We love subtle ways of keeping our makeup fresh, whether that’s the adorable W Blush technique, cute lip wings, or the tear duct liner that we keep spotting cropping up on some of our favorite celebs.
Following on from the siren eyes trend which emphasizes a sultry, elongated eye shape, tear duct liner is having a moment. Like its name suggests, liner is concentrated into a point right in the inner eye corner, along the tear duct to create more of a feline effect.
Of course, lining right up to the tear duct is not exactly new, but this trend takes the look a step further, accentuating the accent with stand out colors, or a disconnected statement slash, or even just extending it out a little further for maximum impact.
Actress Hailee Steinfeld jumped on the trend this week with a disconnected scarlet tear duct liner that was mirrored on the outer wing, created by her makeup artist, Carolina Gonzalez. The rest of her makeup was kept simple and minimal to let the dinky accent pop. And, she co-ordinated the whole look with a matching scarlet outfit and a flirty Pammy updo.
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
Makeup artist, Nikki Makeup, created a beautifully slick extended tear duct liner for model Precious Lee for a subtle, but effective take on the trend that’s so easy to recreate at home.
Instagram content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
The Kardashians star Kim Kardashian is getting backlash from fans, because she dressed North West up as Michael Jackson for Halloween.
The Kardashians celebs know how to make statements with their Halloween costumes, but Kim Kardashian is getting quite a bit of shade for dressing North West as Michael Jackson on October 31, 2022. Halloween has to be one of the Kar-Jenners’ favorite times of the year. Members of the famous family usually go all out with their costumes, and this year was no different. Kim was seen in her dazzling Mystique outfit, inspired by X-Men, while Kendall Jenner opted for a Jessie costume. Jessie is a character from the Toy Story franchise. Meanwhile, Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker were seen as horror film character Chucky and his bride, Tiffany Valentine. Kim’s four children dressed as different musicians. However, only North’s costume seemed to trigger some fans.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
Kim’s children wore Aaliyah, Sade, Snoop Dogg, and Eazy-E costumes. The outfit that stirred up controversy was North’s Michael Jackson costume. According to Kim‘s IG Stories, she donned the actual Off-White cap that the late Michael once wore. She completed the ensemble with a black leather jacket, matching pants, and a white t-shirt. Smudges of Michael Jackson’s makeup appeared to be visible on the “Smooth Criminal” hat. Apparently, Kim bought the hat for North at an auction back in 2019, along with a jacket that the King of Pop had used. The garment was altered for North, in such a way that it could be modified to fit her as she grew.
A fan found it unfair that Michael Jackson’s kids couldn’t own this important piece of clothing, which had been worn by their dad. Instead, they had to see North wearing it as a Halloween costume. Other fans pointed out that owning (or borrowing) clothing and accessories from icons who passed away isn’t something new for Kim. A commenter stated that Kim had once worn a Marilyn Monroe dress, and this time, it was North who wore Michael’s well-known hat.
Fans felt that the costume choice was a misfire, as they believed that North probably did not know who she was dressing up as. One person called out Kim, remarking that she should let her kids dress up as whomever they want to portray. They felt it was very obvious that Kim’s children didn’t select their own outfits. In their opinions, this made their Halloween celebration less fun than it could have been. Some critics thought that Kim was trying to get attention, and dressed her kids as musicians just for the sake of publicity.
Since Halloween is over, the controversy should die down soon. Nonetheless, it is very unlikely that viewers’ reactions will stop North from donning the cap from time to time. Since The Kardashians love serving looks for Halloween, fans most likely won’t be seeing North as the King of Pop on October 31, 2023.
If anyone is having a great autumn, it’s Harry Styles.
His Love on Tour jaunt, now in its second leg, boasts a reported running total of $233.5M and it’s still running. It’s the type of tentpole cash that any motion picture studio would envy.
Breaking this down: The singer’s 15-night residency at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which ran from late August to late September, was an anomaly for the venue; the Grammy winner is one of three musical icons to pull off such a feat alongside Billy Joel and Phish. Styles is currently in the throes of another 15-night residency at the Kia Forum in Inglewood, CA.
Styles’ MSG dates together with his six sold-out shows at Moody Center in Austin, Texas have grossed in excess of $76M, not that far from the $85M worldwide running gross of his New Line genre pic Don’t Worry Darling, in which he co-stars. Don’t Worry Darling hits Japan on Nov. 11, moving that pic even closer to a near-century mark global gross.
Getty
And talk about an incoming Styles vortex on streaming in the days ahead: On Friday, the pop icon’s Amazon Studios movie My Policemanfinally hits Prime Video with Don’t Worry Darling debuting on HBO Max on Monday Nov. 7. Don’t be surprised if either OTT services declares some sort of viewership record.
While live performances are the meat and potatoes of the Styles’ machine, a new horizon for the Redditch, Worcestershire, UK native includes his box office prowess. The fact that he helped pull in 73% women of all ages and minted a $19.3M opening for Don’t Worry Darling wasn’t lost on any major studio executive in town. They’re savoring on how they can best that figure by pairing Styles with the right IP moving forward.
And while Don’t Worry Darling alone brought an arsenal of tabloid headlines (they say there’s no such thing as bad publicity), not to be overlooked is Styles’ process and serious intent for the next chapter of his acting career. Quite often it’s assumed that pop icons merely raise their hand and get the part. Or simply ease into a role, read: Madonna in one of her first big screen outings, Desperately Seeking Susan, playing a character quite similar to her onstage persona.
But much like his concert work, there is a great degree of sweat involved in Styles’ landing of parts going back to Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk. On set, sources tell us Styles is so intense, he’s the type of actor who memorizes other castmembers’ lines in a scene. For his turn as the beached soldier Alex in Dunkirk, Styles went through several rounds before he landed the part of one of the soldiers on the beach; Nolan wanting a group of unknown face actors (the 5x Oscar nominated filmmaker was reportedly unaware of the extent of Styles’ fame at the time of casting).
When it came to the Elvis audition, it started out with filmmaker Baz Luhrmann phoning Styles up. Casting knew Styles could sing and dance; reportedly the first song the singer ever recorded was Elvis Presley’s “The Girl of My Best Friend” on a karaoke machine. However, what impressed Warner Bros suits was how much vulnerability he brought to the role. “He’s a sponge and has a keen sense of curiosity,” says a close associate of Styles about what he brings to his prep. “He’s a relentless, insatiable watcher of films, everything from the present and past.”
Luhrmann wound up going with Austin Butler for the title role, telling the Australian radio podcast “Fitzy & Wippa” that he passed on Styles because “He’s already an icon.”
“Over the years, I’ve seen a fair number of rock stars audition for leading roles in films,” former Warner Bros Motion Picture Group Boss Toby Emmerich tells Deadline.
“Usually, it’s very hard for them to shed their onstage persona,” Emmerich continues, “Once in a while, you come across a true rock icon that is just a gifted actor.”
Other names that come to mind include David Bowie, Mick Jagger and, in the pop realm, Frank Sinatra.
“They can disappear into a role and you see the character, not the rock star,” says Emmerich. “That was the case with Lady Gaga in A Star Is Born and that’s what Harry Styles did in his Elvis audition, and why he came to top of mind for the role of Jack in Don’t Worry Darling.”
Shia LaBeouf’s exit from Don’t Worry Darling proved an opportunity for Warners and filmmaker Olivia Wilde to select Styles.
Sure, Styles could have focused on much broader fare that came his way, sources tell us. There were romantic comedy and action movie offers. However, he specifically settled on complex parts in edgy projects, like being a 1950s husband whose hiding something more sinister from his wife in Don’t Worry Darling and essaying a London police officer who is forced to hide his homosexuality in the late 1950s set My Policeman.
“He’s not an actor who wants to play it safe, rather challenge himself,” says another studio insider.
Filmmaker Michael Grandage (center) with My Policeman actors Harry Styles,left, and David Dawson, right, on location in Venice,Italy.
MGC
Adds My Policeman director Michael Grandage, “One thing Harry Styles has is an incredible level of self-knowledge, which is helpful about who he is and where he sits. In the respect of his development as a career, as an actor, he knew he was somebody who needed to gain experience. It was really about through which roles did he gain it.”
The appeal of Don’t Worry Darling for Styles stemmed from its feminist theme of a woman’s determination to discover her own sense of independence; a message which would easily resonate with his fanbase. He was also in awe of the pic’s visual nomenclature which had been meticulously created by Cooke and her production design team, and how he as an actor he could fit into that sphere.
“The character is wearing a mask for a lot of the story, and Harry vacillated between the confidence and unease of that dynamic so delicately and purposefully,” says Don’t Worry Darling screenwriter and producer Katie Silberman. “He approached the character, and the whole story, with so much empathy, and that’s the best kind of person to collaborate with.”
But Styles provided an extra bonus on Don’t Worry Darling.
Silberman explains, “We had written a ‘TBD catchy and recognizable melody’ to be stuck in our main character Alice’s head throughout the story, and we were extremely lucky that Harry wrote a legitimate earworm that did exactly what we’d hoped it would.”
We’re specifically talking about the film’s tune “With You All The Time” which wound up being the pic’s theme song in its trailers and TV spots.
“But beyond the melody, I was most impressed that he wrote a song that captured the character so well,” she adds, “It was amazing to have a collaborator who was a wonderful storyteller in his own right, and who brought that to every element of the process.”
In regards to the small British movie My Policeman, Grandage was surprised to receive a phone call from Styles’ agent. Styles wasn’t even top of mind for the project when Grandage was putting it together. The film tells the story of a love triangle in the late 1950s when homosexuality was illegal in the UK, between a gay museum curator, the married police officer he loves, and the latter’s wife, as well as the relationship’s ramifications forty years later.
You can listen to our full Crew Call conversation with Grandage here:
“On this occasion from Harry’s team, they said we passed this script to him because he is looking for another movie, he really responded to the material,” recalls Grandage.
“It was a very inspiring meeting for me. You probably know but most of the time a director is in a room trying to convince an actor to be in a film. So, it was really interesting being in a room with somebody who had read the novel at least once, I could tell, read the screenplay multiple times, and was talking intelligently about what they wanted to bring to the role of Tom,” exclaims Grandage about Styles.
Why the role of Tom?
Grandage says that Styles was drawn to the part as it entailed him “playing a complex character of somebody who couldn’t really express their emotions.”
“Somebody who was hidden behind themselves almost. Somebody who had almost emotionally shut themselves down from the people and the world they’re in because he was a policeman in a society where it was illegal to be gay. So, basically what do you do in that situation? You pull your card very, very close to your chest and give absolutely nothing away,” adds the director.
“So, he was intrigued about playing an inner life rather than an outer life. That interested him. He was interested in playing something internal where very little was given away. In fact, so little was given away, both (characters) Marion and Patrick found it difficult to read him. That’s the point of the character. The only other point of the character is that you, the audience, have got to believe why two people fell in love with him. So, if they didn’t fall in love with him because of his personality giving stuff out, they must have just fallen in love with him because he’s incredibly beautiful and charismatic to look at. So, a combination of those two factors was something Harry understood straight away. He said the inner life of this character is so interesting because the outer life is sort of shut.”
“I thought, ‘You get him. You completely get him,” says Grandage.
But beyond a mere acting feat, My Policeman meant an even greater deal to Styles as it’s a film that spoke directly to his LGBTQ fanbase. For Styles “being able to connect with (them on) a story that would genuinely mean something and connect and help people understand what it could be like if you start rolling back laws,” emphasizes Grandage.
“That was also incredibly important to him,” adds the director, “being involved in a movie that may well help be part of a bigger debate.”
Styles was engaged in three full weeks of rehearsals before shooting My Policeman.
Says Grandage about working with Styles and the cast, “I wanted all of those discussions, all the rehearsal, even the staging, particularly the intimacy stuff. I wanted all of it to happen in advance. I wanted all of us to have really discussed in some depth about what we wanted to get from the scene, even backstory, coming to the scene, where we’re going.”
Fans wearing themed outfits wait in line for the Harry Styles Love On Tour 2022 concert at Madison Square Garden on August 21, 2022 in New York City. (Courtesy Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Styles hasn’t selected his next feature project yet, sources tell us as he remains busy with Love On Tour into July 2023 with stops such as Sao Paulo, Sydney, Munich, Paris, London, Rome among others. This despite his big tease as Thanos’ brother Star Fox in the epilogue of Marvel’s Eternals last fall.
Until then, thousands of his devotees will continue to line up in feathers and sequins for the next nine months, no matter how many miles they have to travel to see him.
Says a close associate of Styles about the pop icon’s magnetism, “When someone jumps in a car and drives hours across the city to see him, Harry’s in it with them.”
After years of waiting, Taylor Swift is finally going back on tour. It’s been years for both Taylor and her fans.
This latest tour has a twist, though. Entitled the “Eras Tour,” no doubt the show will focus on all of Taylor’s different eras. For fans, this is incredibly exciting and something I’m sure none of us predicted.
The tour won’t kick off until 2023 with the first show happening on March 18, 2023. As a stadium tour, it’s clear Taylor isn’t messing around and knows that her fans will come in droves to see her, and rightfully so.
With a plethora of rotating opening acts such as HAIM, Paramore, Phoebe Bridgers, and Gayle to name a few, it’s clear Taylor isn’t playing around in her return to the touring world. However, what kind of setlist could we end up getting for the tour?
What songs will Taylor Swift perform during her Eras 2023 tour?
For a lot of us Taylor Swift fans, we started off with her first album which is aptly titled, Taylor Swift. However, Taylor is likely poised to only feature the albums she actually owns, and that narrows things down a bit. Even so, there are still plenty of songs to choose from within the eras she technically owns although she should own them all.
Even though Fearless isn’t technically the “first” era Taylor owns, it was originally released in 2008 so I’m starting with that one. As for the songs I feel like she’ll perform from Fearless (Taylor’s Version,) you really can’t go wrong with “Fearless,” “Love Story” or “You Belong With Me.” However, I’d love to see her perform some vault tracks including “Mr. Perfectly Fine” and “You All Over Me.”
Another Taylor’s version era is, of course, Red. As we’re all hoping and praying for, we want Taylor to perform the 10-minute version of “All Too Well.” There are also some other classics within the vault such as “I Bet You Think About Me” and “Nothing New.” Looking at the “original” Red tracks, the two that stand out to me are “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and “22.” Both are such fun party songs that no doubt will get all of us pumped up.
Moving away from the re-recordings, let’s move on to the original albums Taylor has produced and owns herself. First is 2019’s Lover which is frankly still so underrated in my eyes. The song that jumps out to me is “Cruel Summer” which I know is a fan favorite and is perfect for scream-singing. Honestly, almost all of the songs have that quality including “The Man” “Lover,” “You Need to Calm Down” and “Me!” Miss Swift can’t go wrong with any songs featured on this album.
Moving onto the two sister albums of Folklore and Evermore, these albums are more understated but nonetheless are going to be great for singing along. On Folklore, we have “August,” “Cardigan” and “Mad Woman” while Evermore features “Willow,” “No Body, No Crime” and “Dorothea.”
Last but certainly not least, we couldn’t forget about Taylor’s newest release, Midnights. No doubt she’ll be performing a lot of songs from this era. Personally, I’d be most excited to see her perform “Anti-Hero” because that song is just iconic. This new tour is bound to be an exciting chapter for both Taylor Swift and her fans alike.
The public on-sale for the tickets is poised to be November 18th, 2022. However, there will be multiple presales including for Capital One card holders and Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan presale.
What songs would you like to see Taylor perform during the Eras tour? Be sure to let us know your predictions in the comments.
On Thursday at the 13th annual espnW: Women + Sports Summit 2022 in Ojai, California, ESPN Films announced the completion of W. Studios’ first feature documentary, about WNBA star Candace Parker.
The docu about Parker, a two-time WNBA champion, was directed by Joie Jacoby (“Return to Mexico City”). The untitled doc is a portrait of Parker, filmed over the past year, pivoting from private, verité moments to personal and professional archival footage. The doc follows Parker as she shares her life on and off the court including time with her wife, Anya, and their family as she plays for her hometown team, the Chicago Sky, in the latter part of her professional career.
“I’m excited to give people a special inside look into the balance of my life on and off the court,” says Parker. “I’m thrilled to be the subject of the first feature documentary from W. Studios.”
In May, ESPN announced the creation of W. Studios, an extension of the espnW brand, which functions as a female-centric content generator that creates, produces, and amplifies female-centered storytelling. The first project under the W. Studios umbrella was the W. Studios Fifty/50 Shorts Presented by Google, which included five short films centered around the fight for women’s equality across the sports and cultural landscape. All five shorts were helmed and executive produced by women and premiered in June 2022.
Marsha Cooke, VP and executive producer, ESPN Films and “30 for 30,” says that Parker was the right fit for the first feature docu out of W. Studios.
“Candace makes sense as our first feature because she is a contemporary subject and a powerful example of all that women can do — in sports and beyond,” says Cooke. “She represents that ideal intersection of women, sports, and culture that forms the heart and soul of ESPN and W. Studios. Our audience is hungry for narratives about women, and W. Studios aspires to amplify stories like these and serves as a great reminder of our unparalleled track record for unforgettable storytelling.”
Going forward, the fledgling content studio is hoping to expand its reach in the documentary community.
