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Andrew Jeffrey joined Realscreen in 2021 as its news editor. Here, he helps to oversee assignment, reporting and editing for Realscreen’s daily newsletter. Prior to his work covering documentary and non-fiction film and TV, he worked as a reporter and associate producer for CBC Edmonton, and as a reporter for The Star Calgary, where he covered daily news on beats such as local and provincial politics, health care and harm reduction, sports and education. His work has appeared in other Canadian news outlets such as TVO, the Edmonton Journal and Avenue Magazine.

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Jonathan Majors Responds To Negative “Ant-Man” Reviews

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Jonathan Majors Responds To Negative "Ant-Man" Reviews

When Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars ceremony, many members of the live audience and TV viewers at home thought it was a joke — until they realized, to their horror, that it wasn’t.

After making little comment about the incident during his concert tour last year, and turning down numerous interview requests, Rock finally hit back on Saturday with a flurry of brutal jabs at Smith and his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, bringing up allegations of infidelity in their marriage and describing his Oscar-winning foe repeatedly as a “b—.” The comedic slapback came during Rock’s Netflix special “Selective Outrage,” broadcast live globally from Baltimore’s Hippodrome Theatre.

“You never know who might get triggered,” Rock, dressed in an all-white outfit, joked in a (thinly) veiled allusion to the slap in his set’s opening moments, promising a show that would offend nobody. “Anybody who says ‘Words hurt’ has never been punched in the face.”

Later, during a riff on Snoop Dogg doing so many commercials, he made more pointed reference to Smith, who started out as a musician: “I’m not dissing Snoop,” he said to raucous laughter. “The last thing I need is another mad rapper.”

For much of the special, though, Rock avoided the hotly anticipated subject of his run-in with Smith to follow his friend and fellow Netflix comedian Dave Chappelle in an extended discussion of “wokeness” — including Chappelle’s regular target, trans people — and nod to such low-hanging comic fruit as O.J. Simpson, Meghan Markle, Duchess of Sussex, and the Kardashians. He also included edgy material about liking opioids and how the fact that he’s paid for abortions is a sign that he’s pro-choice: “I’ve paid for more abortions than any woman in this room.” Rock also tapped a more personal vein, with extended attention to child-rearing and his love life — and a mention that his mother was in the audience.

When Rock finally confronted the slap head-on, in the set’s final minutes, he pulled no punches. “I’m not a victim, baby. You’ll never see me on Oprah or Gayle crying,” he said, contrasting his response to Smith’s. “I took that hit like Pacquiao.”

Rock dredged up the question of Pinkett Smith’s alleged infidelity to her husband — an “entanglement” the couple has addressed on the show “Red Table Talk” by saying theirs is not a “conventional marriage.” “She hurt him way more than he hurt me,” Rock quipped. He also cited her as a catalyst in the contretemps as well, drawing whistles and gasps from the audience: “She starts it, I finish it. Nobody’s pickin’ on this b—.”

“You know what my parents told me?” he said, concluding the show with a literal mic drop. “Don’t fight in front of white people.”

Anticipation had been high that Rock would discuss the attack during the special — his first since Netflix’s “Chris Rock: Tamborine” — after previously telling audiences he would have to get paid before he would talk about the incident.

The premiere of “Selective Outrage” comes just days after Smith received a special award from the African American Critics Assn. for his performance in “Emancipation,” in which he plays a runaway slave. His appearance marked his first in-person speech since the Oscars ceremony. Earlier in the week, he was honored with an NAACP Image Award for outstanding actor in a motion picture for “Emancipation.”

The explosive Oscars moment came while Rock was presenting the award for best documentary. After Rock made a joke about Pinkett Smith, the actor leaped from his seat, went onstage and struck Rock across the face.

Less than an hour later, Smith was back onstage, this time making tearful but awkward reference to the attack as he accepted the lead actor award for “King Richard.” Days later, he resigned from the Academy of Motion Pictures and was issued a 10-year ban from academy activities, including the Oscars.

The assault became the dominant talking point of last year’s Academy Awards, tarnishing what, up to that point, was a powerful celebration of Black achievement and excellence. He has addressed the incident occasionally, posting an Instagram video in July and making brief comments during interviews promoting “Emancipation.”

Read Rock’s full comments about the slap and the Smiths in “Selective Outrage” below.

Will Smith slaps Chris Rock during the 2022 Oscars.

(Myung Chun/Los Angeles Times)

Y’all know what happened to me, getting smacked by Suge Smith. I got smacked at the Oscars by this motherf—, and people ask, “Did it hurt?” It still hurts! I got “Summertime” ringing in my ears. But I’m not a victim, baby. You will never see me on Oprah or Gayle crying. Never gonna happen. I can’t believe it, and I love “Men in Black.” Never gonna happen.

I took that hit like Pacquiao, motherf— … I know you can’t tell on camera, but Will Smith is significantly bigger than me. We are not the same size. Will Smith does movies with his shirt off. You’ve never seen me do a movie with my shirt off. I’m in a movie getting open heart surgery, I’m in a sweater. Will Smith played Muhammad Ali in a movie. You think I auditioned for that part? I played Pookie in “New Jack City.” … Even in animation, this motherf— is bigger. I’m a zebra, he’s a shark.

Will Smith practices selective outrage. Everybody knows what the f— happened. Everybody who really knows, knows I had nothing to do with that s—. I didn’t have any “entanglements.” … His wife was f— her son’s friend. Now, I normally would not talk about this s—. But for some reason [they] put that s— on the internet. I have no idea why two talented people would do something that lowdown. … We all been cheated on. Everybody in here’s been cheated on. None of us have ever been interviewed by the person that cheated on us on television. “Hey, I was sucking somebody’s d—. How did that make you feel?”

She hurt him way more than he hurt me, OK? Everybody in the world called him a b—. I called the motherf— to give him my condolences, he ain’t pick up for me. … They called him a b—. They called his wife a predator. And who does he hit? Me. [Someone] he knows he can beat. That is some b—-ass s—.

I didn’t do nothing to this motherf—, OK? Years ago, she said I should quit the Oscars. I shouldn’t host because her man didn’t get nominated [for “Concussion”]. The biggest piece of s— ever. … So I did some jokes about him. That’s how it is. She starts it, I finish it. OK? That’s what happened. Nobody’s picking on this b—. She started this s—. Nobody was picking on her. She said me, a grown-ass man, should quit his job because her husband didn’t get nominated. And then [he] gives me a concussion. What the f—, man?

I loved Will Smith. All my life I loved [him]. … He made some great movies. I have rooted for Will Smith my whole life. And now I watch “Emancipation” just to see him get whupped. Got me rooting for massa. A lot of people say, “Chris, how come you didn’t do nothing back?” ’Cause I got parents. Because I was raised, OK? You know what my parents taught me? Don’t fight in front of white people.

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When Will Smith slapped Chris Rock during

When I see how Marvel, and the Avengers in particular, have dominated popular culture in the last decade-plus, I am often reminded of how jealous 10-year-old me would be to see the preponderance of superheroes everywhere.

Sure, back in the 1990s we had comics and toys, but it was nothing like today. To be a Marvel fan in particular these days means to be surrounded by new content, merchandise, and apparel celebrating your favorite heroes.

Iron Man the Animated Series

This idea was reinforced today when visiting Keystone Clothiers at Disney’s Hollywood Studios today, where a set of new Iron Man apparel had arrived. These items were unfortunately too small for me, but if you have a young Iron Man fan in your life, you will definitely want to check them out.

Iron Man Animated Shirt

First up, we have the Iron Man pocketed shirt.

This shirt seems to be based on Iron Man: The Animated Series that was popular in the 1990s!

The front of the red shirt features a pocket with the Iron Man logo on it.

While the front of the shirt is cool enough, take a look at the back!

Here, Iron man appears in both his normal armor and his Hulkbuster armor.

It looks Tony Stark’s good friend James Rhodes has suited up in his War Machine armor as well and is ready for battle!

This Iron Man shirt is available now for $39.99. What young fan wouldn’t want this?!

Iron Man Hat

If you thought that Iron Man shirt was cool, wait until you see the matching hat!

The red hat once again features the Iron Man logo on the front, in a 3D font.

Behind the logo, is a series of sketches showing Iron Man’s various armor!

The coolest part of this hat, however, is the raised images of Iron Man in his regular armor and his Hulkbuster armor. This is like getting two Iron Man pins with your hat!

This hat is available now for $49.99!

Where To Get Them

Both the Iron Man shirt and matching hat can be found at Mickey’s of Hollywood. Be sure to swing by on your next trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Mickey's of Hollywood

Photo: Disney

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!

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When I see how

The Dark Knight’s rogues gallery gets an Elseworlds makeover – including the likes of Penguin, Killer Croc, Talia al Ghul and Mr. Freeze – in Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham, available to purchase Digitally and on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Combo Pack and Blu-ray on March 28, 2023 from Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment.

Inspired by the comic book series by Mike Mignola, Richard Pace and Troy Nixey, Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham is a 1920s-based tale that finds explorer Bruce Wayne accidentally unleashing an ancient evil, expediting his return to Gotham City after a two-decade hiatus. The logic/science-driven Batman must battle Lovecraftian supernatural forces threatening the sheer existence of Gotham, along the way being aided and confronted by reimagined versions of his well-known allies and enemies, including Green Arrow, Ra’s al Ghul, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, Two-Face, James Gordon and Bruce’s beloved wards. Prepare for a mystical, often terrifying Batman adventure unlike any other.

We have four brand new images from the film to share with fans. Enjoy!

 

Where Professor Oswald Cobblepot’s expedition ends is where Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham begins as Bruce Wayne and his crew discover Cobblepot’s abandoned ship, including his detailed journal. But the Wayne expedition can find no sign of the professor, even while the evolving Cobblepot and his penguins watch them intently from high above. David Giuntoli (Grimm, A Million Little Things) reprises his Batman: Soul of the Dragon role as the voice of Bruce Wayne & the Dark Knight, while William Salyers (The Regular Show) voices yet another rendition of the Penguin as Cobbelpot.

Killer Croc’s Elseworlds version might be even more menacing than his usual appearance, particularly as the massive creature operates under the merciless command of Talia al Ghul – or looming tall over Batman in Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham. David Giuntoli (Grimm, A Million Little Things) gives voice to Batman/Bruce Wayne.

 

Talia al Ghul seems to be integral to the troubled shadows overtaking the city in Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham. Three-time Emmy Award nominee Emily O’Brien (Constantine: City of Demons, Days of Our Lives) reprises her Gotham Knights video game role as Talia al Ghul.

 

As an Elseworlds take on Mr. Freeze, Grendon appears to Bruce Wayne and his family as a frozen, undying corpse who is devoted to the evil entity unleashed upon the unsuspecting world. DC Animated Movies veterans David Giuntoli (Grimm, A Million Little Things) and David Dastmalchian (Dune, The Suicide Squad, Ant-Man) give voice to Bruce Wayne/Batman and Grendon, respectively, in Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham.

 

 

BATMAN and all related characters and elements are TM and © DC. © 2023 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.

 

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225 The Dark Knight’s rogues gallery gets an

Octopath Traveler 2’s Scent of Commerce side quests show up on the world map like important story objectives, and while two of them aren’t really that important at all, you can get some nice bonuses for just a little effort. The third is one of the most important quests in the game, however, and you need to finish it to have full access to the map and all its secrets.

This guide explains how to complete each Scent of Commerce quest in Octopath Traveler 2.

Now Playing: Octopath Traveler II – Launch Trailer

What is Partitio’s Scent of Commerce?

Scent of Commerce is a set of three side quests that unlocks after you finish Partitio’s first chapter. Despite showing up on the world map with a Partitio icon, these are entirely optional and aren’t required to finish his story or reach the true ending chapter.

That said, we strongly completing the Scent of Commerce quest in Toto’haha, since you get your own boat and can travel freely, find optional dungeons, and even unlock a secret job.

The other two are nice bonuses and fit with Partitio’s mission as a merchant, but if you aren’t bothered with lore and a music player, feel free to skip them.

Winterbloom Scent of Commerce

The Winterbloom chapter is the least expensive to complete, as it only involves using Path Actions to recruit NPCs. Visit Winterbloom–located in the center of the Winterlands, east of Cape Cold–and head to the large house in the east of town with Partitio in your party. He hears a cry for help and rushes inside.

It turns out the cry is recorded on a gramophone record, and the man inside is trying to figure out what to do with the contraption, as no one seems to want it. Partitio recommends recording music and takes it on himself to find musicians.

The people you’re looking for are:

  • Piano Playing Cleric: Flamechurch, inside the church during the day and outside the door at night
  • Violinist: Western edge of Canalbrine near the caravan at night, inside the tavern during the day
  • Guitarist: Western entrance of Crackridge during the day

You can use Partitio’s Hire action to recruit them, but using Temenos’ Guide or Agnea’s Allure is a better, cheaper alternative.

After you have all three musicians assembled, you can listen to a handful of tunes on the gramophone at any time. You can also buy new tracks from the item shops in every starting town.

Temenos’ colleague from Flamechurch is one of the musicians Partitio needs to hire.

Sai Scent of Commerce

The Scent of Commerce chapter in Sai takes less time to complete, though it’s a bit costly. It kicks off once you arrive in town with Partitio in your party. He notices the insignia of a famous merchant named Masoud and wants to meet him. Masoud isn’t as keen and tells Partitio he needs to bring back a merchant’s greatest treasure.

Change the time to night, go outside, and hire Masoud’s daughter (1,000 leaves). Speak with Masoud again, and leave the house. Partitio eventually figures out the answer to Masoud’s test. Go back inside, and spend 5,000 leaves to hire Masoud.

The result of all this is the Mercantile Manuscript Archive Key, which you can use to unlock the building behind Masoud’s house. Inside is the Mercantile Manuscript, which is essentially a glossary and lore book combined. It contains information about armor, locations, items, and more–inessential to the story, but a nice bit of background if you’re after it.

Tropu’hopu Scent of Commerce–How to get a boat

If you only do one Scent of Commerce or even one side quest in Octopath Traveler 2, let it be this one. The premise is simple: Travel to Tropu’hopu, east of the Beastling Village, and enter the harbor with Partitio. Speak with the woman on the dock. She’s trying to sell a boat, and no one seems to want it–except Partitio.

The problem is, she’s set the price at 100,000 leaves. That’s a steep sum, especially earlier in the game when you need to outfit your party. Make sure you’re stealing and entreating valuable items, such as coin pouches and jewelry. Hold off selling old weapons unless you have something to replace them with. Your active character might not need it, but if you swap jobs for another character, they’ll need something to fight with.

Once you have the money, visit the harbor again, and buy the ship. Now, you’re free to sail the seas as you wish. Check out the whirlpool to your east for starters. There’s a dungeon, an optional boss, and a secret job there.

Check out our beginner’s tips and recommendations for who to start with first if you’re still early in your Octopath 2 journey.

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

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Mario Dorminsky, Beatriz Pacheco Pereira dn Julian Temple with Bruno Chatelin in Porto enjoying the festival ine a new venue à Centro de Cinema de Batalha!   …

 

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Beatriz Pacheco Peirera Fantasporto co founder with Mario Dorminsky handed the carreer tribute to Krystof before the projection of PERFECT NUMBER his latest film, he said with some humour that he was puzzled by (tribute to his career) which he considers not iover and wants to do more films…. …

 

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43rd OPORTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | FANTASPORTO’2023 From today till March 5th at Batalha CC FILMS, GUESTS AND A WARM WELCOME    Fantasporto 2023 opens today. The rush now is creating the best conditions for our guests, coming from all parts of the world.  Set in the beautiful restored BATALHA, home of all things cinema in Oporto, Fantasporto is the next meeting place for cinema lovers. 68 countries sent films for selection, resulting in a selection of…

 

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43rd OPORTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL | FANTASPORTO’2023 24th Feb to 5th March FILMS, GUESTS AND A WARM WELCOME   Fantasporto 2023 is coming soon. The rush now is creating the best conditions for our guests, coming from all parts of the world.  Set in the beautiful restored BATALHA, home of all things cinema in Oporto, Fantasporto is the next meeting place for cinema lovers.   68 countries sent films for selection, resulting in a selection of 86 premières in …

 

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SPECIAL PROGRAM “FALAR DE CINEMA- THE MOVIE TALKS”   Specially dedicated to training in cinema, and taking advantage of the availability of some of the national and foreign guests of Fantasporto 2023, a program of debates/workshops was organized aimed at the younger audience, young filmmakers and film students. The aim of this extra-exhibition program of the festival’s films is to promote debate and conversation. Not only about the films shown at the festival and how their…

 

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  DIRECTORS OF THE FILMS IN COMPETITION PRESENT IN PORTO   RUSSELL OWEN Born in North Wales (United Kingdom). He studied illustration and screenwriting at the University of California. He started out as a storyboard artist and worked on the “Doctor Who” series and “Tomb Raider” games before becoming artistic director for very popular TV series. He made his first short film “Anglesey Road” (2009), highly awarded. This was followed by…

 

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JURY MEMBERS   INTERNATIONAL JURY OF THE OFFICIAL FANTASTIC CINEMA SECTION   MÁRTA BÉNYEI Born in Hungary. Expert with over 35 years of experience in the film industry. She started out as a market specialist and rights buyer. Responsible for the Festivals Department of the National Film Institute of Hungary since 2004, deputy representative of Hungary in the Eurimages Program and collaborator of Fantasporto for decades. Participant in Movie Talks. LAWRENCE TROTT (Un…

 

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The official section FANTASTIC CINEMA, comes to us with a lineup with several World and International Premiers and the most diverse award-winning feature films at prestigious festivals.   Highlight forever strong representation of Japanese cinema, to the presence of a surprising Ukrainian film, from a Malaysian film, country for the first time present at the festival. Strong presence also of the extremely creative European Cinema, this year again with great product…

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Three quick questions with director Darlene Naponse:   By Emmanuel Itier and Roxanna Bina   What was the inspiration for this film? The film started with the desire to connect. It tells the story of love, the environmental effects of mining, colonialism, and the future. It’s about the need for human beings to seek a connection with the other and to be recognized and appreciated.    What are the themes of importance? Ste…

 

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Global icon Michelle Yeoh received the 15th annual Kirk Douglas Award For Excellence In Film on December 9th at a Black-Tie dinner at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara, Santa Barbara. This marks the first time since the passing of screen legend Kirk Douglas that the honor was awarded. The event benefits Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s year-round educational programs and was the most successful fundraiser in SBIFF’s history. Since 2006, the annual Kirk Douglas Award f…

 

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  We are excited to announce the award-winning films for the 38th edition. Awards were announced and given out at a ceremony this morning hosted by El Encanto, a Belmond Hotel, in Santa Barbara with Jury and Filmmakers in attendance. “This 38th edition of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival drew filmmakers from as far as Turkey, India, Israel, and Sierra Leone, half of whom were women. We were delighted with the enthusiastic reception to our diverse program of 200 f…

 

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GO ON AND BE BRAVE Santa Barbara film festival 2023 With subject focus: Andrea Lytle and filmmakers Miriam McSpadden and Brian Beckman By Emmanuel Itier Q: Let us know about the genesis of this project and what you had in mind to achieve with it?   Andrea: This is inspired by my story. I have ALS and I’m the first woman who completed 50 marathons in 50 states.   Miriam: I used to direct short and 4 years ago I did one about Andrea. She was already running to…

 

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The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step. -Lao Tzu By Mark Bennett Anticipating a possible depressing prison story, 26.2 turned out to be a well made documentary, a human story of tragedy, hope, transformation and a challenging prison yard marathon. I was moved by the storys told from the three main prisoners the documentary focused on and how their lives have evolved over the years. The United States has the highest rate of incarceration in the world. Hopefully 26.2 w…

 

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    Red Carpet Interviews and discovering SBIFF.23 – Red Carpet with STARRING JERRY AS HIMSELF, WHO ARE THE MARCUSES and TELOS   BRENDAN FRASER ARRIVING AT THE ARLINGTON     Roger DURLING | BRENDAN FRAZER  | Sarah Michelle GELLAR   RED CARPET INTERVIEWS JERRY AS HIMSELF and WHO ARE THE MARCUSES and TELOS By G.K and Stuart MacNaught, Pictures Marc Bennett The Band House   LAMB with SINEAD O’LOUGHLIN Director / AD …

