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Festivals

The Film Independent Screenwriting Lab is 25 years old. Can you believe it? It’s officially old enough to rent a car! And sure, hardshell clams and giant tortoises can live for centuries, but you don’t reach the quarter-century mark as a Hollywood talent incubator without substance, value and tangible success.

But more than that, this year’s cohort of freshly announced Screenwriting Lab Fellows are special. Why? Because! We’re in the midst of celebrating #AD30, aka the 30th anniversary of Film Independent’s Artist Development programs. And like its elder sibling Project Involve (which got the whole ball of wax rolling in ‘93), the Screenwriting Lab has been an essential industry resource, whether your looking to develop your own skills or tap new talent.

“We’re thrilled to support this exceptional group of filmmakers, who bring compassion, authenticity and curiosity to their work exploring unique communities and characters,” says Dea Vazquez, Associate Director of Fiction Programs. “We’re so fortunate to be able to give filmmakers the space to focus on not just their current projects but their overall careers.”

Past Screenwriting Lab projects include Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao’s feature debut Songs My Brothers Taught Me; Andrew Ahn’s Spirit Award-winning debut Spa Night; 37 Seconds by HIKARI, which won the Panorama Audience Award and CICAE Art Cinema Jury Prize at the 2019 Berlinale Film Festival; Ani Simon Kennedy’s A Short History of the Long Road, which premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival and received a Special Jury Mention for Best Screenplay; and Kate Marks’ The Cow of Queens, which was a 2020 recipient of the prestigious Nichols Fellowship.

Over the course of the program, Fellows will workshop their projects under the guidance of creative advisors Andrew Ahn, Javier Fuentes-León, Jeff Stockwell and Robin Swicord. Additional guest speakers and advisors include Ruth Atkinson, Angela Cheng Caplan, KD Dávila, Greta Fuentes, Jordan Hart, Eliza Hittman, Ana Leocha, Ilyse McKimmie, Lauren Mann, Kiva Reardon, Pamela Ribon and Ellen Shanman.

Karina Dandashi will also be the recipient of a $10,000 grant from the MPAC Hollywood Beureau for her Out of Water script. Congrats, Karina! Now, let’s get to know our 2023 screenwriters up close and personal…

This year’s Screenwriting Lab projects include:

  • Title: Gem & Shaz
  • Writer/Director: Chloé Hung
  • Logline: In this coming-of-age story, two Asian-Canadian best friends struggle with their strict households to find their independence as one begins an unlikely romance and the other discovers a new artistic passion. As their paths diverge, their friendship will be put to the test.
  • Title: Kiki Goes Baby Crazy!
  • Writer/Director: Nat Moonhill
  • Writer/Director: Veronica Moonhill
  • Logline: In this absurdist romcom, a queer woman’s uterus becomes sentient and starts hounding her to get pregnant against the wishes of her trans partner.
  • Title: Out of Water
  • Writer/Director: Karina Dandashi
  • Logline: A young woman raised by a Syrian Muslim immigrant father and an American mother navigates the dual nature of her upbringing in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
  • Title: The Girl of Shining Snow
  • Writer: Bri Brooks
  • Writer/Director: Thais Drassinower
  • Logline: When her disillusioned father refuses to participate in the annual religious pilgrimage of their people, and indigenous eight-year-old girl embarks on the perilous journey alone to retrieve the sacred ice from a remote mountain glacier—the last remaining hope for her dying mother.
  • Title: Uncle Hiep’s Casino
  • Writer/Director: Richard Van
  • Logline: Somewhere between his mother’s house and his uncle’s illegal casino, a prisoner finds a new life.
  • Title: Union County
  • Writer/Director: Adam Meeks
  • Logline: Mandated to a drug court recovery program, a young man in rural Ohio tests the boundaries his sobriety.

 

Chloé Hung

Chloé Hung is a Chinese-Canadian playwright, TV writer and screenwriter. In TV, she has written on Queen Sugar (OWN Network), Cherish the Day (OWN Network), The Watchful Eye (Freeform), and has developed for Netflix. In film, Chloé has been a Blacklist screenwriters lab fellow and Women In Film Production program fellow as writer/director of the short film Signal. Her latest short film, Gem & Shaz was produced in association with the Harold Greenberg Fund and Bell Media, and will premiere on the Canadian streaming service Crave. Chloé’s plays include All Our Yesterdays (Toronto Fringe Festival, Next Stage Theatre Festival), Issei, He Say (New Jersey Repertory Company World Premiere, The Kennedy Center/NNPN MFA workshop), Three Women of Swatow (Tarragon Theatre World Premiere, RBC Emerging Playwrights Award, CBC’s PlayMe Podcast), Model Minority (AyeDefy Reading Series, Banff Playwrights Lab, Moving Arts MADlab), Alien of Extraordinary Ability (Geffen Theatre’s Writers Room). Her plays have been workshopped in Toronto, New York, Washington DC, Banff, Philadelphia, and Los Angeles.

 

Nat Moonhill

Nat Moonhill (they/them) is an award-winning screenwriter and director based in LA. From 2009-2016 with their collaborator Veronica Moonhill, they ran Skin Horse Theater, a New Orleans based experimental theater company which toured across the US. Their award-winning work has been presented by OUT Fest, New Orleans Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival, NoBudge, Deep Focus, Contemporary Art Center New Orleans, New Orleans Museum of Art, Fischer Center for the Performing Arts, Prospect 1, Catch, FringeArts Philly, New Orleans Fringe Festival, Mount Tremper Arts, PARSE Gallery, DUST, The Front Gallery, FORGE Festival, The Off Center and more. Nat was awarded the Grand Prize in the 2021 Creative Screenwriting competition for their original pilot, Bartleby and Clo Forever. The Moonhills are currently attached to direct Hammond Castle a fantasy film from screenwriter Naomi McDougall Jones. Coming up in December 2023, they go into production on a short film based on a Leonora Carrington story of queer defiance called The Debutante.

 

Veronica Moonhill

Veronica Moonhill is a writer, director,\ and performance artist based in LA. From 2009-2016 she and her collaborator Nat Moonhill ran Skin Horse Theater, an award-winning New Orleans based experimental theater company. They then moved to LA and began making films. Their award-winning work has been presented by OUT Fest, New Orleans Film Festival, Maryland Film Festival, No Budge, Deep Focus, Contemporary Art Center New Orleans, New Orleans Museum of Art, Fischer Center for the Performing Arts, Prospect 1, Catch, Fringe Arts Philly, New Orleans Fringe Festival, Mount Tremper Arts, Parse Gallery, DUST, The Front Gallery, Forge Festival, The Off Center and more. They are currently attached to direct Hammond Castle a feminist fantasy film from screenwriter Naomi McDougall Jones. Recently, Veronica was associate producer on Sony Pictures’ Where the Crawdads Sing and the Apple+ series The Last Thing He Told Me.

 

Karina Dandashi

Karina Dandashi is a Syrian American Muslim filmmaker born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA. Her films explore nuances in identity through the intersection of family, religion and culture in Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) and Muslim communities in America. Her work has been featured in numerous Oscar-Qualifying festivals around the U.S. and her latest short Cousins was recently acquired by The New Yorker. Her feature debut Out of Water was accepted into the Film Independent Producers Lab in 2022. Karina was a 2020 Creative Culture Fellow at The Jacob Burns Film Center and a 2021 Sundance Ignite Fellow. She was featured in Marie Claire’s inaugural Creators Issue as one of the “Top 21 Creators to Watch” in 2022.

 

Bri Brooks

Bri Brooks is a Los Angeles-based writer/director and cinematographer. Originally hailing from Baltimore, Bri got an industry start working as a union lighting technician on local productions, such as House of Cards, Lincoln and Wonder Woman 1984. Chasing the dream of being a writer/director, Bri transplanted to the West Coast and received an MFA in production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. While there, they were selected to direct a thesis film funded by the opportunity—a prestigious opportunity given to only six students per year. That film, The Waste Land, premiered at the Camerimage Film Festival, a world-renowned for showcasing the best in cinematography. The Girl of the Shining Snow is Bri’s third spec feature.

 

Thais Drassinower

Thais Drassinower is a Peruvian filmmaker based in Los Angeles. She holds an MFA in Film Directing from Columbia University, is a Warner Bros. Discovery Tomorrow’s Filmmakers Today alumni and a BAFTA Newcomer Fellow. Her first short film, Memories of the Sea, was an official selection at various international festivals including Palm Springs Shortfest and Aspen Shortsfest. It was chosen “Best of the Fest at the New York Internationals Childrens Film Festival and was showcased on a tour across America. It had its broadcast premiere on the acclaimed KQED’s “Film School Shorts” series in May, 2019. Her second short Baby was a semifinalist for the 45th Student Academy Awards. It won the “Adrienne Shelly Foundation Award for Best Female Director” and has screened at various international film festivals. Her third short The Catch won the Peruvian Ministry of Culture National Award and was nominated for “Best Student Short” at Tribeca Film Festival.

 

Richard Van

Richard Van is a San Francisco-based filmmaker of Vietnamese descent. One of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film,” Richard works both in fiction and documentary often looking at familial interactions within different cultural contexts and dealing with issues of memory, masculinity, childhood and representation. He holds an MFA in Film Directing from the California Institute of the Arts as well as a BA in Philosophy from University of California, Berkeley. His CalArts thesis film HIẾU, a comedy-drama about a dysfunctional Vietnamese-American family, premiered at the 2019 Festival de Cannes for its Cinéfondation Selection, where it won Deuxième Prix.

 

Adam Meeks

Adam Meeks is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker and graduate of NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. His short film Union County premiered in competition at the 70th Berlinale, and continued on to screen at the Champs-Élysées Film Festival, Palm Springs International ShortFest, Maryland Film Festival and numerous others. It was also featured on Le Cinéma Club, Short of the Week, NoBudge and as a Vimeo Staff Pick. His short personal documentary Bitterroot premiered at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and is currently on the festival circuit. He is a 2019 Creative Culture Fellow at the Jacob Burns Film Center and a 2021 Yaddo Artist-in-Residence. He currently works as the Senior Video Producer at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and is in development on his first feature film—an expansion of Union County.

 

Film Independent Artist Development programs promote unique, independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work through Project Involve, Filmmaker Labs (Directing, Documentary, Episodic, Producing and Screenwriting), the Fast Track finance market and Fiscal Sponsorship, as well as through Grants and Awards that provide over one million dollars annually to visual storytellers.

Film Independent Artist Development programs promote unique independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work through Project Involve; Filmmaker Labs (Directing, Documentary, Episodic, Producing and Screenwriting); Fast Track finance market and Fiscal Sponsorship, as well as through grants and awards that provide over one million dollars annually to visual storytellers.

The Film Independent Screenwriting Lab is supported by Final Draft, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

To become a Member of Film Independent, just click here. To support us with a donation, click here.

Keep up with Film Independent…

 

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Film

Michael Fassbender, Elisabeth Moss, and Will Arnett star in the long-awaited Searchlight film out this November.

Taika Waititi is continuing his Hollywood winning streak with “Next Goal Wins.”

The long-awaited soccer-centric comedy, distributed by Searchlight Pictures, is based on the true story of a Dutch soccer coach who helps the American Samoa national team in Hawaii reach new heights.

Michael Fassbender stars as Thomas Rongen, the coach who finds himself on the other side of the world put in charge of the planet’s worst soccer team, per the official synopsis. After suffering a world record loss in a competitive international football match, a crushing 31-0 defeat to Australia, the American Samoa national team sought to uncover a hidden spark within their side by appointing a new and innovative coach with some different ideas.

Rongen’s life story was captured in a 2014 documentary of the same name, leading Waititi to co-write its adaptation alongside Iain Morris.

Elisabeth Moss stars as Coach Rongen’s ex-wife and Will Arnett plays a soccer executive. Samoan-New Zealand actor Oscar Kightley is cast as the head of American Samoa’s soccer federation. Actor Kamaina plays the trans football player Jaiyah Saelua, whose relationship with Coach Rongen is a large part of the film, as Waititi teased.

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“Years ago, I watched it and couldn’t believe I’d never heard of this story before. I’d never made a sports film before, and I really wanted to try that out,” Waititi told Entertainment Weekly. “It’s about a sport I don’t know that much about. Rugby is the national sport in New Zealand, but it’s about underdogs, and I just love underdog stories. Most of my films are about people who live on the margins, or are a little bit left out, and it just fit right in for me.”

He added, “It’s a true story, but it’s got all the elements that all the great sports films have. It’s basically the ‘Cool Runnings’ of soccer.”

Waititi also admitted to fictionalizing certain aspects of the true story for the big screen.

“The thing about turning documentaries into films is, often documentaries don’t have a villain,” Waititi said, citing the character played by Will Arnett. Armie Hammer was originally cast in the role.

“But you need some sort of outside force that’s threatening the team to give the story some stakes,” the “Thor: Love and Thunder” director added. “That’s what I’ve been conditioned to learn in Hollywood. It’s like, ‘Well, you can’t just have a story where nothing bad ever happens to anyone!’”

David Fane, Beulah Koale, Lehi Falepapalangi, Semu Filipo, Uli Latukefu, and Rachel House also star. “Next Goal Wins” is produced by writer-director Waititi, Jonathan Cavendish, Garrett Basch, Mike Brett, and Steve Jamison.

“Next Goal Wins” premieres November 17. Check out the trailer below.

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<p><strong>This Article is related to:</strong> <a href=”https://www.indiewire.com/c/film/” rel=”category tag”>Film</a> and tagged <a href=”https://www.indiewire.com/t/elisabeth-moss/” rel=”tag”>Elisabeth Moss</a>, <a href=”https://www.indiewire.com/t/michael-fassbender/” rel=”tag”>Michael Fassbender</a>, <a href=”https://www.indiewire.com/t/next-goal-wins/” rel=”tag”>Next Goal Wins</a>, <a href=”https://www.indiewire.com/t/taika-waititi/” rel=”tag”>Taika Waititi</a></p>

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Michael Fassbender, Elisabeth Moss, and Will Arnett

TV

“There’s not a place for me in the acting categories,” Hewson, who is nonbinary, said.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 22: Liv Hewson attends the World Premiere of Season Two of Showtime's "Yellowjackets" at TCL Chinese Theatre on March 22, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Liv Hewson attends the world premiere of Season 2 of Showtime’s “Yellowjackets” in Hollywood earlier this year.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

Showtime’s “Yellowjackets” has a large ensemble of actors worthy of Emmy consideration, from established stars like Melanie Lynskey and Christina Ricci to up-and-comers like Jasmin Savoy Brown and Sophie Nélisse who play their younger counterparts. But one cast member, Liv Hewson, has removed themselves from contention, due to the gendered categories of the Television Academy’s awards.

Hewson, a nonbinary Australian actor also known for their work on Netflix’s “Santa Clarita Diet,” told Variety that they made the decision not to submit themselves for consideration to the Emmy Awards. Hewson opted out of submitting because they would either be placed in the supporting actor or supporting actress in a drama categories, as all Emmy categories are split into male and female honorees.

“There’s not a place for me in the acting categories,” Hewson told Variety. “It would be inaccurate for me to submit myself as an actress. It neither makes sense for me to be lumped in with the boys. It’s quite straightforward and not that loaded. I can’t submit myself for this because there’s no space for me.”

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Showtime previously had planned to submit Hewson, who plays a cisgender female character Van in the show, in the supporting actress in a drama category. In a meeting with the network and members of the show’s production, however, Hewson shared their decision not to submit, and said that their fellow cast members and crew were “incredibly supportive” of the decision.

Gendered acting categories have become a slightly contentious issue in recent years, as the number of open nonbinary actors in Hollywood has increased. In 2020, “Billions” star Asia Kate Dillon published an open letter asking the Screen Actor Guild Awards Committee to consider abolishing the ceremony’s gender-specific categories; the organization ultimately declined. Several awards bodies, such as the Gotham Awards in 2021 and the Independent Spirit Awards in 2022, have shifted to gender-neutral acting categories in recent years, featuring an expanded field of 10 nominees.

Hewson also spoke to Variety about concerns some have that non-gendered acting categories would result in less recognition for female performers, with male actors dominating nominations. Hewson pointed to the lack of gendered categories for directors or other behind-the-scenes positions as a counterargument.

“There is an implied fatalism there, which suggests that we’ve all agreed that equality is impossible. And that’s sad,” Hewson said. “We’re not going to start awarding best female and male director, or female or male cinematographer. “Because we all understand that implicitly would be insulting. You can keep things as they are right now — I just won’t be participating.”

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<p><strong>This Article is related to:</strong> <a href=”https://www.indiewire.com/c/television/” rel=”category tag”>Television</a> and tagged <a href=”https://www.indiewire.com/t/emmys/” rel=”tag”>Emmys</a>, <a href=”https://www.indiewire.com/t/liv-hewson/” rel=”tag”>Liv Hewson</a>, <a href=”https://www.indiewire.com/t/yellowjackets/” rel=”tag”>Yellowjackets</a></p>

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“There’s not a place for me in

What to Watch

Published:

Photo:Tom Griscom/The CW — © 2023 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Tuesday, April 25, 2023 ratings — New episodes: The Rookie, The Rookie: Feds, Will Trent, FBI, FBI: Most Wanted, FBI: International, The Wall, Weakest Link, Lopez vs. Lopez, Night Court, Superman & Lois, Gotham Knights, Accused, and 9-1-1: Lone Star.  Reruns: (none).

Note: If you’re not seeing the updated charts, please try reloading the page or go here.

These are the fast affiliate ratings. The percentages represent the change since the previous original episode. (Percentages aren’t given for reruns or specials.) To see past ratings for a particular show, click the show’s link. The show pages are updated with the daily final ratings when they become available. Those pages include season averages to date.

What were you watching last night? Original network programming, reruns, cable, or something else?

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Published: April 26, 2023Photo:Tom Griscom/The CW —

Awards

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has announced the nominees for the 50th annual Daytime Emmy Awards, with ABC’s General Hospital leading the nominations with a total of 19.

CBS’s The Bold and the Beautiful followed with 14 nods, while CBS’s The Young and the Restless received 13 and NBC/Peacock’s Days of Our Lives earned 11. All four shows were nominated for best daytime drama series along with Popstar! TV’s The Bay.

The Kelly Clarkson Show led the nominees in the talk show categories with a total of 11. Clarkson was nominated for best daytime talk series host alongside Drew Barrymore (The Drew Barrymore Show, which picked up seven nods), Tamron Hall (for the four-time-nominated eponymous show), Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest (for Live with Kelly and Ryan, which saw Seacrest step down from co-hosting duties this month) and Sherri Shepherd (for Sherri, which earned four noms).

Across the broadcast networks, CBS garnered the most nominations with 29, while ABC followed close behind with 26. Netflix tied CBS, leading the streaming nods — while Peacock had an impressive showing with 14 noms.

“Today we not only honor this year’s outstanding programs and individuals, we mark a milestone in television history. Our golden anniversary celebrates the talented creators who have made the last 50 years of Daytime Television so unforgettable,” said NATAS President & CEO Adam Sharp in a statement. “Partnering with CBS for another two years, we look forward to a very special 50th Daytime Emmy Awards this June.”

The June 16 telecast will mark the 17th time CBS has broadcast the Daytime Emmys, more than any other network. The Daytime Creative Arts and Lifestyle Emmy ceremony will stream live at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. PT on June 17 at Watch.TheEmmys.TV and via The Emmys apps for iOS, tvOS, Android, FireTV and Roku. Both ceremonies will take place at the Westin Bonaventure in Los Angeles.

The full list of nominees are below.

DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES

The Bay, Popstar! TV

The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

Days of Our Lives, NBC/Peacock

General Hospital, ABC

The Young and the Restless, CBS

CULINARY SERIES

Family Dinner, Magnolia Network

José Andrés and Family in Spain, Discovery+

Martha Cooks, Roku

Roadfood: Discovering America One Dish at a Time, GBH

Selena + Chef, HBO Max

LEGAL/COURTROOM PROGRAM

Caught in Providence, SYNDICATED

Hot Bench, SYNDICATED

Judge Steve Harvey, ABC

Judy Justice, Freevee

The People’s Court, SYNDICATED

TRAVEL, ADVENTURE AND NATURE PROGRAM

Down to Earth with Zac Efron, Netflix

Guy’s All-American Road Trip, Food Network

The Hidden Lives of Pets, Netflix

Island of the Sea Wolves, Netflix

Reel Destinations, Focus Features

Wild Babies, Netflix

INSTRUCTIONAL/HOW-TO PROGRAM

Amanda Gorman Teaches Writing and Performing Poetry, MasterClass

Fixer Upper: The Castle, Magnolia Network

Idea House: Mountain Modern, Roku

Instant Dream Home, Netflix

Martha Gardens, Roku

LIFESTYLE PROGRAM

Eat This With Yara, AJ+

For the Love of Kitchens, Magnolia Network

George to the Rescue, NBC

Life After Death with Tyler Henry, Netflix

Mind Your Manners, Netflix

 The Established Home, Magnolia Network

ARTS AND POPULAR CULTURE PROGRAM

American Anthems, PBS

Kings of Leon @ O2, YouTube 

My Bluegrass Story, RFD-TV

Variety Power of Women: Changemakers, Lifetime

Variety Studio: Actors on Actors, PBS

Working in the Theatre, AmericanTheatreWing.org

EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL PROGRAM

Book of Queer, Discovery+

The Earth Unlocked, The Weather Channel

The Future Of, Netflix

Harlem Globetrotters Play It Forward, NBC

Historian’s Take, PBS

Italy Made with Love, PBS

Vikings: The Rise and Fall, National Geographic

DAYTIME TALK SERIES

The Drew Barrymore Show, SYNDICATED

The Jennifer Hudson Show, SYNDICATED

The Kelly Clarkson Show, SYNDICATED

Live with Kelly and Ryan, SYNDICATED

Today with Hoda and Jenna, NBC

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS SERIES

Access Hollywood, SYNDICATED

E! News, E! Entertainment

Entertainment Tonight, SYNDICATED

Extra, SYNDICATED

Inside Edition, SYNDICATED

DAYTIME SPECIAL

96th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day, NBC

All Boys Aren’t Blue, Amazon Prime Video

Behind The Table: A View Reunion, Hulu

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day, ABC

Extra: Cheslie Kryst 1991-2022, SYNDICATED

The House that Norm Built, PBS I, Roku

Recipe for Change: Standing up to Anti-Semitism, YouTube Originals

SHORT FORM PROGRAM

Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond, WORLD Channel

Dressed, Focus Features

Finding Pause, Healthline

Handmade, Youtube

My Mark featuring Marcus Samuelsson, Conde Nast/Bon Appetit

Ready Jet Cook, Food Network

PROMOTIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Access Hollywood, SYNDICATED: “Tow Yard” 

The Drew Barrymore Show, SYNDICATED: “Drew’s Got the Beat” 

The Jennifer Hudson Show, SYNDICATED: “EGOT, Hope, and Joy, and Magic” 

Sherri!, SYNDICATED: “Sherri: Fun. Joy. Laughter.” 

