Drew Barrymore understands that “there’s nothing I can do or say in this moment to make it OK” that she decided to return to her show without writers amid the ongoing strike. But she’s going to say a few things about it anyway, namely that one, she’s “deeply” sorry for doing it, and two, she’s still going to do it anyway.
Michael Cera randomly revived a long-dormant email chain from the original “Scott Pilgrim” cast
In a video statement posted to social media, Barrymore became emotional comparing the current backlash to the various public traumas she’s lived through. “I know there is just nothing I can do that will make this OK to those that it is not OK with. I fully accept that. I fully understand that,” she said. “There are so many reasons why this is so complex, and I just want everyone to know my intentions have never been in a place to upset or hurt anymore. It’s not who I am. I’ve been through so many ups and downs in my life, and this is one of them.”
Barrymore went on to explain, “There’s a huge question of the why—why am I doing this? Well, I certainly couldn’t have expected this kind of attention, and we aren’t going to break rules and we will be in compliance. I wanted to do this, because as I said, this is bigger than me and there are other people’s jobs on the line.”
Reiterating a sentiment from her initial statement, she added, “Since launching live in a pandemic, I just wanted to make a show that was there for people in sensitive times, and I weighed the scales and I thought if we could go on during a global pandemic, and everything that the world experienced through 2020, why would this sideline us? So I want to just put one foot in front of the other and make a show that’s there for people regardless of anything else that’s happening in the world because that’s when I think we all need something that wants to be there being very realistic in very realistic times.”
There are a few holes in her argument, starting with the fact that the pandemic and the strike are incomparable scenarios. While Barrymore’s show might have been a beacon for viewers as it aired in 2020, its return in 2023 is an active disappointment to some of her fans and especially her employees, like co-head writer Cristina Kinon.
“I personally understand that everybody has to make the best decision for themselves. I know that this show has a crew of hundreds of people who need to be paid, and I understand the perspective of wanting to protect your cast, your crew, and your staff,” Kinon told The Daily Beast in an interview earlier this week. With Barrymore’s eponymous talk show and others that employ WGA members heading back on air, Kinon said “it is frustrating, because it will prolong the strike, and we just want it to end.”
While, as Kinon notes, it’s an entirely valid concern for Barrymore to keep her crew employed, it also means that everyone going to work on the show and all their guests have to cross a picket line to do so. And even though Barrymore has insisted multiple times now that the show will be “in compliance” with the strike by not having any written material, moving forward without its writers means the show is replacing the work of its writers one way or another.
Barrymore was at pains to reiterate that returning to the show was her choice: “I don’t exactly know what to say because sometimes when things are so tough, it’s hard to make decisions from that place. So all I can say is that I wanted to accept responsibility, and now I don’t have a PR machine behind this. My decision to go back to the show—I didn’t want to hide behind people,” she said. “I won’t polish this with bells and whistles and publicists and corporate rhetoric. I’ll just stand out there and accept and be responsible.”
Barrymore should accept responsibility for the decision to move forward; after all, like the late-night talk show hosts, she could come up with alternate means to pay her staff’s salaries during the strike. However, her decision to be the sole person to “own” this choice puts her in the precarious position of shielding the AMPTP from its responsibility for creating the conditions that caused the strike in the first place. With two concurrent Hollywood strikes going on—and Barrymore is a member of one of the guilds striking—it’s a curious choice to martyr herself in this situation. (“if CBS is threatening to cancel, you should publicize that!” tweetedLast Week Tonight writer Liz Hynes.)
Last and least important: What are “realistic times”? Aren’t all times, by nature of being real, realistic ones? This is a case where a writer might have come in handy.
An aspiring writer deep in debt encounters a young man with no memories and strange abilities. Together they fight injustice and form an unlikely bond.
Certificate:Suitable for ages 15 and up
Year: 2023
Duration: 10 Episodes
Audio: Korean [Original]
Subtitles: Arabic, English, Spanish, French, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese
Not everyone is excited about the new cast of “Dancing With the Stars.” Following Wednesday’s announcement of the pros and celebrities set to compete on Season 32, former cast member Sharna Burgess expressed his disappointment in the casting of Adrian Peterson.
“There’s one person that I’d like to share that I’m really shocked is on there is Adrian Peterson, the football player… The man has been charged with child abuse of his four-year-old son in the way that he punishes him and that is just devastating for me,” Burgess said during the latest episode of iHeartRadio’s “Old-ish” podcast. “I’m telling you now if I walked into a room and that was my partner, I would turn around and walk right out. There is no way — now being a mother — I would be able to stomach that.”
The NFL running back has a history of legal woes. In 2014, he was charged with felony child abuse; he ultimately pleaded no contest and landed a reduced charge of misdemeanor reckless assault. In 2022, he was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. The charges were later dropped.
Peterson will dance with pro Britt Stewart, whose Instagram account is now being flooded with comments about how disappointed people are in the network’s casting.
Burgess, who has been a pro on 14 seasons of “Dancing With the Stars,” previously expressed her disappointment over not being asked back for Season 32.
“Because it was such a shock, because I wasn’t expecting it, it was tough. It’s not the first time. My last five years on the show have been rocky — not because of the show. I love the show deeply, but we had a new executive producer come in, I think five years ago now. I had just won with Bobby Bones and he decided to not bring me back,” Burgess said on the first episode of “Oldish.”
During Thursday’s episode, she noted that she feels no ill-will toward the show, as she knows the decision wasn’t personal, and will keep watching this season, supporting her friends.
Happy New Music Friday! The weekend is here, which means more streaming, new playlists and the best that music has to offer — and ET has you covered for everything in between.
Conan O’Brien appeared Kara Swisher’s New York Magazine podcast (via Insider) and lamented Donald Trump for hurting comedy. The former late night host joked: “I’m really going on a limb here saying: That’s his greatest crime, that I think he’s hurt political comedy by being so outlandish himself. I think the January 6 thing is a blip compared to how much he’s hurt comedy.”
Jokes aside, O’Brien noted that “when Trump came along, what a lot of people have to revert to is: ‘Doesn’t he suck? I hate that guy. He’s an asshole.’ And those aren’t jokes.”
O’Brien compared trying to make jokes about Trump is a lost cause in the same way trying to parody The National Enquirer is a lost cause.
“If you go and buy a real National Enquirer, it says, ‘Elvis sighted in UFO; he has tentacles for arms. Ghost baby turns into vampire and attacks Michael Jackson’s ghost,’” O’Brien said. “There’s no way to parody that. You can’t parody something that already has that crazy irregular shape. It’s not possible.”
Back in 2019, O’Brien told Rolling Stone that “Trump’s superpower is constantly believing in the infallibility of Trump.” He added: “Humility is a weakness to him. Having performed two different White House Correspondents’ Dinners and seen Clinton and Obama sit there and laugh at themselves, I don’t think Trump can do that. Look at how Dana Carvey was able to lampoon George H.W. Bush and then George H.W. Bush invited him to the White House and they became friends. That was someone who was comfortable enough in his own skin to be mocked.”
“Growing up, you always put the president up on a pedestal,” he added at the time. “The minute the president is someone that you know, you think, ‘That guy can’t be president. I know that guy. I saw that guy steal towels at the gym. He can’t be president.’ That’s the feeling I think a lot of us have [about Trump.]”
Izzy Gleicherheld onto the biggest secret in the Big Brother 25 house, that being Cirie Fields and Jared Fields‘ family connection. Blue Kim knew this vital information as well, due to Jared’s loose lips, which Izzy found out about before she was evicted from the house on September 14. Izzy appeared on The Exclusive With Sharon Tharpthe day after her eviction and revealed that she didn’t end up telling Cirie that Blue is aware of the secret.
“He didn’t tell me that she knew exactly, but he told me at one point he was like, ‘Yo, I told Blue I had a secret.’ And I was ready to… I did not tell Cirie that,” Izzy told host Sharon Tharp. “I’m honestly frustrated by that and I was frustrated by a lot of things that Jared did and didn’t do. I’m pretty saddened by that, I gotta admit.”
The 34-year-old professional flutist explained that she doubts Blue will do anything with the powerful information that she has in her back pocket. “Blue has no idea what’s going on,” Izzy said. “I was gonna take her as far as possible because she ain’t gonna win.”
Throughout this season, fans have been critical of Izzy’s game for being so loyal to a mother-son duo who would likely choose each other over her. And Izzy confirmed that she intended to stick with Jared and Cirie until the end of the game — but she did have a plan to win.
Izzy was evicted from ‘BB25’ on September 14 (Photo: CBS)
“I was all in on the final three. I know that Cirie was gonna throw final HOH. I’m very confident that me and Jared would’ve been sitting in the final two seats and I frankly think I would’ve beaten Jared and not needed Cirie’s vote,” Izzy said.
“I thought about this a lot,” she added. “People that watch the feeds probably heard me talking about it a lot to myself. That was absolutely the plan and I can be confident about that.”
Izzy was evicted by a vote of 8-1 against her ally Felicia Cannon. Cirie was the only person who voted to keep Izzy. Izzy was the fifth person evicted from the BB25 house, after Kirsten Elwin, Reilly Smedley, Hisam Goueli, and Red Utley.
Of all the stories and sides of Leonard Bernstein that Bradley Cooper decided to leave out of “Maestro,” the most infamous is surely the “Radical Chic” episode. In 1970, a New York magazine cover story, written by Tom Wolfe and entitled “Radical Chic,” spent 20,000 words describing, in delectable you-are-there detail, a party thrown by Lenny and his wife, Felicia, at their Park Avenue apartment in order to raise funds for the Black Panthers. Several of the Panthers were there, mingling with the swells of aristocratic liberal New York, and Wolfe captured the contradictions of that evening in a tone of such scathing perception that it was as if he’d defined the concept of bourgeois political correctness, disemboweled it, and danced on its grave, all in the same moment.
In “Radical Wolfe,” a lively, impeccably chiseled portrait of Tom Wolfe, who died in 2018 (this is the first documentary about him), we hear how Wolfe came to write that essay. He happened to be standing, by himself, in David Halberstam’s office when he noticed an invitation to the Bernsteins’ party for the Panthers on Halberstam’s desk. Wolfe RSVP’d (even though he hadn’t been invited) and crashed the party, hanging out in an unobtrusive chair to observe and write down everything he saw. The piece was hugely controversial, and the documentary presents several viewpoints about it. There are testaments to its brilliance. The journalist Tom Junod, an avid admirer of Wolfe’s, thinks it’s the moment that he edged into “cruelty.” Jamal Joseph, who was one of the Black Panthers released from prison as a result of funds raised by the Bernsteins that could now pay his bail money, says, “It kind of put a derisive label on good work that was happening.”
I first read “Radical Chic” when I saw 17, and it instantly made me a Wolfe fanatic. But half a century after it was written, I would say that what’s staggering and timeless about the essay, and maybe more dangerous than ever, is that its true subject is the politics of narcissism. In mocking the Bernsteins and their set, Wolfe was really asking a question of daunting relevance: For public figures (and, in our own era, maybe for social-media crusaders who aren’t famous), where do you draw the line between caring about an issue and caring about the image you project in broadcasting how much you care about it? Which “caring” outweighs the other? That was the moral conundrum at the luscious provocative heart of “Radical Chic.” And it’s one that resonates now more than ever.
“Radical Wolfe” is only 76 minutes long, but as directed by Richard Dewey, it’s a highly entertaining movie that manages to pack in more or less every important thing you’d want to know about Tom Wolfe. He was truly a writer who revolutionized journalism, and maybe even how we think about things (the indelible catch phrases alone tell the story of his influence — the Right Stuff, the Me Decade, Masters of the Universe). Clearly, though, he had major company, and the film gives appropriate shoutouts to all the other legendary writers associated with the New Journalism (Hunter S. Thompson, Joan Didion, Norman Mailer, Gay Talese), leaving out, as these lists perpetually do, a writer I think belongs in that game-changing pantheon: the film critic Pauline Kael. (Her writing was strongly influenced by Wolfe, with some of the same tossed-off-prose-as-psychoanalytic-bebop spirit.) But it was Wolfe, more than anyone, who taught journalism to dance, and in “Radical Wolfe” the story of how he did it, and the heights he rose to, makes for an irresistible watch.
The documentary is full of photographs and film footage of Wolfe, and we see how vital his look was to the Wolfe mystique. I don’t just mean the famous white suit, with its roots in the Richmond, VA, of his youth. The look began with his face — strikingly handsome, all rakish charm and amusement, with those slightly pursed lips set off by a long sweep of light-brown hair that was total Southern gentleman yet edged him, in a funny way, right into the counterculture. That was true, as well, of the suit, the old-fashioned ties, even the white shoes. To say that it was all a uniform, that it made Tom Wolfe into a “character,” is obvious and has been said for 60 years. But it was bigger than that. The look almost made him a superhero — it was as if he’d arrived from another planet. You could say that it expressed his traditional, anachronistic, conservative side, yet the whole thing was: He wasn’t anachronistic. He was hipper than the hipsters. He had feelers that allowed him to see all. And this made him a fantastic paradox.
“He was a contradictory character,” says Talese in the documentary. “You would never know, from being with Tom Wolfe in person, that same guy could write that way. Such a polite person. Such a well-mannered person. With a pen in his hand, he could be a terrorist.” That was my experience of Wolfe in college when I got to spend a couple of hours with him after picking him up at the airport for a speaking engagement. He was so mild and pleasant and upbeat, so much calmer than his writing, that you couldn’t get him to dip into that side of his personality.
The story of how Wolfe’s celebrated style — the exclamation points!! The spontaneous but knowing word salad!! — came to exist is really one for the ages, and “Radical Wolfe” tells it better than I’ve ever heard. In 1962, he was working for the New York Herald Tribune when a newspaper strike happened, leaving him out of work. He needed money, so he went to Esquire magazine and sold them on the idea of a story about the new California culture of customized hot rods. Checking himself into the Beverly Wilshire Hotel, where he stayed for four weeks (running up an enormous bill), he found himself in the middle of this amazing world of “automobile expression” that he knew next to nothing about.
By the time he was done reporting it, he was still struggling to get a handle on the subject. Esquire needed to print the color pages of the article in advance (the custom-car photographs were beautiful), and Wolfe says, “I came back to New York and found myself utterly blocked. I could not write this story.” He wanted to drop the assignment, but the story was locked in; it would have cost $5,000 to $10,000 to pull it. So Byron Dobell, the editor of Esquire, said to Wolfe, “You give us your notes, and we’ll get some competent writer to put them together.”
Wolfe started typing up his notes at top speed for eight or nine hours and wound up with 50 typewritten stream-of-consciousness pages. He sent them in, and Dobell called him and said, “It’s a masterpiece.” They ran the story as is. The magazine ran Wolfe’s notes, and “The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby” became the paradigm for a new day in American letters.
