All eyes were on superstar Salman Khan as the Tiger 3 actor was all suited up as he turned up to an award show in Abu Dhabi. Needless to say, the actor looked handsome as he posed for the paparazzi at the event. With Salman, many other celebs like Varun Dhawan, Farah Khan, Farhan Akhtar, and Karan Johar too graced the starry event.
For the event, Salman paired a green shirt with a grey pantsuit. The actor took his fans’ breath away with his latest appearance. Take a look at the actor’s look for the night. The Wanted actor along with others were present in Abu Dhabi for IIFA Awards 2022.
Salman Khan looks dapper in grey pant suit at IIFA Awards. (Image: Viral Bhayani)
Salman Khan stuns everyone with his stylish appearance at the red carpet. (Image: Viral Bhayani)
Salman Khan poses for the paps. (Image: Viral Bhayani)
Varun Dhawan posed with Jugg Jugg Jeeyo filmmaker Karan Johar and Badshah at the event:
Varun Dhawan poses with Karan Johar and Badshah. (Image: Viral Bhayani)
Farah Khan and Karan Johar sere as the hosts for the show. (Image: Viral Bhayani)
Farhan Akhtar looks handsome in smart casuals. (Image: Viral Bhayani)
Varun looked uber cool dressed in an interesting T-shirt with pop-corn tub print. The actor even howled for the paparazzi as he promoted his upcoming film titled Bhediya.
Varun Dhawan howls like a fox as he promotes Bhediya at the red carpet. (Image: Viral Bhayani)
Varun Dhawan’s look for the night. (Image: Viral Bhayani)
Karan Johar makes heads turn at IIFA awards. (Image: Viral Bhayani)
Badshah presented himself in a colourful shirt and black pants. (Image: Viral Bhayani)
Also in attendance were singers Sunidhi Chauhan and Amit Trivedi. Sunidhi looked hot in a stylish shimmery white ensemble. On the other hand, Amit looked suave in pantsuit.
Sunidhi poses at the red carpet. (Image: Viral Bhayani)
Sunidhi Chauhan posing with Amit Trivedi. (Image: Viral Bhayani)
Salman Khan, Varun Dhawan, Karan Johar, Farah Khan, Sunidhi Chauhan in one frame as they hold huge trophy. (Image: Viral Bhayani)
The IIFA Awards, which recognise the best Hindi films and actors from the previous year, are usually held in a different city every year but returned to Abu Dhabi for the second year in a row next year. Spread across two days, celebrations began with IIFA Rocks, an evening dedicated to musical performances, followed by the main awards gala the following night.
Dubai has hosted the event, in 2006, and so has Bangkok, New York, Colombo, Amsterdam, Madrid, Florida, Kuala Lumpur and Macau.
Paramount Pictures is heading back into the Danger Zone for another flight aboard Top Gun: Maverick. The wildly-successful sequel starring Tom Cruise and a hot-shot crew of pilots hot-dogging through the sky will be re-released in theaters nationwide. The event starts on December 2nd and runs through December 15th. In addition to returning to standard cinemas, Top Gun: Maverick will do a barrel roll on participating IMAX screens.
During its initial release, Top Gun: Maverick banked $1.48 billion worldwide. Knowing how successful the film performed under Covid restricted viewing, Paramount is looking to cash in after protocols relaxed a little. It hardly matters that the film is available in Digital and Blu-ray formats. People will undoubtedly flock to theaters to experience the movie on the big screen again. I know a couple who saw Top Gun: Maverick 13 times in theaters. People are over-the-moon about this film, and Paramount is ready to give more of their hard-earned dollars a good home.
“Top Gun: Maverick truly epitomizes the magic of the moviegoing experience, and we wanted to provide fans the opportunity to once again enjoy this cinematic spectacle as it was meant to be seen,” says Chris Aronson, President of Domestic Distribution for Paramount Pictures. “This feels like the perfect time to bring Top Gun: Maverick back to theaters so audiences everywhere can once again experience how special this film is.”
Per Paramount’s official press release:
The filmhas been celebrated by critics and audiences alike, receiving an A+ CinemaScore, and earning a 97% critics’ score and 99% audience score from Rotten Tomatoes. In addition to marking Tom Cruise’s biggest opening and highest-grossing film ever, it also opened domestically to the largest Memorial Day Weekend of all time; is Paramount Pictures’ highest-grossing domestic release ever; is the first movie ever to be #1 at the box office for both Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day Weekend; and is the highest-grossing film for Skydance, one of the film’s producers, followed by Mission Impossible: Fallout.
Will you return to theaters for another round of Top Gun: Maverick? Please feel free to let us know in the comments.
Disney CEO Bob Iger is focusing on making Disney+ more profitable.
In a town hall meeting on Monday in Burbank, California, Iger reportedly shared his plans to boost the streaming platform’s bottom line.
“Instead of chasing (subscribers) with aggressive marketing and aggressive spend on content, we have to start chasing profitability,” Iger said, according to Reuters.
Iger also shared that he will uphold the hiring freeze that former CEO Bob Chapek instituted while he assesses Disney’s cost structure. The CEO also shut down speculation that Disney would seek to merge with Apple.
Iger was reinstated as CEO on Nov. 20, replacing Chapek. The former CEO’s departure came in the wake of a disappointing earnings announcement, where the company’s direct-to-consumer segment lost $1.5 billion. Chapek had a rocky tenure, which included a public dispute with Black Widow star Scarlett Johansson over the decision to release the movie both in theaters and online.
In the company’s final quarter report of 2022, Disney+ reported a total of 164.2 million subscribers, up from 152.1 million in the third quarter. To help reduce its profit loss, Disney+ will launch a ad-supported tier subscription on Dec. 8 for $7.99 and $10.99 for ad-free.
In honor of the new film, Moviefone is counting down the fifteen best George Clooney movies of all time.
Without further ado, let’s begin!
Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on seven over-the-hill, out-of-shape museum directors, artists, architects, curators, and art historians who went to the front lines of WWII to rescue the world’s artistic masterpieces from Nazi thieves and return them to their rightful owners. With the art hidden behind enemy lines, how could these guys hope to succeed? Starring Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman, and Cate Blanchett.
A group of American soldiers (Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, and Ice Cube) stationed in Iraq at the end of the Gulf War find a map they believe will take them to a huge cache of stolen Kuwaiti gold hidden near their base, and they embark on a secret mission that’s destined to change everything.
Less than 24 hours into his parole, charismatic thief Danny Ocean (Clooney) is already rolling out his next plan: In one night, Danny’s hand-picked crew of specialists (including Matt Damon, Brad Pitt and Don Cheadle) will attempt to steal more than $150 million from three Las Vegas casinos. But to score the cash, Danny risks his chances of reconciling with ex-wife, Tess (Julia Roberts).
The Middle Eastern oil industry is the backdrop of this tense drama, which weaves together numerous story lines. Bennett Holiday (Jeffrey Wright) is an American lawyer in charge of facilitating a dubious merger of oil companies, while Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon), a Switzerland-based energy analyst, experiences both personal tragedy and opportunity during a visit with Arabian royalty. Meanwhile, veteran CIA agent Bob Barnes (Clooney) uncovers an assassination plot with unsettling origins.
In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts (Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson) search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them. On their journey they come across many comical characters and incredible situations. Based upon Homer’s ‘Odyssey’.
Dr. Ryan Stone (Sandra Bullock), a brilliant medical engineer on her first Shuttle mission, with veteran astronaut Matt Kowalsky (Clooney) in command of his last flight before retiring. But on a seemingly routine spacewalk, disaster strikes. The Shuttle is destroyed, leaving Stone and Kowalsky completely alone-tethered to nothing but each other and spiraling out into the blackness of space.
The deafening silence tells them they have lost any link to Earth and any chance for rescue. As fear turns to panic, every gulp of air eats away at what little oxygen is left. But the only way home may be to go further out into the terrifying expanse of space.
With his wife Elizabeth (Patricia Hastie) on life support after a boating accident, Hawaiian land baron Matt King (Clooney) takes his daughters (Shailene Woodley and Amara Miller) on a trip from Oahu to Kauai to confront a young real estate broker (Matthew Lillard), who was having an affair with Elizabeth before her misfortune.
Meet Jack Foley (Clooney), a smooth criminal who bends the law and is determined to make one last heist. Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez) is a federal marshal who chooses all the right moves … and all the wrong guys. Now they’re willing to risk it all to find out if there’s more between them than just the law.
Paramount Pictures
Corporate downsizing expert Ryan Bingham (Clooney) spends his life in planes, airports, and hotels, but just as he’s about to reach a milestone of ten million frequent flyer miles, he meets a woman (Vera Farmiga) who causes him to rethink his transient life. Also starring Anna Kendrick.
When a disc containing memoirs of former CIA analyst Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) falls into the hands of gym employees, Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt), they see a chance to make enough money for Linda to have life-changing cosmetic surgery. Predictably, events whirl out of control for the duo, and those in their orbit. Clooney plays Harry Pfarrer, a U.S. Marshal having an affair with Cox’s wife (Tilda Swinton).
The Fantastic Mr. Fox (Clooney) bored with his current life, plans a heist against the three local farmers. The farmers, tired of sharing their chickens with the sly fox, seek revenge against him and his family. Also featuring the voices of Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Dafoe, Michael Gambon, and Owen Wilson.
A law firm brings in its “fixer” (Clooney) to remedy the situation after a lawyer (Tom Wilkinson) has a breakdown while representing a chemical company that he knows is guilty in a multi-billion dollar class action suit. Also starring Tilda Swinton and Sydney Pollack.
This story about “Corsage” and Vicky Krieps first appeared in the International Film issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
In “Corsage,” Vicky Krieps does more than give a hauntingly convincing portrayal of the iconic “Empress Sisi,” the 19th-century Austrian monarch Elisabeth, Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary, as familiar to central Europeans as Queen Elizabeth was in current times. She also brings her own wit, politics and feminist views to what has been hailed as a modern interpretation of a tragic tale of celebrity, in collaboration with writer-director Marie Kreutzer. Krieps’ performance, which won her the Best Performance award in the Un Certain Regard section at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, required her to endure breath-defying corsets and learn to ride sidesaddle, among other tortures of 19th-century womanhood. Still, the forced ennui of life in a gilded cage may have been the most exquisite torture of them all and the one at the heart of the role.
The Luxembourgian actress first leaped into U.S. imaginations as the muse of fashion designer Daniel Day-Lewis in the lyrical, sly “Phantom Thread” by Paul Thomas Anderson. It turns out that experience of the harsh glare of celebrity led directly to “Corsage.” She talked with Wrap editor-in-chief Sharon Waxman at the Toronto Film Festival.
Vicky Krieps (Photo by Catie Laffoon)
You’ve described your performance in “Corsage” as an act of rebellion. And I wanted to start there, to understand what you meant by that.
So, it was my idea.
The movie was your idea?
Yes. Marie was not quite convinced in the beginning, because she thought it was too kitsch and cliché and maybe superficial. Because the figure of Sisi in Austria is really the princess figurine on top of the cake. What got her attention is she could feel some act of rebellion in reading about her. If you read about Empress Elisabeth, you can sense that she was at least trying to rebel against certain things, the rules of her time, especially the rules of being a woman of her time. That was the initial thing that got Marie interested and made her write the script.
And that was mine, too, I think. I read her biography when I was 15. And reading it, I was too young to understand what it is to be a woman. But I think at 15, I could already feel the walls and the demands of society: How do you look as a girl? What do you wear? How do you behave? You have to be nice and kind and sweet and cute. I wasn’t even brought up that way, because my parents raised me freely. But it was enough that there was some sort of society that gave me this feeling and made me feel like I have to behave and fit into the role of being a girl.
And then I became an actress. And when you’re an actress, it’s even worse. Because you want to be a mother and beautiful and sexy and successful and independent, and we demand too much of ourselves and we know it. As an actress, we are also being observed—and I think Elisabeth was suffering a lot under the public eye. Maybe she was the first victim of celebrity culture.
Vicky Krieps (Photo by Catie Laffoon)
Of course, you know about Princess Diana and it’s almost the equivalent of that in the 1870s.
I think it’s the same with Princess Diana: She was adored. When Sisi was 15, they were drawing her. (It was) like Instagram of the time: They made little drawings and they were handing them out to people all over, saying she’s the most beautiful woman in Europe. So even though they adored her, they also wanted to control her image. She was forced to be the most beautiful girl of Europe, she had to be slim. And she had to have beautiful long hair once the image was given to her. She was in this prison and golden cage because of society, and she was then also putting herself in that prison. Because you become this thing, you become more and more alone. And I think that’s why I wanted to talk about this. Because today, we are all also becoming more and more alone and lonely, because of this weird gaze that has been added by the Internet. Now there’s this constant idea of like, “How do I look from the side right now?” And I think now, because of Internet and social media, all of us have our image everywhere, which is a new thing.
It seems very clear that you’re talking about yourself now as an actress — someone who has people staring at her or watching, just to feel a connection to you and somehow feel that they know a public figure. You said you grew up very freely, but I don’t really know what that means.
I don’t really care what people think about me, if they like or if they don’t like it. And it took me time to understand why. Why do I not care? It seemed normal to me. And it’s not that I’m stronger than anyone or I’m cooler. I looked back and I understood that’s the way my parents brought me up. I like to say they were hippies. They were normal.
Our house was at the at the edge of the city. And there was forest around and a field. So I was always in some kind of grass (or) lying somewhere in the dirt. I remember coming from school and saying to my friends, “Let’s play in the mud,” and they were like, “No, we cannot. My mom will be angry.” And I was like “What? No.” And then they said to me, “OK, if you roll yourself in the mud, we will give you a bag of sweets.” And I was like, “Yeah, no problem.” Because I knew if I came home my mother would never be angry. She studied art. She was an artist in my family. I think she still is now. I mean, she just came back from two weeks of nudist camping with her best friend.
Vicky Krieps in “Corsage” (IFC)
When you decided you wanted to be an actress, you didn’t think about what would happen if you were successful?
No, I didn’t. First, I didn’t ever think I would be in movies. I thought I would do theater only. But then something happened. I could feel it myself. It was something between me and the camera, it felt like the camera was alive. I can feel how it is like a dance. I feel what the camera likes and doesn’t like. It’s very intimate and personal. When I work with the camera, to me, it’s all about what’s happening then and there. And I never think about what is coming on top of that.
But that touched something in you as an artist as well.
Ever since that thing happened, I feel I am like a scientist or something. I’m studying something about humans. Every time I feel like they send me to some kind of jungle, and I sit there and I study this plant. Only I see it. Sometimes I find it and I get something out of it. And sometimes I don’t. But I always go with the same curiosity of, “What will happen this time? What am I going to find?” So when I do what I do, I’m really in my own world. And I don’t ever think of showing it later.
Vicky Krieps in “Corsage” (IFC)
Most of us came to know you in “Phantom Thread.” The experience of the movie being successful and bringing attention to you led to this film as well.
Yes. While I was doing “Phantom,” it felt exactly like this jungle. Daniel (Day-Lewis) being the king of the jungle, and me coming to study a little plant in the jungle and gradually making my own space in his world. So I think Paul Thomas Anderson, the director, and Daniel let me know that it’s OK to be this weird scientist. They gave me the absolution, they gave me the feeling it’s OK to be who I am and to do it the way I do it. But what no one could prepare me for was what happens when it’s seen. And suddenly people look at you and go, “Oh, you’re the girl from ‘Phantom Thread.’” “No, I’m me.” It’s very weird, but the first so many months I always wanted to go and have coffee with each person (who saw the film). “Oh, you saw my movie? Really?” Because for me, it’s about my plant. And someone saw my plant. And I had to learn how to deal with this more common look that you get. Suddenly, it’s not personal, because you have then become the movie for people.
And it was suddenly very hurtful for me, because I felt I was disappearing. I felt like I was constantly bumping into invisible walls. As if everything I did was wrong, because I didn’t know how to play the game. Because I didn’t want to play the game of, “What are you wearing? How do you look? What do you say? What do you not say? How do you behave?” And I couldn’t. I was really suffering from it. So I retreated into my forest again.
Vicky Krieps (Photo by Catie Laffoon)
And then, Marie. I came back from L.A., I had just finished the whole press tour, and I opened my mailbox and there’s the script. And I opened the script, and it had a postcard saying, “Vicky, you were right. I did go to the archive. And I think there’s something here, and here’s the script.”
Yeah, I had goosebumps. And then holding the script in my hand, I started crying because I realized that now everything made sense. Because coming from L.A., I had now lived what Sisi had lived in the 19th century, in a different way, and definitely not nearly as famous as she was. But coming from where I came from, that was already a lot — and too much. And then and there I decided why I want to make the movie, because I want to talk about this phenomenon when you are put into a place, and people decide you (are) something to be seen.
Now that I’ve heard you explain the context, I have to ask: How do you feel about pursuing this life? Because that’s not going to change. Yeah. At some point I was like, “I don’t care. I can grow salad.” But then I thought, “Who’s telling me I cannot do it my way?” In a way, it’s my duty to have the guts and to say that I do this in my way. And it just fell off me, I dropped it like a glove. And now I’m doing what I do, which is the same as before. But I’m doing what I feel my heart is telling me.
Will Smith is making his reentry into society. With the press tour for his new film Emancipation kicking into gear, the actor is now making more appearances, and as a result, giving more explanations for the fateful Slap. It would be impossible for him to ignore the Oscars night assault of Chris Rock, but Smith, a notable oversharer, is choosing to lean in to the situation, as he did in his latest conversation with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show.
In the interview, the pair first discuss Emancipation (and Smith mentions filming for his National Geographic show, so yeah, he’s not completely blacklisted). When the conversation finally turns to The Slap, Smith says with a laugh that he has “no independent recollection of” the whirlwind night that included the low low of the physical altercation with Rock and the high high of his first Oscar win.
However, he says, “That was a horrific night, as you can imagine. You know, there’s many nuances and complexities to it. But at the end of the day, I just—I lost it, you know? I guess what I would say… you just never know what somebody is going through.” Addressing the audience, he lists possible afflictions those strangers might be facing: the death of a loved one, a spouse cheating, a sick child, etc. “You just don’t know what’s going on with people. And I was going through something that night, you know? Not that that justifies my behavior at all.”
He continues, “I would just say, you’re asking what did I learn. And it’s that, um… we just gotta be nice to each other, man. You know? It’s like, it’s hard. And I guess the thing that was most painful for me is, I took my hard and made it hard for other people. You know? It’s like, I understood the idea when they say hurt people hurt people.”
When Noah speculates as to what caused Smith’s outburst, the actor admits, “It was a lot of things. It was the little boy that watched his father beat up his mother, you know? All of that just bubbled up in that moment. … That’s not who I want to be.”
Will Smith – “Emancipation” | The Daily Show
Noah generously replies that The Slap is not who he is, bringing up his distaste for theHollywood Reporter article that grouped Smith and Letitia Wright with abusers and sexual assaulters. “And again, what you did was fucked up. I’ll always tell you that. I love Chris. I’m friends with him. I love you, I’m friends with—but this is fucked up! But I was like, ‘This is not the same world,’ and that’s why it was weird,” Noah argues, adding that “Some people were overreacting, which made some people underreact” to the issue.
“I understand how shocking that was for people, man,” Smith says, agreeing that he was “dazed” when it happened. “I was gone, dude. That was a rage that had been bottled for a really long time. … I understand the pain.”
“My nephew, Dom, is nine. He is the sweetest little boy. We came home. And it’s like, he had stayed up late to see his uncle Will, you know?” Smith shares. “And we’re sitting in my kitchen and he is on my lap and he is holding the Oscar and he’s just like, ‘Why did you hit that man, Uncle Will?’ … It was a mess. I don’t want to go too far into it, to give people more to misunderstand.”
He goes on to repeat that he hopes the Emancipation team won’t face the consequences of his actions: “It’s like these top artists in the world have done some of the best work of their career. And the idea that they might be denied because of me is like… ugh. That is killing me dead, you know? And it’s like, the thing that is so critical for me is that these people came and they trusted me and they were down for me. And I just… I hope that their work will be honored, and their work will not be tainted based on, you know, a horrific decision on my part.”