Tamron Hall, SYNDICATED: “Women Reclaiming Their Power: Michelle Branch & Angela Simmons” 

LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTRESS

Sharon Case as Sharon Newman, The Young and the Restless, CBS

Melissa Claire Egan as Chelsea Lawson, The Young and the Restless, CBS

Finola Hughes as Anna Devane, General Hospital, ABC

Jacqueline MacInnes Wood as Steffy Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

Michelle Stafford as Phyllis Summers, The Young and the Restless, CBS

LEAD PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTOR

Maurice Benard as Sonny Corinthos, General Hospital, ABC

Peter Bergman as Jack Abbott, The Young and the Restless, CBS

Billy Flynn as Chad DiMera, Days of Our Lives, NBC/Peacock

Thorsten Kaye as Ridge Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

Jason Thompson as Billy Abbott, The Young and the Restless, CBS

SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTRESS

Krista Allen as Dr. Taylor Hayes. The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

Sonya Eddy as Epiphany Johnson. General Hospital, ABC

Stacy Haiduk as Kristen DiMera, Days of Our Lives, NBC/Peacock

Brook Kerr as Dr. Portia Robinson, General Hospital, ABC

Kelly Thiebaud as Dr. Britt Westbourne, General Hospital, ABC

SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES: ACTOR

Nicholas Chavez as Spencer Cassadine, General Hospital, ABC

Chad Duell as Michael Corinthos, General Hospital, ABC

Daniel Feuerriegel as EJ DiMera, Days of Our Lives, NBC/Peacock

Robert Gossett as Marshall Ashford, General Hospital, ABC

Jon Lindstrom as Dr. Kevin Collins/Ryan Chamberlain, General Hospital, ABC

YOUNGER PERFORMER IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES

Cary Christopher as Thomas DiMera, Days of Our Lives, NBC/Peacock

Victoria Grace as Wendy Shin, Days of Our Lives, NBC/Peacock

Eden McCoy as Josslyn Jacks, General Hospital, ABC

Henry Joseph Samiri as Douglas Forrester, The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

GUEST PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES

Steve Burton as Harris Michaels, Days of Our Lives, NBC/Peacock

Cassandra Creech as Dr. Grace Buckingham, The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

Alley Mills as Heather Webber, General Hospital, ABC

Robert Newman as Ashland Locke, The Young and the Restless, CBS

Kevin Spirtas as Dr. Craig Wesley. Days of Our Lives, NBC/Peacock

CULINARY HOST

Kardea Brown, Delicious Miss Brown, Food Network 

Ina Garten, Be My Guest with Ina Garten, Food Network

Guy Fieri, Guy’s Ranch Kitchen, Food Network

Emeril Lagasse. Emeril Cooks, Roku

Justin Sutherland, Taste the Culture, tbs/TNT/truTV

Andrew Zimmern, Family Dinner, Magnolia Network

DAYTIME TALK SERIES HOST

Drew Barrymore, The Drew Barrymore Show, SYNDICATED

Kelly Clarkson, The Kelly Clarkson Show, SYNDICATED

Tamron Hall. Tamron Hall, SYNDICATED

Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest, Live with Kelly and Ryan, SYNDICATED

Sherri Shepherd, Sherri!, SYNDICATED

DAYTIME PROGRAM HOST

Danielle Brooks, Instant Dream Home, Netflix

Mike Corey, Uncharted Adventure, The Weather Channel

Zac Efron, Down to Earth with Zac Efron, Netflix 

Kevin O’Connor, This Old House, PBS/Roku

Martha Stewart, Martha Gardens, Roku

WRITING TEAM FOR A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES

The Bay, Popstar! TV

Beyond Salem: Chapter Two, Peacock

The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

Days of our Lives, NBC/Peacock

General Hospital, ABC

The Young and the Restless, CBS

WRITING TEAM FOR A DAYTIME NON-FICTION PROGRAM*

Book of Queer, Discovery+

The Drew Barrymore Show, SYNDICATED

The Ellen DeGeneres Show, SYNDICATED

Island of the Sea Wolves, Netflix

The Kelly Clarkson Show, SYNDICATED

*Due to submission count, this category is a merged Writing Team for a Daytime Non-Fiction Series and Writing Team for a Daytime Non-Fiction Special. All entries in both categories were judged by the same panel.

DIRECTING TEAM FOR A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES

The Bay, Popstar! TV

Beyond Salem: Chapter Two, Peacock

The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

Days of our Lives, NBC/Peacock

General Hospital, ABC

The Young and the Restless, CBS

DIRECTING TEAM FOR A SINGLE CAMERA DAYTIME NON-FICTION PROGRAM

Ask This Old House, PBS/Roku

Big Sky Kitchen with Eduardo Garcia, Magnolia Network 

Home, Apple TV+

Island of the Sea Wolves, Netflix

Wild Babies, Netflix

DIRECTING TEAM FOR A MULTIPLE CAMERA DAYTIME NON-FICTION PROGRAM

American Anthems, PBS

The Drew Barrymore Show, SYNDICATED

Entertainment Tonight, SYNDICATED

The Kelly Clarkson Show, SYNDICATED

The View, ABC

OUTSTANDING MUSIC DIRECTION AND COMPOSITION

The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

The Hidden Lives of Pets, Netflix

Home, Apple TV+

Island of the Sea Wolves, Netflix

The Kelly Clarkson Show, SYNDICATED

ORIGINAL SONG

“Darling Darling,” General Hospital, ABC

“Everyone Dances,” The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS 

“Life is Sweet,” American Anthems, PBS

“Only There,” Joni Table Talk Daystar

“Pocket Change,” American Anthems, PBS

LIGHTING DIRECTION

The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

The Drew Barrymore Show, SYNDICATED

General Hospital, ABC

The Kelly Clarkson Show, SYNDICATED

The View, ABC

TECHNICAL DIRECTION, CAMERAWORK, VIDEO

The Bold and the Beautiful, CBS

Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day, ABC

The Jennifer Hudson Show, SYNDICATED

The Kelly Clarkson Show, SYNDICATED

The Talk, CBS

The View, ABC

The Young and the Restless, CBS

CINEMATOGRAPHY

The Hidden Lives of Pets, Netflix

Home, Apple TV+

Island of the Sea Wolves, Netflix

Italy Made with Love, PBS

Wild Babies, Netflix

SINGLE CAMERA EDITING

Big Sky Kitchen with Eduardo Garcia, Magnolia Network

The Hidden Lives of Pets, Netflix

Home Apple TV+

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The National Academy of Television Arts &

Music

Mr. Berger was born on March 30, 1935, in Heidelberg, Germany. He began studying classical piano at 10, but at 14 he heard a jazz jam session that made him decide to play his own music. In 1953, he joined a group that included Ms. Sertso, whom he would soon marry. She survives him along with their daughter, Savia.

In the 1950s, as the house pianist at the Heidelberg club Cave 54, Mr. Berger learned modern jazz in late-night jams with American musicians from military bands stationed nearby. He earned a Ph.D. in musicology and philosophy in Germany in 1963 and held philosophy professorships at two universities in Germany. But by the mid-1960s he had turned to music.

He moved to Paris and joined a group led by the trumpeter Don Cherry, who had been learning world-music melodies from shortwave radio broadcasts. In 1966, Mr. Cherry invited Mr. Berger to New York City to play on “Symphony for Improvisers,” a landmark free-jazz album.

Mr. Berger made his debut album as a leader, “From Now On,” in 1967, and recorded with Mr. Cherry and others in the late 1960s. He went on to make more than two dozen albums as a leader and many others as a sideman. His lean, linear, freely melodic vibraphone playing repeatedly made him the top vibraphonist in the Down Beat magazine musicians’ poll.

In 1971, Mr. Berger started the Creative Music Foundation with Ms. Sertso, Mr. Coleman and an advisory board that included John Cage, Gil Evans, Buckminster Fuller and Willem de Kooning. He moved to Woodstock in 1972 and inaugurated the Creative Music Studio, which settled into a nearby mountain lodge with residences and performance spaces.

Leading musicians including Mr. Braxton, Mr. DeJohnette, Cecil Taylor and Dave Holland joined students in improvising groups. More than 550 performances were recorded and later digitized for an archive that was purchased by the Columbia University Library in 2012.

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Mr. Berger was born on March 30,

Docs

The thing about friends is they’re there during the best and worst of times. Unfortunately, in the case of Daryl Della and Sasha Boggs’c comedy short, The Sadder But Wiser Boy, friends are often the cause of the best and mostly worst of times.

The friends in question are Dallas (Daryl Della) and Lando (Lorenzo Ocon). Lando is the uptight one of the crew, and Dallas thrives on busting Lando’s balls. On this day, Dallas promised to pay for Lando to lose his virginity to his hooker friend, Misty (Sasha Boggs). Having no money of his own, Orlando has to pay Dallas back with jumping jacks.

“Dallas promised to pay for Lando to lose his virginity to his hooker friend…”

The Sadder But Wiser Boy is about this very dysfunctional friendship. There’s an odd sweetness between these two. Lando always seems to be always walking on the edge of insanity, and Dallas takes an odd pleasure in keeping him on edge. Dallas knows how to press buttons, and Lando is helpless to act in any other way than through frustrated anger. The question then becomes how much longer can Dallas keep doing this?

The Sadder But Wiser Boy falls squarely in the cringe comedy category. In his attempt to lose his virginity, Lando is pushed to his most vulnerable moment, and Dallas is pulling the strings. Though the plot may be cringe, the laughs come in the small moments with the jumping jacks and the combative nature between the two.

While writing this review, I’m looking back at just how frustratingly fun The Sadder but Wiser Boy is. As horrible as Dallas is to Lando and as sad as Lando’s personality constantly foils any good that can come to his life, I’m oddly drawn to this maladjusted friendship, like watching a freeway pileup. Maybe I’m sticking with this story to see how it unfolds or falls apart down the road.

For screening information about The Sadder but Wiser Boy, visit the Dollars & Donuts Productions official website.

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The thing about friends is they’re there

Global

The Alberta government is funding multiple projects to help improve parts of Deerfoot Trail in Calgary.

In a release on Wednesday, the government announced Aecon Infrastructure Management has been selected to work on projects on parts of the highway.

The projects include twinning the Ivor Strong Bridge, increasing capacity on ramps near Anderson Road/Bow Bottom Trail and increasing capacity on ramps near Southland Drive.

They also include twinning the bridge over Glenmore Trail and improvements near the Beddington Trail and 11 Street N.E. project intersection.

Transportation and Economic Corridors Minister Devin Dreeshen told reporters the improvements will enhance safety and save time for commuters. The province estimates the upgrades will save around 900,000 hours a year for Calgarians, providing an economic boost of about $23 million a year.

“Albertans need to be able to get where they need to go safely and efficiently,” Dreeshen said. “We need to have strong infrastructure to get people where they need to go and improve Alberta’s strong economy.”

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Dreeshen suggested it will take three or four years for all the projects to be completed. Some of the work will start this year and the bulk will start next year, he said.

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The construction cost for the two projects is about $615 million.

An open house will be held on Wednesday at the Deerfoot Inn from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. so residents can see the plans and photos of the proposed improvements.

“The City of Calgary to share this announcement with the government of Alberta,” Ward 10 Councillor Andre Chabot told reporters. “These enhancements are designed to reduce congestion and time spent in traffic and improve goods movement. Our ever-growing population is going to congest this roadway even more, and it’s already heavily congested.”

&copy 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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Tech

The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences has recognized SZA as the artist of the year for her album SOS and her “ingenious use of the internet to share unique, brilliantly honest art” as part of the 27th Annual Webby Awards.

SZA will take home the honor that previously went to Megan Thee Stallion during last year’s Webby Awards, which seeks to recognize the best of the internet. Other special honorees for this year’s ceremony include emoji inventor Shigetaka Kurita for the lifetime achievement award; ChatGPT for the breakout of the year award; Bad Sisters creator and star Sharon Horgan for the best actress award; and Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett’s SmartLess for best podcast of the year.

Tracee Ellis Ross, Tobe Nwigwe and V Spehar’s Under the Desk News will all receive the Webby’s special achievement award. Category winners include The Hollywood Reporter for the Blackfamous roundtable, Disney’s TikTok account, Spotify for its 2022 Wrapped project and Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty brand, among others.

“This year’s Webby Winners speak to the incredible potential of the Internet and the people who shape it,” Claire Graves, president of the Webby Awards, said in a statement. “They have set the benchmark for excellence in their respective category and are an inspiration for us all to continue striving towards a more connected and creative digital world.”

Winners are selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, whose members include Quinta Brunson, Questlove, Samantha Bee, LeVar Burton, Ziwe Fumudoh, Takashi Murakami and Tan France, among others.

The in-person ceremony to celebrate this year’s winners will take place May 15 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. Roy Wood Jr. returns as host.

See the complete list of winners here.

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The International Academy of Digital Arts and

Video

FX dropped the first trailer for the fifth and final season of Mayans M.C. (above) and things are not looking great for E.Z. Reyes (JD Pardo), whose face is being gripped by the reaper. Season 5 premieres on May 24.

With a final face-off set up between the Mayans and SAMCRO, this can’t be a good omen for what’s ahead. Could this represent a final battle between EZ and Isaac Packer (JR Bourne)? Or it might be a little foreshadowing of the inevitable death of our protagonist much like Jax Teller (Charlie Hunnam) in Sons of Anarchy before him.

One thing is for sure, Bishop (Michael Irby) and the rest of the M.C. is shaking in their boots.

“The only thing you can trust E to do is get the rest of you killed, too,” says Bishop somberly. A scene following this statement shows Bish, Nestor (Gino Vento) and Hank (Frankie Loyal), among others, as pallbearers. Who is inside the casket is a mystery but all hell will break loose if that’s Padrino (Emilio Rivera)— it would truly be the end of an era.

EZ continues to be high on power promising to “take the club to heights it’s never seen.” Even Miguel (Danny Pino) looks to be distressed, asking Angel (Clayton Cardenas) to get EZ to pull back.

“EZ doesn’t listen to me,” Angel tells Miguel, powerless.

“You convince him,” Miguel replies.

Going to war with Sons will be no easy feat but EZ is ready to sacrifice it all.

Returning series stars also include Carla Baratta, Sarah Bolger, Joseph Lucero, Vincent Vargas, Gino Vento, Emily Tosta and Vanessa Giselle.

Mayans M.C. was co-created by Kurt Sutter and Elgin James. The series is executive produced by James and Sutter. The 10-episode fifth and final season is produced by 20th Television and FX Productions.

Watch the trailer in full above.

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FX dropped the first trailer for the

Entertaintment

Food Network superstar Guy Fieri will continue to travel and eat across America for another season of his series, “Guy’s All-American Road Trip.”

The road trip series has been renewed for a second season by Food Network, Variety has learned exclusively.

“Guy’s All-American Road Trip” is a travel and food series that follows Fieri with his family — his wife, Lori, and his sons, Hunter and Ryder — as they pack up their RV for an epic road trip together, along with a caravan of campers full of their family and friends.

Season 2 will see the family road trip through Appalachia where cameras will follow them on wild adventures, family competitions and enjoying some of the best food in Tennessee and Kentucky. The second season will be comprised of four hourlong episodes, each of which will highlight new dishes, destinations and attractions.

“There’s nothing my friends and family dig more than loadin’ up the RV’s and hittin’ the open road,” Fieri says in a statement. “This trip is filled with crazy adventures, family competitions, and some of the best food Appalachia has to offer. Buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride!”

“Guy Fieri takes ‘road trip’ to the next level on ‘Guy’s All-American Road Trip,’” comments Betsy Ayala, head of content for food at Warner Bros. Discovery. “Audiences won’t want to miss Guy at the wheel leading the way to the most mouthwatering meals and iconic locations across Appalachia. Every episode has all the ingredients for the perfect vacation- family, food and fun, with a side of action and adventure.” 

Fieri is one of Food Network’s most lucrative, successful and certainly recognizable stars with a plethora of shows across the network. Fieri — who, back in 2006, won the second season of the competition series, “Food Network Star,” which catapulted him to A-list celebrity chef territory — has six shows at Food Network, which he hosts and produces, including “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” and “Tournament of Champions.” His programming portfolio extends beyond just food: with “Guy’s All-American Road Trip,” he delves into the travel genre, and with “Guy’s Ultimate Game Night,” he became a Hollywood game show host.

“Guy’s All-American Road Trip” is produced by Citizen Pictures for Food Network. Season 2 premieres Friday, June 2 at 9 p.m. on Food Network.

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Food Network superstar Guy Fieri will continue

Movies

AR Rahman’s video going viral. Meanwhile, Aishwarya Rai talks about Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.

From AR Rahman’s viral video to Aishwarya Rai talking about playing Nandini in Salman Khan-led Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, here are the biggest stories of the day.

Music composer AR Rahman’s video telling his wife Saira Banu not to speak in Hindi went viral earlier in the day. In the video, the Ponniyin Selvan 2 music composer was seen accepting an award on stage with his wife Saira by his side. The music composer was speaking about how Saira rewatches his interviews when she was asked to weigh in. When Rahman handed her the mic, he told her not to speak in Hindi but in Tamil.

Watch the video here: AR Rahman Asks Wife Saira Banu ‘Don’t Talk in Hindi…’ at Public Event, Video Goes Viral

As she gears up for the release of Ponniyin Selvan II, News18 exclusively catches up with Aishwarya Lekshmi, who reveals that she was ‘scared’ to play Poonguzhali after she made it through the auditions. “I didn’t think I could pull off Poonguzhali. The one thing Mani sir told me to give me confidence was, ‘Don’t worry, you can pull it off. And this character is sexy,’” she recalls.

Read more here: Ponniyin Selvan II: Aishwarya Lekshmi Was ‘Scared’ to Play Poonghuzali, Says ‘Mani Sir Told Me, This Role Is Sexy’ | Exclusive

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 director James Gunn wants to work with Jr NTR, the filmmaker exclusively told News18.com. The director, who is helming the Marvel Studios’ Guardians of the Galaxy series since its inception, said, “Who is the guy from RRR that’s so good… What’s his name? RRR, the big one from last year? With all the tigers coming out of the cage and everything? That guy!” he said, referring to Jr NTR. “I would love to work with that guy someday. So amazing, so cool,” he added.

Read more: Guardians of the Galaxy Director James Gunn Wants to Work With Jr NTR, Says ‘That Guy from RRR…’ | Exclusive

Diljit Dosanjh hit back at trolls for spreading “fake news” and “negativity” against him after his Coachella performance. His reaction comes shortly after some Twitter handles alleged that Diljit apparently asked a girl to “take down” the Indian flag while he was interacting with the crowd during his Coachella performance. Diljit lashed back at false news, asking trolls to use Google Translations if they don’t understand his Punjabi statements.

Read more here: Diljit Dosanjh Called ‘Disrespectful’ for Asking Girl to ‘Take Down’ Tricolour at Coachella; He Reacts

Aishwarya Rai opened up about playing Nandini in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam opposite Salman Khan and Ponniyin Selvan 2. Speaking at the press conference of PS2, Aishwarya said, “What a coincidence. It’s amazing na? Even Nandini in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was very very memorable. She has lived on people’s heart and I’m so so thankful that I got to play Nandini then too. She had remained special to the audience and, of course, to me. That was Sanjay Bhansali ji and today for my Mani Garu, I got to play Nandini in Ponniyin Selvan. That’s just tremendously a blessing, to have gotten to play such strong women, such layered women and women with character that touch the lives of so many women out there. There’s a relatability and I am very, very grateful.”

Read more here: Aishwarya Rai Reacts to Playing Nandini in Salman Khan’s Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam: ‘She Is Special…’

Read all the Latest Movies News and Entertainment News here

Dishya Sharma

Dishya Sharma, Chief Sub Editor, is part of the entertainment team at News18. She eats, sleeps, and drinks entertainment. While Indian films have fuel…Read More

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AR Rahman's video going viral. Meanwhile, Aishwarya

Latest News

Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh leads the star-studded cast in the new trailer for Kenneth Branagh‘s “A Haunting in Venice.”

The murder mystery, which will release on Sept. 15, is based on Agatha Christie’s 1969 novel “Hallowe’en Party.” The film also stars Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Kelly Reilly and Jamie Dornan, with Branagh reprising his role as Hercule Poirot from “Death on the Nile” and “Murder on the Orient Express.”

“It’s a supernatural world where the normal rules do not apply,” Branagh told Variety. “Murders and ghosts are irresistible to a man with that mustache and that nose for sniffing other culprits.”

Set in a post-World War II Venice on All Hallows’ Eve, the film follows another mystery featuring the celebrated sleuth Poirot as he reluctantly attends a séance at a haunted palazzo. After one of the guests is murdered, the former detective must once again find out who did it.

Despite the supernatural aspect, Branagh said Poirot’s loss of faith is at the center of the film. “He has to face his ghosts via a story that is making him try to understand whether there is something on the other side,” he said.

Yeoh plays the medium running the evening. Branagh said her character “has to have a sense of showmanship and gravity. She has to convince our audience that she’s capable of speaking to people on the other side, or at least is very convincing about that. We were so excited when Michelle came on board.”

Tina Fey plays Ariadne Oliver, a writer and Poirot’s friend. “She is much-loved in the Agatha Christie canon,” Branagh said. “”She is somebody who gives as good as she gets, and to get that sharpness, mental agility and cheekiness of Tina was a great quality.”

The film also reunites Branagh with his “Belfast” stars Jamie Dornan and Jude Hill, who once again play father and son. “It was great to take advantage of that rapport, camaraderie and history that they now had,” Branagh said. “It was super helpful for that impact of friendship and familiarity with me, and it had a positive impact on the ensemble. They made it an easier process for everybody else.”

Unlike “Murder on the Orient Express” and “Death on the Nile,” this marks the first time “Hallowe’en Party” has been adapted for the big screen. It was previously adapted for TV and radio. Branagh said he was excited to not be in the comparison game and have a sense of newness.

“Here, even those who know the novel, are going to see how brilliantly our screenwriter Michael Green has transposed this English country house mystery against the mysterious Venetian setting,” he said.

Watch the trailer below.

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Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh leads the star-studded

MCU

A very big Marvel movie is coming out soon — Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3! The movie will be released in theaters on May 5th.

Photo: Marvel

We’re getting pretty excited for the next installment of the Guardians’ story. You can get tickets for the movie right now!

Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 Merchandise EPCOT Creations Shirts Mugs Funko Pop Sweatshirt

We’ve already seen some special merchandise for the movie in Disney World, but now, you can get some Guardians merch at your local McDonald’s!

Guardians of the Galaxy Happy Meal Toys

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Happy Meal Toys are now available at McDonald’s! They were announced with this special promo in Knowhere.

McDonald's Happy Meal Kids Meal Toys Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Toys

Photo: McDonald’s

You can see two kids enjoying their Happy Meals, and then one gets into a dance battle with Groot!

McDonald's Happy Meal Kids Meal Toys Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Toys

Photo: McDonald’s

There are 8 different toys available in celebration of the movie. You can see Rocket, Drax, Mantis, Nebula, Groot, Star-Lord, Adam Warlock, and Cosmo.

McDonald's Happy Meal Kids Meal Toys Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Toys

Photo: McDonald’s

Each toy has a special mechanism that moves the toy in a certain way, and they’re all different! For example, Rocket bobbles.

McDonald's Happy Meal Kids Meal Toys Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Toys

Photo: McDonald’s

They also all link together at the base!

