In the wake of the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, Wrapbook, a company that provides payroll services for TV and film productions, said payments submitted through its platform will be subject to delays.
In messages to clients Friday, Wrapbook said payroll-processing delays caused by the failure of SVB — which came after a historic run on the bank’s deposits — may continue into next week.
The shutdown of SVB “will cause payroll to be delayed today, March 10th 2023, and impact the processing of uncashed checks,” Wrapbook said in a statement. The company said it is working to resume payroll processing with SVB while at the same time seeking to process payroll payments with another banking partner.
“A bank failing is an extreme external event. We apologize, on behalf of all of us at Wrapbook, for any challenge this puts on you,” the company said in the statement.
On Thursday, March 9, investors and account holders tried to withdraw $42 billion in funds from Silicon Valley Bank, according to a California regulatory filing — one of the biggest runs on a bank in more than a decade, according to Bloomberg.
On Friday, the FDIC took control of SVB’s $175.4 billion in deposits. Up to $250,000 of customers’ holdings were insured by the regulator. Above that, the bank’s customers right now are in the dark about when they might be able to access their funds. “Customers with accounts in excess of $250,000 should contact the FDIC toll-free at 1-866-799-0959,” the regulator said in an announcement.
Wrapbook, founded in 2018, operates a platform designed for production companies to manage on-boarding, payroll, insurance and other functions, as well as to let cast and crew members and employees track their payments. CEO Ali Javid has described the company’s mission as to “create easy-to-use financial service solutions that support and increase the prosperity of the project economy.”
In the fourth quarter of 2021, investment firm Tiger Global Management led a $100 million Series B funding round in Wrapbook with new and existing investors including Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo, Uncork Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, A* and Equal Ventures. According to the company, that gave it a $1 billion valuation. Previously Wrapbook announced a $27 million raise led by WndrCo with participation from investors including Michael Ovitz.
The charismatic and lovable Scott Lang is back! Ant Man & the Wasp: Quantumania has set up quite a few plot points for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the end-credits especially have given the audience a great amount of insight into what we can expect in future Marvel projects. Let’s take a look at what the post-credits instill for the future of Phase 5!
The Council of Kangs:
Fans of comic books will recognize this image from the opening post-credits scene. Rama-Tut, Immortus, and a variant who seems to be a play on the Scarlet Centurion have a short conversation before the scene quickly shifts to reveal an arena filled to the brim with Kangs from various timelines, with more appearing at an alarming rate.
This first post-credit scene serves two main purposes. “The first is to illustrate the scope of what Ant-Man’s Kang the Conqueror — and Loki’s He Who Remains before him — meant when he said he was standing between their timeline and his infinite variants who meant to destroy it” (IGN). The character of Kang from Ant-Man operates under a philosophy akin to that of Thanos, adamant that he is not out to conquer reality itself but only its many variations and the fragmented histories from which they originated. But his opponents make it very plain that they are simply interested in annihilation, regardless of how mistaken their motives may be.
The second reason is to give the audience a glimpse of the three variants who will probably spend the most amount of time throughout Phase 5, building up to Phase 6’s Avengers: The Kang Dynasty in 2025. Now the big question is: Which variant will lead the charge against whatever version of The Avengers we’ll see in the future? Undoubtedly, throughout the coming years, each Kang variant will have a tremendous impact, but who will steer the variant ship forward—Rama-Tut or Immortus? Another possibility is that Centurion or a different Kang may take the initiative of the conflict with the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The second post-credits scene follows naturally after this.
Loki Season 2:
Victor Timely is the fourth version of Kang that Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania introduces. On the surface, this version of Kang seems to be a mild-mannered 20th century scientist displaying his findings to a gathering of amazed bystanders. Yet, as we discovered from The Conqueror’s introduction to Janet Van Dyne in the Quantum Realm, most of these Kangs are not what they seem.
“Loki, however, seems more than adequately stressed out by the presence of the man on stage. (Then again, maybe he’s got some Mild-Mannered-Scientist-PTSD after his run-in with Dr. Banner’s big green friend) (IGN).” Mobius, who according to the season finale of the show, doesn’t recall his relationship with Loki before Sylvie killed He Who Remains, is spotted with Loki, but he isn’t convinced that Loki’s fear is justified. Since Timely has some significant connections to some upcoming MCU characters, it’s likely that he’ll be altering his perspective as Loki Season 2 goes on.
The Fantastic Four and the X-Men, two of the largest anticipated arrivals to the MCU, could both be significantly impacted by the introduction of Timely. Timely — known in the comics for creating “harmless” tech in an era before the Avengers or even Howard Stark began tinkering — is directly responsible for the technology that made the solar gem possible. The first Human Torch was made with the help of said gem (who actually had a cameo in Captain America: The First Avenger). We still don’t know what direction the MCU will go in when introducing Marvel’s First Family, despite the fact that recent renditions of the character have diverged from the Torch’s robotic origins.
Since Kang’s origins (Nathaniel Richards or Kang Prime), are deeply tied to Doctor Doom, I think we can definitely expect him to be heavily involved in the movie version of the Fantastic Four story.
I’m ecstatic for the upcoming MCU movies that will feature a combination of some of the characters we’ve seen so far! My personal favorites being Loki, Shang-Chi, and Ant-Man; the MCU family just keeps on growing!
Hi! My name is Siya Patel and I’m a 16 year old writer for FANgirl Blog! I love the MCU, watching sitcoms, and music!
Things don’t always go according to plan, but sometimes, that’s for the best. Case in point: Jonathan Banks would never have played the iconic role of Mike Ehrmantraut in Breaking Bad if things had worked out the way the show’s writers originally intended. In fact, the Mike character did not exist at all in the original plans for season 2 of Breaking Bad. That season also introduces Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman, and while Odenkirk was available for most of the season otherwise, there was one particularly episode he couldn’t take part in due to a previous commitment… and, from there, Mike Ehrmantraut was born.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
This story was told by Rhea Seehorn, who worked with Banks on the spinoff series Better Call Saul. During a recent interview on The Rich Eisen Show, Seehorn shared the story behind Mike’s creation on Breaking Bad. She spoke about how the Breaking Bad writers had planned for Saul Goodman to help Jesse (Aaron Paul) clean up the apartment and prepare his story for the police when his girlfriend Jane (Krysten Ritter) dies from an overdose. Because Odenkirk was busy when that episode was scheduled to film, however, the writers improvised by writing in the character of a fixer working on behalf of Saul. Though the character was created on the fly at the last minute, the scene effectively established Mike, allowing the writers to continue to use him as he would become a fan favorite.
“Bob was not available for Saul Goodman to clean up her boy, and so the Mike Ehrmantraut character was created,” Seehorn explains in the interview. “[Bob] was shooting something, and they wrote, when Krysten’s character dies, that he comes and cleans up the body in this very cold, unfeeling manner. And that was going to be where his character started to go, and he was simply not available, so they made up the Mike Ehrmantraut character.”
Reflecting on just how different things would have been if not for that scheduling conflict, Seehorn added, “Thank goodness! Jonathan Banks played it, and now it’s like, you know, invaluable to the show, that character. And also, I’m so glad that that’s not how we saw Saul. That would’ve forever changed how we saw him as well.”
Jonathan Banks Doesn’t Need to Say Goodbye to Mike
AMC
While Mike didn’t survive Breaking Bad, Banks was still able to reprise the role for six seasons of the prequel show Better Call Saul. The story was brought to an end last year with Better Call Saul concluded, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Mike is gone. Banks recently said that Mike is still around, having become a part of who the actor is now as a person.
Asked about what he misses most about Mike by THR, Banks said, “Oh, Mike will always be around. Mike will always be around! I love Mike.”
Sony is worried that Microsoft could sabotage PlayStation versions of Call of Duty if Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard were to be approved.
As first reported by The Verge, Sony submitted documentation to the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority saying that Microsoft could do a variety of moves to make the Call of Duty franchise on PlayStation unappealing to play on. This includes things such as raising the price of the games, prioritizing the development of the Xbox version, or releasing a buggy build of the games on PlayStation.
“Microsoft might release a PlayStation version of Call of Duty where bugs and errors emerge only on the game’s final level or after later updates. Even if such degradations could be swiftly detected, any remedy would likely come too late, by which time the gaming community would have lost confidence in PlayStation as a go-to venue to play Call of Duty,” Sony explained in the documents.
Sony continued, “Indeed, as Modern Warfare II attests, Call of Duty is most often purchased in just the first few weeks of release. If it became known that the game’s performance on PlayStation was worse than on Xbox, Call of Duty gamers could decide to switch to Xbox, for fear of playing their favorite game at a second-class or less competitive venue.”
Sony is positing that if the merger were to go through, Microsoft would have the incentive to allow Call of Duty to fail on PlayStation, as well as receive a higher revenue share for its content than if Activision was an independent entity. Additionally, Sony argues there would be no way for it, or the CMA, to monitor the quality of Call of Duty to ensure that the PlayStation version receives fair allocation of Microsoft’s development resources.
The battle continues
Call of Duty has been a key battlefield between PlayStation and Xbox since the Activision Blizzard merger was first announced. Xbox initially offered a three month extension to PlayStation for existing contracts, but PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan called the offer “inadequate.”
George Yang is a freelance writer for IGN. He’s been writing about the industry since 2019 and has worked with other publications such as Insider, Kotaku, NPR, and Variety.
When not writing about video games, George is playing video games. What a surprise! You can follow him on Twitter @Yinyangfooey
“Down Low,” an outrageous new comedy that premieres this week at SXSW, starts with a failed attempt at a happy ending. And things go sharply downhill from there.
The raunchy film is the brainchild of Lukas Gage, best known for being on the receiving end of Murray Bartlett’s, um, affections in “The White Lotus.” He wrote the film with Phoebe Fisher and stars as Cameron, a masseuse who is hired to get off Gary, a repressed millionaire played by Zachary Quinto. It’s an attempt at alleviating pressure that careens dangerously off the rails as Gary and Cameron destroy several lives over the course of one crazy day and night. Gage and Fisher were inspired to write the film after watching “Pretty Woman” and learning more about that rom-com’s original script, which was titled “3,000” and told a far darker tale about sex workers.
“We had an idea — what if we made it queer?” Gage tells Variety. “What if we made it a little bit more insane?”
The go-for-broke plot (and to say much more would be to spoil some truly WTF moments and ruin a cornucopia of twists and turns) was what appealed to Quinto, the openly gay “Star Trek” star.
“I like the unabashed gayness of it,” Quinto says. “It didn’t apologize for itself. It was the first thing I’ve done since the pandemic, and it was exciting to come do something unique and singular.”
It was also a chance for Quinto to do a lot of broad physical comedy, a muscle he’d never really been asked to flex before. “It allowed me to throw the boundaries out the window,” he says. “It carved out space that I was eager to step into in terms of humor and doing something unexpected.”
To stage the madness on screen, Gage enlisted Rightor Doyle, an actor and director whose credits include “Barry” and “Bonding.” Doyle urged Gage and Fisher to tone down some Gary and Cameron’s more despicable actions and to emphasize the emotional bond they form while juggling various felonies and misdemeanors.
“The question of the movie is if you do bad things, can you still be a good person?” says Doyle. “There’s a larger issue surrounding queer identity where many people in our society feel like at a base level you can’t be good. We wanted to fly in the face of that.”
At the same time, Gage says he was inspired to push back against the more sanitized, uplifting depictions of LGBTQ life that have cropped up on screen in recent years — most of them part of a genuine desire to change attitudes and provide some moments of cinematic empowerment.
“This is not to bash ‘Love Simon’ or any of those coming-of-age gay movies, but I want to see queer people and characters and situations where it’s not just about how being gay is okay,” says Gage. “I wanted to situate LGBTQ people in a different genre. I wanted to have queer characters and not just have it be a queer story of ‘it’s okay to be gay and love ourselves.’”
Both Cameron and Gary find themselves desperately trying to do damage control, but as the increasingly outlandish situations pile up, the younger, unabashedly out gay man teaches his closeted counterpart a lot about the life he has deferred in order to fit in. That journey makes “Down Low” surprisingly touching, as well as envelope pushing.
“Gary is a person who through these madcap experiences is able to wake up just in time,” says Doyle. “For one day, at least, he’s able to see what it’s like to be gay and to be fully himself.”
It’s just that in Gary’s case, kicking open the closet door causes some collateral damage.
John “The Arrow” Fallon, Lance Vlcek, and Tyler Nichols discuss Scream 4 in the new episode of The Arrow in the Head Show
We’re wrapping up the week with a new episode of The Arrow in the Head Show, and in this one hosts John “The Arrow” Fallon and Lance Vlcek are joined by guest Tyler Nichols as they take a look back at the 2011 slasher sequel Scream 4 (watch it HERE). With Scream 6 now in theatres (you can read our review at THIS LINK), this is the perfect time to be revisiting previous entries in the Scream franchise. To find out what The Arrow, Lance, and Tyler think about this particular entry, check out the Scream 4 episode in the video embedded above.
Directed by Wes Craven from a screenplay by Kevin Williamson – which received uncredited rewrites from Ehren Kruger and Paul Harris Boardman – Scream 4 has the following synopsis: It has been many years since the Ghostface Killer cut a deadly path through the town of Woodsboro. In order to get over the trauma of those horrific events, Sidney Prescott has written a self-help book. She returns to Woodsboro for her book tour, and reconnects with old friends Gale Weathers and Sheriff Dewey. However, Sidney’s arrival also sparks the return of Ghostface, putting Sidney and everyone she loves in danger.
The film stars Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, David Arquette, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Rory Culkin, Anthony Anderson, Adam Brody, Mary McDonnell, Marley Shelton, Nico Tortorella, Marielle Jaffe, Alison Brie, Kristen Bell, Anna Paquin, Lucy Hale, Shenae Grimes, Aimee Teegarden, Britt Robertson, and Erik Knudsen, with Roger L. Jackson providing the voice of Ghostface.
Here’s some information on The Arrow in the Head Show: We’re trying something a bit new here on Arrow In The Head. After many years behind the scenes, we’ve decided to take our sarcastic, booze-influenced style into the video age with TheArrow In The Head Show! Hosted by John Fallon aka The Arrow and Lance Vlcek, we will dig into not only the newest horror flicks hitting the big and small screens but also delve into the good, bad, and ugly of horror from the golden ages of the ’80s through the underrated 90s and maybe a bit beyond.
Something groovy and a tad rough around the edges, we are here to talk shop with a drink in hand, a bit of foul language, and a whole lot of heart.
This episode of the show was Edited by Lance. What did you think of this episode, and are you a fan of Scream 4? Let us know by leaving a comment below!
A couple of the previous episodes of The Arrow in the Head Show can be seen below. To see more, and to check out the other shows we have to offer, head over to the Arrow in the Head Show YouTube channel… and subscribe to the channel while you’re there!
Episodes of The Arrow in the Head Show are also available to listen to as audio-only podcasts. You can find the information on that at THIS LINK.
We ask, not so much out of curiosity about the actions of Christopher Meloni’s long-running detective character Elliot Stabler—who serves as the centerpiece for this latest spin-off of the Law & Order franchise—but due to the show’s increasingly visible behind-the-scenes drama. Specifically, Deadline reports tonight that showrunner Sean Jablonski has departed the series mid-way through its third season—making him the fourth showrunner to depart the show in the last year, and the fifth in the show’s brief three-year run.
That is, to put not too fine a point on it, a fuck-ton of executive producers/writers to bail/get fired from a network series in such a short span of time. (And that’s without even getting into the firing of potential writer Craig Gore, who got himself booted off the series back in 2020, before filming was even underway, due to Facebook comments he made in the wake of the death of George Floyd.) It doesn’t help that Jablonski is reportedly departing the series over “creative differences,” which seems like a pretty wild thing to run afoul of when you’re three episodes away from wrapping your third season.
The timeline on the various firings/departures runs something like this: Organized Crime was originally showrun by Matt Olmstead, who also departed the series before it aired, in October of 2020. Duties were then handed off to The L-Word co-creator Ilene Chaiken, who had the longest tenure on the series to date, helming it for all of its first season, and then most of the second. Chaiken left the series for unclear reasons (but with a note of thanks from Law & Order deity Dick Wolf) in February of 2022. And that’s when the revolving door really started to spin: She was replaced by Hannah Montana co-creator Barry O’Brien, who finished off the second season before handing the reins over to Law & Order: SVU alum Bryan Goluboff, who lasted just a few months on the job before being replaced by way-back-in-the-day original flavor Law & Order producer Jablonski in September of last year.