 

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THE RIGHT TO READ Intervew with Director: Jenny MacKenzie By Emmanuel Itier and Roxanna Bina The Right to Read shares the stories of a courageous activist, a teacher, and two American families who fight to provide our youngest generation with the most foundational indicator of life-long success: the ability to read. Learn more at: therighttoreadfilm.org www.twitter.com/RightToReadFilm www.instagram.com/therighttoreadfilm         Q: What was the idea beh…

 

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    This took tremendous work to put together, a surprise that needs to be seen. Great community all together. The secret is well kept, from the first image introduction you get carried away by the graphics, thrown through history with poetry to dive into a sea that was meant to symbolize life,  the music and images surf the story as we discover the hidden reality . By G.K   Interviews by Stuart MacNaught Wade in the Water: A Journey into Black Su…

 

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Discover a new world of growing business opportunities for your 3D animation feature films: we can help you find distribution in the Mena Region. We hope you had a successfull Berlinale, sorry we could not meet in person. Trust us with a screener and your marketing assets so we can suggest the best plan.  Email Ayman Jamal – Barajoun CEO, and or Bruno Chatelin Festival Agent.   Meet us in Berlin and Cannes.   Introducing BARAJOUN …

 

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By M. R. D’Amico Director, director of photography, editor: Nicholas Philibert Producers: Miléna Poylo, Gilles Sacuto, Céline Loiseau Sales: Les Films du Losange In French 1 hour 49 minutes Synopsis:  Watching this touching documentary by Nicholas Philibert, who at 72, won by surprise the Golden Bear at the 73. Berlinale fills us with hope about the future of cinema. Adamant tells the creative routines that happen every day on the Paris mental health day care…

 

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The 73rd Berlin International Film Festival came to a successful close with the Publikumstag on February 26. At the festive awards ceremony on Saturday evening, Sur L’Adamant by Nicolas Philibert was awarded with the Golden Bear.   Watch our WRAP post edition Following the slogan “Let’s get together”,  the Berlinale started its first fully in-person event after two unusual years due to the pandemic – and the audience as well as…

 

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DO NOT MISS A BIT from BERLINALE AND EFM 2023      FOLLOW US :          TAKE CENTER STAGE IN BERLIN: ADVERTISE WITH US AND PROMOTE YOUR LINE UP AND PROJECTS EMAIL US FOR A CHANCE TO BRAINSTORM AROUND YOUR BEST ONLINE OPTIONS   THE BERLINALE BEAT   VIDEO Berlinale 2023 Awards : The complete list, yes a long one, with the winners video conferen…

 

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  Matthijs Wouter Knol and Mark Higham (The European Film Academy)  presented an ambitious new programme to engage teenagers in European films, during Berlinale. The European Film Club is being genuinely co-created by young people across Europe and will be tested in 20 European countries this year before a full roll out across the continent in 2023. Funded by Creative Europe MEDIA, the European Film Club will be a f…

 

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On February 18, Pitching of the Odesa International Film Festival was held as an associated event of the European Film Market, the international marketplace of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival. During Pitching, 12 projects were presented at the pre-production stage, including projects of feature films, feature films, short films and TV series. 12 Ukrainian film projects selected by OIFF: Feature film Golden Lion on the Eve of Ivan Kupala, LLC “Il…

 

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Sur l’Adamant (On the Adamant): film team with Mariëtte Rissenbeek and Carlo Chatrian © Sandra Weller / Berlinale 2023     PRIZES OF OFFICIAL JURIES    PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL JURY  Members of the Jury: Kristen Stewart (Jury President), Golshifteh Farahani, Valeska Grisebach, Radu Jude, Francine Maisler, Carla Simón, Johnnie To    GOLDEN BEAR FOR BES…

VIDEO: Meet EFM director Dennis Ruh introducing the market in Berlin for filmfestivals.com audience

 

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Dennis took some time of his busy AFM – in person schedule to introduce EFM and give a helpfull highlights for filmmakers newcommers in Berlin. More timely news on the futures evolution and changes in the Market in the coming weeks… Dennis Ruh has been director of the European Film Market since 2020. He studied cultural sciences, audiovisual communication, social science and history in Bremen, Germany and Valencia, Spain.  …

 

 

Trust us with a screener and your marketing assets so we can suggest the best plan. 

 

THE COMPLETE SUNDANCE RECAP WITH VIDEO INTERVIEWS AND DAILIES

Le blog de Siraj Syed

 

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Triangle of Sadness: An American Marxist and a Russian Capitalist on a $250 m yacht As movies go, there are several advantages of being different. Genre films have been beaten to death and critics, not to mention discerning audiences, are dying to watch something different. There are those who are different by virtue of original ideas, while others are different for the sake of being different. Let’s begin with the title: in the first few minutes of the film, you are told that it is som…

 

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Rabia and Olivia, Review: A loving, fatherless nanny and a motherless, disturbed girl It is not too often that an Indie film, having Canadian and Indian actors, strikes a few right chords, avoids the obvious and delivers a credible ending. Rabia and Olivia seems to have languished in the cans for some time, going by the dateline of the events, which occur in 2018. And one can see why. There’s India and there is Canada, but there is no terrorism, no overdone immigrant issues and no roma…

 

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Khela Hobe, Review: Om Puri lives, six years after his death Your gut reaction on seeing a film like Khela Hobe is to lambast it, tear it to shreds and dump it in the bin. You can have a field day showcasing your linguistic prowess and delivering a lecture on the prolific use of demeaning adjectives. But somewhere along the line, a modicum of empathy surfaces. This is largely due to the passing away of lead actor Om Puri, a friend, who died over six years ago. Obviously, this film is more tha…

 

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Manmarzee album launch: Hari in a hurry What’s in a name? The venue was Bora Bora, on Link Road, Andheri West. The real Bora Bora is an island group in the Leeward Islands, French Polynesia. This one is a resto-bar on the second floor. Eternal Sounds is the name of the company that has produced the album. And if that is not a creative nomenclature that reflects the ambitions of the promoters, what is? Manmarzee is what they call the album. Translated from the original Urdu, it means hea…

 

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RIFF, 09, 2023, 08: What you missed Third day of Rajasthan International Film Festival (RIFF) showcased a number of interesting films, and talk-shows on topics concerning cinema, at INOX, Crystal Palm, Jaipur. The talk-show, Cinema and Society, was a discussion about the importance of cinema at social level, and the participating dignitaries stated their related thoughts. Participants included Ajit Rai, Buvana Ram, Charles Thomson, a senior official of the Rajasthan Police and Siraj Syed. …

 

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Main Raj Kapoor Ho Gaya, Review: A drunk, moping, slum-dweller, and his three muses Most films have at least a semblance of reference to the title. Some, though, choose to get philosophical when picking a moniker for their screen vehicle. Then there those that have a prosaic sentence as the title, and neither prose nor poetry to justify it. Main Raj Kapoor Ho Gaya is one such. What the title means is “I have become Raj Kapoor.” Raj Kapoor, of course, was the cinematic genius who a…

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Don’t miss your opportunity to present your project to Genre film decision makers!   The Frontières Platform in Cannes is a dedicated section of industry programming & networking events for the genre film industry at the Marché du Film. The event is a co-presentation between the Fantasia International Film Festival and the Marché du Film – Festival de …

 

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The 10th Anniversary Edition of SRFF highlights BIPOC filmmakers on topics dealing with invisibility and marginality. **Opening Night – Red Carpet – Walter Reade Theater Lincoln Center March 16 **Cinema Village – Shorts, Documentary, and Narrative films March 17-19     Poster Shabu Shamira Raphae La Nl 2021   10th-Anniversary edition of SRFF opens at the Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, on March 16…

 

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We’re pleased to present the 26th Annual Sonoma International Film Festival March 22-26, 2023. Dive into our SIFF Film Schedule including the World Premiere of Marc Turtletaub’s JULES, starring Ben Kingsley, Harriet Sansom Harris, Jane Curtin, Zoe Winters and Jade Quon. Marc Turtletaub, and stars Ben Kingsley, Harriet Sansom Harris, Zoe Winters and Jade Quon will be joining us in Sonoma and we are thrilled to be the first audience to see this delightful comedy. Af…

 

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With Mammoth Film Festival 2023 less than days away, the festival continues to reveal incredible work being showcased in this year’s lineup, revealing their opening night premiere announcement and new exciting slate additions. This year is also a true buyers market, with previous festivals resulting in a variety of sales across all genres from features to episodic to documentaries. Mammoth Film Festival’s international status is also growing exponentially, with this year’s arra…

 

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We are delighted that our film received the HONORABLE MENTION for BEST ORIGINAL SCORE and at the same time the OFFICIAL SELECTION for BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY at the Florence Film Awards in Italy! We are honored that our film was very well received in the beautiful city of Florence! We thank all our film team members and all supporters! Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/oXuEJiN3rD0 Watch the music video: https://youtu.be/sDsy_MdP4gE More information: https://heidelerche-fil…

 

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GREAT NEWS! Official Selection in INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION at SANFICI – Santander Festival internacional de cine independiente in Bucaramanga, Colombia! SANFICI promises “5 intense days of the best independent cinema”! Our film will be shown on February 23, 2023 at 4pm at the Auditorio Luis A. Calvo – which makes us tremendously happy because the auditorium seats 989! We thank the cast and crew, and all the supporters who believed in us! Watch the trailer: https://youtu.be/oXu…

 

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    The 18th edition of the UK’s festival for new cinema takes place in Berwick-upon-Tweed on 3-5 March 2023 The festival recognises the most distinctive voices in moving image from across the world 7 World Premieres, 3 International premieres, 2 European premieres and 19 UK festival premieres take place at the festival           Pictured top left to bottom right: FEARDEATHLOVEDEATH, Hidden Amongst Clouds, Hello Dankness, Sepa: Our L…

 

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Virtual Festival Announces New Features & Lineup Cinejoy featuring the Artists & Films of Cinequest Cinejoy/Cinequest Virtual occurring March 1-12, 2023, continues to evolve beyond a film festival that streams movies to an experience that translates the fun, excitement, and power of live film events to global audiences online. Lineup includes: 155 Showcase films from 52 countries, 500 participating artists, live Spotlight Events, and interactive Passport, Group Share, a…

 

Digital Gym

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New Festival Team Revealed First Time in Goleta at Fairview Theatre and Return to Los Olivos Submissions Open Now – Calling for Nature-Centric Films   (Goleta, CA) Celebrating the return of the beloved NatureTrack Film Festival (NTFF) for its 5th year is cause to break out the champagne.  Lots of exciting news to reveal like new co-directors for the fest, addition of a development director to the team, add in a new location, official dates, plus call for open submissions to the nat…

 

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Rabia and Olivia, Review: A loving, fatherless nanny and a motherless, disturbed girl It is not too often that an Indie film, having Canadian and Indian actors, strikes a few right chords, avoids the obvious and delivers a credible ending. Rabia and Olivia seems to have languished in the cans for some time, going by the dateline of the events, which occur in 2018. And one can see why. There’s India and there is Canada, but there is no terrorism, no overdone immigrant issues and no roma…

 

 

Heather Graham (Half Magic, The Hangover) and Tom Hopper (Netflix’s “The Umbrella Academy,” Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard) star in the new western action film Place of Bones, it was announced today. The film also stars UFC welterweight and mixed martial artist Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone (The Equalizer 2, Netflix’s Spenser Confidential) and Corin Nemec (Showtime’s “Stargate SG-1,” Joe Baby, Run Hide …

Invisible Hand won best short at Calgary Independent Film Festival

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Calgary Independent Film Festival (formerly Phoenix Genre/Comedy festival) is a bi-monthly online celebration of the best of independent cinema. The festival’s goal is to present all forms of independent films to the general public. We accept all genres of films, including Horror, Action, Crime, Fantasy, Comedy, Romance, Science Fiction, Sports, Thriller, War, Western, Student, Covid, Women Empowerment, Documentary, Experimental, LGBTQ, Animation from all around the world. All the best f…

 

Digital Gym

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The Night of the 12th Dominik Moll, Carole Scotta, Caroline Benjo, … Film Benoît Magimel Pacifiction Actor Virginie Efira Paris Memories Actress Nadia Tereszkiewicz Forever Young Promising Actress Bastien Boui…

 

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  BETTER WORLD FUND   @ INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL CANNES   MAY, 21st & 22 nd 2023 at THE CARLTON HOTEL     Sustainable development worldwide, Academia for a Better World   Mastermind, Conference, Press, Gala Dinner, Trophy Ceremony, Celebrities, Red Carpet, Liz Mc Comb Showcase   Check the FULL BROCHURE   AMAZONIA FUND ALLIANCE FOR UNESCO    BETTER WORL…

 

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Stockfish 2023 will confer an honorary award for “An outstanding contribution to the film industry,” an approach to bestow prominent professionals from the academic, production, distribution, market and film festival scenes. The 2023 Stockfish Award will go to Mike Downey.   Mike Downey founded the UK-based independent production house Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME) in 2000 as part of an IPO on the Frankfurt DAX…

Digital Gym

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Guillaume Esmiol the new Cannes Marché du Film Director sat down in Berlin during EFM with Bruno Chatelin to discuss Cannes 2022 and the coming 2023 edition Tue, May 16, 2023 – Sat, May 27, 2023. Watch his interview and what he could reveal about the new features of the 2023 comimg edition:       …

 

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50 years after fellow citizen Ingrid Bergman, Swedish director Ruben Östlund, a two-time winner of the Palme d’or, will preside over the Jury of the 76th edition of the Festival de Cannes to be held from May 16 to 27. « I am happy, proud, and humbled to be trusted with the honor of Jury president for this year’s Competition at the Festival de Cannes. Nowhere in the film world is the anticipation as strong as when the curtain rises on the films in Competition at the Festival…

 

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The Windrush Caribbean Film Festival is proud to announce that two cultural icons are joining its team as it gears up to mark the 75th Anniversary of Windrush in June.    Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe MBE is joining the Windrush Caribbean Film Festival (WCFF) as Artistic Director. Emmanuel is well known in the film and wider cultural communities as the Founder of British Urban Film Festival (BUFF) which launched in 2005 as the only showcase for urban indep…

 

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  Clay Epstein’s Film Mode Entertainment (FME) announces the addition of Michaela Johnson-Carroll to the ever-expanding Film Mode team in the role of Director, International Sales.    The company recently announced the addition of Lydia Ianni as VP, Acquisitions and Development, and Charlotte Mott’s promotion to Director, Worldwide Sales during the last edition of the American Film Market (AFM).    “We’ve welcomed Micha…

 

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It is with deep sorrow the Telluride Film Festival announces the passing of its founder and inspiration, Tom Luddy. Tom died peacefully on February 13, 2023, in Berkeley, California after a long illness.   Tom was a force in the film industry for nearly six decades. He had a life-long love and passion for film, and a tireless dedication to film restoration, distribution, and exhibition. His presence will be profoundly missed by the many people whose lives were touched by

March 1, 2023 Regular Deadline

The Zoie Films Festival is now the ZOE AWARDS FESTIVAL that celebrates independent works of film shorts, animations, documentaries, web series, smartphone films. And, we are excited to announce our expansion to include podcasts, Alexa Skills and NFTs.

CALL FOR ENTRIES November 18th-February 2023:  The ZOE AWARDS Festival is accepting short films, animations, documentary including branded film shorts.  In addition, this is our first year to accept podcasts, web series, NFTs and Alexa Skills!   Visit – ZOEAWARDS.COM

Categories:
– Official Competitions
Short Films, documentaries, animations under 25 minutes, all genres except

– Animation Competition
Animation film shorts under 25 minutes, all genres.

– Smartphone Shorties
All genre shorties under 15 minutes shot on smartphones.

– Branded Shorts
Film shorts under 20 minutes that communicates a positive brand message.

– Podcasts
All types including True Crime,

– Alexa Skills *NEW
All types including games, health/wellness, food, kids, education, etc.

– Podcasts
All types including True Crime,

– NFT Creations *NEW
ZOE AWARDS wants to celebrate excellence in the new NFT space for digital arts, audio, video.

 

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Late Deadline january 18, 2023

New York Festivals TV & Film Awards honors content in all lengths and forms from over 50 countries. Embracing all aspects of the Television and Film industries, categories mirror today’s global trends and encourage the next generation of story-tellers by recognizing innovators in our 14 Category Groups: News Programs, News Reports/Features, Sports Programs, Documentary, Entertainment Programs, Entertainment Specials, Program Crafts, Promotions/Station IDs & Opens, Promo/ID & Open Crafts, Streaming, Student, Films, Corporate Image, and Film Crafts.

Accepting entries for the 2023 competition since September 7th 2022. If you need additional assistance or have any questions about our categories, please contact Rose Anderson at randerson@newyorkfestivals.com.

CATEGORIES:
 

 

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May 19-20, 2023
 

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PARTNER FESTIVAL WITH FILMFESTIVALS.COM

February 12, 2023 Regular Deadline

March 11, 2023 Late Deadline

April 11, 2023 Extended Deadline

The fith annual French Riviera Film Festival (FRFF) will recognize and celebrate short-form content created for film, television, Web and all digital platforms. In the glamorous South of France setting, FRFF invites filmmakers from around the globe to participate in the two-day festival that includes screenings, awards ceremony, and closing gala party. FRFF will place the spotlight on the best short-form filmed content during the time period of the annual Festival de Cannes. A prestigious jury panel will select Best Drama Short, Best Comedy Short, Best Documentary Short, Best Animation Short, Best Experimental Short, Best Lifestyle Short, Best Fashion Short, Best Music Video, Best Female Filmmaker Award, Best Director Award, Best Actor Award, Best Actress Award, Best Activism Short, Best Micro Short Award, Industry Excellence Award, and Lifetime Achievement Awards.

SUBMIT I Website I Profile on filmfestivals.com I  Email contact

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March 31, 2023 Regular Deadline

May 31, 2023 Late Deadline

The Chelsea Film Festival (CFF) has been selected in the “TOP 10 BEST FILM FESTIVAL IN NORTH AMERICA” (#6) by USA Today in 2019 among 19 other film festivals in the USA.

CFF is an organization dedicated to supporting films and the artists who create them by providing a creative forum for exchange and discovery with the public.

The Festival attracts filmmakers, artists and audience members from across North America and around the globe. It premieres independent feature-length, documentaries and short films with a Global Focus.

Chelsea Film Festival aims to raise an awareness about foreign independent films and discover upcoming talents.

The Chelsea Film Festival is an international film platform for world lovers.

 

Email I NY United States I Website I Blog on Filmfestivals.com I Facebook I Twitter I Instagram I SUBMIT

 

 

 youtube.PNGWATCH OUR EXCLUSIVE VIDEO COVERAGE & FEST AMBIANCE FROM THE CIRCUIT

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> “THE BEST FOR FESTS :

ONES TO WATCH FOR FESTIVAL CONSIDERATION  carefuly curated by Bruno Chatelin

December 2022, USA 2 hours 4 minutes

Gotham tells the true story of what happened in New York City during the twenty years from 1993 to 2013. How did a city with over 2200 murders, 93,000 violent robberies and 147,000 car thefts in 1990 become the capitol of the world a mere handful of years later? This feature documentary explores what happened during these decades, told by the people who did the hard work, some at great personal and professional cost.

From Fear City to the City of Dreams. Hear about the greatest American turnaround story from the people who made it happen.

Profile on filmfestivals.com I Website I Trailer I The team I  

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‘Tales of Babylon’ to screen at Berlin, first look of the feature film available for sneak-peek

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First look at “Tales of Babylon” by Pelayo De Lario

Synopsis:  In this ultra-hip crime thriller, X and Y are two hitmen which storyline is interwoven with other two hitmen: Mother Nature and The Professional. The lives of these hitmen, a bartender, a kid, her brother, and their gangster leader grandfather intertwine in these wild tales of violence, family and redemption.  In this tale of family, crime, and violence in London, the Modern day Babylon….

