Longtime friends and filmmakers Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary will launch their first podcast next month on which they’ll revisit some of their favorite old B-movies and discover new ones.
Set to premiere July 19, “The Video Archives Podcast” will feature the duo rewatching and discussing movies pulled from the actual collection of VHS tapes that they used to recommend to customers when they worked at the original location of the iconic Video Archives movie rental store in Manhattan Beach, Calif., almost 40 years ago. It’s being produced with SiriusXM podcast subsidiary Stitcher.
Tarantino and Avary met at the Video Archives in 1983 where they shared a love of lesser-known films. Their encyclopedic knowledge of movies made them local celebrities, before they would go on to collaborate on the Oscar-winning screenplay for “Pulp Fiction.” Tarantino acquired the Video Archives in 1995 and rebuilt the store in his home.
The podcast will feature Tarantino and Avary waxing cinematic about movies including “Dark Star,” “Moonraker,” “Demonoid, “Messenger of Death” and “Piranha.” They’ll be joined by podcast announcer Gala Avary, who is Roger’s daughter.
Listen to the podcast trailer:
“The Video Archives Podcast” is produced by Josh Richmond and Gala Avary, and engineered by Devon Bryant, with executive producers Colin Anderson and Natalie Mooallem. Earwolf, Stitcher’s comedy podcast network, will provide production support.
In a joint statement, Tarantino and Avary said: “We never imagined that 30 years after we worked together behind the counter at Video Archives, we would be together again doing the exact same thing we did back then: talking passionately about movies on VHS.”
They continued, “Watching movies was what originally brought us together and made us friends, and it’s our love of movies that still brings us together today. So we surrounded ourselves with the original Video Archives collection, where we both worked before we became celebrated filmmakers, and time-traveled ourselves back to the golden age of VHS. We love to discuss movies, and we want to welcome you into the Video Archives Podcast to hang with us and Archives’ new employee Gala, and discover the hidden VHS gems on our shelves.”
SXM Media, the combined advertising revenue organization of Sirius XM Holdings Inc., has exclusive global ad sales rights for “The Video Archives Podcast.” The show will be available on Stitcher, the SXM App, and all major podcast listening platforms. “The Video Archives Podcast” is repped by WME and Goodman, Genow, Schenkman.
“Quentin and Roger have made such enduring marks on filmmaking, and it’s remarkable to think that it all goes back to a video rental store in Manhattan Beach,” commented Scott Greenstein, chief content officer at SiriusXM.
Emma-Jean Thackray 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.
Amber Heard says she’s buried under legal bills — including the $8.3 mil she owes Johnny Depp — but during the trial, she spared no expense to keep herself and her family in the lap of luxury.
TMZ has learned Amber made this 13,000-square-foot Virginia mansion her home away from home — it’s about 25 minutes away from the Fairfax County Courthouse where the 6-week trial took place. The acre of land the house sits on has its own tennis court, professional home movie theater, and a fitness room with a spa.
While records don’t include her name, they do show the home was rented on May 4 for $22,500 a month.
It’s unclear if she was staying there prior to May 4 — the trial started on April 11 — but witnesses in the neighborhood tell us Amber had been at the home with her daughter, Oonagh Paige, her mom and her sister, Whitney.
We’re told Amber’s security detail was also visibly present on the property.
Alex Garland’s Men, though home to some gruesome body horror effects, is a meandering, self-important approach to allegorical horror that misses its metaphorical mark.
Between Midsommar, X, Hereditary, The Lighthouse, and Lamb, A24 has more than cemented itself as the go-to studio for strange, genre-bending horror flicks, and their latest collaboration with Alex Garland, Men, is no exception. Revered for his previous success with surreal thrillers Ex Machina and Annihilation, the promise of Men – an eerie slow-burn horror about trauma and misogyny – seemed like another surefire hit for both Garland and A24. Tragically, Men is a notable misstep in A24’s horror hot streak – a self-important approach to feminist horror that (though boasting some truly gruesome effects) falls short of meaningful commentary and spine-tingling horror.
Starring Jessie Buckley and Rory Kinnear, Men follows Harper (Buckley), a traumatized young woman who takes a trip to the quaint English countryside to get a fresh start after the suicide of her abusive husband, James (Paapa Essiedu). Though, at first the secluded cottage in a sleepy town seems like the perfect escape for the haunted Harper, she quickly becomes the victim of a stalker (Kinnear) after an unsettling encounter in the woods. As the village townspeople slowly morph from harmless to menacing, Harper struggles to cope with her unacknowledged trauma – and escape the night with her life.
It must be acknowledged that – for all of Men‘s failures – not a single ill word can be said about neither Buckley nor Kinnear, both of whom turn in outstanding performances that give the film its few moments of genuine terror and brilliance. Of course, Jessie Buckley’s Harper is the beating heart of the film. It should come as no shock that Buckley delivers yet another grade-A performance, but she’s able to help bring warmth and relatability to Harper’s bare-bones character.
It’s frustrating to see a film so intent on proving itself feminist give its female protagonist so little to do. Still, Harper is a walking stereotype and singularly defined by the trauma inflicted on her by the men in her life. Though she does have moments of resistance and strength, she spends most of the film on the defensive – never truly able to take control of her narrative or even find vindication for her traumatic past. The sheer lack of character depth could also be a byproduct of the deliberately unsettling, murky tone that permeates the entire film, but for Harper’s character to be sacrificed in the name of aesthetic and allegorical value is disheartening, to say the least.
Still, even with the bare-bones material she’s given, Buckley more than pulls her weight – an impressive feat considering she has far and away the most screen time and is often the only character speaking in most scenes. That being said, though, Buckley’s performance wouldn’t be nearly as dynamic if she wasn’t playing off the jack-of-all-trades brilliance that is Rory Kinnear, who plays almost every inhabitant in the town with whom Harper interacts.
Though we struggle with the script’s attempted metaphorical message overall – especially in regards to how it positions Harper and her ex-husband, the decision to have a single actor play almost every other male character in the film is undoubtedly a brilliant one that adds a menacing air to the film – an ever-present awareness in both Harper and the audiences’ minds that it’s her against the rest of the world.
Among Kinnear’s arsenal of characters are a kindly homeowner, a mischievous schoolboy, and a leery priest – and though the writing overall doesn’t allow for much character exploration, Kinnear commits wholeheartedly to bringing as much depth and dimension to each individual persona as possible. While some men of the village – like the priest – are unquestionably villainous, there’s a strange empathy and relatability that Kinnear is able to invoke with a number of his performances that makes it difficult to root entirely against the multi-faced monsters, even if things do take a nasty turn in the final act.
Speaking of the film’s final act, the last half hour is the film’s most memorable – thanks in large part to a particularly gruesome, demented procession of bloody visuals that will make even those with the most iron-clad stomachs squirm. While the effects are certainly top-notch, and the pacing makes for a suitably scary finale (if the film’s only genuine foray into the horror genre), the metaphorical meaning behind the constant birth, death, and birth of the men chasing Harper feels underdeveloped and flimsy.
Men has the frustrating tendency to set up so many visual and narrative elements – the flashback and flash-forwards to Harper’s husband’s suicide, a number of religious images from varying backgrounds, and pagan birth rituals, to name a few – and then neglect to pay them off or resolve their placement in any meaningful way. Though the visuals will certainly cement a place for Men in horror history, and Rory Kinnear’s multi-role performance creates a singular dread that will stick with us, there just isn’t enough substance or tact put into Men to make it the allegorical folk horror masterpiece it could’ve been.
Kellyanne Conway’s memoir “Here’s the Deal,” detailing her time as Donald Trump’s campaign manager and political adviser, has sold 25,003 copies since its May 24 debut.
Despite reaching the No. 1 spot on the New York Times’ best sellers’ list, the 500-page volume’s sales fell short in comparison to other White House tell-all memoirs.
As reported by the Intelligencer, Mary Trump’s explosive book about her uncle “Too Much and Never Enough” flew off the shelves, with 950,000 copies sold in its first 24 hours. Groundbreaking journalist Bob Woodward’s “Rage” sold 600,000 units in its first week.
Trump had harsh words for Conway’s memoir, which includes an anecdote about how the former Commander in Chief considered dropping out of the 2016 race weeks before Election Day. In an excerpt published prior to the book’s release, Conway writes that he thought about pulling out after the infamous Access Hollywood tape emerged, but that she persuaded him to stay in the running.
At the time the excerpt was published, Trump’s chief spokesperson Liz Harrington told The Daily Beast that Conway’s recollection of that moment was “totally false.” After its publication, on May 26, Trump aired his own views on his social media platform Truth Social.
“Kellyanne Conway never told me that she thought we lost the election. If she had I wouldn’t have dealt with her any longer – she would have been wrong – could go back to her crazy husband,” Trump wrote, referencing Conway’s husband George Conway, who has been extraordinarily vocal about being anti-Trump. “Writing books can make people say some very strange things.”
Still, “Here’s the Deal” fared much better than memoirs published by other White House figures, including Chris Christie (less than 3,000 sold in its first week) and most recently Meghan McCain.
Citing an NPD Book Scan provided to Secrets, the Washington Examiner reported that McCain’s “Bad Republican” memoir sold a measly 244 copies in the first few days.
McCain, a former host on “The View” and the daughter of John McCain, hasclaimed that “Bad Republican” is a hit audiobook and that the hard copy was only intended as a “collectible for people who have already downloaded and consumed it.”
If the numbers are accurate, Conway’s memoir has already outsold McCain’s 100 times over.
HBO released the poster for Westworld Season 4 during its headlining ATX TV festival closing night event. The panel saw Lisa Joy (Co-Creator, Writer, Director, and Executive Producer), Alison Schapker (Writer and Executive Producer), and stars Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Hemsworth, Angela Sarafyan, and Aurora Perrineau discuss the upcoming season.
Most exciting was that actor James Marsden made a surprise appearance. During it, Marsden announced that he will return for the fourth season, which returns later this month to HBO on June 26, 2022. Marsden appeared as the sentient android Teddy Flood in 17 episodes during the first two seasons. The android is currently decommissioned (although its conscious mind is in the Sublime), so it’s unknown how he’ll return.
Westworld is a dystopian sci-fi drama, based on Michael Crichton’s 1973 film of the same name. It is a dark odyssey about the dawn of artificial consciousness and the birth of a new form of life on Earth. It centers around a technologically-advanced amusement park, where human-like android hosts are programmed to fulfill each high-paying guests’ wants and desires.
Season four stars Evan Rachel Wood, Emmy winner Thandiwe Newton, Ed Harris, Jeffrey Wright, Tessa Thompson, Luke Hemsworth, Aaron Paul, Angela Sarafyan, and James Marsden. Additional cast includes Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, Aurora Perrineau, and Daniel Wu.
The Emmy-winning series is created for television by Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy, who are also serving as executive producers with J.J. Abrams, Richard J. Lewis, Roberto Patino, Athena Wickham, and Ben Stephenson.
Westworldcomes from production companies Kilter Films and Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.
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 TELEVISION MOVIE
AWARDS PREDICTION COMMENTARY: What looks to be a landmark year for the animation medium, while Netflix is looking solid for recognition for their film “The House,” Disney+ enters the pack with their mix of live-action and animation with the refreshing reboot flick, “Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers.” Putting 90s nostalgia into overdrive for those of us who were fans of the Disney Afternoon cartoon, the movie also has hilarious voicework from Andy Samberg and John Mulaney. Directed by the multi-talented Akiva Schaffer, it would be an elevated choice for TV Academy members to select, despite its light subject matter.
Written by Lauryn Kahn, “Fresh” was acquired by Searchlight Pictures ahead of its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January. In March, the film was released on Hulu and received positive marks from critics and audiences. Adam McKay and Kevin J. Messick produced the thriller. McKay is a two-time Emmy-winner for outstanding variety special live (2019 for “Live in Front of a Studio Audience: Norman Lear’s ‘All in the Family’ and ‘The Jeffersons’”) and outstanding drama series (HBO’s “Succession” in 2020). Off his recent Oscar nomination for Netflix’s “Don’t Look Up,” this marks one of four possible noms McKay can receive this year — HBO’s “Succession” (drama series), “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty,” (drama series and directing the episode “The Swan”) and “The Invisible Pilot” (documentary series).
The Sky Is Everywhere
Courtesy of Apple TV Plus
A24 and Apple TV+ have partnered once again on “The Sky Is Everywhere” from director Josephine Decker, who also co-produces. Those who give the movie its time could be a no-brainer for mature cinephiles to digest. The same goes for Oscar-winner Barry Levinson’s acclaimed feature “The Survivor” with Ben Foster in a transformational performance.
There are a few films on the bubble but lack the buzz at the moment to rise on the charts (despite impeccable quality)—the magnificent Jenna Ortega vehicle, “The Fallout” from Megan Park. With the recent tragedies in Texas, it may hit too close to home, but I challenge voters to watch its honest portrayal of the aftermath of a school shooting.
2021 category winner: “The Queen’s Gambit” (Netflix)
ALL AWARDS CONTENDERS AND RANKINGS:
Warner Bros.
AND THE PREDICTED NOMINEES ARE:
RANK
FILM
NETWORK
PRODUCERS
1
“The House”
Netflix
Charlotte Bavasso, Christopher O’Reilly
2
“The Survivor”
HBO/HBO Max
Aaron L. Gilbert, Matti Leshem, Barry Levinson, Scott Pardo, Jason Sosnoff
3
“The Sky is Everywhere”
A24/Apple TV+
Josephine Decker, Denise Di Novi, Margaret French Isaac, Allison Rose Carter
4
“I Want You Back”
Amazon Prime Video
Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger, Peter Safran, John Rickard
5
“Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers”
Disney+
David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman
NEXT IN LINE
6
“Fresh”
Hulu
Adam McKay, Kevin Messick
7
“Kimi”
HBO/HBO Max
David Koepp, Michael Polaire
8
“The Fallout”
HBO/HBO Max
Shaun Sanghani, David Brown, Giulia Prenna, Joannie Burstein, Rebecca Miller, Cara Shine, Todd Lundbohm
9
“Ray Donovan: The Movie”
Showtime
John H. Radulovic, David Hollander, Liev Schreiber, Mark Gordon, Bryan Zuriff, Lou Fusaro
10
“Moonshot”
HBO/HBO Max
Greg Berlanti, Sarah Schechter, Jill McElroy, Jenna Sarkin
UNRANKED CONTENDERS
—
“8-Bit Christmas”
HBO/HBO Max
To be added
—
“Better Nate Than Never”
Disney+
To be added
—
“Bingo Hell”
Amazon Prime Video
To be added
—
“Birds of Paradise”
Amazon Prime Video
To be added
—
“Black as Night”
Amazon Prime Video
To be added
—
“Book of Love”
Amazon Prime Video
To be added
—
“Cheaper by the Dozen”
Disney+
To be added
—
“Crush”
Hulu
To be added
—
“Help”
Channel 4
To be added
—
“Jolt”
Amazon Prime Video
To be added
—
“Line Sisters”
Lifetime
To be added
—
“Madres”
Amazon Prime Video
To be added
—
“Reno 911! The Hunt for QAnon”
Paramount+
To be added
—
“Salt N’ Pepa”
Lifetime
To be added
—
“Sex Appeal”
Hulu
To be added
—
“The Bad Seed Returns”
Lifetime
To be added
—
“The Manor”
Amazon Prime Video
To be added
—
“The Valet”
Hulu
To be added
—
“The Voyeurs”
Amazon Prime Video
To be added
—
“The Waltons: Homecoming”
The CW
To be added
—
“Vanished: Searching for My Sister”
Lifetime
To be added
—
“Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas”
The Roku Channel
To be added
AWARDS CATEGORY HISTORY (Best Television Movie)
The Primetime Emmy Awards, better known simply as the Emmys, is television’s most prestigious artistic award. Many records are 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. For example, “Black Mirror” is a series with the most wins at three, while “Sherlock” has the most nominations at four.
