“We’re going to do it because we’re lucky enough people care,” Lawrence said about a potential revival of his long-running medical sitcom.
After spanning eight seasons, two networks, and a ninth season subtitled “Med School,” there still may be more “Scrubs” on the way.
On Sunday morning, much of the cast as well as the creator, Bill Lawrence, gathered for a reunion panel at the ATX Television Festival in Austin, TX. Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Sarah Chalke, John C. McGinley, Judy Reyes, and Neil Flynn took the stage to remember their long-running comedy, and, as these things tend to do, attention eventually turned toward a possible reboot involving the original cast and crew.
“I think we all kinda want it,” Faison said. “We would all love to work together again. It’s just really hard. It can’t be a full season of a show. It would have to be a movie or something. […] This dude [Bill Lawrence] is never going to be free again.”
Lawrence is currently the showrunner on “Ted Lasso,” which is preparing its third season for Apple TV+, and he’s also working on the “Clone High” revival. In February, he signed a new overall deal with Warner Bros. TV, after announcing two new shows in development at Apple: “Bad Monkey” starring Vince Vaughn and “Shrinking” with Jason Segel.
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“We can’t possibly do anything without the wunderkind here,” Zach Braff said about a potential revival. “But if he finds the time, [we would, too.]”
“We’re gonna do it,” Flynn said, to applause from the packed Paramount Theater crowd.
“We’re going to do it because we’re lucky enough people care,” Lawrence said. “If you’re lucky enough to be able to work with the people you love, run to it.”
The cast and creator were clear that nothing formal is in the works. “Scrubs” last aired in 2010, won two Emmys, and was twice nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. The series is available to stream in full on Hulu, which was oft-encouraged during the 90-minute panel discussion moderated by Variety’s Michael Schneider.
“We all thought we were going to be canceled after one year,” Lawrence said, citing network executives’ skepticism over the comedy’s third episode, which was framed around a statistic that one in three patients admitted to a hospital will die there.
“I had to tell the network that the gut punch at the end was all three die,” he said. Their response? “‘Can just one of them die?’ And I said, no, they all have to die. ‘Can they all be kinda racist so we’re happy they die?’ No, no.”
But the mix of humor and heart proved a hit with audiences and went on to win a Peabody Award. The cast remained close in the years since it ended, including a late-night dinner in Austin preceding Sunday morning’s reunion.
“It’s so special,” Chalke said. “We were talking last night about how we’re all still chasing it [in our other work.] It’s hard to replicate that experience.”
“Scrubs” has endured with fans, as well. Braff and Faison host a podcast where they recap episodes and invite guests, including Lawrence, McGinley, and more, to join them for certain episodes. For Reyes, the podcast has proven particularly rewarding.
“Because of that podcast, my kids started watching ‘Scrubs,’” she said. “And they like it. I’m cool now.”
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HBO’s intricate drama series unveiled its Season 4 key art — along with a slew of other teases — Saturday night in Austin, TX.
Few characters have died more than Teddy on HBO’s award-winning drama “Westworld,” so imagine the shock Austin audiences felt when James Marsden showed up, alive and in-person, to confirm the beloved character’s return in Season 4.
During the ATX TV Festival’s Closing Night panel for the series, Marsden made a surprise appearance when he stood up in the theater and posed a direct question to the panelists: “Will Teddy come back in Season 4?” Co-creator Lisa Joy, who was on stage for the discussion, confirmed his return to a chorus of deafening cheers.
A bit of background: In the first season of “Westworld,” Teddy Flood (played by Marsden) was a classic hero. His love for Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood) led him to rescue her (or try to) time and time again, which also meant he would fail to rescue her just as often, if not more so. Any park visitor who donned a black hat saw Teddy as the enemy, and he suffered the consequences an incalculable number of times.
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He was, after all, a host. And hosts are built to serve the guests — again, and again, and again.
But in Season 2, when Dolores tried to lead a host rebellion, she changed Teddy’s programming to make him more aggressive. He became her enforcer, doling out death instead of succumbing to it. But the new directive didn’t click. Teddy couldn’t handle the harm he inflicted, and eventually killed himself in front of Dolores. In Season 3, Teddy (and Marsden) did not appear.
How he fits into Season 4 is being kept under wraps, but the “Westworld” team — represented by Joy, Wood, executive producer Allison Schapker, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Hemsworth, Angela Sarafyan, and new cast member Aurora Perrineau — did reveal a number of curious facets for the upcoming episodes.
For one, Dolores — who died in the Season 3 finale — really is dead. Wood returns as a character named Christina, living in a city that looks a lot like New York and who’s friends with Ariana DeBose’s yet-to-be-named new character.
“She’s a normal woman living in a big city just trying to make it as a writer,” Wood said of Christina. “Nothing ever happens to her. […] I think that’s all I can say.”
Yet Wood went on to say that Christina is trying to date, but “it’s slim pickings out there,” even when Christina is “not as maniacal and murdery as Dolores.”
While not named, Perrineau’s new character was revealed in a clip exclusive to ATX TV Festival attendees, where she picks up Stubbs (Hemsworth) and Bernard (Wright) after a violent confrontation outside a diner. The two hosts need help, and despite her wariness, she seems agreeable to their plan.
Perrineau said she was slightly intimidated about jumping into such a high-profile series filled with secrets. But she felt right at home when, on her first day shooting, Wright and Hemsworth just kept cracking jokes.
“I was actually really scared,” she said, “but then I was like, ‘Oh, everyone’s nice!’ It was really fun to jump in.”
“Aurora kicks ass,” Wright said of his new co-star.
“Way better than Jeffrey,” Hemsworth said.
While Aaron Paul, Thandiwe Newton, and Ed Harris were not in attendance, Joy said the new season picks up seven years after the end of Season 3. “Maeve is on a warrior’s journey,” she said. “They’ve gone on with their lives after being freed by Dolores.”
After depicting a future version of Los Angeles in Season 3, Season 4 shot in New York City, Cabo, Big Bear (in California), and at the Hoover Dam.
“To be honest, we were surprised they let us [shoot there,]” Joy said of the nearly 100-year-old damn on the border of Nevada and Arizona.
“Westworld” Season 4 premieres Sunday, June 26 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO. Check out the new key art — which Joy mocked up herself using scotch tape — below.
If you’re looking for a movie to honor veterans this holiday, look no further than Da 5 Bloods on Netflix. With artistic flair, gorgeous cinematography, and a career-defining performance from Delroy Lindo, Spike Lee created a war movie that examines the way racism, trauma, imperialism, and violence are tragically, inextricably intertwined. It’s…
Kosinski is amazed that Disney greenlit his “Tron” sequel in the first place: “I don’t think that movie would get made today.”
Joseph Kosinski has quietly established himself as Hollywood’s top director of sequels that were 30 years in the making. The success of “Top Gun: Maverick” currently has him on top of the world, but it was not the first time he updated a 1980s classic for contemporary audiences. In 2010, Kosinski made his directorial debut with “Tron: Legacy,” Disney’s sequel to 1982’s “Tron.”
The film was polarizing, but its status among cinephiles has grown in recent years. Its dazzling special effects and unique creative choices (such as hiring Daft Punk to write the score), have turned the film into something of a cult classic. Kosinski’s planned sequel, “Tron: Ascension,” never materialized, but it has become a captivating “what if?” story for many fans of the film.
In a new interview with Vulture, Kosinski opened up about how close he came to making the threequel, and shared his thoughts on why the film never materialized.
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“I got so close. I really tried. I got close in 2015, and Disney pulled the plug on it. I hadn’t built anything, but I had the whole movie storyboarded and written,” he said. “I was really excited because it was inverting the idea: It was all that stuff coming into our world, and it was about the blending of the two.”
He says that Disney’s increased reliance on franchises like “Star Wars” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is partially to blame for the sequel’s fate, because the entertainment giant chose to consolidate its blockbuster efforts and focus on high profile intellectual property.
“It was a different Disney by 2015,” he said. “We were the play for fantasy and science fiction. And once you’ve got those other things under your umbrella, it makes sense that you’re going to put your money into a known property and not the weird art student with black fingernails in the corner — that was ‘Tron.’”
But while Kosinski is disappointed that the opportunity to make another “Tron” movie appears to be gone, he takes solace in the fact that such a unique movie was able to be made in the first place.
“To pitch to Disney at that time that we were going to make a $150 million movie with a first-time director, a first-time production designer, actors that had never been in a big movie before, and a score by a French electronic duo that did dance music and literally dressed up as robots,” he said. “I mean, I just can’t believe they said yes. I don’t think that movie would get made today.”
Kate Bush issued a rare statement to address Stranger Things including her song “Running Up That Hill” in its fourth season.
“You might’ve heard that the first part of the fantastic, gripping new series of Stranger Things has recently been released on Netflix. It features the song, ‘Running Up That Hill’ which is being given a whole new lease of life by the young fans who love the show – I love it too!” Bush wrote in a message posted to her website. “Because of this, ‘Running Up That Hill’ is charting around the world and has entered the UK chart at No. 8. It’s all really exciting! Thanks very much to everyone who has supported the song. I wait with bated breath for the rest of the series in July.”
Bush is not one to license her music for film and television; however, her personal Stranger Things fandom led her to make an exception. The decision has proven to be a good one. “Running Up That Hill,” which was the first single off Bush’s 1985 album Hounds of Love, has since spiked by 8,700% in global Spotify streams and topped both Spotify’s US Daily chart and iTunes’ sales chart.
Stranger Things Season 4, Volume 2 is set to premiere on July 1 via Netflix.
Get festive this holiday season with the American Masters playlist, comprised of performers we’ve featured throughout the series. From Bing Crosby to Jimi Hendrix, from country to reggae, enjoy each American Master putting their spin on holiday classics.
So sit around the PBS NewsHour Yule log and cozy up for this eclectic mix of American Masters holiday songs:
Roland Garros has been his abode for years. And no amount of injury or age, it turns out, can cause him discomfort at the French Open. On Sunday, Nadal won his record 14th French Open title—and 22nd major championship, the most-ever for a men’s player—beating Casper Ruud of Norway, 6-3, 6-3, 6-0. On his second championship point, Nadal fired a backhand winner along the the right sideline; he put his hands over his mouth, tossed his racquet against the bench, and raised his arms, enveloped by the adoring Paris cheers.
The Spanish superstar increased his majors margin over rivals Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer to two—both those players trail him with 20. He’s now tied with Steffi Graf for the second-most majors, for a woman or man, in the Open Era: now in his sights, the all-time record, 23 major singles titles, held by Serena Williams.
Hanging over this victory, however, is the question of how long Nadal can keep playing, and the distinct possibility that we have seen the last of Nadal at Roland Garros. Nadal has been open about how chronic foot pain has disturbed his life. “Unfortunately, my day-to-day is difficult,” Nadal said in mid-May. His status for Wimbledon, the next Grand Slam event on the tennis calendar, remains in question: Nadal’s publicist has said he will “try everything within limits” to compete at Wimbledon. Before this year, Nadal has never won the season’s first two majors—the Australian Open and French Open—in the same year. So missing Wimbledon, where Nadal is a two-time champ, would forfeit his chance to take all four major tournaments in the same year; no men’s player has won such a Grand Slam since Rod Laver in 1969.
Even so, Nadal’s continues a golden era for aging men’s players. Nadal has now won 8 Grand Slam championships after his 30th birthday, as has Djokovic. Roger Federer took two titles at age 35, and another at 36. Other champions of the past haven’t sustained such success: Pete Sampras, for example, won a single title after turning 30.
Nadal simply dominated Ruud, 23, the first Norwegian player to make a Grand Slam final. Ruud grew up idolizing Nadal, and trains at Nadal’s academy in Spain; the pair have trained together and have a strong relationship. Ruud can’t help but remain in awe of him after Nadal’s performance. If Ruud dried a drop shot, odds are a relentless Nadal would bull-charge towards the net to smack it past his opponent. In the second set, Ruud broke Nadal’s serve to go up 3-1. Would this be a turning point? Nadal, however, broke right back, and didn’t lose a game the rest of the match. Nadal won 11 straight games to dispatch his training buddy. He’s now 14-0 in French Open finals.
Nadal beat Ruud 17 years to the day after he won his first French title, while wearing white capri pants and a headband, just after turning 19-years-old. After the match on Sunday, Nadal said this victory was more emotionally satisfying than that one, given how surprised he was, after fighting injuries, to be holding the trophy nearly two decades later.
Earlier in the year, Nadal came back from a two-set deficit against Russia’s Daniil Medvedev to win the Australian Open; this year’s French proved that in the biggest moments, he can crush his opponents while ahead, or still fight to the finish from behind. He is, quite simply, one of the greatest forces in all-sports history. Pain may keep him out of Wimbledon and prevent him from winning more championships, but the beauty of Rafael Nadal: you can never doubt him. He’s at 22. And counting.
MTV is hosting an “epic” ceremony on one-night for its 2022 Movie & TV Awards and Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED. This year’s presenters include Chris Evans, Joe Keery, Chrishell Stause and Kristin Cavallari, with the one-night event taking place at the Barker Hangar in Los Angeles. The MTV Movie & TV Awards opened polls for fans to vote for their favorite nominees from May 11 to May 18, and now it’s time to find out who won.