The article “made him famous,” recalls Dobell in the documentary. And rightly so. There was a joy in Wolfe’s writing that was singular, an electric kool-aid zest that made you feel: The person who wrote this is having the time of his life. And that connected to how Wolfe presented an image of peerless confidence, as if he’d transcended the knots of neurosis that so many writers have.
The truth was more complicated. He spent most of the 1970s working on “The Right Stuff,” figuring out how to write it, how to capture the heroism of the astronauts and, at the same time, touch something more humane and dimensional beneath. In this section, Wolfe compares being a writer to having arthritis — waking up, each day, with a small pain, and that pain is the question nagging at the back of your mind, about whether you’ll be able to do it again: not just write but write well. “Radical Wolfe” is based on Michael Lewis’s 2015 Vanity Fair article “How Tom Wolfe Became…Tom Wolfe,” and Lewis, interviewed throughout the film, says that “Wolfe, when he wrote, was a bundle of anxiety. He was capable of thinking, ‘I’ll never write another good word again,’ and just suffering, by himself.”
There was a side of him that wanted to slash and burn. According to the film, this was highly influenced by his years at Yale in the late ’40s and early ’50s, where the East Coast preppies looked down on anything from the South, and he cultivated a matching contempt for their establishment elitism. You feel that spirit at work in “Radical Chic,” and in “The Painted Word,” his attack on modern art (an essay you can love even if you don’t agree with it), and in “Tiny Mummies,” his inside skewering of the culture of The New Yorker.
Those pieces would have made Mark Twain smile, but Wolfe became a richer, deeper writer with “The Right Stuff.” And in “The Bonfire of the Vanities” (1987), where he took the leap to fiction with a success as dizzying as the book itself, he sought a kind of vengeance against the establishment that was larger than any institution. He was going to show the literary world that a novel, when reported, could beat the highbrow writers at their own game. With “Bonfire,” he dared to write an ambitious novel that was great fun, and I would say in more ways than not he proved his point. He did it even more with his fantastic follow-up, “A Man in Full” (1998), at which point a trio from the old guard (Mailer, John Updike, and John Irving) came after him with swords. But their attack looked like the sour grapes it was.
“Radical Wolfe” has good chapters on Wolfe’s marriage to Sheila Berger (“a nice Jewish girl from Long Island” who worked in the art department of Esquire) and the heart attack he suffered at the age of 66, which sunk him into a depression (says Wolfe, “After the bypass operation, you’re thinking, ‘My God, I’m so mortal it’s not funny any longer’”). And while several of the commentators, like Lewis and Junod, suggest that fame, and having to keep playing the “Tom Wolfe character,” took its toll on Wolfe and impacted his work in a negative way, the movie never quite demonstrates that that’s true — though maybe that’s because I profoundly disagree with the collective derision that greeted his 2004 novel “I Am Charlotte Simmons.”
That book was mocked for being Wolfe slumming his way into capturing the contemporary college experience. In truth, it had a subject more profound than that of any other piece of writing Wolfe ever did. The book is about how his heroine, a small-town Southern girl who enters an elite Northern college, ends up finding herself by losing who she is — letting her own identity melt away so she can meld with the values (or lack of them) she finds. It’s a haunting parable of the 21st century, of everything that was about to arrive. In one talk-show clip we see, Wolfe says, “If you’re going to be a writer, you’ve got to stand in the middle of the track to see how fast the train goes.” That’s where he stood for more than 50 years, always seeing the train that was coming, but more than that seeing where it was going.
Logline: A documentary portrait of an artist at work, following musician Paul Simon as he records his latest album, “Seven Psalms”, and, in a dreamlike fashion, looks back at his life and career.
Sales: UTA and AC Independent (U.S.), Altitude Film Sales (International)
Premiere Date: Sept. 10. 2023
Panelists: Alex Gibney
Key Quotes: “Paul actually reached out to me. He had seen a film I had done about Frank Sinatra, which he liked, and we talked about whether there might be an interesting film to be made about him. And then at some point the magic happened when Paul invited me to sit in and watch him while he made this new album, ‘Seven Psalms’, which really unlocked the whole thing.” – Alex Gibney
“Jason has the golden touch when it comes to real estate and business,” said Mayster and Brown in a statement.
“He has built a community of highly-engaged followers who he entertains and informs with his vibrant personality. Our team is excited to not only amplify his digital presence but also forge valuable partnerships with brands and products that align seamlessly with his personal and entrepreneurial vision,” the reps added.
Oppenheim is the president and founder of the Oppenheim Group, the real estate brokerage at the center of his two Netflix series. The group is responsible for high-end real estate deals across Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Calif., and now in Mexico as well. The brokerage recently revealed in “Selling the OC” Season 2 that it would be opening a new office in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
Netflix’s “Selling Sunset” returned for its sixth season back in May, while “Selling the OC” returned just this month for its sophomore season. Oppenheim serves as executive producer on both shows.
Aside from his Netflix stints, Oppenheim has appeared on other shows like “MTV Cribs,” “Celebrity Family Feud,” “Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles” and “Access Daily.” He has also collaborated with brands like Keurig, American Express, Samsung, Patron and Behr.
Atlee reveals Jawan’s budget. Aamir Khan’s son making his debut with a Netflix original.
Atlee spilled the beans on the budget of Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan. Aamir Khan’s son Junaid Khan will make his debut soon.
Following the huge success of Atlee’s Jawan, Shah Rukh Khan is all set for a media meet at the YRF studios today. Ahead of the big event, his manager, Pooja Dadlani, took to Instagram to share his look. Shah Rukh Khan can be seen in a crisp, white shirt paired with a black blazer with a belt detailing near the waist. He pulled his long locks back in braids. He accessorised the look with stacked bracelets. Deepika Padukone slipped into a white chiffon sari with black, sequined border, and a halter-neck blouse. She accessorised the look with emerald drop earrings and opted for dramatic, winged eyeliner. At the press conference, Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone also shook a leg to Jawan’s hit romantic song, Chaleya, as music composer Anirudh Ravichander, crooned the song.
Aamir Khan’s son Junaid is all set to make his debut with a one-of-a-kind David vs Goliath Story ‘Maharaj’. The production house YRF recently confirmed the same, while announcing their collaboration with Netflix for the same.
After the huge success of her recent film Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani and her Hollywood release Heart of Stone, Alia Bhatt decided to take a well-deserved break. She, along with her husband Ranbir Kapoor and their darling daughter Raha, took off for a vacation in New York. Over the past few days, many photos of the couple emerged on social media. Some of these are delightful selfies taken with their fans, while others capture a fun moment where Ranbir Kapoor photobombed Hollywood actress Madelyn Cline during the 2023 US Open Tennis Championships. Now there is another viral photograph circulating on the internet that features Afghanistan cricketer Rashid Khan posing alongside the Bollywood actors.
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap became a household name after the success of his Gangs Of Wasseypur franchise. However, he is also known for Bombay Velvet, a film that didn’t work well at the box office despite a talented star cast including Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma. However, Anurag recently revealed in an interview that Ranveer Singh was very keen to do the film but he couldn’t be signed due to budget constraints. Anurag said that he has never worked with Ranveer over the guilt he feels about not casting him in Bombay Velvet.
Over the years, fans have displayed their fervent support for their favourite artists. Unfortunately, there have been instances where overenthusiastic fans have thrown items onto the stage during performances, often failing to realise how dangerous and disrespectful this behaviour can be. During a recent Jonas Brothers’ performance in Sacramento, California, Nick Jonas had a similar experience while he was energetically singing Rollercoaster on stage. As Nick passionately sang, an overly enthusiastic fan threw a bracelet in his direction, catching him off guard. Despite the disruption, Nick maintained his professionalism and continued singing. However, the situation escalated when another fan also threw a bracelet towards him. Attempting to persevere with the performance, the singer had to eventually halt and firmly address the situation. While looking towards the fan responsible, he sternly said, “No. Stop.”
Yatamanyu is a multi-disciplinary Journalist & Photographer who dabbles in Films, Poetry, Music, Politics, Pop-Culture and everything in between. …Read More
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
The submission deadline for general categories is Nov. 18, 2023. Preliminary shortlist voting will begin on Dec. 18, with the results announced on Dec. 21. The voting period will run from Jan. 11-16, 2024, with the official nominations announcement on Jan. 23.
The 96th Oscars will be held on Sunday, March 10.
***The list below is not final and will be updated throughout the awards season.
And the Predicted Nominees Are:
Ludwig Göransson — “Oppenheimer” (Universal Pictures)
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, is Hollywood’s most prestigious artistic award in the film industry. Since 1927, nominees and winners have been selected by members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Seventeen branches are represented within the nearly 10,000-person membership. The branches are actors, associates, casting directors, cinematographers, costume designers, directors, documentary, executives, film editors, makeup and hairstylists, marketing and public relations, members-at-large, members-at-large (artists’ representatives), music, producers, production design, short films and feature animation, sound, visual effects and writers.
Freshly shown pieces of merchandise from the upcoming X-Men ‘97 animated series showcased the main cast in chibi style.
Marvel’s X-Men ‘97 will serve as a continuation of the original X-Men: The Animated Series which was a childhood favorite for many. In fact, many of the original cast members are returning for this sequel series.
The show was recently pushed back to an early 2024 release date. Naturally, this was seen as a disappointment for fans, especially since X-Men ‘97 was announced almost two years ago.
New X-Men Keychains Feature Mutant Team
A new wave of Marvel-themed merchandise in the form of bag clips from Monogram was put up for pre-order (via Entertainment Earth). These clips are modeled after the main characters from the upcoming Disney+ animated show, X-Men ‘97.
The 11 clips in the assortment make up almost the entire team, but for some reason, Bishop is missing.
The small-scale keychains are made in a super-deformed chibi style, as seen with Cyclops.
Monogram
According to already released information for X-Men ‘97, Jean Grey will be pregnant in the series.
Monogram
The Wolverine clip has his adamantium claws extended and looks ready to rumble.
Monogram
Pop culture’s second-most famous Dr. McCoy is well-represented here with this Beast keychain.
Monogram
The sworn enemy of Marvel’s Merry Mutants, Erik Lehnsherr aka Magneto, will work alongside the X-Men in the series.
Monogram
Shapeshifter Morph will make his comeback in these new animated X-Men episodes as well.
Monogram
Lenore Zann will reprise the role of the power-stealing Rogue, who she previously lent her voice to back in the ’90s.
Monogram
Ororo Monroe aka Storm will receive an update to her look in X-Men ‘97 that includes a stylish mohawk.
Monogram
Sunspot will seemingly serve as a newcomer to the team in the new series. His Mutant abilities are focused on heat.
Monogram
Jubilee joined up with the X-Men early on in the 1990s series, and here, she’ll be a seasoned member of the squad.
Monogram
The Ragin’ Cajun himself, Gambit’s bag clip holds a staff in one hand and playing cars in the other.
Monogram
The whole gang assembles on the packaging for the figures. They’re blind-bagged, so buyers won’t know who they’re getting until they open the packaging.
Monogram
Why X-Men ‘97 Should Be Worth the Wait
Despite getting announced back in November 2021, updates on X-Men ‘97 have been scarce. The series has been subject to delays as well.
The only substantial breakdown of the show came in the form of panels that Marvel Studios held at San Diego Comic-Con.
But even though there’s been limited news on the development of the series, it should still be good fun and a worthy successor to X-Men: The Animated Series, especially considering that the production brought back as many of the original cast members as it possibly could.
In a perfect world we’d be waiting for a very specific movie this fall. We’d be waiting for the premiere of a followup to the 2022 MCU Halloween special Werewolf by Night. The creepy black-and-white tale of monster hunters and their prey remains one of the franchise’s best and most original post-Infinity Saga releases. But while we don’t live in a perfect world, it’s not all bad either. Disney+’s 2023 “Hallowstream” lineup will include the newly announced Werewolf by Night in Color, a special new version of the film set to arrive in October.
Disney
Hulu subscribers can now catch the original Werewolf by Night on the streamer. Disney added the special starring Gael García Bernal to the collection as part of “Huluween.” But customers of the Mouse House’s flagship streaming service will be getting a very different version on October 20. Marvel Studios’ Werewolf By Night in Color will give viewers an opportunity to see the film in a whole new way. According to Disney’s press release the black-and-white film will now have a companion version that comes in “vibrant color.”
On Twitter X, director Michael Giacchino said they “spent a lot of time working on this color version” because they “wanted to pay homage to the incredible vibrant color in horror films like the ones Hammer made.” He said the result is “a whole new look for the film.” We don’t yet know exactly what that will mean, but we have previously seen colorized images from the set thanks to the behind-the-scenes doc Director By Night.
Before this new we were planning to rewatch the black-and-white version probably a couple times. Now? We’re still going to do that, we’re just also going to enjoy Werewolf by Night in Color.
Hopefully next year we also have a second original movie to enjoy, too. That won’t make the world perfect, but like this special color version it will get us one lycanthrope step closer.
It’s no secret that Xbox Game Studios has had a bit of a slow output of games despite the recent success stories with games like Hi-Fi RUSH and Starfield. Still, there is plenty to look forward to on the horizon, or at least that’s what one of the Directors of Live Game Operations thinks, stating that Xbox Game Studios has “more than a dozen” games in development at this point in time.
This was a quote taken from Crystin Cox from a talk she had in GDC last March. In the talk (transcribed by Wccftech) Cox talks about how Xbox Game Studios Publishing helps developers when it comes to getting games out the door and into players’ hands. The talk moves on to reveal that Microsoft currently has over a dozen new and unique titles in development that are being worked on at the moment.
According to Cox, there are a lot of projects that Xbox is currently working on, and every single one of them is totally unique and is approached in a very bespoke way. Of course, some players might be able to infer about which projects are in the pipeline, but one can only speculate what new surprises Microsoft and Xbox Game Studios have in store.
Recently, Microsoft has talked about how Xbox is going to bring heavy hitters, starting with Starfield. “This very much feels like the starting gun for this relay pass that’s going to take place over the next couple of years”, Microsoft’s Xbox Chief Marketing Officer Jerret West recently said. With the relay race already kicking off with Starfield, what could be in store for Microsoft?
About the Author
Ule Lopez
A journalist from Mexico obsessed with Shiny Eevees, he wears his profession with pride as he researches current-day stories and plays JRPGs and horror games.
For the seventh year, La Biennale di Venezia gives a cash award of € 5.000 to support the Best Film in post-production.
La Biennale di Venezia Prize Jury, composed of Bobby Allen (MUBI), Enrico Bufalini (Cinecittà) and Sarah Chazelle (The Party Film Sales) has awarded the film:
CARISSA by Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar, (South Africa) Producers: Deidre Jantjies, Annemarie Du Plessis
“We were entranced by this journey from modernity back to traditions and the choices that we are led to make between the easier life with economic progress and the more harmonious life with nature”.