As for where he is with the situation now, Smith reflects, “I think that was one of the big things for me over this last couple of months, you know, that I had to forgive myself for being human. And it’s like… trust me, there’s nobody that hates the fact that I’m human more than me.”
He is still “finding that space for myself, within myself, to be human,” he says. “I’ve always wanted to be Superman, I’ve always wanted to swoop in and save the damsel in distress. And I had to humble down, and realize that I’m a flawed human. And, um, I still have an opportunity to go out in the world and contribute in a way that fills my heart, and hopefully helps other people.”
About: While locked up for six years in federal prison, artist Jesse Krimes secretly creates monumental works of art, smuggling them out in pieces and seeing the final product only when he’s released.
Police said in one instance, two suspects allegedly used a ladder to attempt to enter the second storey of a home through a window in Aurora.
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“When the homeowner received an alert from her security cameras, she called police,” the force said. “Officers on the ground coordinated with a tactical flight officer high above in Air2 to make the arrest.”
Police said a 30-year-old man has been charged with breaking and entering with intent and trespassing at night.
Officers are still seeking to identify the second suspect.
Police said in another instance on Nov. 12, suspects allegedly attempted to enter a window in the second storey of a home in Vaughan by stacking patio furniture on a large heater.
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“When police arrived, the three suspects fled,” police said. “They are still outstanding.”
Enterprising thieves are making the most of shorter daylight hours, leading to a rise of break & enters across the region.
Our officers are out in full force to target these crooks.
York Regional Police Supt. Russ Bellman said shorter daylight hours and increased trips away from the house “may be making easier targets for enterprising criminals.”
“Last year, in the midst of the pandemic, residents were spending more time in their homes,” he said.
The five-time-Academy Award-nominated film’s TV adaptation will be shot in French and set in a small town in modern-day France, with Mediawan-owned Atlantique Productions producing with Miramax. The movie was released in 2000 and also starred Juliette Binoche and Judi Dench.
In the TV show, also adapted from the Joanne Harris novel, a woman and a daughter will settle down and disrupt the fragile social balance of the local community. Their biggest challenge will be to convince the town’s folks to embrace the change they are bringing into town, like a breath of fresh air.
“Joanne Harris’ richly textured comic fable is a timeless and uplifting crowd-pleaser,” said Marc Helwig, Miramax Global Head of Televivsion. “This marks yet another fantastic project from our extensive IP and film library, that we are able to utilize in our continued efforts of building television content for a global audience. We found the perfect partner in Mediawan to bring this truly international production to TV screens around the world.”
Helwig and Vice President of Television Development Mirsada Abdool Raman will lead creative for Miramax, with Mediawan COO Elisabeth d’Arvieu and Atlantique General Director Nathalie Perus leading for Mediawan. Studio heads Bill Block and Pierre-Antoine Capton will executive produce as well.
Clarence Gilyard Jr., a prolific actor best known for his pivotal, series-long role on “Walker, Texas Ranger” and for his scene stealing turn as Theo, the heist crew’s hacker in “Die Hard,” died Monday following a long illness. He was 66.
In addition to his acclaimed career, Gilyard was a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “Professor Gilyard was a beacon of light and strength for everyone around him. Whenever we asked him how he was, he would cheerfully declare that he was ‘Blessed!’ But we are truly the ones who were blessed to be his colleagues and students for so many years. We love you and will miss you dearly, Professor G!,” UNLV film chair Heather Addison said in a statement Monday.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal first reported the news.
Born in 1955 in Moses Lake, Washington, Gilyard eventually moved to California as a young man, where he stud.ied acting at California State University, Dominguez Hills. He began acting regularly in the late 1970s and early 1980s with roles in TV shows including “Diff’rent Strokes” and a main cast role during the final season of “Chips” in 1983.
In 1988 he played Theo, the hacker working for Hans Gruber’s heist crew — notably the only member of the crew to survive the film — in “Die Hard.” The next year he joined the cast of “Matlock” as private investigator Conrad McMasters, a role he played through 1993. It was in 1993 that he was cast as James “Jimmy” Trivette, Walker’s fellow ranger and best friend. He remained on the show through its entire run until the show ended in 2001, and returned for a “Walker” TV movie in 2005.
Other notable film and television roles include “The Karate Kid Part II,” and a major role in the first two “Left Behind” films.
Gilyard began teaching college after Walker ended, and at the time of his death taught theater at UNLV’s College of Fine Arts. He was married twice and had 6 children.
In a segment of his show Last Week Tonight, John Oliver directed his attention to an often-overlooked segment of the American housing market: mobile home communities.
“The homes of some of the poorest people in America are getting snapped up by some of the richest people in America,” he said, before adding ironically, “Luckily, there have been no problems whatsoever.”
There have been problems, of course – problems explored in the documentary A Decent Home, which screened Tuesday night as part of Deadline’s For the Love of Docs virtual event series. The film directed by Sara Terry explores how private equity firms and wealthy investors have spotted a big money-making opportunity in acquiring mobile home parks around the nation. Once they’ve got control of the parks, these entities drive up rents mobile home owners pay to house their trailers on privately-held land.
“For so many years, this was a mom and pop business, like people who [said], ‘Oh, we have some land, we can rent this space to you.’ And they were happy with a decent living and they were happy charging a decent rent to the people who were leasing that land,” Terry said during a panel discussion after the screening. “But private equity, as private equity is wont to do, realize there was a vacuum in the market back in 2015. That’s when the Carlyle Group kicked everything open with their first purchase of parks… There is now a tsunami of private equity firms buying up parks all across the United States.”
Terry filmed in parks in California, New Hampshire and Iowa. At one park, a resident told her of a dramatic increase in what she was required to pay.
“I found a letter taped to my door that said our rent would be increasing by 63 percent,” the woman said. Another resident, a disabled man, said of the cost increases he faced, “My whole world just kind of came crashing down.”
An estimated 20 million Americans live in mobile home parks, according to statistics from the U.S. Census Bureau. It is the only segment of the low-cost housing market that isn’t government-subsidized.
“This is really the last place where the American dream is alive,” producer Sara Archambault noted. “People can actually afford to buy a mobile home, in many communities where homes have become completely unaffordable. You’re seeing here how we’re bumping up against the end of that vision for what it means to own a home in America.”
In some cases, residents are banding together to buy the land at market prices. But they’re often outmaneuvered by deep-pocketed investors.
“Private equity has so much cash on hand,” Terry said. “Sometimes they just come in and slam down the money and residents just haven’t had enough time [to make their bid].”
The filmmakers consider this situation emblematic of “late stage capitalism,” an epoch characterized by the super-rich becoming even richer while people on the lower end of the economic scale can no longer afford to live in a place they can truly call their own. Terry and Archambault say something precious is being lost in the process.
“These do feel like small towns,” Archambault said of trailer parks, “almost like an echo back to the way we all used to know our neighbors better and take care of them.”
“I’m very intentionally, especially in act 1 of the film, trying to make you as the viewer fall in love with these people and these places,” Terry commented. “I don’t want you to ever use the words ‘trailer trash’ again.”
Watch the conversation in the video above.
Our virtual even series For the Love of Docs is sponsored by National Geographic.
The direct ripple effects of that explosion of incriminating data, passed through so many institutions’ records, aren’t easy to track. But over the following years, Grant Rabenn, who served as custodian of the files the Justice Department had assembled from Operation Bayonet, says he received requests for that information as part of dozens of cases that agencies across the United States were still pursuing.
A series of massive, high-profile dark-web busts would follow. These operations were all carried out by a new group known as JCODE, or Joint Criminal Opioid and Darknet Enforcement, pulling together agents from the FBI, DEA, Department of Homeland Security, US Postal Inspection Service, and half a dozen other federal agencies: in 2018, Operation Disarray; in 2019, Operation SaboTor; in 2020, Operation DisrupTor. In total, according to the FBI, those enforcement campaigns would eventually result in more than 240 arrests, 160 “knock and talks,” and the seizure of more than 1,700 pounds of drugs, along with $13.5 million in cash and cryptocurrency.
But the Hansa side of the operation was not without costs. Aside from the vast manpower and resources Operation Bayonet had required, it had demanded that a group of Dutch police become dark-web kingpins. For nearly a month, they had facilitated the sale of untold quantities of deadly narcotics to unknown buyers across the world. Even as they compromised Hansa, Hansa had compromised them too.
Did the Dutch police feel that sense of taint—taint that perhaps comes with any undercover work? Some, at least, describe feeling surprisingly unconflicted about their role. “To be honest, it was exciting, mostly,” said the team lead, Petra Haandrikman. Dutch prosecutors had, after all, already reviewed the case, weighed its ethics, and given them the green light. After that, the police involved felt they could push the operation as far as possible with a clean conscience.
The Dutch police pointed out that they did ban the especially deadly opiate fentanyl from Hansa while it was under their control, in an effort to minimize the harm they might be responsible for—a move Hansa’s users actually applauded. In truth, however, that ban had come just a few days before the end of their undercover operation. Until then, for more than three weeks, that highly dangerous opioid had continued to be offered on the site, with no guarantee that all of its orders would be intercepted.
And how did the police feel about the decision to oversee those narcotics sales rather than shut Hansa down and prevent the transactions altogether?
“They would have taken place anyway,” Gert Ras said without hesitation, “but on a different market.”
In the years since, the dark web’s observers have tried to determine to what extent Operation Bayonet actually disrupted that endless interchangeability of markets, the constant cycle of raid, rebuild, and repeat. Could the highly coordinated global takedown of AlphaBay—or anything else—end or even slow the eternal shell game law enforcement agencies had by then been playing for years, with a new market constantly ready to absorb the users of the last?
One study, at least, suggested that the AlphaBay and Hansa busts had more lasting effects than previous dark-web takedowns. The Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research, which goes by the acronym TNO, found that when other markets had been seized, like the Silk Road or Silk Road 2, most of their drug vendors soon showed up on other dark-web drug sites. But the vendors who fled Hansa after Bayonet’s one-two punch didn’t reappear, or if they did, they had been forced to scrub their identities and reputations, re-creating themselves from scratch. “Compared to both the Silk Road takedowns, or even the AlphaBay takedown, the Hansa Market shutdown stands out in a positive way,” the TNO report read. “We see the first signs of game-changing police intervention.”
Is Searcher Clade the most millennial dad in all of animated moviedom? He has that telltale hipster beard. A sensitive voice sorta like Jake Gyllenhaal. And he feeds his kid avocado toast, with an egg on top.
Oh wait, that IS Gyllenhaal in “Strange World,” Disney’s pleasantly entertaining, gorgeously rendered but slightly heavy-handed meditation on climate change and father-son dynamics. The actor charmingly voices a character drawn to look so much like him, you almost expect an animated Swiftie to come around, asking for that infamous scarf back. (Sorry, but it’s been a Taylor Swift kind of month.)
The very name “Searcher” sounds vaguely millennial, too, but actually it’s a reference to both the blessing and the curse of the Clade family, a storied clan of explorers. In a prologue, we see the young Searcher set out on a family expedition led by his dad, burly Jaeger Clade, whose life goal is to find what’s beyond the forbidding mountains that ring their homeland, Avalonia. But before they get there, young Searcher discovers something shocking.
It’s a group of plants that seem to be lit up, glowing from an unseen energy. What is this magical crop? Searcher argues that they need to bring it back to Avalonia, where it could serve many uses. But Jaeger (voiced with appropriate gruffness by Dennis Quaid) refuses to turn back. He tosses his young son his compass and continues by himself. Twenty-five years go by.
Explore the adventures beyond our world in the NEW TRAILER for Disney’s #StrangeWorld, in theaters November 23! ?
Wait, what? Dad stays away for 25 years? This is truly deficient parenting, and it’s no wonder that when grownup Searcher has his own son, Ethan (an adorable character sweetly voiced by Jaboukie Young-White), he’s a helicopter parent, doting on the boy a bit too much. Grandpa is still lionized in town with a large statue attesting to his exploits. But Searcher tells Ethan that despite his fame, Grandpa was a majorly absentee dad.
Let’s pause to consider the themes at play. We have climate change issues in the form of “pando,” the crucial energy source that Searcher now farms and has modernized Avalonia. And we have three generations of men: the very different Jaeger and Searcher, a boomer and a millennial if you will, and then young Ethan, trying to find his way. There’s much dialogue here about breaking from expectations to forge your own path.
There’s also the not-insignificant fact that Ethan has a same-sex crush. This has led some to call the film the first Disney animated gay teen romance. That’s a bit of a stretch, because this budding romance is a side plot, referred to by a number of characters, but by no means a major topic of discussion.
But maybe that’s the point — if it’s not a major plot point, nor is it a sneeze-and-you-miss it moment like, for example, that quick glance in “Beauty and the Beast” in 2017 that was heralded as the first Disney “gay moment.” It’s just a given that when Ethan talks about his crush, he’s talking about Diazo, a boy, and nobody, not his parents nor his crusty old granddad, bats an eyelid. It’s also refreshing that the Clades are a biracial family, and that too, is not discussed.
The movie, it must be said, is definitely about men, despite the welcome but underused presences of Gabrielle Union as Searcher’s wife, Meridian — a fearless pilot — and Lucy Liu as Callisto, president of Avalonia, It is Callisto who gets things moving, plot-wise, when she arrives at Searcher’s front door in her pando-powered airship with a stark warning: the pando crop is failing. Everywhere. Searcher must come help. Now.
Reluctantly, the homebody Searcher hops aboard. Someone on the ship asks him immediately if he can, like, forge an autograph from his more-famous dad. Aargh. In any case, the ship travels down to the roots that power pando. Meanwhile, Searcher soon discovers that Ethan has stowed away on the ship, eager for his own adventure (and more Jaeger-like than Searcher would want to admit). Meridian has followed, and now they’re on a family trip.
And who should turn up but Jaeger himself? He has some explaining to do. Turns out he got stuck in a stunning, scary, strange underworld. And it’s beautiful. Directors Don Hall and Qui Nguyen have created a stunning universe of psychedelic colors and creatures, most memorably in hues of deep pinks and purples. Wondrous creatures emerge, and also one of the cutest little blobs you’ve ever seen, the aptly named Splat, who befriends Ethan.
Will the family discover what’s imperiling pando, and fix it in time to save Avalonia? Will Jaeger and Searcher come to a better understanding of each other? Will Ethan follow his own path?
Well, there’s not a lot of mystery here, nor nuance to the plot. Energies have been focused on the visuals, and they make the experience worthwhile. That, and an appealing collection of human characters that look a lot more like the real world than usually seen in these films. And that’s not strange at all. That’s progress.
“Strange World,” a Walt Disney Studios release, has been rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America “for action/peril and some thematic elements.” Running time: 102 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
MPAA definition of PG: Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
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Watching a newly-in-love George Jones (Michael Shannon) and Tammy Wynette (Jessica Chastain) perform together at a bar, country music producer Billy Sherrill (David Wilson Barnes) takes in the crowd’s rapturous reaction.
“Look at how they look at them,” he remarks to songwriter George “Rich” Richey (Steve Zahn) beside him. “George and Tammy are every man who ever loved a woman, and every woman who ever loved a man.” Rich suggests it’s “just poetry,” but Billy sees something else. “Not poetry. Commerce,” he says, adding only after a pause: “And poetry too, I suppose.”
George & Tammy
The Bottom Line
Chastain and Shannon are a match made in country heaven.
Airdate: Sunday, Dec. 4 (Showtime & Paramount Network) Cast: Jessica Chastain, Michael Shannon, Steve Zahn, Kelly McCormack, Walton Goggins, David Wilson Barnes Creator: Abe Sylvia
It’s true the two are inextricably linked in Showtime’s George & Tammy, which charts a relationship in which the tumultuous romance fed the chart-topping music, and vice versa. But it’s the first part of Billy’s statement that truly gets to the heart of the series. This is, above all, a love story, almost as gripping and plaintive as the tunes that skyrocketed the pair into lasting fame.
Created by Abe Sylvia (who wrote last year’s Oscar-winning Chastain vehicle, The Eyes of Tammy Faye) and directed by John Hillcoat (Triple 9), the miniseries does not aim to reinvent the artist-biopic wheel. Its structure is a fairly straightforward chronicle of the pair’s journey — from their first meeting in the late ’60s through their rocky marriage in the ’70s and all the way into their final collaborations in the ’90s. (“Why should we let divorce ruin a perfectly good partnership?” Tammy asks wryly.)
Nor does it completely manage to sidestep the clichés of a music-biz drama, like iffy wigs and hit songs deployed as overly literal descriptors of events we’re already watching unfold. Its very premise can’t help but invoke the likes of Walk the Line or A Star Is Born, particularly in a first episode that introduces Tammy as a rising star on the Nashville scene, and George as a slightly faded one suffering an alcoholic addiction so severe that his bandmate (Walton Goggins) is forced to duct-tape his knees in order to keep him upright enough to perform.
But perhaps because it’s based on a memoir written by someone so entangled in both their lives — their only biological daughter, Georgette Jones — the series’ perspective remains unusually up close and personal, focused above all else on the relationship itself as experienced by the two people inside it. To tell that story, George & Tammy gives itself the luxury of time. Although the series is a fast-paced one, in that it covers roughly a quarter of a century over six hourlong episodes, it takes great care not to rush the moments that make up those decades. It leaves room for uncertain silences, for meaningful glances, for playful moments with the kids or arguments rehashed again and again over time.
Most of all, it lingers on the way Tammy and George simply look each other, and Chastain and Shannon speak volumes through the way their eyes light up or darken or soften around one another. That both turn in exceptional performances should come as little surprise (even if their impressive singing voices do). But in scenes together, the intensity of their chemistry seems to show each of them in a whole new light.
From that firsthand angle, labels and stereotypes that might apply from afar tend to melt away. Tammy isn’t merely some meek little lady standing by a man who did her wrong, but an ambitious talent whose love outweighs her reservations until it doesn’t. George is a terror when drunk, and George & Tammy‘s harrowing depictions of his violent rampages make no excuses for his behavior. But he’s also more than the sum of his worst habits, and the series takes pains to show the gentleness and humor that were also integral to his personality. You can judge their choices — and the series is well aware of how destructive and tragic many of them will turn out to be — but you’ll understand, at the very least, how they got there.
The tradeoff to such intimacy is a sense of scope. The pair’s ballooning successes can be gleaned from snippets of dialogue about charts and records, or from shots of glamorous venues and roaring crowds. Tammy and George’s places in country music history or culture more generally are hinted at here and there, by questions posed by a fan about Tammy’s anti-feminist messaging or one directed to George by a radio host about his opinions on modern country music. But the series does not dwell on such issues long enough to make any particular statement about what George and Tammy’s lives and careers might represent to those outside themselves. For that matter, it does not even dig very deeply into their relationships with those in their inner circle, like their next spouses or their children.
Yet this narrowness reads, in a certain light, less as a limitation than as a show of empathy. Throughout George & Tammy, George expresses ambivalence about the divide between “George Jones,” the charismatic star beloved by millions, and “Glenn,” the troubled human man he actually understands himself to be. That this series exists at all testifies to the enduring appeal of the former: Plain old Glenns don’t get glossy Hollywood projects about their lives, and this one’s A-list cast, sensitive direction and inescapably catchy soundtrack are bound to reinforce or introduce the legend of George Jones and Tammy Wynette to a fresh audience of TV viewers. In the end, however, it’s the latter that proves the key. George & Tammy succeeds where so many other biopics fail: by bringing its subjects to life not as legends — but simply as a man and a woman, profoundly and imperfectly in love.
Times are hard, and if you’ve been stressing about how you’re going to afford a good gift this holiday season, it’s understandable. Thankfully, Cyber Monday offers one of the best (and last) opportunities to save big before the holidays. As we highlighted in our guide to the best Cyber Monday deals, we’re seeing some steep discounts on some of the newest and most popular products, including the new AirPods Pro and LG’s latest C2 OLED. There are also deals still available that won’t absolutely destroy your budget — like those on the new fifth-gen Echo Dot and even a year of Hulu.
