A man is in custody after a 13-year-old girl who went missing on June 24 was found in the United States.
Lila Smith was last seen on Friday, June 24, at around 8:30 a.m. in the area of 131 Avenue and 91 Street, which is next to Killarney Junior High School.
In a news release on Saturday, police said Lila was found in Oregon on the morning of July 2.
Officers said Lila has been taken to a local children’s hospital for a “precautionary examination” and that arrangements are being made to return Lila safely back to her family.
Several organizations were a part of the investigation, including ALERT (Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams), Northern Alberta ICE Unit, RCMP, Abbotsford Police, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, CBSA, Gladstone Police (Oregon), Oregon City Police and the FBI.
“Many may be wondering why an AMBER Alert was not issued in this case. At the initial stages of this investigation, there was no evidence to suggest she was with someone, so this file did not meet the criteria,” explains Staff Sgt. James Vanderland with the Edmonton Police Service’s historical crimes section.
“An AMBER Alert was being prepared once we confirmed the credible tip of the suspect’s identity, his location and his vehicle description; however, we were advised that the suspect was no longer in Canada, so an AMBER Alert was no longer feasible.”
Universal/Illumination’s “Minions: The Rise of Gru” has dramatically raised the bar for family films at the post-shutdown box office, earning an excellent opening day of $48 million from TK screens and an estimated 3-day opening of $109 million, becoming the first animated film to post a $100 million-plus launch since “Frozen II” in November 2019.
Any concerns in the film industry about long-term drops in family turnout after Disney/Pixar’s “Lightyear” underperformed can be dispelled. “Minions 2” is posting a higher opening weekend than any of the three main “Despicable Me” films, and its estimated 4-day opening of $129 million that includes July 4 numbers will top the $115 million 3-day opening of the first “Minions” in 2015. It will also rank among the top 10 highest openings ever for an animated film.
Audiences who show up to a “Despicable Me” film know what they’re getting, and “Minions 2” satisfied them with sterling audiences scores of 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and an A on CinemaScore. This will mean that even when Marvel’s “Thor: Love and Thunder” takes away premium screen support and a good chunk of general audiences next weekend, “Minions 2” should continue to have a strong run through July with families.
The box office riches keep coming with the other films in the top 5, all of which posted strong holds. Leading them is the king of holds, Paramount/Skydance’s “Top Gun: Maverick” with a sixth weekend total of $26.2 million, just 11% down from last weekend’s $30 million haul. The $1 billion hit is now set to cross $600 million in domestic grosses this coming weekend.
Warner Bros.’ “Elvis” is third with an estimated second weekend of $17.5 million, a 44% drop from its $30 million opening. The $85 million biopic is close to getting out of the red with an estimated two-weekend total of $70 million.
Universal’s “Jurassic World: Dominion” is fourth with $16 million in its fourth weekend while Blumhouse’s “The Black Phone” earned a 50% hold in its second weekend with $11 million. The “Jurassic” trilogy capper will raise its total to $336 million by the end of the weekend while the $18 million “Black Phone” is now turning a profit with a two-weekend total of $49 million.
Technoblade, a popular Minecraft YouTuber, has died from cancer age 23.
In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel titled “so long nerds” and narrated by his father, Technoblade thanked his fans and fellow streamers for their support over the years, and revealed that his real name was Alex. (He’d “accidentally” let slip he was called Dave in an earlier video.)
“Hello everyone, Technoblade here. If you’re watching this, I am dead,” he says. “Thank you all for supporting my content over the years. If I had another 100 lives, I think I would choose to be Technoblade again every single time, as those were the happiest years of my life.”
In the video, Technoblade apologizes for “selling out so much in the past year” by offering merchandise, but notes that, as a result, his siblings will be able to go to college. “Well, if they want to,” he adds. “I don’t want to put any dead brother peer pressure on them.”
Technoblade’s father describes how the two discussed making a final video, but said Alex was “having a hard time doing the writing” due to the effects of his illness.
His father says Technoblade wrote the script for his final video from bed and died shortly afterwards. “I don’t think he said everything he wanted to say, but I think he got the main points,” says his father. “He finished that up and then he was done. He lived about another eight hours after that.”
In a video posted to his channel in August 2021, Technoblade revealed that he’d been diagnosed with cancer. He says his right arm had begun to hurt in July that year, and he’d initially thought it was due to repetitive strain syndrome. Eventually, he went to a doctor at the beginning of August and was diagnosed with sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that grows in the body’s connective tissues.
“I feel a bit silly talking about this with Minecraft in the background, it feels a bit out of place,” says Technoblade in the video. “But I’m a Minecraft YouTuber — I don’t do a face-cam, which is, I guess, how most people would talk about serious things.”
He jokes in the video about how his “chemotherapy arc is going to be fantastic for content,” and how, when he was calling people to tell them about the diagnosis, “nobody took the news worse than my health insurance provider — they’ve been inconsolable for weeks.”
Messages of support, admiration, and condolences have poured in from the gaming community following Technoblade’s passing, including from members of Dream SMP — a hugely-popular Minecraft server that tells collaborative stories with well-known streamers (including Technoblade himself).
“Technoblade was someone so many of us looked up to, myself included. Thank you for everything you did for so many. The world won’t be the same without you,” tweeted another streamer, Eret.
I’ll never forget the day I met Technoblade. I left work early to play in a Minecraft tournament with him. I barely knew how to play… and the dude still carried us to win the entire fucking event.
Rest in peace, big guy. You’ll always be a legend.
Technoblade is a fucking legend. From being a massive fan, to one of his actual friends, I can’t describe how thankful I am to have been in his life. I just know he’s strategizing in heaven on how to beat God. This isn’t a joke. look at the screenshot.
In a message posted to Technoblade’s online store, his family said a portion of all sales of his merchandise would be donated to the charity, the Sarcoma Foundation of America.
His family also shared a statement at the end of his final video, reiterating his appreciation and respect for his fans and fellow streamers, and his family’s desire for privacy.
We, the family of Technoblade, wanted all of you to know just how much he adored and respected his fans and colleagues.
From Technoblade’s earliest online days, he was always strategizing ways to delight and reward his audience – giving away online prizes, encouraging good sportsmanship, and most of all sharing his Minecraft adventures for entertainment and laughs. Even after his eventual successes he somehow managed to keep his good-natured humility, competing with an endearing balance between confidence and self- deprecating wit. He avoided personal fame and worked hard to keep his true identity confidential, and we ask you to continue to honor his wishes to protect his privacy and the privacy of his family.
This past year had a lot of rough spots for our son as he battled stage four cancer. But he didn’t complain, and kept using his famous strategic mind to try to beat what he knew were almost impossible odds. My son’s bravery on this path was a shining lesson to all of us who were privileged to walk it with him. Thank you for sharing his journey through it all, as he did the work he loved for his beloved fans.
Britney Spears‘ lawyer is calling BS on her former business manager, claiming the owner of the company lied about its involvement in the conservatorship, and THAT’S why it’s objecting to forking over critical documents about its conduct.
Britney’s lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, filed legal docs obtained by TMZ … saying Tri Star Entertainment — which he says snagged more than $18 million from the 13-year run of the conservatorship — has lied to the judge by claiming it had no involvement in the creation of the conservatorship. Rosengart notes … just before Jamie Spears went to court and became his daughter’s temporary conservator, he borrowed a minimum of $40,000 from Tri Star, which at the time was a pretty obscure company and repped no other celebrities.
Rosengart believes the money had strings attached … that Jamie would get the cash and Tri Star would get Britney’s business. The lawyer has said in the past, this alleged quid pro quo is highly suspicious if not improper, and he wants Tri Star to produce all the documents related to the issue, but Tri Star wants a judge to block that move.
Britney’s lawyer notes Tri Star’s owner, Lou Taylor, has reportedly said her company had “no role whatsoever in the creation of a conservatorship for Britney Spears.” Taylor’s associate, Robin Greenhill, said in a sworn declaration, “At the time the conservatorship … was established by this Court in early 2008, Tri Star had no role in Ms. Spears’ affairs.”
Rosengart says that’s just false, pointing to an email from Lou Taylor to Jamie in January 2008, weeks before the conservatorship was established, in which she wrote, “he [attorney Andrew Wallet] and tri star will serve as co’s [i.e., co-conservators] w you.” Taylor wrote another email to another lawyer before the conservatorship was established, saying, “I look forward to working with you.”
And, there’s this … one of Britney’s lawyers sent an email to Taylor before going to court and creating the temporary conservatorship, saying, “We have run into a problem with [the] judge selection … the only judge who will be able to hear our case on Friday is the one drug [sic] who will not give Jamie the power to administer psychotropic drugs.”
Rosengart notes, during the run of the conservatorship, Tri Star got a 5% cut of whatever Britney made, and that amounted to more than $18 million. He also says Tri Star’s celebrity clientele — which includes members of the Kardashian family and Travis Scott — was built off the back of one Britney Spears.
And, Rosengart wants documents to determine Tri Star’s role, if any, in secretly monitoring Britney’s communications, including her text messages. Of course, the attorney also wants to review Tri Star’s communications with Jamie Spears regarding the latter’s conduct in the conservatorship.
The judge has yet to rule on whether Tri Star must ante up the docs.
Thalaivii Director: AL Vijay Cast: Kangana Ranaut, Arvind Swami, Nassar, Bhagyashree and Raj Arun
Jayalalithaa, bristling with barely contained fury, accuses the opposition of targeted harassment. Enraged, they charge at her ambush, attack and disrobe her. She vows that the next time she re-enters the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly it will be as chief minister.
And so, on this dramatic note, begins Thalaivii, right off the bat cleverly placing the audience on the side of a woman unquestionably wronged. Kangana Ranaut plays Jayalalithaa in a widely and hotly debated casting choice.
Over the past year, Ranaut has risen to political relevance (by chance or design) and even some fans of her onscreen persona have decided to unsubscribe from her work following her provocative stands. She’s an immensely polarising figure, to put it mildly. Adored by millions who unconditionally love her for, or despite, her ideology and despised by those who’re not just angry with her but also upset with this reviewer for giving her space in mainstream media.
Forgive the obvious comparison but former chief minister of Tamil Nadu J. Jayalalithaa was also flanked by devout fans and vehement critics. She blazed an audacious trail from films to politics collecting brickbats to return in her own time. Kangana, though demographically removed from the state, has an external journey with unquestionable parallels to the character she’s portraying. These coincidences are played up on screen, making for many meta moments.
With Thalaivii, Kangana has ensured both critics and fans alike acknowledge her captivating portrayal. The spunky teenager, the hapless woman in love, the haughty film star and an unflappable politician, Kangana captures the essence of Jayalalitha’s indomitable spirit. It’s not an impersonation, it’s a nuanced performance.
Director Vijay always reaches for the most entertaining film over restraint that could win him more critical acclaim. Vijay’s keen eye for drama is elevated by Kangana’s punchy screen presence that’s bang on the money. Written by Rajendra Prasad (Bahubali) and Rajat Arora, it’s no surprise that the script is riveting and engrossing, making for a faithful biopic with larger than life appeal. Thalaivi is based on a book of the same name but follows the blueprint of Savitri’s biopic Mahanati.
Those who’ve lived in the milieu that Jayalalitha reigned, especially from Tamil Nadu like this writer, feel a sense of ownership when it comes to her and the film is made to withstand heavy scrutiny.
Arvind Swami, who looks nothing like MGR in real life, manages a mesmerising transformation that’s lifelike inside out. Nassar, who also shares zero physical similarities to Karunanidhi, brings out the stature of the man through his impeccable diction. Raj Kundra exudes antagonism as MGR’s aide RM Veerappan. Bhagyashree (Maine Pyar Kiya) makes for a pleasant surprise as Jaylalitha’s mother. Together, the cast has delivered a knockout performance, led from the front by Kangana.
Thalaivii is not a course corrected or updated take. During the shoot of the song Naanamo (from the 1965 film Aayirathil Oruvan) Jayalalithaa was barely 16 or a maximum of 17 years old. It’s deeply discomforting to hear a 48 year old MGR tell her to embrace him like she would her mother. Her subsequent off screen romance with this icon 31 years her senior is a fact. The film does not colour these incidents with an approving or disapproving flavour, but makes one pity the childhood cut short without a coda.
This is a straight retelling of the key chapters in Jayalalithaa’s life with popular sentiments intact. It’s equal parts inspiring and heartbreaking. A divisive woman played by another. Love them or hate them, you know how the cliche goes.
Xavier Henry-Rashid’s sales agency Film Republic has acquired Anna Kazejak’s “Fucking Bornholm,” ahead of its international premiere Saturday in the Crystal Globe competition of the Karlovy Vary Film Festival.
The Polish comedy drama potrays the generation of today’s 40-year-olds from the perspective of a woman who is in need of profound changes in her life.
Two couples with kids go away for a short holiday on the Danish island of Bornholm. Each person has different goals and expectations, and each one of them and their relationships will be tested. Each one of them has a problem to be revealed.
Henry-Rashid said: ” ‘Fucking Bornholm’ is a wonderful, fun and psychologically tormenting couples ‘melee a quatre.’ ”
The film stars Agnieszka Grochowska, Maciej Stuhr, Grzegorz Damięcki, Jasmina Polak and Magus Krepper.
It is produced by Marta Lewandowska, and the screenplay was written by Filip Kasperaszek and Kazejak. The production company is Warsaw-based Friends With Benefits Studio, which was set up in 2019 by Lewandowska, Kazejak and Kasperaszek. Its first production was Netflix’s first Polish original “Erotica 2022.” FWB’s “Roving Woman” had its world premiere in June at Tribeca Film Festival.
Kazejak attended Poland’s National Film School in Lodz, and with two friends produced “Ode to Joy,” about the economic emigration of young Poles. It won the Special Jury Prize at Gdynia Film Festival in 2005, and screened in competition at the Rotterdam Film Festival.
She made her feature directorial debut with “Flying Pigs,” which was a box office hit in Poland, and her third feature “The Word” had its world premiere at the Berlinale in the Generation section and was shown at more than 40 international film festivals. She has also directed many episodes of Poland’s version of HBO’s “In Treatment.”
The season villain actually freaked out Brown IRL on the set of “Stranger Things 4.”
[Editor’s Note: The following story contains spoilers for “Stranger Things 4: Vol. 2.”]
The horror for “Stranger Things 4” has truly been turned up to Eleven.
Just ask Millie Bobby Brown, who plays gifted teen Eleven. According to co-star Jamie Campbell Bower, Brown couldn’t even look at season villain Vecna, played by Bower.
“They brought her up into a position where she’s bound. I walked up to her [as Vecna] and she burst into tears,” Bower told Variety. “She wouldn’t look at me and she was visibly just disgusted by the whole thing.”
However, Brown calmed down after she knew it was Bower under the prosthetics.
“After she cried and I made it obvious that she knew it was me, one of the things she said was that, ‘I knew it was you when I could smell cigarettes,’ because I’m a smoker,” Bower added.
Vecna’s origins are uncovered during “Stranger Things 4: Vol. 2,” now streaming. “Stranger Things” prosthetics designer Barrie Gower crafted a second skin for Bower that included 25 pieces of latex and silicone rubber material glued to his body by a medical adhesive. The veins overlayed on top of Vecna’s skin were mostly real, with just 10 percent of the effects from CGI for vine extensions. Bower’s transformation into Vecna took over seven and a half hours each day, with his call time at 3 a.m. to prep for 10 to 12 hours of shooting.
Related
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More about how the “Stranger Things” team designed the monster in IndieWire’s coverage here.
The grotesque aspect of Vecna is inspired by ’80s horror classics, particularly “Nightmare on Elm Street.” Vecna’s look was directly based on Freddy Kreuger, played by Robert Englund who also makes a cameo in “Stranger Things 4.”
“The Duffers wanted to push the explosiveness of it,” VFX supervisor Michael Maher told IndieWire, citing the vine extensions for Vecna’s villainous look. “The texture matches Vecna, who’s in control of his environment and everything stems from him. He’s attached to the vines that lift him up. It’s like a spiderweb. Black widows are a big part of the season as a metaphor. Essentially, the vines in the Upside Down are coming and melding with him so he can get in this meditative state.”
Maher explained the Season 4 effects and prosthetics had to match the darker tone for the series as a whole. “As the kids grow, you need to abandon some of the immaturity and move into heavier themes,” Maher said. “The first season was about friendship and this season is more about power and responsibility and what can happen with too much power.”
Warning: SPOILERS for the Ms. Marvel episode “Seeing Red” are ahead!
At the end of Ms. Marvel’s fourth episode, a.k.a. “Seeing Red,” Kamala Khan and her new ally Kareem, a.k.a. the latest Red Dagger, found themselves clashing with the Clandestines. During the fight, Najma accidentally stabbed the bangle that allows Kamala to channel her superpowers, and Iman Vellani’s character soon founds herself transported to 1947 Pakistan, right in the middle of the Partition. For director Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, this powerful conclusion is her “favorite bit” of the latest Ms. Marvel episode.
I had the pleasure of speaking with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy about her work on “Seeing Red,” which Disney+ subscribers can view now. When I asked her if there were any major moments from Ms. Marvel’s fourth episode that ended up being scrapped, Obaid-Chinoy, who also directed the Marvel TV show’s forthcoming fifth episode, informed me that almost everything she and her team shot for the episode made it into the final product. She then shared why she liked the ending so much with these words:
My personal favorite bit in Episode 4 was shooting Partition, which is this monumental historical movement in the world. One of the largest mass migrations the world has ever seen, but it’s never visualized. To put a superhero into that moment, you have to sort of do that with a great responsibility, and I wanted Kamala to be bearing witness to history, but I wanted her to be Kamala Khan in that moment. So that is one of my favorite bits.
For those who need a refresher, Partition refers to when British India was separated into two separate dominions, India and Pakistan. During Ms. Marvel, we’ve learned that Kamala’s grandmother Rana and her father were separated from Rana’s mother, Aisha, in the middle of Partition while the family was at the train station and getting ready to begin a new life elsewhere. That was the last time they saw Aisha (who it turns out to be one of the Clandestines), and Kamala now finds herself at that very moment in history. So it was important for Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy to make sure that this important event was done justice in the critically well-received Ms. Marvel, particularly with the way its main protagonist witnessed it.
In the final seconds of “Seeing Red” before the credits roll, viewers watch as Kamala Khan gets on top of one of the trains to get a fuller view of her surroundings. There are people as far as the eye can see in this massive train station, so I inquired with Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy about how much of that scene was shot practically and how much of it was enhanced with visual effects. She responded:
The train station we shot on location, everything is on location. We had about 1,000 extras there. Visual effects worked on enhancing that a little bit, but it was shot as is, and it was a very big production. It was Week 2 of my filming, and there was a moment on set when I looked around and there were 1,000 people there, and things were moving up and down and people are throwing things and everything’s being choreographed in that manner, when she goes up and you see the scale of Partition. We wanted it to feel like 1947 and what it did, and I think we were able to accomplish that to a great degree.
But it wasn’t just the Partition aspect that Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy greatly enjoyed about “Seeing Red.” During our conversation, she also brought up the moment when Kamala is eating with family during her trip to Pakistan and finds the meal incredibly spicy. In the filmmaker’s words:
And I think the other bit that I absolutely loved was when she’s trying out this food and it’s hot and she’s sweating. Almost every sort of person who travels to Pakistan has that experience, it is so universal, that we had to document it.
Keep checking back with CinemaBlend for more coverage on Ms. Marvel, which only has two more episodes left in this season. While it hasn’t been announced yet if there will be a Season 2, Iman Vellani is reprising Kamala Khan in The Marvels, the upcoming Marvel movie that will be released on July 28, 2023. Don’t forget to check out the other various Disney+ shows in the meantime.
Since the beginning of “Stranger Things” way back in 2016, one of the biggest questions that has loomed virtually everything else has been: What is the Upside Down? And with the conclusion of “Stranger Things 4,” we have gotten some of those answers. The mysterious, monster-filled universe that has been a constant threat to Hawkins, Indiana, and the world at large since the start, has become slightly less mysterious. Or has it?
Let’s look at how the Upside Down has been presented thus far and how what we’ve learned in the finale of Season 4 can change all of that.
Major spoilers for “Stranger Things 4” follow. Don’t read until you’ve watched this latest season!
First Contact with the Upside Down
In Season 1 of “Stranger Things,” we meet the young Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), a girl with special powers who has been utilized by the United States government to conduct “remote viewing,” a real-life practice of disassociating your spiritual self from your physical self and “astral projecting” across a tremendous amount of space. Ostensibly, Eleven was trying to spy on the Russians. Instead, her spiritual journey landed her someplace else entirely: the Upside Down, a parallel dimension populated by menacing, murderous creatures. It’s Eleven’s contact with the Upside Down that allowed for some of those creatures (chiefly the Demogorgon) to slip through into our world.
At this point, the Upside Down seemed to be full of monsters that don’t have much sentience; they’re just mindless killing machines. But as the seasons wore on, an Upside Down architecture developed. In Season 2, we were introduced to the creature that the kids refer to as the Mind Flayer; it’s a giant, ghostly creature that lords over the Upside Down and communicates – and later possesses – Will (Noah Schnapp). We also get to know more about the Demogorgon lifecycle when Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo) befriends and names a little creature he names Dardanian (or Dart for short), who grows into what they refer to as a Demo-dog, which will later become a Demogorgon. (This season we were introduced to the very nasty Demo-bats, as well.)
By Season 3, the Mind Flayer, or something like it, infiltrated our world, mostly by murdering people (and rats) and turning into a big goopy monster that the kids had to fight and kill at the newly opened Starcourt Mall. That season’s creature also possessed people, like the dearly departed Billy (Dacre Montgomery). The big monster was thwarted, but the desire for the Upside Down to infiltrate our world remained. Plus, we learned that the Hawkins National Lab wasn’t the only place that was investigating this spooky parallel dimension.
Russian Interest
By 1984, the Russians had become interested in the Upside Down. They attempted to create a machine that could “crack” open a gateway to this alternate world. (This machine was known as “the Key.”) Because they had known that there was a gate underneath Hawkins, they went to try and keep it open. They built the new Key underneath the Starcourt Mall, the construction of which they paid for. The exact nature of this operation isn’t totally known, but their interest in the Upside Down remained. What we learn in Season 4 is that they had the ability to transport several live Demogorgons to a secret lab and prison in snowy Russia. What they were up to with these specimens, how they got them to Russia and what they were ultimately trying to accomplish remains to be seen. It’s safe to say, though, that having a bunch of crazy monsters would have certainly added some excitement to the Cold War.
New Curses
Season 4 of “Stranger Things” was chiefly concerned with Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), an evil sorcerer from the Upside Down. Vecna started off human, as Henry Creel, a gifted boy in Hawkins who had supernatural powers not unlike Eleven. After murdering his family, he was recruited by Brenner (Matthew Modine) and the Hawkins National Lab and became One. Later, Brenner had him work at the lab; he was handily controlled via a small electrode in his neck. After tricking a young Eleven into freeing him, he murdered the rest of the test subjects at HNL and framed Eleven for the damage done. Eleven, in a fit of rage, sent him to the Upside Down. It was there that he turned into an inhuman monster.
Years later, during the course of “Stranger Things 4,” Vecna has returned with an evil scheme: He starts murdering the children and teens of Hawkins. Each time he murders them, draining the energy from their bodies, he opens up a portal to the Upside Down. With his fourth and final victim, Max (Sadie Sink), his four portals will open up and consume Hawkins whole.
During the second-to-last episode of “Stranger Things” Season 4, we learn that Brenner’s entire operation and his reason for sending Eleven into the void was that he was looking for Henry/One/Vecna. Vecna was Brenner’s biggest failure, and he wanted him back. That was the true reason behind his experiments. Yet somehow, this wasn’t the biggest reveal of the final two episodes.
Vecna’s Revelation
Before Vecna claimed his final victim (get well soon, Max!), he revealed to Eleven what happened to him after she sent him to the Upside Down. According to Vecna, the Upside Down was a world without order. He saw monsters running around, but no real structure. Then he came upon a giant cloud of particles, what the kids would refer to as the Mind Flayer and what one of the Russians at the prison called “the Shadow.” He communed with this intelligence and became his final form: an inhuman, murderous monster who wants to take over the world.
Whether or not Vecna is a foot soldier for the Mind Flayer or the big bad remains to be seen. Also left unspoken is why the Upside Down is frozen in 1982, at the exact moment Will was abducted, which we learned when Nancy (Natalia Dyer) and some of the gang were exploring the Upside Down earlier in Season 4. One thing is clear, though: the Upside Down wouldn’t be what it was without Vecna and, by extension, without Eleven. Without Eleven, Henry would have never become Vecna, and his evil plan would never be set into motion. The Upside Down that we’ve known since the beginning, of a parallel Hawkins cloaked in darkness, only came from her meddling. And that might be more haunting than any gooey creature.
Getting Toasted marks writer-director Casey Zilbert’s feature-length debut. The New Zealand-based comedic drama is inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s Fiesta (a.k.a. The Sun Also Rises) and the filmmaker’s Enology studies. The story is driven less by the plot and more by the characters, which is a wise move. It’s just too bad the movie doesn’t quite stick the landing, though it starts off at a ten.
Harry (Hayden J. Weal) is all set to marry this weekend until his fiance, Fiona (Casey Zilbert), abruptly calls it off over a voice message. Though his heart is breaking, his friends, Ants (Nick Davies), a social media savvy fitness instructor, and freewheeling Jess (Gemma Easton-Knight), convince the workaholic to make the best of a bad situation. So the trio head to the would-be venue, which happens to be the vineyard Jess currently works at, to drink wine and catch up.