HBO has the most wins in this category on the network front with 22, while NBC is second with nine. Netflix is the first and only streamer to have won this category – for three consecutive years with “Black Mirror.”
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.
If you look up the word “vibes” in the dictionary, chances are you’d see the cover of Calvin Harris’ 2017 album Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1. Sure, the project wasn’t exactly challenging or groundbreaking in any way, but the Scottish DJ and multi-instrumentalist’s sudden interest in colorful post-disco beach music was a well-executed pivot no one saw coming. Songs like “Slide” and “Rollin” were inescapable earworms in the best possible way, proving Harris’ mettle as an A&R by placing artists like Frank Ocean, Migos, Future, and Khalid over what’s essentially digitized yacht rock for the SoundCloud generation.
The legacy of Funk Wav Bounces has followed Harris for the last five years, to the point that he’s ready for another go-round with Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2. If lead single “Potion” is any indication, Harris isn’t looking to tweak the formula. A snaking bassline, flecks of guitar, and synths glide like waves cresting on sand, the clean funk shining bright. It’s all sturdy enough to house a steamy Dua Lipa hook and a nimble verse from Young Thug—his first feature since being arrested on RICO charges and his second collaboration with Harris after his scene-stealing contribution on Vol. 1’s “Heatstroke.” Functionally and musically, “Potion” is no different from any other Vol. 1 song, another sunny and well-engineered confection to crowd playlists and soundtrack trips to the mall food court. Formulaic or not, it’s hard to argue when the results feel this good.
Content
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Robert and Kenny begin the show discussing the nominees for the 2021 World Soundtrack Awards, including many former guests and friends of the show. Kenny also shares why Blake Neely had an exciting and unexpected surprise while watching the Tokyo Olympics over the weekend.
Subscribe to MORE SCORE on Patreon for year-round interviews, film music talk and even cool merch: http://Patreon.com/MoreScore
Later, Emmy-nominated composer Rupert Gregson-Williams (Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Hacksaw Ridge, Veep, Catch 22, The Crown, Behind Her Eyes and more) joins the show sharing his early stories of growing up with his brother and fellow A-list composer Harry and why they only recently collaborated on a project after many years of success as solo composers, detailing why a particular cue on The Crown was his most challenging job to date, and revealing why Adam Sandler prefers to skip spotting sessions on his films.
This episode is presented by Spitfire Audio Follow us on Twitter @ScoreThePodcast or send Kenny and Robert your questions for the mailbox at ScoreTheMailbox@epicleff.com
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A HERO cop has told how he led the operation to bring down “The Canadian Godfather” who ran one of the world’s biggest mafia clans and viciously gunned down his rivals.
Nick Milano managed to snare feared mob boss Vito Rizzuto who ran a prolific drug trafficking network and whose criminal empire controlled an area one-quarter the size of the US.
7
Vito was under 24-hour surveillance in the weeks leading up to his arrestCredit: AFP
7
Nick Milano was key in bringing down the notorious mob baron
Mr Milano’s mission was a turning point for the mob in Montreal, which saw Rizzuto extradited to the US and convicted for the notorious “Three Capos” murder.
The killing saw three mobsters die in a hail of bullets at a nightclub in Brooklyn before being buried in a mob mass grave – with Rizzuto being one the killers.
And it was a horrific gangland murder which was immortalised in the movie Donnie Brasco, starring Johnny Depp and Al Pacino.
The Rizzutos rose to notoriety in the 1980s following a bloody civil war that left Montreal streets laden in blood and the family on top.
The gang – once dubbed the Sixth Family of New York due to its Sicilian roots and sheer power over Canadian industry and politics – siphoned billions in heroin and cocaine through Montreal and New York.
And the clan ran one of the largest extortion rings in the country at their height.
That all changed one cold January morning in 2001 when anti-gang officers arrived at the steps of Vito’s home with an arrest warrant and cuffs.
Mr Milano – a Montreal cop who cut his teeth patrolling the city’s red light district before infiltrating the Rizzuto family’s loan-sharking business – still remembers the moment he was called to lead the perilous mission launched by the FBI.
He told The Sun Online: “I was called in by my commander at the time.
“He calls me up my partner with Pietro and there are all the bosses. All four of us were in a little office.
“It was very secretive. He explained to us that we are going to embark on the extradition process of Vito Rizzuto.
“We were not to discuss this with any members of our team. Not because we couldn’t trust anyone but because it was very much on need-to-know basis.
“And to be honest, as the days went by, that became incredibly difficult to do. Impossible to do. But we respected it to the end.”
What ensued was a six-week surveillance operation that followed Vito’s every movement, 24 hours, seven days a week.
Dress up nicely Vito because you’ll be going to court
Nick’s partner to Rizzuto
The team were given special eavesdropping kit and vehicles and had Vito’s phone tapped.
“We would leave from our house, conduct surveillance with the team and pretty much operate for 16 hours. When Vito would go home to sleep, we would go home to sleep,” Mr Milano told us.
“We knew that at 12, he’d be back so at 10.30 we’d be back on the road and we joined the surveillance team.”
The retired cop said Vito’s habits were very predictable, which made it surprisingly easy to stake him out.
“Monday to Friday, he would exit his home around lunchtime and he would conduct a series of meetings in different restaurants, bars, public gatherings.
7
Al Indelicato was one of the men gunned down in Three Capos murder – played in Donnie Brasco by Robert Miano
7
Philip Giaccone was also killed as the trio were buried in a mob mass grave
7
Dominick ‘Big Trin’ Trinchera was the third man killed in the massacreCredit: Getty
“He would always go to the same cafe – Cafe Cosenza, in a historically Italian area of town. We would see him make contact with different people at all times of the day.
“He would meet different men and occasionally women and he would retire at his home around 11.30am to 12am, at the latest.
“Weekends were there for the family, the happenings, and his passion: golf.”
Mr Milano and his team slowly pieced together Vito’s routine and were ready to strike once Montreal’s police force said so.
And what that time came on January 20, 2004, it was done “like a very well-performed ballet”.
SURGICAL STRIKE
“It was surgical. Precise actions between the investigators, myself, and Pietro and the cast of support police officers that were part of the surveillance team till the moment we put the cuffs on him.
“We had a team that surrounded the property. We basically knocked on the door – we didn’t want to have tactical officers accompany us. It’s a family environment, his house was located in a very well-to-do area in Montreal and we did not have information regarding that he might be carrying a gun.
“We decided, Pietro and I, to confront Mr Rizzuto like normal citizens.
“Like two detectives to a bad guy. We knocked at the door. His wife answered. It was quite early in the morning and so she was in a nightgown. It was cold.
“Mrs Rizzuto opens the door and he’s at the top of the stairs. It’s not a small property.
“My partner and I asked him to come down, which he does and we go to the parlour just off the door.
“I ask him to sit down and I take the document out and I read it to him.
“He understood clearly why we were there and he understood the charge.
“He asked us at that point if he could change because he was in a nightgown and that’s when my partner told him: ‘Dress up nicely Vito because you’ll be going to court’.”
7
Vito’s son Nick Rizzuto was buried in a golden casket after he was gunned downCredit: Alamy
Vito was handcuffed and eventually taken to a maximum security jail 30 minutes outside the city.
Mr Milano remembers Vito was “confused, bewildered” and constantly asking if they had the right person.
When the FBI’s extradition warrant finally came through two years later, Mr Milano and his partner swooped Vito out and onto a plane set for New York.
He said: “We allowed him to have his weekly visit with the family and waited for them to leave to sweep in the visitor sector.
“Me and another officer in plain clothes picked him up. The surprise was so well planned, he had to give away his belongings in the cell to a fellow inmate and the guards were all bewildered.
“The trip back to Montreal allowed him to get to know me and me him.
“He was forthcoming and spoke openly about his family, his prediction about how things would go down in his absence.
“It was prophetic; everything except the murders of his crew and family happened.”
Vito was later found guilty for the murders of three rival Bonano crime family capos, Philip Giaccone, Dominick Trinchera and Alphonse Indelicato.
On May 4, 2007, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit murder and was sentenced to 10 years behind bars and fined $250,000.
He was incarcerated into a federal supermax prison for the most dangerous male inmates in the US.
His disappearance from the mob scene created a power vaccum – with Vito’s son Nick being gunned down in 2009, and his father Nicolo being shot by a sniper in 2010.
When Vito was given early release in October 2012, he flew back to Montreal and met his captor months before the mob boss’ death from lung cancer.
The mobster provided Mr Milano with vital information about corruption among Quebec’s construction industry, which his family once benefitted from.
“I repeat to everyone who asks me what Vito was like,” Mr Milano said.
“He was a gentleman, in every sense of the word. Very composed and very articulate. He had leadership qualities.
“He was able to influence people and had that charisma that made him a little bit special.
“I’ve met some big players in organised crime and some big time bikers and there was a distinction with Vito in regards to that.”
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The crime family was established by Vito’s father, Nick Rizzuto (pictured), who later killed from a sniper bullet while eating dinner with his familyCredit: PA
The first season of Apple’s “Severance” concludes with a jam-packed finale that sees the Innie ver- sions of MDR employees Mark (Adam Scott), Helly (Britt Lower) and Irving (John Turturro) awaken in the real world for the first time during an escape attempt, which leads Helly to find out she’s actually the Lumon CEO’s daugh- ter, Mark to realize his wife, Gemma (Dichen Lachman), is alive and Irving to discover Burt’s (Christopher Walken) Outtie has a part- ner, all in just a few scenes. Constructing the episode in which Milchick (Tramell Tillman) and Cobel (Patricia Arquette) realize what’s going on and then try to stop it, all while Dylan (Zach Cherry) is desperately trying to simultaneously hold the control room switches that will keep his friends awake, required more effort than the eight episodes that came before it.
Ben Stiller DIRECTOR, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER “The idea was to try to immerse the viewer in the point of view of the Innies. We wanted the last episode to be totally representative of their experience being in a different world than their own, so it was all shot by Steadicam, which we had only previously used in the MDR scene with Milchick’s dance. The hope was that it would feel as different for the audience as it did for the characters…. We didn’t shoot it as a stand-alone. We had shot parts of it over a nine-month period, so we would only have parts of a day to film it. I think Helly’s first shot, where we meet her at the party, was done at 1 o’clock in the morning, with only an hour left to shoot. … It involved lots of choreography, and the glass elevator. … Luckily, we had an amazing crew who were total pros and were able to design it and shoot within in that time.”
Dan Erickson CREATOR, WRITER, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER “We tried to think of it from both the Innie and Outies perspectives and end the story on a point that would change the game for the characters on both sides and create a cool new playing field for Season 2. So, for Mark, his Innie has just found the wedding photo and is scrambling to get the message to Devon that his wife is alive at Lumon, which he, sort of, half-completes. His Innie, in theory, is going to return to the Severed floor with this world-shaking knowledge. Meanwhile, his Outie’s going to wake up having just yelled this cryptic thing in the middle of a crowded party. He’s holding the photo, but is it going to be clear to Devon what he meant? It leaves both versions of him with new knowledge but also new things to figure out.”
Adam Scott ACTOR, PRODUCER “Innie Mark’s disillusionment with Lumon steadily grew over the course of the season, and he assumed it had probably hit its ceiling. But when he sees the wedding photo of Outie Mark and Gemma, everything he thought he knew is redefined — the depravity and cruelty of Lumon comes into focus for him, and it’s just immediate raw terror and fury. … Playing it was interesting, challenging, and like everything with this show, a bit of a puzzle. He’s also reacting to the tragedy of it: Having heard about Gemma from Ricken and Devon, he has an idea of what she meant to his Outie and how bereft he’s been — so, physiologically, he understands in a way, because they do share feelings, even though he can’t name or pin down the sad- ness Outie Mark passes along to him, he does feel it, even if it’s abstract. It’s also very sad and he feels the betrayal for the both of them. It was several things happening at once in that moment and I hope I was able to squeeze a few of them in there.”
Patricia Arquette ACTOR, PRODUCER “Cobel has a long history with Lumon. Lumon represents her family, her religion, her political view of the world. And she’s very committed to the corporation and the corporation doing important work in the world, even if that means she needs to step outside of normal procedures to show them. She knows what’s best and has the company’s interest at heart — even upper management. Cobel is fully aware that the rules are constantly changing. Even for her. She knows there’s no guarantee of anything. She has multiple agendas happen- ing at the same time in this scene.”
John Turturro ACTOR “Obviously, Irving is discovering his Outie’s world. The essence is about discovering your surround- ing circumstances, the place where you live in, the objects around you and who you are, obviously that would be quite disorienting. But, you are discovering it detail by detail. Then when he finds Burt’s place on the map, it all clicks in for him. Once he finds his address his feelings take over and he’s off. … Driving a car, it’s in you, but obviously you don’t know exactly what it is. I guess it’s not as easy as riding a bike, but it is how much of your Outie bleeds into your Innie. That’s the whole trick of it.”
Zach Cherry ACTOR “One thing that made the process of shooting that scene easier was the amazing set and production design. All the sets and locations we shot on were so fleshed out and detailed, it really felt like I was locked into this weird little claustrophobic control room. Also add- ing to the genuine tension of every take was that my glasses would slowly slide further and further down my nose to the point where I was essentially wearing them on my upper lip. That’s stressful! I had to hold the position for quite a while! I was definitely shaking my arms out in between takes and at the end of the day. [But if anyone asks, I could’ve held it for much longer with no issues. I’m very strong.]”
Britt Lower ACTOR “Filming this scene with Michael Siberry was a real tightrope walk; trying to balance how well Helly R is covering her rage in front of him, careful not to misstep, while also doing reconnaissance and plotting her next move. For me, reciting the compunction statement became a prayerful reckoning with herself. It’s Helly R being laid bare, holding her Outie self [Helena] account- able for her and their family’s actions. ‘Forgive me for the harm I have caused this world’ took on a really different meaning in this context. And at the same time, she’s reclaiming it as her own rally cry before she steps out to take down the company. Helly R is all instinct. So Cobel challenging her backstage becomes the gasoline on her fire. There’s no backing down after that.”
Tramell Tillman ACTOR “One of the joys of crafting Milchick was embodying a controlled, meticulous character to slowly unravel throughout the season. I jokingly said on set, ‘Everything was fine until Helly came along!’ One of my many responsibilities is to maintain order and productivity on the Severed floor at Lumon. As the season expands, we watch Milchick lose what he believes to be an effective grip. By the season’s conclusion, the stakes are incredibly high. The game has completely changed and everything is on the line. Milchick is a man who is wicked smart, agile, an observer. He knows the strengths and weaknesses of those he surveys. His superpower lies in knowing how to utilize his knowledge for gain. In playing this scene, it was important to remember who he is and what is at risk. I believe Milchick would stop at nothing to do what’s best for the company. Not only was it a pure delight in making the scene, but what we witness occur within Milchick is quite extraordinary.”