Below, we’ve curated a guide to some of the best deals on presents you can still get. Many of these are taken right from our various holiday gift guides as well, so if you need further inspiration, be sure to take a look at those.
Everything Everywhere All at Once was the big winner at the 2022 Gotham Awards.
The film, which went into the night up for three awards, was named best feature during the event Monday at Cipriani Wall Street in New York. Everything Everywhere actor Ke Huy Quan also won best supporting performance for his work in the film.
Accepting best feature, Everything Everywhere co-director Daniel Kwan spoke about his experience of releasing the film over the past year.
“One of the biggest things I learned about this year is the trauma that the people all around our country and all around the world are dealing with right now. Everyone is dealing with some sort of trauma,” Kwan said. “I’ve met so many people after screenings who have revealed that trauma to me because of the nature of our film, and one of the things I’m realizing now is that trauma [is]… the most important thing for us to be dealing with right now because trauma shrinks the imagination and we get trapped in the past. Right now if we’re going to endure the next 20, 30, 40, 50 years together, we’re going to have to heal that trauma collectively. We’re going to have to figure out how to open up the collective imagination and we’re going to have to figure out how to all be whole, emotionally talented, kind, resilient people.”
Till‘s Danielle Deadwyler won the award for best lead performance but wasn’t able to attend the show, so her director Chinonye Chukwu accepted the award on her behalf and read some remarks Deadwyler prepared.
While The Inspection and Women Talking didn’t win any awards, Tár won for best screenplay and Aftersun helmer Charlotte Wells won the breakthrough director award.
On the TV side, Mo and Pachinko won the breakthrough series honors, and Ben Whishaw won the award for outstanding performance in a new series for his work in This Is Going to Hurt. We Need to Talk About Cosby won for breakthrough nonfiction series.
Paul Dano presented his Fabelmans co-star Williams with her honor and indicated that he was filling in for Steven Spielberg because he has COVID. A source close to the director confirmed Spielberg tested positive for COVID-19 and is missing some publicity activities today and tomorrow.
Recalling a recent conversation he had with Williams about being young actors in Hollywood, Dano said he thought, “Imagine if that teenage girl knew that at the midpoint of her career she’d be receiving a tribute award at the Gothams from none other than Steven Spielberg, and what would she have thought?”
He later added: “And then I thought, ‘Well, what if we had to tell that girl that Steven got COVID?’ She’d be like, ‘What’s COVID?’ and that ‘Paul Dano was going to introduce you?’ She’d be like, ‘Who the fuck is Paul Dano?’ ”
During the Poitier honor, presenter Jonathan Majors announced the creation of the Gotham Sidney Poitier Initiative, which he called “an ambitious set of programs” that aim to expand on Poitier’s legacy to support the next generation of filmmakers, through the pillars of mentorship, scholarship, project funding and career advancement.
The Safdie brothers presented Sandler with his tribute, having the unfortunate distinction of following the Poitier tribute.
Recalling how they were fans of Sandler’s from a young age, even saying they listened to Sandler’s first comedy record at the ages of 7 and 9, the Safdie brothers praised the comedian’s “surreal characters [he] made real” and said he could “go to toe-to-toe with Daniel Day-Lewis and Jerry Lewis.”
Taking the stage, Sandler expressed that he thought it was absurd he’d have to follow the “beautiful” Poitier tribute, recalling how he met Poitier a few times and he was “the nicest and funniest guy.”
Then, delivering a speech that he claimed his daughters wrote, Sandler said this honor means a lot because most of his awards look like popcorn containers (the MTV Movie & TV Awards), blimps (the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards) or fake Oscars that read “father of the year.” The girls, via Sandler, also apologized for his beard and said that while they wanted to be there Sandler said he didn’t want them to spend the whole night looking for Timothée Chalamet. Instead the girls claimed they were doing everything they can’t do when he’s at home, including “laugh[ing] out loud at Ben Stiller movies.”
“The last time daddy caught us chuckling away at the Meet the Parents trilogy,” Sandler said, continuing to read his daughters’ speech, “He immediately stormed into the room he calls ‘The Screaming Room,’ which we just call ‘the shower,’ and bellowed out the phrase, ‘Only the Sandman makes people laugh. Fuck every other comedian.’”
As the speech reflected on the origins of Sandler’s film career, his daughters recalled that the principles behind it included thinking, “People in prison need movies too and TBS needs content.”
Adam Sandler accepting his Gotham Awards tribute
Mike Coppola/Getty Images
Jesse Tyler Ferguson presented the Fire Island team with their honor.
Accepting for the ensemble, writer-actor Joel Kim Booster said in part, “So many of the movies about our community that win awards have been about our trauma and I’m so deeply grateful to be standing here accepting this award for a movie about our joy, the joy that can come from surrounding yourself with a group of people who understand you on a cellular level.”
Focus’ tribute was presented by the directors of two of the company’s most recent releases, Armageddon Time‘s James Gray and Tár‘s Todd Field, who spoke about the origins of the company and films released over its 20-year history, even jokingly pitching a Downton Abbey sequel, Field said, “if only to offset the box office of both of our films.” For his part, Gray, who departed from prepared remarks, passionately called Kujawski and Cassidy “heroes.” In his acceptance speech, Kujawski said he wanted to honor “interdependence,” saying the Focus execs would are “only here because of our interconnected community.” He thanked Universal filmed entertainment chairman Donna Langley, NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell and Comcast CEO Brian Roberts; the other “leaders” at Focus, who Field also referenced; and other specialty film companies. Of their fellow indies, Kujawski said he was “grateful we’re in this together” and honored what he called “soldiers of things that need to be done. … Your wins are our wins.”
Kathryn Bigelow presented the director tribute to Prince-Bythewood.
After praising Bigelow for inspiring her in her career, Prince-Bythewood reflected on the “struggle” and “sustained fight” she’s gone through as she’s made films.
“There’s this thing female directors and black directors talk about. We are so often asked about the struggle and the fight to get our films made but we are rarely asked about the craft of making it, the research, the world-building, building performances, lens choices,” she said. “The struggle is absolutely real. I’ve been in a sustained fight for 20 years to center Black women in my work. As a filmmaker, I write and direct what I want to see and yet we also make films for an audience and I fight to stretch that audience. In a climate where critical race theory, Black history and Black women are seen as a threat or invisible, I want us to see ourselves as beautiful, heroic, vulnerable, bad-ass, complicated, worthy of love. But more so I need these truths to be reflected back to the world.”
Recent Gotham Award winners have included Oscar winners Drive My Car, Nomadland, Marriage Story, American Factory, Moonlight and CODA‘s Troy Kotsur.
A complete list of this year’s winners follows.
Best Feature
Aftersun Charlotte Wells, director; Adele Romanski, Amy Jackson, Barry Jenkins, Mark Ceryak, producers (A24)
The Cathedral Ricky D’Ambrose, director; Graham Swon, producer (MUBI)
Dos Estaciones Juan Pablo González, director; Ilana Coleman, Jamie Gonçalves, Bruna Haddad, Makena Buchanan, producers (Cinema Guild)
Everything Everywhere All at Once Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, directors; Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Jonathan Wang, producers (A24) (WINNER)
Tár Todd Field, director; Alexandra Milchan, Scott Lambert, Todd Field, producers (Focus Features)
Best Documentary Feature
All That Breathes Shaunak Sen, director; Aman Mann, Shaunak Sen, Teddy Leifer producers (A Sideshow & Submarine Deluxe Release in Association with HBO Documentary Films) (WINNER)
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Laura Poitras, director; Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, Laura Poitras, producers (NEON)
I Didn’t See You There Reid Davenport, director; Keith Wilson, producer (RePort Media)
The Territory Alex Pritz, director; Alex Pritz, Darren Aronofsky, Sigrid Dyekjær, Will N. Miller, Gabriel Uchida, Lizzie Gillett, producers (National Geographic Documentary Films)
What We Leave Behind Iliana Sosa, director; Emma D. Miller, Isidore Bethel, producers (ARRAY)
Best International Feature
Athena Romain Gavras, director; Romain Gavras, Charles-Marie Anthonioz, Mourad Belkeddar, Jean Duhamel, Nicolas Lhermitte, Ladj Ly, producers (Netflix)
The Banshees of Inisherin Martin McDonagh, director; Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh, producers (Searchlight Pictures)
Corsage Marie Kreutzer, director; Alexander Glehr, Johanna Scherz, Bernard Michaux, Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski, Maren Ade, Jean-Christophe Reymond, producers (IFC Films)
Decision to Leave Park Chan-wook, director and producer (MUBI)
As We See It, Jason Katims, creator; Jason Katims, Jeni Mulein, Dana Idisis, Yuval Shafferman, Udi Segal, Amit Gitelzon, Shlomit Arvis, Danna Stern, executive producers (Prime Video)
Mo, Mohammed Amer, Ramy Youssef, creators; Mohammed Amer, Ramy Youssef, Ravi Nandan, Hallie Sekoff, Solvan “Slick” Naim, Harris Danow, Luvh Rakhe, executive producers (Netflix) (WINNER)
Rap Sh!t, Issa Rae, creator; Issa Rae, Syreeta Singleton, Montrel McKay, Deniese Davis, Dave Becky, Jonathan Berry, executive producers (HBO/HBO Max)
Somebody Somewhere, Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen, creators; Bridget Everett, Carolyn Strauss, Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Mel Eslyn, Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen, Patricia Breen, Tyler Romary, executive producers (HBO Max)
Breakthrough Series – Long Format (over 40 minutes)
Pachinko, Soo Hugh, creator; Soo Hugh, Michael Ellenberg, Lindsey Springer, Theresa Kang-Lowe, Richard Middleton, Kogonada, Justin Cho, executive producers (Apple TV+) (WINNER)
Severance, Dan Erickson, creator; Ben Stiller, Nicholas Weinstock, Jackie Cohn, Mark Friedman, Dan Erickson, Andrew Colville, Chris Black, John Cameron, executive producers (Apple TV+)
Station Eleven, Patrick Somerville, creator; Patrick Somerville, Jessica Rhoades, Scott Steindorff, Dylan Russell, Scott Delman, Jeremy Podeswa, Hiro Murai, Nate Matteson, executive producers (HBO/HBO Max)
This Is Going to Hurt, Adam Kay, creator; Naomi De Pear, James Farrell, Jane Featherstone, Adam Kay, Ben Whishaw, executive producers (AMC+ in association with BBC)
Ben Whishaw in This Is Going to Hurt (AMC+ in association with BBC) (WINNER)
Breakthrough Nonfiction Series
The Andy Warhol Diaries, Alexis Martin Woodall, Scott Robertson, Andrew Rossi, Stanley Buchthal, Josh Braun, Ryan Murphy, executive producers; Maya E. Rudolph, producer; Andrew Rossi, director (Netflix)
The Last Movie Stars, Martin Scorsese, Amy Entelis, Courtney Sexton, executive producers; Adam Gibbs, Ryan Hawke, Emily Wachtel, Lisa Long Adler, producers; Ethan Hawke, director (HBO Max/CNN Films)
Mind over Murder, Nanfu Wang, creator and director; Marc Smerling, Nanfu Wang, Max Heckman, Chad Mumm, Mark W. Olsen, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez, executive producers (HBO/HBO Max)
The Rehearsal, Nathan Fielder, creator and director; Nathan Fielder, Dave Paige, Dan McManus, Christie Smith, executive producers (HBO Max)
We Need to Talk About Cosby, W. Kamau Bell, creator and director; W. Kamau Bell, Andrew Fried, Katie A. King, Vinnie Malhotra, Dane Lillegard, Sarina Roma, Jordan Wynn, executive producers (SHOWTIME) (WINNER)
This story was first published on Nov. 28 at 4:15 p.m.
J.Lo’s in love — and she’s not gonna hide it! After announcing her upcoming album This Is Me… Now, Jennifer Lopez spoke to Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 about the record, revealing that the LP was inspired by her rekindling with the “love of my life,” Ben Affleck.
“We captured me at this moment in time when I was reunited with the love of my life and we decided we were going to be together forever. The whole message of the album then is this love exists,” she told Lowe. “This is a real love. Now I think what the message of the album is very much if you were wondering if you have, like me at times, lost hope, almost given up, don’t. Because true love does exist and some things do last forever and that’s real.”
“I want to put that message out into the world and that does take a lot of vulnerability. But I couldn’t stop myself and some parts of it scare me,” she added. “And I think parts of it scare Ben, too. He’s like, ‘Oh, do you really want to say all this stuff?’ And I’m like, ‘I don’t know how else to do it, baby.’”
The new LP is a bookend to her 2002 album This Is Me… Then, which featured several songs inspired by her relationship with Affleck at the time. (There’s even the song “Dear Ben,” which will now have a sequel on the new album. “It’s all right there on the record,” she said.)
During the Apple Music interview, Lopez admitted how much their split two decades ago really affected her — and why she refused to perform the songs that were directly about the actor.
“I wouldn’t even perform these records. It was so painful after we broke up,” she said. “Once we called off that wedding 20 years ago, it was the biggest heartbreak of my life, and I honestly felt like I was going to die.”
“It sent me on a spiral for the next 18 years where I just couldn’t get it right. Couldn’t get it right. But now, 20 years later, it does have a happy ending,” she added. “It has the most would-never-happen-in-Hollywood ending. ‘That would never happen. We’re not going to write that because nobody would believe it’ ending.”
Now, she and Affleck are able to reflect on the beginning of their love story with the record. About This Is Me… Then, Lopez says Affleck “loves that album. He loves that music. He knows all of the words,” she said. “He also was with me while I was creating it… He’s my biggest fan, which is awesome.”
On Black Friday, J.Lo announced the record on the anniversary of her 2002 album This Is Me… Then, recreating its cover and showing the art for her new record.
Trending
According to a press release, the project is set to feature new music from Lopez that “chronicles the emotional, spiritual and psychological journey that she has taken over the past two decades.”
While a release date has not been confirmed, This is Me… Now is expected to arrive next year.
After her No. 1 single “About Damn Time” was touted among the songs of the summer, Lizzo is now staking her claim on the holiday season. The Grammy and Emmy-winning star is set to debut her intimate documentary “Love, Lizzo” on HBO Max for Thanksgiving, with a “Live in Concert” special to follow on New Year’s Eve.
When Variety caught up with the entertainer on Thanksgiving eve — just a few hours before the documentary’s midnight debut — Lizzo’s recently acquired Emmy trophy was positioned just outside of the Zoom frame.
“It’s by my bed normally,” she says, explaining. “I won the Emmy and went straight on tour, so I never got to put it on my shelf. Then this morning I did the ‘Today’ show, and they mentioned my Emmy, so I brought it over for their cameras, so that’s funny that she’s just right there.”
The award, won in September for her Amazon Prime Video reality competition series “Watch Out for the Big Grrrls,” is just one of the many accolades Lizzo’s been racking up lately, including Variety’s Hitmakers Record of the Year honor for the disco-tinged track “About Damn Time,” off her six-time Grammy nominated album “Special.” And now there’s her HBO Max documentary, “Love, Lizzo,” an intimate portrait of the making of the record and all the life and career moments that led up to it.
“There’s never a right time to start documenting and telling your story,” Lizzo says. “And if I had waited to film this, then I wouldn’t have captured Coachella and the VMAs, and ‘Truth Hurts’ going number one, my life during the pandemic and the Grammys, and my arena tour now. I wouldn’t have gotten all of this footage that I think is just so important to my career.”
Cameras began following the singer/songwriter, rapper and flutist in 2019 and chronicled everything that’s happened in the last three years as she’s skyrocketed to superstardom. But there’s also never-before-seen footage of Lizzo’s childhood, including videos even she didn’t know about.
“All of it was new to me. I have no baby footage or kid footage of myself,” she explains. “Then my cousin recently was like, ‘We got all this footage of you,’ so we got a bunch of it for this doc. Just being able to see myself as a kid, outside of photos, like actually moving and hearing my father’s voice, which I haven’t heard since he’s passed [Lizzo’s father Michael Jefferson died in 2009]. There’s just a lot of incredible footage that I didn’t have to share with the world, but I am.”
Directed by Doug Pray, the documentary aims to capture all facets of the entertainer’s identity, delving into her family life (Lizzo was born Melissa Viviane Jefferson); her upbringing in Detroit and then Houston, before she chased her music dream to Minneapolis; how she started playing the flute; her journey to body positivity; the ups and downs in her romantic relationships; and her activism, speaking up for women, Black people and other people of color and the LGBTQ+ communities.
It’s a raw look at Lizzo’s reality, and she admits she had some hesitation, due to the misogynistic, racist, fatphobic and otherwise negative comments she’s faced over the course of her career.
“There’s a lot of polarizing views about me,” Lizzo says knowingly. “When people have any kind of like hard stance on something, they’re opening themselves up to criticism and backlash because everybody’s middle of the road.”
She continues: “I say things that I’ve already gotten backlash for that I reiterate in this film — talking about twerking and my experience as a Black artist. I’m nervous because people have already had negative things to say about that, so I’m really opening myself up for more. But I can’t care anymore, you know? It’s just who I am, and I’m not gonna argue down with somebody about who I am.”
Watching the finished documentary for the first time, Lizzo realized just how little she’s changed over the years.
“I have a friend, Alexia, who you see a lot in the doc. I’ve known her since the third grade, and she’s always like, ‘Only thing that’s changed about you is you stand up for us a little bit more, you’re more confident, but you’re the same,’” Lizzo says. “I’ve always said it’s really nice to have her in my life, a reminder that I am who I am. And now seeing that footage, I think takes it even further.”
In essence, Lizzo’s still the same girl who’s sometimes shy and othertimes a smart aleck, but is always following her love of music. “I really haven’t changed that much, and it’s nice to actually have a visual representation of that,” she concludes. “But I’m cuter now.”
The timing of the documentary’s release, though, is heavy. In the film, Lizzo opens up about one of the toughest periods in her life: 13 years ago, shortly after her father’s sudden death, she lost her job, apartment and drive in music. It was around Thanksgiving and she was crying in the 1998 Subaru that she’d been sleeping in. What would she tell that girl today?
“This was a trauma that I wish we could have avoided because I’m still working out that trauma. Like, that has shown up in a lot of places in my life,” Lizzo begins, admitting that she still gets anxiety around the holiday.
“I was like, ‘Damn,’ that was 2009 [and I’m] still anxious. I still feel like something’s gonna get taken away from me. I’m still scared, and I think it’s unfortunate,” she explains. “But I am grateful that all these years later, I have a house. I have family, friends, people who love me, and now I have control of that situation. Where I didn’t have control, when I had a lot of fear [before], I have a lot of peace now.”
With that peace has also come great success. On Wednesday afternoon, HBO Max announced her “Live in Concert” special. It serves as a coda of sorts to the revealing documentary, filmed during the most recent stops on her “Special” arena tour at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, Calif.
HBO’s cameras rolled during the sold-out Friday and Saturday night sets, as Lizzo, her band the Lizzbians and the Little Bigs, and her dancers the Big Grrrls were joined onstage by her collaborators Cardi B (“Rumors”), SZA (“Special”) and Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott (who shocked Lizzo by popping onstage while she performed their banger “Tempo”). The cameos lit social media on fire, with Lizzo sharing her thanks to the special guests online.
“I am a fan of Cardi B … but as much as I fan over her as an artist, who she is as a person is unmatched,” Lizzo tweeted after the show, captioning another photoshowing her hugging Elliott with “Being on stage w you is a dream but knowing you is unfathomable! My absolute icon!” Lizzo dubbed the duet with SZA as “Sizzo Supremacy,” teasing that the duo had “something special coming your way soon.”
Beyond the love and mutual adoration, the posts were a preview of what fans can expect when they tune in.