The Jury of the Supporters of the 11th edition of Final Cut in Venice has decided to give their support to the following films in post-production:
SUDAN, WHEN POEMS FALL APART, by Hind Meddeb (France, Tunisia) Producers: Abel Nahmias, Michel Zana, Alice Ormières
Has been supported by:
TitraFilm (Paris) is offering up to € 5.000 for color-grading; up to € 3.000 for the production of a DCP master, or the creation of i-Tunes, Google or Netflix files; up to € 2.000 for French or English subtitles (translation not included); El Gouna Film Festival is offering $ 5.000 awarded to an Arab project and the invitation to the CineGouna platform; Red Sea Fund (Red Sea International Film Festival) is offering € 5.000; MAD Solutions is offering for a feature-length fiction project an MG of $ 10.000 or a feature-length documentary a $ 3.000 MG for marketing, publicity and distribution in the Arab World for one Arab project; Rai Cinema S.p.a is offering € 5.000 for a first negotiation right for the acquisition of Free TV exploitation rights in the Italian territory and obligation to mention “in collaboration with.” in the credits of the work.
SHE WAS NOT ALONE by Hussein Al-Asadi (Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Usa) Producers: Huda Al Kadhimi, Huma Gupta
Has been supported by: Sub-Ti Ltd. (London) is offering up to € 7,500 for the creation of the DCP master with Italian or English subtitles; Sub-Ti Access Srl (Turin) is offering up to € 7,500 for the accessible contents of the film for audiences with sensory disabilities subtitles for the deaf and hearing-impaired and audio description for the blind and visually impaired, including audio subtitles in voiceover, in Italian or English (the subtitles and the audio-described soundtrack for the DCP will be provided); Oticons is offering one of the selected projects to benefit from the film composers represented by the company and the original score that they will create. The production of the original score will include all relevant services, such as spotting sessions, composition, orchestration, mock-ups, final production, for a value of € 12.000; Festival International du Film d’Amiens is offering its participation in the production costs of a DCP (€ 2.500); Eye on Films is giving the possibility to benefit from the Eye on Films label, that will present the film to distributors and festivals affiliated to EoF and will contribute to the communication of the film for a value of € 2,500 during its world premiere in an A-category festival.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS by Scandar Copti, (Palestine, Germany, France, Qatar, Italy) Producers: Tony Copti, Dorothe Beinemeier
Has been supported by: Studio A Fabrica is offering € 15.000 by for the sound mixing of a feature length film (up to 12 days of work, sound mixer not included); Laser Film is offering € 15.000 for the colour correction of a feature-length film offered by) for up to 50 hours of work (technician included).
CARISSA by Jason Jacobs and Devon Delmar, (South Africa) Producers: Deidre Jantjies, Annemarie Du Plessis
Has been supported by: The Cinémathèque Afrique of the Institut Français (Paris) is offering the Prize “Coup de cœur de la Cinémathèque Afrique”, consisting of the acquisition of the non-commercial and non-exclusive broadcasting rights for 7 years with a value of € 4.000 – 6.000 depending on the genre, length and available territories of the film; Festival International de Films de Fribourg is offering its participation in the production costs of a DCP (€ 2.500).
LIFE IS A RAILROAD, by Kevin Mavakala, Manassé Kashala, Isaac Sahani, Tousmy Kilo (Democratic Republic of Congo, France, Germany) Producers: Dieudo Hamadi, Jeanne Basset
Has been supported by: The Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) – Clap ACP is offering €5.000 as a refund for post-production services – delivered by societies based in one of the EU or OACPS countries (except South Africa) – of a feature-length film realised by a director from one of the ACP countries and produced or co-produced by a society based in one of the ACP countries; Oticons Music Supervision award in-kind service up of a value of €3.000.
For anyone who wants to see a Back To The Future-inspired horror movie, they are about to get their wish. Kiernan Shipka stars as Jamie, a girl who ends up traveling back in time to 1987 to prevent a series of serial killer attacks.
Jamie had known about the murders given her mother Pam’s history and that Pam’s friends had died at the hands of the killer. Armed with the knowledge of the future, Jamie must prevent the murders from returning home.
While the plot is far darker than Marty’s journey to save his family’s existence in the present day, it does share the similarity in Jamie growing a bond with her teenage mother (Olivia Holt).
The trailer for Totally Killer sees the film following the trend of comedy-horror films that embrace both genres in a way that delivers various scares while still poking fun at the tropes that come from scary movies.
Horror movies have been known to become predictable when they take themselves too seriously, following the same tropes that have a habit of getting the main characters killed. The trailer for Totally Killer suggests that this movie knows that and plans to deviate from those tropes by having the characters directly call them out, which Jamie does at least once in the trailer.
Horror movies that understand the stakes but still know how to crack a joke and make the circumstances and reactions to events funny are a welcome fresh air to the horror movie genre, which can become very dark.
So, will Jamie achieve her goal to save her mother and end the killer’s run? Or will things go wrong?
Totally Killer premieres on Amazon Prime on Friday, October 6, 2023.
Sharon Osbourne is counting her blessings. The 70-year-old reality star shared a rare photo of Kelly Osbourne‘s baby boy, Sidney, in a sweet shot that includes all five of her grandchildren.
“My Cup Runneth Over ❤️,” she captioned the cute pic, in which she holds Sidney, the youngest of the group, and Jack Osbourne‘s 14-month-old daughter, Maple Artemis, in her lap. She’s flanked on either side by Jack’s older daughters: 5-year-old Minnie Theodora, 7-year-old Andy Rose and 10-year-old Pearl.
Kelly welcomed her son with boyfriend Sid Wilson, of the band Slipknot, in late 2022. It was Sharon who spilled the beans of the newborn’s arrival during a January 2023 episode of her British chat show, The Talk, revealing his name but adding that Kelly “won’t let a picture go out of him.” The comment seemingly prompted Kelly to respond with a statement on Instagram, writing, “I am not ready to share him with the world. It is no one’s place but mine to share any information on my baby.”
To date, Kelly has only posted one photo of her little guy. In the adorable snapshot, baby Sidney wears a bat costume in apparent reference to grandfather Ozzy Osbourne‘s infamous 1982 incident with his band, Black Sabbath, in which he bit the head off a live bat while on stage.
The famous family has been back together in the spotlight with the launch of their newly revamped The Osbournes Podcast, and an anticipated return to reality TV with the 10-part BBC docuseries Home to Roost. The series was announced in 2022 and is said to be chronicling the family’s recent move back to the U.K. after leaving Los Angeles.
Sharon’s time spent with her family is undoubtedly precious, as the media personality last year suffered a medical emergency that left her unconscious. The moments before her hospitalization were captured on film and revealed just last month in the trailer for the upcoming season of Jack Osbourne’s Night of Terror.
Meanwhile, Sharon is continuing to care for her husband of 41 years, Ozzy, who has Parkinson’s disease.
Last year, amid her pregnancy, Kelly sat down with ET to open up about what her new normal would look like in the early days of motherhood.
“I’m really, really excited,” she gushed. “And my parents have been incredible and been with me every step of the way on this journey, ’cause my boyfriend is in a band, they tour, so, he’s hardly been here, so, every milestone I’ve kinda gone through with my dad, and he’s been great, even though he sometimes says the wrong thing. I’ll walk into the room and he’ll go, ‘Wow, you’re big.’ and I’m like, ‘Thanks, Dad.'”
She also explained how she planned to split time between the U.S. and the U.K. with her little one.
“They’re gonna be on the journey with us, as you know. I will be splitting my time, half the time in the U.K., half the time here, and which is great since Sid’s half-English as well,” she added. “He has all of his family over there, and my child will be able to have the same kind of life I did, just not on the road.”
What’s on Netflix can reveal exclusively a brand new original track from the forthcoming Netflix Original movie Reptile, starring Benicio del Toro and Justin Timberlake.
Recently premiering at TIFF, the movie follows the journey of Nichols, a hardened detective with a murky past who finds himself embroiled in a murder case that unravels his secrets.
Released today ahead of the movie release is one of the songs for the movie that’s composed by Yair Elazar Glotman and featuring vocals from Venezuelan-musician ARCA titled “Why We Had to Leave”.
Here’s the track in full from the official soundtrack from Reptile now available on Netflix Music:
Glotman is behind the entire original score for Reptile. Based in Berlin, the musician has previously collaborated with Netflix on the Oscar-winning movie All Quiet on the Western Front. Other credits include Joker, Last and First Man, and Netflix’s Barbarians.
Speaking about working on the score of the new Netflix movie, Glotman said:
“The process of working on Reptile was unlike anything I experienced before. It is a contemporary take on film noir, and the whole film is imbued with a sense of darkness, ambiguity and deception. Collaborating with the director Grant Singer on his first feature film was immensely special as he had a very wide array of musical references and we were able to geek out a lot about historical and contemporary bands, from obscure composers to film scores and of course the pop stars he has worked with. The result I think is something that can lead you in, thinking that this is a regular thriller soundtrack, only to turn the corner and surprise you with something darker or more abstract than expected.”
In addition to working on soundtracks, Glotman releases and performs his own music under his own name and under projects such as KETEV and collaborations with composers Mats Erlandsson and Viktor Orri Árnason.
Yair Elazar Glotman – Photo by Jose Cuevas
The full soundtrack for the movie will be available day and date with the movie’s release on September 29th and features 20 tracks in total.
Here’s the full original soundtrack list for the upcoming Netflix Original:
Reptile
Teeth Marks
Why We Had To Leave
Snakeskin
Life Insurance
Can I Show You Something Strange?
The Reenactment
We Got A Dead Realtor
All Units
He’s Got My Gun!
The Aftermath
Nichols
13k Of Drugs
Done With The Banging
Break In
Searching The House
White Fish
Wally
Reptile Netflix Soundtrack Cover Art
Are you looking forward to watching Reptile on Netflix? Let us know in the comments.
During the final week of production on director Pablo Larraín’s “El Conde” in Patagonia, cinematographer Ed Lachman broke his hip, the result of a bathroom slip and “not doing anything heroic [on set],” the famed cinematographer joked while recalling the fall to IndieWire.
The injury was no joking matter for Lachman, who was devastated he couldn’t shoot his longtime collaborator Todd Haynes’ film, “May December.” And later this month when Haynes and crew premiere that new film at the New York Film Festival, Lachman, a staple at the fest since the early ’70s, also won’t be able to be in Alice Tully Hall cheering them on. But that’s actually this story’s happy ending.
“I’m in Berlin doing tests for Pablo’s new movie,” said Lachman. That’s right, Lachman’s back, prepping Larraín’s new film “Maria,” starring Angelina Jolie as Maria Callas and set to begin production in Budapest later this year. As can be seen with the black comedy satire “El Conde” (now streaming on Netflix, in which infamous Chilean dictator General Pinochet is portrayed as a 250-year-old vampire), the continuation of the Lachman-Larraín collaboration is an exciting new chapter in a long career some worried might end with the injury.
Larraín fought not only for the movie to be in black and white — a vital artistic decision for this timeless (in every sense of the word) history-meets-genre fantasy — but to actually shoot it in black and white, a rarity in the digital age in which studios insist on color cinematography that can later be desaturated in post-production.
“The reason producers do it that way is because then they can always fall back on the color if they have markets that they can’t show it in black and white,” explained Lachman, who argued this is a short-sighted thought process that has a significant impact on the onscreen image. “The contrast and the saturation, the subtlety of mid-range in the blacks and whites, aren’t the same [and] that’s why I think [‘El Conde’] really has a different look than a number of black and white films over the last few years.”
Ed Lachman and Pablo LarraínDiego Araya Corvalán / Netflix
Shooting in black and white allows for the incredible richness and contrast in the mid-range of “El Conde” in part because it permitted Lachman to use the tools and techniques of black and white filmmaking. “When you can actually shoot in monochromatic, you can reach back to black and white filters to modify the contrast and the mid-tones.”
Equally important is how this approach allows all the departments to design for a monochromatic world. The color of costumes, set dressing, and makeup could be chosen based on how each element appears in black and white. A perfect example of this is the creation of the vampire’s life source. “We wanted the blood to have a contrast against other dark things,” said Lachman. “We found in tests that the blood being blue had more luminosity, it had more transparency than red, which usually comes out the deepest black.”
“El Conde” also shares a look, feel, and texture with the great mid-century Hollywood films shot by cinematographers like Gregg Toland and directed by the likes of Orson Welles, in part because Lachman reached for the Ultra Baltar lenses developed in 1938 and used on “Magnificent Ambersons,” “Citizen Kane,” and “Touch of Evil.”
For as much as Lachman went back to the tools and techniques of 80 years ago, there was one piece of equipment that needed to be invented for “El Conde”: a new black and white Arri camera. The German camera manufacturer had black and white sensors for its Alexa XT, but that didn’t meet Netflix’s 4K mandate, while the black and white version of its large format Alexa 65 was simply too big for how Larraín, who is credited as the film’s camera operator, wanted to shoot the film.
“[Pablo] wanted to use a 15-foot technocrane to move around the set and find the camera positions, so we wouldn’t be locked down with a dolly,” said Lachman.
With the camera practically living atop the movable device, the Alexa 65 was too big for “El Conde.” The cinematographer needed Arri to develop a black and white sensor for its smaller large format camera, the ALEXA Mini LF. The problem was less Arri’s willingness to build a new camera — in theory, its color scientists were confident it could work — and more that Lachman’s request came two months before the start of production, which is less time than it had taken to develop previous prototypes. Luckily, according to ARRI’s Marko Massigner and Manfred Jahn, creating the new chip came together quicker than anticipated, and they were able to deliver three working cameras (now available to rent) in time for “El Conde.”
“El Conde”Pablo Larraín/Netflix
But Larraín’s desire to find his shot working in 360 degrees with the verticality of the crane meant that Lachman wouldn’t be able to mirror the studio lighting of mid-century Hollywood, where characters were specifically staged and lit inside the sets.
“I had to go back to lighting the space, lighting the set through the windows, through overhead ambiance, and that created a certain look,” said Lachman. Initially, the cinematographer worried the lighting scheme was resulting in losing the characters’ eyes, not unlike how Gordon Willis’ intentional use of top light did in the “Godfather.” “I realized that it really was part of the thematics of the story, that these people are hiding from each other and hiding from themselves. So I could let the eyes go dark, and I think that has a certain element of mystery.”
When it comes to underrated Jonas Brothers albums, there is one that stands above the rest and that’s Lines, Vines and Trying Times.
The last album before the band’s breakup, LVATT didn’t get nearly as much love as it deserves and was a very experimental one from the brothers. In particular, the Jonas Brothers experimented with R&B and country styles which we hadn’t heard before.
In particular, it gave us the much-talked-about and beloved duet from Nick Jonas and Miley Cyrus called “Before the Storm.” For Niley fans, it’s still one that’s much loved and enjoyed now. On the whole, though, it never seemed to get as much love as their 2007 and 2008 releases.