Below, we’ve rounded up all the viewing details you need to watch the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards.
When Are the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards?
This year’s MTV Movie & TV Awards and Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED will take place Sunday, June 5 starting at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT, with both ceremonies airing during one epic telecast.
Will the MTV Movie & TV Awards aBe Streaming?
The MTV Movie & TV Awards will be streaming live on Paramount+, for which you can get a weeklong free trial. The monthly subscription price is $4.99. And for those who still have cable, the ceremony will of course air on MTV.
Who Is Nominated for the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards?
Top scripted nominees include “Spider-Man: No Way Home” with a total of seven nominations, “Euphoria” holding six, and “The Batman” trailing behind with four. New shows nominated include “Inventing Anna,” “Moon Knight,” “Pam & Tommy,” and “The Dropout.” Two new categories were added for this year’s ceremony: “Best Song” & “Here For The Hookup,” joining the other 12 categories.
Check out the nominees below.
BEST MOVIE
“Dune”
“Scream”
“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings”
“Spider-Man: No Way Home”
“The Adam Project”
“The Batman”
BEST SHOW
“Euphoria”
“Inventing Anna”
“Loki”
“Squid Game”
“Ted Lasso”
“Yellowstone”
BEST KISS
Hunter Schafer & Dominic Fike – “Euphoria”
Lily Collins & Lucien Laviscount – “Emily in Paris”
Poopies & the snake – “Jackass Forever”
Robert Pattinson & Zoë Kravitz – “The Batman”
Tom Holland & Zendaya – “Spider-Man: No Way Home”
BEST FIGHT
Black Widow vs. Widows – “Black Widow”
Cassie vs. Maddy – “Euphoria”
Guy vs. Dude – “Free Guy”
Shang-Chi bus fight – “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”
Spider-Men end battle – “Spider-Man: No Way Home”
Who Is Nominated for the 2022 MTV Movie & TV Awards: UNSCRIPTED?
Unscripted top nominees are led by “RuPaul’s Drag Race” with a total of four nominations, and second place is tied between “Selling Sunset” and “Summer House” both holding three nominations. Similar to the scripted segment, the unscripted segment added new categories, including “Best Reality Return,” “Best Music Documentary,” “Best Reality Romance” & “Best Reality Star” joining the other eight categories.
BEST DOCU-REALITY SERIES
“Jersey Shore: Family Vacation”
“Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta”
“Selling Sunset”
“Summer House”
“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”
BEST COMPETITION SERIES
“American Idol”
“Dancing with the Stars”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“The Challenge: Spies, Lies & Allies”
“The Masked Singer”
BEST MUSIC DOCUMENTARY
“JANET JACKSON.”
“jeen-yuhs: AKanye Trilogy”
“Oasis Knebworth 1996”
“Olivia Rodrigo: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film)”
“The Beatles: Get Back”
BEST REALITY RETURN
Bethenny Frankel – “The Big Shot with Bethenny”
Kylie Sonique Love – “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars”
Paris Hilton – “Cooking with Paris & Paris in Love”
Sher – “Ex on the Beach”
Tami Roman – “The Real World Homecoming: Los Angeles”
You can view the full list of nominees for all categories here.
YouTube is launching gifted memberships in beta, and they’ll be available for select channels beginning Wednesday. Memberships are YouTube’s take on Twitch’s subscriptions, which viewers can use to show financial support for creators and get access to certain perks like custom emoji. Twitch users have been able to buy gift subscriptions for some time, but if you’ve wanted to buy gift memberships to other fans of a YouTube channel, you haven’t been able to.
The memberships gifting beta will be available to a “small group of creators” to start and will be expanded to more “over the next several months,” YouTube says on a page about the feature. Channels interested in trying the feature can fill out this Google Form, though you’ll need to already be eligible to enable memberships in the first place, which has its own set of requirements. And gifting will only be available for viewers using a desktop browser window to start — buying gift memberships on mobile is something YouTube plans to have in place for the feature’s full launch.
Viewers will also have to opt-in to be able to receive gifted memberships on a channel (which could be a way to prevent harassment, like the changes YouTube made to its version of raids). Gifted memberships will appear in the chat, and you’ll have to click a link and then a toggle to allow gifts. You can get an idea of what the experience looks like in this screenshot, taken from a GIF from YouTube:
Click the toggle to be able to receive gifted memberships.Image: YouTube
“With Memberships Gifting, your channel members can buy a set number of channel memberships [5, 10, 20] in a single purchase, that YouTube will ‘gift’ out to other viewers in your live stream,” YouTube says. “Viewers who receive a gift membership get 1 month of access to your channel membership perks like loyalty badges, custom emoji and more. Viewers who receive gift memberships do not pay any charges and as the creator, you receive your usual revenue share from each transaction.”
Gifted memberships are just the latest YouTube versions of major Twitch features introduced to better compete with Amazon’s popular streaming service. But YouTube hasn’t only been competing on features — it’s also enticed some huge Twitch names, including DrLupo, TimTheTatman, Ludwig, and, in a deal announced just last week, Sykkuno, to stream exclusively on its platform.
Paul Vance, the songwriter behind a string of hits in the 1950s and ’60s, has died at age 92.
Vance died on May 30 at a nursing facility in West Palm Beach, Florida, while accompanied by his daughter Paula Heart, the Washington Post reported.
The songwriter was best known for the 1960 hit Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini, which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.
Hitmaker: Paul Vance, the songwriter behind Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini, died May 30 at a nursing facility in West Palm Beach, Florida, at age 92, according to the Washington Post; seen in 2014 in Delray Beach, Florida
Vance, who regularly co-write with Lee Pockriss — who died in 2011 — churned out a variety of bubblegum pop hits, including Catch A Falling Star, Playground of My Mind and Tracy.
The two worked together at the iconic Brill Building in Manhattan, which served as a home for numerous famous songwriters, including Burt Bacharach, Carol King, Neil Sedaka, Paul Simon and many others.
Vance and Pockriss’ single Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini was written earlier in the 1950s, but it became a hit with Brian Hyland’s 1960 recording, and the song was subsequently rerecorded in several other countries and languages.
Vance was reportedly inspired to write the song after his daughter was too embarrassed to wear a bikini in public, as they were considered rather risqué at the time.
It’s a hit! Vance and his regular co-writer Lee Pockriss had a hit on their song after Brian Hyland’s 1960 recording of Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini went to number one; seen in 2015
In a loving Facebook post announcing his death, Vance’s daughter Paula — the same one who was shy about wearing a bikini as a child — wrote that she was by his side when he died.
She said that she ‘sat by his side for hours playing beautiful music, mostly his Ofcourse [sic].’
Among the tunes played in his final moments was his single Playground In My Mind, which was partly sung on the choruses by his son Philip, along with Clint Holmes.
Philip preceded him in death at age 44 in 2009.
According to his children, Vance’s health had been declining for over a year, though they didn’t specify his cause of death.
Saying goodbye: Vance’s daughter Paula wrote on Facebook that she was by his side. They listened to some of his classic tunes, including Playground In My Mind, which was sung by his late son Philip
Prior to breaking out as a songwriter, Vance made ends meet in the 1950s by running an auto salvage yard in Brooklyn.
But the success of his Pockriss collaboration Catch A Falling Star in 1957 — recorded by Perry Como — gave him the funding and profile necessary to devote himself to songwriting full time.
Vance focused on the lyrics in his collaborations, while Pockriss was in charge of the ear worm melodies.
Starting in the 1960s, Vance took up an interest in horse racing, and he later moved to South Florida to enjoy his retirement in the heat.
His wife Margaret Curte Vance, whom he was married to for more than 60 years, died in 2012.
He is survived by his children Joseph, Paula and Connie, along with a sister, nine grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Moving on up: Prior to breaking out as a songwriter, Vance made ends meet in the 1950s by running an auto salvage yard in Brooklyn, until the 1957 Perry Como recording of Catch A Falling Star became a success; seen in 2015
Chhorii Director: Vishal Furia Cast: Nushrratt Bharuccha, Mita Vashisht
Director Vishal Furia’s horror film Chhorii has a deep and hard-hitting meaning behind it’s title, which gets revealed towards the climax, but the dull pacing of this gem of a script undoes the pleasure of numerous thrills it sets out to scare us with.
Vishal’s film is a remake of his own Marathi sleeper success Lapachhapi. Not only was the story the star in it, but a very nuanced performance by leading lady Pooja Sawant added more depth and a nerve-racking effect to it. In Chhorii, the offbeat director has the same vision and set-up, but the performance of Nushrratt Bharuccha as Sakshi is very limited, and so is the impact. The original was a slow burn and things get pacy towards the second half. But Chhorii is just slow paced and that is the biggest minus point in it.
Sakhsi is expecting to be a mother soon. It is her eighth month into pregnancy when she learns that her husband Hemant (Saurabh Goyal) is in deep trouble with some bad guys over money. They decide to leave the city at once and their trusted driver Kajla (Rajesh Jais) offers his place in a village outside town as sanctuary for a few days. It is here the horrors, both real and supernatural, begin to unfold as Sakshi learns that neither she nor her unborn child is safe.
Mita Vashisht plays a secretive Bhanno Devi, who, as the story unfolds, is revealed to be far from the caring mother-figure she is pretending to be. Chhorii has all the horror movie tropes in it– a secluded location, a vulnerable character and evil spirits, but the effect of each of these aspects individually and combined is missing. Nushrratt isn’t able to channel the fear for her unborn child rightly for most part of the runtime. Thus, in moments that should ideally evoke anxiety in viewers, they turn out to be without the desired impact.
The slow pacing of the film robs us off the joy of jump scares too. Towards the end, the climax feels stretched as the film rounds off with an important message.
Chhorii may serve as an incentive to revisit the original, Lapachhapi. It is more raw, has an indie spirit and is driven from very strong performances of the leading ladies Pooja and Usha Naik.
There is no stopping Top Gun: Maverick and the film is continuing to give Paramount Pictures a reason to celebrate an already stellar year for the studio. Normally films coming off big opening weekends and a holiday tend to have steeper drops in week 2 but not Top Gun: Maverick. In fact, the Top Gun sequel has the best second-weekend drop for a wide release opening over $100 million.
Top Gun: Maverick eased a pretty slim 32% this weekend to gross $86 million. The film is now officially Tom Cruise’s biggest movie on the domestic front and its performance is nothing short of amazing. For comparison’s sake, Star Wars: The Force Awakens declined 40% in its second weekend back in December of 2015 and Shrek 2 dipped 33% in week 2 back in 2004.
Per Deadline, via EntTelligence, 6.5 million moviegoers came out for Top Gun: Maverick this weekend which brings its running admission count to 22 million people. This is a matter of repeat business and casual moviegoers who gave the film a chance after hearing about how great it is. The sequel is also playing very broadly. This isn’t just fans of the 1986 movie coming out to reunite with Maverick. It’s attracting a wide range of demographics. 38% of the crowd was over 45 while the 25-34 crowd is coming in at 24% with 45-54-year-old moviegoers representing 20%.
The film also benefitted from zero competition this weekend and it will be interesting to see how it holds next weekend when Jurassic World: Dominion opens. It’s possible that Top Gun: Maverick will hold its own against Chris Pratt and the dinosaurs because we really haven’t seen word of mouth like this for a traditional blockbuster without the Marvel label in a long time. As it stands, Top Gun: Maverick has a running domestic total of $291.6 million and after grossing an additional $81.7 million from overseas markets, the film has a global tally of $548.6 million.
As expected, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness maintains second place with a gross of $9.3 million. That’s a decline of 42% and it should be noted that Doctor Strange hasn’t seen a decline of 50% or more since opening and that’s even with competition from Top Gun: Maverick. Not easy to do when two blockbusters are in play and I honestly think it shows people are just excited to get back to movies and are spreading the wealth. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness now brings its domestic total to $388.7 million and a mighty $909.4 million worldwide without major players like China or Russia in play.
The Bob’s Burgers Movie remains in third place this weekend with a gross of $4.5 million. That’s a steep decline of 64% but it was kind of expected because the fanbase of the show came out for it last weekend and it’s playing to a rather niche audience. To date, The Bob’s Burgers Movie has grossed $22.2 million at the domestic box office.
Still maintaining a position in the top five is The Bad Guys, which placed fourth this weekend with a gross of $3.3 million in its seventh weekend of release. That’s another slim drop of 24% as the film continues to lure in kids and families. To date, The Bad Guys has grossed $87.2 million at the domestic box office to date.
Rounding out the top five is Downton Abbey: A New Era, which grossed $3 million over the weekend. That’s a decline of 48% as the film hasn’t really broken out beyond its target audience which didn’t come out for this sequel as they did for its predecessor. The film has grossed $35.7 million domestically to date and I’m guessing it will stall slightly below or right at $40 million, which was the production budget for the film.
While Top Gun: Maverick had the marketplace to itself, David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future opened in limited release in about 773 theaters for a gross of $1.1 million. That’s a per-theater average of $1,423 which is decent but not groundbreaking either. The film played well in big cities but Deadline reports the grosses diminished once they started tracking smaller cities. Cronenberg isn’t really known for big box office so this result isn’t all that surprising but it will be interesting to see how it performs once it opens wide.