So, you can kind of see what we mean re: the huge number of people moving in and out of the top spot on this series in a very limited span of time. (It doesn’t help our perceptions of this all that NBC released the news late on a Friday night, which is, to entertainment news, what an alley near where a guy’s unloading a bunch of boxes from a truck is to the body-dumping killers of the Law & Order universe.) Luckily, all of that drama should abate now, as showrunning duties for the rest of the season will be handled by SVU showrunner David Graziano… who was recently the subject of an L.A. Times piece accusing him of unprofessional and bullying behavior on the sets of some of his previous shows. So, no worries there!
The biggest question here, obviously, is who Jablonski had those lethal “creative differences” with: Wolf? Meloni? There’s no way to know at present—but it’s clear that something highly disruptive, and increasingly public,is going on with this series at this point.
We dived into an action-packed hour on Fire Country Season 1 Episode 16 as the team traveled to a neighboring county to help put out a massive fire started by the mysterious arsonist we have been aware of.
After such a disappointing turn of events on Fire Country Season 1 Episode 15, this episode was such a welcome upgrade, and it was great from the beginning to the end.
Aptly titled “My Kinda Leader,” it focused on leadership and what those under them expect of a leader. Many characters grappled with their role as leaders as they faced new challenges and reeled from events past.
Up first, we had Bode.
Bode is not a leader officially but has that quality that makes people want to follow him. Reeling from the events leading to Rebecca’s death, he questioned himself as a leader and what more he could have done to prevent Rebecca’s premature death.
Bode has always been hard on himself. He holds himself to a higher standard than most people do because he has been starved for affection for a long time. It’s only natural that he wants to stand out so that people notice and like him more.
Rebecca’s death felt like he let down her and himself. When it reaches a point where Freddy has to step in and lead, something must have been off. Can we appreciate how much Freddy has grown as a person?
Freddy: Listen to me, Bode. I was there. Cap’s right. Sometimes it’s nobody’s fault. Bode: But you stepped up when I should have. Freddy: You can’t always be the hero, dude. But now you got a chance to step up her, right? Givin the eulogy … Bode: I’m fourth generation Cal Fire. I should have known better. I should have been better. Freddy: You did your best then, and you gotta bring your best now.
From the scared inmate firefighter who wanted to run away from his first fire to a full-on leader and great pep talk giver.
The Drake County fire was just the opportunity Bode needed to prove to himself and everyone that he was not a loser.
Whether by good or bad luck, he met another leader who shared his bravado to a fault.
Leadership is a unique trait that is different for every person. Some people get too drunk with it, some take it to an extreme degree, and others don’t take it with the seriousness it deserves.
The Drake County Lieutenant didn’t fit any of these categories, and he also fits all of them.
I’ve known fire to be a destructive element not to be messed with, but I have never thought of it as a living thing — a breathing, feeding, and harmful organism.
As a leader, it is great to push people under you, especially when so much is at stake. But it is also wise to know when to call it quits, which was something “Mr. Organism” didn’t do.
His attitude toward fighting fires was too literal.
Being in the middle of two overzealous leaders, Manny had to step back.
Manny is a great leader who knows how to balance everything. Even under such blatant insubordination from Bode and being challenged by the Drake County Lieutenant, he kept his cool and understood that they were both going through something.
There is a difference between heroism and stupidity.
Manny
I can’t say I understood how he managed that because if I were in his position…
Sharon returned to work and was confronted with an accusation about her firefighters that had her questioning her reality.
It was great to see the fire investigator do her job for once. She still had that laisez-faire attitude when dealing with Station 42 that we saw when she investigated the infamous bridge rescue on Fire Country Season 1 Episode 9, but she put her foot down this time.
Such an accusation was wild, but she had the evidence to back it up. The arsonist case is a curious one that we will explore next.
Ultimately, leadership is about making the best decision for your people, even when you aren’t thrilled.
Pelham would have preferred to keep battling the fire, but he understood he would be risking his life.
The gang leaders would have preferred to keep their people fighting until the strongest survived, but they understood that the fire was stronger than all combined.
Sometimes, forgiving yourself for making mistakes can be a challenge as a leader.
Eve struggled with accepting that something tragic had happened on her watch. She was ready to take leave, but when duty called, she answered.
She hasn’t gotten over the incident, and it will be interesting to see how she copes, hopefully not by emptying bottles of beer.
Manny knew and accepted that sometimes, things go wrong and that it’s no one person’s fault. Rebecca’s death was tragic, and the tragedy was enough by itself. There was no need to play the blame game.
The arsonist’s case was at the forefront of the hour, with them escalating to huge forest fires.
The running theory was that Colin is the arsonist. His actions this hour did nothing to help his case.
If one were to look deeper at him, one would see a boy struggling to see under their dead father’s blinding spotlight. One would see a young man barely holding on because he forced himself into something he wasn’t interested in in the first place.
One would see a man whose back was breaking under the weight of a family legacy he had to uphold.
But I get it. Your dad died a hero. You know, the pressure to follow in his footsteps and save the day it’s just crushing. And when you can’t, I totaly…
Colin
Coming from a legendary firefighting family, he knows everything there is to know about fires. It wouldn’t be a stretch to think he has some fire-starting and fighting equipment within his reach, even away from the station.
In his twisted way, lighting fires and taking a front seat look at them burning and people failing to put them out is a way for him to regain control or give a giant middle finger to the world for putting him in this position.
And he is not stupid. He knows what would happen if he were caught, so he has a fall guy in Jake.
His interaction with Jake seemed forced from the first attempt to bro up to the discussion about Jake’s first arson. He was looking for an angle; he sure got it.
As Sharon put it, Jake was the personification of an arsonist, but that didn’t make him one.
I also, ONCE as a kid, started a fire and watched it burn, but that didn’t make me fall in love with torching things up. Sometimes, kids do stupid things. It’s in their blood.
I’m 99% sure Colin is the arsonist, and it won’t be easy for him to get caught.
“My Kinda Leader” was a loaded episode that balanced progressive storytelling and action will. It is one of the best episodes this season. Some season-long storylines, like Sharon’s kidney disease, had to take a back seat so that the arsonist storyline could be explored, and the results were fantastic.
Tahmoh Penikett, who portrayed Pelham, did a great job with the character; he was a pleasure to watch.
What did you think? Are you convinced that Colin is the arsonist?
Was it as hilarious for you when Jake pulled a Will Smith at the Oscars with the quote below?
You wanna bro up? You keep my name out of your Google Search.
Jake
More importantly, what did you think of the episode?
We always love reading your comments, so don’t hesitate to leave one.
Denis Kimathi is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on Twitter.
It’s often said that publicists are the unsung heroes of Hollywood, executives who work tirelessly behind the scenes with minimal recognition when things go well and maximum blame when things don’t. However, once a year, thanks to the International Cinematographers Guild (IATSE Local 600), publicists from all corners of Hollywood get a chance to bask in the spotlight of the Beverly Hilton’s international ballroom for the ICG Publicists Awards.
Held on Friday, the 60th ceremony saw campaigns for Top Gun: Maverick and Abbott Elementary take top honors in film and TV categories, respectively. Both projects finished the day as double winners (kind of) as Top Gun producer Jerry Bruckheimer accepted the motion picture showman of the year award on behalf of his team while Brunson was honored with the television showman of the year prize. In their speeches, both Bruckheimer and Brunson paid special attention to the work of diligent reps.
Bruckheimer accepted for the Top Gun: Maverick team of Tom Cruise, Christopher McQuarrie and David Ellison, and he did so following a tribute from one of the actors in the film, Danny Ramirez. Bruckheimer joked that he wasn’t the first ask to be in the room.
“It was called to my attention that you contacted my three other producing partners before you got stuck with me. All this to say that I’m a poor substitute for Tom Cruise, but isn’t just about everyone?” quipped Bruckheimer. “I’m sure we all agree that Tom is the consummate showman in every sentence of that word. The actor who is in perfect tune with the audience and always gives them a thrilling ride.”
He said that Cruise and McQuarrie would have loved to be there, but “they’re off making the next Mission: Impossible. “Bruckheimer then turned his attention to the publicists in the room by dedicating the rest of his speech to the tireless work they do on campaigns.
“On the outside, your life seems so glamorous. You hang out with movie stars, titans of industry and powerful political figures, but there’s a catch,” he explained. “You’re the ones who put your lives on hold during the production of a film. You’re the ones who are up early in the morning, and you’re there late at night. You’re the ones who are there on the set, taking care of business and somehow doing it on your phones while jets are roaring over your heads. And you’re the ones who make sure everything we do as producers is shown to movie fans in the best possible light.”
Bruckheimer continued: “You share good times and not-so-good times, maybe even really horrible times, the agony and the ecstasy, so to speak. But through it all, you have our back. It’s been said that if you don’t tell your story, somebody else will. Tom, Chris, David and I thank you for helping us tell our story. And to all of you who do what you do [for] the films and the Hollywood community, we can’t thank you enough.”
Brunson accepted the award from her Abbott Elementary star Lisa Ann Walter who delivered an amusing and emotional tribute that brought them both to tears. She dubbed Brunson “our generation’s Mary Tyler Moore.” Other presenters included Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghost), Jaylen Barron (Blindspotting), Vanessa Vanjie Mateo (RuPaul’s Drag Race), Amber Midthinder (Prey), Ethan Peck (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds), Ming Na Wen and Ben Mankiewicz.
Brunson, who has cleaned up on the awards season circuit for the sitcom that she created, executive produces and stars in, joked that she’d never heard of the ICG Publicists Awards or the honor being given to her, “but I’m happy that it does exist because I think that you all do a job that is incredible, crucial and under-appreciated.”
After listing the requisite thank yous to the network, studio and Abbott Elementary cast and crew, Brunson said she was excited about the last part of her speech, dedicated to all the publicists who worked on launching and promoting her show.
“What was really important to me with Abbott Elementary was making sure that the messaging was consistent,” said Brunson. “It was a show that I felt was special, but that meant the messaging about the show had to be special as well. I was on another show that will remain nameless, but I watched that showrunner have trouble communicating her vision to that network. I saw how that can get in the way of a show becoming a success if the messaging is inconsistent.”
The TV creator said she has grown to be very particular in ways that she knows how to annoy the publicists on the show. “I never want to put my cast in the line of fire. I wanna protect everybody,” she explained. “We have children to protect, we have teachers to protect, and I’m always trying to make sure that we’re having fun, protecting each other and getting the word out about the show all at the same time — and that’s annoying. I know I annoy them. I know sometimes they’re like, ‘God, I wish she would just make a show and shut up. I can’t because I think that that’s integral to the success of a show, especially for new, new creatives.”
She praised Abbott reps Celia Sacks and Sarah Teicher who were also singled out by the ICG Publicists Guild with the award for their overall campaign. “Those two were so integral,” Brunson continued. “When I said, ‘Hey man, I just wanna make sure that we show up on this talk show in the right way. I wanna make sure that this poster looks a certain way. I wanna make sure this tweet is written a certain way.’ That’s how annoying I am. I have these beautiful bodacious women on my show. I wanna make sure that they’re protected in how they’re presented to the world. It’s little stuff like that that I was able to communicate with them about.”
Brunson also credited the ABC publicity team, joking that she knows “they’re annoyed with me, too, but look, I got us a couple of awards. I think it’s OK now.”
The full list of winners is below.
Maxwell Weinberg Award for Motion Picture Publicity Campaign Top Gun: Maverick (Paramount Pictures/Skydance/Jerry Bruckheimer Films)
Maxwell Weinberg Award for Television Publicity Campaign Abbott Elementary (Warner Bros. Television/ABC)
Les Mason Awards for Career Achievement in Publicity Karen Chamberlain, Warner Bros. Pictures
Press Award Andy Reyes, Entertainment Tonight
International Media Award Yong Chavez, ABS-CBN News (Philippines)
Publicist of the Year Award Sara Hull, Walt Disney Studios
Excellence in Unit Still Photography Award — Motion Pictures Eli Joshua
Excellence in Unit Still Photography Award — Television(Tie) Beth Dubber Hilary Bronwyn Gayle
Bob Yeager Award for Community Service James Ferrera
The singer’s “BZRP Music Sessions Vol. 53” broke the record for the fastest Latin track to reach 100 million views on YouTube
Shakira: The savage lyricist and prolific record breaker. On Friday, Guinness World Records announced that Shakira shattered several records on Spotify and Billboard charts, thanks to her “BZRPMusic Sessions Vol. 53” collaboration with Argentinian DJ Bizarrap.
Among her broken records, “BZRP Music Sessions Vol. 53” — the scathing electropop banger aimed at her ex-husband Gerard Piqué — became the most-streamed Latin song on Spotify in both a 24-hour and single-week timeframe. The track received 14.4 million streams in a single day, and 80.6 million streams in a week.
“BZRP Music Sessions Vol. 53” also broke the record for fastest Latin track to reach 100 million views on YouTube after reaching the number in approximately 70 hours and broke the record for most views in 24 hours with 63 million in a single day on YouTube. With the song, Shakira also became the first female vocalist to debut in the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 with a Spanish song, and the first female to replace herself at No. 1 on the Billboard Latin Airplay charts.
The song also helped Shakira break the record of Most Top 10 hits on both Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs and Latin Airplay charts by a female artist. Other accolades include swooping the record for most Billboard charts topped by a Spanish-language song by a female artist and Most No. 1 hits on the Latin Airplay, Latin Pop Airplay, and Latin Digital Song Sales charts.
To date, the song has more than 403 million streams on Spotify, while the track’s music video has garnered over 410 million views on YouTube. The track has brought Shakira and Bizarrap four records together, with another 10 for Shakira. Since the Bizarrap collab, Shakira has joined Karol G on “TGQ” from her Colombian compatriot’s album Mañana Será Bonito.
Trending
Guinness World Record Titles Held by Shakira Thanks to “BZRPMusic Sessions Vol. 53″:
1. Most streamed Latin track on Spotify in 24 hours 2. Most viewed Latin track on YouTube in 24 hours 3. Fastest Latin track to reach 100 million views on YouTube 4. Most streamed Latin track on Spotify in one week 5. First female vocalist to debut in the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 with a Spanish-language track 6. Most No.1s on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart by a female artist 7. First female artist to replace herself at No.1 on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart 8. Most cumulative weeks at No.1 on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart by a female artist 9. Most Top 10 hits on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart by a female artist 10. Most Top 10 hits on Billboard’s Latin Airplay chart by a female artist 11. Most No.1s on Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay chart by a female artist 12. Most Top 10 hits on Billboard’s Latin Pop Airplay chart by a female artist 13. Most No.1s on Billboard’s Latin Digital Song Sales chart 14. Most Billboard charts topped by a Spanish-language track by a female artist
When you combine two thrilling components, you know you will get a mega blast of excitement and entertainment, especially if those are gambling and Hollywood.
Sites like paybyphonebillcasino.uk provide a comprehensive list of popular online casinos with punters. There was quite a selection when asked what their favourite casino movies were, with a member of the paybyphonebilcasino.uk support team mentioning favorites like Ocean’s Eleven and Casino Royale as well as other titles such as Croupier and Maverick.
One thing is for sure: gambling has always attracted people. Over the last few decades, online gambling has increased in popularity beyond expectations, leading to screenwriters including casino scenes in their films, with many becoming Hollywood blockbusters. Below is just a few titles that come to mind.
Ocean’s Eleven
The first Oceans Eleven movie was released in 1960, which some say was the age of the silver screen. The 2001 adaption has a wonderful cast that includes George Clooney, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, and Julia Roberts.
The storyline follows a heist to fleece the vaults of three famous real-life casino resorts in Las Vegas, the Mirage, the Bellagio and the MGM Grand. Not only is the steller cast amazing in their roles you also get to see Las Vegas, including some restricted areas, as you watch the plot unfold and grow on the screen.
Casino Royale
If you love a whirlwind of action and intrigue, then the 2006 blockbuster Casino Royal is the 007 movie. The storyline follows the famous MI6, and the remake ticks all the boxes for fans. Starring Daniel Craig as James Bond, we see 007 sent to Montenegro to investigate a suspect terrorist organisation with Le Chiffre at the head who is playing in a high-stakes poker tournament.