“We are looking at a variety of film projects that will represent more big swings for us at W. Studios,” says Cooke. “While at the same time, we are getting the word out to filmmakers that W. Studios is open for business.”
The untitled Parker docu is executive produced by ESPN Films and W. Studios and produced by Film 45 and Baby Hair Productions. The docu’s release date will be announced in the coming months.
Vladimir Putin faces losing power as different factions within his regime turn on each other with the strongman leader too weak to stop them, and expert has said.
Yevgenia Albats, who specialises in Russian secret services and politics, says power-brokers in Moscow’s elite are now ‘at each other’s throats’ with Putin struggling to control a ‘lunch of the predators’.
The Russian leader traditionally acted as a mediator between these groups – playing them off against one another while insuring everyone’s safety – but his role is increasingly untenable which puts him in the firing line, Albats added.
Russia is now into the ninth month of a war in Ukraine that Putin believed would be over within days, has seen his powerful military mauled by a smaller adversary, and has almost no hope of achieving any of his pre-war aims.
Vladimir Putin faces losing power in a ‘lunch of the predators’ where power-brokers in his regime turn on each-other and then on him, expert argues
Putin – weakened by the failing war in Ukraine (pictured) – can no longer mediate between the factions in his regime, with ‘war of all against all’ looming
Albats, editor of The New Times magazine who was exiled from Russia in September after being declared a ‘foreign agent’, said: ‘A fight has begun inside the very top echelons of Russian power.
‘We are witnessing the lunch of the predators. What’s happening now is a key manifestation of breakdown within the power [structures].
‘And of the fact that Putin can no longer act as mediator between various interest groups – that the war of all against all has begun….’
She told independent channel TV Rain: ‘I want to hope this will crash this inhumane regime, [which is] killing people in Ukraine and its own mobilised people in Russia.
‘[What we now see] is war at the very top of the power echelon. And Putin can no longer serve as a mediator, which is his key function. Therefore, he [Putin] is next.’
As evidence, she pointed to the increasingly public attempts by warlords Ramzan Kadyrov and Yevgeny Prigozhin – Chechen dictator and founder of the Wagner mercenary group, respectively – to oust defence minister Sergei Shoigu.
Kadyrov and Prigozhin have been hugely critical of the way the war has been run, while suggesting generals should be sent to the front barefoot to fight.
Ramzan Kadyrov (left), Chechen warlord, and Yevgeny Prigozhin (right), the Wagner Group founder, have been leading public criticism of Russia’s generals
Kadyrov and Prigozhin are thought to be trying to oust Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu (left, meeting Putin last week) in an attempt to grab more power for themselves
They were particularly critical of Colonel-General Aleksander Lapin, who was in charge of the defence of Lyman before Ukraine routed Russian forces in the region.
Western officials now believe Lapin has ‘probably’ been fired, meaning all of the generals who ordered troops across Ukraine’s border in February have been sacked.
If confirmed, it would be a major coup for Kadyrov and Prigozhin against Shoigu.
Albats also highlighted the legal moves against Putin’s ‘goddaughter’ Ksenia Sobchak, who fled Russia for the West last week.
Sobchak is thought to have run to Lithuania after a business associate was slapped with criminal charges and left facing 15 years in prison, sparking fears for her safety.
Many assumed that Putin would have protected Sobchak, 40, whose father Anatoly, ex-mayor of St Petersburg, was his mentor and former law professor.
The Moscow home of another journalist, uber-loyalist Andrey Karaulov – now in Dubai – was searched, and another Kremlin-supporting editor Modest Kolerov was suddenly fired from his Regnum news agency.
The action appears to show scores being settled without reference to Putin.
A common thread in the Sobchak and Karaulov cases were claims of wrongdoing made by Putin crony Sergey Chemezov, chief executive of the Rostec Corporation defence group.
Sergey Kiriyenko (left) has been touted by Ukraine as a possible successor to Putin having masterminded much of his domestic policy
Nikolai Patrushev (left), the powerful head of the Russian secret service, and his son Dmitry (right) have also been touted as potential successors
Yet Chemezov, who spied for the KGB alongside Putin in East Germany and is now a billionaire, is seen as having upset the Kremlin president over the poor quality of Russian arms in Ukraine by failing to develop Western-quality high technologies.
‘Modest results have been demonstrated in the areas for which Rostec is responsible,’ said Putin in a crushing attack at a meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects.
Rostec, a state corporation that owns more than a 1,000 enterprises in the Russian military-industrial complex, has failed to provide high-quality weapons, tanks, night vizors, body armour, and other ammunition, it is claimed.
Chemezov, at 70 the same age as Putin, appears to be lashing out in a bid for survival, some observers claim.
In the past, Putin would have dampened such flames, but now powerbrokers close to the Kremlin are flexing their muscles and he cannot stop them, Albats suggests.
Other observers see a fight for the succession cranking up between key Putin aide Sergey Kiriyenko, 60, a former Russian prime minister who is now deputy chief of staff in the Kremlin, and Dmitry Patrushev, 45, the agriculture minister, and son of secretary of Putin’s security council, Nikolai Patrushev, 71.
Pop quiz: what do you get when a top phone carrier collaborates with a smart luggage brand? A super smart suitcase that’s designed to keep you connected. And, in this particular case, one that you can practically spot from 35,000 feet in the air.
T-Mobile has collaborated with New York-based luggage brand Samsara Luggage to design a suitcase loaded with most of the things you need to stay productive while traveling.
The result is Un-carrier On (opens in new tab), a smart carry-on that is packed to the brim with useful smart features. It’s now available for pre-order for $325 (without tax) in the US, and in true T-Mobile fashion, comes in one shade and one shade only: magenta.
(Image credit: T-Mobile)
As for its smart features, it does come with what you’d expect from smart luggage, which are a removable power bank and a USB-C port for charging. But, it also kicks it up a notch with a flat-top work surface to put your laptop on, Samsara’s Tag Smart luggage tracking, an adjustable aluminum telescopic handle, and oh yeah… wireless charging – because USB-C charging is so last year.
Of course, you’re also getting the basics, including a TSA-approved combination lock and 360-rotating spinner wheels. The brands even threw in a set of eight packing cubes to keep you organized.
Un-carrier On orders are expected to ship later in November, just in time for your holiday travels.
Opinion: it sort of makes sense
You might wonder why T-Mobile is now making its own suitcase. While this might be part of the carrier’s campaign to promote its latest Un-carrier move, Coverage Beyond (opens in new tab), which gives T-Mobile customers free Wi-Fi all flight long on the biggest U.S. airlines as well as 5GB of free high-speed data per month and free texting in 215+ destinations around the world (qualifying plans only), it’s not really as weird as it seems for a phone carrier to get into the travel accessories business.
Our phones and phone plans are just as much a big part of travel as other obvious travel accessories. Whether we’re traveling for business or going on holiday, we rely on our phones to find the best restaurants in which to try the local cuisine, call an Uber, check in for an upcoming flight, and even just navigate an unfamiliar place.
So, when you think about it, it kind of makes sense for a phone carrier to have its own line of travel accessories as well. Not that we’re saying T-Mobile is planning on doing that. At the moment, I’m told that it doesn’t have any plans to sell its own travel gadgets beyond this smart luggage.
(Image credit: T-Mobile)
Never say never, though. I’m already crushing on this one, even though I’m not sure if the color magenta is for me, as Samsara has become a well-known luggage brand, and I have admittedly been eyeing its suitcases for a while now. And, if it proves successful, a matching weekender or a checked suitcase is certainly not improbable.
To be fair, the Un-carrier On isn’t going to be the best luggage for everyone, not with that price. But, considering all the features it comes with – its wireless charging capability is a nice upgrade and its luggage tracking feature means that losing your luggage isn’t going to be as big of a headache as before – it sounds like it’s going to be one of the best value suitcases on the shelves.
“We have been fielding proposals. We certainly are interested in moving that forward,” CEO Jon Feltheimer said during Thursday’s earnings call.
Keanu Reeves in “John Wick”
Courtesy Everett Collection
Lionsgate is flirting with the potential of a major video game based on the “John Wick” action franchise, the studio’s CEO let slip on Thursday.
During an earnings call with investors, Jon Feltheimer noted that Lionsgate execs have been “fielding proposals” for a big video game based on the Keanu Reeves movies. Despite his excitement at the idea, Feltheimer was hesitant to say much more about the early-stages project: “I don’t want to get ahead of myself here, but we believe there is a big AAA game to be made out of ‘John Wick.’ We have been fielding proposals. We certainly are interested in moving that forward, but I don’t want to say anything more about that at this time.”
Given that each of the three movies have been box-office hits — all featuring some of the most genre-defining, stylized action and gun-fu around — a sprawling action game seems like a natural fit for John Wick’s character and story. There already is a “John Wick” video game that exists, of course; Mike Bithell’s independent “John Wick Hex” which was released in 2020 and re-imagined the gunman’s fighting as a strategy game akin to gunfire chess. But Feltheimer mentioned a AAA game: something that would require a sizable budget, but that eager fans have beendemanding for years.
Related
Related
While discussing the potential for future “John Wick” properties, Feltheimer remarked that the filmmakers behind the series have done an incredible job of not just “keeping a franchise alive and important” but in making each movie “more and more valuable.” While 2014’s “John Wick” grossed $86 million on a $20 million budget, the sequels have only gotten bigger as the cult of Wick and Reeves grows. “Chapter 2” made $171 million worldwide, and the most recent film “Chapter 3 – Parabellum” made $327 million worldwide. “Chapter 4” is slated for release on March 24, 2023.
In other “John Wick” news, the Ana de Armas-starring spinoff movie “Ballerina” kicks off production next week. Additionally, it was announced Thursday that the prequel series “The Continental” will be available to stream exclusively on Amazon Prime Video internationally, while domestic viewers can watch via Peacock. That series is set in the ’70s and focuses on Ian McShane’s character in the films — as now played by Colin Woodell — as he attempts to seize control of the iconic hotel that serves as a haven for assassins in the “John Wick” movies.
Image Credit: Courtesy of Eric LaRokk/Civic Cipher
Kanye West sparked major backlash when he wore a “White Lives Matter” shirt for his Yeezy Season 9 fashion show during Paris Fashion Week on Oct. 3, 2022. Kanye’s use of the white supremacist phrase, categorized by the Anti-Defamation League as a hate slogan, pushed it back into the news. With the spotlight back on the toxic phrase, which originated in early 2015 as a racist response to the Black Lives Matter movement, the trademark owner chose to take a stand and reached out to the hosts of the racial justice-focused show Civic Cipherfor help.
Ramses Ja, who co-hosts the show with Quinton Ward, told HollywoodLife in an EXCLUSIVE interview that he has “crossed paths” with Kanye over the years and remembers an “individual who once upon a time stood up for Black people… And since then I’ve seen the same individual try to pass off a confederate flag [as fashion].” In 2013 Kanye featured the flag, which has long been a symbol of hatred and racial divide, in merchandise for his “Yeezus” tour, seen here. But it was his attempt to profit off the “White Lives Matter” hate-slogan, in his October fashion show, that pushed an anonymous listener of Ramses and Quinton’s show to reach out and ask them to take over the trademark of the toxic phrase.
DJ’s Quinton Ward and Ramses Ja own the trademark to the ‘White Lives Matter’ slogan. (Photo courtesy of Eric LaRokk/Civic Cipher)
“I can’t speak to their intentions, because this person wishes to remain anonymous and therefore our footprint with them is very minimal,” Ramses revealed, “but I have to assume that the reason that they owned the trademark in the first place was not necessarily to make money off of it, but it was to prevent other people from making money off of what is, in effect a really evil, mean spirited thing to profit off of. Because, and Q mentions this a lot, that phrase only exists to stand in opposition to the phrase ‘Black Lives Matter.’ At no point in history has it ever needed to be affirmed that white lives matter, we all know that the world treats that like that’s normal, that’s like saying the sky is blue.”
The Arizona based hip-hop DJs, turned racial justice activists, admitted the offer was “terrifying” at first. “It’s funny because we kind of laugh about it now, but back then we walked like six miles, just talking back and forth about all of the possible outcomes,” Quinton explained. “We didn’t want to offend people. We didn’t want to hurt people. Now, we get to be proud of what we’re trying to do, but it was scary, accepting the responsibility…Because conversations like the one that we’re having with you don’t always get to happen. A person reads a headline. They see our picture. That’s all they need, to feel how they’re going to feel. And to be associated with that term, when it’s something that is genuinely hurtful for a lot of people, there was a lot for us to think about…That was not an easy decision for us to make or a light responsibility for us to accept.”
As the owners of the trademark to the phrase that Kanye “injected back into popular culture,” the co-hosts intend to safeguard it from others profiting off of it, including Kanye. “The moment you see somebody selling anything that says [White Lives Matter] then they open themselves up to a lawsuit, and anybody who’s a decent enough businessman realizes that’s not what you want to do,” Ramses said. “So at present because no one has purchased the shirts from [Kanye], he actually gave them out for free [and avoided a lawsuit.]”
Kanye West is seen surrounded by fans after his Oct. 3 Paris Fashion Week show. (Photo credit: SplashNews)
Any efforts to stop people from profiting off of the “White Lives Matter” hate slogan will require lawyers, at a cost that Quinton and Ramses would welcome help in covering. “Anything we have to pay the lawyers comes out of pocket,” the radio hosts explained. “So anybody wants to support us on our way can do so on our website.” Their hour-long show, Civic Cipher on iHeartRadio, is available in podcast format on every major platform and on 30 stations across the country. Ramses and Quinton started the show in 2020, amidst the historic protests against police brutality and racism, with the aim of uniting people. “[The goal] is to bring people together, to inform people, to educate our allies, people that want to be better,” Ramses shared.
Ramses Ja and Quinton Ward, who host the racial-justice radio show Civic Cipher, now own the trademark to the ‘White Lives Matter’ slogan. (Photo courtesy of Eric LaRokk/Civic Cipher)
“We give them the tools and the insight to be better…We talk about social justice issues,” he added. “We talk about issues that are important to Black and Brown communities. Of course we talk about instances of police violence, police brutality, police shootings, we talk about voter disenfranchisement, we talk about political things, we celebrate ebony excellence. And we present a different side to what many people consider to be Black culture.”
Next time you arrive home with aching, blistered feet after a long day, take heart: It’s not your feet that are the problem. It’s your shoes.
And that comes from the master, the late Salvatore Ferragamo, who pronounces in director Luca Guadagnino’s loving documentary “Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams” that in his entire career, “I have found there are no bad feet. There are bad shoes.”
Now, whether you can afford a pair of Ferragamos to let your feet live their best lives is another question. But it’s fascinating to learn how obsessively Ferragamo, born into a poor Italian farming family at the turn of the 20th century, studied the human foot in his quest to create the perfect shoe, combining creativity with, crucially, comfort. “I love feet,” he wrote. “They talk to me.” He even studied anatomy as a night student at the University of Southern California, peppering the professor with questions about the skeleton — but only the feet.
Distributed in Canada by Mongrel Media
That’s just one of countless lovely anecdotes packed into Guadagnino’s often fascinating, unabashedly adoring and also perhaps somewhat overly stuffed study of the designer, using Ferragamo’s own voice from recordings, and his 1955 memoir narrated by actor Michael Stuhlbarg. Working with the Ferragamo family, the director had an astonishing wealth of material to choose from: Between the family foundation and museum archives, numerous family members to interview, a slew of top cultural commentators and also some wonderful old Hollywood footage, you can almost feel Guadagnino efforting to get it all in. Then again, he knows some of us could watch films about Hollywood, about fashion, and especially about great shoes all day long.
And these ARE great shoes, especially if you like shoes that tell a story. For example, the famous “rainbow” shoe produced in the late ’30s, a glistening gold sandal perched atop a platform of layered suede tiers on a sole made of cork — a welcome innovation at a time when leather could be hard to come by (Ferragamo pioneered platform soles and the wedge heel). Shoe lovers will enjoy a segment where we watch this shoe being constructed today, looking stunningly contemporary, step by step: the cutting, the gluing, the hammering. (The shoe later stars in its own mini-film, a whimsical animated “shoe ballet” closing the documentary.)
Then there’s the almost dangerously, rebelliously sexy shoe worn by Gloria Swanson in the 1928 “Sadie Thompson,” a pair of high-heeled black pumps with an ankle strap and large white bows that scream out: “Look at me!”
We begin, though, with Ferragamo’s youth as the 11th of 14 children, in Bonito, a village near Naples. Pushing back against his father’s views that shoemaking is a lowly career, he proves his worth by producing overnight a pair of spiffy shoes for his sister’s confirmation. He apprentices with a cobbler at age nine, is making shoes by 11, and at 16 boards a ship to America. After a quick stop in Boston he hops a train and heads west — to Santa Barbara, California, where a fledgling movie industry is emerging. As director Martin Scorsese says — the best of many commentators here — in California, “anything goes. You could make yourself over three or four times.”
Watching early Westerns, Ferragamo knows he could make better cowboy boots — and he does. Then he graduates to all sorts of movie shoes, including 12,000 sandals for Cecil B. DeMille’s 1923 silent epic “The Ten Commandments.” His name grows and his fans include the biggest stars of the day — Swanson, Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Douglas Fairbanks (and in later years, everyone from Greta Garbo to Audrey Hepburn to Marilyn Monroe.) He relocates to Hollywood, where he lives near Charlie Chaplin and Valentino stops by to chat in Italian. He establishes his own store, a magnet for stars.