Lines, Vines and Trying Times was released on June 12, 2009, and ended up producing 2 singles which were “Paranoid” and “Fly With Me.” These are two wildly different singles so let’s get into the rankings.
Let’s rank the singles from Lines, Vines and Trying Times by the Jonas Brothers.
2. “Fly With Me”
Objectively when I look at Lines, Vines and Trying Times, I do feel like these singles are a bit out of place. There are so many great ones on the album yet it only produced 2. That’s crazy so I had to think about it for a while before putting “Fly With Me” in my number two spot.
While some might disagree, “Fly With Me” is a fun and sweet song yet it doesn’t have the same punch as the others on the album. Regardless, it did end up being in Night of the Museum so that’s something. In addition, it also felt like a love letter from Kevin to Danielle which is just too cute to ignore.
Maybe going back, the Jonas Brothers would do something differently yet it does feel like this was the beginning of the end. Either way, “Fly With Me” is such a cute song and reminds me a lot of first falling in love and being with that special person.
1. “Paranoid”
Moving onto my top single from Lines, Vines and Trying Times, it had to be “Paranoid.” When I think of LVATT, this is the song I always think of. This felt like such a swift departure from their previous albums yet somehow showed a maturity to their previous sound. While this might not have been everyone’s favorite, I don’t think they could have picked a better lead single from this album.
The lyrics even reference the title of the album with lines and vines featured in the song. Maybe I’m just reading too much into the lyrics after everything that’s gone down but it could be related to the band and their feelings at the time. Regardless, this one had to be at the top of my list because it’s such a different song yet such a good one.
Like I said, this one might not be atop everyone’s list of favorite Jonas Brothers songs yet it’s a fun one to sing and dance to.
What do you think, my fellow Jonas fans? How would you rank the singles from Lines, Vines and Trying Times? Share your list in the comments!
TORONTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2023 REVIEW! One Life, directed by James Hawes and written by Lucinda Coxon and Nick Drake, is based on the true story of Nicholas Winton. He was a British stockbroker who saved hundreds of children from death at the hands of the Nazis during World War II. Anthony Hopkins plays Nicky as an older man in the late 1980s, when his wife, Grete (Lena Olin), gets annoyed at him for being too much of a pack rat. When his wife goes away, Nicky decides to surprise her by cleaning out his office, which stirs up old memories.
We then flashback to Nicky (Johnny Flynn, bearing just enough resemblance and intensity to a young Hopkins to be plausible) as a younger man. After hearing about refugees fleeing the Nazis and ending up in Prague, he investigates. Once there, he sees children suffering and dying in refugee camps and concocts an audacious plan to get the children out by train and adopted temporarily by foster families in the UK.
Nicky is aided in England by his tenacious mother, Babette (Helena Bonham Carter), who harangues the bureaucracy enough to give the plan a chance for success. Meanwhile, over in Czechoslovakia, other volunteers are working to get the paperwork and logistics done to get the children on the trains. Meanwhile, some of the most dangerous work was done by Trevor Chadwick (Alex Sharp) because he had to secure visas from the Gestapo.
“…concocts an audacious plan to get the children out by train and adopted temporarily by foster families in the UK.”
While you’d think all the drama would lie in the WWII era, One Life is split fairly equally between the two timelines. This is partially because Hopkins is astounding at portraying a man of subtle reflection. His scenes in the present are completely convincing for what an Englishman several decades removed from the war would be like. The writing and directing deserve a tremendous amount of credit for the restraint shown. This grounds the story and sets it up for profound scenes, which I won’t spoil. It is particularly impressive that this is Hawes’ first feature, though he’s had a remarkable TV career, having directed episodes of shows such as Black Mirror and Slow Horses.
The film can’t help but have echoes of Schindler’s List — after all, this is a man who saved hundreds of people from certain deaths and yet can’t help but regret that he couldn’t have done more. Yet, the drama is far from a Spielberg affair. By that, I mean there is no artifice, no apparent hand of the director telling you what you should think.
Of course, this is an illusion — this is a movie, and its stock and trade is getting to us emotionally. One Life accomplishes this by believing in its source material. The story itself is so powerful it needs no amplification. The director trusts Sir Anthony Hopkins to step in and deliver, which he does. He plays it so subdued at the beginning that when the emotional dam breaks, the audience cries like a baby. It is impossible not to, but it isn’t all sadness. You will cry tears of joy at witnessing the incredible potential of the human spirit.
One Life is a perfect movie. I can easily see Anthony Hopkins getting a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for it. But that doesn’t matter; I only mention it so people realize this is an important film they must see. It will give you a new appreciation for humanity at its greatest. That’s something we could all use a little of.
Police in the Netherlands used water cannons in The Hague today to remove environmental activists that have been disrupting traffic for seven days.
Protesters, from groups including Extinction Rebellion, Greenpeace, and others, have been demanding that the Dutch government end subsidies to industries using fossil fuels.
Photos on Friday showed water cannons spraying protestors as they blocked the A12 through The Hague. Protestors carried signs reading ‘Stop Financing the Problem’ as police appeared to detain the activists.
The demonstrations followed a report published last week by The Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations that revealed that the Dutch government has been subsidising industries that use oil, coal, and gas to the tune of some €37.5billion.
Police were carting protestors out of the road, while activists sat beneath umbrellas as they were showered by water cannons.
Environmental protestors were blasted with water cannons on Friday as Dutch police tried to remove them from a key road in the The Hague
Protests have been ongoing for seven days against subsidies for industries that use fossil fuels
Activists in The Hague blocked the A12, a road that runs near to the temporary home of the Dutch parliament
Thousands have been detained since the protests began a week ago.
Last Saturday, some 10,000 were reported to have attended the demonstration, and over 3,000 protestors were detained over the weekend.
The protests in the Netherlands on Friday coincided with others held in dozens of other countries around the world as climate groups hoped for a weekend of demonstrations intended to conclude with a March to End Fossil Fuels on Sunday in New York, where leaders are gathering at the United Nations General Assembly.
The United Nations is hosting the Climate Ambition Summit on September 20.
Activists in The Hague have promised to stay put and return if removed until the Dutch government alters its approach to subsidies for fossil fuel consuming industries.
Environmentalists have staged several large protests in the Netherlands over the past several months. Activists also blocked the A12 which runs past the current temporary home of the Dutch parliament in May and March.
Thousands have been detained since protests began seven days ago
The Netherlands is preparing for elections in November 2023 and environmental activists have been calling for a quicker transition away from fossil fuels
Activists from Extinction Rebellion, Greenpeace, and other groups participated in the protests
While the Netherlands is often seen as an environmental leader, there are calls for further green measures to be put in place as the country moves towards early general elections in November.
Incumbent Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte, who has been in power almost thirteen years, has said that he will not stand for re-election. His coalition collapsed amid a dispute over migration policy in July.
The Netherlands wants to cut emissions of pollutants by 50 per cent by 2030 in what the government has described as an ‘unavoidable transition’.
The Netherlands wants to cut emissions of pollutants by 50 perc ent by 2030 in what the government has described as an ‘unavoidable transition’
Protestors were carted away by police in The Hague
The United Nations is hosting the Climate Ambition Summit on September 20
Sebastian Noeland Tori Deal got very close during their time on The Challenge: USA — but did the duo pursue their showmance outside of the game?
“[Tori] happens to be my neighbor in Miami. She’s 15 minutes away, of all the places in the world you could live,” Sebastian, 29, exclusively told Us Weekly on Friday, September 15, one day after his elimination from the reality series.
Sebastian shared that he and Tori, 30, “spent some time” together in Croatia, where season 2 of The Challenge: USA filmed, after the season wrapped. “[We] got an Airbnb and rented a catamaran,” he said, noting that “a couple other contestants” joined them.
Although Sebastian revealed that it “felt like [he and Tori] were falling in love” during the trip, the pair haven’t put a label on their relationship.
It’s not uncommon for stars to quickly fall head over heels in love while filming a reality TV show — and The Challenge competitors are no exception. While many fans didn’t think Paulie Calafiore and Cara Maria Sorbello would create a real bond after meeting on Final Reckoning in 2018, but they proved the haters wrong. […]
“We don’t wanna date,” he explained. “We don’t need this title. Tori has so much going on in her life. She’s writing a book and she’s so focused. But we get together a couple times a week and we have a blast. So, to keep that relationship going and just have her in my life is really special.”
Aaron Smith, Courtesy of Paramount
Sebastian, who had a showmance with Jenna Bowman during season 36 of Survivor in 2018, went into his Challenge: USA experience with no intention of finding love. However, that changed “as soon as I saw” Tori.
“I didn’t want anything to do with a girl,” Sebastian explained. “But just immediately my eyes were like, ‘Oh, my God, she’s beautiful.’ … We would flirt every day and then it [got] to this point where we couldn’t separate [from] each other. Like, were magnets. “
With so many personalities, there’s bound to be drama — even behind the scenes. That’s definitely the case for MTV’s The Challenge. The reality show debuted in 1998 and was originally titled Road Rules: All Stars, then Real World/Road Rules Challenge, before simplifying its name. Ever since, the cast has been one to watch — […]
One of Sebastian and Tori’s competitors this season Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio exclusively told Us last month that he thought the duo’s romance was “a great play for Sebastian.”
Johnny, 41, continued: “This guy’s coming in as a rookie, what better way to find protection and kind of also get a great storyline right outta the gate than falling into a showmance with pretty much the female face of The Challenge at this point.”
Despite Johnny’s characterization of their dynamic, Sebastian says his feelings for Tori had nothing to do with strategy.
“Obviously I realized working with her was definitely beneficial. … But that wasn’t my goal,” the Survivor alum said. “It wasn’t my intention to fall in love with a vet like that just for gameplay. [I] definitely liked her and she liked me back.”
Sebastian wasn’t much of a Challenge viewer until recently, but he did admire Tori, who won The Challenge: Ride or Dies earlier this year, from afar before they met.
“My sister is a major [Challenge] fan,” he told Us, explaining that his sister previously showed him the 2019 Challenge: War of the Worlds 2 episode where Tori got engaged to her ex-fiancé Jordan Wisely. (The former couple called it quits and called off their engagement in November 2020.)
“I watched that episode and I was like, ‘She’s hot, she’s definitely a badass.’ And I kind of forgot about it for three years,” Sebastian recalled. “But then I see her on the f—king jet ski [that she arrived on with the other veteran players]. I’m like, ‘Oh, my God. Of course she’s here and she’s beautiful.”
Jonne Roriz, Courtesy of Paramount.
While Tori is still in the running for the Challenge: USA season 2 Final, Sebastian’s time on the show came to an end when he lost to Chris Underwood during this week’s elimination round. Despite not making it farther, Sebastian told Us that he has no regrets about the way he played the game.
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“I really did enjoy my game. I’m proud of myself and I can’t wait to do it again,” he said.
The Challenge: USA airs on CBS Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET.
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Whether you’re off to a wedding, red carpet or anywhere that calls for a strapless dress or top, chances are that you’ll need some extra support. While we love stick-on bras and nip covers, sometimes the occasion calls for a little more coverage by way of a wrap here and a snap there. This is where some of the best strapless bras, bralettes and bandeaus step in.
Stars that have recently stepped out showing off their décolletage include Hailey Bieber — who celebrated her new Rhode strawberry glaze lip treatment launch in a bright red strapless mini dress — and Kelsea Ballerini who wore a dazzling bedazzled number for Armani’s couture show in Venice.
If you’re looking to quite literally take the plunge with a low neckline garment, we’ve rounded up ten of the best strapless bras for every budget — from lingerie faves to Kim Kardashian’s go-to styles.
1. Maidenform Custom Lift Strapless Bra
BEST BUDGET STRAPLESS PUSH-UP BRA
For a little push-up action, go for Maidenform’s lift strapless bra, one fo the best budget options we’ve found on Amazon. Available in black, white and latte and cup sizes 32A to 38D, this style’sclaim to fame is its custom lift technology, which is meant to match the amount of lift to the cup size for the perfect level of comfortable support. It features a snap closure back and removable bra strap. (Celebrity stylist Micaela Erlanger has said she keeps Maidenform bras in her red carpet tool kit.)
Amazon
Maidenform Custom Lift Strapless Bra $22.99 on Amazon.com
Kim Kardashian knew what she was doing when she created the Skims Fits Everybody bandeau. Available in a generous 10 shades and sizing XS to 4XL, this bandeau is made with soft and smoothing oxide stretch-nylon fabric, providing just the right amount of comfortable support.
We’re also loving Commando’s bestselling Butter Soft-Support strapless bralette, available in a beige shade and in sizes XS to XL. Made of 79 percent micromodal and 21 percent elastane, This bralette is also padded and features a hook and eye closure for maximum protection from slippage.
Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty lingerie label offers some of the best bras under $50, so long as you’re an Xtra VIP member. (It’s free to join and you’ll get a monthly credit of $60 to spend unless you decide to skip your membership for the month.) The Core Microfiber strapless bra features molded foam cups with underwire for support, plus hidden boning for no slippage. Reviewers suggest sizing down if you’re in between cup sizes.
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Savage X Fenty Core Microfiber Strapless Bra (reg. $60) $45
Available in sizes 34DD to 44HH, Elomi’s smoothing strapless bra is among the best options for women with large breasts. This supportive silhouettes features side boning, wide smoothing wings with silicone lining to eliminate side bulge and slipping, and seamless foam-lined cups. The removable straps can also be used to criss-cross in the back for more support.
Proud members of the itty bitty department will love Pepper’s MVP multi-way strapless bra, which was designed specifically for women with small chests. It comes in sizes 30A to 38B and boasts a comfortable underwire and form-flattering balconette cup.
Pepper
Pepper MVP Multiway Strapless Bra $60 on Amazon.com
Another bandeau favorite is Chantelle’s soft stretch padded bra. This bra is available in black and nude, features padded cups for a boost of confidence and is also designed with an anti-slip band for added security.
Lively’s underwire lace strapless bra features an activewear-inspired band and boning at the sides for extra support, plus unlined lace cups and removable straps. This option is great for sheer looks where you want your lacy support to peek through.
Available in sizes 32A to 44F, Dominique’s Valerie V-wire strapless bra is the best option for those who want to feel corset-like support. It has flexible boning, breathable mesh, foam-lined underwire cups and a plunge neckline for those deep-V silhouettes. Also available in black.
Natori’s strapless underwire bra is available in sizes 32B to 36D and features lightly padded underwire cups, a back hook and eye closure and removable straps for versatility.
ThirdLove’s strapless bra is a classic for good reason. Available in black and taupe and cup sizes 32D to 40E, this bra features ultra-thin memory foam cups, a no-slip silicone grip inside top and bottom edge, a poke-free flexible underwire and removable matching straps.
