelena Ostapenko won her first women's Grand Slam singles title with her victory in the French Open women's singles.  She is the first tennis player from the nation of Latvia, male or female, to win a Grand Slam singles title.

From YahooSports:  With their 2-0 victory over the Nashville Predators tonight, the National Hockey League's (NHL) Pittsburgh Penguins win the 2017 Stanley Cup.  They also won the 2016 Stanley Cup, making them the first team to win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 19 years.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 17th to 23rd, 2016 - Update #65

Support Leroy on Patreon.

POLITICS - From YahooNews:  Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has picked Senator Tim Kaine - Democratic Senator from Virginia as her running mate.  He is also the former governor of that state.

BLACK LIVES MATTER - From DailyMail:  Black cops warn that white cops are looking for a reason to kill a black man.

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2016 San Diego Comic-Con International - #SDCC2016:

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  "Black Panther: World of Wakanda" will be Marvel Comics' lead LGBTQ title.

STAR TREK - From Variety:  CBS's new "Star Trek" series, "Star Trek Discovery" (which will be part of the network's digital service "All Access") will unfold like a novel according to a Comic-Con panel.

Star Trek - From Variety:  A teaser trailer for "Star Trek Discovery."

COMICS - From YahooMovies:  The Wonder Woman Comic-Con trailer - the first full trailer for the film which arrives in 2017.

MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  At a Comic-Con panel, Adam Wingard's film, "The Woods" (which arrives in September), was revealed to be a sequel to "The Blair Witch Project" (1999).

COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Your 2016 Eisner Award winners.

COMICS - From YahooTV:  "Luke Cage" showrunner says that the world is ready for a bullet-proof black man" at Comic-Con panel.

COMICS - From BleedingCool: "Do I have to choke you," at the "Black Panel."

TELEVISION - From Variety:  At "The Walking Dead" Comic-Con panel, the Season 7 trailer debuted and a first look at new character King Ezekiel.

TELEVISION - From Variety:  In "Bates Motel," the television series based on Alfred Hitchcock's film, "Psycho," new cast member, Rihanna, will play "Marion Crane."  In the film, the late Janet Leigh played Crane who is stabbed to death in the film's iconic shower scene.

COMICS - From ComicBookMovie:  The first action-packed for the upcoming animated "Justice League Action" debuts. The show arrives on Cartoon Network in the Fall.

MOVIES - From CBR:  Luc Besson drops juicy details on his upcoming film, "Valerian."

MOVIES - From EntertainmentWeekly: "Valerian" footage gets standing ovation.

COMICS - From YahooNews:  At a SDCC panel, Marvel introduces a trailer for Netflix's "Luke Cage" and a teaser for Netflix's 2017, "Defenders."

COMICS - From CinemaBlend:  Marvel and Netflix drop first "Iron Fist" trailer.  It intrigues...

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STAR TREK - From YahooMovies:  Sulu's "gay kiss" was cut from "Star Trek Beyond."

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MOVIES - From ThrillList:  This article is an opinion piece about the 21 best horror films since "The Blair Witch Project."  It is a good read, although I think that except for the riveting final 10 minutes; "The Blair Witch Project" is not scary, but is rather awful.

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STAR TREK - From YahooNews:  At a special White House screening of "Star Trek Beyond," First Lady Michelle Obama notices handsome guests, Karl Urban, Chris Pine, and Simon Pegg.

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BLACK LIVES MATTER - From YahooNews:  After one white cop violently throws a female African-American teacher to the ground, his partner says that black people have "violent tendencies."

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SPORTS-OBITS: - From ESPN:  Former NFL head football coach, Dennis Green, has died at the age of 67, Friday, July 22, 2016.  He coached the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals over 13 seasons.  Green had the second highest win total for an African-American NFL head coach.

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POLITICS - From YahooNews:  Donald Trump gave his acceptance speech at the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland.  He is now the Republican nominee for President of the United States, and he says, "Everything is terrible, and I alone can fix it."

From YahooNews:  Trump's acceptance speech anchored by debunked claims and outright lies.

From HuffingtonPost:  "Former" Ku Klux Klansman David Duke running for a U.S. Senate seat in Louisiana.

From YouTube:  Here is David Duke's YouTube video announcement.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Margot Robbie continues to line up the projects, including a film based on Matt Ruff's novel, "Bad Monkeys."

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BLACK LIVES MATTER - From YahooNews:  His hands were really up!  Unarmed man shot by cop in North Miami, Florida.

From YahooNews:  He meant to hit the autistic man with a toy truck.

From CNN:  The doofus cop has been identified.

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STAR TREK - From People:  J.J. Abrams says he will not recast the role of Pavel Chekov in Star Trek.  The actor Anton Yelchin has played the role in three Star Trek films, beginning in 2009, but he was recently killed in a freak accident.

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POLITICS - From CNNPolitics:  It's tragically official.  Donald Trump is the official Republican presidential nominee.

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OBITS - From Variety:  Garry Marshall, the prolific filmmaker and television creator, has died at the age of 81, Tuesday, July 19, 2016.  He directed the smash hit, 1990 film, "Pretty Woman."  His TV work included iconic series like "Happy Days," "Laverne and Shirley," and "The Odd Couple," among many.

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POLITICS - From YahooNews:   There was a charity concert during the Republican National Convention at Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  1990s hit makers, Third Eye Blind, gave the largely Republican audience more than they expected.