Casino Royale offers us the thrill of Bond and the excitement of a high-stakes poker tournament. Of course, the women and the settings are gorgeous, but can Bond keep his cool with such high stakes?
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
The iconic film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, directed by Terry Gilliam and released in 1998, has a cult following and is still as popular today as ever. We follow Thomson, who has dragged his lawyer to Las Vegas after being given a large advance of cash to cover a major sporting event.
The duo soon learn about gamblers, drug takers, corrupt coppers, some pretty strange hitchhikers, and some fantastic scenes where hallucinations produce giant lizards and imaginary bats.
Adapted from Hunter S Thomson’s novel (written in 1971, it stars Johnny Depp at his best alongside Benicio del Toro. This one is pretty spectacular regarding road trips, even though it received a mixed review from critics.
Rounders
Another brilliant Casino based movie starring Matt Damon is Rounders. In Rounders, he plays the part of a destitute university student (Mike). Playing underground poker, you will see the shadier side of casino life and get some insight into Atlantic City.
Mike finds himself in all types of trouble after his best friend from childhood gets him into deep debt; Mike has to use his poker talents to defeat the KGB player. Tense and exciting, Rounders is well worth your time.
ChatGPT continues its march across the tech industry as it reaches a new frontier: smartwatches. Fitness brand Amazfit has revealed it’s going to be adding the generative AI as a feature on its GTR4 device.
Looking at a recently posted demo on LinkedIn (opens in new tab), ChatGPT will be listed as ChatGenius in the GTR4’s menu, and from there, you can ask it whatever you want. The video shows someone asking how they can improve their running performance. Then in just a few seconds, ChatGenius responds with a several paragraph answer which you can read in its entirety by turning the watchface crown. Tap the screen to erase the previous response and you can ask a new question. You can even ask ChatGenius how your day was and it’ll tell you how many steps you took plus your current heart rate.
Beyond the demo, there’s very little information out there on how ChatGPT will work on the Amazfit GTR4. Other reports (opens in new tab) claim you can ask generic questions like the weather forecast or traffic, just like any other smartwatch. It’s also unknown which other Amazfit devices will even get the feature. The video alludes to ChatGPT support depending on the watch model and your location, with the United States being the only confirmed region at the time of this writing.
We reached out to Amazfit about the availability of ChatGPT support as well as what else it can do. Can it, for instance, show different types of data or is it limited to just a few things? This story will be updated if we hear back.
First-party support
The fact that Amazfit was able to beat out the tech giants in adding first-party support for generative AI to a smartwatch is a big accomplishment. The closest thing to ChatGPT on something like the Apple Watch is a third-party app called watchGPT for the Apple Watch (opens in new tab). It works pretty much the same way. You open the app, ask a question, and you get a several-paragraph response. However, there are some notable differences.
For starters, you have to pay $3.99 to use it whereas Amazfit’s feature is free. But you can “share the outcome of your interaction” with other people either through text, email, or social media messages. It’s unknown whether or not the GTR4 can do the same at this point. Either way, Amazfit has managed to break boundaries before anyone else. We think it’s only a matter of time before the likes of Apple or Google eventually add first-party generative AI support to their own smartwatches. The tech is already on browsers and search engines, after all.
EXCLUSIVE: Gloria Steinem, Naomi Watts, Anna Konkle and Megan Rapinoe are among the bold-face names who appear in the documentary Periodical, which makes its world premiere tonight at SXSW in Austin.
The film directed by Lina Lyte Plioplyte illuminates a subject that has long been relegated to the shadows – menstruation.
“Periodical tells the unexpected story of the human body by exploring the marvel and mystery of the menstrual cycle, from the first period to the last,” a description of the documentary notes. “From soccer star Megan Rapinoe who reveals how the Women’s World Cup winning U.S. Soccer team tracks their cycles, to scientists who are discovering the power and possibilities of stem cells found in period blood, to young activists flipping the bill on period tax one state at a time, and celebrities like Gloria Steinem, Naomi Watts, and Anna Konkle advocating in their own rights, we uncover the shocking truths, challenge taboos, and reveal some hacks and celebrate the untapped potential of this special nutrient-dense blood.”
Periodical is premiering in the festival’s Documentary Spotlight section. We have your first look at it in the trailer above.
Gloria Steinem in ‘Periodical’
Courtesy of Spencer Pazer
“I think women’s bodies are political and, so, I think the period is part of that,” Rapinoe observes in the film. Steinem, the feminist pioneer, says, “It’s just part of life. We have suppressed that knowledge and made it seem shameful.”
MSNBC Films presents Periodical, a production of XTR and Lyte Films. Executive producers include Kathleen Flood, Kathryn Everett, Justin Lacob, Bryn Mooser, Amanda Spain, Rashida Jones, and Christina D. King. Lina Lyte Plioplyte directs and shares cinematography credit with Bianca Cline, Evan Carter, and Lauren Guiteras. Pegah Farahmand produces; the editor is Jessica Potter. The music is by Kiran Gandhi.
Following tonight’s world premiere, Periodical will screen twice more at SXSW, on March 12 and March 18.
Watch the dynamic trailer above. It contains quite literally a shocking scene of a man who is zapped with a “period cramp simulator.”
Priyanka Chopra Jonas says the first time she was paid the same as her male costar was for her upcoming spy thriller series Citadel opposite Richard Madden.
“I might get into trouble for [saying this], depends on who’s watching,” the 40-year-old actor said during a panel at the SXSW film festival on March 10, per The Hollywood Reporter. “I’ve been working in the entertainment industry for now 22 years, and I have done almost 70-plus features and two TV shows, but when I did Citadel, it was the first time in my career that I had pay parity.”
She continued, “I’m laughing about this, but it’s kind of nuts. I put in the same amount of investment and work, but I get paid much less. But the ease in which Amazon Studios said, ‘That’s what you deserve, you are coleads, that’s just fair,’ and I was like, ‘You’re right, it’s fair.’”
Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, speak during the 2023 SXSW Conference and Festivals on March 10, 2023.
Renee Dominguez/Getty Images
Even Priyanka Chopra Jonas—who has led TV shows like Quantico, starred in films like Baywatch, and is married to an actual Jonas brother—is not immune to the sexism and body-shaming that is prevalent in Hollywood (and also, everywhere).
“I’ve been told many things that are difficult to hear,” she said during the Q&A. “Somebody told me yesterday I wasn’t ‘sample sized.’ I was hurt and I discussed it with my family, and I cried to my husband and my team and I felt really bad about the fact I’m not sample-sized and that that’s a problem, apparently. Most of us are not. ‘Sample-sized’ is a size 2.” She then asked the audience, “Who’s a size 2? I don’t see a lot of hands.”
Following Citadel, Chopra Jonas will also be seen in the upcoming romantic drama Love Again alongside Outlander star Sam Heughan. Hopefully, she received equal pay for that one too.
It’s better to not judge Netflix’s new Hindi web series She immediately. It’s layered and may not hold the same meaning on second watch. There’s also the possibility of all this being a futile exercise and it actually being a superficial show.
Showrunner Imtiaz Ali’s India original has a chawl-dweller female cop Bhumika Pardeshi (Aditi Pohankar) at the helm of affairs. One day, a crime branch officer Jason Fernandez (Vishwas Kini) spots her and decides to induct her into an undercover operation.
As part of the planning, she gets dressed as a sex worker and roams in and around Mumbai bylanes in the hope of catching a big fish. Vijay Varma’s Sasya turns out to be the first to take bait, but the directors—Arif Ali and Avinash Das—decide to give it a twist right there.
Bhumika, whose husband keeps complaining of her not being sexually proactive, finds a new side of her persona during the encounter with Sasya, and there onwards, decides to weaponise her sexuality to survive in the job and life.
The show gives the impression that a woman’s body could also work as the chain to control the developments around her. We keep meeting saliva-dropping brothers-in-law and philandering boyfriends, but none with much writing backup. At certain points, everything begins to look really surreal, making you wonder whatever happened to the docile girl scared of the world.
This could also be a way of assessing the lead woman’s character transition, but all this happens in such a way that you get worried about the tangential drift of the plot. Credit goes to Pohankar for never leaving the basic traits attached to her character which somehow keep us in the knowhow of the undercover cop’s story.
There is also the pretense of being a thriller as characters keep emerging out of the gloom. Here, Vijay Varma arrives in style and then slowly becomes a victim of the nonchalance on the creators’ part. They set up a premise and leave it to sloppy writing and mostly disjointed plot points.
There are scenes that hint towards She being very indulgent, as if Ali and his fellows are hell bent on making it about a ‘different kind of ordinary woman.’ You know, the kind who can be a femme fatale in a ‘salwaar-kameez.’ We have seen different versions of such females in films and shows, where they are sometimes seen coming from a rural or semi-urban background with big Bollywood dreams but ending up in B-grade films.
Pohankar’s Bumika, in a way, is the urban-poor version of the same. She finds her mojo in her sexuality and wages a war on men with absolutely no sense of civility.
In fact, the show appears more nuanced when Bumika gets scenes with her sister and mother. There’s a certain feel of comfort during such interactions.
But whatever smoothness is achieved through such communications gets lost in the very next one as we see Bhumika indulging in strange conversations with beggars, homeless and undercover officers.
She mostly suffers from the wrong idea of an empowered woman, but there is this thing: Nobody in the show takes Bhumika for more than her face value, which means she is not the usual girl with new ideas and strong notion of self but an ordinary woman looking out for a better life. If this is the case then the makers might have a justification for her actions. Unfortunately, this doesn’t translate well on screen and remains a mystery.
A former film student himself, Rohit ‘Vats’ feels that a good film is made with a zealous heart rather than brilliant technique. He thinks that films …Read More
Following the disappointing box office results of Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania, many people are wondering if the dreaded “super hero” fatigue has finally set it.
While Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was a bonafide smash hit, other post-pandemic films such as The Eternals, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness have struggled with critics.
“Sequels typically worked well for us,” Iger said “Do you need a third and a fourth for instance? Or is it time to turn to other characters?”
A Breakneck Speed
Following nearly two years of releasing content at a breakneck speed, Disney and Marvel have decided to slow down the pace.
Utilizing both feature film and streaming shows to tell the larger MCU story has left some Marvel fans unable to keep up.
Source: Marvel Studios
Marvel has now started to spread out their releases. After Quantumania, the next studio release will be Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in May. That film will be followed by a postponed The Marvels in November.
Marvel Is Here To Stay
Despite struggling in ways that Disney’s tentpole franchise never has, Bob Iger is not concerned about the long-term viability of Marvel.
Source: syfy.com
“There’s nothing in any way inherently off in terms of the Marvel brand,” Iger said. “I think we just have to look at what characters and stories we’re mining, and you look at the trajectory of Marvel over the next five years, you’ll see a lot of newness.
“We’re going to turn back to the Avengers franchise, but with a whole different set of Avengers.”
Photo: Disney
While Disney may look to adjust its Marvel strategy, fans don’t have to worry about the MCU disappearing anytime soon.
“There are a lot more stories to tell,” Iger said Thursday.
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! Thanks for reading.
One can, it turns out, simply walk into one part of Middle-earth. No, it’s not Mordor. We’re talking about Rivendell. The beautiful location comes to life in The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell LEGO Icons set. Once you walk into this version of Rivendell, you’ll find yourself on a very unexpected journey—a delightful one.
Rotem Rusak
I have never put together a serious LEGO set before Rivendell. But when I saw it announced, it was love at first sight. So I gathered my Fellowship, and together we embarked on this most remarkable quest with a set that LEGO provided to Nerdist. But luckily, unlike the trip to Mordor, building LEGO Rivendell only uncovered welcome surprise after welcome surprise. Before we get into the nitty-gritty, I’ll answer the question topmost on everyone’s mind. Is The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell LEGO set worth the $500 price tag? Unequivocally, yes.
The 6,167 LEGO piece Rivendell set itself took around 23 hours to complete, and that’s with at least two people working on it for the majority of the time. An experienced LEGO adventurer might be able to build it more quickly. But to give you a better perspective on the size of the project, here’s the three-part instruction that came with LEGO Rivendell up against The Fellowship of the Ring. Don’t tell Tolkien, but the instruction books are giving him a run for his money.
Rotem Rusak
But miraculously, no two sections of the three-part build or 49 bags of LEGOs are the same. As Bilbo would say, “You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.” The designers of LEGO Rivendell clearly understand that the journey is the adventure. At times, we found ourselves crafting almost Star Wars-like works of machinery; at others, we built graceful trees and put together tiny mushrooms, and still, on occasion, we found ourselves putting together a hidden fireplace that took two hours and dozens of pages to complete. But isn’t that what the elves would want?
Rotem Rusak
The Gazebo with River
Rotem Rusak
The Gazebo area of The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell set was likened to a Tetris game by its builders. Nothing came together how you thought it would exactly, but everything fit in some bizarrely interesting way that intriguingly lacked all symmetry. This part seemed more emotional, more about the feeling of the build than it was strictly technical. And that makes a lot of sense because it fully captures the beauty of Rivendell’s nature. The bubbling river is made of dozens of different kinds of blue and whites, and there are at least ten shades of green in this section of Rivendell alone.
Rotem Rusak
LEGO really delivered a certain sensation of gorgeous wilderness in this area. It evokes the sensation of being lost in the woods, and that’s perfect for Rivendell. It’s also critical to note that the glow-in-the-dark mushrooms were a big hit.
Rotem Rusak
Rivendell’s gazebo and iconic bridge also come perfectly to life in LEGO form. A note in the instruction books offers that the base for the gazebo was one of the most challenging geometric designs the designers faced in this model, and that’s felt. But the gazebo quickly goes from Death Star in the base build to ornate artistry as all its lines and shapes come together to an unbelievable finish.
The Tower
From the intertwining lines of the gazebo, we departed to the more geometric build of the tower. Alongside making sure every major part was different, LEGO Rivendell’s design also took care that sections alternated from difficult to easy. One minute, you’d nervously be flipping pieces and anxiously crossing your fingers everything fit, and the next, you’d be merrily tiling the roof.
Rotem Rusak
As you continued to embark, little delights greeted you as a reward for your hard work. After a big base, you’d get to use stickers to craft Bilbo’s book. After a tricky axel, you could put together a bed and a couple of adorable lanterns.
Rotem RusakRotem Rusak
Of course, the centerpiece of “The Tower” is the massive elven statue on the outside of it. Aside from being completely beautiful, the statue’s carved elves serve as bonus Minifigures. And you can imagine your favorite elf decorates the walls.
Rotem RusakRotem Rusak
The Council Ring
By far, the biggest part of The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell LEGO build was the “The Council Ring.” In fact, it was more parts than the other two put together. But well worth it. Does Lord Elrond of Rivendell expect you to hand tile every bit of his floor? He certainly does.
Rotem Rusak
The Council Ring’s attention to detail was literally awe-inspiring. Tiny desks, tiny candles, floor mosaics, a garden bench, little bird statues, maps, a throne—if an elven kingdom needs it, you built it. But there’s nothing more satisfying than the way all these miniature works of art come together to form the whole. LEGO Rivendell even took care to create a LEGO version of Lembas bread that you could serve on the table. Of course, the entire structure is mind-blowing as well, a feat of physics and impeccable planning.
Rotem Rusak
All of that said, one of the most notable portions of this LEGO build is easily its many kinds of trees. Never have I seen plastic trees so beautiful and so varied. The golden tree and the large multi-hued green tree are indescribably delicate and incredibly nuanced. Holding them in your hands, it really feels like you’ve created a little wonder.
Rotem RusakRotem Rusak
The Minifigures
Rotem Rusak
Who doesn’t love a minifigure? The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell is especially exciting when it comes to minifigures because LEGO hadn’t to date, released all the members of the Fellowship in such a way. The set comes with 15 Minifigures which you discover as you go. Included are Gandalf the Grey, Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, Merriadoc “Merry” Brandybuck, Peregrin “Pippin” Took, Legolas, Gimli, Boromir, and Aragorn. And in addition, we get LEGO minifigures of Elrond, Arwen, Bilbo Baggins, plus additional elves and a dwarf (Gloin) are also included.
Rotem Rusak
(We mistook Gloin for Gandalf when we first revealed him, but, you know, Frodo was sad about his death anyway.)
Rotem Rusak
The figures come with adorable props and even some almost fabric-like cloaks. For instance, Sam has a frying pan, Frodo has the ring, Arwen has a book, and Merry and Pippin have their favorite snacks.