 

 

Crime Thriller, Second film I 120 mn I UK October 2022 I Groucho Arts Ltd I Available for worldwide sales.

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In the near future the cosmos gets caught in a bizarre dynamic. The powerful keep their privileges with a prank. They hide nature events behind a gigantic wall and distract from it with a global war. More and more refugees are hiding in the last neutral country.
There, Denise tries to lead a normal life. On her bumpy job and apartment search, she meets Tom, a caretaker and incorrigible optimist, as well as the rebels, who all believe, through their art, that they can still stop the madness.

Profile on filmfestivals.com I  

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ABSOLUTION by Lauren Spohn

Short film by Lauren Spohn (UK: 6 minutes 24 seconds 2022)

Labelled BEST FOR FESTS by curator Bruno Chatelin former head of Fox and Sony in France, filmfestivals.com founder and editor

 

“I am in a dark forest and something is chasing after me,  some sort of creature that reeks fire or something: one part of me wants to run but I cannot move my legs? I am totally paralysed…” 

“One last thing”he said : “it’s not your fault !”

 

A man sees his psychiatrist for help with a difficult hidden family secret. The conversation takes a sinister turn as the psychiatrist pushes deeper into the man’s past. All is not what it seems: 

Can he take the tension, will you?

EPK on filmfestivals.com  I Request a screener 

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> NEWS IN FRENCH   

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Meilleur Film : La Nuit du 12 Meilleure réalisation : Dominik Moll, La Nuit du 12 Meilleure Actrice : Virginie Efira, Revoir Paris Meilleur Acteur : Benoît Magimel, Pacifiction Meilleure Actrice dans un Second Rôle : Noémie Merlant, L’Innocent Meilleur Acteur dans un Second Rôle : Bouli Lanners, La Nuit du 12 Meilleur Espoir Féminin : Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Les Amandiers Meilleur Espoir Masculin : Bastien Bouillon, La Nuit du 12 Meilleu…

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50 ans après sa compatriote Ingrid Bergman, le réalisateur suédois Ruben Östlund, deux fois Palme d’or, présidera le Jury lors de la 76e édition du Festival de Cannes, qui se tiendra du 16 au 27 mai.  « Je suis heureux, fier et empreint d’humilité de me voir confier l’honneur de présider le Jury du Festival de Cannes cette année. Nul autre lieu dans le monde ne suscite un tel…

Des partenariats forts avec les plus grands festivals et marchés
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Nous sommes très fiers des bonnes relations et des partenariats signé avec les plus grands festivals et marchés : Venice Production Bridge, FestForums Santa Barbara, AFM, Animaze, Tallinn Black Night International Film Festival, Houston WorldFest, Fantasporto, et Cannes Market bien entendu et beaucoup d’autres. Nous sommes heureux de pouvoir grace à ces parteneriats pouvoir apporter news et dailies à …   

 

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  Pour sa 37e édition, le FIFF, Festival International du Film de Fribourg, annonce une fête pour les pupilles et les papilles. Du 17 au 26 mars, le FIFF propose 99 films en provenance de 52 pays de tous les continents, dont 3 premières mondiales, 3 internationales, 3 européennes et 55 premières suisses. Chaque soir du Festival, le public est convié à l’expérience ciné-culinaire «Un film, un repas», organis&eac…

 

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  MUSIC & CINEMA  Festival International de Marseille La musique et le cinéma ont toujours entretenu une relation fusionnelle. Installé depuis 2022 dans le nouveau cinéma Artplexe Canebière, le Festival international MUSIC & CINEMA Marseille – anciennement Festival International du Film d’Aubagne – est le premier festival européen entièrement consacré à la rencontre entre les professionnel…

 

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L’EXPOSITION DU 32e FESTIVAL DU CINÉMA ESPAGNOL DE NANTES FEMMES CINÉASTES, REGARD HORIZONTAL   Après de nombreuses années de silence, le rôle des femmes dans le cinéma émerge peu à peu. Elles sont nombreuses aujourd’hui à apporter leur ” regard”, à transformer le cinéma de l’intérieur en intervenant à différents niveaux de la création. Il y a de plus en plus…

 

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    Mercredi 1er mars, l’association « Clermont-Ferrand Massif central 2028 » et une délégation composée de 10 personnalités  défendaient les couleurs de la ville et du Massif pour devenir la Capitale européenne de la culture 2028. Après avoir entendu les 9 candidats français du 28 février au 2 mars, le jury compos&eac…

 

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FESTIVAL CINÉMARGES 1-9 AVRIL 2023 BORDEAUX – GIRONDE     Cinémarges, le festival de films LGBTQ+ et féministes de Bordeaux, revient en avril pour une 18ème édition sulfureuse, audacieuse et protéiforme.        Relancer le Festival Cinémarges depuis 2022, c’est prolonger le plaisir des ciné-marges-clubs, avec un format propice à un déploiement de lieux, de films, de trencontres, d’éc…

 

 

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UNE SÉRIE ÉVÉNEMENT INÉDITE À DÉCOUVRIR DANS SON INTÉGRALITÉ POUR LA 1RE FOIS AU CINÉMA APAGÓN réalisé par Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Raúl Arévalo, Isaki Lacuesta, Isa Campo et Alberto Rodríguez   Une tempête solaire frappe la Terre provoquant une panne d’électricité générale. Dans un monde sans télécommunications …

 

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Seth Rogen, John Cena, Paul Rudd, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jackie Chan help round out the cast of this year’s Mutant Mayhem.

The voice cast for the upcoming computer-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem has been unveiled and it is lean, green and mean, offering a collection of comedians, hip hop artists and even a pro wrestler.

At the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, Seth Rogen (co-writer and TMNT fan) announced the Mutant Mayhem voice cast, with Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu, and Brady Noon playing the titular heroes. But it’s the supporting cast that will make fans yell “Cowabunga!”

The supporting cast of Mutant Mayhem includes a lot of major names in both hero and villain roles: Rogen and WWE icon John Cena will play Bebop and Rocksteady, Rose Byrne is Leatherhead, Giancarlo Esposito is Baxter Stockman, Ice Cube is Superfly, Jackie Chan will voice Splinter, Hannibal Buress is Genghis Frog, Ayo Edebiri is April O’Neil, Paul Rudd is Mondo Gecko, and Maya Rudolph is Cynthia Utrom. Sorry, no Tokka and Rahzar! Cena previously voiced a character on the series Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Mutant Mayhem’s official plot: “After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.”

As per Ramsey Naito, president of both Nickelodeon and Paramount Animation, “We are beyond thrilled by this world-class cast we’ve assembled to bring these iconic, beloved characters to life in a new chapter of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe. This really sets a new bar for this globally celebrated franchise, and we can’t wait to show audiences this film.”

A TMNT project may seem an odd choice for Rogen, but the actor recently spoke of the connection, saying all of the teen comedies he’s made have prepared him for Mutant Mayhem. Jeff Rowe, who helmed the Oscar-nominated The Mitchells vs. the Machines, directs. Mutant Mayhem will be the second animated Ninja Turtles feature released in theaters, following 2007’s TMNT.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem spins into theaters on August 4th.

What do you think of the cast of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem? Are you going to check it out when it hits theaters? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Seth Rogen, John Cena, Paul Rudd, Giancarlo

The Saturday Night Live cold open featured a Fox & Friends segment where the hosts of the Fox News morning show get Rupert Murdoch, chairman of Fox Corp. who’s currently in a legal battle, and Alex Murdaugh, a man convicted of murdering his wife and son, mixed up.

“You may have heard that Fox News is currently facing a $1.6 billion dollar lawsuit from Dominion Voting System,” Mikey Day’s Steve Doocy said, opening the March 4 episode. A complaint was filed against Fox Corp. and Murdoch on Friday over allegations that the network chief gave confidential information to former president Donald Trump’s campaign in 2020.

“I’m surprised because I’m such a fan of dominions. The little yellow guys with the overalls,” Bowen Yang’s Brian Kilmeade responded. Day’s Doocy clarified that he’s not talking about minions, the babbling species from Despicable Me, but the Dominion voting machines lawsuit: “Our boss, Rupert Murdoch gave some pretty shocking testimony in the case.”

Heidi Gardner’s Ainsley Earhard cuts into the conversation, complaining that “this whole trial has been so unfair. They are raking him over the coals. Rupert Murdoch would never murder anyone. They sent him away for life.” A photo of Murdaugh, a former prominent South Carolina attorney whose murder case captivated the nation, then appeared on the screen.

Day’s Doocy explained that the photo was the man sentenced to life in prison on Friday after being convicted of killing his wife and their youngest son, not the chairman of Fox Corp. “Well, we just blew the case wide open. They got the wrong guy,” Gardner’s Earhard said.

The hosts then went on to mention why Fox News isn’t covering the lawsuit much on its shows. “Anyway, Rupert Murdoch admitted that Fox News aired election fraud conspiracies to get ratings, even though everyone at Fox knew they were false,” Day’s Doocy continued. “Uh oh, I didn’t. Loop a brother in next time,” Yang’s Kilmeade responded, looking confused.

Travis Kelce, whose Kansas City Chiefs triumphed at Super Bowl LVII in Februrary, made his hosting debut Saturday night, with musical guest Kelsea Ballerini.

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The Saturday Night Live cold open featured


Few shows have been as relatable to our everyday experience as the American version of The Office when it debuted in 2005 on NBC. Over the years, characters were flanderized and toned down in keeping with network notes. 


But not Jim. The prank-loving protagonist with a hole in his heart for the cute receptionist represented the ideal audience surrogate for us. He wasn’t too attached to the workings of Dunder Mifflin (hence, all the goofy faces in the camera) and invited us to laugh at all the silliness in his vicinity.


But I’d like to present an alternative theory: Maybe Jim wasn’t the real protagonist of the Office. Maybe it was Ryan.


Although The Office ended up being about a found family in the workplace, it’s important to note that it did not start out that way. The general gist of the Dunder Mifflin world at first was that it was a typical American workplace and certainly not one that could inspire passion. 


Sure, there are some of us who are passionate about our work, but for the most part, an office is where we put our daily grind. Before the pandemic, of course, the long office hours made American offices particularly constraining. 


The inauthenticity of the modern experience, according to The Office, comes from those who maintain the illusion (hint hint: Michael Scott) that an office is more of a work family than it really is.


Jim’s instant appeal in the early seasons came from the fact that he didn’t buy Michael Scott’s version for Dunder Mifflin as some happy family.


Of course, Jim is motivated by other factors: He wants to look cool for Pam, and he sees himself as having enough in his social life to not need a group of mostly older (Creed, Phyllis, Stanley) and less self-aware (Meredith, Kevin) people in it. This is what’s behind his winks at the camera.


At the same time, Jim is affable and stands out for his people skills.


In short, Jim stands safely outside the inauthenticity of Dunder Mifflin, but he’s adept enough to navigate through it. What better hero could you ask for?


As for the case of Ryan: Consider that our favorite temp actually stands out stronger than Jim on both his chief characteristics: Apathy and upward mobility.


Ryan’s first major character-establishing episode was in The Office Season 2 Episode 4, “The Fire.” One of his first talking heads showcases him as a man who wants to define himself through antisocial tendencies.


Whereas Jim makes a show of not caring, Ryan truly walks the walk. When he gets harassed by Michael or Dwight, he is able to brush it off at superhuman levels.


Additionally, his relation to his love interest, Kelly, is further defined by apathy. In contrast, Jim is a sap for Pam despite his better instincts. 


Keep in mind that this doesn’t mean that Ryan is more likable by the standards of a sitcom audience that’s thirsty for a love story. But he DOES represent the zeitgeist of the mid-2000s when the job market was not particularly favorable towards young graduates. 


Nowadays, young graduates have a lot more power, but Ryan can be seen as more in line with the trend today that’s now known as quiet quitting: A heroic way for lowly peons in the office hierarchy to stick it to the man by slacking off.


As for upward mobility, this characteristic is clear and day. Ryan goes gets the big promotion that puts him over Michael Scott and everyone in the office.


While it’s fair that Ryan didn’t handle the role perfectly once he got it, he at least had the foresight to go to business school and position himself for it. There are also signs that Ryan sees through Jim’s weaknesses.


When Jim wavers about booking a vacation on The Office Season 2 Episode 9, Ryan notably takes a potshot at his senior officemate with a remark that Jim’s the kind of guy who will probably just wind up in Philadelphia for a weekend.


Of course, the show evolved over time thematically.


As it eclipsed the running time of its British predecessor, the show’s producers wisely realized it needed more heart if it was going to outgrow the original.


Instead of portraying the office environment as a soul-draining space that its most heroic participants endure through creativity, Dunder Mifflin became a place where the characters chose to make themselves happier by genuinely treating each other like a family.


In this sense, Ryan and Jim switched statuses quite a bit. Ryan had his Shakespearean downfall, while Jim steadily ingrained himself as part of the team and reaped the rewards in terms of promotions.


The Office is a love story between Jim and Pam, but it’s also a love story between Jim and adulthood, as represented by his office mates.


Over time, Jim learns to be mature toward his office mates, eccentric boss, and even his insufferable nemesis Dwight. By genuinely enjoying their company, work is no longer horrible.


However, office life largely stayed the same between 2005 and the show’s conclusion in 2013. To the degree that the show still appealed to the disillusioned 9-to-5 desk jockey, Jim was no longer effective as an audience surrogate.


Instead, he was the dorky dad with the tendency to overshare about his honeymoon friends or infant’s baby steps. He was the man with the mortgage who was now overly invested in babysitting Michael as co-manager.


Meanwhile, Ryan categorically was never a fit for the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. Instead, he oscillated wildly (and quite entertainingly) between being above and below his peers in status throughout the duration of the show.


This instability is what the average worker went through towards the end of the economic downtown that marked the end of the George W. Bush administration.


Ryan’s detachment from the office was also matched by increasing flakiness.


He notoriously tried to dodge work while Jim was promoted to co-manager; he barely even acknowledged to himself that he never had plans to go to Thailand, and his relationship with Kelly quickly devolved into a running gag.


If you watch The Office online, you know part of Ryan’s turn towards the worse was for comedic purposes.


At the same time, Ryan isn’t so different from most young adults who dream up plans to leave their office jobs with exotic excursions.


To disillusioned office drones, Ryan is still the most relatable character.


At the end of the day, Ryan might be the best character because whether he is heroic or not, his fortunes are the most unpredictable, and that’s the way the world works.

Orrin Konheim is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and his personal blog at Medium.

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Few shows have been as relatable to

“Women Talking” has won the USC Libraries Scripter Award for adapted screenplay in a ceremony that took place on the USC campus in Los Angeles on Saturday night.  

The Scripter Award goes to both the writer of an adapted screenplay and the author of the original material on which the screenplay was based, which meant that the award was given to writer-director Sarah Polley and novelist Miriam Toews, whose 2018 novel formed the basis for Polley’s film.  

In the 34-year history of the Scripters, the winner has matched the Oscar winner 14 times, most of those in an eight-year streak between 2010 and 2017.  

Other finalists were screenwriter Kazuo Ishiguro for “Living,” based on Leo Tolstoy’s novella “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” (via Akira Kurosawa’s Japanese film “Ikiru,” which wasn’t mentioned in the Scripter citation); screenwriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz and journalists Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey for “She Said”; and Guillermo del Toro, Patrick McHale and Matthew Robbins for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,” based on Carlos Caridi’s 19th century fairy tale. “Pinocchio” was the first animated film ever nominated for a Scripter.  

The fifth finalist was an odd case. Originally, Scripter organizers announced that “Top Gun: Maverick” was a finalist and had used characters from a 1983 magazine article by Ehud Yonay that more directly inspired the original 1986 “Top Gun.” Three weeks after the nominations were announced, though, a member of the Scripter selection committee revealed that the film did not appear on the final ballot and had been withdrawn at Paramount’s request.  

Reps for the film and for the Scripter Award declined to comment, but the likely reason is that Paramount is currently in a court battle with Yonay’s heirs over “Top Gun: Maverick.” In a motion to dismiss, the studio contended that “Maverick” has no similarities with the original 1983 article, but a judge ruled against that motion in November. The Scripter ceremony went ahead with no official mention of “Top Gun” or its original status as a finalist.  

In the television category, which was added in 2015, the winner was “Slow Horses,” with the prize going to novelist Mick Herron and screenwriter Will Smith. (He’s a British screenwriter, and yes, there were lots of jokes about the other Will Smith at another awards show.)

The ceremony took place in the Edward R. Doheny Memorial Library at USC and was a fundraising event for USC Libraries.   It was the first in-person Scripter ceremony since the beginning of the pandemic.

FILM FINALISTS
Guillermo del Toro, Patrick McHale, and Matthew Robbins for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” based on the fairy tale “The Adventures of Pinocchio” by Carlo Collodi

Kazuo Ishiguro for “Living” based on the novella “The Death of Ivan Ilyich” by Leo Tolstoy

Rebecca Lenkiewicz for “She Said” based on the nonfiction book “She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement” by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey

Screenwriter Sarah Polley and novelist Miriam Toews for “Women Talking” *WINNER

WITHDRAWN NOMINATION: Peter Craig, Ehren Kruger, Justin Marks, Christopher McQuarrie, and Eric Warren for “Top Gun: Maverick,” based on characters from the 1983 “California” magazine article “Top Guns” by Ehud Yonay    

TELEVISION FINALISTS
Peter Morgan, for the episode “Couple 31,” from “The Crown,” based on his stage play “The Audience”

Taffy Brodesser-Akner for the episode “The Liver,” from “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” based on her book of the same name

Will Smith for the episode “Failure’s Contagious,” from “Slow Horses,” based on the novel by Mick Herron *WINNER

J. T. Rogers for the episode “Yoshino” from “Tokyo Vice,” based on the memoir “Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan” by Jake Adelstein

Dustin Lance Black for the episode “When God Was Love,” from “Under the Banner of Heaven” based on the nonfiction work by Jon Krakauer  

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“Women Talking” has won the USC Libraries

Dijon’s 2021 breakout Absolutely was a sublime culmination of qualities that distinguished him from the start: There was, of course, his pleading croon, a Motown-meets-mountaineer rasp deployed most often in the service of a wistful remembrance or a strained appeal to a faltering lover; the unerring pop sensibility and penchant for melody; the endearing affinity for the grittier side of things. All these elements are firmly in place on his new single “Coogie,” but with a new, skillfully calibrated intensity. As on Absolutely, Dijon seems once again to invite listeners to a late-night session in a smoke-filled room, the twangy feedback of guitar amps being adjusted and strings tested. He stitches a tattered melody around a stuttering guitar riff, his voice still worn, apparently, from the previous night’s shouting match. Like some of Dijon’s best songs, “Coogie” has a way of feeling both cacophonous and incredibly spare, swathing his voice in a wall of roiling sound at times and denuding it at others. “When it’s bad I just push it inside/Is it bad that I just put it inside?” he mewls weakly, on the comedown after a lover’s quarrel. By the final refrain, it’s as if someone’s cranked up the gain on the entire room. “Well, I’ll do my best to bear it!” he wails, and you have no choice but to believe him. 

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Dijon’s 2021 breakout Absolutely was a sublime culmination

Any film that opens with a title card that informs you how prevalent slave labor is worldwide will be intense. Writer-director Mohit Ramchadani’s Dreamer is precisely that: an intense drama concerning events that unfold in a Los Angeles-based sweatshop. The movie centers on Jesus (Ari Lopez), a young boy given to flights of fancy where he imagines himself a professional footballer. Sadly for Jesus, now that his mom is dead, his relatives sell him to an American bottom-feeder named Rodrigo (Francisco Denis). Rodrigo is a mule for an LA sweatshop, and Jesus is his latest acquisition for the bodies who will tirelessly put out clothing for various boutiques around town.