“I’m excited because I don’t play when it comes to being a live performer,” Lizzo says of the concert special. “I think when people realize the mic is on, the choreo was choreographing, the looks is looking, the Big Grrls is on point, the band is on point, Sophia Eris [Lizzo’s longtime friend and DJ] and me are on point, people are really gonna realize, ‘Oh this is serious!’”
It’s not that she feels the needs to prove herself at this point – she did sell out an arena tour, after all — but she takes pride in “showing people the level I’m operating on.”
“Let me stop talking about myself for a minute,” Lizzo chuckles, before pivoting her focus to the fans who couldn’t get tickets or an emergency kept them from attending the show.
“I think people are really going to enjoy seeing the concert,” she adds. “A lot of people don’t have anything to do on New Year’s Eve, so now they can pop a bottle of champagne or apple juice and they can watch the Lizzo show and it’s a great show.”
Billed as a “spectacular show filled with lots of love, positivity and incredible music,” Lizzo opens her concert by asking the audience an important question: “When was the last time you said something kind about yourself?”
It’s a query she hopes sparks something in the audience that lasts longer than her set list.
“There’s part of them that feels joy, that feels confident, that feels love. That part comes out of them at my shows,” Lizzo explains. “And then just like how the excitement of a show is fleeting, so can that feeling be fleeting. This feeling that they have, I want them to take this home with you, and I want them to protect it, because it’s important. You need it out there [in the world].”
By focusing on that simple question, and her own mantra — “I love you. You’re beautiful. And you can do anything” — Lizzo hopes that fans can “offset the amount of negativity we’re ingesting on a daily basis — a lot of negative news, a lot of negative comments, a lot of negative thoughts we already had, a lot of negative programming where we don’t see ourselves valued, or as beautiful, in media.”
It’s unfortunate that we are the ones that have to do that work, but it’s important. “I really want to create a space where people feel safe, and I really want to protect people. I think everyone deserves to be protected at all costs.”
That’s part of why she makes such an effort to ensure that her fans feel seen at her shows, calling for the house lights to come up so she can call them out in the crowd.
“I can see everybody in there, and I think if people knew that, they would feel more connected with me,” she explains. “The people who got pit tickets and are squished up against the fence, they can look at me and be like, ‘Ah, she looked at me.’ I want to give that same feeling to the people who think they’re in the nosebleeds, who are way up at the top of the arena, I can see you too!”
In essence, she wants them to experience what she felt during the Mrs. Carter tour when she knows Beyoncé spotted her in the crowd doing “Single Ladies” choreography. (Lizzo’s seen Beyoncé 10 or 11 times in concert, but this one was memorable).
And with “Live in Concert,” everyone at home can feel that way. Directed by Sam Wrench and produced by Kevin Beisler, the special is executive produced by Lizzo (via her Lizzobangers production company) and Done+Dusted’s Ian Stewart, Leah Lane and Hamish Hamilton. After producing an Emmy-winning reality series, documentary and concert special, what will Lizzobangers do next?
“Damn… I don’t even think about it like that to be honest,” Lizzo replies, mulling the question over for a minute before settling on an answer.
“Lizzobangers Productions is me taking a stance and ownership in my career, so anything I do because of that production company, I’m an owner,” she concludes, teasing, “Who knows where it’s gonna go? Like Lizzobangers production could make diapers one day, you just never know, and I think that’s the beauty of what we do over here.”
If the successes of the last few years (which also includes the launch of Yitty Lizzo’s shapewear collab with Fabletics) have been any kind of proof, the sky’s the limit.
The Ticket to Paradise star Julia Roberts, 55, officially has two young adult kids, as her twins, Phinnaeus and Hazel, turned 18 on Nov. 28. “18 Love you,” the brunette beauty captioned the throwback snapshot of her two babies. In the family photo, Julia was pictured holding one of the kids up and gasping in astonishment. She wore a sleeveless dress and had her brunette locks tied up in an effortless, yet chic, updo.
Many of Julia’s 10.4 million followers, including singer Rita Wilson, took to the comments section to wish the twins a happy birthday. “It can’t be!!!!!!! Happy Birthday!!!!”, Rita commented, while celebrity stylist Elizabeth Stewart added, “Happy birthday kiddos!!!” Some of the Notting Hill star’s fans also chimed in, with one writing, “Finn and Hazel, the most perfect duo.”
Finn and Hazel’s birthday comes exactly one month after Julia took to Instagram to celebrate her own birthday on Oct. 28. “Feeling the love and magic on my 55th Birthday ! My cup runneth over,” the Oscar-winner captioned the sweet selfie. Tom Hanks‘ wife, Rita, also took to the comments section of this post to wish her bestie well on her big day. “Happiest of days Scorpio sistah! Sending you love love love,” she wrote along with a series of pink and red heart emojis.
Julia Roberts’ husband, Daniel Moder, & their daughter, Hazel, on the red carpet in 2021. (Shutterstock)
And just before her 55th birthday, Julia spoke with E! News about her secret to her long marriage. “I always say that same thing and I’m sticking with it,” the romcom actress began. “It’s making out. Lots of making out.” The Pretty Woman star also told the outlet that her idea of paradise is where her family is. “That’s our paradise,” she gushed. “We both feel that way.” Julia has been married to husband, Daniel Moder, 53, for over 20 years. The two tied the knot in 2002, and celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary on July 4. “TWENTY #can’tstopsmiling #can’tstopkissing,” she captioned a throwback photo of her and Daniel kissing.
Aside from their twin kids, Daniel and Julia also share 15-year-old son, Henry Daniel, together. Last month the mom-of-three sat down with her costar George Clooney, 61, to discuss their film, Ticket to Paradise, and their approach to parenting with PEOPLE. “It’s just the expansion, being together while our lives expand in these beautiful ways,” Julia said of her friendship with her Ocean’s Eleven costar. “We are kind of the same goofy nuts that we’ve always been, and now we have these incredible people and these beautiful families.”
She also added that she’s “so happy” for George, who married Amal Clooney in 2014. The Hollywood hunk also revealed that Julia’s daughter, Hazel, even calls Amal for advice from time-to-time. “It’s also fun to see your kids turning into adults,” George added, while Julia chimed in, “Crazy.”
In an interview, the popular game’s general manager and executive producer talk community expectations, controversial plot beats and the future of cross-faction play.
November 28, 2022 at 6:54 p.m. EST
(Washington Post illustration; Blizzard Entertainment)
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Blizzard Entertainment’s “World of Warcraft” marked its 18th anniversary Nov. 23. Since its initial release in 2004, the series has consistently remained the most popular MMORPG in the world, outliving and outpacing numerous competitors.While the game’s population has fluctuated over the years, over a million players still log into the game daily — including, unsurprisingly, its own developers.
“I play the game a lot,” John Hight, general manager of Warcraft, told The Washington Post. “I tend to do that somewhat anonymously. I mean, people in Blizzard know who my toon is, but the rest of the world, most of them don’t, and I walk anonymously through the community and I’ll do dungeons with them or do content in the world with them.
“I’m always struck by how friendly and helpful people are,” Hight said. And “Dragonflight,” the game’s ninth and newest expansion, reflects that, in some ways.
In “Dragonflight,” which features a lighter tone than some of the game’s previous expansions, players will explore the previously unseen Dragon Isles, home of the powerful Dragon Aspects who have safeguarded the world of Azeroth for thousands of years. “Dragonflight” introduces the new magic-based evoker class (exclusively paired with the expansion’s new playable race, the dracthyr) and a dragon riding mechanic using an overhauled flying system.
But “Dragonflight” has a lot riding on it as well. The game’s past two expansions, “Battle for Azeroth” and “Shadowlands,” endured lukewarm reviews from fans. The Washington Post spoke with Hight and Holly Longdale, vice president and executive producer of Warcraft, about the game’s longevity, addressing community feedback, how the series will approach storytelling moving forward, additional cross-faction features and more.
The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Launcher: “Dragonflight” is a big tonal shift from the last few expansions, which have been quite dark and gloomy. “Legion” was about a demonic invasion, “Battle for Azeroth” was about a giant world war between the Horde and the Alliance and “Shadowlands” was about a rogue death god who wanted to unmake reality. “Dragonflight” seems to be much more in the vein of high adventure. Was this an intentional decision by the team? And was it based on player feedback at all?
Holly Longdale: Yes, to all of those. As far as the theme, the team is a reflection of the world today and what we need. With covid and everything else that’s been going on in the world, this theme of hope really came from the team, to really bring the joy of “let’s get back to Azeroth and the beauty of the outdoors,” really leaning into our characters and high fantasy. So it came from the community, it came from the team itself.
John Hight: Yeah, that’s absolutely right. We typically have a few different storylines we want to chase so there’s a backlog of “oh, this would be a cool story to tell.” Even in the early stages of “Shadowlands,” we decided we had to follow that up with something more high fantasy and uplifting. And you know, dragons have always been something we have wanted to do as so much of Azeroth has been steeped in what has happened with the Dragon Aspects and how they influenced us mere mortals in Azeroth. We’ve left that shrouded in a lot of mystery and now this is an opportunity to tell more of those stories.
Now, we could not predict at the time that there’d be a preponderance of interest in dragons. I’d love to be able to say that we were so visionary that we knew there’d be all this excitement about dragons. [Laughs] I think it’s cool.
Sylvanas Windrunner, who has been one of the principal villains for the past two expansion packs, has not been well received by fans. Many players took issue with her story arc and saw her as an example of a greater critique: that “World of Warcraft” villains are one dimensional.
The “Warcraft” team has mentioned a desire to make more interesting and nuanced villains who aren’t just about destroying the world. How has the team approached that idea?
Longdale: John and I can both tell you that with the feedback around [Sylvanas], we’ve heard the community. Quite often, when you look at films and TV, you make what can be considered a controversial choice. It can make the community a bit uneasy and in some cases, unhappy.
That said, I can tell you that the team has gone back to the origins of “World of Warcraft” and they’ve mapped the character arcs for every single character and mapped what’s worked as well, and what players have become really attached to. Now we’re in a new space where we’ve used the majority of characters from “Warcraft III” and prior. So there’s been a very careful, deep exploration of where we go from here and how do we support the characters we have now.
How do we create new ones? Who’s the next Arthas? Who’s the next Illidan? Who’s the next Sylvanas? We are looking long term. We are looking three years, five years, 10 years, 20 years in the future. We took real stock and we want to be very careful and deliberate and bring in as many great minds as we can to help us get there.
Hight: Yeah, these characters and the stories we tell about them are so important, and these are memorable to our fans. People have tattoos of Thrall or Jaina. Those stories that those characters tell are also parables that people are learning life lessons from.
We’re going to double down on the story. It’s important to me, it’s important to the team, it’s important to Blizzard. We are stepping up not only the staffing that we have but how we approach the story. We want to tell great stories around characters, as Holly said, with plans to chart out the creation of new heroes and the evolution of those heroes across multiple expansions. But also giving depth to heroes and villains so there’s things we can relate to, things we can see of ourselves, whether it’s our demons or our virtues.
Now, as you can imagine, storytelling in a nonlinear form is more complicated. People don’t consume story in “World of Warcraft” in a one hour sitting. They are experiencing it at different rates over a matter of weeks and months, so we have to make sure that the vehicles we use for conveying story allow people to consume at different rates. There may be gaps. You play one week, you go hang out with friends and family for a couple weeks, and then you come back, and we’ve got to make sure that you can still follow the thread of the story and be immersed in it.
“World of Warcraft” has had a lot of competitors over the years, but has consistently remained the most popular MMORPG in the world. Why do you think the series has endured for so long?
Hight: I’ve been a player of the game for 18 years. My character’s old enough to vote and actually older than some players in the game. [Laughs] It is kind of a phenomenon for us on the team. We recognize that we’re the caretakers of a lifestyle for many people — some of their fondest memories, some of the closest relationships that they’ve had. It goes beyond just the game.
It’s a big responsibility for us and we’re also participants in that community. I think what’s helped us stay fresh and continue to be out there every couple years is the evolution we go through with each expansion. It’s as big as a box release. We always put in some major features and a lot of content for our players. And the change that we’ve recognized over the last year is the desire from our players to continue to have things to do. In the past, we might have been okay with having a number of months in between updates, but that’s no longer the case. That’s why we expanded our team. You probably saw that we acquired [the studio Proletariat Inc] in Boston and they are actually dedicated strictly to “World of Warcraft.” That’s in our efforts to step up their content releases for our players.
Longdale: I can say for the team, what we’re looking at in particular is getting feedback from the community on where we should go and what’s missing. [The team] is all players, including me. I also have an 18-year-old character. I’ve got many. Because we are the player base ourselves, we represent every kind of player that plays “World of Warcraft” and probably some beyond that we should be looking into.
It’s a constant conversation, day-to-day on what can we do, how can we do better and learn from our community. It’s really important for us and we’re not going anywhere.
This may be a tinfoil hat theory, but the “Dragonflight” trailer showed a Zandalari troll and a Wildhammer dwarf, who were sworn enemies of opposing political superpowers in the past two expansions, working together and cheering each other on. Is this a hint that “Dragonflight” will be adding more features to facilitate cross-faction grouping? Perhaps cross-faction guilds?
Longdale: I mean … Wouldn’t that be great? [Laughs]
Hight: You know, it is informed by what we’ve already done. We’ve heard our players say, “Hey, you know what, I picked Alliance and I like Alliance but I have a preponderance of Horde friends and I’d like to be able to do raids and dungeons with them.” We feel like we shouldn’t have created strict boundaries in those circumstances.
I’m glad you picked up on that. But factions are important and I think it’s still very important that PVP be PVP. The conflict between Horde and Alliance is as old and as deep as “Warcraft” itself. I wouldn’t anticipate you’ll see a complete erosion of that, that everyone’s going to be Kumbaya and they’ll all be on the same side. But I think we do want to be careful in our application of factions.
Longdale: Like John said, we’re being very careful about what we’re doing with that, but it’s one of those areas that players have been asking for a while. Our own team acknowledges that it’s something we need to explore.
The dragon riding mechanic in “Dragonflight” has drawn comparisons to a similar feature in “Guild Wars 2.” Would you say that comparison is fair?
Longdale: Interesting point of view. I’ll say first that we’re all gamers and I think we’ve pretty much played everything, but I think the inspiration for dragon riding initially came from us doing the dragon theme. When we’re talking about building a world of dragons and creating that immersion, verticality is obviously going to play a big role. Dragons have to have places to protect themselves and high points.
So it started from doing something different and evolving what we’re doing with flight and traversal. Initially, they were just dragon mounts with some new things. And then, this is so much of what happens in this industry across the board and particularly in “World of Warcraft,” someone tinkers and discovers something magical and has a few people test it. It was an evolution of how to traverse the world, make it more active and have more immersion.
If there’s comparisons to other games, I wouldn’t say we went, “We’re going to do that thing over here.” Remember, the game is 18 years old and we’re constantly updating our technology. So this was a very deliberate evolution. I wouldn’t say it came from one particular game.
Hight: I mean, the genesis of it was literally: “Okay, we’re going to have dragons, what are all the things we would expect to have in an expansion that involves dragons?” We put together a list and a few things started bubbling up, and dragon riding is something that bubbled up. As Holly said, there became an evolution. Okay, we’re going to do that, but how do we meet players’ expectations and then how do we do something that they didn’t expect?
I think that was one of the evolutions that was a little bit later, to step up our flying mechanics and work on the physics of it. I think it’s made the game even more fun to fly than it was before.
Is there anything you’d like to say to the “World of Warcraft” community on the franchise?
Longdale: For me, I’m all about the players and the team. We’re really looking forward to the future. You’re going to see some really good stuff.
Hight: I play a lot of different games and I think [“World of Warcraft”] is a unique experience because of the community. I’m for the future of gaming in general because as more people consider gaming as their chosen form of entertainment, it’s led to much more diverse communities and inclusive content.
“World of Warcraft” is the proverbial Swiss Army knife. We have a little bit of something for everyone and will continue to do that. It’s got a playground that is conducive to that and there’s no one way to “win” the game. It’s about being part of the experience.
With three Grammy Awards and 16 Latin Grammys under his belt, it’s safe to say Cuban-American music producer Emilio Estefan has reached the highest strata of success in his field. However, speaking at this year’s Latin Grammy Awards, the esteemed songwriter revealed his path to fame was riddled with hurdles and hardship.
“I was a kid when I left Cuba looking for freedom,” Estefan said in the Variety Studios presented by DIRECTV at Latin Grammys. “I was 11 years-old when I became almost homeless. I had to play the accordion for tips and I made up my mind to be two things: I can be negative or be positive. You can make life so beautiful if you feel positive.”
Estefan went on to produce music for Latin superstars like Shakira, Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez and his wife, Gloria Estefan, with tracks frequenting the Latin top charts. He became the first-ever recipient of the Billboard Latin lifetime achievement award in 1994 and claims he pitched the idea of the Latin Grammy Awards to the Latin Recording Academy before the first ceremony was held in 2000.
But Estefan explained how his culture was not initially embraced in the music industry; he and Gloria, who has also won several Grammys, had conversations about whether or not they should change their last names to conceal their heritage. Ultimately, the two decided against it in an effort to stay true to their roots.
“I wanted people to understand where we came from, that I grew up in the states, and I’m going to have a sound from two different countries that I love,” Estefan said. “And you know, it was hard. The label didn’t want to [invest] any money, and then we became number one.”
Mark Burnett has announced his departure from MGM TV, where he has held the position of chairman of its worldwide television group since 2018.
Prior to that appointment, Burnett — a …
Have you ever seen a movie so bad that it’s amazing? Paul Scheer, June Diane Raphael and Jason Mantzoukas want to hear about it! We’ll watch it with our funniest friends, and report back to you with the results.
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Traditionally among the first awards shows of the movie-kudos season, the Gothams honor the best of American film and TV, other than the Best International Feature and Best Documentary. The Best Feature nominees are Focus Features’ Tár; Everything Everywhere All at Once and Aftersun, both from A24; Mubi’s The Cathedral; and Cinema Guild’s Dos Estaciones.
Todd Field’s Tár topped all titles with five noms, and A24 films leads distributors with 14.
This year’s ceremony will see honorary awards for Michelle Williams and Adam Sandler (Performer Tributes); Focus Features’ Chairman Peter Kujawski and Vice Chairman Jason Cassidy (Industry Tribute); The Woman King filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood (Filmmaker Tribute); Audible founder and executive chairman Don Katz (Innovator Tribute); the Venice Film Festival (Gotham Impact Salute) and the groundbreaking actor, filmmaker and activist Sidney Poitier (Icon Tribute), who died in January at 94.
Gotham Awards given to individual films or performers in films where the vision of an individual director, producer, writer or writer/director is abundantly evident, and where the film cannot be classically defined as a “work for hire.” Last year, Netflix’s The Lost Daughter by Maggie Gyllenhaal won Best Feature.
