When you’re feeling bummed out, television can transport you to another place and another time. That’s one of the medium’s perks, and that’s a major selling point of Apple TV+’s Hello Tomorrow! The entire show is an escapist fantasy, a kind of American Graffiti meets The Jetsons reality filled with cartoonish robots and an overabundance of pizzazz. But that shiny chrome exterior hides a real human darkness, one embodied by Billy Crudup’s fast-talking salesman. He hasn’t seen his kid in 20 years, his mom hates him, he’s lying to everybody around him, and he’s got a home he wants to sell ya — and it’s on the moon! Sure, it’s no lunar condo, but this show still offers a mighty fine escape from reality.
From Normal People to Aftersun, Paul is probably best known for starring in indie smash hits, and he doesn’t see that changing any time soon. “This will be something that I regret saying”, he told GQ, “I feel kind of like ridiculous saying no when it hasn’t been asked, but it’s not something that I am pining to do. I don’t know if I would have the patience required.”
Paul also commented that he didn’t want to stop doing indie dramas to focus on Marvel-like blockbusters, citing Robert Downey Jr. as an example of an actor who has dedicated over a decade of his career to the MCU and very little else. “I think sometimes you have to make a decision to let [other projects] go for five, 10, 15 years and that would be really sad”, he shared.
Writer & director Daniel Freedman joins Eric in the Cave of Solitude to talk about his latest releases – Kali and Birdking – working for Marvel, breaking into filmmaking and the creative process!
Congratulations! You’ve made it through the tutorial, but your journey into the depths of Dwarf Fortress is far from over. With myriad controls and intricate systems to uncover, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. This guide will help get you started and ease the learning curve.
There’s a parched austerity to the landscape of the Australian outback, along with an embedded history of conflict between Indigenous and invading occupants, that makes it irresistibly well-suited to screen westerns. But there’s a loneliness to it, too, a sense that its quiet vastness could swallow you whole and without trace, that lends itself as easily to moody, smoky mystery.
Aboriginal filmmaker Ivan Sen has twice before dabbled in the harsh, dry space where those genre possibilities overlap, in his features “Goldstone” and “Mystery Road.” In his latest, most accomplished film “Limbo,” he once more surveys the region with a critical eye, finding a history of racial injustice in its sharp cracks and long shadows. But the genre styling this time has been pushed all the way to stark, monochromatic stylization. This is outback noir — oblique, secretive and as hard-boiled as the ground is hard-baked — and Sen wears it well.
Admittedly, with his straight-cut jeans, Western shirt and silvery belt buckle that could take a man’s eye out, “Limbo’s” taciturn hero seems less like a suave gumshoe than he does a cowboy, a surly, crusading Man With No Name. He does have a name, as it happens: Travis Hurley, a hardened police detective blown in from far away to investigate a 20-year-old murder in the bare, desolate and fictitious town of Limbo in South Australia. Played by a craggy, buzz-cut Simon Baker — initially near-unrecognizable and never better — with an air of exhaustion that meets its match in this depleted opal-mining community, he exudes more rogue menace than institutional authority: One child remarks that he looks like a drug dealer, not a cop. (He does indeed have a private, lingering heroin habit.)
But Travis isn’t a thug, exactly. He carries out his cold case review with a quiet sense of duty and a tacit hint of shame, mindful of the fact that white policemen decades before him didn’t exactly exercise all due diligence in probing the disappearance and murder of a young Indigenous girl, Charlotte Hayes. The investigation, we learn, was slack and skimpy, disproportionately and aggressively focused on Indigenous men as suspects. Small wonder that those in Limbo who remember the fiasco are loath to talk when another pale out-of-towner comes sniffing around.
The victim’s brother Charlie (an excellent Rob Collins) regards Travis with particularly cold wariness: Charlotte’s murder, it appears, is one of many familial and cultural losses that has set his life forever off-track. His world-weary sister Emma (Natasha Wanganeen) is less hostile, but still skeptical that reopening this wound will amount to much. A single mother making a modest living at the local diner, she’s also assumed care of Charlie’s two children, and life in the present tense is hard enough without dredging up the past. She’s intrigued, however, by this gruff stranger who seems to carry his own burden of sorrow, and they build a tentative, not-quite-romantic rapport, beautifully played by Baker and Wanganeen with a mutually watchful reserve that haltingly cracks into vulnerable candor.
Car trouble, meanwhile, compels Travis to extend this seemingly hopeless case review, temporarily swapping his executive sedan for a wide, rusty Dodge that sets him to the whole town’s rhythm of slowed decay. And so he goes exploring its crevices, permitting Sen ample space and time to burrow into the geographic and atmospheric curiosities of this eerie, wind-licked landscape. Here, many buildings are carved into the rocks or underground — production designer Adam Head makes much of the sparse, grotto-like menace of Travis’ fleapit motel — while local caves hold burnt-out secrets, invisible in the striking aerial shots that present Limbo as little more than a lunar quilt of craters and sand swirls. Every mineral seems to have long ago been mined from the place; locals must live on the dirt that remains.
A virtual one-man band as a filmmaker, writer-director Sen also takes sole credit for cinematography, editing, music (sparse) and visual effects (sparser still). This degree of control yields less a sense of indulgence, however, than of crisp, exacting discipline — best demonstrated in the director’s clean, spartan but mood-drenched black-and-white lensing, in which no empty space feels emotionally uncharged.
The visual language of film noir tends to give the truth a place to hide; here, caverns of shadow deliver the goods, but there’s just as much to uncover in broad, punishing daylight: Many shots stress the high, wide sky and dusty sprawl of scrub surrounding this town of tragedy, where individual lives are rendered puny and throwaway against the elements. How can Travis hope to make a dent here? Baker’s grainily compelling performance carries “Limbo,” however, by leaning into that futility. Sturdy and still, becoming one with his aridly dejected surroundings, he tensely waits for any break in the silence, knowing his complicity in echoed history. “Limbo” joins a long line of fine Australian films taking to the desert to disinter racial trauma, to rebury the bones with more care and awareness, but also enduring fury.
If there’s one beauty brand whose reputation precedes it, it’s Glossier. Home to some of the most hyped-up products, cutting through the noise to find the best Glossier products is no easy feat. Glossier’s packaging and destination stores are a master class in brand identity. Its ever-growing fanbase—which includes plenty of celebrities, Olivia Rodrigo among them—is so loyal that shoppers will patiently wait to get their hands on whatever just hit the shelves. (And wherever too: The brand just launched at Sephora online, in store, and on the app.)
But just as with anything that seems too good to be true, it’s natural for those who aren’t fully aboard the Glossier train to wonder whether its products are actually worth the money. Does Boy Brow really transform your eyebrows with just a few swipes? Is Cloud Paint genuinely as good as its painfully cute tube would lead you to believe? Does the revamped Balm Dotcom outperform the original?
The answer, according to many who’ve tried the brand—including a number of Glamour staffers who swiped and slathered their way through every single product on the brand’s site to share the formulas that stood out to them—is a resounding yes. The votes came in across the board, but there were at least five emphatic responses that just said “Boy Brow!!!”—all caps, lots of exclamations. Scroll on for our honest reviews on the absolute best Glossier products worth spending your coin on.
All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
After a break of more than a decade, Party Down is finally back with a new season full of new adventures for the struggling actors and career caterers on the cult classic Starz comedy series. The new season, which picks up with the beloved Party Down Catering Company employees (and their pink bow-ties) for a hilarious reunion, brings with it some new characters to share the screen with Adam Scott, Ken Marino, Jane Lynch, and the rest of the gang.
If you have watched the show’s return, or at least plan on doing so in the near future, you are probably wondering where you’ve seen the new additions to the Party Down Season 3 cast. Because it’s been so long since Party Down first aired, we’ve also included a little rundown of all those familiar faces who returned for the show’s third season.
(Image credit: Starz)
Jennifer Garner (Evie)
Leading things off when it comes to Party Down newcomers is Jennifer Garner, who shows up in the show’s third season as Evie, a successful film producer who starts a new journey in life, one that includes dating Adam Scott’s Henry Pollard.
Garner, who was one of the first additions to the Party Down Season 3 cast reported on by Deadline in January 2022, is mostly known for roles in movies like 13 Going on 30, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, Dallas Buyers Club, and most recently The Adam Project. However, Garner has long appeared on the small screen as well, including memorable performances on shows like Alias, Camping, and Upload.
(Image credit: Starz)
James Marsden (Jack Botty)
Next up for the Party Down Season 3 new additions is James Marsden, who shows up on the Starz original comedy series as Jack Botty, a big-time actor at the center of a massive superhero franchise.
Marsden joining the cast is the latest in a line of TV appearances for the actor who has popped up on The Stand, Mrs. America, Dead to Me, and Westworld in recent years, all while keeping up his film career. Over the years, Marsden has done everything from lead the X-Men movies to help make Sonic the Hedgehog one of the best video game adaptations of all time. He’s also shown up in movies like The Notebook, Superman Returns, Straw Dogs, and most recently, in the Disenchanted cast.
(Image credit: Starz)
Tyrel Jackson Williams (Sackson)
The first of two new additions to Party Down Catering Company is Tyrel Jackson Williams, who takes on the role of struggling internet personality Sackson on the revival.
If you were a fan of Disney Channel original shows from the past decade, then there’s a good chance you’ll recognize Williams from his portrayal of Leo Dooley on the Disney XD comedy series, Lab Rats. Williams also appeared in the 2014 Disney XD original movie,Pants on Fire.
Over the years, he has also had small roles on shows like Everybody Hates Chris, Modern Family, Community, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. His film roles to date include Failure to Launch, Thunder Force, and Hollywood Stargirl.
(Image credit: Starz)
Zoë Chao (Lucy)
Also joining the Season 3 cast is Zoë Chao, who joins the catering team as aspiring celebrity chef, Lucy, who has to settle for the party circuit and a pink bow-tie for the time being.
This is the latest in a long line of TV shows for Chao, who continues to be one of the hardest working actresses around today. In the past half-decade, Chao has popped up on shows like Strangers, The OA, Living with Yourself, Love Life, and Modern Love. That also includes The Afterparty, the 2022 Apple TV+ original murder mystery comedy that will once again feature Chao when the show returns, according to Deadline.
Chao is also no stranger to the silver screen, as she has appeared in movies like Where’d You Go, Bernadette, Downhill, The High Note, Senior Year, and most recently, the 2023 Netflix original movie, Your Place or Mine.
(Image credit: Starz)
Quinta Brunson (Jaff)
Last, but not least, when it comes to the cast newcomers is Primetime Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress and writer Quinta Brunson, who has become a household name in recent years thanks to her work on Abbott Elementary. Brunson shows up in a guest role as Jaff, Kyle Bradway’s (Ryan Hansen) agent, according to Variety.
Prior to finding success with Abbott Elementary in 2021, Brunson appeared on shows like A Black Lady Sketch Show, Big Mouth, Lazor Wulf, Miracle Workers, and multiple others. Her film appearances include An American Pickle, As of Yet, and Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, in which she portrayed Oprah Winfrey.
(Image credit: Starz)
Party Down Returning Actors
Though Lizzy Caplan won’t be returning for Party Down Season 3, the rest of the major players from the show’s first two seasons will all be back. Here’s a quick refresher on who’s coming back and where you’ve seen them before.
(Image credit: Starz)
Adam Scott (Henry Pollard)
As seen in the Party Down Season 3 trailer, Adam Scott will be returning as actor-turned-caterer Henry Pollard, who crosses paths with his old coworkers after more than a decade away.
Outside of saying “Are we having fun yet?” on the cult classic Starz comedy series, Scott is known for appearances on shows like Parks and Recreation, The Good Place, and most recently, Severance.
(Image credit: Starz)
Ken Marino (Ronald Wayne ‘Ron’ Donald)
Ken Marino also returns for the revival, once again playing Party Down Catering Company manager Ronald Wayne “Ron” Donald.
A comedy mainstay for more than 30 years, Marino has made a career out of playing over-the-top characters on The State, Childrens Hospital, and The Other Two, to name a few. His notable film work includes Wet Hot American Summer, Reno 911!: Miami, and Role Models.
(Image credit: Starz)
Jane Lynch (Constance Carmell)
Jane Lynch is another Party Down alum returning for the revival season, once again playing Constance Carmell.
Outside of her work on this comedy, Lynch is known for iconic performances on shows like Glee, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, and Hollywood Game Night, all three of which have earned her a Primetime Emmy Award.
(Image credit: Starz)
Martin Starr (Roman DeBeers)
Martin Starr, who played the condescending screenwriter Roman DeBeers on the show’s first two seasons, is back once again for Season 3.
In the years since appearing in the Freaks and Geeks cast, Starr has continued to find success on the small screen (as well as in movies), especially as of late with great performances on Tulsa King and Guillermo del Toro’s Cabinet of Curiosities.
(Image credit: Starz)
Megan Mullally (Lydia Dunfree)
Megan Mullally also shows up in the new season, once again playing the chronically optimistic Lydia Dunfree.
Mostly remembered for her award-winning portrayal of Karen Walker on Will & Grace, Mullally has also worked on shows like Childrens Hospital, Bob’s Burgers, and Parks and Recreation over the years, the last of which was alongside her husband, Nick Offerman.
(Image credit: Starz)
Ryan Hansen (Kyle Bradway)
And then there is Ryan Hansen, who is back once again as actor, model, and musician Kyle Bradway on Party Down.
Outside of slinging hors d’oeuvres on the Starz comedy series, Hansen has also appeared on 2 Broke Girls, Teachers, and A Million Little Things.
You can see these faces (as well as some major guest stars) on Party Down, which airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on Starz. If you want to know what other new and returning shows are coming to the airwaves this spring, check out our 2023 TV schedule.
Abbott Elementary, Atlanta and Better Call Saul are among the winners from the fourth night of the NAACP Image Awards‘ non-televised ceremonies.
Winners during Thursday’s night virtual ceremony encompassed the TV writing, TV directing and podcasting categories.
Brittani Nichols won best writing in a comedy series for Abbott Elementary, while Marissa Jo Cerar took the drama series writing award for Women of the Movement.
Angela Barnes won directing honors for the comedy series Atlanta, while Giancarlo Esposito won an NAACP Image Award for directing Better Call Saul.
Winners in the the podcasting categories included The Daily Show and LeVar Burton.
The NAACP will hold an awards dinner and program Friday that will be hosted by actress Bresha Webb. The live broadcast featuring the televised categories will take place on Saturday night, with Queen Latifah hosting. The live show will be simulcast across Paramount Global networks including BET HER, CBS, CMT, Comedy Central, LOGO, MTV, MTV2, Paramount Network, POP TV, Smithsonian, TV Land and VH1.
A full list of winners from night four follows.
Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
Aisha Muharrar – Hacks – “Episode 206” (HBO Max) Ayo Edebiri, Shana Gohd – What We do in the Shadows – “Episode 405” (FX) Brittani Nichols – Abbott Elementary – “Student Transfer” (ABC) (WINNER) Karen Joseph Adcock – The Bear – “Episode 105” (FX) Quinta Brunson – Abbott Elementary – “Development Day” (ABC)
Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series
Aurin Squire – The Good Fight – “Episode 603” (Paramount+) Branden Jacobs-Jenkins – Kindred – “Episode 101” (FX) Davita Scarlett – The Good Fight – “Episode 604” (Paramount+) Joshua Allen – From Scratch – “Episode 105” (Netflix) Marissa Jo Cerar – Women of the Movement – “Episode 101” (ABC) (WINNER)
Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie or Special
Bree West – A Wesley Christmas (BET Networks) Scott Mescudi (Story By), Ian Edelman, Maurice Williams – Entergalactic (Netflix) (WINNER) Jerrod Carmichael – Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel (HBO Max) Lil Rel Howery – Lil Rel Howery: I Said it. Y’all Thinking it (HBO Max) Matt Lopez – Father of the Bride (HBO Max)
Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series
Angela Barnes – Atlanta – “The Homeliest Little Horse” (FX) (WINNER) Bridget Stokes – A Black Lady Sketch Show – “Save My Edges, I’m a Donor!” (HBO Max) Dee Rees – Upload – “Hamoodi” (Amazon Studios) Iona Morris Jackson – black-ish – “If A Black Man Cries in the Woods” (ABC) Pete Chatmon – The Flight Attendant – “Drowning Women” (HBO Max)
Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series
Debbie Allen – The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey – “Robyn” (Apple TV+) Giancarlo Esposito – Better Call Saul – “Axe and Grind” (AMC) (WINNER) Gina Prince-Bythewood – Women of the Movement – “Mother and Son” (ABC) Hanelle Culpepper – The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey – “Sensia” (Apple TV+) Kasi Lemmons – Women of the Movement – “Episode 106” (ABC)
Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie or Special
Anton Cropper – Fantasy Football (Paramount+) (WINNER) Marta Cunningham – 61st Street (AMC) Sujata Day – Definition Please (Netflix) Tailiah Breon – Kirk Franklin’s The Night Before Christmas (Lifetime) Tine Fields – Soul of a Nation: Screen Queens Rising (ABC)
Outstanding Directing in a Documentary (Television or Motion Picture)
Nadia Hallgren – Civil (Netflix) Reginald Hudlin – Sidney (Apple TV+) (WINNER) Sacha Jenkins – Everything’s Gonna Be All White (Showtime) Sacha Jenkins – Louis Armstrong’s Black & Blues (Apple TV+) W. Kamau Bell – We Need to Talk About Cosby (Showtime)
Outstanding News and Information Podcast
#SundayCivics (LJW Community Strategies) Beyond the Scenes – The Daily Show (Central Productions, LLC) (WINNER) Black Tech Green Money (The Black Effect Podcast Network) Holding Court with Eboni K. Williams (Interval Presents & Uppity Productions) Into America with Trymaine Lee (MSNBC)
Outstanding Lifestyle/Self-Help Podcast
Chile, Please (Honey Chile) GoOD Mornings with CurlyNikki (Walton Media, LLC) Man to Man: A Black Love Wellness Series (Black Love Inc.) Maejor Frequency (Audible) Therapy for Black Girls (Therapy for Black Girls) (WINNER)
Outstanding Society and Culture Podcast
Comeback with Erica Cobb (Erica Cobb LLC/One Street Studios) Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay (Spotify & The Ringer) Into America with Trymaine Lee (MSNBC) LeVar Burton Reads (SiriusXM’s Stitcher Studios) (WINNER) The Sum of Us (Higher Ground)
The older you get, the trickier it can be to pick out the best gifts for teens. It’s only natural; eventually, the things that once defined your formative years—be it Tamagotchis, Jordache jeans, or iPhones with actual home buttons—get replaced, leaving you wondering what the kids are actually into these days.