Jesus is determined not to stay. He desperately wants a chance to prove he can play football (soccer). We, the audience, watch the multiple attempts of our hero to flee the sweatshop. The punishments meted out for failing to achieve quotas or not working efficiently enough are as brutal as you might imagine. After one particularly terrible flogging, Helena (Renata Vaca) offers Jesus some cooling cream. A friendship between the two blossoms until the day Helena is redeemed from the sweatshop. This is all the impetus Jesus requires. After that, he redoubles his efforts to find freedom.

Meanwhile, Officer Stevens (Jason Patric) has pulled Rodrigo over for driving through a traffic stop. Convinced the house on S. Harvard St. is bad, Stevens had his partner scout the place for any persons of interest. He’s determined to figure out who this Rodrigo person is and what sort of crime is unfolding.

“…his mom is dead, his relatives sell him to an American bottom-feeder named Rodrigo. Rodrigo is a mule for an LA sweatshop…”

It’s the combination of these two storylines that make Dreamer take off. The actions that unfold suggest this is meant to serve as a prayer to the universe that all people who traffic in human bondage will face consequences for their most horrifying business. I tip my hat to the production team. It’s about time someone considered why it is that clothes are so very cheap in department stores and mall boutiques these days.

The drama is well-paced and shows great promise in the suspense department. There are many taut and tense scenes that act almost like jump scares. I found myself screaming, “Run!” on several occasions. Ramchadani has written and directed a strong second film, and I’m interested in what the filmmaker plans next. Matt Diezel has edited this movie most effectively. The cuts are subtle and propel the narrative along at a merry pace. The moment where Jesus’ eye almost but not quite comes in contact with a nail is so intense, all from the editing.

Dreamer ultimately tells a story occurring in the background of everyday life. We never ask ourselves how the cheap clothes and supplies we rely on are manufactured. Sure, many such items are fashioned in automated robot factories. However, even more are created by the work of slave laborers. It’s just out of sight, so we don’t think about it. Ramchadani wants you to take two hours and do nothing but reflect on this problem. Seek out this picture if you enjoy strong character-driven dramas concerning human depravity.

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Any film that opens with a title

Leon Draisaitl’s hat trick wasn’t enough as the Edmonton Oilers were outscored 7-5 by the Winnipeg Jets Saturday night.

“You don’t win many games when you give up six goals, or seven with the empty net. We can handle a lot of situations better than we did,” head coach Jay Woodcroft said. “I saw some things we haven’t seen for a long time show up.”

For the third straight game, the Oilers scored an early power play goal with Draisaitl tapping in a rebound. It was his 25th power play goal of the season, breaking the team record he set last season. The Jets replied with goals from Mark Scheifele and Josh Morrissey to lead 2-1 after one.

Read more:

Edmonton Oilers throttle Winnipeg Jets 6-3

Ryan Nugent-Hopkins set up Mattias Janmark for a goal on a shorthanded two-on-one early in the second. Draisaitl stole Scheifele’s breakout pass and roofed a backhand past Connor Hellebuyck from sharp angle to make it 3-2 Oilers. It was Draisaitl’s 40th of the season.  Adam Lowry and Kyle Capobianco replied with goals 22 seconds part to restore the Jets advantage.

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“They played a good game, but we obviously gave them way too many chances,” Draisaitl said.

Draisaitl tapped in a power play feed from Connor McDavid for his seventh career regular season hat trick with 10:12 left in the second. That gave McDavid 58 power play points, breaking the team record set by Wayne Gretzky in 1981/82. Morgan Barron beat Jack Campbell on a breakaway, then Morrissey scored on the power play with 1.2 seconds to go in the period to make it 6-4 Jets.

Read more:

Edmonton Oilers GM says team has more size and depth after deadline

Three minutes into the third, newcomer Nick Bjugstad took a pass from Devin Shore and tapped in his 14th.

“I was just doing my best to try to get my feet under me,” Bjugstad said, who was acquired from Arizona on Thursday. “Would have loved to come up with the win first game here.”

The Oilers had the majority of the pressure in the third, firing 14 shots on goal, but Hellebuyck made several clutch saves. Dylan DeMelo put it away with a late empty net goal.

Hellebuyck finished with 30 saves while Campbell had 32 stops. Campbell has allowed four or more goals in four straight starts.

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“A couple I want back. That would have been the difference,” Campbell said. “I just know I can be so much better for this group. I’m definitely going to keep working to get there.”

“We scored well enough to win but we didn’t defend well enough to win,” Woodcroft noted.

The Oilers, 34-22-8, will visit the Buffalo Sabres on Monday (630 CHED, Face-off Show at 4 p.m., game at 5:30 p.m.).

 

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

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Leon Draisaitl’s hat trick wasn’t enough as

If Samsung sticks to the same schedule as last year, then the successor to the Galaxy Watch 5 could be with us in August – and the latest updates from the rumor mill suggest that the Galaxy Watch 6 could beat it in terms of battery life.

This is from GalaxyClub (opens in new tab) (via Phandroid (opens in new tab)), and according to certifications for the upcoming smartwatches, the Galaxy Watch 6 will carry either a 300 mAh or 425 mAh capacity battery depending on its size (40 mm or 44 mm, if it follows last year’s lead).

That’s up from 284 mAh and 410 mAh respectively, so while we’re not talking about a massive leap in terms of battery sizes, we’re hoping that the extra capacity and a few extra hardware and software tweaks mean noticeable improvements in battery life.

Watch this space

Officially, Samsung says that you can expect “up to 40 hours” between charges for the 40 mm and 44 mm Galaxy Watch 5 models, so we’re talking about a day and a half before you have to start reaching for your charger again.

Check our Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 review, and you’ll see that we managed to get the smartwatch to last a day with an exercise session included. If you want to get more than that, then you need to be careful in how you use the wearable.

There’s no mention in this leak of the Galaxy Watch Pro 5, which offers around double the battery life of the cheaper model, thanks to a 590 mAh battery. We’ll have to wait and see whether Samsung is able to improve on that this year.


Analysis: wearables have a battery life problem

More battery life is always better of course, whether we’re talking smartphones, laptops, or any other kind of electronic device. With wearables though, it’s particularly important: these gadgets are designed to be worn at all times, not sat on a charging stand.

With smartwatches, for example, they’re keeping tabs on your steps, your heart rate, your sleep patterns and more besides. Whenever you’re not wearing them, there are gaps in the data that’s being collected, making these devices less useful.

By their very nature though, these wearables are small and light. No one wants a chunky smartwatch weighing down their wrist – and that means there’s not much room for a battery. Manufacturers are essentially in a no-win situation for the time being.

Perhaps the best approach as far as smartwatches go is something like the Garmin Instinct 2: it uses a monochrome screen and can last a month between charges, while the solar powered option might never need recharging if you live somewhere sunny.

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If Samsung sticks to the same schedule

“Netflix Is a Joke” is set to come back to Los Angeles from May 2 through May 12, 2024. The comedy festival’s second outing was announced during the streamer’s first live special, the pre-show for “Chris Rock: Selective Outrage.”

The inaugural fest took place in April 2022, selling more than 260,000 tickets and thus making it the biggest comedy event in the U.S. The 12-day festival boasted 295 shows and 336 comedians across more than 35 venues in LA, and tied for the longest run of shows at the Hollywood Bowl. Its return comes as the streamer continues to push into the live comedy space.

The 2022 festival included such comics as Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Dave Chappelle, John Mulaney, Wanda Sykes, Snoop Dogg, Bill Burr, Tim Robinson, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, Pete Davidson and Seth Rogen. Highlights of the programming also included “Stand Out: An LGBTQ Celebration” and conversation/performance with the “Cobra Kai” cast

More updates will be available at https://www.netflixisajokefest.com/.

Rock’s live comedy special was announced by Netflix back in November. Since then, the platform has set a pre-show featuring Ronny Chieng, Arsenio Hall, Leslie Jones, Deon Cole and others hosting “The Show Before the Show” beginning at 6:30 p.m. PT, which will stream live from The World Famous Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip. That half-hour show will include routines from Amy Schumer, Cedric the Entertainer, Ice-T, Jerry Seinfeld, Sir Paul McCartney, Sarah Silverman, Wanda Sykes and more.

Then, Rock will begin his show, where he reportedly opens up about the infamous Oscar slap, at 7 p.m. PT, followed by a post-show aptly titled “The Show After The Show,” with special guests like David Spade, Dana Carvey, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and JB Smoove.

Watch a teaser of the festival’s return below:

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“Netflix Is a Joke” is set to

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Extraction

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Randeep Hooda, Rudraksh Jaiswal, Priyanshu Painyuli, Pankaj Tripathi

Director: Sam Hargrave

A couple of big names from the Marvel Cinematic Universe were involved with Extraction, earlier called Dhaka, and thus it was likely to be high on action. However, imaginatively choreographed action scenes have come with an old caveat that it takes a white Australian mercenary to pull a poor South East Asian kid out of a death trap.

You know what’s funnier? That there is an equally capable and trigger-happy Indian guy, whose character is almost as cynical as the white saviour, playing second fiddle despite knowing the terrains better than our Western friend. Anyway, more about it later. First the basic storyline.

Ovi (Rudhraksh Jaiswal), the teenage son of an Indian drug lord, played by Pankaj Tripathi, is kidnapped and kept in Dhaka on the orders of Bangladesh’s own ‘Pablo Escobar’ Asif (Priyanshu Painyuli). Saju (Randeep Hooda), under pressure from Ovi’s father, decides to seek help from a foreign mercenary Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth), but the rescue mission is tougher than what he imagined initially.

With a customary ‘welcome to Dhaka’ dialogue, director Sam Hargrave makes us visit the illegal drug trafficking scene in Bangladesh a la City of God, but the scenes get a lift only after Painyuli arrives. The contrast between his calmness and menacing actions works in his favour, but by then Hemsworth has already killed half of the most crowded street of Dhaka.

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Truth be told, his only mission seems to be playing PUBG, only with real people. If he threatened Painyuli of dire consequences by gunning down only half a dozen guards, he would have happily released the kid. Why mess with such an irrational guy!

After a while, it seems we are trapped in between two sides whose only motive is to kill more people. There are choppers crossing international borders and waters without any hesitation and qualms. The security forces are openly facilitating the criminals without worrying much about the international relations.

On second thoughts, Extraction is a template ‘kind-hearted’ mercenary film. All the typical tropes of such films are there. Hemsworth has a predictable backstory that he would cry over during his hideout interaction with the kidnapped boy. He is, of course, doing it to avoid the ghosts of his past and not money. And to top it all, there is another white friend from his past at the centre of action. Everybody needs help after all.

We have seen similar films, both in Hollywood and Hindi.

The only point at which Extraction, which has screenplay by Joe Russo, could have redeemed itself was in hand to hand combat scenes. Thankfully, those scenes work.

The emotional quotient of the film definitely needs a hike. Most of the primary actors appear to be working in isolation. For example, Randeep Hooda’s character required a lot more depth but it has been compromised in order to kill more people during a sad bridge battle focusing on Hemsworth’s hot headedness.

Rudhraksh Jaiswal’s innocence is perceptible, but everything from his name to the heavy-duty dialogues given to him screams of detached writing. Had the little boy not been a good actor, it could have been a disaster in making.

Coming back to Painyuli, for the sincerely charming actor of Bhavesh Joshi Superhero and Upstarts, it’s a chance that he grabbed with both hands. For every faltering Hargrave move, he turns out to be a cushion in the know-how of the proceedings.

Sam Hargrave, stunt coordinator of Captain America-Civil War and Avengers-Endgame, faces the dilemma of choosing between hardcore action and emotional support till Hemsworth decides to go all out with his bazookas and rocket launchers.

For a 117-minute film, there are too many distractions in Extraction that forces the audience to look away and not appreciate Hemworth’s world famous handsomeness.

Rating: 2/5

Interaction with Rohit Vats at Twitter/@nawabjha

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Extraction Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Randeep Hooda, Rudraksh Jaiswal,

Twenty-nine years ago, Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne were celebrating their Academy Award nominations for portraying Tina Turner and Ike Turner in 1993’s “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” This year, Bassett is nominated for the best supporting actress Oscar for her commanding performance as Queen Ramonda in “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” and her longtime collaborator couldn’t be more thrilled.

Calling in between interviews for “John Wick: Chapter 4,” Fishburne tells Variety, “It’s what’s in my heart that I’d like to talk about more than what’s on my mind. I’m just really, really happy about all of the accolades that have been coming Angela’s way for this performance.”

Fishburne sought out “Wakanda Forever” early in its theatrical run, interested to see what the Marvel sequel had in store.

“I was just blown away by a couple of things,” he says, recounting the experience. “First and foremost, this is a movie with five Black women as the leads, which was incredible. And the way Angela held the space as the queen was beyond impressive. Her leadership in this movie is incredible and her generosity, also, was just so beautiful to see.”

When Bassett’s Queen Ramonda lamented over losing her entire family (“Have I not given everything?” she cries.), Fishburne was particularly bowled over: “It’s just heartbreaking and so brilliant.”

Coincidentally, it was Bassett’s turn opposite Fishburne in 1991’s “Boyz n the Hood,” that lay the foundation for that memorable monologue. During Variety’s cover shoot last November, “Wakanda Forever” filmmaker Ryan Coogler told Bassett that the scene where she and Fishburne verbally sparred over the care of their son Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.) still stuck with him after all these years.

“You put him in his place,” Coogler said, summarizing the sequence. “You were like, ‘Moms have been doing what you’ve been doing all the time, so you don’t get no cookie.’”

Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne during 31st Annual Publicists Guild of America Awards Luncheon at Beverly Hills Hilton Hotel.
Ron Galella Collection via Getty

While Fishburne doesn’t keep specific memories of filming scenes at the top of his mind, he does remember the first time he saw Bassett perform.

“She was in the Broadway production of August Wilson’s ‘Joe Turner’s Come and Gone,’” Fishburne recalls. “I was absolutely blown away by her intelligence and her strength, her beauty, her acting — I mean, all of it. She was the total package. To see her live, if you’ve never seen her live, is really something.”

Of course, Fishburne eventually witnessed that talent from the closest proximity possible, as the actors developed a lasting partnership on screen and stage. Two years after “Boyz n the Hood” came “What’s Love Got to Do with It”; then, they collaborated twice in 2006, co-starring in “Akeelah and the Bee” in theaters and on stage in a production of August Wilson’s “Fences” at the Pasadena Playhouse.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” Fishburne says, considering what makes Bassett such a special scene partner. “The word that people use is ‘chemistry,’ that Angela and I just have a chemistry that is undeniable and innate. But I think it is really born out of the fact that we both love what we do. And when we come together, we make room for each other to really, really use all of our abilities and all of our talents. We complement each other.”

Another touchstone in their connection is their shared background in theater. “We are both passionate about our craft and made choices that reflect that,” Fishburne adds. “So, this is not a surprise that she is receiving the kind of attention and accolades that she deserves for her work. It’s just a really beautiful moment.”

On Friday, Bassett sat down with “CBS This Morning” anchor Gayle King to discuss her career and reflected on what it was like not winning the Oscar 29 years ago. “I choose to believe there’s a reason why it didn’t happen,” Bassett said, looking back.

In fact, despite delivering a truly transformative performance as Tina Turner, Bassett went 18 months before landing her next role, with “Strange Days,” “Vampire in Brooklyn” and “Waiting to Exhale” following the dry spell.

Asked what he remembers about that period, Fishburne says, “I was very happy that we got nominated, and we’ve gone on to have wonderful careers. Time didn’t stop. Obviously, Angela didn’t get the kind of offers that one would expect after getting an Academy Award nomination, but it was a different time.”

He explains: “There were still, as you say, barriers to be broken down. There wasn’t the variety of roles available to women of color like there are now, largely due to Angela’s presence on screen.”

With Bassett’s best supporting actress Oscar nod has come a reevaluation of her legacy, which boasts one classic after the other. Audiences are reminded of “How Stella Got Her Groove Back,” “Akeelah and the Bee” (starring a young Keke Palmer) and her portrayal of a host of historical figures, including Betty Shabazz (in “Malcolm X”), Katherine Jackson (“The Jacksons: An American Drama”) and Rosa Parks (“The Rosa Parks Story”).

Over the years, Fishburne has observed Bassett’s work as a fan, as much as he has as a friend. “Angela is a consummate actor. There’s nothing she can’t do,” he says, musing over her lengthy filmography. “One of my favorites is her take on Marie Laveau in the ‘American Horror Story’ series. I really loved her portrayal of that character. ‘Ruby’s Bucket of Blood’ is a lot of fun too; she was really great at that. But for me, really, I’m anxious to see what she does next.”

Could that next project be another on-screen reunion? “I’m sure there will be opportunities that come up for us to work together again,” Fishburne says. ‘Hopefully it’ll be something that we both feel passionate about and excited about, and then we’ll do it.”

In the meantime, Fishburne will be watching the Academy Awards on March 12 and rooting for Bassett.

“My hope is that she wins. I’m not gonna beat around the bush about it,” he says, bursting into a hearty chuckle. “I am just excited for her and happy for her. Nobody deserves it more.”

Laurence Fishburne, Keke Palmer and Angela Bassett attend the L.A. premiere of “Akeelah and the Bee” in 2006.
Vince Bucci/Getty Images

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Twenty-nine years ago, Angela Bassett and Laurence

The upcoming Joker sequel arrives in theaters on October 4, 2024.


Joker is coming back to the screen. Despite recent announcements from DC Studios co-CEO James Gunn about the next steps on the franchise’s extender universe, the Joaquin Phoenix starring sequel it’s still on track, with Lady Gaga joining the oscar-winning actor to play the legendary Harley Quin.


Todd Phillips is back to getting behind the cameras for Joker: Folie a Deux. The title that the new movie receives refers to two people with the same clinical condition, probably Arthur Fleck and his new lover, who he’ll meet inside the unhappy facilities of Arkham Asylum, a famous place in Gotham City.

After revealing the first look at Gaga’s character for Valentine’s Day, new images (courtesy of House of DC), show Phoenix’s main character/villain walking around the streets in the full Joker look:

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

The movie is rumored to be a musical, which would make sense with the singer on board, that will tell the unhealthy and toxic “love story” that reunites two of the most iconic Batman villains. However, according to recent information, the film will not rigorously follow the famous storyline of Harley in the animated series but will see her as another Arkham patient instead of Joker’s psychiatrist.

Related: The Flash Shows New Suits for Its Titular Hero and Villain


Joker 2 and Other DC Elseworld’s Projects

The Batman
Warner Bros. Pictures

Joker 2 will be part of a slot of upcoming projects that will coexist with DC Studios’ new canon without being part of it. These include The Batman Part 2, the long-awaited sequel to Robert Pattinson’s version of the Caped Crusader, which will arrive in 2025. Inside the same universe, HBO Max will release an original series centered on Colin Farrell’s Penguin, leading directly to The Dark Knight’s new adventure.

Another important movie from Elseworlds will be Constantine 2, which will see the return of Keanu Reeves as the paranormal detective, with Francis Lawrence coming back to direct. The film is already in development. Superman will also have an alternative version, with Calvin Ellis being the Man of Steel. There’s no current information about this project, but Michael B. Jordan could be the main star.

On the small screen, Clark Kent could have another identity with Tyler Hoechlin reprising his role in Superman & Lois, but it’s still uncertain if the series will go on beyond its third season. Same case with Gotham Knights, which will arrive on The CW this same month. And last but not least, Kaley Cuoco’s Harley Quinn has already confirmed her return, with it being the most optimistic TV project to continue.

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The upcoming Joker sequel arrives in theaters

During a recent The Sims 4 live stream, we learned more about the upcoming Infants update and the Growing Together expansion pack. Both are releasing in mid-March, but until now, we mainly had bits and pieces of what’s in store. One of the most exciting announcements unveiled in the stream is that child Sims will get new aspirations for the first time since the game launched.

Children in The Sims 4 Are Finally Getting New Aspirations For the First Time

In the live stream, we saw a comprehensive walkthrough of the Growing Together Create-a-Sim features. While there are plenty of fun hair, body and clothing options, the real excitement came from the four new aspirations shown for children. Previously, children only had four related to their primary skills, meaning this pack doubles that number.