McDonald's Happy Meal Kids Meal Toys Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Toys

Photo: McDonald’s

So, if you collect all 8, you can link them all up to form a whole group of Guardians (plus Adam Warlock and Cosmo!).

McDonald's Happy Meal Kids Meal Toys Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Toys

Photo: McDonald’s

You can find other fun Guardians goodies on the Happy Meal website, like some activity sheets!

McDonald's Happy Meal Kids Meal Toys Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Toys

Photo: McDonald’s

So, while you get ready for the new movie, head on over to McDonald’s for some chicken nuggets if you want to grab one of these toys.

McDonald's Happy Meal Kids Meal Toys Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 Toys

Photo: McDonald’s

You can check out more about these toys on McDonald’s website. Stay tuned for more Marvel news and updates!

Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond-Level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon!

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A very big

DCU

Big George Foreman tells the extraordinary life story of boxing’s two-time heavyweight champion of the world. He became the oldest fighter to reclaim the title at an astonishing 46 years old. The moving film chronicles his journey from a poverty-stricken youth in Houston’s Fifth Ward to the pinnacle of athletic greatness. George Foreman suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of Muhammad Ali, almost died in the ring, and lost his fortune to poor business practices. The irrepressible fighter used his strong religious faith to mount a comeback for the ages. He regained his wealth and fame as a lovable pitch man. What kitchen doesn’t have a George Foreman Grill?

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAYSCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT

Khris Davis plays the iconic boxer in an intense physical performance. He gained “50 pounds in 5 weeks” to portray Foreman’s incredible second act. This required eating an astonishing “7,000 calories” per day. Foreman was often mischaracterized as “angry” and a “brute” in his early days. Davis was keen to emote a “gentle” man who “smiles a lot”, always referring to “Mr. Foreman” with reverence and respect. He understood the role’s magnitude and responsibility of showing someone with “so much light inside of him.”

Foreman, still smiling and upbeat, praised Davis as “an excellent actor” who “brought out things that were lost forever.” The film reminded him of his childhood “without hope.” He wants audiences to “find the hope in themselves.” Foreman also extolled the “fighting” spirit and tenacity of co-writer/director George Tillman Jr. He spent many years trying to get the film produced. Foreman saw in Tillman Jr. “the same ingredients I had.” Both men were fighters who always got up after being knocked down.


Big George Foreman

Sony Pictures

MW: It is an honor to speak with you. Why choose George Tillman Jr. to write and direct your story?

George Foreman: George Tillman, he had the same ingredients I had in me — fighting. He fought to direct that movie. He fought to work on the script. I had never seen a guy so savage as George Tillman had been with this movie and script. He was offended and got up to keep telling the story. I’m amazed with him. That’s why I chose him. Not for anything else but his fighting ability.

MW: Khris Davis is incredible here. How involved were you with casting him? What does it feel like to see him play you on screen?

George Foreman: A true actor played George Foreman. In the movie, he was George Foreman. He brought out things in me that I thought was lost forever. In art, you can see things that weren’t written, that should have been written. He brought them alive — Khris Davis, an excellent actor. I was happy to have him play that part.

Related: Exclusive: Forest Whitaker and Director George Tillman Jr. on the Challenges of Big George Foreman

MW: Two aspects are really moving in the film. It shows the poverty of your youth and the savagery of the fight scenes. What message do you want audiences to take away?

George Foreman: As a young boy, I didn’t really have anything. I didn’t have hope. Can you imagine going through life without hope? When I saw that and realized where I’d come from, it made me shake off anything else that could happen to me today. I found hope. I want people to look at the movie and find hope themselves.

MW: I’ve spoken to fighters who have PTSD from their boxing days. You almost died in the ring. Do you look back now and wonder why put yourself through that?

George Foreman: Oh boy, fighting — what a career. Then losing a title. I worked so hard to get the championship and lost it in Africa to Muhammad Ali. That devastation […] you ask, how do I recover from that? It’s easy to recover from a boxing match, but to be devastated in that fashion. That was a fight. But for good reason, and I made it. He became my best friend.

MW: You’re such a remarkable person who has lived an extraordinary life. At this point, what is there left for you to do? Is there any box that remains unchecked for George Foreman?

George Foreman: I’ve done so many things I’m happy about. But every morning I put my feet on the floor and say, what’s next? I still got a lot of work and so many things I have to do. I haven’t scraped the surface yet.

Khris Davis on Playing the Champ

Big George Foreman biopic Khris Davis
Sony Pictures

MW: Great performance becoming George Foreman. Talk about the physical preparation, your weight difference in the film is incredible.

Khris Davis: You can never become Mr. Foreman, you know? I can just do an honest interpretation of Mr. Foreman as I possibly can. That was always the goal. The transition from the younger years to the older years was the hardest challenge I had. He was a different weight when he was 17 to 32. I would have to fluctuate the weight week by week because we shot out of sequence. But then we took six weeks off, so I could gain the weight for his comeback. I gained 50 pounds in five weeks. I went from 225 to 275 in five weeks on a 7,000 calorie diet. The heaviest I got was 282.

Related: Best Movies About Boxing, Ranked

MW: Even though George Foreman is this big tough guy, there’s an innate gentleness that comes out. He was bullied and downtrodden. Talk about emoting that aspect of his personality?

Khris Davis: That’s something that I observed initially when doing my research. I personally wanted to bring that to the story. People were talking about anger and rage. I was looking at him in interviews and talk shows. I kept seeing this guy who was smiling all the time. Wait a minute…he’s smiling all the time…he’s got this glimmer in his eye. He’s got so much light inside of him, but everyone was tagging him as this brute, a menacing man.

Khris Davis: I thought it was much more interesting than playing anger. Playing someone who has gentleness inside of them. In a sense, his anger is being dictated by his circumstances. It’s not just anger. Perhaps it’s disappointment and fear or confusion. That’s what I wanted to play. It didn’t take a lot to find that. I personally wanted that.

MW: What’s the best and worst day on this film for you?

Khris Davis: The best day was the last day [laughs]. Every single day we worked required the same amount of focus, commitment, and sacrifice. I would also say there were no worst days. We just had to show up. We had to do the work. Everybody believed in that. It felt good to be part of a team willing to lift each other up during the process.

Big George Foreman will be released theatrically on April 28th from Sony Pictures.

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Big George Foreman tells the extraordinary life

Comics

The Walt Disney Co. has filed a First Amendment lawsuit against Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, alleging a “campaign of government retaliation” for Disney’s opposition to the “Don’t Say Gay” legislation. This escalates the yearlong battle between DeSantis and Disney, as the governor’s allies prepare further legislation to assert control over Disney’s Orlando theme parks.

Disney expressed regret that a resolution could not be reached with the governor and had to resort to legal action. The lawsuit states that Disney is fortunate to have the resources to take a stand against the state’s retaliation, which smaller businesses and individuals may not be able to do. Disney asserts that in America, the government cannot punish individuals for speaking their mind.

According to Wednesday’s 77-page filing, Disney is alleging it has been the victim of a “targeted campaign of government retaliation” that has been “orchestrated at every step by Governor DeSantis as punishment for Disney’s protected speech,” which threatens Disney’s business operations. This comes after DeSantis’ statement that he might consider building a prison near Walt Disney World property, adding to the growing tensions between the two parties.

Disney’s lawsuit reflects the severity of the conflict, asserting its First Amendment rights and opposition to alleged government retaliation. The outcome of this legal battle could have significant implications for both Disney and the state of Florida, as well as the broader conversation about free speech and government intervention in private business affairs.

As the legal proceedings unfold, the ongoing conflict between the Walt Disney Company and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis continues to draw attention. The outcome of this lawsuit could have far-reaching implications, and observers will be closely watching as events unfold in court.

Image credit: Getty/Roberto Machado Noa

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

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Festivals

Is this pair of Air Jordans worth it? 

The movie Air came out a few weeks ago and it has a lot of people talking. Most of that conversation is now about how good the movie is, I found it charming and hilarious, but how it’s doing at the box office. 

You see, Air, an Amazon Studios film, cost $130 million dollars. At the time of writing this piece, it made $68,360,000 worldwide (according to Box Office Mojo). 

In most circles, that would be considered a flop. But there’s more to the story of this Hollywood budget. 

Is Air a Win or a Flop?

The Ben Affleck-directed movie that stars Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, and Jason Bateman was originally budgeted out by Amazon to be a streaming-only film. That meant when it was time to make the contracts of the director, writer, and actors, they had to factor in the back end. So the budget, while it looks robust, covers all the money Amazon was ever willing to pay for the title. 

That worldwide number? It’s sort of bonus cash after an initial investment. air will wind up on Amazon Prime at some point and be another addition to its growing library. It will be a marquee title with recognizable names and faces people will click on. 

It’s so hard to measure what that is worth in streaming. Will people subscribe just to see Air? Probably not, but the idea is to have many popular titles that draw people in. That’s a movie that will certainly add to any library. 

What about the price tag? 

Again, it’s not so easy to determine what $130 million means to these places, but considering the project has made close to halfback, and they assumed it would make back zero, that has to be seen as a success for the studio. 

The last factor is talent. 

Affleck is a great director who has been making hit movies for a while. Amazon making that movie and releasing it has to go a long way in their relationship. And Hollywood forges new ground in an unprecedented era, you want great relationships with people who can put together hits for you. 

All we can do is try to figure out what constitutes a hit anymore.      

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Film

Tried everything under the sun to fall asleep to no avail? We get it. (So much so that we made a whole guide to all the sleep-enhancing products we’ve tried.) If you’ve spritzed every pillow mist on offer, invested in a weighted blanket without success, and attempted every breathing technique on Google in your quest for a good night’s rest, there could be a much simpler solution.

As always, the girlies over on TikTok think they have the answer to helping them fall asleep in the form of a sweet drink they’re dubbing the “sleepy girl mocktail.” The sleepy girl mocktail is going viral on the social media platform after wellness influencer Gracie Norton tried it and claimed the drink gave her “the best sleep of [her] life.”

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The trend was actually started by TikToker Calee Shea, who shared the recipe back in January, but it’s been gaining momentum again as hundreds of thousands of people spread the non-alcoholic drink recipe on TikTok in an attempt to nod off at night.

So what exactly is the sleepy girl mocktail? The three main ingredients in the drink are pure tart cherry juice, magnesium powder, and some Olipop soda to top it off and add a little fizz. The theory is that tart cherry juice naturally contains tryptophan and melatonin, which can both contribute to sleep, while magnesium evokes feelings of relaxation.

So, does it actually work? Says David Wiener, nutritionist at fitness app Freeletics, “Tart cherry juice and magnesium are renowned for their sleep-enhancing properties and having them both in one drink seems to make perfect sense before bedtime, if you want a deep sleep.

“Tart cherry juice contains amino acid tryptophan, which, when consumed, can be converted to melatonin and serotonin, both essential neurotransmitters which help to reduce stress levels and encourage relaxation.

“Magnesium is another helpful supplement for better sleep by helping our inner sleep-wake cycles by starting your parasympathetic nervous system which helps you to relax. Furthermore, magnesium supplements can help stabilize blood sugar levels, blood pressure, and your muscle and nerve function, which altogether encourages a better sleeping pattern. However, this largely depends on what kind of magnesium supplement you’re taking, so I would suggest avoiding magnesium oxide and opting for magnesium citrate or carbonate

“When it comes to the soda, it doesn’t have much effect on your sleep but generally adds a nicer taste. Originally, the trend encourages people to drink a prebiotic soda. However, people have been adding a sugar-heavy soda to the drink, which can have opposite effects to the sleep enhancing benefits, so make sure to pick a sugar-free option. Similarly, if you add too much tart cherry juice to your mocktail, it can spike your blood sugar levels, which can be detrimental to a good night’s sleep.”

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Hey, Upper East Siders. On Monday, April 24, Blake Lively made her first red carpet appearance since welcoming her fourth child with husband Ryan Reynolds in February. As usual, the stylist star didn’t disappoint. Channeling the uptown vibe of the event—Barnard College’s annual gala—Lively nodded to the prim-and-proper fashion often seen on her hit show Gossip Girl. Though, the elegant frock was more suitable to Blair Waldorf than Lively’s own Serena van der Woodsen. 

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Hear me out: The floral, off-the-shoulder gown by Carolina Herrera—from the label’s fall 2023 collection—is similar to an Oscar de la Renta dress that Blair wore in season four, and the character’s floral-filled Hamptons wardrobe in season two. While Lively’s Serena was all about free-spirited style (she loved bohemian maxi dresses, little vests, and ginormous belts), Blair (played by Leighton Meester) had a more sweet, feminine fashion sense that Lively channeled on the red carpet this week. 

23 Best Gossip Girl Outfits We’d Still Wear Today

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What to Watch

OTHER, SELECT CATEGORIES

Image Credit: Courtesy of CBS Media Ventures

GUEST PERFORMANCE IN A DAYTIME DRAMA SERIES
Steve Burton as Harris Michaels, Beyond Salem: Chapter Two
Cassandra Creech as Dr. Grace Buckingham, The Bold and the Beautiful
Alley Mills as Heather Webber, General Hospital
Robert Newman as Ashland Locke, The Young and the Restless
Kevin Spirtas as Dr. Craig Wesley, Days of Our Lives

CASTING
Book of Queer
Days of Our Livestream 
General Hospital
Start Up
The Young and the Restless

HAIRSTYLING AND MAKEUP
The Bold and the Beautiful
The Jennifer Hudson Show
The Kelly Clarkson Show
Red Table Talk 
Sherri!
Tamron Hall

COSTUME DESIGN/STYLING
The Bold and the Beautiful
Book of Queer 
General Hospital
Sherri!
The Jennifer Hudson Show

MAIN TITLE AND GRAPHIC DESIGN
Book of Queer
Car Masters: Rust to Riches
The Drew Barrymore Show (pictured)
Down to Earth with Zac Efron
Instant Dream Home

ORIGINAL SONG
“Darling Darling,” General Hospital
“Everyone Dances,” The Bold and the Beautiful
“Life is Sweet,” American Anthems
“Only There,” Joni Table Talk
“Pocket Change,” American Anthems 

CULINARY SERIES
Family Dinner
José Andrés and Family in Spain
Martha Cooks
Roadfood: Discovering America One Dish at a Time
Selena + Chef

CULINARY HOST
Kardea Brown, Delicious Miss Brown 
Ina Garten, Be My Guest with Ina Garten
Guy Fieri, Guy’s Ranch Kitchen
Emeril Lagasse, Emeril Cooks
Justin Sutherland, Taste the Culture
Andrew Zimmern, Family Dinner 

DAYTIME PROGRAM HOST
Danielle Brooks, Instant Dream Home
Mike Corey, Uncharted Adventure 
Zac Efron, Down to Earth With Zac Efron
Kevin O’Connor, This Old House
Martha Stewart, Martha Gardens

LEGAL/COURTROOM PROGRAM
Caught in Providence
Hot Bench
Judge Steve Harvey
Judy Justice
The People’s Court

TRAVEL, ADVENTURE AND NATURE PROGRAM
Down to Earth With Zac Efron
Guy’s All-American Road Trip
The Hidden Lives of Pets
Island of the Sea Wolves
Reel Destinations
Wild Babies

INSTRUCTIONAL/HOW-TO PROGRAM
Amanda Gorman Teaches Writing and Performing Poetry
Fixer Upper: The Castle Magnolia
Idea House: Mountain Modern
Instant Dream Home
Martha Gardens

LIFESTYLE PROGRAM
Eat This With Yara 
For the Love of Kitchens 
George to the Rescue
Life After Death With Tyler Henry
Mind Your Manners
The Established Home

ARTS AND POPULAR CULTURE PROGRAM
American Anthems
Kings of Leon @ O2
My Bluegrass Story 
Variety Power of Women: Changemakers
Variety Studio: Actors on Actors
Working in the Theatre

EDUCATIONAL AND INFORMATIONAL PROGRAM
Book of Queer
The Earth Unlocked 
The Future Of
Harlem Globetrotters Play It Forward
Historian’s Take
Italy Made With Love
Vikings: The Rise and Fall

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS SERIES
Access Hollywood
E! News
Entertainment Tonight
Extra
Inside Edition

DAYTIME SPECIAL
96th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day
All Boys Aren’t Blue
Behind The Table: A View Reunion
Disney Parks Magical Christmas Day
Extra: Cheslie Kryst 1991-2022
The House That Norm Built
Recipe for Change: Standing up to Anti-Semitism

SHORT FORM PROGRAM
Asian American Stories of Resilience and Beyond 
Dressed 
Finding Pause
Handmade
My Mark featuring Marcus Samuelsson 
Ready Jet Cook

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Awards

The International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences (IADAS) announced the winners of the 27th Annual Webby Awards.

Winners of the award included SZA as Artist of the Year, Tracee Ellis Ross with a Special Achievement Award and Sharon Horgan as Best Actress. Barack Obama, Lizzo, Doja Cat, Blackpink, Hugh Jackman, Jimmy Kimmel, Hoda Kotb, Christina Aguilera, Trixie Mattel, Serena Williams, the cast of Stranger Things and the cast of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever were also among the award recipients.

Other winners included companies, content and campaigns from Apple TV, ESPN’s 30 for 30 Podcast, Disney’s TikTok and Spotify’s Wrapped.

“This year’s Webby Winners speak to the incredible potential of the Internet and the people who shape it,” Claire Graves, president of The Webby Awards, said in a statement. “They have set the benchmark for excellence in their respective category and are an inspiration for us all to continue striving towards a more connected and creative digital world.”

Roy Wood Jr. will host the Webby Awards ceremony set to take place on Monday, May 15 at the Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.

Special Achievement Winners

Webby Lifetime Achievement Award: Shigetaka Kurita, the creator of the emoji, for his significant contribution to the worldwide cultural zeitgeist and impact on the way we communicate.

Webby Breakout of The Year Award: ChatGPT, the game-changing, generative AI writing tool that created a digital phenomenon that’s changing the way we work and create.

Webby Artist of The Year: SZA for the instant classic SOS, the true intention and consideration she injects into her work, and for her ingenious use of the Internet to share unique, brilliantly honest art.

Webby Special Achievement Award: Tracee Ellis Ross for her ingenious use of the Internet to share multidimensional stories of belonging, increase Black representation in the beauty industry, and serve as a constant, positive force.

Webby Podcast of The Year: SmartLess, honoring Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett for bringing nostalgia and laughter to listeners on their podcast SmartLess.

Webby Best Actress: Sharon Horgan for capturing the Internet’s attention with her acclaimed Apple TV+ show Bad Sisters, which she created, executive produced and stars in, as well as for her incredible career in comedy as a voice of radical self-awareness and razor-sharp wit.

Webby Special Achievement Award: Tobe Nwigwe for his innovative use of the Internet to create art that is imaginative and poignant as seen in his album moMINTS and his role as ‘Nick’ in the Netflix series Mo.

Webby Special Achievement Award: Under the Desk News for making the news accessible and understandable to young people through their candid, hard-hitting and synoptic reporting, all done in bite-sized pieces on Tik Tok.

2023 Winner Highlights

• Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty Show Vol. 4 won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle, Branded Entertainment (Video)

• The Daily Show with Trevor Noah – “America’s Door Problem” won the Webby Award for Comedy, General Video (Video)

• Recess Therapy’s “It’s Corn” won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Video Remixes/Mashups, General Video (Video)

• Trixie Mattel Transforms Into Dr. Manhattan won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Fashion, Beauty & Lifestyle, General Video (Video)

• Christina Aguilera – Beautiful (2022 Version) won the Webby Award for Music Video, General Video (Video)

• Discord won the Webby Award for Community, General Websites and Mobile Sites, (Websites and Mobile Sites)

• Spotify’s 2022 Wrapped won the Webby Award for Best Mobile Visual Design – Aesthetic, Mobile Specific Features & Design (Websites and Mobile Sites)

• Google Store won the Webby Award for Best Mobile User Experience, Mobile Specific Features & Design (Websites and Mobile Sites)

• Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez won the Webby Award for Fashion & Beauty, General Social (Social)

• Doja Cat x Taco Bell: A “Contractual” Partnership won the Webby Award for Best Influencer or Creator Endorsement, Features (Social)

• My BTS Story won the Webby Award for Best Community Engagement, Features (Social)

• LIZZO’S BIG GIRLS | Womxn’s History Month | Animated Social Video won the Webby Award for Arts & Entertainment, Social Video (Social)

• Disney’s TikTok won the Webby Award for Entertainment, General Social (Social)

• HBO Max’s “Negroni Sbagliato” won the Webby Award for Best Use of Video, Features (Social)

• PinkVenomChallenge – YouTube Shorts x BLACKPINK won the Webby People’s Voice Award for Best Partnership or Collaboration, Features (Social)

• Marvel Studios’ Black Panther: Wakanda Forever won the Webby Award for TV, Film & Entertainment, Social Content Series (Social)

• Pod Save America: Obama’s Advice For Democrats won the Webby Award for Featured Guest, Individual Episodes (Podcasts)

• ESPN’s 30 for 30 Podcasts won the Webby Award for Sports, General Series (Podcasts)

• FIFA 23 x TED LASSO won the Webby Award for In-Game Integration, Individual (Advertising, Media & PR)

• Netflix Stranger Things Global Rift Takeover won the Webby Award for Experience Marketing, Individual (Advertising, Media & PR)

• The Coors Light featuring Patrick Mahomes won the Webby Award for Best Partnership or Collaboration, Advertising Campaigns (Advertising, Media & PR)

• Steak-umm Beef Sheets featuring Jimmy Kimmel won the Webby Award for Digital Campaign, Advertising Campaigns (Advertising, Media & PR)

• The Apple TV app won the Webby Award for Best Streaming or OTT Service, App Features (Apps, dApps and Software)

• Never Done Evolving featuring Serena Williams won the Webby Award for Technical Achievement, Virtual Video Features (Metaverse, Immersive & Virtual)

For the complete list of winners check the website here.

Webby Winners are selected by the IADAS. Members include Questlove, DJ and Producer; Tan France, Fashion Designer, Television Personality & Author; Natalie Guzman, Co-President & CMO, Savage X Fenty; Werner Vogels CTO, Amazon; Roxanne Gay, Host, The Roxanne Gay Agenda; Quinta Brunson, Writer, Director and Actor; Ziwe Fumudoh, Comedian and Writer; Reshma Saujani, Founder, Girls Who Code; LeVar Burton, Actor, Podcaster and TV Host; Takashi Murakami, Artist; Samantha Bee, Comedian; and Tracy Chou, Founder & CEO, Block Party.

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Music

How does the cast feel about season two? Interestingly, And Just Like That… star Cynthia Nixon was initially noncommittal about a second season. “Even though I’m an executive producer and I got to direct an episode, I am not a writer,” Nixon told Entertainment Tonight on January 20, 2022. “And so, that is one of the great privileges of being a writer, that it’s not my job to figure it out, thank God.” Well, now we know!

On March 22, 2022, Sarah Jessica Parker thanked fans in her season two announcement post on Instagram. “Thank you to our audience,” she captioned a cast photo. “Plain and simple. You are our heartbeat. We love you so. X, SJ​​.”