But that doesn’t mean you have to throw in the towel and hand every teen in your life an envelope full of cash. There are plenty of unique presents for everyone on your list out there—yes, even the most difficult to shop for people—you’ll just have to think a little deeper about the recipient.
Whether you’re buying a gift for a teen girl who’s on her way to TikTok virality, something meaningful for your daughter, or a small gift for her boyfriend, you can’t go wrong with an extra-long iPhone charger, a mini fridge, Ugg slippers, Amazon leggings, or basically anything else in this edit. From foolproof tech to cute stocking stuffers, these gift ideas will impress teen boys, teen girls, and those who don’t fall into either category.
Our top picks
All products featured on Glamour are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
I’ve been saying this for a long time, but if you’re going to make a genre film, you need to be a fan of the genre. In Richard Kilroy’s neo-noir Proof Sheet, Kilroy understands all the elements of noir even though he changes the players and the film’s setting up a bit to stand out from the crowd.
Angel (Leo Llenas) is about to celebrate his 21st birthday, but his life is a bit go-nowhere. He hopes to one day turn his love of photography into a profession, so he works for minimum wage at his uncle Gilbert’s (Alejandro Delgado) photo lab.
While at lunch, Angel spots a beautiful woman, Reina (Catherine Lidstone), who is being followed by a menacing man in a hoodie. Angel runs interference with the man so Reina can escape. As luck would have it, Reina was heading to Angel’s photo lab over some business with Gilbert. The closed-off Reina leaves, but not after accepting an invitation to Angel’s birthday party that night.
At the tail end of the party, Reina shows up and confesses to Angel that she hopes to leave L.A., but she is being blackmailed by some thugs holding Reina’s sister hostage. Angel says he’ll help rescue her and to meet him at the photo lab the next day. But, of course, Reina never shows up, and just before closing up shop for the night, a last-minute rush shows up when Angel develops the film. Unfortunately, it contains pictures of Reina in physical danger.
“…she is being blackmailed by some thugs holding Reina’s sister hostage. Angel says he’ll help rescue her…”
If Proof Sheet doesn’t scream neo-noir, I don’t know what will. It starts with a sad sack of a private investigator, which in this case is photography enthusiast Angel. Angel is immediately smitten with the femme fatale, Reina, who begs for his help, knowing that it will put him in danger. When Reina winds up missing, Angel is obsessed with finding her, even at his own peril. While this amateur investigator starts stirring up trouble, Angel quickly finds himself in over his head.
Also, like a good noir, Proof Sheet takes place in Los Angeles, specifically in the predominantly Hispanic city of Echo Park and director Richard Kilroy and co-writer Eduardo Santiago infuse Hispanic culture into this tale.
This brings up lead actor Leo Llenas, who is brilliant casting as the one who carries the entire film. When the film opens, he’s this naive kid who just wants to rise above his situation. He feels a bit of an outsider as he speaks little-to-no Spanish, and he’s the son of Mexican immigrants who wanted a better life for their children in the States. Angel starts off as naive but quickly gets reality slapped into him. He soon makes impulsive decisions to do what he thinks is right, only to blow it up in his face.
Another element of noir is the idea that people…loved ones…that you thought you knew from the idyllic picture you made up in your mind are not who they say they are. Angel’s hardworking uncle Gilbert holds a lot of secrets about the clients he’s taken in recently. Angel’s father is a disgraced cop about to find redemption but still won’t take any of his calls. On a side note, there is a medium, played by Maria Conchita Alonso, that adds a little spiritual flair to the story.
Proof Sheet succeeds in bringing the noir genre into the modern age while changing up some of the basic tropes and staying true to the genre’s spirit. It’s a fun thrill ride that will sneak up on you if you give it a chance.
The 34th annual Producers Guild Awards continued Thursday with a nominee celebration in Los Angeles, where the guild awarded the Original Short Form Program to Only Murders in the Building: One Killer Question and the PGA Innovation Award to Stay Alive, My Son.
On Tuesday, a New York nominees event crowned Sesame Street with the children’s program award and the documentary Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off its top sports program.
The remainder of the winners will be unveiled Saturday night at the main PGA Awards ceremony, which begins at 7:30 p.m. at the Beverly Hilton.
Tom Cruise will receive the guild’s honorary David O. Selznick Achievement Award during the Saturday event, while Mindy Kaling will receive the Norman Lear Achievement Award, Warner Bros. Pictures Group CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy will receive the Milestone Award, and Till will receive the Stanley Kramer Award.
Also Saturday, a winner will be announced in the PGA’s marquee Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures category. That nominees list includes Warner Bros’ Elvis, A24’s Everything Everywhere All at Once, Paramount’s Top Gun: Maverick, and Disney’s Avatar: The Way of Water and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Of that group, only Black Panther 2 failed to make the Best Pic Oscar nominees list.
Last year, Apple’s CODA gained major momentum by winning the top PGA honor, on its way to winning Oscar’s Best Picture.
The TV races to be decided Saturday will feature nominees including HBO’s The White Lotus, Netflix’s Ozark and Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, and Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building.
Below is the 2023 winners list we’ll keep updating through Saturday’s ceremony.
PGA Innovation Award
Stay Alive, My Son
Outstanding Short Form Program
Only Murders in the Building: One Killer Question (Season 2)
If you’re already a Wordle addict then Quordle could be your next must-play game. This spin-off takes the familiar Wordle format and makes it harder by giving you four puzzles to solve simultaneously.
As you might imagine, it’s hard! So if you already find yourself searching for Wordle clues, you’ll probably need some for Quordle too.
I’m a Quordle and Wordle addict who’s been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #396 and bookmark this page so you can easily return tomorrow.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.
Your Quordle expert
Your Quordle expert
Marc McLaren
Marc is TechRadar’s UK Editor in Chief and has been playing Wordle and Quordle for more than a year. He’s authored dozens of articles on the game for TechRadar and its sister site Tom’s Guide, including a detailed analysis of the most common letters in every position. His Wordle streak recently reached the 400 mark and he’ll be inconsolable if he loses it. Yes, he takes it all too seriously.
Quordle today (game #396) – hint #1 – Vowels
How many different vowels are in Quordle today?
• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 3*.
* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).
Quordle today (game #396) – hint #2 – total vowels
What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?
• The total number of vowels across today’s Quordle answers is 7.
Quordle today (game #396) – hint #3 – repeated letters
Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters?
• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 2.
Quordle today (game #396) – hint #4 – total letters
How many different letters are used in Quordle today?
• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 10.
Quordle today (game #396) – hint #5 – uncommon letters
Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?
• No. None of Q, Z, X or J appear among today’s Quordle answers.
What letters do today’s Quordle answers start with?
• R
• C
• C
• C
Right, the answers are below, so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON’T WANT TO SEE THEM.
Quordle today (game #396) – the answers
(Image credit: Merriam-Webster)
The answers to today’s Quordle, game #396, are…
Quordle was a bit easier today, not least because three answers started with a C, so once you found one of them you had a good way into the others. That said, it’s light on vowels (no O or U) and indeed light on letters in general, with just 10 used across the four puzzles. Repeated Ls in CHILL and Cs in CACHE may also have complicated things. But none of the words are too hard, and I solved it with one guess remaining despite making a very silly error or my seventh guess.
Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar.
As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you’re competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.
The website also includes a practice mode – which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! – and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements – specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.
Oh, and it’s difficult. Really difficult.
What are the Quordle rules?
The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.
1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.
2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow.
3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…
4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two.
5. Answers are never plural.
6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.
7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle’s dictionary. You can’t guess ABCDE, for instance.
8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle’s Hard mode.
9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.
10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.
What is a good Quordle strategy?
Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can’t blindly throw letters at it and expect to win – you’ll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.
That’s the case in Wordle too, of course, but it’s even more important in Quordle.
There are two key things to remember.
1. Use several starting words
Firstly, you won’t want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words.
The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.
For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options – you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe – but something like that should do the trick.
If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!
2. Narrow things down
Secondly, if you’re faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options – for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH – you’ll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options.
In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It’s risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it’s the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure – you simply don’t have enough guesses.
In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.
“Only Murders in the Building: One Killer Question” and “Stay Alive, My Son” are the two latest winners of Producers Guild Awards, the Producers Guild of America announced at its annual West Coast Nominees Celebration in Los Angeles.
The second season of “Only Murders in the Building: One Killer Question” won in the Outstanding Short-Form Program category. Other nominees included, the fourth season of “Better Call Saul: Filmmaker Training,” the third season of “Love, Death + Robots,” the first season of “Sesame Street’s #ComingTogether Word of the Day” Series, and the first season of “Tales of the Jedi.”
This year’s PGA Innovation Award, which goes to work in VR, AR, experiential and other emerging media, was won by the producers of “Stay Alive, My Son” from UME Studios.
Earlier this week, the PGA announced the winners of the Outstanding Sports Program and Outstanding Children’s Program categories, with “Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off” winning the former and “Sesame Street” winning the latter.
The remaining categories will be given out at the 2023 Producers Guild Awards on Saturday, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.
The awards:
Outstanding Short-Form Program “Better Call Saul: Filmmaker Training” (Season 4) “Love, Death + Robots” (Season 3) “Only Murders in the Building: One Killer Question” (Season 2)*WINNER “Sesame Street’s #ComingTogether Word of the Day” Series (Season 1) “Tales of the Jedi” (Season 1)
Innovation Award “Dance Monsters” (Lime Pictures) “Experience Yosemite” (CityLights) “Ghostbusters VR Academy” (HOLOGATE) “LeMusk – A Cinematic Sensory Experience” (Intel Corporation) “Lustration” (New Canvas) “On The Morning You Wake” (To the End of the World) (ASTREA) “OXYMORE by Jean-Michel Jarre” (VRROOM) “PerfectoVerse” (Watch and Play) “Space Explorers: Artemis Ascending” (Felix and Paul Studios, with participation of MeetMo) (Meta Quest) “Stay Alive, My Son” (UME Studios)*WINNER “Stranger Things Immersive Watch Party” (Sawhorse Productions) “Verizon Pepsi Halftime Ultra Pass” (R/GA)
Idris Elba may have taken himself out of the running to play James Bond, but he’s got a pretty terrific franchise already going playing John Luther, the dogged and troubled British detective. The title character of the hit BBC series that’s been running periodically since 2010 has now been given the big-screen treatment with the new feature film directed and written by series veterans Jamie Payne and Neil Cross, respectively. Well, big screen for a little while, anyway, since Luther: The Fallen Sun is receiving only a limited theatrical release before premiering on Netflix next month.
The creators have cannily threaded the needle with this feature installment, designed to please longtime fans while providing an easy entry point for newcomers. The movie plays like a series episode on steroids, with significantly bigger production values and a darker tone (and that’s saying something) that comes close to horror-film territory.
Luther: The Fallen Sun
The Bottom Line
Fans can breathe easy.
Release date: Friday, Feb. 24 (on Netflix March 3) Cast: Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis, Dermot Crowley, Thomas Coombes, Lauryn Ajufo, Hattie Morahan, Vincent Regan Director: Jamie Payne Screenwriter: Neil Cross
Rated R,
2 hours 29 minutes
Their ambitions verge on getting away from them, with so many melodramatic plot elements stuffed into the first section that the film seems rushed. Luther takes charge of a case in which a young man has disappeared in the middle of a highway after stopping to help at the scene of an accident, and promises the man’s distraught mother that he’ll find her son. Not long after that, the deranged psychopath responsible manages to frame Luther and get him thrown into prison (not an especially difficult task, since the detective has played fast and loose with proper police procedures since the series began).
Luther’s efforts to provide advice to Odette Raine (Cynthia Erivo), the detective newly assigned to the case, are rudely rebuffed. So he manages to engineer an elaborate prison break and becomes a fugitive himself, attempting to track down the villain even as Raine pursues him relentlessly. These events, which could easily have filled several episodes of the series, are condensed into a not-particularly-convincing half hour or so.
Still, it’s a compelling set-up, providing plenty of fast-paced tension. And when we see Luther in his trademark tweed jacket standing on a rooftop looking over the city like Batman, it’s hard to mind very much.
A good hero story needs a good villain, and screenwriter Cross has provided a doozy, certainly his best one since Ruth Wilson’s Alice. He’s David Robey, a rich tech genius who’s gone full psycho since his wife was nearly killed in a fire. As played by Andy Serkis in supremely creepy fashion, he’s a truly memorable character who gleefully enjoys playing diabolical games — including luring the loved ones of people he’s killed to a secluded mansion where, instead of finding their relatives alive, they encounter their corpses hanging from hooks just before the entire room bursts into flames.
The inevitable cat-and-mouse game that ensues between Luther and his quarry includes a stunning sequence set in a crowded Piccadilly Square, featuring shocking mass suicides and leading to a chase and one-on-one fight in the London Underground. Director Payne stages the violent mayhem in gripping fashion, clearly relishing the opportunity to go bigger and bolder with a substantially larger budget.
Still, it’s the characters, not the cinematic set pieces, no matter how impressive, that give the film its power. Elba’s Luther, more emotionally damaged than ever, displays his trademark psychological acuity when dealing with criminals and victims alike, not to mention his propensity for droll one-liners. When asked by one suspicious character to show his badge, Luther sheepishly replies, “Forgot it in my other jacket. Sorry about that.” Erivo brings a real ferocity to her hard-boiled cop who doesn’t shirk her parenting duties to her teenage daughter — and who eventually teams up with Luther to get the bad guy.
Serkis’ Robey is the stuff of nightmares, making his Gollum nearly look warm and cuddly. Broadcasting his gruesome killings to a worldwide audience of sickos via his “Red Bunker” on the dark web, Robey is also a surprisingly complex figure whose emotional vulnerabilities provide Luther the opportunity to bring him down. Serkis doesn’t shy away from Richard Widmark Kiss of Death-style histrionics in his virtuoso turn, but perhaps his most effective moment comes when Robey barely manages to suppress a yawn while pretending to comfort one of his victim’s relatives.
The film provides a few Easter eggs to please the initiated, none of which are so blatant that newcomers will feel left out. The best holdover from the series is Dermot Crowley’s Martin Schenk, Luther’s longtime colleague and mentor whom he enlists for help with the plea, “One more time, for auld lang syne.” The two men’s warm rapport provides some welcome continuity, particularly since so many other characters from the series met untimely ends.
Luther: The Fallen Sun goes overboard at times — especially in its climactic sequence, featuring a fight in a car submerged in a frozen lake, that feels like something out of a Bond movie (you half expect Jaws to make a guest appearance). But it definitely delivers the goods, making it fairly obvious that DCI John Luther isn’t going away anytime soon.
It is a welcome note that Tamil cinema has adapted to times and owing to the unimaginable pandemic, first-time director JJ Fredrick’s Ponmagal Vandhal (The Golden Girl Has Arrived) was pushed straight onto a streaming platform, Amazon, without waiting for the cinemas to reopen.
In an interview, Fredrick said that small films like his would have to wait a long time for a theatrical release even after halls had begun functioning, because large, big-budget movies would get the first preference.
With Jyotika playing debutant lawyer, Venba, in Ooty (where the film is set), Ponmagal Vandhal is a crime thriller and legal drama rolled into one. In 2004, a series of child rapes and murders in the Nilgiris (where Ooty is located) lead the police to arrest whom they describe as a North Indian woman and shoot her, stating that she was a “psycho Killer”. Parents in Ooty and around are made to believe that she was the culprit, and a mass hysteria is generated.