“Harry is all set to marry this weekend until his fiance…abruptly calls it off…”
The next morning the friends are greeted by Jake (Steve Barr), Fiona’s uncle. The intrepid adventurer was not able to be reached and therefore did not know the wedding was cancelled. But, being the sporting folks they are, Harry, Ants, and Jess invite him to join their little soiree. But a few wrinkles threaten to upend what should be an inhibitions-free time to nurse heartache and get crazy. First, Ants and Jess are both dealing with some major life news. Secondly, Bella (Katrina George), Jess’ sister, shows up and begins making moves on Harry.
Getting Toasted runs a scant 82-minutes, and it is firing on all cylinders for much of that time. For starters, the cinematography is breathtaking, especially the establishing shots of and around the winery. Director of photography Brandon Te Moananui makes the setting a character in its own right. The lighting, especially during a dinner where Jess explains the “pinks” to Harry, is also stellar, capturing the feel and tone of a comedy while still being truly cinematic.
MEXICO CITY — The bound bodies of four people were found Friday in the burned-out wreckage of a helicopter in Mexico’s Gulf coast Hustaeca region, along with signs indicating they were killed by a drug gang, authorities said.
The killings were the second act of grisly violence in a month in the region, once popular among tourists.
Prosecutors in the northern state of San Luis Potosi said the private helicopter was normally used to transport tourists. They said the craft did not appear to have crashed, but rather had apparently been intentionally set afire.
The grim discovery was made in the township of Tamasopo, near a well-know series of waterfalls.
Prosecutors said they found “several sheets of cardboard with criminal messages,” but did not reveal their contents. Such hand-lettered messages are frequently left by drug cartels in Mexico to threaten or intimidate their rivals.
In early June, authorities in San Luis Potosi found the bodies of seven men dumped on a road in a nearby part of the Huasteca region, in the township of Aquismon.
Photos of the bodies showed extensive bruising on the corpses, suggesting they had been beaten.
Writing scrawled in markers on th corpses said, “This is what happened to me for working with the Gulf” — an apparent reference to the Gulf cartel, which operates mainly along the U.S. border to the north.
The messages were signed “Valles Operation O.B.,” apparently a reference to a rival gang.
The Huasteca region has long been popular with Mexican tourists for its waterfalls and crystalline rivers.
With the last two episodes of Stranger Things, live now on Netflix, one might wonder how we will pass the time until the final season. Legacy Recordings announced that it will be releasing a limited collection soundtrack for fans. This limited editing will include a fun eighties cassette tape along with a collectors edition vinyl.
Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, is home to the world’s foremost library of historically significant commercial recordings, a peerless collection of works by the most important musical artists of the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. Across a variety of platforms, the label offers contemporary music fans access to thousands of meticulously restored archival titles representing virtually every musical genre.
The album contains six additional songs, including an extended version of Bryce Miller and Alloy Tracks remix of Journey’s “Separate Ways (Worlds Apart),” featuring the band’s singer Steve Perry.
Complete track listing below:
1. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (Bryce Miller/Alloy Tracks Remix) – Journey with Steve Perry
2. California Dreamin’ – The Beach Boys
3. Psycho Killer – Talking Heads
4. Running Up That Hill (A Deal with God) – Kate Bush
5. You Spin Me Round (Like a Record) – Dead or Alive
6. Chica Mejicanita – Mae Arnette
7. Play With Me – Extreme
8. Detroit Rock City (Single Version) – KISS
9. I Was A Teenage Werewolf – The Cramps
10. Pass The Dutchie – Musical Youth
11. Wipe Out – The Surfaris
12. Object Of My Desire (Single Version) – Starpoint
13. Rock Me Amadeus (The Gold Mix) – Falco
14. Travelin’ Man – Ricky Nelson
15. Tarzan Boy – Baltimora
16. Dream A Little Dream Of Me – Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
17. Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo (Single Version) – Rick Derringer
18. Fire and Rain – James Taylor
19. Spellbound – Siouxsie And The Banshees
20. Master of Puppets – Metallica
21. When It’s Cold I’d Like To Die (featuring Mimi Goese) – Moby
22. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) (Steve Perry & Bryce Miller Extended Remix) – Journey with Steve Perry
The “Stranger Things 4” soundtrack is produced by the show creators, the Duffer Brothers with Nora Felder heading up the music. The digital version is available now with physical copies coming. The CD or cassette will be available on September 9, 2022, while the limited edition vinyl pressing, including a poster, insert is currently set to be released on November 4, 2022 (although the website states sometime later this year).
To pre-order the CDs, cassettes, and 2 LP 12-inch vinyl editions are available HERE.
Catch some music in the original trailer to Stranger Things 4 below:
“Stranger Things 4” airs worldwide exclusively via Netflix’s streaming service in two volumes, both are currently available to stream on Netflix.
Bong Joon Ho’s follow-up untilted Sci-Fi film based on the novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton has announced that Darius Khondji is now attached as the cinematographer. Khondji is best known for his work on Uncut Gems with Adam Sandler and The Lost City of Z, starring Charlie Hunnam and Robert Pattinson.
Bong will write, direct and produce this project under his production company Offscreen in conjunction with Dooho Choi under Kate Street Picture Company. Choi collaborated with Bong on the adventure/drama Okja in 2017.
This new project will be Bong’s second with Warner Bros. In 2020, Warner Bros announced a spinoff adaptation of the Oscar-winning film, Parasite with Adam McKay less than a year after its original release. Bong’s adaptation of Mickey7 will be his third English-language film, and his first film back since his 2019 South Korean masterpiece Parasite shattered box office records worldwide.
The film features an all-star cast, including Robert Pattinson. He broke the hearts of millions in the Twilight Saga but has since gone on to turn his career into one of the most interesting independent movie careers ever seen. Just as Pattinson began making a name for himself in the indie world, he made a significant announcement that he would be going blockbuster by playing Bruce Wayne in the latest version of The Batman, directed by Matt Reeves. Reeves is currently working on its sequel. Others might know Pattinson from his portrayal of Connie Nikas in the Safdie brother’s critically acclaimed film, Good Time. Joining Pattinson are Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, and Naomi Ackie.
Mickey7 is based on a dystopian sci-fi based on the recently-released novel of the same name by Edward Ashton about an “expendable” space traveler sent on a borderline-suicidal mission to colonize the ice world Niflheim. When one Mickey dies, another is cloned in his place with most of his memories intact, so he is technically immortal in the worst way possible. But when this particular mission goes wrong, Mickey7 is presumed dead. Once dead, Mickey8 is activated, causing two Mickeys to be alive simultaneously. While little has been released about the film, most in the industry are alluding that Pattinson will be playing at least one (if not both) of the Mickeys.
With two alive at once, all bets are off as expendable doubles are not welcome. So the two must do whatever they have to in order to survive as the colonization of their world takes a turn for the worse, leaving the fate of civilization in the hands of the Mickeys. So, basically, Dostoevsky in space? I mean, why not.
Production is scheduled to start this August in the United Kingdom. No release day has been announced.
The CEO of TikTok tried to reassure U.S. lawmakers — who have renewed concerns over its sharing of U.S. user data with employees in China — that the video app company is taking steps to restrict that access to only a “narrow” slice of data.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew sent a letter dated June 30 to nine GOP senators in response to their inquiry this week “demanding answers on TikTok’s backdoor data access for Beijing,” a reference to China’s communist regime. Fears that TikTok represents a national security threat go back several years. In August 2020, President Trump ordered TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell majority control of TikTok to American entities under the threat of TikTok being shut down in the U.S.; that was blocked by U.S. federal courts.
In his letter to the Republican senators, Chew wrote, “Many of your questions appear to stem from a recent BuzzFeed article, which contains allegations and insinuations that are incorrect and are not supported by facts.”
That’s a reference to a June 17 BuzzFeed News report that TikTok employees in China have “repeatedly” accessed U.S.-based users’ data. According to Chew, the access TikTok has granted to staffers in China to U.S. user data is part of efforts to shut off that access — with a goal of making “substantive progress toward compliance with a final agreement with the U.S. Government that will fully safeguard user data and U.S. national security interests.” News of TikTok’s letter was first reported by the New York Times.
TikTok — which claims to have more than 1 billion monthly users — says employees outside the U.S., including China-based employees, currently are allowed to access TikTok U.S. user data “subject to a series of robust cybersecurity controls and authorization approval protocols overseen by our U.S.-based security team.”
Going forward, the Chew wrote, “certain China-based employees will have access to a narrow, non-sensitive set of TikTok U.S. user data, such as the public videos and comments available to anyone, to ensure global interoperability so our U.S. users, creators, brands and merchants are afforded the same rich and safe TikTok experience as global users.” Chew said that access “will be very limited” and will not include private TikTok U.S. user information, “and it will only occur pursuant to protocols being developed with the U.S. Government.”
In addition, TikTok continues to maintain that it has never shared data with the Chinese Communist Party, and that the Chinese authorities have not made any such requests. “We have not been asked for such data from the CCP. We have not provided U.S. user data to the CCP, nor would we if asked,” Chew wrote in the letter.
Chew reiterated TikTok’s recent claim that “100% of U.S. user traffic” is now being routed to Oracle’s cloud infrastructure and that it eventually plans to delete all American user data from its Singapore data centers. Chew’s letter also noted that the exec is a Singaporean national who resides in Singapore.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R.-Tenn.), who spearheaded the GOP’s information request to TikTok, said in response to Chew’s letter, “TikTok’s response confirms our fears about the CCP’s influence in the company were well founded.” The senator added in a statement, “The Chinese-run company should have come clean from the start, but it attempted to shroud its work in secrecy. Americans need to know [that] if they are on TikTok, Communist China has their information.”
Earlier this week, Brendan Carr, a Republican commissioner of the FCC, ratcheted up political pressure on TikTok in the wake of the BuzzFeed News report. On Twitter, Carr posted a letter to Apple and Google urging the tech giants to remove TikTok from their app stores — calling the app that’s popular for sharing viral dance trends and comedy sketches “an unacceptable national security risk.” The FCC does not have authority to regulate apps.
Simmons joined the Academy as COO in 2018. The group hadn’t had someone in the role since 2013, when Ric Robertson resigned as COO. Simmons was responsible for the day-to-day management and enhancement of the Academy’s internal organization and infrastructure, with focus on the Academy Foundation, comprising the Margaret Herrick Library, Academy Film Archive, its educational programs and the Science and Technology Council.
It is unclear whether Simmons was let go or whether she decided to leave on her own accord.
Prior to becoming president and COO of the Los Angeles Sparks, Simmons served as executive vp of Magic Johnson Enterprises, where she led the day-to-day operations of the Sparks throughout the team’s first season. Before working at MJE, she held senior positions managing and expanding supplier diversity at both Disney and NBCUniversal.
Additionally, Bill Kramer is set to take up his new CEO post on Friday instead of his scheduled July 18 start date — July 1 marks the beginning of AMPAS’ new fiscal year.
Kramer was announced as the new CEO in June. Kramer was associated with the Academy Museum from its earliest stages. As the museum’s managing director of development and external relations starting in 2012, he raised $250 million to help get the project underway but left after his ambition for a greater role in the museum’s oversight was not forthcoming. But things did not work out with the initial museum director, Kerry Brougher, and Kramer was recruited to return in that role in 2019. Kramer is replacing Dawn Hudson, the Academy’s first female CEO, after an 11-year run with the organization.
Actress Kangana Ranaut has congratulated Eknath Shinde on becoming the new chief minister of Maharashtra. Backed by the BJP, Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde was on Thursday sworn in as Maharashtra chief minister, while Devendra Fadnavis took oath as deputy chief minister. Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari administered the oath of office to them at Raj Bhavan in south Mumbai. The Dhaakad actress took to her Instagram story and wrote: “What an inspiring success story… From driving autorickshaw for a living to becoming one of the most important and powerful people in the country… congratulations sir.”
In a recent interview with the Navbharat Times, Kiara Advani was asked about her rumoured breakup with her Shershaah co-star Sidharth Malhotra, to which the actress responded, “I don’t want to say anything about this. Even when I am not saying anything, people are writing. So, when I do say something, I do not know what all people will write. Whenever I feel I will definitely speak on this issue. Right now, I am very happy in both my personal and professional life.”
BTS member J-Hope dropped the music video of his new single More, which is part of his much-anticipated album Jack In The Box. This is BTS member’s first solo album after the band announced that they will be focusing on their individual careers for some time. The music video presented a new side of the South Korean rapper, where he channels his goth rock persona. In the video, we see J-Hope aka Jung Ho-seok showing a darker, edgier sound that fuses together alternative rock hooks with hip-hop beats.
Sushmita Sen recently appeared on Twinkle Khanna’s show Tweak India where the two had conversations over marriage, men, and bad life decisions. Opening up about her decision on not tying the knot, Sushmita said, “Luckily I met some very interesting men in my life, the only reason I never got married is because they were a let down. It had nothing to do with my kids. My kids were never in the equation. If at all, they have been very gracious. Both my kids have accepted people in my life with open arms, never made a face. They have given everybody equal measure of love and respect. It’s the most beautiful thing to watch.”
Fans have been super excited about Beyoncé’s seventh studio album Renaissance and she further piqued their curiosity by dropping an alluring snap as the album’s cover ahead of release. She took to Instagram on Thursday and penned a long note along with a striking cover of her album. In the artwork, the 40-year-old pop sensation wore nothing more than a structured metallic bikini covering as she rode atop a glowing holographic horse. She said, “act i RENAISSANCE 7.29. Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world. It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving. My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment.”
Marta Kauffman, Friends co-creator.Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images (Getty Images)
Marta Kauffman, co-creator of Friendsand Grace And Frankie, revealed to the Los Angeles Times that she’s donated $4 million to the African and American Studies Department at Brandeis University—her alma mater. The endowment comes as she discusses, in the interview, feeling “guilt” due to Friends lack of diversity.
“I’ve learned a lot in the last 20 years,” Kauffman says. “Admitting and accepting guilt is not easy. It’s painful looking at yourself in the mirror. I’m embarrassed that I didn’t know better 25 years ago.”
Kauffman says her reflection came after the George Floyd protests in June 2020, which caused her to re-evaluate the lack of diversity in the ‘90s sitcom’s cast.
“It was after what happened to George Floyd that I began to wrestle with my having bought into systemic racism in ways I was never aware of,” Kauffman says. “That was really the moment that I began to examine the ways I had participated. I knew then I needed to course-correct.”
The discussion of Friends’ all-white main cast has been ongoing, especially as the series has been added to streaming services for a new audience to experience. In recent years, there have even been unofficial versions of the sitcom with an all-black cast. In 2020’s Zoom Where It Happens, there was a reading of an episode that featured Sterling K. Brown, Ryan Michelle Bathe, Aisha Hinds, Jeremy Pope, Uzo Aduba, and Kendrick Sampson as the close-knit Friends group.
It’s in the name This blend of vitamins and essential oils from Provence Beauty can be used as a moisturizer for hands, nails, and hair, and like 50 other things, too.
In the original series, Aisha Tyler was the only prominent actor of color; she played Charlie Wheeler in nine episodes on the show. Any other time that an actor of color appeared on the series, they were often relegated to a more supporting character spot like with Gabrielle Union, Lauren Tom, and Craig Robinson.
Kauffman’s $4 million will go towards creating the Marta F. Kauffman ‘78 Professorship. According to Brandeis University’s website, the donation will help “support a distinguished scholar” within the African and African American Studies department and allow for more academic opportunities and funds for the program.
Kate Moss has collaborated with an array of brands over the years, from Topshop in the early Noughties to Parisian jewelery label Messika last year. Now, the supermodel is venturing outside the world of fashion by becoming the new creative director of Diet Coke, which is celebrating its 40th birthday this year.
“I am thrilled to join the Diet Coke family—I love the past collaborations they’ve done with such incredible names in fashion,” Kate Moss says in a statement. “As creative director, I’m looking forward to inspiring fans and celebrating the brand’s 40th birthday in style.”
The model’s first project for Diet Coke is the brand’s “Love What You Love” campaign, which features Moss herself and is designed to highlight the importance of embracing what you’re passionate about. “The campaign connected with me instantly as I am a firm believer that with confidence and passion, you can achieve your wildest dreams,” Moss continues. (See the collab images here.)
The ’90s super is by no means the first major fashion name to work with Diet Coke, with both Karl Lagerfeld and Jean Paul Gaultier designing limited-edition cans and bottles in the past. Back in 2013, Marc Jacobs was also named creative director of the brand, which memorably involved the designer starring topless in a nod to the famous “Diet Coke break” adverts of the ’90s.
Moss’s appointment comes as we’ve seen an influx of celebrity creative directors of late, including Kendall Jenner at Californian-based retailer FWRD and Dakota Johnson at sexual wellness brand Maude. Bella Hadid, meanwhile, was made co-founder and partner of non-alcoholic drinks company Kin Euphorics in September last year.
Given Moss’s enormous star power, it’s no surprise that Diet Coke has made her its new creative director. Don’t expect fashion’s long-standing love affair with the brand to end any time soon.
Apple TV+ has finally revealed the first set of cast members who will be joining the forthcoming live-action Godzilla and Titans series, which hails from Legendary Television. The Flash star Kiersey Clemons, Anna Sawai (Pachinko), Joe Tippett (Mare of Easttown), Elisa Lasowski (Versailles), and newcomer Ren Watabe have been tapped to portray the respective roles of May, Cate, Tim, Duvall, and Kentaro.
Their full character descriptions are listed below:
Sawai’s Cate is a former schoolteacher and a G-Day survivor, she travels to Japan to settle family affairs but instead uncovers a family secret. Tired of running from her problems, she is determined to find answers.
Clemons’ May is an American ex-pat with a roguish exterior that she uses to protect herself as well as others. Whether it be deciphering a code or finding the loophole, she is always three steps ahead of everyone around her.
Watabe’s Kentaro is an intelligent, creative, and curious young man who has yet to find his own path. He will embark on a quest to learn more about his revered yet mysterious father and discover his own talents in the process.
Tippett’s Tim is an office drone who dreams of secret agent adventure. His overconfidence gets him in trouble in the field, but he is determined not to fail his organization.
Lasowski’ Duvall is an expert operative with unwavering confidence in herself and her skills. She also possesses a wry sense of humor, which she uses to guide her less field-oriented colleague.
“Following the thunderous battle between Godzilla and the Titans that leveled San Francisco and the shocking new reality that monsters are real, the untitled Monsterverse series will explore one family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organization known as Monarch,” reads the synopsis.
The untitled series is expected to be set within the world of Legendary’s MonsterVerse. It will reportedly explore “one family’s journey to uncover its buried secrets and a legacy linking them to the secret organization known as Monarch,” following the events of Godzilla vs. Kong.
The first two episodes will be directed by WandaVision director Matt Shankman, who will also serve as an executive producer. Co-creators Chris Black and Matt Fraction will executive produce with Black also serving as showrunner. Executive producers also include Safehouse Pictures’ Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell, and Toho Co. Ltd. Hiro Matsuoka and Takemasa Arita for Toho. Toho is the owner of the character Godzilla as well as having licensed the rights to Legendary for this upcoming project.
Following the success of Godzilla vs. Kong, which earned over $467 million at the worldwide box office, Legendary began expansion talks in the MonsterVerse through a series, with Apple immediately showing interest in the project. It didn’t take long for a deal to be struck between the streamer and Legendary, with the company already developing the next untitled film in the MonsterVerse in addition to this new series.
JB Smoove and Melissa Fumero have been tapped to announce the nominations for this year’s Emmy Awards on July 12.
The announcement will be presented in a virtual ceremony taking place at 8:30 a.m. PT.
Television Academy chairman and CEO Frank Scherma will join Smoove and Fumero at the nominations ceremony, which will stream live on Emmys.com.
“It’s been another exceptional year of television with an abundance of remarkable programs and performances,” Scherma said. “We are thrilled to have JB and Melissa on board to help us celebrate the extraordinary shows, producers, storytellers and talent that continue to shape and elevate our dynamic medium.”
Smoove is a writer, comedian and Emmy Award-winning actor best known for his role in HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm. He will next be seen in the Netflix comedy series Blockbuster alongside Fumero and Randall Park.
Fumero, who recently completed an eight-season run on NBC’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine, also is starring in the upcoming independent film Bar Fight and voices the character of “Melissa” in Marvel’s animated series M.O.D.O.K. for Hulu.
The Emmy Awards will air live across the nation at 8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT onSept. 12 on NBC. The show also will stream live for the first time on Peacock.
NOTE: the below piece originally ran in June of 2020. We’re rerunning here in celebration of Pride Month 2022. Special thanks to Jenn Wilson, Film Independent Senior Programmer. All streaming availability info has been updated as of June 2022.
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For this week’s playlist, we’re celebrating Pride Monthand Black Lives Matter by spotlighting nine of our favorite Black LGBTQ content creators. There’s plenty of stuff to dig into, so let’s go ahead and get started, shall we?
First is Laverne Cox—known for her award winning role as trans inmate Sophia in the Netflix hit Orange is the New Black—has demonstrated a passion for producing documentaries dealing with trans issues: The T Word, profiling trans youth; Free Cece, which chronicles the story of Cece McDonald, a trans woman sent to prison for killing her attacker; and Disclosure, a brand new Netflix documentary about how Hollywood portrays transgender people.
Next: Yance Ford, who directed the critically acclaimed documentary Strong Island, about the 1992 murder his brother, William Ford Jr. William was killed by a white mechanic in a dispute about the length of time it was taking to fix his car. In revisiting the incident, Ford—who is trans—examines the racism involved in his brother’s death and the subsequent trial of his murderer.
Writer/director Dee Rees’ 2011 debut Pariah was groundbreaking in its depiction of Black, butch lesbians (unfortunately, nine years later there’s little progress that’s been made in terms of representation in this area—butch lesbian characters are still few and far between in media.) Since Pariah, Rees has continued her streak of strong work, delivering the amazing Bessie, about legendary blues singer Bessie Smith, for HBO in 2015 and directing the Robert Altman Award winning Mudbound in 2017.
Pariah’s antecedent, The Watermelon Woman, written and directed by Cheryl Dunye, undoubtedly paved the way for Black butch representation in film. Dunye’s film—which took home Best Feature at the Berlin Film Festival the year of its release—is rightly categorized in the hallowed halls of the New Queer Cinema movement of the 1990s.
Award-winning filmmaker Rodney Evans has made two strong LGBTQ narrative features: the Harlem Renaissance-set Brother to Brother and the stage adaptation The Happy Sad, as well as one autobiographical documentary, Vision Portraits, about vision impaired creatives.
Dream Hampton—who would later make the acclaimed Surviving R. Kelly—premiered her documentary feature Treasure: From Tragedy to Trans Justice Mapping a Detroit Story at the LA Film Festival in 2015. Treasure tells the story of the murder of a 19-year-old transwoman in Detroit, Shelly Hilliard, and how this event inspired her family and community to seek justice.
Justin Simien’s Dear White People—which follows four Black students at an Ivy League college—not only won Best First Screenplay at the 2015 Spirit Awards, it almost single-handedly launched the careers of Tessa Thompson and Lena Waithe. Dear White People was adapted into a TV show in 2017, which will premiere its fourth season on Netflix later this year.
Thompson likewise shines, in an early career performance, in Film Independent Fellow Tina Mabry’s critically acclaimed drama Mississippi Damned, which tells the story of three Black children struggling to grow up in Mississippi while dealing with poverty, violence and abuse. Mabry participated in Film Independent’s Project Involve (2004), Directing Lab (2008), Screenwriting Lab (2010) and Fast Trackprograms.
Lastly, Yoruba Richen’s powerful film The New Black examines how Black communities grapple with gay rights issues in the face of homophobia from the Black church community and the Christian Right’s agenda in pursuing anti-gay legislation.
Here’s where to find each of this week’s films online…
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(Header: Guinevere Turner and Cheryl Dunye in The Watermelon Woman)
At least 18 people including two children have been killed and dozens more wounded in the latest Russian missile strike on a civilian building in Ukraine.
Kyiv says a AS-4 anti-ship missile – the same kind used against a shopping mall in Kremenchuk earlier this week – hit a nine-storey apartment block in Odesa overnight, all-but destroying the building.
Thirty one people were hurt in the strike, local officials said, including a pregnant woman and four infants. Video shows rescuers searching the rubble for survivors, and a distressed woman calling for help as a child cries in the background.
It is just the latest Russian airstrike to hit a civilian target in Ukraine, after the Kremenchuk shopping centre was struck on Monday – killing at least 20 – and an apartment block in Mykolaiv was hit Wednesday – killing at least eight.
Ukraine says Russia is deliberately targeting civilians as part of a ‘terror’ campaign to distract from its failing invasion, a charge Putin denies.
At least 18 civilians have been killed, including two children, and 31 wounded after a Russian anti-ship missile struck a civilian apartment building in the city of Odesa overnight
A pregnant woman and four children are among those wounded after Russia hit an apartment block in Odesa, just the latest in a series of strikes against civilian targets in Ukraine
Ukraine accuses Russia of deliberately targeting civilians (apartment block in Odesa, pictured) as part of a campaign of ‘terror’ to distract from its military failings
Firefighters work to extinguish a blaze inside an Odesa apartment block that was struck by a Russian missile overnight, leaving more than a dozen people dead
Firefighters search through the rubble of an Odesa apartment block, looking for victims and survivors of Russia’s latest airstrike on a civilian target
Ukrainian firefighters search the rubble of a civilian apartment block after it was blown up by a Russian missile, just the latest in a series of strikes against the innocent
Russia’s strike on civilians in Ukraine
Ukraine accuses Russia of deliberately targeting civilians in a campaign of ‘terror’ to distract from its military failings. Here are the latest strikes…
Jun 27: Kremenchuk mall hit by anti-ship missile, leaving at least 20 dead and 21 missing, presumed dead
Jun 28: Mykolaiv apartment block hit, leaving at least eight civilians dead
Jul 1: Odesa apartment block hit, leaving at least 18 including two children dead
The Odesa attack – thought to have been carried out by a Russian Tu-22 bomber – came just hours after Putin’s forces withdrew from Snake Island, around 90 miles out to sea from the key port city.