What are YOUR thoughts on this weekend’s box office results?
Congratulations are in order! Pretty Little Liars star Shay Mitchell has officially welcomed another baby girl.
On June 4, Mitchell confirmed the news in a new interview with E! News. “I recently just had my second child and this is why this is all so much sweeter because this is the first time I’ve actually been outside of the house since having her,” she said during an event for her travel brand BÉIS at their Los Angeles pop-up shop. “It’s really special to come and visit my other baby.”
According to People, Mitchell gave birth to her daughter two weeks ago, though she has yet to reveal the baby girl’s name. Mitchell now shares two children with her partner Matte Babel. The couple welcomed their first child, daughter Atlas Noa Babel, in 2019.
“I think when you find someone who has the same morals as you, it makes parenting a lot easier,” she told E! News. “It’s definitely a partnership. Finding somebody who has similar morals to you is extremely important.”
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Shay Mitchell announced her she was pregnant with baby number two in February, shortly following the death of her beloved grandmother. “Saying goodbye to a loved one while simultaneously experiencing the joy of welcoming another into this world is the great cycle of life,” she wrote in an Instagram post at the time. “It is also my most challenging season to date. I can’t help but think this was the universe’s plan all along, knowing I would need other worldly joy to cushion the blow of losing one of the most important people in my life.”
She continued, “Yet, this is proof that love, life, and loss can profoundly exist all at the same time. Gram, I miss you every day. Little one, we are so excited to meet you. I breathe a sigh of peace knowing you two are already connected in such a cosmic way.”
The director Robert Rodriguez is best known these days for family entertainment like the “Spy Kids” franchise and sci-fi efforts like “Alita: Battle Angel.” But he broke through as a master of hyperkinetic action, first on the self-financed indie “El Mariachi,” and then with this follow-up, which injected that film’s Spaghetti Western style and filmmaking bravado with studio resources and the stars Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek. Banderas is an enigmatic musician, strolling from one border town to the next with a guitar case full of guns, looking for the man who killed the woman he loved; Hayek is a bookstore owner who bandages his wounds and steals his heart. Their chemistry is off the charts, the action beats are rip-roaring and the cameos are delightful.
Very few films can be said to have “changed everything,” but William Friedkin’s 1973 adaptation of the novel by William Peter Blatty is certainly one of them — a box office smash, a critical success and a certified cultural phenomenon. A haunted Ellen Burstyn stars as a Georgetown actress whose daughter (a powerful Linda Blair) seems controlled by evil forces. Once a sensitive priest (Jason Miller) determines she has been possessed by the devil, a specialist (Max von Sydow) is brought in to rescue her soul. So many of the film’s big moments — the green vomit, the devil voice, the incantations of the exorcism — have been recycled and satirized that you’d think the film would lose its bite, but “The Exorcist” has lost none of its ability to scare and shock.
The actor turned screenwriter Jason Segel and his “Muppets” and “Five Year Engagement” collaborator Nicholas Stoller first teamed up for this 2008 romantic comedy from the producer Judd Apatow. Segal is Peter, a sad-sack composer in a perpetual funk after his breakup with the title character (Kristen Bell), a famous TV actress. In an attempt to escape his depression, he takes a Hawaiian vacation — only to find Sarah at the same resort with her new beau (Russell Brand), a pretentious British pop star. Mila Kunis co-stars as the resort receptionist who presents a new opportunity for love; Bill Hader, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd, and Jack McBrayer turn up in small but uproarious supporting roles.
The idea of falling in love with a virtual assistant might have seemed like pure science fiction when this comedy-drama from the writer and director Spike Jonze hit theaters in 2013; today, the growing ubiquity and sophistication of Siri and Alexa are perhaps making it inevitable. The assistant here is named Samantha and voiced by Scarlett Johansson; her “user” is Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix), who is particularly wounded because of a pending divorce. Jonze’s touching script bypasses the easy, cheap jokes for a penetrating exploration of loneliness and companionship, and Phoenix’s performance is an astonishing symphony of vulnerability and pain.
This 2010 adaptation of the book by Cressida Cowell was one of the family franchise success stories of the decade, spawning two sequels, a TV series, video games and even a live “arena spectacular.” But it is, at its heart, a simple story — something like the “boy and his dog” stories of old, in which the meek young Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchel), intimidated by his dragon-slaying dad (Gerald Butler) teaches himself how to tame the beasts instead. Kids will appreciate the gorgeous animation and the “be yourself” messaging; grown-ups will enjoy the comic supporting cast, which includes Jonah Hill, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Kristen Wiig.
Paramount/Skydance’s “Top Gun: Maverick” cannot be stopped at the box office, as it continues to ride its critical and audience acclaim to an $86 million haul in its second weekend and a 10-day total of $291 million domestic and $548 million worldwide.
That result is the best second weekend hold for any film that has opened to over $100 million, dropping just 32% from the Tom Cruise sequel’s $126.7 million 3-day opening. By comparison, the Marvel films “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” both fell 67% in their second weekend while Warner Bros./DC’s “The Batman” fell 50% in its second weekend back in March.
In addition, “Top Gun 2” is now already Cruise’s highest grossing domestic release before inflation adjustment and Paramount’s highest grossing film since “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” ($352 million) in 2011, ranking in the studio’s top 10 all-time. “Top Gun: Maverick” got here off an audience base that has skewed considerably older than for most blockbusters, with the opening weekend crowd being 55% over the age of 35 while this weekend’s crowd was roughly even between moviegoers over and under age 35.
In a distant second on the box office charts is Marvel Studios’ “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness,” which crossed $900 million worldwide in its fifth weekend with $9.3 million grossed domestically. With $909 million grossed globally, the film now stands among the top 10 highest grossing Marvel Studios releases.
20th Century Studios’ “The Bob’s Burgers Movie” is in third, dropping 63% from $12.4 million opening for a second weekend total of $4.5 million and a 10-day total of $22.3 million. Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s “The Bad Guys” is fourth with $3.3 million and an $87.2 million total after seven weekends in theaters.
Focus Features: “Downton Abbey: A New Era” completes the top 5 with $3 million grossed in its third weekend, giving it a total of $35.7 million. With a budget of $40 million and just under $80 million grossed globally, the film is looking like it will just make it past the break-even point theatrically as it may arrive on digital rental this coming week as per Universal’s windowing agreement with major theater chains.
With no major wide releases this weekend, the only newcomers to the top 10 weekend box office charts were from limited release. In seventh is the Indian action film “Vikram,” which made $1.8 million from 460 theaters for a per theater average of $3,913.
In tenth is Neon’s “Crimes of the Future,” which stars Viggo Mortensen and Kristen Stewart and marks “The Fly” director David Cronenberg’s return to the body horror genre. After premiering in competition at Cannes to positive reviews, the film grossed $1.1 million from 773 theaters for an average of $1,423.
Finally, Universal’s “Jurassic World: Dominion” opened in 15 countries ahead of its U.S. release this Friday and grossed $55.4 million. This included an $18.1 million opening in Mexico, which is a studio record for Universal. The film also posted the best openings for any “Jurassic” film in seven other Latin American markets and a $15.1 million opening in South Korea. The film is expected to have a strong chance of passing $1 billion worldwide like its “Jurassic World” predecessors, with a release in China booked and domestic projections for opening weekend set at $150 million-plus.
The Doobie Brothers announced a series of rescheduled concert dates this weekend after members of their touring party tested positive for COVID-19.
June shows in Indiana, Georgia, Florida and North Carolina were moved to July. The new dates were posted on Saturday (June 4).
“We want to apologize to our fans,” the band said in a statement shared on social media. “Several members of the Doobies touring party came down with Covid and we had no choice but to reschedule the below dates. We look forward to seeing you all very soon.”
The concerts are part of the Doobie Brothers’ North American tour celebrating their 50th anniversary. The trek features band members Tom Johnston, Pat Simmons and John McFee reunited with Michael McDonald.
See the rescheduled tour dates below and the group’s full list of current tour dates here.
For over four decades, 20,000 feet of 16mm-shot film sat untouched in the San Francisco home of lifetime Chinatown resident Reverend Harry Chuck. The footage was supposed to serve as the basis for Chuck’s sweeping graduate thesis, “Chinatown San Francisco: A Community in Transition.” But then life invariably got in the way, and the epic cinematic history of one marginalized community’s generational struggles—‘60s-radicalized youth vs. their “keep your head down” elders raised under the threat of the Chinese Exclusion Act—was never completed. Until now.
With the help of son/co-director and producer Josh Chuck (himself a longtime Chinatown-focused filmmaker, fundraiser and youth worker), Harry’s personal and political history is now set to see the public light on May 26 as part of World Channel’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month (AAPIHM) programming. The father-son duo’s America ReFramed doc Chinatown Rising features enlightening contemporary interviews with the era’s prominent activists (as well as an elder), juxtaposed with the treasure trove of footage. All insightfully narrated, both onscreen and in VO, by the now-octogenarian, first-time feature filmmaker himself.
Documentary is honored that the former Youth Director and later Executive Director of Cameron House (an organization founded “to build strength and resilience through family-centered programs” for San Francisco’s Chinese community), co-founder of the Chinatown Coalition for Better Housing, onetime member of both the Public Housing Authority and Juvenile Justice Commission in San Francisco—not to mention one of the first Asian American religious leaders to advocate for marriage equality—found time in his still-active schedule to serve as May’s Doc Star of the Month.
DOCUMENTARY: You seem to have spent much of your life being reluctant about taking the spotlight. Were you wary of appearing so prominently in the film as well? Was it Josh’s idea for you to serve as the narrative guide through this history?
HARRY CHUCK: I can still hear my dad saying, “Don’t get into trouble. Be inconspicuous. Don’t give people reason to be curious and judgmental.” Those were seeds planted early in my childhood. My dad probably heard that from his dad—and his dad from his. And so on.
The thought of being on full display onscreen really sent chills up my spine. I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the idea of being in front of the camera, or projected upon a theater screen. Asking me to take the lead with the film’s narrative was all Joshua’s idea. I didn’t realize how persistent he could be. His strategy was to engage me in hour-long interviews until something useful came to light.
D: What was it like working with—and being filmed by—your son? Anything you discovered about each other?
HC: Initially, it felt awkward to be filmed by Josh. It took me a while to realize that we had reversed our roles. We were no longer parent and offspring; we were now two individuals relating as adults, co-directing and producing a full-length documentary.
Into our second year, I could see that he was well on his way towards developing interpersonal skills I never had as a young adult.
D: Josh has expressed surprise at learning the extent of your involvement in Chinatown activism, since you never discussed it when he was growing up. Has this experience of revisiting your private past so publicly been uncomfortable— or perhaps liberating? Has this sharing unearthed unexpected memories or even regrets?
HC: Josh was genuinely surprised when our interviewees shared their stories with him. He would always end his interviews by asking, “What do you remember about my dad?” I found that somewhat amusing until I realized that he was on a serious quest of discovering his own identity as a third-generation Chinese-American.
I think learning about my history gave him a launching pad towards his own search for meaning. I don’t have any regrets about our filmmaking experience. If anything, it has been refreshing; I continue to marvel at Josh’s ability to capture on film and tape the significance of such a transformative moment.
D: You’ve said, “Looking back, I did not have enough wisdom to understand what was happening,” about being unable to complete your graduate thesis, “Chinatown San Francisco: A Community in Transition.” So what has participating in this film, both behind and in front of the camera, taught you?
HC: Yes, I really didn’t have enough wisdom, insight or maturity to fully understand what was happening in Chinatown during the decades [1960s-80s] of social, political and cultural change. I could only sense that my quiet insulated neighborhood was changing, and that I wanted to capture those shifting moments of change with my camera.
I would spend long hours developing and enlarging black- and-white photos of life in Chinatown. Subsequently, that led to filmmaking classes at San Francisco State College in the 1970s. I just loved watching foreign films that transcended stereotypical Hollywood portrayals of human trauma and struggle. And it suddenly occurred to me that my life and family history in Chinatown were vastly different from the mundane lives of my classmates. Chinatown was my foreign country within a foreign country. So my focus would be that of a person in search of his identity.
Am I and my peers Chinese-Americans or American-Chinese? Or is this just a play on words? The questions outweighed the answers. So I packed up my reels of film, tucked them in a corner of the garage, and joined the movement towards change.
My commitment to the community would reach a new level in 1977, when I became the director of Donaldina Cameron House, a faith-based community service center. Working collaboratively with other nonprofits, we became better equipped to address community problems holistically. College graduates who were once activists returned to Chinatown to provide leadership as professionals in medicine, law, social work, education and civil service.
D: I have to say, One of my favorite scenes in the doc is also quite meta—of you in your younger days at a public hearing, using a clip from the archival footage to advocate for the Mei Lun Yuen affordable housing project. It really shows the power of the image to effect change. Are you likewise hoping to enact change, or maybe just reconnect with folks, through Chinatown Rising?
HC: I retired in 2001 and would not return to filmmaking until my 80th birthday—when Josh and I unpacked the reels of unedited film that were nestled in the corner of my garage. I did contact my former college mentor James Goldner to announce that I was returning to complete the film begun 40 years before. He was delighted to learn that we were dedicating our film to him at the opening of the 2019 CAAMfest.