Could Kim Cattrall appear in season two? It’s highly unlikely, despite a major development in the finale where—spoiler—Samantha agrees to get drinks with Carrie via text. Showrunner Michael Patrick King told Variety that no one should get their hopes up for a Cattrall return. “The only place I participate in magical thinking is in fiction,” he said. “You take people at their word, and you’re a smart producer—you don’t back yourself into a corner. Magically thinking, it’s great to have Samantha. I have no realistic expectation of Kim Cattrall ever appearing again.”

In February 2022, Parker laid rumors and speculations that Cattrall may one day appear in the Sex and the City revival to rest. This is a pretty big development, considering Cattrall’s disinterest in the reboot seems to stem from her fractured relationship with Parker. When asked by Variety whether she’d be comfortable with Cattrall making a return, she responded, “I don’t think I would, because I think there’s just too much public history of feelings on her part that she’s shared. I haven’t participated in or read articles, although people are inclined to let me know.”

Parker also shared that she and King “didn’t go to Kim” to discuss the series. “We didn’t go to Kim for this, you know,” she said. “After we didn’t do the movie and the studio couldn’t meet what she wanted to do, we have to hear her and listen to her and what was important to her. It didn’t fit into what was important or needed for us.”

Parker continued, “There’s a very distinct line between Samantha and Kim. Samantha’s not gone. Samantha’s present, and I think was handled with such respect and elegance. She wasn’t villainized. She was a human being who had feelings about a relationship, so I think we found a way to address it which was necessary and important for people that loved her.”

So…what does this all mean for Samantha’s storyline? When asked about whether Samantha Jones—not Kim—will return to the series, showrunner Michael Patrick King replied with an emphatic, “Yes!” per People. What does that look like if Cattrall isn’t returning? Good question. “It’s all so new right now,” King said in June 2022. “One of my big rules is don’t tell things until they’re real.”

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Docs

Editor’s note: this blog originally ran in October of last year. Spin Me Round is now available to stream on Hulu. Special thanks to Jeff Baena and author Kristopher Hewkin.

***

Filmmaker Jeff Baena (The Little Hours, Life After Beth) has consistently defied expectations over his career, taking audiences on wild rides that often veer from the comedic, to thrilling, to deeply unsettling—often within the same movie. His latest, Spin Me Round, brings his all-star comedy world repertory to Italy for a tale of sun-dappled Tuscan romance gone way, way wrong. For the second film in a row, Baena co-wrote the script with lead Alison Brie, following their first successful writing collaboration on the 2020 psychological thriller Horse Girl.

Brie stars alongside Alessandro Nivola, Molly Shannon, Aubrey Plaza (a two-time Film Independent Spirit Awards host and winner!), Lil Rel Howery, Tim Heidecker and Fred Armisen. The film tells the story of Amber (Brie), a restaurant manager for an Olive Garden-style US restaurant franchise who wins an all-expenses paid trip to Italy to meet the chain’s charismatic owner (Nivola) and enjoy a seemingly lavish experience. But what starts out as the trip of a lifetime—with the added plus of a potential love connection for Amber—abruptly turns into something quite dark.

We recently spoke to Baena spoke to from his home in Los Angeles about the film, the restaurant which shall not be named, giallo, his stable of fresh and returning collaborators and more. Spin Me Round comes out August 19.

 

JEFF BAENA

Jeff Baena and Aubrey Plaza

I’m going to start with a really important question. The film prominently features a fictitious Italian chain restaurant in America based on a real one. I’m not sure if we can mention the name here, but whenever you’re there, you’re family. I was wondering, what’s your go-to order there?

Baena: To be honest with you, I’ve never been to the unsaid restaurant in my life. There are a couple places I’ve never been to and that’s one of them. I’ve never been to Red Lobster. I’ve never been to Sizzler. If I were to go to said franchise Italian restaurant, I’d probably get something like spaghetti Bolognese. I don’t even know if they have it there, but that would be my go-to.

Could you tell me a little bit about how the concept of Spin Me Round came together? When did you start working on it?

Baena: Coming back from Italy after shooting The Little Hours I read an article about this program, where this Italian franchise restaurant takes their top managers [from the US] and sends them to an institute in Italy where they learn about food, wine and culture. The author of the article—who was one of these managers—had a pretty horrible experience. The expectation was that they’d be staying in this insane villa that you see on the website, but then they’re staying in this run-down dorm. The only thing they really had worked out was that the person who designed the menu made a Bolognese for them and then, after that, they just felt kind of trapped. They weren’t going anywhere. Outside their window they’re seeing Italy, but they almost felt like they were in prison. I thought that was a really funny set-up, so I wrote a 15-page outline. My last three movies had basically been improvised just off of outlines, so that was the intention here, too. For various reasons, nothing happened with it and then Alison and I wrote Horse Girl together and made that instead. So it just felt natural to bring this idea to her and show her the outline. It resonated with her, so we started collaborating on fleshing it out. The intention was to shoot in the summer of 2020, but due to COVID it got nixed, so we spent the next year fleshing it out as an actual script.

Alison Brie has acted in your last four films and this is the second you’ve co-written together. Is there anything you’ve learned from her across these collaborations?

Baena: It’s a real benefit to have someone you’re collaborating with in terms of both writing and being in the movie, because they’re on the other side of the camera and can help set the correct tone within the scene itself. Obviously they know the character and the world as well as you do. In terms of consistency and world-building, it’s extremely beneficial. I’m a big fan of collaboration in general, in terms of working with every department and every performer at every step of the way. I like to incorporate people’s ideas. I’m not precious about anything. If something’s not working, I’ll just throw it out. I’ve written a lot of my movies by myself, and I’ve written these last two with her. My first thing I wrote [I Heart Huckabees] was with David O. Russell. So I see the value in having someone else to bounce ideas off of and being able to come up with things and go to places you normally wouldn’t, because two brains are better than one in terms of everything.

Someone you’re working with for the first time here is Alessandro Nivola. He has such an interesting sensibility. He’s done some wild roles. Are there any particular performances you’ve seen from him in the past that led you to believe he could play this particular role as a narcissistic, power-hungry CEO?

Baena: It’s more just him as a person that’s interesting to me. In terms of his character he’s portraying a charming person and not necessarily a villain. Contextually, he’s easy to villainize. But ultimately the conflict and tension I’m playing off of is that he’s charming and seems harmless, and is basically too good to be true. He’s a super dashing, handsome guy that seems really intelligent and funny. To me, that was more important. It was less looking at his history of playing villains or playing unsavory characters and then saying he’d be so good as an unsavory character and more who can sell this to the point where it’s disarming enough that you would buy into what he’s selling.

Alison Brie (L) and Aubrey Plaza in ‘Spin Me Round’ (2022, dir. Jeff Baena)

You bring a lot of performers back from your earlier films—Molly Shannon, Fred Armisen, Lauren Weedman, etc. But you also have a number of first-timers in addition to Nivola, including Lil Rel Howery and Tim Heidecker. Do you have a different method for directing those who you’ve worked with before versus ones you haven’t? Do those who’ve worked with you before have a better idea of what they’re in for on-set?

Baena: A little bit yeah. I’ve known Tim for over 20 years, since college. Zach Woods I’ve met a couple times through Aubrey at UCB [Upright Citizens Brigade]. I think having worked with a bunch of people that I’ve worked with before helps set the tone [for a project]. It’s sort of like mother dough, to bring it into the pizza realm. It helps create a culture of being able to be vulnerable and being able to share and feeling less pressure. Ultimately I do want to collaborate with everyone. I want everyone to feel safe and free to contribute. This one being an actual script, it’s a little bit safer for an actor who’s never worked with me on one of my improvised movies. I’ll do everything I can to make sure they feel safe, that they feel like their performance is protected.

Was there any improv in this film or was it all scripted?

Baena: It was mostly scripted. There were a couple moments that weren’t. When Molly confronts Alison in the hallway, Molly was improvising a bunch. There was a line that Zach Woods had when Alessandro Nivola says something like, “Do you know what it’s like to hold your sister’s hand when she’s dying?” and Zach says, “No, how could I? That would be an insane coincidence.” He just dropped that in our table read and I thought it was hysterical, so I just put that into the script. I’m not precious about the actual words that are in the script so I’m sure it doesn’t match totally. But there wasn’t as much of an opportunity to improvise as normally or has been.

‘Spin Me Round’

Your films often start as pretty comedic but often shift and throw expectations aside. Are there any directors who influenced you in this regard or is just something that you personally like seeing in movies?

Baena: The movies that I’m drawn to tend to buck trends or defy genre. My favorite directors are Robert Altman and David Lynch. For the most part I’m drawn to novelty. If you go into something and it gives you what you expect, I know there’s a dopamine reward for that for some people. For me, I like mystery and getting into places you weren’t expecting. Taking a left when you thought you were going to take a right. Feeling like you’re painting yourself into a corner and having to get out of it. To me, that’s really fun. Watching movies and TV shows and any kind of entertainment—even music—that does this is interesting. David Bowie is one of my all-time favorite people. He more than anyone subverts the expectations in terms of chords. What I’m drawn to ultimately is someone taking risks and taking big swings and going to places that don’t feel as familiar. Sometimes it pays off and sometimes it doesn’t, but ultimately I don’t think there’s any value in rehashing things you’ve seen before. I think exploring new territory is where it’s at, especially with art and entertainment.

Your composer, Pino Donaggio, has worked on a lot of great Brian De Palma films, such as Carrie, Blow Out and Dressed to Kill. How did you get him? It makes sense, since he’s a great Italian composer.

Baena: When I first conceived of this movie and started outlining it, my intention was to create a score that was in the world of Body Double, since it’s one of my all-time favorites. I think what that score does brilliantly is it balances this classicism with almost sleaziness. There’s that synth-y and then breathy vocalization, but there is that insanely brilliant classical music element to it. That was always the intention.

Baena: I never thought I’d actually be able to get [Pino]. This is boring, but one of the things in setting up the movie was we got a tax credit. You get a certain percentage off, an incentive. We mainly had key people that we had brought over from America, but in order to qualify for this tax incentive you needed to have had an Italian key person. So I just threw it out there, “Let’s see if Pino would even be interested.” We did a Zoom before we started shooting and then, when we wrapped, Aubrey and Alison and I drove up to Venice and sat down with him for the day and tried to convince him it something he should do. He was super into it. It was honestly one of my favorite collaborations ever. He’s such a genius. We went to this place called Harry’s Bar across from his studio; he walks in and they close down and call him “Maestro.” I’m so honored to have been able to work with him, I’m so glad he slummed it with me [laughs].

That fits, too, since the movie has a little bit of giallo to it.

Baena: That was also intentional. De Palma’s movie is basically sleezing up Hitchcock. Pino has done so many giallos in the ’60s and ’70s. This movie to some extent devolves into giallo. It sort of starts off as Under the Tuscan Sun but turns into Suspiria or something. I thought that would be a real organic fit. I’m really luck that he did it.

 

Spin Me Round is now streaming on Hulu. Film Independent promotes unique independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work. To become a Member of Film Independent, just click here. To support us with a donation, click here.

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Only about 20% of U.S. adults say they have a best friend at work. Should the other 80% start looking for one?

Yes and no. There’s no doubt that social support in the workplace is important for health and well-being, says Catherine Heaney, an associate professor of psychology at Stanford who researches the relationship between work and health. That support can come from a co-worker who has become a close friend, but it doesn’t have to; interactions with supervisors and friendly acquaintances can also boost your well-being, Heaney says.

Here’s how to harness workplace relationships of all kinds to improve your health.

Why social support at work matters

“People will say, ‘Oh, I don’t need social relationships at work, that’s not important to me, that doesn’t matter,’” says Constance Hadley, an organizational psychologist and lecturer at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business. “I would argue they should rethink that.”

Research on the topic is clear: having friends in the workplace can not only boost job satisfaction and performance, but also improve wellness. It’s linked to a lower risk of burnout, better mental health, fewer traumatic experiences, and maybe even a longer lifespan, according to studies conducted by researchers in Spain, Japan, Germany, Iceland, and Israel, among others.

On the flip side, the research is equally clear that loneliness is bad for your health. It’s often equated to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, given its links to health problems including depression, anxiety, dementia, substance use, self-harm, and cardiovascular issues. And Hadley’s research suggests workplace loneliness is common. Even before the pandemic, she and her colleagues found that 76% of executives had difficulty making connections with colleagues and 58% felt their workplace relationships were superficial. Remote work seems to have exacerbated the situation. More than half of hybrid and remote workers said they have fewer work friendships and feel lonelier since switching to that work style, according to a 2022 report.

Read More: How to Stay Social If You Never See Your Work Friends

Considering how much time people spend at their jobs—the average employed American works for almost eight hours each day they’re on the clock—workplace loneliness shouldn’t be ignored. But if becoming best friends with your coworkers feels too daunting, or just not your style, you can still benefit from smaller doses of professional social support.

When most people hear “social support,” they think of emotional support, like venting to a coworker over drinks, Heaney says. But it comes in many forms: when someone steps in to help you on a busy day, for instance, or shares advice and opinions. Even relatively minor interactions, like a manager allowing you to leave early to pick up your sick child or a coworker sharing wisdom gained on the job, can “buffer the negative effects of stress,” Heaney explains.

The goal isn’t necessarily to make life-long friends—although it’s great if you do—but rather to foster “a sense of being in the right place” by becoming part of a community with a larger purpose, says Kim Samuel, author of On Belonging: Finding Connection in an Age of Isolation.

How to strengthen your social relationships at work

Don’t feel like you need to become the office social butterfly overnight. Hadley’s research suggests knowing a few people fairly well has a stronger effect than having superficial relationships with lots of people, so start small. If you have a colleague who you like but don’t know very well, ask an appropriate personal question next time you bump into them, or check in with a teammate after a tense meeting. (The same message applies if you work remotely, Hadley says. Try calling a colleague to brainstorm, or asking someone for their thoughts on an assignment you’re working on.)

It’s easy to talk yourself out of making these gestures, Heaney says, but resist the temptation. One influential study found that people were happier when they chatted with strangers during their commutes by subway—an environment where people notoriously keep to themselves—versus ignoring those around them. That finding suggests people who make the first social move “are much more likely to be received positively than they are probably anticipating,” Heaney says.

Employers should ideally foster environments where workers feel like they’re part of a community, Samuel adds. That could mean seeking input from people at all levels of the company, Samuel says, or offering opportunities for people of all backgrounds to come together outside the immediate scope of their jobs, perhaps through volunteer activities. Managers could also take a few minutes during meetings to allow for non-work-related conversation, Heaney suggests.

Hadley echoes the importance of office-sponsored social events, which can complement the bonds that form organically among co-workers. Even if you inwardly groan when you get a corporate happy hour invitation, you may leave feeling glad you went—and that much closer to getting to know the people with whom you spend a large chunk of your waking hours.

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Write to Jamie Ducharme at jamie.ducharme@time.com.

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EXCLUSIVE: Sophie Cookson (Kingsman: The Golden Circle) and Lucien Laviscount (Emily In Paris) are underway on feature rom-com This Time Next Year, which heralds from producers Night Train Media and BlackBox Multimedia.

The film is adapted by Sophie Cousens’ from her novel of the same name and is being directed by Nick Moore, editor of hit comedies including Love Actually, Notting Hill and The Full Monty.

Protagonist Pictures is handling worldwide sales and will introduce the project to buyers at the upcoming Cannes market.

The film will chart the story of Minnie (Cookson) and Quinn (Laviscount) who are born in London on New Year’s Day, in the same hospital, one minute apart. Thirty years later — and very different people — they find themselves thrown together again in the same city on New Year’s Eve.

Producers are Giuliano Papadia for BlackBox Multimedia and Herbert L. Kloiber for Night Train Media, with Erika Hossington also attached as producer on the film. Chiara Cardoso for BlackBox Multimedia and James Copp for Night Train Media serve as executive producers.

BlackBox was founded by industry veteran Guy Avshalom (Lionsgate UK) and is led by former Fox executive Giuliano Papadia. Last year, the company’s first TV series The Ex-Wife was Paramount+’s first original in the UK. Night Train Media, backed by investor Serafin Group, was founded in 2020 by Herbert Kloiber, former managing director of Tele München Group.

Lina Marrone, Acting Head of Sales at Protagonist Pictures, said: “The super talented Sophie and Lucien are the perfect pair to bring Sophie’s uplifting, heartwarming tale to life. With endless charm, biting humor and true kismet, This Time Next Year has all the makings of the next great Brit rom-com with strong global appeal.”

Sophie Cousens, screenwriter and author of This Time Next Year, commented: “Writing this book in the evenings after work, I couldn’t have imagined the journey I would go on with these characters. It’s been incredible to see This Time Next Year translated into eighteen languages, become a New York Times bestseller and now, turned into a film. I grew up on the classic romantic comedies of the ’90s and early 2000s – these films are the reason I started writing rom coms, and as such, I always pictured Minnie and Quinn’s story as a film. To witness it come to life with such a talented cast and crew, is an absolute dream come true.”

Cousens is represented by Sheila David at Catapult Rights, acting in conjunction with the Darley Anderson Literary Agency.

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EXCLUSIVE: Sophie Cookson (Kingsman: The Golden Circle)

Tech

British antitrust regulators on Wednesday dealt a major setback to Microsoft’s plans to acquire the video game giant Activision Blizzard for $69 billion, blocking the proposed deal and handing a notable win to government enforcers around the world who want to rein in Big Tech.

In deciding that Microsoft’s proposals to ensure the acquisition did not harm competition “failed to effectively address the concerns in the cloud gaming sector,” a nascent part of the gaming industry, the Competition and Markets Authority inflicted a possibly fatal blow to what would be the largest consumer tech acquisition since AOL bought Time Warner two decades ago.

The surprising ruling was a clear victory for proponents of regulating tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Apple, Google and Meta, Facebook’s parent company. Their efforts, fueled by fears that the companies wield too much power over online commerce and communications, have been stymied in the United States by recent court losses and legislative failures.

“This is a very big win for the broader effort to realign antitrust enforcement,” said William E. Kovacic, a former chairman of the Federal Trade Commission. Microsoft said it planned to appeal the ruling.

Much of the focus around whether consumers would be harmed by the deal had focused on the market for expensive gaming consoles, but the C.M.A. in its ruling zeroed in on cloud gaming, a relatively new technology that allows people to stream games to their devices, circumventing the need for hardware like gaming consoles.

The British agency’s announcement bolstered efforts by the F.T.C. chair, Lina Khan, who has made challenging mergers a central part of her plan to rein in the tech giants. After the American agency filed a lawsuit in December to block the video game deal, Microsoft swiftly tried to isolate Ms. Khan by pushing British and European authorities to reach legal settlements that would address their concerns and allow the deal to go through. Antitrust regulators in the European Union are still reviewing the acquisition and are expected to rule by May 22.

But the British officials instead signaled that an era of easy blockbuster deals by the tech giants was over. The F.T.C. is building an antitrust case against Amazon, and Ms. Khan has said she is closely watching whether the tech giants will abuse their power in the race to develop artificial intelligence tools.

On Wednesday, the F.T.C. said it was aligned with the British regulator. “We also have concerns, as explained in our complaint, about the anticompetitive effects of this deal,” Holly Vedova, the director of the agency’s Bureau of Competition, said in a statement.

“We’re especially disappointed that after lengthy deliberations, this decision appears to reflect a flawed understanding of this market and the way the relevant cloud technology actually works,” Brad Smith, Microsoft president, said in a statement.

Activision, the publisher of blockbuster games like Call of Duty, said it would “work aggressively” with Microsoft to reverse the ruling.

“If the C.M.A.’s decision holds, it would stifle investment, competition and job creation throughout the U.K. gaming industry,” said Bobby Kotick, Activision’s chief executive.

Activision’s stock fell more than 10 percent in early trading. Shares of Microsoft, which were trading higher after it reported stronger-than-expected earnings on Tuesday, were up about 7 percent.

Microsoft announced the deal to buy Activision early last year, hoping to combine Microsoft’s Xbox console and video game subscription service with Activision’s blockbuster games like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft and Candy Crush.

At the time, Activision was reeling from a California lawsuit accusing it of fostering a toxic, sexist workplace culture and Mr. Kotick faced calls to resign.

For more than a year, the debate over the deal largely centered on what would happen to the hundreds of millions of people who play Activision’s games. The company that opposed the deal the most vocally was Sony, which makes the PlayStation console, a competitor to Microsoft’s Xbox. Sony argued that fans of Call of Duty and other Activision titles who can currently play the games on the Xbox or PlayStation would be forced to use Microsoft’s consoles and services exclusively.

Sony did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.

Microsoft said it would not restrict Call of Duty to the Xbox, and it argued the acquisition would actually give more people access to the games. It focused on reaching settlements with regulators outside the United States that would allow the deal to go through with some conditions. It also offered gaming platforms guaranteed access to Call of Duty in an effort to show it would not restrict the popular game on other consoles.

The British regulator initially said in February that the deal would hurt competition for gaming consoles like the PlayStation and the nascent cloud gaming industry, which involves harnessing the power of remote data centers to stream a game to a device like an iPhone or computer. But in late March, it reversed course and said that it no longer believed the deal posed a threat to Sony, which seemed to put Microsoft in a strong position.

Instead, the C.M.A. focused on the cloud gaming market, which has been around for just a few years, and focused on the possibility that cloud gaming could explode in popularity, eventually being worth $1.3 billion in Britain and $14 billion globally by 2026.

“The cloud allows U.K. gamers to avoid buying expensive gaming consoles and PCs and gives them much more flexibility and choice as to how they play,” the C.M.A. wrote in its ruling on Wednesday. “Allowing Microsoft to take such a strong position in the cloud gaming market just as it begins to grow rapidly would risk undermining the innovation that is crucial to the development of these opportunities.”

In the future, cloud gaming could untether gamers from consoles and shift the focus from hardware to technology that allows games to be streamed from remote data centers. Paired with Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s monthly game subscription service that has more than 25 million subscribers, it could be a powerful tool. But it has not yet been widely adopted, and early forays into cloud gaming, from companies like Microsoft, Google and Amazon, have struggled. The technology still encounters frequent glitches and requires a strong Wi-Fi connection.

“Cloud gaming longer term could be very big, but it would require a massive shift in how games are made and sold,” said David Gibson, a senior analyst for MST Financial, a financial services company based in Australia.

In recent months, Microsoft signed a number of deals promising it would allow Activision’s games to be played for 10 years on cloud streaming platforms, such as Nvidia’s GeForce Now streaming service. But the C.M.A. said those solutions did not cover enough cloud business models.

The agency said that Microsoft already had a significant edge as cloud gaming gained prominence, accounting for 60 to 70 percent of cloud gaming services worldwide. The C.M.A. said if the deal closed, Microsoft was likely to benefit from making Activision’s games exclusive to its own cloud gaming platform, called Xbox Cloud Gaming, which could harm consumers.

“This deal would strengthen that advantage giving it the ability to undermine new and innovative competitors,” Martin Coleman, the chair of a panel that conducted an investigation for the C.M.A., said in a statement.

The setback will now force Microsoft to appeal the ruling. It has previously said it hopes to close the acquisition by July 18.

The appeals process is likely to be relatively swift, but Microsoft will have to meet a high bar: The tribunal that oversees appeals looks mainly at whether the C.M.A.’s ruling was reached lawfully and reasonably, according to Pablo Ibáñez Colomo, a professor of law at the London School of Economics.