Russian forces were forced to withdraw from the 100-acre spit of land after sustaining heavy fire from Ukrainian artillery and anti-ship missile batteries.
Moscow attempted to play off the withdrawal as a ‘goodwill gesture’, the same phrasing it used when forced to retreat from Kyiv and Chernihiv earlier in the war.
Snake Island has little practical value but is of strategic importance, helping the occupier control waters off Odesa – which remains a key target of Russia’s invasion.
Russia had repeatedly tried to position anti-aircraft and anti-missile batteries on the island, but saw them repeatedly destroyed.
Ukraine had also successfully targeted helicopters and boats trying to reinforce and resupply units stationed on the island.
Losing the territory makes the possibility of an amphibious assault on Odesa – feared since the early days of the war – increasingly remote.
It is also hugely embarrassing for Putin’s already-shamed Black Sea fleet which has seen a number of its ships – including the flagship Moskva – sunk by a country which has no functioning navy.
The decision to abandon Snake Island ‘changes the situation in the Black Sea considerably,’ Zelensky said in his daily address Thursday.
‘It does not yet guarantee security. It does not yet guarantee that the enemy will not return. But it already considerably limits the actions of the occupiers.’
On Wednesday, another Russian missile hit a five-storey apartment block in the city of Mykolaiv, which is located around 70 miles down the coast from Odesa.
On Friday, Ukraine announced that the death toll from that attack had risen to eight after the body of a man was found in a collapsed stairwell.
And earlier in the week, a Russian missile hit the Amstor shopping mall in the city of Kremenchuk – central Ukraine – killing at least 20.
Another 21 people are missing, presumed dead, after the missile hit around 4pm local time on Monday.
Russia claims it carried out two strikes on military targets in the city – a weapons store in a nearby factory and a train station being used to transport arms – and the dis-used mall accidentally burned down after fire spread.
But Ukraine has released a number of CCTV clips that challenge those claims, including footage which shows an anti-ship missile slamming directly into the mall.
Firefighters rescue a badly wounded man from an apartment block in Mykolaiv, after a Russian missile destroyed the upper floors in a strike on Wednesday
Rescue crews carry out the body of a civilian found dead inside a Mykolaiv apartment block after a Russian missile strike, as the death toll from the attack rose to eight
A man retrieves photos of his family from the destroyed apartment block in Mykolaiv, Ukraine, after a Russian missile strike destroyed the upper floors
The smouldering remains of a Ukrainian apartment block are seen in the city of Mykolaiv after the building was hit by Russia in what Kyiv says is a campaign of terror against civilians
The remains of a Mykolaiv apartment block are seen in a photo taken by rescue workers who are still searching the building for survivors and victims after the Wednesday strike
More video released yesterday shows people shopping and working inside the mall at the time it was struck.
And a third selection of tapes shows a second missile striking the northern end of a factory, raining debris down on civilians in a nearby park.
President Putin has denied his army are deliberately targeting civilians, which would be a war crime.
‘Our army does not attack any civilian infrastructure site. We have every capability of knowing what is situated where,’ Putin told a news conference in the Turkmenistan capital of Ashgabat.
‘Nobody among us shoots just like that, randomly. It is normally done based on intelligence data on targets’ and with ‘high-precision weapons’.
‘I am convinced that this time, everything was done in this exact manner,’ Putin said.
The Russian autocrat was there for the VI Caspian Summit of leaders from Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to discuss ‘topical issues of cooperation in the Caspian Sea’.
As many as 1,000 people were feared to have been inside when it was hit.
It comes after Russian troops hastily abandoned Snake Island yesterday in a fresh blow to Putin’s invasion just days after Ukraine’s armed forces launched a crippling rocket attack on the outpost.
Snake Island became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance in the first days of the war, when the rocky outcrop’s defenders told a Russian warship that called on them to surrender to ‘go f*ck yourself,’ an incident that spurred a defiant meme.
It was also a strategic target, sitting aside shipping lanes near Ukraine’s port of Odessa. Russia had attempted to install missile and air defence batteries while under fire from drones.
Now, however, Ukraine has begun to receive longer range missiles and military gear from its Western backers, and the Russian position on Snake Island seems to have become untenable, officials said.
The Russian defence ministry statement described the retreat as ‘a gesture of goodwill’ meant to demonstrate that Moscow will not interfere with UN efforts to organise protected grain exports from Ukraine but Kyiv claimed it as a win.
‘I thank the defenders of Odessa region who took maximum measures to liberate a strategically important part of our territory,’ Valeriy Zaluzhny, the Ukraine military’s commander-in-chief, said on Telegram.
This is the moment a Russian missile hit a shopping mall in the city of Kremenchuk, Ukraine, on Monday afternoon – leaving at least 20 dead and another 21 missing, presumed dead
Ukraine says the footage shows a Russian AS-4 anti-ship missile slamming into the mall, disproving Moscow’s claims that the building was not directly targeted
Onlookers gather as the shopping centre is engulfed by flames shortly after it was struck by two Russian guided missiles on Monday, while an estimated 1,000 people were inside
Rescuers are still searching the remains of the mall for victims, and say there is little chance anyone else will be found alive
Ben Savage was the main character of “Boy Meets World,” the sitcom that aired as part of ABC’s “TGIF” from 1993 to 2000, but he’s not planning to rewatch the episodes with his former co-stars.
Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle and Rider Strong, who starred as Topanga, Eric and Shawn, respectively, on the show, launched “Pod Meets World,” an iHeartRadio rewatch podcast, on June 27. During the first episode, “TGI-Happening,” Fishel explained why the show’s leading man isn’t part of the project.
“Ben Savage is doing his own thing. He’s doing Lifetime movies. He’s busy. We would love for him to have been a part of the show. We asked him to be a part of the show,” she explained of the actor who appeared in all 158 episodes of “Boy Meets World,” as well as all 72 episodes of the Disney Channel spinoff, “Girl Meets World.”
Fishel added that the three co-stars began discussing doing a podcast in 2018 after attending a fan convention.
“We talked about it with Ben and Ben was like, ‘I’m not sure it’s really my thing,’” she recalled, noting that after they took some meetings, they circled back with him again to make sure he didn’t want to be part of it. “He said, ‘It just really is not my thing,’ and we have respected that. It’s not his thing. That is why Ben is not here.”
The group plans to rewatch all of the show and will welcome guest stars including William Daniels, Trina McGee, Betsy Randle, William “Rusty” Russ, Maitland Ward and Matthew Lawrence.
During the introductory episode, the three hosts explained that they have very different relationships with the show. Both Fishel and Friedle watched it all when it was airing, but haven’t seen it since; Strong has only seen four or five episodes ever and is now rewatching with his 7-year-old son.
While recapping the pilot, Strong shared that he bonded with Friedle immediately upon meeting at auditions, but didn’t begin growing a true bond with Savage until a few episodes in.
“Ben was really into sports, and I was not. A lot of the first early episodes, he wanted to play basketball with the other kids,” he said. “Ben was working a lot. He was in every scene — that’s a lot for a kid! So, he would be gone. He was sort of distanced. He was very much in his own world. I remember him working and being busy, needing to learn his lines and also going to school. He was sort of, at that point, Hollywood royalty for us. His brother’s show [‘The Wonder Years’] was such a hit. He was the person who knew what we were doing more than any of us.”
He also added that “Boy Meets World” began as a family show rather than a school show, so the focus was on the Matthews family — and Strong was the best friend, not a member of the family. Of course, it developed into something much more.
Twitter has hired NBCUniversal executive Maggie McLean Suniewick for the newly created role of vp partnerships, the company said on Thursday.
Suniewick was most recently the president of distribution and business development at NBCU, where she negotiated deals with companies like Roku, Amazon, Google, Apple, Snap and Twitter. Reporting up to Twitter CFO Ned Segal, Suniewick will oversee Twitter’s combined partnerships group, which includes the global content partnerships team, led by T.J. Adeshola, as well as the developer platform and business development teams.
“I’ve worked with Twitter for years and have always been a huge fan of the product, the people and the potential of the service. I am thrilled to be joining at this important time to continue the work of the team building meaningful partnerships globally,” Suniewick said in a statement.
The executive’s hiring comes during a transition period for Twitter as it awaits the finalization of Elon Musk’s $44 billion acquisition. As of late, the Tesla CEO has stalled the transaction over concerns about spam bots and fake accounts on the social media platform, though Twitter recently provided Musk with internal data regarding such accounts. As the deal remains in flux, Twitter has instituted a partial hiring freeze except for “business critical” roles, a Twitter spokesperson said at the time, and the company’s stock price has dropped by more than 5 percent in the past month.
Suniewick appears to fall within the “business critical” exception, as she will have the highest ranking partnerships position.
“Maggie has deep industry experience and relationships which she will leverage to drive impact for our partners,” Segal said. “There’s so much more we can do to improve the timeline with incredible content, to drive usage of our developer platform, and to deepen our work with technology, media, sports and entertainment partners.”
On Thursday’s episode of “The Tonight Show,” Ariana Debose talked with Jimmy Fallon about her fears — and hopes — following the repeal of Roe v. Wade and dangerously uncertain legal landscape faced by women and, if right wing justices like Clarence Thomas gets their way, queer people as well.
But she also urged people listening that “this is the time to get in the fight,” and as a start, to “make a difference at the local level” as part of the struggle for basic American rights. You can watch the clip above right now.
“We can talk a lot about how the Supreme Court has just waged war on women’s reproductive rights. But the reality is, Clarence Thomas was very clear on what his plan is. He’s not just coming for women. They already came for voting rights. They’re gonna continue. But they’re coming for marriage equality. And quite frankly, they’ll probably come for adoption rights by same sex couples,” she told Fallon.
“So this is the time to get in the fight. And it starts on a local level. So find ways to get involved. I personally because I — come on, I’m Black, I’m Afro-Latina, I’m a woman and I’m queer. My country is at war with me. And that’s hard. Oh my God that’s hard. But the only thing I can do is hold onto my joy and make a difference on a local level,” she said.
“So I’m trying to find the Abortion Funds in my community, that I can support. So I can help anyone with a uterus, whether that means getting them to a safe haven state, or in the states that don’t want to support them, how can we support them. So I want, and encourage folks to research, get involved. But do your part, because this is not about one set of rights, it’s about human rights,” she added.
“I’m sorry to be on a soap box, but I’m not sorry. I’m fired up,” Debose continued. “Be fired up!” Fallon replied.
“You know what is a terrible analogy, but I like it? This is a time of planting seeds, right? Because seeds beget roots, and hopefully really healthy trees. We got a rotten ass tree called the Supreme Court and we gotta root it out,” she concluded. “So, do your part people.”
News 12 dominated with 80 nominations for the 65th annual New York Emmy Awards nominations, which were revealed today.
NATAS
The NY chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said Telemundo’s WNJU squeezed past Univision’s WXTY for second place, 53 noms to 52. Spectrum News NY1 and MSG Networks tied for fourth place with 45 nominations apiece, just ahead of WNBC News’ 44.
The winners will be honored at a ceremony in October, with a date and venue TBA. The gala will be livestreamed on the New York Emmys website.
Here are all the nominees for 2022 New York Emmy Awards:
OVERALL EXCELLENCE WABC-TV Overall Excellence – January 1, 2021 WABC-TV
CNY Central Overall Excellence – January 1, 2021 CNY Central, WSTM-NBC3, WTVH-CBS5, CW6
The WNET Group Overall Excellence Submission – January 1, 2021 The WNET Group
Newsday 2021 – December 17, 2021 Newsday
Roberto Yanez – January 1, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
NEWS EXCELLENCE WABC-TV News Excellence – December 31, 2021 WABC-TV
COMMUNITY SERVICE 2021 Annual Report – March 15, 2021 Vignogna Independent Productions
Monica Makes It Happen for Our Community – March 5, 2021 PIX11 Women’s Entrepreneurship Week at Montclair State University – December 1, 2021 Long Shot Productions
WILD – March 13, 2021 The Black Iris Project
Bounce Out the Stigma – September 9, 2021 Long Shot Productions
The Buffalo Story – June 7, 2021
Moments In Time Video, Inc
NJPAC In the Community – October 2, 2021 New Jersey Performing Arts Center
JOURNALISTIC ENTERPRISE – INDIVIDUAL Bere Always Gets It – December 1, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
Sarah Wallace Composite – July 13, 2021 WNBC-TV News
Andre Malok Composite – January 31, 2021 NJ Advance Media
Jillian Jorgensen -Triumphs and Failures as Students Return to NYC Public Schools – March 8, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
Tara Rosenblum – January 11, 2021 News 12
JOURNALISTIC ENTERPRISE – TEAM Turn To Tara – September 15, 2021 News 12
KIYC Stories – August 31, 2021 News 12
INTERACTIVE MEDIA Watch With Dan: A Documentary Discussion – April 2, 2021 PIX11 The YES App – June 8, 2021 YES Network
MORNING NEWSCAST – LARGER MARKETS (1-49) Mornings On 1: Hurricane Ida Coverage – September 2, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
PIX11 Morning News: The Morning After – January 7, 2021 PIX11
WNJU 5AM Hurricane Ida – September 2, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
The Bittersweet Candy – October 27, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
Giant Cargo Ship Docks In NYC – May 20, 2021 PIX11
7 On Your Side: Flooded Public Storage – October 13, 2021 WABC-TV
BUSINESS/CONSUMER – NEWS (NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT) High Pressure Beauty Sales – February 12, 2021 WCBS-TV
Team 12 Investigates: Web of Lies – May 18, 2021 News 12
Responde Shady Dealership – May 25, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
Long Island Trades – May 30, 2021 Newsday
A Tu Lado Pandemic of Scams – February 15, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
The Story behind Shuga Pie Shop in Babylon April 28, 2021 Newsday
CRIME – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) How To Defend Yourself from A New York City Subway Attack – November 10, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
Don’t Open the Door – December 2, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
Seniors Talk Crime In New York’s Capital – August 16, 2021 Spectrum News 1 – Albany
NJ PBS / NJ Spotlight News: Edna Mahan Inmate Abuse – July 1, 2021 The WNET Group
CRIME – NEWS (NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT) Autumn And Kyra: Family Court Casualties – June 10, 2021 PIX11
Missing: Leanne Marie Hausberg – December 23, 2021 WABC-TV
Cop Fights Cop: ‘The Culture Needs to Change’ – May 28, 2021 WGRZ-TV
How Anthony Broadwater Spent 40 Years Wrongly Convicted of Raping Alice Sebold – December 2, 2021 Advance Media NY (Syracuse.com, NYUP.com)
DIVERSITY/EQUITY/INCLUSION – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) Charges Dropped in Attack of Asian Grandmother – May 7, 2021 News 12
Barriers To Badges – June 1, 2021 Newsday
We’re Not Monsters – November 5, 2021 PIX11
DIVERSITY/EQUITY/INCLUSION – NEWS (NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT) I’m Speaking – March 5, 2021 WNYW-TV
On The Shoulders of Giants – February 27, 2021 Newsday
N.J. Community Embraces Young Man with Autism Who Lost Both of His Parents – October 11, 2021 NJ Advance Media
The Excluded Workers Fund – April 29, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
The Map: Segregated Syracuse – February 23, 2021 CNY Central, WSTM-NBC3, WTVH-CBS5, CW6
WNJU Orgullo LGBTQ Series – June 21, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
Sign Language on The Silver Screen – ASL Breaks Barriers at The Oscars – April 23, 2021 WNBC-TV News
EDUCATION/SCHOOLS – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) It Puts a Smile on His Face – December 22, 2021 Newsday
Following A First-Year Teacher on Her First Day at School – September 8, 2021 NJ Advance Media
911: An Unforgettable Lesson – September 11, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
EDUCATION/SCHOOLS – NEWS (NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT) Visualizing Resistance – Animating the Story of The First Slave Rebellion in The New World – December 26, 2021 NVJN
The Map: Desegregated Schools – May 11, 2021 WSTM-TV
Education Inequality – September 29, 2021 News 12
A Tu Lado: Profiting with Education – March 17, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
CHILDREN/YOUTH (12 AND UNDER) – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) C.O.C.O.A. House Works to Get at Risk Youth Off Streets – July 30, 2021 Spectrum News 1 – Albany
You’d Be Surprised at The Places That We’ve Played – May 28, 2021 PIX11
TEEN (13 – 19) – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) Tommy’s Story – August 27, 2021 News 12
The Teenage Genius Bar – March 3, 2021 News 12
TEEN (13 – 19) – NEWS (NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT) Islip Arts Council Gives Brentwood Theatre Students a Special Moment in The Spotlight – June 9, 2021 NVJN
Scholar Athletes: Leading in The Classroom and On the Court – April 9, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
A Dive into The Record Books – February 21, 2021 News 12
ENVIRONMENT/SCIENCE – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) Eating Cicadas? Brood X Emergence Inspires NJ Students to Take a Bite – June 9, 2021 WNBC-TV News
Coal Vs. Cancer – July 7, 2021 WNYT NewsChannel 13
Thousands Of Amphibians Migrate Here Every Year, With A Little Help from Volunteers – March 31, 2021 NJ Advance Media
ENVIRONMENT/SCIENCE – NEWS (NO TIME PRODUCTION LIMIT) Infraestructura Cambio Climatico – November 8, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
Ride Along on the ‘Street Sweeper’ That Cleans the Polluted Passaic River – September 21, 2021 NJ Advance Media
Flooded – November 26, 2021 News 12
Human Composting – November 24, 2021 WNYT NewsChannel 13
Recycling Revealed – May 12, 2021 WGRZ-TV
HEALTH/MEDICAL – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) 9/11: 20 Years Later – September 9, 2021 News 12
COVID-19 A Year Later – March 14, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
Back Inside the Red Zone – February 15, 2021 Newsday
Lisa’s Battle to Survive – April 13, 2021 PIX11
Firefighters Battle Weight – December 1, 2021 News 12
HEALTH/MEDICAL – NEWS (NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT) Vaccine Tourism – February 25, 2021 News 12
Vaping Away My Adolescence – November 17, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
Breast Cancer Under 30 – May 19, 2021 WTEN
The Gift Interrupted – September 23, 2021 Newsday
HISTORICAL/CULTURAL – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) Hidden In Plain Sight – February 2, 2021 WNBC-TV News
The Day Death Rained from The Sky – December 16, 2021 PIX11
The Nerve to Dream – February 27, 2021 News 12
Restoring An 1834 Mansion in Oyster Bay – November 22, 2021 Newsday
Beyond The Name: FDNY Capt. Vernon Alan Richard – September 9, 2021 WNBC-TV News
HISTORICAL/CULTURAL – NEWS (NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT) 9/11: 20 Years – September 10, 2021 PIX11
History Is Worth Saving – October 16, 2021 News 12
Twin Brothers Survive the Nazi Angel of Death – September 20, 2021 WNYW-TV
The Prison Guard’s Daughter – September 7, 2021 Spectrum News 1 – Rochester
The Haunted Big Apple – ‘La Manzana Embrujada’ – October 27, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
Loss & Renewal – One Company’s Greatest Loss On 9/11 – September 10, 2021 PIX11
St. Albans History – February 26, 2021 WNYW-TV
HUMAN INTEREST – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) Girl Whisperer – August 6, 2021 News 12
Dreams Take Flight – February 16, 2021 News 12
Coffee With a Cause: People with Disabilities Train in A Cafeteria to Find Permanent Jobs – November 6, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
Dylan Dunney -Surviving the Unimaginable – June 15, 2021 Spectrum News 1 – Albany
It’s Overwhelming – September 6, 2021 PIX11
On The Streets Where We Live: Ditmas Park – November 5, 2021 WNYW-TV
HUMAN INTEREST – NEWS (NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT) Connor’s Comeback – June 14, 2021 WNBC-TV News
The Mayor of The Upper West Side – December 24, 2021 WNBC-TV News
TikTok Runner – November 5, 2021 PIX11
Paulie’s Push – July 28, 2021 WNBC-TV News
Alex’s Birthdays – February 16, 2021 WTEN
Goats Of Anarchy Sanctuary Gives Hundreds of Animals Another Shot at Life – July 9, 2021
NJ Advance Media
Judge Salas Her Pain and Her Faith – November 18, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
LIFESTYLE – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) Court Sketch Artists Look Back On 30 Years Documenting History – October 28, 2021 WCBS-TV
Bere Explained It All! – February 12, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
The Unis’ of The Night – November 15, 2021 WNYW-TV
LIFESTYLE – NEWS (NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT) New Jersey Road Trip – July 22, 2021 News 12
Road Trip Close to Home – April 22, 2021 News 12
LI Trades: His American Dream Is Seeing His Kids Graduate. He’s Building It with His Own Hands. – May 30, 2021 Newsday
Glamping Feels Magical at Scottland Yard Farm – July 12, 2021 Advance Media NY (Syracuse.com, NYUP.com)
MILITARY – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) Gold Star Daughter’s Wish Come True – August 25, 2021 News 12
Cpl. Ambrose Anderson Finally Receives Dress Blues – November 10, 2021 Spectrum News 1 – Albany
Local WWII Veteran’s Journey from Italy to The Army – November 11, 2021 WTEN
Paying Them Their Due – November 10, 2021 Spectrum News 1 – Rochester
Veterans Appreciation Month – November 2, 2021 News 12
MILITARY – NEWS (NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT) Dowdell Brothers Serve City and Country – September 7, 2021 PIX11
Historic US Afghanistan Refugee Evacuation – October 12, 2021 WCBS-TV
The Captain Sydney Cole Story – November 24, 2021 WIVB-TV
Old Military Uniforms Transform into Paper for Veterans Healing – August 22, 2021 NJ Advance Media
NOSTALGIA – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) Fred Gray: The Civil Rights Movement’s Attorney – March 12, 2021 WNYW-TV
September 11 From Humberto’s Camera – September 11, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
Tour The Untouched Home of Louis and Lucille Armstrong in Queens – February 26, 2021 NET-TV
Recuerdan Victimas Del Coronavirus – March 14, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
NOSTALGIA – NEWS (NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT) A Portrait of Peace – May 28, 2021 News 12
The True Value of Journalism – December 24, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
Bob Beckwith: One Moment in History – September 8, 2021 PIX11
Coliseum Memories – May 17, 2021 News 12
WNJU Bomberos Que Lograron Sobrevivir 9/11 – September 10, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
Keys To the Past – December 1, 2021 WTEN
POLITICS/GOVERNMENT – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) WNJU 11PM NYC Primary Night – June 22, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
The Countdown: Cuomo Resigns – August 10, 2021 WABC-TV
Governor Cuomo’s Sudden Resignation After Sexual Harassment Investigation – August 10, 2021 WABC-TV
Fall Of Cuomo, Rise of Hochul: Anne McCloy Reports – August 11, 2021 WRGB-TV
POLITICS/GOVERNMENT – NEWS (NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT) Face To Face, Adriana Vargas – October 28, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
Sheriff Politics and Power – April 15, 2021 WNBC-TV News
Interview With the Dominican Republic President, Luis Abinader – June 17, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
Explaining Ranked Choice Voting with Candy – June 3, 2021 WNYW-TV
NJ’s Outdated Unemployment Computers – February 25, 2021 News 12
RELIGION – NEWS Faith And Fate: The Story of Gitta and Wanda – December 5, 2021 News 12
The Hidden Bible – October 27, 2021 WNYW-TV
OpOverwatch: A Spiritual Refuge – November 13, 2021 WIVB-TV
SOCIETAL CONCERNS – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) Slavery In Suburbia – January 11, 2021 News 12
La Guerra Contra El Hambre – February 5, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