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BLACK LIVES MATTER - From Jacobin:  How not to talk about race.  It is time to stop fooling ourselves with the racecraft of “because of the color of their skin” and acknowledge the emotional instability, poor judgment, inadequate training, and ill-considered policies that turn human beings, not the victims’ skin color, into killers.

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CULTURE - From RSN:  The trojan drone.

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POLITICS - From TheNewYorker:  The guy who actually wrote "The Art of the Deal," Trump's ghostwriter, Tony Schwartz, tells all.

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BLACK LIVES MATTER - From RSN:  Remembering the 12-Gauge Police Eviction of a 67-Year-Old Grandmother in the South Bronx

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MUSIC - From YahooMusic:  Prince quietly bought the house used as his home in the film, "Purple Rain."

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MOVIES - From Indiewire:  Nate Parker's follow-up to his upcoming "Birth of a Nation" has been acquired Legendary.

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  There will be a "Ghostbusters" sequel... says Sony.

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TELEVISION - From IndieWire:  "Degrassi" reunion at Netflix.  Drake?

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MOVIES - From THR:  Amazon may fully finance Woody Allen's next film, starring Kate Winslet and Jim Belushi, for $25 million.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Ava DuVernay's documentary about mass incarceration and the prison industry "The 13th," will open at the New York Film Festival.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity:  Actor/comic Leslie Jones ("Ghostbusters") shares the horrible, racists tweets she gets.

From YahooNews:  Twitter announces crackdown in wake of Jones' controversy.  Some Twitter accounts were permanently suspended.

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POLITICS - From YahooNews:  #BlackWordsMatter - Melania Trump, wife of presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, plagiarized Michelle Obama's speech from 2008 while giving her opening remarks at the 2016 Republican National Convention.

From TheIntercept:  It was more than a portion, boo.

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POLITICS - From YahooTV:  Stephen Colbert of the "Late Show" crashes the Republican National Convention.

From Politico:  Stephen Colbert says that Donald Trump is beyond satire.

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MUSIC - From YahooMusic:  The latest in the saga of Kanye West and Taylor Swift.  Yes, there is a latest.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:   The winner of the7/15 to 7/17/2016 weekend box office is "The Secret Life of Pets" with an estimated take of $50.5 million.

From YahooMovies:   "Ghostbusters" finishes second for this box office weekend with a total of $46 million.

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COMICS - From BleedingCool:  How to draw Batman in 3 minutes.

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TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  Norman Reedus ("The Walking Dead") geeks out of guest start, Peter Fonda.

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TELEVISION - From Vulture:  Walter Goggins on 25 years of playing that guy.

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STAR WARS - From BleedingCool:   "Star Wars Rebel" Season 3 trailer teases returns and debuts.

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MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Alden Ehrenreich official as "young" Han Solo.

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The Killing of #AltonSterling and #PhilandoCastille and Police Officers:

From NPR:  Cops taught to pull the trigger too quickly - surprised when people pull the trigger to quickly on them.

From YahooNews:  Three officers were killed this morning in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

From ABC:   The killer of three officers in Baton Rouge, LA has been identified as Gavin Long of Kansas City, Missouri.

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TRAILERS - VIDEOS:

From Facebook:  "Star Trek Beyond" the final trailer.

From YouTube:  Star Trek Beyond "Jaylah Featurette" - including statements from J.J. Abrams, Simon Pegg, and Sofia Boutella ("Jaylah")

From YouTube:   Star Trek Beyond "Justin Lin" featurette, featuring lots of quotes.

From YouTube:  Star Trek Beyond clip: "Scotty Meets Jaylah" clip.

From YouTube:  "Star Trek Beyond" the final countdown.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 27th to 31st, 2016 - Update #24

Support Leroy on Patreon.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Disney is developing a live-action film based on Snow White's sister, "Rose Red."

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POLITICS - From YahooPolitics:  Matt Bai asks, "Are we getting the leaders we deserve?"  I'm scared to answer that question.

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MOVIES - From TheTrackingBoard:  Is Hollywood on the brink of a civil war over Sean Parker's "Screening Room."

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MOVIES - From EcoWatch:  Oscar-winner Leonardo DiCaprio speaks on saving the Leuser Ecosystem.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Jonah Hill preps his directorial debut.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart are in talks to star in a remake of the 2011 French film, "The Intouchables."

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MOVIES - From TheTrackingBoard:  Oscar Isaac is reunited with director Alex Garland for the film, "Annihilation."  Garland directed Isaac in "Ex Machina."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Oscar-winning screenwriter, Sofia Coppola, to write and direct a remake of "The Beguiled," a 1971 drama that starred Clint Eastwood.

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TELEVISION - From Mashable:  Leonardo DiCaprio texted Jennifer Lopez during the latest "Carpool Karaoke," with James Corden.

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SPORTS - From WashPost:  The Los Angeles Lakers are in the midst of a secret video scandal that is connected to Iggy Azalea.

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COMICS - From CinemaBlend:  Fans start petition to remove Zack Snyder from the Warner Bros. DC Comics films - a waste of time for sure.

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MUSIC - From TMZ:  Elton John sued for sexual harrassment, and it sound ridiculous.

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OBITS - From Variety:  The actress Patty Duke has died at the age of 69; Tuesday, March 29, 2016.  Duke won a supporting actress Oscar for playing "Helen Keller" in "The Miracle Worker."   She also starred in the 1960s sitcom, "The Patty Duke Show."

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MOVIES - From IndieWire:  Woody Allen's new film, "Cafe Society" to open the 69th Cannes Film Festival.