“This is a significant blow to the deal completing,” said Piers Harding-Rolls, a gaming researcher at the analytics firm Ampere Analysis in London. “Inevitably this will delay things and will impact Xbox’s commercial plans.”

Karen Weise contributed reporting from Seattle, and Adam Satariano and Michael J. de la Merced from London.

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British antitrust regulators on Wednesday dealt a

Video

Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has blocked Microsoft’s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard after publishing its final findings on Wednesday.

The regulator, which initially launched an in-depth review of the deal in September, provisionally determined in February that the merger could make the tech giant even stronger in cloud gaming, stifling market competition.

In its final decision, the CMA determined that Microsoft would “find it commercially beneficial to make Activision’s games exclusive to its own cloud gaming service” and that the deal would “reinforce Microsoft’s advantage in the market by giving it control over important gaming content such as Call of Duty, Overwatch, and World of Warcraft.”

“Given its already strong position, even a moderate increment to Microsoft’s strength may be expected to substantially reduce competition in this developing market, to the detriment of current and future cloud gaming users,” the CMA said.

An Activision Blizzard spokesperson told TheWrap that the CMA’s report “contradicts the ambitions of the UK to become an attractive country to build technology businesses.”

“We will work aggressively with Microsoft to reverse this on appeal. The report’s conclusions are a disservice to UK citizens, who face increasingly dire economic prospects,” the spokesperson added. “We will reassess our growth plans for the UK. Global innovators large and small will take note that – despite all its rhetoric – the UK is clearly closed for business.”

According to the CMA, Microsoft already accounts for an estimated 60-70% of global cloud gaming services and has other important strengths in cloud gaming from owning Xbox, the leading PC operating system (Windows) and a global cloud computing infrastructure (Azure and Xbox Cloud Gaming).

“The cloud allows UK gamers to avoid buying expensive gaming consoles and PCs and gives them much more flexibility and choice as to how they play,” the CMA said. “Allowing Microsoft to take such a strong position in the cloud gaming market just as it begins to grow rapidly would risk undermining the innovation that is crucial to the development of these opportunities.”

Microsoft submitted a proposal to address some of the CMA’s concerns, which involved setting requirements governing what games must be offered by the company to other platforms and on what conditions over a 10-year period.

However, the CMA said that the proposal did not sufficiently cover different cloud gaming service business models, including multigame subscription services, and was not sufficiently open to providers who might wish to offer versions of games on PC operating systems other than Windows and would standardize the terms and conditions on which games are available, as opposed to them being determined by “the dynamism and creativity of competition in the market.”

“Given the remedy applies only to a defined set of Activision games, which can be streamed only in a defined set of cloud gaming services, provided they are purchased in a defined set of online stores, there are significant risks of disagreement and conflict between Microsoft and cloud gaming service providers, particularly over a ten-year period in a rapidly changing market,” the CMA wrote. “Accepting Microsoft’s remedy would inevitably require some degree of regulatory oversight by the CMA. By contrast, preventing the merger would effectively allow market forces to continue to operate and shape the development of cloud gaming without this regulatory intervention.”

Netflix to Boost Push Into Video-Game Market With 40 New Titles This Year

In a statement shared to Twitter, Microsoft president and vice chair Brad Smith added that the CMA’s decision “rejects a pragmatic path to address competition concerns and discourages technology innovation and investment in the United Kingdom.”

“We have already signed contracts to make Activision Blizzard’s popular games available on 150 million more devices, and we remain committed to reinforcing these agreements through regulatory remedies,” Smith added. “We’re especially disappointed that after lengthy deliberations, the decision appears to reflect a flawed understanding of this market and the way relevant cloud technology actually works.”

Fandom’s ‘Inside Gaming’ Survey Debunks Stereotypes About Who Plays Video Games

The CMA’s decision comes after the Federal Trade Commission sued to block the merger in December.

The agency has alleged that the Activision Blizzard acquisition would allow Microsoft to “suppress competition from rival consoles” and cited its acquisition of Bethesda, the game developer behind the “Elder Scrolls” series, as an example of how the company has previously made franchises that fall under its ownership into exclusive titles.

“Microsoft decided to make several of Bethesda’s titles including Starfield and Redfall Microsoft exclusives despite assurances it had given to European antitrust authorities that it had no incentive to withhold games from rival consoles,” the FTC wrote at the time.

Shares of Activision Blizzard have plunged over 8% on Wednesday, while Microsoft shares have climbed nearly 7%.

Alphabet Growth Slows Again in Q1 as YouTube Ad Revenue Falls for 3rd Quarter in a Row

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Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has

Entertaintment




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Los Angeles, CA - *EXCLUSIVE* - Amber Heard goes to a business meeting in Downtown LA, and then has lunch afterwards with mystery man. The 'Aquaman' actress went makeup-free and showed some cleavage in a low-cut bohemian dress. Pictured: Amber Heard BACKGRID USA 7 APRIL 2019 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients - Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*


Actor Amber Heard arrives in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va.,. Actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse Depp Heard Lawsuit, Fairfax, United States - 21 Apr 2022


Actress Amber Heard arrives in the courtroom at the Fairfax County Circuit Court in Fairfax, Va.,. Actor Johnny Depp sued his ex-wife Amber Heard for libel in Fairfax County Circuit Court after she wrote an op-ed piece in The Washington Post in 2018 referring to herself as a "public figure representing domestic abuse Depp Heard Lawsuit, Fairfax, United States - 20 Apr 2022

Image Credit: Everett

Amber Heard will be in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom. Despite a longstanding rumor that Amber, 37, would be scrubbed from the movie after losing the high-profile defamation trial with her ex, Johnny Depp, Amber appeared in the film’s trailer shown at CinemaCon. Multiple outlets confirmed Amber made a brief appearance in the preview, with Insider reporting that there are two brief shots of Amber’s character, Mera, doing battle underwater.

James Wan, the director behind the 2018 Aquaman sequel, describes this new film as an “action-adventure story with a really fun bromance between Arthur (Jason Momoa) and Orm (Patrick Wilson). “Orm was a villain the first time around, but this time Arthur needs him.” The film features Aquaman’s longtime archnemesis, Black Manta (Yayah Abdul-Mateen), as the main antagonist.

Amber’s appearance in a trailer contradicts reports that she would be recast in the sequel. “The rumor mill continues as it has from day one — inaccurate, insensitive, and slightly insane,” Amber’s rep told Insider following the claims that Warner Bros. had decided to recast her after a screen test of the sequel.

(Shutterstock)

While on the stand in her defamation trial, Amber claimed that her role was heavily reduced due to her allegations against Johnny Depp, 59. “They released me from my contract,” she said, per Insider. “I fought to stay in it, and they kept me in it. I just don’t know how much I’m in, actually, of the final cut. As I said, I don’t know if I will even be in the final cut or how much I will be. It was difficult to stay in the movie. I was given a script and then given new versions of the script that had taken away scenes that had action in it that depicted my character and another character — without giving any spoilers away — two characters fighting with one another. They basically took a bunch out of my role. They just removed a bunch out.”

Walter Hamada, the then-head of DC Films, was called in to testify during the court. He claimed that “the size of the role in the film that she has was determined in the early development of the script,” per The Independent.

Amber and Johnny (Shutterstock)

Amber’s involvement in the film has been a subject of controversy for comic fans and Depp stans. Those who sided with Depp during his battle with his ex-wife founded a Change.org petition to remove Heard from the Aquaman sequel. As of April 2023, it has 4.6 million signatures.

Though Depp lost his 2020 libel case against The Sun after the British publication called him a “wife-beater,” a jury ruled in his favor in 2022 after he sued Amber over a 2018 op-ed that she wrote for The Washington Post. Though Amber never referred to her ex-husband by name in the op-ed, she claimed she “became a public figure representing domestic abuse,” which was seemingly enough for Depp to successfully sue for defamation. Amber first appealed the $10 million decision but decided to settle in December 2022.

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View gallery Image Credit: Everett Amber Heard will be

Movies

Toronto’s Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival has grown over the past three decades from an ambitious selection of 21 factual films into a sprawling cinematic canvas of what’s on the world’s fevered brain.

The 30th edition of this Toronto tradition, running April 27 to May 7 at various downtown venues, will be a mostly in-person affair, with 214 features and shorts drawn from 72 countries. (More than 100 films will stream nationwide from May 5 to 9 on hotdocs.ca.)

With topics ranging from war to witches, and featuring such blazing personalities as singer/activist Joan Baez and former Supreme Court of Canada justice Rosalie Abella, the fest offers its usual array of must-see documentaries.

Here are my alphabetically arranged 10 hot picks at Hot Docs 2023:

20 Days in Mariupol

A grim heartbreaker and essential viewing. Ukrainian journalist Mstyslav Chernov’s on-the-run doc, a Sundance 2023 audience winner, is painful to watch as it unsparingly shows civilian carnage during the bloody opening days of the Russian war on its neighbouring country. Chernov and his colleagues Evgeniy Maloletka and Vasilisa Stepanenko cut through the noise of battle (and Russian disinformation campaigns) to show what’s really happening on the Ukrainian battlefront. The bravery of Ukrainians becomes all the more apparent, but stories and photos seen in many early media dispatches, including the much-publicized image of a pregnant woman being carried to hospital, don’t always have a happy outcome. Yet watch we must; truth will out.

Coven

Forget all that “double double toil and trouble” nonsense. Rama Rau’s spellbinding doc reveals that a lot more than incantations goes into being a witch in today’s complex world, as seen in the identity quests of three millennial women. Laura, Ayo and Andra are on similar but separate paths as they traverse the globe seeking guidance, context and history regarding Wicca and/or other brands of witchery. Main quester Laura, who equates witchcraft with her evolving view of feminism, discovers she’s related to someone who “created a ghost” and also to two victims of historical wrongs, including the Salem Witch Trials. The doc takes a matter-of-fact approach to an oft-derided subject, one that could have an alternative title, courtesy of a high priestess: “So you want to be a witch.”

A picture of singer Joan Baez as a young girl in the revealing documentary "Joan Baez I Am a Noise."

Joan Baez I Am a Noise

The cacophonous title seems at odds with the public image of folk songbird Baez, a social justice legend who throughout her six-decade career has drawn adoring comparisons to the likes of the Virgin Mary and Mahatma Gandhi. But Baez, 82, recently retired from touring, explains in this achingly honest doc by Karen O’Connor, Miri Navasky and Maeve O’Boyle why saintly labels don’t apply to her: “There’s a powerful lot of anger lurking just under my big smile.” Interviews and archival performances are supplemented by Baez’s many personal letters, which are animated for the screen. Among the many revelations are lifelong anxiety issues, paternal abuse allegations and the bittersweet truth that her famous love affair with Bob Dylan really did break her heart.

Townsfolk from Lac-M�gantic, site of a 2013 railway disaster, in Philippe Falardeau's four-part film series "Lac-M�gantic: This Is Not an Accident."

Lac-Mégantic — This Is Not an Accident

No horror movie could match what happened in Quebec’s placid Lac-Mégantic in the early morning of July 6, 2013. A runaway train, on fire and loaded with the most flammable of oils, derailed in the town’s central core, vaporizing 47 lives and leaving more than 2,000 other people displaced. Reasons for the tragedy were many, but what emerges from this superlative four-part investigation by Oscar-nominated director Philippe Falardeau (“Monsieur Lazhar”) is an indictment of corporate and government officials who preach safety and regulatory oversight yet who seem to accept occasional railway disasters as the cost of doing business. Scariest of all is the evidence little has changed in the past 10 years: “What we’ve got on the tracks today are bombs,” someone aptly declares.

In "The Longest Goodbye," Ido Mizrahy shows how the biggest hurdle to getting people to Mars isn't rocket propulsion but rather human isolation. Cady Coleman is shown.

The Longest Goodbye

For those of us who aren’t rocket scientists, it’s easy to assume the biggest hurdle to sending people to Mars is vehicle propulsion. Ido Mizrahy’s riveting doc, a Canada/Israel co-production, suggests isolation looms larger: How will humans handle being locked inside a van-sized spacecraft for three years, cut off from family and friends? We meet Al Holland, a NASA psychologist tasked with solving loneliness. He employs coping techniques used in the 2010 rescue of 33 Chilean miners, who were trapped underground for 69 days. Future Mars travellers, as soon as a decade from now, might be put into hibernation before space travel and/or have AI companions to fly with. The questions are all the more urgent, given next year’s Artemis II moon mission, a prelude to Mars travel.

The brain of late genius physicist Albert Einstein is stored in several jars for study by scientists and other adventures, as revealed in Michelle Shephard's doc "The Man Who Stole Einstein's Brain."

The Man Who Stole Einstein’s Brain

The title bird of “The Maltese Falcon” has nothing on Einstein’s brain as a plot-driving movie MacGuffin, especially since this detective story happens to be true. Filmmaker Michelle Shephard, a former Toronto Star journalist, follows a long and twisting road (including a Canadian stop), seeking answers about the fate of the confiscated cerebrum of Albert Einstein, the renowned 20th-century physicist. The thriller-like doc tracks the movements and utterances of Thomas Harvey, the pathologist who controversially extracted Einstein’s puzzler during a 1955 autopsy. Harvey’s alleged good intentions of preservation turn into a morass of bad decisions, dubious science and late-show wisecracks. And as for what ultimately happened to the great thinker’s brain, well, you just have to watch.

Toronto carpenter Khaleel Seivwright, in Zack Russell's doc "Someone Lives Here," inside one of the tiny homes he built to keep homeless people warm and safe.

Someone Lives Here

A lot of people have opinions about those living on the streets and in public parks. Toronto carpenter Khaleel Seivwright has wood, a saw, a hammer and, most importantly, a heart. He’s determined to actually do something about the chronic problem of homelessness. His easily installed tiny shelters, based on his own past experience living outdoors, could be one answer to homelessness and he gets raves from inhabitants of his mini-homes, including a woman who says it helped her overcome her potentially life-threatening depression. But Seivwright encounters a wall of indifference and heartlessness from city bureaucrats and then-Mayor John Tory. Director Zack Russell gives us the lowdown on when good intentions meet sticky red tape.

Jialing Zhang's doc "Total Trust" is a scary look at how China is using Big Data to keep tabs on every one of its residents.

Total Trust

There are many justifiable fears these days about digital surveillance and artificial intelligence, but they could be 20 years too late. That’s the sobering thought raised by this inquiry by “One Child Nation” co-director Jialing Zhang into China’s massive state intrusion into personal privacy. For the past two decades, China has been monitoring citizens for their “trustworthiness,” using an increasingly Orwellian series of laws and a rapidly growing arsenal of high-tech surveillance tools to keep everyone from human rights activists to jaywalkers in line and perpetually fearful. Without a trace of irony, we learn of the “Skynet Project,” a digital snooping program sharing a name with a “Terminator” film AI menace, which already has 170 million cameras watching Chinese citizens and another 400 million soon to be installed. Terrifying.

Inuit activist and lawyer Aaju Peter in a scene from "Twice Colonized," a doc by Lin Alluna.

Twice Colonized

The energizing presence of Aaju Peter, a seal hunt advocate and lawyer, is already known to viewers of “Angry Inuk,” Alethea Arnaquq-Baril’s 2016 doc. Peter is no less a dynamo in Lin Alluna’s provocative new film, titled for Peter’s autobiography and her years of fighting colonialism first in Denmark and then in Canada. The doc is almost a sequel to “Angry Inuk” in the way it tracks her continuing activism for Indigenous rights, which includes defending the traditional seal hunt and lobbying for a permanent forum for Indigenous people within the European Union. Peter’s personal well-being also figures prominently in the narrative. Grieving for a lost son while attempting to disentangle herself from an abusive ex-boyfriend, she’s attempting to answer a self-posed question: “Is it possible to change the world and mend your own wounds at the same time?”

Former Supreme Court of Canada justice Rosalie Silberman Abella in a scene from Barry Avrich's doc "Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella."

Without Precedent: The Supreme Life of Rosalie Abella

The word “charming” is rarely used to describe a judge, much less a supreme one. But it aptly describes recently retired Supreme Court of Canada justice Rosalie Abella, as seen in this affectionate tribute from Barry Avrich. Many superlatives describe Abella — youngest Canadian judge ever at age 29, first Jewish female Supreme Court of Canada justice — and landmark legal rulings on employment equity, constitutional law and same-sex marriage attest to her dedication and wisdom as a jurist who wasn’t afraid of controversy. Raves about her come from law clerks right on up to three former prime ministers. But as Abella talks in her amusingly tchotchke-filled office and home, she seems proudest of being a devoted wife to late author Irving Abella and mom to two sons. A life well lived, one that improved the lives of many Canadians.

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Toronto’s Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival

MCU

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will bring back an actress from the Avengers movies but in a new and unexpected role for the MCU’s next threequel.

Director/writer James Gunn is pulling out all the stops with Guardians 3‘s cast, bringing back major players from past movies while introducing a couple of major rising stars in their MCU debuts.

Will Poulter’s ultra-powerful Adam Warlock is set to blast his way into the narrative after first being teased in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

On top of that, Gunn will work with Chukwudi Iwuji for a second time after DC’s Peacemaker as Iwuji plays the High Evolutionary, although he’s far from the only repeat collaborator joining Gunn on this massive blockbuster.

Guardians 3 Reuses Avengers Supporting Actor

Collider revealed that James Gunn cast Linda Cardellini as the voice of Lylla the Otter in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Marvel Studios

This marks Cardellini’s fourth appearance in the MCU, as she also has portrayed Laura Barton since her debut in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron.

It also marks the fifth official collaboration between Gunn and Cardellini, including their second time in the MCU after Gunn served as an executive producer on Avengers: Endgame, which included Cardellini.

Most notably, Gunn was the writer for 2002’s Scooby-Doo and 2004’s Scooby-Doo: Monsters Unleashed, in which Cardellini played the live-action Velma.

Linda Cardellini
Marvel Studios

The report also revealed casting for two other new characters, with Asim Chaudhry playing Teefs the Walrus and Mikaela Hoover playing Floor the Rabbit.

Teefs the Walrus
Marvel Studios

Teefs the Walrus is almost definitely inspired by a character named Wal Rus, who was an engineer that traveled with Rocket and his crew of animals from Marvel Comics

Floor the Rabbit ties back most closely to Blackjack O’Hare, a mercenary who serves as the leader of a unique group called the Black Bunny Brigade.

Floor the Rabbit
Marvel Studios

Gunn described this group of animals as “best friends,” teasing a scene between them in which they all dream about going out into the world and finding out what it’s like to live freely:

“They’re best friends… and I think it’s a really beautiful scene with them… where they talk about going outside into the sky, in the world, which they’ve never experienced.”

With this casting, Cardellini also becomes the 15th actor to play multiple roles in the MCU, most recently following Dave Dastmalchian in Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania.

How Will Avengers Star Shine in Guardians 3?

Linda Cardellini is no stranger to movies like Guardians 3, as she already became an MCU fan favorite through her roles in the Avengers franchise and the Hawkeye series on Disney+. 

This threequel will now give her the opportunity to take on a new challenge as a voiceover actor playing a CGI character, teaming up with Bradley Cooper’s Rocket Raccoon to close out the Guardians trilogy in style.

This also officially dispels the rumors that circulated surrounding Lylla being played by Lady Gaga, which hit the internet years ago while Guardians 3 was in the early stages of development.

Now, Cardellini looks to play a key part in the story this threequel looks to tell, particularly as Rocket’s backstory is fully explored in the MCU for the first time.

And with the MCU’s next theatrical release teasing imminent doom for the Guardians’ troubled raccoon, Cardellini’s inclusion will only add that much more emotion and depth to the story.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 will debut in theaters on Friday, May 5.

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DCU

Soon, The Flash will give us something that superhero cinema has never shown us before: the multiverse! Kidding aside, the Andy Muschietti-directed movie will give audiences a fresh twist on DC’s iconic Flashpoint storyline. The 2011 saga from Geoff Johns and Andy Kubert saw Barry Allen going back in time to try and prevent his mother’s murder. But he ended up breaking the past and the future in the process. And while The Flash will bring in many faces from DC Comics stories, some cameos did not make the cut.

The Flash will serve as the swan song for the current iteration of the DC Extended Universe. Newly minted DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran have been candid about their plans to make a new unified DC Universe.

With The Flash serving as the end of an era, a lot is riding on its shoulders. Fortunately, the movie is pretty great, at least in the version that Nerdist screened at a special event. Director Andy Muschietti and producer Barbara Muschietti were on hand to introduce what they called not quite the final cut of the film.

Michael Keaton as General Zod in Warner Bros. and DC Studios' The Flash
Warner Bros.

While we’ll save our super spoiler thoughts for after the film’s release, the filmmaking siblings shared some juicy details with the audience. With trailers confirming the return of Michael Keaton as Batman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Michael Shannon as General Zod, and the introduction of Sasha Calle as Supergirl, The Flash has plenty of iconic DC characters. 

And yes, the movie has even more cameos, guest appearances, and surprises for diehard fans of superhero cinema and comics. Andy Muschietti confirmed his initial assembly was four hours long. Therefore some choice cameos were left on the cutting room floor. When Q&A moderator Grae Drake asked the Muschiettis what characters or moments they couldn’t fit in the film, they obliged with a small sampling. The Flash cameos that unfortunately didn’t work out include Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman from the ‘70s TV series, Marlon Brando’s Jor-El from 1978’s Superman, as well as Burgess Meredith’s Penguin and Cesar Romero’s Joker from the 1960s Batman TV series. 

Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman in the 1970s TV series.
ABC

During the reception after the screening, Nerdist spoke to Andy Muschietti with a few other reporters. In response to a question from Dorian Parks from Geeks of Color, he confirmed that Grant Gustin almost had a cameo in the film as Barry Allen from The CW’s The Flash. Muschietti was very complimentary about what The Flash series accomplished. But unfortunately, there wasn’t room to include Gustin’s take on Barry Allen. Muschietti said, “Of course, as I said before the list of cameos…was huge. So obviously we played with the idea of including DC characters from TV, but we just had to pick.”

Sadly it won’t be Oops, All Barrys.

The cinematic and TV versions of the Flash meet during the CW's Crisis on Infinite Earths event.
Warner Bros.

Nerdist also asked how Muschietti felt on his first day on set compared to the last day after such a long journey with this film with 120 shooting days. According to Muschietti, “It’s funny because the sense of accomplishment at the end is like, you feel like such a relief. At the beginning, you’re a ball of stress. Of course, it defuses after a few days. Every day is like an accomplishment. Then you relax and just keep going and going. It was a lot of fun.”

As for The Flash, the fun for audiences begins on June 16. Whether or not any of those cameos make their way back into the final cut, only time—or time travel—will tell.

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Soon, The Flash will give

Comics

March 7th is one of the characters available early on in Honkai: Star Rail as part of your beginning party. Though, it’s not really explained when she joins what exactly the deal is. Like, what kind of name is March 7th?! And yes, the ‘th’ is part of her name. What kind of parent would do that to a child??

What Does March 7th’s Name Mean in Honkai Star Rail?