Fifteen years later, Petition Pethuraj (Bhagyaraj) reopens the case and asks his daughter, Venba, to fight it out in court. Known for seeking legal redress for the most trivial of causes (including a fly in his glass of tea), Pethuraj is not taken seriously by the townsfolk. But they are angry that Venba should have taken up cudgels for a ruthless serial killer.
Fredrick, who also wrote the screenplay, divulges many details midway through the movie, leaving one twist to the very end. Although Jyotika is impressive as the lawyer fighting to set right a gross wrong and nab the guilty and is ably supported by Bhagyaraj and Pratap Pothen (who essays the judge), Ponmagal Vandhal (produced by Surya and Jyotika) has been inspired so much by Jolly LLB and Jolly LLB 2 (both in Hindi) that the Tamil film could have well been a remake.
The defence counsel, Rajarathinam (Partheiban), reminded me of Boman Irani in Jolly LLB and Annu Kapoor in Jolly LLB 2 – both defending the culprits. Jyotika seemed more like Warsi in Jolly LLB, who reopens a case by filing a public interest litigation. Many of the courtroom scenes in the Tamil work appear to have been lifted from the two Hindi titles, especially some of the arguments of the defence and judge’s mannerisms. Even the fake encounter in the Jyotika-starrer comes, in a way, from Jolly LLB 2.
Unfortunately, there is very little novelty in Ponmagal Vandhal, except for the fact that Jyotika’s Venba uses tears and emotions to convince the judge with very little hard evidence to prove her point! How would this stand in a court of law? It beats me.
Much of Tamil cinema is shoddily penned, and scriptwriters exhibit lethargy and take the easy way out by lifting scenes or ideas from other films – and not just Hindi but even foreign. Ponmagal Vandhal despite its bold attempt to bypass the theatre, fails to offer any plot originality.
Ponmagal Vandhal is streaming on Amazon Prime.
Rating: 1.5/5
(Gautaman Bhaskaran is author, commentator and movie critic)
With an 11th-hour curve ball that would surely make Logan Roy smirk, “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong revealed the drama’s upcoming fourth season will be its last.
Armstrong broke the news in an interview with the New Yorker. A representative for HBO declined to comment, but confirmed the information within the New Yorker story was accurate.
“There’s a promise in the title of ‘Succession,’” Armstrong said in the piece, titled “The End of ‘Succession’ Is Near.” “I’ve never thought this could go on forever. The end has always been kind of present in my mind. From Season 2, I’ve been trying to think: Is it the next one, or the one after that, or is it the one after that?”
Prior to beginning work on Season 4, Armstrong met with the writing staff to get their assessment on bringing the story of the Roy family dynasty to a close: “I sort of said, ‘Look, I think this maybe should be it. But what do you think?’ And we played out various scenarios: We could do a couple of short seasons, or two more seasons. Or we could go on for ages and turn the show into something rather different, and be a more rangy, freewheeling kind of fun show, where there would be good weeks and bad weeks. Or we could do something a bit more muscular and complete, and go out sort of strong. And that was definitely always my preference.”
Once it was determined to end the series, which premiered in 2018 and has won two Emmys for drama series, Armstrong said he wanted fans of the show to enter the season knowing the end was near.
“We don’t hide the ball very much on the show. I feel a responsibility to the viewership, and I personally wouldn’t like the feeling of, ‘Oh, that’s it, guys. That was the end.’ I wouldn’t like that in a show. I think I would like to know it is coming to an end.”
With a quick getaway to Italy, the third season ended with the Roy siblings — namely Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook) and Roman (Kieran Culkin) — finally coming together to overthrow their father, Logan (Brian Cox). Except he was one step ahead and proved why his ruthlessness has made him unstoppable, leaving them out in the cold of the family’s media empire, Waystar Royco.
The fallout from it all will likely make for a wild ride when the fourth season premieres Sunday, March 26.
This week, Marvel shows up in a big way with the Academy Awards nominations…and the Razzies.
Also, we’ve got casting news for multiple projects and a long overdue update on what happened to Jeremy Renner.
I’ll bring you the latest in MarvelBlog News.
All Hail the Queen
Angela Bassett only recently established a new standard for MCU performances when she won a Golden Globe for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Mere days later, Bassett has broken another barrier for Marvel. Bassett has earned a nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category.
This nod represents Marvel’s first acting nod to date. It also crystallizes Black Panther’s position as the gold standard in the MCU.
Photo: Vibe
I say this because the first film, Black Panther, earned seven Academy Award nominations.
Even more impressively, Black Panther won three Oscars: Best Original Score, Best Production Design, and Best Costume Design.
Notably, only one movie that year, Bohemian Rhapsody, earned more Oscars (four) than Black Panther’s three. It was the critics’ and the people’s choice!
Photo: Vanity Fair
Now, Marvel has another awards season contender, as odds sites have installed Bassett as the favorite in the category.
Wakanda Forever also earned nominations for Best Original Song (Rihanna’s Lift Me Up), Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Costume Design, and Best Visual Effects.
Rihanna, Lupita Nyong’o, and Elizabeth Olsen. Photo: Getty Images
Based on what I’m seeing, the sequel should at least match Black Panther’s three wins, if not surpass it.
Of course, the news isn’t all glowing at Marvel. It was Morbin’ time at the Razzies.
Source: Sony/ Marvel
Yes, Morbius earned a hysterical FIVE nominations due to its general decrepitude.
Apparently, becoming a meme in a bad way is a quick method to earn Razzies nods.
Sony Pictures
Remember when Sony naively thought Morbius had become a cult classic and re-released it in theaters? Suckers!
The Jeremy Renner Update
Source: Marvel Studios
Here’s some wonderful news I didn’t expect to get to report for at least a month. Jeremy Renner has recuperated enough to check out of the hospital!
Yes, the actor is now convalescing in his own home, which must be a relief.
Obviously, his family is taking care of him since the actor still can’t do much. That’s because he posted that he broke 30+ bones (!!!) in his accident.
You can read the full post on his Instagram account. More importantly, Renner also confirmed details of what transpired. They’re…gruesome.
Remember how a snowplow struck the actor? That’s underselling the actual events.
Renner was trying to liberate his nephew’s car, which had gotten buried under tons of snow.
Photo: Disney+
Alas, the actor’s snowplow had one malfunctioning part. It was the parking brake light.
Renner believed that he had thrown on the emergency brake before he exited the snowplow to assist on the ground.
Suddenly, the snowplow started moving, heading toward Renner’s nephew.
Source: Marvel Studios
As he moved to assist – and I’m sorry I have to report this – the snowplow’s rotator tread (the giant spinning wheel) ensnared him and dragged him under it.
Yes, Hawkeye experienced the unimaginable pain of the full weight of a snowplow driving over him.
BEVERLY HILLS, CALIFORNIA – NOVEMBER 18: (L-R) Honoree Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner speak onstage during the 35th Annual American Cinematheque Awards Honoring Scarlett Johansson at The Beverly Hilton on November 18, 2021 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for American Cinematheque)
So, the 30+ broken bones come from the crushing of his body by the snowplow.
In case you’re wondering, the vehicle in question was a PistenBully. Here’s what they look like:
Folks, these things weigh more than 14,000 pounds. It’s a miracle Jeremy Renner is alive, much less out of the hospital and healing!
Marvel Miscellany Part I
Source: Marvel
We’ve got three casting updates to share this week, but I’ll start with a tidbit about Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania.
The Motion Picture Association of America has rated the film PG-13. That’s the same as Wakanda Forever, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Thor: Love and Thunder.
Source: Marvel Studios
That’s Marvel’s target rating these days. A PG rating would indicate that the film may skew a bit too young for fans, while an R rating would impact the box office a bit, at least on opening weekend.
As for casting, let’s start with a “rumor” that’s basically an open secret.
Photo: ABC/Matthias Clamer
Chloe Bennet, whom we all love as Quake in Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., just shut down a critic with this post:
hey man, you seem like a…mean loser?also, i have a strong feeling your tweets aren’t going to age well ?? https://t.co/hHREgcQz7c
Yes, the implication is that Quake will return to the MCU at some point. I’ll go ahead and throw in the word “soon” since I know when it’s supposed to happen.
(ABC/Mitch Haaseth) CLARK GREGG, CHLOE BENNET, JEFF WARD, ELIZABETH HENSTRIDGE
This isn’t a surprise, and I’m pretty sure I mentioned the distinct possibility at least twice during 2022. Marvel wants her back, and she loves playing Daisy Johnson.
Also, remember that the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. finale set up this possibility by having her seemingly become one of the first Agents of S.W.O.R.D., the outer space team.
Nerdist
You can do the math on when that means she’s most likely to return.
Marvel Miscellany Part II
Photo: Marvel Fandom
Have you watched The Bear yet? I caught the pilot and loved it instantly. However, my follow-through on later episodes has been terrible thus far. I’ll get to it, I swear!
Anyway, part of the series premiere is told through the story of Sydney Adamu, the sous chef who realizes she has signed up for a weird gig.
The actress playing this role, Ayo Edebiri, has become the breakout star of the series…or at least one of them. I’m not sure Jeremy Allen White should count.
Anyway, Marvel noticed. Not coincidentally, Edebiri has signed on for Thunderbolts. As usual, Marvel didn’t spill any details on the role.
Source: Marvel Studios
So, I’ll blindly speculate that she’s either Songbird or The Sentry’s significant other. In all likelihood, it’s neither of those things, though.
I’m hearing Songbird isn’t even in Thunderbolts, which wounds my immortal soul.
Source: Marvel
The other big casting note this week involves Captain America: New World Order. Xosha Roquemore has signed on to play – you guessed it! – an undisclosed role.
I’ll direct you to Roquemore’s Wikipedia page, where you can find out how you know her. I can just about guarantee that you’ve seen her in something.
Marvel The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Captain America Sam Wilson Ornament. Photo: Hallmark
I first watched her in Precious and then an episode of My Boys. Her most recognizable recent role was as LeBron James’ mother in Space Jam: A New Legacy.
I’ll spend the next few days sniffing around to figure out who Edebiri and Roquemore’s characters will be. And neither one will be Songbird. Grr.
Thanks for visiting MarvelBlog.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!
A new report reveals when The Batman: Part II is set to start its principal photography, as Matt Reeves’ DC franchise moves forward.
A new report has revealed when The Batman: Part II starts filming. While DC Studios is going forward with a new DC Universe, they are also continuing their Elseworlds franchises, including The Batman. Starring Robert Pattinson, this take on the Caped Crusader follows a younger iteration of Bruce Wayne. While The Batman didn’t do the traditional origin story, it still followed a Dark Knight who is a work in progress. After commercial and critical success, The Batman 2 was officially greenlit by Warner Bros. Discovery. Matt Reeves is officially back to both direct and write the sequel.
While news on The Batman: Part II has been slow, the film is getting closer to moving forward. According to Production Weekly (via Batman-News), principal photography is set to begin in November at Warner Bros. Leavesden Studios in England. The same studio was used to film The Batman, so it makes sense for the sequel to return there. Warner Bros. Discovery and DC Studios have yet to confirm the report.
Out of all the potential cast members for The Batman 2, Pattinson is the only one confirmed to return. However, chances of several players from The Batman coming back are hight, especially Colin Farrell’s Penguin, who is getting his own spinoff show on HBO Max. The show will likely air this year or next, then The Batman 2 will hit theaters on October 3, 2025, as DC Studios announced last month. That will be the second film to hit theaters in 2025, following Superman: Legacy that summer.
In terms of the villains for The Batman 2, that has been one of the biggest speculative topics surrounding the sequel. During the press tour for The Batman, several cast members talked about their interest in seeing the Court of Owls come to the franchise. Despite introducing The Joker in the first film, Reeves has said he isn’t sure if the Clown Prince of Crime will star in The Batman 2. However, Barry Keoghan could still appear for another tease, then play a bigger role in a later project set in The Batman universe.
With principal photography seemingly happening later this year, that means casting news is bound to come out in the months prior to the filming start. Since Pattinson’s Batman is rumored to appear in The Penguin, there may be characters from the series that appear in The Batman 2. Once news begins to come out about The Batman: Part II, it will be easier to tell what the next story is going to be for Pattinson’s Dark Knight.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is accusing Google of routinely destroying internal messaging chat histories, which the company is required to preserve under federal rules for an antitrust lawsuit. Google is grappling with not just one, but a couple of antitrust lawsuits filed by the DOJ and groups of states. This particular case pertains to the lawsuit the department filed back in 2020 for “unlawfully maintaining monopolies” around search and search-related advertising.
In the DOJ’s filing, it said company employees typically used their internal chatroom, which was set to delete history every 24 hours, to discuss “substantive and sensitive business.” Apparently, the agency expected Google to change its chat history setting in 2019 when the company “reasonably anticipated [the] litigation,” but it left the decision to individual employees. Only a few people deemed their chat histories relevant to the case and preserved theirs for the court, and Google continued deleting most people’s chats even after the lawsuit was filed.
Despite that, Google reportedly told the government that it had already “put a legal hold in place” to suspend auto-deletion on its chat tool. The DOJ alleges that the company’s claim was a lie and that it only truly stopped deleting chat histories this week after it was warned that the agency would file a motion for sanctions. It’s now asking the court to rule that Google had violated a federal rule and to order a hearing that would determine how the company would be sanctioned. The DOJ also wants the court to order Google to provide more information about its chat practices.
Google, however, denies the DOJ’s allegations. A spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal: “Our teams have conscientiously worked for years to respond to inquiries and litigation. In fact, we have produced over 4 million documents in this case alone, and millions more to regulators around the world.”
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission. All prices are correct at the time of publishing.
Networking is an essential part of building a career in Hollywood. It’s how you make friends, meet new people, and get your ideas out to a wide array of people who might be interested in them.
So, I decided to just list five networking ideas that have helped me in the past. As always, I’m open to making this list longer if you have more ideas.
Here are five ways to network effectively:
1. Attend Industry Events
Attend industry events such as film festivals, premieres, award shows, and industry panels. These events provide a great opportunity to connect with industry professionals and make new contacts.
If you are a normal person and can make conversation, you’ll meet like-minded individuals who can be incredibly helpful to your career. You support them, they support you, and you suddenly have a friend group to help you through the hard times and celebrate the good ones.
These organizations provide networking opportunities and also offer educational and professional development resources.
‘Mad Men’Credit: Lionsgate Television
3. Volunteer on Film Projects
Do you have friends trying to make something? You can meet a lot of new people on the set of a film.
Volunteering on film projects, whether as a Production Assistant, an extra, or in any other capacity, can provide opportunities to network with other professionals in the industry and build relationships that can lead to future work.
Ask around. There is a good chance that someone in your circle is always looking.
4. Utilize Social Media
Be careful what you put online because you could Tweet yourself out of job as quickly as into one, but social media is a valuable networking tool. The best man at my wedding is a fellow writer, and we met on Twitter.
Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram to connect with industry professionals, share your work, and stay up-to-date on industry news and trends.
Follow people, cultivate a circle, and try to meet in person when you can.
5. Attend Networking Events
This is a no-brainer, yet so many people skip out on these events.
Attend networking events specifically designed for industry professionals, such as mixers or pitch fests, which can provide a more targeted approach to building relationships in the industry.
Look for them online, through work channels, and advertised on social media.
‘Abbott Elementary’Credit: Disney Platform Distribution/Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution
Summing up the 5 Best Ways to Network in Hollywood
We hope that the insights and tips we’ve shared have helped expand your network and build your career in the entertainment industry.
Remember that networking is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process that requires patience, persistence, and professionalism.
Keep building authentic relationships, stay up-to-date with industry trends and events, and always be open to learning and collaborating with others. With the right mindset and strategy, you can succeed in the highly competitive and dynamic world of Hollywood.
Mr. Aguirre joins me to sum up the diverse Rock-Metal group Living Colour and why they broke so much ground both culturally and as a catchy music group!
Dexter: New Blood will not return for a second season, according to TVLine.
There had been interest in a follow-up to the first season of the revival series, which would have seen Harrison continuing his late father’s work.
The news comes on the heels of Showtime canceling several shows, including American Gigolo and Let the Right One In, and removed others from its streaming platforms hours after it was announced Paramount will merge Paramount+ and Showtime content on streaming and linear.
Dexter’s initial eight-season run debuted in the fall of 2006 and quickly rose to prominence.
The revival series picked up 10 years after Dexter faked his death and found the titular serial killer relocating to the fictitious small town of Iron Lake, N.Y., where he is going by the identity of Jim Lindsay, a shop assistant at a nearby retailer of wilderness recreational equipment. The revival series debuted in November 2021 on Showtime.
A continuation of the Dexter franchise isn’t out of the question.
There have been discussions over expanding the Dexter universe, but nothing definitive. A prequel series prequel series centered on a young Dexter is one such idea.
In true Stallone fashion, Michael B. Jordan has taken the reins of the Rocky franchise. He directs and stars in Creed III, a sports drama following Adonis Creed after his retirement as the heavyweight boxing champion. When his old friend Damian “Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors) gets out of prison, the two reconnect, but bad blood between them can only be settled in the ring. The Creed series is no stranger to putting newcomers in the director’s chair. After Ryan Coogler and Steven Caple Jr., Jordan was hired for double duty on an epic, thrilling boxing movie that packs a punch.