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COMICS - From ScreenDaily: Disney to screen "Captain America: Civil War" on April 13 at Cinemacon in Las Vegas.

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OBITS - From TVLine:  The actor James Noble has died at the age of 94, Monday, March 28, 2016.  Noble was best known for playing the role of "Governor Eugene Gatling" on the ABC television series, "Benson" (1979 to 1986).

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POLITICS - From RSN:  Obama failed on his clemency promises.

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BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  With the actual numbers in for the 3/25 to 3/27/2016 box office weekend, "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" wins with a haul of $166.1 million.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Viacome is "re-imagining" MTV.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Jason Blum of "Paranormal Activity" and "The Purge" talks the future of horror films.

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TELEVISION - From TVLine:  Norman Reedus teases about "The Walking Dead" Season 6 finale.

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TELEVISION - From SlashFilm:  "Thunderbirds Are Go" goes to WonderCon.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  Early estimates place "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" as the winner of the Easter 2016 weekend box office.

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COMICS - From SlashFilm:  James Wan, director of "The Conjuring" films, talks about directing Warner's "Aquaman" film.

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COMICS - From CBR:  DC Entertainment reveals creator line-ups for its "Rebirth" relaunch.

COMICS - From CBR:  DC Entertainment launches talent development workshops for new writers and artists.

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COMICS - From CinemaBlend:  Tyrese Gibson believes that he has made headway with Warner Bros. in convincing them that he is there new Green Lantern.

Amazon Studios to Release Upcoming Woody Allen Movie

Woody Allen’s Upcoming Untitled Film Acquired by Amazon Studios

The romantic comedy, starring Jeannie Berlin, Steve Carell, Jesse Eisenberg, Blake Lively, Parker Posey, Kristen Stewart, Corey Stoll and Ken Stott, will be released theatrically this summer

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ:AMZN) -- Woody Allen’s latest as yet untitled feature film has been acquired for all North American rights, including theatrical and streaming, by Amazon Studios. The film, shot last summer on location in New York and Los Angeles, is a romantic comedy staged in the 1930s and stars Jeannie Berlin, Steve Carell, Jesse Eisenberg, Blake Lively, Parker Posey, Kristen Stewart, Corey Stoll, and Ken Stott.

    “We’re so proud to be in business with him for both his next film and his first ever TV series.”

Amazon will open the film this summer with a traditional, nationwide theatrical release. Following its theatrical run, it will become available exclusively to Prime members through Prime Video.

“Like all beginning relationships, there is much hope, mutual affection, and genuine goodwill -- the lawsuits come later,” said Allen.

“Woody Allen is a brilliant filmmaker,” said Roy Price, Head of Amazon Studios. “We’re so proud to be in business with him for both his next film and his first ever TV series.”

Allen is also writing and directing an untitled six-episode television series for Amazon starring himself, Elaine May, and Miley Cyrus. It is executive produced by Erika Aronson, produced by Helen Robin, and begins shooting next month.

Producers of the new film include Allen’s longtime collaborator, Letty Aronson, as well as Steve Tenenbaum and Edward Walson. Executive producers are Ronald L. Chez, Adam B. Stern, and Marc I. Stern. The deal was negotiated by John Burnham and Jessica Lacy of ICM Partners and Erika Aronson of Taborlake on behalf of the filmmakers.


About Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios launched in 2010 as a new way to develop feature films and episodic series—one that’s open to great ideas from creators and audiences around the world. Anyone can upload a script online for Amazon Studios to review, and those who choose to make their projects public can also receive feedback from the Amazon Studios community.

Amazon Studios is known for bringing Prime members the multi-Golden Globe-winning and Emmy-winning series Transparent and the multi-Golden Globe winning series Mozart in the Jungle, along with original hits like The Man in the High Castle, Red Oaks, Hand of God, Bosch and Catastrophe. Prime members also have access to a collection of Amazon Original Series for kids such as Annedroids, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, Wishenpoof, and the Annecy, multi-Annie and multi-Emmy Award-winning Tumble Leaf. Coming soon will be the second seasons of Bosch and the romantic comedy Catastrophe, along with the debut season of the docu-series, The New Yorker Presents.

First announced in January 2015, Amazon Original Movies is an initiative by Amazon Studios to produce and acquire original movies for theatrical release and early window distribution exclusively for Prime members. Like Amazon Original Series, Amazon Original Movies focuses on unique stories, voices, and characters from top and up-and-coming creators. In 2015 Amazon Studios released its first film, Chi-Raq from critically acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee. Chi-Raq is a modern day adaptation of the ancient Greek play “Lysistrata” by Aristophanes starring Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Jennifer Hudson, Teyonah Parris, D.B. Sweeney, Harry Lennix, Steve Harris, Angela Bassett with John Cusack and Samuel L. Jackson. Chi-Raq is now available for Prime members to stream exclusively. Next up, Amazon Studios will release director Benjamin Dickinson’s Creative Control in theaters on March 11, 2016.

Amazon Prime members have unlimited access to tens of thousands of movies and TV episodes, including Amazon Original Series and Movies at no additional cost to their membership. Prime members can instantly access the entire selection of titles available through the Amazon Video app on TVs, streaming media players, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire tablets, or online at Amazon.com/amazonvideo. For a list of all Amazon Video compatible devices visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.

About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company 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.

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 24th to 31st, 2016 - Update #47

Support Leroy on Patreon.

MOVIES - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 1/29 to 1/31/2016 weekend box office is "Kung Fu Panda 3" with an estimated take of $41 million.