Here are the 2022 Gotham Award winners announced so far, along with the remaining nominees:
WINNERS
Breakthrough Performer
Gracija Filipovic in Murina (Kino Lorber)
NOMINEES
Best Screenplay
After Yang, Kogonada (A24)
Armageddon Time, James Gray (Focus Features)
Catherine Called Birdy, Lena Dunham (Amazon Studios)
Tár, Todd Field (Focus Features)
Women Talking, Sarah Polley, based upon the book by Miriam Toews (United Artists Releasing / Orion Pictures)
Best International Feature
Athena Romain Gavras, director; Romain Gavras, Charles-Marie Anthonioz, Mourad Belkeddar, Jean Duhamel, Nicolas Lhermitte, Ladj Ly, producers (Netflix)
The Banshees of Inisherin Martin McDonagh, director; Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh, producers (Searchlight Pictures)
Corsage Marie Kreutzer, director; Alexander Glehr, Johanna Scherz, Bernard Michaux, Jonas Dornbach, Janine Jackowski, Maren Ade, Jean-Christophe Reymond, producers (IFC Films)
Decision to Leave Park Chan-wook, director and producer (MUBI)
Saint Omer Alice Diop, director; Toufik Ayadi, Christophe Barral, producers (Super Ltd)
Best Documentary Feature
All That Breathes Shaunak Sen, director; Aman Mann, Shaunak Sen, Teddy Leifer producers (A Sideshow & Submarine Deluxe Release in Association with HBO Documentary Films)
All the Beauty and the Bloodshed Laura Poitras, director; Howard Gertler, John Lyons, Nan Goldin, Yoni Golijov, Laura Poitras, producers (Neon)
I Didn’t See You There Reid Davenport, director; Keith Wilson, producer (RePort Media)
The Territory Alex Pritz, director; Alex Pritz, Darren Aronofsky, Sigrid Dyekjær, Will N. Miller, Gabriel Uchida, Lizzie Gillett, producers (National Geographic Documentary Films)
What We Leave Behind Iliana Sosa, director; Emma D. Miller, Isidore Bethel, producers (Array)
Outstanding Performance in a New Series
Bilal Baig in Sort Of (HBO Max/HBO)
Ayo Edebiri in The Bear (FX)
Janelle James in Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Minha Kim in Pachinko (Apple TV+)
Matilda Lawler in Station Eleven (HBO/HBO Max)
Britt Lower in Severance (HBO/HBO Max)
Melanie Lynskey in Yellowjackets (Showtime)
Zahn McClarnon in Dark Winds (AMC & AMC+)
Sue Ann Pien in As We See It (Prime Video)
Ben Whishaw in This is Going to Hurt (AMC+ in association with BBC)
Breakthrough Nonfiction Series
The Andy Warhol Diaries Alexis Martin Woodall, Scott Robertson, Andrew Rossi, Stanley Buchthal, Josh Braun, Ryan Murphy, executive producers; Maya E. Rudolph, producer; Andrew Rossi, director (Netflix)
The Last Movie Stars Martin Scorsese, Amy Entelis, Courtney Sexton, executive producers; Adam Gibbs, Ryan Hawke, Emily Wachtel, Lisa Long Adler, producers; Ethan Hawke, director (HBO Max)
Mind over Murder Nanfu Wang, creator and director; Marc Smerling, Nanfu Wang, Max Heckman, Chad Mumm, Mark W. Olsen, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller, Sara Rodriguez, executive producers (HBO/HBO Max)
The Rehearsal Nathan Fielder, creator and director; Nathan Fielder, Dave Paige, Dan McManus, Christie Smith, executive producers (HBO Max)
We Need To Talk About Cosby W. Kamau Bell, creator and director; W. Kamau Bell, Andrew Fried, Katie A. King, Vinnie Malhotra, Dane Lillegard, Sarina Roma, Jordan Wynn, executive producers (Showtime)
Breakthrough Series – Short Format (under 40 minutes)
As We See It Jason Katims, creator; Jason Katims, Jeni Mulein, Dana Idisis, Yuval Shafferman, Udi Segal, Amit Gitelzon, Shlomit Arvis, Danna Stern, executive producers (Prime Video)
Mo Mohammed Amer, Ramy Youssef, creators; Mohammed Amer, Ramy Youssef, Ravi Nandan, Hallie Sekoff, Solvan “Slick” Naim, Harris Danow, Luvh Rakhe, executive producers (Netflix)
Rap Sh!t Issa Rae, creator; Issa Rae, Syreeta Singleton, Montrel McKay, Deniese Davis, Dave Becky, Jonathan Berry, executive producers (HBO/HBO Max)
Somebody Somewhere Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen, creators; Bridget Everett, Carolyn Strauss, Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Mel Eslyn, Hannah Bos, Paul Thureen, Patricia Breen, Tyler Romary, executive producers (HBO Max)
Breakthrough Series – Long Format (over 40 minutes)
Pachinko Soo Hugh, creator; Soo Hugh, Michael Ellenberg, Lindsey Springer, Theresa Kang-Lowe, Richard Middleton, Kogonada, Justin Cho, executive producers (Apple TV+)
Severance Dan Erickson, creator; Ben Stiller, Nicholas Weinstock, Jackie Cohn, Mark Friedman, Dan Erickson, Andrew Colville, Chris Black, John Cameron, executive producers (Apple TV+)
Station Eleven Patrick Somerville, creator; Patrick Somerville, Jessica Rhoades, Scott Steindorff, Dylan Russell, Scott Delman, Jeremy Podeswa, Hiro Murai, Nate Matteson,executive producers (HBO/HBO Max)
This is Going to Hurt Adam Kay, creator; Naomi De Pear, James Farrell, Jane Featherstone, Adam Kay, Ben Whishaw, executive producers (AMC+ in association with BBC)
Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic for Murina (Kino Lorber)
Beth de Araújo for Soft & Quiet (Momentum Pictures / eOne)
Jane Schoenbrun for We’re All Going to the World’s Fair (Utopia)
Outstanding Supporting Performance
Jessie Buckley in Women Talking (United Artists Releasing / Orion Pictures)
Raúl Castillo in The Inspection (A24)
Hong Chau in The Whale (A24)
Brian Tyree Henry in Causeway (Apple TV+)
Nina Hoss in Tár (Focus Features)
Noémie Merlant in Tár (Focus Features)
Ke Huy Quan in Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24)
Mark Rylance in Bones and All (United Artists Releasing / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures)
Gabrielle Union in The Inspection (A24)
Ben Whishaw in Women Talking (United Artists Releasing / Orion Pictures)
Outstanding Lead Performance
Cate Blanchett in Tár (Focus Features)
Danielle Deadwyler in Till (United Artists Releasing / Orion Pictures)
Dale Dickey in A Love Song (Bleecker Street)
Colin Farrell in After Yang (A24)
Brendan Fraser in The Whale (A24)
Paul Mescal in Aftersun (A24)
Thandiwe Newton in God’s Country (IFC Films)
Aubrey Plaza in Emily the Criminal (Roadside Attractions and Vertical Entertainment)
Taylor Russell in Bones and All (United Artists Releasing / Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures)
Michelle Yeoh in Everything Everywhere All at Once (A24)
Best Feature
Aftersun Charlotte Wells, director; Adele Romanski, Amy Jackson, Barry Jenkins, Mark Ceryak, producers (A24)
The Cathedral Ricky D’Ambrose, director; Graham Swon, producer (MUBI)
Dos Estaciones Juan Pablo González, director; Ilana Coleman, Jamie Gonçalves, Bruna Haddad, Makena Buchanan, producers (Cinema Guild)
Everything Everywhere All at Once Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, directors; Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, Jonathan Wang, producers (A24)
Tár Todd Field, director; Alexandra Milchan, Scott Lambert, Todd Field, producers (Focus Features)
If you go on a Disney Cruise Lines vacation in the Bahamas you’ll visit Castaway Cay, a private island owned by Disney where the ship’s dock so guests can enjoy the beach and a number of other shore based activities. The island is very much what’d you’d expect to see as far as theming from the company that brought you Disneyland, and includes signage that celebrates some members of the Walt Disney Company in thematically appropriate ways, similar to Main Street U.S.A. windows at Disneyland and Magic Kingdom. A sign on a pump house (seen above) on the path from the boat previously celebrated “Master Shipbuilder” Bob Chapek, but as of one week after his firing, the sign, as shown by the DCLBlog, is now gone.
GONE, GONE, GONE#PumpHouse1Watch is OVER pic.twitter.com/p2nhkykyyvNovember 27, 2022
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Prior to being the CEO of the Walt Disney Company, Bob Chapek was the head of the Parks, Experiences, and Products division of the company, which includes the Disney Cruise Line. The cruise line saw significant expansion under Chapek. The first of three new ships, the Disney Wish, hit the water earlier this year, a second ship, the Treasure, is currently under construction, and a third will follow that one in short order. The company also recently purchased a currently under construction ship from another company before Chapek left as CEO.
With Chapek no longer being part of the company, it seems the decision was made to remove references to him. Disney could have decided to leave the sign, as a testament to the contribution that Chapek did make during his time at the company, but it seems that ‘s not going to happen. For comparison, a different sign on the other side of the walkway which celebrated Bob Iger was always on display, even after he left the company two years ago.
(Image credit: Dirk Libbey)
Considering some recent reports that Bob Chapek may have made some questionable decisions during his time as CEO as it regards the P&L of Disney+, it’s possible that the company is looking to distance itself as far as possible from the man. Now in addition, to the Bob Iger sign, the only other major Disney name on display, is Josh D’Amaro, the current head of DPEP, considering hi sign is still around, it seems likely the man isn’t going anywhere either.
As grieving mechanic James Aucoin in Causeway, Lila Neugebauer’s film about a soldier (Jennifer Lawrence) trying to assimilate into life in New Orleans after a brain injury sends her home, Brian Tyree Henry found not just the biggest role of his career but catharsis from his own pain. “Some of us hold onto our grief so tightly that we don’t know who we are without it,” Henry says. Henry talks about the emotional impact of the film, both personally and on screen. “I found a great source of strength in James,” he says. “More than I ever knew that I could.”
DEADLINE: When you received the script for Causeway, what stood out about it?
BRIAN TYREE HENRY: First and foremost, to be able to do a movie with Jennifer Lawrence. I’ve been such a huge admirer of her work and wanted to get a chance to play with her. The other thing that stood out was that it really wasn’t one of those scripts that had a huge climax, or characters that find this conflict and have to overcome something. It was just about two people existing in space and time, forming a connection. I really wanted that.
DEADLINE: From an acting standpoint, people existing doesn’t sound very challenging. What’s appealing about it?
HENRY: What’s really appealing is that we know that existing, sometimes, is incredibly hard to do. Living is incredibly hard to do. What I found remarkable about this piece was that you found these two people who were existing in a very complicated way, when all they really needed was to see that they weren’t alone. Maybe friendship would shed some light on how they could get through and get over how they were living. That that was truly the meat and potatoes of what the script was.
DEADLINE: My understanding is that the inception period for this film was quite long. You were shut down for COVID, and in that time you were able to workshop the script. What was the evolution of the story?
HENRY: We discovered that Lynsey’s journey was evolving based on who she was coming in contact with. She’s coming back from war to a hometown that she was trying to escape, and she has suffered an injury that is making it hard for her to navigate that terrain the way she used to. I don’t think what she thought she would make, coming back, was a friend. We discovered that, with my character, there is hope for re-establishing what home meant for her. And we discovered that was also possible for James, himself. James is a person who endured one of the greatest losses of his life in his hometown, and now has to figure out how to move through that terrain in a different way, while also wanting to hold on to who he was. So, Lila, Justine (Ciarrochi), Jennifer and I really wanted to dissect what that was. Also, there was a connection that was growing between Jennifer and me, and we really wanted to showcase that friendship, because, truly, what they’re both looking for in the movie is friendship.
DEADLINE: Do you think that living through the pandemic affected your performance?
HENRY: For sure. I realized I had to re-teach myself how to be human. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true, because we all dealt with loss that year in a way that was magnified because we had to be in isolation. It was so stark and bleak. Meeting somebody new in 2021 was like going to a theme park. To actually hug someone, to look someone in their eyes, to even sit in silence and stillness with somebody was something that our bodies had missed. Also, what was happening a lot, is that we were doing this thing called trauma bonding, and I realized that when you trauma bond with somebody, [the relationship] actually just stays in that place. It stunts your growth a bit. So, we wanted to discover if these people, who start with a trauma bond, can somehow find a way through it. That’s the hardest part of grief, I think—to find another way.
Brian Tyree Henry and Jennifer Lawrence in Causeway.
Wilson Webb/Apple TV+
DEADLINE: What is interesting about this film is that you have a relationship, which is set up from the beginning as platonic and still very complex. What was it like portraying that friendship?
HENRY: It’s great because we sometimes get trapped in this story development of “boy meets girl,” and all of a sudden it has to be romantic. We didn’t want that. We really wanted to show that these two people can exist in a way where they are just so human. That was what I needed, and I think that’s what Jen needed as well, with all the turmoil and the upheaval we were seeing in 2020. We wanted to show that it’s possible to just have a connection with somebody that doesn’t have to come with any kind of weight or obligation other than to be human with one another. As it develops, you start to see both of them shed layers. That’s why I love the pool scene so much because it really is about being bare. I call it the baptism scene, because it feels like they both get cleansed and lay everything out. And they’re so exposed. That was something that I needed a lot, at the time, too. I was wondering, who really sees me? Is what people see right now just the pain? Is it just someone who is truly down and really in their head? And if that’s what they see, does that make them want to get to know me and see me for who I am? I think that’s what both of those characters were confronting.
DEADLINE: You, as a person, are quite verbose and your character is not. How challenging is it to perform that kind of internal anguish?
HENRY: There’s something so remarkable in stillness. I swear to God, when I got a chance to explore the stillness of this character, it was a true relief. I realized, when I was going through grief, that you want to be held up and you look to your left and right, and you realize nobody is really there holding you up. Then you start making up these stories, that nobody understands what I’m going through. I brought a lot of that to James because he’s a man that I believe is truly a likable, beautiful person, but because of the circumstances of what happened to him, he lives his life as a person who feels like he got what he deserved. What I really wanted for James when I was playing him, which in turn I also wanted for Brian, was a release of not having to explain why you feel weak some days. Another thing is that he was able to sit there with his thoughts. There are a lot of us who like to busy ourselves so that we don’t have to think about what we’ve lost and the obstacles that lie ahead. When he met Lynsey, she really gave him a place to just sit and think about what it is that he’s missing. True strength is in standing where you are and to really reveal what it is. That was a great challenge for me.
DEADLINE: Because you had so much input in this film, was there ever a consideration of making the accident something else, having lost your own mother in a car accident? Or was there catharsis, in any way?
HENRY: I wanted it to be what it was because I didn’t want to run away from it. I didn’t want to, in essence, do what those two characters have been doing at the beginning of the film. I wanted to confront it in my own way. I wanted to also get over it. I didn’t want it to paralyze me like it had done at the beginning of my career. I didn’t want it to be this looming cloud. When I saw what it was that he had lost, I immediately related. And the part I related mostly to was him losing his leg. No, I didn’t lose a body part, but I did lose one of the most important people in my life. My creator, actually. So, I didn’t want them to change that because that is a huge part of who he is. But I also wanted to make sure that it wasn’t his only story. I found strength in James, honestly, because most people who go and suffer such a horrible car accident would probably never drive again, but James was. Most people who were responsible for losing a life in a car accident would probably not work on cars, but James did. There is a strength to this guy that he just needs to be reminded is there.
Also, this is how petty the universe is: No matter how much you run, where you go, there you are. It’s like one of the oldest proverbs ever. And it’s very, very true. I found a great source of strength in James, more than I ever knew that I could. We went back and really tried to explore that: Him asking to have a roommate to cook breakfast with. Him having somebody in his house. Letting somebody drive his car for him. There’s something to be said about that. I didn’t want them to change any part of the accident or where he worked, because that’s truly where he drew strength from. And I think that I drew my strength from him, as well, in going through that.
Henry and Lawrence.
Wilson Webb/Apple TV+
DEADLINE: As someone who had wanted to work with Jennifer for a long time, how were those expectations met? And how do you think your friendship showed up on screen as these characters?
HENRY: It was above and beyond. I don’t think I could have ever imagined working with someone that’s such a great scene partner. What’s great is it was a true manifestation of our collaboration. During the pandemic Jen and I broke the rules once and met each other, because we realized we were up the street from one another. And we just sat in her garden and talked about everything that was going on. We talked about politics, we talked about COVID. We talked about the social injustice. We just let it out. It was such a purging, in a way, that we stopped at one point and looked at each other and was like, “Oh, well, here’s James and Lynsey.” This is all they wanted. The simplicity of being able to sit across from each other, sit in the loss, sit in the anger. It really does create a sense of healing. That is what I think most of us are yearning for.
After we had that meeting in her garden, there were three earthquakes that night. I remember texting her at 3 in the morning and I was like, “See what a connection does? See what happens when you open your heart and just let the universe make its way?” I really believe that there is a charge when you make yourself bare to somebody who really sees you. And I think that that’s what we discovered, not only working together, but having these characters put in front of us. We knew we wanted to do them right, and we wanted to make sure that they got over to the other side of whatever their grief and their loss was, because that’s what we needed to see.
DEADLINE: Your next project is Sinking Spring for Apple TV+. Is it fun to go back to television after this?
Read the digital edition of Deadline’s Oscar Actor magazine here.
HENRY: Here’s the thing. I’ve had a good run. Tonight is the series finale of Atlanta and I’ve been saying all day, it’s the end of an era. Alfred was kind of a testimony for me. There were parts of him that were, of course, supposed to be funny, but there was so much catharsis in playing him as well. Last week’s episode, he finally got his own place on a farm, but also had to fight for his life, and still came out on the other side. There’s still humor there with him, but there’s also this well of emotion. As long as I continue to lean into stories and characters like that, I’m always going to be fulfilled. So, I’m very excited to go back to television to do Sinking Spring. I really want to peel back the layers of who this character is and what life is. It’s an adventure, right? This whole thing is an adventure. Who knows what the destination’s going to be, but I’m just grateful every time to get characters like this. It’s truly a blessing.
“The Rescue” profiles the cave diving hobbyists who came from around the world to help save a Thai boys soccer team trapped underground. Oscar winning filmmakers Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin (“Free Solo”) gain access to extraordinary footage from inside the mission.
Iranian journalists hijacked a World Cup press conference today to ask US players how they felt about ‘representing a racist country’ – before berating them for pronouncing the name of their country wrong.
U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter and his captain Tyler Adams faced a barrage of politically-charged questions from reporters from Iran who seemingly had no interest in discussing the match set to take place in Qatar’s Al Thumama stadium tomorrow night.
Instead, the pair were intensely quizzed on systemic racism in America, strict U.S. visa rules in place against Iranian citizens and Uncle Sam’s naval presence fleet in the Persian Gulf, to name a few subjects.
Adams even faced flak from one journalist for his American pronunciation of ‘aye-ran’ during the half-hour press conference, from which the pair likely emerged feeling as though they had endured an interrogation.
It comes after the U.S. soccer federation displayed Iran’s national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic in support of anti-regime protests in the country, causing Iran’s government to call on FIFA to expel Team USA from the tournament.
USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter of the United States and player Tyler Adams attend a press conference on the eve of the group B World Cup soccer match between Iran and the United States in Doha, Qatar, Monday, Nov. 28, 2022
Tyler Adams (L) and Gregg Berhalter (R) looked exasperated as they fielded a series of politically charged questions from Iranian reporters at their pre-match press conference
Players of Iran celebrate victory after the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between Wales and Iran at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 25, 2022 in Doha, Qatar
Iran demands the US is KICKED OUT of the World Cup after US Soccer Federation posted tweet of Iranian flag without Islamic Republic emblem
The US soccer federation displayed Iran’s national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic, saying the move supports protesters in Iran ahead of the two nations’ World Cup match Tuesday.
Iran’s government reacted by accusing America of removing the name of God from their national flag and called for FIFA to kick the USA out of the World Cup with a 10-game ban from soccer. Tasmin news agency – associated closely with the Iranian regime – says Iran’s soccer federation will make the request to FIFA, soccer’s governing body.
The symbol was later returned to the flag on the USA’s website but the move by the US Soccer Federation adds yet-another political firestorm to the Middle East’s first World Cup, one which organizers had hoped would be spared of off-the-field controversies.
The US faces Iran in a decisive World Cup match on Tuesday, which was already freighted by the decades of enmity between the two countries and the nationwide protests now challenging Tehran’s theocratic government.
USA needs to win to advance into the last-16 of the tournament in Qatar while for Iran, a tie would get them into the knockout stage for the first time in its history as long as Wales doesn’t surprisingly beat England. If Iran wins, Iran advances whatever happens with Wales and England.
The US Soccer Federation said in a statement Sunday that it decided to forego the official flag on social media accounts to show ‘our support for the women in Iran with our graphic for 24 hours.’
The first question from an Iranian journalist immediately set the tone for what proved to be a highly charged encounter.