Guadagnino gives us a lesson in the history of Hollywood itself, not to mention the birth of the “movie star“ and the role fashion has played in that. (It’s great fun.) Then in 1927 Ferragamo returns to Italy, choosing Florence as a base for his plan to use Italian artisanal labor to make shoes destined for clients in America. It’s a plan fraught with risk and early setbacks. In 1933 he declares bankruptcy, then rebuilds and eventually buys a lavish 13th-century palazzo for his company — a triumph of self-belief.
Despite seemingly countless interviews with family, there’s still a feeling we’re not always delving deeply into the man’s character or personal life. That finally changes when, late in the film, through lovely footage shot by Ferragamo himself, we meet his bride, Wanda, a young woman from his village.
It is Wanda who will, at 38 and a mother of six, take over the business when her husband dies suddenly of illness in 1960, overseeing an expansion into a global luxury brand. But that is not covered here. Wanda Ferragamo died in 2018, at age 96 (luckily she’d been interviewed for the film), and her years atop a business empire after never having worked in her life would have been a fascinating element of this story.
But that will have to be another movie.
“Salvatore: Shoemaker of Dreams” has been rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America “for smoking and a suggestive reference.” Running time: 120 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
MPAA definition of PG: Parental guidance suggested.
SHARE:
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. If you do not yet have a Torstar account, you can create one now (it is free)
Sign In
Register
Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the Code of Conduct. The Star does not endorse these opinions.
Today’s trailer roundup includes HBO Max’s A Christmas Story Christmas and His Dark Materials: Season 3, Disney+’s Disenchanted, Peacock’s Irreverent, Netflix’s The Swimmers and Prime Video’s Three Pines.
Ralphie is all grown up and must deal with Christmas and all that comes with it as a dad in A Christmas Story Christmas on HBO Max on Nov. 17. Peter Billingsley returns to the role that made kids of all ages anticipate Christmas morning like no other. The cast includes Erinn Hayes as Ralphie’s wife, Sandy; Julianna Layne as their daughter, Julie; River Drosche as son Mark; Scott Schwartz returning as Flick; RD Robb returning as Schwartz; Ian Petrella reprising his role as Ralphie’s brother, Randy; Davis Murphy as Delbert Bumpus; Zack Ward returning as Scut Farkus; and Julie Hagerty as Ralphie’s mom, Mrs. Parker.
His Dark Materials: Season 3 premieres on HBO Max on Dec. 5. Based on The Amber Spyglass, the final novel in Philip Pullman’s award-winning trilogy, the final chapter of this epic fantasy series shows Lyra (Dafne Keen), the prophesied child, and Will (Amir Wilson), the bearer of The Subtle Knife, journeying to a dark place from which no one has ever returned.
Disenchanted comes to Disney+ on Nov. 18. It has been more than ten years since Giselle (Amy Adams) and Robert (Patrick Dempsey) wed, but Giselle has grown disillusioned with life in the city, so they move their growing family to the sleepy suburban community of Monroeville in search of a more fairy tale life. Unfortunately, it isn’t the quick fix she had hoped for.
Irreverent streams on Peacock on Nov. 30. A criminal mediator from Chicago is forced to flee his life and everything he knows and hide out in a small Australian reef community in Far North Queensland posing as the new church Reverend. The cast includes Colin Donnell, PJ Byrne, Kylie Bracknell, Briallen Clarke, Tegan Stimson, Ed Oxenbould, Wayne Blair, Russell Dykstra, Calen Tassone and Jason Wilder.
The Swimmers streams on Netflix on Nov. 23. From war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics, two young sisters embark on a risky voyage, putting their hearts and their swimming skills to heroic use. The film stars Manal Issa, Nathalie Issa, Matthias Schweighöfer and is directed by BAFTA winner Sally El Hosaini.
Three Pines debuts on Prime Video on Dec. 2. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team investigate a series of perplexing murders in the mysterious Eastern Townships village of Three Pines, uncovering the buried secrets of its eccentric residents and forcing Gamache to confront buried secrets of his own. The series stars Alfred Molina, Rossif Sutherland and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers.
A cryptic tweet posted by Christopher Lloyd has many fans feeling that a major announcement is about to be made for the Back to the Future franchise.
Universal Studios
A cryptic tweet posted by actor Christopher Lloyd has ignited speculation on social media about a Back to the Future franchise revival. Famously, Lloyd co-starred as Emmett “Doc” Brown in the Back to the Future movie trilogy alongside Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly. While the franchise has expanded into other mediums, including video games and an animated series, Back to the Future was never given a fourth movie, nor has it been given the reboot treatment.
On Thursday, Lloyd posted a vague message on Twitter that’s quickly fueling the rumors that something big is happening with the Back to the Future franchise. He only says that something “very special” is in the works, also curiously mentioning “the future,” but what does it all mean? Perhaps keeping everyone guessing is the point until Lloyd comes back later with an explanation.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
“I can’t say yet, but the future holds something very special for you…stay tuned!” the tweet reads.
Cue the fan speculation. It could be that referring to “the future” in his tweet was a mere coincidence intended to promote something entirely unrelated to Back to the Future, so it’s hard to say exactly what Lloyd is teasing here. In any case, it’s just enough to have the rumor mill churning that this could be Back to the Future 4, or perhaps another announcement related to the franchise. Some are even wishing they had access to a certain time-traveling DeLorean in order to sooner find out what it is that Lloyd is hinting at.
Oddly enough, Lloyd’s cryptic tweet comes days after Michael J. Fox toyed with the idea of rebooting Back to the Future. The retired Marty McFly actor recently spoke about the franchise in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. He suggested he’s open to seeing the story get rebooted, going on to pitch a gender-swap concept as a way of making the new version feel different.
“I actually had this thought that if they did the movie again, they should do it with a girl as Marty,” Fox said. “There’s something about [the franchise] that connects with people on every level. I just feel like it will come around again.”
This might be something that Fox wants to see, as well as Christopher Lloyd. However, the filmmakers have long been adamant that Back to the Future should be left alone as a trilogy. For now, fans will have to wait to see what Lloyd has to say next about his big surprise.
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 […]
Photo: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images for RFF)
Quentin Tarantino’s got a new book coming out—Cinema Speculation, a non-fiction deep dive into his favorite films that sounds like pretty much exactly what you’d expect from Tarantino tackling that particular topic, for good or ill—which means that we’ve also got a whole new crop of Quentin Tarantino interviews to get through, too. That includes, unsurprisingly, the writer-director’s take on the dominant blockbuster form of the day, the omnipresent, inescapable superhero movie, which he talked about recently with The Los Angeles Times.
02:01
Tyler James Williams talks “Abbott Elementary” and “Everybody Hates Chris”
Today 1:39PM
Tarantino starts by comparing superhero movies to the studio musicals that filled out the rosters of many of the big production houses back in the late 1960s, saying they’ve got a similar “chokehold” on the industry, and stating that today’s directors, “can’t wait for the day” that they can declare comic book films similarly dead. When asked why he hasn’t directed one himself, Tarantino gave pretty much exactly the answer you might expect: “You have to be a hired hand to do those things. I’m not a hired hand. I’m not looking for a job.”
Disappointingly, writer Glenn Whipp does not seem to go on to ask Tarantino about the very weird recent blip in his non-hired-hand career, i.e., that bit where it really sounded like he was going to make a Star Trek movie for Paramount. (He does talk quite a bit about Star Wars in the interview, although he makes it clear he’s less excited about it than, say, Jaws.) We remain endlessly fascinated by this idea—reminder, it’s the one where Quentin Tarantino would have apparently made a gangster movie set in the Star Trek universe—mostly because it seems like such a weird fit for a guy who’s always been very careful not to get subsumed into the studio machine. Alas, that project has since fallen by the wayside—and it sounds like Quentin Tarantino’s West Coast Avengers isn’t any closer to leaping out of our minds and into the real world, either.
“Queen of Basketball” profiles Lusia Harris who was a star basketball player in the 1970s. Filmmaker Ben Proudfoot interviews Harris about her experiences winning college championships, going to the Olympics and being the first and only woman ever drafted by NBA.
Police are now looking to speak with Justin Aaron Cornell, 30, of Calgary, who is believed to have information about the homicide. Officers have attempted to locate him multiple times but have been unsuccessful, according to a Thursday afternoon news release.
“Information from witnesses has been vital in progressing our investigation and we are thankful to those who have already come forward and shared details,” Staff Sgt. Martin Schiavetta said in a statement.
Cornell is described as five feet five inches tall, 200 pounds, with black hair and hazel eyes.
Justin Aaron Cornell, 30, is believed to have information about a July homicide, according to Calgary police.
City of Calgary newsroom
Anyone with information about the homicide is asked to contact police by calling 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers.
Though “Blockbuster” ostensibly takes place in a Michigan strip mall, it immediately feels stuck in an uncanny valley of Netflix’s strategic making. It’s not the fault of the show itself — a workplace comedy set in the last Blockbuster video store — that the biggest streaming service on the planet bought it, but without being set in the past, it has a hell of a hard time getting out from underneath that shadow all the same. Unable to criticize the very entertainment model putting brick and mortar rental places out of business, but trying to sell a scrappy story of comeback kids all the same, “Blockbuster” quickly gets stuck in a low gear that never quite lets it live up to its potential.
Which is a shame! Even before watching a single minute of the show (which premiered Thursday Nov. 3 on Netflix), it was exciting to imagine what it might do with all the talent on deck to bring it to life. There’s creator Vanessa Ramos, a veteran writer of “Superstore” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” which both found several seasons worth of material in the everyday indignities and triumphs of being part of an office that overzealous managers would call a “family.” Leading the cast are “Fresh Off the Boat” star Randall Park (as the aforementioned overzealous manager) and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” alum Melissa Fumero (as his righthand woman/longtime crush), supported by familiar faces like Tyler Alvarez (“American Vandal”), JB Smoove (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) and Olga Merediz (who has too many supporting credits to name, making her inclusion as a regular cast member even more of a pleasure to see). Rounding out the Blockbuster staff are Madeline Arthur and Kamai Fairburn, who bring some welcome wild card energy to otherwise predictable scenes. Everyone involved is demonstrably committed to the pleasant low-stakes and jocular dynamics at play, even when they fall flat.
For as hard as its upbeat music and capable actors try to sell it, “Blockbuster” struggles to land on a comedic tempo all its own. Each character ends up talking in the same self-referential way that smooths out any meaningful differences between their personalities. Plus, without the necessary editing that airing on a broadcast network would’ve imposed, each episode the Netflix show drags on several minutes too long for its material, dragging out scenes and jokes that would’ve been sharper given a more discerning eye. There’s no telling whether “Blockbuster” would have found its voice on a network like NBC, where the show was first developed. But the final product’s attempts to find a halfway point between its obvious broadcast rhythms and new streaming home make clear the problems of trying to make the show fit on a platform that clearly doesn’t suit it — a clash that extends beyond how the show works (or doesn’t) on a granular comedic level, too.
Even though the pilot episode throws out jokes that could’ve used a couple more passes, it at least promises some kind of mission statement for the show to come. After reeling from the news that the corporate structure of Blockbuster is no more, Timmy (Park) rallies himself and his employees to take heart, insisting that “humans need to interact with each other.” As real live film enthusiasts, he argues, they can provide a service that no streaming service truly can. After this point, though, the show quietly drops this thread — or even any real suggestion that the last Blockbuster might follow in its doomed parent company’s footsteps — for so much of the 10-episode season that you’d be forgiven for wondering if it was suddenly taking place in an alternate universe.
Maybe a broadcast iteration of “Blockbuster” wouldn’t have taken Netflix too hard to task, either; maybe it also would’ve included a B-plot about the hot new streaming K-drama “Trout Royale.” But it still would’ve had the room to follow its own premise to more logical conclusions instead of indulging the fantasy that twentysomething teachers would go looking for a “Titanic” DVD in 2022 instead of finding a Disney+ login, or that harried moms would come to blows in a Blockbuster instead of just resorting to a tablet.
There are versions of “Blockbuster” that might have worked better, at least narratively speaking. It could’ve let the show’s Blockbuster store adjust to reality (maybe they could try renting only DVDs of titles not on streaming, hijinks ensue, etc). It could’ve ditched the 2022 setting and taken place in the past, even if a more recent one (the late aughts would do!). Even better, demonstrating any hint of self-awareness about the ironic place it occupies on its network would go a long way. As is, though, Netflix’s “Blockbuster” remains as conflicted as the inherent oxymoron that is the phrase “Netflix’s ‘Blockbuster.’”
“Blockbuster” is now available to stream on Netflix.
NBC and E! have announced that Ryan Reynolds will receive this year’s People’s Icon award at the People’s Choice Awards. The actor, producer and screenwriter will receive the evening’s biggest award, in addition to being nominated for “Male Movie Star” and “Comedy Movie Star” for his role in Netflix’s “The Adam Project.”
The awards show, hosted by Kenan Thompson, will air live on Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on both NBC and E! Past recipients of “The People’s Icon” award include Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Aniston and Melissa McCarthy.
“In any endeavor – whether it’s acting, producing, marketing or business – Ryan Reynolds has the unique ability to create joy and authentically connect with his audience,” SVP of Entertainment Live Events for NBC Universal Television and Streaming Cassandra Tryon said. “He’s received many accolades over the years, but it’s these innate qualities that makes him so beloved.” “We cannot wait to present Ryan with ‘The People’s Icon’ award at this year’s show.
Reynolds began his acting career in 1991 and first gained attention in the television sitcom “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place” which ran for four seasons starting in 1998. His breakout film role was “Van Wilder” in 2002, and he has since appeared in dozens of films, including “The Proposal,” “Definitely, Maybe,” “Mississippi Grind” and “Free Guy.”
Reynolds is also an award-winning marketer, creating breakthrough campaigns for “Deadpool” as well Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile and the Match Group. He is an owner of Aviation Gin, Mint Mobile, Wrexham Football Club, Chief Creative Officer of MNTN, and a co-founder of Maximum Effort Productions. Fast Company, Wall Street Journal and AdWeek have all recognized Ryan as one of the most creative voices in business today.
Reynolds’ most recent theatrical effort, Shawn Levy’s “Free Guy,” was a surprise breakout hit in the summer of 2021, legging out to $331 million worldwide despite being an entirely original, live-action comic fantasy. They would reteam for “The Adam Project,” a well-received homage to 1980’s kid-friendly adventure fantasies which is currently Netflix’s fifth-most watched English-language film.
Reynolds currently has two films on the top five among Netflix’s most popular English-language films, including “Red Notice,” a big-budget action comedy co-starring Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot.
The three-time PCA award-winner was also nominated for a Golden Globe and Grammy award for his work on the billion-dollar “Deadpool” franchise. He can next be seen in the musical comedy “Spirited” opposite Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer, premiering November 18 on AppleTV+.
He is currently scheduled to reprise the role of Wade Wilson in an untitled third “Deadpool” film, with Hugh Jackman returning to the role of Logan/Wolverine for the 20th Century Studios/Marvel Studios theatrical.
“People’s Choice Awards” and “Live from E!: The 2022 People’s Choice Awards” are both produced by Den of Thieves with Executive Producers Jesse Ignjatovic, Evan Prager and Barb Bialkowski.
Voting for the 2022 “People’s Choice Awards” runs through Wednesday, November 9 at 11:59pm ET. Fans can either vote online at www.votepca.com or on Twitter. See the full list of all 40 categories and nominees here.
Streaming services are coming to YouTube. The company is rolling out a new feature called Primetime Channels that will bring shows and movies from more than 30 services directly into the YouTube interface. It’s a big bet for YouTube that it can be the cable bundle of the future and that its unparalleled audience will make streaming services buy into the idea.
YouTube has signed up 35 partners for the launch, from big-name streaming services like Paramount Plus and Epix to niche offerings like The Great Courses and Magnolia Selects. (Another service, NBA League Pass, is coming soon.) Each one will operate essentially like any other YouTube channel, with a curated homepage and a bunch of videos. Those videos will show up in the Movies and TV section of the YouTube app, as well as in search results, recommendations, and elsewhere around the platform. You’ll be able to leave a comment and like or dislike the video — all that’s missing is view counts.
Really, the movies and shows only have one distinguishing characteristic: a neon green button that says “Watch now” if it comes from a service you subscribe to or “Pay to watch” if you’re not signed up.
It’s all extremely YouTube-y, as if YouTube just turned a bunch of movie studio executives into creators — which is precisely the idea. For a number of reasons. For one thing, “it is frustrating to have to hop from app to app to manage your subscription across apps,” says Erin Teague, the head of sports, movies, and shows at YouTube and the leader of the Primetime Channels project. This is a line you hear from a lot of tech executives — Streaming is too complicated! We can fix it! — but YouTube’s case is stronger than most. Two billion people already use the service every month, most already have a Google account, many have already connected their credit cards, and YouTube can simplify everything else.
It’s also a natural fit for YouTube, where people already spend time watching trailers, recaps, and all manner of other content about their favorite shows and movies. “You’ll watch trailers on YouTube and leave YouTube to go start from scratch on the streaming service,” Teague says. “So we were like, ‘What would happen if we just collapsed that experience and made it convenient to watch all this content in one place?’”