Amanda de Cadenet, the podcast host of The Conversation and Victoria’s Secret’s VS Voices, has struck an exclusive, three-year deal with iHeartMedia.
As part of the deal, de Cadenet will release a new show, About the Men wWith Amanda de Cadenet, and new seasons of The Conversation and VS Voices. The podcasts will continue to be available on all major platforms, and iHeart will handle all ad sales opportunities for the three shows.
The second season of VS Voices will release June 2, with iHeart slated to co-produce and distribute an additional four seasons. The first season of the show, which featured interviews with Stella McCartney, Naomi Osaka, Megan Rapinoe, Bella Hadid, Hailey Bieber and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, among others, will also join the iHeart network.
In About the Men, which is expected to launch in the late summer or early fall with an interview with Matthew McConaughey, de Cadenet will be in conversation with high-profile men about contemporary masculinity.
And later this year, The Conversation — which previously brought on guests like Hillary Clinton, Lady Gaga and Gwyneth Paltrow for the first season — will return with a second season, now under iHeart.
“Storytelling with a purpose is what I have focused on for most of my career,” de Cadenet said. “I am looking forward to continuing that mission in partnership with iHeart, and to amplify the powerful life experiences that my guests share with me.”
Mariah Carey is being sued for $20 million over claims that she ripped the name of her holiday smash hit “All I Want for Christmas Is You” from another song written five years prior.
In a complaint filed Friday in New Orleans, Andy Stone, who performs under the name Vince Vance as part of the country-pop group Vince Vance & The Valiants, filed allegations of copyright infringement and misappropriation. He named Carey, her co-writer Walter Afanasieff and Sony Music Entertainment in the suit.
The complaint alleges that the single exploited the “style” and “popularity” of Stone’s song, which he claims received “extensive airplay” during the 1993 holiday season and charted on Billboard.
Stone’s 1989 song (which is also the name of the band’s 1992 album) shares neither lyrics nor melody with Carey’s 1994 anthem. However, the lawsuit claims that the identical titles caused confusion and that Carey did not ask for permission.
The suit also states that Stone first notified the defendants in April 2021, but that the two parties were “unable to come to any agreement.” It did not mention when Stone first became aware of the Carey song.
“All I Want for Christmas,” the first single from Carey’s album “Merry Christmas,” became the first and only holiday single to hit 10 million sales and streaming units in the U.S. last December, 27 years after its initial release. In 2019, it topped the Billboard 100, making Carey the first solo recording artist to claim the No. 1 spot 19 times. The following year, its return to the top of the chart earned Carey the title of first artist to have a hit song in four different decades.
By 2017, the shopping mall mainstay earned Carey more than $60 million in royalties, the BBC reported.
“The continued love for my song never ceases to amaze me and fill my heart with a multitude of emotions,” Carey said upon receiving the RIAA’s Diamond Award in late 2021. “It blows my mind that ‘All I Want for Christmas is You’ has endured different eras of the music industry. The RIAA DIAMOND award?! Wowww! I’m so fortunate to have the greatest fans on Earth, my Lambily, who continue to support my legacy. I love you.”
The Emmys are doing away with the hanging episode rule, starting with the 2023 Awards.
The Television Academy announced that its Board of Governors had approved the change, which was recommended by its Awards Committee.
The policy currently allows a series that premieres current-season episodes after the May 31 eligibility deadline, but before the start of voting for nominations, to post those episodes on a platform for Academy members by May 31 for eligibility in the current Emmy competition.
However, next year, only episodes that premiere on a platform available to a national audience by May 31, 2023 will be Emmy-eligible.
The change was made, the TV Academy said, to standardize submissions within the eligibility year.
The Academy also released the following rules for series and limited/anthology series eligibility starting with the 2023 Emmys competition.
Series
• The required number of episodes from a series must premiere nationally by May 31 to be eligible in the current Emmy competition. (Six episodes are required for series in animation, comedy, drama, variety, short form and reality categories. Three episodes are required for documentary series and hosted nonfiction series). • If a series premieres within the current Emmy eligibility year but doesn’t have the required number of nationally premiered episodes to qualify for its category, the series, along with the individual achievements, would gain eligibility in the subsequent Emmy competition. • If a series qualifies in the current eligibility year, but has additional episodes from its current season premiering after May 31, those episodes will gain Emmy eligibility with the series’ subsequent season. • If the series doesn’t return in the subsequent Emmy competition, those episodes would be eligible as single “orphaned” episodes in certain individual achievement categories. Submission for a body of work (including series and acting categories) would not be eligible under the “orphaned” episodes rule.
Limited/Anthology Series
• All episodes/parts of a limited/anthology series must premiere nationally by May 31 to be eligible in the current Emmy competition. • If all episodes/parts do not premiere within the current eligibility year, the complete limited series, along with the individual achievements, would gain eligibility in the subsequent Emmy competition.
The Power of the Dog Director: Jane Campion Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Kodi Smit-McPhee
New Zealand director Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog comes more than a decade after she made Bright Star on the last three years of poet John Keats’ life and his romance with Fanny Brawne. It had a great cast of Ben Wishaw and Abbie Cornish. The director’s latest, The Power of the Dog, which has just opened on Netflix, is a diversion from most of her works in which the protagonist is invariably a woman. I remember her 1993 Cannes Competition title, The Piano, a period piece with Holly Hunter (essaying a “mute” woman), Harvey Keitel and Anna Paquin. It won the top Palme d’Or at Cannes, and went on to garner the Best Actress Oscar for Paquin (who was only 11 then) and a Best Supporting trophy for Hunter.
It is possible that The Power of the Dog would clinch a few Oscars early next year, though it is certainly not in the same league as The Piano, which was emotionally and passionately far more gripping. Campion’s current creation, which she adapted from Thomas Savage’s novel with the same title, is a disturbing mix of jealousy, rivalry and hatred as it is about love and affection. Phil and George are brothers, who despite their chalk-and-cheese differences in character, are inseparable like Siamese twins. They even share a bed, making us wonder whether they have homosexual tendencies. Having inherited a large ranch in Montana where they raise livestock and train horses, they have devised a neat pattern to co-exist in their mahogany panelled palatial house in the middle of nowhere.
It is 1925, and Campion presents an exciting cowboy story, though without guns, bullets and fights. The confrontations are internalised with Phil — played superbly by Benedict Cumberbatch, who is the protagonist here in a deviation from Campion’s women heroes – resentful of a third and fourth person intruding in the brothers’ domestic arrangement. George brings home his wife, Rose (Kirsten Dunst) and her son, Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
Rugged and raunchy, Phil believes that the world is meant for the fittest – not for Rose, who lets a mood of melancholy and alcohol addiction engulf her. Peter is a sissy, a mother’s pet, training to be a surgeon, who in his free time makes exquisite paper flowers. When he puts them on the dining table, he is immediately branded Miss Nancy. Phil never loses an opportunity to taunt Rose or her son. When she is practising on her piano for a reception that her husband wants to hold for the Governor, Phil plays the same tune on his banjo, outsmarting and humiliating her.
Interestingly, while outwardly both Phil and Peter are poles apart, there is a strong, almost vile, streak running in them. We see this early on when Phil castrates a bull with his bare hands, and much later we would see Peter cutting his pet rabbit – which he explains away saying that he is experimenting for his course in surgical medicine.
George is the weakest link here; always nattily dressed, he is a perfect gentleman, but is absent from the screen for long periods, and there is little that strikes us about him. Portrayed by Jesse Plemons, he keeps to himself and strangely does not intervene when Phil keeps taunting Rose, who is even called a schemer latching to George so that her son’s college fee could be paid.
Shot in some of the wild parts of New Zealand (which are passed off as Montana), Campion captures the beauty of the rugged hills and the undulating valleys. Like the ups and downs of the landscape, we see a parallel in the relationships, between Phil and Peter. He takes the boy under him and trains him to be a cowboy, horse riding and the art of getting tough. Phil himself was trained by Bronco Henry, a cowboy from their youth.
The Power of the Dog, despite its dull brown look, has interesting moments. Look at the way Campion has framed a shot of a series of windows, and we see a horseman moving outside each – appearing and reappearing. Much like this fade-in and fade-out shot, the drama here is exposed or hidden in dark motives, suppressed anger and repressed sexuality. It is a devastatingly brutal look at lives lived in the gloomy recesses of turbulent emotions.
But I wish Dunst had got a better written part. If you remember, she was fantastic in Lars Von Trier’s Melancholy – a movie that got the helmer into trouble at Cannes, where he jocularly hinted that he was a fan of Hitler. I remember Dunst’s acute discomfort and embarrassment at that press conference where the Danish auteur angered half the world. Dunst walked away with the Best Actress Palm, although there are reports that the jury also wanted to give the work a Best Picture award.
(Gautaman Bhaskaran is an author, commentator and movie critic has been covering many film festivals, including Cannes, Venice and Tokyo, for three decades)
The weather is finally getting hotter, so before you pack your beach bag and sip frozen margs, it’s time to check out the best new summer haircuts. Summer is always a great time for a hair switch-up, but especially after the past two years, we could all use a fresh start. What better way than shedding some dead weight?
Drew Schaefering, an expert stylist at Brooklyn’s Rob Peetoom, says that his clients have been feeling the same way. “One of the things that summer brings—aside from longer days, sunsets, and social gatherings—is a sense of change,” he explains. “Our hair behaves differently with heat and humidity changing, so many of us alter our approach and adapt. I have been cutting a lot of length with several clients opting for a more ‘lightweight’ and ‘free’ look.”
Lightweight and free is exactly how we want to be until Labor Day rolls around. We spoke to Schaefering and other top stylists for all the insight on the coolest summer haircuts to try this year. From minimalist hair to breezy bangs, read on for all the inspo you could hope for.
Cumming had previously offered a $10,000 reward for information about the chimp, which appeared in the 1997 film “Buddy” with him.
Alan Cumming’s search for information about Tonka, the baby chimp that starred in the 1997 film “Buddy” alongside him and Rene Russo, has finally borne fruit. The actor recently offered a $10,000 reward for information about the animal, which was thought to be dead in 2021.
“During the months we filmed together, baby Tonka and I became good friends, playing and grooming each other and just generally larking about,” Cumming said at the time. “It’s horrible to think he might in a cage in a dark basement somewhere or have met some other fate, so I’m appealing to whoever knows what has become of him to please come forward claim the reward.”
This week, Tonka was found alive in the home of longtime owner Tonia Haddix, where he had access to a 60-inch TV and a tablet device, and had recently participated in a St. Patrick’s Day party, according to Rolling Stone. Haddix admitted that she had faked the chimp’s death as a way to avoid turning him over to the Center for Great Apes sanctuary in Wauchula, Florida, which a judge had ordered her to do.
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“Oh absolutely, 100 percent,” she said when asked if she had lied.
While the news that Tonka was alive should have made Cumming happy, the story was accompanied by a darker piece of information: PETA learned that the chimp’s owner had allegedly planned to have him euthanized on June 2. Haddix denies this, saying she had just scheduled a routine veterinary appointment for that day. She maintains that she was always acting in the chimp’s best interests, even subjecting herself to legal troubles for lying to the court.
“Honey, I’ve been held in contempt of court three times,” she says. “I have paid $50 a day [in fines]. I’ve been through the mill. I’m sure that there’ll be some jail time in this. Do I care? No, I don’t care. It’s because it’s about that kid. As long as that kid is safe, I don’t care about nothing out there.”
PETA disagrees with that characterization, and is actively working to move the chimpanzee to a wildlife sanctuary.
“After months of searching, Tonka has finally been found and help is on the way,” PETA’s attorney Jared Goodman said in a statement. “He has endured nearly a year of isolation and likely needs urgent care, but if all goes well, PETA will soon arrange for him to be moved to a lush sanctuary where he’ll have a chance for a real life at last.”
June 5th provides another Wordle to solve and this answer could easily net some players a loss. Here are the hints, and answer, to today’s Wordle.
A brand new Wordle word is ready for players to solve and today’s answer could be a bit of trouble for some players. This once-a-day puzzle has grown quickly in popularity throughout 2022 due to its simple gameplay and social media sharing ability. Despite the social media posts declining in recent months Wordle still has a large player base with many making the game a part of their morning routine, like the newspaper crosswords of times past. The game was created by one person and gained popularity so fast that The New York Times quickly bought it and moved it over to their website. At the beginning of the transfer, there were fears of the game losing its free-to-play nature, but so far there have been no signs that that will ever happen.
Wordle has also had its fair share of copycats that popped up quickly once it rose in popularity. One of the more popular ones is Heardle, which challenges players to guess a song with only one second of audio. If players guess incorrectly or skip, they will get a longer snippet of the song. Like the older game Name That Tune, Heardle has shown that simple word games are not the only thing that gains people’s attention, and keeping with the Wordle style Heardle only provides one puzzle a day.
Hint 1: Today’s answer does not contain any repeated letters.
Hint 2: This Wordle answer could describe the distance from the top to the bottom of something.
Hint 3: If Wordle was an 8 letter game this answer might be DEEPNESS.
Today’s Wordle Answer (June 5th #351)
The June 5th Wordle answer is DEPTH.
Often used to explain how deep something goes, depth can also define the quality of being intense, as in, a man of compassion and depth of feeling. For our starting Wordle word today we used IRATE. This gave us the correct placement for ‘T’ and an incorrectly placed ‘E’. Our second follow-up guess was MEETS which only provided a few more incorrect letters and the correct placement for ‘E’. Our third guess was HEFTY, this gave us another letter with ‘H’ in the wrong spot and two more incorrect letters. Without many other options, we ended up getting the correct answer in four guesses and continued our long-standing win streak in Wordle.
90 Day Fiancé: Ximena Shocks Fans By Posting Very Revealing Photo
About The Author
William Cennamo (179 Articles Published)
William Cennamo has been the Game Guides Editor for Screen Rant since 2019. A creative writer all his life, it was only in 2018 that he really started to pursue his passion for the written word. Specializing in script-writing, William has written multiple short comedy sketches and taught “Intro to Comedy Writing” at the Stomping Ground Theater in Dallas, Texas.
When not writing William spends his time with his wife and two lovely daughters, usually playing a board game.
His mother thinks he’s funny but doesn’t care much for his language.
Creator Jason Katims along with Dax Shepard, Monica Potter, Erika Christensen, and more gathered in Austin, TX to share stories about the NBC family drama.
When “This Is Us” premiered in September 2016, “Parenthood” had been off the air for a little more than a year. Many dubbed Dan Fogelman’s new NBC family drama the heir apparent to Jason Katims’ critical darling, which was itself a successor to his NBC family drama “Friday Night Lights.” Some even mistakenly complimented Katims for his work on “This Is Us,” assuming it was his next big-hearted tearjerker. Of course, “This Is Us” wasn’t Katims’ project, but that wasn’t the only key difference between the two shows: “This Is Us” quickly became a ratings juggernaut, whereas “Parenthood” was never NBC’s top draw, and the large ensemble cast eventually took pay cuts in order to ensure a sixth and final season could happen.