The reporter asked Berhalter: ‘What percentage of the world’s population will be happy if Iran wins this match [versus a U.S. national team (USMNT) victory]?’ forcing the coach to try and mediate the tension.
‘For us it’s a soccer game against a good team – it’s not much more than that,’ Berhalter responded in an attempt to avoid the obvious political implications of the question.
Unsurprisingly, the coach’s efforts to refocus the line of questioning on the football were resoundingly ignored.
Minutes later, a journalist from Press TV – an English language Iranian news organisation – said: ‘First of all you say you support the Iranian people but you’re pronouncing our country’s name wrong. Our country is name Iran, not ”aye-ran”…
‘Second of all, are you okay to be representing your country that has so much discrimination against black people in its own borders?’ he asked pointedly.
Adams, whose mother is a White American but whose biological father is African-American, responded cordially: ‘My apologies on the mispronunciation of your country. That being said, there’s discrimination everywhere you go… in the U.S. we’re continuing to make progress every single day… as long as you make progress that’s the most important thing.’
Other journalists for their part tried to pull the conversation back towards the clash on the pitch, with one U.S. reporter specifying he intended to ask a ‘soccer question’ to offer a brief reprieve.
But the next question from Iranian media immediately pulled back to the political issues, asking: ‘Sport is something that should bring nations closer together and you are a sportsperson. Why is it that you should not ask your government to take away its military fleet from the Persian Gulf?’
‘I agree, sport is something that should bring countries together… you get to compete as brothers’ Berhalter said, drawing comparisons between the Olympics and the World Cup, but refused to touch on the fraught bilateral relations between U.S. and Iran.
By the end of the conference it was clear Berhalter had grown tired of the questioning, responding to a query on strict U.S. visa laws for Iranian citizens with: ‘I don’t know enough about politics, I’m a soccer coach.
‘I’m not well versed on international politics so I can’t comment on that.’
Iran’s Portuguese head coach Carlos Quieroz today told reporters he hoped the next World Cup would be more about the football and less about the politics
USA’s forward Christian Pulisic dribbles the ball during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 match between England and USA
For his part, Iran coach Carlos Queiroz today said he hoped the next World Cup would feature less about politics and more about the football, stressing there were better ways to use the sport as a force for good.
Queiroz’s team have been dragged into a political crisis at home, pressured by protesters seeking to challenge the legitimacy of Iran’s clerical rulers to side with them publicly and condemn a deadly state crackdown.
Speaking ahead of his team’s Group B match on Tuesday against the United States, Queiroz was asked about the U.S. Soccer federation temporarily displaying Iran’s national flag on social media without the emblem of the Islamic Republic, in solidarity with the protest movement.
‘I still believe I can win games with those mental games,’ he told a news conference.
‘Those events surrounding this World Cup I hope will be a lesson for all of us in the future and we learn that our mission is here to create entertainment and for 90 minutes make people happy.’
For the USMNT, the task is clear when it plays Iran in its final Group B game: Win or go home.
While many teams including Iran could still advance to the knockout phase of the tournament under several permutations, the Americans have no choice but to get the three points that come with a victory.
‘It sets up our first knockout game of the World Cup,’ U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter said.
‘We win or we’re out of the World Cup. Anytime you’re in a World Cup and you get to go into the last group game in control of your own destiny, that’s a pretty good thing.’
USA’s midfielder Tyler Adams during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 – Group B match between England vs United States at Al Bayt Stadium on November 25, 2022
Roozbeh Cheshmi of IR Iran celebrates with teammates after scoring their team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Group B match between Wales and IR Iran at Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium on November 25, 2022 in Doha, Qatar
The USMNT sits third in the group with two points after tying Wales 1-1 and then England 0-0 in an impressive defensive effort. The top two teams advance.
England has four points, Iran has three and Wales sits last with one point but is still alive in a long-shot scenario.
Getting a goal, much less a victory, will be a challenge for the United States since Iran only needs a tie to advance as long as Wales does not upset England.
Iran, which has never advanced out of the group stage, opened the World Cup with a 6-2 loss to England but rebounded for a 2-0 win over Wales.
‘I really have to thank the Iranian fans. They helped us play 90 minutes of beautiful football,’ Iran coach Carlos Queiroz said.
‘Now, we have to concentrate on the USA. We haven’t finished yet.’
The USMNT last reached the final 16 of the World Cup in 2014. The Americans did not qualify for the 2018 World Cup and their best finish was a spot in the 2002 quarterfinals.
Iran defeated the U.S. 2-1 in 1998 in only World Cup meeting between the countries.
Mehdi Taremi has two of Iran’s four goals during this World Cup. Timothy Weah is responsible for the Americans’ lone tally.
Camilla arrives at Bernardo’s to attend a special teddy bears picnicSplashNews.com
Breaking with tradition. Queen Consort Camillawill not have ladies-in-waiting but has instead come up with a new position for her longtime pals.
The former Duchess of Cornwall, 75, has named six of her friends as the Queen’s companions, Buckingham Palace confirmed on Sunday, November 27. “The role of Queen’s Companion will be to support The Queen Consort in some of her key official and State duties, in addition to her Private Secretary/Deputy Private Secretary,” the palace statement said.
The Queen’s companions are: Fiona, the Marchioness of Lansdowne, Jane von Westenholz, Lady Katharine Brooke, Sarah Troughton, Lady Sarah Keswick and Baroness Chisholm.
Some of the companions will appear with Camilla for the first time in their new role on Tuesday, November 29, at an event for domestic violence survivors.
Unlike the ladies-in-waiting, the women won’t be expected to regularly be at the queen’s side and they will not be involved in any correspondence or administrative work.
Prior to Elizabeth’s death on September 8 at age 96, she relied on her ladies-in-waiting during difficult times. Though the queen sat alone at Prince Philip’s April 2021 memorial service, Lady Susan, a senior lady-in-waiting, accompanied the monarch on the car ride from Windsor Castle to Philip’s funeral at St George’s Chapel. The 83-year-old noblewoman was fondly called the “No. 1 Head Girl” since she had been at Elizabeth’s side for more than 70 years.
The switch from ladies-in-waiting to Queen’s companions is just the latest change after Charles’ ascension, which took place immediately after his mother’s death. (A formal coronation is being planned for May 6, 2023, in London.)
“Prince Charles will make some changes,” royal expert Jonathan Sacerdotiexclusively told Us Weekly in March. “It’s always been rumored that he wants to slim down the working royals at the core of the family.”
That doesn’t just apply to the royals but also their staffs. The new monarch, 74, reportedly alerted his Clarence House staff that they could potentially be fired as he and Camilla shift their office operations to London.
“The change in role for our principals will also mean change for our household,” read a September letter from the king’s top aide, Sir Clive Alderton, per The Guardian. “The portfolio of work previously undertaken in this household supporting the former Prince of Wales’s personal interests, former activities and household operations will no longer be carried out, and the household … at Clarence House will be closed down. It is therefore expected that the need for the posts principally based at Clarence House, whose work supports these areas will no longer be needed.”
Those who were laid off would be provided with an increased “redundancy payment” as well as assistance in finding a new job.
Penske Media Corp. has acquired ATX TV, the entity that operates the annual television festival in Austin, Tex.
The deal calls for PMC, which is the parent company of Variety, to help expand the scope of the ATX brand with programming and activities beyond the four-day event in June that has become a key stop on the industry’s promotional calendar.
The ATX TV festival is heading into its 12th edition next year, set to run June 1-4. The company was founded by TV enthusiasts Emily Gipson and Caitlin McFarland, who put themselves on the map in a short time by smartly programming a mix of nostalgic reunions, lively table reads plus a mix of buzzy premieres and industry-centric panels. ATX has become a high-visibility event for TV promotional events, but it’s still managed to maintain a low-key atmosphere for creative talent that appeals to Hollywood insiders. In 2017, Gipson and McFarland described the ATX atmosphere to Variety as “TV camp for grownups.”
Gipson and McFarland will remain at the helm of ATX as co-presidents and co-founders. Laura Kincaid will stay on as director of operations while Jennifer Morgan will continue as director of programming.
“We have long admired ATX’s commitment to creating unique content that celebrates every aspect of television,” said Jay Penske, CEO and founder of PMC. “Emily and Caitlin have built an incredible community and world-class programming over the years, and we look forward to helping them expand their footprint for an even bigger audience in the future.”
ATX TV is a natural fit with PMC’s portfolio that includes the Austin-based SXSW event franchise, which is in the process of expanding to Sydney, Australia, next year. PMC also recently acquired the Life Is Beautiful festival and next month will launch LA3C, a multi-day music and culture event celebrating the creativity and communities of Los Angeles.
The ATX TV founders said the deal with PMC comes just as their event is in need of capital and bigger infrastructure to grow.
“Our vision for ATX TV is expansive,” said McFarland. “We have always had our eyes on creating year- round programming and engagement, but the pandemic marked an inflection point for us all. We realized that we needed to expand to digital content and grow beyond a yearly festival to service our business and our audience…ATX TV also needed more resources to achieve our very big goals. We are so proud of all we have done with our team, but we are ready for our next chapter of growth and are thrilled to have Penske Media as partners to help us achieve it together.”
Gipson emphasized that their vision for ATX has remained steadfast, catering to TV creatives and fans who love to talk about the craft and discuss every aspect of this collaborative medium. ATX has always sought to “create an inclusive destination for industry and consumer audiences to come together as one community to celebrate TV,” Gipson said.
“Over the past decade, we have focused on creating curated content and producing high quality experiences that have allowed audiences to discover, discuss, debate, collaborate, interact and enjoy all things television. Now with the support of Jay and Penske Media, we know the possibilities are endless of how we can grow our vision together,” she said.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
(Pictured: Cast members and producers of the Showtime drama “City On a Hill” take part in the 2019 ATX Festival. From left: Kevin Bacon, Aldis Hodge, Jill Hennessy, Tom Fontana, Jennifer Todd and Chuck MacLean)
The deal will put PMC in charge of the ATX Television Festival, though the original management team is expected to remain intact.
IndieWire parent company Penske Media Corporation has announced the acquisition of ATX TV, the Austin-based television festival.
Founded in 2012, ATX TV has established itself as the preeminent television festival in America, with its premieres, showrunner panels, and cast reunions. ATX TV is now a year-round business that connects fans with the top creators and performers in the television industry, establishing itself as an essential platform for TV artists to reach industry voices and diehard fans.
The company’s management team will remain in place, with co-founders and co-presidents Emily Gipson and Caitlin McFarland continuing to operate the festival. Laura Kincaid will remain as director of operations and Jennifer Morgan will continue to serve as director of programming.
“We have long admired ATX’s commitment to creating unique content that celebrates every aspect of television,” said Jay Penske, CEO and Founder of Penske Media. “Emily and Caitlin have built an incredible community and world class programming over the years, and we look forward to helping them expand their footprint for an even bigger audience in the future.”
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“Our vision for ATX TV is expansive,” said McFarland. “We have always had our eyes on creating year-round programming and engagement, but the pandemic marked an inflection point for us all. We realized that we needed to expand to digital content and grow beyond a yearly festival to service our business and our audience. Our partners needed more opportunities to reach audiences and our audience needed one another — but we, ATX TV, also needed more resources to achieve our very big goals. We are so proud of all we have done with our team, but we are ready for our next chapter of growth and are thrilled to have Penske Media as partners to help us achieve it together.”
“It’s hard to believe the first festival was 10 years ago,” said Gipson. “At that time, we had no idea what it would become, but our vision has always remained the same: to create an inclusive destination for industry and consumer audiences to come together as one community to celebrate TV. Over the past decade, we have focused on creating curated content and producing high-quality experiences that have allowed audiences to discover, discuss, debate, collaborate, interact, and enjoy all things television. Now with the support of Jay and Penske Media, we know the possibilities are endless of how we can grow our vision together.”
The acquisition is the latest step in Penske Media Corporation’s recent expansion into the festival and live event space. The company recently invested in SXSW and acquired a majority interest in the Life is Beautiful music festival. It’s preparing to host the inaugural LA3C music and arts festival in December.
Eric Fleishman, AKA “Eric The Trainer,” famed celebrity trainer, unexpectedly died at the age of 53 on Thanksgiving, TMZ Sports has confirmed.
Fleishmanpassed Thursday morning at his home in Glendale, CA.
Eric served as a personal trainer to many big stars in TV, movies and the music industry, working with everyone from Def Leppard, Journey, Fall Out Boy, and Nickelback to Kirstie Alley, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Ethan Suplee and Jason Priestley, amongst many others.
Many of his celeb clients also counted Eric as a friend.
But, Fleishman didn’t only work with the famous and wealthy … he also trained the people who keep Los Angeles safe. Law enforcement.
Eric, over his 3+ decade career in fitness, also worked with LAPD, L.A. Sheriff’s Academy, California Highway Patrol and numerous SWAT teams across the county.
Fleishman originally got into the business after being inspired by fitness and health pioneer, Jack Lalanne.
9/24/22
During COVID lockdowns, Eric gathered his famous friends and held a benefit concert that raised thousands of dollars for the Feeding America charity.
Fleishman is survived by his wife Alysia and son Henry.
David Fincher – known for his psychological thrillers like Zodiac, Gone Girl and Panic Room, apart from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button outside this genre – directs this time an extremely nostalgic film, Mank. About a 1930s Hollywood living in the frightening times of World War II and the debilitating depression, Fincher’s creation from a screenplay by his father, Jack (written a long time ago) is a back-and-forth narration of a tinsel town gingerly stepping from a world of silent cinema into one of cacophonous sounds. In a way, Mank reminded me of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time In Hollywood, which though touted as a story of Roman Polanski’s wife Sharon Tate, was mostly about the coming of television and the jitters it caused to theatres.
Coincidentally, the cinema industry today is in disarray as well, given the destructive Coronavirus pandemic. Hundreds of men and women working in showbiz have lost their livelihoods, and in Mank, we see Louis Mayer (played by Arliss Howard) of MGM pleading with his employees to take a pay cut. I do not want to lay off any one of you, he says, and offers to restore their full salaries in eight weeks. It will pass in no time, he adds to cheering workers.
Things are not as easy or simple today, but, well, Mank actually is about how Herman J. Mankiewicz aka Mank (Gary Oldman) wrote the script for a movie that is considered the ultimate in cinema – Citizen Kane. Helmed by Orson Welles (Tom Burke gets just a cameo), it is even today a Bible of sorts for writers and directors. However, despite several Oscar nominations, it won just a single trophy, Best Original Screenplay that was shared by Mank and Welles.
A true ode to a Hollywood that once was with gigantic studios and their heads, who were truly mughuls of cinema, Mank, now streaming on Netflix, is almost art in black and white, and its story nudges us towards a tight deadline which Mank is given to write Citizen Kane. With his leg in plaster after an automobile accident and battling a drinking problem, Mank dictates the script to his secretary, Rita Alexander (Lilly Collins) – and she has a hell-of-a-time getting the writer to stay off booze and, well, write!
This is the crux of the plot which is enriched by a whole lot of Hollywood happenings – bickering, denial of credits to writers (don’t we know that in India) and rivalries between studios. Interspersed into all this is the keenly fought American presidential elections (Mank gets one more point here having opened at a time when we saw the big fight between Biden and Trump).
Attractively photographed and impressively mounted, Mank also stands out for Oldman’s brilliant piece of performance. He is entirely convincing, and his callous arrogance costs him just about everything. He is irreverent to the core, and so damn undisciplined. Would anyone, anyone tolerate this today? Hollywood was actually kind to him.
However, Mank will appeal only to a niche set of viewers; those who have some idea who Mayer was or, for instance, Irving Thalberg. And very, very few would have even heard of Mank.
Itching to get a glimpse of the combat gameplay for Firaxis’ Marvel’s Midnight Suns before it arrives next month? You’ve got it in a new combat overview trailer for the game, which is coming from the folks behind the rebooted XCOM series.
While you might think that because of their previous titles, Firaxis has just taken the Marvel license and reskinned an XCOM game. Not so, as apart from being turned-based, the combat in Midnight Suns is different. At the start of a new mission, you’ll pick your squad from the available superheroes, then pick from a deck of random ability cards that will affect either your squad, your foes, or the environment.
Also, part of Midnight Suns involves building up your team’s chemistry, similar to how XCOM 2 had the soldier bonds, where soldiers can get a range of perks while in combat with a particular colleague. Interact with and build up a relationship with a particular hero, and you’ll unlock things from cosmetics to stat buffs to combo cards that allow your heroes to tag team an enemy for massive damage.
Midnight Suns will release for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on December 2nd. Releases on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch will be announced at a later date. And keep an eye out after the game’s release for Deadpool, who will be Midnight Suns‘ first DLC character.
A BBC journalist was reportedly beaten, kicked and arrested by police in China while covering anti-lockdown protests currently sweeping the country.
Edward Lawrence, a senior journalist and camera operator in the BBC’s China bureau, was arrested in Shanghai on Sunday evening while covering an anti-‘COVID Zero’ protest.
Citizens of some of China’s biggest cities, including Shanghai and Beijing (pictured above), are protesting the authoritarian government’s draconian COVID Zero measures, which include frequent and severe lockdowns. Protestors, some carrying flowers and slogans, have also expressed displeasure with Chinese President Xi Jinping himself.
In a series of tweets before his arrest, Lawrence wrote that he was watching the crowds grow at an anti-lockdown protest in Shanghai. He wrote that he had seen three people arrested by the police and that the police had approached him to listen to his conversation while he talked to a man who claimed his flowers had been confiscated by the authorities.
It is unclear when or why Lawrence was then apprehended but two videos circulating appeared to show snippets of his arrest. In one, he is forcibly led away by three men, two of whom are in uniform, while shouting to a colleague “Call the consulate now.”
In another he is on the floor, surrounded by five men, before being led away in handcuffs.
In a statement, a spokesperson for BBC News said: “The BBC is extremely concerned about the treatment of our journalist Ed Lawrence, who was arrested and handcuffed while covering the protests in Shanghai. He was held for several hours before being released. During his arrest, he was beaten and kicked by the police. This happened while he was working as an accredited journalist.”
“It is very worrying that one of our journalists was attacked in this way whilst carrying out his duties. We have had no official explanation or apology from the Chinese authorities, beyond a claim by the officials who later released him that they had arrested him for his own good in case he caught Covid from the crowd. We do not consider this a credible explanation.”
Lawrence, who appears to have been released, re-tweeted the statement on Twitter on Monday adding: “I understand at least one local national was arrested after trying to stop the police from beating me.”
A statement from the BBC on what happened to me in Shanghai last night while doing my job.
I understand at least one local national was arrested after trying to stop the police from beating me.
The protests in China, the scale of which are unprecedented, were reportedly sparked by a catastrophic fire in an apartment block in the city of Urumqi last week, which killed 10 people. It is understood the neighborhood in which the apartment block was situated was under one of the frequent zero COVID lockdowns, which prevented the inhabitants from escaping.
China’s strict zero COVID policy has seen the country’s citizens spend almost three years living under some of the world’s most stringent anti-COVID measures in the world, including lockdowns, mass testing and quarantines.
Last month 20,000 visitors were locked inside Shanghai Disneyland after officials discovered eight positive cases of COVID in the city. They were later released.
It was a tale of two Disney’s at the domestic box office over the holiday weekend. On the one hand, the superhero epic Black Panther: Wakanda Forever earned an impressive $64M over the 5-day weekend, raising its domestic total to $367.6M after three weeks of release, per Deadline. Worldwide, the Marvel sequel has earned $675M, with plenty of more dollars to come in the quiet weeks leading up to Avatar: The Way of Water on December 16.
On the other hand, Disney also released the $180M animated pic Strange World, which tanked in its debut weekend with just $18.6M in its first five days of release. Yikes. There are many reasons why this latest effort from the Mouse House failed, but blame most of it on poor marketing and audience reliance on Disney+.
Then again, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery killed the competition with a terrific $13.5M from just under 900 theaters, despite its eventual release on Netflix in the coming month. Why this one wasn’t released wide remains a mystery, especially considering the original Knives Out earned $312M worldwide in 2019.