The new YouTube experience doesn’t prize expensive shows and movies above normal YouTube creators
There’s a bold statement about the future of entertainment in all this, too. The new YouTube experience doesn’t prize expensive shows and movies above normal YouTube creators, Teague says — it won’t rank them first in search results or promote them more aggressively in recommendations. Teague says she does see the types of content differently, referring to “official content” and “shoulder content” to describe the difference between the shows themselves and the stuff about the shows, but says she doesn’t think it makes sense to prioritize one or the other except for individual users.
YouTube has been building toward a service like Primetime Channels for a long time. The company has long known that “official content” was the platform’s biggest hole and that it didn’t make sense to offer a thousand videos with detailed breakdowns of every trade made by the Billions crew but not the episodes themselves.
The problem was Hollywood, which largely had no interest in YouTube’s idea — companies preferred to build their own destinations rather than let some other platform own the user experience. YouTube tried to partner with services, then tried to make its own content, then built a whole new cable-replacement service in YouTube TV. Now, with Primetime Channels, it appears to be getting what it always wanted.
Streaming content now shows up right next to all the other stuff you know on YouTube.Image: YouTube
So what changed? In the last couple of years, as the streaming wars have gotten hotter and more competitive, services big and small have had to look for new ways to get subscribers. It’s hard to be precious about the user experience when you’re bleeding users. Amazon and Apple have long offered ways to subscribe to streaming services through your existing account, and Walmart, Verizon, and others are getting in the game as well. YouTube’s pitch is largely the same as all those other companies, plus the whole “we’re the most popular video platform on the internet and everyone already comes here to watch stuff on their TV” thing. “What we’re finding is that what partners really want is distribution,” Teague says. “They want the content to work, and they want their content to reach the users that are interested in it.”
This requires a tricky balancing act, though. It makes sense that YouTube would choose to integrate shows and movies as just another content type, but it risks a crummy user experience. Nobody wants to search “South Park” and then wade through a series of best-of clips and interviews with the creators just to get to the show and movies. (Remember when Spotify used to put karaoke versions of songs at the top of search results?) But if YouTube pulls all its official content to the top, it risks shunting other creators too far down the page. And when you finish an episode, should you get the next episode or fun creator videos about the one you just watched? Just like with YouTube Music, integrating official and creator content is YouTube’s most enticing opportunity. It’s also incredibly hard to get right.
The general infrastructure of the streaming industry makes Primetime Channels tricky to pull off, too — and YouTube definitely hasn’t finished the job. You can’t sign up for a new service through the app yet, for instance; you’ll need to scan a QR code or type in a URL. And if you’re already subscribed to one of the Primetime Channels services, you can’t just log in through YouTube. You’ll need to cancel and sign up again. If you’ve signed up for services through YouTube TV, those will transfer, and Teague says you can use your YouTube login to log into other apps through the TV Everywhere system. But it’s all still too complicated.
Managing streaming accounts and apps is tricky — and YouTube hasn’t nailed it yet
It’s also a bit confusing from YouTube’s own perspective. YouTube has touted YouTube TV as the bundle of the future, and the product’s head Christian Oestlien told me earlier this year that he has identical aspirations to re-bundle the streaming services. So why isn’t Primetime Channels a YouTube TV feature? When I ask Teague, she offers two answers — well, one and a half. The one is that YouTube is global in a way that YouTube TV isn’t and that she sees a huge opportunity for Primetime Channels outside the US, “where some of the companies haven’t reached scale.” The half seems to be that YouTube and YouTube TV are different products with different teams, and in classic Google fashion, they don’t seem to work all that closely together. There’s also the unspoken other answer, which is that while YouTube TV is growing nicely, its 5 million users are barely a drop in the overall YouTube bucket.
YouTube’s distribution will likely be a compelling hook for lots of streaming services. But Paramount Plus, which has been very open about using partnerships to catch up to the giants quickly, is the biggest name on YouTube’s list so far. Can the company win over the big players, the Netflixes and Disney Pluses and HBO Maxes of the world? Teague says it’s going to be tough in the US “because everyone sort of has a really good experience already.”
The real opportunity is globally, she says, especially in places where streaming infrastructure is hard to build. “Building a streaming service that just works, all the time, that can stream live content, on-demand content, that can recommend content in ways that are delightful for users — it turns out that’s a really hard technical challenge.” Teague and YouTube are betting that more and more companies will happily cede that challenge to YouTube and focus on making shows and movies people want to pay for. Which, of course, would make YouTube somehow even more central to the future of entertainment.
“Costa Brava, Lebanon” was produced by CNC, Abbout Productions, Participant, Cinéma Defacto, DFI, Barentsfilm, Lastor Media, Boo Pictures, Snowglobe and Fox in the Snow Films and was originally released on January 21st 2022.
There’s no argument that Zendaya deserved every single one of her Emmys for her groundbreaking performances in Euphoria. However, she wasn’t the only one giving us a masterclass in cinematic teenage angst.
Maddy Perez (played by Alexa Demie) may not be the main character of Euphoria‘s colorful world, but she for damn sure “is an icon, a legend, and the moment.”
Here are 13 unforgettable Maddy Perez moments from Euphoria that I need to talk about until I’m blue, pink, and purple in the face — with a hint of glitter.
★★MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD, DUH ★★
1.
Maddy Perez’s sense of style in seasons 1 and 2 deserved an EGOT.
For instance, this is Maddy in everyday casual.
And this is “I’m about to go to bed” Maddy.
And this is “I’m down to earth Maddy.” Like, come on.
2.
I live for the one time Maddy went Bling Ring while babysitting and tried on her boss’s entire closet of vintage movie star clothes that no normal person would wear without permission.
3.
The first appearance of Ms. Perez in Season 2 introduced one of the best outfits in dramatic television.
4.
There’s the one time Maddy stole everyone’s thunder after she confronted Nate and his weird-ass family at the chili cookoff competition.
5.
This lust-at-first-sight look Maddy gave Nate locked them into the most tragically upsetting love story on television.
6.
I can’t get over when Maddy and the squad killed this simple TikTok cheer routine in expensive, professional-grade cheerleading outfits.
7.
Nobody was better at popping out with off-the-wall comments that twisted their way into profound statements of maturity.
8.
Maddy was an LGBTQ+ ally and the definition of a very understanding partner.
9.
Besides the drug-dealing shopkeepers Fezco and Ashtray, Maddy is the only teenager with an actual job in Euphoria.
10.
Maddy will always keep it 100 with you. There’s no doubt about that.
11.
Maddy was low-key one of the best advice-givers in Euphoria.
“The universe is just out here giving like zero fucks.”
“90% of life is confidence. And the thing about confidence is no one knows if it’s real or not.”
“I’m just saying, love is a million things. Sometimes it feels good, and sometimes it doesn’t.”
12.
I applaud Maddy for being one of the main sources of our comedic entertainment in what could be described as one of the most heartbreaking teen shows on television.
13.
And lastly, nothing will beat this entire sequence of Maddy discovering Cassie is screwing her ex-boyfriend:
Then she screamed, “You are the most self-centered idiotic person I have ever fucking met. You fucked my ex, and you’re fucking crying? Are you fucking kidding me?”
Seriously, Maddy’s manicured hands were paid actors.
And she finished with the line, “You dumb fucking bitch, I’m gonna fuck you up!”
The entire cast of Euphoria gave me life and some cinematic trauma, but I can’t wait to see what Maddy Perez has in store for us next season. I know she’s going to bring it.
What are your favorite moments from Euphoria?
TV and Movies
Get all the best moments in pop culture & entertainment delivered to your inbox.
Prime Video Sports has released a brand-new trailer for their upcoming docuseries Good Rivals, which will chronicle one of international sports’ most passionate and unique rivalries between the Mexican and American men’s national soccer teams. The three-part series is set to premiere on Prime Video on November 24 with the new trailer airing in full tonight during the Thursday Night Footballbroadcast.
The new trailer showcases rivalry between the neighboring countries throughout the generations and features some of the best players to come from both teams as they tell stories of what it was like playing against each other. The trailer delves into Mexico’s domination in the 20th century, the drive to win that led to confrontations and injuries, and the passion that the fans brought to the games and how they affected them. The trailer also brings the rivalry into a modern context as it shines a light on how the outcome of the 2016 United States election turned the rivalry from a sporting context and introduced a political one. While the trailer showed off the divide between the two teams now, it concluded by pointing towards the next generation and how they will be able to keep the sporting rivalry alive put also bring not just the teams but the countries closer together.
COLLIDER VIDEO OF THE DAY
Originally titled Good Neighbors, Good Rivals will explore the nearly century-old rivalry, with the first episode going all the way back to a 24-game losing streak for the U.S to Mexico from 1937 to 1980. America started to turn it around in the 1990s as they began to win big games, truly cementing the rivalry. Episode 2 will tackle the rivalry through the 2000s, including what is described as “the most important game in the history of the U.S.-Mexico soccer rivalry” when the U.S beat Mexico 2-0 during the 2002 World Cup. The middle episode tracks the rivalry up to its climax in 2016 when Mexico was able to break the “Curse of Columbus” and beat the U.S in a World Cup Qualifying game. The final episode will look at the present and future as the two teams look towards a World Cup 2022 qualifier against each other as the next generation keeps the age-old rivalry alive. The “Good Rivals” will be brought even closer together as the two teams along with Canada are set to co-host the World Cup in 2026.
Good Rivals is executive produced by Skydance Sports’ David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold, and Jon Weinbach as well as Meadowlark Media’s John Skipper and Deirdre Fenton; along with Dante Möller of Ocellated Media. Good Rivals is a co-production from Prime Video Sports and Skydance Sports, with Meadowlark Media and Ocellated producing. The series is directed by Academy Award-nominated Nicaraguan filmmaker Gabriel Serra, and will feature a wide variety of American and Mexican perspectives, with episodes accessible for both English and Spanish-speaking audiences.
Good Rivals will premiere on Prime Video on November 24. You can check out the new trailer for the upcoming docuseries as well as read its official description down below.
‘Good Rivals’ will peel back the political, social, and sporting layers of a rivalry that has become must-see TV over the past 30 years. Far more than just a sports documentary, Good Rivals spotlights the personal and professional arcs of stars from each nation, like Landon Donovan (United States) and Rafa Márquez (Mexico), who became symbols of their country’s cultures during their respective careers in the early and mid-2000s. Good Rivals will also examine the passionate, international battle for on-field talent and fan support that has made the U.S.-Mexico border one of the most fascinating soccer frontiers in the world, with players—and families—from both countries becoming the focus of recruiting battles between these two deeply interconnected nations.
There are few television brands more iconic than Sesame Street.
The long-running children’s TV show, which debuted in 1969 and is produced by Sesame Workshop, will debut its 53rd season on HBO Max Nov. 3. But the season will also reflect reverberations from 2020, both in response to learning loss and issues of emotional well-being brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, and from the George Floyd protests, where issues of inequality and racism were brought to the forefront.
But the season also comes a moment of change for Sesame Workshop itself, as it adapts to a changing media environment, and with its streaming partner for Sesame Street HBO Max rethinking its investment in kids and family fare.
“In a fragmented world, you know, quality helps people break through the clutter, and we focus on doing what we do, innovating and staying relevant,” Sesame Workshop CEO Steve Youngwood tells The Hollywood Reporter in an Interview.
Youngwood was named CEO of Sesame Workshop in Oct. 2020, as the impact from the Floyd protests were still being felt, and with concerns over COVID and education on the top of minds.
And so Sesame Street’s 53rd season will see it lean into the notion of “identity and belonging.”
“We’re an educational media organization, we entertain in order to educate,” Youngwood says. “And so the top of the funnel is it has to be fun, it has to be joyful, and it has to be engaging, but we do it in order to educate.”
“That’s always been in our DNA and after the events in 2020 — not just COVID but really more importantly, George Floyd and the conversations that it started — it made us say, you know, we’ve always been about this, but the world is in a slightly different place and the conversations that we have to have [needed to adapt], and we got a bit more pointed,” he added.
Sesame Street responded with special episodes focusing on those topical issues, and hosted CNN town halls that could be viewed by the entire family where they could be addressed. Now, the organization is taking it a step further, weaving the lessons it learned from those specials into episodes throughout the season.
“We learned that in the moment, that pointedness was right, but here, we’re going to have a broader impact and really prepare children for the diverse world that they live in,” Youngwood says. “It starts with making them feel good about themselves, and getting them to respect others. And that sort of brings the joy.”
But Sesame Street will not be forgoing the “foundational skills” kids need to grow up, be it language, math, or other critical subjects. Youngwood says that COVID-induced learning gaps made those issues all the more important to tackle. And in the spring of 2023 “you’re going to see us prioritize beginning next year, emotional health and wellbeing, you know, again, always an issue, but one elevated by COVID,” he adds.
Sesame Street’s renewed focus on identity comes as Sesame Workshop is in the midst of redefining itself, not only through the content it creates, but also through the platforms it produces for.
The organization may have been born through a single TV show airing on a public broadcast network, but it now produces content for a wide range of sources, including, yes, PBS and HBO Max, where the flagship program airs and streams, but also YouTube, where the next generation of families often turns first for kids content, and for WhatsApp, in parts of the world where the Meta-owned messaging app is the dominant form of communication.
“The world changes pretty quickly and we are trying constantly always to evolve,” Youngwood says. “It’s both the reality of the world that keeps me up at night, but it also energizes me because it’s both a necessity and an opportunity.”
“We’re trying to identify the issues most important to kids and families. And then create content on multiple touch points,” Youngwood adds. “Because if you’re going to have impact at scale, that’s what you need to do. And the show is the mass one at the top of the funnel, one to many, but then we do one to few with YouTube and then we do even more of a one to one with much more targeted work into schools or with community service providers.”
And that means developing content, or reworking existing content, to be relevant, fresh, and natural to whatever platform it runs on.
“The way we look at it, it’s pretty simple. Where are the audiences, and how do we reach them?” he says. “And sometimes it can be the same content on multiple platforms, but sometimes it has to be, it should be different.”
It’s about “helping to make Sesame Street more than just the show,” Youngwood says. “And then actually making Sesame Workshop more than just Sesame Street because in this fragmented world, if you’re going to reach kids and engage kids and families you need multiple things.”
It’s a strategy to could prove its value in 2025, when Sesame Workshop’s current deal with HBO Max to stream Sesame Street is set to end. HBO and HBO Max have been the home for new episodes of the program since 2016 (they air on PBS about a year later), but under new corporate owners Warner Bros. Discovery, HBO Max has been cutting back on its kids and family programming.
In addition to canceling some original programming, HBO Max also removed about 200 library episodes of Sesame Street, part of larger cost-saving measures at the company. With WBD rethinking its investment in kids and family fare, it begs the question whether the HBO Max deal will continue.
“We are constantly thinking of it,” Youngwood says. “We have had a great history with HBO Max, and you know, it would be great if that continues in some forms. They have to figure out their strategy.”
“But you know, we were launch partners with Apple, we have stuff going on with Netflix, we have stuff going on with NBC, we have stuff going on with other people,” he adds.
In other words, even if Sesame Street does find a new home, it’s about ensuring that Sesame Workshop remains relevant and critical to families everywhere.
“As an organization, we need multiple touch points. And that’s really important to expand the content that we have,” Youngwood says. “We keep seeing how the market evolves and who we think the best partners will be, and get to know those partners in different ways.”
“Then, you know, I think the future will take care of itself.”
“This is the first time anyone’s going to see me the way I am. I put on 40 pounds; I can’t walk without a cane. I want people to know that I am very aware of all of that.”
Christina Applegate knows “Dead to Me” Season 3 looks very different than the previous seasons. For one, she wasn’t undergoing treatment for multiple sclerosis the last time the Netflix dark comedy aired in 2020.
Applegate, who stars opposite Linda Cardellini as a widow who unknowingly befriends her husband’s killer, learned she had MS in the summer of 2021, pushing back production on the third and final season of “Dead to Me” for five months as she began treatment.
“There was the sense of, ‘Well, let’s get her some medicine so she can get better,’” Applegate told The New York Times after the Season 3 trailer premiered. “And there is no better. But it was good for me. I needed to process my loss of my life, my loss of that part of me. So I needed that time.”
The Emmy winner added, “Although it’s not like I came on the other side of it, like, ‘Woohoo, I’m totally fine.’ Acceptance? No. I’m never going to accept this. I’m pissed.”
Related
Related
Applegate already anticipates fan reaction to her changed appearance when “Dead to Me” returns November 17.
“This is the first time anyone’s going to see me the way I am,” the “Anchorman” star said. “I put on 40 pounds; I can’t walk without a cane. I want people to know that I am very aware of all of that.”
Applegate continued, “If people hate it, if people love it, if all they can concentrate on is, ‘Ooh, look at the cripple,’ that’s not up to me. I’m sure that people are going to be, like, ‘I can’t get past it.’ Fine, don’t get past it, then. But hopefully people can get past it and just enjoy the ride and say goodbye to these two girls.”
While the “Dead to Me” team questioned whether Applegate should reprise her role, she was steadfast in her decision to continue. Applegate used a wheelchair on set, and her longtime friend and sound technician Mitch B. Cohn would lie on the ground and hold up Applegate’s legs out of frame when needed.