Amazon
ThirdLove Classic Strapless Bra with High Support $72 on Amazon.com
Available in black, white and mauve, Free People’s Amelia bandeau is a crowd-pleaser for its seamless lines, stretchy ribbed jersey fabric and ability to double as a top in itself.
One more time for Skims. The viral Kardashian brand also nailed it with their mesh strapless underwire bra, available in five colors (including classic shades bronze, onyx and mahogany) and in sizes 30A to 44H. Key features include a sheer look, underwire support, unlined molded cups, a silicone band grip, and removable straps that are also adjustable.
If you’re feeling fancy, Wacoal’s strapless lace bra is as chic as she is functional. Available in black and sand shades and cup sizes 32D to 40DD, this bra features sheer unlined stretch lace, underwire cups, stay-put silicone grip at top of bust band, side boning and removable adjustable straps.
Last but never least, we couldn’t leave without honoring the backless sorcery of stick-on bras as noted in our stick-on bras and nipple coversshopping list. One standout style is NuBra’s seamless bra cups, which come in tan and chocolate shades and sizes A through D. Design highlights include lightweight silicone, medical grade self-adhesive and a hook front closure to keep your bits snugly supported.
Logline: Loosely based on the 2014 novel by the late Martin Amis, The Zone of Interest tells the story of concentration camp commandant Rudolph Höss (Christian Friedel), his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), and their life together in the shadow of Auschwitz
Key Quote:“ This is not only a movie about the Holocaust, it’s a movie about us. The characters are ordinary people, normal people, and — don’t forget — normal people did this to other normal people. We want to see an evil person. We want to see Rudolph Höss as a perpetrator, but we see a family man, a father. We see a man who likes animals, who’s interested in nature and birds. I think this is the main message of the movie, and I hope that people will recognize that.” — Christian Friedel
When TJ Osborneannounced to the world that he was gay in February 2021, it was both the beginning and the end of a journey. Coming out was a decision years in the making, a historic moment for country music that allowed him to finally go public with a part of himself he’d always felt obligated to keep hidden. It also opened the door to creating Brothers Osborne, the duo’s most honest and heartfelt album to date.
“I would even go as far as to filter what I would say in interviews or how I would act onstage, or maybe I wouldn’t do a certain gesture for fear that it might be perceived a certain way,” TJ says over the phone from Nashville, reflecting on his past life as a closeted country singer. “Now I’m in a place where I can do that, it’s really made me fall back in love with music again. There was a minute there where I was kind of maybe going through the motions.”
Calling Brothers Osborne, out now, a new chapter for siblings TJ and John Osborne would be an understatement. It’s a new lease on life. Coupled with working with a new producer, Mike Elizondo, the album is an 11-song celebration, one that savors positivity and pushes headlong into fresh musical territory, most notably on the disco-influenced dance number “Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That,” which features TJ singing through a vocoder.
It’s no coincidence that this, their fourth LP, is self-titled. While TJ was opening up about his sexual orientation, John was baring his soul about mental health issues that plagued their last album, 2020’s Skeletons, and threatened his very wellbeing.
“A lot of things coming to light allowed us to feel more open about who we are creatively. We took that feeling into the studio with us, and it gave us a newfound sense of freedom,” John says. “It wasn’t necessarily that we weren’t who we were before, but we weren’t fully who we were. And now we could just feel like we have no limitations.”
John’s guitar playing has always kept the band’s music rooted firmly in rock & roll, but Brothers Osborne expands the palette, with piano, synths, and drum machines. The siblings were willing to follow Elizondo down any creative alley, no matter how foreign. “There was never a moment where he suggested something and we shied away, because that’s not the point. The point is, the studio is the place to try everything,” John says. “We felt like we could almost get away with murder on this record.”
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That sense of creative self-confidence came directly from the manner in which the Osbornes had put their personal lives out there so fully in recent years. For TJ, no matter how much he’d been honest in his music or public life beforehand, there was always a degree to which he’d held himself back. “One of the things that’s weird for people who are closeted is if you achieve things, they don’t feel like achievements because you feel like the real you hasn’t been realized,” he says, referencing the book The Velvet Rage by Alan Downs. “It’s like you’re driving someone else’s car.”
He points to “We Ain’t Good at Breakin’ Up,” a touching collaboration with Miranda Lambert, as the type of song he wouldn’t have written previously. “People would always ask if me and Abi were still together,” he says, referring to his partner Abi Ventura, “and I would say, ‘Yeah, we’re not good at breaking up.’ So without [coming out], some of those songs certainly wouldn’t have been created.”
Looking back on Skeletons, the strain floats just below the surface. Be it on the title track or even the self-affirming messaging of “I’m Not for Everyone,” there’s a lingering sense of estrangement, a lack of acceptance that the siblings seem to wrestle with. Behind the scenes, John was in a particularly dark place at that time.
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“I was at my lowest,” the elder Osborne says of the months leading up to Skeletons‘ recording in the fall of 2019. A bad bout of tinnitus had plunged him into the grip of anxiety and a deep depression. He did a stint in a mental health center and spent Christmas in the hospital. “I was at a fork in the road: It was either end my life or go seek help,” he says. “And I sought help.”
John had dealt with his mental health issues for years, and gone on and off medications along the way. “I felt like I was always walking along a cliff edge,” he admits. But as he began to talk more freely with those around him about what he was going through, he found it helped him make breakthroughs. “I just decided then and there, I’m going wide open,” he says. In April 2021, two months after TJ’s news, John revealed his struggles.
“After coming out of that, it gave me a new sense of feeling like I could accomplish anything,” John says. “I went through the darkest point in my life, I made it through, and on the other side I feel nearly invincible now. I feel amazing.”
He acknowledges that, as a bearded guitarist from rural Maryland, he’s hardly the “poster boy” for mental health — but for that very reason he feels the need to speak up. “The funny thing is that artists are the last people that should be in the music industry,” he says, unfurling a mighty laugh. “The only reason I’m any good at guitar was because I was a shy kid and I had a lot of social anxiety. So I locked myself in my bedroom and just played guitar all the time.”
In March of this year, John and his wife, singer Lucie Silvas, became parents for the first time, welcoming twin boys into the world. Fatherhood has helped John to cap another difficult battle he’d dealt with in private: the inability of he and his wife to conceive. He admits that those struggles, including years of IVF treatments, contributed significantly to his flagging mental health.
“The feeling of disappointment that you have when it doesn’t work out is not only hard for you but it’s compounded by the struggles I would see my wife, Lucie, go through. Because I knew she wanted to be a parent so much, as I did,” he says. “For someone to know that their body is responsible for the lack thereof, it’s 10 times harder. It would just break my heart to see her go through that time and time again.”
The rawness of that pain, and the palpable sense of relief in coming out the other side, helps give songs like album opener “Who Says You Can’t Have Everything” or single “Nobody’s Nobody” their sense of authenticity. Either one could easily fall into sentimentality. “It’s quite a wholesome sentiment, and I almost wasn’t sure about it at first, because we usually aren’t really wholesome,” TJ says of the opening track. “But then I rewrote it from a place of emotion and honesty, and every time I would come around and be like, ‘I feel this, and it’s true for us.’”
Still, in era where artists are still told to “shut up and sing,” TJ insists that wading into hot-button issues has never been his or the band’s intention. From gun control to gay rights, they’ve always spoken their truths, yes, but that’s not necessarily the same as getting political.”I don’t see it as [making] a political statement. I see it as just simple right and wrong, the humanitarian aspect,” he says. “We grew up in a very small town, and we were raised that when we see something wrong, we speak up.”
In the current political environment — especially in country music — avoiding conflict is almost impossible, no matter the outpouring of support that both Osbornes have experienced over the past two and a half years.
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“I have felt a different shift in energy toward me being gay that I did not feel before,” TJ says. “And I just hope that is a temporary thing. I hope that they can find something else to fight about, and just leave us alone. Mostly, I hope it doesn’t discourage other people who are in the position that was I in. Because that would be the biggest travesty of it all.
“For anyone to feel stuck, or that they can’t be themselves, it’s a really sad place to be.”
“If you are on the sensitive side, please take your Kleenex out,” the Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland warned the audience Tuesday at the Toronto International Film Festival. Holland was trying to prepare us for her latest, “Green Border,” a great howl of a movie about the crisis at the border between Poland and Belarus. There, migrants largely from the Middle East have become pawns in what European Union officials have called a “hybrid war,” a conflict that she dramatizes with formal rigor, deep feeling and palpably restrained outrage.
Holland said that she only began shooting “Green Border” at the end of March, a remarkably brief timeline for a movie on this scale. “We made it with a lot of passion and urgency,” she said, qualities that infuse every minute of this mostly black-and-white nail-biter. Divided into chapters, it shifts among characters — a Syrian family with kids, a Polish guard, ministering activists — swept up in the crisis. Although her focus remains fixed on the human stakes, Holland sketches in the larger geopolitical context even as she also looks to the past, notably in the forest images of frantic, terrified people that evoke the Holocaust.
Holland’s honesty has made her a target in her home country, with Poland’s hard-line justice minister, Zbigniew Ziobro, likening “Green Border” to Nazi propaganda. This has prompted the 74-year-old Holland — whose father was Jewish and whose mother was in the Polish underground — to consider legal action. “We want to see ourselves as a just and right people, victims and heroes, but never perpetrators,” she said after Tuesday’s screening. “The violence against the refugees is not a Polish specialty,” adding that she didn’t make the movie to be against anyone but to be “for humanity and for sisterhood and brotherhood.”
“Green Border” was one of the highlights of the festival, which in its 48th edition remains among the fall’s essential industry convocations. That was still true this year, even if the crowds during the event’s first half, which is when industry types like to descend, were thinner than usual. The most likely reasons were rising Covid cases and the strikes by the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA, which dimmed the festival’s starry quotient and meant fewer people overall. Every red-carpet appearance involves entire ecosystems, from handlers to hair and makeup artists, which left directors like Richard Linklater — here with “Hit Man” — to joke before his festival premiere that “everybody’s stuck with me.”
It was a pleasure, Mr. Linklater. One of the most enjoyable, tonally pitch-perfect movies of his recent career, “Hit Man” centers on a professor (Glen Powell) who inadvertently becomes a phony contract killer, a new identity that allows Linklater to play with questions of the self while riffing on noirs like “Out of the Past” with laid-back wit. The movie was one of a handful of comedies at the festival that also included cheerfully pandering entertainments like Taika Waititi’s “Next Goal Wins” with Michael Fassbender (about a lovable losing soccer team that — spoiler! — triumphs) and Jessica Yu’s “Quiz Lady” (a tale of self-discovery that’s basically a feature-length joke rally between Awkwafina and Sandra Oh).
One of the draws of the Toronto festival isn’t just its size and scope, with a lineup that includes hundreds of movies from across the globe, but also the variety of its offerings. In contrast to, say, the hothouse atmosphere of Cannes, an art-film showcase for established and newly anointed auteurs, Toronto embraces abundance as an ethos, a strategy that in part seems intended to fill as many seats as possible. To that end, while the festival has its share of art films — programming numerous critical favorites from Cannes, Berlin, etc. — Toronto also invites the kind of sturdy genre fare and middlebrow titles that would never make the cut at a more self-consciously prestige event like the New York Film Festival.
That has always made it difficult to identify an overarching programming sensibility at Toronto, but it also makes the event a reliable gauge of the state of the art and industry. And there’s a lot of good, really good and excellent movies to look forward to this year and next, including Alexander Payne’s wistful, nuanced comedy “The Holdovers.” Opening shortly before Christmas 1970 and set at a Massachusetts boarding school for boys, it centers on a teacher, a cook and a student — beautifully played by Paul Giamatti, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa — who discover one another and something about themselves over the course of a lonely, eventful holiday break. It’s lovely and one of the finest of Payne’s career.
I’m still mulling over “American Fiction,” a biting, often caustically funny satire from Cord Jefferson about an unhappy (and underselling) writer, Monk (Jeffrey Wright), who, in a moment of dyspepsia tinged with despair, decides to write a fake memoir that embraces crude racial stereotypes. He submits it under a pseudonym, which leads to expected complications, a lot of smiling white people and some pointed soul-searching about matters of race and representation. Wright is predictably one of the movie’s strengths and it’s especially nice to see him in a leading role that allows him to be by turns spiky, vulnerable and sexy.
Michael Keaton’s darkly comic thriller, “Knox Goes Away,” and Viggo Mortensen’s moving western, “The Dead Don’t Hurt,” don’t try to reinvent their genres, which is more than fine. Shortly after “Knox” opens, Keaton’s titular character is diagnosed with a fast-moving dementia, which is terrible and proves especially problematic given that he’s a contract killer. Set in the mid-19th century, “The Dead” is a heart-heavy story about two immigrants — played by a tender, well-matched Mortensen and Vicky Krieps — whose lives are undone when he sets out to fight in the Civil War. When his character rides off, Mortensen makes his intentions clear by keeping his camera steadily fixed on Krieps.
There were, of course, some unfortunate selections — oh, Harmony Korine! — but I rarely walked out of a movie. I even made it all the way through Korine’s “Aggro Dr1ft,” 80 minutes of guns, poses and bouncing booty about a hit man (Jordi Mollà) who seems to be experiencing an existential meltdown, which doesn’t stop him from blowing people’s brains out. The meltdown may explain why the striking visuals — the movie owes its look partly to thermal imaging — suggest a color Xerox that was left out in the rain so the colors would bleed; the movie plays like it was made by someone who spent too long in lockdown with a lot of violent video games, a stack of Michael Mann Blu-rays and a hefty bag of hallucinogens.
I appreciate that Korine is trying something different, but the almost willful lack of ideas in “Aggro Dr1ft” and his commitment to juvenile genre clichés and troll-worthy images of women — however self-aware or, at least, self-amused — quickly grows tedious. A festivalgoer looking for something really different would have been better off sampling selections in this year’s very strong Wavelengths lineup, which included Chantal Akerman’s earliest films, made when she was a teenager; a ravishing musical short from Pedro Costa, “The Daughters of Fire”; and the last movie from Jean-Luc Godard, “Trailer of a Film That Will Never Exist: Phony Wars.” Named in honor of the filmmaker Michael Snow, who died in January, Wavelengths consistently offers selections that transcend ideas about what movies can and should be.
Among my favorite Wavelengths offerings was “Shrooms,” 18 minutes of color and joy from Jorge Jácome that opens with a young man foraging for magic mushrooms in woods outside Lisbon. The movie isn’t formally radical; it’s attractive, elliptical, pleasantly drifty, and when the forager holds a mushroom up to the light, a subject-appropriate spectrum of vivid colors appears. It’s more of a meditation than a documentary in the fashion of Errol Morris’s engaging, feature-length sit-down with John le Carré in “The Pigeon Tunnel.” The most far-out thing about “Shrooms,” which may have even more pigeons than Morris has in his doc, is that in “Shrooms” the birds are used to deliver the forager’s goods. “Is this for real?” I excitedly whispered to the programmer Andréa Picard, who replied yes as the pigeons took flight and delivered me a perfect contact high.