Lauren Wissot is a film critic and journalist, filmmaker and programmer, and a contributing editor at both Filmmaker magazine and Documentary magazine. She’s served as the director of programming at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival and the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival, and has written for Salon, Bitch, The Rumpus and Hammer to Nail.
Another “Iggy” has landed on the international hockey scene.
Jade Iginla, daughter of Hockey Hall of Famer Jarome Iginla, is among the 23 women representing Canada at the world under-18 championship starting Monday in Madison and Middleton, Wis.
She and the majority of her teammates, born in 2004 and 2005, were named to the Canadian roster a second time.
When the tournament initially scheduled for Jan. 8-15 in Sweden was abruptly called off two weeks before puck drop because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Hockey Canada announced a roster on Jan. 20 in recognition of players’ efforts to make that team.
After a five-day reselection camp in Calgary in May, Canada opens the rescheduled tournament Monday against Finland in Madison.
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Aware her Canadian counterparts born in 2003 couldn’t play in a world under-18 championship at all – the pandemic also wiped out the 2021 tournament – Iginla appreciates wearing the Maple Leaf for the first time in her career.
“I think the first two words that come to mind are gratitude and pride,” Iginla told The Canadian Press.
University of Alberta Pandas head coach Howie Draper returns to the bench after navigating the under-18 women to gold in 2019 and silver in 2020.
Iginla, the oldest child of Jarome and Kara, compiled 18 goals and 10 assists in 22 games for Hockey Academy Kelowna’s under-18 team this past season. She’s committed to play for Brown University next season.
Younger brothers Tij and Joe also play hockey. Tij was drafted ninth overall by the Western Hockey League’s Seattle Thunderbirds in 2021.
Jarome played the majority of his 1,554 NHL games for the Calgary Flames. He holds the franchise record in goals and points.
He famously assisted on Sidney Crosby’s overtime goal to win Olympic men’s hockey gold for Canada in 2010, when Crosby yelled “Iggy” to indicate he was open. Jarome was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last year.
“He’s my dad first and that’s what always comes to mind before all his other accomplishments,” Jade Iginla said.
“My dad, having played such a high level of hockey for so long … whenever I have, say, a bad experience or something that didn’t go my way, he immediately references something that happened to him, and it’s always similar. It always helps to find common ground in that.”
She possesses elements of her father’s power-forward game.
“What we like about Jade is she seems to really connect well with all of her teammates,” Draper said. “She seems to be able to read off them really well. She obviously has a high hockey intelligence.
“The thing that really stands out for us is her grit factor and that’s something you can compare to her father. That makes it really tough for the opponent to play against you. She’s got a little bit of that, which is really cool to see.
“She doesn’t shy away from the tough areas. She protects the puck really well and as a result, she creates great opportunities for her teammates and linemates.
“She’s fun to watch just like all the rest of these girls. They all have some special elements. In that way, I think we have a really strong group.”
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Hockey Canada held a panel during selection camp with some women’s national-team players who won Olympic gold in Beijing in February.
“They just spewed wisdom,” Iginla said.
Among them was 25-year-old defender Micah Zandee-Hart, who won world under-18 gold in 2014 and captained the team to silver the following year.
“I asked about leadership and how everyone can be their own leader, being different personalities, being more quiet or loud,” Iginla recalled.
“Micah had a great answer about really just leaning into what you can do. If that means making conversation with the person next to you, and that pushes you out of your comfort zone today, then that’s a good day.”
Canada lost its lone pre-tournament game 3-1 to the United States. Iginla’s Kelowna teammate Brooke Disher of Lake Country, B.C., was named under-18 captain.
Defender Sarah MacEachern of Cornwall, Ont., and forward Karel Prefontaine of Gatineau, Que., were chosen assistant captains.
Two-thirds of Canada’s Olympic team played in a world under-18 championship at some point in their careers. Captain Marie-Philip Poulin and veteran forward Natalie Spooner appeared in the first in 2008.
Canada is in Group A in Wisconsin alongside the Finns, Sweden and the host United States. Czechia, Germany, Slovakia and Switzerland comprise Group B.
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After facing the Finns on Monday, Canada meets Sweden on Tuesday and caps the preliminary round Thursday against the U.S.
The quarterfinals are Friday, followed by Sunday’s semifinals and Monday’s medal games.
The players’ fears in January over whether there would be no world under-18-championship for a second straight year has been replaced by a drive to get the gold medal.
“They’re like animals that have been caged for a significant period of time and you just let them out of that cage,” Draper said. “The energy, the excitement and enthusiasm is at a high level right now.”
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “Payback,” “The Only Man in the Sky” and “Barbary Coast,” the three episodes that are part of the June 3 launch of “The Boys” Season 3.
After hating all super-powered people throughout the first two seasons of “The Boys,” Butcher (Karl Urban) has now become the exact thing he’s despised — at least, for 24 hours at a time. Thanks to Temp V, a brand new Vought serum he’s gotten his hands on, Butcher can now withstand gunshots and shoot lasers from his eyes, which an NRA-obsessed supe named Gunpowder learns the hard way.
On his Season 3 mission to kill Homelander (Antony Starr), Butcher decides to level the playing field a bit by taking Temp V, which makes him super-strong and near-invincible. He and The Boys are also in search of Soldier Boy (Jensen Ackles), a powerful supe who’s been presumed dead for decades. Butcher tracks down Gunpowder, who used to be Solder Boy’s sidekick and punching bag on their superhero team Payback. After failing to blackmail Gunpowder in the men’s bathroom and getting shot at in a parking garage, Butcher takes his interrogation tactics to the next level with his Temp V powers. He confronts Gunpowder again, this time learning that Soldier Boy’s death was faked and that he and Payback were deployed in the Nicaraguan Revolution on behalf of Grace Mallory (Laila Robins) and the CIA.
After the successful interrogation, Butcher lasers Gunpowder’s face off in a very Homelander-esque move. As the two characters brace for an inevitable showdown, the parallels between Butcher’s and Homelander’s powers were intentional, according to “The Boys” showrunner Eric Kripke.
“All the powers on our show are ultimately metaphors,” Kripke told Variety. “When it came time to give Butcher powers, that still held. The discussion was, ‘What is going on inside Butcher and then how do we come up with a power that dramatizes that?’ For Butcher, he is turning into the thing he hates most in the world. He hates it and loves it, in equal measure. That was where we got to laser eyes, because laser eyes is a real Homelander thing. But if you notice, visually and in the way Karl performs it, it’s painful. It’s a different, self-punishing, self-flagellating power. The beams are really rough and they’re smoking because they’re burning his eyes as it’s happening. It’s a natural extension of his inner rage and his inner hatred, both toward Homelander and toward himself.”
Here, Urban explains to Variety how Butcher’s new abilities and how will affect him during the rest of “The Boys” Season 3.
How did it feel to finally get super powers?
It felt a little bit ridiculous, to tell you the truth. The reality is, you’re standing on set and you’re doing your best to give a laser stare, but there’s no lasers coming out, obviously. So you just hope the special effects department will come and save your ass, which they do. We’re so blessed, they did an amazing job on the special effects this season.
Did Antony Starr or anyone who plays a supe pass down any tips on how to pretend like you have powers?
No, nobody was forthcoming about that. I just remember having conversations about the nature of Butcher’s super abilities with Kripke. We wanted to do something that would differentiate his from others that we had seen. What we really stumbled upon was the fact that it would cause Butcher an immense amount of pain. To actually have lasers shooting out of your eyeballs, it was a double edged sword. It came at a high cost to use these super powers for Butcher. He pays a high price for it. I think that is very in line with Kripke’s motto of “You make the right choice, you get rewarded. You make the wrong choice and you get punished.”
Were there other ideas for Butcher’s powers that weren’t used?
No, I just really love the whole morale dilemma of Butcher having superpowers. He’s a character who absolutely despises supes and is forced to turn himself into the thing he despises the most in order to defeat that very thing. It examines the cost of that, not only to Butcher, but to all of those around him, and seeing how everybody has to make a choice, in terms of how far they’re willing to go.
What was it like shooting that heartbreaking scene where Ryan tells Butcher that he hates him?
I love working with Cameron [Crovetti], he’s an amazingly talented, fine young actor. I really enjoy all of my scenes with him of Butcher trying to be some sort of parental figure. He has a genuine bond with this kid and we see him struggling, trying to be a parent. We come to realize he’s ill equipped to actually be that and ultimately working through the tragedy of what occurred, which is as much Butcher realizing he is probably the worst thing that this kid could have in his life.
The Vought NRA scene with Gunpowder hit much closer to home after the recent shootings in the U.S. It doesn’t seem that far off from where we are currently.
That’s one of the things that Kripke and the writers are pretty adept at doing. This show does have an element of satire, and they have often managed to somehow tap into the zeitgeist of what is happening in current culture and pop culture. Certainly this is a look at the gun culture with that character. I had a lot of fun working with Sean Patrick Flannery. One of my favorite scenes of the season was Butcher’s attempt to bribe Gunpowder at the convention, primarily because Butcher gets to pretend he’s a rabid fan and then proceeds to try and blackmail him, which doesn’t work too well.
Tesla used a public relations firm to monitor employees’ social media activity at a time when some were attempting to unionize, according to a news report.
The electric-vehicle maker hired New York-based MWW PR to monitor employees “in a Facebook group and more broadly on social media” in 2017 and 2018, CNBC reported Friday, citing invoices and unspecified documents. It said MWW paid particular attention to discussions alleging unfair labor practices at Tesla and those related to a sexual harassment lawsuit.
The report comes as organized labor is asserting itself in numerous industries, including Big Tech. Some leaders, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, have dismissed unions as relics of an outdated business model, but organized labor has recently made headway at several traditionally nonunion companies.
Workers from at least three Apple stores have expressed their intention to organize, and an upstart union effort succeeded in winning an election at a Staten Island Amazon warehouse. On Thursday, Microsoft announced a new strategy for dealing with organized labor in an apparent attempt to avoid the public clashes that have played out at other Big Tech companies. Meanwhile, Tesla’s counterparts in the auto industry have a long history with organized labor.
According to CNBC, the consultancy monitored a Tesla employee Facebook group and the social media site more broadly for mentions of organizing efforts and researched specific organizers, then developed a communications plan based on the information.
MWW, which confirmed its previous work with Tesla, said in anemail that it was “common practice to review media coverage and public social conversation about a company to gain insights into issues and perceptions of stakeholders about the brand.”
Tesla did not respond to requests for comment Friday.
Last year, the EV maker was ordered to reinstate a fired worker after the National Labor Relations Board determined that it had unlawfully interrogated workers over suspected unionization efforts, threatened workers with the loss of their stock options if they unionized, and unfairly prohibiting its employees from communicating with the media.
As part of that decision, Musk also was ordered to delete a 2018 tweet reading: “Nothing stopping Tesla team at our car plant from voting union. Could do so tmrw if they wanted. But why pay union dues & give up stock options for nothing? Our safety record is 2X better than when plant was UAW & everybody already gets healthcare.”
As of Friday afternoon, the tweet was still online.
It’s relatively common for companies to monitor social media mentions of their brand, as well as to contract such work to public relations and marketing firms. But the National Labor Relations Act prohibits employers from “spying” on employees’ union activity, which the National Labor Relations Board defines as “doing something out of the ordinary to observe the activity.” Observing open union activity in workplace areas frequented by supervisors would not constitute spying, according to the NLRB.
The MWW spokesperson said it would be “misleading and inaccurate” to “classify broad media monitoring and social media listening as surveillance.”
“MWW did not, and would not, conduct activity of that kind,” the spokesperson said. “Social media research was limited to open and public communications and did not include any invite-only groups or chats.”
In late April, Musk arrived at a deal to purchase Twitter for $44 billion, an acquisition he said was motivated by the platform’s status as a sort of town square that is integral to free speech.
Though he’s still the world’s richest person, with an estimated fortune of $227 billion as on Friday, his wealth has taken a hit since he made his Twitter bid amid declines in the stock market and Tesla shares in particular. The carmaker slumped another 9.2 percent on Friday, closing at $703.55, after Musk signaled plans to cut 10 percent of the Tesla’s workforce.
Cassandra Jenkins was invited by Abbey Road Studios and Pitchfork to record a session around her performance at the inaugural Pitchfork Music Festival London. This session was recorded in celebration of Abbey Road Studios 90th Anniversary and the inaugural Pitchfork Music Festival London.
While the rest of us impatiently waited out the worst cuffing season in history, Lori Harvey and Michael B. Jordan were cozying up and making us all jealous. The couple made a strong early case for the biggest celebrity hookup of 2021, and they’re still going strong as we head into 2022. Here’s everything we know about Lori Harvey and Michael B. Jordan, from their earliest meeting to now:
November 2020:TMZ spots Jordan in Atlanta at the end of November 2020, when rumors started swirling that he was seeing Harvey. The Sun catches them together in Salt Lake City for New Year’s Eve. We’re pretty sure that’s where they had the photo shoot that led to…
January 2021: The model and the Black Panther star make things public just after the new year, posting some pictures on Instagram. In his, they embrace among the holiday lights; in hers, we got a smile. As the kids say, a new celeb couple just dropped.