Related: All Pre-Order Bonuses for The Sims 4: Growing Together Expansion Pack

In the expansion, the aspirations are bundled into one category known as “Multiskill”. This aspiration category highlights that the child Sim will need multiple skills to accomplish their goals rather than beelining one and maxing it.

Below are the four aspirations the expansion will add:

  • Playtime Captain
  • Creative Genius
  • Mind and Body
  • Slumber Party Animal

Every one of these aspirations combines aspects of at least two skills to encourage your child Sim to try out multiple new things at once!

Alongside the new aspirations, the Growing Together expansion pack also introduces a new region named San Sequoia, new likes and dislikes, and plenty of new households for your Sims to interact with. The pack releases on March 16, 2023, with the free Infant update coming out slightly earlier on March 14!

The Sims 4 is available on PC, Mac, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4 through the official website. If you’d like to learn more about the game, check out Where to Find Coconuts in The Sims 4: Island Living and When Does The Sims 4: Growing Together Expansion Pack Release?

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During a recent The Sims 4 live

Things that go bump in the night will be honored at the first ParaPod Awards, set for Saturday, April 1 as part of the ParaPod Festival in Santa Clarita, Calif.

The awards honor the influencers and content creators who work in the paranormal genre.

“As a content producer and host myself, being able to create a platform to celebrate the paranormal genre and those content creators who are working in it has been a long-time goal,” says ParaPod founder Tony Sweet. “Influencers, podcasters, documentary filmmakers, television producers, and hosts who dare to cover topics like UFOs or Bigfoot often get overlooked by mainstream awards shows, and I want to change that.”

Podcasters whose content covered the paranormal were asked to submit their work in various categories via the ParaPod Festival website. A committee of listeners rated the podcasts in their selected categories to create a list of finalists. The finalist podcasts were then listened to and rated by a second committee to determine the nominees.

The podcast nominees for the ParaPod Awards are:

In the category of Best UFO Podcast:

  • Strange Darkness Radio
  • UFO Chronicles
  • Paranormal Almanac

In the category of Best True Crime Podcast:

  • Hollyweird Paranormal
  • Heart Starts Pounding
  • Ghost Town

In the category of Best Ghost Podcast:

  • Ghost Town
  • Mega Strange
  • The Haunted Happy Hour

In the category of Best Spiritual/Psychic Podcast:

  • The Witching Hour
  • The Colby Rebel Show
  • Paranormal Almanac

In the category of Best Podcast Host(s):

  • Jason Horton & Rebecca Leib
  • Derrick Acosta & Johnny Weiss
  • Kaelyn Moore

In the category of Podcast of the Year:

  • Heart Starts Pounding
  • Ghost Town
  • Mega Strange

Documentary filmmakers worldwide submitted their short-form and feature-length paranormal films via FilmFreeway.com to be viewed and rated by a viewing committee, who determined which films would be official selections. A panel of judges rated the films to determine the finalists in each category for the ParaPod Awards.

The finalists for Best Short Paranormal Documentary are:

  • (After)Life, directed by Ben Goldman (USA)
  • Close Encounters Interview with Preston Dennett, directed by Matt Schwartz (USA)
  • The Conspiratologist, directed by Stephen Bradford and Justin Jay Jones (USA)

The finalists for Best Feature Paranormal Documentary are:

  • Contemplation: On the Psychedelic Experience, directed by Julian Austin Palmer (AUS)
  • Accidental Truth – UFO Revelations, directed by Ron James (USA)
  • Black Knight Satellite: Beyond the Signal, directed by Melissa Tittl (USA)

Additionally, the ParaPod Festival social media team launched an online series of audience polls to determine the nominees and winners of the ParaPod Audience Favorites Awards for mainstream, paranormal television series. The nominees for the ParaPod Awards are:

In the category of Best UFO Series:

  • A Tear in the Sky
  • Ancient Aliens
  • Truth Declassified

In the category of Best Non-fiction Ghost Series:

  • Ghost Adventures
  • Destination Fear
  • Kindred Spirits

In the category of Best Cryptid Investigation Series:

  • The UnXplained
  • Mountain Monsters
  • Destination Truth

In the category of Best TV Psychic Medium:

  • Chip Coffey
  • Tyler Henry
  • Patti Negri

In the category of Best Paranormal Host:

  • Ben Hansen
  • Zak Bagans
  • Giorgio Tsoukalos.

The content of podcast nominees and film festival finalists can be viewed online at www.parapodfestival.com in the Podcast Awards Listening Room and the Film Festival Screening Room.

The ParaPod Awards will begin just after the festival events on Saturday, April 1 at 7:00 PM at the Hyatt Regency Valencia.

Podcast Host(s):

  • Jason Horton & Rebecca Leib
  • Derrick Acosta & Johnny Weiss
  • Kaelyn Moore

In the category of Podcast of the Year:

  • Heart Starts Pounding
  • Ghost Town
  • Mega Strange

Documentary filmmakers worldwide submitted their short-form and feature-length paranormal films via FilmFreeway.com to be viewed and rated by a viewing committee, who determined which films would be official selections. Then, a panel of judges rated the films to determine the finalists in each category for the ParaPod Awards.

The finalists for Best Short Paranormal Documentary are:

  • (After)Life, directed by Ben Goldman (USA)
  • Close Encounters Interview with Preston Dennett, directed by Matt Schwartz (USA)
  • The Conspiratologist, directed by Stephen Bradford and Justin Jay Jones (USA)

The finalists for Best Feature Paranormal Documentary are:

  • Contemplation: On the Psychedelic Experience, directed by Julian Austin Palmer (AUS)
  • Accidental Truth – UFO Revelations, directed by Ron James (USA)
  • Black Knight Satellite: Beyond the Signal, directed by Melissa Tittl (USA)

Additionally, the ParaPod Festival social media team launched an online series of audience polls to determine the nominees and winners of the ParaPod Audience Favorites Awards for mainstream, paranormal television series. The nominees for the ParaPod Awards are:

In the category of Best UFO Series:

  • A Tear in the Sky
  • Ancient Aliens
  • Truth Declassified

In the category of Best Non-fiction Ghost Series:

  • Ghost Adventures
  • Destination Fear
  • Kindred Spirits

In the category of Best Cryptid Investigation Series:

  • The UnXplained
  • Mountain Monsters
  • Destination Truth

In the category of Best TV Psychic Medium:

  • Chip Coffey
  • Tyler Henry
  • Patti Negri

In the category of Best Paranormal Host:

  • Ben Hansen
  • Zak Bagans
  • Giorgio Tsoukalos.

The content of podcast nominees and film festival finalists can be viewed online at www.parapodfestival.com in the Podcast Awards Listening Room and the Film Festival Screening Room.

The ParaPod Awards will begin just after the festival events on Saturday, April 1 at 7:00 PM at the Hyatt Regency Valencia. The awards ceremony is open to speakers, invited guests, VIP ticket holders only. VIP Weekend passes are available online at www.parapodfestival.com.

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Things that go bump in the night

The Film Independent Spirit Awards are underway on the beach in Santa Monica, with Saturday’s ceremony one of the last major awards stops ahead of March 12’s Academy Awards, whose voters still have ballots in hand.

Follow our winners list below as winners are revealed.

Among the 19 film and TV categories up for grabs this afternoon are three pics that are also in the Oscar Best Picture Race: A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once, which leads the nominee field today; Focus Features’ Tár; and UAR’s Women Talking.

Already, Everything‘s Ke Huy Quan solidified his Oscar frontrunner status and won Best Supporting Performance trophy, the first of the Spirits’ inaugural gender-neutral categories to be awarded today. His castmate Stephanie Hsu won Best Breakthrough Performance.

Ayo Edebiri from FX’s The Bear has won the supporting category on the TV side. Soon after, The Bear won the Best New Scripted Series honor.

Everything is having a good day with wins also for Best Screenplay and Editing. Other film-side winners include Best Cinematography for Tár, Best First Screenplay to John Patton Ford for Emily the Criminal, Venice Golden Lion winner All the Beauty and the Bloodshed with Best Documentary, and Pakistan’s Joyland as Best International Film.

Honorees today also included Women Talking receiving the Spirits’ Robert Altman Award, given to a film’s director, casting director and ensemble cast. Apple TV+’s Pachinko already won the Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series honor.

Last year in the film races, Netflix’s The Lost Daughter took Best Feature, while that film’s Maggie Gyllenhaal won Best Director and Best Screenplay.

Here’s the list of winners as they roll out:

Best First Feature

Aftersun
Director: Charlotte Wells
Producers: Mark Ceryak, Amy Jackson, Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski

Robert Altman Award

Women Talking
Director: Sarah Polley
Casting Directors: John Buchan, Jason Knight
Ensemble Cast: Shayla Brown, Jessie Buckley, Claire Foy, Kira Guloien, Kate Hallett, Judith Ivey, Rooney Mara, Sheila McCarthy, Frances McDormand, Michelle McLeod, Liv McNeil, Ben Whishaw, August Winter

Producers Award

Tory Lenosky

Best Breakthrough Performance

Stephanie Hsu
Everything Everywhere All At Once

Someone To Watch Award

Nikyatu Jusu
Nanny

Best Cinematography

Florian Hoffmeister
Tár

Best Editing

Paul Rogers
Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best New Non-Scripted or Documentary Series

The Rehearsal
Creator/Executive Producer: Nathan Fielder
Executive Producers: Dave Paige, Dan McManus, Christie Smith
Co-Executive Producers: Carrie Kemper, Eric Notarnicola

Truer Than Fiction Award

Reid Davenport
I Didn’t See You There

Best New Scripted Series

The Bear
Creator/Executive Producer: Christopher Storer
Executive Producers: Joanna Calo, Josh Senior, Hiro Murai
Co-Executive Producer: Rene Gube

Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series

Pachinko
Ensemble Cast: Soji Arai, Jin Ha, Inji Jeong, Minha Kim, Kaho Minami, Lee Minho, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Anna Sawai, Jimmi Simpson, Yuh-jung Youn

Best Screenplay

Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert
Everything Everywhere All At Once

Best First Screenplay

John Patton Ford
Emily the Criminal

Best International Film

Joyland
Pakistan/USA
Director: Saim Sadiq

Best Supporting Performance In a New Scripted Series

Ayo Edebiri
The Bear

Best Documentary

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Director/Producer: Laura Poitras
Producers: Howard Gertler, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, John Lyons

Best Supporting Performance (Film)

Ke Huy Quan
Everything Everywhere All at Once

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The Film Independent Spirit Awards are underway on the

Sometimes I find myself watching complex film after complex film; reading between the lines of dynamic, intricate screenplays while trying to divulge and define the symbolic meanings they hide within them. And other times? I watch movies about seashells with googly eyes. From director Dean Fleisher Camp, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On is refreshing proof that those latter, unexpected scenarios can be just as good as their “made-you-think” counterparts. The film is presented as a bizarre mockumentary following a one-inch tall, talking shell, Marcel, and his grandmother Connie through their day-to-day life living in the cracks and crevices of a human-occupied Airbnb. In the early clips of the doc, however, the audience discovers that Marcel and Connie are not the only anthropomorphic shells out there, and that the rest of their community has recently mysteriously vanished. In the comedic plot that follows, Marcel and his camera man Dean attempt to harness the power of social media and internet celebrity to find the lost shells. Though I won’t tell you whether or not the pair are successful, I will tell you that the two make a valiant effort, and that effort – in my opinion – is a quirky, intelligent and heartwarming journey to watch.

Photo: A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection

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By Kara VanDooijeweert Sometimes I find myself watching complex

Ayo Edebiri took home the prize for best supporting performance in a new scripted series at the Independent Spirit Awards for her role in The Bear.

“I didn’t really prepare any remarks and my manager gave me a piece of paper,” Edebiri began her acceptance speech. “I just want to say, I’m really grateful. Yeah, this is really nice and very cool.”

She went on to say it was important for her to see a room — er, tent — full of people who look like and feel like her.

“I grew up, and there weren’t people who looked like me or felt like me,” Edebiri continued. “This is really nice because I’m in a room full of a lot of people, who I really admire and looked up to, but there’s also a lot of people who look like me and feel like me, and that’s really nice.”

The 2023 Spirit Awards marked the first year of the Film Independent’s switch to gender-neutral categories for acting, which resulted in the nominees in each category vying for the trophy alongside nine other people, instead of five.

Edebiri competed against Danielle Deadwyler (Station Eleven), Jeff Hiller (Somebody Somewhere), Gbemisola Ikumelo (A League of Their Own), Janelle James (Abbott Elementary), Ebon Moss-Bachrach (The Bear), Frankie Quiñones (This Fool), Sheryl Lee Ralph (Abbott Elementary), Molly Shannon (I Love That For You) and Tramell Tillman (Severance).

Film Independent’s decision to create gender-neutral categories follows similar moves from the Gotham Awards and MTV Movie & TV Awards, among other awards organizations, in recent years.

“We’re thrilled to join the other festivals and award shows that are already moving to celebrate great acting without reference to gender,” the organization’s president Josh Welsh said about the news in August. “We’re also happy to welcome non-binary performers into the Spirit Awards without forcing them to choose to identify as male or female.”

The Independent Spirit Awards are airing live on IMDb, as well as across Film Independent’s various social platforms, its YouTube channel, Twitter and Facebook.

Check out the Spirit Awards’ star-studded red carpet arrivals here.

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Ayo Edebiri took home the prize for

Glen Lockett, the in-house producer and engineer for legendary punk label SST Records who was better known as SPOT, has died, reports former SST co-owner Joe Carducci. He had been on oxygen after his fibrosis impaired his lung function in late 2021, and three months ago he was placed in a hospital following a stroke, Carducci revealed in a Facebook post. Lockett died earlier today (March 4) at a healthcare facility in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. He was 72.

As the longtime in-house producer for SST Records, SPOT helmed the boards for essentially the crux of ‘80s American punk rock. He produced more than 100 records, many of which are bonafide classics in the punk and hardcore world and have gone on to influence artists outside of the genre. Highlights from his body of work range from numerous Black Flag staples like Damaged, My War, and Jealous Again to Minutemen’s The Punch Line, What Makes a Man Start Fires?, and Buzz or Howl Under the Influence of Heat. Spot also produced Descendents’ Milo Goes to College, Hüsker Dü’s Zen Arcade, Misfits’ Earth A.D. / Wolfs Blood, and Saint Vitus’ self-titled debut, along with additional records for those bands and others.

Born Glen Lockett in Los Angeles in 1951, SPOT was raised by his Native American mother and African-American father, the latter of whom was a Tuskegee Airman who flew British Spitfires. He grew up listening to post-bebop jazz, surf rock, Motown, and whatever music he could find on the AM radio. After learning to play guitar at age 12, SPOT tried his hand at clarinet and even auditioned for Captain Beefheart. It wasn’t until years later, when he offered to help with a recording studio build, that he learned about the ins and outs of studio recording. 

Before he became an integral part of the SST sound, SPOT was a musician, not a producer. While waiting tables at a vegan restaurant, he met Greg Ginn, the future co-founder of Black Flag and SST Records, and the two started jamming together in his band. After witnessing a Black Flag show gone awry, SPOT decided he wanted to work the board on their next record, a decision that would result in a lot of “head butting” and, eventually, 1980’s Jealous Again. The rest was history.

“[SPOT] spelled his name in all caps with a dot in the middle of the O,” Carducci wrote on Facebook. “He started in Hermosa Beach playing and recording jazz and he took the primacy of live jazz playing into recording bands against prevailing attempts to soften or industrialize a back-to-basics arts movement in sound. When approaching the mixing board, SPOT would assume an Elvis-like stance and then, gesturing toward all the knobs, he would say in a Louis Armstrong-like voice, ‘This is going to be gelatinous!’”

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Glen Lockett, the in-house producer and engineer

After months of anticipation, hard work, frenzied planning sessions and curating a seemingly endless stream of cinematic gems, the capital “B” capital “D” BIG DAY is finally here! It’s a mild late-winter afternoon, and we’re back under the tent by the Santa Monica Pier for the 38th iteration of the Film Independent Spirit Awards!

This year’s ceremony is streamed live on IMDb’s YouTube and across other social platforms, including Film Independent’s own YouTube channel and Twitter.

Now! Please join us in congratulating all of this year’s nominees and winners. The Spirit Awards goes to …..

BEST SUPPORTING PERFORMANCE

Ke Huy Quan, Everything Everywhere All At Once

 

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director and producer)

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed
Director/Producer: Laura Poitras
Producers: Howard Gertler, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, John Lyons

 

Relive your favorite #SpiritAwards moments on YouTube and Twitter and be sure to check back with the blog for more Spirit Awards recaps and exclusive content in the coming days.

Film Independent Spirit Awards are supported by Principal Partner IMDb and Official Partners Bulleit Frontier Whiskey, FIJI Water and GreenSlate. The Official Hotel is Hotel Casa del Mar. Getty Images is the Official Photographer.

Keep up with Film Independent…

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“It’s not what you think it is. It’s a cage; it does everything it can to break you.” So speaketh Kang the Conqueror in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

But the quote could also apply in real-life to reviews of the film, which has been largely dismissed by a significant percentage of critics.

Jonathan Majors, who plays Kang in the film, talked about how the negative reviews of the Marvel film affected him on Friday’s episode of IndieWire’s “Screen Talk” podcast.

Fortunately for his psyche, Majors realizes that online trolling about a film he’s in “doesn’t change” how he sees himself.

“One thing I will say to my team as we’re leaving a premiere, if they’re reading reviews, I’ll say, ‘How’s the movie doing?’ I try to clean my plate and take care of my part,” said Majors.

“The response is: ‘You’re straight. You’re good. They like you.’ And (then) they tell me about the movie. Sometimes the movie is also on that level, and sometimes [it’s not].”

To Majors, it’s all just information. ““I look at the aggregate and, OK, 47. But what does that 47 mean when you also got this amount of box office? What do these things mean? It’s information,” he said.

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“It’s not what you think it is.

Just over a week before Hollywood’s biggest names take the Oscar stage, this year’s Film Independent Spirit nominees are gracing the Saturday ceremony in their finest looks. Take a look at the stars stunning red carpet looks in another memorable fashion moment in this year’s awards season despite the ceremony’s less formal tone.

 

We’ll be updating this article live as more arrivals take place.

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Just over a week before Hollywood's biggest

The Film That Lit My Fuse is a Deadline video series that aims to provide an antidote to headlines about industry uncertainty by swinging the conversation back to the creative ambitions, formative influences and inspirations of some of today’s great screen artists.

Today’s subject is Guillermo del Toro, the Mexican-born writer/director/producer whose stop-motion animated film, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is a frontrunner for the Best Animated Feature. As painstakingly generated as it is breathtaking, the stop motion tale of the famed wooden boy takes a decided detour from the iconic Disney film, even though they both used the Carlo Collodi story as reference. An accomplished world creator with films like Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy, Nightmare Alley, Pacific Rim and The Strain, del Toro’s career highlight is The Shape of Water, which won Best Picture and also won him the Best Director Oscar. He directed Pinocchio with Mark Gustavson, and Pinocchio returns del Toro to the father/son stories like Frankenstein that he loves to tell. Here, he explains it all in his irresistible way, including the films & series that influenced his sensibilities as filmmaker. That journey began in Mexico and then moved to Hollywood after his father was kidnapped and ransomed, with help from his dear friend James Cameron.

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The Film That Lit My Fuse is

Malala Yousafzai, the guest on this episode of The Hollywood Reporter’s Awards Chatter podcast, is one of the most remarkable young women in the world. Since the age of 11, she has been a tireless activist for girls to have access to a quality education. For daring to take this position in her native Pakistan, she was shot in the head in 2012, but she survived, recovered and has continued her fight, for which she was recognized in 2014, at the age of just 17, as the youngest-ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

And now, she’s bringing her talents to Hollywood, generally — and, THR can exclusively report, to the Academy Awards, as well. “I will be there at the Oscars,” the executive producer of the Oscar-nominated documentary short Stranger at the Gate tells us. “I’m thinking about what I’m going to wear, so I am working with the stylist right now, and we are going through different sketches and how the dress should look. It can be pretty scary, but I’m just excited. I am really excited to be in the company of such incredible people who we have admired, seen onscreen for many years and who have impacted our lives.”