The MCU’s Watcher made an appearance in a Phase 5 project before the second season of What If…? premieres.
The Watcher, played by Jeffrey Wright, served as a narrator for the first season of the MCU’s first animated series — a role he will seemingly resume in the Marvel show’s second season.
Jeffrey Wright’s The Watcher made an appearance in the I Am Groot Season 2 finale, marking his first MCU role outside of the What If…? animated series.
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He opened the episode, titled “Groot and the Great Prophecy,” with narration reminiscent of his What If…? episode introductions. He then introduced Groot as “the chosen one,” part of a prophecy at the temple of Drez-Lar.
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After being baffled by Groot’s decision to “set off literally every single trap” as he made his way across the temple “untouched,” The Watcher tried to hold the narrative together as Groot got distracted by everything around him.
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After “defacing precious artif[acts]” in the temple, Groot began playing with shadow puppets right next to The Watcher’s on-screen location. This caused The Watcher to actually question if Groot can see him, despite him being “a fifth-dimensional being.”
Groot continued to get distracted, much to The Watcher’s dismay, before seeming to actually begin fulfilling his prophecy. This didn’t end up being the case, as Groot instead chose his toy ball over the “seed” he needed to save in order to protect the universe.
As the seed began falling under the lava surrounding it, The Watcher narrated the potential destruction of this universe, closing his eyes and saying “I am The Watcher, but I can’t watch this.”
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However, after seeing that the universe remained intact, The Watcher realized the “seed” was truly a metaphor, saying “this is what I get for skimming the prophecy.”
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Finally, he narrated Groot’s departure, saying “Go forth, you little seedling. I know you’ll make us proud” and watching the Guardians of the Galaxy’s ship fly into the sky.
Winderbaum argues that the Marvel animated series is canon, taking place between the end of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and the post-credits scene showing an older Groot. Gunn, however, considers it not canon.
If Winderbaum is correct, this not only means that The Watcher was convinced he was witnessing the end of the universe MCU fans know and love but that he also has canonically watched over that Marvel universe in the past.
The latter point is not new information per se, as several What If…? episodes directly referenced what happened in each situation in actual canon, but it does mark the first time fans actually see The Watcher viewing this familiar universe.
The trailer for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom hints at a tragic storyline, involving family, lineage, and revenge.
The villainous Black Manta is back stronger than ever, seeking to destroy Aquaman and targeting his family.
If Aquaman loses his father, it will continue the dark trend of dead parents among the Justice League members.
The long-awaited trailer for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is finally here, and it sets up the last DCEU movie to be shrouded in tragedy. Aquaman was a surprise box-office hit for DC that made over $1 billion at the worldwide box office, and that was in large part due to the film’s success in blending high-octane action with effective character moments and cast chemistry. All of this seems to be returning for the sequel as the villainous Black Manta is back stronger than ever and looking to enact revenge on the King of Atlantis.
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom‘s story seems to once again revolve around themes of family, lineage, and responsibility. Black Manta is set to receive a serious power upgrade thanks to the mysterious Black Trident, forcing Aquaman to team up with his once-antagonistic half-brother Orm to protect their kingdom and families. While the stakes of Atlantis’ destruction are, of course, harrowing, Black Manta is much more interested in striking Aquaman where it hurts the most – the heart. If he succeeds, Arthur Curry will be the latest Justice League member to befall the same devastating tragedy.
Aquaman 2’s Trailer Heavily Hints Arthur’s Dad Is Killed
Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom villain Black Manta is famously driven by a desire for revenge against Aquaman after the hero refuses to save the life of his father, a pirate. While Black Manta was a secondary antagonist in Aquaman, the sequel sees him back and without qualms about his new goal. In the Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer, Manta proclaims, “I’m gonna kill Aquaman and destroy everything he holds dear. I’m gonna murder his family and burn his kingdom to ash.” It’s a shockingly direct and personal goal, and, with Aquaman’s family only consisting of his mother, father, wife, and son, Tom Curry may be in serious danger.
While Black Manta kills Arthur’s son in the comics, there would be a level of poetic tragedy if Manta kills Aquaman’s father in an act of misguided payback. The Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom trailer also shows a shot of what appears to be Tom Curry’s coastal home completely engulfed in flames. As thetrailer opens with a heart-to-heart between Arthur and his dad, it seems very possible the marketing team is building up the relationship so that the tragic twist lands even harder.
Every DCEU Justice League Member Has Dead Parents
If Aquaman loses one or both of his parents in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, he’ll be the latest hero to continue a dark Justice League trend. Every other Justice League member has at least one parent die an untimely death. Batman famously lost both of his parents when they were mugged in Crime Alley. Superman’s parents died in the destruction of Krypton, and his adoptive father was killed by a tornado. Wonder Woman lost Zeus when he sacrificed himself to create Themiscyra, and the Flash’s mother was murdered by a burglar. Cyborg lost his mother to an accident, and his father sacrificed himself in Zack Snyder’s Justice League.
EXCLUSIVE: After Universal decided to go early with The Exorcist: Believer, the Blumhouse/Morgan Creek sequel reboot is eyeing a $30M+ opening on tracking, Deadline has learned from sources.
Currently we hear the R-rated movie is great with women under 25 in terms of first choice and unaided awareness (that potent polling quotient that’s able to cite a movie title as their must-see, without being prodded in a survey), and that it’s looking similar to Paramount/Spyglass’ 2022 Scream which debuted to $30M.
Even if Exorcist: Believer opens in the high $20Ms, Uni/Blumhouse/Morgan Creek can still easily declare that it’s a record opening for the franchise. While the legendary pic’s heyday was in 1973 with the original being ultimately grossing a lifetime of $233M stateside, box office opening weekends weren’t recorded nationally at that point in time by the industry. 1990’s Exorcist III opened to $9.3M, by far the biggest debut for an Exorcist movie, and legged out to $26M; while the 2000 re-release of the original pic was a cash cow at the fall box office bowing to $8.1M and grossing $39.4M.
Universal got a hold of the franchise global rights to the Exorcist for $400M in partnership with Blumhouse, Morgan Creek and streaming service Peacock. At the time it was announced that Ellen Burstyn who played Chris MacNeil, the mother of the demon-possessed child in the first movie, would reprise that role which which earned her a Best Actress Oscar nominee. Burstyn did not participate in any of the previous – and mostly panned – Exorcist sequels or prequels, which included Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), The Exorcist III (1990), Exorcist: The Beginning (2004), and Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist (2005).
It was also announced that director David Gordon Green, who together with story by guy Danny McBride, were behind the recently rebooted Jamie Lee Curtis return Halloween trilogy (which grossed just under a half billion worldwide at $497.6M) would be taking on similar behind-the-camera roles on The Exorcist: Believer.
Universal moved Exorcist: Believer from Oct. 13 to Oct. 6 after AMC plopped Taylor Swift: Eras Tour concert film on the horror pic’s original release date. As we told you yesterday, presales for Eras Tour are at $65M for the top three circuits, Canada’s Cineplex and Mexico’s Cinépolis, which many believe will result in a $100M+ opening for the concert movie.
The Exorcist: Believer‘s protagonist is Victor Fielding (Leslie Odom, Jr.), who, since the death of his pregnant wife in a Haitian earthquake 12 years ago, has raised their daughter Angela (Lidya Jewett) on his own. But when Angela and her friend Katherine (Olivia Marcum) disappear in the woods, only to return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, it unleashes a chain of events that will force Victor to confront the nadir of evil and, in his terror and desperation, seek out the only person alive who has witnessed anything like it before: Chris MacNeil.
Pic also stars Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale), Jennifer Nettles (Harriet) and Norbert Leo Butz (Fosse/Verdon).
If you thought the Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas divorce was unexpected, brace yourself: Hugh Jackman and Deborra-lee Jackman have separated after 27 years of marriage. For scale, that’s the same number of years Sophie Turner has lived on this earth.
“Our family has been and always will be our highest priority. We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness,” the Australian couple shared in a statement to People, which was signed “Deb and Hugh Jackman.” It continued, “We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives. This is the sole statement either of us will make.”
Hugh, 54, and Deborra-lee, 67, met on the set of the Australian TV series Corelli in 1995 and were married a year later in April 1996. They share two children: Oscar, 23, and Ava, 18.
Hugh Jackman recently celebrated their 27th wedding anniversary with an adoring Instagram post on April 11. “I love you Deb,” he wrote alongside a skyline selfie. “Today is our 27th wedding anniversary. 27 YEARS!! I love you so much. Together we have created a beautiful family. And life. Your laughter, your spirit, generosity, humor, cheekiness, courage and loyalty is an incredible gift to me. I love you with all my heart.”
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In November, the movie and Broadway star posted an even more gushing tribute to Deborra-lee in honor of her birthday, writing, “Happy birthday to my extraordinary wife. This is the 28th time I’ve celebrated this day with you. You’ve taught me many things, including how to celebrate. Celebrate life, family, friendship and love. Your light and joy lights up all around you! The kids are I bask in that glow every day and today we pray you feel all the love reflected back at you. x I love you.”
With “The Inventor,” Jim Capobianco (the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of “Ratatouille“) has managed to direct a family-friendly animated musical (in both stop-motion and 2D) about Leonardo da Vinci’s search for the meaning of life at the end of his life. That’s quite a da Vinci code to crack. That is why it took 12 years to make as a co-production with Curiosity Studio (Ireland), Foliascope (France), Aerial Contrivance Studios, and Robert Rippberger’s SIE Films.
Capobianco’s fascination with da Vinci began with the 2009 2D short “Leonardo,” after intense research into his legendary life as an inventor of flying machines, artist, and pioneer in the study of human anatomy. But what sparked Capobianco’s interest was the notion of da Vinci as “a real person struck with ideas beyond the technical, intellectual, and the societal capabilities of his time.” For him, “The Inventor” explores legacy, how you live your life, and how your choices influence generations.
“It definitely started with the short where I had the idea about a guy with these homemade wings,” Capobianco told IndieWire. “I like this duality of something really insane, but also this sort of human reaching for the impossible. I thought Leonardo da Vinci did this kind of thing: coming up with flying machines. And I had never seen an animated film done with him. So I put him into the short and that grew into the feature. That led me to focus on the last three years of his life. He was 62. He went from Italy to France, and the fact that he’d be working with a young King Francis [Gauthier Battoue] was an interesting mentor-protege dynamic.”
Also, it made perfect sense to combine a simple Rankin/Bass-style stop-motion technique with hand-drawn animation inspired by da Vinci’s sketches to convey his imagination and obsession with the meaning of life through the mysterious relationship between the mind and the body.
“The Inventor”
Foliascope handled the animation, with Kim Keukeleire (“Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio,”“Isle of Dogs”) as the stop-motion animation director and François-Marc Baillet (“Lina’s World”) and Hefang Wei (“The Island”) serving as 2D animation directors. Tomm Moore of Cartoon Saloon (“Wolfwalkers”) was initially approached to supervise the 2D but was only available to consult.
“Stop-motion was really neat because you’d have that world and models and puppets, and the short was hand-drawn, so, I thought, ‘Let’s combine it.’ It felt very da Vinci to use these hand-crafted art forms of animation,” the director said. “And 2D also made sense for the exposition about his inventions, his drawings, his philosophy, his thought process.”
Yet da Vinci was a great procrastinator and believed he was a failure because of his inability to complete projects, which is also one of the thematic threads. Heady stuff, to be sure, but Capobianco also employed period-influenced musical numbers from his longtime composing friend Alex Mandel (“Brave”) to liven it up and make da Vinci’s concepts and philosophy more accessible. “I think back to my Pixar days and we always constructed the films to work on many levels,” said Capobianco. “We always wanted adults to enjoy them as well as children, so, for me, I wanted it to be as broad an audience as possible.”
However, it was the discovery of the importance that Princess Marguerite de Nevarre (Daisy Ridley) played in da Vinci’s life that became the greatest focus. “Marguerite cemented the concept for me because she was the first Renaissance woman and she created artist salons and wrote books, and she kept the peace between the Protestants and the Catholics once the Reformation was starting,” Capobianco added. “And I thought, maybe da Vinci had more of an impact on Marguerite than on the king.”
“The Inventor”
Da Vinci and Marguerite become Renaissance kindred spirits and collaborate on his design of the ideal city for uniting everyone, with greater communications, services, and sanitation to prevent the future spread of diseases. The social and environmental importance of the ideal city is conveyed through the hand-drawn animation and a musical play within the film.
“The movie doesn’t really come to life until he meets Marguerite and they start interacting,” said Capobianco. “Then the pieces start to come together to basically serve the purpose of: What is legacy? And I was also trying to make a film very much that would appeal to today. So the ideal city I thought was fascinating ’cause it’s true. He did try to design the city and they even supposedly started building it when he was in France. To be a cleaner city, it was very economical, obviously, with the canal system, and it would be pleasant for people to be there. And it just appealed to me in a sense of like what we’re going through today.”
“The Inventor” is currently screening in theaters through Blue Fox Entertainment.
Which PBS TV shows have been cancelled? How many episodes are there this season? Has a series already been renewed for next season? Below, you’ll find a list of PBS’ recent/current/upcoming scripted TV shows and their current status.
Here are other cancelled/renewed listings: Broadcast TV shows: ABC | CBS | The CW | FOX | NBC | PBS Scripted Cable & Streaming TV shows (listed by title): A-D | E-L | M-R | S-Z
Note: If you’re not seeing the charts, please try reloading the page. You can also see it here.
TBD = To Be Determined.
Here are other cancelled/renewed listings: Broadcast TV shows: ABC | CBS | The CW | FOX | NBC | PBS Scripted Cable & Streaming TV shows (listed by title): A-D | E-L | M-R | S-Z
We do our best to keep these lists up to date but finding information on some of these shows can be tricky. Sometimes, the networks aren’t very forthcoming with their information so, if you see something that we’ve missed, please let us know.
What do you think? Which PBS shows are your favorites? Which TV shows are you hoping will be renewed for another season? Any you’d like to see cancelled?
In 2018, just months before Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse redefined what a Spider-Man story could look like on the big screen, the team at Insomniac and Playstation unleashed their own game-changing iteration. Spider-Man became the definitive Spidey video game, with Spider-Man: Miles Morales arriving in 2020. Combined they have sold more than 33 million copies.
Now a long-awaiting sequel is arriving Oct. 20, and The Hollywood Reporter was among a group of media outlets that spent three hours playing the new version at a preview in Los Angeles earlier this week.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is set just nine months after the aftermath of Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, which saw Peter Parker taking an overseas trip and Miles adjusting to the mantle of becoming New York’s only Spider-Man. With Peter Parker back in town, the upcoming game expands on the story of how both superheroes will change and grow ‑ both themselves, in relation to each other, and to New York City.