Just a few days later, Lori Harvey turned 24 in the snow and was showered with affection (and snowflakes) by her boyfriend. The moment was posted for posterity along with a video showing the two of them playing around.
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Not long after, they got the Steve Harvey stamp of approval. “I like this one. I still got my eye on him,” Lori Harvey’s dad said on The Steve Harvey Morning Show. “I mean, I like him, but like I say to all of ’em, ‘I might like you, I might approve of you, but I got a thumb-size section of my heart filled with nothing but pure hatred for your ass. Just in case I need it.’
In late January the couple jetted off to St. Bart’s, where they were spotted riding wave runners and hanging out on a yacht (with her parents). On January 24, Jordan posted a couple thirst traps to the ’gram and credited Harvey for taking the photos. She commented “mine” with the tongue emoji, and he replied with a smiley face. If that doesn’t scream “This is for real,” we don’t know what does.
Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani hosted the Arangetram of Radhika Merchant, disciple of Bhavana Thakar, on Sunday evening. Radhika, the daughter of Encore Healthcare CEO Virent Merchant and Shaila Merchant, performed her Arangetram at The Grand Theatre in Jio World Centre, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai. Virent Merchant and Shaila Merchant jointly hosted the event with Mukesh and Nita Ambani.
For the unversed, an Arangetram is a dancer’s completion of their formal training in classical dance and their debut on-stage performance. Radhika is reportedly the disciple of Guru Bhavana Thakar of Shree Nibha Arts. Thakar has made a priceless contribution to the world of Indian classical dance spanning over four decades. She is a distinguished exponent, honored with a master’s degree from the Nalanda Institute, of Mumbai University.
Mukesh Ambani and Nita Ambani at Radhika Merchant’s Arangetram (Pic: Viral Bhayani)
The high profile event saw the turnout of VVIPs from the city including Anil Ambani and Tina Ambani, who arrived in their traditional finery.
Tina Ambani and Anil Ambani at Radhika Merchant’s Arangetram. (Pic: Viral Bhayani)
The Ambani brothers were seen receiving the esteemed guests of the night together.
Mukesh and Anil Ambani at Radhika Merchant’s Arangetram. (Pic: Viral Bhayani)Mukesh and Anil Ambani welcome spiritual leader Ramesh Oza at Radhika Merchant’s Arangetram. (Photo: Viral Bhayani)Rashmi Thackeray with sons Aaditya and Tejas Thackeray. (Photo: Viral Bhayani)
The family was joined by several stars in the industry, including Ranveer Singh and Salman Khan. Ranveer was seen wearing a traditional red kurta for the event. He sported a matching mask, which he refused to remove despite numerous requests from the paparazzi. Meanwhile, Salman opted for a more formal fit. Returning from IIfA only a few hours ago, Salman was seen wearing a formal blazer with a dark blue shirt underneath and a pair of black pants.
Ranveer Singh at Radhika Merchant’s Arangetram. (Pic: Viral Bhayani)Salman Khan at Radhika Merchant’s Arangetram. (Pic: Viral Bhayani)
Also present at the event were Zaheer Khan and Sagarika Ghatge. While the cricketer was seen wearing a pink and white kurta-pyjama, Sagrika opted for a simple beige kurta with a bright red dupatta.
Zaheer Khan and Sagarika Ghatge at Radhika Merchant’s Arangetram. (Pic: Viral Bhayani)
In the series, the world’s best bakers compete to produce hyper-realistic cakes that resemble everyday objects with the aim of deceiving a panel of judges and winning money.
Mikey Day will return as host for the second season, along with an all-new cast of participants and guest judges.
The first season aired in March 2022 and spent four weeks on Netflix’s global Top 10 English TV list, as well as reaching the Top 10 TV list in 75 countries.
Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz, Nan Strait, Dan Volpe and Andrew Wallace serve as executive producers.
Wormwood was a children’s television series produced by Network Ten and ABC1 that premiered in October of 2007.
Made as a joint Canadian-Australian production, Wormwood was a TV series about a quirky town where a group of kids investigated strange events. The series was based on the stories written by Paul Jennings.
Some of the most acclaimed documentaries of recent decades have come out of the arena of sports, among them Hoop Dreams (1994), When We Were Kings (1996), Senna (2010), O.J.: Made in America (2016), Icarus (2017), and The Last Dance (2020).
Netflix continues that distinguished tradition with a pair of Emmy-contending documentary series with a sports connection: Untold, from Emmy-winning directors Maclain and Chapman Way, and Naomi Osaka, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Garrett Bradley (Time). Bradley’s documentary on the 24-year-old tennis sensation – winner of four Grand Slam singles titles – explores Osaka’s background as the daughter of a Japanese mother and Haitian father, her emergence both as a player and an activist for racial justice, and her openness about dealing with mental health issues in the public spotlight.
Bradley sees Osaka as being in the vanguard of a new kind of superstar athlete. “You’re connecting with people not in a way that is about aspiration, that is unachievable and unattainable excessively,” the director noted during an appearance at a Netflix FYSEE panel in Hollywood. “You’re connecting with people by sharing your experience and your journey. And I think more and more that’s what people are demanding… She’s really at the forefront of it.”
The Way Brothers’ Untold consists of five episodes, each of them examining an overlooked or misunderstood story or figure from sports. The episode titled “Breaking Point” focuses on former top American tennis player Mardy Fish, who suffered a panic attack before the biggest match of his career at the 2012 U.S. Open against Roger Federer. He later made the brave decision to speak publicly about experiencing anxiety disorder.
“He was really kind of the first professional athlete while still playing to go on the record about suffering from mental illness,” Chapman Way said at the FYSEE event. “That was 2015, which at the time was almost like an incredibly dangerous thing to do as an athlete… Talking to Mardy and realizing he really wanted to draw back the curtains and talk openly about his mental health and his battle — for us, as filmmakers, I think we realized this is just a truly incredible story that should be documented.”
Another episode focuses on Christy Martin, one of the first stars of women’s professional boxing, who struggled with coming out as gay. She also dealt with an abusive husband who shot and stabbed her in a near-fatal attack in 2010. “Malice in the Palace,” meanwhile, examines a notorious incident at a 2004 NBA game between the Indiana Pacers and the home team Detroit Pistons when a fracas broke out between unruly fans and Pacers stars. Commentators at the time branded as “thugs” the African American Pacers players involved, inviting the incident to be perceived through a racial lens. The league abandoned the players, ignoring video evidence showing Pistons partisans were responsible for provoking the fight.
The Untold episode devoted to Caitlyn Jenner centers on someone we thought we knew all about, but uses never-before-seen archival material to tell the story of Jenner’s athletic accomplishments and simultaneous battle to come to terms with her gender identity.
“The central engine of these documentaries, the central conflict, really in none of our films, I would say, have anything to do with who’s going to win, who’s going to lose, who’s going to win the championship,” Maclain Way explained. “For us, it’s always like, great, let’s have sports be the setting. But whether it’s Mardy Fish and a mental health documentary or whether it’s ‘Malice in the Palace’ and how these professional basketball players were labeled for the rest of their lives, whether it’s Caitlyn Jenner and gender identity issues, Christy Martin and the domestic violence that she faced in her life — we’re always interested in how to take these stories and grow them beyond the court, beyond the field.”
The same is true of Naomi Osaka, which places the tennis star’s effort to define herself and establish her identity in the context of larger societal issues. At the 2020 U.S. Open, as America confronted the killing of George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer, Osaka stepped onto the court for each of her matches wearing a different mask acknowledging Black people killed in racial or racist incidents – including Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Philando Castile, and Elijah McClain.
Bradley describes Osaka’s evolution as being “about purpose and self-worth and about courage to kind of identify and also embrace one’s personal values and then to try to actually see if you can make those align with your work, with your public self. That’s at a very young age, what she was doing, and on a stage in a very public space.”
Naomi Osaka is streaming on Netflix, as is Untold and two other documentary projects directed by Maclain and Chapman Way – the 2014 film The Battered Bastards of Baseball and the 2018 mega-hit Wild Wild Country, winner of a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.
Watch the Netflix FYSEE panel on Naomi Osaka and Untold by clicking on the video above.
The U.N. mission to Yemen said delegations from the internationally recognized government and the country’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels began their second round of direct discussion in the Jordanian capital of Amman.
The mission did not provide further details.
The two sides did not reach an agreement on lifting the rebels blockade of Taiz, Yemen’s third largest city, in their first round of talks late last month.
Reopening the roads around Taiz and elsewhere in Yemen is part of a truce the U.N. brokered early in April. It was the first nationwide cease-fire in in six years in Yemen’s brutal conflict, now in its eighth year.
The Houthis have imposed a siege on government-held city of Taiz, the capital of the province by the same name, since March 2016.
The two sides agreed on Thursday to extend the truce for more two months after concerted pressure from the U.N. and international aid groups.
Yemen’s civil war erupted in 2014, when the Houthis seized the capital of Sanaa and much of northern Yemen and forced the government into exile. The Saudi-led coalition entered the war in early 2015 to try restore the government to power.
The conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises and killed over over 150,000 people, including over 14,500 civilians.
Rapper Lamar Jackson, aka “Hypo,” was stabbed to death Friday night at a party in East London.
Police and paramedics were called to the scene and found him with stab injuries. The stabbing was the result of a fight breaking out at the event, according to reports.
The emergency services workers pronounced the 39-year-old dead at the scene in the Woodford section.
“This man was attacked at a party and we know that a large number of people would have been in attendance,” said a statement from authorities. “I would urge anyone who is yet to speak with us to come forward and let us know what you saw. It is possible that events leading up to the stabbing, and perhaps the murder itself, was captured on people’s phones. Please take a look and call us. It is vital that we establish what happened.”
Hypo was part of the influential East London-based Mashtown collective of rappers. He had 23,500 followers on Instagram.
WWE stands to pin down some extra cash — and hopes to whip up fan enthusiasm — in its first sale of NFTs featuring the wrestling entertainment company’s top stars.
WWE, together with Fox Entertainment’s Blockchain Creative Labs, on Friday, June 3, plans to launch its its first NFT (nonfungible token) sale on Moonsault, WWE’s official NFT marketplace. The limited-edition collection will comprise more than 10,000 “NFT Flips,” each featuring a WWE Superstar tied to the Hell in a Cell event, which in the U.S. will stream live this Sunday, June 5, on NBCUniversal’s Peacock.
The NFT Flips will be sold on WWE Moonsault in “Cases” of three, randomized at minting, for $30 per Case, meaning the sale could generate upwards of $100,000. In the days after Hell in a Cell, each NFT Flip will transform to reveal a 10- to 20-second video highlight of the featured WWE star.
The hope is that WWE’s ardent fanbase will buy into the digital-collectibles hype. The craze behind NFTs, which verify ownership of unique pieces of digital content using distributed blockchain technology, caught fire in early 2021. Entertainment and media companies have embraced NFTs as a way to generate incremental revenue, as well as stoke fans’ engagement with their brands — by letting them literally invest in content tied to popular franchises.
WWE and Fox, which announced their NFT partnership last year, debuted Moonsault on May 27 during “SmackDown” on Fox. They promoted the launch across WWE and Fox media platforms, as well as on WWE’s Discord channel. The first 10,000 fans to create a wallet on the platform received a free Moonsault Genesis NFT, all of which were claimed within only a few hours. As of June 2, those NFTs had an active listing value of $1.47 million on the Moonsault platform.
In the future, WWE plans to release more limited-edition packs of NFT Flips and other video highlights and digital collectibles centered on WWE Superstars and iconic moments from the company’s history, timed to premium live events throughout the year.
To participate in the WWE NFT marketplace, fans will need to create a digital media wallet through Eluvio — the blockchain-infrastructure provider in which Fox Corp. is an investor — that will let collectors purchase NFTs via credit cards or cryptocurrencies, as well as trade and sell them.
Fox and its Bento Box Entertainment animation studio last year launched Blockchain Creative Labs (BCL), which provides an end-to-end blockchain ecosystem solutions to build, launch, manage and sell NFT content and experiences. BCL also manages a $100 million creator fund to tap into growth opportunities in the NFT space.
In Season 1, Sheriff Hopper (David Harbour) tells his then-girlfriend that he feels “cursed” because of his daughter’s death, the mysteriousdisappearance of Will and the apparent suicide of his friend Benny. In Season 4, while facing near death in a Russian prison, he tellsformer prison guard Dmitri Antonov (Tom Wlaschiha), “I used to think I was cursed,” but now he realizes, after assuming he’s caused Joyce’s death with his failed escape attempt: “I am the curse.”
What did it mean to be a rock star in 1990? Whatever the answer might be, They Might Be Giants were decidedly not it. The Brooklyn duo’s style was more turtlenecks than leather, their voices nasal and not especially alluring, their erratic dance moves more like the mechanics of wind-up toys. One of them played the accordion. On their first record, they gave a famous Who lyric a sincere moralistic spin: “I Hope That I Get Old Before I Die.” Yet those same uncool qualities were the exact things that made They Might Be Giants total rock stars. Their ability to grab listeners with sharp, catchy songwriting was never more evident than on 1990’s Flood, where their expansive imagination was matched by major label money. The underdogs always find a way.