Yousafzai sat down with THR last week in Santa Monica, where she was staying while participating in promotional activities for Stranger at the Gate, a 29-minute documentary directed by Joshua Seftel that tells the remarkable story of a PTSD-afflicted Islamophobic veteran of the U.S. Marines, who had planned to bomb a mosque in Indiana, only to be won over, while visiting the mosque, by its congregants.

Over the course of this episode, Yousafzai, who is now 25, reflects on her early years and what inspired her to become an activist in the first place; what her life has been like since she was shot, and the degree to which progress for her cause has been made; and why she is increasingly devoting her attention to the entertainment industry. Indeed, in 2021, prior to her association with Stranger at the Gate, she established a production company, Extracurricular, which is overseen by former Berlanti Productions executive Erika Kennair and has a deal with Apple TV+.

In the opening segment, though, our guest is Seftel, the veteran documentary filmmaker who directed — and is now Oscar-nominated for — Stranger at the Gate. He discusses his path to that project and working with Yousafzai.

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Malala Yousafzai, the guest on this episode

Last Updated: March 04, 2023, 21:57 IST

Sushmita Sen and Sheezan Khan were among the top newsmakers on Saturday. (Photos: Instagram)

From Sushmita Sen opening up about her heart attack to Sheezan Khan finally getting bail in Tunisha Sharma’s suicide case; here are the top headlines of the day.

Sushmita Sen left everyone shocked and worried earlier this week after she announced that she recently suffered a heart attack. Days after, on Saturday, the Aarya actress interacted with her fans via an Instagram live session and assured all that she is fine now. During the session, Sushmita thanked her doctors for ‘saving her life’ and mentioned that she survived a ‘very big’ heart attack. Sen also revealed that she had 95 percent blockage in her main artery.

Read More: Sushmita Sen Talks About Her ‘Very Big’ Heart Attack, Reveals 95% Blockage In Her Main Artery

In a big development in Tunisha Sharma’s suicide case, Sheezan Khan has finally been granted bail. The former Ali Baba actor has been granted bail on the surety amount of Rs 1 lakh and the conditions laid down for his bail were that he shouldn’t tamper with the evidence and cooperate with the judicial proceedings. Besides this, Khan’s passport has already been kept in the custody of Vasai police. Sheezan was arrested on December 25 last year, a day after Tunisha was found hanging in the make-up room of her show, Ali Baba.

Read More: Sheezan Khan Gets Bail In Tunisha Sharma’s Suicide Case; Deets Inside

Saif Ali Khan has issued a statement clarifying his ‘bedroom me aa jaiye’ remark at the paparazzi. In his statement, Saif also addressed the reports claiming that he is firing a security guard after some shutterbugs barged into his residential building on March 2. The Vikram Vedha actor dismissed such reports and added that he is not taking any legal action on paps. He also recalled what happened on March 2 and shared how paps ‘barged into’ his private property.

Read More: Saif Ali Khan Clarifies His ‘Bedroom’ Remark To Paps, Dismisses Reports of Sacking Security Guard

Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli recently visited the Mahakaleshwar temple in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh with their daughter Vamika. While several pictures of the couple from their visit have already surfaced on social media, even Kangana Ranaut is left completely impressed. On Saturday, the Queen actress took to her Instagram stories, shared a video of Anushka and Virat from the religious place and praised them for being ‘such a good example’.

Read More: Kangana Ranaut Lauds ‘Power Couple’ Anushka Sharma-Virat Kohli As They Visit Mahakaleshwar Temple

BTS singer Jin made our Saturday morning by sharing a picture in his military uniform. Kim Seokjin returned to Instagram to share his first post since he enlisted for military training. The Moon singer shared a picture in which he was seen wearing the uniform while posing with J-Hope and Jimin. Sharing the picture, he wrote, “Welcome.”

Read More: BTS: Jin Shares FIRST PIC In Military Uniform as J-Hope, Jimin Visit Him At Training; ARMY Breaks Down

Read all the Latest Movies News here

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Last Updated: March 04, 2023, 21:57 ISTSushmita




Marvel won arguably its most impressive movie award to date, while the next MCU movie debuted its final trailer.

We’ll catch up on the latest superhero happenings in the latest MarvelBlog News!

Wakanda Forever!

Source: Marvel Studios

Angela Bassett earned her first Golden Globe Award in 1993 for her triumphant work as Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It.

Now, 29 years later (almost to the day), Bassett has won again. Of course, we’re not an Angela Bassett fansite here so that’s not the reason we’re mentioning it.

Instead, the significance for Marvel fans stems from why Bassett won. She emerged triumphant as Ramonda, the overly suffering Queen of Wakanda,

Source: Marvel Studios

That’s right, folks. For the first time ever, Marvel has won a topline award at the Golden Globes or Academy Awards.

Specifically, Bassett earned her Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress. In the process, she became the first Marvel performer to win a major acting award.

Angela Bassett Black Panther

Photo: Vanity Fair

The significance of this feat is overwhelming and secures the legacy of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever as one of the MCU’s most important films ever.

A clearly delighted Bassett mentioned her appreciation of the late Chadwick Boseman during her acceptance speech. Here’s a taste of it:

Here’s the transcript of her poignant comments:

“We embarked on this journey together with love. We mourned, we loved, we healed. We were surrounded each and every day by the light and the spirit of Chadwick Boseman. We have joy in knowing that with this historic Black Panther series, it is a part of his legacy that he helped to lead us. We showed the world what Black unity, leadership, and love looks like, behind and in front of the camera. To the Marvel fans, thank you for embracing these characters and showing us so much love.”

What If Disney Plus Chadwick Boseman Star-Lord

Photo: Disney/Marvel

Today’s a really good day for Marvel and its fans.

Quantumania Fever! Catch It!

Source: Marvel

Disney also threw the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania marketing campaign into overdrive this past week.

Marvel’s owner secured prime placement on its broadcast network, ABC, for the final Ant-Man 3 trailer.

Source: Marvel Studios

Alas, the strategy backfired a bit, as ABC aired the College Football Playoff National Championship Game at the time. The final score of that game was 65-7. So…

Honestly, the new Quantumania trailer might have been the highlight of the broadcast unless you’re a Georgia fan. Here’s the new clip:

This commercial provides an excellent demonstration of Kang the Conqueror’s appeal. He appears so reasonable and generous with his offer.

Kang promises that he can give Scott Lang the time he lost during his five years in the Quantum Realm.

Cassie Lang

Photo: Marvel

One of the most vital elements of Avengers: Endgame was the heartfelt reunion of Scott and Cassie Lang.

Kang promises that he can give back those five years. Presuming that the trailer doesn’t mislead, Kang goes back on his word, leading to a fight.

Also, that clip wants people to believe that Ant-Man might die.

Source: Marvel Studios

Even worse, since we’ve got a Multiverse and many instances of Kang now, I can’t rule out this possibility. It could happen as a way to establish Kang’s power.

So, I may be inviting you to watch a snuff film when I say that Quantumania tickets go on sale tomorrow, January 16th.

Marvel Studios Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania Title Card

Photo: Marvel Studios

Also, the official Fandango page has gone live. It lists a runtime of 125 minutes and confirms the PG-13 MPAA rating.

The other day, I discussed the 2022 box office performance of various MCU offerings.

Source: Marvel Studios

The TL:DR of it is that Quantumania will sell out most of its opening weekend dates, especially the ones in the highest quality theaters like 3D and IMAX.

Be ready to buy tickets tomorrow!

Marvel Miscellany

Source: Marvel Studios

By the way, I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but Getty has published the assets for Quantumania.

You’ll find detailed character descriptions here, along with some insights from the director and cast.

I’ve read the whole thing and found it a touch spoiler-ish. So, you’ve been warned!

Source: Marvel Studios

In other marketing news, Funko has released details about its upcoming Spider-Man: Across the Universe line of Funko Pop!s and other toys.

This launch reveals that the film’s villain, The Spot, can manipulate space in a scary way.

According to the promotion, The Spot is “meddling with the stability of the Multiverse.” That can’t be good.

Source: Sony Pictures

Next, I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself, but Marvel is currently plotting its next wave of Avengers.

The studio wants several new characters involved by the time we reach Avengers: The Kang Dynasty.

Source: Marvel

Apparently, one of the names up for consideration is Blue Marvel. And this scoop comes straight from someone who would know.

Nate Moore, the VP of Production & Development for Marvel Studios, spoke on a Deadline podcast about the possibility of Adam Brashear joining the MCU.

Moore adds that Blue Marvel is “a character who is almost Superman in strength and powers.”

Source: Marvel

So, that inclusion would introduce another OP Avenger into the mix. This hint comes in the wake of the previously discussed arrival of The Sentry.

I’m wondering whether the next two phases of the MCU connect those characters in some way with Blue Marvel able to somewhat neutralize The Void.

One Other Note about the Eternals

Source: Marvel

Finally, Kumail Nanjiani, the actor who played Kingo in Eternals, says that nobody has told him that a sequel is happening soon.

Here’s his quote:

“I would love to come back, but I’m sort of waiting to hear when or if that’s going to happen. I’m hoping I get to do more. I had a great time playing that character. It’d be a shame if he’s a sort of one-and-done. But, you know, the decision’s not mine to make.”

Source: Marvel Studios

Recently, Don Lee said the opposite, hinting that Gilgamesh would return in Eternals 2. And that was an unexpected surprise because, well, you know…

What does Don Lee know that his castmate doesn’t? Is one just better at keeping secrets than the other?

Source: Marvel Studios

I have no idea here. However, the rumors I’m hearing about Captain America: New World Order and Thunderbolts strongly hint that the Eternals will remain essential to the MCU.

As such, I’m expecting another film or Disney+ series at some point. I presume it’ll start with some sort of apology about the first movie.

Source: Marvel

Okay, that’s everything so go buy your Quantumania tickets! Kang debuts next month, and I can’t wait!

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As the Shazam! Fury of the Gods release date inches closer, star Zachary Levi addressed rumors of a Black Adam cameo in the film. 

Dwayne Johnson’s DCU hero has been a hot topic of conversation since his DC debut hit the big screen late last year. With Teth-Adam’s close connection to Shazam on the comic page, many have wondered if the two would ever go head-to-head in one of Warner Bros.’s super-powered blockbusters. 

Johnson has been adamant about keeping the two heroes “separate,” as the actor reportedly has a certain “disdain” for the tone of the Shazam! films. 

While Johnson’s future at DC is not looking all that great, there is still the chance that he could possibly show up in the Shazam! sequel. 

Zachary Levi and a Black Adam Crossover

DC

Speaking in a new interview Shazam! Fury of the Gods star Zachary Levi laid out his thoughts on a potential Black Adam/Shazam crossover on the big screen.

When prodded on the subject, Zachary Levi told Jake Hamilton from Jakes Takes that he “was totally open to that:”

 Hamilton: “There were some rumors that an attempt was going to be made to try to bring The Rock’s Black Adam in at some point. I’m just sort of curious like how far that got along, what you knew about that.”

Levi: “That’s all so far above my pay grade. I have no idea. I know that in the comics, and even in some animation, there’s been some really cool, epic battles between Shazam and Black Adam… Shazam, Superman and Black Adam. I know a lot of fans wanted that. I know I was totally open to that, but that’s all I know.”

Rumors of Zachary Levi’s DC hero coming face-to-face with Dwayne Johnson’s Black Adam began to swirl last Fall, in the lead-up to Warner Bros.’s (WB) Black Adam film. 

Previous reports have noted that Johnson had a “thinly veiled disdain for Shazam,” but at the time, it was assumed that DC Studios co-CEO Peter Safarn would be able to talk Johnson into making something happen. 

The Black Adam actor even seemingly “passed on doing a cameo in Shazam 2 when he was asked.” 

Johnson continued to push to keep the two characters separate, saying himself that there were a lot of “just put them both together because they’re both connected” conversations at DC. However, he believed “[they] have to respect Shazam and [Black Adam’s] origin story,” before a crossover could ever happen:

“It was just a mosh of ‘just put them both together because they’re both connected.’ So that’s when I said ‘you can’t do it like this, we have to respect Shazam and his origin story, that has to be its own movie. Respect Black Adam, this has to be its own movie. Build them up, and then you can do this.'”

Will a Big-Screen Shazam/Black Adam Crossover Happen?

Given the history of Shazam and Black Adam, one would have thought the pair would be a natural fit to crossover on the big screen, but that has not been the case, and likely will continue to be that way for quite some time. 

The best opportunity for Dwayne Johnson and Zachary Levi’s heroes to go toe-to-toe has seemingly already passed. If it wasn’t going to happen in Black Adam or Shazam! 2, then it probably will not happen.

With the DCU heading in a new direction on the backs of James Gunn and Peter Safran, the futures of both Black Adam and Shazam are now up in the air, making the idea of a super-powered crossover even more of a pipedream. 

It is evident that Johnson is done with the franchise (at least for now), and Levi’s prospects likely hinge on “the success of the second movie.”

So, the Shazam actor might be back in the DCU, but his dreams of “punch[ing] the Rock [on-screen]” are most likely for naught. 

Shazam! Fury of the Gods hits theaters on Friday, March 17. 

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PlayStation Plus subscribers are getting one of the best games available on PS5, plus its follow-up. Unfortunately, the offer will be limited to PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium subscribers, which means if you’re subscribed to the standard tier of the subscription service, you’re out of luck. As for the game in question, it’s a Naughty Dog game. While much of the world is fixated on The Last of Us thanks to the HBO show, many PlayStation fans primarily know Naughty Dog for Uncharted. To this end, both Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End and Uncharted: The Lost Legacy are coming to the aforementioned tiers of PS Plus next month.

For those that don’t know: the latest mainline installment in the Uncharted series, Uncharted 4, was released back in 2016 to a 93 on Metacritic. In addition to being one of the highest-rated games on PS4, it was one of the best-selling games on the console. Uncharted: The Lost Legacy is a standalone expansion of Uncharted 4 that was released a year later in 2017. Dumping Nathan Drake as the protagonist for secondary character Chloe Frazer, it did not review or sell as well. In 2022, the pair of games were remastered and bundled together for the PS5. Below, you can read more about each game and check out a trailer for the pair of Uncharted titles:

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End – “Several years after his last adventure, retired fortune hunter, Nathan Drake, is forced back into the world of thieves. With the stakes much more personal, Drake embarks on a globe-trotting journey in pursuit of a historical conspiracy behind a fabled pirate treasure. His greatest adventure will test his physical limits, his resolve, and ultimately what he’s willing to sacrifice to save the ones he loves.”

Uncharted: The Lost Legacy – “In order to recover an ancient artifact and keep it out of the hands of a ruthless warmonger, Chloe must enlist the aid of renowned mercenary Nadine Ross and venture to India’s Western Ghats to locate the Golden Tusk of Ganesh. In Chloe’s greatest journey yet, she must confront her past and decide what she’s willing to sacrifice to forge her own legacy.”

For more PlayStation coverage — including all of the latest PS Plus news, rumors, leaks, speculation, and deals — click here. Meanwhile, feel free to leave a comment or 47 letting us know what you think. What do you think of Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection being offered via PS Plus Extra and PS Plus Premium?

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Madrid-based Latido Films is partnering with the organizers of the new genre-focused Fantastic Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival’s Marché du Film on a new award that will offer international distribution to selected Spanish-language Iberoamerican films.

The prize will also provide theatrical release in Latin America for winning titles.

News of the prize comes as plans for the Fantastic Pavilion, one of the major innovation of this year’s Cannes Film Market, are beginning g to emerge, based on a undeniable market reality: Elevated genre films and thrillers, if they are shaped by an auteurist vision, are proving to be among the surest sellers on the international market and genre is embraced by a new generation of young filmmakers who are often creating artistically ambitious films of substance, sometimes dealing with urgent gender and social issues.  

Conceived by Pablo Guisa Koestinger, Grupo Mórbido CEO, Bernardo Bergeret, Ventana Sur co-director, and Daniel de la Vega, co-ordinator of Ventana Sur’s Maquinitas video game forum, the Fantastic Pavilion promises a significant booth and exhibition space at the Cannes market for genre films that is expected to boost the fantastic pic sector.

Latido Films will grant a monetary sum and international sales representation to the best work in progress or finished film chosen from submitted titles. Registration is open and interested parties may submit projects via the Fantastic Pavilion webpage. The finalist titles will be announced during the Marché du Film, with the winner presented at the Fantastic Pavilion.

Describing the Fantastic Pavilion as “a brilliant idea,” Latido CEO Antonio Saura said, “I’ve had a passion for science fiction, fantasy and horror films since my childhood and we have seen with enthusiasm the appearance of fabulous titles within these genres coming from Ibero-America lately, so we immediately joined forces deciding to support the organizers.”

Guisa Koestinger, who also serves as the Fantastic Pavilion’s executive director, added that the Fantastic Latido award added to “a number of efforts concentrated at the Pavilion to ramp up the trade of genre films from all over the world. We’re very happy to have Latido on board with the prize, which will boost the exposure of horror films from a region I have close to my heart.”

Latido, a leading international sales company with a strong line in Spanish-language titles, made a splash in the fantastic world with “The Platform,” by Galder Gaztelu-Urrutia, which it picked up at the Málaga Festival’s Work in Progress, giving it a Latido Films Award. 

A buzz title from the beginning of the Toronto Film Festival, it won the audience award at its Midnight Madness section, reached the top spot at the Korean box office and, picked up by Netflix off Toronto, rates as the third most watched non-English movie ever on Netflix.

Other Latido titles include Gustavo Hernandez’s “Virus-32,” sold to Shudder along with other multiple territories for theatrical release, and Rocio Mesa’s magical-realist monster film “Tobacco Burns,” set to screen at the forthcoming SXSW.

Latido is will also be handling Rubin Stein’s suspense thriller “Tin & Tina” and the dystopian sci-fi pic “Artificial Justice,” by Simón Casal, both of which are currently in the works.

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Madrid-based Latido Films is partnering with the

Bruce has taken his lifelong love of movies and turned it into a career. He responsible for the repertory programming at New York’s Film Forum and its special presentations: he has staged tributes to gimmick-master William Castle, silent film star Harold Lloyd and many others. He also runs Rialto Pictures, which circulates often-forgotten foreign-language films and brings them back to vivid life with beautiful prints and newly-translated subtitles. In other words, he’s a hero. Leonard and Jessie are longtime admirers and look forward to his annual trivia games at the TCM Classic Film Festival.

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Bruce has taken his lifelong love of

When your day job is spent plotting a rebellion in a galaxy far, far away, it helps to have something that can bring you back down to Earth — or whatever planet you call home.  

When he’s not the Empire’s most wanted on Disney+’s “Andor,” Diego Luna grounds himself by returning to the theater. He grew up going with his father, and it has been the constant of his career. 

 “In a way, it has kept me sane,” says the actor after a long day on the London set of “Andor” Season 2. “Theater is a great way to go back and put your feet on the ground and remind you what this is all about.” 

In between production on seasons 1 and 2, he spent two months on a Madrid stage leading “Cada vez nos despedimos major,” a monologue that only featured himself, a musician and three lamps. It was a far cry from the gigantic sets, hordes of extras and sky-high expectations of the “Star Wars” universe. 

That versatility in the scale of his projects has defined Luna’s entire career, for which he will be honored with the inaugural Variety Virtuoso Award on March 4 at the Miami Film Festival. 

As a teenager, his foray into Mexican cinema came at a time when actors lent their own clothes and cars for the part. 

“It was well known that if you were asked to do cinema, the last thing you would do is think of getting paid,” he says. 

He eventually found a project that brought him acclaim and didn’t require his personal belongings. Alfonso Cuarón’s 2001 road trip classic “Y tu mamá también” is often cited as a progressive leap forward for Mexican cinema, and it launched Luna’s career.  