Peter’s best friend Harry is back and being cared over by his doctor, Curt Connors. He’s also working to connect more with MJ. But these relationships are strained with the introduction of Kraven The Hunter, who has his sights set on adding Spider-Man’s head to his mantle. Luckily, Peter has the symbiote which can help even the odds, but history shows us that this relationship will only get more complicated.
For Miles, there’s the duality of struggling to find Martin Li, his father’s killer, and balancing life as he prepares for college. He has the support of his best friend Ganke and Hailey Cooper, the local street artist. And Brooklyn Visions Academy and Harlem as a whole specifically rally behind Spider-Man.
In New York City, the open world is now doubled in size. In addition to web-swinging across the map, a new gameplay mechanic features Web Wings — making travel a literal breeze as Spider-Man can access the many wind tunnels throughout the city. There’s no word on if the pigeons can use these wind tunnels as well. (100 percent completionists, you’ve got your work cut out for you.) Bryan Itntihar, senior creative director, told THR, “Just like in the best kind of storytelling, the world itself can either be an ally or an adversary to the characters.”
The friendship and tensions between the Web Slingers will only continue to rise as well. “The thing that we come back to… is when Spider-Man wins, Peter loses right? And vice versa. And Miles is seeing that,” said narrative director Ben Arfmann, who added that Miles has that roadmap ahead of him laid out by Peter Parker. But, it’s up to him if he wants to find his own path or that road and make the same mistakes of his mentor. And if there’s one person you don’t want to make mistakes around, it’s Kraven.
Marvel / Insomniac Games
Journalists played a section of the game that showed Kraven interacting with Peter’s Spider-Man, and it’s clear that he’s a psychological antagonist in addition to a physical threat. His patience and dedication to the hunt will give him weapons that neither Peter nor Miles’ have never faced before. The game’s creators credit advanced senior writer Lauren Mee peers as the team’s weapon in writing Kraven, as well as actor Jim Pirri (Red Dead Redemption), who brings a wonderful darkness to the role. “He’s not tech. He’s not obviously a monster, but he’s he’s so mysterious,” Itntihar said. “And his his motivations are more psychological.”
As far as the gameplay, it immediately easy to slip right back into the swing of things of previous iterations. The mechanics were natural and fluid, and I never noticed an issue exploring the city. In every fight, I felt like I was reliving the special moves from Marvel vs Capcom — using the Venom symbiote is going to be a huge addition to the way each gamer will approach a battle.
Spider-Man 2 Sony Game
Marvel / Insomniac Games
There are new gadgets and 65 costumes to unlock. The game further utilizes the PS5 with the ability to quickly swap between both Spider-Men as you explore the city of New York, Brooklyn, Queens, Coney Island, and more. Itntihar noted that Spider-Man 2 will launch with accessibility features that will continue to grow with updates, continuing the trend of modern games across platforms have making strides in this area to help make games enjoyable for all gamers.
Spider-Man 2 has a cast that includes Yuri Lowenthal (Peter Parker), Nadji Jeter (Miles Morales), Laura Bailey (Mary Jane Watson), Natasha Ofili (Hailey Cooper), Tony Todd (Venom) that bring a human element to the story.
Among Itntihar’s favorite memories is when the team auditioned Jeter with Lowenthal, saying that they only did two scenes: “We did a scene at the funeral where Peter goes up to Miles, and the scene where Miles reveals he has powers. ‘I was like, this kid’s Miles Morales.’”
The game comes as perhaps Spider-Man is perhaps at its peak. Tom Holland’s most live-action outing, 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, stands as the top-grossing Spider-Man movie of all time. This summer’s Spider-Man:Across The Spider-Verse pushed the boundaries of what an animated Spider-Man could be. And the return of the Superior Spider-Man comic after the shocking events in the past run puts Spidey in strong position in the comic book medium.
Spider-Man 2 is poised to continue this streak of bringing new stories to life while reminding us all what we love about our favorite heroes. And, it’s clear the creators love and are incredibly protective of these characters as well. From every thwip in battle, to a quiet moments of bonding with their friends, Spider-Man 2 looks to deliver on both story and spectacle, without sacrificing one for the other.
When you see a stand-up comedian, it’s a given that everything you’re hearing may not be literally true. These are stories that have been tweaked and embellished for laughs after being told hundreds of times to all sorts of audiences. If you found out John Mulaney never actually encountered a man who professed “I am homeless, I am gay, I have AIDS, I’m new in town” (in that order), it would still be an effective bit of comedy writing. But wouldn’t you be a little disappointed?
Tom Brady to spare us his stand up comedy phase
It’s an even trickier case with Hasan Minhaj, who admits in a new New Yorker piece that he fabricated details of some of the stories he tells in his specials “Homecoming King” and “The King’s Jester.” These fabrications weren’t purely for laughs, but were specifically relevant to his experience as a non-white Muslim growing up in America. The character “Brother Eric,” a supposed FBI informant who infiltrated his family’s mosque, was completely made up, despite the fact that Minhaj named a real-life FBI informant as the culprit in “The King’s Jester.” Similarly, he made up the story of having to take his child to the hospital after she was exposed to a white powder they feared was anthrax from a threatening letter he’d received.
“Every story in my style is built around a seed of truth. My comedy Arnold Palmer is seventy per cent emotional truth—this happened—and then thirty per cent hyperbole, exaggeration, fiction,” Minhaj told The New Yorker. In his view, “The punch line is worth the fictionalized premise.” Yet there’s not necessarily a punch line to “My daughter was exposed to a substance that could have been anthrax.” In this case, the exaggeration doesn’t make the story funnier, just more upsetting.
The New Yorker explores other discrepancies in Minhaj’s stories that range in severity (e.g., his high school crush from “Homecoming King” rejected him days before the dance, not on the night of), and touches upon the accusations of gender discrimination behind the scenes of his show The Patriot Act. As a top candidate to host the next incarnation of The Daily Show, Minhaj may be held to a higher standard of truth than your average stand-up comic. He insists that all of his more journalistic endeavors on The Patriot Act were rigorously fact-checked and that his penchant for exaggeration is purely part of his stand-up persona. Will that delineation matter, though, if he loses the trust of his audience? You can decide for yourself by reading the full New Yorker piece here.
Filmmakers Yael Melamede and Clare Smith Marash reflect on how their documentary explores the fraught history of free speech through the career of America’s preeminent First Amendment attorney, Floyd Abrams.
We gravitate towards material that explores the complicated realities that lie beneath the surface of hot topic issues. Yael Melamede began investigating issues surrounding free speech as an Executive Producer of the series “WHY WE HATE” and first reached out to Floyd Abrams to better understand our laws around hate speech and free speech more generally. Since that time, the tensions around free speech and its relationship to the press, national security, misinformation, hate speech, campaign finance, public health and technology – to name a few – have only intensified. Further, it seemed to us that the nation’s cultural relationship to free speech, so often viewed as a founding principle, was changing rapidly, and the conversations around the balance of our freedoms were becoming increasingly fraught. Clare Smith Marash, the daughter of journalists who came-of-age with the internet, wondered how the next generation might view, and evolve, this area of law. As such, in late 2019, we approached Abrams about sharing his story as a way of bringing the crucial and often misunderstood issues of the First Amendment to the fore.
With Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely, we aim to capture the complexity of free speech issues through the story of one man who has had such an extraordinary impact on this area of law.
While we don’t always agree with his positions, Abrams has not only argued on behalf of the First Amendment for decades, he has embodied its highest ideals in his consistent defense of unpopular speech and his welcome of lively discussion and critique.
Imbued with this spirit, the film includes voices from many sides of the free speech debate, such as lawyers Theodore Olson, Jameel Jaffer, and Emerson Sykes; journalists Nina Totenberg and Judith Miller; scholars Zephyr Teachout and Kate Shaw; and other notable figures such as as Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and former Columbia University President Lee Bollinger. In a dynamic narrative Floyd Abrams: Speaking Freely brings together the drama of epic court cases, the inquisitiveness of journalistic enterprise and the personal and emotional spirit of a biopic.
Ultimately, through the story of a legal titan we aim to better understand the impact of lofty legal principles on our daily lives, and what the future of this law may look like.
— Yael Melamede, Director & Producer and Clare Smith Marash, Writer & Producer
A Calgary man who killed five young people in the worst mass killing in the city’s history is seeking to have his case heard by the Supreme Court of Canada in an attempt to gain a conditional discharge.
Matthew de Grood was found not criminally responsible in 2016 in connection with the 2014 deaths of Zackariah Rathwell, Jordan Segura, Kaiti Perras, Josh Hunter and Lawrence Hong,
The five were stabbed to death during a house party in the northwest Calgary neighbourhood of Brentwood but de Grood was later determined to be living with undiagnosed schizophrenia.
The status of de Grood is assessed on an annual basis by an Alberta review board. He continues to receive treatment at the Alberta Hospital Edmonton and lives in a restricted, highly structured group home.
In the latest decision, which took place in September 2022, the board determined de Grood posed a significant risk to the public and was not entitled to an absolute discharge.
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Global News has learned that de Grood is seeking an appeal of the 2022 ruling at the Supreme Court of Canada as he wants an absolute or conditional discharge that would pave the way for a return to Calgary.
Permission from the Supreme Court of Canada, a prerequisite to commence the appeal process, has yet to be granted.
De Grood’s next annual review is scheduled to take place in November.
If you’re a fan of lululemon, you know all about the famous Everywhere Belt Bag — and probably own one or two yourself. The Internet-beloved athleisure brand’s take on the fanny pack has earned itself quite the cult following, and for a long time it was impossible to get your hands on one before they sold out completely.
Thankfully, lululemon has blessed us with a restock of the TikTok-viral bag in fall-ready fleece fabrics. The lululemon Fleece Everywhere Belt Bag is one of the best accessories for fall and winter, so we predict it will sell out.
The Fleece Everywhere Belt Bag has all the features you know and love about the original: it’s the perfect size for everything from running errands to autumn hikes, it has interior and exterior pockets to keep you organized and its adjustable strap can be worn around your waist or over your shoulder. Made with recycled materials, the belt bag has a deliciously soft texture perfect for the colder months.
If you’re not feeling the fleece, the original Everywhere Belt Bag is also in stock right now in plenty of cute colors. Below, shop them all before they sell out again.
The iPhone 15 (technically, the 17th iteration of the iconic Apple phone) has arrived with a big change that is sure to annoy many of us. Eventually, however, we’ll breathe a sigh of relief.
Allow me to unpack that. To comply with recent European regulations, the iPhone 15, unveiled Tuesday, will abandon the Lightning connector that has been the method for charging iPhones for 11 years. In its place will be a different oval-shaped connector: USB-C.
For the average tech user, change isn’t fun. This all means that when Apple customers buy their next iPhones, they will no longer be able to plug in all the Lightning accessories they have collected, such as charging cables, speaker docks and earbuds. They will have to replace those with new products that use USB-C connectors to plug into the new iPhones.
This transition feels like a bit of déjà vu. In 2012, Apple killed the relatively bulky 30-pin connector on iPhones to switch to Lightning, a slimmer and faster charging technology, which rendered many speakers and chargers obsolete.
What’s different this time is that most of us already have a USB-C cable. Modern headphones, game consoles and many laptops, including Apple’s MacBooks, long ago adopted USB-C as a standard charging port. The iPhone was one of the holdouts.
Why is this happening now? Last year, the European Union announced a mandate requiring all smartphone makers to adopt USB-C as a common charging connector by 2024. In theory, this will allow consumers to buy fewer power cables, which, regulators say, could cut down on environmental waste. Thierry Breton, a European commissioner involved in the legislation, said on LinkedIn this month: “A common charger is common sense.”
So we are heading toward an era of standardization in which one type of charger works with most of our electronics, which would be ideal. Many of us are familiar with the scenario in which someone is carrying an iPhone cable but a family member or friend needs a different one (likely a USB-C) to replenish their non-Apple phone or computer. Those days, in theory, will be no more.
But as is always the case with any big technology shift, it’s not as simple as it sounds. New dangers lie ahead — including the ability to destroy your phone with the wrong USB-C wire, phone repair experts say. If you’re going to carry only one cable, it’s more important than ever to be judicious about what you buy.
“Charger damage is a real thing,” said Jessa Jones, the owner of iPad Rehab, a mobile phone and tablet repair shop. “It’s very common, and it’s something you need to watch out for.”
Here’s what to know:
Not all USB-C cables are created equal.
The first step is to stop thinking about modern charging cables as dumb wires.
High-quality chargers are essentially electronics with tiny circuit boards inside them. On Apple’s official Lightning cable, there are two chips: One authenticates that the cable is made by Apple, while the other acts as a fuse that isolates damage to the charger. In the event of a power fluctuation, for example, only the charger would be destroyed and not the phone itself, Ms. Jones said.
The problem with USB-C cables is that while they usually look the same, the cheaper, low-quality cords offer no such protection for your device. They may have the correct oval connector, but inside, they lack chips to protect your phone.
So if you need a USB-C cable, don’t grab any cheap wire, like the $5 ones you’ll see at a gas station kiosk. Invest in a durable cable from a reputable company. Brands like Anker, Belkin and Amazon Basics are well known for their high-quality power cables that cost roughly $9 to $30, according to John Bumstead, the owner of RDKL Inc., a repair shop that refurbishes MacBooks. Buy the cables from trusted retailers or directly from the brands themselves — and avoid purchasing used wires on sites like eBay.
Be careful what you plug into.
Many USB-C cables lack chips to restrict the current powering your phone. So if you plug it into a source that charges at a higher voltage than your phone accepts, you could electrocute your phone, Ms. Jones said.
The lesson here is to be careful about what you plug your cord into. Those USB ports embedded into airplane back seats, hotel room walls or car consoles are a big no-no because it’s unclear what their charging rates are. It’s safest to plug your USB-C cable only into a high-quality charging brick that protects your phone. Wirecutter, our sister publication, recommends USB-C power bricks from Anker, RAVPower and Spigen that do a good job replenishing your phone quickly without damaging it.
There’s always wireless.
For iPhone owners who aren’t planning on upgrading right away but need new chargers, the most cost-effective alternative to buying another Lightning cable is to go wireless. The E.U. mandate applies only to wires that plug directly into devices — not wireless charging devices that replenish your phone via magnetic induction, such as Apple’s puck-shaped MagSafe, which magnetizes to the back of your phone, or wireless charging pads and stands from brands like Mophie, Anker and Belkin. So those are fine purchases for the foreseeable future.
Bottom Line
As long as you own a robust cable and a nice charging brick, you will probably be happy with this transition. The USB-C charging standard is faster at transferring data than Lightning, and there may even be some cool perks, like the ability to plug your phone directly into an external display to look at photos.