Illegal Basement Apartments- Ida Aftermath – November 12, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
The Lost Children – May 24, 2021 WNBC-TV News
Who Are the Unvaccinated? – August 1, 2021 PIX11
Vaccine Supply Challenges – January 25, 2021 PIX11
SOCIETAL CONCERNS – NEWS (NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT) Team 12 Investigates: Death Without Dignity – December 7, 2021 News 12
Devil’s Acid – November 3, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
The Long-Term Health Impacts Of 9/11 – September 8, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
Struggling To Provide – March 22, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
How Clean Is the Subway? – May 26, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
Positively Black: Fathers Who Bother – August 15, 2021 WNBC-TV News
TECHNOLOGY – NEWS Lucky The Duck – April 15, 2021 News 12
Hispanic Students Learn Robotics and Aviation – November 12, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
Face It: You’re Being Watched – October 19, 2021 WABC-TV
AirTag: The Thieves Tracker – December 9, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
The Download – January 1, 2021 News 12
WEATHER – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) A Tu Lado Winterizing the Viewers – February 2, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
McFord Weather Composite – February 1, 2021 PIX11
Remnants Of Hurricane Ida Hit Tri-State – September 1, 2021 WCBS-TV
Long Island Tornado Outbreak – November 13, 2021 News 12
Tormenta Tropical Henri – August 22, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
WEATHER – NEWS (NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT) WNJU Peligros Del Verano – July 4, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
Severe Weather Consumer Alerts – October 21, 2021 News 12
Darren McQuade Weather Composite – February 7, 2021 PIX11
WEATHERCAST Air Quality Alert in Tri-state Area – July 20, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
Meteorologist Mike Rizzo Is Tracking Elsa – July 8, 2021 News 12
February Winter Storm Warning – February 15, 2021 WIVB-TV
SPORTS STORY – NEWS (SINGLE SHIFT) Michael Houser’s Story of Resiliency and Hope – May 13, 2021 WHAM
Happy’s Caddy – September 21, 2021 News 12
Boys Of Summer – July 14, 2021 WNBC-TV News
The Perfect Shot – August 10, 2021 News 12 SPORTS STORY – NEWS (NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT) Play Like Danni – April 28, 2021 News 12
The Comeback Kid – November 24, 2021 News 12
Forever 26 – The Life and Legacy of Billy Lowe – November 11, 2021 WETM-TV
SPORTS STORY – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) 43 Oak Foundation Feature Series – August 24, 2021 New York Islanders
Fulfilling A Terminal Cancer Patient’s Greatest Wish at The New York City Marathon – November 12, 2021 New York-Presbyterian
One Jets Drive: Bryce Hall – November 2, 2021 New York Jets
One Jets Drive: CJ Mosley – August 9, 2021 New York Jets
One Jets Drive: Michael Carter II – October 19, 2021 New York Jets
SPORTS STORY – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) One Family: Bills Mafia Cooks Up a Trip to The AFC Championship – January 22, 2021 Pegula Sports And Entertainment
The Greatest Shot in WNBA Finals History Needs a Deep Rewind – September 25, 2021 Vox Media / Secret Base
SPORTSCAST MSG 150 – February 26, 2021 MSG Networks
New York Rangers Game Night – November 16, 2021 MSG Networks
New York Rangers Post Game – October 18, 2021 MSG Networks
Geico SportsNite – Jets Hire Saleh – January 14, 2021 SNY
SPORTS PROGRAM – LIVE (SINGLE PROGRAM) New York Yankees Pregame: Field of Dreams – August 12, 2021 YES Network
Michael Strahan Jersey Retirement Ceremony – November 28, 2021 New York Football Giants
New York Yankees Pregame: Wildcard – Yankees at Red Sox – October 5, 2021 YES Network
Eli Manning Jersey Retirement and Ring of Honor Ceremony – September 26, 2021 New York Football Giants
Brooklyn Nets Pregame: Playoffs Game 3, Nets at Celtics – May 28, 2021 YES Network
SPORTS PROGRAM – LIVE (SERIES) Brooklyn Nets Pre & Postgame: 2021 Season – October 19, 2021 YES Network
New York Yankees Pre & Postgame: 2021 Season – April 1, 2021 YES Network
Baseball Night In New York – January 14, 2021 SNY
NY Knicks Pre/Post Game – May 13, 2021 MSG Networks
Mets Pre And Post Game – April 27, 2021 SNY
SPORTS PROGRAM – POST-PRODUCED OR EDITED (SINGLE PROGRAM) Buffalo Bills Embedded | 2021 NFL Draft: Sizing Up – May 20, 2021 Pegula Sports And Entertainment
Giants Chronicles – Victor Cruz – December 4, 2021 MSG Networks
SPORTS PROGRAM – POST-PRODUCED OR EDITED (SERIES) Sabados Con Los NY Giants – October 16, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
Beyond Blue & Red: Composite – November 17, 2021 Pegula Sports And Entertainment
PlayAction – September 7, 2021 The Buffalo News
Devils Details – January 4, 2021 New Jersey Devils
One Jets Drive – November 2, 2021 New York Jets
SPORTS – ONE-TIME SPECIAL Buffalo Bills Growth Mindset – March 11, 2021 Pegula Sports And Entertainment
9/11: The Mets Remember – September 10, 2021 SNY
Marathon Sunday 2021 – November 7, 2021 WABC-TV
PWHPA Women’s Hockey Road To MSG – March 22, 2021 MSG Networks
SPORTS DOCUMENTARY Flight 2021 – June 21, 2021 New York Jets
Buffalo Sabres Embedded: Drafting the Future – September 16, 2021 Pegula Sports And Entertainment
The Gil Hodges Story: Soul of Champion – November 8, 2021 Spirit Juice Studios
SPORTS INTERVIEW/DISCUSSION (SINGLE PROGRAM) Like We Never Left ’61 – March 24, 2021 SNY
The Feed – January 15, 2021 YES Network
A Fuego Con Lulu and Will Hernandez – October 9, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
SPORTS INTERVIEW/DISCUSSION (SERIES) Eli Interviews Kevin Durant – December 9, 2021 New York Football Giants
Like We Never Left – January 20, 2021 SNY
MSGPM – April 21, 2021 MSG Networks
LIVE SPORTING EVENT/GAME (SINGLE PROGRAM) NJ Devils New Year’s Eve Overtime Winner – December 31, 2021 MSG Networks
Mets On SNY 9/11 20th Anniversary Game – September 10, 2021 SNY
Brooklyn Nets Basketball: The Playoffs Are Fun! – Game 2 Boston at Brooklyn – May 25, 2021 YES Network
The Fans and Playoffs Return to The Garden: Knicks/Hawks: Game 1 – May 23, 2021 MSG Networks
New York Yankees Baseball: Win and You’re In -Tampa Bay At New York October 3, 2021 – October 30, 2021 YES Network
Friday Night Knicks at Toronto: ‘It’s Friday Then…’ – December 10, 2021 MSG Networks
LIVE SPORTING EVENT SEASON New York Rangers – January 14, 2021 MSG Networks
2021 Mets on SNY – April 8, 2021 SNY
Brooklyn Nets Basketball – January 7, 2021 YES Network
New York Knicks – January 1, 2021 MSG Networks
New York Yankees Baseball – April 1, 2021 YES Network
DOCUMENTARY CULTURAL ALL ARTS / Isolation to Creation – A Way Forward – January 26, 2021 The WNET Group
Women’s World of Boxing; Fight Like a Girl! – December 12, 2021 Firelight Films
Hope – September 30, 2021 The Salvation Army
DOCUMENTARY HISTORICAL Heartbreak Hotel: Flight 800, 25 Years Later – July 16, 2021 WABC-TV
Monmouth County, 9/11, And Its Aftermath – November 25, 2021 Cine Selector
Discovering New York Suffrage Stories – February 1, 2021 WNED-TV
They Survived Together – December 6, 2021 The WNET Group
U.S. Secret Service: Remembering 9/11 – September 10, 2021 U.S. Secret Service
A Bridge to Justice: The Life of Franklin H. Williams – February 21, 2021 WNED-TV
DOCUMENTARY TOPICAL Women And the Vote – October 25, 2021 Low To the Ground Productions
SPD: Reckoning & Reform – October 4, 2021 WCNY
Ghost Light: Broadway’s Long Intermission – May 22, 2021 WABC-TV
Coogan’s Way – October 10, 2021 The WNET Group / Shenandoah University & The Catholic University of America
MAGAZINE PROGRAM (SINGLE PROGRAM) New York Live: Home for The Holidays – December 16, 2021 WNBC-TV Programming
Nueva York: Mayo – May 13, 2021 CUNY TV
Snapshot New York Holiday Special 2021 – December 24, 2021 WCBS-TV
1st Look: NYC Comeback – October 16, 2021 WNBC-TV Programming
Eatup New York – August 28, 2021 Powerhouse Productions
Brooklyn Nets Magazine – October 14, 2021 YES Network
NJ PBS: State of The Arts: Conductor Xian Zhang, Choreographer Carolyn Dorfman, & Artist Grace Lynne Haynes – April 28, 2021 PCK Media
MAGAZINE PROGRAM (SERIES) The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal: Broadway Is Back! – September 5, 2021 The Broadway Show with Tamsen Fadal On Stage – September 14, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
East End – March 13, 2021 News 12
Christal’s NY Specials – July 6, 2021 WNYW-TV
NJ All Day – June 24, 2021 NJ Advance Media
PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAM (SINGLE PROGRAM) I Am a Dreamer: Pueblos Originarios, Eva Santos Y Juan Carlos Marín – November 10, 2021 CUNY TV
Creating A Blueprint to Reopen Broadway – January 16, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
PIX On Politics: Rikers in Crisis – October 17, 2021 PIX11
Remembering 9/11: 20 Years Later – September 11, 2021 WNYW-TV
Full Episode: Cuomo’s Harassment Conundrum, AG’s Report, Senate Leader Stewart- Cousins – August 6, 2021 WMHT
PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAM (SERIES) Chasing The Dream – April 9, 2021 WSKG Public Media
Good Day Street Talk Celebrates Black History Month – February 25, 2021 WNYW-TV
Covering The Return of Live Performance In NYC – April 24, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
SPECIAL EVENT COVERAGE – LIVE Hometown Heroes Parade – July 7, 2021 WNBC-TV News
2021 NYC Pride March – June 27, 2021 Show Shop / WABC-TV
WNJU 9/11 20th Anniversary Live Ceremony – September 11, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
9/11 Memorial from Ground Zero, 20th Anniversary – September 11, 2021 BARD Entertainment
SPECIAL EVENT COVERAGE – EDITED Tunnel To Towers – 20 Years of Helping Others – October 1, 2021 WNYW-TV
ALL ARTS / The Set List – New 42’s Let’s Get This Show on The Street – September 12, 2021 The WNET Group
On Stage Presents Broadway’s Revival – September 14, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
ENTERTAINMENT – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) Swipe Monster – Episode 1: ‘A Condemned Sawmill in The Rockaways’ – September 27, 2021 The Katz Company
Hey, It’s Me – October 20, 2021 Houndstooth Studios, Inc.
New York State of Mind – August 24, 2021 NYCNext
ENTERTAINMENT – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) Take Me Back to Manhattan – May 1, 2021 Ordinary Sunday / Jazz at the Ballroom
ALL ARTS / Sole Variations – August 27, 2021 The WNET Group
ALL ARTS / Myths and Hymns – November 10, 2021 The WNET Group
ALL ARTS / Past, Present, Future – If We Were a Love Song – May 9, 2021 The WNET Group
ALL ARTS / ART DOCS – Philip Pearlstein – Life Happens – May 2, 2021 The WNET Group
WILD: Bird of Paradise – November 18, 2021 The Black Iris Project
Jeremy Jordan: Carry On – May 6, 2021 Ordinary Sunday / 54 Below Premieres
INFORMATIONAL/INSTRUCTIONAL – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) The Adventureland Rules – April 8, 2021 News 12
Marijuana THC Vs CBD, CBG, CBN: What’s The Difference? What Are the Health Benefits of Each? – October 26, 2021 Advance Media NY (Syracuse.com, NYUP.com)
Around Queens: Honey and The Bees – December 1, 2021 Queens Public Communications Corp.
Inform NYC Queens Grid – October 17, 2021 NYC Life
What Is the Filibuster and Why Is Everyone Fighting Over It? – April 7, 2021 Spectrum News
INFORMATIONAL/INSTRUCTIONAL – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) How An Indoor Farm Uses Technology to Grow 80,000 Pounds of Produce Per Week — Dan Does – February 20, 2021 Eater
How Yama Seafood Sells 8,000 Pounds of Tuna to NYC’s Michelin-Starred Restaurants – Vendors – June 12, 2021 Eater
Shola’s Voice – October 10, 2021 NYC Life
INTERVIEW/DISCUSSION – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) Biden’s Administration, One Hundred Days – May 2, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
Never Forgotten: Honoring the Heroes Of 9-11 – Melissa Rogan – September 10, 2021 Catholic Faith Network
City Worker Vaccine Mandate Controversy – October 29, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
INTERVIEW/DISCUSSION – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) News 4 Remembers 9/11: 20 Years – September 10, 2021 WNBC-TV News
Date While You Wait – December 1, 2021 David Harris Katz Entertainment, Inc.
Power And Politics: Pain to Purpose – August 22, 2021 News 12
Bill Murray & Eli Manning Have a Day in Brooklyn! – September 30, 2021 New York Football Giants
ALL ARTS / Famous Cast Words – William Jackson Harper – April 21, 2021 The WNET Group
Talking Pictures with Neil Rosen: Oscar Contenders – December 24, 2021 CUNY TV
Black America: Thoughts of A Colored Man Takes Broadway by Storm – December 24, 2021 CUNY TV
20th Anniversary Of 9/11: Roundtable Reflections – September 11, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) Melina León – March 11, 2021 CUNY TV
Ballet Star Makes It Through Pandemic to Give Final Performance – November 6, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
La Historia Del Young People’s Chorus Of New York City – November 26, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
Pepita Sandwich – February 11, 2021 CUNY TV
The Freedom to Be: Alvin Ailey Dancers – September 18, 2021 NYC & Company
Rose Marie McCoy: It’s Gonna Work Out Fine – October 30, 2021 PCK Media
ARTS/ENTERTAINMENT – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) ALL ARTS / Flowstate/North Brooklyn Artists – Fred Tomaselli – February 22, 2021 The WNET Group
ALL ARTS / Flowstate/North Brooklyn Artists – Buket Savci – March 10, 2021 The WNET Group
The Musical of Musicals the Musical…and more! – April 18, 2021 The York Theatre Company
ALL ARTS / ART DOCS – Immersive.World – Immersive Mind – June 1, 2021 The WNET Group
NJ PBS: State of The Arts: Angela Davis, Ethan Stiefel, Ara Dinkjian – November 20, 2021 PCK Media
Save Birdland: A Celebration of Music, History and Community – January 24, 2021 Tom and Michael D’Angora
ALL ARTS / Flowstate/North Brooklyn Artists – Jilly Ballistic – March 17, 2021 The WNET Group
ALL ARTS / ART DOCS – Immersive.World – Immersed in A Pandemic – Digital – May 11, 2021 The WNET Group
BUSINESS/CONSUMER – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) Made In Queens: QNS Collaborative – December 3, 2021 Queens Public Communications Corp.
How Lower Manhattan Has Evolved Post-9/11 – September 8, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
The BYKlyn Yard: A Small Business Pandemic Pivot – June 6, 2021 Brooklyn Free Speech
BUSINESS/CONSUMER – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) Road Trip Close to Home – October 28, 2021 News 12
Impact: Giveback – August 19, 2021 WCNY
Forbes Sports Money – August 19, 2021 YES Network
CRIME – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) Buried Secrets – September 15, 2021 News 12
Set The Record Straight: The Jam Master Jay Case – April 17, 2021 WABC-TV
DIVERSITY/EQUITY/INCLUSION – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) Black History Month: ArtHub NYC – February 11, 2021 WABC-TV
Two Women Beat the Odds to Make It in Hip-Hop – October 16, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
Karina – May 15, 2021 CUNY TV
The Freedom to Be: Black Surfers in The Rockaways – August 9, 2021 NYC & Company
THIRTEEN/Caretakers/A Filipino Chef Feeds a Summer of Protest – November 5, 2021 The WNET Group
State Of the Arts: Family Legend: She Made the First Asian American Film, Then History Forgot Her – September 4, 2021 PCK Media
Photography Workshop at Mixteca Organization with Yhasmime Moran. – September 22, 2021 CUNY TV
DIVERSITY/EQUITY/INCLUSION – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) Black History in The Making: A NY1 Special – February 18, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
NY1 Presents: Pride and Perseverance – June 3, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
ALL ARTS / Past, Present, Future – One + One Make Three – May 11, 2021 The WNET Group
WILD: These Walls Can Talk – March 13, 2021 The Black Iris Project
Los Deliveristas Unidos: How Food Delivery Workers Are Organizing for Better Conditions | #BHeard – June 3, 2021 BRIC TV
New York State Celebrates Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Civil Rights Then and Now – January 18, 2021 NYS Office of General Services
ALL ARTS / ART DOCS – Dreams from The Deep End – June 30, 2021 The WNET Group
In Pursuit of Racial Justice – June 7, 2021 Moments In Time Video, Inc
EDUCATION/SCHOOLS – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) Juliette Palacios – September 14, 2021 CUNY TV
Once Upon a City – Bloomers and Bicycles – March 8, 2021 NYC Life
Once Upon a City – One Wild Day – June 14, 2021 NYC Life
EDUCATION/SCHOOLS – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) Urban U: CUNY Stories January 2021 – January 7, 2021 CUNY TV
Globe Scholars: South Korea Episode 1 – November 6, 2021 PiÑeApple Produxns, LLC
CHILDREN/YOUTH (12 AND UNDER) – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) Jim Henson Spends Christmas Off-Broadway – December 18, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
Buffalo Backyard Hockey – March 10, 2021 Pegula Sports And Entertainment
The Need to Read: How Brooklyn Book Bodega Is Changing Kids’ Lives. New York Live TV – June 8, 2021 WNBC-TV Programming
CHILDREN/YOUTH (12 AND UNDER) – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES)
ALL ARTS / Young Peoples Chorus of NYC’s Once Upon the Holidays, Part 1 – December 14, 2021 The WNET Group
Reading Buddies – September 7, 2021 WCNY
MUScience™ – Explore and Discover Science While Singing and Dancing – December 31, 2021 Xposure Foundation Inc./Xposure Edutainment Network (XEN)
Cool Cat Changes the World In 15 Minutes – December 31, 2021 Xposure Foundation Inc./Xposure Edutainment Network (XEN)
Colorful Beginnings – The Animated Musical Early Childhood Classic – December 31, 2021 Xposure Foundation Inc./Xposure Edutainment Network (XEN)
TEEN (13 – 19) – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) Young Mrs. Doubtfire Star Nearly Ages Out of Role, But Stays with The Show – December 11, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
Garden Of Dreams: Antonio Sellers – April 30, 2021 MSG Networks
Teenage Chief Executive: Meet The 17-year-Old CEO. New York Live TV – May 12, 2021 WNBC-TV Programming
TEEN (13 – 19) – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) Bound For the Border: Children on The Run – May 7, 2021 WRNN-TV
ALL ARTS / Rising Stars 2021: Behind the Mask – June 24, 2021 The WNET Group
ENVIRONMENT/SCIENCE – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) Saving The Sea Turtles – January 14, 2021 WNBC-TV Programming
Mayor De Blasio’s Record on Climate Change: It’s Complicated – December 14, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
Toilet In Space – January 6, 2021 CUNY TV
Urban Green Rain Gardens – December 31, 2021 NYC Life
ENVIRONMENT/SCIENCE – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) A Toxic Nightmare: The Awakening – June 7, 2021 Moments In Time Video, Inc
Simply Science: Humpback Whales, Subway Microbes, MRNA, And More! – September 15, 2021 CUNY TV
The Gray Snake: A Pipeline Spurs a Movement in Brownsville | #BHeard Docs – May 13, 2021 BRIC TV
HEALTH/MEDICAL – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) Pressure Creates Diamonds: NYC Medical Residents Respond to The First COVID-19 Surge – April 30, 2021 Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Three New Organs, One New Life: The Remarkable Story of a Triple-Transplant Recipient – November 29, 2021 New York-Presbyterian
Exploring Your Health: Lyme Disease – June 16, 2021 Spectrum News
Una Familia Vive Con COVID-19 En Epicentro Del 2020 – January 13, 2021 CUNY TV
THIRTEEN/Caretakers/A COVID Nurse Finds Reasons to Dance – October 7, 2021 The WNET Group
HEALTH/MEDICAL – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) Breast Cancer: Updates and Progress in a Pandemic – October 17, 2021 WABC-TV
Side By Side: A Celebration of Service – May 27, 2021 Al Roker Entertainment
Autism: Life on The Spectrum – April 1, 2021 WNYW-TV
Lifeline: A Doctor’s Commitment To 9/11 First Responders – September 9, 2021 Albert Einstein College of Medicine
HISTORICAL/CULTURAL – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) Meet The NY Giants Legacy Club – September 25, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
THIRTEEN / NYC-ARTS – Moynihan Train Hall – April 1, 2021 The WNET Group
THIRTEEN / NYC-ARTS – Fotografiska – January 14, 2021 The WNET Group
9/11 Valor – September 11, 2021 NY State Office of Courts Administration
La Sala De Pepe and Lower East Side of Manhattan ‘Loisaida’ – November 11, 2021 CUNY TV
¿Qué Es Ser Un Artista Inmigrante? – September 22, 2021 CUNY TV
Danza Fiesta – Variaciones Del Seis – June 13, 2021 BARD Entertainment
David Carll’s Long Island Legacy – February 11, 2021 WABC-TV
El Legado De La Poesía Puertorriqueño – June 13, 2021 BARD Entertainment
HISTORICAL/CULTURAL – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) Caribbean In the City – September 6, 2021 WNYW-TV
Celebrating Las Artes in The Heights – June 6, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
Six Lanes Through the Southside: Environmental Justice & The BQE | #BHeard Docs – May 20, 2021 BRIC TV
Tony Guida’s NY: Harlem Hellfighters – November 10, 2021 CUNY TV
HUMAN INTEREST – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) THIRTEEN/Caretakers/From Primetime to The Pandemic Frontlines – November 19, 2021 The WNET Group
Faces Of Long Island Series – October 1, 2021 Newsday
A Celebration of Hope: Annie’s Story – September 9, 2021 Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Between The Lines: The Jack Wallace Story – December 18, 2021 MSG Networks
La Morada – January 15, 2021 CUNY TV
THIRTEEN/Caretakers/Therapist by Day, Drag Socialite by Night – October 21, 2021 The WNET Group
Separating Conjoined Twins – November 29, 2021 New York-Presbyterian
HUMAN INTEREST – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) Localish Legends: New York Nico – March 30, 2021 ABC Localish
The Driver – September 12, 2021 New York Jets
Hungry For More – October 27, 2021 First We Feast
LIFESTYLE – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) Queens Delish: Birria Landia – December 4, 2021 Queens Public Communications Corp.
Life On Wheels: NYC’s Skate Scene – November 23, 2021 WABC-TV
Native Dish – Vietnamese Che Banh Lot Dessert – December 22, 2021 NYC Life
MILITARY – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) United States Military Academy At West Point PSA 2021 – August 8, 2021 United States Military Academy, West Point
THIRTEEN / Understanding LGBTQ+ Identity: Albert Cashier – June 30, 2021 The WNET Group
NJ Warriors: From the Front Line to The Blue Line – November 11, 2021 MSG Networks
Vets Helping Vets – November 3, 2021 Vignogna Independent Productions
MILITARY – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) Songs Of Service – December 11, 2021 Hiring America LLC
Veterans Voices Special: After the Global War on Terror – November 5, 2021 WTEN
New York City Veterans Day Parade – November 12, 2021 BARD Entertainment
Veterans Voices – November 11, 2021 WSYR-TV
Last Letters Home – May 29, 2021 News 12
NOSTALGIA – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) Once Upon a City – December 9, 2021 NYC Life
My Story: By the Times Square Ball – December 24, 2021 WABC-TV
9/11 Family Reflections – September 8, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
Edgardo Alfonzo Mets HOF Induction – August 10, 2021 New York Mets
Jon Matlack Mets HOF Induction – August 10, 2021 New York Mets
NOSTALGIA – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) All In – 10 Year Anniversary of the 2011 Super Bowl Championship Team – September 11, 2021 MSG Networks 20 Years Later: PIX11 Remembers 9/11 – September 10, 2021 PIX11
ALL ARTS / The Andantes: Motown’s Secret Blend – September 14, 2021 The WNET Group
POLITICS/GOVERNMENT – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) New York City Mayoral Debate – June 15, 2021 WNBC-TV News
The People’s Lawyer – March 17, 2021 News 12
New York City Democratic Mayoral Debate – June 10, 2021 WCBS-TV
Power & Politics: Black History Month Special – February 14, 2021 News 12
Power & Politics: Cuomo Under Fire – August 8, 2021 News 12
RELIGION Faith Matters – Town of Clarkstown – March 15, 2021 Beckerle Productions
McDonald’s Gospelfest 2021: We Are the Church – May 9, 2021 WNYW-TV
SOCIETAL CONCERNS – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) Mirror Trans Beauty Co – June 13, 2021 CUNY TV
What is Fair? The History of Minimum Wage – April 5, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
Thoughts Of a Colored Man Celebrates Diversity Both on Stage and Off – November 13, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
SOCIETAL CONCERNS – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) Doctor Tallaj: The Hispanic Physician Who Faced COVID-19 In New York – November 25, 2021 SOMOS Community Care
Asian American Life: September 2021 – September 14, 2021 CUNY TV
ALL ARTS / The First Twenty – Michael Mwenso Honors George Floyd – May 25, 2021 The WNET Group
WEATHER – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UP TO 10 MINUTES) Probability Of Precipitation – July 14, 2021 News 12
The First Warning Experience – February 8, 2021 WNYT NewsChannel 13
BRANDED CONTENT Squarespace – Make It Awards – June 23, 2021 MSG Networks
Benjamin Moore X Key Detail – December 9, 2021 MSG Networks
Benjamin Moore X King Saladeen – November 11, 2021 MSG Networks
Home Court With Naomi Osaka – September 8, 2021 Westfield Production Co.
Dr. Tomoaki Kato’s Amazing Comeback From COVID – December 10, 2021 New York-Presbyterian
Tragedy & Healing: Inside the Burn Center On 9/11 – September 10, 2021 New York-Presbyterian
Buffalo Sabres: Dare Greatly – October 14, 2021 Pegula Sports And Entertainment
Forge A New Path – April 8, 2021 New York Mets
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (SINGLE SPOT) – ENTRY TIME LIMIT: 2 MINUTES Kids Tackle Hunger – June 14, 2021 Vignogna Independent Productions
NY VAX Rooftop – April 14, 2021 Handsome Spyder, Inc.
Changing STEM To STEAM – January 12, 2021 Ordinary Sunday / The Broadway Education Alliance Inc.