Rotem Rusak
In addition, a brand new kind of hair or wig was made for The Lord of the Rings elf minifigures. The instruction book shares that “it was molded in two different materials to provide color for the hair and the ears separately.” The hobbits also received dual molded legs to show off their signature trait, their feet. And finally, every character was created so that they all have the option to sit or stand. Otherwise, how could they come to sit in the council to discuss matters of the Ring?
Rotem Rusak
The Rivendell set is amazing, but having this many minifigures allows it to also be cinematic. With all of your favorite The Lord of the Rings characters at hand, this LEGO build can tell many stories.
Takeaways about The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell
Click To View Gallery
Rotem Rusak
In sum, The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell set is worth it. It is challenging but fun, technical but beautiful. Even though I was a complete LEGO beginner and this is an exceptionally complex set, I never felt overwhelmed. If I did make an error in my The Lord of the Rings build, the set ensured I discovered it quickly and could correct it with relative ease. I felt like LEGO had taken care of every question and thought before I even had to consider it. For example, when tiling the roof, LEGO provided an ingenious way to get all the tiles straight by using a different piece of LEGO. The structural builds were gravity-defying and exciting, but the small details really touched my heart.
Looking back, it’s hard to believe I built all that. And even though 23 hours is a long time, it never once felt tiresome. So would I journey there and back again and again to The Lord of the Rings: Rivendell? In a heartbeat.
Destiny 2’s Root of Nightmares World First winners have been confirmed by Bungie. Over on Twitter, the developers congratulated team Hard in the Paint (HITP) on the achievement.
The Root of Nightmares raid was released on March 10 at 9 AM PT / 12 PM ET. Members of HITP streamed their raid run on Twitch, and they completed it in around 2 hours and 24 minutes, according to the record on the Destiny 2 raid report site. It took Bungie another couple of hours to confirm the validity of the completion, resulting in the above congratulatory tweet.
The next fastest clear after HITP was done in 2 hours and 33 minutes. The Destiny 2 raid report site is still updating with team clears, and interested people can check it out to see new clear times and rankings.
Root of Nightmares is currently in Contest Mode and there’s a Power cap of 1780 to keep things fair for the World First race. Certain Exotic weapons are disabled during Contest mode as well. Contest Mode usually lasts 24 hours for raids, but it has been extended by an extra day (a total of 48 hours) for Root of Nightmares. For more information, check out our Root of Nightmares Contest Mode explainer.
All players who complete the Root of Nightmares raid while Contest Mode is active get an exclusive emblem, and anybody who completes the raid before March 21 has the opportunity to purchase a Root of Nightmares-themed raid jacket they can wear in the real world.
Note that completion of the raid before the stated date just allows you access to the jacket; you’ll still have to shell out money to obtain the item. If you want it, the Root of Nightmare jacket is $150.
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.
As a director, overseeing a production can be a daunting task, with countless moving parts and potential pitfalls. From casting to filming to post-production, there are numerous elements to keep track of to ensure a successful outcome. That’s why having a comprehensive production checklist can be invaluable.
In this article, we’ll explore three essential checklists that every director should have on hand to help streamline their production process.
These checklists cover pre-production, production, and post-production, and offer a step-by-step guide to managing each phase of the project.
Whether you’re an experienced director looking to improve your process or a newcomer to the field, these checklists will help you stay organized and on track, allowing you to focus on bringing your creative vision to life. So, let’s dive in and discover how these three production checklists can help you achieve your filmmaking goals.
Let’s get to work.
Steven Spielberg on set of ‘Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull’Credit: David James
3 Production Checklists for a Director
As a director, your role is critical in the production of a film or video project. To ensure that you stay organized and prepared throughout the entire production process, it’s important to use production checklists. Here are three production checklists that every director should have in their toolkit:
1. Pre-Production Checklist:
Pre-production is a critical stage in the production process, and it’s essential to stay organized and prepared. Use this pre-production checklist to help you stay on track:
Casting: Cast actors for your project and hold auditions if necessary.
Location scouting:Scout locations and select the best ones for your project.
Storyboarding: Create storyboards to help you visualize the scenes and plan the shots.
Script breakdown: Break down the script into scenes, shots, and sequences to help you plan the shoot.
Scheduling: Create a shooting schedule to ensure that you complete the shoot on time and within budget.
‘Coco’ director Lee UnkrichCredit: Deborah Coleman/Pixar
2. Production Checklist:
During the shoot, it’s crucial to stay focused, organized, and efficient. Use this production checklist to help you stay on track:
Camera and lighting: Check the camera and lighting equipment before the shoot and ensure that they are working correctly.
Rehearsals: Conduct rehearsals with actors before the shoot to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Shot list: Use the shot list to ensure that you capture all the necessary shots.
Time management: Manage your time effectively to ensure that you stay on schedule.
Communication: Maintain clear communication with the cast and crew to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Director Catherine Eaton on the set of her film ‘The Sounding’Credit: Asya Danilova/Mariya Bulat
3. Post-Production Checklist:
After the shoot, it’s time to edit and polish the project. Use this post-production checklist to help you stay organized:
Footage organization: Organize the footage and label the shots and takes for easy reference.
Editing: Edit the footage, and create a rough cut of the project.
Color correction:Correct the color of the footage to ensure that it matches the desired look and feel.
Finalize: Finalize the project, including the sound design, color correction, and any special effects.
Film editor Marcia Lucas with husband, director George Lucas, editing his movie ‘Star Wars’Credit: Julian Wasser/The LIFE Images Collection via G
By using these three production checklists, you can streamline your work as a director, stay focused, and create compelling visual stories that captivate your audience.
A director’s job is never an easy one, and the success of a production relies heavily on a director’s ability to manage each phase of the process effectively. By implementing the three production checklists outlined in this article, directors can streamline their workflow, stay organized, and ensure that nothing falls through the cracks.
From pre-production to post-production, these checklists provide a comprehensive guide for directors to follow, helping them manage the various elements of a production from start to finish.
By taking the time to create and follow these checklists, directors can save time, reduce stress, and focus on bringing their creative vision to life.
In the end, the success of a film ultimately depends on the director’s ability to manage their team, resources, and time effectively. By utilizing these production checklists, directors can set themselves up for success and achieve their filmmaking goals. So go ahead and give them a try. You might just be surprised at how much smoother your next production will run.
Let me know if there’s anything we should add in the comments.
Complete with murder, revenge, betrayal, and an iconic anti-heroine, Kleo is the perfect show for anyone looking for a campy thriller. The German series follows Stasi assassin Kleo Straub who, after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall, seeks revenge against those who wronged her. Kleo’s unique cinematography, period costumes, witty dialogue, and…
The 95th Oscars are set for Sunday, March 12, with the ceremony to kick off at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET live on ABC from the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. Jimmy Kimmel returns to host for a third time.
The ceremony can also be watched on ABC.com and the ABC app with authentication, and via streaming services carrying ABC including Hulu Live TV, Fubo TV, YouTube TV and AT&T TV. The show will air in more than 200 countries, organizers the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said (see the full list of international local listings here).
This year, ABC will host the official red carpet pre-show beginning at 3:30 p.m. PT/6:30 p.m. PT with Countdown to the Oscars, with Ashley Graham, Vanessa Hudgens and Lilly Singh co-hosting.
Laverne Cox will headline E!’s annual red carpet coverage, Live From E!: Oscars, beginning at 2 p.m. PT/5 p.m. ET/ 2 p.m.
As for the ceremony, Kimmel will oversee a show in which this year’s award-season juggernaut Everything Everywhere All at Oncecomes in with a leading 11 nominations including Best Picture, a category that includes Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, Elvis, Tár, The Fabelmans, The Banshees of Inisherin, Triangle of Sadness, Women Talking and All Quiet on the Western Front.
In addition to the 23 competitive categories, four of the five Original Song nominees will perform live, a list that includes Rihanna (“Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever), Diane Warren and Sofia Carson (“Applause” from Tell It Like a Woman), David Byrne and Mitski (“This Is a Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once) and Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava (“Naatu Naatu” from RRR).
Lady Gaga, the fifth nominee for her Top Gun: Maverick song “Hold My Hand,” will not perform on Oscar night owing to her tight schedule filming Joker: Folie à Deux.
Announced presenters include Riz Ahmed, Halle Bailey, Antonio Banderas, Elizabeth Banks, Halle Berry, Emily Blunt, Jessica Chastain, John Cho, Glenn Close, Jennifer Connelly, Ariana DeBose, Paul Dano, Cara Delevingne, Harrison Ford, Andrew Garfield, Hugh Grant, Danai Gurira, Salma Hayek Pinault, Kate Hudson Samuel L. Jackson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael B. Jordan, Mindy Kaling, Nicole Kidman, Troy Kotsur, Eva Longoria, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Andie MacDowell, Jonathan Majors, Melissa McCarthy, Janelle Monáe, Elizabeth Olsen, Deepika Padukone, Pedro Pascal, Florence Pugh, Questlove, Zoe Saldaña, John Travolta, Sigourney Weaver and Donnie Yen.
Oscar producers also said that Lenny Kravitz will perform a song during the show’s “In Memoriam” segment.
ABC parent Disney said Friday that it has sold all inventory the telecast, with pricing slightly down from 2022 levels; the company sought between $1.6 million-$2.1 million for a 30-second spot, according to a person close to negotiations.
The Oscar ratings are looking to improve amid mostly declines from their heyday. Last year marked the second least-watched and lowest-rated telecast in Oscars history with an audience of 16.6 million, behind only 2021’s virtual ceremony at 10.4M viewers.
What is a robot vacuum, and how does it help around the house? Is it expensive, and is the purchase worth it? We will acquaint you with this revolutionary technology and also show you the average cost of robot vacuums.
A Breakthrough in Smart Home Appliances: The Robot Vacuum
As gaming companies that serve the online vegas casino industry harness the power of new technology, home appliance manufacturers are doing the same thing. Gone are the days when you had to vacuum the floor — there is now a robot that will do it for you, and all you have to do is watch.
What Is the Robot Vacuum?
The robot vacuum is an autonomous robot. Many people call it the robovac or roomba. This vacuum uses sensors and other technologies to clean the floor. The robot can also be programmed to follow cleaning routines.
The best thing about this vacuum is that it has a self-drive function. If scheduled and programmed correctly, it will move on its own and vacuum your floor even if the element of human control is not present.
The modern ones use artificial intelligence. The vacuum sends data to the head office or the neural network, and then the AI creates a mapping route to make the vacuum work more efficiently. Today, more than 20% of all vacuums sold are robovacs.
What Are the Benefits of a Robot Vacuum?
Here are the benefits of buying a robot vacuum.
1. A Robot Vacuum Saves Time
Cleaning is manual work, and it takes a lot of time. If you buy a robot vacuum and program it, the robot will do the job independently. You do not have to pull it out to set it in motion.
In addition to saving time, you are also conserving your body’s energy. Cleaning is tedious work and can be exhausting. By the time you are done cleaning, you can expect that you just want to lie down and take some rest.
With a robot vacuum, you not only give back to yourself some time, but you also retain energy that you can use for doing much more meaningful things.
2. A Robot Vacuum Gives Better Air Quality
Many robot vacuums today have more power than traditional ones. As such, they can suck allergens from your house.
Studies indicate that regular use of robot vacuums significantly reduces air allergens like pollen. Some of these vacuum use HEPA filters, which means that they can capture small pollens and retain the pollen inside. Some companies claim that their vacuums can suck particles as small as 0.3 microns 99.97% of the time.
3. A Robot Vacuum Reaches All Areas
Traditional vacuums have a handle, which robot vacuums don’t. A robot vacuum is a flat and circular object. As such, it can vacuum under your bed and other furniture like the sofa.
Robot vacuums do not have a handle since you will not use them manually. Without a handle, it can reach areas that you typically would clean with a broom. Since robot vacuums also use brushes, you can expect the floor under the furniture to be clean.
4. A Robot Vacuum Understands Boundaries
The robot vacuum has undergone iterations over the last few years. Today, they use powerful sensors, which makes the robot vacuums good at detecting boundaries.
The sensors tell the vacuum if it is about to hit something, and it would stop. It can prevent collisions and, therefore, protect itself from damage. It can also avoid causing damage to the feet of your expensive furniture.
In addition to all these, the robot vacuum can detect stairs and poles or posts. When it does, its programming will automatically tell the vacuum to rotate and change directions. Today, you can also buy robot vacuums that can plan a route before it even starts cleaning.
5. Robot Vacuums Are Quiet
Traditional vacuums are noisy, especially the big and powerful ones. You cannot use them when your baby is asleep, much less at night, or it will disturb your neighbours. Robot vacuums today have the capability to reduce noise.
To add to all these, robot vacuums can be online. Almost all models today have an app. You can make the vacuum work even if you are not at home. Just launch the app and choose what you want the vacuum to do.
For example, you can choose spot cleaning, or you can re-schedule the cleaning time. The app comes in handy if you randomly decide to ask some friends to come over.
How Much Is a Robot Vacuum?
There is no single product for this home appliance. Below are some of the best and their prices. However, please note that as time passes by, these prices can go up or down depending on the demand.
iRobot Roomba i3 EVO – starts at $250 and can reach as high as $300
Roborock S4 Max – price starts at $380
Eufy RoboVac 11S – price starts at $200
Robot vacuums come in many models. As such, they also have different features. The more features there are, the more expensive it is.
Do you need a robot vacuum? Yes, you do. It is not cheap, but it certainly helps save your time. Let us just say that you spend two hours vacuuming your house. If you use a robot vacuum, you can spend those two hours earning money, managing a business, or spending time with your loved ones.
Smiths frontman Morrissey has listed the beautiful seaside home he bought his beloved mother.
The Victorian four-bedroom home features exceptional views over the harbour in Cobh, Cork, but is being sold for less than the cost of a one bedroom apartment in central London at just £510,000.
The house was built in the 1850s and still includes the original shutters, sash windows, cornicing and doors from when it was first built.
The singer, known for Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now, bought the house for his mother, Elizabeth Dwyer, in 2002.
He credited her with his ability as a lyricist, his animal rights activism, and being ‘the sole reason for all the good and motivational things in my life’ when she died in 2020 aged 82.
Morrissey looks to sell the seaside property he bought for his mother, Elizabeth, in 2002
Morrissey is pictured with his mother, Elizabeth Anne Dwyer, who died in 2002, aged 82
Another view shows the rear of the house with original features and a small conservatory
Estate Agents Sherry FitzGerald, who are selling the property in the seaport town, said: ‘The Manse is a superb 1850’s Victorian property which is set on beautiful, manicured gardens and has magnificent uninterrupted views over Cork Harbour.
‘This family home is in good condition while retaining all original features including shutters, sash windows, doors, architraves, cornicing, picture rails, ceiling roses and fireplaces. Whilst this home is in good condition it needs some upgrading.
‘The Manse has a south facing aspect with exceptional views over Cork Harbour.
‘The property is accessed through a gated entrance with the garden laid out in lawn and mature planting.
‘There is also a pedestrian entrance from the property down to the high road.
‘The well-appointed rooms extend over two floors offering four bedrooms, bathroom, two ensuites and dressing room on the first floor.
‘Located only a short distance from Rushbrooke Lawn Tennis and croquet club, primary and secondary schools, creche, train station, bus stop, cross river ferry and the town centre of Cobh, which offers all the conveniences of contemporary family living.’
Now unfurnished, the house is filled with plush wallpaper, curtains, chandeliers and intricate tiling.
The house in Cobh, Cork, features beautiful views of the harbour and rugged coastline
A floorplan shared on the Rightmove website shows the extensive ground floor of the house
The house still has original shutters, windows and doors, surviving over 150 years
The house features four bedrooms, a bathroom, two ensuites and a dressing room
An opulent bathroom in the house complete with window-facing bath and bidet
Image shows a patio around the house as well as a small wendy house at the end of the garden
A bathroom with polished stone floors includes a bathtub overlooking the stunning coastal views.
And outside is approximately 0.6 acres of manicured lawns on two levels, including a pond and a small wendy house.
Morrissey bought the house for his Dublin-born mother in 2002.
When she died from gallbladder cancer, the Smiths frontman blamed the NHS, claiming doctors missed the disease so they couldn’t treat her.
In a statement on his website, Morrissey Central, he said: ‘Following a stroke, her recovery was remarkable.
‘She had three extensive head-to-toe examinations by the NHS who could find nothing amiss.