This movie found itself in a tight spot. After concluding the story of Rocky Balboa in Creed II (along with a real falling out between Stallone and the producers), the story of the Italian Stallion was over. So how do you make a Rocky movie with no Rocky? You go into the life of Adonis “Donnie” Creed, the new face of the series, and remove him from the shadow of both the iconic underdog and his father, Apollo. Creed III begins by delving into Donnie’s adolescent years, getting into boxing with his best friend, Dame. He gets into an altercation in the street as we punch into the present, where Donnie wins a boxing match against an old foe.
As the new heavyweight champion, this film explores Donnie in a new place in his life. He is far removed from the young up-and-comer who wanted to make his own legacy in the 2015 film. He is older, raising a young daughter named Amara (Mila Davis-Kent). The father-daughter relationship brings a new heart and soul that the film greatly benefits from, grounding our protagonist and bringing out a warm side to him. The film features Creed interacting with many people, showing how he code switches once he begins talking to Dame.
The screenplay from Keenan Coogler (Space Jam: A New Legacy) and Zach Baylin (King Richard) works on multiple levels. Although the film can easily be criticized as predictable, with most Rocky movies following the same formula, the dialogue is fascinating due to how much is happening behind the scenes. In addition, this is the first time Donnie goes up against an antagonist with whom he has a deep personal connection, even more so than Viktor Drago from Creed II. Their history allows for a particularly investing story where Donnie is confronted by his past, clouding his judgment of what to do in the present.
Acting and directing simultaneously is no easy task, but Jordan knocks it out of the park, showing skill both in front of and behind the camera. This is Majors’ second villainous role in a studio movie in less than a month following Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. He is a formidable screen presence, making you hate his character while also understanding where his emotions are coming from. Furthermore, Tessa Thompson’s performance is understated but phenomenal as she grounds every scene she is in.
Jordan brings a lot of anime influence into the fights, going for extreme close-ups and slow-motion. Every Rocky movie needs a big boxing finale, and this movie delivers that in a way that isn’t exactly what you would expect. Instead, Jordan makes the final fight his own with a story that allows every punch to hurt. While Creed III is checking boxes with the training montage, the family drama, and the uplifting ending, it’s a formula that remains as inspiring as it was when Rocky Balboa took on Apollo Creed in 1976.
SCORE: 8/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8 equates to “Great.”
The annual Oscar melee always reminds us of this mandate: Never believe the “buzz.” Every important movie arrives with an aura – and it’s usually wrong or misleading.
The advance buzz on The Godfather was so disastrous even Francis Coppola sensed it was doomed. This year, All Quiet on the Western Front was deemed too violent and depressing to be a contender, but it’s collecting BAFTA Awards (seven) and Oscar nominations (nine).
Throughout the ‘80s every popular movie seemed carry a buzz curse. The production of Flashdancewas so chaotic that even the stunt doubles had doubles. was both miscast and underbudgeted, as its director testified.
Clearly both of these early ‘80s movies turned out to be hits, if not cultural milestones. Yet directors of that moment seemed more interested in making war than making movies. In response, studio executives became as helpful as chatbots.
Even Tom Cruise, that master of media manipulation who’s in the Oscar race this year with Top Gun: Maverick, went though a troublous period with his fans: He told them he would be believable as a Nazi officer (Valkyrie) or as a Republican senator (Lions for Lambs). He wasn’t.
Given the new hierarchy of awards columnists in recent years, it’s become more difficult for films to arrive amid a quiet ambiguity, like Crash in 2000. Or even Shakespeare in Love in 1998. In that year, the high-decibel war pitting Steven Spielberg’s camp (for Saving Private Ryan) against Harvey Weinstein’s ultimately pulled our attention to the combatants rather than to the films.
Many of us were caught off guard a year ago by what seemed like the sudden affection toward CODA. Or years earlier when Parasite suddenly became a “must see” (and “must vote”).
In the 1970s the fights between studios and filmmakers often shaped audience interest — witness the battle over editing that delayed The Godfather from its prized Christmas date to March. The media hinted that the movie may be unreleaseable.
In the ’80s, every casting choice seemed to trigger controversy, as studio executives publicly weighed in with second guesses.
Flashdance was about a welder in Pittsburgh (Jennifer Beals) who dreamed of becoming a dancer. Really?
The rather patrician director, Herb Ross, regarded his blue-collar characters as akin to space aliens, according to the media. Beals herself was not a dancer: Three or four professionals doubled for her, and the media liked to guess who did what.
Footloose focused on the conflict between a preacher (John Lithgow) who banned dancing in his small town and a youthful rebel (Kevin Bacon). He not only danced nimbly but also had a mastery of Biblical quotes to counter the preacher. The British director, Adrian Lyne, seemed mystified by provincial America in the ’80s.
Both films were breakout hits. The critics were baffled; The audiences loved the music and the dancing. Giorgio Moroder (Flashdance) and Kenny Loggins (Footloose) became folk heroes.
Were Footloose released today, the studio surely would have imported the prime minister of Finland, Sanna Marin, to vouch for its message: Conservatives in Finland are trying to defeat her because prime ministers shouldn’t dance.
There’s nothing like a photogenic prime minister to improve buzz.
The overstimulated, lightning-fast raps of Phiik and Lungs seem powered by sheer force of will. Since 2020’s Another Planet, the Long Island artists have been sprinting to their own internal metronome, rhyming over gritty, drumless loops that sound like they were unearthed from a dusty documentary about Guliani-era New York. On “Captain Picard,” from their recently released album Another Planet 4, they cram in as many syllables and anecdotes as possible over somber horns and clatter that sounds like rain hitting a tin roof. (It was produced, like everything else in the series, by Lungs under the name LoneSword.) Phiik calls out a “45-year-old off-duty cop” in Nike Dunks for looking “like a bozo who bruise easy” while Lungs admits to shedding tears over the death of zoological icon Steve Irwin and mentions a plug who shares the same French-Canadian passport as Star Trek’s Captain Picard. A lot of rappers can’t fit this much personality and detail into a whole album, let alone one song, but Phiik and Lungs go at it with superhuman endurance.
Faith Evans is a multi-platinum Grammy Award-winning recording artist, songwriter, arranger and record producer.
Faith Evans, 2005. Photo by Tim Moore, Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
With a music career spanning over two decades, she has released eight studio albums and is a seven-time Grammy nominee, winning “Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group” in 1998 for “I’ll Be Missing You,” an homage to her late husband and hip-hop legend Notorious B.I.G.
In this Q&A, Evans shares her favorite Roberta Flack song and thoughts on Flack’s legacy across genres. A diverse range of artists (rap, hip-hop, pop, R&B, Soul, pop, Jazz, etc.) have made Flack’s work a part of their recordings. Not only is there the massive hit “re-imagining” of “Killing Me Softly” by The Fugees, but a list of diverse artists who have sampled Flack’s work include hip-hop artists like Scarface, M.O.P., Nas, Jadakiss, Lil’ Kim, Snoop Dogg, Chance the Rapper, J. Cole and many more.
1. Do you have a favorite Roberta Flack song or album?
Faith Evans: “Baby I Love You” with Donny Hathaway.
Hip-hop artist Chuck D of Public Enemy told director Antonino D’Ambrosio: “I wanted to sing like Otis Redding and Roberta Flack … there was always something a bit more iconoclastic about Roberta that people may not at first realize … I think there are not many people more original than her and that’s what a music star is … always themselves, always original, always organic.”
From her partnership with Donny Hathaway (and others including Peabo Bryson) to her discovery and mentorship of new talent including Luther Vandross, Marcus Miller and Davell Crawford, Roberta Flack’s influence continues to take shape in new ways as the music industry evolves.
2. What do you think is Roberta Flack’s biggest influence on music?
Faith Evans: I can’t say it’s her biggest influence, but her being a composer, as well as a vocalist, certainly influenced me.
RELATED POST
Where to start with Roberta Flack
3. Roberta Flack’s work has been endlessly sampled, what do you think makes her so popular?
Faith Evans: I think the fact that she has so many familiar hits makes it hard not to acknowledge her contribution to music.
Flack’s hits include “Feel Like Makin’ Love,” “The Closer I Get to You,” “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face” and “Killing Me Softly With His Song.” Flack’s song “This Time I’ll Be Sweeter” was sampled in “Letter to B.I.G.” by Jadakiss. The song, which is Jadakiss’s tribute to Notorious B.I.G., features Faith Evans.
The consequences are almost beyond imagination. Everything about Vladimir Putin‘s insane invasion of Ukraine has been unthinkable — but if China weighs in with open support for the Russian dictator’s beleaguered army, then our whole way of life could be threatened.
President Xi Jinping‘s government is already bankrolling the Kremlin, underwriting the war by boosting imports of Russian oil, gas and agricultural goods shunned by the West. It is building a new gas pipeline to China from Russia and supplying ‘dual-use’ technology such as drones — supposedly for civilian use but used by Russia for reconnaissance.
But there’s a red line, one drawn in blood. The Chinese will cross it if they start supplying arms to Russia. Putin is pressing hard for that to happen and U.S. Intelligence has concluded that Xi Jinping may be preparing to provide ‘lethal support’.
Just yesterday, China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, met Putin in Moscow to reaffirm their ‘ongoing co-operation’. What else they discussed, we do not yet know.
But if the day comes when China starts openly providing weapons, it will redefine global politics in a way we haven’t seen since the Cold War.
President Xi Jinping’s government is already bankrolling the Kremlin, underwriting the war by boosting imports of Russian oil, gas and agricultural goods shunned by the West. Pictured: Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin in Beijing, China on February 4, 2022
Just yesterday, China’s top diplomat, Wang Yi (left), met Putin (right) in Moscow to reaffirm their ‘ongoing co-operation’
Even the darkest days of the simmering conflict between the USSR and Nato cannot compare to the cataclysm threatening to engulf us if China gives arms to Russia.
As a longtime foreign correspondent in Moscow, the Indo-Pacific and China, I am accustomed to dictators’ sabre-rattling. But Putin is now openly menacing Ukraine and all Europe with both implicit and explicit threats of its nuclear arsenal in a manner never seen before.
Meanwhile, China has quietly been growing its own nuclear strike force. By 2035 it is expected to have 1,500 warheads ready to fire — every one of them carrying a destructive power that dwarfs the bombs dropped in 1945 on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
We last faced a nuclear stand-off during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, and that lasted only a few days. Should Xi and Putin combine forces, the threat to the world would be unimaginably worse.
To us in the democratic West, it seems deranged that any world leader could ever think of using this firepower for anything but a last-ditch defence. And, mercifully, I know many Chinese statesmen are wary of Putin’s nuclear rhetoric.
But Xi and Putin are tyrants, who are not bound by the same constraints as our leaders. That makes it much harder for our intelligence agencies to predict what might happen.
One thing we do know is that Xi and Putin underestimated the West’s involvement in the war thus far.
I am almost certain Xi knew in advance of Russian’s intention to invade Ukraine, but both assumed the democracies were too decadent and their economies too weak to impose meaningful sanctions, let alone to support President Volodymyr Zelensky’s impassioned resistance.
Xi and Putin are tyrants, who are not bound by the same constraints as our leaders
Putin is now openly menacing Ukraine and all Europe with both implicit and explicit threats of its nuclear arsenal in a manner never seen before. Pictured: Military medics carry a wounded soldier, Bakhmut, Ukraine, February 22, 2023
I am almost certain Xi knew in advance of Russian’s intention to invade Ukraine, but both assumed the democracies were too decadent and their economies too weak to impose meaningful sanctions
Putin and Xi have a personal chemistry and a common vision of the world. Both are steeped in resentment at perceived humiliations heaped upon their countries by the West and both dream of restoring the mythical greatness of their respective empires.
It suits Xi’s purpose to see the U.S. and Europe sucked into a conflict — but Beijing has also been shocked by the incompetence of the Russian military, particularly as China’s People’s Liberation Army shares many of its characteristics.
So now we have reached a critical juncture. If Xi becomes an open partner in Putin’s barbarity, the three-way relationship between the superpowers will be transformed. In essence, as in the Cold War, the world will be split between two blocs: free and not free.
Xi will be declaring China an implacable enemy of the democratic world, especially the U.S. — and the war in Ukraine will be indefinitely prolonged.
China is already the world’s fourth-largest exporter of arms, and its sophisticated weapons systems would bolster the faltering Russian forces. But the implications extend far beyond that.
The West would have to react, which could lead to severing our trade ties with the Chinese — an economic earthquake that would dwarf anything seen with Russia over Ukraine. We are hopelessly reliant on Chinese electronics, engineering and much else. There is barely a supply chain that does not run through China and we in the West have been too slow to reduce critical dependencies.
It is no exaggeration to say this has the potential to bring about at least a partial collapse of society.
To take just one example: despite shifting some of its production to India and Vietnam, Apple relies on China for 95 per cent of its iPhone output. The supply chain created to build these smartphones is more complex and highly tuned than any seen in any other industry.
Should Xi and Putin combine forces, the threat to the world would be unimaginably worse. Pictured: Putin attends a patriotic concert at the Luzhniki stadium, Moscow, February 22, 2023
One thing we do know is that Xi and Putin underestimated the West’s involvement in the war thus far. Pictured: Putin greets members of the military in Luzhniki Stadium, February 22, 2023
Shutting that down would deliver a body blow to Western culture, which has become utterly dependent on smartphones. One estimate predicts the price of new iPhones could increase fivefold by 2027, with new handsets costing £5,000. The black market in used phones would become both lucrative and cut-throat.
Even more disruptive would be the loss of raw materials on which the global market in electronics depends. These 17 minerals are known as ‘rare earths’ — and although their names are obscure (neodymium, dysprosium, yttrium, cerium), they are essential to modern life.
Rare earths are crucial to modern electronics, used in small amounts in everything from microchips, screens, medical devices, rechargeable batteries and magnets to missile guidance systems.
China currently mines as much as 63 per cent of the world’s rare earths and does around 85 per cent of the processing, which is expensive and messy. Without these materials, Western defence systems could be irreparable when they break down.
Equally catastrophic could be the damage to our economy. Last year, the Office for Budget Responsibility [OBR] calculated that military escalation by China would force Britain to increase our defence spending by £25 billion, more than 2 per cent of our gross domestic product [GDP].
The OBR also modelled the effects of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan: as well as causing the price of electronic goods to soar, this would force up our borrowing by £20 billion a year and wipe more than 5 per cent off our GDP within a decade, creating a £57 billion hole in government finances. That’s the equivalent of the entire defence budget.
That sounds like a doomsday scenario. But if Xi arms Russia and the West retaliates with sanctions against China, hardliners in Beijing will argue that now is the ideal time to annex Taiwan.
It sounds insane. But so, only a year ago, did the idea of invading Ukraine. Conciliatory voices in Britain and the States will argue that Xi won’t do it, because China’s economy has benefited so much from global trade.
Putin and Xi have a personal chemistry and a common vision of the world
If Xi becomes an open partner in Putin’s barbarity, the three-way relationship between the superpowers will be transformed
Last week, Beijing’s Communist Party mouthpiece, China Daily ran excerpts of a speech by former Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond which argued that current world events should be treated as ‘background noise’.
Such naivety would be laughable if it weren’t so frightening.
We must open our eyes to how closely the Russian and Chinese militaries work together.
This week they were engaged in a ten-day naval exercise in the Indian Ocean, alongside South African warships.
They have gone beyond symbolic shows of camaraderie and are co-ordinating their ability to fight together on the battlefield.
China is already supplying anti-aircraft missile radar parts to a sanctioned Russian defence firm, and allegedly providing satellite imagery to the mercenary Wagner Group to aid combat operations.
It’s only one small step to begin openly supplying armaments. When Xi Jinping crosses that red line, the world will change for ever.
This article has been amended to reflect that Phillip Hammond did not write an article for China Daily – in fact, it quoted part of a speech Mr Hammond gave in London.
Ian Williams is the author of Fire Of The Dragon: China’s New Cold War, published by Birlinn.
Cardi Bgave a little word of caution to her fans after rocking some seriously stylish duds to court ordered community service. In a mirror selfie posted to her Twitter on Thursday, February 23, the “Bodak Yellow” rapper, 30, wore a white pair of pants, matching $1,000 Maison Margiela boots, and a black and white crop top. She finished the look with a pink novelty pullover cap, complete with cartoon eyes and bear ears. The final touch was her mile long silver manicure. Community service ….I have to do a lot of hours today and I’m very sleepy ……..YOU DO THE CRIME YOU DO THE TIME!!!!!” she captioned the pic.
Community service ….I have to do a lot of hours today and I’m very sleepy ……..YOU DO THE CRIME YOU DO THE TIME!!!!! pic.twitter.com/IIqR3vB12y
It was the second such community service fashion pic in as many days. On Feb. 22, she showed off a pink quilted Chanel bag and matching pink boots. “On my way to serve some community service time …..DONT COMMIT CRIMES!” she captioned the snap on Wednesday. And on Feb. 21, she slipped on an all black athletic ensemble, including skin tight leggings and a Chanel cap. “Day whatever the f*** of community service……….Obey the law !!!!” she wrote alongside that pic.