Sorry, Mom – September 23, 2021 Kivvit
Ranked Choice Voting in The Kitchen – June 14, 2021 NYC Life
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (CAMPAIGN) – ENTRY TIME LIMIT: 10 MINUTES (UP TO FIVE SPOTS) Food Bank’s Mission – March 12, 2021 Vignogna Independent Productions
ShiftNYC – October 17, 2021 Lehman College
Why I Got Vaccinated – December 15, 2021 Studio BK
Your Health Beyond COVID – May 14, 2021 Studio BK
Vaccinate NYC – August 24, 2021 Agency NYLFF (New York Latino Film Festival)
NJ Dept. Of Health COVID-19 Campaign – April 28, 2021 Kivvit
COMMERCIAL (SINGLE SPOT) Basquiat – Hey Hey Hey – September 18, 2021 Cine Selector
Now Needs You | Syracuse University – February 11, 2021 Syracuse University
Rise As Orange | Syracuse University – October 1, 2021 Syracuse University
New York-Presbyterian: Stay Amazing – November 12, 2021 Similar But Different
Cancer Institute – October 4, 2021 HunterPark Productions
#whyGCU – March 4, 2021 Mnemonic
COMMERCIAL (CAMPAIGN) SBS: Shop Your City – November 3, 2021 Studio BK
Alex Iosiovich – Band Back Together – October 14, 2021 New Jersey Devils
WRITER – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UNDER 10 MINUTES) Elizabeth Bishop – 9/11 Remembrances – September 8, 2021 WRGB-TV
Susan Handman – Once Upon a City – December 9, 2021 NYC Life
Brianne Barry – January 19, 2021 Spectrum News
Liisa Lunden – Inform NYC Queens Grid – October 17, 2021 NYC Life
Colleen McKown – January 19, 2021 Spectrum News
WRITER – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) Joe Silvestri, Anthony Lopez, Antwan Lewis – Good Day Street Talk Celebrates Black History Month – February 25, 2021 WNYW-TV
Brian Frey – The Devil’s Fire – December 6, 2021 WSKG Public Media
Rich Newberg – A Toxic Nightmare: The Awakening – June 7, 2021 Moments In Time Video, Inc
Patrick Dolan – ‘He Is Going to Kill Me.’ Jo’Anna’s Story – December 17, 2021 Newsday
Allen Oren – A Day in The Life of Silence – March 9, 2021 Seemore Productions
DIRECTOR – LIVE OR RECORDED LIVE David Stern, Annette Jolles – National Puerto Rican Day Parade Special – June 12, 2021 BARD Entertainment
David Stern, Annette Jolles – 9/11 Memorial from Ground Zero – 20th Anniversary – September 11, 2021 BARD Entertainment
Samantha Spader – June 2, 2021 News 12
DIRECTOR – SPORTS John W. Purcell – May 14, 2021 YES Network
John DeMarsico – NY Mets – May 17, 2021 SNY
Larry Roth – NY Rangers – October 14, 2021 MSG Networks
Joel Mandelbaum – NY Islanders – March 6, 2021 MSG Networks
Tom Meberg – NJ Devils – October 15, 2021 MSG Networks
Dan Barr – May 19, 2021 YES Network
Howie Singer – New York Knicks – May 23, 2021 MSG Networks
DIRECTOR – SHORT FORM CONTENT (UNDER 10 MINUTES) Conor Loughlin – Squarespace – Make It Awards (It’s from The Sole) – July 24, 2021 MSG Networks
Cody Williams – On Stage – October 16, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
Pete Carril, Adam Paul Verity, Andrea Marroquin, Liam – February 23, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
Emily Driscoll – Separating Conjoined Twins – November 23, 2021 New York-Presbyterian
Oren Brimer -Swipe Monster – Episode 1: A Condemned Sawmill in The Rockaways – September 27, 2021 The Katz Company
James Powers, Steve Powers, John Stegemann – Home Court with Naomi Osaka – September 8, 2021 West Field Production Co.
DIRECTOR – LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) Adam Worth – Monmouth County, 9/11, And Its Aftermath – November 25, 2021 Cine Selector
Marc Lesser – Sholas Voice – October 10, 2021 NYC Life
Linda Moroney – Women and The Vote – October 25, 2021 Low To the Ground Productions
Jeremy McQueen – WILD: These Walls Can Talk – March 13, 2021 The Black Iris Project
Cody Williams – Director of Long Form Content For ‘On Stage’ – September 14, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
Darla Miles, Rashidi Hendrix – Set the Record Straight: The Jam Master Jay Case – April 17, 2021 WABC-TV
EDITOR: NEWS – SINGLE SHIFT Gabriel Rosa – Tommy’s Story – August 27, 2021 News 12 Darren McQuade Composite – January 7, 2021 PIX11
Pablo Traverso – June 15, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
Jonathan Quintero – April 29, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
EDITOR: NEWS – NO PRODUCTION TIME LIMIT Valerie Robinson – ‘He Is Going to Kill Me.’ Jo’Anna’s Story – December 17, 2021 Newsday
Michael DelGiudice – January 29, 2021 WNBC-TV News
EDITOR: SPORTS Alex Leafer, Danny Baxter – Islanders Cinematic Recap: Eastern Conference Final Game 6 – June 24, 2021 New York Islanders
Chris Williams – January 4, 2021 New Jersey Devils
Danny Baxter – UBS Arena Opening Weekend Cinematic Recap – November 23, 2021 New York Islanders
Roy Schneider – May 26, 2021 MSG Networks
Joseph Calo – April 1, 2021 YES Network
Rob Schmidt – Game 1 – New York Knicks Poets – May 22, 2021 MSG Networks
EDITOR: SHORT FORM CONTENT (UNDER 10 MINUTES) Michael Becton – All In NYG- 10th Anniversary Of 2011 Super Bowl Championship Team – June 21, 2021 New York Football Giants
Nelson Moses Lassiter – A Coffee Grinder – A Story About Mental Health – December 15, 2021 Queerty
Susan Handman – Once Upon a City – December 9, 2021 NYC Life
James Powers, Steve Powers, John Stegemann – Home Court with Naomi Osaka – September 8, 2021 West Field Production Co.
Sergio Camacho – January 14, 2021 New Jersey Devils
Ric Easton – September 10, 2021 WTEN
EDITOR: LONG FORM CONTENT (LONGER THAN 10 MINUTES) Chad Patterson – SPD: Reckoning and Reform – October 4, 2021 WCNY
Don Casper – Women and The Vote – October 25, 2021 Low To the Ground Productions
Gerardo Ramirez – September 25, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
Dan Komarinetz Composite – March 13, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
Preston Madill – May 18, 2021 MSG Networks
Love And Happiness In NYC – July 3, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
PHOTOGRAPHER: NEWS Pablo Traverso – February 2, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
Jose R Colon – November 15, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
GRAPHIC ARTS – NEWS Gregory Martin Stevens – December 17, 2021 Newsday
Weather Virtual Lab – August 22, 2021 WNJU Telemundo 47
Spectrum News NY1- Adding Value to Storytelling – January 6, 2021 Spectrum News NY1
GRAPHIC ARTS – SPORTS New York Football Giants- Game Day – September 12, 2021 New York Football Giants
Yankees Graphics – April 3, 2021 YES Network
The Betting Exchange Show Package – October 21, 2021 MSG Networks
New York Islanders Graphic Work – February 1, 2021 New York Islanders
MSG Pick ‘Em Promo – December 10, 2021 MSG Networks
Carton And Roberts Package – May 24, 2021 SNY
GRAPHIC ARTS – NON NEWS OR NON SPORTS ShiftNYC – October 18, 2021 Lehman College
Once Upon a City – December 9, 2021 NYC Life
ALL ARTS / Dance Camera West Selects Open – January 29, 2021 The WNET Group
Life On Mar’s: The Home Makeover Show – December 5, 2021 S&J Multimedia LLC
AUDIO – LIVE OR POST-PRODUCED Basquiat – Hey Hey Hey – September 18, 2021 Cine Selector
ShiftNYC – October 17, 2021 Lehman College MUSICAL COMPOSITION/ARRANGEMENT Shelter – From WILD: These Walls Can Talk – March 13, 2021 The Black Iris Project
Prevent Your Choke – From WILD: These Walls Can Talk – March 13, 2021 The Black Iris Project
Mi San Juan – June 13, 2021 BARD Entertainment
GE Healthcare STAR Guide – June 1, 2021 Handsome Spyder, Inc.
Identity – From WILD: These Walls Can Talk – March 13, 2021 The Black Iris Project
Crown Royal – From WILD: These Walls Can Talk – March 13, 2021 The Black Iris Project
LIGHTING – STUDIO / LOCATION Valentino The Musical-Alone in America – August 21, 2021 BRIC TV
2021 CFN Telethon – February 27, 2021 Catholic Faith Network
Yankees Media Day 2022 – April 1, 2021 YES Network
Rafael Oustaudelafont – March 13, 2021 WXTV Univision 41
TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT 9/11 Memorial from Ground Zero – September 11, 2021 BARD Entertainment
Tunnel 2 Towers Run – October 1, 2021 WNYW-TV
YES Network – The YES App – March 10, 2021 YES Network
A new Spider-Man is coming out — and he’s gay, proud, and fabulous.
Marvel is introducing its first gay Spider-Man, a character named Web-Weaver, in the upcoming “Edge of Spider-Verse #5,″ out in September.
Earlier this month, writer Steve Foxe announced on Twitter that he’d “had the huge gay honour of helping to co-create WEB-WEAVER, who’ll make his debut in EDGE OF THE SPIDER-VERSE #5 this September!”
The character was designed by Kris Anka, who shared on Twitter late last week that he took inspiration from the late fashion designers Alexander McQueen, from England, and Thierry Mugler, from France.
“I cast a wide net for the original designs while also looking at new and unique spiders that [Foxe] has recommended, which eventually paired down to this look,” he tweeted, sharing a first-look of the fashion-forward designs.
On Tuesday, Foxe took to Twitter to explain a little more about his idea for the latest Spider-Verse variant.
“Something I realized immediately when conceiving Web-Weaver is that he can’t — and shouldn’t — represent ALL gay men. No single character can,” he wrote. “His fearlessly femme identity is central to who he is, but it’s not the STORY … which you can experience for yourself in September!
“Edge of Spider-Verse” is Marvel Comic’s upcoming five-part “Spider-Man” series written by Foxe, Mark Bagley, Dan Slott, Alex Segura and Karla Pacheco.
The series launches in August and each issue will feature three separate stories featuring fans’ favourite Spider-Man variants, including Spider-Man Noir and Spider-Mobile, as well as some new variants besides Web-Weaver.
“Edge of Spider-Verse #5,” which will be released in September, will feature cover art by Josemaria Casanovas, a variant cover by Anka, as well as design variants by Anka and Bagley.
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Minion and Villain don’t rhyme. They shouldn’t. After all, what is a primary school kid doing? Yes, he is almost a dwarf, and we would love to see his rise. But rise as to what? An arch-villain? A super-villain? There are some movies in which good, clean, animation fun turns into adult stuff that can affect the mindset of millions of viewers. Films need not preach or moralize, but they need not glorify villainy either. This is one such venture. Gru has a retinue of minions and his idols are the biggest baddies who go under the nom de plume of the Vicious Six, comprising four men and two women, one of them a nun. Which gives rise to a pun. But it’s not fun that the film delivers; it glorifies villainy and hails the rise of the new recruit, named Gru. Amidst the usual chases and heists, you feel it was time Gru grew up. Sadly, he doesn’t, and a sequel might be staring at us.
Belle Bottom wreaks havoc on the streets with her motorcycle and ropes and reaches her HQ, where their leader is planning a mission. Hard Knuckles, the aging leader of the Vicious Six, orchestrates the theft of an ancient set of diamonds studded in a necklace, from its secret hideout, in the middle of nowhere, with absolute ease. He is chased by some tiny creatures, who are the guardians of the booty, but they prove no match for him, as he clings on to a rope thrown by Belle Bottom, from a helicopter-like contraption. However, Belle grabs the pendant and cuts off the rope, with the intention of eliminating the leader and taking over from him as The Boss. Incidentally, the Vicious Six HQ is inside a record shop named, hold your breath, Criminal Records.
When asked by his teacher what he would like to become when he grows up, Gru, unlike the answers of his classmates that cite “doctor” and “teacher”, utters the unmentionable word, “villain”. And he is damn serious about it. He even manages to send in an application for joining the Vicious Six, and, lo and behold, he is called for an interview. One looks at him, and Belle and the others dismiss him as an upstart kid. But while they are distracted, he manages to steal the pendant, with the help of a device given to him by a criminal just outside the room, as a gift. And yes, he does not want to return it. Cut to the second of many chases. A minion wears the pendant around his neck and then loses it. Hard Knuckles, who has survived the great fall on the great wall, wants the pendant, called the Zodiac pendant, for himself. So, it is the minions and Gru v/s the Vicious Six v/s Hard Knuckles.
Where would you peg this film? For the under seven-year-olds? Or stretch it to under nine. Then, you must draw the line. That is not to say that I did not have three or four good laughs, and the invited audience at the Indian première at Cinépolis, Mumbai, had probably a few more. Yet, it becomes very difficult to assess what real impact the film will have on highly impressionable minds. Agreed that these kids will be accompanied by adults, which only makes the case worse. What must have gone on in the minds of the two writers, Matthew Fogel and Brian Lynch, is something only they would have been privy to. Suddenly, we have a Linda Ronstadt number playing, and a while later, it is Funky Town. Do under tens of today relate to these songs, which were very popular during their time. Linda was born in 1946 and was last heard in 2011. Funky Town was recorded by Lipps Inc. in 1979. Wonder whose idea was to have all the minions speak in Spanish, and often gibberish, which sounds kind of cute initially, but it loses impact when you hear it the third time, and is positively disturbing come the 100th time.
A tribute to Steven Spielberg, the film is directed by Kyle Balda, who directed the 2015 version of The Minions too, with Pierre Coffin—Coffin (what an exciting name to use in show business) lending his voice to almost all the minions. Balda serves us the Spielberg-like heist soon after the beginning. Then there is a scene where Gru and retinue go to watch Jaws. It is the second heist, this time a bank vault robbery, that is more stylishly executed. The way the minions maneuver the airplane up to San Francisco, you could picture the Three Stooges in action. I have a hunch that the Hard Knuckles’ hideout is a dig at the Disney Castle, though the similarity is not that obvious.
Bringing back Hard Knuckles from the presumed dead was a good idea, and yet Balda does not cash in on it. He is then absent for long passages and surfaces only occasionally. Later, he is the target of a jibe that evokes sympathy, though. The line goes something like, “There is nobody as despicable as an aging villain.” Indeed. What happens to villains when they become old, sick, and weak?” It is a mockery of the law that the Vicious Six operate right under their noses, with a Criminal Records shop to boot, and they are missing in action. Realizing that this won’t do, the cops appear in two scenes, both in the second half.
Coming to the voice actors, it is veritable who’s who, and they all chip in. If one were to pick just one of them, it would have to be Taraji P. Henson, who mouths Belle Bottom. Steve Carell is Gru, and that is no surprise. Michelle Yeoh is billed as Master Chow. Now either a person is a man in a woman’s clothing, or it is a typo. Chow, who is a Kung-Fu Master, does not look Chinese, yet Malaysian Chinese Yeoh is chosen to speak for her. Here’s the galaxy: RZA as a biker Otto befriends on his way to San Francisco, Jean-Claude Van Damme as Jean Clawed, a member of The Vicious 6 with a giant lobster claw (very clever indeed), Lucy Lawless as Nunchuck, a member of The Vicious 6 who is a nun and wields nunchucks (very punny), Dolph Lundgren as Svengeance, a member of The Vicious 6 who is a roller skater (wonder why he was not named RuDolph), Danny Trejo as Stronghold, a member of The Vicious 6 with big metal hands (Crazo, anyone?), Julie Andrews as Marlena Gru, Gru’s mother (now that is a welcome rarity, at age 76), Alan Arkin as Wild Knuckles, the former leader of The Vicious (couldn’t be a better choice than the man himself, aged two fat ladies).
Animation, though done on a computer, is a bit old style, which goes with the film’s retro ambience, of the 1970s. The best thing about the film is its length, which is the same as Alan Arkin’s age, in minutes. Assessed independently, Minions-Rise of Gru, a Universal-Illumination collaboration, might garner better appeal. When ranked against other gems in the genre, it fails to match-up. Film-making is risky business, and, I guess, animation film-making is riskier business. The chance of hitting bulls-eye is one in a minion.
HBO Max unveiled its slate of new releases for July 2o22.
New series premieres include Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin on July 28. In the show, teen girls find themselves targeted by an unknown enemy bent on revenge for a past indiscretion their parents took part in two decades ago. Issa Rae (Insecure) brings her latest creation, Rap Sh!T, on July 21, which follows two best friends in Miami who decide to start a rap group.
On the film side, Last Night in Soho, starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Thomasin McKenzie and Matt Smith, will stream July 1. A fashion designer (McKenzie) is mysteriously transported to the 1960s where she meets an aspiring singer (Taylor-Joy). Bob’s Burgers Movie then premieres July 12.
In children’s programming, Bugs Bunny Builders debuts on July 26. The first educational Looney Tunes show and the first Looney Tunes preschool show in over 20 years, the series features Bugs and Lola as managers of the Looney Builders construction crew.
Friday, July 1 A Kind of Murder A Simple Plan Act of Valor Angels in the Outfield, 1951 Arbitrage Backstabbing for Beginners Baggage Claim Blanes Esquina Muller Bringing Out the Dead Catch a Fire Code of Silence Confidence David Copperfield, 1935 Doctor Who: Eve of Daleks, Special Frank Miller’s Sin City (Unrated Version) Godzilla, 1998 Goodbye, Mr. Chips Hollow Man, 2000 (Director’s Cut) How to Screw It All Up (AKA Cómo mandarlo todo a la mierda),Season 1 Premiere I Spy, 2002 Indecent Proposal Julia La Ciudad De Las Fieras (AKA City of Wild Beasts) Last Night in Soho Lisztomania Lone Survivor Lord of War Losing Isaiah Mrs. Brown, You’ve Got a Lovely Daughter Mrs. Winterbourne One for the Money Overboard, 1987 Pawn Sacrifice Postcards From the Edge Rio 2 Running Scared Safe She’s Having a Baby Sleepers, 1996 Sleepless in Seattle Snow Day Spy Kids Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over Suite Francaise That Awkward Moment The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer The Con is On The Counselor (Extended Version) The Great American Pastime The Heat (Extended Version) The Impossible The Legends of Zorro The Other Woman The Plot Thickens, Season 3 Premiere The Raid 2 The Satanic Rites of Dracula The World’s End This is Elvis Thoroughbreds Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning Warrior What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Saturday, July 2: Before Midnight Sidewalk Stories
Thursday, July 7: Miss S, Max Original Season 1 Premiere The Visitors, Max Original Season 1 Premiere
Saturday, July 9: Mad Max: Fury Road
Sunday, July 10: The Anarchists, Limited Documentary Series Premiere
Monday, July 11: Tuca & Bertie, Season 3 Premiere
Tuesday, July 12: Craig of the Creek, Season 4C Premiere Edge of the Earth, Sports Documentary Series Premiere (HBO) The Bob’s Burgers Movie, 2022
Thursday, July 14: FBoy Island, Max Original Season 2 Premiere Vote for Juan (Vota Juan), Season 1 Vote for Juan (Vamos Juan), Season 2 Vote for Juan (Venga Juan), Max Original Season 3 Premiere
Friday, July 15: Kung Fu, Season 2 Premiere The Rehearsal, Comedy Series Premiere
Saturday, July 16: Godzilla, 2014
Sunday, July 17: Rat in the Kitchen, Season 1 Premiere
Tuesday, July 19: We Baby Bears, Season 1D Premiere
Wednesday, July 21: Almost Fly, Max Original Season 1 Premiere Pacto Brutal – O Assassinato de Daniella Perex, Max Original Documentary Series Rap Sh!t, Max Original Season 1 Premiere The Last Movie Stars, Max Original 6-Part Documentary Premiere
Friday, July 23: Walker, Season 2 Premiere
Saturday, July 26: Bugs Bunny Builders, Season 1A Premiere
Sunday, July 27: We Met in Virtual Reality, Original Documentary Premiere (HBO)
Monday, July 28: Citizen Ashe, Max Original Premiere Love Monster, Max Original Season 3 Premiere Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, Max Original Season 1 Premiere Wellington Paranormal, Season 4 Premiere
Tuesday, July 29: Superman & Lois, Season 2 Premiere The Milestone Generation, 2022
TITLES LEAVING HBO MAX IN JULY:
Saturday, July 9: Horrible Bosses 2 The New Mutants
Monday, July 11: Black Mass
Wednesday, July 13: Blue Exorcist (Subtitled)
Saturday, July 23: Human Capital
Tuesday, July 26: The Accountant This Is Life with Lisa Ling
Sunday, July 31: 2:22, 2017 10 300 A Bridge Too Far American Gigolo Austin Powers in Goldmember Baby Boom Bad Milo! Bad Words Battle: Los Angeles Bells Are Ringing Black Gold Blinded by the Light Blue Streak Boys’ Night Out Brewster McCloud Bridget Jones’s Baby Bridget Jones’s Diary Broken English Camelot Captains Courageous Carefree Casa de mi Padre Changeling Children of the Damned, 1964 City of Ghosts Collateral Collide Company Business Defending Your Life Devil in a Blue Dress Dressed to Kill Employee of the Month Epic Fled Friday the 13th, 2009 Girl Crazy Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami Igor Illusions In the Heat of the Night Inception Jason’s Lyrics Killer Klowns from Outer Space Lady in White Lars and the Real Girl Laws of Attraction Lethal Weapon Lethal Weapon 2 Lethal Weapon 3 Lethal Weapon 4 Little Shop of Horrors Logan’s Run, Lottery Ticket Magic Mike XXL Monsters Morocco Murphy’s Law My Blue Heaven My Dream is Yours No End in Sight On Moonlight Bay Ondine Presenting Princess Shaw Private Parts PT 109 Queen Christina Rob Roy Romance on the High Seas Rush Rush Hour 3 Salt Santa’s Slay Seneca Sense and Sensibility Seven Brides for Seven Brothers Shaft Shall We Dance She Wore a Yellow Ribbon Show Boat Sleuth So This Is Paris Special Agent Splinter Stage Fright Stepmom Summer of ’42 Supernova Sweet Bird of Youth Take Me Out to the Ball Game Tenet The Accidental Spy The Asphalt Jungle The Barkley of Broadway The Big House The Birdcage The Dishwasher The Exorcism of Emily Rose The Great Gatsby, 2013 The Green Hornetm 2011 The Haunting The Hours The Hunter The Letter The Life Before Her Eyes The Omega Man The One Below The Opposite Sex The Out-of-Towners The Personal History of David Copperfield The Treasure of the Sierra Madre The Wedding Singer The Wings of Eagle The Woman Uncommon Valor Unlocked Victor/Victoria What They Had Wild Wild West Winter Meeting Without Love You’ve Got Mail Zathura: A Space Adventure
One of the most recognizable elements of superhero movies has become the costumes characters wear when taking on their missions. The journey for them to develop these uniforms is sometimes a slow one—like Iron Man’s continual work on his suit in his first solo movie—but seeing the memorable outfits brought to life is satisfying to watch.
With film adaptations come changes though, whether because comic book costumes aren’t suited for the time and aesthetic of the MCU, or due to the tone of a movie. Through this process come some great successes, creating practical and memorable uniforms that highlight a character’s actions and powers, but also some misses, leading to impractical costumes that seem unfit for their purpose.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
Updated on June 30, 2022 by Stacie Rook: As Disney+ show Ms. Marvel has proven, getting a superhero costume just right takes time. For Kamala Khan, this could be developing a cosplay outfit or her own unique look, but in any case, the MCU’s most practical superhero costumes are at their best when they showcase a hero’s personality and identity.
Practical Costumes
Captain America’s Stealth Suit
Whether he’s following the rules or rebelling, Captain America has had a variety of star-spangled suits made for use in many heroic situations, including the stealth missions he finds himself taking on as a member of S.H.I.E.L.D. in Captain America: The Winter Soldier.
Although the colors of this outfit are very muted in comparison to Cap’s normal ensemble, it does the job in terms of fitting the spy-oriented tone of the movie and allowing him to blend into the shadows. In addition to its practicality, the uniform still manages to be on brand for Captain America, with the detailing across the front matching his brighter suits.
Hulk’s Stretchable Pants
The awkward logistics of Bruce Banner’s transformations to the Hulk and back again are made clear in The Avengers, when Bruce crash-lands in a warehouse and finds himself completely naked.
Luckily as one of the smartest characters in the MCU, Bruce is soon able to fix this problem by developing and wearing stretchable pants, able to grow and shrink with his transformations. These provide a far smoother transition for the hero during and after battles, and while they aren’t the iconic bright purple pants he wears in the comics, they do give a similar visual.
Hela’s Headpiece
The look of the headpiece which Hela wears in Thor: Ragnarok suggests it is anything but practical, but in actual fact, the goddess uses it to great effect.
Not only does its size and sharp edges provide defense against those attacking her, but it’s also shown to be used offensively, and when Thor manages to sever a section of it, the helmet quickly regenerates. The MCU villain’s biggest displays of power have dire consequences for Thor and Asgard, and Hela’s smart apparel mimics the threat she poses.
Captain Marvel’s Supersuit
Carol Danvers has a super-suit that manages to be both bold and suitable for her high-intensity fights, and is perhaps one of the most comics-accurate costumes in the MCU, taking the hero’s look from page to screen while keeping the style of her red, gold and blue outfit intact.