The biggest story surrounding Thanksgiving 2022 is the lack of options for moviegoers at theaters. The only other new releases were Devotion, which sputtered to $9M, the cannibal flick Bones and All, which earned a meager $3.7M, and Steven Spielberg’s Oscar hopeful The Fabelmans ($3.4M), all of which were eclipsed by Glass Onion, despite playing on more screens.
The real meat was on streaming platforms where Disney’s Disenchanted, Apple TV’s Spirited, and HBO Max’s A Christmas Story Christmas provided family holiday fun. Surely any of these offerings would have earned a respectable sum in theaters.
Now, all eyes turn to James Cameron’s Avatar sequel to see if he can give the box office a much-needed boost to close the year.
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.
CATEGORY COMMENTARY: Some of the big surprises (and snubs) at the Independent Spirit Awards nominations were a complete shutout of Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale” and its best actor frontrunner Brendan Fraser. Will that hurt his Oscar chances? Notable names like Jake Gyllenhaal from “Brokeback Mountain” were also snubbed by the organization and went on to receive recognition.
Biopic of Elvis Presley, from his childhood to becoming a rock and movie star in the 1950s while maintaining a complex relationship with his manager, Colonel Tom Parker.
4
Bill Nighy
“Living”
Sony Pictures Classics
An English-language adaptation of the script of “Ikiru” (1952), set in London in the 1950s.
5
Hugh Jackman
“The Son”
Sony Pictures Classics
Peter as his busy life with new partner Emma and their baby is thrown into disarray when his ex-wife Kate turns up with their teenage son, Nicholas.
Next in Line
6
Will Smith
“Emancipation”
Apple Original Films
A runaway slave forges through the swamps of Louisiana on a tortuous journey to escape plantation owners that nearly killed him.
7
Tom Cruise
“Top Gun: Maverick”
Paramount Pictures
After thirty years, Maverick is still pushing the envelope as a top naval aviator, but must confront ghosts of his past when he leads TOP GUN’s elite graduates on a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those chosen to fly it.
8
Gabriel LaBelle
“The Fabelmans”
Universal Pictures
A semi-autobiography based on Spielberg’s own childhood growing up in post-war Arizona, from age seven to eighteen.
9
Jonathan Majors
“Devotion”
Sony Pictures
A pair of U.S. Navy fighter pilots risk their lives during the Korean War and become some of the Navy’s most celebrated wingmen.
10
Adam Sandler
“Hustle”
Netflix
A basketball scout discovers a phenomenal street ball player while in Spain and sees the prospect as his opportunity to get back into the NBA.
The 95th Oscars ceremony will be held at the Dolby Theatre and televised live on Sunday, March 12, 2022, on ABC.
2022 category winner: Will Smith, “King Richard” (Warner Bros.)
About Variety Awards Circuit:
Variety’s unmatched coverage gives its readership unbeatable exposure in print and online, as well as 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.
If better sleep is on your wish list, your dreams are about to become reality. The best Cyber Monday mattress deals of 2022 are here, and brands like Saatva, Leesa, and DreamCloud are coming in hot with some massive markdowns. (Sorry, Cyber Monday clothing sales and beauty deals—we’re spoken for.)
No matter how many naps you manage to get in, nothing beats getting a good night’s sleep—and the best mattresses are key to staying cool and comfortable through it all. For most of the year, upgrading your sleeping situation isn’t exactly cheap. But Cyber Monday is a rare exception, and the long holiday weekend is your chance to snag a cushy new mattress from pretty much any mattress brand you can imagine at a hefty discount.
Whether you’re redoing your bedroom for the first time in a decade or furnishing a guest room, the perfect bed is just waiting for you to hit “add to cart.” Don’t lose another moment of sleep—shop the best Cyber Monday mattress deals of 2022 right now.
You can find Casper’s internet-famous products on sale every once in a while, but discounts as good as the ones at its Cyber Week sale are rare. Every mattress is 25% off, and the rest of the site, including mattress sets, dog beds, and sheets, is 10 to 25% off, too—but only through Monday.
When Talia Abbas, Glamour’s senior commerce editor, upgraded from Casper’s original model to its Wave Hybrid Snow mattress, she was “instantly impressed” by how the mattress lived up to its claims for being great for back pain. After over a year of sleeping on it, she stands by the fact that it really is as “supportive and cooling” as the brand says it is—and wakes up with far less back pain than when she goes to sleep. “It’s like I hit a reset button on my spine.”
The brand’s name says it all: You’re about to be on cloud nine, courtesy of the brand’s top-rated, super-luxe hybrid mattresses. Right now, all-DreamCloud-everything is 25% off sitewide, with $599 worth of free accessories (including pillows, a sheet set, and a protector) thrown in with your mattress purchase, no code necessary.
Considering all of its perks (a cashmere Euro top, three layers of supportive foam, a one-year trial), it’s something of a miracle that you can snag this mattress for less than $1,200. “After years of sleeping poorly, this bed has really made a huge difference,” one reviewer writes. “My husband and I don’t wake each other up constantly from rolling over and bouncing the other person every time we move.”
Curious about the gel-grid Purple mattress? Now’s your time to find out why it’s so popular. Every option is up to $300 off at checkout right now, and they all come with a 10-year warranty and a 100-night trial. And if you’re ready to trick out your bedroom, the brand’s adjustable bases are $500 off, too.
Purple’s Plus mattress offers a medium feel that expertly walks the line between plushness and support—and it’s earned thousands of five-star reviews and counting. One shopper says sleeping on this bed is “like floating on air,” and “we had previously purchased four other mattresses from a variety of manufacturers but [this] beats them hands down.”
Not to be outdone by the competition, Nectar’s Cyber Monday sale is a doozy: 33% off everything. When you buy a mattress, you can also opt to add $499 worth of bedding and pillows to your order for just $99 more. Prepare for the best eight hours of your life.
“This was my first time investing in a mattress on my own and I have zero regrets,” Glamour commerce writer Andrea Navarro says of her Nectar mattress. “While this one is soft, it’s not flimsy by any means.” Is she tempted by other, flashier brands? Nope: “There’s no looking back.”
As we’ve come to expect this time of year, Helix is holding a tiered sale—and it’s the brand’s biggest one ever. With a bevy of promo codes, you can score anywhere from $150 off orders of $600 or more to $450 off orders of $2,950 or more. You’ll also get two free Dream pillows with your purchase, so you can finally retire your lumpy set.
It’s worth splurging on an upgraded Helix mattress, according to reviewers. It’s “the kind of mattress that gives you a good night’s sleep every night,” one reports. “Hands down the best purchase we made this year.”
Although you can find Leesa at larger furniture retailers, you probably won’t come across deals as good as the ones on its own website. The Cyber Monday sale is offering up to up to $700 off mattresses, plus—stop us if this sounds familiar—two free down-alternative pillows with your purchase.
Sometimes the best mattresses are the ones you don’t even think of. Leesa’s Original foam mattress is one of those. Abbas sleeps on this soft but still supportive mattress at her boyfriend’s family’s house and “[loves] how adaptive and pressure-relieving it is”—especially on her lower back “after hours of sitting on a tiny counter stool doing work.”
For a limited time, all of Tuft & Needle’s bed-in-a-box essentials are on sale, with savings of up to $750 on its most premium options. (Sleep accessories are also 25% off.) We suggest starting your search with the Mint (a solid option if you’re looking for something plush but supportive for two separate sleepers) and the Original (a great choice if you prefer your mattress firm and below $1,000).
Glamour commerce writer Jake Smith has slept on a Tuft & Needle Original mattress practically every night since 2019, and he says it’s holding up nicely: “Lots of brands claim to be that perfect mix of soft and supportive, but Tuft & Needle actually nails it. I really do look forward to passing out on it every night.”
Cocoon, Sealy’s answer to the many mattress startups that have popped up in the past few years, is a worthy competitor. It’s got a single mattress done two ways—the first with all memory foam and the second with springs for a bouncier feel—and it features a cooling cover that’ll keep hot sleepers from tossing and turning all night. The brand is running its biggest sale ever through Monday: 35% off mattresses, saving you up to $700. You’ll also get free pillows and sheets, just because.
“After a lot of online reading and hunting down the fine print so there are no surprises, I selected Cocoon,” a reviewer explains. “The chill memory foam technology was a no-brainer, and the firmness was found to be perfectly balanced for my comfort level. It’s a beautiful thing to not be sweaty while trying to sleep.”
One of Amazon’s most popular bedding brands, Zinus is already one of the cheaper mattress brands available anywhere. Thanks to a flash sale, select options (including pressure-relief memory foam for under-$350) are now going for even less. Who needs to shop in-store?
Shoppers are blown away by how well Zinus mattresses perform, given the astoundingly low prices. “What a wonderful product,” one raves. “That’s the third Zinus-brand mattress we have bought so far, and we’ve never had any issues. I can highly recommend it. Great value for a small price.”
Through December 6, five of Serta’s most popular beds are marked down, helping you save up to $800 on your purchase. If you run hot or live somewhere that relies on AC to function, their cooling tech is about to become your best friend.
“The Serta Arctic is just the most game-changing mattress in my life,” explains one reviewer who splurged on the brand’s most cooling model. “The amazing cooling system allows me to sleep through the night without waking from night sweats. Over and over, I am waking up rested and just happier.”
Layla’s mattresses let you choose between a softer side and a firmer side, depending on how much cushioning and pressure relief you like. To sweeten the deal, you can also save up to $200 at the brand’s Cyber Monday sale, plus pick up two of its legendary pillows on the house.
This dual-sided mattress, Layla’s least expensive, is “just solid, comfortable support and a wonderful place to rest,” one reviewer writes. “It’s also so great how there is no noise from the mattress or the bed frame.”
Tempur-Pedic is one of the OGs in the mattress game, so you know you can trust the brand to deliver on the promise of good shut-eye. No matter your sleeping position—even you, side sleepers—you’re guaranteed to find a favorite at its Black Friday-Cyber Monday sale, with up to 40% off select mattresses and $500 off bedding sets.
Peruse the reviews for this extra-supportive mattress and the word “best” will start to stick out: “best sleep ever,” “best investment ever,” and “best bed in a box.” That’s enough to sell us on anything let alone a bed from one of the most trusted names in the business.
Birch, Helix’s eco-friendly, organic mattress brand, is currently offering $400 off all mattresses, plus two free pillows. You’ll also get a 100-night trial period and a generous return policy, just in case your mattress purchase doesn’t live up to expectations.
“The quality of it is amazing, and knowing that the materials used to make it are eco-friendly is a major added bonus,” a reviewer says. Another note from shoppers: It’s worth investing in the plush mattress topper if you like to feel like you’re resting on a cloud.
Queen-size beds start at just $336 (!!!) at Allswell’s hefty Cyber Monday mattress sale, thanks to a 25% sitewide discount. The brand makes hybrid mattresses that mix memory foam and coils, providing a soft feel that won’t have you sinking too far into your bed. The brand is also offering free shipping on orders of $35 or more.
What can you look forward to when you purchase the brand’s most affordable mattress? “Fast delivery [and] great quality,” according to one reviewer. And once it’s out of the box, it’s “firm and very comfortable”—so you don’t have to lose sleep over whether or not your investment was worth it.
Save $450 on every single one of Amerisleep’s trio of internet-famous mattresses at the brand’s Cyber Monday sale. (You’ll sleep so much easier having spared all that cash.)
The AS2 Hybrid is Amerisleep’s best value, but it doesn’t skimp on any of the extras: You’ll get a cooling cover, multiple layers of foam for plushness, coils for bounce, and an industry-best 20-year warranty. “We sleep like babies on this bed,” one reviewer says. “We’ve had it for a few years now and it’s kept its shape and firmness, which is highly appreciated.”
All of Saatva’s luxe, eco-friendly options are on sale at the moment, making this the perfect time to revamp your room (and every other bedroom in the house). There’s something for everyone, from plush-top innerspring mattresses to medium-firm beds with impressive cooling. Just be ready to ditch your mattress topper; the brand’s pillow-top-like options are dreamily soft out of the box.
Saatva shoppers love that you can choose three from different feels (plush soft, luxury firm, and firm) when ordering the Classic mattress. “After a few days of sleeping on the Saatva plush soft, my pain is gone. My sleep is deeper and much more peaceful,” one reviewer writes. “I really have a hard time getting out of bed each morning. That is how comfortable it is.”
If you care just as much about the environmental impact of your mattress as you do its cushiness, hit up Avocado this Cyber Week. The eco-minded brand makes beds (and a bevy of other sleep products) with certified organic materials, and everything is an extra 10% off right now. That translates to up to $880 off your pick.
Navarro’s mother’s home is stocked with Avocado mattresses in each bedroom, and “I love getting to sleep on this cloud-like mattress whenever I visit her,” she says. Another perk: This is “one of the few sustainable options on the market,” making the brand even easier to love.
WinkBeds’ slickly engineered (and editor-beloved) mattresses, from twins to California kings, are all $300 off through the rest of Cyber Monday. To claim the deal, all you need to do is enter your email address and get shopping.
Why invest in the WinkBed? First, the brand offers “really amazingly outstanding customer service,” one shopper says, which helped their shipment arrive at the right time. Oh, and the actual bed is “the most wonderful mattress ever slept on—like sleeping on fluffy softness with a supported position.”
You can get $300 off any Awara mattress and also receive $499 worth of sheets, pillows, and mattress protectors included with your purchase for no additional charge. As if that weren’t enough, the brand will also plant 10 trees for each sale.
This mattress combines natural latex, premium wool, and organic cotton, perfect for shoppers who prefer a mattress that isn’t stuffed with foam. But it’s so much cheaper than you might expect for that pedigree. It offers “just the right level of support. In fact, I was surprised at how well it adapted to the curves of my body,” one shopper reports. “Also, the temperature is great. No overheating.”
Bear’s biggest sale ever wraps up today, but you still have plenty of hours to enjoy 35% off of everything. On top of that hefty discount, your new memory foam or hybrid mattress also comes with $325 of extra sleep accessories (pillows, a sheet set, and a mattress protector) for free.
Bear’s signature mattress doesn’t even crack $1,000 on a normal day, but it’s currently on mega-sale for Cyber Monday. “I am sleeping better than ever,” one reviewer says of their life post-Bear Original. “I have so much more energy, my back doesn’t hurt when I wake up—I could keep going.”
Nolah is standing out from the crowd with an extra-steep discount: up to $700 off of every single mattress, from its best-selling memory foam bed to its hypoallergenic natural-latex option. And as with plenty of other sales, you’ll also walk away with two free pillows.
Another foam-free option, Nolah’s natural mattress is wrapped in a breathable cotton cover and supports your body with a combination of coils and latex. “It’s well-constructed, comfortable, and environmentally friendly, and you can barely feel motion if someone moves,” one reviewer says. “I wouldn’t hesitate to buy one again.”
Newcomers aren’t doing it for you? Go with one of the legends: Mattress Firm. To keep up with the competition, the multi-brand retailer is handing out Cyber Monday discounts of up to 60% off sitewide, plus two complimentary bedding items on qualifying purchases with code 2FREE.
Looking for a budget-friendly mattress for a first apartment or a guest room? Kick off your search with Sleepy’s Basic mattress, which is on sale for $200. It’s earned nearly 3,000 five-star reviews, including one from a shopper who is “pleasantly surprised that this mattress is so unbelievably awesome.”
You know Parachute for its sheets, but did you know it’s also home to a luxe mattress? Its bed is constructed with organic ingredients, New Zealand wool, and absolutely no foam—and just like everything else at the site this weekend, it’s a slick 20% off.
“We got two of these for our guest room, and I often look for an excuse to sleep in there,” a reviewer says. “They’re the right balance of firm and plush top.” And as a bonus, the brand’s sheets are practically tailor-made for its mattress.
If the more expensive options are out of your price range but you’re still looking for a mattress with longevity, check out Brooklyn Bedding. The brand specializes in high-quality beds without the markup, and all of them are a cool 30% off right this moment.
The brand’s Signature mattress comes in all the standard sizes, plus dimensions that allow you to upgrade the beds in campers and RVs. “We found this mattress to be very comfortable for both of us,” reports a reviewer who put one in a camper, “so much so that we purchased the same mattress for our house.”
Break up with your current bed—Floyd is here to treat you better. The brand’s plush mattress looks just as good as it feels, and it almost never goes on sale. Don’t let Cyber Week pass by without at least considering a Floyd-led bedroom revamp (and make sure you also check out the brand’s Cyber Monday furniture deals, since its gorgeous bed frame is also discounted).
Floyd’s single option may be simple, but it’s by no means disappointing. “It transfers almost no motion. It supports the different parts of your body perfectly and seems to adjust to what each part needs,” one reviewer reports. “I used to think I had a bad back or bad posture or something because I always had back pain. It turns out I was just sleeping on a crappy mattress.”
We can all agree that Christmas is the most magical time of the year. Even if you don’t agree, you can see that almost as soon as the clocks turned back, decorations started going up around London turning it into a winter wonderland – with lights, music, markets and a bit of rain (that we can pretend is snow). We can also agree everyone is recording and posting pictures of all the beautiful magical things around town. How fun and exciting would it be to shoot a film during this holiday season? The streets are full of people and decorations. Don’t be a scrooge, grab your camera, or even your phone, and start shooting at some of these enchanting spots right here in London.
Ian Macpherson London / Alamy Stock Photo
Light displays in London
Oxford Street is a well known shopping street, and this time of year it’s decked in stunning Christmas lights all around
Regent Street is one of the largest light shows in the country and includes a stunning golden angel
Winterlight at Southbank Centre in South London is a cultural hotspot, they have an open-air exhibition with talents from around the world. This show pushes boundaries about issues in life, technology, and nature with the use of lights and film.
Getty images
Christmas Markets in London
Covent Garden is a lovely place where you can find a Christmas sandwich festival, late-night shopping, and even “snow” once the festive season gets started.
Sparkle in the Park in Greenwich where you’ll find lights, fire art, interactive pieces, and even food, drinks and live music.
Getty images
Winter market at Bows Arts is good for all ages, with locally made gifts and of course food, drinks, and stunning lights.
Christmas at Kew Gardens is beautiful. This is a good time to walk under the stars and have a fresh look at the stunning greenery with lights and street food.
Churchill Arms, a pub in Kensington, is the most decorated pub you will find.
Richard Haughton
Grab a hot chocolate or mulled wine and head to Central London where you will find even more markets lights and food in Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, The Angel, London Bridge, Kingston, Kings Cross, and the list goes on, so don’t miss your chance to capture and experience all these amazing places that can be featured in your films.
I’m 23 years old from Tulsa Oklahoma, involved in athletics and arts since I was young.
I’ve volunteered at art centers, theaters and small festivals back home.
I went to school for cosmetology. After graduation I worked in a spa and salon behind the chair doing hair, makeup and nails. I am one of the interns at Raindance. My goal is to be involved in marketing and filmmaking from styling hair and makeup for actors on set to editing clips behind the scenes.
The advisory group is made up of Guelph Mayor Cam Guthrie and Shakiba Shayani, president of the Guelph Chamber of Commerce as co-chairs.
The group also consists of MP Lloyd Longfield, MPP Mike Schreiner, Chief of Police Gord Cobey, directors of front-line service agencies, and staff from the County of Wellington.
In a news release, the operational plan consists of six priorities: accelerating permanent supportive housing, expanding daytime and overnight services and facilities, enhancing safety, strengthening resilience and prevention, making changes for acute needs, and advocating for policy and system change (including funding from upper levels of government).
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“We know there are individuals in our downtown and across the city who are suffering from mental health, substance abuse, and homelessness,” said Shayani.
“That’s having a negative impact on businesses and others accessing our downtown.”
Shayani added that waiting for the perfect solution isn’t an option.
“We believe that the community deserves better and we have a role in finding solutions,” said Shayani. “There are amazing businesses, activities, and communities in downtown Guelph. That includes those who have a diverse background and experiences.”
The plan will also further guide the group in developing detailed activities and tasks to be shared with the public.