So, a little lingering irritation is understandable, even in jest — like the quippy remarks made at “Parenthood’s” reunion panel Friday night, as part of the 2022 ATX TV Festival. During the audience Q&A, Katims was asked how he knew it was time to end the show.
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His simple answer: “That was NBC,” he said. “NBC came up with that.”
Then Dax Shepard jumped in, pretending to hear another audience query. “Oh, we just have another question here,” he joked. “She just asked, ‘Is anyone mad at ‘This Is Us’ for trying to do the exact same show?’”
As the audience laughed, Shepard said, “It’d be like if AMC canceled ‘Breaking Bad’ and then brought in ‘Meth Lab: Santa Fe.’ [Or] ‘Euphoria’ gets axed, and then it’s ‘Ecstasy’ on HBO!”
Jokes aside, “Parenthood” has endured in the years since leaving NBC, streaming on Netflix, Hulu, and now Peacock. Despite streaming’s murky viewership reports, it’s safe to say the audience has only grown of late, and fans turned out in droves for the hourlong reunion. The line to get in the door stretched around the block.
Taking part in the festivities were Katims, Shepard (who played Crosby Braverman), Monica Potter (Kristina Braverman), Joy Bryant (Jasmine Trussell), Erika Christensen (Julia Braverman-Graham), and Lawrence Trilling, who served as an executive producer and director on the series. Craig T. Nelson, Peter Krause, and Lauren Graham, among other cast members, were once scheduled to take part, but the reunion’s timing shifts — it was initially set for the 2020 festival before the pandemic forced a pivot to virtual festing — resulted in scheduling conflicts. Below are six highlights from the “Parenthood” reunion, including teary memories, dance secrets, and one brief but reasonable revival pitch.
Max Was the Key to Unlocking All of “Parenthood”
While “Parenthood” was based on Steve Martin’s 1989 film of the same name, each project was distinct from the other. For Katims, his initial inspiration for tackling the series didn’t come from the movie, but his own TV show, “Friday Night Lights.” A family drama built around a high school football team, the NBC project is widely considered one of the medium’s all-time great shows. It won three Emmys, including a writing win for Katims, and also built a strong following in the years after its initial broadcast run.
“I was very much honestly inspired by ‘Friday Night Lights’ in thinking what this show could be,” Katims said. “One thing I was really enjoying about ‘Friday Night Lights’ was the big ensemble — the big cast, the many, many points of view — and I thought, ‘What if you did a show like that, but was focused [solely] on family and extended family?’”
Still, the idea needed more. If a family drama was going to connect with an audience in the 2010s, then it needed unique, undeniable emotional ties. It needed to be personal.
“When I wrote the pilot story, a breakthrough moment for me, a moment of truth for me, was when I wrote the Max storyline,” Katims said, referencing Max Braverman, the youngest child in the central family who has an autism spectrum disorder. “I have a child who’s on the spectrum. […] There’s a storyline where [Max] gets asked to leave the school he’s in, and that really happened to me. I was on the verge of taking it out of the show because I was worried it was too personal for me [to divulge]. I took it out, then I put it back, and for me, that was what set the path for the entire show.”
“At the time, there were no characters with autism on broadcast TV,” Katims said. ” I wanted to do with every storyline what I did with that storyline — to dig deep.”
Tears, Tears, and No Tears
Such a personal investment led to many huge emotional moments throughout “Parenthood.” Soon, the drama had a reputation as a tearjerker — but the best kind. Few, if any, tears were shed via overt manipulation or stretching to create manufactured drama. Many were earned, including from the creator himself.
“I cried in every phase,” Katims said. “I cried when writing the scripts. All the writers cried in the writers’ room. I cried on set. But the most embarrassing thing was bring in the editing room in front of the editors. I would try to not cry in front of them, I don’t know why. But then this crazy sound came out of me [instead.]”
“I cried at every episode,” Christensen said. “Knowing what was coming didn’t help me at all.”
“I never cried,” Potter said, earning a big laugh from the crowd. Katims then praised the actor for her ability to “turn on the waterworks” in an instant.
Dax Shepard Was Reluctant to Join a Network Drama
Shepard said when the opportunity to join “Parenthood” came his way, he was focused on writing more than acting. But beyond that, the future “Bless This Mess” star wasn’t sure if a potentially long-running gig was a good fit for him at the time.
“I wasn’t sure if I had the right attention span to be on a network television show that might be on the air for six years,” Shepard said, before joking, “I like to shoot for three months, sleep with some of the people who live there, and get out of town — I wasn’t married [then], I was single.”
Shepard said he was in the middle of a notes session with David Nevins — who’s now the Chairman and CEO of the Paramount Premium Group and Chief Creative Officer, Paramount+ Scripted Series — when the then Imagine TV executive suddenly looked at him and said, “Oh my God, this is Crosby Braverman!”
After Nevins sent Shepard to audition, Katims soon had a similar reaction.
“I didn’t know about you not wanting to be on the show,” Katims said. “But when you walked in the room, I was like, ‘That’s Crosby.’ It was one of those rare kind of moments where I think it was meant to be.”
Thomas Schlamme Helped Create the Cast Chemistry That Carried the Show for Years
Even before “Parenthood” premiered, everyone was buzzing about its incredible cast. Craig T. Nelson was already a TV legend, after starring in “Coach” and “The District.” Peter Krause was hot off of “Sports Night” and “Six Feet Under.” Lauren Graham’s last series regular role was in a little show called “Gilmore Girls.” With Shepard, Potter, and Christensen, plus Mae Whitman and Joy Bryant, this was a starry ensemble that could go toe-to-toe with any other.
Still, they had to work together. They had to form a believable family unit. So Katims and his team turned to one of the best directors in the business — nine-time Emmy winner Thomas Schlamme — to helm the pilot.
“Under Tommy Schlamme’s tutelage,” Shepard said, “a good deal of our rehearsal was [when] we were seated around this big table, meeting each other for the first time, and we were encouraged to , ‘Who are you,’ ‘What role do you play in your family,’ ‘What are your parents like?’ — and it was incredible by the end of it how much we could relate to one another.”
“It was a real fast-track to understanding each other,” Shepard said. “It made us immediately intimate and vulnerable, and it put us perfectly into the tone of the show.”
The Bravermans Danced to Their Own Beat — Often, Quite Literally
Over the years, Braverman family dance parties became a fan-favorite staple of “Parenthood.” Once “the fever” struck any one of the core characters, it could spread quickly to the whole group. But what fans may not realize is that despite the show’s excellent soundtrack — aided by Emmy-nominated music supervisor Liza Richardson — most of those giant group shindigs were recorded in complete silence.
“There are a couple where we were listening to music, but the vast majority we were dancing to nothing,” Shepard said, before adding that they often worried about looking out of sync because cast members weren’t told the genre of music played in each scene. “I’m dancing to hip-hop. You’re dancing to rock and roll. Who knows what Monica is dancing to,” he said.
Early on, choices were made about the characters’ given dance skills — Krause, as seen in plenty of the compilation videos, embraced cheesy dad moves — but those talents weren’t always in line with the actors’ true abilities.
“I had decided Julia was not a good dancer and I really regretted it,” Christensen said.
“Because Erika is the dopest dancer,” Shepard said.
No Word on a Revival, Though There Was a Pitch
In the years since “Parenthood” ended, as the drama’s profile continues to rise and family dramas grow ever more desirable, Katims hasn’t been shy about floating potential continuations. As early as 2016, he told The Hollywood Reporter, “I’d be interested in doing that after a little time passes […] That would be a really interesting thing, to revisit ‘Parenthood’ when Drew [Miles Heizer] has now graduated from college and Haddie [Sarah Ramos] has graduated from college and somebody, who knows, may be nearing retirement age.”
Katims wasn’t asked for an update on any revival thoughts during the panel, but he did say he tends not to think about what happens to characters after he wraps a series.
“I don’t really give it a lot of thought,” he said. “We did over 100 episodes of the show, and I felt like what I wanted to do in the last season, the last episode, the last arc was really give it resolution. I wanted them to feel like they landed somewhere.”
The “Parenthood” finale was widely applauded by critics and fans alike, but that didn’t stop Shepard from making an unprompted pitch for how to pick up the story again.
“Simple pitch, Jason, off the dome, here we go,” he said. “After Zeke [Craig T. Nelson] died, the family splintered. Julia took a job in Oregon. Everyone moved all about. They have to come home to something special [because] they realize their lives are miserable this way: We gotta get the band back together.”
With a gap in family dramas left by a certain show’s recent ending, maybe this is… the time for more “Parenthood.”
All six seasons of “Parenthood” are available to stream on Hulu and Peacock.
We are excited to announce two shows in Max’s hometown, Tel Aviv, Israel @barby.tlv on July 6th and 7th.
Accompanying this announcement, we would again like to clarify our motivations and intentions for playing in Tel Aviv, Israel, with as much transparency as possible.
Over the last seven years we’ve traveled constantly around 3 of our members’ home country, the United States, meeting each other’s families and childhood friends and sharing in the joys and sorrows of a complicated, beautiful and tumultuous home. We have grown so close. It is important for us to share our homes, families and friends with each other in order to gain a deeper understanding of one another and the people and places that have made us who we are. It is important for us to go where we have family to share space and play for them. It is foundational. It is in that spirit that we made our decision to play in Israel.
We are well aware of the cultural aspect of the BDS movement and the desperate reality of the Palestinian people. In terms of where we fit into the boycott, we don’t claim to know where the moral high ground lies and we want to remain open to other people’s perspectives and to love beyond disagreement. We understand the inherently political nature of playing there as well as the implications. Our intention is not to diminish the values of those who support the boycott or to turn a blind eye to those suffering. We are striving to be in the spirit of learning.
With this in heart, the show’s profits will be donated to NGOs that provide medical and humanitarian aid to Palestinian children, including joint efforts between Palestinians and Israelis working together for a better future.
Here is a selection of films from our American Masters library for you to stream and enjoy right now:
Narrated by Jason Momoa, discover the inspiring story and considerable impact of five-time Olympic medalist Duke Kahanamoku. He shattered swimming records and globalized surfing while overcoming racism in a lifetime of personal challenges.
Discover an international singer who captivated royalty in Europe and defied the conscience of 1939 America. Watch rare archival footage and hear audio recordings exploring her life and career from the Metropolitan Opera to the State Department.
Revisit the complex life and legacy of the author, advocate and human rights pioneer. Helen Keller, who was deaf and blind, used her celebrity and wit to champion rights for women, people with disabilities and people living in poverty.
Dive into the career of the legendary blues guitarist, a pioneer of Chicago’s West Side sound and major influence on rock titans like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton. Featuring new performances and interviews with John Mayer, Carlos Santana and more.
Discover Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (The Trocks), an all-male company that for 45 years has offered audiences their passion for ballet classics mixed with exuberant comedy. With every step they poke fun at their strictly gendered art form.
At age eleven, he had just begun to play the saxophone. At age twenty he was leading a revolution in modern jazz music. At thirty-four, he was dead from years of drug and alcohol use. Today, Charlie “Yardbird” Parker is considered one of the great musical innovators of the 20th century. We’re bringing this film back to celebrate what would have been Charlie’s 100th birthday in August 2020.
Until his death at the age of 106, Tyrus Wong was America’s oldest living Chinese American artist and one of the last remaining artists from the golden age of Disney animation. The quiet beauty of his Eastern-influenced paintings had a pioneering impact on American art and popular culture.
RIGA, Latvia — For Russia’s urban middle class, the war on Ukraine has messed up plans, ruined longed-for vacations and stripped away joys like shopping for a favorite foreign clothing brand, turning the key in a new Japanese car, even biting into a Big Mac.
As the war drags on, many yearn for life to go back to normal, before prices went crazy and foreign companies quit the country over Russia’s invasion. But these Russians are equally sure that President Vladimir Putin will keep on fighting until he wins, because that’s what he always does.
After convincing the majority of the population that the war was necessary to “liberate” Ukrainians from “Nazis,” state television propagandists are now doggedly preparing Russians for a long war, ominously warning that it might end in nuclear war.
In Ukraine, that means more civilian casualties, bombed houses and dozens of soldiers killed daily defending the country’s east.
Russian hardships may be trivial by contrast, but the deadening gloom of a long war worries the Kremlin, according to analysts, because of the challenge of dragging the population along as sanctions bite, businesses retrench, prices continue to surge, and it dawns on people that life may never go back to the way it was.
But the old Kremlin playbook, accusing the West of plans to gobble up Russia, is working so far. Denis Volkov of independent polling agency Levada-Center said the latest polling for April showed almost half of Russians unconditionally support the war and about 30 percent support it with reservations, with 19 percent opposed. Many in focus groups saw it as an existential confrontation with the West, not Ukraine.
“People explain that a significant part of the world is against us and it’s only Putin who hopes to hold onto Russia, otherwise we would be eaten up completely. To them it is Russia that is defending itself,” he said.
The conflict, however, is taking a toll on Russians like Marina, 57, a language teacher, whose friends are so weary of the war, they avoid the topic. She succeeded in changing the minds of a few friends and relatives who supported the war. “But in general, it seems everyone is sick and tired of the war or special operation. People have their own problems and the main problem is survival, especially with the rising prices.”
Marina acknowledged that few Russians are opposed to the war and most are finding a way to “get by somehow.” But she added: “This ‘somehow’ is becoming boring. Most people got tired of it. I want to travel. Others want to be able to plan. We want to get back to our ordinary lives.”
Marina can’t help dreaming wistfully of her old life — just a few months ago. “I want to be able to watch Western movies on Netflix and shop at Uniqlo. I want to travel to Europe on affordable and reliable airlines. I want to be part of the world and not an outcast,” she said.
Many people, still in denial, are struggling to adapt, said Grigory Yudin, professor of political philosophy at the Moscow School of Social and Economic Sciences. “The natural question for Russians is not whether I support it or not — nobody asks you, actually — but how do I adapt to this?”
People want certainty about their incomes, travel plans and mortgages. Part of the Moscow elite, including middle-ranking bureaucrats who feel they are Europeans, are not happy about the war, he said, but tend to believe Putin will fight until he wins.
“I think the majority of Russians still honestly believe that this is going on with military success, or at least this is what people want to believe,” Yudin said. He added: “The more-educated people who are more informed and tend to consume information from different sources are not that certain about that. They have significant doubts.”
Volkov said the latest polling showed interest in watching news about the war is beginning to wane, with people in focus groups wishing their lives could go back to the way they were.
“The best scenario is for this to end as soon as possible and then we hope things will go back to normal,” said Ksenia, 50, a bookkeeper at a firm that sells foreign materials and has been hard hit by Western sanctions.
Most of her work colleagues began strongly supporting the war, but lately they avoid the subject, except to complain that ordinary people in Russia always pay the price of government decisions.
“My colleagues have finally started to realize that things are not great. In general, we try not to discuss it because we start to fight. They’re saying, ‘We didn’t start this war and now we have to pay.’”
Her plan to vacation in the United States or Italy this summer is ruined because she cannot get a visa.