---------------
From Variety:  The actor, Frank Finlay, died Saturday, January 30, 2016 at the age of 89.  He earned a best supporting actor Oscar nomination for his role in "Othello" (1965).  Many may remember him as 'Porthos' in the 1973 version of "The Three Musketeers," with Oliver Reed, Michael York, and Richard Chamberlain.

---------------
MOVIES - From Complex:  Manohla Dargis coins the term, "DuVernay Test" in honor of Ava DuVerany.

--------------
MOVIES - From TOH:  ACE Awards for film and TV editors winners announced.

---------------
SPORTS - From YahooSports:  I'm not a robot, Serena Williams says.

---------------
SPORTS -  From YahooSports:  There are five high school players named after Kobe Bryant who are hot college basketball prospects.

---------------
STAR WARS - From YahooMovies:  Details about Forest Whitaker's character in "Star Wars: Rogue One."

---------------
NEWS - From RSN:  A scary article about the Zika virus.

----------------
TELEVISION - From EOnline:  "X-Files" creator, Chris Carter, talks about the future of the show.

---------------
TELEVISION:  From TheWrap:  Jade Pinkett-Smith returning to FOX's "Gotham" for multiple episodes as "Fish Mooney."

---------------
TELEVISION - From TheWrap: "Gilmore Girls" revival is at Netflix, but I'm not interested.

---------------
NEWS -  From BuzzFlash:  Erin Brockovich says that the Flint, Michigan water crisis is just the tip of the iceberg, in terms of other areas facing lead poisoning.

---------------
CRIME - From Truthout:  Supreme Court, Montgomery v. Louisiana, may allow juveniles sentenced to life without parole a chance to be retroactively re-sentenced.

---------------
MUSIC - From YahooMusic:  See the Coldplay-Beyonce video, "Hymn for the Weekend."

----------------
COMICS - From WashPost:  What Star Wars and Marvel can learn from British cult comic, Judge Dredd.

---------------
CRIME - From YahooNews:  The Unabomber, Ted Kaczynski, is not living a lonely life in prison.

---------------
HISTORY - From MintPressNews:  Famous whistler blower, Daniel Ellsberg (The Pentagon Papers) says top military brass knew in advance that Vietnam War would fail.

---------------
POLITICS - From RollingStone:  The mag says that Donald Trump skilled the 1/28/2016 GOP debate because he hates women.

---------------
TRAILERS - From DreamWorks:  A new trailer for the CG-animated, Trolls.

----------------
OSCARS - From Vulture:  I'm surprised by this.  I thought because it was controversially left off the best picture Oscar list, at least one of the producers of the film would be invited to the Oscars ceremony.  No, only the four nominated writers have been attended.

---------------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Tom Cruise and Jerry Bruckheimer talk "Top Gun" sequel.

---------------
OSCARS - From RSN:  Spike Lee's Facebook post on his decision to boycott the 2016 Oscars.

---------------
HISTORY - From CounterPunch:  Mumia Abu-Jamal on Huey P. Newton.

---------------
POLITICS - From DemocracyNow:  The father of David and Charles Koch, Fred Kock, collaborated with the Nazis.

----------------
OSCARS - From teleSUR:  Hollywood stars - Steven Soderbergh, Mark Ruffalo, Dustin Hoffman, Viola Davis and others - say Oscars and all of America is rife with racism.

---------------
HISTORY - From Gawker:  Woody Guthrie hated his landlord, Donald Trump's father, Fred Trump.

---------------
POLITICS - From TheHill:  Hacktivist group, Anonymous, wants Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder in jail over Flint, Michigan water crisis.

---------------
COMICS - From DenofGeek: DC Comics teases something called "Rebirth."

---------------
TELEVISION - From BleedingCool:  Corey Hawkins of Straight Outta Compton will take the lead in FOX's revival of the TV series, "24," which is being called "24: Legacy."

---------------
GRAMMYS - From YahooMusic:  Will Smith once boycotted the Grammys.

---------------
OBIT - From YahooTV:  The actor, Abe Vigoda, died today (January 26, 2016).  He was 94.  Vigoda is best remembered for his role as "Detective Fish" on the television series, "Barney Miller."  He also had a pivotal role in "The Godfather," as the mobster, Sal Tessio.

---------------
POLITICS - From YahooNews:  How Bernie Sanders will get anything done.

---------------
POLITICS - From YahooPolitics:  Ben and Jerry of Ben & Jerry have created a limited edition Bernie Sanders ice cream, "Bernie's Yearning."

---------------
NEWS - From Reuters:  McDonald's sales soar, thanks in large part to all-day breakfast menu.

---------------
MOVIES - From Variety:  DreamWorks live-action adaptation of the manga, "Ghost in the Shell" (starring Scarlett Johansson) has moved from Disney to Paramount.

---------------
MOVIES/TV - From Vulture:  Directors Guild president, Paris Barclay (an African American), says that more than just the Academy's changes are need to address diversity in Hollywood.

TELEVISION - From IndieWire:  Woody Allen is reportedly going to star in his Amazon series... with Miley Cyrus.

---------------
MUSIC - From BET:  Kanye West reveals track listing for his upcoming solo LP, "SWISH."

---------------
MOVIES - From BET:  Nick Cannon, who had a song that was eligible for the Oscars, has written an #OscarsSoWhite poem.

---------------
SPORTS - From YahooSports:  5 early Super Bowl storylines.