“I had an obligation to Liz [Feldman, the series creator] and to Linda, to our story,” Applegate said. “The powers that be were like, ‘Let’s just stop. We don’t need to finish it. Let’s put a few episodes together.’ I said, ‘No. We’re going to do it, but we’re going to do it on my terms.’”
Days before the anticipated drop of their collaborative record, Her Loss, Drake and 21 Savage unveiled the cover art for their new album.
While the record release was delayed from its initial Oct. 28 release date after their producer and engineer Noah “40” Shebib contracted Covid-19, the Toronto rapper announced Nov. 4 as the new drop date.
“Our brother [Shebib] got Covid in the middle of mixing and mastering the crack,” Drake posted in an Instagram Story. “He’s resting up and we are dropping November 4th.”
Last month, Drake and 21 Savage announced the record’s original release date in the music video for their latest project together, “Jimmy Cooks,” the final track from the former’s seventh studio album Honestly, Nevermind.
The new cover art follows a series of promotional fake interviews and performances by Drake and 21 Savage. They posted a faux Vogue cover and “In The Bag” episode, hat tipping Anna Wintour “for the love and support on this historic moment.” They also shared a fake performance on NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concert” series – mellow vibes and all, to which NPR tweeted, “let’s do it forreal tho.” And earlier today, they “met” with Howard Stern for an interview that repurposed footage from Stern’s real-life interview with Jerrod Carmichael in April.
For now, the newly released art seems like the bonafide album cover.
Drake and 21 Savage recently joined dozens of musicians, industry executives, and legal experts in signing the “Art on Trial: Protect Black Art” open letter supporting creative expression and protesting the way rap lyrics are used to criminalize Black artists. Megan Thee Stallion, Quavo, Meek Mill, Lil Baby, Jack Harlow, 2 Chainz, Lil Uzi Vert, Future, Travis Scott, Big Sean, and J. Cole were also among the letter’s signees.
The opening quotes of praise from a myriad of industry colleagues will make my little review pale into insignificance, as there is no doubt that Dan Attias is a director of some repute, expertise, and experience. Here is an Emmy-nominated director who has worked on an incredible list of amazing television shows such as: Miami Vice, Beauty and the Beast, Wolf, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Sopranos, The Wire, House, Homeland, Witness (Peter Weir), Northern Exposure, Penny Dreadful: City of Angels, The Americans, The Killing, The Boys, Six Feet Under, The Wire, Marvellous Mrs Maisel, Friday Night Lights, etc.
With such a breath of experience Dan Attias therefore offers much to those seeking insight into the world of directing high quality TV. Moreover, it will also give priceless advice to those seeking a career in directing for all forms of creative media. It is structured and presented eloquently in a language that doesn’t blind the reader with techno-speak either.
The author began as an actor before moving into directing. In fact he states that the best training he had for directing was being an actor. Dan Attias moved from in front of the camera to behind it as assistant director for Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola before directing the feature film Silver Bullet (1985). After which he moved into directing episodic television.
Throughout the book, the author shares his wealth of experiences, highs, lows, and scars got from directing many great TV shows of recent years. Dan Attias does not glamorise the industry but illustrates that the craft of television production is all about the hard work and harder knocks. He advises honing one’s craft through being prepared, with collaboration also being vital. It’s a fast-paced endeavour where choices can often go wrong. But learning from those mistakes builds one’s directorial nous. Preparation is invaluable. Even if episodic television does not always allow it. The director will often arrive late to the party as it were with the showrunners, writers, actors, and pre-production crew having worked months developing a project.
I was seriously inspired by many of Dan Attias’ informative anecdotes. Having worked in both drama and comedy it is clear he is not just a point-and-shoot director. One senses a burning desire on his part to tell stories an imaginative, creative, and emotionally interesting style. Moreover, the book provides key insight into the rehearsal process, positioning actors, use of lenses, shifting points-of-view within scenes, framing, background mise-en-scene and of course lighting. For Attias, above all else, engaging with the environment is imperative as, “Each scene is staging a journey.”
As well as the technical knowledge delivered, the author continually promotes the idea that coordinating positively with showrunners and writers is integral when creating the best work. That does not mean there won’t be disagreements or having to overcome material which appears dramatically unpromising. It is the director’s job to be creative and collaborative while breathing new life into well-known characters within long running shows.
The final chapters share excellent scene breakdowns from the author’s experience of working on three different TV shows, Snowfall, Manhattan, and Good Girls Revolt. Here he delivers a fine perspective of a director’s vision, using the camera and stylistic choices to tell the story, both following and breaking the rules. If you’re breaking the rules you may face conflict from certain crew members, but it is all about staying confident in one’s vision for the storytelling. Overall, Attias’ honesty in overcoming difficult creative moments is to be admired.
Some may think that television was always the lesser cousin, locked in the artistic attic when compared to the noble art of cinema. No more though as programmes such as Game of Thrones, The Wire, The Sopranos, Homeland, Breaking Bad, and many more have proved. Such classic television finds the writing, cinematography, acting and increased production values, elevating their status to the cinematic. The old-school image of a 1970’s TV director shouting at a bank of monitors giving orders to the beleaguered floor manager and cast in a studio is now gone. Dan Attias and his book are testament to that.
Michael Wiese Productions (MWP) was launched in San Francisco in 1976 primarily to produce films. Today, the company is known worldwide having published some 200 books. Some of the bestsellers have been translated into 18 languages, are used in over 700 film courses, in the Hollywood studios and by emerging filmmakers.
Paul Laight is a screenwriter, filmmaker and blogger. In 2005, he formed Fix Films and has written and produced many shorts and other promos. Many of his films have been screened all over the world at various film festivals. Paul is currently working on feature and short film scripts for future productions. His work can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/c/FixFilmsLtd and here https://thecinemafix.com/
Netflix has announced a slate of Chinese-language films and series, headlined by fantasy series Agent From Above, which the streamer says “boasts extensive visual effects that are seldom seen in a local series”.
Produced with Singapore’s mm2 Entertainment and Taiwan’s Good Films Production, the series is set against an oriental universe of “gods, monsters, humans and ghosts”. The story follows a former drug addict who is recruited to do the bidding of legendary Chinese god San Tai Zi as redemption for his sins.
Taiwanese star Kai Ko heads the cast of the series, which also stars Wang Po-Chieh, Hsueh Shih-ling, Buffy Chen and Johnny Yang. Donnie Lai directs with Good Films’ Rita Chuang as the lead producer.
“We’re committed to investing in and creating high-quality Chinese-language shows that we know will appeal to more audiences in Taiwan and around the world,” said Netflix Chinese-language content manager Jerry Zhang. “We hope our projects will uplift the entertainment industry in Taiwan and introduce local stories to the world through our global platform.”
Netflix has also acquired Hong Kong’s highest-grossing film of all time – sci-fi action drama Warriors Of Future, directed by VFX supremo Ng Yuen-fai and starring Louis Koo, Lau Ching Wan and Carina Lau. The film, which broke records on theatrical release in Hong Kong this summer, will stream on Netflix from December 2.
The streamer’s upcoming Chinese offerings also include Taiwanese LGBTQ+ series The Nipple Talk, which looks at how three friends of different genders and sexual orientation balance love and lust in their quest for a relationship. Produced by Sequoia Entertainment, the series is directed by Lincoln Lai and stars Lin Szu-yu, Bryan Chang, Lu Xia and Kaiser Chuang.
Rounding out the slate are two previously announced thriller mysteries, produced with Taiwan’s Greener Grass Production – Copycat Killer, an adaptation of a Miyabe Miyuki crime novel, and the second season of The Victims’ Game, starring Joseph Chang as a detective with Asperger’s Syndrome, which starts filming next year.
Directed by Chang Jung-chi and Henri Chang, Copycat Killer features an ensemble Taiwanese cast including Wu Kang-ren, Alice Ko, Tuo Tsung-hua and Ruby Lin. It will start streaming on Netflix in the first quarter of 2023.
Elon Musk, one week into his $44 billion takeover of Twitter, is gearing up to massively slash the company’s workforce to cut costs, according to a new report.
The mega-billionaire is planning to lay of 3,700 Twitter employees, or about half of the current workforce of approximately 7,500, Bloomberg reported Wednesday, citing anonymous sources.
Reps for Twitter did not respond to a request for comment.
Musk plans to inform Twitter staffers of the major layoffs on Friday, Nov. 4, per the Bloomberg report. In addition, he will announce an end to the company’s permanent work-from-home policy, instituted two years ago at the start of the COVID pandemic, and require employees to come into Twitter’s offices with some exceptions, according to the report.
Last week, ahead of the deal’s official Oct. 27 close, Musk told Twitter employees that he did not plan to cut 75% of the company’s workforce, Bloomberg previously reported. Washington Post eerlier this month reported that Musk previously told potential investors in the Twitter deal that he planned to lay off nearly three-fourths of Twitter’s staff, or about 5,500 employees.
The looming layoffs at Twitter aren’t a surprise. In a Q&A with company employees on June 16, Musk said there needed to be a “rationalization of headcount,” and said: “Anyone who is a significant contributor should have nothing to worry about.”
Over the weekend, the New York Times had reported Twitter job cuts would take place before a Nov. 1 date when employees were scheduled to receive stock grants as part of their compensation and that by laying off staffers before that date, “Mr. Musk may avoid paying the grants.” On Sunday, Musk denied the report.
The job cuts would continue the rapid transformation of Twitter under Musk after taking his favorite social network private — a transaction that included $13 billion in debt financing, putting pressure on the company to boost revenue and reduce expenses. After the deal closed, the tech mogul immediately fired senior execs, including CEO Parag Agrawal, and Musk assumed the role of CEO and dissolved the company’s board of directors.
On Tuesday, Musk announced that the price of a Twitter Blue subscription will increase from $4.99 to $8 per month — and will be the only way to achieve verification on the platform, along with the addition of other new perks. “Twitter’s current lords & peasants system for who has or doesn’t have a blue checkmark is bullshit,” he tweeted.
On Wednesday, Musk spent time sparring with — and trolling — critics of the $8 monthly fee. That included an exchange with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), who wrote, “Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that ‘free speech’ is actually a $8/mo subscription plan.” The right-leaning Musk replied, “Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8” (and he pinned the tweet to his profile). Musk also tweeted an image of an AOC campaign sweatshirt, with the $58 price circled in red, with a thinking-face emoji. Ocasio-Cortez later hit back at Musk, writing, “One guy’s business plan for a $44 billion over-leveraged purchase is apparently to run around and individually ask people for $8. Remember that next time you question yourself or your qualifications.”
Musk also wants to loosen Twitter’s content-moderation policies and reverse its lifelong bans on individual users, although he has promised advertisers that Twitter won’t become “a free-for-all hellscape.” Twitter will form a content-moderation council with “widely diverse viewpoints,” according to Musk, and he said “no major content decisions or account reinstatements will happen before that council convenes.” On Tuesday, Musk tweeted that Twitter will not reinstate anyone who was permanently banned for violating Twitter rules — as Donald Trump was following his support of the Jan. 6 attackers — “until we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks.”
Meanwhile, Musk has changed his Twitter bio to read “Twitter Complaint Hotline Operator” and appears to be reveling in his complete control of the company.
“Twitter is simply the most interesting place on the internet,” he tweeted Wednesday. “That’s why you’re reading this tweet right now.”
The Los Angeles Police department says it is investigating a now-retired LAPD captain accused of helping to keep accusations of sexual assault against Leslie Moonves from becoming public.
News of the corrupt conduct came earlier Wednesday when the New York Attorney General’s office announced that Moonves and Paramount Global would pay a combined $24.5 million to CBS shareholders to settle insider trading and sexual misconduct claims.
As part of that case, the office said that Chief Communications Officer Gil Schwartz sold millions of dollars’ worth of stock in the network after the LAPD captain secretly informed him, Moonves and other executives that Moonves had been accused of sexual assault. The NY Attorney General’s office also said that the LAPD captain worked with executives for months to things quiet until Schwartz sold his stock just prior to the whole thing going public.
Apparently, the LAPD captain, who has not been identified, moonlighted as a security consultant for Moonves at the Grammy Awards from 2008-2014.
LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in a statement that the department is “fully cooperating with the New York and California Attorney General offices and have also initiated an internal investigation regarding the conduct of the retired command officer as well as to identify any other member(s) of the organization that may have been involved. What is most appalling is the alleged breach of trust of a victim of sexual assault, who is among the most vulnerable, by a member of the LAPD. This erodes the public trust and is not reflective of our values as an organization.”
Talking love: Gwen Stefani never thought she would fall in love again after divorcing Gavin Rossdale, the father of her three children. In fact, the 53-year-old No Doubt front woman though she would never kiss another man again, she told The Drew Barrymore Show
Thanks, God: But then the songbird met country music superstar Blake Shelton and fell for him, which she felt was a set up made by God. Seen on The Voice last month
‘God just put us together,’ said the blonde bombshell best known for the single Don’t Speak.
Drew started the conversation by asking, ‘You are coming up on your two-year anniversary with Blake Shelton.’
Gwen then said, ‘God just put us together. It was one of those miracle situations where I didn’t see it coming, I was like, “I’m gonna wake up every day, I’m gonna have a coffee, I’m gonna take care of my kids and then I’m gonna go to bed.”‘
Helpful: ‘God just put us together,’ said the blonde bombshell best known for the single Don’t Speak. Seen in October in NYC
She added, ‘Like I’m never gonna kiss anyone…like I thought my life was over and then Blake Shelton’s like, “Hey. I’m Blake Shelton.”‘
They met on The Voice in 2014, she split from Gavin in 2015, and then she began a romance with Shelton.
Drew said, ‘I think those things are possible.’
Then Stefani added that finding a best friend, someone that is ‘like on the same plane when it comes to morals, or just the way you look at life,’ that’s the dream.
‘Having someone that, we think the same about things yet we’re so different, like he’s watching football and doing his stuff that he does and I’m like putting makeup on. We are so different yet we’re so the same on so many levels,’ she shared.
The background: Drew started the conversation by asking, ‘You are coming up on your two-year anniversary with Blake Shelton.’ Gwen then said, ‘God just put us together. It was one of those miracle situations where I didn’t see it coming, I was like, “I’m gonna wake up every day, I’m gonna have a coffee, I’m gonna take care of my kids and then I’m gonna go to bed”‘
Drew agrees: She added, ‘Like I’m never gonna kiss anyone…like I thought my life was over and then Blake Shelton’s like, “Hey. I’m Blake Shelton.”‘ They met on The Voice in 2014. Drew said, ‘I think those things are possible’
Fast friends: Drew and Gwen held hands as they posed together backstage
Stefani also said that she doesn’t know if she would do well on The Voice if she auditioned.
‘I would never get a chair turn, there’s no way, because this is the thing about The Voice, the whole thing is just, it’s very different than watching someone sing a song and that’s the whole point, that you’re eliminating any of those other sensory things, you’re just hearing the voice,’ she noted.
‘And I feel like my voice has been, it’s like a character voice.
‘Some of these singers are so technically incredible that come on the show, they’re so gifted as singers, so I don’t know if a show like the The Voice I would get a chair turn, like I feel like I could get someone to listen to it on the radio, but it’s just different…’
The big show: Stefani also said that she doesn’t know if she would do well on The Voice if she auditioned. ‘I would never get a chair turn, there’s no way.’ From left, Blake, Gwen, Camila Cabello and John Legend
Blake Shelton fans sat up in their chairs and turned their attention to his Instagram on Wednesday when he posted a picture of a recording studio decked out with Christmas decorations.
‘I guess it’s about that time of year again…’ captioned the country superstar, teasing new Christmas music.
‘OMG,’ commented one of his 5.7 million followers. ‘NEW CHRISTMAS ALBUM?!?!!!!!’
Shelton hasn’t released a full Christmas album since his 2012 collection called Cheers, It’s Christmas.
He’s making it feel like Christmas: Blake Shelton teased new Christmas music on Wednesday when he posted a picture to Instagram of a recording studio decked out with Christmas decorations. ‘I guess it’s about that time of year again…’ captioned the country superstar
The devoted husband did, however, give Gwen a helping hand in 2017 when she released her fourth studio album called You Make It Feel Like Christmas.
Stefani was inspired to record the Christmas album when she went for a nature walk in the countryside that surrounded Shelton’s Oklahoma ranch house.
She began writing her slow-burn Christmas ballad called Christmas Eve and eventually followed that initial creation with five more original songs in addition to covering six Christmas standards.
Missing the mistletoe: Shelton hasn’t released a full Christmas album since his 2012 collection called Cheers, It’s Christmas. The devoted husband did, however, give his wife Gwen a helping hand in 2017 when she released her fourth studio album called You Make It Feel Like Christmas
The album’s six original songs were infused with Stefani and Shelton’s newfound love at the time.
The couple’s collaborative song You Make It Feel Like Christmas garnered mostly positive reviews and was a modest success, but Stefani’s album overall was a slight disappointment commercially.
Perhaps with Gwen’s help, Blake can pretend to be Santa Clause and sleigh up to the top of the holiday charts with his upcoming Christmas music.
Not number one: The couple’s collaborative song You Make It Feel Like Christmas garnered mostly positive reviews and was a modest success, but Stefani’s album overall was a slight disappointment commercially
Tandav Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Sunil Grover, Kumud Mishra, Zeeshan Ayyub Creator: Ali Abbas Zafar
Blame it on the successful Amazon Prime Video model in India that most of their Hindi thrillers follow a certain template. Be it Mirzapur, Inside Edge, Breathe, Paatal Lok or its latest outing Tandav, the streaming giant relies mostly on set pieces. But it’s not a bad thing as these shows have mostly been entertaining and know a thing or two about their potential audiences.