“Now I feel as if there’s no future and it’s very depressing.” She ached when McDonalds’ golden arches were removed not for any love of the burgers or fries, but for the idea it represented.
“I’m really upset about McDonald’s, and I really mean it. McDonald’s has always been a symbol of freedom for me. I remember when the first McDonald’s opened in Moscow,” she said recalling the queues in 1990s months before the Soviet Union collapsed. “It felt like the light at the end of the tunnel.”
For Ksenia and friends opposed to the war, the worst part is thinking of the Ukrainian civilians, including children, being killed and the women raped by Russian soldiers.
“I can survive without certain clothes. And I think I can survive without Western movies. But the main problem for me is that now Russians are outcasts, with whom nobody will want to shake hands. Psychologically, it’s really hard for me to feel that I’m unwanted everywhere.”
Viktor, a 35-year-old carpenter, says his small business has lost most of its clients, as they’ve been forced to economize. He cannot finish building his own house because he says prices for building materials doubled while his income halved.
Viktor thought war would rage about two months. “Now it will take years, and it’s a disaster. It’s not only losing lives. In the years to come we will be living in poverty and we will be hated again like the fascists in Germany in World War II — like we are the new fascists.”
But 43-year-old Andrei from Moscow sees the war as “God’s plan” and believes Russians are willing to make sacrifices to see it through. A yoga-loving, vegetarian computer programmer, he is not the typical elderly, conservative Putin supporter. He gets his news from one pro-Kremlin blogger and shares a common Russian conviction that Western news of Russian war crimes is “fake.” He declined to give his surname.
“The idea is to remove fascism from Ukraine and to return the civilians who want to live in the U.S.S.R., like before the ’90s,” he said echoing the propaganda.
“Right now we don’t feel any meaningful impact from sanctions,” he added, although many of his friends in IT have fled for Armenia and elsewhere, and he can no longer afford to buy a beloved MacBook computer. Nor can he purchase the new Mazda 6 he had his eyes on; he had been hoping pay about 2 million rubles — five months’ salary — but the price went up to 3 million.
Andrei is convinced that Russia will win the war in a year or so, prices will fall and Apple products will find their way to Russia via the black market. Until then, he says he’ll make sacrifices (but not volunteer to fight.)
“Western people like comfort, they need comfort,” he said. “Russian people may have comfort, or they may not. This is not a problem.”
Political analyst and journalist Fyodor Krasheninnikov said many Russians hope that Ukraine would soon capitulate to Russian military power. “The mood in Russia now is that ‘We want this to be over as soon as possible because we just can’t live like this any longer. We want to get back to normal life,’” he said.
“It’s not that people really like what Putin does,” he continued. “No, but they feel frustration and depression because they cannot change anything. It’s like bad weather. They realize that it’s going to rain every day. But what can they do about it?”
Joy confirmed Wood’s character Dolores is dead as it was revealed in the Season 3 finale, and the actress will play someone new when the show premieres on June 26. Her name is Christina and she’s from a city that looks like New York. She lives there with her roommate played by Ariana DeBose who may or may not have a crush on Christina.
“Dolores is dead. But I really like Evan and she’s also kind of clinging so I had to bring her back. We write a whole new character for her,” Joy said.
Added Wood, “She’s a normal woman living in a big city just trying to make it as a writer. Nothing ever happens to her, really. I think that’s all I can say… I was told that Dolores was meeting her rather tragic end in Season 3, so I had some convos with [co-creator] Jonathan [Nolan] and Lisa at the time about what that meant. They said, ‘Yeah, you’ll be back this season and you’ll look a lot like Evan Rachel Wood but I’m not me.”
One thing that’s certain is that Christina will be dating and she will go on a date with a man who looks like James Marsden, who will return for Season 4. The Austin-based actor, who played Teddy in Seasons 1 and 2 of Westworld, surprised audiences mid-way through the panel.
“Sometimes you have to go away to come back,” Marsden said. “We learn to speak cryptically on this show. This has been 7 years of our show and yeah, it’s an amazing thing to be a part of and see where the story goes. From the beginning, I didn’t know where it was all gonna go but I’m glad to see it now.”
As far as where Wright’s Bernard will be when the series finally returns, the actor was equally mysterious with his response.
“It’s all a rabbit hole inside a rabbit hole and Bernard is going Alice again,” he shared. “At the end, I think for the audience and for me, as well as for him—which is like the meta side of our show— it’s a mystery of where he is and where he’s going. And if he did emerge, where would he be when he did that. Lots of unknowns and a lot of dust and mystery. That’s it. Pretty much my life.”
The audience at the historic Paramount Theater viewed an extended exclusive clip that showed power duo, Bernard and Stubbs at a diner where they have a run-in with Perrineau’s character, part of a mysterious group Bernard wants an introduction to.
“I got a scene to audition and I didn’t know what it was about. Every time I got a script, it was a surprise to see who I was. It’s definitely a surprise that’s very interesting,” Perrineau said.
Spoilers follow for The Boys season 3 episode 1. You have been warned.
Eric Kripke has revealed how he reacted to The Boys season 3 and Doctor Strange 2 containing the same wild cameo appearance.
Speaking exclusively to TechRadar before the launch of the hit Prime Video show‘s latest season, The Boys showrunner explained how he “clasped his hands with glee” after realizing that the latest Marvel movie chose the same actor to play a superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
We’re about to dive into full spoiler territory for The Boys season 3‘s premiere. If you haven’t watch episode 1 yet, don’t read past the image below.
Marvel Studios and Amazon Studios had the same actor in mind for a superhero role. (Image credit: Amazon Studios)
The Boys season 3’s first episode opens with the red carpet premiere for Dawn of the Seven, a Vought International-developed movie that parodies superhero team up films like Zack Snyder’s Justice League and The Avengers. The spoof superhero flick is based around the events of the season 2 finale, where various members of The Boys and The Seven teamed up to defeat the right-wing Supe known as Stormfront.
As this is a Vought-produced film, however, the narrative has been rewritten so audiences think that it was The Seven that saved the day. That means putting Homelander front and center as he tries to persuade Stormfront to stop waging her war on the world – in the movie, that is – before the rest of The Seven turn up to help him defeat her.
So, who is the actor hired to play Stormfront in Dawn of the Seven? None other than Charlize Theron, who also recently made a shock cameo appearance as Clea – another Master of the Mystic Arts in the MCU – in Doctor Strange 2. To find out more about how Theron’s Clea will impact the MCU moving forward, be sure to check out our ending explainer on the Marvel Phase 4 project.
Given the amount of information that leaks out about Marvel Studios productions these days, it’s surprising that Theron’s cameo in The Boys’ third outing didn’t suffer a similar fate. How did the show’s cast and crew, then, keep her appearance in The Boys under wraps? And why was Kripke pleased to see Theron in Doctor Strange 2, even if it meant that Marvel beat Amazon to the punch in casting her for a superhero project?
“It’s a very careful and elaborate process of maintaining embargoes and NDAs,” he explained. “We just work in partnership with everyone – the cast, crew, you guys [journalists] – to help maintain those secrets for our audience.
“Regarding Doctor Strange 2, I just saw it with my son last week [before May 20, when The Boys season 3 junket took place] and I clasped my hands in glee when I saw Charlize in the film. It made it an infinitely more perfect cameo because they’re Marvel, they had the same idea and used her in the exact same way. That’s delightful.”
Elaborating on how Charlize Theron became involved in The Boys, Kripke humorously added: “For every cameo we have in the show, it’s the rigorous process of whoever returned [executive producer] Seth Rogen’s phone calls.”
There are plenty of other surprises to come for fans of The Boys TV show in season 3, too. We won’t spoil any of those either, but what we can offer you is more behind-the-scenes access surrounding the Prime Video series.
TNT has unveiled the trailer for the sixth and final season of Animal Kingdom, and it’s packed with action and a few key spoilers.
In the final season, the Cody boys discover that as hard as they may try, they can’t outrun their past. “May we all get what we want and never what we deserve,” is a line voiced by one of the brothers in the clip.
The trailer gives us a glimpse of things to come and a couple familiar faces who make a return. One is Deran’s father, Billy, played by Denis Leary, and, presumably in a flashback, Grey’s Anatomy‘s Scott Speedman as the late Baz. Speedman was last seen in Season 3’s season premiere. We also see Moran Atias’ Detective Thompson’s intense efforts to get Pope to confess to Catherine’s murder.
Per the official Season 6 logline: “With their empire expanding, a cold case investigation sets off a series of events that puts the entire family in jeopardy. Revenge, betrayal, and a reckoning with long forgotten violence leads to an explosive conclusion six seasons in the making.”
Original cast members Shawn Hatosy, Finn Cole, Ben Robson and Jake Weary are all back for the final season.
Animal Kingdom is produced by John Wells Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. John Wells, Daniele Nathanson, Erin Jontow, Nick Copus and Bradley Paul serve as executive producers. Animal Kingdom was developed for television by Jonathan Lisco and inspired by the Australian feature film written & directed by David Michôd and produced by Liz Watts, who also serve as executive producers on the series.
Season 6 premieres Sunday, June 19 with back-to-back episodes beginning at 9 pm ET/PT.
After working together on Shrill and The Republic of Sarah, composers Anna Waronker and Craig Wedren were looking for something new and creepy. When the chance to score Showtime’s Yellowjackets came to them, the duo immediately jumped on it.
Both Waronker and Wedren were in bands before they started to work together, Wedren in Shudder to Think and Waronker in That Dog, but each of their journeys led them to film and television. After circling each other in the same musical sphere for years, they finally got the opportunity to work together on Hulu’s Shrill. “Shrill was a great first project for us,” says Wedren, “because Shrill has a lot of pop sensibility and it’s very contemporary but in an alternative way which suits both of us.”
“[After working together], I was like, ‘we should really do something creepy,’” says Waronker, “and he was like, ‘well… I have an idea’, and so then we started working on Yellowjackets.”
Ashley Lyle and Bart Nickerson created Yellowjackets, about four women involved in a 1996 plane crash when they were teenagers. The series switches between their lives during the crash and 25 years later, as they try to move past the things they did to survive. The ensemble cast includes Melanie Lynskey, Tawny Cypress, Juliette Lewis and Cristina Ricci as the adult versions of the girls.
Initially they were wary about all of the positive feedback they were getting from producers. “They said they wanted all the things that we thought we wanted, but producers often say that and get more and more conservative as a series goes on,” says Wedren. “This was that rarest of gifts where everything we did, they wanted more, they wanted further, they wanted richer, darker, weirder.”
“I drove and listened to the score when we were working on the soundtrack,” says Waronker, “and it was so different outside the little world that I see it in. It was amazing and it took on all these different life forms which I really enjoyed. It’s a crazy score.”
In addition to the score, the duo also created the theme song “No Return”. “‘No Return’ is a hybrid of a bunch of end credits instrumental offerings that Anna and I made,” says Wedren.
“For the theme, they wanted elements of each one,” says Waronker. “We had to take all of the elements we loved and mash them, and then we knew when it was right and we knew when the right moments were happening.”
“It was a real combination of microsurgical craft mixed with great bursts of inspiration,” says Wedren.
Waronker and Wedren know they will be working together again in different styles, but Yellowjackets is the project that really encompasses both of their passions. “We really do feel like there’s so many other areas that we could explore,” says Waronker, “but this is really where both of our hearts lie, in doing this really kind of guttural, beautiful, nasty and out there avant-garde stuff…”
Bollywood actors Salman Khan and Abhishek Bachchan were spotted sitting together at IIFA 2022 main ceremony on Saturday.
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and actor Abhishek Bachchan had a viral moment at the 2022 International Indian Academy Awards (IIFA). Salman and Abhishek were clicked sitting with Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, who heads the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Social Development, at the IIFA main ceremony.
Both Salman and Abhishek were engrossed in conversation with Sheikh Nahyan as they got photographed sitting in the front row at the IIFA ceremony. The photo has sent the internet into a tizzy, thanks to the history between the two. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was earlier in a relationship with Salman and is now married to Abhishek. The couple has a 10-year-old daughter Aaradhya, and are one of the most high-profile couples in Bollywood.
Many fans reacted to the photo on social media. A fan wrote, “The day is not far where the photo wil be edited with Aishwarya in between.” Another one said, “OMG, this pic is pic of the year.”
Earlier, it was reported that Salman Khan and Abhishek Bachchan exchanged pleasantries at Karan Johar’s 50th birthday bash. The filmmaker hosted a star-studded party in Mumbai last month. From Shah Rukh Khan to Aamir Khan, several stars came together for a massive bash, and pictures from inside the party went viral. A few exes also came under the same roof. One of them was Salman and Aishwarya. Aishwarya made her way to the party with Abhishek Bachchan whereas Salman Khan made a solo entry. While the trio was not seen together, a Pinkvilla report claimed that Abhishek and Salman met at the party.
A source informed the publication, “Abhishek along with Aishwarya entered at night around 12.30 and Salman entered at 1.15. Abhishek spotted Salman (and) went to greet him. And two walked towards the dance floor. Aishwarya maintained a dignified distance from her former boyfriend Salman Khan and her husband Abhishek Bachchan until they were together.”
The Paramount and Skydance tentpole, starring Tom Cruise, is doing massive business in its second weekend. If estimates hold, the sequel will earn $85 million or more in its sophomore outing to boast the smallest decline ever — 33 percent — for a movie opening domestically to $100 million more.
In North America, the summer tentpole earned $25 million on Friday to finish the day with a jet-fueled cume of $230 million.
That number should rise to $290 million by the end of Sunday and as much as $540 globally. Top Gun 2 also continues to fly high overseas, where it crossed the $200 million mark on Friday and is likewise holding strong.
On Saturday, Top Gun: Maverick became Cruise’s top-grossing film domestically when passing up 2005’s The War of the Worlds ($243.3 million), not adjusted for inflation. That’s after zooming past the first Top Gun ($180.3 million) and Cruise’s Mission: Impossible films, including the last installment, Mission: Impossible — Fallout ($220.2 million).
Internationally, Top Gun: Maverick is already well ahead of the $176 million earned by the first Top Gun, not adjusted for inflation. The U.K. leads with $39.7 million. However, it is far from matching many of the recent Mission: Impossible films at the foreign box office. One reason — the sequel isn’t getting a release in China or Russia.
The movie’s overall performance is a huge win for the summer box office and shows that people are eager to return to theaters after two years of sparse Hollywood product due to the pandemic.
In North America, Top Gun: Maverick has the playing field largely to itself until next weekend when Jurassic World: Dominion lands across the U.S.
Overseas, Jurassic World 3 began opening midweek week in 15 markets for a cume of $25.9 million through Friday. It’s doing strong business in Mexico, Brazil and Italy in particular.
Opening at the U.S. specialty box office this weekend is Cannes Film Festival entry Crimes of the Future, from David Cronenberg. Neon is launching the film in more than 750 cinemas, a wide footprint for a specialty title. Estimates show the movie opening in the $1 million range.
One thing I love about Good Trouble is that the show still continues to surprise me three seasons in, which is exactly what happened on Wednesday night’s episode when some interesting revelations came about during Malika’s new moon ceremony.
I love these episodes where the entire Coterie gang gets together and just has fun. We haven’t seen something like that in quite some time, and we all needed a break after last week’s drama filled hour, didn’t we?