Surprisingly, unsurprisingly, March 7th is actually the one who gave herself the name. March 7th gave herself the name of the date when she awakened from a giant block of ice. Floating through outer space, the block was retrieved by the Astral Express by Himeko, Welt, and another unnamed third party. With their help, March 7th was retrieved and verified to still be alive and viable. But when she awoke, she had retained none of her memories from before that day.

There isn’t much that we know about our optimistic peppy girl, but we do know that she isn’t all that big of a mystery. She likes to charge into adventures and action without a second thought, ready to take down Doom Beasts with a bow and arrow, thinking that’ll do the trick. Like us, she’s just charging through the universe trying to learn more about the secrets surrounding herself while having fun along the way. 

Time will only tell what lies in store for our girl, especially surrounding the reason why she was just floating around in space in a giant chunk of ice. Probably froze herself or something silly… Surely nothing heart-breaking, angsty, and covered in lore right? As we get to know all the fun characters in Honkai: Star Rail, you better believe we’ll be following this strange peppy girl along the way!

Related: How to Download and Play Honkai Star Rail Using the Launcher

For more on Honkai: Star Rail, check out which Main Character you should be choosing for your adventure: Stelle or Caelus? And be sure to check out what goodies await you in the Beginner Standard Warp Banner. Happy Trailblazing!

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March 7th is one of the characters

Festivals

Is the modern movie star dead, or close to it?

Movie stars have a strange place in Hollywood. They are the face that audiences rely on to trust that a movie is worthy of their time. But some fear that the era of movie stars is reaching an end, and a new study that has been going around the film community makes me wonder if the iconic status of movie stardom is over or, at least, evolved into something else.

National Research Group, the analysis firm that specializes in entertainment and tech, commissioned a survey asking movie watchers and consumers to name five actors that would make them go watch a movie in a theater. The question wasn’t “Who are your favorite stars?” or “Who do you think are the biggest movie stars today?” The question asked was simple and pointed: “Who do you most want to watch in theaters?” 

In an industry where studios are debating whether they should take the financial risk of releasing in theaters, studio executives have to question if the film’s stars are bankable. While actors like Jenna Ortega, Zendaya, Tom Holland, and Timothée Chalamet are all huge stars, we have to ask if they can draw in a big enough audience. I would say yes, but when I asked my parents, their response is, “Who is that, again?”

So, what kinds of actors do audiences actually want to see? NRG’s study and its Top 100 Actors list to its studio clients, who reported this list to Matthew Belloni at Puck, reveals the answer.

‘Top Gun: Maverick’Credit: Paramount Pictures

Who Do Audiences Want to See in those Blockbuster Movies?

According to NRG’s study, the top 20 actors (in order of their ranking) include:

  1. Tom Cruise
  2. Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
  3. Tom Hanks
  4. Brad Pitt
  5. Denzel Washington
  6. Julia Roberts
  7. Will Smith
  8. Leonardo DiCaprio
  9. Johnny Depp
  10. Kevin Hart
  11. Keanu Reeves
  12. Sandra Bullock
  13. Ryan Reynolds
  14. Adam Sandler
  15. Harrison Ford
  16. George Clooney
  17. Robert Downey, Jr.
  18. Angelina Jolie
  19. Morgan Freeman
  20. Chris Hemsworth

While we know everyone on this list, it is strange that everyone here is from another decade. The average age of this lot is 57.5 years old, with only four of them in their 40s. Both Morgan Freeman and Harrison Ford are in their 80s. Where are the current young movie stars like Michael B. Jordan, Jennifer Lawrence, Margot Robbie, and Tom Holland? Where are the stars that define the new decade of cinema?

It seems that the appeal for a theatrical release comes from two ideas: familiarity and nostalgia.

Morgan Freeman as Daniel and Florence Pugh as Allison in ‘A Good Person’Credit: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Watching movies and prestigious TV at home has become the norm, with Sunday nights becoming dominated by HBO hits like White Lotus, The Last of Us, and Succession. Outside of those big hit TV shows, the monoculture around film is barely breathing. As Belloni says, “If theatrical hits represent the monoculture, and the monoculture is dead, then the stars who connote theaters are necessarily the old stars.”

The younger generation isn’t completely absent from NRG’s study, but the numbers are still bleak.

Ortega, Holland, Zendaya, and Chalamet are under 30 years old and made the Top 100 Actors list, but that’s it. Only 4% of the movie stars that matter in theaters are under 30. Are young actors too new for audiences to be familiar with, or are these actors appearing in so many different projects across multiple platforms that audiences don’t consider them to be traditional movie stars?

Then again, what is a traditional movie star these days?

Jenna Ortega as Lorraine Day in ‘X’Credit: A24

Why Does This Matter to You and Studios?

NRG’s study was conducted for studios to know which stars in Hollywood are safe bets to go with when casting for a potentially big blockbuster movie. If you want audiences to come and watch the movie in theaters, then cast anyone from the Top 20. In short: studios are going to trust the data when they want to make a profit.

Here is where the problem lies. If a studio is making a big-budget movie starring Florance Pugh, who didn’t make the Top 100 Actors list, the studio might start to worry about the film’s success if it were to get a theatrical release. Who would see the film? Sure, you and I would, but is that enough to justify the budget to make the film?

If a studio wants to make a rom-com with actors under 30 who have that appeal to a large audience, then the pool is extremely limited with four people to choose from.

Zendaya as Chani in ‘Dune: Part One’Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Blockbusters and movie stars seem to no longer be in the same conversation. Instead, they are two separate entities that don’t need each other to succeed, even if they do help support each other from time to time. Today’s big hits come from a story’s character and the arc the character has to go on through their journey. Great characters that are played by good actors and a great story seem to triumph over movie stardom.

Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is up to you. Some studios might take a while to notice this trend since they are hyperfocused on numbers over creative endeavors, but great writing and direction will always get audiences to fill those theater seats.

Let us know what actor gets you to go watch a movie in theaters in the comments below!     

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Is the modern movie star dead,

Film

No matter what else he felt, no matter what else was going on, above all Chris Pratt needed to keep a level head. He was Star-Lord, after all. The leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy. And James Gunn was going to need him.

The week before, on July 20, 2018, Pratt and the rest of the cast were thrown into despair when Gunn, his close friend and filmmaker of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, had been fired as director of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 after conservative personalities, rankled by his outspoken liberal views on Twitter, resurfaced decade-old tweets in which he joked about rape and pedophilia.

Now Pratt was at church, looking for solace. The sermon that day involved the story of the Israelites circling the walls of Jericho for seven days. On the seventh day, the Israelites shouted, and the walls crumbled down — a tale of perseverance. Listening to the preacher, Pratt was struck with a sense of clarity for the first time since Gunn’s dismissal.

From left: Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, James Gunn, Karen Gillan and Chris Pratt were photographed April 14 at Quixote Studios in West Hollywood.

Photographed By Matt Sayles

“In that moment, I was like, ‘This is about James. James is going to get this. This is going to be OK,’ ” says the actor.

A few days earlier, Pratt had taken the lead in organizing an open letter to Disney asking for Gunn to be reinstated. He turned to Kennedy family scion (and his future mother-in-law) Maria Shriver for guidance, producing drafts with the input of the rest of the cast to make sure they all contributed and signed it. “If one person didn’t sign it, then that becomes the story,” says Sean Gunn, the filmmaker’s brother and another member of the Guardians cast.

All the while, Pratt texted Gunn verses from the Bible, including one from the Book of James: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

While Pratt and others worked behind the scenes — he and Zoe Saldaña trekked to Marvel headquarters to privately meet with president and chief creative officer Kevin Feige, co-president Louis D’Esposito and then-head of production Victoria Alonso — fellow castmember Dave Bautista took a less subtle route, calling out Disney on Twitter: “Nauseating to work for someone who’d empower a smear campaign by fascists.”

“Dave and Chris are so different in their approaches,” notes James Gunn. “Chris is like, ‘How do we do this methodically and take it one step at a time?’ Dave is like, ‘Fuck you.’ “

But all of them dropped everything to help the director who had created the Guardians onscreen, giving some a prominence in Hollywood they’d only dreamed about.

“This was a man who took chances on us, and it just made sense for us to have his back when he needed it the most,” says Saldaña.

***

James Gunn Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

James Gunn

Photographed By Matt Sayles

Nearly five years later, Gunn, 56, is in the midst of his own epic Hollywood comeback, in no small part thanks to the efforts of his cast.

Not only was he rehired to direct the film he was fired from, Guardians 3, but while in postproduction he landed the coveted job of co-head of DC Studios, Marvel’s chief rival. By hiring him, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav clearly hopes Gunn will bring some of the Marvel magic with him. Gunn’s new gig also includes writing and directing a Superman movie. All of this makes him poised to be the most important figure in the comic book space since Feige, not to mention one of the busiest.

Gunn’s journey from schlock filmmaker on the fringes of Hollywood to A-list filmmaker, losing it all and then getting it back (and then some), is enough to give anyone an identity crisis, and it’s one that he’s already mining for his next project. “I completely relate to Superman because he’s everything I am,” says Gunn. “He’s somebody who is an outsider who feels like an alien, but also the ultimate insider, because he’s fucking Superman. And that’s kind of like what I feel like.”

On this mid-April day on a soundstage in West Hollywood for a Hollywood Reporter cover shoot, Gunn is with Pratt as well as fellow Guardians castmembers Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff and Sean Gunn.

The mood is as bright and colorful as the outfits in which they’ve been styled. Super Mario Bros., whose Mario is voiced by Pratt, has just shattered box office records, and Gunn ribs Pratt about his success, joking that he used to be like Ethan Hawke’s bohemian character in the cult ’90s movie Reality Bites but is now more like the square, establishment guy played in the film by Ben Stiller.

Gillan, meanwhile, is shooting video for her social media, and Gunn, given his Twitter history, can’t decide if he should encourage her or tell her to run the other way. He himself remains active, though mostly steers clear of politics. “I got to a place where I was very frustrated with one specific thing that was happening in the world, and I started speaking out and that got me fired, but I also think that I did the right thing [speaking out],” he says. These days, he’s more likely to correct a wild online fan rumor. “When either somebody’s just making stuff up to get clicks or somebody is just lying to somebody to make them look like an idiot, yeah, I’m going to say something,” he says.

Despite the camaraderie and feel-good vibes at the shoot, these are serious times for Marvel, and the pressure surrounding Guardians 3‘s release is high. The film arrives at a critical moment for the studio, which is facing challenges on several fronts. Its most recent title, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, has underperformed and was a dud with critics. It has so far earned $474 million at the global box office (high for most films, alarming for a Marvel sequel). Meanwhile, one of that movie’s stars, Jonathan Majors, who is supposed to anchor the next several years of Marvel films as its chief villain, is facing domestic assault charges in New York. (Majors has denied wrongdoing as he awaits a May 8 court appearance.) That incident occurred right after longtime production executive Alonso was fired for making the feature Argentina, 1985 with another studio.

The film also arrives after years of pundits warning of “superhero fatigue,” and audiences do seem to be growing impatient. The Marvel name may not be enough to carry the day. (Though this fatigue extends beyond Marvel: DC’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods — produced by Gunn’s new DC Studios partner Peter Safran for New Line — has earned only $131.8 million since its March premiere.) To Gunn, the fatigue is real. And natural. “The entertainment industry has a history of people getting used to the spigot of one thing or another, whether it’s DVD sales or superhero movies,” he says. “I think that there have been just way too many superhero movies lately that don’t have that center to them.”

So yes, Marvel needs Guardians 3 to hit on a galactic level. Early estimates predict it will open to $130 million, but the studio certainly would like a debut closer to the $146.5 million its 2017 predecessor scored. Still, Marvel and Disney are confident tracking will see a notable bump as they unleash the bulk of their marketing blitz.

“If the movie is good, all is forgiven,” says Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore’s chief box office analyst. “If it delivers, any animus, any negative baggage carried forward from the MCU Phase Four or whatever, all gets removed.”

Feige says the pressure is par for the course, though he acknowledges the unusual emotional stakes: “Every release we have means everything to us. We still are the people that remember when we only had one or two movies a year where we just put all our chips in. That’s what every film is for us. And this in particular is extra emotional because of the journey with James.”

Chris Pratt Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Chris Pratt

Photographed By Matt Sayles

***

When Gunn came in to meet about the first Guardians in 2012, he had already been making movies in Hollywood for two decades, but was still known mostly for schlocky fare at horror house Troma (he co-wrote the sexy, violent Tromeo and Juliet). The St. Louis native had also directed a few midbudget features, including Slither (2006) and the genre-skewering superhero film Super (2010). But Feige and Marvel saw something in his films, both a unique sensibility and an affinity for genre and heroics.

Initially, Gunn didn’t think he was particularly interested in Guardians. But after a rather lackluster meeting with Marvel in Manhattan Beach, as he was driving his Dodge Challenger back to his Studio City home, stuck in traffic on the 405, something clicked. He saw what the movie could be, with Rocket, a little-known talking raccoon from the comics that Marvel wanted to include, at its center.

“Where did that Raccoon come from? How did he come to be? Instead of it being something that made the movie ungrounded, it actually grounded it for me,” he says.

Soon, Gunn was flying to meet Feige for the first time in Wilmington, North Carolina, where the executive was overseeing the production of Iron Man 3. His pitch centering the movie on Rocket “was incredibly emotional, and he was incredibly passionate about it,” recalls Feige.

Marvel made a deal with Gunn to direct, and soon Feige held a treatment in his hands. On the cover was a cut-and-paste picture of an ’80s-style Walkman with orange foam headphones, like the unit worn by Peter Quill in the films.

“Before I read one word, I went, ‘Oh, he did it. He’s cracked it,’ ” Feige recalls of seeing that image, the first time he realized how important music would be to Star-Lord’s journey and the film, which Gunn shared screenwriting credit on with Nicole Perlman, who developed the project prior to his arrival.

The Guardians first appeared in the January 1969 Marvel Super-Heroes comic book. It’s easier to take a character nobody knows, like the Guardians, or Peacemaker, and then do whatever you want with them, says Gunn.

The Guardians first appeared in the January 1969 Marvel Super-Heroes comic book. “It’s easier to take a character nobody knows, like the Guardians, or Peacemaker, and then do whatever you want with them,” says Gunn.

Comics: Courtesy of Marvel (2)

Next came what would turn out to be one the biggest challenges in Marvel casting history: finding the Guardians. Though Gunn didn’t fight to get the job as director, he went to battle to secure the cast he wanted, and often he and Marvel didn’t agree.

For the lead role of Peter Quill/Star-Lord, the team saw around 200 actors, including Shazam!‘s Zachary Levi and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star Glenn Howerton (ultimately Gunn’s second choice). Casting director Sarah Halley Finn was the one who pushed Gunn to see Pratt, then known mostly as the lovably schlubby Andy Dwyer on NBC’s Parks and Recreation (he also had a small, range-pushing performance as the Oakland A’s first baseman in Moneyball). But Gunn just wasn’t interested. The chubby guy from Parks and Rec as Star-Lord? Seemed like a ridiculous notion.

As the story famously goes, seconds into Pratt’s audition, Gunn turned to Finn and declared he was the one. Less well known is how hard it was to get Marvel on board. It didn’t help that Pratt choked during the screen test.

Pratt recalls that Gunn actually stopped him in the middle and walked toward him. “I don’t know what you’re doing, but you’re blowing it,” Pratt remembers him saying. Then Gunn added, “This is the moment right now. You just need to stop doing whatever you’re doing and just be real. Just be you.”

If this were a movie, it would have been the moment when Pratt turns it around and the screen test transitions to the actor playing the part on set. But Pratt just couldn’t get it together. Inside his head, all he heard was “You’re blowing it, you’re blowing it.”

As a Hail Mary, Gunn brought out Dave Bautista, a former wrestler who was not yet cast as a fellow Guardian named Drax, but was in the running. He asked the men to improv. The chemistry popped, and Pratt landed the role. But then Bautista faced resistance from the studio. Ditto for Karen Gillan as Nebula. Known in the U.K. for Doctor Who, she originally auditioned with her native Scottish accent — a no-go for Marvel. Gillan recalls Gunn giving her a note that unlocked the character’s voice. “I was kind of doing a generic villain thing,” she recalls. Gunn told her, “Do Marilyn Monroe/Clint Eastwood.”

From left: Gillan as Nebula, Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, and Dave Bautista as Drax in Guardians Vol. 3.

From left: Gillan as Nebula, Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, and Dave Bautista as Drax in Guardians Vol. 3.

Courtesy of Jessica Miglio/Marvel

Filming began in London in 2013; plenty of press predicted Guardians would be Marvel’s first flop.

Around the time it opened, Pratt was in New Orleans shooting Jurassic World and watched the movie in a local theater with a friend. It was an emotionally fraught time for the actor, who was still grieving the recent death of his father.

He recalls the moment he first appears onscreen. “I saw myself dancing and I immediately got nervous and self-conscious. Like, ‘I don’t know if this is going to work at all,’ ” he says. “And then I saw Rocket and Groot and the voices coming together and I was like, ‘Oh my God, this movie’s going to be massive.’ “

On opening weekend, Gunn kept receiving box office updates via his agent. The film ultimately grossed $772.7 million globally, and Pratt became a household name.

A few weeks earlier, Gunn, Pratt and Bautista had been in London recording a promotional podcast at an Apple store, aware their lives could be on the cusp of big change. Backstage, the three men put their arms around one another and made a pact, recalls Gunn: “Let’s promise to each other that we won’t let our egos get the best of us, that we’ll continue being kind to each other, continue being down-to-earth.”

Karen Gillan

Karen Gillan

Photographed By Matt Sayles

***

Gunn was definitely not on Earth anymore. With the success of Guardians, Gunn had moved to Malibu and traded his Challenger for a Tesla. He jetted around the globe, attending Brazil’s CCXP, South America’s biggest comic convention, where thousands chanted his name. He was offered millions to make more movies. He read about himself, good and bad, drinking it all up. “This is my own weakness as an entertainer,” says Gunn. “I’m always looking for people to love me.”

As he worked on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Gunn became more and more well known, joining a rare breed of filmmakers whose faces fans know. The film kicked off summer movie season in May 2017 and went on to outgross the original with $863.7 million. Gunn was becoming more indispensable to Marvel: He was working on a script for Vol. 3, and Feige suggested in the press that Gunn could have a larger role at the studio helping shepherd its expanding cinematic universe.

And then, in July 2018, all that imploded. Gunn was on his way to board a plane to San Diego Comic-Con to promote Brightburn, a superhero horror movie he produced for Sony, when Feige called to tell him he was being fired, a decision made by then-Disney film chair Alan Horn. The exec couldn’t conceive of a world in which Gunn’s tweeted jokes made any sense. (One from 2009 read: “The best thing about being raped is when you’re done being raped and it’s like ‘whew this feels great, not being raped!’ “) It didn’t matter that he had already apologized for them years earlier, taking full responsibility in a statement that was well received at the time. The political climate in America had turned exceedingly divisive, and conservative pundits Jack Posobiec and Mike Cernovich resurfaced the old tweets to target Gunn, a vocal critic of President Donald Trump. Soon they were all over Fox News and other outlets.

D’Esposito called Pratt to inform him that Gunn’s firing was imminent. “Louis, don’t do it,” Pratt replied. “Jesus fucking Christ, don’t do it.” Horn issued a statement announcing the firing, calling the tweets “indefensible and inconsistent with our studio’s values.”

Klementieff, who had joined the cast with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and was at San Diego Comic-Con to promote the recently released Avengers: Infinity War, burst into tears upon hearing the news and cut her appearance short.

In the days that followed, the Guardians circled the wagons. Saldaña and her husband, Marco Perego-Saldaña, came over to Gunn’s Malibu home to make dinner for him and his now-wife, Jennifer Holland. The next day, Saldaña made a return visit, this time with Gillan. Others spoke out, too. Ant-Man actor David Dastmalchian and comedian Patton Oswalt voiced support for Gunn on social media. Bobcat Goldthwait, who voiced the character of Pain in 1997’s Hercules, threatened to take away his voice rights from Disney’s theme park ride World of Color: Villainous!

The firing and the support from friends and family caused Gunn to reevaluate his priorities. “My feet weren’t on the ground at that point,” says Gunn. “It really made me go, ‘What matters to me? Adulation and money? Is that really what I care about?’ ” (He has since sold his house in Malibu and returned to living in the Valley.)

Throughout the firing ordeal, the filmmaker maintained close contact with Feige. In fact, Marvel never met with a single director to replace him. “We didn’t even put a preliminary list together just because we couldn’t do it,” recalls Feige, who reported to Horn. “We couldn’t stomach it.”

Feige worked behind the scenes on his end, securing a commitment that the project would still use Gunn’s script. He gave it to the cast in the weeks after the firing. To Pratt, it was a sly move and a sign that cracks were starting to appear.

“I was like, ‘Oh, so we can use the script written by James Gunn, but we just can’t have him direct?’ ” Pratt says. “The script is so good that you’re going to be like, ‘Yeah, we had to get rid of him because we couldn’t associate with that man. But we will make his script.’ “

It came down to a change of heart from Horn, the Disney chairman, who had the growing sensation he’d made the wrong call. Gunn heard he was having trouble sleeping over the firing.

“It’s a hundred percent because Alan Horn felt sick. He did it because he thought it was the right thing to do,” says Gunn.

Horn won’t comment on Gunn’s tweets or the decision that saw Gunn rehired. But he says that the filmmaker’s attitude after the firing revealed a strong character. “Everything he did subsequently was first class,” says Horn. “He was such a gentleman about it in the ensuing months that we just brought him back. It felt like the right thing to do. I hold him in absolute high regard.”

That regard extended beyond the Guardians reinstatement. In Horn’s current role as a consultant to Warner Bros. Discovery head Zaslav, he was supportive of Gunn being named co-head of DC Studios last November.

The night Horn offered him his job back, Gunn went over to Feige’s house. The Marvel executive was pleased that his efforts had helped turn the tide. But Gunn had a confession to make: Just one day before he was reinstated, he had quietly committed to direct another movie — The Suicide Squad, for rival DC. Awkward, sure. But it also meant that the next two years of Gunn’s life would be tied up before he could return to Guardians.

Feige’s response? “Just make a good movie.”

Pom Klementieff Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Pom Klementieff

Photographed By Matt Sayles

Sean Gunn

Sean Gunn

Photographed By Matt Sayles

***

Despite the drama preceding Guardians Vol. 3, the shoot itself was chaos-free. Gunn is known for coming in on time and under budget; there were just two days of previously scheduled reshoots, a far cry from the typical Marvel method, in which the key moments are often found in reshoots.

Gunn describes himself as all business on set, so it wasn’t until a month into filming that all the turmoil he’d gone through to get there hit him. He summoned his core Guardians cast to check something out in the monitor.

Gunn turns to his actors gathered today at the photo shoot as he recalls the moment: “I just got teary because it was like, fuck, I loved all you guys so much and I just realized this journey we had been through together.”

His brother Sean was also moved. In addition to playing the character Kraglin, Sean had always done the motion capture work for Rocket. But given the character’s central role in Guardians Vol. 3, he’s almost the star: The film features flashbacks of Rocket’s childhood, and Sean voices young Rocket for the first time (Bradley Cooper voices the adult version).

“I got very emotional shooting some of that stuff, more than I wanted to,” says Sean Gunn. “Usually, it’s the opposite — we have to manufacture some of the emotion. And in this one, I was struggling to keep it together.”