Morrissey’s childhood home in Manchester
‘Four days following the third examination I was told that my mother had three weeks to live.
‘Nine days later she had withered and died without any attempt by the NHS to save her life.
‘Once the NHS waves you off with paracetamol, get ready to meet your maker.
‘The official cause of my mother’s death was not the trendy and unquestionable – ‘Covid’ – but, instead, cancer of the gallbladder.
‘How I wish to all gods that my mother had expressed no faith in the NHS.
‘She might still be alive today.’
It comes as Morrissey this week announced he would play two huge outdoor concerts this summer.
The singer is also embarking on a European tour, including a sold-out date at London’s Eventim Apollo on March 19 before heading to France and Belgium.
Steven Patrick Frances Morrissey launched his solo career in 1988, a year after the dissolution of The Smiths.
The singer has been widely credited in the emergence and development of indie rock and Britpop.
In 2006, he was voted the second-greatest living British cultural icon after former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney.
At long-running reality series Vanderpump Rules, the motto is apparenty, “No scandal left behind.”
Bravo announced today that Kristen Doute, who was fired by the series in 2020 over a racist prank against former costar Faith Stowers, will be coming back in Season 10. Her return comes as the show is already struggling with “Scandoval,” a love triangle involving cast members.
The new season of the series had just started airing less than a month ago when it was reported that cast member Tom Sandoval was cheating on his long-time girlfriend Ariana Madix with recently single costar Raquel Leviss. The romantic entanglement has heated up on social media and the Bravo boards, creating “Scandoval.”
All of this is happening as Season 10 of the series has started production, with the story unfolding on camera.
For the uninitiated, Vanderpump Rules is a spinoff of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, featuring Lisa Vanderpump in her job as coowner and boss of West Hollywood restaurant SUR.
While the ”Blonde“ star has the highest talent demand going into Sunday’s awards, sentiment about her is mixed, new analysis shows
As we saw in the Best Actor category, it looks like another tight race among the leading women vying for the Best Actress award, at least when it comes to who has the attention of audiences.
So far this year, Ana de Armas, nominated for her role as Marilyn Monroe in “Blonde,” leads the field with nearly 38 times the average talent demand, according to Parrot Analytics‘ data, which takes into account consumer research, streaming, downloads and social media, among other engagement.
But while at first glance de Armas appears to have the edge in the contest for the Academy Award for Best Actress, if we dig deeper into the data, the story gets more complicated.
Michelle Yeoh of “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is close behind de Armas with 30.8 times average demand, which is well ahead of third-ranked Cate Blanchett, who starred in “Tár.”
De Armas has had the highest demand among nominees for most of the year. She and Yeoh saw dramatic spikes in demand following the Golden Globes on Jan. 10 and after the Oscar nominations were announced on Jan. 24.
Best Actress 2023 demand data (Parrot Analytics)
However, Yeoh has clearly gained momentum after her history-making win at the SAG Awards going into the Oscars. Her euphoric SAG acceptance speech put her at the center of the conversation for days and set her demand on an upward trajectory: It more than tripled from the day before her SAG win through last Sunday. A late surge like this may have proved helpful in winning over any Academy members who were on the fence until voting closed on Tuesday.
Best Actress 2023 demand over time (Parrot Analytics)
One other area where Yeoh may have a leg up on the competition is the positive sentiment audiences have for her — the most positive sentiment for any Best Actress nominee this year. While de Armas had greater demand, she was also a more divisive actress and the attention she drew was not as positive.
Notably, Andrea Riseborough was the only one of the nominees to have a net negative sentiment. The actress drew a bit of a controversy with her nomination for her role in “To Leslie” after it appeared that there was a coordinated campaign by A-List actors to tip the scales in her favor, even as other favorites like Viola Davis failed to secure a nomination.
Best Actress 2023 sentiment data (Parrot Analytics)
Looking at the ranking of Best Actress nominees by sentiment may point to Yeoh’s fiercest competition in this category, the ever-formidable Cate Blanchett. Already a two-time Oscar winner, Blanchett won critical acclaim for her role as a famous conductor in “Tár.” In this regard at least, the public and critics share highly positive views about Blanchett. Will that be enough to propel her to a third Oscar win or will Yeoh’s momentum carry her across the finish line? We’ll find out on Sunday night.
You are reading a WrapPRO exclusive article that has been made available (for free) today. If you would like to have access to all of our member-only stories and virtual events, please CLICK HERE for WrapPRO –> The Essential Source for Entertainment Insiders.
Christofer Hamilton is a senior insights analyst at Parrot Analytics, a WrapPRO partner. For more from Parrot Analytics, visit the Data and Analysis Hub.
Following Sony’s “A Spy Among Friends” premiere and red carpet in New York, the cast and crew of “A Spy Among Friends” took to the stage to discuss the process of differentiating the series from the 2014 nonfiction book by author Ben Macintyre about one of Britain’s most notorious espionage scandals. Alexander Cary, showrunner and creator of the Sony Pictures Television series for MGM+, was joined by star Damian Lewis, director Nick Murphy and producer Chrissy Skinns.
Moderated by Variety’s TV business writer Jennifer Maas, the conversation began with Lewis’ reflection on why the series was the right opportunity to make his debut as an executive producer. Best known for his starring roles in Showtime’s “Billions” and “Homeland” and the 2001 HBO miniseries “Band of Brothers,” the Emmy winner tried his hand at a behind-the-screen job on the series, working with fellow executive producers Cary, Murphy, Macintyre, Bob Bookman, Alan Gasmer, Peter Jaysen and Patrick Spence.
“Once you’re on set as an actor, I think you just need to maintain a certain sort of state,” Lewis said, describing what it was like to juggle his on-set responsibilities. “You might call it stasis, but you just maintain a sort of playful, instinctive, responsive state at all times. And that is a different part of your brain from being an executive producer.”
Lewis portrays protagonist Nicholas Elliott opposite Guy Pearce’s Kim Philby. Set during the Cold War, “A Spy Among Friends” sees the two actors as British spies and long-time companions whose friendship suddenly unravels when Philby begins colluding with Soviet intelligence. The spy thriller and Macintyre’s book are based on the real-life Philby, who worked as a double agent for MI6 and the KGB.
“The story, at its heart, is not about espionage,” Cary explained, hesitant to utilize the generic label for the series. “It’s about friendship, and it’s about personally dealing with betrayal, and personally betraying. It’s in there somewhere.”
Cary, who also worked with Lewis on “Homeland,” also set out to distinguish the storytelling core of the series from the source material. “I didn’t want to regurgitate the book,” he said. “I wanted to expand upon the book. But I needed to find a perspective, or a point of view, about Philby and Elliott and the sort of crisis of class.” The solution emerged through actor Anna Maxwell Martin as MI5 officer Lily Thomas, a fictional character invented for the series.
“She’s the moral core of the show,” Skinns attested on Lily’s behalf. “She lends a modern, contemporary perspective to the piece, so I think she is the audience’s way in.”
Murphy concluded by reflecting on the heart-wrenching final moments of Season 1, Episode 1 — an elaborate end sequence where Nick begins to hallucinate, seeing a vision of his former friend on-stage singing Elvis Presley’s “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” “That end sequence was, you must understand, from a director’s point of view, that sudden, ‘Oh my god,” Murphy said.
The six-episode miniseries is produced by ITV and Sony Pictures Television. “A Spy Among Friends” is set to premiere March 12 on Amazon’s MGM+ and on ITV’s ITVX streaming platform in the U.K.
Listen to Fever Ray and learn to recognize the unrecognizable. On one of their new songs, “Looking for a Ghost,” Karin Dreijer plunks out a tune inspired by Henry Mancini’s “Baby Elephant Walk,” stacking calliope synths behind the berserk couplet “eating out/like cannibal” and a Bob Marley quote. Then this horny little collage of references slowly assumes shape: In their slyly sincere way, Dreijer is writing a personals ad. “Looking for a person/With a special kind of smile,” it reads. “Teeth like razors/Fingers like spice.” You know, someone who gives you that tingle. Lisbon producer Nídia fits them with a corkscrewing synth and a beat that lurches and jingles. “Looking for a ghost in the midst of life,” Dreijer says, which could almost be a literal complaint about queer dating in one’s forties, and then they wink: “Asking for a friend/Who’s kind of shy.”
Shy or not, we’ve come to know Dreijer better since their days as a shadowy beaked figure alongside their brother Olof in the heady electronic project the Knife. As Fever Ray, they make synth-pop with mucous membrane and muscle memory, writing songs that throw off unlikely hooks (“mustn’t hurry”) and chart new orbital paths around large pop structures. With a title like a college seminar and Dreijer’s signature blend of kink and theory, Radical Romantics is essentially a collection of notes on love. Love—whether sexy, overwhelming, or vengeful—links together the recurring motivations of the Fever Ray catalog: curiosity and exploration, family born and chosen, sexual freedom and pleasure. In the past, perhaps, they have sung about love as something vague and unknowable. Now they go looking.
In the run-up to 2017’s vivid and lustful Plunge, Dreijer talked about their dating experiments with candor that came as a surprise. “I’ve been on Tinder,” they said then, presumably with a glint in their eye. Plunge was no stranger to love but also called it “the final puzzle piece.” Anybody will tell you that to find it, first you must look within. Like many, Dreijer shifted their priorities during the pandemic, saying recently that the past few years provided them space to practice patience. In a modern culture that promotes love as instant gratification—keep swiping—Fever Ray now search elsewhere. Referencing bell hooks’ influential All About Love and Gift From the Sea, Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s 1955 spiritual bestseller, Dreijer is on an inner quest through a region of adult heartache that’s less often explored.
There are a typically savvy collection of collaborators: Along with Nídia on “Looking for a Ghost,” there’s Olof, whose sorcerous trap doors turn the album’s first four tracks into an unofficial and much-anticipated Knife reunion; English producer Vessel, on the standout “Carbon Dioxide”; Aasthma, the production duo of Peder Mannerfelt and Pär Grindvik, on “Tapping Fingers”; and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, whose creeping industrial groans give Dreijer’s reality the weird thrill of fiction. The baleful mood kicks in on “Even It Out,” a small act of cosmic reckoning: “This is for Zacharias/Who bullied my kid in high school/There’s no room for you/And we know where you live!” Dreijer yowls. Where Lydia Tár stoops, Dreijer stands. “I do things methodically,” they sneer, slicing up the word as implied violence: “M-m-m-m-m-methodically.”
Shyam Benegal’s health allegedly deteriorating. (Pic: Shivendra Singh Dungarpur/Twitter)
National Award winner Shyam Benegal is reportedly unwell. It is claimed that both his kidneys have failed and he is undergoing dialysis at home.
Multiple National Awards winner Shyam Benegal, 88, is reportedly undergoing dialysis at home after both his kidneys have failed. As per multiple reports, the acclaimed director’s health is deteriorating and is unable to visit the hospital for the procedure.
As reported by Times Now, Mandi director Shyam Benegal has not been keeping well for a while now and has been advised to rest at home. He is also undergoing dialysis at home and is under medical observation. It is reported that the staff of the eminent filmmaker said that Shyam was well in the past but hasn’t been able to even visit his office in recent days.
It is also claimed that he was in the process of planning his upcoming projects. As per reports, Shyam was in between the preparation of a film titled Mujeeb: The Making of a Nation. The film is said to be based on the life of the first President of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Shyam and his family are yet to address these reports.
President of the Federation of Film Societies of India, Shyam has been making films under his banner Sahyadri Films. The director has won eight National Awards in his career. His first National Award was for his film Ankur (1974), which marked the debut of Shabana Azmi and Anant Nag. He went on to win National Awards for Nishant (1975), Manthan (1976), Bhumika: The Role (1977), Junoon (1978), Arohan (1982), Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose: The Forgotten Hero (2004) and Well Done Abba (2010).
Apart from winning National Awards, Shyam was also honoured with some of the highest civilian awards. These include Padma Shri in 1976, Padma Bhushan in 1991 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2005. Besides filmmaking, Shyam Benegal is also known for his writing work. He has authored three popular books, The Churning with Vijay Tendulkar (1984), Satyajit Ray (1988), and The Marketplace (1989).
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
Priyanka Chopra Jonas is taking her “Citadel” experience to the bank.
“[W]hen I did ‘Citadel,’ it was the first time in my career that I had pay parity with my male co-actor. The first time in 22 years. And I wonder why did that happen?” the 40-year-old actor said Friday — according to Variety — at the South by Southwest Film and TV Festival in Austin, Texas.
Chopra Jonas was talking with Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, which will debut global spy adventure “Citadel” in late April. The TV series stars Richard Madden, the “male co-actor” in question. Also in the cast: Stanley Tucci, Ashleigh Cummings, Lesley Manville and Timothy Busfield.
The “Quantico” actor, who is married to musician Nick Jonas, wondered whether having a woman in charge made the difference in her salary. “It’s kind of nuts, I put in the same amount of service time, I put in the same amount of investment and work, but I get paid much less,” she said, according to the Hollywood Reporter, referring to her 70-odd previous acting jobs.
“But the ease in which Amazon Studios said, ‘That’s what you deserve, you are co-leads, that’s just fair,’ and I was like, ‘You’re right, it’s fair.’ And I wonder: Did that happen because there are very few female decision-makers in Hollywood? Would that have been a different conversation if a woman didn’t make that decision?”
Salke wasn’t 100% sure she made a difference. But maybe she did?
“There was just no question to me that that was the absolute right thing to do,” the executive said. “Whether that would have happened or not had I’ve been there, I can’t speak to that. I have great male and female allies who are at our company who’ve been working for me and with me, who know now to make space and to stop and think and do the gut check.”
Salke said she sees changes around pay parity happening in her industry and finds it “encouraging and inspiring.”
Eric & Dave take us back to the ‘80s with Marvel’s MUTANT MASSACRE and DC’s LEGENDS! Wrestling in the ‘90s! The pitfalls and positives of getting your kids into comics! And whatever happened to The Crow?
Matt Reeves’ The Batman had a couple of twists and big reveals, and one of them regarding Gotham City’s criminal underworld ended up paying off a joke from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight. After the failure of Joel Schumacher’s Batman Forever and Batman & Robin, the Caped Crusader made a successful return in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, with the second installment, The Dark Knight, considered one of the best superhero movies ever made. The Dark Knight saw Batman (Christian Bale) dealing with the Joker (Heath Ledger), who arrived at Gotham City to unleash chaos while Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) tried to dismantle organized crime.
After the DCEU’s version of Batman (played by Ben Affleck), Warner brought a younger version of the Caped Crusader in The Batman. This Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattison) is in his second year of fighting crime in Gotham, and alongside James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and the GCPD, he goes after a mysterious serial killer known as The Riddler (Paul Dano). This leads Batman into Gotham’s criminal underworld, led by Carmine Falcone (John Turturro) and Oswald Cobblepot/Penguin (Colin Farrell), where he learned the truth about how it actually operates, and this big twist paid off one Dark Knight joke thanks to Sal Maroni and Carmine Falcone.
The Batman’s Falcone Twist Was A Maroni Joke In The Dark Knight
Harvey Dent makes his first appearance in The Dark Knight when he arrives late to a trial, where he and his team are prosecuting crime boss Salvatore Maroni (Eric Roberts), who took over the Falcone crime family after Batman Begins. As Dent interrogates his witness, the trial takes a turn as his witness contradicts his earlier statements and claims that Maroni isn’t the leader of the crime family and he’s just the fall guy, and says he is the real leader, which makes everyone in the room laugh. The Batman mirrored this with its twist in Falcone’s (John Turturro) story, only this time it wasn’t a joke and the story got very dark.
In The Batman, the audience is led to believe that the Penguin was the informant who gave the GCPD information that led to a historic drug bust that ended Salvatore Maroni’s operation, after which his operation transferred to Falcone. In the third act of The Batman, it was revealed that Falcone was the informant, and he set up Maroni so he could rise to power and control the city, with the help of a bunch of corrupt politicians and police officers. In this case, Maroni truly was the fall guy, but with dangerous consequences that further proved that the Gotham City system is broken.
What Happened To Carmine Falcone After Batman Begins?
Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson) was one of the villains in Batman Begins, as he controlled Gotham City, but his fall was thanks to one of his allies: Jonathan Crane a.k.a. Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy). Falcone helped Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson) and Crane smuggle the Fear Toxin into Gotham, but he was caught by Batman and arrested. In prison, during a session with Crane, Falcone tried to blackmail Crane, who then used the Fear Toxin on him, leaving him in a wild state of psychosis. As ordered by Crane, Falcone was sent to Arkham Asylum, and as mentioned in The Dark Knight, he was still awaiting trial, meaning he didn’t escape when the League of Shadows released its inmates.
Think “The Last Of Us” but with Dinosaurs instead of Zombies, and with a little bit of an “Armageddon” vibe, that’s the kind of adventure you’re looking at with the “65 Movie” starring Adam Driver and Ariana Greenblatt.
After a catastrophic crash on an unknown planet, pilot Mills (Driver) quickly discovers he’s actually stranded on Earth — 65 million years ago. Now, with only one chance at a rescue, Mills and the only other survivor, Koa (Greenblatt), must make their way across an unknown terrain riddled with dangerous prehistoric creatures.
When the plot of the film was revealed, the big question was, how did Mills end up in the past? When you see how the story unfolds, how Mills came to be where is, it really is a unique concept. Written and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, writers of “A Quiet Place” and produced by Sam Raimi, director of “Spider-Man” and “Doctor Strange”.
“This film for us is almost a hybrid of a Roland Emmerich disaster film with Terrence Malick or something,” says Woods. After surviving the crash, Mills finds out he’s not the only survivor and he finds Koa. The two must find a way across the perillous prehistoric ladscape to the their ship’s escape pod if the ever hope to go home. Driver and Greenblatt work incredibly well together. The two had great chemistry onscreen and their relationship in the film reminds one of Joel and Ellie’s. Their bond throughout the story is a highlight of the film. We see Mills fighting to protect Koa, but at the same time, we see Koa save Mills when he needs her.
Despite a slow start that built up certain parts of the story, once the action kicked off things started flowing smoothly and we see Driver fighting off new prehistoric threats, or dealing with a new obstacle with Greenblatt by his side. However, after seeing the trailer, it felt like the film did not have as much Dino action as we’d expected, but what it did have was well done, with impressive visuals and some exciting fight sequences. Aside from all the action in the film, you’ll find this story is rooted in family. There are a lot of emotional moments as well where both Driver and Greenblatt get to show off their dramatic acting skills. Most of that emotion comes from Mills and Koa’s family. When you learn about Mills and his backstory throughout the film you see why their bond is so special.
The last few moments of the film are action packed and truthfully, full of far better Dino action than you will find in the Jurrassic World movie. The film ends on a sweet note, what happens next, that’s for you to decide.
Courtesy of Sony
The film is anchored by Adam Driver’s incredible performance. It has been a while since we have seen him in a thriller and it was a treat to see Driver in action once again since we mainly see him in dramas. For Driver, the chance to play a character whose physical battle to survive mirrors his emotional battle was impossible to resist “Every scale of filmmaking interests me and no filmmaking experience is alike. This movie, 65, particularly seemed like a unique, big swing..” Said Driver “Because it was dinosaurs, so the scale was big, but it had room for thoughtful characters & big overall themes while being extremely entertaining. When families go as a group to see the same film in a theatre, it’s a special thing to be a part of” Driver brought a lot of intense action to the film. We’ve never seen him in a film with this much action in it before, and Driver has starred in films such as the “Star Wars” sequel series, “The Last Duel” and “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”. Adam Driver was absolutely badass fighting off dinosaurs in the “65” Movie.
This “65” Movie required Driver to film a lot of action scenes, stunts and called for a lot of physical acting. It also required him to work with a very futuristic firearm. Since Driver used to be a Marine that part wasn’t that hard. Directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods praised Adam’s performance as well as well as his work ethic. “He’s in almost every frame of this film,” says Woods. “Adam does all of his own stunts, and as far as we’re concerned, he might as well be Tom Cruise, Action Star. His work ethic and his ability to do stunts and emoting and telling the story through running across a forest. It’s all next-level.”
Courtesy of Sony
Not to be forgotten is the young up and Comer Ariana Greenblatt. The 15 year old actress (13 when filming) delivered a stellar performance, especially considering that she had to speak a completely different language for this film. She said a lot while barely saying anything, and even Ariana got some badass moments of her own. The young actress admitted she was “really nervous” coming into the project and working with Driver. “I felt a lot of pressure because he’s incredible and and it was just the two of us.” Said Ariana Greenblatt about her co star Driver. “He’s so talented and inspiring. I respect Adam and his work so much. When I tested with him via Zoom, he even had impact through the screen. You could really feel everything he’s giving you.” In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Greenblatt admitted that the 65 Movie was the most demanding job of her career so far. “I learned more than I have ever on this film. I learned how to deal with extreme weather and climate conditions. I learned how to deal with a lot of emotionally draining and physically draining scenes. So this film really has taught me a lot about the entire process, and I’m so grateful for that.”
You will most likely come out of this film with some questions, but the best way to enjoy this film is to just forget technicalities and be in the present, or should I say past.
This action packed thriller may not have lived upto certain people’s expectations, but Beck and Wood’s unique take on the genre delivers both an exciting an emotional film that people will enjoy, especially when witnessed in a cinema. These days everywhere you look its a Superhero film, so it was a breath of fresh air to be able to sit in the cinema and enjoy a good, original Dinosaur thriller. Beck and Woods have made dinosaurs actually scary for the first time in a long while, using jump scares, misdirection and surprises. In a time of big budget blockbusters, sequels, franchises and Marvel and DC movies its nice to get to witness a unique adventure that stands out from the rest.
What do you get when you take the writers of “The Quiet Place, the director of Spider-Man, an Oscar Nominated A Lister, and up and coming young actress and a bunch of dinosaurs?
In yet another instance of Final Fantasy XIV sliding into our real lives (to no one’s complaint), PUMA has revealed an upcoming line of shoes, hats, and tops themed around the wildly popular MMORPG. The apparel, planned as a celebration of FFXIV’s 10th Anniversary, reflects the game’s theme of the duality between light and darkness in its aesthetic.
From the PUMA x Final Fantasy XIV collab site, “This juxtaposition is highlighted in the contrasting color palette, while graphics and icons from the visually immersive game combine with iconic PUMA DNA for an elevated aesthetic.“
Ready to become the Warrior of Drip? I sure am. It’s tough to say how much that speaks to the clean design of this collaborative effort versus how willing I am to purchase anything related to Final Fantasy XIV. Maybe not knowing is for the best.
The PUMA x FFXIV merchandise will release on March 15, 2023 in select markets, and March 25, 2023 for North America. Purchases can be made through the official PUMA online store or in physical locations.
The collection contains an assortment of apparel able to cover you from head to toe, including; slides and sneakers, shorts and sweatpants, tees and hoodies, and even hats.
The Seventh Umbral Calamity couldn’t stop me from buying this
For more information on Final Fantasy XIV, check out our other guides and tips here at Prima Games.
Enjoy the best of both worlds: Film & Festival News, exploring the best of the film festivals community.
Launched in 1995, relentlessly connecting films to festivals, documenting and promoting festivals worldwide.
A brand new website will soon be available. Covid-19 is not helping, stay safe meanwhile.
For collaboration, editorial contributions, or publicity, please send us an email here.
Established 1995 filmfestivals.com serves and documents relentless the festivals community, offering 92.000 articles of news, free blog profiles and functions to enable festival matchmaking with filmmakers.
THE NEWSLETTER REACHES 199 000 FILM PROFESSIONALS EACH WEEK (december 2020) .
The news in French I English This content and related intellectual property cannot be reproduced without prior consent.
‘Unruly’ wins Dragon Award Best Nordic Film
Unruly, directed by Malou Reymann, wins Dragon Award Best Nordic Film.
The award of SEK 400 000 makes it one of the world’s largest film prizes. Presenting partner for the competition is Region Västra Götaland and the City of Gothenburg.
The Jury’s motivation: With a great wish to honour a film that tells its story with both great sensitivity and power, the jury is grateful to lighten a universal story about human spirit against the oppressive system. Although it is rooted in the past, it transcends time and borders and speaks strongly to our time, our minds and hearts. A solid and mature work, a powerful voice – a timely story of separation.
The 2023 Nordic Competition Jury: Zar Amir Ebrahimi, actor, Iran, Sofie Gråbøl, actor, Denmark, Antonio Lukich, director, Ukraine, Matti Bye, composer, Sweden.
For the fifth consecutive year, Göteborg Film Festival presented the Dragon Award Best Acting. The award is gender neutral, and all the actors in the films competing in the Nordic Competition are nominated.
Dragon Award Best Acting 2023 went to Alma Pöysti for her acting performance as Juulia in Four Little Adults.
The Jury’s motivation:
Actors are the spirits of cinema, bringing life, pain, humour and emotions to the screen, they invite us on an inner journey to get to know ourselves better.
Considering the huge range of professionalism and dedicated actors of this year’s Nordic selection, the jury is grateful to honour an actor without limitations. Who gives us an impressive performance with a large range of emotion, empathy, braveness and strength to portray a touching modern character with no borders. And who moves effortlessly between the dramatic and the humorous, in a performance which is mesmerising, witty and intelligent.
The Jury for Dragon Award Best Acting is the same as for Dragon Award Best Nordic Film.
The Sven Nykvist Cinematography Award went to Jacob Møller for Copenhagen Does Not Exist.
The Jury’s motivation:
The great Orson Welles says: A film is never really good unless the camera is an eye in the head of a poet. Cinema is the most powerful art to imitate dreams. The cinema has no boundary, it is a ribbon of dreams. A good cinematographer is a magician, is a dancer, is a listener. The one who puts the words into the images, who uses his technics to transfer the emotions but through his/her eyes. We congratulate the brave and creative technical storytelling of the winning cinematographer and thank him for making us dream.
All cinematographers in the Nordic Competition are nominated for the Award and the prize consists of SEK 50 000. The award is presented in cooperation with the Sven Nykvist Cinematography Foundation.
The Jury for the Sven Nykvist Cinematography Award is the same as for Dragon Award Best Nordic Film.
The award was accepted by the director of Copenhagen Does Not Exist, Martin Skovbjerg.
The film critic’s award, FIPRESCI, went to Ellos Eatnu – Let the River Flow, by Ole Giæver. The award is handed out by The International Federation of Film Critics and goes to one of the films in the Nordic Competition.
The Jury’s motivation:
The story takes us up to the most northern part of Europe, where some 40 years ago, Norwegian national history was written. Those events raised the consciousness of Norwegian society and led to the modern Sámi awakening. The strong and well-balanced script of the film tells a story about a universal issue that is impressively manifested in the performance of a young Sámi woman played by non-professional Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen in her first screen appearance. The movie masterfully conveys the sorrowful mood caused by the threat of a disappearing culture, a loss of identity, language and family ties.
The award was accepted by the film’s co-producer, Lizette Jonjic.
This year’s Audience Dragon Award Best Nordic Film went to Ellos Eatnu – Let the River Flow by Ole Giæver.
This year’s Dragon Award Best Nordic Documentary went to Apolonia, Apolonia by Lea Glob. Presenting partner of the award and the prize sum of SEK 250 000 in services from Edisen.
The Jury’s motivation:
The winner is a multilayered film that takes us deep into the life of the main character. Every creative choice in the making of this film is taken from real life experiences that all of us can relate to. The story is not just about the character who struggles to reach her dream. It’s about the journey. A story about not giving up. A story about hope. A beautiful film about female friendship.
The 2023 Nordic Documentary Competition Jury: Veton Nurkollari, artistic director, Kosovo, Nahid Persson, director, Sweden, Morgane Dziurla-Petit, director, France.
The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award went to Runner by Marian Mathias. The award is presented together with The Bergman Foundations, i.e. The Ingmar Bergman Foundation, The Bergman Estate and Bergman Center on Fårö.
The award consists of a stay at The Bergman Estate on Fårö and a visit to Ingmar Bergman’s personal archive in Stockholm.
Motivation of the jury:
The winner is a film with a clear vision, integrity and unique sense of visual narration. Originating with the end of life, the picture is at the same time a catalyst for the beginning of a new life. Every frame of this minimalist masterpiece is a cinematic experience and every character is carefully depicted. Behind this film there is a true artist and a wonderful promise for the future of cinema.
For the sixth consecutive time, Dragon Award Best International Film is handed out. This year’s audience award for Best International Film went to The Blue Caftan by Maryam Touzani.
The prize consists of SEK 50 000, and presenting partner for the award is Göteborgs-Posten.
The award was accepted by Birgitta Sollenberg (in the photo) and Sara Fohrman from Folkets Bio.
For the second year, the Draken Film Award is awarded to a Swedish short film in the festival’s programme that excels in its form, and artistic level or by challenging and expanding the narrative in the short format.
The Draken Film Award 2023 went to After Mourners by Hanna Högstedt.
The Jury’s motivation:
The winner is a minimalistic film, with a high level of craftmanship, an incomprehensible trauma. Grief has many shapes, and new generations are often forced to inherit the black, heavy burden, which remains in the soul after loosing a child. After Mourners portrays our worst fears in a distinctive and deeply poetic way. Which made the three hardened film workers in the jury break down in tears.
The Draken Film Award 2023 goes to After Mourners by Hanna Högstedt.
The prize consists of SEK 10 000 and online distribution at Draken Film.
The 2023 Draken Film Award Jury: Christer Wahlberg, director, Lova Lilliemarck, producer, and Oscar Westerholm, film critic.
The Mai Zetterling Grant went to the director Mårten Nilsson.
Nordic Honorary Dragon Award was awarded to Jan Troell.
Dragon Award Best Swedish Short went to Madden by Malin Ingrid Johansson.
Audience Choice Award for Best Swedish Short went to Container Scanning by Edvin Hallberg och Anton Hellström.
Angelo Award, the Swedish Church’s award worth SEK 50,000, went to Annika Fredriksson for Love You Bye. All Swedish feature-length films at the festival were nominated for the Award.
The drama series screenwriting award, Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize, went to Kenneth Karlstad for Kids in Crime.
This week on The Treatment, Elvis sits down with old friend and WTF host Marc Maron, whose new comedy special is “From Bleak to Dark” on HBO Max. Next, writer Rodney Barnes talks about his graphic novel “Blacula: Return of the King,” a reimagining of a classic character. And on The Treat, Oscar winner Domee Shi talks about the animated film that still transports her.
Jane Fonda suggested “murder” could be an option to resolve the rise of GOP-led abortion laws that have impacted states across the country. But was she serious or just joking? Watch the video above and decide for yourself.
Fonda and Lily Tomlin appeared on Friday’s “The View” to discuss their upcoming film “Moving On” when the Oscar-winning actress and longtime activist was asked to share her opinion of anti-abortion legislation that has swept the country over the last couple of years.
“We have experienced many decades now of agency over our body of being able to determine when and how many children to have,” Fonda began. “We know what that feels like, we know what that’s done for our lives. We’re not going back. I don’t care what the laws are. We’re not going back.”
“Besides marching and protesting, what else do you suggest?” co-host Behar jumped in and asked.
“Well, I think murder,” Fonda responded.
The audience chuckled.
“What did you say?” Lily Tomlin asked.
“Murder,” Fonda repeated.
In haste, Behar told the audience and viewers watching Fonda was merely joking, despite Fonda’s “uh, no I wasn’t” expression.
“She’s kidding. Wait a second, she’s kidding. You don’t know, they’ll pick up on that and run with it,” Behar repeated in an attempt to squash that headline-making comment before it went too far.
(L to R) Daniella Pineda as Bonnie Lane, Gerard Butler as Brodie Torrance, and Yoson An as Samuel Dele in ‘Plane.’ Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach.
Talk about a movie that’ll make you think twice before booking your next flight.
‘Plane’ is the latest action-thriller that is plenty of fun with elements of ‘Con Air’, ‘Speed’, and ‘The Grey’. Packed with passengers trying to get home in time to ring in the New Year, the weather takes a turn for the worse and pilot Brodie Torance is forced to makes an emergency landing on a remote island. The passengers are safe from the deadly storm and lightning strikes, but the island they have just landed on is filled with more danger than they realize.
The film is directed by Jean-François Richet (‘Assault on Precinct 13‘) and stars Gerard Butler (‘Greenland‘) as commercial pilot Brodie Torrance, and Mike Colter (‘South Of Heaven‘) as accused murderer Louise Gaspare. As the movie tagline says “survive together or die along”, the two must learn to work together to survive the violent rebel group on the island.