Cardi B appears a previous event. (Mega)
Fans will remember that the community service requirement is part of a plea deal for an alleged 2018 altercation at a strip club. She avoided prison time by pleading guilty to two misdemeanor charges back in September of 2022. “Part of growing up and maturing is being accountable for your actions,” she said in a statement at the time, per ABC News. “As a mother, it’s a practice that I am trying to instill in my children, but the example starts with me. I’ve made some bad decisions in my past that I am not afraid to face and own up to. These moments don’t define me and they are not reflective of who I am now. I’m looking forward to moving past this situation with my family and friends and getting back to the things I love the most — the music and my fans.”
But fans know even while accepting consequences, Cardi B will do it while looking amazing.
The Writers Guild of America East has filed its third unfair labor practice charge against Hearst Magazines as lengthy contract talks continue to drag on.
The WGAE and Hearst Union claim in the National Labor Relations Board filing that Hearst “unilaterally implemented” uneven wage increases for some employees while the union’s negotiating committee was bargaining for percentage wage increases for all employees. In a statement, WGAE and Hearst Union said they were “deeply frustrated that Hearst management continues its bad faith bargaining practices.”
“Last month management conducted a round of inconsistent and uneven ‘merit increases’ — which gave some unit members absolutely nothing — in an ill-conceived attempt to withdraw their own previously proposed language that would have guaranteed everyone in the unit a minimum raise this year,” the statement said. “This ‘bait and switch’ tactic is unfair and regressive. We have filed yet another unfair labor practice violation — our 3rd so far — to reflect our disappointment and anger.”
Hearst Union represents more than 500 employees at 28 Hearst publications, including Esquire, Men’s Health and Town & Country. The union was formed in summer 2020 after Hearst filed a motion with the NLRB to break up the union into six separate bargaining units, which was rejected.
Nearly three years have passed since the union was formed, and talks between its negotiating committee and management have not led to a tentative agreement. Last October, Hearst Union published an open letter accusing Hearst management of not bargaining in good faith with a proposal that pays workers not living in New York or California 10% less and refuses to pay more to workers filling in for staff on parental leave or include extra pay for sensitivity reads or translations.
Now, the union accuses Hearst of pulling company-wide annual percentage wage increases from its proposal, taking a common element of union contracts designed to keep employee pay ahead of rising inflation and living costs.
“We are fed up with Hearst’s repeated disrespect of our union and the bargaining process. We urge the leaders of this company — who continue to boast of record-breaking profits — to bargain in good faith so we can reach an agreement on a contract that pays the hardworking employees of this company a decent wage. For two years we have approached the bargaining table eager to negotiate and for two years we’ve been met with contempt,” the union said.
TheWrap has reached out to Hearst for comment and will update with any reply.
Hearst isn’t the only media company to get hit with an unfair labor practice charge by WGA East. Last week, the union filed a charge against Bustle Digital Group after it shut down the rebooted Gawker and laid off 39 unionized employees, including three that were significantly involved with Bustle’s WGAE-affiliated union.
Editor’s note:Deadline presents the 51st episode of its video series Take Two, in which Pete Hammond and Todd McCarthy tackle the artistry of films just opening in theaters every weekend. Each has reviewed and written about the craft for decades and built a remarkable breadth of knowledge of films past and present. What we hoped for when we asked them to do this was a concise, mature and thoughtful conversation comparable to what we saw from Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel.
AMPAS
Take Two takes on the Oscars for the next month as we look back in Oscar history, suggest that maybe the Academy didn’t always get it right, give our predictions for this year and then offer a wrap-up of how the big show turned out.
This week’s edition is all about Best Picture. That means we look at the ones we believe are the best of the best as well as the ones that might be not-so-kindly referred to as the worst of the worst. It is easy to look at the past as seen in the present and offer a critical view, however it also is important to note that these films were named as Oscar’s best in their own time, not this time.
We explore some of the reasons they may have won. It is a lively conversation as we agree on some evergreens among Oscar’s wisest choices, from Casablanca to The Apartment to Schindler’s List and more. Which was the most recent movie to make Todd’s list of the best, and which made Pete’s, causing Todd to actually name it as one of the worst? And speaking of Oscar’s worst, you might be surprised.
Click above to watch our conversation. And join us next week as we give our alternate choices to Oscar’s picks over the years for Best Actor and Actress.
Hammond has been Deadline’s Awards Columnist for the past decade, covering what now seemingly is the year-round Oscar and Emmy seasons. He is also Deadline’s Chief Film Critic, having previously reviewed films for MovieLine, Boxoffice magazine, Backstage, Hollywood.com and Maxim, as well as Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide, for which he was a contributing editor. In addition to writing, Hammond also hosts KCET Cinema Series and the station’s weekly series Must See Movies.
McCarthy is a veteran trade publication film critic, columnist and reporter who has also written several acclaimed books and documentary films. He served two stints on the staffs of Variety and The Hollywood Reporter and extensively covered film festivals internationally for both publications. His film Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography won the best documentary prizes from the New York Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics associations, and he won an Emmy for writing the documentary Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of an American Dreamer. He also directed the documentaries Man of Cinema: Pierre Rissient and Forever Hollywood.
The Producers Guild of America (PGA) has revealed the presenters lineup for the 34th Annual Producers Guild Awards, to be held on Saturday, February 25, at The Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.
Notable Hollywood leaders will take the stage to present throughout the evening to spotlight this year’s top producing talent. They include Angela Bassett, Anjelah Johnson-Reyes, Austin Butler, Ben Affleck, Billy Eichner, Bob Odenkirk, Brendan Fraser, Cate Blanchett, Danielle Deadwyler, Dave Burd, Diego Luna, Eugenio Derbez, Hannah Einbinder, Hong Chau, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jay Ellis, Kate Hudson, Ke Huy Quan, Kerry Condon, Leslie Odom, Jr., Michelle Williams, Michelle Yeoh, Mo Amer, Monica Barbaro, Nicole Byer, Paul Dano, Robert Rodriguez, Ron Howard, Sacha Baron Cohen, Sandra Oh, Sherry Lansing, and Stephanie Hsu.
The PGA Awards celebrates the producers behind the best films, television series, and new media projects of the year. Widely known as a reliable bellwether for the Best Picture category at the Oscars, the PGA has nominated Avatar: The Way of Water, The Banshees of Inisherin, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Elvis, Everything Everywhere All at Once, The Fabelmans, Glass Onion: Knives Out Mystery, Tár, Top Gun: Maverick and The Whale for its Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures Award.
The evening will also recognize previously announced honorees Tom Cruise (David O. Selznick Award), Mindy Kaling (Norman Lear Award), and Warner Bros. Pictures Group CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy (Milestone Award), and Till (Stanley Kramer Award),for their achievements and contributions to the industry.
The 2023 Producers Guild Awards Event Chairs are Mike Farah, CEO at Funny Or Die, and Joe Farrell, CCOat Funny Or Die.
The 2023 Producers Guild of America Awards is produced by Anchor Street Collective for the Producers Guild of America. Branden Chapman is executive producer, Carleen Cappelletti is co-executive producer, Matt Ullian and Jane Sarkin of Boldface Partners are talent executives, and Jim Piccirillo is director.
The PGA Awards team includes Diane Salerno (Six Degrees Global) managing sponsorship, and the PGA’s PR agency of record, Sunshine Sachs Morgan & Lylis for PR.
Rakhi claims Adil’s family isn’t accepting her; Mani Ratnam calls SS Rajamouli his inspiration for Ponniyin Selvan.
Rakhi Sawant claims Adil Khan’s family isn’t accepting her; Mani Ratnam credits SS Rajamouli for his Poniyin Selvan inspiration, the biggest newsmakers of the day.
Rakhi Sawant and her husband Adil Durrani are making the headlines for several weeks now for their marriage. Rakhi announced her marriage to Adil suddenly but the announcement was quickly followed by her claiming that Adil left her. They reunited after a couple of days but later Rakhi claimed that Adil has an affair and someone is trying to come between them. Both of them levelled several allegations against each other. Now, in a recent media interaction, Rakhi claimed that Adil’s family is not accepting her due to religious differences.
Kiara Advani’s mother Genevieve Advani is celebrating her birthday today and the actress did not waste any time wishing her on this special day. At midnight, the new bride took her Instagram handle to share several unseen photos from her wedding with Sidharth Malhotra, featuring her mom, dad, her brother and the groom.
For more: Kiara Advani Says ‘Blessed to Be…’ as She Shares Unseen Wedding Pics on Her Mom’s Birthday
Tamil actor Vishal had a near-death experience on the sets of his upcoming film titled Mark Antony after a prop vehicle lost control. The Veeramae Vaagai Soodum actor took to Twitter and shared a video in which he was seen filming a scene with a prop vehicle. In the scene, Vishal had to drop to the ground while the vehicle would enter the sets. While Vishal completed his scene, the truck couldn’t come to a standstill.
Recently Alia Bhatt slammed a media portal for sharing her pictures from inside her house. The ‘privacy breach’ has become a topic of discussion among the film fraternity. Many Bollywood celebrities, like Anushka Sharma, Arjun Kapoor, Sushmita Sen, Janhvi Kapoor, and others too shared their thoughts. Now, during a recent media interaction at the Lokmat Digital Creator Awards, Shehnaaz Gill was asked to give her opinion about the same.
Director Mani Ratnam called SS Rajamouli his inspiration for Ponniyin Selvan. The legendary filmmakers were seated together with director Sukumar at the South India Media and Entertainment Summit held in Chennai recently. During the panel, hosted by actress Anu Haasan, the filmmakers spoke about cinema and fielded a few questions from the audience as well. One of the questions was addressed to the Roja director, asking him ‘one thing that has made a huge impact’ on him in a positive way.
Entertainment Bureau brings you all updates from the world of entertainment — breaking news, Twitter trends, features, movie reviews, exclusive inter…Read More
After months of cost cutting, write-downs, and getting pilloried among Hollywood natives for killing projects, the Warner Bros. Discovery chief showed off some new truculence, making the case that while his newly-merged company has been having a tough time, so too were others.
“‘Last year was a year of restructuring,” said Zaslav, during a call with investors Thursday. “This year will be a year of building.”
Over the course of an hour, Zasalv and Gunnar Wiedenfels, Warner’s chief financial officer, made the case that their company was just as well-equipped as any of its rivals — perhaps even more so — to withstand a stormy era during which media companies are pressed to grow their streaming operations but maintain profitability. Zaslav elbowed Netflix for releasing all of the episodes for a program’s cycle all at once; suggested that a move to launch new “Lord of the Rings” movies would take away some of the momentum that Amazon had enjoyed from its launch of a series based on the novels; and told listeners Warner Bros. Discovery could launch an ad-supported streaming service without having to buy an outside asset, as Fox Corp. and Paramount Global have done in recent year.
“We can create a Tubi or a Pluto without having to buy anybody,” he boasted.
Zaslav even name-checked Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, almost as if to tease Amazon with the threat of new “Lord of the Rings” properties.
Whether investors believe him remains to be seen. “Warner Bros. Discovery’s approach to streaming continues to raise eyebrows,” said Third Bridge analyst Jamie Lumley in a Thursday research brief, noting that “there is a lot of uncertainty around how the company is planning to position itself against competitors like Netflix and whether it will be able to compete.”
Some investors, the analyst said, are confused by the company’s intention to keep Discovery+ running as a stand-alone, even as it seeks to increase prices at HBO Max by adding Discovery+ content. For his part, Zaslav said research showed that a number of customers were happy with a solo Discovery+ and the company saw no reason to leave any subscriber behind,
The executive also showed a defiant streak, doubling down on a strategy at CNN that has generated lots of outside scrutiny. In recent weeks, CNN has set in motion plans to overhaul the bulk of its daily schedule, but early efforts have not resulted in ratings upticks. “We must get it right” at CNN, Zaslav said, adding that “this is not going to happen overnight.” He also suggested Warner would once again double down on demanding high rate hikes at the industry’s annual ad-sales upfront in weeks to come — even though that strategy generated pushback from Madison Avenue last year.
He made his new vows after turning in tough results. Warner Bros. Discovery had a fourth-quarter loss of more than $2 billion, with advertising sales at its U.S. TV networks down 14%. Zaslav and Wiedenfels predicted the sector’s operating environment would improve in the second half of the year, and gave investors something to anticipate with the promise of an unveil of a new HBO Max with Discovery content in April.
Now, all he has to hope for is a better economy and for rivals who won’t be able to compete as strongly in the days ahead. It’s not clear that Zaslav will be granted either wish immediately. Even so, he told the audience, “We are not managing this company for short-term financial performance,” but rather for decades to come. But with the pace of change in media, Zaslav will have to back up that bold talk sooner rather than later.
Using Feedly AI to research and define the future of their market: Travel and Mobility Tech
LIH was able to go one step further than just professionalizing their intelligence-gathering: They have defined their arena at the intersection of travel, mobility, and tech (TNMT).
TNMT brings together traditionally-siloed interests that cover the entire ecosystem of products and services around the travel experience, from accommodation to space travel.
By adopting Feedly AI to discover and research new market opportunities, LIH gathers and synthesizes intelligence that covers this entire category. They can shape, test, and validate hypotheses that will define the future of travel.
“It’s strategically powerful to be able to define our own category and be the leaders in what we’re doing. And that’s where Feedly comes in. It allows us to create our own definitions and categories, beyond standard industry definitions. We can build everything around this TNMT model and see what we find there.”
“Blurred Travel” and other future trends
When Tino and his team identify a new “fuzzy concept” or broader trend that they want to research and define, they set up a new Feedly Board on the topic and add relevant articles from other boards. From there, one of their analysts will define which keywords to track. They will build an AI Feed and gradually refine it, adding models and muting terms to filter out the noise.
An AI Feed that Tino and his team have created to track the “fuzzy concept” of Blurred Travel, combining existing AI Models like “Bleisure travel”, “Remote work”, and the “Travel & Hospitality Industry”.
For example, LIH has coined the model of “Blurred Travel,” a shift they’re seeing as we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, where business and leisure travel are increasingly merging. “It’s really hard to search for a term if you’re the one coining it,” Tino says. “To validate our hypotheses, we try to put different AI models together and look at what is coming through Feedly to see what is happening out there.”
An excerpt about Blurred Travel from a recent issue of LIH’s TNMT newsletter.
Tracking innovation via venture capital investments
LIH also uses AI Feeds in Feedly to track venture capital investments in travel and mobility tech in order to predict how the industry will evolve. “Venture capital investments are one of our key metrics to determine innovation patterns,” Tino explains. “We want to know where smart people are putting a lot of money, and to understand why it’s happening. It’s a really good proxy indicator for us.” LIH publishes the only regular report with in-depth research on this topic.
“Venture capital investments are one of our key metrics to determine innovation patterns. We want to know where smart people are putting a lot of money, and to understand why it’s happening. It’s a really good proxy indicator for us”
They also track over 3,000 startups to keep an eye out for investment and partnership opportunities with startups in related industries, like sustainable fuel, air taxis, and the creator economy.
LIH tracks funding events in the travel industry, because they tend to be an indicator of innovation patterns. Here, they’ve set up an AI Feed in Feedly so it will surface articles around these AI models.
Integrating Feedly into their processes and tech stack
Part of what makes Feedly so effective for LIH is the way the team has been able to deeply integrate Feedly into their processes and the rest of their tech stack.
Tino and the LIH team use AI Models, a collection of machine learning models that continuously read millions of articles to analyze and tag key concepts in real-time. For example, they employ the Partnerships and Funding AI Models to keep a close eye on partnerships that other airlines are forming with startups. This gives them a clearer sense of the direction their industry is heading and what other companies are prioritizing.
LIH also uses Feedly as the jumping off point for kickstart new projects: Employees combine AI Models in AI Feeds, which track and find relevant content continuously. Through the AI Feeds they’ve set up, the team finds useful content and regularly adds it to Boards.
When a new project starts, employees search those Boards to see what’s been gathered on the topic and what information is already out there, curated by their team in Feedly. They’ll then create a new Board and connect it to the Slack channel for that project to keep all relevant research in one place.
Company onboarding at LIH even includes a Feedly tutorial. “That’s how deeply we want Feedly to be embedded in our processes“ says Tino.
Superman #1: It’s the Dawn of DC! Superman has returned to Metropolis and his greatest enemy Lex Luthor is finally behind bars. The future of the Superman family has never been brighter! As Clark Kent settles back into his life, iconic and new enemies erupt from the shadows to strike down the Man of Steel! But waiting in the wings to back up Big Blue is…Supercorp?! What secret project has Lex given to Superman?! “A hero is only as good as their villains” will be put to the test in this brand-new oversize #1 featuring comics’ greatest superhero by DC Comics architect Joshua Williamson and award-winning superstar artist Jamal Campbell!