Chukwudi Iwuji

Chukwudi Iwuji, who was cast as villain the High Evolutionary thanks to a screen test filmed on the set of Gunn’s DC series Peacemaker, notes of working with Sean Gunn as Rocket: “It made all the difference in the world because there’s this living, breathing, sympathetic, damaged, angry, funny face in front of you — and energy.”

Everett

The Guardians will undoubtedly continue as a property after Gunn completes the transition to DC, and the new film hints at a future, albeit with a different lineup of Guardians. Gunn is enthusiastic about a handoff, though protective. When the characters appeared in the Avengers two-part epic directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Gunn saw disconnects with certain storylines. “They did some things that I wouldn’t have wanted,” says Gunn of the films. (Yes, he says, Star-Lord would have killed Gamora if she asked him to; no, he would not have punched Thanos and doomed the universe.)

The actors are less sure about working for a new director. “I can’t imagine playing Mantis with someone else writing the words,” Klementieff says, hinting that Gunn had a large role in shaping the character in the Avengers films. Gunn says that she and Pratt reached out to him from the Avengers set to make sure the direction was all right. “I was being given directions, and I was like, ‘I think I’m going to call James,’ ” says Klementieff.

James Gunn on the set of Vol. 3. with Pom Klementieff. When she heard, after Vol. 2, that he’d been fired from the franchise, she burst into tears and cut a Comic-Con appearance short.

James Gunn on the set of Vol. 3. with Pom Klementieff. When she heard, after Vol. 2, that he’d been fired from the franchise, she burst into tears and cut a Comic-Con appearance short.

Courtesy of Jessica Miglio/MARVEL

Bautista has been vocal about this being the end of the Guardians line for him, and Saldaña feels the same. The actress had expected to play Gamora in only one movie, and Gunn almost killed her off in Vol. 2. “I don’t think this is the end for the Guardians. It is the end for me, for Gamora,” she says.

On her last day of filming, Saldaña gave a speech thanking the crew she had known for almost a decade, many of whom were in tears. “I thanked James for just his time and his patience and his guidance and his friendship,” she says. Pratt said goodbye to the assembled cast and crew by reading aloud early press clips that had predicted that Guardians was going to be Marvel’s first bomb.

Pratt, who has been in other franchises and a long-running TV show, says: “I’ve done jobs where I’ve been so close to people, then the job ends and I just never see them again. And that happens.” Pratt pauses. “I don’t think that’ll happen with us.”

Gunn estimates 60 percent of his waking hours over the past decade have been spent thinking about the Guardians movies. Yet even as Vol. 3 takes its final steps and he and the cast embark on the promotional world tour, he is already sizing up another franchise, arguably the biggest challenge of his career: Superman: Legacy, the first film out of Gunn and Safran’s DC Studios slate. The tone and reception will set the stage for years of movies to follow, coming after Gunn and Safran opted to leave fan-favorite actor Henry Cavill’s iteration of the character behind. And unlike Spider-Man or Batman, Hollywood has had trouble dependably turning out Superman features. There have been only two stand-alone movies starring the hero this century. Gearing up to shoot the superhero movie in January, he is now in the process of casting.

Left: (From left) Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Gillan as Nebula, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Bautista as Drax and Klementieff as Mantis. Right: James Gunn and Pratt on set.

Left: (From left) Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), Gillan as Nebula, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Bautista as Drax and Klementieff as Mantis. Right: James Gunn and Pratt on set.

Courtesy of Marvel Studios; BTS: Jessica Miglio/Marvel Studios

With the Guardians films, he took obscure and tertiary Marvel characters few knew and gave them a new spin.

“It’s easier to take a character nobody knows, like the Guardians, or Peacemaker, and then do whatever you want with them,” says Gunn. “People in every single country in the world know the story of Superman.” It’s one reason he turned down a Superman film in 2018 — he didn’t have a take. Now, he says he does.

“How can I make it different from the Superman movies that have been made so far, but also have it respect all the Superman movies that have been made so far?” he asks. “So it just took me some time to try to figure it out.” The movie won’t be a comedy, he says, and it’s not like he’s going to make Superman one of the quirky characters he is famous for. Gunn is intent on making a sincere superhero movie.

At Marvel, the ever-positive Feige acknowledges that it is sad to see Gunn go. The men still talk often, and as Feige notes: “I’ll be first in line to see anything he does. And Superman is a very important character to me and to the genre.”

Back at the photo shoot, Gunn — always directing — is trying to corral his cast. They’re chatting by craft services, but it’s time to stand on a platform for some more poses.

So he offers up something no Marvel director ever has: “The next person onstage gets to star in Superman!”

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. From left: Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, James Gunn, Karen Gillan and Chris Pratt were photographed April 14 at Quixote Studios in West Hollywood.

From left: Pom Klementieff, Sean Gunn, James Gunn, Karen Gillan and Chris Pratt were photographed April 14 at Quixote Studios in West Hollywood.

Photographed By Matt Sayles

A version of this story first appeared in the April 26 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.

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TV

[This story contains spoilers for “The Strings That Bind Us,” episode seven of Ted Lasso’s third season.]

Ted Lasso is a comedy, obviously, and occasionally a tearjerker, but it’s also something of a fantasy — a world where not only an American football coach initially hired as a revenge play can stick on for three seasons at the top levels of English football, but also one whose characters are almost always trying to become better people.

That’s part of what makes the show so appealing, and also what makes for such a jolt in the times when the real world shoulders its way into the story. “The Strings That Bind Us” had a big dose of that, but the episode (which clocked in at nearly an hour after last week’s 62-minute outing) still left room to bring home its core belief that people working together is the best way forward, on or off a field of play.

The on- and off-pitch stories for AFC Richmond dovetailed via Sam (Toheeb Jimoh), who is eager to put the best possible presentation forward at Ola’s for when his father visits from Nigeria — down to wondering if they need better spoons. Chef Simi (Precious Mustapha) assures him everything will be fine, though she also makes a gallows-humor joke about Sam’s dad being allowed in the country due to a hard-line stance on immigration from Britain’s Home Secretary.

Sam tweets a fairly innocuous message at her, saying he hopes for better from the country’s leaders. The secretary responds by saying “Footballers should leave the politics to us and just shut up and dribble” — shades of Fox News host Laura Ingraham insulting LeBron James several years ago — and that “[Sam] should worry less about the safety of our nation and worry more about being a mediocre player on a mediocre team.”

Sam replies that he’d “rather be a mediocre footballer than a world-class bigot” and goes about his business — until arriving at the restaurant to find it trashed and “Shut up and dribble” spray-painted on a wall. It’s a devastating moment for usually unfailingly upbeat Sam, who rails at the world that builds him up for playing well, only to tear him down if he doesn’t, or if he dares to have an opinion about something other than football. It’s a powerful moment for Jimoh, made no less so when he collapses into the arms of his dad (Nonso Anozie, making his first on-screen appearance after a voice-only role last season) when he arrives.

(Even here, though, there’s an element of the Ted Lasso fantasy at play. Sam is nowhere near a LeBron James level of fame in the show’s world, but a Premier League player of any standing having a back and forth with a government official would likely dominate several news cycles in the U.K. See, for example, what happened earlier this year when beloved Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker was suspended by the BBC for voicing his opinions on U.K. refugee policy. That doesn’t happen in the episode, and Richmond goes about its training for the week’s match without being hounded by media.)

After said match, Sam agrees to let his dad see the restaurant, apologizing in advance for the state it’s in — but when they arrive, the entire team is there working to patch up and restore the restaurant, and Sam’s father, the restaurant’s namesake, cooks for everyone. That’s the kind of better-than-the-real-world story Ted Lasso does exceedingly well, and it plays wonderfully.

The theme of the ties that bind plays out more literally on the pitch, where Ted (Jason Sudeikis) opts to implement the free-flowing but intricate Total Football tactics in a week’s time, rather than gradually over the course of a couple months. How to emphasize the interconnectedness that’s key to the system working? By attaching lengths of red string to the team’s penises, naturally. The Roy (Brett Goldstein) brainstorm makes for by far the best comedy set piece of the episode, but his rethink of the idea afterward — “I’ve been giving this a lot of thought: Next time we do this drill, we tie multiple guys’ dicks to one guy’s dick, yeah?” — is even better.

The early returns on the rushed change in tactics are predictably bad: Richmond players literally run into one another during a match against Arsenal and go down 3-0 at halftime. Jamie (Phil Dunster) — who was notably nonplussed when he didn’t get to swap positions with someone during training — points out at halftime that rather than everyone trying to serve up the ball to him, he should drop back into midfield and serve as a facilitator and distributor: “Don’t play to me, play through me.”

Richmond still ends up losing 3-1, but that one goal comes after a beautiful sequence that suggests something has clicked and not all hope is lost for the Greyhounds’ season. The normally very cool Trent Crimm (James Lance) is so excited that he gushes like a fan, “It’s going to work!” (though he could just as well be talking about potentially having a hook for the book he’s writing). Though they’re still stuck in a bad losing streak, the wins Richmond piled up with Zava likely mean the club is still a little above the relegation zone in the Premier League standings. There are five episodes to save the season (or not, honestly, depending on how the writers choose to play it out).

Odds and ends

* Jack (Jodi Balfour) is all in with her relationship with Keeley (Juno Temple), buying her a first edition of Sense and Sensibility, comping a dinner out for Keeley and Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), filling Keeley’s office with daisies and hiding jewelry in baked goods. Rebecca cautions Keeley about Jack’s “love-bombing,” noting that Rupert did the same with her early on. Keeley feels a little uncomfortable as well and says as much to Jack, who admits she really wants Keeley to like her. They seem to rebalance the scales a little by the end of the episode, but for the first time (and not just because of Barbara’s (Katy Wix) evident jealousy of Keeley and Jack’s relationship), it feels like a signal of potential issues ahead.

* The show continues to make Nate — Nate! — a more sympathetic character again, and by god if it’s not working, thanks in large part to how likable Nick Mohammed is as an actor. His fundamental insecurity about who he is fueled his split with Ted and Richmond last season, but while he’s proven himself on the pitch with West Ham, he’s still a ball of nerves in the rest of his life. Case in point: He asks several women in his life — his mom, his sister, and Siri (who, incidentally, correctly refers to him as “wunderkind” instead of “Wonder Kid”) — how he can know whether a woman likes him or is just being nice, regarding A Taste of Athens hostess Jade (Edyta Budnik). You can’t unless you ask directly, is the correct answer they all give him.

After seeing the elaborate map his dad made to ask his mom out for the first time, Nate A) discovers that he’s not so unlike his father after all and B) gets inspired to make a pop-up box to ask Jade out. That box is promptly flattened when Nate trips and drops it in the street, but Jade says yes to his simple ask anyway. Nate’s growth in this part of his life has to be leading to some sort of moment with Ted, does it not?

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[This story contains spoilers for “The Strings

Awards

Apple TV+ is opening its own FYC activation pop-up this year, taking over Hollywood’s Goya Studios to launch the “Think Apple TV+ FYC” space from May 1 to May 14.

The streamer’s signature Emmy-winning hit “Ted Lasso” will open the space on May 1 with a fan event that includes a series trivia game, followed by a conversation moderated by Yvette Nicole Brown (“Community”). Cast and creative team participating include series star and executive producer Jason Sudeikis, as well as Brendan Hunt, Brett Goldstein, Juno Temple, Phil Dunster, Jeremy Swift, Kola Bokinni, Cristo Fernández, Billy Harris and James Lance. The trivia game, hosted by comedian Ryan Budds, will feature cast members Charlie Hiscock, Stephen Manas and Moe Jeudy-Lamour.

Meanwhile, the two-week “Think Apple TV+” FYC space will wrap on May 14 with a “Schmigadoon!” sing-along. Since it’s Apple, the event will allow attendees to follow the lyrics along with “Schmigadoon!” stars Andrew Singer, Cinco Paul and Jane Krakowski.

Other events include partnerships with Essence and Gold House to discuss representation on shows such as “Ted Lasso,” “Shrinking,” “Mythic Quest,” “For All Mankind,” “City on Fire” and “The Big Door Prize,” among others. 

“Think Apple TV+” is a reference, of course, to the famed Apple marketing campaign “Think Different,” used from 1997 to 2002.

Beyond the May 1 and May 14 opening and closing events, here is the rest of the “Think Apple TV+” FYC calendar:

Monday, May 1
“Ted Lasso” Fan Event  (See above)

Tuesday, May 2

Apple TV+ in Conversation with Essence – Panel includes Jessica Williams from “Shrinking,” Kola Bokinni from “Ted Lasso,” Krys Marshall from “For All Mankind,” Imani Hakim from “Mythic Quest,” and others.

Wednesday, May 3

Meet the Casting Directors, Night One – Casting directors for Apple TV+ series including Alexa L. Fogel (“Black Bird”), Carmen Cuba (“Extrapolations”), Kristian Charbonier (“Dear Edward”), Patrick Rush (“City on Fire”) and Nina Gold (“Slow Horses,” “Bad Sisters”), moderated by Tamara Hunter, head of casting for Apple TV+.

Thursday, May 4 

“Bad Sisters” – Cast and creative team behind “Bad Sisters,” including star and executive producer Sharon Horgan, Sarah Greene, Daryl McCormack, Anne-Marie Duff and casting director Nina Gold. Moderated by Mark Duplass following a screening of the series premiere episode. 

Friday, May 5

In Session with “Shrinking” – Screening of the first episode, and a panel conversation featuring co-creator Bill Lawrence, co-creator and star Jason Segel, and stars Christa Miller, Ted McGinley, Jessica Willams, Luke Tennie and Lukita Maxwell.

Saturday, May 6

Apple TV+ Raises the Curtain Behind Costume and Production Design – The artisans behind Apple TV+ costumes, production design and art direction will join a panel including production designers Jamie Walker McCall (“Schmigadoon!”), Paul Cripps (“Ted Lasso”), Maya Sigel (“Hello, Tomorrow!”) and Jennifer Dehghan (“Loot”), alongside costume designers Angus Strathie (“Schmigadoon!”), Jacky Levy (“Ted Lasso”), Kirston Mann (“Loot”) and LJ Houdyshell (“Physical”). Moderated by production designer Nelson Coates. This event will feature an array of costumes on display from “Schmigadoon!,” ‘“Ted Lasso,” “Loot” and “Physical.”

In Conversation with James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke: The Series” – A conversation with James Corden, moderated by Variety’s Michael Schneider.

Sunday, May 7 

“Five Days at Memorial” Craft Conversation – Series creator and artisans of “Five Days at Memorial” including creator Carlton Case, sound editor and designer Ben Barker, VFX supervisor Eric Durst, cinematographers Ramsey Nickell and Marc Laliberté, and production designer Matthew Davies.

“Truth Be Told” – Panel featuring Octavia Spencer, Ron Cephas Jones, Mekhi Phifer and Maisha Closson, moderated by Variety’s Angelique Jackson. 

Editor and Sound Design Showcase – Artisans from “Black Bird,” “Central Park,” “Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me,” “For All Mankind,” “The Last Thing He Told Me,” “Prehistoric Planet,” “The Reluctant Traveler,” “Schmigadoon!” and “Ted Lasso” gather to talk their craft.

Monday, May 8 

“The Problem With Jon Stewart” – Jon Stewart takes part in a conversation highlighting the second season, following a screening of the second season premiere episode. 

Tuesday, May 9 

Meet the Casting Directors, Night Two – Casting directors for Apple TV+ comedy series including Brett Benner (“Shrinking”), Bernard Telsey (“Schmigadoon!,” “Little America”), Gayle Keller (“The Big Door Prize”), Jill Anthony Thomas (“Loot”) and Allison Kaz (“My Kind of Country”) join a conversation moderated by Tamara Hunter, head of casting for Apple TV+.

Wednesday, May 10

AAPI Heritage Month Celebration with Gold House – Apple TV+ cast including Charlotte Nicdao (“Mythic Quest”), Danny Pudi (“Mythic Quest”), Christopher Chung (“Slow Horses”), Cynthy Wu (“For All Mankind”), Michael Tow (“City on Fire”) and Ally Maki (“The Big Door Prize”) join for a panel hosted by Gold House. 

Thursday, May 11 

The Magic of “Mythic Quest” – The cast of Apple TV+ series “Mythic Quest” with panelists including Danny Pudi, Ashly Burch, Naomi Ekperigin, Imani Hakim, Charlotte Nicdao, Jessie Ennis and Megan Ganz, moderated by Variety’s TV Editor Michael Schneider, following a screening of the third season premiere episode. 

Friday, May 12 

In Conversation with Jon Favreau’s “Prehistoric Planet” – Executive producers Jon Favreau and Mike Gunton join for a conversation about “Prehistoric Planet” following a screening of the first episode of the second season. 

Saturday, May 13 

The Secret of Special Effects – Apple TV+ VFX supervisors Matt Whelan (“Five Days at Memorial”), Aymeric Perceval (“Extrapolations”), Chris Wright (“See”) and Elliot Newman (“Prehistoric Planet”) join for a panel moderated by Jeff Barnes. 

Unlocking “The Big Door Prize” – The cast of new Apple TV+ comedy “The Big Door Prize,” including Chris O’Dowd, David West Read, Djouliet Amara, Josh Segarra, Gabrielle Dennis, Sammy Fourlas, Ally Maki and Crystal Fox join the panel, following a screening of the premiere episode.

Sunday, May 14
A Sing-Along Evening with “Schmigadoon!” (See above)

Apple TV+ 2023 Emmy-eligible programs include “Acapulco,” “Bad Sisters,” “The Big Door Prize,” “Black Bird,” “Carpool Karaoke: The Series,” “Central Park,” “City on Fire,” “Dear Edward,” “Echo 3,” “Extrapolations,” “Five Days at Memorial,” “For All Mankind,” “Gutsy,” “Hello Tomorrow!,” “The Last Thing He Told Me,” “Little America,” “Loot,” “The Mosquito Coast,” “My Kind of Country,” “Mythic Quest,” “Physical,” “Prehistoric Planet,” “The Problem With Jon Stewart,” “The Reluctant Traveler with Eugene Levy,” “Schmigadoon!,” “See,” “Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me,” “Servant,” “Shantaram,” “Shrinking,” “Sidney,” “Slow Horses,” “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie,”“Surface,” “Ted Lasso” and “Truth Be Told.”

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Apple TV+ is opening its own FYC

Music

PJ Harvey has announced her 10th studio album, I Inside the Old Year Dying. The follow-up to 2016’s The Hope Six Demolition Project is out July 7 via Partisan. The new album is “a resting space, a solace, a comfort, a balm—which feels timely for the times we’re in,” Harvey said in a press release. Check out the Steve Gullick–directed video for “A Child’s Question, August” below.

Recorded with producers Flood and John Parish, her longtime collaborators, the album was inspired by Harvey’s epic poem, Orlam. Harvey said the album features improvisations with the two producers: “I think the album is about searching, looking—the intensity of first love, and seeking meaning. Not that there has to be a message, but the feeling I get from the record is one of love—it’s tinged with sadness and loss, but it’s loving. I think that’s what makes it feel so welcoming: so open.”

Harvey has recently been reissuing her discography, including B-Sides, Demos & Rarities. Last summer, she shared a cover of Leonard Cohen’s “Who by Fire,” which featured in Sharon Horgan’s Bad Sisters series.

All products featured on Pitchfork are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

PJ Harvey: I Inside the Old Year Dying

I Inside the Old Year Dying:

01 Prayer at the Gate
02 Autumn Term
03 Lwonesome Tonight
04 Seem an I
05 The Nether-edge
06 I Inside the Old Year Dying
07 All Souls
08 A Child’s Question, August
09 I Inside the Old I Dying
10 August
11 A Child’s Question, July
12 A Noiseless Noise

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PJ Harvey has announced her 10th studio

Docs

An IT professional misses an opportunity of a lifetime in Ron Placone’s comedy short, Loner. Deep into the pandemic, Jordan (Ron Placone) is stuck working at home in his apartment and attending inane Vroom meetings. On this occasion, one of the managers is having trouble with the current interface, and Jordan’s manager is insistent that he solve her problem as soon as possible.

Needing to clear his head, Jordan takes up journaling and reveals that he had the opportunity to invest early in Vroom but passed it up. So now Jordan is looking to discover that next big “Vroom opportunity.”

“…stuck working at home in his apartment and attending inane Vroom meetings.”

Loner perfectly captures that feeling of losing out on missed opportunities, and it places a dark cloud over our day-to-day living. Placone wisely opens with his protagonist present day and stuck at his go-nowhere job. His frustration comes to a head having to deal with a passive-aggressive (yet probably innocent) manager who needs Jordan to fix her problem… and tattles to his boss for faster results.

Ron Placone’s Loner finds its comedy by tapping into our psyche by way of Jordan’s state of mind. So we’re right there with him as he desperately tries to resurrect old ideas that can pull him out of the hell that is his life. I’m not saying I’ve been in Jordan’s shoes at one point or another, but I have, and all I can do is laugh.

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An IT professional misses an opportunity of

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Studio City, CA - *EXCLUSIVE* - Happy couple Brenda Song and Macaulay Culkin go shopping in Studio City. Pictured: Brenda Song, Macaulay Culkin BACKGRID USA 11 JULY 2019 BYLINE MUST READ: Hollywood To You / BACKGRID USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients - Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*


EXCLUSIVE: Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song were spotted meeting with the Easter Bunny in Los Angeles, CA. The two lovebirds were all smiles as they visited the Grove with their two boys, Dakota, & newborn Carson, for some Easter family photos. The 'Home Alone' star also tried staying undercover with a mask but occasionally pulled It down to take a puff of his vape while waiting in line to meet the Easter Bunny. **SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS*** Please pixelate children's faces before publication.***. 06 Apr 2023 Pictured: Macaulay Culkin & Brenda Song were spotted meeting with the Easter Bunny in Los Angeles, CA. The two lovebirds were all smiles as they visited the Grove with their two boys, Dakota, & newborn Carson, for some Easter family photos. The 'Home Alone' star also tried staying undercover with a mask but occasionally pulled It down to take a puff of his vape while waiting in line to meet the Easter Bunny. Photo credit: @CelebCandidly / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA966455_028.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]


EXCLUSIVE: Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song were spotted meeting with the Easter Bunny in Los Angeles, CA. The two lovebirds were all smiles as they visited the Grove with their two boys, Dakota, & newborn Carson, for some Easter family photos. The 'Home Alone' star also tried staying undercover with a mask but occasionally pulled It down to take a puff of his vape while waiting in line to meet the Easter Bunny. **SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS*** Please pixelate children's faces before publication.***. 06 Apr 2023 Pictured: Macaulay Culkin & Brenda Song were spotted meeting with the Easter Bunny in Los Angeles, CA. The two lovebirds were all smiles as they visited the Grove with their two boys, Dakota, & newborn Carson, for some Easter family photos. The 'Home Alone' star also tried staying undercover with a mask but occasionally pulled It down to take a puff of his vape while waiting in line to meet the Easter Bunny. Photo credit: @CelebCandidly / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA966455_042.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]

Image Credit: 4CRNS, WCP / BACKGRID

Mom and dad’s day out! Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song squeezed in some quality parents’ time on April 25 when they went for a walk together in their Los Angeles neighborhood. The lovebirds stepped out without their two children and were photographed holding hands as they took in some fresh air. Brenda dressed casually in jeans, a white t-shirt and sneakers, while Macaulay rocked a dressier button down with tight black pants. Brenda could be seen cracking up as she stood close to her partner on the sidewalk.

macaulay culkin brenda song
Macaulay Culkin and Brenda Song out for a walk. (4CRNS, WCP / BACKGRID)

This outing comes nearly six weeks after it was reported that Brenda and Macaulay had secretly welcomed their second baby at the end of 2022. The little one, a baby boy named Carson, was reportedly born before Christmas 2022, according to Us Weekly, so it was a well-kept secret for several months. Throughout their entire relationship, Macaulay and Brenda have been extremely private about their personal lives, so the decision to keep this news under wraps was no surprise.

macaulay culkin
Macaulay and Brenda out with their son. (@CelebCandidly / MEGA)

Macaulay and Brenda have been together since 2017 and got engaged at the beginning of 2022. They also share a two-year-old son, Dakota, who was born in April 2021. Brenda’s pregnancy with Dakota was also a secret until the now-toddler was born. Dakota’s name was inspired by Macaulay’s late sister, Dakota, who died in 2008.