Captain Marvel’s suit manages to be durable while also remaining distinctive, and provides her with tools to help with her missions, including a collapsible helmet that can allow her to breathe in outer space or underwater, and a device that can identify unfamiliar objects.
The Black Panther Suit
A sleekly designed costume built to last, the vibranium Black Panther suit used by T’Challa provides the hero with a high level of protection.
Although there are some elements of the lore around vibranium that make no sense, Black Panther’s uniform remains impressive, with in-built vibranium claws and — after some moderations by Shuri — the ability to not only materialize from T’Challa’s necklace but also redistribute stored energy.
Impractical Costumes
Mysterio’s Motion Capture Outfit
Mysterio’s visage may look intimidating at first, but when it’s revealed that he’s in fact a fraud using motion capture technology to enact his heroics, his Mo-Cap suit leaves a lot to be desired.
In addition to the disappointing reality of this look, it’s also an impractical choice on Mysterio’s part, leaving him with little to no protection once Peter Parker manages to see through his illusions, and ultimately leads to his demise when a rogue drone accidentally shoots him.
Scarlet Witch’s Corset
Scarlet Witch’s MCU costume has had several iterations over the course of her appearances, both in movies and WandaVision, but the ensemble she wears in both Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity Warincludes a strange corset top.
While the silhouette of this piece with the addition of her coat is likely meant to mimic that of her comic book leotard and cape, the corset is a poor choice in terms of ease of movement, and frustratingly seems to have been picked for fashion over function.
Hawkeye’s Sleeveless Apparel
The costume that Hawkeye wears in The Avengers is both underwhelming and impractical. The colorless uniform was bound to be a contrast to his bright comic book ensembles, but this suit also makes little sense.
The lack of sleeves is completely bewildering, exposing his arms to attack and making it unsuitable for many climates. It’s also unnecessary, given that in some of Hawkeye’s hardest-hitting fight scenes he’s shown to be perfectly capable of shooting in a more covered and realistic outfit.
Black Widow’s Zipped Catsuit
Another costume that sticks close to its comic book origins is Black Widow’s catsuit, a black, form-fitting outfit that allows Natasha to blend into the shadows easily, letting the essential MCU Avenger infiltrate all sorts of top-secret locations.
There is a flaw to the design, though, in that its zip-up front is completely impractical for the amount of acrobatics she uses in her fighting style, providing little security when she’s flipping to-and-fro or otherwise engaging in combat.
Pietro’s Athletic Wear
Given that Pietro’s stint as the speedster Quicksilver was cut short, it does make sense that his outfit was not more developed, but the uniform he chooses to wear during the Battle of Sokovia gives him no protection whatsoever.
Though the athletic look of his costume makes sense given the nature of his abilities, the uniform left Pietro wholly exposed to attack, and led to his untimely death in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
No reason to curb your enthusiasm, TV fans: JB Smoove and Melissa Fumero are set to read the Primetime Emmy nominations on July 12, the TV Academy said today.
Both will appear in Blockbuster, the upcoming Netflix comedy set at the last remaining Blockbuster Video outlet. Brooklyn Nine-Nine alum Fumero stars alongside Randall Park, and Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s Smoove is set to recur.
Smoove is a comic and actor best known for playing Leon on HBO’s long-running Larry David comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm. He won an Emmy last year as Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama for Quibi’s Mapleworth Murders, and his other credits include Spider-Man: No Way Home and voice roles on Fairfax, Woke and American Dad!
Fumero starred as Officer Amy Santiago on all eight seasons of the NBC/Fox sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine, opposite Andy Samberg, sharing a 2015 SAG Awards nom for its ensemble. Her credits also include Gossip Girl and Diary of a Future President, along with voice roles on M.O.D.O.K. and Elena of Avalor. She also appeared in more than 200 episodes of the long-running ABC soap One Life to Live from 2005-11.
“It’s been another exceptional year of television with an abundance of remarkable programs and performances,” Scherma said in a statement. “We are thrilled to have JB and Melissa on board to help us celebrate the extraordinary shows, producers, storytellers and talent that continue to shape and elevate our dynamic medium.”
The 74th annual Primetime Emmys Awards will air Monday, September 12, on NBC. Peacock will stream the ceremony live for the first time.
Taika WaititiPhoto: Alberto E. Rodriguez (Getty Images)
With Taika Waititi’sStar Wars film tentatively slated for a late 2023 release, which will mark a new installment of the franchise universe, the writer-director has an update for us: He is officially “trying to write” the script.
“I’m trying to write the Star Wars idea at the moment,” Waititi shares in an interview with the New York Times. “I’ve got to see how that goes, because once I submit it, that might determine when it gets made or if it gets made, even.”
If it ends up not making the cut (although that seems unlikely), Waititi says he’s “cool as well to take six months off and just go hang out with [his] kids.”
It’s not like he’s lacking work. In addition to the Star Wars feature, Waititi’s slated for a Time Bandits series at Apple TV+, two Roald Dahl projects for Netflix, and an adaptation of Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius’ The Incal. Not to mention, Flash Gordon, Akira, Next Goal Wins, and oh, the eventual second season of Our Flag Means Death for HBO Max. He’s also somehow set aside time for the second season of the Hulu series Reservation Dogs. Busy, busy man.
And, when it comes to actually writing the Star Wars script, Waititi’s previously said it feels “very him” and that he seeks to “expand” the universe.
It’s in the name This blend of vitamins and essential oils from Provence Beauty can be used as a moisturizer for hands, nails, and hair, and like 50 other things, too.
“I don’t think that I’m any use in the Star Wars universe making a film where everyone’s like, ‘Oh great, well that’s the blueprints to the Millennium Falcon, ah that’s Chewbacca’s grandmother,’” the director recently told Total Film. “That all stands alone, that’s great, though I would like to take something new and create some new characters and just expand the world, otherwise it feels like it’s a very small story.”
Waititi’s next project, the highly anticipated Marvel sequel Thor: Love And Thunder, arrives in theaters on July 8.
Robert and Kenny begin the show discussing what they watched over the weekend including Doctor Sleep, score by The Newton Brothers and Ford v Ferrari, score by Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
Then, Emmy, Grammy and Tony-winning music director Alex Lacamoire stops by to help count down the release of Hamilton coming to Disney+ on July 3. Alex shares stories of working on the show, his reaction to the script when Lin-Manuel Miranda first presented it and his future projects including In The Heights.
Later, Oscar-nominated and 6x Grammy-winning composer Terence Blanchard joins the show revealing how he began working with iconic director Spike Lee, how their relationship has evolved after 30 years of collaborating, the importance of growing up in a musical city like New Orleans and how he almost got kicked out of a Knicks game while sitting courtside with Spike.
This episode is presented by Spitfire Audio.
Follow us on Twitter @ScoreThePodcast, or send Kenny and Robert your questions for the mailbox at ScoreTheMailbox@epicleff.com.
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Petra Schulz’ son Danny was a chef working in one of the best restaurants in Edmonton and was on the road to recovery from an addiction to oxycodone when one day of relapse became his last.
“He went to work on the day he died. He died after work. He had relapsed, took one more pill, and at the time, fentanyl was just emerging,” Schulz said.
The grief of losing her son prompted her to take action and connect with other parents whose children had died of opioids, eventually co-founding the now national advocacy group called Moms Stop the Harm.
Petra Schultz, co-founder of Moms Stop the Harm, an advocacy organization that pushes for greater harm reduction measures in drug policy.
Submitted photo
Eight years later, tens of thousands more Canadians have died from drug toxicity overdoses – a total of 29,052 since 2016. And it’s a crisis that has become significantly worse in the last two years.
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New data released last week by the federal government paints a grim picture of the fatal toll the opioid crisis is having on an alarming number of Canadians.
In 2021, the number of deaths reached an all-time high: 21 Canadians a day died from opioids, which represents a 162 per cent increase from 2016, and a 101 per cent increase from just the year before. A total of 7,560 Canadians lost their lives to the opioid crisis last year, up from 3,747 in 2020.
Study explores why COVID-19 pandemic led to increase in overdose deaths
Study explores why COVID-19 pandemic led to increase in overdose deaths – Oct 22, 2020
Gillian Kolla, a postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria, says the sharp increase in people dying from opioids is “shocking” and should be deeply concerning to all Canadians.
“The way in which this crisis has been hitting the country and exacerbated by COVID, the tremendous amount of grief and loss that this has caused within communities, I think has really not been paid attention to by any level of government over the last three years,” Kolla said.
“It’s an urgent crisis with urgent interventions that are necessary.”
And the disturbing numbers don’t stop there.
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) has also released modelling projections for the number of opioid-related deaths it believes could continue to occur for the rest of this year showing the death toll is expected to remain high – or get worse – over the next six months.
Between 1,400 and 2,400 people could lose their lives due to opioid-related harms every quarter from now until the end of this year, PHAC modelling suggests.
As part of this modelling, PHAC has included a number of different death-rate scenarios with varying outcomes, based on whether health interventions could prevent between 30 and 50 per cent of deaths and whether the level of fentanyl in the drug supply remains the same or gets worse than it was in December 2021.
Observed and projected opioid-related deaths, Canada, January 2016 to December 2022.
Public Health Agency of Canada
But Dr. Andrea Sereda, a physician who works on street-level intervention and support programs for drug users at the London InterCommunity Health Centre in Ontario, says she takes issue with these projections.
For one thing, she says the fentanyl potency in street drugs has never gone down, but has become worse and more toxic, which makes any projections based on assumptions the toxicity of the drug supply would remain the same or get better is “incredibly naïve,” she said.
Sereda also questions why all levels of government aren’t treating the issue with more urgency when their own modelling projections predict an alarming number of deaths.
“What other thing in Canada that was killing … thousands of people per year in Canada would we be OK with only a 30 or 50 per cent reduction in mortality?” Sereda said.
“I think looking at COVID, we tried to prevent every death. And so why are we making models where the best things that we’re aiming for is maybe a 30 or 50 per cent decrease in deaths of humans in our community?”
That’s why many experts and those who work on the ground say the federal government should declare drug toxicity overdoses a national public health emergency, and take more urgent action to prevent more people from dying.
And one of the key harm reduction strategies many experts and advocates would like to see expanded in Canada is offering a safer supply of drugs.
Sereda runs a federally-funded safe-supply program at her centre in London, and she says the improvements when it first opened were immediate and eye-opening.
As part of this program, she is able to prescribe pharmaceutical-grade opioids to people who are dependent on street-level fentanyl. This means they don’t have to experience the debilitating effects of withdrawal and instead know what drug they are taking, how much they’re taking and they know where and when they can legally obtain it.
“We have seen dramatic reductions in overdoses, it dropped immediately in the first month by 50 per cent. We’ve seen huge reductions in hospitalization admissions in emergency departments. We’ve seen enormous increases in people’s physical and mental well-being. And we’ve seen decreases in criminalizing behavior like petty crime or survival sex work,” Sereda said.
Peterborough Public Health has issued a second drug alert in June 2022.
The Canadian Press file
“Everything gets better with a safer supply.”
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Last month, federal Mental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett spoke in favour of adopting more progressive harm reduction approaches to stop the rising death toll from toxic drug poisonings, including embracing safe supply.
“Putting in place a regulated safe supply of drugs is the real antidote to the toxicity of the present supply,” Bennett said in a news conference May 31 in British Columbia, adding that Ottawa understands it must “really accelerate the progress to safe supply.”
In a statement to Global News, Bennett’s office says the federal government is committed to “reducing barriers to providing people who use drugs with safer, pharmaceutical alternatives to the toxic illegal drug supply” and has supported 17 safer supply projects across 30 sites in British Columbia, Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick, as well as one national community of practice – a total investment of more than $64 million.
“There is no one solution to address the overdose crisis and the government is taking a comprehensive approach,” the statement said.
B.C. to decriminalize possession of some hard drugs amid opioid crisis
B.C. to decriminalize possession of some hard drugs amid opioid crisis – May 31, 2022
But advocates and experts are united in saying they believe federal and provincial governments aren’t moving fast enough to embrace and roll out more large-scale harm reduction measures – delays that are costing lives.
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Cheyenne Johnson, executive director of the B.C. Centre on Substance use, says while the federal pilot projects on safe supply are welcome, they are only reaching a small number of people in just a few targeted regions of the country.
“So there’s this large swath of the population that either have another substance use disorder or the health system isn’t reaching them, or they’re in a rural and remote area and these programs are really not reaching them, which is why we continue to see that number of overdose deaths remain very high.”
Eight years after losing her son and seeing the opioid death toll in Canada rise exponentially, Schulz says she has come to believe progressive measures like safe supply are key in trying to save the lives of people like Danny.
“I did not start out this way after my son died. I’ve slowly come to the realization that he did not die from substance use, but from poor substance use policies.”
She believes the opioid crisis should be treated as an urgent priority by all levels of government, and especially by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“He should lead by example to parliamentarians and talking about the need to address this,” she said.
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“We need to get this death toll under control and we need to roll out large scale safe supply models.”
The Jerusalem Film Festival has unveiled the line-up for its Israeli feature film competition as well as all the other local productions selected to screen in its 39th edition, running 21-31.
The event returns to its traditional July dates for the first time since 2019 this year, after the Covid-19 pandemic forced it online in 2020 and pushed it into August and prevented it from inviting international guests in 2021.
This edition is being piloted by Jerusalem Cinematheque manager Roni Mahadav-Levin and artistic director Elad Samorzik, following the departure earlier this year of longtime cinematheque and festival director Noa Regev to head up the Israel Film Fund. Her replacement will be decided after this year’s edition.
World premieres in the Israeli competition include Michal Vinik’s drama Valeria Is Getting Married about two Ukrainian sisters who travel to Israel for marriage. It is Vinik’s first solo feature since 2015 festival breakout Blush.
Yona Rozenkier’s 35 Downhill, about a man who reluctantly sets off on a road trip across Israel on a tractor with his elderly father, also debuts in the section. His last film The Dive won Jerusalem’s Israeli feature competition in 2018
Further new titles include first feature All I Can Do by Shiri Nevo Fridental, about a young prosecutor who takes on a difficult sexual assault case, and Barren, a first fiction work by documentarian Mordechai Vardi about a childless ultraorthodox couple.
Jake Paltrow’s Adolf Eichmann drama June Zero and Ofir Raul Graizer’s Israel home-coming story America will also compete, after world premiering in the Czech Republic’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 1-9).
Moshe Rosenthal’s comedy-drama Karaoke, which premiered at Tribeca, and Berlinale Forum social satire Concerned Citizen by Idan Haguel will make their Israeli premieres in the competition.
The festival also unveiled its Israeli documentary competition as well as another four Israeli productions that will be given special screenings.
Documentary highlights include David Wachsmann’s Two Kids A Day, exploring the impact of Israel’s imprisonment of Palestinian minors; Assaf Banitt’s The Soldier’s Opinion, exploring how Israeli military censors mined soldiers’ personal letters for information; and Ruth Walk’s The Partisan with The Leica Camera about Jewish partisan Mundek Lukawiecki who captured his exploits on camera.
Special Screenings feature Moran Ifergan’s cinematic essay Je t’aime Ronit Elkabetz about the late director and actress as well as restorations of Palestinian director Tawfik Abu-Wael’s Israeli-produced 2004 debut feature Atash (Thirst) and Uri Zohar’s 1964 classic A Hole In The Moon, in honor of the director who died at the age of 86 in early June.
The full line-up featuring more than 200 films from 50 countries will be announced next week. As previously announced, the festival will open with an open-air screening of Ruben Östlund’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Triangle Of Sadness in the Sultan’s Pool amphitheatre in the shadow of Jerusalem’s old city.
The full Israeli programme
Feature Film Competition
June Zero Director: Jake Paltrow
Valeria Is Getting Married Director: Michal Vinik
Barren Director: Mordechai Vardi
America Director: Ofir Raul Graizer
Karaoke Director: Moshe Rosenthal
Concerned Citizen Director: Idan Haguel
All I Can Do Director: Shiri Nevo Fridental
35 Downhill Director: Yona Rozenkier
Documentary Competition
Egypt, A Love Song Director: Iris Zaki
Savoy Director: Zohar Wagner
The Soldier’s Opinion Director: Assaf Banitt
To Cure Longing Director: Artyom Dubitski
Two Kids A Day Director: David Wachsmann
Living in the Shadow of Death Director: Bilal Yusef
The Partisan with The Leica Camera Director: Ruth Walk
Special Screenings – Out of Competition
Je t’aime Ronit Elkabetz (Documentary) Director: Moran Ifergan
Amazon moved to restrict items and search results related to L.G.B.T.Q. people and issues on its website in the United Arab Emirates on Monday after receiving pressure from the government there, according to company documents viewed by The New York Times.
The Emirati government gave Amazon until Friday to comply under threat of penalties, the documents show. It was not clear what those penalties would be. Homosexuality is criminalized in the Emirates, punishable by fines and imprisonment, according to the State Department.
Amazon’s restrictions on products in the Emirates are indicative of the compromises that tech companies are willing to make to operate in restrictive countries, even when professing to be adamant about free expression in their own country. Netflix has pulled shows in Saudi Arabia and censored scenes in Vietnam, Apple has stored customer data on Chinese servers despite privacy concerns, and Google removed an app for a Russian opposition leader last year after facing a threat of prosecution there.
After hearing from the Emirates, Amazon had its Restricted Products team take steps to remove individual product listings, and a team that manages the company’s search abilities hid the results for more than 150 keywords, the documents show.
The targeted search terms ranged widely. Some were broad, such as “lgbtq,” “pride” and “closeted gay,” while others indicated intentional product searches, including “transgender flag,” “queer brooch,” “chest binder for lesbians” and “lgbtq iphone case.” All of those terms returned “no results” when The Times tried queries on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Several specific book titles were blocked, including “My Lesbian Experience With Loneliness,” by Nagata Kabi; “Gender Queer: A Memoir,” by Maia Kobabe; and Roxane Gay’s “Bad Feminist.” All are available in print and digital formats on Amazon’s website in the United States. (Ms. Gay is a frequent contributor to The Times.)
“As a company, we remain committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, and we believe that the rights of L.G.B.T.Q.+ people must be protected,” Nicole Pampe, an Amazon spokeswoman, said in a statement. “With Amazon stores around the world, we must also comply with the local laws and regulations of the countries in which we operate.”
The Emirati Embassy in Washington did not respond to requests for comment.
Amazon entered the Emirates in 2017 when it spent $580 million to acquire Souq.com, a Dubai-based e-commerce site known as the Amazon of the Middle East. Two years later, it rebranded the site Amazon.ae, adding products offered from Amazon’s U.S. operations. It has announced plans to open a new cluster of cloud computing data centers in the Emirates this year.
Over the weekend, the Pride parade in Amazon’s hometown, Seattle, showed the challenge presented to a global company that is trying to juggle many constituents. While Amazon celebrates Pride in many of its operations, provides benefits to same-sex partners and promotes L.G.B.T.Q. films on its website, the company was no longer a sponsor of Seattle Pride after parade organizers said they had rejected the corporate support in part because of Amazon’s financial donations to politicians who oppose L.G.B.T.Q. rights.
The company has said it will make political donations even if it does not support every position the people or organization may take.
At the parade, transgender employees marched under the banner of No Hate at Amazon, a group that had gotten more than 600 employee signatures on a petition pressuring Amazon to remove books on its U.S. website that the workers said were anti-transgender and violated the company’s prohibition on hate speech.
Amazon has typically avoided removing sensitive or controversial books. “As a bookseller, we believe that providing access to the written word is important, including content that may be considered objectionable,” its policy states.
The company did recently adapt its policies to allow more discretion to remove “offensive” content, and said last year that it would take down books that treated transgender and other sexual identities as a mental illness.
The Emirates is one of several countries where Amazon has had to deal with censorship demands.
Reuters reported last year that under pressure from the Chinese government, Amazon removed all customer ratings and comments for a book of President Xi Jinping’s speeches and writings. The company recently closed its Kindle store in China, though it denied that censorship concerns were the reason. Amazon’s cloud computing division made it harder to evade censors in China and Russia in the past because it prohibited workarounds that customers had been using.
Universal has released the official trailer for Ticket to Paradise, the romantic comedy that reteams George Clooney and Julia Roberts. The trailer was just shown to exhibitors at CineEurope last week. It has an October 21 release date.
Directed by Ol Parker, the pic stars the duo in the story of a divorced couple who team up and travel to Bali to stop their daughter (Kaitlyn Dever) making the same mistake they made 25 years ago. Billie Lourd and Lily Lucas Bravo also star. Parker wrote the script with Daniel Pipski.
It marks the latest reteam for Oscar winners Clooney and Roberts after stints together on Ocean’s Eleven, Ocean’s Twelve and Money Monster. Roberts also starred in Clooney’s 2002 feature directorial debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.
Ticket to Paradise hails from Working Title, whose partners Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner produce alongside Sarah Harvey and Deborah Balderstone; Smokehouse Pictures partners Clooney and Grant Heslov; and Red Om Films’ Roberts, Lisa Gillan and Marisa Yeres Gill.
The film shot in Australia and at one point in January had to take a hiatus due to Covid cases among cast and crew as the Queensland region saw spikes in infection.
After eight seasons and 175 episodes, ABC’s “Black-ish” has definitely ended its run with a real legacy. Star Tracee Ellis Ross agrees. “I really hope that our show leaves a promise of what it is to see an American family that is Black, and that we are universally identifiable,” she tells Variety’s Awards Circuit podcast. “And that even with the specificity of certain experiences, and that the universality of what it is to be, an American family can be seen through many different faces. I’m blown away by what we were able to share, and the truth of it, and how identifiable it was across the board.”
Adds Anthony Anderson: “When people walk up to me, and tell me when they see our family on screen, they see their family, that is meaningful to me. But aside from from work in what we’ve done on screen, the thing that I cherish the most is the friendships, and the relationships that I’ve developed with each and every one of my cast mates and crew proved over the eight years. That is what I will take from the show.”
On this edition of the Variety Awards Circuit podcast, “Black-ish” stars Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross talk about the legacy of the ABC comedy, how the show ended, and whether they hope to revisit Dre and Bow one day. After that, we chat with “Dr. Death” star Joshua Jackson about his Peacock series. Listen below!
Ross quickly became Anderson’s first choice to play his wife, Dr. Rainbow Johnson, on “Black-ish.” They long since moved on from their awkward days before the show and now sport a lasting bond that will continue long beyond the end of the series.
“It’s public knowledge that I did not like Anthony going into ‘Black-ish,’” Ross says. “We had an incident that did not land well, when we hosted an award show. I had an idea of who Anthony was. I used to describe him as ‘covered in shards of glass with a soft center.’ If he cuts you don’t tell him because you will then get obliterated. But what I have watched Anthony grow as a man and as a human being through the years. It has been the biggest delight of our time together on blackish is that Anthony and I have a really similar work ethic.
“Anthony is such a professional. Anthony knows everybody’s name. Anthony makes work a fun and wonderful place to be that feels like home. And it’s who he is,” she adds. “He and I developed just a really beautiful, respectful work relationship. And it allowed for the work that we did to feel like I could do anything, try anything, I was never going to fall… We were able to balance each other out and support each other in a way that I think it’s part of what helped us create such incredible work.”
What’s next? Anderson quickly jumped to shooting a season of “Law & Order” after “Black-ish,” and he says he jumped into that gig (which only lasted a season) in order to stay busy. “To embody this character and to be with this family for the past eight years. I didn’t want to sit back wishing and wanting and thinking about how different it could have been if we just did a little bit more. Or ‘Oh, I miss these guys. I wish I could go play with them. And I wish we could go to work right now.’ So I think that that is why I immediately went into another gig, to to help decompress. That would ease me out of being Andre Johnson. I love the people that were a part of that time with me.”
Of course, the “Black-ish” universe continues with the next evolution of “Grown-ish,” with Marcus Scribner joining the show as the focus shifts to Junior in college. Are they thinking about a quick reunion? “Whatever there might be in 20 years, we’ll sit down for a reunion. I’ll be 70 Oh, what a thought,” Ross says.
Anderson tells Ross: “Before the reunion show, I’m probably going to get all the work done that you said I was going to get done for Season 5.” What? Ross jokingly explains: “I used to joke that Anthony was going to come back one of these seasons and have his lips done and major cheekbones and his eyebrows would be really arced, and the only thing we could say was like, ‘You look so rested!’”
“Black-ish” ended its run this spring by going back to the beginning. Literally. The opening to the ABC comedy’s series finale began much in the same way the pilot did in 2014, with Dre waking up to his iPhone alarm clock, and narrating a bit about his state of mind.
In the finale, the couple decides to sell their Sherman Oaks home and move to a Black neighborhood. The Johnson kids are skeptical at first. But that’s not all. In making a change, Dre also decides to leave Stevens and Lido, and spend more time at home.
On the awards front, the show’s accolades included AFI’s top shows list; a peabody; multiple NAACP image honors; a TV Critics Association award for comedy; and countless Emmy nominations, including four for best comedy, and numerous Emmy nods for both Anderson and Ross. The show won an Emmy in 2020 for contemporary hairstyling, for the standout episode “Hair Day.”
But the real legacy of “Black-ish” is in its storytelling. “This just feels like the most beautiful end,” Ross says. “I feel so much gratitude.”
Variety’s “Awards Circuit” podcast, produced by Michael Schneider, is your one-stop listen for lively conversations about the best in film and television. Each week “Awards Circuit” features interviews with top film and TV talent and creatives; discussions and debates about awards races and industry headlines; and much, much more. Subscribe via Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or anywhere you download podcasts. New episodes post every Thursday and Friday.