Positives
This week, DC continues their Dawn of DC initiative with Superman #1 (and Catwoman #52). Relaunching their Superman series isn’t unprecedented, as this is the sixth volume of the title. However, it is notable because the previous volume was replaced with Superman: Son of Kal-El, starring Clark Kent’s son Jon. So, the Man of Steel’s eponymous title is returning after an absence of a year and a half.
Superman’s other main title, Action Comics, has undergone a change in format that features the entire Superman Family along with Superman. However, it seems that the focus of Superman will focus more on Superman and his classic supporting cast. In this first issue, we see Clark at work as a reporter at the Daily Planet with Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen. I was quite pleased to see this, as this side of Clark’s life has not been very prevalent in recent years, especially after the public revelation of his dual identity.
Also, we learn that Lois has stepped in as acting Editor in the wake of Perry White’s recent heart attack. This is sure to affect the dynamics of Lois and Clark’s relationship, especially considering her declaration that she won’t go easy on any of the staff, including her husband.
Positives Cont.
Given that she knows and supports her husband’s other life, I doubt that she will interfere with his ability to act as Superman. But we also see that Lois is already feeling the stress that comes along with the job. I’m sure that Lois is up to the job, but she may face difficult times as she gets used to it. And Clark may find himself powerless to help Lois with this.
Also, Superman #1 is clearly setting Lex Luthor up to play an important role in Williamson’s story. But will Lex be the primary antagonist – or will he be on Superman’s side? While the issue seems to be pointing towards the former, the final page drops a tease that Lex may not be the big baddy of the series.
And Lex does something this issue that seems on the surface to be a benefit for Superman. He gives Superman ownership of Lexcorp, newly renamed to Supercorp. Luthor’s gift of the company’s resources and technology could be a vast help to Superman and the people of Metropolis. But Superman senses there are strings attached and tries to refuse Lex’s offer. However, he is informed that if Superman doesn’t take ownership of the company, all of Lex’s employees will be out of work, rendering half of Metropolis unemployed.
There are some nice Easter eggs strewn about the issue. Lex communicating with Superman by broadcasting at a frequency no one else can hear is the same method he used to first contact Superman in Superman: The Movie. And Lex’s hologram mimics the hologram of Jor-El from the same movie. And the Superman logo that appears on the cover and in the book’s epilogue is the classic logo. But it is coloured like the crystalline version from the Christopher Reeve movies.
Positives Cont.
Also, when Superman is visiting Supercorp, the Supermobile is visible in the background. This vehicle has been rarely seen in recent years, except in Peter J. Tomasi’s excellent Super Sons and in McFarlane Toy’s Super Powers action figure line.
Also, when Jimmy mentions his girlfriend, Lois refers to a number of his past girlfriends. All of these refer to actual women that Jimmy has been with in past stories. I love that one of these is “the gorilla princess”, making a reference to the very strange, but absolutely brilliant maxiseries Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen by Matt Fraction. If you haven’t read it, do yourself a favour and do so.
The issue ends with a series of panels that teases some of the upcoming adventures that Superman has ahead of him in future issues of this title. Over these panels, we hear a voice speaking to Superman. This ends with a final panel that reveals who the voice belongs to. And it is a classic and very powerful Superman villain indeed. Williamson is clearly hinting at a major clash with this villain in the months ahead.
The art of Jamal Campbell is well-suited to this title. All the characters look exactly how they should. And I love how he captures the grandeur of Metropolis. We can see that it truly is a metropolis not only in name, but in scale. And his clean lines and bright colours mark it as being the City of Tomorrow that it is often called.
Negatives
Superman #1 has a main cover, twelve standard variant covers, and five ratio variant covers. That’s eighteen different covers. As I’ve stated in previous reviews, DC has a bad variant cover problem. Sure, it’s great for those readers who just want to pick one or two of the variants, but it really takes advantage of completionists who want them all.
Now Superman #1 isn’t the most egregious example of this, but it’s the most recent in a long line of books with too many variants. The first issue of a new Superman series is worth a couple extra variants, but eighteen is more than a little overkill. However, it’s not as bad as the last two issues of Action Comics. Action #1050 had a whopping 27 covers to mark an anniversary issue. But the anniversary wasn’t even to mark a multiple of a hundred, but of fifty! And then they followed it up the very next month with ten covers for Action #1051 to mark the book’s new direction. For all that’s holy, please lighten up on the constant barrage of multiple covers, DC!
Verdict
Joshua Williamson won me over with his amazing run on The Flash. And I thoroughly enjoyed his Infinite Frontier and Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths. So, I am coming in with high expectations for this title. And if Superman #1 is any indication, he is going to live up to those expectations. And Jamal Campbell’s artwork is the perfect choice to bring Williamson’s story to life. I look forward to seeing what the upcoming issues have in store for the Man of Steel.
That’s according to an entry in the game’s newly-published official FAQ, which reads: “Yes, an internet connection is required to play Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League solo or via online co-op.”
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League allows players to play the game in single-player, or up to four-player co-op online.
Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League Official Batman Reveal
No reason is given for the need to have an internet connection, however, it’s likely related to the game’s drop in, drop out co-op gameplay. It also means that should Warner Bros. end support for the game’s servers in the future, copies of the game, even physical ones, would likely become unplayable.
While many modern games include DRM which requires a one-off online check to prevent piracy, a persistent online requirement remains relatively uncommon for modern games with single-player modes, even in titles that are primarily co-op focused but have single-player elements.
The presentation also confirmed that the game will feature a battle pass, which Rocksteady claims the items included in it will only be cosmetic. Post-game support including new characters and missions was also announced.
The European Film Market (EFM) of the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival came to a successful close yesterday (February 22). After two online editions in 2021 and 2022 due to the pandemic, this year’s market, now once again on-site, reports record results with 230 stands and 612 companies from 78 countries and a total of over 11,500 market participants from 132 countries. These numbers are an impressive testament to the EFM’s position as one of the most …
The Berlinale Series jury – Mette Heeno, André Holland and Danna Stern – has decided: The first Berlinale Series Award in cooperation with Deadline goes to The Good Mothers. TheTeam dbehind the Berlinale Series Award, The Good Mothers: Daniel Frigo (Country Manager The Walt Disney Company Italia), Elisa Amoruso (Director) Julian Jarrold (Director), Alessandro Saba (Head of Productions The Walt Disney Company Italia…
Since 2021, Dutch-born Matthijs Wouter Knol is the CEO and Director of the European Film Academy, previously running the EFM he spoke to Bruno Chatelin (a former board member of the European Film Academy. …
Enjoy the last days of the Berlinale and EFM! Check out some exciting films from Summerhill at the European Film Market and you can find us at Marriott, Stand #139, with Monique White. We look forward to meeting with you! Be sure to check out our website at www.summerhillfilms.com to see all our available films. We look forward to working with you throughout the rest of 2023 and beyond! If you’re interested in any of these titles, feel free to schedule a…
RIVIERA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL SESTRI LEVANTE May 9-14, 2023 Pictured: Bruno Chatelin Massimo Santinome Valentina Comastri We dedicated the whole festival to young directors, under 35 years of age. We could have focused on affirmed movie stars only, but we’d rather take the risk to give a good chance to those who have…
Quarxx talked to filmfestivals.com right after the market premiere of Pandemonium his latest film, clearly happy with the audience reaction and the full house. The fil; was produced by Martine Melloul. …
Bruno Chatelin with Michael Howelll and Lia Rinaldo who run the festival in Nova Scottia AND the most exquisite reception during Berlinale at the Canadian Embassy, a must attend event for all food, wine and film lovers, which includes myself, your editor! …
Opening speech by the IMZ team and a passionate and energetic speech from artist conductor Alondra de la Parra kickstarted the 2023 edition of IMZ Avant Premiere in person after a two year hiatus! THE NEW SHAPE OF AVANT PREMIÈRE Taking place during the EFM European Film Market and the Berlinale, Avant Première Music + Media Market 2023 will be a fully on-site experience. In addition, the lessons learned from the last two years have led us to enhance an…
Nat McCormick, The Exchange Worldwide Sales and Distribution President, announced today that Academy Award winning actress Octavia Spencer (HIDDEN FIGURES, THE SHAPE OF WATER), Emmy Award winning actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt (INCEPTION) and Emmy Award Nominee Lucy Liu (SHAZAM: FURY OF THE GODS, RED ONE) are attached to lead the feature film NOBODY NOTHING NOWHERE. A 2018 Blacklist and Sundance Screenwriter Labs original screenplay written and to be directed by Rachel Wolther and Alex H. Fischer…
Tatiana Maslany (“Orphan Black,” Stronger, “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law”) and Jasmin Savoy Brown (Scream franchise, “Yellowjackets”) are set to lead Josh Ruben’s (Scare Me, Werewolves Within) sci-fi horror Green Bank, it was announced today by Protagonist Pictures CEO Dave Bishop. Protagonist Pictures is launching international sales on the hot market title and will introduce to buyers at the upcoming EFM. CAA Media Finance and …
Liam Neeson is set to star in director Neil Jordan’s (The Crying Game, Marlowe, Interview with a Vampire) upcoming thriller The Riker’s Ghost, it was announced today by Capstone’s Christian Mercuri. The leading Los Angeles based production and sales company is handling international sales and will introduce to buyers at the upcoming European Film Market. CAA Media Finance is handling US rights. Parallel Film’s Alan Moloney and Endurance M…
THE KLEZMER PROJECT by Leandro Koch & Paloma Schachmann (Austria/Argentina/Films Boutique) The EFM, one of the most important events in the year for the promotion of European films to the world is a flagship market for EFP’s (European Film Promotion) Film Sales Support (FSS). Altogether 44 completed feature films, documentaries and animation films including works-in-progress from Albania, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden and th…
Emma Roberts (Holidate, “Scream Queens”) and Laurence Fishburne (John Wick films, The Matrix trilogy) are set to star in the sci-fi thriller The Astronaut, it was announced today. Jess Varley (Phobias) makes her solo writing and directorial debut. The Astronaut is produced by Brad Fuller (Paramount’s A Quiet Place and A Quiet Place Part II, Universal’s The Purge films), Eric B. Fleischman (J.D. Dillard&r…
VERA FARMIGA AND TIM BLAKE NELSON STAR IN TRUE CRIME BIOPIC ‘THE LEADER’ FOR THE EXCHANGE Nat McCormick, The Exchange Worldwide Sales & Distribution President, announced today that Academy Award nominated actress Vera Farmiga and award-winning actor Tim Blake Nelson are starring in the true crime biopic feature THE LEADER, based on the 1997 mass suicide of the religious group known as “Heaven’s Gate”. Farmiga stars as cult leader Bonnie Nettles aka “Ti” with…
Film Mode Entertainment Serves Up a Thrilling Delicacy with FEAST OR FAMINE Featuring the First-Named Celebrity Chef, Marco Pierre White It’s the real-life hunger games when celebrity chef, Marco Pierre White, who has trained the best of the best, including Mario Batali, Heston Blumenthal, Shannon Bennett, Gordon Ramsay and Curtis Stone, gives insights into Angelina and her Chef’s relentless pursuit of the highest accolade in the culinary world …
Karen Gillan (upcoming Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Avengers: Endgame), Marton Csokas (The Lord of the Rings trilogy), Harry Greenwood (The Nightingale) and Thomas M. Wright (Universal Pictures’ Everest) join Academy Award® winner Russell Crowe (Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind) in the crime thriller Sleeping Dogs, the Nickel City Pictures film adaptation of E.O. Chirovici’s critically acclaimed novel, The Book of Mirrors. …
The German Film Office in New York is pleased to announce the second edition of its KINO! Germany NOW! film program. From April through June 2023, theaters and festivals across the United States are invited to present a curated selection of new films from Germany to in-person audiences. The program includes five striking examples of dazzling talent that continues to emerge from one of the world’s great cinematic traditions. C…
Photography credit: Patrick Redmond Principal photography is in its final stages in Ireland on MUBI Production Bring Them Down, starring Golden Globe nominee Christopher Abbott (Catch-22, Poor Things) and BAFTA award-winning and Academy award nominee Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin, The Killing of a Sacred Deer). The film also stars Colm Meaney (Gangs of London, Star Trek), Nora-Jane Noone (Wildfire, Brooklyn) Paul Ready&nbs…
In this extraordinary true story of faith and survival, On a Wing and a Prayer follows passenger Doug White’s (Dennis Quaid) harrowing journey to safely land a plane and save his entire family from insurmountable danger, after their pilot dies unexpectedly mid-flight. FEATURING DENNIS QUAID AND HEATHER GRAHAM Experience the inspirational true story this Easter weekend AVAILABLE ON PRIME VIDEO APRIL 7, 2023 Directed by Sean McNamara Written…
This year’s winning filmmaker of the $5,000 prize was Nahom Abraham from Eritrea. His film is called Home Judges Acclaimed Actress Vivica A Fox, Academy and Tony Award winning producer Bruce Cohen, and President of Post Production 21st Century Fox/Disney Ted Gagliano – as well as the previous year’s competition winner – Minenhle Luthuli Selected Nahom Abraham From Eritrea With His Film HOME Competition Winner Receives $5000 &nbs…
ATTEND THE EUROPEAN FILM MARKET WITH SUMMERHILL! Check out some exciting films from Summerhill at the European Film Market! We will be at Marriott, Stand #139, with Monique White. We look forward to meeting with you! Be sure to check out our website at www.summerhillfilms.com to see all our available films. We look forward to working with you throughout the rest of 2023 and beyond! If you’re interested in any of these titles, feel free t…
Boom! Boom! The world vs Boris Becker (Berlinale Special) (part 1) a documentary by Alex Gibnay, produced by John Battseck with Boris Becker, John McEnroe, Ion Tiriac, Nova Djokovic, Barbara Becker, Bjorn Borg, Mats Wilander, Lilian de Carvalho By M.R. D’Amico Oscar winner Alex Gibney, “the most important documentarian of our times” (Esquire), presented at Berlinale the first pa…
The Shadowless Tower (Competition) by Chinese film director and screenwriter Zhang Lu (Desert Driver, Dooman River and Fukoka) with Xin Baiqing (Gu Wentong), Wang Yiwen (Smiley), Li Quinquin (Ouyang Whenhui) Li Jun (Wang Hongwei). By M.R. D’Amico There is a 13th Century Tibetan Buddhist Tower in the middle of Beijing that is believed to cast a shadow only on the Tibe…
A film by Sean Penn, Aaron Kaufman USA 115 minutes 2022 Review by M.R. D’Amico They went there first. In 2021 director Sean Penn (The Indian Runner, The Crossing Guard, The Pledge, Into the Wild, Flag day) and screenwriter, producer and director Aaron Kaufman began a film about Ukraine: they wanted to learn more about Volodymyr Zelensky, the actor and comedian who had become the actual President of Ukraine. But on February 24, 2022 (almost a year …
By M.R. D’Amico Steven Spielberg, 75, at the press conference for the Honorary Golden Bear at Berlinale told everything about movies, scripts and his friends…Francois Truffaut, Stanley Kubrick “Francois Truffaut… I worked with him on Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and some of my reasons for making E.T. actually came from Truffaut…. Truffaut had just made a film called Small Change (L’argent de poche) and he had the best time workin…
By M.R. D’Amico Kristen Stewart, at 32 is the youngest Berlinale jury president in history. On Saturday she joined Iranian filmmakers and talents on the Red Carpet to chant the slogan “Women, Life, Freedom!”and demanding the release of imprisoned journalists and Iranian rapper. In the opening press conference of the Jury she said these very inspiring words. “We a…
Photos By Brice ANXIONNAZ Afrench film by Patric Chiha with Anaïs Demoustier, Tom Mercier, Béatrice Dalle, Martin Vischer, Sophie Demeyer It begins at the end of the 1970s, amidst the glittering nights of a club as a place of endless (im)possibilities and the timeless clockwork of a city. This is where John and May are waiting for an extraordinary, all-changing moment to occur. Around them, everything is loud and in motion, while they hold out in silence. Twent…
The Survival of Kindness (Competition) is an Australian movie, written, directed and produced by Rolf De Heer (Djingo, Bad Boy Bubby, the Tracker) with Mwajemi Hussein (BlackWoman), Deepthi Sharma(BrownGirl), Darsan Sharma (Brown Boy) By M.R. D’Amico Blackwoman is abandoned in a metal cage in the middle of the desert but she is not ready to pass. She manages to escape and starts a timeless journey walking through desert, mountains and city only to find more terror. Her persecutors are …
About Berlin
Chatelin Bruno
Berlin 2019: The dailies from the Berlin Film Festival brought to you by our team of festival ambassadors. Vanessa McMahon, Alex Deleon, Laurie Gordon, Lindsay Bellinger and Bruno Chatelin…
Ambiance, film reviews, trailers and podcasts, EFM insider information, and much more.
Feel free to leave us your comments and share the blogs with more fans from the festivals scene.