---------------
WEBCOMICS - From ComicBookBin:  New Constant Chp. 2 Pg. 2

From ComicBookBin:  New episode of Johnny Bullet - #58 - in English
From ComicBookBin:  New episode in French

---------------
MOVIES - From Vulture:  Daniel Radcliffe explains his erection in "Swiss Army Man."

---------------
TELEVISION - From Vulture:  Here is a recap from "The X-Files" Episode 1 of the six-issue miniseries.

---------------
POLITICS - From TheAtlantic:  Now, that ugly puppy dog is no longer governor, Louisiana embraces Obamacare, thanks to new Gov. John Bel Edwards.

---------------
AWARDS - From Vulture:  "I completely deserve this!" Shonda Rhimes says during her acceptance speech at the 2016 Producers Guild Awards.

---------------
OSCARS - From Vulture:  Another white actor has to backtrack on diversity in Oscars/Hollywood comments.  This time it is the fine Julie Delpy.  And... she's not entirely wrong.

---------------
MOVIES - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 2/22 to 2/24/2016 box office weekend is Oscar-favorite, "The Revenant" with an estimated take of $16 million.

---------------
From YahooGames:  See the new "Batman vs. Superman" spot that aired during the NFC Championships Game.

---------------
COMICS - From Patreon:   My review of "Obi-Wan and Anakin #1."

---------------
COMICS - From ComicBookBin:  My review of "Kimi Ni Todoke Vol. 23."

---------------
POLITICS - From RT:  Trump says he could shoot someone and still not lose his loyal supporters.

--------------
RACE - From RSN:  “The laws are recast and enforced in order to suppress any type of minority movement.”

---------------
OSCARS - From Variety:  Chris Rock will remain as host, and will address #OscarsSoWhite during his monologue.  He and his writing staff are rewriting their work for the show.

---------------
TELEVISION - From Variety:  Gillian Anderson was offered half the salary of what David Duchovny recieved to return to X-Files.  Apparently, the show often treated her like a sidekick.

---------------
OSCARS -
Deadline: Academy unveils major rules changes to diversify Oscars.

Deadline:  Historic changes met with praise and outrage.

TheGuardian:  Current Oscar-nominee Charlotte Rampling finds #OscarsSoWhite so racist to white people.

From Deadline:  Then, Ms. Rampling has to check herself.

From Deadline:  On diversity - Oscars at the end of the food chain says Oscar winner and favorite, Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu.

From Deadline:  Danny DeVito - We're all racists.

From Deadline:  Oscar-winning director, Jonathan Demme, suggests re-calibrating this year's Oscar nominations.

COMICS - From TheWrap:  "Thor: Ragnarok" director, Taiki Waititi, talks about about making the film funnier.

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

From Zoolander 2 - new video content:

Blue Steel Selfie Studio here and here.

Meet Don Atari from House of Atoz here.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites for August 23rd to August 31st, 2015 - Update #16

Support Leroy on Patreon.

NEWS:

From THR:  Famed film writer/director, Wes Craven, has died of brain cancer, Sunday, August 30, 2015.

---------------
From BoxOfficeMojo:  "Straight Outta Compton" is the #1 movie at the box office for the 8/28 to 8/30/15 weekend.  This is the film's third consecutive week at #1.

---------------
From DigitalSpy:  Tid bits on "Jurassic World" sequel.

---------------
From CinemaBlend:  Woody Allen replaces Bruce Willis with Steve Carell.

---------------
From Deadline:  Lee Daniels' Richard Pryor biopic is apparently a go with a list of hot stars.

---------------
From YahooMovies:  Six actors who sabotaged their own careers.

---------------
From Variety:  Amazon preps TV series based on "Galaxy Quest."

---------------
From InformedComment and IReadsYou:  Natalie Portman on genocide.

---------------
From SlashFilm:  Vin Diesel confirms xXx sequel to start filming in December.

---------------
From BoxOfficeMojo:  "Straight Outta Compton" wins the 8/21 to 8/23/15 weekend box office with an estimated take of $26.8 million dollars.

---------------
From Variety:  Universal and Disney dominate Summer 2015 box office, leaving not much for the other studios.


COMICS - Films and Books:

From CinemaBlend:  Guardians of the Galaxy spinoffs.

---------------
From Variety:  In an exclusive story, Variety is reporting that Marvel is courting Mads Mikkelsen to play a villain in Doctor Strange.

---------------
From SlashFilm:  The "Blade" film franchise may be revived, but focus on Blade's daughter, Fallon Grey.  Grey is supposed to be the lead in an upcoming Blade comic book revival from Marvel Comics.


REVIEWS:

From VillageVoice:  A review of "Z for Zachariah" by Stephanie Zacharek.


OBITS:

From ESPN:  Former NBA basketball player, Darryl Dawkins, died Thursday, August 27, 2015.  Known as "Chocolate Thunder," Dawkins is remembered for his backboard-shattering dunks and also for the naming of the dunks.  I thought that he was so cool and that he remained cool in retirement.  Negromancer sends condolences to his family.  R.I.P. Mr. Dawkins.

Review: "Magic in the Moonlight" Does Not Cast Much of a Spell

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 23 (of 2015) by Leroy Douresseaux (support on Patreon)

Magic in the Moonlight (2014)
Running time:  97 minutes (1 hour, 37 minutes)
MPAA –  PG-13 for a brief suggestive comment, and smoking throughout
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Woody Allen
PRODUCERS:  Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, and Edward Walson
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Darius Khondji
EDITOR:  Alisa Lepselter

COMEDY/ROMANCE

Starring:  Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Simon McBurney, Eileen Atkins, Hamish Linklater, Marcia Gay Harden, Jacki Weaver, Jeremy Shamos, Erica Leerhsen, and Catherine McCormack

Magic in the Moonlight is a 2014 period romance and comedy from writer-director, Woody Allen.  The film focuses on an Englishman who travels to the south of France, where he becomes smitten with the young woman that he plans to reveal as a fraud.