Even when your job is to dream up the interplanetary adventures of a Norse god, you might still want to run off and play pirates.
So during the weeks he was editing “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the Marvel movie that opens on July 8, Taika Waititi, its director and co-writer, would occasionally take weekends off for a different journey.
He would get outfitted in a flowing gray wig, matching facial hair and temporary tattoos, and don deliciously fetishistic leather gear to portray Blackbeard, the swashbuckling, loin-kindling buccaneer of the HBO Max comedy series “Our Flag Means Death.”
This is admittedly not a bad way to spend your spare time, though Waititi did occasionally fret over the trade-offs. As he explained recently, “Sometimes you’re pissed off at life and you’re like, ‘Why did I say yes to everything? I don’t have a social life — I’m just working.’ But then the thing comes out, you see where the hard work goes and it’s really worth it.”
Waititi is also editing “Next Goal Wins,” a soccer comedy-drama that he co-wrote and directed for Searchlight. He’s writing a new “Star Wars” movie for Lucasfilm, a “Time Bandits” series for Apple TV+. He’s preparing two Roald Dahl projects for Netflix and adapting a graphic novel by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius for a feature film.
If that isn’t enough, consider that it’s taken this many paragraphs to acknowledge that in 2020 Waititi won an Academy Award for the adapted screenplay of his World War II comedy-drama “Jojo Rabbit,” in which he played — in his own words — “a lovable, quirky, whimsical Hitler.”
From this inventory alone (“not even mentioning the five other things that haven’t been reported on yet,” Waititi said), you can gauge how highly desired his services are. In just a few years, he has become one of the industry’s most ingenious and reliable purveyors of escapist fare while devising for himself some fulfilling escape routes from those escapes. And his filmmaking style is distinctive enough that it still shines through on monolithic and increasingly familiar Marvel movies.
But his runaway résumé is also a sign of how difficult Waititi finds it to say no. And if you wonder how anyone can possibly balance so many demanding projects, rest assured Waititi is asking himself these same questions.
“Sometimes I’ll wake up and be like, Am I having a midlife crisis?” he said. “Should I even be a filmmaker? Maybe I should have been a carpenter. Maybe I should just be a gardener.”
Waititi’s estimable career isn’t necessarily the one he imagined for himself while growing up in New Zealand — half a world away from Hollywood and wondering how to gain its attention. “It was never my dream to do this,” he explained. “I would much rather have been a fighter pilot or a fireman, but then it appeared that you’ve got to be actually quite smart to be a pilot.”
He added, more sincerely, that he didn’t start making films until his late 20s, at which point he’d already been a graphic artist, a musician and a comedian. “I don’t know if I’ve ever chased any of my dreams,” Waititi said. “My dreams have sort of developed through being part of the dream.”
Though he fell in love with film, he calls it “an arranged marriage.” And the solution he has found for managing his workload is, essentially, not to think too much about it and never to stand in one place for too long.
“Because if I was to step back and look at all of the things I’m doing, I’d probably have a panic attack,” he said. “I know there’s too many things. I know I’m doing a lot. I just have to keep pivoting every couple of hours.”
Earlier this month, Waititi kept stationary long enough to savor a plate of smoked trout and avocado toast in the lobby of a Midtown Manhattan hotel. Wearing loosefitting clothes in pastel colors and a neatly trimmed mustache, he carried himself like all of the Marx Brothers rolled into one: He could be suave, sheepish or scheming, and was always ready with a self-deprecating quip.
For example: “New Zealanders hate compliments,” Waititi said. “I think it’s because of our moms. Our moms are the ones who go, ‘Don’t worry — I still liked it.’ That’s the kind of support you’ll get.”
Waititi was not the most obvious candidate to join the Marvel roster when the studio began to consider him in 2015. At the time, his directorial efforts included intimate short films (including the Oscar-nominated “Two Cars, One Night”) and features like “Boy,” an affectionate, coming-of-age tribute to his upbringing in a rural Maori community, about a child enthralled by his charmingly reprobate father (played by Waititi, of course).
Before that, Waititi was a theater student at Victoria University of Wellington, where he befriended future collaborators like Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie (who would form the satirical rock duo Flight of the Conchords), obsessed over Monty Python and yearned for outlets for his wry comic voice.
“In those days, you’re like, I wish I had something to work on,” Waititi said. “I would just make lists of things I would like to do.”
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But others from that era regarded Waititi as highly motivated and likely to fulfill his ambitions.
“I still see within Taika the same cheeky alternative comic from the 1990s,” said Rhys Darby, a longtime friend and a co-star on “Our Flag Means Death.”
“He found that creating behind the camera was more viable than being in front of it,” Darby explained. “But even when he directs, he’ll get in front of the camera and show the actors what he wants them to do. He gets them to mimic him. That’s why he always ends up in his own films. Because he’s trying to control everything.”
At Marvel, the studio knew it needed a comprehensive reinvention of “Thor.” That film’s sluggish 2013 sequel, “The Dark World,” remains no one’s favorite entry in the franchise.
“We were waning, as far as support for the character,” said Chris Hemsworth, who has played Thor since 2011. “I felt fatigued and there was an audience fatigue, too. If we didn’t do something different and change it up, I wasn’t convinced we were going to bring back an audience.”
The comic-book literate Waititi was no fan of the annoyingly flawless Thor, whom he described as “a rich kid from outer space who’s trapped in the ghetto.” But as he reflected further, Waititi wanted to understand his own resistance to the hero and see if he could make a movie that acknowledged and embraced those traits.
Moreover, Waititi wanted to know if he could handle making movies at a mammoth scale. Addressing himself, he said, “You’ve always been scared of working with studios, worried about working in America and what it might do to you. But why not go straight into the deep end and see how that goes?”
The result was the wildly successful “Thor: Ragnarok” (2017), in which the Viking deity is stripped of his magical hammer and shorn of his flowing locks but overcomes his villainous sister, Hela (Cate Blanchett), and the flamboyant Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum).
Directed by Waititi (from a screenplay credited to Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle and Christopher L. Yost), “Ragnarok” featured plenty of his personal flair — like two different battle sequencesset to Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” — while allowing him to play the soft-spoken stone warrior Korg. (It was well-reviewed and sold more than $853 million in tickets worldwide, outstripping its predecessors.)
Almost immediately, Waititi and Marvel began devising a follow-up, but getting him back in the director’s chair was not so simple. Within weeks of his Oscar victory, the pandemic hit.
“Painting, learning a language, exercising — you think I did any of them?” he said. “No, I didn’t. What I wanted to do was sleep for a month and then I got to sleep for six months.”
Then he launched into projects he had been neglecting. By this point, Marvel had become accustomed to sharing Waititi.
As Kevin Feige, the studio’s president, explained, “On ‘Ragnarok,’ it was, ‘I’m just finishing this little thing.’” That turned out to be Waititi’s 2016 comedy-drama “Hunt for the Wilderpeople.” “While we were writing and developing this movie, it was, ‘I’m just going to do this other thing in Manhattan Beach.’” That was Waititi’s work on the “Star Wars” series “The Mandalorian,” for which he directed an episode and voiced the robot bounty hunter IG-11. “‘I’m just going to Hawaii for a few weeks.’ Oh, I guess family vacation?” Feige recalled. Actually, he was filming “Next Goal Wins.”
Even after the “Thor: Love and Thunder” shoot ended in Australia last summer and postproduction began in Los Angeles, Feige said, “we were always on alert for Taika being spread too thin. We were very ready to be like, We’re in the cutting room, it’s 8 p.m., where is he? But he was always sitting right next to us.”
Hemsworth said that Waititi’s numerous extracurricular activities are not diversions, but intellectual necessities. “If he isn’t continually creating, he would become stagnant,” Hemsworth said. “Most of us would fall flat on our asses from exhaustion. That’s what fuels him, in a strange way.”
Waititi’s to-do list included “Our Flag Means Death,” whose creator, David Jenkins, spent three years wooing Waititi — first to serve as an executive producer and director of the pilot, and then to play Blackbeard.
“It’s like writing a song for Prince,” said Jenkins, who got Disney and Marvel’s permission to borrow Waititi on weekends. “He gives you his cachet, and he puts himself 100 percent behind your ideas.”
Waititi said he did not need much persuading to play Blackbeard once Jenkins suggested he was right for the part. “This is what I needed to hear,” Waititi said. “My ego loves that.”
But “Our Flag Means Death” offered Waititi more than just a morale boost. (Here there be spoilers, me hearties.) While the series told the comic tale of Stede Bonnet (Darby), a befuddled but well-meaning aristocrat trying to make it as a pirate, it did not simply dangle Blackbeard as an unlikely mentor to Bonnet and a source of will-they-or-won’t-they, bro-ho-ho innuendo.
In the first season’s penultimate episode, Bonnet and Blackbeard realized they loved each other and shared a tender kiss. Their romance has become integral to the series going forward, and the inspiration for countless works of fan art that Waititi keeps saved on his phone.
As much as he understands the cultural fascination with Stede and Blackbeard’s kiss, Waititi said he wished it wasn’t remarkable for its rarity: “It needs to be normalized.”
It is a wish that Waititi understands he cannot necessarily fulfill in a Marvel movie, despite some of the wink-wink repartee shared by Thor and his hunky ally Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) in a “Love and Thunder” teaser trailer.
“No one talks about Tom Cruise hooking up with Jennifer Connelly in ‘Top Gun,’” he said. But in “Our Flag Means Death, “it’s a massive talking point that two dudes kiss on the beach. I’m cool with talking about it because I’m really proud of the moment. But my dream is to be like the world of the pirates, where no one bats an eye.”
The new “Thor” is partly concerned with expanding the Marvel empire to include Russell Crowe as the vainglorious Greek god Zeus and Christian Bale as the nefarious Gorr the God Butcher. But as the title implies, the movie is also a romance, one that continues Thor’s journey from “Avengers: Endgame” (2019).
Looking at the character there, Waititi said he asked himself, “What is he missing most in his life?” And the answer: “It was love. It was a partner. For people who are larger than life, what completes them? I think a lot of superheroes, when you look at them, they’re just lonely.”
The story line provided the opportunity to bring back Natalie Portman, who played Thor’s love interest Jane Foster in the first two films but did not appear in “Ragnarok.”
Portman, who gets to wield Thor’s mighty hammer in the new film, said that she had seen “Ragnarok” and was excited that Waititi’s style was “so free and creative.”
“His other work, too, has impressed me so much over the years and how he’s able to blend the silly and the profound, all with a distinctive visual style,” Portman said. “Everything in his films always feels spontaneous and hilarious and full of heart.”
The idea of yearning for companionship is particularly prevalent in this “Thor,” and one could speculate about why it appeals so strongly to Waititi. His parents separated when he was young, and he is divorced from the film producer Chelsea Winstanley, with whom he has two daughters.
But as we talked about the strands that tie his work together, Waititi preferred to point to broader themes.
“All my films are about underdogs,” he said. “Not being able to choose your family and sometimes that’s not your blood family, it’s just who you end up gravitating towards. You’re like, How did I end up with these weirdos? What is it about these guys?”
Without quite naming himself, Waititi spun an extemporaneous monologue about why certain people — whoever they might be — can never see themselves as being successful or having made it.
“What drives people is this idea of, I’ll show you,” he said. “Sometimes it’s an ill-perceived, false idea that people don’t believe in you. You still carry that around and people will be like, ‘You can stop now — you’ve proven your point.’”
His voice rose to a comic volume as he continued: “No, there’s still some dead people I need to show! My dead dad, he needs to see!” Then in a softer, more sincere tone he added, “It’s a weird infatuation.”
Once this “Thor” has been safely launched into the world, more work awaits Waititi. “I’m trying to write the ‘Star Wars’ idea at the moment,” he said. “I’ve got to see how that goes, because once I submit it, that might determine when it gets made or if it gets made, even.”
But then again, “I am cool as well to take six months off and just go hang out with my kids.”
I asked him if he was starting to feel like Leonardo DiCaprio in “Inception,” just desperate to walk through the front door and have his children embrace him, and Waititi did not dismiss the comparison. “They’re in New Zealand,” he said. “I mean, they couldn’t be further away.”
For now, Waititi takes solace in the fact that he tried to have his daughters on the set of “Thor” as much as possible and provided them with experiences that would someday be meaningful to them.
“I know in the future, they’ll look back and go, ‘Wow, we were on set with Christian Bale,’” he said. “‘And we were rude to him and ignored him.’”
After picking up a fourth NBA championship and being named Finals MVP, Stephen Curry is not coasting through the off-season. The Golden State Warriors superstar is booked to host The ESPYS presented by Capital One on July 20 in Los Angeles.
The gig, his first hosting a major live TV event, coincides with Curry’s three individual ESPY nominations this year including best athlete in men’s sports, best record-breaking performance (for most 3-pointers in NBA history), and best NBA player. He’s also nominated alongside his Golden State Warriors as best team.
“I’ve had the pleasure of attending The ESPYS but never imagined I’d have the privilege of hosting this special event,” said Curry in a statement. “As someone who loves the intersection of sports and entertainment, I look forward to delivering an exciting show for the fans while we celebrate the athletes who created the top moments of the year.”
Rob King, executive editor at large for ESPN Content, said the team is thrilled to have Curry join this year, calling him “one of the brightest stars in the sports constellation.” King added: “Whether shining on the court, engaging with fans on social platforms or demonstrating a commitment to communities through varied philanthropic acts, he’s a singular performer who’ll undoubtedly add luster to our celebration of some of this year’s most compelling moments.”
The ESPYS are co-produced by ESPN and Full Day Prods. As part of Curry’s hosting deal, his partner at Unanimous Media, Erick Peyton, will join the show as co-executive producer. The pair and their Unanimous team signed a global partnership last fall with Comcast NBCUniversal. Curry also recently hosted HBO Max’s reality series About Last Night alongside his wife, Ayesha Curry. The Unanimous slate, focused on family, sports and faith-based content, also produces ABC’s sports reality competition series Holey Moley, currently in its fourth season.
The ESPYS air live on July 20 at 5 p.m. PT on ABC. A full list of this year’s nominations can be found here.
Disgraced R&B superstar R. Kelly was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison for using his fame to sexually abuse young fans, including some who were just children, in a systematic scheme that went on for decades.
Through tears and anger, several of Kelly’s accusers told a court, and the singer himself, that he had preyed on them and misled his fans.
“You made me do things that broke my spirit. I literally wished I would die because of how low you made me feel,” said one unnamed survivor, directly addressing a Kelly who kept his hands folded and his eyes downcast.
“Do you remember that?” she asked.
Courtesy of Elizabeth Williams/AP
Kelly, 55, didn’t speak at his sentencing and showed no visible reaction on hearing his penalty, which also includes a $100,000 fine. The Grammy-winning, multi-platinum-selling songwriter was convicted last year of racketeering and sex trafficking at a trial that gave voice to accusers who had previously wondered if their stories were being ignored because they were Black women.
Victims “have sought to be heard and acknowledged,” another one of his accusers said at his sentencing. “We are no longer the preyed-on individuals we once were.”
A third woman, sobbing and sniffling as she spoke, said Kelly’s conviction renewed her confidence in the legal system.
“I once lost hope,” she said, addressing the court and prosecutors, “but you restored my faith.”
The woman said Kelly victimized her after she went to a concert when she was 17.
“I was afraid, naive and didn’t know to handle the situation,” she said, so she didn’t speak up at the time.
“Silence,” she said, “is a very lonely place.”
The sentence caps a slow-motion fall for Kelly, who was adored by legions of fans and sold millions of albums even after allegations about his abuse of young girls began circulating publicly in the 1990s. He beat child pornography charges in Chicago in 2008, when a jury acquitted him.
Widespread outrage over Kelly’s sexual misconduct didn’t emerge until the #MeToo reckoning, reaching a crescendo after the release of the documentary “Surviving R. Kelly.”
“Although sex was certainly a weapon that you used, this is not a case about sex. It’s a case about violence, cruelty and control,” U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly told Kelly on Wednesday.
Kelly’s lawyers had argued he should get no more than 10 years in prison because he had a traumatic childhood “involving severe, prolonged childhood sexual abuse, poverty, and violence.”
As an adult with “literacy deficiencies,” the star was “repeatedly defrauded and financially abused, often by the people he paid to protect him,” his lawyers said.
“Mr. Kelly has had horrific labels slapped on him. But he’s not obligated to own them,” defense lawyer Jennifer Bonjean told the judge before the sentence was announced.
Kelly is known for work including the 1996 hit “I Believe I Can Fly” and the cult classic “Trapped in the Closet,” a multi-part tale of sexual betrayal and intrigue.
The Brooklyn federal court jury convicted him after hearing that he used his entourage of managers and aides to meet girls and keep them obedient, an operation that prosecutors said amounted to a criminal enterprise.
Kelly, born Robert Sylvester Kelly, used his “fame, money and popularity” to systematically “prey upon children and young women for his own sexual gratification,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing earlier this month.
Several accusers testified that Kelly subjected them to perverse and sadistic whims when they were underage.
The accusers alleged they were ordered to sign nondisclosure forms and were subjected to threats and punishments such as violent spankings if they broke what one referred to as “Rob’s rules.”
Some said they believed the videotapes he shot of them having sex would be used against them if they exposed what was happening.
According to testimony, Kelly gave several accusers herpes without disclosing he had an STD, coerced a teenage boy to join him for sex with a naked girl who emerged from underneath a boxing ring in his garage, and shot a shaming video that showed one victim smearing feces on her face as punishment for breaking his rules.
Kelly denied any wrongdoing. He didn’t testify at his trial, but his then-lawyers portrayed his accusers as girlfriends and groupies who weren’t forced to do anything against their will and stayed with him because they enjoyed the perks of his lifestyle.
Evidence also was presented about a fraudulent marriage scheme hatched to protect Kelly after he feared he had impregnated R&B phenom Aaliyah in 1994 when she was just 15. Witnesses said they were married in matching jogging suits using a license falsely listing her age as 18; he was 27 at the time.
Aaliyah worked with Kelly, who wrote and produced her 1994 debut album, “Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number.” She died in a plane crash in 2001 at age 22.
An earlier defense memo suggested prosecutors’ arguments for a higher sentence overreached by falsely claiming Kelly participated in the paying of a bribe to a government official in order to facilitate the illegal marriage.
The Associated Press does not name people who say they have been sexually assaulted or abused unless they come forward publicly. The women who spoke at Kelly’s sentencing were identified only by first names or pseudonyms.
Kelly has been jailed without bail since 2019. He still faces child pornography and obstruction-of-justice charges in Chicago, where a trial is scheduled to begin on Aug. 15.
Here is our first look at a new thriller-horror film, Last The Night, that will be sure to give us chills. It was previewed at the 27th annual Sacramento International Film Festival this past weekend. The film, which was previously called Pacerville, is directed by Nick Leisure. Leisure was the director for the recent drama/thriller, A Clear Shot.
Last The Night stars Brian Austin Green who is best known for his lovable portrayal of David Silver in Beverly Hills, 90120. More recently fans will recognize Green from parts in Smallville, Desperate Housewives, BH90210, The Conners, and Dancing with The Stars (with his real-life partner, Sharna Burgess). The film also stars Makena Taylor from Skyfire and Acoryé White from One and the Same. Additional cast includes David Valdes, Julia Quang, Eve Mauro, Glenn Plummer, and Rafael Siegel.
Watch the movie trailer below:
According to the press release, the film is set in the early days of the pandemic. It follows high school history teacher John Dunbar (Green)who spends his days drinking and teaching Zoom classes from his crummy, one-bedroom apartment. He’s depressed, teetering on being unstable, and recently separated from his wife and daughter.
To make matters worse, four of his students, Sadie (Taylor), Trevor (White), Genesis (Quang), and Miguel (Valdes) talk smack about Dunbar while hatching a plan to break into their empty school during the night. Teenagers will be teenagers. Knowing that all school facilities have been shut down because of COVID 19 and bored from the lockdown caused by it, these kids want to party. Dunbar, eavesdropping on a private Zoom teacher’s window, seethes at his students’ plans and plots diabolical revenge.
What follows is a tense cat and mouse game as Dunbar stalks and tracks the students one by one inside the school. Interspersing evil history lessons with his disintegration of sanity, Dunbar is hellbent on dispensing his own deadly brand of education. All filled with vengeance and bloodshed. The hunt is clearly on, and innocent students are the night’s prey. The terrorized students find themselves in a fight for their lives to survive these hallways of horror.
Dunbar, indeed, has some life OR death lessons he’s ready to teach…
The movie will have its local premiere on June 30, 2022, with it going country-wide on July 1. For those living in the UK, the film will be doing a theatrical release as well on July 1.
James Gunn has been happy to defend Chris Pratt against internet hate in the past, and he has been doing so again. Having worked together on several occasions thanks to the Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy movies, Gunn and Pratt have a good working relationship and friendship that has grown over time. For that reason alone, Gunn has said it “infuriates” him that certain stories are made up and shared on the internet to try and discredit the actor.
Chris Pratt is one of the biggest stars of the year, with roles in the big summer blockbusters Jurassic World: Dominion and Thor: Love and Thunder, as well as the new thriller series The Terminal List and Disney+ Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special. However, since Pratt was reportedly seen in 2017 in attendance at Hillsong Church, which has spoken out against LGBTQ+ views in the past, there have been constant attempts to portray the actor as homophobic and created a lot of speculation about his affiliation with anti-LGBTQ+ groups.
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For James Gunn, it is simply something that is not true and is fabricated by people who seem to be out to cause trouble wherever they can. In a comment shared in Men’s Health, Gunn said:
“It absolutely infuriates me. Chris is unspeakably kind to people; he goes out of his way to help kids. He’s an especially loving father. And there’s a lot of stuff that people have literally just made up about him—about his politics, about who he is, about what he believes of other people, you know?”
James Gunn Previously Hit Back at Internet Backlash Against Chris Pratt
Amazon Studios
James Gunn has been one of Chris Pratt’s most ardent supporters against the string of online hate thrown his way. Back in April, Gunn responded to a number of Twitter posts after some fans called for the actor to be replaced in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies. Replying to one post, Gunn fired back:
“For what? Because of your made-up, utterly false beliefs about him? For something that someone told you about him that’s not true? Chris Pratt would never be replaced as Star-Lord, if he ever was, we would all be going with him.”
In another comment, Gunn was accused of “being cool” with Pratt being affiliated with “a homophobic church” as long as he was making money for the director. Gunn once again didn’t hold back in his reply. He said:
“He isn’t. I know the church he currently goes to. Do you? (The answer is you don’t, but you heard from someone who heard from someone who heard from someone where he goes to church, so decided, “yeah, okay, I’ll believe this terrible thing I heard online about this celebrity!”)
While memes and comments on Pratt’s trailers and interviews continue to appear on the internet, the vast majority of people have put them to one side, as so far, the backlash doesn’t seem to have had any impact on his recent movie appearance in Jurassic World: Dominion. However, with Pratt appearing in several other projects this summer, there is no doubt these comments will continue to appear.
Anya Taylor-Joy, Billie Eilish, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Caitríona Balfe, Jamie Dornan and Disney exec Dana Walden are among the 397 artists and executives invited to join the membership of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. If all of this year’s invitees accept membership, it will bring the total number of Academy members to 10,665, with 9,665 eligible to vote for the 95th Oscars set to take place on March 12, 2023.
The 2022 class is 44% women, 37% belong to underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 50% are from 53 countries and territories outside the United States. There are 71 Oscar nominees, including 15 winners, among the invitees. Some of the big names invited are recent winners Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) and Troy Kotsur (“CODA”), and nominees Jessie Buckley (“The Lost Daughter”), Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee (“The Power of the Dog”). Also invited are a slew of global artists and artisans such as actors Robin de Jesús (“Tick, Tick … Boom!”), Olga Merediz (“In the Heights”) and Vincent Lindon (“Titane”), director Reinaldo Marcus Green (“King Richard”), screenwriters Jeremy O Harris (“Zola”), Jon Spaihts (“Dune”) and marketing and awards public relations executives Debra Birnbaum of Amazon and Gina Pence of Apple.
Pawo Choyning Dorji (“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”), Ryûsuke Hamaguchi (“Drive My Car”), Siân Heder (“CODA”) and Jonas Poher Rasmussen (“Flee”) have been invited to join by multiple branches but must select only one upon accepting membership. All have been invited to the Directors Branch, Rasmussen to Documentary, while Dorji, Hamaguchi and Heder into Writers.