M. Night Shyamalan’s latest thriller ‘Knock at the Cabin’ hit theaters on February 3rd and now, it’s available for home viewing. You can rent the movie for $19.99 or own a digital copy for $24.99 available on all major movie purchasing and rental platforms. The movie has garnered $47.9 million globally during its theatrical run, […]
Exclusive Q&A with Creators of Short Film “All I Ever Wanted”
After a recent interview, this exclusive Q&A with the creators of the short film All I Ever Wanted,Van B. Nguyen (Writer), Erin Lau (Director), Selena Leoni (Producer), Fiona Hardingham (Producer), and Calvin Q. Lam (EP) have provided an inside look at the creation of the . All I Ever Wanted(2022) is a coming-of-age, award-winning short film about a rom-com obsessed teenager navigating the trials of finding a date to prom.
Director, Erin Lau/Courtesy of Film Independent
What was it like working on the script?
Van: It was so much fun working on this script. It was also therapeutic in some ways by translating my experience and feelings growing up into a heartfelt, entertaining short film. I cherished the experience of sharing this development with a small group of people and our team who believed in it and helped bring this to life.
What does this story mean to you and what are you hoping it does for the LGBTQ+ community?
Van: This story means so much to me. It means hope, joy, love, and acceptance. Hopefully, it gives viewers the same feeling and it gives some viewers who haven’t been able to see themselves reflected on screen a chance to see themselves on screen. And I hope it inspires to have more films reflecting the LGBTQ+ community with POC characters at the center that helps spread joy and acceptance.
Erin: Most of the romantic comedies we saw as kids in the 90s lacked representation and didn’t include LGBTQ+ or POC characters. While we still enjoyed and endlessly quoted those films, it made me wonder what our lives would’ve looked like if we had grown up seeing ourselves represented more. More than anything, I hope this film allows young LGBTQ+ audiences to feel seen and heard.
Calvin: The film originated from our beloved writer, Van, who trusted us with a story based on her personal experience growing up as a queer Vietnamese American girl in the 1990s. She loved watching rom-coms, but never understood the disconnect she felt with the heteronormative romantic relationships she saw on screen. From that, she crafted a charming story of a girl who loves love – and ultimately, gets to find her own love through the most unexpected (but totally mundane) way. Our explicit intent was to avoid making another LGBTQ+ story about trauma; what we produced instead was a film focused on the joy and delight that a young queer person feels for the first time when they embrace their identity.
What do you hope people take away from watching it?
Van: Don’t let societal norms and influences box you in because you may miss what’s right in front of you. Just be open, face yourself, love yourself, and accept yourself. We want people to walk away with a warmed heart full of joy, love, and comfort.
Erin: After all of the struggles and fears over the past couple of years, especially for our AAPI community and the increase of Asian hate crimes, it was important to me and the team to make a film focused on love, hope and joy. Those are the feelings I hope wash over viewers when they experience this film. I also hope it serves as an inspiration to young people to follow their hearts.
Selena: I hope that this short will inspire people to be true to themselves. When it comes to love (or any other thing in life), don’t be afraid to follow your heart and take the time you need. At the end of the day, everyone has their own process and timeline, and we shouldn’t be compelled to follow in others’ footsteps.
Fiona: My hope is that our younger viewers especially are inspired to go with their hearts. Instead of second-guessing themselves and feeling obligated to do what others expect of them that they are encouraged to give themselves permission to be curious.
Calvin: Speaking for myself – one of the takeaways I hope AIEW can leave with audiences is a better understanding of the queer romantic experience, which is never black and white. It’s a rich, meandering, confusing, often very awkward journey that sometimes leads you to an answer sitting right in front of you.
How does it feel to be getting into so many festivals and having the short be recognized?
Van: It feels so wonderful to be seen. To have people embrace a joyful queer love story centering on Asian characters means so much. It feels great to share this film and for others to want to share it.
Erin: It’s been amazing! Our team poured so much love into this movie and it has meant the world to us to see audiences engage with those feelings. We’re especially grateful to have been a part of multiple educational and school screenings. This film was made with the intention of inspiring love, hope, & joy in young viewers and I’m thrilled the film is being shared with them.
Selena: Our team is blown away by how well the film has been doing since we started our festival run over a year ago. We have received so much positive feedback from festival attendants who loved the film which really meant a lot to us.
Fiona: I am absolutely delighted that the film is being seen and enjoyed by so many. We’ve received touching emails from viewers who were moved by the film, which means so much to us, filmmakers. It takes a village to make a film and once executed your hope is of course that it will be seen and received well. But neither can be taken for granted.
Calvin: I’m thrilled that our film has made its way to so many festival audiences around the country (and the world!). To me, it means there’s continued passion and appetite for joyful storytelling. We love seeing festival audiences having a great time, laughing and enjoying it.
This is such a soft and heartfelt short film, and it shows a contrast between the usual dramatic LGBTQ+ shorts. What inspired you to tell this story in particular?
Van: This is a personal story I’ve wanted to tell for a long time. Though the events in the film did not happen, it was something I longed for. There’s a lot of me in both of the characters. It all came down to acceptance and the joy you have when that happens. The happily ever after is within yourself. That’s what it was for me and so it inspired me to tell this story in this particular way.
What made you choose the 1990s as a setting for the film?
Van: It was the golden era of romantic comedies that I grew up on! This was kind of an homage to those classic rom-coms I loved, but the lack of representation back then is something I, and many others, wish to have had. Not only LGBTQ+ representation but Asian and Asian-American representation in that space and genre.
Reasons why you chose to have a teen-centered romance rather than a romance short with adults?
Van: I chose to have it be teen-centered because it’s an important time in everyone’s life. Looking back, if I had characters I could see myself in during that growing period, maybe it might’ve helped with the growing pains. I have nieces and nephews now, and I want them to be able to grow up seeing diverse characters and diverse stories in their age group. I want the younger generation to be able to watch something that might speak to them. Also, the adult viewers I have spoken to who connected with our film have said it brought back the nostalgia of the 90s, classic rom-coms, and memories of the first kiss that gave them those fireworks where things just clicked.
Any future projects you can talk about?/What would you like to work on next?
Van: I just optioned a new thriller feature so I’m currently developing that. I have a couple of TV projects to take out. I’m also developing a new adult rom-com feature, as well as a feature version of All I Ever Wanted, among other things. So, I’m keeping busy!
Erin: After wrapping my new short Inheritance last year with Tribeca Films, I’ve been focusing on writing a couple of female-led feature scripts based in Hawaiʻi. It’s important to me to continue developing work that represents my home and AAPI community. I’m very excited to share these stories with the world!
Selena: I am currently working on finishing my second feature film Young Kings which is about an African American soldier trying to re-adjust to civilian life after he returns home from Iraq during the height of the Iraq war in 2005. As he copes with the scars of war, he increasingly becomes a threat to those he cares about the most – his family. We plan to start festival submissions for Young Kings later this spring, and I look forward to sharing this amazing film with everyone.
Additionally, I am developing two feature ideas, and I’m producing a couple of shorts that will be in the festival circuit this year in festivals such as the Pan Africa Film Festival and Tribeca Film Festival. I look forward to sharing these projects with all of you soon!
Fiona: I had the great pleasure of working on Shondaland’s ‘Queen Charlotte’ (a Bridgerton spin-off series) as their 2nd Unit Production Manager, which will be released on Netflix this year. Can’t wait for you all to enjoy this touching show! I am currently working on a documentary series and developing various narrative projects. My mission is to produce work that promotes empathy and social change, so that is always my baseline when diving into a new story.
Calvin: The AIEW team entertained the idea of doing another short film project together that would be completely different, tonally, than this one. I’d love to make that happen down the road! Otherwise, I’m personally on the search for more queer stories to tell and creative produce on the side, while doing the same at Netflix, where I develop animated films.
Any statements you want to include?
Erin Lau, Director: Whenever I watch our film I can’t help but smile. It was an incredible honor to bring this story to life and to work alongside our amazing team. Our cast and crew poured a lot of love into this story, and we hope audiences continue to feel that sincerity as they watch All I Ever Wanted.
Courtesy of Film Independent
Be sure to take a look at our review of the short film for more information about All I Ever Wanted.
The Disney-owned broadcast network’s longest-running scripted comedy series will conclude with its current 10th season, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter. Sources say calls were made Thursday afternoon to inform the show’s stars and creatives.
The Goldbergs has been a stalwart for ABC for the past decade, remaining the network’s comedy constant for executive regimes covering Paul Lee, Channing Dungey, Karey Burke and Craig Erwich.
The series, which has weathered the departures of star Jeff Garlin following multiple HR complaints, is produced by Sony Pictures Television. ABC’s lack of ownership on the series, paired with declining linear ratings and pricey licensing fee for an aging series, made an 11th season increasingly unlikely.
The Goldbergs was created by Adam F. Goldberg and was considered a passion project for the nerdy writer. The semi-autobiographical comedy about a Jewish family in 1980-something has been bounced around ABC’s schedule during its run and was used at times to launch a second night of comedy on the network.
With ABC now having a hit in Quinta Brunson’s Abbott Elementary, the network no longer has a need for The Goldbergs as Disney looks to lower costs on broadcast and pivot to more optimistic originals in line with its newly minted awards juggernaut.
Further complicating matters is the fact that creator Goldberg left the series a few years ago after he exited his long-running overall deal at Sony Pictures Television for a sizable deal with Disney where he is readying a new take on The Muppets. With Goldberg and his home videos no longer at the helm of the series, the show has struggled to find creative stories that hit home in the same fashion as the heartfelt ones based on its creator’s adolescence.
Wendi McLendon-Covey, Sean Giambrone, Troy Gentile, Hayley Orrantia and Sam Lerner star in the series, which previously said farewell to original star George Segal following his passing a few years ago.
ABC at one point attempted to turn The Goldbergs into a franchise along the lines of its other former family comedy, Black-ish. While Kenya Barris’ comedy gave life to Freeform’s Grown-ish (still running) and the short-lived Mixed-ish, The Goldbergs offshoot Schooled lasted only two seasons.
As for ABC’s 2023-24 scripted slate, the network has already renewed Abbott Elementary. Keep up with all the broadcast renewals, cancellations and new series pickups with THR‘s handy scorecard.
Those who follow the 90 Day Fiancé franchise may have witnessed the heartbreaking deaths of the show’s stars, or heard stories about the relatives of cast members, who sadly passed away years before. Since 2014, the TLC show and its many spin-offs have introduced various love stories, which have featured a diverse range of couples. Some have happy endings, but others do not. The American “halves,” along with their international partners from across the world, have become franchise mainstays. Viewers may laugh when cast members do the same thing onscreen. However, they might also mourn the sad moments in their favorite 90DF celebs’ lives.
It’s not surprising that when a particular 90 Day Fiancé cast member shares the news of a loved one’s passing, fans reach out immediately with love, prayers, and condolences. They may feel particularly sad when the person who died is someone they watched onscreen. For example, a relative who passed away might have been a side cast member in a main couple’s storyline. Then, there are the deaths that tragically took place before seasons were filmed. Those great losses may still impact how particular cast members navigate their lives. Now, it’s time to look back at the lives lost in the 90 Day Fiancé universe, which are still grieved today.
Jason and his now ex-wife Cassia Tavares were a well-known couple due to their 90 Day Fiancé season 2 stint. The 45-year-old man from Florida had met Cassia from Brazil on Facebook when he was 38. At the time, Cassia was 23 years old, and dating one of Jason’s friends. Jason’s frugal lifestyle in America was not what Cassia expected, and he doubted her intentions. The couple was married briefly before they divorced in 2018.
Cassia graduated from the University of South Florida in 2020, and married her Italian personal trainer in February 2021. Meanwhile, news of Jason’s death in December 2021, following complications from COVID-19, was shocking. Jason was unvaccinated, but he had no pre-existing medical conditions. It’s uncertain how he contracted the virus. He passed away in a Florida hospital, with his family members by his side.
4 Darcey & Stacey Silva’s Brother Michael
Darcey and Stacey Silva are a famous twin sister duo in the 90DF franchise, who debuted in 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days season 1. The Darcey & Stacey stars had a sibling before they became reality TV icons. Michael J. Silva II remains an important influence on Darcey and Stacey, and the siblings honored him by launching their fashion brand, House of Eleven. That company’s name is dedicated to their brother, who was born (and passed away) on the eleventh day of different months.
Michael was only 27 years old when he died. At that time, he was a member of the New Haven police academy. He passed away due to cancer in 1998. When Michael was 24 years old, he was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer called Ewing sarcoma, which affects the bones and surrounding soft tissue. Darcey and Stacey’s song ‘Always In My Heart’ is a heartfelt tribute to their brother, Michael.
Kim Menzies was introduced as the new girlfriend of Usman Umar AKA Sojaboy in 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days season 5. The San Diego woman was a restaurant manager and caregiver to her mom, Sally. Kim lived with her mom, whom she called her best friend. Sally had rheumatoid arthritis in her hips, which greatly impaired her mobility. While the season was still on air, Kim shared that her mom had passed away in January 2022. In a moving note posted to Instagram, Kim told her mom that she would miss her for the rest of her life.
In December 2022, 90 Day Fiance star Kim got a tattoo to remember her mom by. The amazing tribute to her mother featured a large red balloon and the word, “mommy,” which is how Kim addresses her late mother. It was written in cursive, where the balloon’s string would normally be. Although they have split, Usman was very supportive while Kim grieved her loss. Kim will always miss her mom.
In 2018, the infamous Angela was introduced to fans in 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days season 2. Angela was supposed to be flying to Nigeria to meet her online boyfriend Michael Ilesanmi for the first time. Back then, she used to work as a nursing assistant in a hospice. She used her earnings to support a lot of relatives, including her mom, daughters, and grandkids. Angela’s mother Glenda, born in 1942, was a stay-at-home mom, who had married the late Marcene Standridge. Angela had her share of ups and downs with her mother. However, she was proud to be her daughter, because she thought her mom was a fighter. Angela wanted to be just like her mother.
90 Day Fiancé: Happily Ever After? viewers learned that Angela’s mother was dealing with a couple of health problems before her passing, including cancer. Sadly, her health had been declining for some time. She was too sick to attend Angela and Michael’s wedding in Nigeria. However, Glenda had asked Angela to go to Michael’s country, and not worry about her, as she continued to live with cancer. Then, Angela received a call, where she was told that her mother was unresponsive, and being rushed to the hospital just hours after she said ” I do” to Michael.
Angela rushed to Georgia, and was able to spend some time with her mom. Sadly, Glenda died just 10 days after Angela married Michael. “Mama’s not doing good,” Angela had mentioned onscreen. “She’s got pneumonia,” she’d added. Glenda died on February 8, at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Jacksonville, Florida. Her funeral took place on February 11, in the chapel of the Wainright-Parlor Funeral Home in Hazlehurst.
1 90 Day Fiancé – Anny Francisco & Robert Springs’ Baby Son Adriel
Pillow Talk cast members Anny and Robert are one of the most beloved couples in the 90 Day Fiancé franchise. Robert from Winter Park, Florida had met Anny from the Dominican Republic online. The 90DF season 7 couple chatted with each other for six months. Then, Robert booked a cruise which had a one-day stopover in Anny’s DR hometown. “Anny and I only spent eight hours together,” said Robert, who proposed to her then and there, and soon brought her to the U.S. on a K-1 visa. Robert was already a father of five (including son Bryson) from previous relationships. The couple got married, and 90 Day Fiancé star Anny welcomed daughter Brenda Aaliyah in July 2020. The duo later welcomed baby Adriel, who was born in September 2021.
It’s so sad that Robert and Anny couldn’t spend much time with little Adriel. The infant passed away just seven months after his birth. Anny posted at Instagram in April 21, 2022, saying how hard losing her son was. Anny was devastated, and in major emotional pain, as she announced the death of her baby son. The news of Robert and Anny’s infant’s passing was widely publicized, as they are 90 Day Fiancé franchise stars. While his mother didn’t reveal what happened to Adriel, Anny suggested that the baby passed away after undergoing a medical procedure. She did so by sharing a last picture of Adriel, just an hour before his surgery, via Instagram.
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages are Davis’ assessment of the current standings of the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any film or performance. Like any organization or body that votes, each individual category is fluid and subject to change. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
LAST UPDATED: Feb. 23, 2023
2023 Oscars Predictions: Best Director
Gabriel LaBelle and Steven Spielberg on the set of “The Fabelmans” (Universal Pictures)
Everett Collection
CATEGORY COMMENTARY: The DGA Awards, which has historically matched up best with the eventual winner of best director, chose the “Everything Everywhere All at Once” duo of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert. They’re the third directing team to win in the DGA’s 75-year history (after Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins for “West Side Story” and Joel Coen and Ethan Coen for “No Country for Old Men”). Only eight DGA winners have failed to walk away with the Academy Award in the same season, with the last instance being Sam Mendes (“1917”), who won at DGA but lost to Bong Joon Ho (“Parasite”) at the 2020 Oscars.
The Daniels have gained recognition from various awards groups with their hyper-imaginative tale of a Chinese laundromat owner who sets off to save the multiverse. Additionally, Hollywood has long adopted a “pay your dues” mentality. At 35, Kwan and Scheinert are the youngest pair to win DGA and the seventh-youngest director winners overall. Conservative voters may hesitate to reward the sophomore filmmakers, whose only other movie is the zany dead-body comedy “Swiss Army Man” (2016).