Magic in the Moonlight opens in Berlin, 1928, where we meet the world famous illusionist, Wei Ling Soo (Colin Firth).  Soo is actually the Englishman, Stanley Crawford (Colin Firth), in disguise.  After a performance, Stanley receives a visit from his old friend, Howard Burkan (Simon McBurney), a fellow illusionist.  Burkan wants Stanley to accompany him to Côte d'Azur where Stanley can make use of the other talent that has made him famous.  Stanley can see past and also reveal the tricks of those who claim to have magical or supernatural powers.

In Côte d'Azur, a rich American family, the Catledges, are being taken in by a clairvoyant and mystic named Sophie Baker (Emma Stone).  In fact, the son of the family, Brice Catledge (Hamish Linklater), is so in love with Sophie that he wants to marry her.  Howard wants Stanley to debunk Sophie as a charlatan mystic.  Although he initially thinks that it will be easy to reveal Sophie as a fraud, Stanley soon finds himself smitten with her.

Magic in the Moonlight is not one of the better Woody Allen films.  It falls in the class of mediocre, hapless Allen films that have been prevalent since the turn of the century.  The casting is not particularly special, and the characters are mostly uninspired.  Emma Stone seems out of place as Sophie Baker, but there is not enough of Marcia Gay Harden as Sophie's mother, Mrs. Baker.

Magic in the Moonlight is not well-written, which is disappointing considering that Allen has won three Oscars for his screenwriting.  Allen's directing is mostly... well... uninspired.  However, the film does spring to life in its last half-hour, and it suddenly seems like a different film.  Why?  I think that Magic in the Moonlight lacks a true antagonistic relationship, although the film is ostensibly about one, being that Stanley Crawford is trying to prove that Sophie is a fraud.  Perhaps, Allen makes them fall in love with each other too soon.  Once betrayal is introduced into the narrative, the film has a real conflict and that brings it to life – too late, of course.

I will recommend Magic in the Moonlight to die hard Woody Allen fans who simply have to see each and every one of his films (like me).  Beyond that, there is no amount of magic in the moonlight that will make this movie of interest to people who are not fans of Allen.

5 of 10
C+

Thursday, May 28, 2015


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Woody Allen to Create Television Series for Amazon Prime Instant Video

Amazon Studios Signs Woody Allen to Create His First Television Series Ever

Amazon orders a full season of Untitled Woody Allen Project, which will premiere exclusively on Prime Instant Video

Episodes will be written and directed by Allen

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN)—Amazon Studios today announced it has signed the critically-acclaimed director Woody Allen to write and direct his first television series ever. Untitled Woody Allen Project, a half-hour series, has received a full season order and episodes will be written and directed by Allen. Customers will be able to see the series exclusively on Prime Instant Video in the US, UK and Germany. Additional details, including casting information, will be made available in the future.

    “I don’t know how I got into this. I have no ideas and I’m not sure where to begin. My guess is that Roy Price will regret this.”

“Woody Allen is a visionary creator who has made some of the greatest films of all-time, and it’s an honor to be working with him on his first television series,” said Roy Price, Vice President of Amazon Studios. “From Annie Hall to Blue Jasmine, Woody has been at the creative forefront of American cinema and we couldn’t be more excited to premiere his first TV series exclusively on Prime Instant Video next year.”

Woody Allen added, “I don’t know how I got into this. I have no ideas and I’m not sure where to begin. My guess is that Roy Price will regret this.”

Allen is represented by ICM Partners.

About Amazon Studios
Amazon Studios most recently debuted its dramatic comedy Mozart in the Jungle from Roman Coppola, Jason Schwartzman, Paul Weitz, John Strauss and Alex Timbers, as well as Jill Soloway’s multi-Golden Globe Award-winning dark comedy Transparent; its first live-action series for kids 6-11, Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street; and a second season of the Garry Trudeau political comedy Alpha House. The studio has also launched three additional children’s series, the Annecy International Animated Film Festival Award-winning and Annie Award-nominated Tumble Leaf from Bix Pix Entertainment; Creative Galaxy from Angela Santomero and Out of the Blue Enterprises, the creators of Blue’s Clues; and Annedroids, from Emmy nominated Sinking Ship Entertainment.

Amazon Studios has also announced five additional, original series to debut in 2015 including Michael Connelly’s Bosch; Hand of God from Marc Forster and Ben Watkins; Red Oaks from Steven Soderbergh, David Gordon Green, Greg Jacobs and Joe Gangemi; and kids series Wishenpoof! from Angela Santomero and Out of the Blue Enterprises; as well as a second season of Transparent.

Amazon Studios launched in 2010 as a new way to develop feature films and episodic series—one that’s open to great ideas from creators and audiences around the world. Anyone can upload a script online and Amazon Studios will read and review all submissions. Those who choose to make their projects public can also receive feedback from the Amazon Studios community.

Comprehensive cast and crew information, including bios and filmographies, is available on Amazon's IMDb (www.imdb.com), the world’s most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content.

About Amazon
Amazon.com opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995. The company 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 phone, Fire tablets, and Fire TV are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon.