“The Advisory Group remains focused on tangible actions to address the issues facing people our downtown core,” Guthrie said. “We’ll keep city council, other levels of government, and the community updated on plans to unite around these stated short, medium, and long term steps, and our progress.”
Shayani said the group has set some immediate and long-term goals.
“In the short term, it’s really about meeting some immediate and acute challenges, and finding effective ways to work together as service providers,” said Shayani.
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“In the medium and long-term, we want to focus on system redesign. What will it take for us to redesign the system of social services and health care services for folks?”
For more information on the mayor’s task force and the advisory group, and to keep up to date on their progress, visit their page at guelph.ca.
Man highlights lack of options for homeless pet owners
As a series of nationwide anti-COVID lockdown protests roil China this weekend, Twitter users were finding it difficult to search for information on the social media platform due to an explosion in pornographic spam.
While protestors were taking to the streets in Beijing and Shanghai to decry the COVID restrictions and rolling lockdowns, a digital bot army roared into gear on Twitter, with a phalanx of long-dormant Chinese language accounts suddenly tweeting links to escort services and other adult content.
Several prominent China journalists and observers trying to track the spontaneous protest movement on Twitter complained about the deluge of spam pornographic content making it difficult to search for information on particular cities.
#武汉 Chinese net censors at attacking this Twitter tag by posting great numbers of sexy photos to distract people from Wuhan protests? Or just to jam the channel?
Bloomberg‘s Rebecca Choong Wilkins tweeted, “Twitter is being flooded with spam posts that make it harder to discover content about the protests breaking out across China.”
“The posts, many of which are sexually explicit, use hashtags referring to Shanghai and other Chinese cities,” Choong Wilkins added.
Twitter is being flooded with spam posts that make it harder to discover content about the protests breaking out across China. The posts, many of which are sexually explicit, use hashtags referring to Shanghai and other Chinese cities.
Air-Moving Device, a Twitter account that tracks China news, tweeted that possible automated Chinese language spam accounts were inundating Twitter’s latest news function. “Search for Beijing/Shanghai/other cities in Chinese on Twitter and you’ll mostly see ads for escorts/porn/gambling, drowning out legitimate search results. Data analysis in this thread suggests that there has been a significant uptick in these spam tweets.”
Thread: Search for Beijing/Shanghai/other cities in Chinese on Twitter and you’ll mostly see ads for escorts/porn/gambling, drowning out legitimate search results. Data analysis in this thread suggests that there has been a *significant* uptick in these spam tweets. pic.twitter.com/Ao46g2ILzf
Twitter, along with other international social media services like Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram, is blocked by Beijing’s internet censors within Mainland China itself, although some Chinese users access the platform via VPNs.
The China protests come at a time when Twitter’s content and moderation teams have been pared back drastically following Elon Musk’s $44 billion takeover of the social media giant. An exodus of staff at Twitter has seen the overall headcount drop from roughly 7,500 to 2,000, according to various reports.
“All the China influence operations and analysts at Twitter all resigned,” an ex-Twitter employee told the Washington Post.
search the name of any major ??city in Chinese: 北京 上海 南京 郑州 兰州 etc and you’ll see thousands of nsfw escort ads. While similar ads exist for years, they weren’t being shared with the same frequency as seen in the last 24h since mass protests broke out. see also: https://t.co/xJzYEO1jHf
Note: The following contains spoilers for “The White Lotus” season 2 episode 5.
“The White Lotus” Season 2 enters a new realm of tension in its fifth episode, when Tanya and Portia’s trip to Palermo unveils a well-kept secret between their new, seemingly easygoing friends Quentin and Jack.
“I think you are definitely supposed to to ask yourself questions,” Leo Woodall told TheWrap. “There’s supposed to be many question marks floating around at the end of Episode 5.”
After a flirty fling develops between Portia and Jack as the pair explore the streets of Palermo and Tanya and Quentin bond over an emotional connection to “Madame Butterfly,” each pair returns to the extravagant villa and Jack slips away from Portia after Quentin and Tanya call it a night on lamenting their conflicting thoughts about love and marriage.
However, when Tanya awakens to noise from another room in the villa, she uncovers a layer of deviance within the so-called family when she catches an illicit sexual moment between Jack and Quentin.
The sight immediately sparks a slew of questions for Tanya — and the audience — who begins to question everything they thought they knew about Quentin and Jack.
“Everyone has their own agenda,” Tom Hollander told TheWrap. “Is Jack a grifter? Is Jack even a nephew? How much is abuse and how much is is a sort of transactional consensual arrangement is up for debate.”
When Portia first meets Jack, her arrival captivates the British lad, who has grown tiresome of the company of his uncle and his uncle’s friends on his two-month long vacation — which he admits “is alright if you don’t mind a bunch of gays grabbing your ass and copping a feel.”
Though Hollander admits “people lose their bearings on holidays sometimes,” it’s clear whatever arrangement that transpires between the two men is not new — and has been unaffected by the men’s relationships with Tanya and Portia.
“As the story develops, what’s real and what isn’t real all becomes increasingly blurred for everyone in the story for all the characters,” Hollander said. “It’s a hall of mirrors, that house in Palermo.”
Ahead of the ceremony, Kujawski and Cassidy spoke to THR about how their time in NYC shaped their approach to film and why Focus has endured.
What does it mean to be honored by the Gotham Awards?
PETER KUJAWSKI We both came up in the New York film business, and this is an incredibly meaningful community to us. This award maybe has our individual names on it but has much more to do with Focus as a whole.
JASON CASSIDY Many of the folks who have won this award before are such big parts of the business, it’s gratifying being part of that conversation.
What role did the city have in your careers?
KUJAWSKI New York is where I found my passions, and my first mentor in James Schamus. In the early days of Focus, as a New York-based company, I think it was fueled by that energy and ethos that is always present in New York. That still fuels what we do — that sense of possibility, energy and being a little bit separate from the day-to-day of the Hollywood film business — into something that is driven by that kind of artist-first point of view.
CASSIDY It’s such a vibrant city that you feel like you’re part of bold ideas, fresh voices, new perspectives. Certainly the independent film scene was very much reflective of that, so it really opens your eyes to the possibilities of what cinema can be.
CASSIDY Those are just two great movies from two very unique filmmakers, which is exactly the reason why we’re in this business.
KUJAWSKI Both films, in their own ways, are actively looking at power structures of the modern world and asking audiences to think about and discuss that, and that’s always an ethos that we care a ton about, which is getting a cultural conversation going.
CASSIDY It’s about getting people out talking about movies in the world. Getting audiences in theaters is the best way to do that, but at the same time, bringing in PVOD, you’re able to give the consumer choices. If they can’t make it to the theater, they can see it later, and that’s been a robust part of the business for us.
KUJAWSKI We know and are grateful that we’re part of an amazing, larger company. The level of support and encouragement that we get from [Universal chairman] Donna Langley to take bold bets on filmmakers who are saying something meaningful, different and unique, that’s just good fortune. If you’re willing to take a swing on the kind of story that feels like something you’ve never seen onscreen before, the kind of point of view that pushes boundaries and asks more questions than gives answers, there’s an audience who wants those movies.
Interview edited for length and clarity.
This story first appeared in the Nov. 21 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
Navya Naveli Nanda’s podcast What The Hell Navya is all the rage right now. With the three generations of the Bachchan family spilling some never heard before secrets of their lustrous clan. Following that trajectory, the latest episode of Navya’s maiden podcast saw Navya’s mother Shweta opening up about Abhishek Bachchan’s skills of diffusing tensions at home.
Navya Nanda shared in her latest episode that the Bachchan household is quite blunt with their opinions about each other. She explained, “Our families have created an environment for us where we are heard, we can voice our opinion, and talk about things. I think that is great. We do not hold back on giving our opinions on absolutely everything and everyone takes it in stride.”
Following this disclosure, Jaya Bachchan quipped that she was quite oblivious to ‘a lot of drama’ at the dining table the other night. To this, Shweta recalled, “Naani had a bit of a…” when Jaya cut her in between and stated, “We had a discussion and then maamu (Abhishek Bachchan) started playing music and was saying, ‘Play this music for mumma Shwet Di’.He always does that, whenever he sees tension rising, he starts playing music. It is not even calming music. It’s always some house tech music.”
On the professional front, Abhishek Bachchan was recently seen in a gripping OTT series. Reprising their roles, the Amazon Original series Breathe: Into The Shadows 2 starred Abhishek Bachchan, Amit Sadh, Nithya Menen, Saiyami Kher, Ivana Kaur, with Naveen Kasturia joining the sequel in a pivotal role. Director Mayank Sharma has also co-written the new season of Breathe: Into The Shadows with Arshad Syed, Vikram Tuli, Priya Saggi, and Abhijeet Deshpande.
Warning:This article contains mentions of sexual assault.
Twitter is defending Kesha after Kim Petras has once again come under fire for her association with disliked hitmaker Dr. Luke. The singer, who recently scored her first number-one single on the Billboard Top 100 charts with “Unholy,” a collaboration with Sam Smith, went on Twitter to make a few shady tweets which she quickly deleted after receiving backlash.
The drama started when Petras posted “get talented or good at anything then talk to me” seemingly unprompted and one user replied, “stop defending dr luke first then.” Petras did not take kindly to the criticism and quickly retorted that “5000000 ppl work with him why y’all only coming at me. I have nothing to say or be ashamed of at all. go away.” She swiftly deleted the tweet but the internet was faster and screenshots rapidly filled Twitter.
Kesha, who previously collaborated with Dr. Luke on her first few albums, accused the producer of sexual assault in 2014 and received widespread support from fans and other artists. Dr. Luke denied the accusations and has since filed an ongoing defamation lawsuit against Kesha which will go to trial early next year.
The internet continues to be very much on Kesha’s side and the hashtag “FreeKesha” began trending after Twitter users became aware of Petras’ tweets, with users also using the secondary hashtag “MuteDrLuke.”
Many Petras fans simultaneously support Kesha while enjoying Petras’ music and were hopeful that Petras was cutting ties with the producer after her most recent single “If Jesus Was a Rockstar” didn’t feature Dr. Luke. The singer has faced backlash multiple times in her career for her association with the disliked producer as the majority of her discography credits Dr. Luke or one of his many aliases, like Made in China or Tyson Trax.
While the tweets were certainly shady, Petras (or her hacker, as her team is reporting) may have a point about the hypocrisy of her fans continually calling her out for working with Dr. Luke when multiple popular artists also continue to work with the producer. His career certainly slowed down after Kesha’s accusations first surfaced but over time, the music industry seems to have accepted Dr. Luke once again, and in the past few years, he’s been a part of hits like Doja Cat’s “Say So” and Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl.”
Artists like Doja Cat do face backlash for their work with the alleged rapist as well but not to the extent of Petras. Just last year, Doja Cat said she would not work with Dr. Luke going forward and has liked tweets implying that she was forced to work with the producer for contractual reasons. While Petras might be in a similar situation, it appears fans believe she is choosing to work with the producer, and criticism over their collaborations will likely continue as long as the two work together.
Haley Lu Richardson and Leo Woodall Photo: Courtesy of HBO
Have you picked up your jaw from the floor? That’s where mine was when Mike White finally revealed the twist we all should’ve seen coming. After all, for a “naughty nephew,” Jack (Leo Woodall) was, perhaps, too odd of a guest in Quentin’s (Tom Hollander) gay-filled yacht and palazzo. And if the impact of that final scene gets to be blunted by the way we get to refer to it as “this season’s rimming reveal,” there’s no denying writer-director Mike White made sure to make it as operatic (and eye-searing) as he could be. Almost as if he’d heard complaints about the way that season one Armond moment was (how shall we put it?) a tad too demure for the sex position it was depicting. Because boy did he deliver on this front (or, back, I guess) this time around.
I was almost tempted to write “Poor Portia” (Haley Lu Richardson) but for someone who’s so online and who’s clearly been reveling on how few fucks Jack gives, she’s probably primed to be endlessly more understanding about this, ahem, arrangement than anyone else on the show. That’s definitely not the case for Tanya (Jennifer Coolidge), who truly felt like she’d seen a ghost. Or something even more terrifying. But we’ll see. Might this be a condom wrapper moment where Tanya keeps the news to herself? Or will she try to steer Portia away from Quentin’s “beauty”? As with most other things this episode, whatever Tanya and Portia and Jack and Quentin decide to do will rest on how much importance they place on things like “propriety” and “tradition.” And, also, how much they value, say, open communication over lurid secrecy. How much does Jack owe, after all, a pretty girl he’s just met? Not all of us can be open books eager to be read like Tanya.
I will say, this was probably the jolt I needed to finally be back on the Tanya train. Coolidge made this Puccini opera protagonist the reason to watch The White Lotusseason one. And it made sense to thread this second season around another of her adventures. But there’s no denying the other Sicily guests have become the real scene-stealers this season (Aubrey Plaza’s Harper being right up there at the top of the list). All while Tanya’s heartbreak and kooky ideas about tarot readers, spas for poor women, finger foods, and her current husband have been hilarious, yes, but a tad footnote-y to the main thrust of the show. That is, of course, until these various thrusts she just witnessed after having arguably one of the most entrancing conversation about life and beauty with Quentin (Tom Hollander) we’ve seen yet.
Meanwhile, across town, Harper, Ethan (Will Sharpe), Cameron (Theo James), and Daphne (Meghann Fahy) went out for the most awkward wine tasting adventure you can imagine. Throwing caution to the wind and having learned her husband had lied to her the night before (though he insists he actually didn’t do anything with those “hookers” he and Cam had brought back to their room, he promises!), Harper went on an all out passive aggressive campaign. Watching Plaza navigate the way Harper is enjoying holding Ethan and Cameron in her thrall (the latter even eyeing her and touching her legs under the table!) all while trying to be indignant about their behavior was a masterclass.
Then again, I don’t think anyone expected us to see Ethan turn out to be such a natural when dropping scathing reads on his friends. To call out Cameron for suffering from “mimetic desire” (“I was smarter. Maybe you thought sleeping with women I had a connection with would make you smarter.” Ouch) is an A-plus move—especially when Cameron has been less than shy in showing how much he’s into Harper to begin with. But the exchange was a reminder that, perhaps, the single most important theme of this season is the way these characters can never escape the fact that they only grasp sex as a transaction.
Michael ImperioliPhoto: Courtesy of HBO
Sure, that’s clearer to observe in Lucia (Simona Tabasco), who’s playing Albie like a fiddle, and Mia (Beatrice Grannò), who offered herself to Valentina in exchange for two nights at the piano. But it’s everywhere in the way these Americans in Sicily understand how they can relate to one another in bed; and that was all before we knew Jack and Quentin’s uncle/naughty nephew dynamic was decidedly more R-rated than at first glance.
It explains why Quentin leaves us with Gore Vidal’s line: “I can understand companionship. I can understand bored sex in the afternoon. But I cannot understand the love affair.” Love, after all, necessarily requires doing away with any kind of transactional dynamic. It’s what Bert (F. Murray Abraham) thought he had with his wife (and why she stayed with him, he argues, despite knowing of his affairs). And why Dominic so regrets how he let his relationship with his wife (voiced by Laura Dern, no less) sour so and why he’s now so sensitive about letting escorts like Lucia and Mia into his (and now Albie’s) life. What does love look like in 2022 in Sicily? Well, we’re seeing how such a question is harder to answer—even when the song Mia sings at the restaurant (“That’s Amore”) makes it feels so self-evident. Even if we all know it’s anything but.
Stray observations
Is Daphne’s entire bubbly persona just an act? And if it is an act, is it an act of desperation? Of self-preservation? Of survival? The moment she shows Harper a photo of her kids on her phone (while claiming to be looking to show off “her trainer”) felt particularly calculated in its ditziness, almost as if she knew what she was doing, telling Harper in no uncertain terms why she stayed with Cameron. White’s been getting fabulous performances from all his ensemble but it’s been Fahy who’s been sneaking in with one of the most revelatory portrayals on the show.
Who can hook me up with some “healthy wine” from Mount Etna?
Oh Albie. I now worry he’s not only going to get his heart broken but his entire savings stolen…
I could write an entire piece on White’s decision to turn crashing waves into the visual leitmotif of the season (series?); here is nature at its most violent yet also its most beautiful. There’s a forcefulness that feels weighted yet also ethereal. One that speaks to an inevitability; waves will crash and crash and crash…you can’t escape from them, can only learn to avoid them, or ride them, or maybe just get washed over by them. Oh, that’s before you begin to see how he’s often used them as stand-ins for orgiastic pleasures…. See? So many meanings! So little time to unpack them all!
Speaking of overdetermined meanings: What should we make of White having Tanya sit through Puccini’s Madama Butterfly? Is this yet another clue for who’s gonna bite it by the end of the week? Tanya did say she sort of understood where Cio-Cio-San was coming from when she decided to kill herself….
The Masked Singer season 8 contestants, the Lambs, will make history on finale night. The Lambs impressed the panelists, Robin Thicke, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, and Nicole Scherzinger, as they made songs their own with their incredible harmonies. In their debut performance on Muppets Night, they sang a rousing rendition of “Hot N Cold” by Katy Perry. They then dethroned the reigning Queen of The Masked Singer, Kat Graham (Robo Girl) in the Battle Royale, singing a powerful version of “Call Me” by Blondie.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
The following week, the Lambs earned their spot in the semi-finals by defeating Le’Veon Bell (Milkshake) in the ’90s Night Battle Royale, singing “What Is Love” by Haddaway after their beautiful rendition of “Ironic” by Alanis Morissette. During the semi-finals, the Lambs sang “Need You Now” by Lady A. They later took on Harp and Snowstorm, singing “Since U Been Gone” by Kelly Clarkson in the Battle Royale. Snowstorm was revealed to be Nikki Glaser, and Harp and the Lambs moved on to the season finale. Although the panelists have guessed several different girl groups might be the Lambs, fans agree with Robin that they are most likely legendary pop group Wilson Phillips.
The Lambs Are Making Masked Singer History As The First Group In The Finale
As the Lambs compete in The Masked Singer season 8 finale, they are making history. They are the first group to make it into the finale. Although a few other groups have participated in the show before, the Lambs have made it further than any of them by making it to the semi-finals and now the finale. Hanson (Russian Dolls) made it to fifth place in season 5, while En Vogue (Queen Cobras) took fourth place in season 7. In season 8, The Brady Bunch brothers, Barry Williams (Greg), Christopher Knight (Peter), and Mike Lookinland (Bobby) took seventeenth place.
The Lambs Are Making Masked Singer History In An All-Female Finale
Since The Masked Singer began, most seasons have featured three acts in the finale. Like season 8, season 6 will have two acts in the finale. The Masked Singer season 8 is the first finale in which only women will compete. In season 1, T-Pain (Monster) won against Donny Osmond (Peacock) and Gladys Knight (Bee). Season 2 winner Wayne Brady (Fox) beat Chris Daughtry (Rottweiler) and Adrienne Bailon (Flamingo). In season 3, Kandi Burruss (Night Angel) defeated Jesse McCartney (Turtle) and Bow Wow (Frog). Season 4 champion LeAnn RImes (Sun) shone brightly over Aloe Blacc (Mushroom) and Nick Carter (Crocodile).
In The Masked Singer season 5, Nick Lachey (Piglet) won against JoJo (Black Swan) and Wiz Khalifa (Chameleon). Season 6 winner Jewel (Queen of Hearts) beat Todrick Hall (Bull). And in season 7, Teyana Taylor (Firefly) took home the Golden Mask Trophy over Hayley Orrantia (Ringmaster) and Cheyenne Jackson (Prince). In season 8, Nikki Glaser (Snowstorm) took third place, making the top 3 all women for the first time in Masked Singer history.
The Lambs are one of the greatest acts ever to grace The Masked Singer stage. They are making history for two important reasons. The Masked Singer fans cannot wait to see who the Lambs are during the finale. Whether they are the runners-up or the champions, the Lambs have already won The Masked Singer season 8.
The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on FOX.