The official synopsis for ‘Plane’ is:
“In the white-knuckle action movie “Plane,” pilot Brodie Torrance (Gerard Butler) saves his passengers from a lightning strike by making a risky landing on a war-torn island — only to find that surviving the landing was just the beginning. When most of the passengers are taken hostage by dangerous rebels, the only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), an accused murderer who was being transported by the FBI. In order to rescue the passengers, Torrance will need Gaspare’s help, and will learn there’s more to Gaspare than meets the eye.”
Butler is no stranger to action-packed movies such as ‘Plane’. From his portrayal as King Leonidas in ‘300’ to the ‘Olympus Has Fallen’ trilogies, you know you’re going to have a good time in the theater with him in the lead. Mike Colter is known for his role as the title character in Netflix’s hit Marvel series ‘Luke Cage’, and like Butler, is no stranger to action. With him playing opposite Butler, the pair creates an dynamic relationship that is worth watching.
Mike Colter as Louis Gaspare in ‘Plane.’ Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach.
Mike Colter To Return In ‘Plane’ Sequel
‘Plane’ opened on January 13, 2023 and has earned $32.1 million domestically. Worldwide, it has grossed just over $51 million. It has a Tomatoe-meter score of 77% from critics and 94% from audiences.
Clearly, the masses enjoyed the film and for those craving for more ‘Plane’ action, you’re in luck. Taking a nautical turn, Mike Colter will return to lead the sequel, titled ‘Ship’. The next installment will follow Mike Colter’s character Louise Gaspare, after he has disappeared into the jungles of Jolo Island. ‘Ship’ is expected to begin production in late 2023. Jean-François Richet will return as executive producer. No word yet if Gerarld Butler will be returning to the film to reprise his role.
Here’s what we know about the sequel so far – but be warned, if you haven’t seen ‘Plane’, there are spoilers ahead!
‘Ship’ will see Louis Gaspare (trying to lay low after the events on Jolo Island) aboard a cargo ship in East Asia to escape the Philippine island. While onboard, he discovers the very vessel he is on is being used as a ferry for a human trafficking ring. Gaspare will need to join forces with the ship’s second mate/navigator to take down the corrupt captain and free the ship’s passengers and captives.
(L to R) Gerard Butler as Brodie Torrance and Mike Colter as Louis Gaspare in “Plane.’ Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach.
Where Can I Watch ‘Plane’?
For those who prefer to see the action on the big screen, the action-thriller is still playing in select theaters. ‘Plane’ has a total runtime of 1 hour and 47 minutes.
Prefer the own the physical copy? ‘Plane’ will be available for purchase on DVD and Blu-Ray (with special features) on March 28th, 2023.
(L to R) Mike Colter as Louis Gaspare and Gerard Butler as Brodie Torrance in ‘Plane.’ Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach.
More Action-Thriller Films Like ‘Plane’
‘Plane’ packs a punch, complete with nail-biting suspense, and huge action sequences. Paired with the unlikely partnership between Captain Brodie Torrance and Louise Gaspare, it makes it a very entertaining watch. For more high-octane action, check out the following films.
Gerard Butler as Brodie Torrance in ‘Plane.’ Photo Credit: Kenneth Rexach.
See Gerard Butler In Action In These Titles
Whether he’s spartan kicking the messenger into the dark pit in ‘300’ or saving the President in ‘Olympus Has Fallen’, Gerard Butler has proven he is the man for the job. You can check out the following films to see him in action.
(L to R) Gerard Butler and Mike Colter star in “Plane.’
‘Plane’ was released in theaters on January 13th, 2022 from Di Bonaventura Pictures, MadRiver Pictures, G-BASE, and Olive Hill Media. Directed by Jean-François Richet, and written by Charles Cumming and J. P. Davis, the film stars Gerard Butler, Mike Colter, Tony Goldwyn, Paul Ben-Victor, Yonson An, and Daniella Pineda.
Watch Moviefone’s ‘Plane’ interviews with Gerard Butler and Mike Colter below:
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages are Davis’ assessment of the current standings of the race and […]
Swimsuit shopping can be a polarizing experience. Trying on countless designs–even the best bathing suit brands vary in terms of fit–gets exhausting, and that’s especially true if you’re after a supportive, tummy-controlling swimsuit.
We looked for swimsuits that smooth your figure with power mesh and hold everything together with spandex—but, that of course, are still comfortable. They’re also size-inclusive and made with body positivity in mind, because at the end of the day, it’s not about hiding your figure, it’s about wearing things that make you feel like your best self.
Ahead, the best tummy-control swimsuits that we’ve handpicked, worn, and loved.
Best Tummy Control Swimsuits 2023:
All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Filmmaker Penny Lane (“Listening to Kenny G”) is known for her insightful, thought-provoking, humorous documentaries. But her most recent docu, “Confessions of a Good Samaritan,” is her most personal to date. In 2019 the director decided to become a Good Samaritan organ donor – a term given to a person who donates a kidney to a stranger, someone she’s never met and never will meet. Beyond giving away one of her organs, Lane decided to document the process. The result is a funny, intimate, and provocative quest to understand why everyone seems to think Lane is crazy to give away a kidney even though more than 100,000 people in the U.S. are awaiting lifesaving organ transplants. In the docu from Sandbox Films, Lane sets off on a quest to understand the science of altruism, the ethical controversies surrounding organ donation, and her own motivations for giving away her kidney.
Variety spoke with Lane about “Confessions of a Good Samaritan,” which premieres at SXSW on March 10.
In the beginning of this doc, you make it clear that you did not donate an organ so you could make a film about it. Instead, you made yourself the subject of “Confessions of a Good Samaritan” in the hopes that it might lead other people to donate an organ. Yet you say that this is not an advocacy film or a “call to action” documentary. Why not?
If you wanted to make an advertisement for organ donation, I don’t think filming a person like me who finds surgery extremely terrifying and then gets like really depressed afterward is the best route. I do believe that if more people knew about it, I feel pretty certain that more people would feel the way I did (and want to donate a kidney). Nobody tried to convince me to do it. I just heard about it and was moved to do donate. So, I hope people will watch the film and feel motivated or inspired to consider organ donation, but the film isn’t designed to convince anybody.
You make it clear that you are uncomfortable in front of the camera. Was there ever a moment when you wanted to quit making the film?
There was never a moment where I didn’t feel that way. But I genuinely felt like it was like “Confessions of a Good Samaritan” was like a calling, as if it chose me. In this way, the experience of making the film was similar to the experience of donating my kidney. Not exactly fun, definitely difficult, but ultimately rewarding, and the most important spiritual experience I have ever had.
The doc is very personal and at some moments feels like a film less about organ donation than a film about loneliness and connection. Does that ring true to you at all?
One hundred percent. Ultimately this isn’t about me and my life and like the arc of my life. That’s not really the angle. It’s much more of a personal essay where I’m the seeker, and I’m going on this intellectual, emotional, spiritual journey into this topic and through this experience, but in a way, that’s meant to illuminate the subject matter, not ultimately illuminate me.
In all of your films including this one, the people you interview are not only informative but often times very funny. Do you spend a lot of time finding interviewees?
No one ever talks about casting in documentaries, but it’s a huge part of what we do. I knew I didn’t want a hundred talking heads. I really dislike that style of filmmaking where it’s just one person after another, and they go by so fast and you don’t really know who they are or what their connection to the subject matter is. So, I knew I wanted a small number of people, so the casting became really important and took a while.
Despite the subject matter, “Confessions of a Good Samaritan” has many humorous parts. All of your movies do. Do you go into each film determined to make people laugh?
I’m kind of a provocative filmmaker. I’m trying to provoke something, so if you’re going do that you have got to do it with a smile. I mean, it’s just like in a conversation. If you are doing that to someone during a conversation without smiling, they are not going to like you very much. I think that they are going to resist whatever it is you are saying. If you’re laughing and you’re smiling, and you know that the person speaking to you is laughing and smiling, then a lot more feels possible in terms of perhaps changing your mind or considering a point of view you hadn’t considered before. So, if there is a strategy to it, I think that’s what it is. But it’s never conscious. I just like to laugh and have fun and so that is the way that the films come out.
Now that you have been the subject of a documentary, has it changed the way you look at the people who have been the subjects of your past docs?
In fiction, character development is a pretty major topic, but in docs, we tend not to talk about it that way because we just sort of think, ‘Well, I’ve found a real person, and I’m going to represent them as they really are.’ And of course, you do, but you’re also making like a lot of choices about where you are interviewing them. What does the lighting look like? What kind of camera angles are you using? What are you asking them? How are you editing them? There are so many things that you’re doing to craft character. So, long story short, now I feel the weirdness of watching yourself get turned into a persona or a character, and it has made me feel more empathy for my subjects.
Not that I didn’t before, but man, it’s so strange.
Police don’t believe there was any foul play involved in the death of a man whose body was found late last month on a Vernon, B.C., street.
The body was found Feb. 28 at around 6:45 a.m., in the 4100-block of 15th Avenue in Vernon.
“In partnership with the BC Coroners Service, a full and comprehensive investigation was conducted and no evidence was found to suggest any criminality was involved in the person’s death,” RCMP said in a press release.
“The Vernon North Okanagan RCMP offers our sincerest condolences to the family and friends of the man.”
Out of respect for privacy for the deceased, police said they’d release no additional information.
Trending Now
Story continues below advertisement
North Okanagan RCMP seek feedback for strategic plan
Danica Patrick is the most successful woman in American race car driving history
She became the first female to win an IndyCar Race Series after her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300
The international star has dated famous men like football icon Aaron Rodgers
Danica Patrick gave an update on her health after revealing she had her breast implants removed in October 2022. The superstar race car driver took to her Instagram in March 2023 to let her fans know she is right on track to being herself again. Good news for fans, as the Wisconsin native is one of the most recognized sports heroines in the world and her well-being is clearly on top of their list.
Danica Patrick and Aaron Rodgers in 2019. (Chris Chew/UPI/Shutterstock)
During her illustrious career, Danica gave generations of little girls a revolutionary role model by becoming the most successful woman in American racing history. She topped off her groundbreaking run as the first female to win an IndyCar Race Series after her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300.
While she enjoys her incredible legacy, Danica’s love life continues to be in the spotlight, and she certainly isn’t shy on speaking about it either. “I think we learn the most about ourselves through relationships,” she said on Running Wild With Bear Grylls. “But there’s nothing like heartbreak to really throw you in the deep end of that.”
With some heartbreak in her past, Danica also said she knows what she wants now in a partner. “It’s not necessarily that they have their work cut out for him but that they’re going to be an extremely high-quality person with a lot of boxes to check,” she told Tamron Hallin March 2021. “It’s not as though there are boxes to check, it’s just that I know what I want now and I’m not willing to compromise [or] bend as much.”
Let’s find out more about the men who have been romantically involved with Danica. Keep reading to learn more, below.
Paul Edward Hospenthal
Danica Patrick and her ex-husband Paul Edward Hospenthal(A Berliner/BEI/Shutterstock)
Danica’s first big romance unfolded like a movie. After she injured herself during a yoga session in 2002, the beauty sought help from a physical therapist. Yes, you guessed it: the physical therapist was Paul Edward Hospenthal! The couple were solid for many years, until they weren’t, unfortunately. They ended up divorcing in 2013.
However, Danica didn’t swear off marriage after the split. “I mean, I love love,” she joked to US Weekly. “If anyone wants to invite me to a wedding, I’ll go because I love weddings. They’re the best events ever.”
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Jim Ruymen/UPI/Shutterstock)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. was definitely in Danica’s orbit as he is a NASCAR star, but it’s unclear when they first started dating, as it happened rather quickly after her divorce. The romance was hot and heavy and lasted for five years. “The relationship has really evolved into this really comfortable space where we’re … just really happy,” Danica said in her self-titled 2017 documentary. “It’s really straightforward and simple. And we don’t argue.”
The stars were close enough to walking down the aisle that Danica even commented on their family planning. “I don’t think social services would feel good about me driving 200 miles an hour with a baby in my belly,” she joked to USA Today.
Aaron Rodgers
Danica and the famous football-playing, serial-dating Aaron Rodgersinitially met at the 2012 ESPY Awards but didn’t start dating until January 2018. At the time, she sounded head over heels for the NFL icon when she told US Weekly, “You can rely on yourself or you can also rely on those closest to you that are honest, not people that want to tell you what you want to hear, but people that are gonna tell you what you need to hear and be honest with you.”
The romance proved to be short lived, as they sadly split in July 2020. “At the beginning of the last relationship. I was like, ‘Look. You either grow together; one grows and one doesn’t; or you grow apart,’” she explained on The Rachel Hollis Show at the time of their breakup. “I have never experienced growth without pain.”
She also talked about the split on Running Wild With Bear Grylls. “I’ve learned a lot and as broken open as I was on the sad end, I have felt so much joy in so many more instances and so many more unlikely places than I ever have, so it’s like my heart got broken open to both ends of the spectrum.”
Carter Comstock
Carter Comstock and Danica Patrick. (Matt Baron/Shutterstock)
After the split with quarterback, the “Pretty Intense” podcast host sparked up a romance with Carter Comstock. Danica was set up with the Freshly Co-Founder and CIO by the co-founders of a company Danica and Carter invest in. The set up worked and by April 2021, the couple were Instagram official.
After a year, however, they went their separate ways. “We were together for a while, and unfortunately it didn’t work, but it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t a really fun time and we didn’t do a lot of really amazing things,” she told Peoplein March 2022. “It doesn’t mean that there’s something wrong with either of us,” she adds. “It’s just a matter of finding someone who you can stand the test of time with.”
The second-largest bank failure in U.S. history rocked the tech industry and sent ripples of anxiety throughout the financial system Friday as Silicon Valley Bank went from being a key part of the tech ecosystem to collapsing in a matter of hours.
The bank, which largely serves start-ups and venture capitalists, was shut down by regulators and taken over by the federal government after depositors scrambled to withdraw their money following a surprise filing from the firm on Wednesday night that it had sold $21 billion in assets and was selling more of its own stock to shore up its balance sheet.
The stock prices of other banks fell, too, and Treasury Secretary Janet L. Yellen said she was monitoring the situation. Start-up founders and venture capitalists fretted that money needed to pay employees could be lost or frozen by the bank’s collapse.
Silicon Valley Bank’s rapid failure shocked the tech industry, prompting fears that the economic situation for the sector is worse than previously thought. The collapse is also strengthening calls from Wall Street analysts and investors that the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes are too aggressive and risk causing serious damage to the economy.
At the end of December, Silicon Valley Bank held about $209 billion in total assets, making it the second-largest failure of a federally insured bank after Washington Mutual, which collapsed during the financial crisis in 2008. A spokesperson for the bank did not respond to a request for comment.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), which took over the bank, said depositors would be able to withdraw the $250,000 of government-insured funds on Monday. But because the bank served tech businesses, many of them had much higher amounts of money stored with the bank. On Friday, questions ricocheted around Silicon Valley about whether companies would be able to get their money back and what to do if they couldn’t.
The bank’s failure also leaves a gaping hole for the tech industry, which had relied on the bank for its expertise in start-ups and willingness to provide services to fast-growing risky ventures.
“No bank understand start-ups and tech the way they do,” said Antoine Nivard, co-founder and general partner at Blank Ventures. “They have a 40-year reputation earned the hard way built on the most extensive network of insider relationships with Silicon Valley’s most important players.”
The FDIC said it created a new bank to manage the firm’s operations, starting on Monday — a rare occurrence in a bank failure that typically means the process was rushed.
Officials at the FDIC worked into the early morning hours on Friday as it became increasingly clear that regulators may have to shut down the bank, according to two people briefed on the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private deliberations.
The looming disaster sneaked up on them quickly. In previous crises, officials have had weeks or months to try to find a larger bank to take over a smaller one in distress. The highly accelerated timetable in this instance made that extremely difficult, if not impossible.
As the voting members of the FDIC received regular virtual briefings throughout the day on Thursday, regulators zeroed in on just how big the bank was, the people said. Silicon Valley Bank dwarfed the size of Silvergate, a bank of about a tenth of the size that was recently forced to liquidate.
For now, many banking regulators are confident that the contagion will not spread to the financial sector more broadly. There are not that many banks structured like the Silicon Valley Bank, and rules after the 2008 financial crisis help guarantee the stability of the very biggest Wall Street firms.