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites for July 27 to August 2, 2014 - Update #14

NEWS:

From RadarOnline:  Friends are supposedly warning Charlize Theron against marrying fellow actor, Sean Penn.

------------------
From BusinessInsider:  Woody Allen won't cast black actors in his movies?  The famed actor responds.

-------------------
From UPI:  Emma Stone joins Joaquin Phoenix for Woody Allen's next film, an untitled murder mystery set on a college campus.

--------------------
From TheVillageVoice:  A review of the James Brown biopic, Get on Up.

----------------------
From CinemaBlend:  Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight" gets a teaser poster; plus, more info on the film.

----------------------
From Yahoo:  7 new Avengers photos from the "Age of Ultron."

-----------------------
From Deadline:  Quentin Tarantino is moving ahead with his planned Western film, "The Hateful Eight."

------------------------
From YahooGMA:  Freddie Prinze, Jr. on working with Kiefer Sutherland.  The former thinks the latter is unprofessional.

-------------------------
From THR:  Lucy, starring Scarlett Johannson, leads the July 25th to 27th, 2014 weekend box office.


COMIC BOOKS - Movies, TV, and Comics:

From BusinessInsider:  Tom Hiddleston's email to Joss Whedon about Whedon's script for Marvel's The Avengers.

-----------------------
From TheVillageVoice:  A "slight praise" review of Guardians of the Galaxy.

-----------------------
From YahooFinance:  Guardians of the Galaxy's end-credits scene leaked; it apparently features Howard the Duck and The Collector (Benecio del Toro).

-----------------------
From CinemaBlend:  Stereotyping almost derailed "Guardians of the Galaxy."

------------------------
From CinemaBlend:  Wesley Snipes wants "Blade 4."

LEROY SAYS: Although the original films were produced by New Line Cinema, the rights have reverted to Marvel.  I don't know if Blade is even on Marvel's radar.  I think if they relaunch that they will go with a new actor playing the character.  I want Snipes, of course, but I just have this feeling that Marvel will go in a different direction.

------------------------
From CinemaBlend:  Purported photos from set of "Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice."

-------------------------
From Stack:  "Avengers 2's" Quicksilver will be different from X-Men: Days of Future Past's Quicksilver.

-------------------------
From THR:  Here are the details about Marvel Comics' new Star Wars comic books, as the company takes over the license.  Dark Horse Comics previously held the license for about 23 years or so.


TRAILERS:

Official trailer for new Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb.

--------
Official trailer for new SpongeBob SquarePants movie.

---------
New trailer for Chris Nolan's Interstellar.

---------
New trailer for The Maze Runner.


OBITS:

From Variety:  Make-up maestro, Dick Smith, has died at the age of 92.  He won an Oscar (with Paul LeBlanc) for his work on Best Picture winner, Amadeus (1984).  His other work includes The Godfather, The Exorcist, Scanners, and Death Becomes Her.  If you wonder why Smith only won one Oscar, the Academy Award for Makeup was not created until 1981.  Rick Baker, who has won an Oscar seven of the 11 times he has been nominated, was a protege of Smith's.  Negromancer sends condolences to Smith's family and friends.


MISC.

From Politico:  Nick Hanauer says the pitchforks are coming.  Remember, he had an insane economic plan?

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

Review: "Blue Jasmine" Filled with Superb Performances

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 35 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

Blue Jasmine (2013)
Running time:  98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for mature thematic material, language and sexual content
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Woody Allen
PRODUCERS:  Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, and Edward Walson
CINEMATOGRAPHERS:  Javier Aguirresarobe
EDITOR:  Alisa Lepselter
Academy Award winner

DRAMA

Starring:  Cate Blanchett, Sally Hawkins, Alec Baldwin, Andrew Dice Clay, Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K., Peter Sarsgaard, Daniel Jenks, Max Rutherford, Max Casella, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Alden Ehren

Blue Jasmine is a 2013 drama written and directed by Woody Allen.  The film follows a rich Manhattan socialite, fallen on hard times, who moves to San Francisco to live with her sister, with her troubles in tow.

Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) was a New York socialite, married to hugely successful real estate developer, Hal Francis (Alec Baldwin).  Jasmine, whose real name is Jeanette, leads a life of luxury and leisure, but Hal’s business is based on fraud.  After Hal is sent to prison, she loses everything (home, money, status, etc.).  Jasmine travels to San Francisco where she will move in with her sister, Ginger (Sally Hawkins), a single mother of two boys, Matthew (Daniel) and Johnny (Max).

Jasmine’s arrival is an imposition, as Ginger had planned to allow her fiancé, Chili (Bobby Cannavale), to move in with her.  Hal’s fraudulent dealings also cost Ginger and her ex-husband, Augie (Andrew Dice Clay), a lot of money and financially ruined them.  Deeply troubled and in denial about the past, Jasmine looks fabulous, but her looks hide the fact that she isn’t bringing anything good to her new home.

Blue Jasmine is not only one of Woody Allen’s best screenplays of the last decade, but it also features some of his best characters ever.  In a way, their motivations and emotions are so obvious that they could be described as wearing their hearts on their sleeves.  On the other side of that, each character is also inscrutable, because what goes on inside their heads (thinking and thought processes) is largely a mystery.

Jeanette “Jasmine” Francis is the most inscrutable of all, and as Jasmine, Cate Blanchett gives what may be the best performance of her career.  That says a lot in a career full of incredible performances.  Jasmine is that rare instance when an actor brings to life a fully realized character that seems to devour everything that the actor is.  Blanchett also makes sure that there are no easy answers to Jasmine, who denies the past, but is inexorably trapped in it.