So I’m going to stop rambling now and just dive into this recap.
Mariana
So everyone is invited to Malika’s ceremony but Mariana is clearly bored. She gets a FaceTime call from her friend Claire, who wants to talk about Raj. Claire lets Mariana know she and Raj “talking” and “visiting each other’s Animal Crossing islands”. Wait. Is that how people flirt nowadays? Oh, I am so behind the times.
Anyways, Mariana can’t help herself and talks to Raj himself when he comes pick up the box of his stuff he had asked her to leave on the table for him. After being interrupted by an animal rummaging in the room, the pair run to the bathroom for safety. With Claire on FaceTime, Mariana pokes Raj for information about who he is seeing and it becomes clear this relationship is officially over.
By the end of the night, Mariana and Raj end things on good terms and Mariana gives him back all of his stuff, including his NASA shirt that she had planned on keeping. I do have to wonder though if this is the last time we will see Raj on the show, since his main storyline revolved around Mariana.
Callie
I love me a good fake out scene and that’s what Wednesday’s installment provided. The opening scene saw Alice and Callie flirting and kissing in Alice’s room. My jaw was on the floor, but this turns out to be a dream Alice had (more on that later!). This week was all about Callie having fun and laughing, two things went don’t normally see from her.
Callie goes to find her sister, who still never came back upstairs for the new moon ceremony, and looks under her bed only to find two glowing eyes. She freaks out and runs into her closet. I mean, there’s a light switch she could have turned on but whatever. In a truly hilarious moment, she teams up with Gael and Alice to “fight” the raccoons causing chaos in their home.
The trio finally trap the raccoons in a trash can but learn Kelly is watching the raccoons for a friend and they accidentally got loose. Still, it was nice to see Callie having fun this week.
Malika
Let’s be real here, Malika’s new moon ceremony did not go as planned. However, she did get some time with Dyonte and Isaac in the pool; that scene had so much sexual tension that I’m surprised the ppol didn’t turn into a hot tub. DAMN!
After the party, Isaac confronts his girlfriend and says she did not look surprised about the news regarding Dyonte’s poly relationship. He’s upset that Malika already knew about it and didn’t tell him.
He asks her point blank if she interested in having a relationship with Dyonte. The look on Malika’s face said it all. I don’t want to see Issac get hurt simply because he’s not down with having a poly relationship.
Other Thoughts
Remember when I mentioned Alice dreamed about kissing Callie? Well, Alice confesses to Davia that she’s in love with Callie now. In reality, the dream was more about her feelings regarding her casual relationship with Ruby. But Callie overhears Alice talking to Davia and looks confused towards the end of the episode. I was over Alice’s storyline originally, but now I’m invested again.
Did you see how happy Gael was to run into Raj in the bathroom? I love their bromance.
Going back to that Davia-Dennis phone call from last week’s episode, I have a feeling the show is going to force Davia into a relationship with Matt and then Dennis will return to make a love triangle. UGH.
What did you think of the episode? Let me know in the comments below!
Good Trouble airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on Freeform.
Apple TV+ is known for its slowly-but-surely growing catalog of shows, not all of which are well known. One of the lesser-known shows on the platform is For All Mankind, which chronicles an alternate history in which the space race never ended. Despite the show changing history, pieces of it are extremely accurate; not only accurate to the trials and tribulations of space travel, but also accurate in what could be possible if the space race continued.
The alternate future demonstrated in the show is not very far off from what we actually lived. Everything that occurs feels plausible despite being somewhat untrue. While we understand how the space race occurred and why it ended, it is interesting to think about how it could have continued to occur, and the butterfly effect of just one incident altering the entire course of human history. These factors are what have allowed the show to now approach the release of its third season to some die-hard fans. In fact, the third season of the show is set to follow the first manned travel to Mars. If any of this sounds interesting to you, now is the time to watchFor All Mankind.
MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY
What is For All Mankind?
Apple TV+
For All Mankind chronicles an alternate history of the space race. In this reality, the Russians reached the moon first and thus the space race continued for America. In this continuation, the Russians begin to train women for subsequent landings to increase diversity. Thus, the Americans must do the same but better. The Americans not only began training women but other minorities as well to beat the Russians at their own game.
After the shift from our known history, beginning at the change in the moon landing, the entire legacy and timeline of the space race shifts. The series is an interesting thought experiment in looking at what would happen if America lost; in fact, it seems like technology would progress, as NASA wouldn’t be de-funded and progress would continue at exponential rates, with the show going so far as to include a subsequent space race to Mars. For All Mankind also includes many historical figures who participated in the original space race, including Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Presidents Nixon and Reagan. Thus, the show’s main goal is to see what would have occurred if the space race never ended. While the idea of the show itself is fictional, the show is still able to capture what an elongated space race would look like with stunning accuracy.
How is the Show an Accurate Depiction of Space?
Apple TV+
The show is an alternate timeline of space travel to what we are currently experiencing. However, that doesn’t mean that the show does not still give an accurate depiction of space and space travel. As the show begins amidst the original space race in the 1960s, the technology in For All Mankind is incredibly accurate to the technology at that time. The details of its Apollo 10 mission is surprisingly factual, outside the crew members. As the show moves forward in time, they keep the technology authentic to that time period, just with the inclusion of increased space-related technology.
Also, as it is a show about space, the depiction of space itself is as accurate as any movie that goes to space, using modern special effects to represent the vastness of space and the complications of space travel. The team behind For All Mankind seems to have done all the work required to make the perfect modern space saga, embracing the televisual medium to meticulously, affectionately detail the space program of the ’60s and a time of technological optimism. For All Mankind was made for all space enthusiasts and history buffs alike, creating the perfect intersection if you will. As the show combines history and space in the best way possible, it is accessible to a multitude of audiences.
Why Should You Watch For All Mankind?
Via: Sony Pictures Television
As previously stated, now is the time to watch For All Mankind. The show is approaching the release of its third season, which is sure to be one of the best TV series coming to Apple TV+ this June. There are not a lot of episodes to catch up on, and you also have something to get excited about for the release on June 10th. Again, this is not the most popular show on Apple TV+, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good. In fact, For All Mankind has done very well with critics, and fans of the show love it. Bonus, if you are the first among your friends to watch the show, then you get to be the cool friend with the great show recommendations.
Also, let’s be realistic, it’s summer, the time when everyone has a bit too much time on their hands and all network shows seem to take a break. Thus, it’s the perfect time to dig deep into your streaming library and watch a bunch of new shows. So once you’re done bingeing season four of Stranger Things, pull up For All Mankind and expand your horizons, literally.
James Marsden’s “Westworld” character Teddy Flood is dead but not forgotten. Scratch that – apparently he’s not dead either.
During HBO show’s ATX TV Festival panel Saturday in Austin, Texas, Marsden surprised fans when he joined fellow cast members Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffrey Wright, Luke Hemsworth, Angela Sarafyan and Aurora Perrineau, along with co-creator and executive producer Lisa Joy.
If you remember back to 2018 and the end Season 2 of “Westwood,” a distraught Teddy adjusted his programming and killed himself in front of Dolores (Wood). Of course, no one leaked the news of Teddy’s return — or anything else for that matter.
What we do know is that “West Side Story” Oscar-winner Ariana DeBose is joining the cast in a, you guessed it, super-secretive recurring role.
Saturday’s panel also revealed the Season 4 logline: “A dark odyssey about the fate of sentient life on earth.”
And some great key art:
Westworld was created for television by Jonathan Nolan & Lisa Joy, who are executive producers with Alison Schapker, Denise Thé, J.J. Abrams, Athena Wickham, Richard J. Lewis and Ben Stephenson. Production companies: Kilter Films and Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television; based on the film written by Michael Crichton.
“Westworld” returns for its eight-episode fourth season Sunday, June 26 at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.
Big Thief are planning to play two shows next month in Tel Aviv, Israel, which happens to be bassist Max Oleartchik’s hometown. Ahead of the gigs, the band shared a lengthy statement via Instagram explaining their reason for playing in such a controversial place.
In the message, they noted that “it is important for us to go where we have family to share space and play for them. It is foundational,” and addressed the inherently political nature of playing in Israel during a conflict. “Our intention is not to diminish the values of those who support the boycott or to turn a blind eye to those suffering,” they explained. “We are striving to be in the spirit of learning.”
With that in mind, Big Thief is vowing that “the show’s profits will be donated to NGOs that provide medical and humanitarian aid to Palestinian children, including joint efforts between Palestinians and Israelis working together for a better future.”
See the post and read the full statement below.
We are excited to announce two shows in Max’s hometown, Tel Aviv, Israel @barby.tlv on July 6th and 7th.
Accompanying this announcement, we would again like to clarify our motivations and intentions for playing in Tel Aviv, Israel, with as much transparency as possible.
Over the last seven years we’ve traveled constantly around 3 of our members’ home country, the United States, meeting each other’s families and childhood friends and sharing in the joys and sorrows of a complicated, beautiful and tumultuous home. We have grown so close. It is important for us to share our homes, families and friends with each other in order to gain a deeper understanding of one another and the people and places that have made us who we are. It is important for us to go where we have family to share space and play for them. It is foundational. It is in that spirit that we made our decision to play in Israel.
We are well aware of the cultural aspect of the BDS movement and the desperate reality of the Palestinian people. In terms of where we fit into the boycott, we don’t claim to know where the moral high ground lies and we want to remain open to other people’s perspectives and to love beyond disagreement. We understand the inherently political nature of playing there as well as the implications. Our intention is not to diminish the values of those who support the boycott or to turn a blind eye to those suffering. We are striving to be in the spirit of learning.
With this in heart, the show’s profits will be donated to NGOs that provide medical and humanitarian aid to Palestinian children, including joint efforts between Palestinians and Israelis working together for a better future.
It has been a devastating month for us reeling from gun violence in the US. The most recent wave of horrifying shootings targeting Black Americans and young children has many asking, “When will this end?” Yet, the topic of gun control in the US still remains taboo for many. As with many issues, we look to documentaries to give us a deeper understanding of how we got here and what’s next.
This blog explores eight documentaries that discuss the topic of guns and America, taking a specific look at the activists on the frontlines fighting back against gun violence and pushing for comprehensive gun reform.
After Parkland (Emily Taguchi & Jake Lefferman)
The world watched in horror after a mass shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida took the lives of 17 young students and school workers in 2018. What it sparked afterwards was one of the most powerful student-led movements in modern American history. In After Parkland, we follow some of these students, as well as the parents of those lost, as they pick up the pieces and ask a nation what really matters more: human lives or assault weapons.
The Armor of Light (Abigail Disney & Kathleen Hughes)
Many were quick to point out the hypocrisy this month of how many in America oppose abortion on the grounds of supporting human life but remain silent on the issue of gun violence against children. This idea was explored in the Emmy Award-winning The Armor of Light through the story of Evangelical minister Reverend Rob Schenck, who challenges his largely conservative following on being both pro-gun and pro-life.
Before streaming on Amazon, learn more about and support the Amazon Labor Union.
At the Ready (Maisie Crow)
It is unjust to explore the topic of gun violence in America without also addressing the state-sponsored gun violence that plagues Black and Brown communities by law enforcement and ICE. At the Ready takes a hard look at this issue through the process of indoctrination and training high school students undergo to prepare for these careers. It is especially complex as many of the students being trained are from the communities targeted the most by ICE and law enforcement. The film was a 2017 and 2019 Enterprise Documentary Fund grantee.
On a much lighter note than the rest of the documentaries on this list, Come & Take It shines a light on the catchy #CocksNotGlocks movement. From the perspectives of activist Jessica Jin and other women college students, the film takes a deep dive into The Great Texas Dildo Revolt, in which students brandish not weapons but sex toys, to protest that in Texas you could legally open carry handguns on college campuses but not dildos.
It has never been more important to revisit and learn from the 2012 Sandy Hook Massacre, which took the lives of 20 elementary school children. In the devastating documentary Newtown, we get a glimpse into the lives of those who lost their child to senseless gun violence—something no parent should have to experience. The film also highlights the transformation of these parents into full-time advocates for gun reform. The film was a 2015 Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund grantee.
Speaking Is Difficult serves as a haunting chronology of mass shootings in America. The documentary uses chilling police radio recordings from actual shootings paired with video of the locations where they took place to create a macabre portrait of the US. Speaking Is Difficult is also a living film that started as a 14-minute short film in 2016 but, as mass shootings continued, the filmmakers have continued to add more to the ever-evolving piece.
US Mothers Fighting Against Gun Violence (Christiana Botic and Lauren Santucci)
Gun violence in America isn’t just highly publicized mass shootings but an everyday struggle for some to get guns out of their communities. The media often ignores the struggles of Black communities, in particular, like those in the short film US Mothers Fighting Against Violence. The documentary chronicles the story of Black mothers in Columbus, Ohio as they endure the devastating impact of losing children to gun violence and try to raise awareness for the issue.
Another documentary that explores state-sponsored gun violence, Whose Streets? follows the powerful activists behind the movement against police brutality. While protesting the senseless murder of Michael Brown in Ferguson, activists protesting face their own reckoning with the unchecked power of the state to maintain racism and “order.” Viewers get to watch first-hand how important it is to include law enforcement and the National Guard in the call to ban military grade weapons. The film was a 2015 Pare Lorentz Documentary Fund grantee.
SEOUL — North Korea launched a barrage of short-range ballistic missiles toward the waters off its east coast on Sunday, a day after the United States and South Korea completed a joint naval exercise involving an American aircraft carrier group, according to South Korean defense officials.
So far this year, North Korea has conducted 18 weapons tests involving dozens of missiles, more tests than in 2020 and 2021 combined. On Sunday, it fired eight short-range ballistic missiles from the Sunan area of Pyongyang, the capital, and three other locations, the South Korean military said. Pyongyang’s international airport is in Sunan, and the North has fired missiles from there in the past.
The missiles, all launched within a 37-minute period, flew from 68 to 416 miles, the South Korean military said in a statement. It said it “sternly urged North Korea to stop serious provocations that harm peace and stability” on the Korean Peninsula.
The missile test was North Korea’s third since South Korea’s new president, Yoon Suk-yeol, was inaugurated on May 10. He has promised to strengthen military cooperation with the United States, citing the threat of the North’s expanding weapons program.
On Saturday, the South Korean and American navies completed a three-day joint exercise in international waters off the Japanese island of Okinawa, in the East China Sea, South Korean officials said. The aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan participated in the drill, making it the first U.S.-South Korean drill since 2017 that involved a carrier.
Officials in Seoul and Washington expect North Korea’s flurry of weapons tests to continue. They say the North has prepared an underground testing site in Punggye-ri, in the country’s northeast, for a potential detonation of a nuclear weapon, which would be its first since 2017.
President Biden met with Mr. Yoon in Seoul last month, and they agreed to discuss expanding joint military exercises. The naval drill near Okinawa last week was held to follow up on that commitment, officials said, though the vessels involved were on their way to a previously scheduled multinational exercise near Hawaii.