John Flansburgh and John Linnell had both come of age in Lincoln, Massachusetts, a cozy Boston suburb close enough to Walden Pond that Thoreau could hear the ringing of the town’s church bells during his afternoon meditations. As high schoolers, the pair worked together on the school newspaper and bonded over a mutual interest in comics books, the Ramones, and experimenting with Flansburgh’s tape machine. In 1981, the two Johns reconnected as young adults after moving into the same Brooklyn apartment—Flansburgh was there to study printmaking at Pratt, and Linnell was playing keys in a band called the Mundanes. The limitlessness of punk had blossomed into the brightness of new wave, and the pair’s quirky preoccupations made them natural bedfellows within a burgeoning New York City scene.
At the time, New York was just emerging from the economic stagnation and crime surge that battered the city in the 1970s; 1981 would turn out to be one of its most violent years. But there was potential in the disintegration. The Johns began working on music together in earnest, with Flansburgh on guitar, Linnell on accordion, and a drum machine. The absence of a formal rhythm section was liberating: While they might not have been able to afford an orchestra, they could program one on a computer. (Besides, lugging an organ to gigs was exhausting, as they found out at their first show: a Sandinista rally in Central Park.)
Over in the East Village, performers as eclectic as feminist artist Karen Finley—known for intense monologues about the politics of the female body over pounding disco beats—and Steve Buscemi’s comedy duo could find an audience. In between day jobs as a graphic designer and a darkroom technician, They Might Be Giants began honing their own act, which often included homemade props—like a massive stick with a microphone attached to one end, which Flansburgh would pound for percussion. But equally intriguing were the Giants’ offstage practices. In the early ’80s, after Flansburgh’s equipment was stolen from his apartment and Linnell broke his wrist while working as a bike messenger, the pair began recording songs to Flansburgh’s answering machine. They shared this material not by seeking out a label, but by placing ads for what they called Dial-a-Song—named after the Christian hotline Dial-a-Prayer—in The Village Voice classifieds section. Long before music was readily available online, the duo leveraged a landline to release new songs daily and play them directly to listeners in and beyond New York.
Writer/ director David Ayer responds to a highly critical video claiming that the original Suicide Squad is the “worst superhero movie ever made.”
Writer/director David Ayer responds to the claim that the original Suicide Squad movie is the worst superhero movie ever made. Released in 2016, Suicide Squad follows a misfit team of DC villains who are recruited for a secret government task force in order to save the world. The movie was led by Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, Will Smith as Deadshot, and, infamously, Jared Leto as the Joker. The film was critically panned upon release but performed well at the box office, earning $746 million on a production budget of $175 million.
Due to the overwhelmingly poor reception from fans and critics, no proper sequel to Suicide Squad was ever given the green light, but James Gunn provided a sort of soft reboot of the franchise last year with his own film, The Suicide Squad. After the disastrous reception of 2017’s Justice League and subsequent – and successful – fan demands to “Release the Snyder Cut,” momentum has since increased for Warner Bros. to release Ayer’s original cut of Suicide Squad. The film reportedly underwent a number of significant edits that differed from Ayer’s original vision, although executives at Warner Bros. have stated that the Ayer cut of Suicide Squad will never be developed.
After an Ayer cut proponent reacted to a screenshot of a video calling 2016’s Suicide Squad “The Worst Superhero Movie Ever Made,” Ayer himself quote-tweeted the post, reacting with a single “pensive face” Emoji. The original user that Ayer responds to claims that such detracting videos would never be made if Ayer had been able to release his original cut of the film, with Ayer’s reaction hinting that he might agree with the sentiment, although the nature of Emojis does make the post somewhat ambiguous. Check out Ayer’s tweet below:
Ayer has previously expressed his distaste for the studio cut of Suicide Squad, even going so far as to pen an emotional letter on Twitter last year outlining some of the ways his cut is better. Although it’s been 6 years since Suicide Squad hit theaters, the pain is evidently still real to Ayer and his fans, with calls for Warner Bros. to “Release the Ayer Cut” showing no signs of slowing down. Ayer’s latest response to the claim that Suicide Squad is the “worst superhero movie ever made” hints that, for him, the matter is still very much an open wound.
If comments from Warner Bros. decision-makers are to be believed, it’s unlikely the Ayer cut of Suicide Squad will ever actually see the light of day. However, for a time, it seemed that calls to “Release the Snyder Cut” were similarly futile so, for many fans, there is still hope. Regardless of whether the Ayer cut is released or not, it’s evidently a painful experience for the writer/ director to know that the version of Suicide Squad that was released is not the film as he envisioned it.
DC League of Super-Pets (2022)Release date: Jul 29, 2022
Black Adam (2022)Release date: Oct 21, 2022
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (2023)Release date: Mar 17, 2023
The Flash (2023)Release date: Jun 23, 2023
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (2022)Release date: Dec 21, 2022
Blue Beetle (2023)Release date: Aug 18, 2023
All The Rock & Kevin Hart Movies, Ranked Worst To Best
About The Author
Ryan Northrup (515 Articles Published)
Ryan Northrup is a freelance writer for Screen Rant, MovieBozo, and Flickfeast, and a lover of all things film. Whether it’s the latest Marvel release, the hottest new Netflix series, or a smaller indie film, Ryan just loves the art of storytelling – and writing about it! He also firmly believes that Knowing with Nic Cage is a good movie.
Follow @RyanJNorthrup on Twitter for all the latest in entertainment news and more!
“This is where the fun begins” as the Best Film Ever Team ignite their Lightsabers to bring you “Show Me Wan Kenobi” as we cover Disney+’s “Obi-Wan Kenobi”, “Part II”.
Show Me Wan Kenobi is designed as a companion podcast for the casual fan (but not hardcore Star Wars fanboy types) Join Jedi Masters Ethan and Ian as they discuss:
Spice Girls and Daughters
Hadja the “Jedi”
and Ian finally gives into the dark side when it comes to Baby Leia
Westworld is resurrecting a character not seen for some time in its fourth season.
James Marsden made a surprise appearance at the end of the HBO show’s ATX TV Festival panel on Saturday. His character, Teddy Flood, will return to the show in its fourth season, which is set to premiere June 26.
Marsden joined fellow cast members Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Hemsworth, Angela Sarafyan and Aurora Perrineau and co-creator and executive producer Lisa Joy on stage in Austin.
Marsden last appeared on Westworld near the end of season two in 2018. In the season’s penultimate episode, Teddy, distraught that Dolores (Wood) has changed his programming, kills himself in front of her.
In keeping with the series’ usual m.o., the people behind Westworld have been fairly tight-lipped about what’s to come in the fourth season — including how Marsden will figure into it. Oscar winner Ariana DeBose will have a recurring role (the nature of which is undisclosed), and a teaser trailer showcased a lot of provocative imagery but offered little in the way of details about where the show is headed. HBO describes the season as “a dark odyssey about the fate of sentient life on earth.”
In addition to the cast that appeared on stage at the ATX Festival, Thandiwe Newton, Ed Harris, Tessa Thompson and Aaron Paul are also set to return to Westworld.
HBO also released a poster for season four in conjunction with the ATX panel, which is below.
Tom Cruise is quite possibly the greatest movie star in the history of cinema!
His films have grossed over $8 billion dollars at the box office, and the actor is more than willing to hang off the side of a building or an airplane in order to entertain audience.
Now, with ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ opening this weekend, let’s take a look at the best action movies Tom Cruise has ever made, including the new ‘Top Gun.’
Let’s begin!
When Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) is arrested for treason, ex-investigator Jack Reacher (Cruise) undertakes the challenging task to prove her innocence and ends up exposing a shocking conspiracy.
Though safely entombed in a crypt deep beneath the unforgiving desert, an ancient queen (Sofia Boutella) whose destiny was unjustly taken from her is awakened in our current day, bringing with her malevolence grown over millennia, and terrors that defy human comprehension.
Jack Harper (Cruise) is one of the last few drone repairmen stationed on Earth. Part of a massive operation to extract vital resources after decades of war with a terrifying threat known as the Scavs, Jack’s mission is nearly complete. His existence is brought crashing down when he rescues a beautiful stranger (Olga Kurylenko) from a downed spacecraft. Her arrival triggers a chain of events that forces him to question everything he knows and puts the fate of humanity in his hands.
With computer genius Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) at his side and a beautiful thief on his mind, agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) races across Australia and Spain to stop a former IMF agent (Dougray Scott) from unleashing a genetically engineered biological weapon called Chimera. This mission, should Hunt choose to accept it, plunges him into the center of an international crisis of terrifying magnitude.
A fugitive couple (Cruise and Cameron Diaz) goes on a glamorous and sometimes deadly adventure where nothing and no one – even themselves – are what they seem. Amid shifting alliances and unexpected betrayals, they race across the globe, with their survival ultimately hinging on the battle of truth vs. trust.
When a gunman takes five lives with six shots, all evidence points to the suspect in custody. On interrogation, the suspect offers up a single note: “Get Jack Reacher!” So begins an extraordinary chase for the truth, pitting Jack Reacher (Cruise) against an unexpected enemy, with a skill for violence and a secret to keep.
Ray Ferrier (Cruise) is a divorced dockworker and less-than-perfect father. Soon after his ex-wife (Miranda Otto) drops off his teenage son (Justin Chatwin) and young daughter (Dakota Fanning) for a rare weekend visit, a strange and powerful lightning storm touches down.
For Lieutenant Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell (Cruise) and his friend and co-pilot Nick ‘Goose’ Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards), being accepted into an elite training school for fighter pilots is a dream come true. But a tragedy, as well as personal demons, will threaten Pete’s dreams of becoming an ace
When Ethan Hunt (Cruise), the leader of a crack espionage team whose perilous operation has gone awry with no explanation, discovers that a mole has penetrated the CIA, and he’s surprised to learn that he’s the No. 1 suspect. To clear his name, Hunt now must ferret out the real double agent and, in the process, even the score.
Nathan Algren is an American hired to instruct the Japanese army in the ways of modern warfare, which finds him learning to respect the samurai and the honorable principles that rule them. Pressed to destroy the samurai’s way of life in the name of modernization and open trade, Algren decides to become an ultimate warrior himself and to fight for their right to exist.
“In the face of an enemy, in the heart of one man, lies the soul of a warrior.”
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R2 hr 34 minDec 5th, 2003
Retired from active duty to train new IMF agents, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is called back into action to confront sadistic arms dealer, Owen Davian (Phillip Seymour Hoffman). Hunt must try to protect his girlfriend while working with his new team to complete the mission.
John Anderton (Cruise) is a top ‘Precrime’ cop in the late-21st century, when technology can predict crimes before they’re committed. But Anderton becomes the quarry when another investigator targets him for a murder charge.
When an IMF mission ends badly, the world is faced with dire consequences. As Ethan Hunt (Cruise) takes it upon himself to fulfill his original briefing, the CIA begin to question his loyalty and his motives. The IMF team find themselves in a race against time, hunted by assassins (Henry Cavill) while trying to prevent a global catastrophe.
Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team are racing against time to track down a dangerous terrorist named Hendricks (Michael Nyqvist ), who has gained access to Russian nuclear launch codes and is planning a strike on the United States.
An attempt to stop him ends in an explosion causing severe destruction to the Kremlin and the IMF to be implicated in the bombing, forcing the President to disavow them. No longer being aided by the government, Ethan and his team chase Hendricks around the globe, although they might still be too late to stop a disaster.
Major Bill Cage (Cruise) is an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is unceremoniously demoted and dropped into combat. Cage is killed within minutes, managing to take an alpha alien down with him. He awakens back at the beginning of the same day and is forced to fight and die again… and again – as physical contact with the alien has thrown him into a time loop.
Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his team take on their most impossible mission yet—eradicating ‘The Syndicate’, an International and highly-skilled rogue organization committed to destroying the IMF.
Talented but unproven stock car driver Cole Trickle gets a break and with the guidance of veteran Harry Hogge turns heads on the track. The young hotshot develops a rivalry with a fellow racer that threatens his career when the two smash their cars. But with the help of his doctor, Cole just might overcome his injuries– and his fear.
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him.
When he finds himself training a detachment of TOPGUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.”
Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.
After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope… Read the Plot
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official awards predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis; Awards Circuit Column, a weekly analysis dissecting the trends and contenders by television editor Michael Schneider (for Emmys) and Davis (for Oscars); Awards Circuit Podcast, a weekly interview series with talent and an expert roundtable discussion; and Awards Circuit Video analyzes various categories and contenders by Variety's leading awards pundits. Variety's unmatched coverage gives its readership unbeatable exposure in print and online, as well as provide inside reports on all the contenders in this year's awards season races.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit THE EMMYS COLLECTIVE Visit each category, per the individual awards show from THE EMMYS HUB To see old predictions and commentary, click the EMMY PREDICTIONS ARCHIVES For film awards predictions go toTHE OSCARS HUB
UPDATED: June 2, 2022
2022 EMMYS PREDICTIONS: OUTSTANDING LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES
AWARDS PREDICTION COMMENTARY: Mike White’s satirical dramedy captured a biting look at wealth and social status in the new anthology series is up on deck and ready to take the TV Academy by storm. Featuring an all-star cast including top acting contenders Murray Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge, the high viewership, with an exciting boost from the Cannes Palme d’Or winner “Triangle of Sadness,” will usher the series along to multiple noms (and possible wins).