Sally Hawkins as Ginger manages to keep up with Blanchett, and in every scene that Ginger shares with Jasmine, Hawkins makes her character just as compelling.  Prepare to be surprised by the multi-dimensional performance by Andrew Dice Clay as Ginger’s ex-husband, Augie.  I was a huge fan of Clay when he was a blazing, red-hot, stand-up comic in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but his heartbreaking turn as the deeply wounded Augie is still a surprise to me.

I have read that some critics see Blue Jasmine as Woody Allen’s take on Tennessee William’s legendary play, A Streetcar Named Desire, as they share similar elements.  If this is true, Allen made Blue Jasmine worthy of being compared to the masterwork that is William’s play.  Even movie audiences who are not usually fans of Allen’s films should see the exceptional Blue Jasmine.

8 of 10
A

Friday, July 18, 2014

NOTES:
2014 Academy Awards, USA:  1 win: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role” (Cate Blanchett); 2 nominations: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role” (Sally Hawkins) and “Best Writing, Original Screenplay” (Woody Allen)

2014 Golden Globes, USA:  1 win: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Cate Blanchett); 1 nomination: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Sally Hawkins)

2014 BAFTA Awards:  1 win: “Best Leading Actress” (Cate Blanchett); 2 nominations: “Best Original Screenplay” (Woody Allen) and “Best Supporting Actress” (Sally Hawkins)

The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: European Actors Shine in Woody Allen's "To Rome with Love"

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 34 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

To Rome with Love (2012)
Running time:  112 minutes (1 hour, 52 minutes)
MPAA – R for some sexual references
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Woody Allen
PRODUCERS:  Letty Aronson, Stephen Tenenbaum, Faruk Alatan, and Giampaolo Letta
CINEMATOGRAPHERS:  Darius Khondji
EDITOR:  Alisa Lepselter

ROMANCE/COMEDY with elements of fantasy

Starring:  Woody Allen, Judy Davis, Flavio Parenti, Alison Pill, Fabio Armiliato, Alessandro Tiberi, Alessandra Mastronardi, Penelope Cruz, Antonio Albanese, Jesse Eisenberg, Greta Gerwig, Ellen Page, Alec Baldwin, and Roberto Benigni

To Rome with Love is a 2012 romantic comedy written and directed by Woody Allen.  Like other Allen films, To Rome with Love has magical realist elements.  To Rome with Love follows a small group of visitors and residents of Rome and focuses on their romances and adventures and the predicaments into which they get themselves.

To Rome with Love tells four unrelated stories.  Hayley (Alison Pill), an American tourist, falls in love with Italian pro bono lawyer and Rome resident, Michelangelo (Flavio Parenti), and they become engaged.  Hayley’s parents, Jerry and Phyllis (Woody Allen and Judy Davis), arrive in Rome to meet Michelangelo and his parents.  Jerry, a retired opera director, discovers that Michelangelo’s father, Giancarlo (Fabio Armiliato), has a wonderful operatic voice, so Jerry decides to make Giancarlo an opera star in spite of everyone’s protests against that.

Newlyweds Antonio (Alessandro Tiberi) and Milly (Alessandra Mastronardi) arrive in Rome from their rustic hometown.  They are supposed to meet Antonio’s well-connected and posh uncles who have lined up a fantastic job interview for him.  However, Antonio and Milly get separated.  Antonio is accidentally forced into an encounter with a gorgeous prostitute named Anna (Penelope Cruz).  Milly meets her favorite actor, Luchino “Luca” Salta (Antonio Albanese), who immediately begins to plot to have sex with the young wife.

John Foy (Alec Baldwin) is visiting Rome and meets Jack (Jesse Eisenberg), a young architecture student.  Jack lives with his girlfriend, Sally (Greta Gerwig).  Sally’s friend, Monica (Ellen Page), a pretentious young actress, arrives in Rome to visit them.  John warns Jack about falling in love with Monica…  Finally, ordinary business man, Leopold Pisanello (Roberto Benigni), suddenly gains an extraordinary life.

To Rome with Love is a romantic, comic, and romantic comedy romp through Rome.  It is not by any means a great film, but this movie does have a kind a charm that I cannot explain.  The American actors are mostly stiff, but Allen does not give them particularly flexible characters.  There is, however, this one great moment when Alec Baldwin’s John gives Ellen Page’s Monica a fantastic death stare.  There is something potent, electric, and maybe even dangerous in this one stare that I wish the rest of the John-Jack-Sally-Monica storyline had.

On the opposite side, the European actors sparkle.  Allen gives them the best characters and also better subplots than he gives the Americans.  The Europeans get inside the shallow characters Allen gives them and make them less shallow and more attractive. One example of this is Antonio Albanese.  Bald at the top of his head and somewhat pudgy, Albanese makes Luca Salta an alluring, sexy man, which in turn makes the idea of Salta as a movie star convincing.

Penelope Cruz, who won a supporting actress Oscar for her performance in an earlier Woody Allen film (Vicky Cristina Barcelona), gives To Rome with Love’s best performance.  She deserved another supporting actor Oscar nomination (at least) for her work here.  When her Anna is onscreen, this film seems to sparkle with new energy because that is what Cruz does – enliven things.  She is an excellent actress and is also quite the spitfire.

I will recommend To Rome with Love to fans of both Woody Allen and Penelope Cruz.  It is not great, but it is worth seeing.

6 of 10
B

Tuesday, July 08, 2014


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