So who’s the alternative?
“All Quiet on the Western Front” is locked and loaded for best international feature, along with some Oscar wins, coming off its impressive BAFTA haul including best director for Edward Berger. However, Berger was not nominated at the Oscars (which would have made this race even more interesting).
One thing you can take away from its haul, particularly Berger’s win for best director, is that it has arguably maintained Steven Spielberg’s Oscar chances for best director following his massive DGA loss. The Golden Globe win for directing will be what accompanies the veteran filmmaker walking into the ceremony. You have to go back to Mel Gibson for “Braveheart” (1995) to find an Oscar-winner for directing that only had a Globe and no other major precursors.
Spielberg’s chances are slightly elevated despite Daniels beating him on his DGA home turf. And there’s no sugarcoating that “Everything Everywhere” received a massive campaign blow at BAFTA. It’d be far too simple to chalk it up to “it’s just the Brits,” as many shared on social media. That creates an opening for Spielberg to capitalize on the industry narrative he’s due for late-career recognition. With “The Fabelmans,” he depicts the origins of his love of celluloid while mapping out the deterioration of his parent’s marriage.
An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save the world by exploring other universes connecting with the lives she could have led.
2
Steven Spielberg
“The Fabelmans”
Universal Pictures
A semi-autobiography based on Spielberg’s own childhood growing up in post-war Arizona, from age seven to eighteen.
3
Martin McDonagh
“The Banshees of Inisherin”
Searchlight Pictures
Two lifelong friends find themselves at an impasse when one abruptly ends their relationship, with alarming consequences for both of them.
4
Todd Field
“Tár”
Focus Features
Set in the international world of classical music, the film centers on Lydia Tár. widely considered one of the greatest living composer/conductors and first-ever female chief conductor of a major German orchestra.
5
Ruben Östlund
“Triangle of Sadness”
Neon
A fashion model celebrity couple join an eventful cruise for the super-rich.
The 95th Oscars ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre and televised live on ABC on Sunday, March 12, 2022.
2022 category winner: Jane Campion, “The Power of the Dog” (Netflix)
About Variety Awards Circuit:
Variety’s unmatched coverage gives its readership unbeatable exposure in print and online and provides inside reports on all the contenders in this year’s awards season races. In addition to predictions, the section includes — Awards Circuit Column, a weekly analysis dissecting the trends and contenders in the race; Awards Circuit Podcast, a weekly series featuring interviews with the top contenders in the awards race and an expert roundtable discussion with Variety’s leading editors and columnists; Awards Circuit Predictions Video Series, a deep dive into specific categories, led by the leading pundits.
Lil Wayne has shared the new song “Kant Nobody,” featuring the late rapper DMX. Avenue and Swizz Beatz co-produced the single. Wayne acknowledges his collaborators on the track’s hook: “Best rapper, ex-trapper, dress dapper/Swizzy gave me a headbanga, a neck snappa/X-factor, make a rapper an example/All I need is a beat with a DMX sample.” Listen to the new song below.
Lil Wayne heads out on tour in April. The rapper’s most recent solo studio album, Funeral, came out in 2020. The following year, he and Swizz Beatz featured on “Dogs Out,” a cut from the posthumous DMX album, Exodus.
In recent years, the use of software has become an increasingly important tool in the world of film production. From pre-production planning to post-production editing, the use of software has revolutionized the way films are made, allowing filmmakers to create increasingly complex and visually stunning works. With the ability to simulate complex physical effects, create detailed virtual environments, and enhance the look and feel of filmed footage, the use of software has become a crucial component of the modern film production process.
Some of the software used in the film production process includes the following.
Video Editing Software
Video editing software is essential for film production companies as it allows editors to piece together footage, cut and edit clips, add transitions and effects, and manipulate audio to create a polished and cohesive final product. This software provides a range of features such as color correction, audio mixing, and special effects that help to enhance the visuals and storytelling of the film. With advanced video editing software, filmmakers can achieve professional-grade edits, manipulate the pace of the film, and create a compelling story that engages and entertains audiences.
Screenwriting Software
Screenwriting software is essential for film production companies as it allows writers to create and format screenplays, which are the foundation for any film production. This software enables writers to organize their ideas and thoughts, collaborate with others, and create scripts with consistent formatting and structure. Screenwriting software streamlines the writing process by providing features like auto-formatting, revision tracking, and collaboration tools, enabling writers to focus on the creative aspects of writing. Overall, Screenwriting software is a crucial tool for any film production company, providing a structured approach to writing and making the writing process more efficient.
Secure File-Sharing Software
Secure data rooms for sharing files are essential for film production companies because they enable the secure sharing of confidential and sensitive data. A virtual data room is a secure online repository that allows filmmakers to share files with team members, investors, and collaborators while maintaining data security and confidentiality. Data rooms provide secure access controls, encryption, and audit trails, making them the ideal tool for sharing sensitive information. In short, a data room for investors and other key players involved in the filmmaking process ensures that only authorized parties have access to confidential data.
Sound Editing Software
Sound editing software is an essential tool for film production companies as it allows them to manipulate and enhance the audio elements of their projects. With sound editing software, filmmakers can add, remove or adjust various sound effects, music, and dialogue to create a more immersive and impactful audio experience for their audience. Additionally, sound editing software allows for fine-tuning and mixing of audio tracks to ensure a cohesive and high-quality sound design. Overall, sound editing software is crucial for filmmakers looking to produce professional, polished, and engaging films.
Project Management Software
Project management software is an indispensable tool for film production companies due to its ability to streamline the management of tasks, schedules, budgets, and resources. This software enables project managers to track and manage every aspect of the film production process, from pre-production to post-production, by providing real-time updates and progress reports. It also allows collaboration and communication between team members, ensuring everyone is on the same page and any issues can be addressed promptly. With project management software, film production companies can increase efficiency, reduce errors and delays, and ultimately deliver high-quality productions within budget and on time.
Color Grading Software
Color grading software is a critical tool for film production companies as it allows filmmakers to manipulate and enhance the color and tone of their footage to achieve the desired aesthetic look and feel. This software can correct any inconsistencies in color and brightness across different shots and scenes, which is important for maintaining visual consistency throughout the film. Color grading software also allows filmmakers to add creative visual effects and manipulate the mood and atmosphere of the film. With color grading software, film production companies can achieve their films’ desired look and feel, which is essential for engaging and captivating their audiences.
In conclusion, software tools are an essential aspect of modern film production. From video editing to project management software, each tool plays a crucial role in the production process, making it more efficient, streamlined, and professional. Secure file-sharing software ensures the confidentiality and protection of sensitive information, while sound editing software and color grading software elevate the audio and visual quality of the film. Screenwriting and project management software ensures that tasks are well-organized and collaborations are well-coordinated.
Overall, these software tools are indispensable for any film production company, enabling them to create high-quality, visually stunning, and engaging films that entertain and captivate audiences.
Anne Davis is a blogger and online copywriter from the Northwest, Portland, to be exact! She relocated to Southern California before college and after majoring in journalism and English she found her way into online blogging and writing. You can reach her anytime at her email or maybe outside on her daily run near the beach!
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles judge on Thursday sentenced Harvey Weinstein to 16 years in prison after a jury convicted him of the 2013 rape and sexual assault of an Italian actor and model.
The sentence comes on top of the more than 20 years the 70-year-old Weinstein has left to serve for a similar 2020 conviction in New York, furthering the fall of the one-time movie magnate who became a #MeToo magnet.
Weinstein directly appealed to Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lisa B. Lench, saying: “I maintain that I’m innocent. I never raped or sexually assaulted Jane Doe 1.”
The woman who Weinstein was convicted of raping sobbed in the courtroom as he spoke.
Moments earlier she had told the judge about the pain she felt after being attacked by Weinstein. “Before that night I was a very happy and confident woman. I valued myself and the relationship I had with God,” the woman, who was identified in court only as Jane Doe 1, said. “I was excited about my future. Everything changed after the defendant brutally assaulted me. There is no prison sentence long enough to undo the damage.”
Lench handed down the sentence Thursday after rejecting a motion by Weinstein’s lawyers for a new trial.
Jurors in December convicted Weinstein of one count of rape and two counts of sexual assault against the woman who at the trial’s opening in October gave a dramatic and emotional account of him arriving uninvited at her hotel room, talking his way in and assaulting her during a film festival.
The jury spared Weinstein an even longer sentence when they acquitted him of the sexual battery of a massage therapist and failed to reach verdicts on counts involving two other women.
The defence contended during the trial that Weinstein had consensual sex with two of the women he was charged with assaulting and that two others — including the one who led to his conviction — were making up the incidents entirely.
Story continues below advertisement
Last week, Lench rejected a request from Gloria Allred, a lawyer for some of the women who testified at trial, to allow others to make similar statements in court about the man who has for five years been a magnet for the #MeToo movement.
“I’m not going to make this an open forum on Mr. Weinstein’s conduct,” Lench said at the time.
Harvey Weinstein found guilty of rape, sexual assault by jury in LA
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually assaulted.
Legal uncertainties will remain on both coasts for Weinstein.
New York’s highest court has agreed to hear his appeal in his rape and sexual assault convictions there. And prosecutors in Los Angeles have yet to say whether they will retry Weinstein on counts they were unable to reach a verdict on.
Story continues below advertisement
It is not yet clear where he will serve his time while these issues are decided.
His New York sentence would be served before a California prison term, though a retrial or other issues could keep him from being sent back there soon.
Weinstein is eligible for parole in New York in 2039.
Always in his heart. John Schneider revealed that his wife, Alicia Allain, has died at the age of 53.
“My beautiful Smile is pain free, living in her new body alongside Jesus,” the Dukes of Hazzard actor, 62, wrote via Facebook on Wednesday, February 22. “Please respect our privacy during this time of grief.”
The post contained two photos, one of Allain smiling and giving a thumbs up and another of the pair’s hands holding onto each other with their wedding rings front and center. An online obituary for the late filmmaker stated that she passed away on Tuesday, February 21, at her home surrounded by her family.
“If you have any pictures of us and our obvious love and adoration for each other, please post them below,” Schneider encouraged his followers and friends. “Lastly … hug those you love tight and let them know how you feel. We always did.”
Courtesy of John Schneider/Instagram
One day after announcing his wife’s passing, Schneider opened up more about the grief he was experiencing.
“This is a time of unimaginable sorrow for me. Grief is much too small a word. I’ve heard [it] said that ‘with great love comes great sorrow.’ I had no idea what that meant until now,” he penned the heartfelt Facebook post on Thursday, February 23. “Alicia was the fuel that ran my biggest dreams. The inspiration behind every creative thought. The very fabric of my soul. The glue that held me together. I miss her more than any words could possibly describe.”
He continued: “Thank you for your thoughts, concerns and prayers. Continue to post the glorious photos you captured of my Smile and I changing our world and sometimes yours, one kiss at a time because those images help.”
Moviestore/Shutterstock
The Smallville alum and the Maven Entertainment founder began dating in April 2015. At the time, Schneider was in the process of divorcing his second wife, Elvira “Elly” Castle. The twosome share daughter Karis. The Stand on It star was also previously married to Tawny Elaine Godin.
Schneider and Allain ended up tying the knot four years later in September 2019. Along with being his wife, Allain was also The Dukes actor’s personal and professional manager.
Sign up for Us Weekly’s free, daily newsletter and never miss breaking news or exclusive stories about your favorite celebrities, TV shows and more!
After being married for nearly a year, the couple appeared on Fox and Friends. In the 2020 joint interview, the duo revealed that Allain had been diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and was told she was “three years into a five-year shelf life.” However, the music producer shared she was in remission at the time.
Carlos Watson, CEO of digital media and entertainment company Ozy Media, was arrested Thursday in New York ahead of his arraignment on charges of federal securities fraud and wire fraud.
The Justice Department’s indictment charges Ozy Media and Watson with conspiracy to commit securities fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud Ozy’s investors and lenders “by making material misrepresentations about Ozy’s financial and business assets,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said in a statement. Watson is also charged with “aggravated identity theft” for his role in the impersonation of multiple media company executives in communications with Ozy’s lenders and prospective investors in furtherance of the fraud schemes, prosecutors said.
The feds alleged that Watson and his co-conspirators — including former Ozy chief operating officer Samir Rao and ex-chief of staff Suzee Han — “orchestrated a scheme to defraud investors in and lenders to Ozy of tens of millions of dollars through fraudulent misrepresentations and omissions about key aspects of Ozy’s business, including Ozy’s financial results, debts and audience size.”
Watson is scheduled to be arraigned later Thursday before Magistrate Judge Cheryl Pollak of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn. If convicted, Watson faces a mandatory minimum sentence of two years in prison and a maximum sentence of 37 years’ imprisonment, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Watson’s attorney, Lanny Breuer, said in a statement to the Wall Street Journal, which first reported the media exec’s arrest, “We are really disappointed. We have been acting in good faith and believe we had a constructive dialogue with the government and are shocked by the actions this morning.” Breuer and Ozy Media reps did not respond to requests for comment.
“As alleged, Carlos Watson is a con man whose business strategy was based on outright deceit and fraud — he ran Ozy as a criminal organization rather than as a reputable media company,” Breon Peace, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in announcing Watson’s arrest and indictment. “Investment fraud undermines confidence in our nation’s markets and investors and makes it harder for honest businesses to compete. Our Office and the Department of Justice have made it clear that prosecuting corporations and their corrupt executives who flagrantly violate the law are top priorities.”
The Justice Department said former Ozy executives Rao and Han previously pleaded guilty to charges relating to their roles in the scheme. The Securities and Exchange Commission is taking “concurrent enforcement action” in the case, prosecutors said.
According to the federal indictment, in December 2019, Watson attempted to induce a bank to lend Ozy Media money by directing Ozy’s then-CFO to send the bank a fake contract between Ozy and a cable network purporting to be for a second-season renewal of one of the media company’s shows. When the CFO refused, Rao, with Watson’s approval, sent the fake contract with a forged signature — which contained terms favorable to Ozy — to the bank, copying the then-CFO, according to prosecutors. Later that day, the CFO notified Watson and Rao that she was resigning effective immediately, saying that what they had done was “illegal” and represented fraud, per the indictment.
“To conceal the lies about Ozy’s relationship with the cable network and the status and terms of their agreement, Rao, with Watson’s approval, created a fake email address in the name of an actual executive of the cable network, which Rao used to impersonate the executive and communicate with the bank about the potential loan,” according to the Justice Department. The cable network and bank in question were not identified.
Meanwhile, from about November 2020 through February 2021, Watson and his co-conspirators attempted to induce an unnamed financial institution to invest up to $45 million in Ozy “by means of material misrepresentations and omissions regarding Ozy’s historical and projected financial results, debts and business relationships,” according to prosecutors. If the $45 million investment had occurred as intended, $6 million of that would have been paid to Watson personally, the Justice Department alleged.
Watson told the financial institution that a “well-known online video service” — evidently YouTube — had paid Ozy nearly $6 million in licensing revenue for his talk show, “The Carlos Watson Show.” That was false, according to prosecutors; because Ozy did not in fact have any business relationship with the online video service, Watson and Rao “agreed that Rao would impersonate a media executive at the online video service in communications with the financial institution.” On or about Feb. 2, 2021, Rao held a call with employees of the financial institution “during which he impersonated a media executive from the online video service using a voice alteration application that he downloaded onto his cellular telephone to mask his voice during the call,” the Justice Department said. During that call, Watson was in the same room as Rao and texted Rao instructions about what to say and what not to say on the call, prosecutors alleged. When staffers at the financial institution later confronted Watson about the deception, he falsely claimed that Rao “had acted alone and as a result of a mental breakdown,” according to the indictment.
Watson in 2013 co-founded Ozy Media, described as “a multiplatform media company that aims to help curious people see a broader and bolder world.” Investors in Ozy included Laurene Powell Jobs’ Emerson Collective; a rep for Emerson Collective did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company’s business has encompassed digital newsletters, TV productions, podcasts and live events, the most prominent of which was the Ozy Fest festival.
Watson had stints as a political commentator and host at CNN and MSNBC before founding Ozy, named after Percy Bysshe Shelley’s famous poem “Ozymandias.” The company said “The Carlos Watson Show” centered on “bold, impactful conversations with culture-defining celebrities, intellectual pioneers and changemakers, spotlighting the voices you need to hear to make sense of this important time in American history.” After college, Watson had worked at McKinsey & Co. before founding education company Achieva College Prep Services, which he later sold to the Washington Post Co., according to his official bio.
![Yo Gotti and Angela Simmons arriving at the 2023 Pre-GRAMMY Gala held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on February 4, 2023 in Beverly Hills, CA. com. 04 Feb 2023 Pictured: Cardi B. Photo credit: Lisa OConnor/AFF-USA.com / MEGA TheMegaAgency.com +1 888 505 6342 (Mega Agency TagID: MEGA939427_011.jpg) [Photo via Mega Agency]](https://hollywoodlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/cardi-b-mega.jpg?w=298)