Tandav, created by Ali Abbas Zafar and headlined by Saif Ali Khan, is the latest noisemaker in the Hindi OTT space and definitely plays to the gallery, and along the way, gives the viewers ample hints about how Bollywood sees a web series as a 9-episode extension of a typical film rather than a separate entity. Zafar (Gunday, Tiger Zinda Hai) also adds his touch to the production, and as a result, the twists-laden narrative keeps shifting goalposts.
Though the makers could have chosen a less stereotyped name than Samar Pratap Singh (Khan) for their anchor, a conniving yet vulnerable scion of India’s most powerful political family, they give the actor a nice arc to work with. Some may find similarities between Tandav and Prakash Jha’s Raajneeti, but to be honest, mainstream Hindi filmmaking has hardly shown any will to make sensible and serious political drama till date.
Tigmanshu Dhulia plays Khan’s father a la Wasseypur style but the new JP Singh is better carved out. Then there are other players like political rivals—Dimple Kapadia and Kumud Mishra—revolutionary students—Zeeshan Ayyub and Kritika Kamra—and a henchman—Sunil Grover in an image-changing role.
There are some tricks and treats and how Samar battles at many fronts also contribute generously to the dance of fury.
Written by Gaurav Solanki (Article 15) and Zafar, Tandav owes massively from the perception that you have to be dirty and somewhat criminal to be successful in electoral politics, so we keep meeting corrupt leaders, trigger-happy cops and derailed media bosses. It may not look good in principle but it spices up proceedings quite a bit, and thanks to the overdose of blood and gore OTTs are filling us with, Tandav appears familiar and tolerable, meaningless though. But who cares till it is glossy and everyone’s cheeks are trembling with anger and fear. Am I missing Hrithik Roshan here!
To me, Khan seems more genuine whenever he plays negative characters. Maybe he should do more of such roles. Not calling it villainous because it’s not totally black in the first five episodes that were provided for the review purpose. He knows his territory and is continuously evolving as an actor. Isn’t he experimenting more than his contemporaries lately?
Dimple Kapadia is good despite hamming but the same can’t be said about Kumud Mishra. I wish I hadn’t seen Ram Singh Charlie and Thappad before his forced laughter in Tandav.
The show may pick up in later episodes but first five display all the trappings of a ‘masala’ Bollywood production with absolutely nothing to ponder about once it’s over. Before you tag me pretentious, I would reiterate that Tandav is entertaining, provided you have a high appetite for projected punchlines and audacious behaviour.
The merchandising on both platforms for Halloween outlines the distinct differences in subscriber behaviors
One of the biggest questions consumers have when it comes to the variety of streaming services is: How do I find something to watch? For Halloween, HBO Max and Discovery+ bypassed the usual use of algorithms and leaned into a human-driven curation of specific content — not algorithms! — to drive subscribers to movies and shows they’d be most likely to enjoy. And while the subscriber bases for both streaming services exhibit distinctly different behaviors, the strategy that’s driving programming for both right now will come in handy when they’re combined into a single streaming service in 2023.
“A lot of thought goes into it,” Lisa Holme, SVP of Content Strategy, Merchandising and Podcasts at Warner Bros. Discovery told TheWrap about merchandising Halloween content on HBO Max and Discovery+, which in 2022 saw the return of three interactive doors on HBO Max that chose a movie for a consumer based on which door they picked: “Not Scary at All,” “Scary” and “Very Scary.”
This year saw the expansion of this kind of curated choice for subscribers with an interactive series of tarot cards, each revealing a different film from a horror sub-genre. Select “The Fool” and you got a title related to horror comedies; choose “The Executioner” and you got a slasher; pick “The Magician” and you’d find a recommendation related to fantasy and magic.
But Holme said the titles that show up behind the doors and cards are not driven by algorithm or previous viewership. They’re hand-curated by humans. “They’re not targeted to a user watch history, but they’re curated more in a human and data way as opposed to an algorithm kind of way,” she said. “So it’s not a random selection.”
Holme, who oversees the merchandising of both HBO Max and Discovery+, acknowledges that the two platforms have quite different subscriber bases with different viewing habits, which informed how Halloween was celebrated on each.
“The Discovery+ base tends to be kind of genre-forward, so they know they want food or home or paranormal or dating and relationships, and if you could lean into that genre, then we have a whole host of content for you where you may be choosing more of the network brands to whom you have affinity, like HGTV, or a genre like true crime that you really love, and the content sort of follows,” she explained.
On the other hand, she said HBO Max subscribers are more driven by specific titles. “They often show up knowing this is the show I’m gonna watch, and have more of a single title driven-type browse experience,” she said. “Somebody shows up knowing I’m gonna watch ‘House of the Dragon’ tonight.”
Tarot cards on HBO Max
However, HBO Max execs have found that its movie viewers sometimes behave like genre-focused Discovery+ viewers by taking advantage of the service’s robust library of titles. “We see a lot of behavior at nights and on the weekends if someone’s showing up saying, ‘I know I want to watch a movie. I don’t have a specific movie in mind, I just trust that HBO Max has a designated movie offering so I’ll just browse around and see how I’m going to spend my night.’”
So how does the HBO Max team go about increasing discoverability when their consumer generally knows why they’re coming to the platform? The site has “a number of different experiments” running at any given time to test this particular aspect of HBO Max, Holme said, but execs also try to ensure a consumer doesn’t become frustrated by not finding something to watch.
“We really try to strike that balance of, for somebody that comes in knowing what they want to watch, we want to make it easy and not frustrating for them to find that thing,” Holme said. “So whether that’s the ‘House of the Dragon’ episode, and it’s the first thing you see on a Sunday night when you open the app or your “continue watching” tray is very high up in the experience so you can pick up where you left off on the next episode. … As you finish watching that show, we want to make sure that you know everything else that’s curated on the platform and it won’t take you too long to find your next great show.”
During holidays, the human-curated merchandising aspect of both streaming services comes further into play, in Holme’s words, allowing the streamer “to surprise and delight the consumer in a way that I think no algorithm really can.”
It’s an approach that WBD execs are hoping to explore even more once they combine the two streamers next year. “The wheels are turning about how exciting this may be in the future when we bring these catalogs together,” she said, with discussions underway about how to serve the more passive viewing habits of Discovery+ subscribers while determining how certain shows might be good fits for a shuffle or themed curation.
“There are some types of content that really lend themselves to that more passive viewing, from a ‘Friends’ or ‘Big Bang Theory’ to ‘House Hunters: International,’ so I think we will try to feed those kinds of experiences where the content really makes sense for it,” Holme said. “Like ‘South Park,’ you may want to watch all of the episodes that are tied to a specific theme, and so we’ll try to make that really easy for you to find.”
But before the new combined streaming service launches, Holme says there’s more holiday-oriented curation on the way on HBO Max and Discovery+.
“We will be taking quite a creative approach on both platforms to merchandise holidays,” she added. “We’ve got some original holiday movies on both platforms that we’ll be featuring as well as just the entire breadth and variety of the platforms.”
The series about the friendship between Tuca (Haddish), a cocky, carefree toucan, and Bertie (Wong), an anxious, daydreaming songbird, aired two seasons on Adult Swim after one on Netflix. Steven Yeun also starred.
“Tuca & Bertie has sadly been canceled,” EP Hanawalt wrote on Twitter today, adding later: “I still have a beautiful and weird ending to T&B in mind, hopefully someday we’ll get the chance to finish their story.” Read her full post below.
The move comes after Season 2 made for an increase in both teen viewers (12-17) and young female viewers increased the number of teen viewers (ages 12-17) and young females (18-24) for Adult Swim, the network said last year.
Hanawalt executive produced Tuca & Bertie with Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Noel Bright, Steven A. Cohen, Haddish and Wong. The series was produced by Michael Eisner’s The Tornante Company, and the animation is done at ShadowMachine.
Here is the full text of Hanawalt’s tweet:
Tuca & Bertie has sadly been canceled.
To all our fans – we love you and can’t thank you enough for your support over the years. Please never stop making weird fan art (and dressing up as the characters for Halloween!), it brings me endless joy.
Working with Adult Swim was creatively fulfilling, our execs were all smart and thoughtful, and I’m grateful that we got the space to make all these wild and heartfelt episodes about things that matter to me very much.
I’m so proud of the work done by all my talented coworkers and collaborators on this show. Please watch the end credits and take note of all these names in the cast and crew. I’m also very glad we were able to be covered by The Animation Guild and the Writers Guild of America. I hope any show creators who have the leverage to fight for unionizing their productions will continue to do so.
I still have a beautiful and weird ending to T&B in mind, hopefully someday we’ll get the chance to finish this story. In the meantime, I’m not done creating. I’ve witnessed so many people connecting with this show on a profound level, and I intend to keep telling stories like this, no matter what.
Clay Epstein’s Film Mode Entertainment announces the AFM market premiere and screenings of Manifest West, the new thriller Starring Lexy Kolker (Freaks, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Annet Mahendru (The Walking Dead: World Beyond, The Americans), Milo Gibson (Hacksaw Ridge, Clawfoot), Michael Cudlitz (Clarice, The Walking Dead) Tim Heidecker (Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Us).
The film is written and directed by Joe Dietsch and Louie Gibson, the writer/director team from Happy Hunting. The film was recently acquired for distribution throughout North America by Samuel Goldwyn Films and is set for a November 11, 2022 release in the US in theaters and across digital platforms. Manifest West also just played to critical acclaim at the 2022 Newport Beach Film Festival.
Courtesy of IPPR and Film Mode Entertainment
Film Mode Entertainment will be screening the film for buyers for the first time at AFM on Tuesday, November 1, 2022 at 1:30pm PT and again on Wednesday, November 2, 2022 at 1:30pm PT, both at AMC Santa Monica, Screen 2.
“We’re thrilled to be working with the amazing Manifest West team, both in front of and behind the camera. The film is a commercially viable top-quality thriller that raises the genre bar, that both buyers and audiences around the globe have been clamoring for.” Said Epstein
In Manifest West, a seemingly normal family moves off the grid into untamed North American wilderness in the hopes of escaping the pressures of modern society. But as secrets are revealed and tensions rise within the family, they realize you can’t escape what’s going on in your own household, no matter how far you move up a mountain.
Courtesy of IPPR and Film Mode Entertainment
Manifest West boasts a highly talented team in front of the camera and behind the scenes, whose combined box office earnings are close to the $100 million mark (USD). Each cast member has a dedicated global following from their work on such hit films and and TV shows as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Americans, Hacksaw Ridge, Happy Hunting, Tim and Eric’s Bedtime Stories, The Blacklist, The Outpost, Under The Stadium Lights, Shooter, Father Stu and Spin Me Around.
“We wanted to explore the idea of freedom in modern society. Is it still possible to move off the grid and have true autonomy, or are we too interdependent? The story is told through the eyes of very human characters, people who have moral shades of grey. Like everyone, they can be the heroes and villains in their own story.” Said Joe Dietsch and Louie Gibson.
Courtesy of IPPR and Film Mode Entertainment
Film Mode Entertainment continues to bridge the gap between filmmakers and audiences and raises the genre-bar for feature films by nurturing high-quality commercially viable movies like Manifest West and bringing them to the global marketplace with great success.
Bryson Pintard is producing. Executive producers are Michael Tipps, Homan Taghdiri, Louie Gibson, Joe Dietsch and Joe Toronto. Film Mode Entertainment is handling worldwide rights excluding North America.
About Film Mode Entertainment
Film Mode Entertainment is a leading worldwide sales agent, production entity and distribution company, focusing on commercially driven feature films of all genres and budget sizes. Film Mode represents projects at all stages of the filmmaking process, often as Executive Producer, with the aim of helping producers and distributors achieve maximum exposure for their films. Film Mode’s recent titles include Mayim Bialik’s feature directorial debut, AS THEY MADE US, starring two-time Oscar-winner Dustin Hoffman, Academy Award-nominee and Emmy Award-winner Candice Bergen, Simon Helberg and Dianna Agron, CHICK FIGHT starring Malin Ackerman and Bella Thorne, CRYPTO starring Kurt Russell, Luke Hemsworth and Alexis Bledel, STAGE MOTHER starring Academy Award nominee Jacki Weaver, Lucy Liu and Adrian Grenier. Previous releases include SUGAR MOUNTAIN starring Jason Momoa, and THE GOOD NEIGHBOR starring Academy Award-nominee James Caan. Film Mode accelerated their growth and expanded their capabilities by entering into a partnership with SCREEN MEDIA, representing their catalogue of more than 600 titles, including WHAT’S EATING GILBERT GRAPE starring Leonardo DiCaprio, who was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for his performance, and MONSTER, starring Charlize Theron who won an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Actress for the film. The company also has its own distribution arm, as well as a documentary label, DocMode. Film Mode is based in Beverly Hills, CA. For more information, visit www.filmmodeentertainment.com
ABOUT SAMUEL GOLDWYN FILMS
Samuel Goldwyn Films is a major, independently owned and operated motion-picture company that develops, produces and distributes innovative feature films. The company distributed the 2021 Academy Award®-winning film ANOTHER ROUND, the 2021 Academy Award®-nominated film THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SKIN and 2022 Academy Award®-nominated film LUNANA: A YAK IN THE CLASSROOM. Upcoming films include India’s official Oscars® entry LAST FILM SHOW, UK hit FISHERMAN’S FRIENDS: ONE AND ALL and MANIFEST WEST.
A Jane Doe witness testifying in the criminal rape trial of Danny Masterson on Wednesday told how the “That 70s Show” star first engaged her with a “predatory” stare, demanded her number and immediately began issuing forceful commands – then repeatedly pushed through her clear boundaries in an encounter at his Los Angeles home that escalated to rape.
Known as “N Trout” for purposes of trial, the witness also testified – as previous witnesses have done – that she became “fuzzy” and feeling “out of control” after drinking a single alcoholic beverage given her by Masterson. None of the witnesses has specifically said they were drugged, but the inference has been strong.
N Trout told the jury she met Masterson through Scientology, which her mother involved her in as a teen to deal with anxiety. She said her mom was no longer a practicing member, but believed in the “tenets” of Scientology, including a strict ban on anti-anxiety medications and other psychotropic drugs.
The witness said she was cast in a TV sitcom in 2000, and began to hang around Scientology’s celebrity center, where she encountered Masterson and his friend group. They knew one another on a casual, mutual-friends basis at first, but that all changed one night when the group went out to a nearby bar called The Well in 2003.
Sitting in a VIP booth, she said Masterson was “staring at me so intently, in such a laser-focused way. He was like boring a hole into my head, staring. I was drinking this water. When I stopped drinking the water, when I went and looked all three of them were staring at me. They were really watching Danny watch me and it was a very intent, predatory stare.”
She admitted she was intimidated but somewhat flattered by the attention, “but it was a real mixture of emotions. I was very young and anxious and flattered and trying to enjoy myself and that level of attention.”
As they were leaving, she said, Masterson became very direct. “‘Give me your number,’ like that,” she said. “I gave him my number. I was like, ‘OK.’”
She said within a day, he began an aggressive pressure campaign: “He was texting kind of rapidly and very directly and very aggressive and I was surprised,” she said. “He started commanding and demanding I come over right now. It was in the evening and I was like, ‘That’s not a date, dude.”
He persisted. “He kept saying ‘Come over right now, you’re getting in my jacuzzi. Bring a bathing suit. Bring your bikini. You’re getting in my jacuzzi,’ she said. “I thought it was obnoxious. I think I texted ‘No, you can take me on a date.’ He was just like ‘No – come over now.’ How about we hang out another time? ‘No you’re coming over now. You’re getting in my pool and you’re getting in my jacuzzi.’ I said ‘No, if I come over we can have a glass of wine, and … have glass of wine. I’m not getting in your pool. I don’t want to take my clothes off.’”
At times N Trout became emotional and emphatic, and this was one: “I just totally didn’t grasp why there was so much aggression and commanding what to do. … He must just have this way of being commanding, he’s so confident. Maybe this is just his way of flirting. I was very worried about being used or treated in a way that was disrespectful.”
But having established boundaries and believing she could handle herself, she walked over to his house some time after 8 p.m. When she arrived, “he handed me a glass of red wine right away. He was standing, staring at me and he said ‘Drink it. Now.’”
He continued pressuring her to drink the wine while they chatted, she said. When they walked outside, he began to demand that she take her clothes off.
“I was kind of giggling and nervous and saying ‘No, I’m not taking off my clothes,” she said.
He continued to insist, then said if she didn’t take her clothes off, he would take them off. “I was trying to kind of appease him. He was so commanding and I didn’t want to incite or arouse any kind of violence around him.”
At that moment, N Trout said she started to feel different.
“That’s when things started to feel very heavy in my body. I felt more out of it, right when he was demanding to get my clothes off. My sense became much more fuzzy and different … like a [whooshing noise]. It felt very intense like being drunk. Like not a lot of energy.”
From there, she says her memories range moment-to-moment from total blackout to extremely vivid. She remembers clearly she relented – and started removing her clothes.