In the 22 years since, the actor, director and producer has done everything from prestige dramas (“Frida” and “Milk”), animated hits (“The Book of Love” and “Maya and the Three”) and diverse television series (“Narcos: Mexico” and “Pan y Circo”). But no matter the project — down to earth or in the stars — there has to be a personal hook for Luna. 

“That is the beauty of this job,” he says. “If there is something personal for each project, they become like stamps that remind you where you’ve been.” 

Lucasfilm Ltd.

He has a stamp waiting for Cassian Andor, the Resistance agent first introduced in 2016’s “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” Luna returned for the prequel series “Andor” because he felt there was more to the story of people like Cassian who become martyrs for the cause.  

“What this character does in ‘Rogue One’ is quite remarkable, and what we are building shows what needs to happen in someone’s life to be willing to sacrifice everything,” he says. “For me, this has always been a story where the people bringing change, the ones you can call heroes, are just regular people doing extraordinary things.”  

“Andor” won’t be an easy chapter to close. The series will collectively run 24 episodes, shot across nearly year-long productions and months of post-production. He was still doing additional digital recording on the Season 1 finale when episode 6 hit Disney+ last October. Filming for Season 2 began the following month. 

“There’s no time for the hangover,” he says, laughing. “You wake up the next morning and there is always something to do.” 

That won’t stop him from taking in every moment on the biggest stage of his career — so far.  

“This is the last season for ‘Andor,’” Luna says. “It is just a two-season show, which is really important for my mental health. But knowing this is the end, I want to enjoy it and get the best out of this experience.”  

After he hangs up Cassian’s blaster, Luna said he plans to slow down a bit and take some time off to recoup from the mental Olympics that is the “Star Wars” universe.

Then, perhaps, it will be time for another therapeutic return to the stage. He quips, “There’s one another thing I love about theater: you sleep every night in the same bed.”

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When your day job is spent plotting

(L to R) M3GAN, Gemma (Allison Williams) and Cady (Violet McGraw) in ‘M3GAN,’ directed by Gerard Johnstone. © 2023 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Time to meet your new best friend in the latest thriller from Blumhouse Productions, ‘M3GAN.’ M3GAN, AKA Model 3 Generative Android is the perfect storm of an artificial intelligence program becoming self-aware, and taking her job entirely too seriously.

The trailer already created a buzz on the internet ahead of the films release, prompting endless memes of M3GAN performing a series of (now signature) dance moves before switching to slasher mode. In fact, prior to the movie’s premiere, a team of M3GAN doll dancers could be spotted at various events and venues performing the signature number. The film opened on January 6, 2022 to $30.4 million domestically and has earn over $171.2 million worldwide as of today. The story comes from the minds of Aleka Cooper (‘Malignant‘) and James Wan (‘The Conjuring‘ franchise), and was directed by Gerard Johnstone (‘Housebound‘).

Who Is In The Cast Of ‘M3GAN?’

‘M3GAN’ stars Allison Williams (‘Get Out‘) and Violet McGraw (‘The Haunting Of Hill House’), who are no strangers to the horror genre. When it comes to bringing the killer doll to life, it takes a team – the role is voiced by Jenna Davis, and physically portrayed by 8-year-old actress Amie Donald. Paired with CGI to complete its characteristic look. The cast also includes Ronny Chien (‘Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings‘), Brian Jordan Alvarez (‘80 For Brady‘), Jen Van Epps (‘Together Forever Tea‘), Lori Dungey (‘The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring‘) and Stephane Garneau-Monton.

Allison Williams as Gemma in 'M3GAN,' directed by Gerard Johnstone.

Allison Williams as Gemma in ‘M3GAN,’ directed by Gerard Johnstone. © 2023 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

What Is ‘M3GAN’ About?

In the film, toy designer/robotist Gemma (Williams) was working on a child-sized android A.I. companion, which she named M3GAN (Model 3 Generative Android). When Gemma becomes the parental guardian of her niece Cady (McGraw), she uses the opportunity to put M3GAN to the test. All things were going well until M3GAN’s artificial intelligence programming began to take its tasks too seriously, going to the extreme to protect Cady by brutally taking down anyone who rebels against her.

The official synopsis for ‘M3GAN’ is:

“M3GAN is a marvel of artificial intelligence, a lifelike doll that’s programmed to be a child’s best friend. When a brilliant roboticist gives her young niece an M3GAN prototype, it soon becomes violent and does anything to protect the girl.”

M3GAN in 'M3GAN,' directed by Gerard Johnstone.

M3GAN in ‘M3GAN,’ directed by Gerard Johnstone. © 2023 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Related Article: Movie Review: ‘M3GAN’

Will There Be A ‘M3GAN’ Sequel?

We will get to see M3GAN again! The PG-13 horror flick received positive reviews, warranting a 93% Fresh score on the Tomato-meter from critics and 78% from the audience. Thanks to its popularity, the sequel ‘M3GAN 2.0’ is now in the works at Universal, set for release on January 17, 2025. In an interview with Variety, producer Jason Blum admitted that they were already playing with the idea of a sequel before the first film was even released.

“After I saw the first movie, we had a good sense that a sequel might really work. So, we broke our cardinal rule and we started t walking about a sequel before the movie was released. I felt so bullish that we started entertaining a sequel earlier than we usually do.”

Set to return to the follow-up film are stars Allison Williams and Violet McGraw to reprise their roles as Gemma and Cady. Screenwriter Aleka Cooper will also return. No word yet on whether Gerard Johnstone will return to direct or if Blumhouse is eyeing a new director. Plots are under wraps for now.

Where Can I Watch ‘M3GAN’ and The Unrated Version?

The movie is still playing in select theaters. The film premiered on January 6, 2023, and has a runtime of 1 hour and 42 minutes.

Buy Tickets: ‘M3GAN’ Movie Showtimes

Can’t get enough of the evil AI android going on a killing spree? You’re in luck. There’s also an unrated version with never-before-seen footage available exclusively on Peacock as of February 24th. The theatrical version is available on Peacock as well.

Watch the official trailer for ‘M3GAN’ below:

When Will It Be Available To Stream Online?

You can currently purchase a digital copy of ‘M3GAN’ from Amazon Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play, or iTunes. Additionally, you can rent a digital copy of the movie (with a 48-hour watch window) on Amazon or iTunes.

Where To Watch: ‘M3GAN’ Online

Prefer the own the physical copy? ‘M3GAN’ will be available for purchase on DVD and Blu-Ray on March 21st, 2023.

Buy ‘M3GAN’ On Amazon

M3GAN and Cady (Violet McGraw) in 'M3GAN,' directed by Gerard Johnstone.

(L to R) M3GAN and Cady (Violet McGraw) in ‘M3GAN,’ directed by Gerard Johnstone. © 2022 Universal Studios. All Rights Reserved.

Other Movies That’ll Make You Question Your Smart Device

‘M3GAN’ delivers on suspense and comedy for its PG-13 rating, and it is certainly on its way of becoming a cult hit. But the premise of an A.I. gone awry or a doll coming to life isn’t the first of its kind. Here are a few movies that’ll make you question the smart devices or child-sized dolls in your home.

‘M3GAN’ was released in theaters on January 6th, 2022 from Universal Pictures, Blumhouse Productions, and Atomic Monster. Directed by Gerard Johnstone, and written by Akela Cooper, based on a story by James Wan, the film stars Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng, Brian Jordan Alvarez, Lori Dungey, Amie Donald, and Jenna Davis as the voice of M3GAN.

Watch Moviefone’s interviews with the cast and crew of ‘M3GAN’ below:

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(L to R) M3GAN, Gemma (Allison Williams)

It’s not easy to tackle a gruesome subject matter with humor. And to make the Irish dark comedy work, its filmmakers drew inspiration from their own ideations of life and death. An Irish Goodbye, written and directed by Tom Berkeley and Ross White, follows a pair of estranged brothers who must learn to get along after their mother’s untimely passing. Lorcan (James Martin), an adult with Down syndrome, takes his mother’s death the hardest and soon fears that his brother will abandon him. While Turlough (Seamus O’Hara) grapples with whether he should ship Lorcan off to live with their aunt in London or learn to care for his brother.

Although death is not a revolutionary topic in the cinematic medium, the unique and heartfelt way Berkeley and White explore grief through centering on the unusual brotherhood is poignant. Fresh off of a BAFTA win and headed to the Oscars, the filmmakers discuss their inspiration, casting actors with disabilities and creating a sentimental exploration of love and grief.

DEADLINE: What was the inspiration behind this short?

TOM BERKELEY: Ross and I had been living together for a long time in London, and we decided to move back to our hometowns. I moved back to Gloucester in the West Country of England; Ross moved back to Belfast in Northern Ireland. So, the themes of leaving home, returning home and being flung back into the family unit we were once a part of were prevalent in our minds at the time.

Then, I happened to go to a football [soccer] match, and I saw these two adult brothers, a couple rows ahead of me, watching the game, and I found their relationship very interesting. The younger brother had Down syndrome and the older brother was there as a caretaker. [I noticed their dynamic] was a typical argumentative, fiery, brotherly relationship. So, I found that kind of duality and juxtaposition of those two things compelling and interesting. And then we spoke about it a lot the next day, and we found those characters and what a story would look like seen through the journey of them reconnecting together might look like.

DEADLINE: Though this film is about grieving and death and how tragedies can bring people together, it’s also this touching story about brotherly bonding. What exactly is the meaning behind An Irish Goodbye to you both? And how did you manage to tread that delicate balance between sadness and comedy?

BERKELEY: It’s about reconnection and redemption as well. And I think it’s about the idea of how, in the darkest moments for those two characters, it’s within trying to find that kind of ritual around losing a parent and how devastating that is that they end up finding each other. And it’s never on the cards for either of those characters at the beginning of this film. The last thing they’re really thinking about is their bond repairing, but through their commitment to their mom and their mom’s memory, that ultimately brings them together. It’s about the idea of, firstly, grief being something that we think of as a very personal individual journey, but it’s something that you don’t necessarily have to go through alone, and grieving with another person can lead to that healing. And then also just about family.

ROSS WHITE: With the dark comedy, that’s something that we’re always really drawn to. That line between tragedy and comedy feels very human and real to us, and we really love playing with audience expectations and almost teasing as to when and when you shouldn’t laugh, when you should laugh, and not knowing exactly where you stand. And maybe there’s a moment of comedy followed directly by a moment of sincerity and earnest performance. That excites us as a way to explore this, and when we knew we were setting out to make a film about grief, we wanted to make sure that it was still enjoyable to watch.

DEADLINE: Let’s talk about the importance of inclusivity in casting James Martin and your experiences writing a character with a disability.

BERKELEY: Having that experience of seeing those brothers [one with Down syndrome, one without] at the game really instigated the idea, and we just felt like those were the characters we wanted to portray. It wasn’t anything we necessarily had to wrestle with in terms of whether we kept [that trait] or not. I mean, other people maybe at times said it would be a lot easier for casting and stuff like that to maybe think about this elsewhere. But we just thought, if we can’t make it work, we won’t make the film because that’s what we are attracted to here in this story. It’s this dynamic where you’ve got these two characters who process life and their emotions and grief in completely opposite ways. You have the older brother, who’s typically stoic and cynical and that very repressed male emotions kind of thing. And then the experience a lot with people with Down syndrome is they have this superhuman capacity for empathy, which makes them an interesting juxtaposition. So that was always key for us.

And very soon into writing the script, we then saw James in this BBC Northern Ireland TV movie called Ups and Downs, and he was the lead in that. And then we were like, “That’s our guy. We need to engineer the whole project around him.” And it just happened from there. I mean, I’d written some, because when [Ross and I] first met at drama school, we were writing plays separately at that time, and I’d written a play that had a main character with a developmental disability. That was my first window into that.

WHITE: I worked in a special educational needs unit as a teaching assistant for a while in the U.K., which is my experience with that. Once we decided that that was a factor of the character, we didn’t really speak about it all too much because I think something that’s really important for us is representation. It’s not enough just to put that in front of the camera and say, “OK, we’ve got a character with Down syndrome; there you go.” It’s like, that is the least exciting thing about this character. We wanted to write this character that is so multifaceted. Who is mischievous, full of heart, and full of swearing. And it just felt, when we met James, he’s got so much about him beyond his disability. There’s so many more interesting things about him. So, in that sense, we really wanted to make sure that, though it is an element in the story, it’s not just about a character with Down syndrome.

BERKELEY: And it’s your job as writers to write a character that has a sense of agency in their own story, and they’re as complex and colorful as any other character that you’d write. So, that’s what we set out to do, and then with James coming on board with all of his colorful personality traits just made it perfect. We’ve had some really lovely responses from people, either with Down syndrome, or with children with Down syndrome, or family members, that say they feel like that’s, in Lorcan, it’s a character that they feel they recognize, as opposed to a two-dimensional person.

[This interview has been edited for length and clarity]

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It’s not easy to tackle a gruesome

On Friday evening (March 3), when Morgan Wallen ascended to center stage before a full house of rowdy, screaming fans at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena for his free pop-up concert — with the aim of previewing his hyper-prolific 36-song album One Thing at a Time which had released earlier that day — it was a pinnacle moment in a week already filled with celebratory instances.

Earlier in the week, Wallen was one of 16 songwriters honored with the Country Music Association’s Triple Play Awards (alongside several contributors to One Thing at a Time, including HARDY, ERNEST, Ashley Gorley, Chase McGill, and more).

By Friday evening, not even 24 hours after One Thing at a Time released, the project had already broken a record, becoming Spotify’s most-streamed country album in a single day by a male artist. With the new project, Wallen seems poised to dethrone himself on the Billboard charts: his previous effort, the 30-track Dangerous: The Double Album, which still resides in the Billboard 200’s top five, and currently at No. 1 on the Billboard top country charts, two years after its release.

Wallen had announced the free pop-up concert on Thursday morning (March 2), along with the fact that the ticketing plan was decidedly old-school: fans had to line up outside of Bridgestone Arena to obtain tickets, and they did, forming huge lines that wrapped around the building. Within hours, all the tickets were gone. In March 2022, Bridgestone Arena previously served as home base for three sold-out shows on Wallen’s The Dangerous Tour.

“This is so badass and makes me so proud,” Wallen told the crowd Friday night, eliciting cheers. “You guys are truly remarkable. Thank you for making this happen on such short notice. We gonna sing some new ones, some old ones — and that’s about it, I guess.”

Beyond those within Bridgestone, thousands more watched the event via livestream from Wallen’s official social media channels.

The new album largely picks up where Dangerous left off, with three dozen songs forming an arc that predominantly focuses on alcohol, heartbreak, dejection, and declarations of remorse over bad decisions and bad habits, viewed through the hazy lens of more alcohol. Sonically, the project meshes elements of country, alternative and hip-hop.

But while the recorded album is filled with frothy, arena-aimed productions, Wallen and his band offered stripped-back versions of many of the album’s songs on Friday night, as well as selections from the catalog of hits he’s built since his debut, “The Way I Talk,” in 2016.

Proper for an evening delving into this new project, Wallen launched the show with the introductory song from the album, “Born With a Beer in My Hand.”

“Y’all make some noise if you can relate to that,” the singer said, stalking the perimeter of the compact stage, acknowledging the crowd as waves of cheers followed from the audience that packed out the arena floor and stands. Bolstered by thousands of fans fervent enough in their Wallen fandom to have stood in line for tickets, Wallen’s performance carried an air of relaxed, assured confidence.

Though Eric Church, HARDY and ERNEST are all featured on the album, there were no special guests at Bridgestone: this night was solely about Wallen and his fans. Also absent were any references to the other reason Wallen has been in the spotlight over the past two years, a video published by TMZ that depicted a drunken Wallen using a racial slur in reference to a friend.

“We’ve been working really hard on this record for the last three or four months,” he said of One Thing at a Time. “I ain’t been doing a lot of sleeping. I’ve been doing a lot of singing… probably won’t be doing a lot of sleeping tonight, either.”

From there, his two-hour set rolled on, with the album’s title track, as well as fellow album cuts “Me and All Your Reasons,” “I Wrote the Book” and “Keith Whitley,” the latter written by Wallen’s cousin Jared Mullins along with Thomas Archer and Brad Clawson.

“One of my favorite artists of all time is a man that died far too young, someone I think had a whole lot more magic left in him,” Wallen said, referring to the late Whitley, who died in 1989 and was posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame last year. “I listen to him at least every week. I wanted to have a song that talked about him.”

Before launching into “Whiskey Friends,” Wallen quipped, “When we put this together I looked at my discography and decided I didn’t have enough whiskey songs. Here’s another one.”

Wallen dedicated the album’s closing song “Dyin’ Man” to his son Indigo Wilder.

“I’m singing to a woman [in the song], but in real life, it’s dedicated to my son. He’s in here somewhere tonight,” Wallen told the crowd. “I went back to east Tennessee yesterday to play a show at my old high school for the album release, which was special in its own right. My son was there and I saw him and he was like, ‘Damn, these people think dad’s cool.’ He’s just getting to that age. If you understand me out there, Indie I love you. This one’s for you.”

The Sneedville, Tennessee, native also paid homage to another love he holds dear, for the Knoxville-based Tennessee Volunteers, by performing “Tennessee Fan.”

“I’m sure most of y’all know how much I love my Tennessee Volunteers,” Wallen said. “I got some really good buddies who went to Alabama and they always are giving me s—. There ain’t really much I can say, at least not for the past while. Before the Tennessee-Alabama game I wrote a song about us losing. Of course, the year I write about us losing, we win the damn game. But I’m okay with that,” he said, referring to the October 2022 matchup between the two teams, which found Tennessee winning 52-49.

After rolling through several album cuts, Wallen performed “Thought You Should Know,” a tender ode to his mother that is spending its third week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. Seated at a keyboard, highlighted by a lone spotlight, he followed with a tender rendering of the lost-love hit “Sand in My Boots,” then, accompanied by his acoustic guitar and bandmates, ran through additional Country Airplay chart-toppers: “More Than My Hometown,” “Chasing You,” “The Way I Talk,” “Whiskey Glasses,” and “Wasted on You,” and his latest release “Last Night.”

He concluded by introducing the crowd to his band members and closing with yet another chart-topper, “You Proof.”

“This is something way more than we thought we could grasp. We don’t take this for granted,” Wallen said. When the concert concluded, Wallen stepped down from the stage and slowly made his way to exit the room — along the way, shifting the spotlight to some of the thousands of attendees, joining them for selfies and signing autographs, one fan at a time.

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On Friday evening (March 3), when Morgan

As the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival reaches the quarter-century mark this year, the festival’s industry arm, Agora, will host a range of events and initiatives looking to bolster documentary production and distribution in both the host country and the wider region.

Headlining the industry program is the Agora’s co-production and co-financing forum, which takes place March 6 and will present 14 projects in development by documentary filmmakers from Southeastern Europe, the Middle East and the Black Sea region. Another highlight, Agora Docs in Progress, showcases 11 films nearing completion and ready to hit the festival circuit this year.

The success of those two programs is evident in the selection at this year’s festival: Fifteen documentaries that have been supported in previous editions of the Agora will celebrate world, international or European premieres in the competition sections or Open Horizons section, including Agora Docs in Progress alumni “Narrow Path to Happiness” (pictured), by Kata Oláh, and “Queen of the Deuce,” by Valerie Kontakos, and Pitching Forum and Docs in Progress participant “Mighty Afrin: In the Time of Floods,” by Angelos Rallis, all of which are playing in the festival’s main competition.

The Agora Doc Market, meanwhile, offers more than 400 documentaries for accredited guests through its online library, which is presented in partnership with Cinando.

This year, the festival is collaborating closely with the Documentary Assn. of Europe (DAE), hosting a series of conversations within the framework of the Agora Talks platform that is “very to the point of what’s going on right now and what issues we need to be talking about,” according to Angeliki Vergou, who heads the Agora industry program.

In a masterclass, former BBC Storyville commissioning editor and Academy Award-winning producer Philippa Kowarsky (“The Act of Killing,” “A House Made of Splinters”) will lay out the current framework for producing documentary films and discuss how industry shifts — from the theatrical potential of documentary features to streaming platforms’ insatiable appetite for non-fiction content — are “changing how we make documentaries and how we watch them,” says Vergou.