A latecomer in the Emmy race, the HBO miniseries, based on the documentary of the same name, lit up TV screens across the world in its thrilling depiction of Michael Peterson and his bludgeoned wife, Kathy. With Emmy nominee Colin Firth and Emmy winner Toni Collette at the top of their game, the mystery series could be a major spoiler in the race for gold.
Screenshot Courtesy of Disney Plus
Last year, Disney+ had the best showing of any series when “WandaVision” co-led the tally across all shows. With another entry from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, “Moon Knight” welcomes Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke to its ranks. The die-hard fans who continue to follow the sprawling MCU saga will surely continue. Will the TV Academy check off the series created by Jeremy Slater?
Emmy-winning writer and producer Danny Strong (“Game Change”) created this timely Hulu miniseries based on the popular book by Beth Macy that looks at America’s struggle with the opioid crisis. With a stellar ensemble that includes lead actor frontrunner Michael Keaton, the heartbreaking tale struck a chord with viewers back in late 2021, and it’s still resonating now, speaking to its narrative power.
Like the last two years of Emmy-sweeps have taught us, it’s not just what the TV Academy voters love but what they’ve watched. We know that many of them took the time to view the Netflix limited series by creator Molly Smith Metzler that takes a harrowing look at the toxic relationships that surround us. Led by incredible performances by real-life mother-and-daughter Margaret Qualley and Andie MacDowell, the show will strike a chord.
Danny Strong, John Goldwyn, Warren Littlefield, Karen Rosenfelt, Barry Levinson, Beth Macy, Michael Keaton
3
“The Staircase”
HBO/HBO Max
Antonio Campos, Maggie Cohn
4
“The Dropout”
Hulu
Elizabeth Meriwether, Katherine Pope, Michael Showalter, Jordana Mollick, Rebecca Jarvis, Taylor Dunn, Victoria Thompson, Liz Heldens, Liz Hannah
5
“Under the Banner of Heaven”
FX
Jason Bateman, Gillian Berrie, Dustin Lance Black, Michael Costigan, Anna Culp, Samie Kim Falvey, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, David Mackenzie
NEXT IN LINE
6
“Maid”
Netflix
John Wells, Molly Smith Metzler, Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Erin Jontow, Brett Hedblom, Stephanie Land
7
“1883”
Paramount+
Ron Burkle, David C. Glasser, John Linson, Art Linson, Taylor Sheridan, Bob Yari
8
“Pam and Tommy”
Hulu
Sue Naegle, Ali Krug, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Alex McAtee, Robert Siegel, D.V. DeVincentis, Craig Gillespie, Dylan Sellers, Dave Franco
9
“Inventing Anna”
Netflix
Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers, Tom Verica, David Frankel
10
“Moon Knight”
Disney+
Kevin Feige, Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Brad Winderbaum, Grant Curtis, Oscar Isaac, Mohamed Diab, Jeremy Slater
11
“The Girl from Plainville”
Hulu
Liz Hannah, Patrick Macmanus, Elle Fanning, Brittany Kahan Ward, Lisa Cholodenko
12
“Station Eleven”
HBO/HBO Max
Patrick Somerville, Jessica Rhoades, Scott Steindorff, Dylan Russell, Scott Delman, Jeremy Podeswa, Hiro Murai, Nate Matteson
13
“A Very British Scandal”
Amazon Prime Video
Sarah Phelps, Anne Sewitsky, Claire Foy, Kate Triggs, Delyth Scudamore, Graham Broadbent, Peter Czernin, Diarmuid McKeown, Lucy Richer, Dominic Treadwell-Collins, Chris Ballantyne
14
“Scenes from a Marriage”
HBO/HBO Max
Hagai Levi, Michael Ellenberg, Oscar Isaac, Jessica Chastain, Lars Blomgren, Amy Herzog, M. Blair Breard, Daniel Bergman
15
“WeCrashed”
Apple TV+
To be added
16
“Gaslit”
Starz
Robbie Pickering, Matt Ross, Sam Esmail, Chad Hamilton, Julia Roberts, Gabriel Roth, Josh Levin
17
“Midnight Mass”
Netflix
Mike Flanagan, Trevor Macy, Jeff Howard
18
“The First Lady”
Showtime
Jeff Gaspin, Brad Kaplan, Aaron Cooley, Pavlina Hatoupis, Alyson Feltes, Viola Davis, Julius Tennon, Andrew Wang, Cathy Schulman, Susanne Bier
19
“Landscapers”
HBO/HBO Max
To be added
20
“The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey”
Apple TV+
To be added
ALSO IN CONTENTION
21
“Impeachment: American Crime Story”
FX
To be added
22
“Dr. Death”
Peacock
Patrick Macmanus, Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Taylor Latham, Steve Tisch, Aaron Hart, Marshall Lewy, Hernan Lopez, Christian Slater, Alec Baldwin, Matt Del Piano, Maggie Kiley, Evan Wright
23
“Candy”
Hulu
Robin Veith, Nick Antosca, Alex Hedlund, Jessica Biel, Michelle Purple, Michael Uppendahl
24
“The Shrink Next Door”
Apple TV+
To be added
25
“Anatomy of a Scandal”
Netflix
To be added
26
“Hawkeye”
Disney+
To be added
27
“Colin in Black and White”
Netflix
To be added
28
“The Essex Serpent”
Apple TV+
To be added
29
“Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber”
Showtime
Allyce Ozarski, Stephen Schiff, Paul Schiff,
Beth Schacter, Brian Koppelman, David Levien, Mike Harrop, Mike Isaac, Safia M. Dirie, Sarah Acosta
30
“Women of the Movement”
ABC
To be added
UNRANKED CONTENDERS
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“American Horror Stories”
FX
To be added
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“American Horror Story: Double Feature”
FX
To be added
—
“Angelyne”
Peacock
To be added
—
“Brand New Cherry Flavor”
Peacock
To be added
—
“Clickbait”
Netflix
To be added
—
“Conversations with Friends”
Hulu
To be added
—
“Creep Show”
Shudder
To be added
—
“DMZ”
HBO/HBO Max
To be added
—
“Joe vs. Carole”
Peacock
To be added
—
“Lisey’s Story”
Apple TV+
To be added
—
“Love Life”
HBO/HBO Max
To be added
—
“Modern Love”
Amazon Prime Video
To be added
—
“Pistol”
FX
To be added
—
“Roar”
Apple TV+
To be added
—
“Slasher: Flesh and Blood”
Shudder
To be added
—
“The Girl Before”
HBO/HBO Max
To be added
—
“The Hot Zone: Anthrax”
National Geographic
To be added
—
“The Offer”
Paramount+
To be added
—
“The Premise”
FX
To be added
—
“The Pursuit of Love”
Amazon Prime Video
To be added
—
“The Thing About Pam”
NBC
To be added
—
“The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window”
Netflix
To be added
—
“This is Going to Hurt”
BBC One
To be added
—
“Time”
BritBox
To be added
—
“True Story”
Netflix
To be added
—
“We Own This City”
HBO/HBO Max
To be added
—
“Why Didn’t The Ask Evans?”
BritBox
To be added
AWARDS CATEGORY HISTORY (Best Limited or Anthology Series)
The Primetime Emmy Awards, better known simply as the Emmys, is television’s most prestigious artistic award. There are many records held for both wins and nominations in the near eight decades.
This category has continually undergone rule changes and inceptions over the years, making it misleading to account for significant historical wins and nominations. “Prime Suspect” has the most wins in this category with three, while “American Crime Story” is right behind with two. The former also has the most nominations for a continuing series with five, while “American Horror Story” is close behind with four.
Since the beginning of this category in 1973, HBO has the most wins in this category with 11, with NBC and PBS close behind with 10. Netflix is the only streaming platform to win this category with “The Queen’s Gambit” in 2021.
The Primetime Emmy Awards, better known as the Emmys, are given out by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS). Since 1949, the awards have recognized excellence in American primetime television programming. They are divided into three classes – Primetime Emmy Awards, the Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards (honors artisan achievements), and the Primetime Engineering Emmy Awards (recognizes significant engineering and technological contributions). The typical eligibility period is between June 1 and May 31 of any given year. The Television Academy comprises over 25,000 members, representing 30 professional peer groups, including performers, directors, producers, art directors and various artisans and executives.
The 74th Emmy Awards will take place on Monday, Sept. 12, and air on NBC.
“This will be unlike any awards show — I’m bringing the love and setting the frequency at an all-time high. The Billboard Music Awards truly represent the artists and where music is today, so I’m excited to curate the biggest live performances and surprises. The world has to tune in to see.”
The 2022 Billboard Music Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and stream on Peacock at 8 p.m. ET on NBC. It is part of the latest group of award shows that are airing live and with an audience. Diddy will also serve as a producer.
2022 Billboard Music Awards performers and honorees
The biggest award of the night is set to go to Mary J. Blige. The Billboard Music Awards Icon Award goes to an artist who has had a significant impact on music with both cultural and record achievements. While not all performers have been announced for the May 15 broadcast, Blige is set to perform along with Burna Boy, Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, Rauw Alejandro, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
The Weekend leads the 2022 Billboard Music Awards list with 17 nominations. He has nominations in the top artist category, top male artist, and top Hot 100 artist. Doja Cat leads the list of female nominees with 14 nominations. Her nominations include top artist, top Hot 100 artist, and top female artist. Justin Bieber, Kanye West, and Olivia Rodrigo, also lead the list of nominees with 13 nominations.
Additional performers and surprises for the night are expected to be announced in the upcoming weeks.
Are you excited about the 2022 Billboard Music Awards? Will you watch it? Sound off below!
About: An activist combats climate change by facing off against the fossil fuel industry, ultimately breaking the law to make a stand for future generations.
The inquiry investigating the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting will examine this week one of the most contentious aspects of the RCMP’s handling of the tragedy: public communications.
The Mounties have faced intense criticism for delaying the release of key information about the killer during his rampage, and there was confirmation last month that a senior-ranking officer is under investigation for his role in controlling the flow of information.
“There is still speculation by the public about the lack of transparency about the communication process,” said Christopher Schneider, a sociology professor at Brandon University in Manitoba who teaches about mass media and police. “This is not good for re-establishing trust in the RCMP.”
The commission of inquiry has heard that late on April 18, 2020, the RCMP issued its first public statement about the start of the killer’s rampage in rural Portapique, N.S., where the first 911 call originated at 10:01 p.m. In all, 13 people were murdered in Portapique that night.
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Even though the police force was aware victims had been killed and an active shooter could be still at large, the RCMP posted a seemingly innocuous tweet at 11:32 p.m. saying officers were investigating a “firearms complaint” _ a relatively common occurrence in a rural setting.
As well, a series of 911 calls and eyewitness accounts had clearly indicated the killer was driving a car that looked like a marked RCMP cruiser. But that information was kept from the public until the next day, mainly because the Mounties couldn’t confirm what they had been told or simply couldn’t believe it, the inquiry has heard.
According to witness testimony and documents released by the commission, the Mounties gave some consideration to issuing a more detailed public warning that night but never did.
Shortly after midnight, however, RCMP officers were given the name and a photo of the suspect. And at 1:09 a.m., police across the province were warned about an “active shooter incident in progress” involving an “armed and dangerous” suspect associated with an “old police car.”
According to the commission’s investigation, RCMP discussions about “media messaging” took on a renewed urgency the next day around 7:30 a.m. when police received a photo of the killer’s replica patrol car and were told it was filled with weapons and could be anywhere in the province.
At that point, RCMP Chief Supt. Chris Leather got involved in public messaging, according to a recently released summary of evidence.
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In personal notes he provided to the inquiry, Leather confirms speaking with Lia Scanlan, director of the Nova Scotia RCMP strategic communications division at 7:43 a.m.
“Info out to public _ tweets,” his notes say. “Picture and name — not there right now.”
At 8 a.m., Staff Sgt. Addie MacCallum was asked to speak to Scanlan about crafting a media release with photos of the suspect and his car. But there was an hour-long delay, which has yet to be explained.
Almost 10 hours after the gunman killed his first victim, the Mounties issued their first tweet declaring an “active shooter situation” in Portapique at 8:02 a.m. But the tweet did not mention the suspect’s name or anything about his getaway car. As well, it did not make it clear that he was on the move.
Relatives of some of the victims have argued that had the RCMP provided earlier public warnings with that key information, several lives could have been saved.
At 8:04 a.m., the RCMP issued an internal alert to its members stating the suspect was potentially using a fully marked Ford Taurus police cruiser and could be anywhere in the province. The same message was then sent to all police departments in the province.
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By 8:54 a.m., the RCMP sent a tweet that included a photo identifying 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman as the suspect, but there was still no mention of his car.