During a 2020 interview with Esquire, Macaulay admitted that he and Brenda were already planning for a long term future together, which included kids. “We practice a lot,” he dished. “We’re figuring it out, making the timing work. Because nothing turns you on more than when your lady walks in the room and says, ‘Honey, I’m ovulating.’” The couple has yet to publicly share photos of either of their children on social media. However, earlier this month, they were photographed taking both kids to meet the Easter Bunny on a sweet family outing.

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View gallery Image Credit: 4CRNS, WCP / BACKGRID Mom

Tech

With the rising cost of living and sustainability efforts in full swing, the global smartphone (opens in new tab) market has struggled to attract new sales.

Taking full advantage of the trend is a refurbished smartphone industry that’s been steadily growing quarter after quarter – and now, new research is showing Apple as a surprising winner in this new category.

Market research firm Counterpoint Research recently released its latest report in which it states that 49% of the secondary smartphone market falls on Apple. The Cupertino giant’s sales in the refurbished smartphone category grew by 16% year-on-year, compared to 2021, to become the fastest-growing brand in the sector, having had 44% of the market in 2021. 

India pushing forward

Helping propel Apple forward is India, a country in which the growth in the sale of refurbished iPhones is palpable: “Apple is a highly aspirational brand in India, and refurbished iPhones give further a lower entry point to these aspirational users in Apple’s ecosystem,” Tarun Pathak, research director, Counterpoint, told TechCrunch.

At the moment, india holds about 15% of the global refurbished smartphone market, he added. But it’s seen a 19% growth year-over-year. As a whole, the market grow 5% this year, compared to 2022. Latin American market grew 18% year-on-year.

The growth could have been even bigger, the publication states, if the sales of refurbished phones in China didn’t drop by 17%. The decline was mostly due to the resurgence of Covid-19 and the subsequent setup of Covid-zero policies, Counterpoint Research says. 

The global inflation, triggered by Covid-19 and the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, has singificantly increased the prices of all things, smartphones included. At the same time, the push towards a more sustainable future is the strongest it’s ever been, motivating consumers to move away from new devices and into refurbished phones. Apple is doing a good job tapping into that market, the researchers are saying, with a one-year warranty on the battery and the outer shell for such devices, as well as software support that lasts years.  

Apple also has different sustainability-oriented initiatives that make iPhones an attractive device.

Via: TechCrunch (opens in new tab)

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With the rising cost of living and

Video

Adam Aron tells TheWrap he’s feeling good about the future of theatrical, but recalls the deep struggles to keep the business going over the pandemic

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Adam Aron tells TheWrap he’s feeling good

Entertaintment

The Met Gala queen has returned to dazzle just weeks after giving birth. The A-list actress has been away from the spotlight for a while, since her fourth pregnancy, as fans waited for her to drop a glimpse or update. It was a long wait to see Blake Lively return, but she has come back reminding people why she is considering a lovable fashionista.

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The Gossip Girl actress has so far been updating her fans on life through photos from her home with Ryan Reynolds. She shared her jaw-dropping fit body just weeks after giving birth through a selfie. Now, the actress has made her first public appearance in support of her friend and director Shawn Levy.

Blake Lively made a jaw-dropping return with her look post-fourth baby’s delivery

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Celebrities often take pride in showing off their post-pregnancy rebound, but Blake Lively makes it look effortless and fashionable. The actress took to Instagram to share a picture of herself along with Shawn Levy and his family. The director and actress posed with his wife and two daughters at the Barnard College event. They were present to attend the college’s Annual Gala Party. “This is my new family now,” she wrote, captioning the photo and tagging Levy and his family members.

Lively dazzled like a shiny and colorful flower from head to toe in a carefully put-together look. The actress wore a floral Carolina Herrera long strapless dress, with a see-through orange and neon trench coat. Her neon orange Manolo Blahnik Hangisi pumps were paired with Chanel’s sparkly pink clutch. The dazzling long earrings were by Brent Neale and the romantic half updo was by hairstylist Jennifer Yepez.

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The actress completed her dolled-up look with the help of makeup expert Carolina Gonzalez.

While Ryan Reynolds was absent, Shawn Levy probably sees him more during work days.

Levy and Reynolds have been friends ever since they were introduced by Hugh Jackman. They are also neighbors at their New York properties. Thereafter, the Green Lantern actor and Levy worked in 2o21 for Free Guy and Netflix’s 2022 movie The Adam Project. Now they are in a massive process of creating Deadpool 3, teaming together for the first time with Hugh Jackman. Both their on-set and off-set bond and fun will probably reflect on the fun superhero Marvel franchise. With Lively being back in the spotlight, it will be seen if she also works on projects soon.

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What do you think of the actress’ comeback look? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

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The Met Gala queen has returned to

Movies

“The Shark Is Broken,” a comedy about the making of “Jaws” that stars the son of one of the film’s main actors, will open on Broadway this summer.

The play is the brainchild of Ian Shaw, whose father, Robert Shaw, played Quint, the psychotic shark hunter, in the film. Its film set was plagued by problems, some exacerbated by Robert Shaw’s drinking, and the play depicts the fraught relationship between him and his co-stars, Richard Dreyfuss and Roy Scheider.

In the play, set in 1974, the three men are trapped together on a boat, managing bad weather, (fake) shark troubles and alcohol.

The play began its life at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2019, opened in London’s West End in 2021 after a pandemic-related delay, and had a production in Toronto last fall. The Broadway run is to begin previews on July 25 and to open on Aug. 10 at the Golden Theater.

The play received a number of strong reviews in London, including from The Evening Standard, which said Ian Shaw “gives what is undoubtedly one of the best theatrical performances of the year.” (The Guardian was more restrained, saying that “too much of the humor hinges on 21st-century hindsight” but also praising Ian Shaw’s “loving and eerily evocative portrayal of his own father.”)

Ian Shaw wrote the play with Joseph Nixon; the production is being directed by Guy Masterson and produced by Sonia Friedman and Scott Landis.

The play joins what is shaping up to be an unusually busy summer on Broadway. There is already horror (“Grey House”) and farce (“The Cottage”) represented, along with three big musicals (“Once Upon a One More Time,” “Here Lies Love,” “Back to the Future”) and a solo comedy (Alex Edelman’s “Just for Us”).

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“The Shark Is Broken,” a comedy about

Latest News

The end of a long-running hit show can be a sobering moment for a TV network.

The finale of “Friends” ended the seemingly unstoppable run of NBC’s “Must See TV.” HBO had to brace for a future without “Game of Thrones.”

Now Fox News is facing the same challenge after its most-watched prime-time personality, Tucker Carlson, was suddenly yanked from his perch Monday amid the scandals and lawsuits facing Rupert Murdoch’s conservative network.

Guest host Brian Kilmeade, a co-host on “Fox & Friends,” filled in for Carlson on Monday night, and others will rotate until a permanent replacement is named for the 8 p.m. Eastern hour.

Is it the beginning of the end for Fox News’ run as the cable news ratings leader since 2002 and as a powerful and disruptive influence in political discourse?

Not likely, history shows.

Liberals hate Fox News and critics call it right-wing propaganda. But Carlson’s departure won’t end its status as a refuge for an audience wanting to marinate in “anti-woke” commentary, Hunter Biden embarrassments, immigration and any other outrage of the day bugging conservative pundits.

The Fox News viewer chooses that environment even with a different voice delivering those missives. When Bill O’Reilly, Megyn Kelly and Glenn Beck were shown the door, the network replaced them without missing a beat.

“It’s worked in the past because they are not selling a personality, they are selling a mindset and selling a view of the world,” said Jon Klein, a tech entrepreneur who ran CNN from 2004 to 2010. “It’s the power of the Fox News brand.”

Carlson’s rise is a prime example of the formula’s reliability. A veteran print journalist, he was a two-time loser in cable news, having been fired from both CNN and MSNBC, leading to skepticism that he was the best choice to replace O’Reilly after he was ousted over sexual harassment allegations in 2017.

But Carlson tapped into the mindset of Trump-loving viewers while being compelling enough to draw in some liberal hate-watchers as well. That made him an even bigger hit.

“Tucker Carlson Tonight” retained most of O’Reilly’s audience levels and improved the Nielsen ratings performance in the 8 p.m. Eastern time period among the key 25-to-54 age group that advertisers covet.

Previously, Fox News held strong after the network fired conservative firebrand Beck, whose conspiracy theories and on-air claim that former President Obama hated white people lost him advertisers on his 5 p.m. show.

To fill Beck’s void, Fox News came up with “The Five,” the opinionated roundtable show that is now the most-watched program in cable news, surpassing “Tucker Carlson Tonight” by drawing more than 3 million viewers daily.

“The Five” has become a Fox News talent incubator for other programs, demonstrating the company’s strategy of allowing its audience to become familiar with new faces before elevating them to larger roles.

Jesse Watters, who started out as a mischievous ambush interviewer for O’Reilly, gained enough of a following on “The Five” to earn his own show at 7 p.m. Eastern, which improved ratings in the hour by 50%. Greg Gutfeld, the comic relief on “The Five,” was given his own late-night program, which now tops broadcast network stalwarts such as “The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon” and “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”

Fox News Media Chief Executive Suzanne Scott has been criticized for her handling of the network’s reporting on alleged voter fraud in the 2020 election (the company paid Dominion Voting Systems $787.5 million to settle a defamation suit over false statements made by the network). But she has shown a knack for identifying personalities that connect with Fox News viewers.

“She is keenly aware of who her audience is,” said one talent agent who does business with the network and spoke on the condition of anonymity. “She knows how to cast. She programs for her audience and not for the conference room.”

Still, Fox News is likely to take a ratings hit without Carlson. Kilmeade’s first night in the time slot was down nearly 600,000 viewers from Carlson’s average of 3.2 million viewers. Other Fox News personalities expected to get a shot in Carlson’s chair include daytime host Harris Faulkner and “Fox & Friends” weekend co-host Will Cain.

But the network could be better off financially in the long run even with a slightly smaller audience. Although Carlson was a ratings hit, major advertisers stayed away from his program after his 2018 comments that Democratic immigration policy was changing “the demographics of the country,” which critics described as an endorsement of racist “replacement theory.”

A new host will probably make less than the $15-million to $20-million salary Carlson pulled in a year. Plus, a less incendiary personality could attract big brand-name advertisers that had stayed away from the program, driving up the price of commercials.

What might change the equation is if Carlson shows up on a competing network. After the news of his firing broke Monday, conservative competitor Newsmax put out a statement that sounded like an invitation to the now show-less host.

“For a while Fox News has been moving to become establishment media and Tucker Carlson’s removal is a big milestone in that effort,” Newsmax CEO Christopher Ruddy said in the statement. “Millions of viewers who liked the old Fox News have made the switch to Newsmax, and Tucker’s departure will only fuel that trend.”

Although Newsmax would love to land Carlson, he probably has a noncompete clause that allows him to leave the network with what was owed to him on his contract. That might keep him off a competitor’s airwaves through 2024.

Carlson also could pivot to a direct-to-consumer strategy. An online newsletter, podcast or streaming brand would offer the pundit a cheap and easy way to engage his fans without having to go through another cable network.

“The real money would be in creating a D2C podcast/media property that you could sell to someone like Spotify,” said Maribel Lopez, founder of the tech research and consulting firm Lopez Research.

Controversial podcaster Joe Rogan’s own deal with the Swedish audio giant, estimated to be worth some $100 million, is a case in point, she said.

“I can’t imagine Tucker Carlson not putting out content,” said Ray Wang, founder of the tech advisory firm Constellation Research. “Direct-to-consumer is probably one way to do it.”

But it’s not a perfect solution.

“Six out of every seven of his viewers are over the age of 55,” said Eric Nuzum, co-founder of the podcast consulting and production agency Magnificent Noise. “A lot of the self-distributed platforms, be it newsletters or podcasts or YouTube or all these other things — you’re not seeing older audience members there, or the number of them are smaller and they’re less comfortable.”

Times staff writer Brian Contreras contributed to this report.

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The end of a long-running hit

MCU

Hailee Steinfeld, who previously starred as Kate Bishop in Marvel’s Hawkeye series had a one-word answer when asked about returning to the role.

In 2021’s Hawkeye, Kate Bishop successfully wormed her way into Clint Barton’s mission when she acquired his old Ronin suit that he wore during the Blip.

Over the course of the show’s six episodes, the two gradually established trust in each other and became friends and partners, with Clint even inviting Kate back home for a Barton Family Christmas. Kate has not appeared in the MCU since Hawkeye, however, and also hasn’t been officially confirmed to pop up in any forthcoming projects.

Hailee Steinfeld on Reprising Kate Bishop

Marvel

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Hailee Steinfeld played quite coy when asked if she knew when audiences would be seeing her suit up as Kate Bishop again. Steinfeld simply replied: “Maybe.”

So, it certainly seems like plans are in place for Kate to make her first post-Hawkeye appearance, but Steinfeld, in typical Marvel actor fashion, can’t divulge any details.

Previously, it was reported that the actress would indeed have roles in “other MCU projects” but exactly what those projects might be remains to be seen.

And last November, she posted a rather cryptic tweet that some interpreted as a confirmation of more Hawkeye. This was never followed up on though, so it might be safe to say that Steinfeld was referring to another project.

Steinfeld was also asked a question by ET regarding how her MCU hero would get along with her other Marvel character, Gwen Stacy from Sony’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse franchise. In response, she pointed out that Gwen and Kate have “quite a lot of similarities.”

“You know, anything’s possible, right? How do I think they would get along? I think they have quite a lot of similarities. I mean, they’re both incredibly witty and badass, independent, young women, who have a strong point of view, and are very good at what they do, and can take on just about anything. So I’d say they’d get along pretty well.”

Where Could Kate Bishop Show Up Next?

It’s, of course, unknown where the intrepid young archer will show up next in the MCU. At one point, there were rumors that Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania would set up the Young Avengers with Kate at the forefront, but that obviously didn’t come to pass and apparently isn’t in the cards either.

And then a crediting slip-up caused fans to speculate that Kate would play a part in Ms. Marvel, but that didn’t happen either.

At this point, perhaps the most likely spot for Kate would be Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. A second season of Hawkeye is perhaps a little unlikely in the near future due to Jeremy Renner’s much-publicized major injuries last winter, although the actor has been making a strong recovery, so anything’s possible.

Given her newfound friendship with Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, maybe Kate could cameo in Thunderbolts, where Pugh will star in 2024. This is also not presently confirmed though.

While Kate Bishop’s future may not be the clearest, her first adventure can be seen in Hawkeye, streaming on Disney+.

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DCU

After Warner Bros. Discovery held a screening at CinemaCon, The Flash movie reactions are here, offering insight into what can be expected from the next DC movie. It’s been almost 10 years since Ezra Miller was cast as the first big-screen iteration of Barry Allen and, after appearing in a handful of other DC movies, their solo superhero film is finally hitting theaters this summer. The highly anticipated flick not only features Miller’s The Flash, but brings together a cadre of other superheroes both new and old, including Michael Keaton’s Batman, Ben Affleck’s Batman and Sasha Calle’s Supergirl.


Earlier today, WBD released a new The Flash movie trailer, which featured previously unseen footage of Miller’s Barry Allen and Keaton’s Batman, along with other characters, like returning Man of Steel villain Zod (Michael Shannon). Then tonight, ahead of The Flash movie’s release date on June 16, WBD screened the film at CinemaCon where Screen Rant and other members of the press were in attendance. Now, here’s what those who’ve seen The Flash are saying about the DC movie and what their reactions reveal about what to expect.

1 The Flash Is “The Funniest DC Movie”

Screen Rant’s Rob Keyes credited The Flash movie’s humor, while also commenting on how it fits into the soon-to-be reset DC film franchise. DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran previously teased that The Flash would “reset” the DC universe and help pave the way for their quasi-reboot of the DCEU. Based on Keyes’ reaction, that seems to be the case. How exactly this reset is achieved remains to be seen, but likely has to do with the multiversal aspect of the film.

2 The Flash Is “Among The Best Superhero Films Ever Made”

Erik Davis from Fandango raved about The Flash movie, hyping up the storytelling, action and cast. The Flash has plenty of competition for the title of best superhero movie ever, but it appears director Andy Muschietti (IT) and screenplay writer Christina Hodson (Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey) have managed to deliver a film that appeals to comic book fans of all ages. Whether that means this DC film will see as much excitement among general moviegoers remains to be seen, but if Davis is correct, The Flash could be a major crowd-pleaser.

3 The Flash Movie Lives Up To The Hype

JoBlo.com editor-in-chief Chris Bumbray was one of a few critics to tout The Flash as one of the best superhero movies of all time, additionally noting it lives up to the hype. Leading up to its release, many within WBD – including Gunn and CEO David Zaslav – have hyped up The Flash. Even Tom Cruise, who requested a private screening after hearing early buzz for The Flash, reportedly said it’s “everything you want in a movie.” With so much hype around it, it’s truly a feat for The Flash to live up to it.

4 The Flash Movie Is Comparable To 1978’s Superman And 1989’s Batman

The Wrap’s Umberto Gonzalez had high praise for The Flash, likening it to classic superhero movies like Christopher Reeve’s Superman and Keaton’s Batman. Both those films are pillars of comic book movie history, which places The Flash in esteemed company. Unlike those movies, though, The Flash isn’t Miller’s first time playing Barry Allen, after appearing in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad and Justice League – as well as Zack Snyder’s Justice League. All that’s to say, Miller has had time to embody The Flash before this movie. Still, The Flash may cement itself as a modern classic of the superhero genre.

5 “Andy Muschietti Has Crafted Something Special” In The Flash Movie

Collider editor-in-chief Steve Weintraub praised star Miller as well as Keaton, along with the work of Muschietti. Weintraub additionally alluded to Miller’s legal troubles over the last few years, which have caused some to decide not to see The Flash. Miller has since apologized for their behavior and WBD has stood behind the actor, but it’s unclear whether they will be a part of the movie’s upcoming promotional tour ahead of its release.

6 The Flash Is “Back to the Future Meets Spider-Man: No Way Home”

Germain Lussier, of Gizmodo and io9, likened The Flash to a combination of Back to the Future and Spider-Man: No Way Home, with the former dealing in time travel and latter in the multiverse. This makes sense given The Flash follows Barry Allen as he travels back in time to save his mother, only to end up messing with the universes. Both Back to the Future and Spider-Man: No Way Home are beloved movies, so The Flash being compared to them is undoubtedly a good sign it’ll successfully handle its time travel and multiverse elements.

7 There Are “Easter Eggs Galore” In The Flash Movie

/Film editor Ben Pearson praised both Miller and Keaton and hyped up the Easter eggs included in The Flash movie. Although Easter eggs don’t make or break a superhero movie, they certainly add an extra layer of enjoyment for those familiar with the comics or other media on which a film is based. Aside from the comics, The Flash has already shown it will include plenty of references to Man of Steel with the return of Zod. So both comics and DC movie fans will no doubt catch references they understand in The Flash.

8 The Flash Movie’s Story “Challenges Barry To Confront Who He Is”

Collider’s Perri Nemiroff offered insight into The Flash movie’s story, teasing the character journey Barry Allen goes on and how it’s influenced by the superheroes he meets along the way. Miller’s Barry Allen has previously interacted with the entire Justice League, but in The Flash he’ll have a different group of companions, which includes an alternate version of himself that grew up with both his parents. With two versions of Barry, The Flash is poised to really dig into the character – which is exactly what it does according to Nemiroff’s reaction.

9 Michael Keaton “Delivers” In The Flash Movie

GameSpot senior editor Chris E. Hayner offered more praise for The Flash, particularly calling out Calle’s Supergirl as a potential new fan-favorite and hyping Keaton’s return. The actor dons the cape and cowl of Batman for the first time in over 30 years – since 1992’s Batman Returns – in The Flash. His return has been highly anticipated ever since it was announced in 2020, and it’s heartening that Hayner’s reaction indicates Keaton will make it a satisfying reprisal.

10 The Flash Movie Doesn’t Feel Like “A Million Other Superhero Movies”

Fandom managing editor Eric Goldman was won over by The Flash movie, which set itself apart from other comic book fare. Superhero movie fatigue has been a discussion point for much of the last decade, but has grown over the last few years with Marvel Studios churning out Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and shows at an increased rate. The similarities of superhero movies has been discussed as a contributor to such fatigue, so The Flash offering something new will make it stand out.

11 The Flash Is “An Impressive DC Movie”

Insider’s Jason Guerrasio had a more measured reaction to The Flash, tempering expectations by noting it’s not the best superhero movie of all time. As with any movie, there will be differences of opinion, so while some may call The Flash the best superhero movie, others will undoubtedly disagree. Tastes differ person to person, and it appears The Flash may not wow every member of the audience, though that doesn’t mean it won’t still be successful. As Guerrasio notes, there is plenty to like about The Flash.

12 Batman & Supergirl Are “Incredible,” But The Flash Has Some “Really Cringe Moments”

The Nerds of Color offered some critiques of The Flash movie, noting it has some “really cringe moments” and the humor fails to deliver, but praised Batman and Supergirl as well as the action and emotion. Though this reaction doesn’t specify which Batman they’re referring to, Keaton and Calle have earned nothing but praise among The Flash early reactions, indicating they’re some of the more enjoyable aspects of the movie. However, it appears the humor of The Flash may not be for everyone.

13 “Mixed Bag Overall”: The Flash Suffers From Fan Service & DC’s Villain Problem

On the other end of the spectrum of The Flash reactions is Jeff Sneider, who praised the first hour of the movie, but found the last hour to be an “utter mess.” Every movie will have its detractors, and Sneider may not be alone in finding fault in The Flash once the movie has screened to more people. It wouldn’t be the first superhero movie to struggle to stick the landing after a promising start. However, though The Flash may have some weaknesses, it appears to be a general crowd-pleaser. Ultimately, the largely positive early reactions to The Flash set the bar even higher – and it remains to be seen if the upcoming DC movie can live up to even more hype.

Key Release Dates

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After Warner Bros. Discovery held a