But some experts say regulators should move quickly to minimize the risk. Lawrence H. Summers, the former Democratic treasury secretary, said he is hopeful the former Silicon Valley Bank will be incorporated and doing business regularly as part of another financial firm by Monday. A sale to another bank, however, could come at a loss, in which case the FDIC may have to provide federal support to facilitate the sale. That could trigger a populist outcry.
Summers said he hopes that “if it’s necessary to provide some kind of support to get that kind of transaction done, the FDIC will do it.” He added: “I don’t think this is a time for moral hazard speeches.”
Natasha Sarin, a former top official in the Biden administration’s Treasury Department, said there probably is a “very active” conversation among federal regulators about what to do with the bank.
“Whether there is contagion and effects that follow onto other financial institutions is something regulators are incredibly focused on right now, because this is a traditional bank run. That’s what is happening,” Sarin said. “You have to work for any systemic effects that are going to arise.”
Founded in 1983, Silicon Valley Bank grew alongside the tech industry, weathering the ups and downs inherent to the sector. As the venture capital market boomed in the late 2000s and early 2010s, the bank took advantage of the influx of new start-ups, becoming a go-to banker for companies that needed a bank that could handle the risky and fast-moving world of early-stage tech.
The bank expanded rapidly, opening new U.S. offices and adding international ones, too. It now has a presence in nine countries, including China and India. It served a spectrum of small and large tech companies, including e-commerce powerhouse Shopify and cybersecurity company CrowdStrike. Its clients list also included powerful tech founders and executives, as well as storied venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz and Insight Partners.
On Friday, the bank’s glass-front and wood-paneled two-story building on Silicon Valley’s famous Sand Hill Road — known for housing venture capital funds that invest in start-ups — was quiet. A news release was taped to the front glass doors announcing that regulators had closed the bank.
After the bank said it had sold assets and was raising new money on Wednesday, some tech investors and founders on Twitter encouraged others on Thursday to withdraw their money as fast as possible. Others said not to act too hastily for fear of causing a collapse.
“There’s clearly panic going on,” said Cornelius Hurley, an adjunct banking law professor at Boston University School of Law. “But sometimes panic can be rational.”
At a hearing Friday, Yellen said: “When banks experience financial losses, it is and should be a matter of concern.”
Yellen had convened leaders from the nation’s top banking regulators — the FDIC, Federal Reserve and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency — to discuss the Silicon Valley Bank failure, the Treasury Department said in a statement.
“Yellen expressed full confidence in banking regulators to take appropriate actions in response and noted that the banking system remains resilient and regulators have effective tools to address this type of event,” the statement added.
Briefing reporters at the White House on Friday, Cecilia Rouse, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, said the financial system was much safer due to the bank stress tests and other safeguards approved by Democrats to rein in Wall Street following the 2008 crisis.
“Our regulators have much more visibility into the banking sector than they did a decade ago,” Rouse said. “We know we had to build more resilience into our banking system, which allows it to withstand these kinds of shocks. I do have faith that we have the tools for this sector and for our regulators.”
Over the past year, share prices for tech companies have cratered as high interest rates and concerns about the economy cut into the amount of money available for investment in big tech projects and start-up funding. Both big and small companies have laid off tens of thousands of workers — though most companies are still making money and growing, and concerns are far lower than they were during the dot-com crash or the financial crisis of 2008. Large company CEOs have blamed the layoffs on over-hiring during the pandemic, and venture capitalists have said the pullback in new start-up funding was a needed correction from years of over-exuberance.
Still, the panic over Silicon Valley Bank revealed deeper fears that the economic situation in Silicon Valley could get worse. Arjun Sethi, co-founder of venture investor Tribe Capital, said in a memo posted to LinkedIn that the industry was one-third of the way through “the desert” and that founders should be prepared for new funding to become harder to come by.
“Our advice to founders: Call every debt line, close all primary rounds, do it now, and be willing to make concessions,” Sethi said. “The restructuring will be significant.”
Already, the bank failure is affecting start-ups. Parker Conrad, CEO of payroll software company Rippling, tweeted Friday that payments made through the company’s tech were being held up because they went through Silicon Valley Bank’s system.
“This morning, SVB’s systems indicated that all payments had been processed successfully. However, we subsequently learned that no payments had actually been sent to employees,” Conrad said.
Rippling switched to using JPMorgan Chase and had to send out payroll for its many customers a second time, he said. Many workers still hadn’t been paid but would get their money by Monday, Conrad said.
A bank failure of this magnitude may trickle down to taxpayers. Federal regulators will have to sell Silicon Valley Bank’s assets to cover its advances. If the federal deposit insurance fund is used, it will need to be replenished, Hurley said.
The bank’s problems represent one of the early signs of financial stress caused by the Federal Reserve’s year-long campaign to raise interest rates. With inflation still uncomfortably high, the Fed is expected to continue raising rates. Investors now anticipate the central bank’s benchmark rate may rise to near 6 percent from a current target range of 4.5 percent to 4.75 percent.
Fed Chair Jerome H. Powell says higher rates are needed to cool off an overheated economy and ease price pressures. But as rates go higher, additional financial losses are likely to emerge at other institutions.
“If the Fed keeps jacking up rates, it’s going to exacerbate the situation,” said Bert Ely, a veteran banking industry consultant.
The tech industry has been grappling with the changing economy and renewed pressure from Wall Street investors to cut costs and focus on profit after years of spending money to continuously grow their businesses.
During the pandemic, big companies such as Amazon, Facebook and Google hired tens of thousands of new workers to take advantage of the growth in demand for digital services as lockdowns forced people to work, shop and get their recreation through the internet. But as people returned to their in-person lives, and the stimulus funding pushed into the economy by the government dried up, the tech companies that had benefited the most from the pandemic-era economy saw their stock prices plummet.
Over the past several months, most of them have cut costs and fired workers, something that few have had to do over the past decade. The cuts have prompted soul-searching in Silicon Valley, where tech workers had grown accustomed to high salaries and constant demand for engineers and salespeople.
“I am hearing from dozens of founders about what to do at SVB,” Howard Lerman, the co-founder of business software company Yext, said on Twitter. “It’s an all out bank run.”
Lisa Bonos and David Lynch contributed to this report.
Tucker Carlson this week said emphatically that “everyone should have access” to the more than 40,000 hours of Jan. 6 security footage shared with his Fox News show, then spoke at length about how – though he is “the easiest person to reach” – no “working journalist” has bothered to ask for a look.
Well, TheWrap has been trying for four full business days. Neither have we seen the footage, nor has anyone penned so much as a polite “We’ll get back to you.” Full crickets.
“I personally think everyone should have access to [the tapes],” Carlson chirped Thursday on “The Glenn Beck Program,” telling the namesake host: “I’ll put you in touch with my producer who’s been dealing with the speaker’s office.”
Good luck with that, Glenn Beck. TheWrap sent a formal Freedom of Information Act request to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-California, on Tuesday. It has, as of Friday, been left unanswered.
The Wrap also sent a text message Thursday to Carlson, who has yet to respond. Given Carlson’s comments to Beck, forgive us for taking that a bit personally.
“Not one working journalist has texted me directly, and everybody in the world, including my UPS delivery guy, has my text,” Carlson said told Beck. “Nobody doesn’t have my text. … I’ve had the same phone number since 1995. I am not hard to get in touch with at all. I respond to every text, every day.”
If TheWrap does come to obtain the Capitol security footage, we do not intend to make a supercut of the endless hours of empty spaces and reframe Jan. 6 as nothing more than inspiration for “The Backrooms.”
South By Southwest has effectively taken over the streets of Austin, Texas.
With brand activations spilling out of bars, restaurants, parking lots and venues, and hundreds of celebrated founders, marketers and tech savants speaking on panels in and around the city’s downtown hotels and convention center, the excited buzz of the festival is palpable throughout the city.
Major advertisers have descended upon the city in tandem with SXSW, both as festival sponsors and as participants. C4 Energy, Itaú Bank, Porsche, Showtime, Slack, Volkswagen, White Claw are the event’s major sponsors, with differing levels and formats of brand presence throughout the festival.
Dozens of other brands are involved in different capacities, from simply paying to have an SXSW-branded series of events, contributing to panel discussions or sponsoring specific portions of the festival, like music, film or comedy.
Marketers told Adweek that the festival’s cross-section of attendees—ranging from music and comedy to film and emerging tech—offers a unique proposition for brand sponsors.
“South By is just a big, broad, cultural, innovative tent,” Puja Vohra, evp of brand marketing and strategy for Showtime, told Adweek. “You just have to be there.”
Showtime shows up again
In addition to its status as a super sponsor for SXSW, Showtime also sponsors the SXSW Go app. Each time attendees open the app, they see an ad for Showtime’s brand activation centered on the thriller/horror series Yellowjackets, which is open to the public on March 11 and 12. The brand’s logo is also on half of SXSW’s iconic tote bags—HBO Max has its logo on the other half of the branded inventory.
Showtime declined to share how much it paid for its sponsorship deal, citing competitive reasons.
While attendance numbers won’t be finalized and available until after SXSW wraps, Peter Lewis, chief partnerships officer for the event, told Adweek that it expects this year to be “on par” with the kind of participation they saw prior to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Partnership prices for 2023 were higher than last year, when Covid-related uncertainty kept prices a bit lower, noted Micky Ogando, CEO and chief creative officer at Austin-based indie agency Bakery. Last year, Bakery client and Texas-based beer brand Shiner was the official craft beer sponsor of the festival. This year, the brewer’s diverting those funds to other partnerships, Ogando said—in part due to the increased cost of sponsoring SXSW.
Bringing Slack to life
Slack, another SXSW super sponsor, is bringing its own immersive experience to the Texas capital this year. While the communication platform also activated at SXSW last year, its 2023 presence has a much bigger footprint and a broader mission—to show folks that Slack can do a lot more than just send messages to your colleagues.
“We have an enterprise audience, which is more of those software decision makers, C-suite individuals, and then we have our self-serve audience, which are team influencers and general population,” Colin McRae, head of brand and creative at Slack, told Adweek.
An attendee interacts with Slack’s SXSW activation in 2022.SXSW
The activation itself, which sits along Congress Avenue in downtown Austin between March 11-14, brings to life some of Slack’s newer and lesser known features. That includes things like automating rote tasks or connecting via huddles and clips, McRae explained.
Celebrating 50 years
For Patagonia, bringing the brand to Austin served a different purpose. The company today launched its 50th anniversary campaign, coinciding with the first day of SXSW.
The campaign focuses on “activism, conscious consumption and connection” as a way of “connecting people to action and helping meaningfully change people’s behavior,” explained Aileen Ottenweller, head of brand and business impact at Patagonia.
“To kick off at South By, we planned a series of events that help catalyze that for the Austin community,” she said. That includes hosting runs, happy hours and trail cleanups as well as providing spaces for grassroots environmental groups like PODER, Urban Roots and Austin Youth River Watch to connect with people. Patagonia’s repair truck will also be available to help people keep their gear in play for longer.
The company paid a fee of around $5,000 to co-brand its SXSW-related programming and to ensure that its events are available to attendees via SXSW’s online and in-app schedule, Ottenweller said. While it’s not an official sponsor, Patagonia’s CEO Ryan Gellert will be onstage with Katie Couric for a keynote on March 12.
The former Canadian actor (“Little Mosque on the Prairie”), now Canada’s consul general in Los Angeles, has a point.
There is a healthy crop of Canadians and Canadian-led films nominated for Oscars at Sunday’s Academy Awards, including James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way of Water” and Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking,” which are both up for Best Picture.
In keeping with tradition, Shaikh welcomed the Canadian nominees at a private reception at Canada House in L.A. on Thursday evening. The event was attended by many, including Toronto filmmakers Polley and Domee Shi, and Canadian-American actor Brendan Fraser, nominated for Best Actor for “The Whale.”
“We’re just so proud to represent Canada,” Shaikh said ahead of the reception in a virtual interview.
“We’re really shining, we’re outpacing and we’re getting the recognition in a way finally that we deserve … Mary Pickford came from Toronto to Hollywood and helped start the first artists-driven studio with United Artists with Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks and others. So we’ve always been part of the DNA of Hollywood, now we just get to celebrate a lot of it,” he said.
Polley, who is nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for “Women Talking,” has been enjoying this awards season experience.
The moment isn’t lost on Domee Shi, either, the Chinese-born Canadian filmmaker who won an Oscar for in 2019 for her animated short film “Bao” and whose “Turning Red” is nominated for Best Animated Feature Film Sunday.
“It’s been such a kind year and there’s been a sense of camaraderie, and I’ve learned a lot,” she said in an interview. “I’ve also found it a really creative process because I’m developing a project based on the experience of going through award season.
“I thought I was going to be more cynical about it and there’s certainly lots you could choose to be cynical about. I don’t think I realized how much joy I was going to get out of the experience because, ultimately, art is not a competitive sport (but) I’ve been surprised by how meaningful many of the moments have been.”
Taking part in awards season has been unreal, according to “Women Talking” actor Sheila McCarthy, a veteran of Canadian film and TV. “For years, I’ve been watching the Oscars going, ‘Someday, maybe I could be there,’ and so here I am, and to be here to celebrate Sarah Polley and her excellence, I’m so honoured to be part of her movie, too.”
The moment isn’t lost on Domee Shi, either, the Chinese-born Canadian filmmaker who won an Oscar for in 2019 for her animated short film “Bao” and whose “Turning Red” is nominated for Best Animated Feature Film Sunday.
“This is such a personal film for me as it’s based on my own life growing up in Toronto as a 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian girl,” she said. “It’s a love letter to Toronto. So it’s huge that this movie has been commercially, critically successful, just to have it recognized at the Oscars. I think it hopefully shows studios that if they invest in different kinds of storytellers, different kinds of stories, that it will resonate with audiences.”
For Mississauga-born Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (“Never Have I Ever”), who voices a character in “Turning Red,” putting Toronto on the map has been thrilling. “I never thought that there would be a Pixar movie set in Toronto,” she said. “Canadian stories have that power. I think they’re unique, but they are still relatable and people feel themselves in those stories.”
Kitchener-raised director Chris Williams is competing in the same category as “Turning Red” with “The Sea Beast.”
“There’s something that I feel that’s true of Canadians is that we really celebrate the power of the collective and the power of the community, and that we prioritize the well-being of the community that ultimately is good for your own personal well-being,” he said. “I think that sort of approach really lends itself to animation because it’s such a collective endeavour.”
Williams attributes the Oscar recognition for Canadian animators over the years to the National Film Board. “I grew up watching those incredible animated films and really being inspired by them, and they were great and I could see they were made in Canada. It made it very tangible and it felt like it was within reach,” he said.
Calgary filmmakers Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby, nominated with producer David Christensen in the Best Animated Short category for “The Flying Sailor,” also credit the NFB for Canada’s strong animation track record.
“We’re really proud of the institution, we’re really proud of the fact that it supports filmmaking (that’s) not necessarily going to turn a profit but that is a sincere expression of something unique … And of course, we’re always proud to represent Canada in the U.S.”
Canada is well represented by documentaries, too, including Best Documentary Feature front-runner “Navalny” by Toronto’s Daniel Roher. Montreal producer Ina Fichman is nominated in the same category for the doc “Fire of Love.”
“I think for many of us, who’ve made documentaries for so long, you were very proud that this form of storytelling has really captured the hearts and minds of viewers worldwide, and certainly in Canada,” she said.
Shi believes it’s the diversity of Canadian storytelling that strikes a chord with audiences. “Getting an opportunity to show the Canada that I grew up in, with the diversity in Toronto, with all of the immigrant classmates and friends and I grew up with, the food, the neighbourhoods like Chinatown and Kensington Market, I think it’s something that a lot of audiences haven’t seen before.”
But while the Oscars have made strides in terms of representation, there’s still a long way to go, according to Shi and Polley.
“The last couple of years looked good or at least a bit better. But it’s still weak,” Polley said. “I think that when you see a lack of inclusion (in) things like awards … it is a symptom of a larger systemic issue in terms of what voices we’re listening to and who’s being heard, who’s getting financing for films and who’s getting momentum.”
Ramakrishnan said she hopes Canada moves further away from its “little brother energy” when compared to the U.S. “We also have just as important stories to tell, so have that story set in Toronto, in Vancouver, Calgary or anywhere else.”
SHARE:
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)
Sign In
Register
Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the Code of Conduct. The Star
does not endorse these opinions.