The inquiry has heard that just after 9 a.m., Staff Sgt. Bruce Briers contacted Staff Sgt. Al Carroll to ask if a media release was coming about the car. Carroll, the district commander for Colchester County, later responded: “Thought was given to give release about vehicle, but decision was made not to.”
It remains unclear who made that decision. At least one senior officer has claimed no such decision was taken.
According to an evidence summary released May 13, the commission is now investigating “whether the public release of the replica RCMP cruiser information was at any point delayed or denied, by whom, and why.”
Senior RCMP officers have told the inquiry they were reluctant to release details about the vehicle because they were worried such information could panic the public and flood the 911 system.
“It’s an illustration of the RCMP not trusting the common sense of the public,” said Wayne MacKay, professor emeritus at the Dalhousie University law school in Halifax. “There’s no doubt there would be some panic … but I think they should have had a little more confidence in the good sense of the public.”
Senior Mountie describes mass shooting response oversight
Senior Mountie describes mass shooting response oversight
Regardless of the Mounties’ rationale, questions remain about what happened after 9:11 a.m. when Leather, the RCMP’s second-in-command in the province that morning, sent an email requesting a copy of the alert sent to police about the suspect and his replica vehicle.
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According to the commission, another investigation “is ongoing into the role of Chief Supt. Leather … in relation to the release of information about the replica RCMP cruiser.”
Scott Blandford, a former police sergeant in London, Ont., said he couldn’t comment on whether chief superintendents in the RCMP should be involved in public communication, but he said involving police chiefs in media releases wasn’t the practice when he was with the London Police Service.
“As a general rule, the incident commander is the ranking officer on scene, and only in exceptionally rare circumstances are they overruled by a higher-ranking officer,” said Blandford, who teaches policing at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ont.
The inquiry has heard that a draft tweet showing a photo of the replica cruiser was approved at 9:49 a.m. But again there was another unexplained delay.
It wasn’t until 10:17 a.m. that the RCMP sent a tweet showing a photo of the car. That key warning came 12 hours after the Mounties were first told about the vehicle, and more than two hours after they received the photo. By then, another six people had been murdered that morning.
Two Mounties fatally shot the killer at a gas station north of Halifax at 11:26 a.m. At that time, the police force was crafting an Alert Ready emergency message to send to radios, TVs and cellphones in the province. But the message was never sent.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 5, 2022.
56-year-old supermodel Cindy Crawford appeared without makeup and styling in a new video. The catwalk star shared the video on social networks. Cindy Crawford posted a video on her personal blog in which she showed herself before and after makeup and styling. First, the 56-year-old supermodel appeared in the frame in a pajama shirt, without makeup, and with wet hair after a shower, and then she appeared in makeup, with a hairstyle, and in a satin blouse. It took Crawford just a few seconds to get ready. “If only it were that easy,” she captioned.
“Gorgeous, with or without makeup,” “Beautiful in any case,” “That’s what I call natural beauty,” “The most beautiful woman,” and “A real supermodel,” wrote Internet users in the comments. Earlier, it was published that the supermodels of the 90s you are most like – are Kate Moss , Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, and Linda Evangelista. In the 90s, supermodels became models of beauty. The ideal parameters are still checked against the figure of Cindy Crawford – at 90-60-90, you can safely consider your figure as a reference.
The reason for the success of fashion models of the 90s, however, is not only in appearance: each of them was and remains a person with her own character, opinion, and goal in life. Cindy walked barefoot in her laced John Galliano dress with a delicate bouquet of white flowers – and yes, the beach waves were essential to her hair. Gerber’s white linen shirt and black flowing pants maintained the cozy atmosphere the pair wanted, and she walked down the aisle with Gerber. Cindy, 56, wore a white blouse with a white coat over her shoulders and black trousers at a celebrity hotspot with her family, while Randy, 60, accidentally rolled up his sleeves in a gray shirt. There were blue jeans and shoes. Although Presley could not join him for dinner, he seemed satisfied.
The long-awaited sequel to Jedi: Fallen Order was unveiled Friday at Star Wars Celebration.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was teased with a short clip of the story, but no actual gameplay was shown during the four-day convention at the Anaheim Convention Center.
Respawn Entertainment, Electronic Arts and Lucasfilm Games pulled the curtain back on Survivor, the next chapter of the critically acclaimed, enormously popular Star Wars action-adventure series chronicling the journey of Jedi Cal Kestis.
The game will launch worldwide in 2023 for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
“Even before completing Jedi: Fallen Order, our team had a vision of how to carry the adventure for Cal, BD and the crew into the sequel,” Stig Asmussen, game director, Respawn said in a statement. “For Jedi: Survivor, we are working in lockstep with Lucasfilm Games to build on the legacy of Jedi: Fallen Order. We’re leveraging advanced technology to create more dynamic Jedi combat and cinematic storytelling to expand on Cal’s story as he matures and survives during the dark times.”
The latest chapter in the Cal Kestis series picks up five years after the events of Fallen Order. Cal, along with his trusty companion BD-1, must stay one step ahead of the Empire’s constant pursuit as he begins to feel the weight of being one of the last remaining Jedi in the galaxy. Cal must learn new skills and grow his connection with the Force.
Amazon today unveiled the first trailer for Billy Porter’s feature directorial debut, Anything’s Possible, which launches globally on Prime Video on July 22.
The film written by Ximena García Lecuona is a modern Gen Z coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa (Eva Reign), a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal (Abubakr Ali) gets a crush on her, he musters up the courage to ask her out, despite the drama he knows it could cause. What transpires is a romance that showcases the joy, tenderness and pain of young love.
Renée Elise Goldsberry also stars in the pic from Orion Pictures, Andrew Lauren Productions and Killer Films. Christine Vachon, David Hinojosa, Andrew Lauren and D.J. Gugenheim produced it, with Lecuona, Porter and Allison Rose Carter serving as EPs.
Porter is an actor, singer, director, composer and playwright best known for his Emmy-winning turn as Ball scene emcee Pray Tell on FX’s Pose. He also recently appeared in Amazon’s live-action remake of Cinderella, CBS All Access’ The Twilight Zone and American Horror Story: Apocalypse, also narrating HBO Max’s docuseries, Equal. His theatre credits include the role of Lola in the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, which he originated in 2013—landing Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Awards, as well as the Grammy for Best Musical-Theatre Album.
The multi-hyphenate is also set to direct a queer teen comedy from Gabrielle Union’s I’ll Have Another Productions, titled To Be Real. Just yesterday it was announced that he will star alongside Luke Evans in the custody-battle drama Our Son, from director Bill Oliver.
Check out the trailer for Porter’s first feature as a director by clicking above.
We’ve all been there. We scroll up and down the Netflix home page, looking at TV show and movie icons, hoping something will catch our eye. Now, Netflix is introducing a novel feature to help users see more about a program than just its icon: A video preview, right on the home page.
This isn’t a trailer like you’d see for a new show or movie. It’s a “video synopsis” in the upper right of the screen. Check out this quick video from Netflix, and you’ll see:
According to a Netflix blog post, this new feature is meant to make video selection easier:
(The video previews) help members make faster and more confident decisions by quickly highlighting the story, characters and tone of a title. In developing this experience, our testing showed that people watched more of a story, demonstrating these previews helped them browse less and watch more.
The company is getting ready to launch more than 1,000 hours of original content in 2017 with a long-term goal of having more than 50% original content. Netflix writes it is rolling out the feature today. Depending on how you get Netflix, you’ll see the new interface over the course of the next several weeks or months.
Of course, that’s not the only new programming coming this month to Netflix, which is why we’ll be focusing on the return of The Umbrella Academy for its Sparrow-licious third season along with other super-duper original shows worth checking out in June 2022. especially if stand-up comedy is not your thing. Let’s dive in, and run through some of the notable picks from all genres arriving in June.
(Image credit: Netflix)
Floor Is Lava Season 2 (June 3)
Floor Is Lava is back for another season, and it looks like one of the most creative Netflix game shows to date has upped the ante for Season 2. A trailer for the upcoming season shows new challenges on the way for teams to conquer…life…and even some returning faces in the mix. I personally am excited to watch people try and climb that giant slimy volcano, because it looks like a more intense version of the Aggro Crag from Nickelodeon GUTS. Anybody who missed out on Season 1 may not understand why I’m this excited for a show based on a children’s game, but you just have to watch it to get it. And then you’ll be auditioning to be in Season 3.
(Image credit: Netflix)
Keep Sweet: Pray And Obey (June 8)
True crime fans, Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey looks to be a disturbing doozy of a series centering around the 2008 raid of the Yearning for Zion Ranch compound in West Texas. Ultimately, 400+ children were taken into custody after law enforcement found evidence of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Emmy and Peabody Award-winning filmmaker Rachel Dretzin delivers a four-part miniseries that features never-before-seen archival footage, interviews, and much more information about Warren Jeffs, the man who masterminded the whole operation and its illegal acts. This is probably going to be that series that scratches the itch of those curious about those about the culture within cults, and how those who get brought in ultimately get out.
(Image credit: Netflix)
First Kill (June 10)
Netflix is offering up a classic Romeo & Juliet kind of story in June, with a medium side of vampires. In First Kill, Juliette has to make her first kill as a vampire, and targets a new girl in town named Calliope. Unfortunately, Calliope is a vampire hunter also in need of her first kill, and because they’re rebellious teens at a turning point in their lives/unlives, the two fall in love. I’m not sure how this one will play out, but there’s plenty of other supernatural goodness happening in this show that anyone upset about Legacies‘ cancellation may well enjoy. So get those fangs polished.
(Image credit: Netflix)
Peaky Blinders Season 6 (June 10)
After a long wait, the beloved UK crime drama Peaky Blinders will finally return to Netflix with Season 6. Unfortunately, for anyone following the ride but not in the know yet, it’s the final season. These upcoming episodes will finally bring the action to a halt nine years after its 2013 debut. Will this be when star Cillian Murphy gets the award recognition that fans believe he’s been deserving of? We’ll have to see if folks feel that way when the final season arrives in the United States and brings this thrilling show to an end.
(Image credit: Netflix)
God’s Favorite Idiot (June 15)
Mike & Molly vet Melissa McCarthy is back on television, and she’s starring alongside her husband Ben Falcone, as it usually goes, in a comedy about an unwitting man who becomes a messenger of God. Religion is definitely a part of this series, but based on the trailers I’ve seen, I’m reckoning it’s going to fall more on the side of irreverence and mischief than anything purely faith-based. It looks like satan, angels, and the Four Horseman are all caught up in this adventure, which arrives on Netflix at the midpoint of June.
(Image credit: Netflix)
Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend (June 15)
Iron Chef fans, this is a specialized reboot series you won’t want to miss. Rising stars in the food game will take on notable icons of the franchise like Curtis Stone, Dominique Crenn, Marcus Samuelsson, Ming Tsai, and Gabriela Cámara. Alton Brown and Kristen Kish will host, and of course, it wouldn’t be a true Iron Chef party without The Chairman, Mark Dacascos, along for the ride as well. Netflix is always a good place for cooking shows, and I expect Iron Chef: Quest for an Iron Legend will be no exception.
(Image credit: Netflix)
Snowflake Mountain (June 22)
Snowflake Mountain takes the wilderness reality show subgenre that’s spiked in popularity on cable and mixes it with shows focusing on scaring troubled teens into turning their lives around. Essentially, a bunch of young adults go on a survival retreat that’s devoid of all the luxuries of modern living. The hope is that through reconnecting with nature and learning about hard living, they’ll make a more full and meaningful transition into adulthood. I’m curious to watch and see how effective the show is on that front and what drama might arise from these participants when they’re forced out of the lap of luxury.
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Umbrella Academy Season 3 (June 22)
The Umbrella Academy is back for Season 3, and once again, the timeline is in shambles. As it turns out, fixing all things doomsday-related in 1963 technically didn’t correct the present, and now the heroes must come face to face with the Sparrow Academy after returning “home,” which is actually an alternate reality where Reginald Hargreeves found a squad of other super-beings to call his children. And one of them is a telekinetic cube. Suffice to say, the day still needs saving, and yes, it’s feeling less likely the Umbrella Academy crew will ever find their way back to the timeline they are familiar with.
(Image credit: Netflix)
Man Vs. Bee (June 24)
Rowan Atkinson is back with a new series, which might be something we’re all a bit surprised to hear in 2022 (unless you remember how much his Johnny English sequel made). The British comedy legend behind Mr. Bean is back, and he’s doing one of the things he does best as a comedian: dialogue-free chaos. In what’s advertised as a “mostly silent” series, a housesitter goes to war with a bee, and it appears as if no one will come out of this one the fictor. At least there will be no mistaking Man vs. Bee for any other show on the platform, as straightforward as the title is!
(Image credit: Netflix)
The Upshaws Season 2 Part 1 (June 29)
Mike Epps’ streaming comedy The Upshaws returns for the first half of Season 2, once again highlighting the life of a family trying to make its way in the Midwest. Those looking for the classic family sitcom are going to get all that and more from this show, which is good because it feels like we see less and less of those types of shows on television each year. Netflix wouldn’t dare cancel a show in between parts, so fans can look forward to more later this year.
Catch all these shows and more on Netflix in the month of June, and don’t forget about all the stand-up specials on the way as well, including the retrospective for Bob Saget.