Mr. Biden’s predecessor, Donald J. Trump, and Mr. Yoon’s, Moon Jae-in, had canceled or scaled down the two allies’ military drills, to which the North fiercely objects, as part of their diplomatic outreach to its leader, Kim Jong-un. Mr. Trump and Mr. Moon each met three times with Mr. Kim, but both left office with the North’s nuclear arsenal undiminished, and the North has doubled down on its weapons development.
Its previous test, on May 25, involved three ballistic missiles, including what South Korean officials said was a Hwasong-17, its largest known intercontinental ballistic missile. North Korea has tested ICBMs or their components six times since February, despite a 2018 promise from Mr. Kim not to carry out such tests, according to South Korean defense officials.
The North appears to be trying to develop a variety of nuclear-capable missiles, a goal announced by Mr. Kim in January 2021. South Korean intelligence officials say the North’s most recent tests are also meant to show confidence that it can overcome its current wave of Covid-19 cases without internal instability or accepting outside aid.
North Korea reported what it said was its first Covid-19 outbreak last month, declaring a “maximum emergency” and imposing a nationwide lockdown. It has refused offers from South Korea, the United States and international health organizations to provide vaccines, saying that the situation was being “controlled and improved.”
On Sunday, North Korea reported 73,780 new suspected Covid patients, bringing its total to more than four million since late April. It has reported only 71 deaths.
Experts have cast considerable doubt on those figures. Because the North has a shortage of testing kits and labs, it measures its outbreak by the number of people with fever symptoms, not actual positive tests. Even with that uncertainty factored in, the North’s reported death toll would amount to one of the world’s lowest Covid fatality rates, despite a threadbare public health system.
Kim Kardashian is one of the most desired individuals in the world. There are very few places that would shut their door on Kim K’s face, however, one of the biggest doors in the world did in fact shut on the Keeping Up with the Kardashians star’s face; the doors of Buckingham palace.
According to sources close to Kim’s representation, the reality TV star and her boyfriend Pete Davidson asked the royal palace repeatedly for tickets to the 70th anniversary celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s Reign but were turned away from the royal extravaganza.
When direct methods didn’t work, Kim K’s team tried to secure the tickets through some indirect routes. BBC were the ones who were covering the entire event and broadcasting it, hence Kim’s team approached the publicists at BBC, but even that route did not work out in the couple’s favor.
The couple were devastated at this turn of events as they are great admirers of the royal family. There are even rumors of Kim and Pete even trying to get their hands on some of the non-VIP tickets, 10,000 of which were given out in a public Ballot but not much can be confirmed of these reports.
The event was one of the fanciest and grandest in British history, as Queen Elizabeth, the second becomes the third longest reigning monarch of the world, just a few years away from becoming the longest reigning monarch in European history. The celebrations were glorious and the event saw many great personalities from all walks of life in attendance, including English football star David Beckham and legendary broadcaster, Sir David Attenborough. Even the 44th President of the United States of America, Barrack Obama was in attendance, via a video message that he specifically recorded for the 70th anniversary of the monarch.
Despite the disappointment, the couple decided they shouldn’t waste their time in Britain and spent their time reportedly shopping for jewellery and having cute dinner dates in London’s River Cafe. Perhaps the couple will come better prepared for the 71st anniversary, till then, life goes on for the Comedian-model couple.
Bhaghavan “Doc” Antle of “Tiger King” fame was arrested by the FBI on Friday evening and booked in a Horry County, South Carolina, jail. No charges have been announced.
According to jail records, the 62-year-old exotic animal owner has remained in detention since he was processed at J. Reuben Long Detention Center at 5:38 p.m. ET.
An FBI spokesperson confirmed the arrest to local station ABC15 but said that he could not provide further information until a hearing takes place.
A source close to the investigation told the AP that charges will be formally announced during a hearing on Monday afternoon in Florence, South Carolina.
Antle is the owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, as well as the president of a non-profit education and wildlife conservation organization called Rare Species Fund.
In May, animal rights organization PETA called on the IRS to investigate Antle, alleging that he funneled charitable donations made to the RSF into his roadside zoo.
“It’s fitting that ‘Doc’ Antle is behind bars after years of locking up the endangered animals he uses in tawdry photo ops,” said Debbie Metzler, PETA Foundation Associate Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement. “His legal woes are mounting, as PETA recently blew the whistle on his apparent ‘charity’ scam, and the end to his reign of terrorizing tiger cubs can’t come soon enough.”
Netflix’s “Tiger King” and follow-up documentary “Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story,” released in December 2021, explore Antle’s history of alleged sexual misconduct and animal abuse.
In October 2020, he was charged with two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to wildlife trafficking. He also faces 13 misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act, as well as animal cruelty charges related to trafficking lion cubs. The trial for those charges is set to begin next month.
Antle’s criminal record extends back to 1989, including more than 35 USDA violations concerning the mistreatment of animals, the AP reported.
The Horry County Sheriff’s Department did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
While speaking on a panel with “Cobra Kai” stars Ralph Macchio and William Zabka, Daniel Henney cited “The Karate Kid” as a major influence in his choice to pursue an acting career.
“It was very special to me growing up,” said the “Wheel of Time” actor. “I was in a small town, the only Asian kid there, and that movie gave me the confidence to stand up to people, to get out and try things. And that’s what eventually got me into theater.”
“The Art of an Actor” panel was presented as part of Variety and Sony Picture Television’s Virtual FYC House and also included actors Lamorne Morris (“Woke”) and Will Yun Lee (“The Good Doctor”), moderated by Variety’s deputy awards and features editor Jenelle Riley. The group of actors discussed how they broke into the business and the biggest challenges of their current roles.
Macchio and Zabka reflected back on when they were first approached about “Cobra Kai,” which will launch its fifth season in the Fall. Macchio admitted that the success of the show has “exceeded expectations,” not just winning over fans but critics and landing an Emmy nomination for best comedy series. Zabka, who brings Johnny Lawrence some redemption after he was villain of the original film, says his sole hesitation when he was approached by the show’s creators was getting the genre right.
“My one thing was, ‘What’s the tone? Is this comedy? Is it family?’” revealed Zabka. “And they said, ‘It’s a little bit of both.’ And, if it wasn’t called ‘Cobra Kai,’ it could be called ‘Bad Sensai.’ And, that gave me an idea of what Billy Bob Thornton did, that’s who Johnny’s going to be today.”
Morris admitted his role as a cartoonist who initially tries to shy away from controversial topics until inanimate objects start speaking to him on “Woke” came with a unique challenge — he’s portraying a version of the show’s co-creator Keith Knight. “[It’s] a little intimidating, I got to be honest,” Morris said. “I mean, he’s staring at you the entire time. He’s like, ‘You’re playing me, bro. So don’t fuck it up.’”
Lee cited an episode of “The Good Doctor” that centered on Asian hate exacerbated by the pandemic as a challenging day — particularly because he was harassed at a convenience store by a man who shook his car and hurled a racist slur on his way to the set. Lee added that he is grateful for the global reach of the show, stating, “For most of my career, I’ve played the faceless villain. And I had to eke my way out of trying to humanize these characters. But, when you have three pages or a page and a half to put a heartbeat on your character, it’s very difficult. So with a show like this, in its totality, is very important for me because … so much of the time, we are never given enough yardage. We are never given enough real estate to go, ‘We have a heartbeat. We have a face. We have a life.’”
Register now for a VIP pass to explore the full Variety and Sony Pictures TV Virtual FYC House now through June 27: Variety.com/SonyFYCHouse.
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 LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
AWARDS PREDICTION COMMENTARY: Not just a social media superstar, Selena Gomez, the singer, producer and actress holds her own, even stealing scenes in Hulu’s hilarious mystery romp “Only Murders in the Building.” Alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short, the acting sensation could become only the third Latina ever nominated in this category — after Rita Moreno (“The Rockford Files”) and America Ferrera (“Ugly Betty”), the latter of which won. In addition, as an executive producer for the Hulu series, she could be the first Latina to be double nominated for acting and comedy series in the same year. No to mention, fresh off her first Grammy nomination for best Latin pop album (“Revelación”), a possible Emmy nom (or two) for Gomez would place her on a very small list of women who have been nominated for both in the same year, including Lauren Bacall, Glenn Close and Meryl Streep.
The return of Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw in HBO Max’s revival series “And Just Like That…” was huge for the platform. Reminding the world why she won an Emmy along the way for her beloved character, she still has plenty of industry clout and respect that can go a long way with the TV Academy, even if the show didn’t receive exceptional reviews. Familiar names often provide advantages.
Another farewell season in the mix, Issa Rae’s quick-witted comedy series “Insecure” got a proper send-off, and after netting noms for comedy series and lead actress last year (the first time a Black woman was nominated for acting and producing in a comedy series, during the same year — a distinction she shared with Tracee Ellis-Ross for “Black-ish”), she could duplicate the success once again if voters are up to it. Can HBO keep the show at the top of mind with voters with so many contenders vying for attention?
The Flight Attendant
HBO Max
The HBO Max series “The Flight Attendant” is back for its second season, and Kaley Cuoco, who also executive produces, delivers brave work once again. Well-received by critics, and one of the few returning nominees from last year, her Cassie could make an impact with voters once again, as long as it takes back some of the air that’s been sucked up by its streaming counterpart “Hacks” and last year’s winner Jean Smart.
Closing out “Saturday Night Live’s” 47th season, Natasha Lyonne is on the bubble for the second season of “Russian Doll,” which seems to be the leading comedy contender for Netflix. Can they push her through this time around?
2021 category winner: Jean Smart, “Hacks” (HBO/HBO Max)
ALL AWARDS CONTENDERS AND RANKINGS:
COURTESY OF NETFLIX
AND THE PREDICTED NOMINEES ARE:
RANK
CONTENDER
SERIES
NETWORK
1
Jean Smart
“Hacks”
HBO/HBO Max
2
Quinta Brunson
“Abbott Elementary”
ABC
3
Rachel Brosnahan
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Amazon Prime Video
4
Tracee Ellis Ross
“Black-ish”
ABC
5
Issa Rae
“Insecure”
HBO/HBO Max
6
Selena Gomez
“Only Murders in the Building”
Hulu
NEXT IN LINE
7
Kaley Cuoco
“The Flight Attendant”
HBO/HBO Max
8
Sarah Jessica Parker
“And Just Like That…”
HBO/HBO Max
9
Natasha Lyonne
“Russian Doll”
Netflix
10
Tiffany Haddish
“The Afterparty”
Apple TV+
11
Sandra Oh
“The Chair”
Netflix
12
Elle Fanning
“The Great”
Hulu
13
Pamela Adlon
“Better Things”
FX
14
Lily Tomlin
“Grace and Frankie”
Netflix
15
Maya Erskine
“Pen15”
Hulu
16
Robin Thede
“A Black Lady Sketch Show”
HBO/HBO Max
17
Hailee Steinfeld
“Dickinson”
Apple TV+
18
Renée Elise Goldsberry
“Girls5eva”
Peacock
19
Lily Collins
“Emily in Paris”
Netflix
20
Amy Schumer
“Life and Beth”
Hulu
ALSO IN CONTENTION
21
Courteney Cox
“Shining Vale”
Starz
22
Jane Fonda
“Grace and Frankie”
Netflix
23
Rose McIver
“Ghosts”
CBS
24
Natasia Demetriou
“What We Do in the Shadows”
FX
25
Devery Jacobs
“Reservation Dogs”
FX
26
Ana Gasteyer
“American Auto”
NBC
27
Sarah Lancashire
“Julia”
HBO/HBO Max
28
Sara Barielles
“Girls5eva”
Peacock
29
Cecily Strong
“Schmigadoon!”
Apple TV+
30
Anna Konkle
“Pen15”
Hulu
UNRANKED CONTENDERS
—
Alia Shawkat
“Search Party”
HBO/HBO Max
—
Andy Allo
“Upload”
Amazon Prime Video
—
Anjana Vasan
“We Are Lady Parts”
Channel 4
—
Awkwafina
“Nora from Queens”
Comedy Central
—
Bridget Everett
“Somebody Somewhere”
HBO/HBO Max
—
Brigette Lundy-Paine
“Atypical”
Netflix
—
Caitlin McGee
“Home Economics”
ABC
—
Cristin Milioti
“Made for Love”
HBO/HBO Max
—
Emeraude Toubia
“With Love”
Amazon Prime Video
—
Esther Smith
“Trying”
Apple TV+
—
Gillian Anderson
“Sex Education”
Netflix
—
Helene Yorke
“The Other Two”
HBO/HBO Max
—
Hilary Duff
“How I Met Your Father”
Hulu
—
Isla Fisher
“Wolf Like Me”
Peacock
—
Jasmine Cephas Jones
“Blindspotting”
Starz
—
Jennifer Jason Leigh
“Atypical”
Netflix
—
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan
“Never Have I Ever”
Netflix
—
Mayim Bialik
“Call Me Kat”
Fox
—
Meagan Good
“Harlem”
Amazon Prime Video
—
Nasim Pedrad
“Chad”
TBS
—
Ophelia Lovibond
“Minx”
HBO/HBO Max
—
Rhianne Barreto
“The Outlaws”
Amazon Prime Video
—
Rose Byrne
“Physical”
Apple TV+
—
Sara Gilbert
“The Conners”
ABC
—
Sofia Black-D’Elia
“Single Drunk Female”
Freeform
—
Vanessa Bayer
“I Love That for You”
Showtime
—
Ziwe
“Ziwe”
Showtime
AWARDS CATEGORY HISTORY (Lead Actress Comedy)
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.
For wins: Julia Louis-Dreyfus has won this award seven times, the most of any actress, six of which were consecutive for “Veep,” almost the entire run of the series. Candice Bergen and Mary Tyler Moore have won this prize five times over their careers. “Veep” and “Murphy Brown” have been the most nominated series for lead actress comedy.
For nominations: Julia Louis-Dreyfus is the most nominated actress with 12 with Mary Tyler Moore and Bea Arthur behind with 10 and nine.
“The Golden Girls” is the most nominated series with 15 nominations over its run, with “Cheers” behind it with nine.
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.
Netflix is refocusing its movie production away from megabudget projects that give carte blanche to filmmakers following troubling Q1 results.
Netflixhas made the decision to move away from producing megabudget motion pictures. The streaming service began creating original content with the series House of Cards in 2013. Since then, the company has expanded its content library considerably, adding hundreds of fiction and reality series, as well as film projects of all sizes. Later on, Netflix stepped into the ring with blockbuster-style filmmaking with big stars and a budget level that could compete with theatrical productions. One of their first films at this level cost $90 million and was, at the time, the most expensive project they had ever financed: the 2017 Will Smith fantasy-crime film Bright.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY
Since then, Netflix has only increased its output of megabudget movie projects, many of which have drawn unprecedented viewership numbers for the streaming service. Some, like Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman (which cost $175 million) are more adult-oriented awards bait films, but most are star-studded action projects designed to appeal to a broad audience. This includes the Ryan Reynolds blockbusters 6 Underground and The Adam Project as well as Red Notice, which starred Reynolds opposite Gal Gadot and Dwayne Johnson, and was an acquisition with a $200 million price tag. Their upcoming film The Gray Man, which reunites Chris Evans with Avengers: Endgame filmmakers Joe and Anthony Russo, has a similar sticker price.