“I didn’t have myself any more,” she said. “I wasn’t in control. Not my choice. Something was hitting me. I felt not with it. I felt out of it.”
She said she doesn’t remember how she got in Masterson’s jacuzzi, but recalled feeling “really out of it” as he began kissing, groping and fingering her.
“I was pretty out of it and I was trying to keep it from escalating the very best I could,” she said. “I did not want to have sex. I didn’t want any of what was happening. I didn’t want to be in the jacuzzi. I did not want to have him touching my vagina. I didn’t want sex of any kind. I’d said that. I’d said that to him.”
Becoming emphatic again, and fighting back tears, she said: “I did start saying as things escalating, I said, ‘We are not having sex, Danny.’”
They went inside, where he demanded she get in his shower. She complied “because he was so commanding,” and then he came into the shower with her. “I was against the wall and he was kissing me very intensely. I think he started to finger me [and she was saying] “No, you can’t do that.”
At that point, she said, “I was afraid to assert myself. He was really intense and driven to have what was happening. I just was trying to manage it the best as I could … All of a sudden he went inside me with his penis really fast – right in the shower, and I freaked out. And I had already said to him ‘No.’ I thought ‘What the fuck. What are you doing? Get out of me. Why did you do that. I told you no!’”
N Trout was expected to continue her testimony Wednesday.
Masterson was formally charged in 2020, but allegations first came to light in 2017 when a blogger covering Scientology reported that detectives were investigating the actor after three women came forward with accusations of rape and assault. The women claim they came into contact with Masterson in the early 2000s through the Church of Scientology, and each has said they were pressured by the Church to keep quiet.
Masterson has maintained his innocence, and his family, including his brothers and wife Bijou Phillips, have been in court daily to support him.
Also Wednesday, the judged dismissed Juror No. 10, a man who kept falling asleep during testimony. He was replaced by a woman alternate, making the panel now eight women and four men.
Animated jungle adventures have been a thing since 1967’s The Jungle Book. However, tales of animals and humans cavorting in the rainforests of Asia have abounded since then. The latest entry I have had the pleasure of reviewing is Riki the Rhino, directed by Erwin Budiono. A basic fable of learning compassion for others, this CGI-animated film is geared toward young children. The animation is soft, with bright, vibrant colors. The environments are about as well crafted as any CGI environments viewed in PBS’ animated offerings.
In Riki the Rhino, the titular Riki (Jennifer Castle/Hamish Daud) loses his horn to Mr. Jak (Zack Lee), a poacher who meant to take Riki’s entire head. Aided by his best friend Beni (GE Pakmungas/Paul Reynolds), a duck, the rhino receives a replacement horn filled with all of Beni’s feathers. They then embark on a quest to provide Riki with an authentic replacement horn. Along the way, Riki and Beni encounter a great many fellow jungle critters in need of assistance. Helping them grants Riki all sorts of abilities.
From aiding tigers against poachers to assisting elephants afflicted with a poisoned pineapple, Riki experiences many adventures which enable him to expand his worldview beyond his self-centered needs. Screenwriters Cassandra Massandri, Jony Yuwono, and Tim Clague teach young viewers a great lesson about learning to help others in need. While we are all selfish creatures and principally concerned with our survival, it’s good to provide help to others in need. At the very least, they might turn around and help you, as several do for Riki.
“…Riki and Beni encounter a great many fellow jungle critters in need of assistance.”
The actors are well selected for an animated film geared toward young children. Everyone uses soft, brightly tilted voices. The roles on display are all geared towards gently educating the audience on how to be a good person. This is an earnest production. While I can certainly appreciate the values and messages the film wishes to impart to its audience, I must admit I am not the audience for this.
Riki the Rhino is perfect for my 6-year-old niece and her brother, my 2-year-old nephew. They would take quite a lot of good lessons away from this production, and the animation style is so basic it would not terrify them or give them nightmares, which has been known to have occurred even with Disney films. For the parents in the audience, this will be a little droll and will likely bore them slightly. While the film aspires to Looney Tunes quality humor, it does not quite hit that hallowed mark. However, if you, as an adult, can enjoy corny jokes, then a moderately good time will be had while your child devours this.
If you need a 90-minute film to entertain your 6-year-olds (or younger), seek out Riki the Rhino. This Indonesian production will give your child a clear sense of what animals exist in that region’s rainforests, from rhinos to ducks to komodo dragons. It will also teach some quality lessons about the value of helping other people out and the good things that come to you when you do.
Miss Argentina and Miss Puerto Rico have announced they tied the knot in secret after claiming they’ve been in a ‘private’ relationship for two years.
Mariana Varela, 26, from Argentina, and Fabiola Valentín, 22, from Puerto Rico, first met in 2020 when they represented their counties in the Miss Grand International competition.
Before sharing their surprise news on Instagram, the newlyweds – who never confirmed they were dating – only ever gushed about their ‘friendship’ on social media.
Announcing that they’d tied the knot, both models shared the same Reel with their combined Instagram following of 233,000.
In the 30-second video, the couple began by sharing snippets from their travels – including a clip of them cuddling up on Jobos beach in Puerto Rico and enjoying a romantic boat ride in Mexico.
Mariana Varela (left), 26, from Argentina, and Fabiola Valentín (right), 22, from Puerto Rico, announced they have tied the knot earlier this week. The models wed at the Marriage Bureau in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on October 28
The couple – who have a combined Instagram following of 233,000 – shared a highlights video from their relationship. It included a clip from the evening they decided to get engaged
The pair first met in 2020 when they represented their counties in the Miss Grand International competition
The video shared clips from their travels all over South America in the past two years. The couple had only ever hinted at their romance before announcing they were married
The video – which has racked up over 1.8m views in three days – then jumps forward to the night where they got engaged.
The clip shows the couple’s apartment filled with an assortment of red and white balloons, rose petals and fairy lights.
Gold balloons reading ‘Marry Me?’ have been placed in front of the window before the video jumps to a clip of Fabiola placing a ring on Mariana’s finger.
The newlyweds chose have almost identical silver engagement rings – featuring a cushioned-set diamond on a pave band.
The newlyweds chose have almost identical silver engagement rings – featuring a cushioned-set diamond on a pave band. The Instagram Reel showed them celebrating their engagement afterwards
The newlyweds’ video features a clip of them cuddling up on Jobos beach in Puerto Rico
Fabiola – pictured in 2022 – represented Argentina in the 2019 Miss Universe competition before then making it through to the Top 10 of Miss Grand International 2020
The video ends with the couple sharing a kiss outside the Marriage Bureau in San Juan where they tied the knot on October 28.
While Fabiola opted for a white blazer dress with fringed skirt, her new wife Mariana wore a white jacket and black trousers for the occasion.
The newlyweds captioned the clip: ‘After deciding to keep our relationship private, we opened the doors to them on a special day.’
The shared post has amassed over 128,000 ‘likes’ since it was posted earlier this week and fans were quick to congratulate the pair on their happy news.
Mariana – pictured on holiday in 2022 – was crowned Miss Argentina in 2019
The couple – pictured before their 2022 wedding – captioned the video: ‘After deciding to keep our relationship private, we opened the doors to them on a special day.’
The pair – who have been known each for two years – thanked fans for ‘all the love’ on their video. Pictured: the couple pose for a selfie in August 2022
One replied: ‘Omg! Congratulations sisters! Lovelovelove!’
Another added: ‘CONGRATULATIONS!! Many blessings to you!”
‘Congratulations beautiful, a third wrote. ‘God bless your union and long live love!!!!’
Blown away by the response their post received, Mariana wrote on her Instagram Stories: ‘Thanks for all the love! We are very happy and blessed.
‘I wish you that the love you are giving us is multiplied! Endless thanks.’
Before this week, the pair only seem to have hinted at their romance on social media.
Fabiola represented Puerto Rico in the 2019 Miss Universe competition before then making it through to the Top 10 of Miss Grand International 2020
According to Hola , Mariana also made it through to the final of the competition after being crowned Miss Argentina in 2019
The two lovebirds first met in 2020 during the Miss Grand International competition and kept their relationship hidden
Wishing her now-wife a happy birthday earlier this year, Fabiola wrote: ‘Thank you for making me part of your life and accomplice of your happiness.
‘You are a priceless treasure and I hope to keep our friendship forever.’
Fabiola represented Puerto Rico in the 2019 Miss Universe competition before then making it through to the Top 10 of Miss Grand International 2020.
According to Hola, Mariana also made it through to the final of the competition after being crowned Miss Argentina in 2019.
Emily Ratajkowski has stated that maintaining a healthy diet is the key to keeping her model-like shape. The author of My Body took to social media to post photos of her Halloween costume, in which she sported a sultry cowgirl suit that exposed her derriere.
When the singer Halsey complemented the model’s body in the comment area, further questioning her about her regimen, the model responded, “Just eating well!” skipping no meals! Happy girl.
Ratajkowski, now 31, uploaded a TikTok video of herself traversing the streets of New York City to the soundtrack of Lindsay Lohan’s Halloween monologue from the cult hit Mean Girls.
The actress from Gone Girl appeared in public wearing a black thong, fringe chaps with cutouts around her bottom, and a black crop top with long sleeves that revealed her toned midriff.
She finished off the look by carrying a shoulder bag, donning a hat with a broad brim, and putting on a pair of black boots. Even though she is dressed provocatively, this is not even close to being the most contentious thing she has ever worn.
In a recent Harper’s Bazaar video, Ratajkowski commented that a plunging cutout dress by Julien Macdonald was likely the most provocative piece [she] had ever worn.
In the clip, she reflected on the costume she wore to the 2016 Harper’s Bazaar Icons Party and stated, “I had no idea what a spectacle this would generate.” She was referring to the controversy that her choice of attire had caused.
Someone referred to it as “very obscene,” and as a result, it became the subject of a significant debate on the internet. And several of my representatives were upset with me because they believed it was inappropriately sexual.
Netflix will add five new executives to advertising team as the streamer prepares to launch its ad-supported subscription tier on Nov. 3, a company spokesperson confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter.
Beginning on Nov. 14, the ad team — led by Jeremi Gorman, Netflix’s president of worldwide advertising — will include executives coming from Amazon, YouTube and TikTok, as well as additional poaches from Snap. Julie DeTraglia, most recently the global head of sports strategy and research at Amazon, will serve as vp ads measurement strategy.
At the senior director level, GroupM’s Adam Gerber — who has previously held executive roles at Essence and Disney/ABC Television Group — will join Netflix as senior director for client development. Julie Green, TikTok’s director of global business solutions, will become senior director for vertical sales, while Nicole Sabatini, the director of product marketing for YouTube’s ads marketing division, has been tapped as a senior director for ad partner solutions.
Rounding out the new hires is Chris Smutny, who will join his former Snap colleagues Gorman and Peter Naylor — who previously served as Snap’s chief business officer and vp sales, respectively — at Netflix as a senior director for sales operations.
Netflix is set to debut its ad-supported subscription tier in the U.S. on Thursday priced at $6.99 a month. The ads on this tier, which will be displayed in 15- to 30-second commercial spots, will total between four to five minutes of ads per hour. The viewing experience is expected to vary based on the title — new movies will only have preroll ads, according to Netflix COO Greg Peters — and the streamer will work with Nielsen in the U.S. and the nonprofit BARB in the U.K. to measure viewership data for advertisers.
Editor’s note:Deadline presents the 38th episode of its video series Take Two, in which Pete Hammond and Todd McCarthy tackle the artistry of films. Each has reviewed and written about the craft for decades and built a remarkable breadth of knowledge of films past and present. What we hoped for when we asked them to do this was a concise, mature and thoughtful conversation comparable to what we saw from Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel.
A couple of weeks ago we surveyed the highly competitive Best Actress Oscar race, and now this week we take a look at the top contenders for Best Actor. While full of exceptional performances this category does not appear to be as crowded as usual, and that could mean some ripe opportunities for actors who might have had a tougher time getting noticed here in previous years. Currently topping the list are potential first time nominees like Colin Farrell in The Banshees Of Inisherin, Brendan Fraser as a 600 pound man trying to reconnect with his daughter in The Whale, and Austin Butler channeling Elvis Presley in the summer hit, Elvis. Veteran Bill Nighy is also angling for his first-ever recognition from the Academy, as is Adam Sandler who has been heavily seen on the awards circuit this Fall for his Netflix film Hustle.
Can Tom Cruise, a previous multiple nominee make a return in the year’s number one picture, Top Gun: Maverick in which he plays the title role 36 years after first trying it out in 1986? Will Hugh Jackman nab his second nomination for the highly dramatic The Son? Will the Academy find room for much needed diversity in the list with a group of exceptional performances from the likes of Jeremy Pope in The Inspection and Jonathan Majors in Devotion? And then there’s Will Smith as a runaway slave in Emancipation which Apple TV+ has suddenly dropped into the season. What will voters make of last year’s Best Actor winner, the notorious slap, and whether he is still deserving of a second shot despite being banned from any Oscar show for the next decade and being forced to resign from the Academy? There is much to talk about including a possible nomination for Gabriel LaBelle who plays the young Steven Spielberg (albeit with a different name) in the much acclaimed autobiographical film, The Fabelmans.
Click above to watch our conversation.
Hammond has been Deadline’s Awards Columnist for the past decade, covering what now seemingly is the year-round Oscar and Emmy seasons. He is also Deadline’s Chief Film Critic, having previously reviewed films for MovieLine, Boxoffice magazine, Backstage, Hollywood.com and Maxim, as well as Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide, for which he was a contributing editor. In addition to writing, Hammond also hosts KCET Cinema Series and the station’s weekly series Must See Movies.
McCarthy is a veteran trade publication film critic, columnist and reporter who has also written several acclaimed books and documentary films. He served two stints on the staffs of Variety and The Hollywood Reporter and extensively covered film festivals internationally for both publications. His film Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography won the best documentary prizes from the New York Film Critics and National Society of Film Critics associations, and he won an Emmy for writing the documentary Preston Sturges: The Rise and Fall of an American Dreamer. He also directed the documentaries Man of Cinema: Pierre Rissient and Forever Hollywood.
Thank you to Samantha Barry and the entire Glamour team for honoring me with a beautiful Women of the Year cover story and for recognizing me in this way. It means so much to me that you’ve chosen to include me as an honoree amongst such an esteemed group of women. Congratulations to my fellow honorees. But I never view these awards as being just about me. It’s so important to celebrate us all as women.
It’s been an interesting time to be a woman. Sometimes it feels as though no matter how far we’ve come, we’ve still not come far enough. But what gives me great comfort and faith that we will prevail is remembering that when women come together, when we put our minds and our hearts together, we are unstoppable. Our contributions have made history, given birth to movements, brought about peace and justice, and transformed our lives for generations.
We are courageous like Mamie Till, whose life was forever changed in 1955 when her son, Emmett, just 14 years old, was brutally murdered while visiting their family in Mississippi. Her decision to open the casket to show the world what was done to her only child by lawless men in a Jim Crow South, who tortured her boy because of his Blackness, put Mamie on an unexpected path of being one of history’s most game-changing freedom fighters whose pain united a nation.
We are underestimated like Rosa Parks, who was presumed to meek and mild, voiceless, voiceless, someone who wouldn’t stand up for herself, let alone for others. But on one December evening in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks said that: “When that White driver stepped back toward us…I felt a determination cover my body like a quilt on a winter night.” Her refusal to give up her seat on the bus that day historically boosted the fight for civil rights for Black people in this country, and recognizing Rosa Parks as “the mother of the freedom movement.”
We are fearless like Bessie Coleman, a manicurist in a local Chicago barber shop who wanted to learn to fly but was turned down by flight schools in our country. She didn’t give up. She learned instead to speak French, attended a flight school in France, and in 1921, she went on to become the first Black and Native American woman pilot. Brave Bessie, as she became known, built a successful business doing aerial shows, in a plane she owned, around this country, a country that tried to deny her dream.
We are resilient like Tina Turner, who gave up everything she’d worked for, except her name, to gain freedom from abuse. She started over, reimagining her career as a Rock & Roll artist, a genre that no Black woman had successfully charted, Tina Turner went on to become one of the most admired and successful artists around the world, earning an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on her own merit.
We are persistent like Ruth Bader Ginsberg, herself a Glamour Woman of the Year in 2012, who was once told by the dean at the Harvard Law School, that she was taking up space that belonged to a man. There in a class of 500 men. But she wasn’t deterred. She answered that dean’s assertion by earning her seat on the Supreme Court of these United States of America.
We are resourceful like my mother, Betty Jane, who was a single mom raising her daughters to be women of purpose and pride who could stand on their own. She often struggled to make ends meet, making a way out of no way, like we women do from time to time, but she always made sure we had exactly what we needed.
The legacies of these women and so many more are what keep me going when the deck seems stacked against me—against us. And as I stand here tonight, I challenge us all to think about what our contributions to pushing humanity forward will be. What will you do to make sure that future generations of girls and women exist in a world that is one of equality and equity? And when you’re told that you can’t, or you won’t, that it’s impossible, when doubt or fear begins to take hold of your spirit, let determination cover your body like a quilt on a winter night. And press forward. The world needs you, quite possibly more than ever before. The world has always needed us.