Among the Agora Talks, a panel discussion will examine the ethical questions facing filmmakers from the Global North who make stories about communities that aren’t their own, exploring how producers, co-production forums and funding bodies can demonstrate a conscious and consistent commitment to equity and accountability. Another session looks to unpack different financing models available to documentary filmmakers today, offering a blueprint for how they can access financing sources from public funds to private equity.

Meanwhile, the festival will convene the second in a trio of think tanks aimed at reimagining and redefining the role of the film market in the European industry, a series conceived by Thessaloniki organizers last year. It follows on the heels of a successful first edition held in partnership with the European Film Market last month, whose participants included representatives of leading European fests and markets such as Rotterdam, Locarno, Karlovy Vary and Rome’s MIA Market.

“We’re very proud of this. It was initiated by Thessaloniki, and now we have these strong partners coming on board,” says Vergou. A third event will take place this May in Cannes, in partnership with the Marché du Film.

Other events taking place within the framework of the Agora include Meet the Future, an ongoing initiative to spotlight up-and-coming documentary filmmakers from the region, which this year will showcase five directors from Moldova; and the Agora Lab, which will match six projects in development with documentary specialists who will offer guidance to the filmmakers.

The collaboration with the Documentary Assn. of Europe, meanwhile, is helping Thessaloniki broaden its horizons, allowing Greece’s second city — a cross-cultural melting pot across the centuries — to once again open its arms to the world. More than 200 guests from 40 countries are expected to take part in the hybrid edition of the festival and Agora.

“[DAE] have helped us to introduce Thessaloniki and Agora to a new group of industry professionals,” says Vergou. “We have new people coming, which is always exciting. So they can discover Thessaloniki and fall in love with it — like everyone else.”

The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival takes place March 2 – 12.

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As the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival reaches the

Tom Sizemore, the “Saving Private Ryan” actor whose bright 1990s star burned out under the weight of his own domestic violence and drug convictions, died Friday at age 61.

The actor had suffered a brain aneurysm on Feb. 18 at his home in Los Angeles. He died in his sleep Friday at a hospital in Burbank, California, his manager Charles Lago said.

Sizemore became a star with acclaimed appearances in “Natural Born Killers” and the cult-classic crime thriller “Heat.” But serious substance dependency, abuse allegations and multiple run-ins with the law devastated his career, left him homeless and sent him to jail.

As the global #MeToo movement wave crested in late 2017, Sizemore was also accused of groping an 11-year-old Utah girl on set in 2003. He called the allegations “highly disturbing,” saying he would never inappropriately touch a child. Charges were not filed.

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Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent, who starred in ‘Away From Her,’ has died at 92

Despite the raft of legal trouble, Sizemore had scores of steady film and television credits _ though his career never regained its onetime momentum. Aside from “Black Hawk Down” and “Pearl Harbor,” most of his 21st century roles came in low-budget, little-seen productions where he continued to play the gruff, tough guys he became famous for portraying.

“I was a guy who’d come from very little and risen to the top. I’d had the multimillion-dollar house, the Porsche, the restaurant I partially owned with Robert De Niro,” the Detroit-born Sizemore wrote in his 2013 memoir, “By Some Miracle I Made It Out of There.” “And now I had absolutely nothing.”

The book’s title was taken from a line uttered by his character in “Saving Private Ryan,” a role for which he garnered Oscar buzz. But he wrote that success turned him into a “spoiled movie star,” an “arrogant fool” and eventually “a hope-to-die addict.”

He racked up a string of domestic violence arrests. Sizemore was married once, to actor Maeve Quinlan, and was arrested on suspicion of beating her in 1997. While the charges were dropped, the couple divorced in 1999.


FILE – Actor Tom Sizemore salutes in honor of Memorial Day, a day early, at the Mexican-American All Wars Memorial in Los Angeles, Sunday, May, 29, 2011.


AP Photo/Nick Ut, File

Sizemore was convicted of abusing ex-girlfriend Heidi Fleiss in 2003 _ the same year he pleaded no contest and avoided trial in a separate abuse case _ and sentenced to jail. The former Hollywood madam testified that he had punched her in the jaw at a Beverly Hills hotel, and beaten her in New York to the point where they couldn’t attend the “Black Hawk Down” premiere.

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The sentencing judge said drug abuse was likely a catalyst but that testimony had revealed a man who had deep problems dealing with women. Fleiss called Sizemore “a zero” in a conversation with The Associated Press after his conviction.

Sizemore apologized in a letter, saying he was “chastened” and that “personal demons” had taken over his life, though he later denied abusing her and accused her of faking a picture showing her bruises.

Fleiss also sued Sizemore, saying she suffered emotional distress after he threatened to get her own probation revoked. Fleiss had been convicted in 1994 of running a high-priced call-girl ring. That lawsuit was settled on undisclosed terms.

Sizemore was the subject of two workplace sexual harassment lawsuits related to the 2002 CBS show “Robbery Homicide Division,” in which he played a police detective. He was arrested as recently as 2016 in another domestic violence case.


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Gordon Pinsent dead at 92: Inside legacy of Canadian acting icon


Sizemore ended up jailed from August 2007 to January 2009 for failing numerous drug tests while on probation and after Bakersfield, California, authorities found methamphetamine in his car.

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“God’s trying to tell me he doesn’t want me using drugs because every time I use them I get caught,” Sizemore told The Bakersfield Californian in a jailhouse interview.

Sizemore told the AP in 2013 that he believed his dependency was related to the trappings of success. He struggled to maintain his emotional composure as he described a low point looking in the mirror: “I looked like I was 100 years old. I had no relationship with my kids; I had no work to speak off. I was living in squat.”

He appeared on the reality TV show “Celebrity Rehab” and its spinoff “Sober House,” telling the AP that he did the shows to receive help, but also partly to pay off accumulated debts that ran into the millions.

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Many of Sizemore’s later-career films had a sci-fi, horror or action bent: In 2022 alone, he starred in movies with such titles as “Impuratus,” “Night of the Tommyknockers” and “Vampfather.” But Sizemore still nabbed a few meaty roles _ including in the “Twin Peaks” revival _ and guest spots on popular shows like “Entourage” and “Hawaii Five-O.”

A stuntman sued Sizemore and Paramount Pictures in 2016, saying he was injured when the allegedly intoxicated actor ran him over while filming USA’s “Shooter.” State records obtained by the AP showed that Sizemore was only supposed to be sitting in the unmoving car and that he “improvised at the end of the scene and drove away in his car.” Sizemore was fired from “Shooter” and the stuntman’s lawsuit was settled on undisclosed terms.

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In addition to his film and TV credits, he was part of the voice cast for 2002’s “Grand Theft Auto: Vice City” video game. He also taught classes at the LA West Acting Studio, according to recent advertisements.

He is survived by his 17-year-old twin sons, Jayden and Jagger, and his brother Paul, all of whom were by his side when he died.

“I’ve led an interesting life, but I can’t tell you what I’d give to be the guy you didn’t know anything about,” Sizemore wrote in his memoir.

&copy 2023 The Canadian Press

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Tom Sizemore, the “Saving Private Ryan” actor




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There’s just something about Ruby on Fantasy Island. After originally coming to the island as a guest, Ruby has extended her stay and become Roarke’s right-hand woman. With her calm disposition and sweet Southern accent, Ruby is the definition of comfort. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with Kiara Barnes about the origins of Ruby’s accent and how her grandmother influenced the character.

Kiara Barnes
Kiara Barnes and Roselyn Sanchez in ‘Fantasy Island.’ (FOX)

“I didn’t even really consciously do it [the accent]. I was connecting with my Nana, who lives in Mississippi. I have a lot of family in the South as well. I grew up everywhere: Missouri, California, and Utah… I spent time in Mississippi. I’ve just been all over since I was a kid. But I have a lot of family in the South. The character Ruby is so deeply connected to my Nana, my grandmother. I guess I just naturally was channeling Gloria and just her energy. She has such a poise in the way that she talks and she makes you feel you want to be with her and present. It’s very intentional.”

She continued, “I really wasn’t even planning it or doing any conscious thinking of this is how I want to go about this. It just naturally kind of came that way. This is the cool thing about the idea of not chasing after roles or not trying to find roles but letting roles find you. That’s exactly what it felt like. It wasn’t forced. It naturally came to me, and I fall into Ruby. I just fall into that character and Kiara just goes somewhere else for the filming, and then I come home and I’m back. It’s been very therapeutic to be quite honest. Just because I feel like I have her with me on set. I even got to have her last season, my Nana, come and watch. It was a huge and special moment to be able to have her there.”

Ruby, inspired by the character Tattoo in the original series, initially comes to the island as a 75-year-old woman with her husband after her cancer diagnosis. After they’re transformed back to their younger selves, Ruby decides to get a tattoo on the island. Ruby ends up staying on the island for good and leaving her other life behind. HollywoodLife asked Kiara whether or not she thinks Ruby can live a full life on the island.

Kiara Barnes
Kiara Barnes stars as Ruby. (FOX)

“I think she’s figuring it out. She’s discovering it. This is all so new,” Kiara said. “This is like her second year as an employee on the island, so she’s still very much sorting out, well, if Helene can leave, can I leave? Is there any kind of loophole? She’s still trying to wrap your head around the ins and outs of the island because it has its own secret agreements and things that even I think Roarke is figuring out as well with certain things.”

The actress added, “I think she’s getting more and more comfortable with it, but I think it’s really sweet that Roarke is willing to find ways to help Ruby feel more comfortable. Because she left literally her entire life — kids, family, grandkids — to be on this island. I think she just has a hard time thinking: did I make the right choice?”

Ruby and Roarke’s close friendship is central to the show. Kiara admitted that she was “so nervous” meeting co-star Roselyn Sanchez for the first time. But she had nothing to worry about.

“Immediately, she comes in cracking jokes and wanting to get to know me and my life. She just has this genuine nature about her work. She’s very intrigued by people and just conversations. Any anxiety I had went right out the window,” Kiara told HollywoodLife.

The FOX series has had a number of notable guest stars, including Teri Hatcher, Bellamy Young, and the late Leslie Jordan. Kiara revealed that she thinks Jeff Goldblum would fit “personality-wise” as a guest star. “He would totally just be there and enjoy the experience,” she said. “He’s such a bright energy that I feel like we could write something so fun and cool for him. He’s good at drama and good at funny and balancing. So I feel like we could show that he could do that. That’d be awesome.” Fantasy Island season 2 airs Mondays on FOX.

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STANFORD, Calif. — A Stanford freshman stopped by Sam Bankman-Fried’s house for the first time on a Friday night in January. He spotted something he wanted: a large sign secured to a metal blockade proclaiming: “PATH CLOSED.”

Bankman-Fried, the disgraced founder of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, has been under house arrest at his parents’ home on the Stanford campus since December, making the elite university the unlikely host to one of America’s most notorious alleged white-collar criminals. Surrounded by student co-ops, fraternity houses and other faculty homes, he’s the talk of the neighborhood.

The student, a cryptocurrency enthusiast who spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to get in trouble with campus police, withdrew the roughly $80,000 he had on the exchange just days before it collapsed in November — unlike the millions of other former FTX customers who remain unable to access their accounts. But he was still angry at Bankman-Fried for the role he’s accused of playing in perpetrating a massive fraud in connection with FTX and its related companies. Removing a “PATH CLOSED” sign was the student’s way of signaling to Bankman-Fried that he’s not welcome.

In recent months, the Bankman-Fried home has become an unofficial campus landmark that’s famous for all the wrong reasons. Like many large universities, Stanford has several spots honoring its legacy, such as Hoover Tower, which houses a library and archive founded by alumnus Herbert Hoover before he went on to become president of the United States.

Bankman-Fried, the son of two Stanford law professors, was released on a $250 million bond secured by the Craftsman-style house. While awaiting his fraud trial later this year, Bankman-Fried wears an ankle bracelet to track his movements and plays with his new dog, Sandor, according to a Puck News report.

The university seems keen to play down his presence. Officially, the university doesn’t talk about Bankman-Fried. Stanford Law School didn’t respond to requests for comment. When asked whether they could confirm a rumor that a nearby student co-op had attacked the Bankman-Fried home with eggs, Stanford campus police did not respond.

Socially, however, Bankman-Fried is a source of deep fascination. There are party fliers with his likeness. He’s a punchline in campus comedy sketches. Students ride their bikes by on dates.

Through his spokesman Mark Botnick, Bankman-Fried declined to comment for this article.

Bankman-Fried, who grew up on campus, “certainly fits into what I regard as the kind of culture of Stanford,” says Richard White, a retired Stanford history professor — even if the 30-year-old former billionaire left Silicon Valley to attend MIT.

White and others characterize Stanford’s culture as a place where faculty and students are emboldened to take big risks in conceiving the next hot start-up or breakthrough innovation, often with easy access to capital, the conviction that they’re changing the world — and few consequences if things go south.

Bankman-Fried founded FTX in 2019, which received hefty backing from well-known investment firms such as Sequoia Capital, SoftBank and others — plus endorsements from celebrities such as football star Tom Brady, supermodel Gisele Bündchen, comedian Larry David. The Bahamas-based company was valued at $32 billion as recently as early 2022 before it imploded in November.

The do-gooder movement that shielded Bankman-Fried from scrutiny

It remains to be seen what consequences Bankman-Fried, who pleaded “not guilty,” might face. So far, his ability to be detained at home, instead of held in prison, is an exception to how most federal defendants are treated. The quiet, traffic-light Stanford neighborhood is quite the upgrade from Fox Hill, a notoriously rough prison in the Bahamas where Bankman-Fried was briefly held before being extradited.

If Bankman-Fried violates the terms of his bail agreement, his parents could lose their house, which they’ve owned since 1991 and is worth over $3.5 million, according to public property records.

Three of Bankman-Fried’s former colleagues — Caroline Ellison, Gary Wang and Nishad Singh — have pleaded guilty to fraud charges connected to FTX and its sister company, Alameda Research, and are cooperating with U.S. prosecutors. Gary Wang’s lawyer declined to comment. Lawyers for Ellison and Singh did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The two non-relatives to guarantee Bankman-Fried’s bond are both connected to Stanford. Larry Kramer, a former dean of Stanford’s law school, said in an email that his decision to back Bankman-Fried’s bond was made in a personal capacity. Kramer said the Bankman-Frieds, whom he and his wife have known since the 1990s, have “been the truest of friends” when they went through a difficult period. “In turn, we have sought to support them as they face their own crisis.”

The other bond guarantor, a Stanford senior research scientist, didn’t respond to a request for comment.

The campus community is well-aware that he’s there. An annotated map, locating the Bankman-Fried home, was posted on a student-only social network. Colloquially, some on campus refer to the faculty neighborhood by a cheeky nickname that lumps together Bankman-Fried with the tarnished reputation of his neighbor university president Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who is under investigation for alleged misconduct with his medical research.

Still, there have been security threats. A Jan. 19 letter from Bankman-Fried’s lawyers to the District Court judge presiding over Bankman-Fried’s case noted that a car had driven into the security barricades set up outside his parents’ home. Before taking a recent hiatus from teaching, Joseph Bankman taught tax law and mental health law at the university; and Bankman-Fried’s mother, Barbara Fried, who recently retired, taught contract law. Law students frequently rave about Bankman and Fried, calling both of them brilliant and kind professors, and expressing disappointment that they’re not in the classroom.

From his childhood home, which has its shades drawn and “no trespassing” signs out front, Bankman-Fried has found many ways to remain connected to the outside world. He’s done interviews with journalists and launched an online newsletter. Prosecutors say he’s contacted former FTX officials who may be witnesses in his trial. The U.S. government has tried to restrict his access to virtual private networks and certain apps where messages disappear, but a final ruling has not been made. The judge presiding over his case asked in a hearing last month, “Why am I being asked to turn him loose in this garden of electronic devices?,” highlighting that despite any restrictions the court might place on Bankman-Fried’s use of technology, he remains in a home with his parents who also have a plethora of ways to be wired.

Tyler Benster, a 31-year-old neuroscience PhD student who also works and invests in crypto, cycled by the home on a date recently, pointing it out as he might Steve Jobs’s old home or the campus sculpture garden.

Compared with how hard students work to get to Stanford, Benster sees Bankman-Fried’s physical presence on campus as eye-poppingly incongruous. “People spend years and years of their life working hard and preparing to then have the privilege of being here, using the resources, being in the heart of Silicon Valley,” Benster said. “And the idea that someone could end up sort of living on campus due to a massive uncovered fraud is fairly ironic.”

Seraj Desai, a 24-year-old law student, who was curious if he could pry information out of a security guard in front of the house, was told: “Everything that you need to know is on the internet.”

When asked if Bankman-Fried reflects poorly on the university, the common response is: It’s not as bad as Elizabeth Holmes. She did attend Stanford, before dropping out at 19 to start the blood-testing company Theranos; and her board included several heavyweights who were affiliated with Stanford’s Hoover Institution think tank. Unlike Bankman-Fried, who’s only been charged with fraud, she’s been convicted and sentenced to 11 years in prison.

“We already had Elizabeth Holmes. … we’ve already dug the grave,” says Desai, the law student. “If anything, if a white-collar criminal is found guilty, people will get more interested and … there’s a fascination in how they did it. Stanford has a very strong reputation that won’t be tainted, but it’ll trend on Twitter.”

Some students are too busy with midterms to pay attention to Bankman-Fried’s presence, while others have no interest in him. A sophomore who spoke on the condition of anonymity because she wants to work in politics and doesn’t want to be associated with Bankman-Fried, declined her friends’ invite to go by his house. There’s “a weird voyeurism about it,” she says, adding that others’ fascination with him might be connected to their own aspirations.

“There’s a perverse desire to know what could have been, or knowing what you could have been,” she said of her friends’ interest in Bankman-Fried. He soared to heights they’ve only dreamed of, she notes. And then, the schadenfreude kicked in. Watching his downfall, she says, is “really engaging.”

Adrian Daub, a Stanford professor of comparative literature and German studies, author of “What Tech Calls Thinking,” sees an encouraging sign in Stanford being only peripherally involved in the Bankman-Fried scandal. That might not have been the case 10 years ago, he notes, when the Silicon Valley hype machine operated at more of a fever pitch than it does today.

“Other than his physical location, it’s actually not that connected to us for once,” Daub says. “In that way, it’s a sign of progress,” and also “a little bit melancholy.”

“Stanford was a place where the future was shaped, and it’s quite possible that’s not happening anymore — that it’s happening in the Bahamas now and only comes to Palo Alto once it gets indicted.”

The freshman who’d eyed that “PATH CLOSED” sign went back to the Bankman-Fried home later in January. All he needed to get his memento was wire cutters and some courage. He snipped off the zip ties securing it to a metal blockade and paraded it around for selfies at a cryptocurrency networking event.

The sign is currently growing mold in his dorm-room closet.

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Joy Behar on Friday introduced a new weekly segment on “The View”: “Joy’s Banned Book Club,” which will highlight titles that have been targeted for removal from public schools and libraries.

“Book bans have become an almost daily occurrence,” Behar said. “Last school year alone, there were more than 2,500 instances of books being banned in over 5,000 schools … even children’s books are under fire. So with that in mind, we’re introducing a new segment on the show this week, which we like to call ‘Joy’s Banned Book Club’.”

The TV host and comic kicked off the segment with the award-winning children’s book “And Tango Makes Three,” a 2005 title by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. The book tells the story of two male penguins who bonded at the New York Zoo and raised a chick together.

“This is a sweet, graceful way to introduce children to the concept of same-sex relationships and non-traditional families,” Behar said.

Behar noted that the title had been removed from school libraries in Escambia County, Florida, last week for being “inappropriate” for elementary-aged students. Nearly 15 years after its release, “And Tango Makes Three” continued to appear on the American Library Association’s “Most Challenged” book list as recently as 2019.

“As for ‘And Tango Makes Three,’ our studio audience can decide for themselves, because you’re all getting a copy,” Behar said.

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Joy Behar on Friday introduced a new