The complete list of the 2022 invitees is below:
Actors Funke Akindele – “Omo Ghetto: The Saga,” “Jenifa” Caitríona Balfe – “Belfast,” “Ford v Ferrari” Reed Birney – “Mass,” “Changeling” Jessie Buckley – “The Lost Daughter,” “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” Lori Tan Chinn – “Turning Red,” “Glengarry Glen Ross” Daniel K. Daniel – “The Fugitive,” “A Soldier’s Story” Ariana DeBose – “West Side Story,” “The Prom” Robin de Jesús – “tick, tick…BOOM!,” “The Boys in the Band” Jamie Dornan – “Belfast,” “Barb & Star Go to Vista Del Mar” Michael Greyeyes – “Wild Indian,” “Woman Walks Ahead” Gaby Hoffmann – “C’mon C’mon,” “Wild” Amir Jadidi – “A Hero,” “Cold Sweat” Kajol – “My Name Is Khan,” “Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham…” Troy Kotsur – “CODA,” “The Number 23” Vincent Lindon – “Titane,” “The Measure of a Man” BarBara Luna – “The Concrete Jungle,” “Five Weeks in a Balloon” Aïssa Maïga – “The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind,” “Mood Indigo” Selton Mello – “My Hindu Friend,” “Trash” Olga Merediz – “In the Heights,” “Adrift” Sandra Kwan Yue Ng – “Echoes of the Rainbow,” “Portland Street Blues” Hidetoshi Nishijima – “Drive My Car,” “Cut” Rena Owen – “The Last Witch Hunter,” “The Dead Lands” Jesse Plemons – “The Power of the Dog,” “Judas and the Black Messiah” Sheryl Lee Ralph – “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit,” “The Distinguished Gentleman” Renate Reinsve – “The Worst Person in the World,” “Welcome to Norway” Marco Rodriguez – “El Chicano,” “Unspeakable” Joanna Scanlan – “After Love,” “Notes on a Scandal” Kodi Smit-McPhee – “The Power of the Dog,” “Let Me In” Suriya – “Jai Bhim,” “Soorarai Pottru” Anya Taylor-Joy – “The Northman,” “Last Night in Soho”
Casting Directors Rich Delia – “King Richard,” “The Disaster Artist” Elodie Demey – “Happening,” “Summer of 85” Yngvill Kolset Haga – “The Worst Person in the World,” “One Night in Oslo” Louise Kiely – “The Green Knight,” “Sing Street” Meagan Lewis – “Blast Beat,” “Free State of Jones” Karen Lindsay-Stewart – “Marie Antoinette,” “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” Juliette Ménager – “A Bag of Marbles,” “As Above/So Below” Kate Ringsell – “The Lost City of Z,” “Justice League” Toby Whale – “Dunkirk,” “The History Boys”
Cinematographers Ava Berkofsky – “The Sky Is Everywhere,” “Free in Deed” Josh Bleibtreu – “Dark Phoenix,” “Shazam!” Alice Brooks – “In the Heights,” “tick, tick…BOOM!” Daria D’Antonio – “The Hand of God,” “Ricordi?” Mike Eley – “The Duke,” “Woman Walks Ahead” Sturla Brandth Grøvlen – “The Innocents,” “Another Round” Ruben Impens – “Titane,” “Beautiful Boy” Shabier Kirchner – “Small Axe,” “Bull” Martin Ruhe – “The Tender Bar,” “The Midnight Sky” Kasper Tuxen – “The Worst Person in the World,” “Riders of Justice”
Costume Designers Joan Bergin – “The Prestige,” “In the Name of the Father” Antonella Cannarozzi – “A Five Star Life,” “I Am Love” Andrea Flesch – “Midsommar,” “Colette” Lizzy Gardiner – “Hacksaw Ridge,” “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert” Dorothée Guiraud – “Murder Party,” “French Tech” Suzie Harman – “The Personal History of David Copperfield,” “Extinction” Tatiana Hernández – “The Japon,” “Lope” Louise Stjernsward – “Made in Italy,” “The Mercy” Elisabeth Tavernier – “The Man in the Basement,” “Tanguy Is Back” Paul Tazewell – “West Side Story,” “Harriet” Mitchell Travers – “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “Hustlers”
Directors Newton Aduaka – “One Man’s Show,” “Ezra” Andrew Ahn – “Fire Island,” “Spa Night” Bruno Villela Barreto – “Four Days in September,” “The Kiss” Mariano Barroso – “Ants in the Mouth,” “Ecstasy” Rolf de Heer – “Charlie’s Country,” “Bad Boy Bubby” Jeferson Rodrigues de Rezende – “The Malê Revolt,” “Bróder!” Pawo Choyning Dorji* – “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” Blessing Egbe – “African Messiah,” “Iquo’s Journal” Briar Grace-Smith – “Cousins ,” “Waru” Reinaldo Marcus Green – “King Richard,” “Monsters and Men” Ryusuke Hamaguchi* – “Drive My Car,” “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” Sian Harries Heder* – “CODA,” “Tallulah” Gil Kenan – “City of Ember,” “Monster House” Amanda Kernell – “Charter,” “Sami Blood” Mary Lambert – “The In Crowd,” “Pet Sematary II” Blackhorse Lowe – “Chasing the Light,” “5th World” Nalin Pan – “Last Film Show,” “Samsara” Jonas Poher Rasmussen* – “Flee,” “Searching for Bill” Isabel Sandoval – “Lingua Franca,” “Apparition” Amy Seimetz – “She Dies Tomorrow,” “Sun Don’t Shine” Rachel Talalay – “A Babysitter’s Guide to Monster Hunting,” “Tank Girl”
Documentary Julie Anderson – “God Is the Bigger Elvis,” “Arthur Ashe: Citizen of the World” Susan Bedusa – “Procession,” “Bisbee ’17” Opal H. Bennett – “A Broken House,” “Águilas” Shane Boris – “Stray,” “The Edge of Democracy” Joe Cephus Brewster – “American Promise,” “Slaying Goliath” Ellen Bruno – “Satya: A Prayer for the Enemy,” “Samsara: Death and Rebirth in Cambodia” Traci A. Curry – “Attica,” “Boss: The Black Experience in Business” Jason DaSilva – “When We Walk,” “When I Walk” Emílio Domingos – “Favela Is Fashion,” “L.A.P.A.” Sushmit Ghosh – “Writing with Fire,” “Timbaktu” Lyn Goldfarb – “Eddy’s World,” “With Babies and Banners: Story of the Women’s Emergency Brigade” Susanne Guggenberger – “Blue Note Records: Beyond the Notes,” “The Beekeeper and His Son” Cristina Ibarra – “The Infiltrators,” “Las Marthas” Oren Jacoby – “On Broadway,” “Sister Rose’s Passion” Isaac Julien – “Derek,” “Frantz Fanon: Black Skin White Mask” Deborah Kaufman – “Company Town,” “Blacks and Jews” Firouzeh Khosrovani – “Radiograph of a Family,” “Fest of Duty” Jessica Kingdon – “Ascension,” “Commodity City” Mehret Mandefro – “How It Feels to Be Free ,” “Little White Lie” Mary Manhardt – “Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl),” “Racing Dreams” Amanda McBaine – “Boys State,” “The Overnighters” Peter Jay Miller – “Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1,” “Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport” Elizabeth Mirzaei – “Three Songs for Benazir,” “Laila at the Bridge” Gulistan Mirzaei – “Three Songs for Benazir,” “Laila at the Bridge” Bob Moore – “Dope Is Death,” “China Heavyweight” Omar Mullick – “Footprint,” “These Birds Walk” Mohammed Ali Naqvi – “Insha’Allah Democracy,” “Among the Believers” Sierra Pettengill – “Riotsville, USA,” “The Reagan Show” Ben Proudfoot – “The Queen of Basketball,” “A Concerto Is a Conversation” Jonas Poher Rasmussen* – “Flee,” “Searching for Bill” Gabriel Rhodes – “The First Wave,” “Time” Lynne Sachs – “Film about a Father Who,” “Investigation of a Flame” Brett Story – “The Hottest August,” “The Prison in Twelve Landscapes” Thorsten Thielow – “The First Wave,” “Mayor Pete” Rintu Thomas – “Writing with Fire,” “Dilli” Nathan Truesdell – “Ascension,” “Balloonfest” Jenni Wolfson – “Pray Away,” “One Child Nation” Jialing Zhang – “In the Same Breath,” “One Child Nation”
Executives Steve Asbell Carole Baraton Steven Bardwil Jeff Blackburn Liesl Copland Kareem Daniel Eva Diederix Scott Foundas Brenda Gilbert Joshua Barnett Grode Gene Yoonbum Kang Jenny Marchick Ori Joseph Marmur Anna Marsh Katherine Oliver Joel Pearlman Elizabeth Polk Louie Provost Amber Rasberry Brian Robbins Marc Schaberg Ron Schwartz Aditya Sood Frederick Tsui Dana Walden Clifford Werber
Film Editors Geraud Brisson – “CODA,” “Dark Hearts” Olivier Bugge Coutté – “The Worst Person in the World,” “Thelma” Shannon Baker Davis – “The Obituary of Tunde Johnson,” “The Photograph” Billy Fox – “Dolemite Is My Name,” “Hustle & Flow” Myron Kerstein – “tick, tick…BOOM!,” “Crazy Rich Asians” Jeremy Milton – “Encanto,” “Zootopia” Úna Ní Dhonghaíle – “Belfast,” “Stan & Ollie” Heike Parplies – “Invisible Life,” “Toni Erdmann” Joshua L. Pearson – “Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised),” “What Happened, Miss Simone?” Peter Sciberras – “The Power of the Dog,” “The King” Aljernon Tunsil – “Attica,” “The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution” Azusa Yamazaki – “Drive My Car,” “Asako I & II”
Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Jacenda Burkett – “King Richard,” “Concussion” Nana Fischer – “Encounter,” “The Lost City of Z” Sean Flanigan – “The Many Saints of Newark,” “The Irishman” Massimo Gattabrusi – “Loving Pablo,” “Volver” Stephanie Ingram – “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “It” Anna Carin Lock – “House of Gucci,” “Borg/McEnroe” Heike Merker – “The Matrix Resurrections,” “Anonymous” Stacey Morris – “Coming 2 America,” “Dolemite Is My Name” Justin Raleigh – “The Eyes of Tammy Faye,” “Army of the Dead” Kerrie Smith – “Motherless Brooklyn,” “John Wick” Nadia Stacey – “Cruella,” “The Favourite” Julia Vernon – “Cruella,” “Maleficent” Wakana Yoshihara – “Belfast,” “Spencer”
Marketing and Public Relations Dana Archer Debra Birnbaum Tatiana Detlofson Bethan Anna Dixon Britta Gampper Jane Gibbs Sheri Goldberg Jonathan Helfgot Jessica Kolstad Cortney Lawson Vivek Mathur George Nicholis Stephanie Sarah Northen Jodie Magid Oriol Gina Pence Stephanie Dee Phillips Chrissy Quesada Stuart Robertson Jerry Rojas Evelyn Santana Sohini Sengupta Michelle Slavich James Verdesoto Katrina Wan Glen Erin Wyatt
Music Billie Eilish Baird O’Connell – “No Time to Die” Amie Doherty – “Spirit Untamed,” “The High Note” Lili Haydn – “Strip Down, Rise Up,” “Broken Kingdom” Leo Heiblum – “Maria Full of Grace,” “Frida” Natalie Holt – “Fever Dream,” “Journey’s End” Nathan Johnson – “Nightmare Alley,” “Knives Out” Jacobo Lieberman – “Maria Full of Grace,” “Frida” Ariel Rose Marx – “Shiva Baby,” “Rebel Hearts” Hesham Nazih – “The Guest,” “Born a King” Finneas O’Connell – “No Time to Die” Dan Romer – “Luca,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild” Nerida Tyson-Chew – “H Is for Happiness,” “Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid”
Producers Mariela Besuievsky – “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote,” “The Secret in Their Eyes” Cale Boyter – “Dune,” “Pacific Rim Uprising” Chad Burris – “Collisions,” “Drunktown’s Finest” Damon D’Oliveira – “The Grizzlies,” “Love Come Down” Luc Déry – “Gabrielle,” “Monsieur Lazhar” Michael Downey – “Elvis Walks Home,” “Light Thereafter” Yaël Fogiel – “Memoir of War,” “Latest News of the Cosmos” Cristina Gallego – “Birds of Passage,” “Embrace of the Serpent” Laetitia Gonzales – “Plot 35,” “Tournée” Pauline Gygax – “With the Wind,” “My Life as a Zucchini” Margot Hand – “Passing,” “Brittany Runs a Marathon” Jojo Hui – “Better Days,” “Dearest” Eva Jakobsen – “Miss Viborg,” “Godless” Lucas Joaquin – “Mayday,” “Love Is Strange” Lizette Jonjic – “12 Dares,” “Guerrilla” Thanassis Karathanos – “The Man Who Sold His Skin,” “Tulpan” Kim McCraw – “Drunken Birds,” “Incendies” Sev Ohanian – “Run,” “Searching” Christina Piovesan – “The Nest,” “Amreeka” Natalie Qasabian – “Run,” “All about Nina” Philippe Rousselet – “CODA,” “Source Code” Sara Silveira – “Good Manners,” “Vazante” James Stark – “Prayers for the Stolen,” “Mystery Train” Riccardo Tozzi – “La Nostra Vita,” “Don’t Move” Shih-Ching Tsou – “Red Rocket,” “The Florida Project” Nadia Turincev – “The Insult,” The Boss’s Daughter” Tim White – “King Richard,” “Ingrid Goes West” Trevor White – “King Richard,” “LBJ” Teruhisa Yamamoto – “Drive My Car,” “Wife of a Spy” Olena Yershova – “Brighton 4th,” “Volcano”
Production Design François Audouy – “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “Ford v Ferrari” Laura Ballinger Gardner – “The Irishman,” “Joker” Chris Baugh – “Steve Jobs,” “Argo” Ellen Brill – “Being the Ricardos,” “Bombshell” Joanna Bush – “La La Land,” “Life of Pi” Christina Cecili – “Cyrano,” “A Quiet Place” John Coven – “The Lion King,” “Logan” Carol Flaisher – “Wonder Woman 1984,” “Miss Sloane” Sandy Hamilton – “tick, tick…BOOM!,” “Joker” Ellen Lampl – “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Jurassic World” Enrico Latella – “Tenet,” “All the Money in the World” Steven Lawrence – “Death on the Nile,” “Cinderella” Melissa Levander – “The Tender Bar,” “The High Note” Drew Petrotta – “The Suicide Squad,” “Captain Marvel” Jean-Vincent Puzos – “Jungle Cruise,” “Amour” Maya Shimoguchi – “Ford v Ferrari,” “Men in Black 3”
Short Films and Feature Animation Murad Abu Eisheh – “Tala’vision,” “Ta Hariri” Olivier Adam – “Sing 2,” “Minions” Michael Arias – “Harmony,” “Tekkonkinkreet” Evren Boisjoli – “Fauve,” “What Remains” Maria Brendle – “Ala Kachuu – Take and Run,” “The Stowaway” Sean Buckelew – “Drone,” “Hopkins & Delaney LLP” Olivier Calvert – “Bad Seeds,” “Animal Behaviour” Enrico Casarosa – “Luca,” “La Luna” Karla Castañeda – “La Noria (The Waterwheel),” “Jacinta” Hugo Covarrubias – “Bestia,” “The Night Upside Down” K.D. Dávila – “Please Hold,” “Emergency” Charlotte De La Gournerie – “Flee,” “Terra Incognita” Luc Desmarchelier – “The Bad Guys,” “Open Season” Anton Dyakov – “Boxballet,” “Vivat Musketeers!” Brian Falconer – “Saul & I,” “Boogaloo and Graham” Youssef Joe Haidar – “Scoob!,” “Animated American” Andy Harkness – “Vivo,” “Get a Horse!” Pierre Hébert – “Thunder River,” “Memories of War” Aneil Karia – “The Long Goodbye,” “Work” Brooke Keesling – “Meatclown,” “Boobie Girl” Nadine Lüchinger – “Ala Kachuu – Take and Run,” “Puppenspiel (Puppet Play)” Tadeusz Łysiak – “The Dress,” “Techno” Joe Mateo – “Blush,” “Big Hero 6” Sharon Maymon – “Skin,” “Summer Vacation” Kathleen McInnis – “Mama,” “Downturn” Yvett Merino – “Encanto,” “Wreck-It Ralph” Alberto Mielgo – “The Windshield Wiper,” “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” Les Mills – “Affairs of the Art,” “The Canterbury Tales” Jetzabel Moreno Hernández – “The Followers,” “Plums and Green Smoke” Dan Ojari – “Robin Robin,” “Slow Derek” Brian Pimental – “Tarzan,” “A Goofy Movie” Mikey Please – “Robin Robin,” “The Eagleman Stag” Erin Ramos – “Encanto,” “Frozen II” Mike Rianda – “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” Doug Roland – “Feeling Through,” “A Better Way” Leo Sanchez – “The Windshield Wiper,” “Over the Moon” Marc J. Scott – “The Boss Baby: Family Business,” “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” Sarah Smith – “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” “Arthur Christmas” Daniel Šuljić – “From Under Which Rock Did They Crawl Out,” “The Cake” Conrad Vernon – “The Addams Family,” “Shrek 2” Pamela Ziegenhagen-Shefland – “Abominable,” “The Emperor’s New Groove”
Sound Douglas Axtell – “True Grit,” “I Am Sam” Nerio Barberis – “Violeta al Fin,” “Find a Boyfriend for My Wife…Please!” Amanda Beggs – “The Forever Purge,” “Finding ’Ohana” Adrian Bell – “Mothering Sunday,” “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” Joshua Berger – “King Richard,” “The Lost City of Z” Paul (Salty) Brincat – “The Invisible Man,” “The Thin Red Line” Tom Yong-Jae Burns – “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” “Blade Runner 2049” Benjamin A. Burtt – “Dolittle,” “Black Panther” Simon Chase – “Belfast,” “Artemis Fowl” Brian Chumney – “West Side Story,” “The Croods: A New Age” Richard Flynn – “The Power of the Dog,” “Slow West” Albert Gasser – “Straight Outta Compton,” “Dances With Wolves” Lewis Goldstein – “In the Heights,” “Hereditary” Theo Green – “Dune,” “Blade Runner 2049” James Harrison – “No Time to Die,” “Captain Phillips” John Hayes – “The King’s Man,” “Tom and Jerry” Ruth Hernandez – “The United States vs. Billie Holiday,” “Brooklyn’s Finest” Huang Zheng – “Better Days,” “Chongqing Hot Pot” Thomas Huhn – “The Wife,” “White God” David Husby – “Tomorrowland,” “Elf” Allison Jackson – “Don’t Think Twice,” “Beasts of the Southern Wild” Paul Ledford – “One Night in Miami,” “Logan” Leff Lefferts – “Vivo,” “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” Nancy MacLeod – “The Revenant,” “The Hunger Games” Charles Maynes – “After Earth,” “Letters from Iwo Jima” Alan Meyerson – “Dune,” “Inception” Casey Stone – “Frozen,” “Tsotsi” Edward Tise – “Into the Wild,” “Full Metal Jacket” Jana Vance – “Cast Away,” “Saving Private Ryan” Tara Webb – “The Power of the Dog,” “Mortal Kombat” Waldir Xavier – “From Afar,” “Central Station” Denise Yarde – “Belfast,” “Dumbo”
Visual Effects Ivy Agregan – “India Sweets and Spices,” “Wakefield” Geeta Basantani – “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Vivo” Aharon Bourland – “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” “Venom” Ivan Busquets – “Malignant,” “The Irishman” Joe Ceballos – “Skyscraper,” “Thor: Ragnarok” Richard Anthony Clegg – “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms,” “Blade Runner 2049” Mark Curtis – “Sully,” “Spectre” Markus Degen – “The King’s Man,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” Jack Edjourian – “Top Gun: Maverick,” “Tenet” Eric Enderton – “Shark Tale,” “Jurassic Park” Marcos Fajardo Orellana – “Thor,” “Monster House” Joel Green – “No Time to Die,” “The Kid Who Would Be King” Earl Hibbert – “The Fate of the Furious,” “Guardians of the Galaxy” Hayley Hubbard – “The Old Guard,” “Dumbo” Maia Kayser – “Rango,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End” Garrett Lam – “Limbo,” “Shock Wave 2” Jake Maymudes – “Dune,” “Terminator: Dark Fate” Catherine Ann Mullan – “Dumbo,” “Maleficent” Charlie Noble – “No Time to Die,” “Wonder Woman 1984” J. Alan Scott – “Finch,” “The Lost World: Jurassic Park” Tefft Smith – “Alice through the Looking Glass,” “Tomorrowland” Alan Travis – “Black Widow,” “The Irishman” Michael Van Eps – “Deepwater Horizon,” “Poseidon” Sean Noel Walker – “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings,” “Black Widow” Vernon Wilbert – “Stealth,” “I, Robot” Eric Jay Wong – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Lucy” Kevin Wooley – “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” “Jurassic World” Wei Zheng – “Mank,” “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”
Writers Zach Baylin – “King Richard” Henry Bean – “The Believer,” “Deep Cover” Pawo Choyning Dorji* – “Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom” Michael Grais – “Cool World,” “Poltergeist” Ted Griffin – “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Ravenous” Ryusuke Hamaguchi* – “Drive My Car,” “Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy” Jeremy O Harris – “Zola” Sian Harries Heder* – “CODA,” “Tallulah” Mike Jones – “Luca,” “Soul” Reema Kagti – “Gully Boy,” “Gold” Adele Lim – “Raya and the Last Dragon,” “Crazy Rich Asians” Craig Mazin – “Identity Thief,” “The Hangover Part II” Margaret Nagle – “With/In,” “The Good Lie” Takamasa Oe – “Drive My Car,” “Beautiful Method” Alex Ross Perry – “Her Smell,” “Listen Up Philip” Adam Rifkin – “Giuseppe Makes a Movie,” “Small Soldiers” Jordan Roberts – “Big Hero 6,” “3, 2, 1…Frankie Go Boom” Katie Silberman – “Booksmart,” “Isn’t It Romantic” Randi Mayem Singer – “Tooth Fairy,” “Mrs. Doubtfire” Jon Spaihts – “Dune,” “Doctor Strange” Małgorzata Szumowska – “Never Gonna Snow Again,” “Elles” Mark A. Victor – “Cool World,” “Poltergeist”
Members-at-Large Keith Adams Josiah Akinyele Richard Berger Andrew Birch Andrew Cannava George Drakoulias Andrew Dunlap Erin Dusseault James Farrell Valerie Flueger Veras Andy Fowler Glenn Kiser Anne Lai Susan Lazarus Joe Machota Leonard Maltin Deborah McIntosh Julia Michels Daniel Rabinow Ilda Santiago Danie Streisand Matt Sullivan Anne Lajla Utsi Matt Vioral Michael Zink
Nelson posted a video of himself performing the song, along with its lyrics, on Instagram Sunday, saying he’d written the song the night before. Accompanied by some simple acoustic finger-picking, Nelson sings about three women forced to bring their pregnancies to term despite the extreme circumstances surrounding them, such as date rape, incest, and a miscarriage.
“Now the stars don’t shine for her at night,” Nelson sings on the chorus, “They’re just holes in the sky/They don’t give no light/And the darkness lingers/Endlessly/For she must carry the seed.”
Filmmakers have a special place in their hearts for film festivals hosted in small theaters, in idyllic local neighborhoods, with thoughtful Q&As, and crowds as interesting as the films themselves. In many ways, that’s the kind of festival QDoc, The Portland Queer Documentary Film Festival offers itself as.
QDoc is the only festival in the US dedicated solely to LGBTQ+ nonfiction, and it makes space, like no other, for queer and trans documentarians. As with many good things, small festivals like this one were among the most impacted by COVID, but now, after a two-year hiatus and much uncertainty about the future, QDoc is set to return this November.
Like many Portlanders, festival director Molly King and her partner, Deb Kemp, who serves as a programer, fell in love with the festival attending one of their many colorful screenings. In this case, it was Packed in a Trunk, with filmmakers in attendance. Little did the couple know then that they would come to inherit QDoc from former festival directors Russ Gage and David Weissman, who founded the festival back in 2007. As Weissman recounts, meeting King and Kemp was the chance encounter that saved QDoc, as the two founding leaders needed to move on to other projects after a decade of running the festival.
Both Gage and Weissman moved to Portland from San Francisco, where they were heavily involved in Frameline, the world’s oldest LGBTQ+ film festival. Gage served as the director of operations and Weissman is a filmmaker, notably behind such films as We Were Here and The Cockettes. Both wanted to bring a similar queer space to Portland, but particularly for documentaries, which they both saw as underserved at mixed-genre festivals.
“We wanted it to be laser-focused on documentary films,” Gage maintains, reflecting on his motivations for starting the festival. “There is no better art form than documentary to capture and relate the rich and often-times hidden history of the LGBTQ+ community.”
So the two got to work, spending what little they had, prioritizing filmmaker attendance and carefully curating a first-of-its-kind program. The first festival opened with the trans documentary Red without Blue, with filmmakers and participants in attendance. As the years went on, the festival’s size remained the same, but its reputation as a summit for queer creators grew, attracting filmmakers from all over the world. Weissman saw this as the key to a meaningful festival. “I can’t tell you how many of the filmmakers who came, subsequently for many years, said that it was the best film festival experience they had,” he maintains. “It was that sense of being a real gathering place.”
Today, that desire to be a “gathering place” for LGBTQ+ filmmakers and audiences alike remains strong. It’s why King made the difficult decision to suspend the festival for two years instead of following some festivals in presenting the screenings virtually.
“So much of what makes QDoc what it is, is the gathering of friends and chosen family,” King notes. “Not being able to commune and gather with our community was probably the biggest challenge.”
As with many festivals that return to a “new normal,” challenges still remain. It will be a particularly demanding year for the festival, now in its 14th year, to bring audiences back to the theaters after a long hiatus. King has faith in the dedication of her long-time community to return to the theater for their LGBTQ+ nonfiction fix, but also felt returning in 2022 was vital in the face of increased hostility towards trans and queer people.
“Visibility and representation affirms us, inspires us, sometimes even saves us,” King asserts. “With our changing political climate and threats of our rights being taken away, it is absolutely necessary that we remain vigilant in elevating, celebrating, and supporting LGBTQ+ voices and creators.”
QDoc, The Portland Queer Documentary Film Festival will return November 11 – 13, 2022. Learn more on their website qdocfilmfest.org.
Hansen Bursic is a documentary filmmaker and journalist with words in CinéSPEAK, QBurgh, and Documentary magazine. He currently serves as the Marketing Manager at Outfest, which runs the world’s largest LGBTQ film festival.