I accept this tremendous honor, Women of the Year, for my daughter, Bronwyn, who I remind every day that she is beautiful, worthy, strong and that she is enough. Together, we stand. We all stand courageous, and fearless, we stand determined, resilient, persistent, and especially in the face of anyone who dares to underestimate us. I encourage you, and in the words of my character Queen Ramonda, to always show them who you are. Thank you.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan has penned a heartfelt note to her fans for sending their “warmest wishes” on her birthday. The actress took to Instagram to share an adorable picture with her daughter Aaradhya Bachchan alongside a thank you note for her well-wishers.
The actress shared the photo from her Siddhivinayak temple visit with Aaradhya. She wrote: “Gratitude! Thank you so much for all your immense love, warmest wishes, blessings and so much positivity… Much love always. God Bless.”
On the special occasion of her 49th birthday, the former Miss World visited the Siddhivinayak temple to seek blessings. The actress was accompanied by her daughter, Aaradhya Bachchan.
TOP SHOWSHA VIDEO
Aishwarya’s husband, actor Abhishek Bachchan penned a lovely birthday wish for her. The actress married her Guru co-star Abhishek Bachchan in 2007. Junior Bachchan took to social media to share a still from Aishwarya’s debut film, Iruvar. The Mani Ratnam directorial marked her debut into the film industry in 1997 after winning the Miss World pageant in 1994.
Sharing the post, Abhishek wrote, “Happy Birthday, wifey! Love, light, peace and eternal success.”
On the work front, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was last seen in Ponniyin Selvan: I, which marked her reunion with Mani Ratnam. The film received rave reviews and Aishwarya’s performance in it impressed fans and critics alike. The film also stars Vikram, Karthi, Prakash Raj, Jayam Ravi, Trisha Krishnan, and Mohan Babu. Next, the actress will be seen in the sequel of Ponniyin Selvan.
Anya Reiss created the historical drama about the Tudors.
Starz has canceled “Becoming Elizabeth,” a historical costume drama series about the Tudors, after one season, an individual with knowledge of the decision told IndieWire.
The show created by Anya Reiss and starring Alicia von Rittberg premiered August 12 but failed to capture much of an audience and posted low ratings that dipped throughout its 8-episode run.
“Becoming Elizabeth” continued Starz’s fascination with the 16th Century Tudor family after finding a hit with 2013’s “The White Queen” and two other spinoff series based on English history. “Becoming Elizabeth” specifically focused on a young Elizabeth I when she was still an orphaned teenager and the death of King Henry VIII set into motion a scramble for power and the throne.
The series also starred Romola Garai, Jessica Raine, Tom Cullen, and Bella Ramsey and was produced by The Forge for Starz. The show was also notable for boasting an all-women writing staff as led by Reiss.
Related
Related
Reiss had even alluded to the impending cancelation of the show back in September when she discussed the Season 1 — now series — finale, responding to some fans with a few gifs that suggested there wouldn’t be a chance for a second season and that Starz let them know “you’re finished.”
“So to anyone who misinterpreted ‘Becoming Elizabeth’s’ end – it was not a cliffhanger – but an ironic wink to our audience – because of course, you know the rest of the story… so why would we continue,” Reiss wrote. “Or at least…that’s my story.”
Parent company Lionsgate has flirted with spinning off Starz for several months now, expressing interest in selling the premium cable network and its streaming service off after Lionsgate first acquired it for $4.4 billion back in 2016. But despite some steady subscriber growth to 37.3 million global subs, as well as finding some other hit series, the studio has been left with roughly $2 billion in debt and a value far below what it originally paid.
Netflix’s “The Ultimatum: Queer Love” will have a new host. When the franchise is extended, JoAnna Garcia Swisher will guide the couples, instead of Nick and Vanessa Lachey, who hosted the first season (and lead Netflix’s “Love Is Blind.)”
“She’s in the Netflix family, and I think she did a great job,” creator Chris Coelen tells Variety of Garcia Swisher, who stars in the streaming service’s “Sweet Magnolias.” “She really was passionate about doing it.”
While the all queer series, which is completely finished filming, was initially set to be the second season of “The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On,” creative discussions led to the idea of making it a spinoff instead.
“We, along with Netflix, sort of made a decision to create a new franchise where there’s ‘Ultimatum: Marry or Move On’ and there’s ‘Ultimatum: Queer Love,’ and felt like it made sense to differentiate the two,” says the Kinetic Content CEO. “There are slight nuances to each of the shows. The shows are very similar in their DNA, but you know, having a different host or for the different versions made sense to us as we as we talked about going into it.”
“Queer Love,” executive produced by Coelen, Eric Detwiler, Sarah Dillistone and Stephanie Boyriven, will follow five new couples made up of women and non-binary people, each at a crossroads in their relationship.
Per Netflix, “One partner is ready for marriage, the other may have doubts. An ultimatum is issued. And in just over eight weeks, each couple will either get married, or get out, after they each choose new potential partners in a life-changing opportunity to get a glimpse of two different futures.”
The flagship show, produced by Kinetic Content, “The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On,” will return for a second season with the Lacheys as hosts; Season 1, which debuted in April, spent four weeks on Netflix’s Top 10 English TV list.
The awards season is officially upon us and it looks like Warner Bros Discovery is hitting the ground running. The studio has officially revealed their Oscars campaign for Matt Reeves’s The Batman ahead the awards upcoming season via here . With all the success of this film we are not surprised in the least. With it making $750 million worldwide it was an instant success for the studio, especially when you put in an all star cast in the mix.
Below you will find all 15 categories have been submitted for consideration, highlighting 31 members of the cast and crew:
The Batman is not only a comic movie, it is a detective noir that set itself apart from other typical comic book movies. When you watch it you don’t just get a sense you are just watching a comic movie. It feels like you are in a cinematic masterpiece interwoven with all of Reeves’ storytelling.
Michael Giacchino’s amazing score clearly stands out and will be a very strong contender. Greg Frasier’s stunning cinematography perfectly set the tone for the detective element of the movie and the production design showcased a gritty Gotham unlike anything we have ever seen.
Pattinson exceeded everyone’s expectations and transformed himself fully into the caped crusader. He gave it his all and made Bruce into a more human tortured version that we have not seen as of yet. Also them not going the playboy route which is boring at this point. He will eventually get there but this his beginning story which Pattinson showed off beautifully. This earns him an chance at being a strong contender in this race.
Reeves is the golden goose that Warner Bros Discovery needed. He is creating this beautiful gritty version of Gotham and all of it’s characters brought to life and we are loving every second depicted of it. He will definitely have a shot at getting Best Director and holding his own with all the possible contenders. Everyone on this list has done such a fantastic job at showcasing their talent and achievements while making this movie, but more than likely it will get all the main categories and not all 15. I am excited to see how this will all play out but it’s about time that these type of movies got considered in the Oscars race.
While all these categories have been submitted by Warner Bros Discovery it doesn’t necessarily mean they will all appear on the voting ballot with the academy. Here you will find the whole process as to how the voting works. We wish all the nominees the best of luck and may the best person and movie win!
We’re only a short time away from 2023, and the year is already taking shape to be an exciting one for Netflix subscribers. Throughout the remainder of 2022, and all the way through 2023 we’ll be keeping track of all of the anime coming to Netflix.
N = Netflix Original
Anime Coming to Netflix in 2023
Junji Ito Maniac: Japanese Tales of the Macabre (Season 1) N
Episodes: TBA | Seasons: 1 Studio: Studio Deen Netflix Release Date: January 19th, 2023
As one of Japan’s most famous horror artists and authors, an entire series based on the work of Junji Ito is incredibly exciting. In total, 20 stories will be adapted into anime.
While the animation of the show left a lot to be desired, the story still captured the warmhearted comedy from the manga.
Tatsu, a former legendary crime boss of the Yakuza retired from the criminal underworld to become a househusband and support his wife Miku. Becoming a househusband poses a new challenge for Tatsu as he Trades in gang warfare for warring over the best deals at the grocery store with housewives.
The fifth season will also be Aggretsuko’s last, so sadly, we’ll be saying goodbye to Retsuko for good. Will she get her happily ever after, or is she doomed to live a single life as the office doormat?
Another day and another dollar for 25-year-old red panda Retsuko. Her modesty and diminutiveness lead to her being exploited by her lazy colleagues, and whether it be sexist and misogynistic remarks by her boss and being annoyed by her condescending co-workers, Retusko has a unique way of relieving her stress… singing death metal at her local Karaoke bar.
Pokemon Ultimate Journeys (Part 2) N
Episodes: 24 | Parts: 2 Studio: OLM-Animation Studio Netflix Release Date: Early 2023
Ultraman (Season 3) N
Episodes: 19 | Seasons: 3 Studio: Sola Digital Arts and Production I.G Netflix Release Date: Early 2023
2023 we’ll also be saying goodbye to Ultraman. There was an extensive gap between the first and second seasons, but thankfully fans won’t have to wait that long for season 3.
Now a distant memory, the legendary “Giant of Light” was believed to have left earth and returned to his home planet. However, his son, Shinjiro Hayata, discovers his father’s secret and takes on the mantle of Ultraman for himself.
Despite the anime series not being available to stream on Netflix, that hasn’t stopped Netflix from acquiring the international rights to the upcoming Black Clover movie. Hopefully, the addition of the movie means we may have some seasons of the anime arrive on Netflix sometime in 2023.
For a while, it was touch and go whether or not Kengan Ashura was going to receive a second season. But with season 2 confirmed that means we can expect a further 2 parts on Netflix filled with some epic fights.
For hundreds of years, the rich and powerful of Japan have hired the most skilled fighters for organized gladiatorial combat where the winner takes all. Bursting onto the scene is Tokita Ohma, who can’t wait to compete and take on the strongest fighters possible.
Fans of the manga weren’t overly impressed by the animation of the first season, however, with Yumeta Company taking over the animation of the second season, hopefully, there will be a significant rise in quality.
With the gods deciding that the fate of humanity rests in their complete annihilation, they are given one last chance to prove their worth before the gods. Engaging in a battle of Ragnarok, 13 humans from history are brought before the gods to engage in duels to the death. Humanity requires seven wins to survive so to even the odds combatants are given a valkyrie, each tailored into a powerful weapon capable of allowing humans to fight the gods.
Make My Day (Season 1) N
Episodes: TBA | Seasons: 1 Studio: 5 Inc. Netflix Release Date: February 2023
The same studio behind Exception is producing another new anime series for Netflix.
On a cold planet of ice and snow, mysterious creatures suddenly appeared from the dark underground and have begun to attack the inhabitants. Can humanity survive the terror lurking beyond the horizon?
Akuma-Kun is one of the oldest fictional franchises from Japan. Its first manga run began in 1963, but it wasn’t until 1989 that the first anime adaptation was released in Japan. It’s taken a further 30 years for a brand new anime adaptation, which will be exclusive globally on Netflix.
Akuma-kun wants to create a world where all human beings can live happily, and he believes that harnessing the power of demons is necessary for him to achieve that goal.
Some of the best video-game to anime adaptations have come from Netflix including Studio Trigger’s Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Powerhouse Animation’s Castlevania.
Powerhouse will also be the studio behind Tomb Raider, and fans of the video game will be delighted to learn that the story is set to unify the timeline of all of the Tomb Raider video games across the survivor, legend, and original games.
Hayley Atwell aka Peggy Carter of the MCU has already been cast as the iconic dual-wielding archeologist.
Hiromu Arakawa, the creator of Full Metal Alchemist is the character designer behind Netflix’s exciting upcoming sci-fi anime Moonrise.
Year TS 2XXX AD. Humanity has formed a “relaxed world government.” Everything was entrusted to the international AI network Sapientia, and people lived according to their rational judgment… However, Sapientia’s “moon reclamation project” created a schism between the Earth—which maintains peace by sending pollutants and criminals to the moon—and the moon, which is forced to live in poverty, becoming a source of fire for the War of Independence.
Thanks to a competition put on by Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump, Naoki Fujita, the winner, has been rewarded for winning the competition with an anime adaptation of his manga Beat & Motion.
Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix (Season 1) N
When the Castlevania anime came to an end, the question was raised whether or not we would get a brand-new anime focused on the descendants of Trevor Belmont. Fans will be delighted to learn that the next series of Castlevania will follow the exploits of Richter Belmont, a descendant of Trevor from the late 18th century.
Capcom is once again trusting Netflix with the distribution of an anime series adapted from one its beloved video game franchises. Jam-packed full of action, a new adaptation of Devil May Cry should look absolutely incredible.
Shin Kibayashi of Bloody Manga is helming a brand new and original anime series for Netflix. The story for Lady Napoleon is as follows:
The story follows Sophie, a descendant of Napoleon who runs the Lady Napoleon organization, as she, along with Butler and Guy, fight for world domination as they travel the world in search of the three sacred weapons that Napoleon once possessed. Butler, as his name suggests, is a butler who can do it all, while Guy is a martial arts master.
In the near future, a nuclear explosion has caused the Earth to overlap with Hell. Thanks to the overlap, the dust from Hell has caused a devasting amount of pollution. Soon, an elementary student, Kento, finds a daemon named Anna in the forest and raises her. Together the pair go on an adventure to save Kento’s mother.
Yet another video game IP that Capcom has given to Netflix to adapt into an anime series. Onimusha is a hack-and-slash adventure series that takes place in the waning years of the Sengoku period in Japan where skilled warriors battle against demonic creatures.
Details are scarce, however, we do know that the series will be centered around a group of survivors who are shipwrecked on Skull Island, and are desperately trying to escape from its horrors.
As one of the most popular video game franchises of the 2000s, it’s quite a surprise there has never been an adaptation of Splinter Cell. Fans have been demanding a new game for years, but hopefully, they can whet their appetites with the anime adaptation.
Twilight of the Gods (Season 1) N
Episodes: TBA| Seasons: 1 Studio: The Stone Quarry Netflix Release Date: TBA
Zack Snyder has been extremely busy the past few years producing and directing new content for Netflix. While he’s not busy working on expanding the world of Army of the Dead or working on Rebel Moon, he’ll be working on his take on the world of Greek Mythology, and the ultimate battle between good and evil.
Untitled Anime Projects Announced
BRZRKR (Season 1) N
Created by Keanu Reeves, BRZRKR was a twelve-part limited comic book series from BOOM! Studios. The story is centered around the immortal warrior known as Berserker, who has spent centuries fighting across the world.
Far Cry (Season 1) N
Ubisoft has finally begun expanding the worlds of its own franchises by allowing companies like Netflix to produce anime adaptations. With many different colorful countries and characters to choose from, there’s no shortage of adaptations that could happen.
Grimms’ Fairy Tales (Season 1) N
Most of the known world will already be familiar with many of the Grimms Fairy Tales, but it’s thanks to Disney that many of these stories are believed to be child and family-friendly. This couldn’t be farther from the truth as the original fairy tales from Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm are far darker in nature, and often tales of warning to stop children from misbehaving.
Scott Pilgrim (Season 1) N
A cult classic the story of Scott Pilgrim is the perfect blend of action and comedy for an anime series.
Terminator (Season 1) N
Another huge franchise ripe for an anime adaptation, Terminator could explore the future of the world taken over by Sky Net as John Connor and the last remnants of humanity struggle to survive.
A criminal mediator from Chicago is forced to flee his life and everything he knows and hide out in a small Australian reef community in Far North Queensland posing as the new church Reverend. “Reverend Mackenzie Boyd” (not his real name) has made a mess so bad he can never go home, but he’s going to need all his considerable street smarts to pull off posing as clergy – something he doesn’t know the first thing about. If he slips up, he’s dead and, after a lifetime of crime, doing good works is not something that comes naturally.
Courtesy of Peacock
But “Mack” finds himself in a small beach town, with no phone or internet, amongst a community that is filled with people desperate for connection and crying out for leader.
What at first seems like a perfect hiding place from the Chicago mob quickly becomes Mack’s home. But as he reluctantly settles into his new life, Chicago commences the hunt.
The only way he will be able to stay off their radar will be to maintain the illusion that he is a Reverend. To do that though, Mack will have to appear to care. Trouble for Mack is, after all that pretending, it may just become a little bit real.
Check out the trailer below:
ABOUT THE SERIES: Peacock Premiere Date: All episodes premiere on Peacock on November 30, 2022. Logline: In order to stay alive, an American criminal is forced to hide out in a small Australian reef town in Far North Queensland, posing as the new church Reverend. Cast: Colin Donnell, PJ Byrne, Kylie Bracknell, Briallen Clarke, Tegan Stimson, Ed Oxenbould, Wayne Blair, Russell Dykstra, Calen Tassone, Jason Wilder Showrunner / Creator / Writer: Paddy Macrae Executive Producer / Writer: Andrew Knight Executive Producer: Debbie Lee, Alastair McKinnon Additional Writers: Andrew Anastasios, Angela McDonald, Darlene Johnson and Dan Knight Directors: Jonathan Teplitzky and Lucy Gaffy Producer: Tom Hoffie Produced By: Matchbox Pictures, which is part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group. The series is a co-production between Peacock and Netflix Australia. It will be distributed by NBCUniversal Global Distribution. Format: 10 x 60” drama series Filming Location: Queensland, Australia
%2Fcdn.vox-cdn.com%2Fuploads%2Fchorus_asset%2Ffile%2F24157003%2FPrimetime_Channels_Search.jpg&w=2400&q=75)
Facebook
Twitter
Login or register for updates…
Facebook
Twitter
Login or register to get email updates…