Per THR, Netflix is refocusing its production of content toward smaller projects. Although they will still produce certain projects at a large budget level, they are making a decision to approach future projects with more discipline and caution rather than just throwing money at creators. An inside source has stated that “this tendency to do anything to attract talent and giving them carte blanche is going away.”
This decision is likely in response to the fact that Netflix has been hit with some startling financial news recently. In Q1 of 2022, the company recorded a loss of subscribers for the first time in a decade, dropping from 221.84 million subscribers to 221.64 million. How this will impact films that are already in the pipeline, including a pair of Red Notice sequels and upcoming Knives Out follow-ups, is currently unknown.
While Netflix may be tightening its belts somewhat as far as the budget for individual projects, it will be interesting to see how much this impacts the service. They still have many low and mid-budget projects keeping up their constant weekly output of international original content, so subscriber numbers may stay solid on the back of that material. However, if the lack of big-budget films causes their subscriber count to shrink even further, they may rethink their game plan yet again.
Guardians Of The Galaxy 3’s New Casting Can Be Justice For 1 Missing Hero
About The Author
Brennan Klein (986 Articles Published)
Brennan (he/him) is a senior writer at Screen Rant and a millennial who knows more about 80’s slasher films than he has any right to. A former host of the Attack of the Queerwolf podcast, Brennan has been writing and podcasting about pop culture (especially horror films) for a decade.
Brennan’s interests also include the Muppets, bubblegum pop from around the world, and reading (especially Jane Austen, Agatha Christie, the manga of Junji Ito, and novels of magical realism). His favorite film directors are Wes Craven and Pedro Almodóvar.
No stranger to hot takes, Paul Schrader has a new target in his sight: his own movie.
To be more exact, an upcoming television adaptation for his 1980 movie. Showtime released a trailer earlier this week for American Gigolo, starring Jon Bernthal, Gretchen Mol and Rosie O’Donnell.
The director of the original, starring Richard Gere and Lauren Hutton, took to his Facebook page to lambaste the new adaptation produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, saying he had no involvement with the series and that he won’t be watching it.
“After the Showtime trailer appeared online I’ve been asked if I am involved,” Schrader wrote. “The answer is no.”
Paramount apparently called Schrader years ago fielding interest from the Oscar-nominated director on adapting the original film that centers on a male escort accused of murder.
“I replied that I thought it was a terrible idea–times had changed, internet porn had redefined male sex work, viruses, etc. I couldn’t imagine Julian Kay working a Hen Party,” Schrader wrote. “I thought that was the end of it.”
Then, Schrader was informed Jerry Bruckheimer and Paramount had the rights to re-do American Gigolo without his consent. His only option was to accept their cash and move along.
“They did not want my involvement. Here were my options: (1) take $50G and not be involved (2) take $0 and not be involved (3) threaten an expensive and futile lawsuit and not be involved,” Schrader wrote. “I took the $50G.”
Schrader wrote he has no plans to watch the series and doesn’t think he “could be objective about it and, even if I could, it’s too much agita.”
While four-year-old Louis did not make the trip to Wales, all three Cambridge kids helped kick off the Platinum Jubilee celebration at the Trooping the Colour event on June 2. Charlotte even had a relatable big sister moment when she tried to stop her little brother from waving both hands at the crowd during a carriage ride. She was unsuccessful. (You can see the video here.)
Prince George, Prince Louis, and Princess Charlotte during Trooping the Colour on June 02, 2022, in London, England.
Karwai Tang
On the evening of June 4, Prince William, Kate Middleton, Prince George, and Princess Charlotte were back in London for the Platinum Party at Buckingham Palace. Meghan Markle and Prince Harry, who are currently visiting the U.K. with their children, reportedly did not attend the star-studded concert in favor of celebrating their daughter’s birthday. According to People, they planned on “spending the special day privately as a family.”
According to royal experts, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s trip served a very specific purpose. “For Harry and Megan, I think they had two priorities on this trip,” Omid Scobie told Good Morning America on June 3. “To celebrate and honor the life and legacy of the Queen and also introduce her to their granddaughter.”
All 30 winners of the 82nd annual awards will be revealed on the Peabody Awards’ Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts as well as the Peabody Awards’ website from June 6-9. Presenters will announce winners, who will deliver a brief acceptance speech, via video.
It was previously announced that the Peabody Awards are honoring Dan Rather with the Career Achievement Award, presented by Dolly Parton, Fresh Air With Terry Gross with the Institutional Award, presented by Stephen Colbert and TV Rain/Dozhd with the Journalistic Integrity Award.
The 60 Peabody Awards nominees, revealed last month, include Dopesick, Hacks, Summer of Soul, Reservation Dogs, Only Murders in the Building, The Underground Railroad and Yellowjackets.
The Peabody Awards are chosen each year by a diverse board of jurors through a unanimous vote. Honors are given out to entertainment, documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, children’s and youth and public service programming sharing stories that reflect noteworthy social issues and emerging voices.
Cardi B is giving fans some updates on her youngest child, baby Wave. The rapper posted a series of new photos of her son to celebrate him turning nine months old.
“Happy 9 months Wave!! My baby growing too fast on me,” she captioned the Instagram post on Saturday (June 4).
In the sweet snapshots, Wave is seen rocking bling and showing off some curls. The images also capture the little one’s adorable eyes.
Wave, who was born in September, is Cardi and Offset‘s second child together. Big sister Kulture, the couple’s first child together, is three years old. Offset is also the father to three other children from previous relationships.
Cardi and Offset first shared Wave’s name and a glimpse at his face in April. Of the name choice, Cardi revealed it was Offset who came up with Wave: “I was sold!” she wrote on Twitter. “THAT HAD TO BE HIS NAME!”
One of the things I love about the NFB’s film collection is the number of small, personal films that feature ordinary Canadians doing extraordinary things. These types of documentaries were very common in the 1960s and 1970s. As Earth Day is upon us again, I thought I would highlight one of these films from the 1970s, the short doc The Lady and the Owl.
Quite simply, the film is about a retired couple living near St. Catharines, Ontario, who devote their lives to the care and rehabilitation of injured owls. The McKeevers, Kay and Larry, had been doing this selfless work for 10 years at the time of filming.
Director William Canning had been working on another project in the area when he heard about the McKeevers. He was intrigued so he contacted them. After meeting them, he realized that their story would make a very interesting film.
He later submitted a proposal to the NFB to make a short doc for the non-theatrical market (for screenings in schools, libraries, service clubs, etc.). The proposal was accepted by executive producer Colin Low, so in October 1974, Canning and crew travelled back to the McKeever home, located on an estuary near St. Catharines, and shot for a week.
Kay McKeever is a mesmerizing person. When asked why she does this work, she answers that she is fascinated by these creatures and is trying to do her best to keep owls from becoming extinct. She explains that they’ve cared for as many as 100 injured owls at a time at their sanctuary. She also says that they release some 40 percent of these owls back into nature. Most of the injuries to the owls were caused by gunshots or being hit by cars. One of their owls was injured at an airport in a collision with an airplane.
The McKeever house also includes dogs, a parrot and two pet owls. The McKeevers do not recommend keeping owls as pets as they can be very messy. They only name the owls that cannot be released into the wild. Those stay on the property (outdoors) to live out their remaining years.
The McKeevers spend most of the film explaining the behaviour of owls and showing us the various breeds, including the smallest owl in the world, the elf owl, weighing only 40 grams! We find out that owls mate for life and are excellent parents. It is a misconception that owls hunt at night. They prefer to hunt at dusk, just as the light is fading, or in the early morning.
The McKeevers comment that many people complain about the extinction of wildlife but do nothing about it, whereas they are happy to do something to protect these incredible birds. When preparing a bird for release, they make sure the owls are well enough to catch live prey, or else they would not be able to survive on their own.
Owls mainly eat rodents, and live ones if possible, but they can also eat other meat. There is a stunning moment early in the film when Kay opens a giant freezer in her basement to reveal hundreds of frozen dead mice and rats! Owls help control rodent populations, which is to the benefit of all of us.
Although the film was destined for the non-theatrical market, it was shown to the CBC, who were very impressed. They broadcast it on Tuesday, September 7, 1976, across the entire network, to very good reviews. It was also entered in several film festivals, winning an award at the International Film and Video Festival in Columbus, Ohio. A reviewer for Screen Arts (Seneca College) called it “…a refreshing documentary of a curious enterprise.”
I invite you to watch this simple, unassuming film about two extraordinary Canadians doing their part to help animals and protect our planet.
The Edmonton Oilers are on the brink of elimination after a 4-2 loss to the Colorado Avalanche Saturday night at Rogers Place.
The Avs lead the Western Conference Final 3-0.
The Oilers burst into the lead 38 seconds into the game. Connor McDavid took a pass from Zach Hyman and slid his ninth of the playoffs past Pavel Francouz. Only 28 seconds later, Evander Kane shoved Nazem Kadri from behind, sending the Avs forward clattering dangerously into the boards. Kane was assessed a five-minute major for boarding. The Avalanche had nine shots on the their power play but couldn’t solve Mike Smith. Late in the first, Darnell Nurse tried to slice Valeri Nichushkin’s pass behind the net, but he wound up chipping it behind Smith.
Nichushkin struck again in the second when a blocked shot bounced to him in front. Smith robbed Nichushkin later in the second, He appeared to be down-and-out, but shot up his glove for a miraculous denial.
Ryan McLeod crossed the blue line and fired in a wrist shot to make it 2-2 with 12:26 left in the third. With the Oilers on a power play, Francouz made a desperate glove save on McDavid. Evan Bouchard hit the post late in the power play, then J.T. Compher came out of the box, fended off Bouchard, and beat Smith five-hole. Mikko Rantanen sealed it with an empty netter in the final minute.
Kadri didn’t return to the game. Avs head coach Jared Bednar says Kadri will miss the rest of the series and possibly more.
Smith finished with 39 saves. Francouz stopped 27.
Game four is Monday at Rogers Place (630 CHED, Face-off Show at 4 p.m., game at 6 p.m.).
The adorable Prince George seemed to have a blast at the Platinum Jubilee concert on June 4! During Sir Rod Stewart‘s rendition of Neil Diamond‘s classic hit “Sweet Caroline,” the 8-year-old was seen mouthing along to the words as he enthusiastically waved around a United Kingdom flag.
The eldest child of Prince William and Kate Middleton, he also seemed to be on his best behavior while he sat next to his father in a similar jacket and tie. Earlier that day, the father and son duo were seen both wearing navy blue suits while they walked Cardiff Castle. The lookalike pair were accompanied by George’s mother Kate and his younger sister, 7-year-old Princess Charlotte.
Prince George and Prince William at the Platinum Jubilee on June 4, 2022 (James Veysey/Shutterstock)
The Platinum Jubilee awards were a massive four day gathering honoring the reign of George’s great grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, who has been serving as England’s monarch for a record breaking 70 years. The star studded concert was set to be the last event of the anniversary celebration, and took place at the legendary Buckingham Palace. Memorable appearances of the night included performances from immensely talented artists such as Diana Ross, Elton John, Alicia Keys, Queen + Adam Lambert, Duran Duran, and more.
Before the exhilarating show, Queen Elizabeth, 96, made a surprise appearance in a hilarious sketch with the beloved animated British icon Paddington the Bear. In the quirky skit, the Queen randomly pulled a marmalade sandwich out of her purse at a tea party. The comedic video then concluded with she and Paddington tapping along to the sound of “We Will Rock You” triumphantly playing outside their building.
Although the Queen appeared to be lighthearted in the sketch, there has been some ongoing, undeniable tension within her family. In 2020, her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markledropped a bombshell interview with Oprah, explaining their decision to step back as royal senior members. However, reports swirled in late May that Harry and his brother William were attempting to mend their relationship before reuniting for their Grandmother’s Jubilee, supposedly making an effort to move on from the past.
Disney hired Mark Bozon, a top gaming executive from Apple, as a senior creative leader for its cross-divisional Next Generation Storytelling initiative — which encompasses Disney’s “metaverse” ambitions.
In a May 20 tweet, Bozon announced he was leaving Apple after 12 years, saying “I’m headed to an absolute dream job” (without revealing he was heading to Disney). Most recently, he served as games creative director for Apple Arcade, the tech giant’s game-subscription service.
Bozon was hired by Mike White, Disney’s SVP of Next Generation Storytelling & Consumer Experiences, a 10-year company veteran who earlier this year was appointed to lead development and coordination of Disney’s metaverse strategy. In that role White dual-reports to both Kareem Daniel, chairman of Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, and Josh D’Amaro, chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences & Products.
As Disney’s VP of Next Generation Storytelling creative experiences, Bozon will be responsible for leading the creative vision for the group and to turn that strategy into executable plans. He’s expected to build a multidisciplinary team that will work with Disney businesses across gaming, film, TV, toys, parks and more to deliver interconnected consumer experiences.
Additionally, Bozon and his team are tasked with innovating and incubating “bold ideas” and serving as a clearinghouse for creative Next Generation Storytelling concepts.
According to Disney, because the term “metaverse” means different things to different people, the company under White’s lead has coalesced efforts under the Next Generation Storytelling banner and defined a strategy focused on creating “new canvases for storytelling and audience engagement” spanning digital, physical and virtual experiences.
Prior to joining Apple in June 2010, Bozon worked as a freelance game designer and producer and was IGN’s Nintendo editor.
“Deadpool is gonna be Deadpool,” they said of the upcoming sequel’s tone.
Marvel lovers have been itching to see Ryan Reynolds suit up as Deadpool again, with many hardcore fans predicting that the hero would show up in “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” But when that didn’t happen, fans turned their focus back to “Deadpool 3.” Little is currently known about the Shawn Levy-directed sequel, which has been announced but currently has no release date. When asked about it recently, all Reynolds would say is that the film is “coming along.”
But in a new interview with Den of Geek, “Deadpool 3” screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick revealed that progress is being made on the threequel, and the duo expressed their excitement about incorporating the character into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
“It’s an absolute thrill to have the band back together, to have a new backdrop in the MCU with new characters, new villains, that kind of thing,” Reese said. “You know, it’s never a marriage we necessarily saw coming — Fox and Disney, that was an external thing [separate] from our storytelling process. But we’re absolutely finding the serendipity and the gold in that situation, or we’re trying to.”
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When Disney acquired Fox, many fans were excited to see the studio’s Marvel characters folded into Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. But if any character raised red flags in the minds of comic book lovers, it was Deadpool, as many felt that the foul mouthed superhero wouldn’t mesh well with Disney’s family friendly image. But according to Reese, fans have no reason to worry.
“They’ve been very supportive with regard to that,” Reese said of the franchise’s famously adult sense of humor. “Now when it comes to a particular joke, if we cross a line, maybe we’ll hear at some point, ‘Maybe not that joke.’ But I think they’ve been incredibly supportive of what we’re doing, because obviously we were doing it separate from them for a long time, and I think they’ve seen the success and they’ve had their own even greater success. So hopefully it’ll be a marriage made in heaven. But we’ve definitely got their support, and that’s a great thing to feel.”
When asked if “Deadpool 3” would feature elements of the original script written by “Bob’s Burgers” writers Wendy Molyneux and Lizzie Molyneux-Logelin, Reese played coy.
“We have an answer,” he said. “But we’re really not supposed to divulge any plot details.”
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