More important, when you’re traveling or commuting, you will no longer have to carry a jungle of wires in your bag, and if you leave your cable at home, chances are you’ll be near someone who is carrying the same one.
Logline: In the 1860s, a French-Canadian flower seller (Vicky Krieps), and a Danish carpenter (Mortensen) meet in San Francisco. Fiercely independent, she refuses his offer of marriage, but agrees to travel with him to his home in Nevada. There, they try to start a life together, but the mounting Civil War is about to change everything.
Sales: Hanway Films (U.S., International)
Panelists: Viggo Mortensen and Vicky Krieps
First Screening: Sept. 8, 2023
Key Quote: “Thinking about it now, Western movies are often about the story of establishing a new frontier — for the United States, usually, or perhaps Canada. And I thought, ‘What a good setting to have for our story,’ which is about a woman who, in a way, is creating a new frontier just by being herself.” – Viggo Mortensen.
Hildur Guðnadóttir grew up on Agatha Christie mysteries. “I totally lived for those novels,” the composer says. Ever since then, she has wanted to sink her teeth into story by the famous author. So when director Kenneth Branagh approached her, she said yes. “He wanted to do something darker and almost horror, and that dark stuff was tempting for me.”
Dark moods are a signature theme for Guðnadóttir. The Oscar-winning composer’s work includes “Joker,” “Sicario: Day of the Soldado,” “Tár” and she will be back for “Joker: Folie à Deux.”
The film is based on Christie’s 1969 novel “Halloween Party,” and stars Tina Fey, Jude Hill, Kelly Reilly and Jamie Dornan, with Branagh reprising his role as Hercule Poirot from “Death on the Nile” and “Murder on the Orient Express.” Set in an eerie Venetian villa with a ghostly past, it revolves around a séance Poirot reluctantly attends on All Hallows’ Eve. Oscar-winning actress Michelle Yeoh plays the medium who has connections to another world.
Overall, the composer says she wanted to look at the questions the now-retired detective was asking himself. “He’s asking himself who he was before the war and who he wants to be in this post-war world,” she says. She found the contrast was a great way to draw parallels with composers of the time. “I took a classical romanticism melodic approach because the way you express melody says so much about how you’re expressing yourself. Post-war composers were drawn to tonal expression or lots of experimentation where they used extended techniques and looked at different ways of playing classical instruments.”
Those extended techniques of the era, such as bowing under the bridge of a string or overblowing and screaming into a wind instrument were such methods she used for the supernatural aspect of the score. “Those sounds were happening at the time, and were forward thinking and it lent itself so gloriously to those jump scares,” she says.
The séance that comes early in the film gathers Poirot and the ensemble cast as Yeoh’s Mrs. Reynolds leads. Editor Lucy Donaldson says she spent a long time cutting the scene without music. “Ken was keen to do that for as long as possible because listening is a big theme of the film and so we wanted to play with silence and see how far we could push that.”
Before she received Guðnadóttir’s music, Donaldson says, “We temped a very few spots with her previous scores, but it was very late [when we added in the music] because it helped find the natural rhythm of that scene. And if it’s working without music, you know it’s only going to level up when you do add it.”
Donaldson says the scene was challenging to cut. “This was when things get real. We come with Poirot into this situation. He’s the representation of logic, facts and deduction. The séance questions, is there anything supernatural happening here? And you’re cutting back to his skepticism.”
Donaldson’s approach was to set up everyone’s nervous reaction. “We’ve met our cast of characters and everyone is jumpy so there were lots of cuts to objects and reactions and builds and builds and builds, and there’s the middle section, and the climax.” Donaldson continues, “We were trying to show that everybody is out of their comfort zone for one reason or another. And it makes them more vulnerable, including Poirot.”
Guðnadóttir says “Typically, for this genre, you’d have a big orchestral score, but Ken wanted to have it quite close and small from the get-go.” She continues, “I scored it with a solo clarinet and that automatically draws your attention because it’s closer and smaller. I don’t think the audience realizes this, but it changes your perception because you’re expecting something else. That smaller tone and the silences are super important for those jump moments.”
As for what’s to expect from “Joker 2,” Guðnadóttir signals that her lips are sealed. But she does offer a teaser. “It’s been amazing to watch Lady Gaga transform. I think we’re all in for a treat.”
Sia addressed backlash of her 2021 movie, Music, following her own Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis.
The movie, which starred Maddie Ziegler in the titular nonverbal role, was met with considerable backlash from the moment its trailer was released. The movie itself was further called ableist and has a 7% on Rotten Tomatoes, with one review calling it “offensive and poorly judged.”
One of the major points of criticism was over Maddie’s casting, rather than an autistic actor. It reached the point where Sia even responded to one autistic actor who accused the movie of making “zero effort to include” people with autism by writing, “Maybe you’re just a bad actor.”
After revealing earlier this year that she was diagnosed with ASD, Sia spoke about Music in an interview with Zane Lowe. “It took me 20 years to make that movie. I wrote the music and wrote the film with my friend, and it took me 20 years of thinking about it and then five, six years to make it and then edit it. And then I got into a stupid Twitter spat with somebody autistic,” she began.
Sia then said that the online storm led to her being diagnosed with autism: “Kathy Griffin, one of my friends, said to me, ‘I think you’re autistic.’ And so I went and I had a neuropsych eval, and it took 18 hours over the course of like five, six days. And it turned out that I’m a level 2 autistic.”
When Zane then said that Sia’s own autism was likely why she was drawn to the movie’s “subject matter,” Sia replied, “What was extra funny was someone said, ‘I should have gotten Maddie’s part, these are the parts I miss out on that I should get.’ I just wrote back, like an arsehole, ‘Maybe you’re not a very good actor.'”
When it came to people accusing her of being “ableist” for her response, Sia told Zane, “Actually, I think it’s the opposite of ableist. I think I just treated her like I would treat anybody on the internet.”
“Of course, when it comes out that I was just speaking to a peer, oh the irony! It was so interesting,” she continued, going on to attribute the online “negativity” to QAnon, Reddit, and algorithms. “I thought it was my fans and that they hated me, that they had turned against me. But actually, it was people pretending to be my fans that turned against me.”
Zane then affirmed that “the movie will forever exist” and said that people will view it differently with “time.” Sia agreed and said, “I think it will have a little renaissance, that would be really nice.”
Here’s the thing: Sia and Zane chalking criticism of Music to Twitter nonsense over Sia’s own neurodivergence feels willfully ignorant at best. Regardless of whether or not Sia responded to an autistic actor like an “arsehole,” it doesn’t change the fact that a neurotypical actor played a role that numerous people, professional critics included, deemed offensive, stereotypical, and even harmful.
On the note of harm, the movie shows the use of prone restraints, a sometimes-deadly technique that has been used to restrain autistic people. While Sia said that she would ensure that the scenes were removed and a warning was added, the scenes are still present in at least the Amazon Prime version. “I am not [hurting her], I am crushing her with my love,” Leslie Odom Jr.’s Ebo says while restraining Music. Numerous autistic children have died from prone restraints.
The title of the fact-based “A Million Miles Away” doesn’t refer to how far into space its protagonist eventually goes; it’s how distant the goal of becoming an astronaut feels to the first-ever Mexican American migrant worker to achieve it. The film’s gravitational pull turns out to be not that years-long struggle, however, but the story’s closest aspect: the loving relationship at its center.
It’s no spoiler to say José M. Hernández (Michael Peña) makes it to space; it’s in the trailers — it’s even on the poster. We know we’ll see how his family broke the restrictive cycle of stunting kids’ education to follow work, how many applications Hernández made to the space program, the skills he had to hone to compete. That’s all interesting enough, especially with the engaging Peña in the role.
What lingers, though, is the loving depiction of José and wife Adela (Rosa Salazar of “Alita: Battle Angel”). The easy chemistry of Peña as the humble and brilliant aspirant and Salazar as the supportive, put-upon wife with dreams of her own makes their scenes together highlights. Salazar brings life and charm to a role that, in another biopic, could have been pretty thankless.
Peña has long been one of the easiest-to-root-for actors in Hollywood since stealing the Oscar-winning “Crash” with his sympathetic performance. He has proved his versatility as a good cop in the underseen “End of Watch,” an ice-veined special operative in the otherwise languid “Jack Ryan” TV series and the hilarious sidekick in the “Ant-Man” movies (his absence in the third one contributing to that installment’s underwhelming nature). Here, he’s back treading the inspirational ground of his turn as “Cesar Chavez,” effortlessly carrying the leading load again.
Michael Peña as José M. Hernández, whose journey from migrant worker to astronaut is chronicled in the biopic “A Million Miles Away.”
(Daniel Daza / Prime)
The journey begins promisingly, with a touching glimpse of the migrant family leaving loved ones in Mexico to the strains of “California Dreamin’ ” first en español, then English. From there, the biopic is delivered in straightforward fashion, not quite achieving velocity to escape the genre’s expectations. The performances of the family members, including Julio Cesar Cedillo as the Hernández patriarch,help separate it from the chaff, though perhaps not by a million miles.
There’s also the film’s refusal to let its protagonist forget his humble beginnings: Hernández is frequently shown in the context of his extended family. There’s a charming moment in which, showing up in his spanking-new astronaut togs to impress his wife, he ends up washing dishes in her restaurant.
Oddly omitted from the script are Hernández’s groundbreaking work in digital mammography and his later political aspirations (he has run for Congress and, considering his history, it might not be his last attempt). It also leaves out one of his best public quotes, regarding an epiphany he had as he looked on Earth from space: “I had to go out of this world to realize that borders are human-made concepts designed to separate us.”
“A Million Miles Away” doesn’t exactly zoom past the stratosphere, but it’s kept in orbit by Hernández’s inspirational true story and the comfort of family ties.
‘A Million Miles Away’
Rating: PG, for thematic elements and language
Running time: 2 hours
Playing: In select theaters and streaming on Prime Video
While Wanda Maximoff was in a rough spot during WandaVision, the situation only got worse when she popped up alongside Doctor Strange. This time, the Darkhold‘s claws were deep in her soul, and it wasn’t letting go.
While she did plenty for anyone to fear her very name, it turns out that she also ended up looking far more terrifying while doing it.
Deleted Designs for Evil Scarlet Witch
The Direct got its hands on Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness – The Art of the Movie book, and in it were several rejected designs for the corrupted/evil version of Scarlet Witch.
The first version of Elizabeth Olsen’s character isn’t too far off from what made it in the final cut. Those black veins from the Darkhold’s influence are notably overcoming the struggling hero.
Marvel
This take on Wanda also looked fully possessed—almost more like a ragged shell that the Darkhold’s influence occupies.
Marvel
Bringing back a little of Wanda’s original soul to the mix, this look has her clearly still succumbed to the darkness.
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The art evolves to show the influence of the evil spell book becoming too much for Wanda to handle.
Marvel
The final image takes the overflowing Darkhold influence to the extreme, as Wanda’s very head seems to shatter into darkness.
Marvel
Marvel Studios then turned the dial to 11 with this version of the Scarlet Witch, which looks downright horrifying.
Marvel
One of the most significant observations is how this design, and the previous one, really worked to meld Wanda’s tiara into this more demonic look.
Marvel
These three concepts hold striking similarities to Lilith, Mother of Demons—a villain who was actually the main antagonist in the recent Marvel video game Midnight Suns.
Marvel
Scarlet Witch’s Evil Self Had Unused Potential
These scrapped concept illustrations perfectly showcase some of the missed potential with Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
There are little hints throughout the movie of how much the Darkhold was influencing her, but for the most part, that’s only visualized with some extra black makeup.
While those more extreme of the new designs were only meant to play during the mind sequence in Professor Xavier’s head, where she does have a scarier look, the movie could easily have leaned more into those terrifying designs. The further she fell to the Darkhold’s influence, the more unrecognizable Wanda would become.
How great would it have been to see one of those nightmare-inducing versions of the Scarlet Witch go up against an undead Doctor Strange in the film’s finale?
Sadly, the time for seeing such a demonic-looking Wanda has probably passed. By the time she returns, the MCU will most likely be hard at work on her redemption story—and getting her in the same room as her reincarnated son.
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is now streaming on Disney+.
Blue Beetle’s box office performance has been disappointing, adding to the string of underperforming DC movies.
Despite positive reviews and praise for its diversity, the movie’s low box office numbers raise questions about its viability.
The decision to save Blue Beetle while scrapping Batgirl may not have been financially wise, as the latter movie was reportedly deemed “not releasable.”
Blue Beetle is the penultimate movie in the old DCEU franchise, and will finally bring Barbie’s box office run as the #1 movie of the last month to an end. However, it is not all celebrations for the latest addition to the DC cinematic universe, as following the theatrical disappointments of the likes of Black Adam and The Flash, Blue Beetle is also underperforming against original projections. The main issue is that the projections for the movie were not that high in the first place, meaning that the film will likely produce another loss-making addition to the outgoing part of the DC world.
Blue Beetle arrived this weekend with very little in the way of competition. Barbie and Oppenheimer are now entering their fifth weekend, while Universal’s canine-led R-rated comedy Strays is the only notable new release. DC’s latino hero is now looking to take $25 million at the domestic box office, which will be enough to topple Barbie’s $20.5 million, and easily surpass Oppenheimer’s $11 million. Meanwhile, Strays has limped in with $8.5 million, despite its all-star voice cast including Jamie Foxx, Will Ferrell and Randall Park.
While this win for Blue Beetle is one that allows the studio to claim the “#1 Movie” banner for social media posts and sound bites, in the realm of superhero movies there is no way to deny that this is another embarrassing disappointment for Warner Bros., and one that has been made worse by the Batgirl fiasco of last year, when Blue Beetle was saved from being scrapped while Leslie Grace’s movie became a tax write-off.
There are many projects that are cancelled before they ever see light of day, but the scrapping of Batgirl is one that stung for many DC fans. While the movie would have included Brendan Fraser as its villain, and another outing for Michael Keaton’s Batman, reports suggested the almost completed movie was “not releasable.” At the same time, Blue Beetle was saved from the scrap heap and spruced up for a theatrical release.
Now the movie has arrived, and it is questionable as to whether it should have gone the same way as Batgirl.Although the movie has been getting positive reviews, and has been heavily praised for bringing diversity to the franchise, its lowly box office suggests that writing the movie off could have been a more financially sound approach by Warner Bros.
Of course, there are other forces at work and making decisions are not as simple as they seem from the outside. It has become clear over the last several months that Batgirl simply didn’t fit into the new DCU plan, while Blue Beetle seems to have a place in James Gunn and Peter Safran’s comic book world. It seems though that even Gunn’s comments about Blue Beetle being the “first DCU character” have not been enough to stir interest in the film. Ironically, Blue Beetle’s Max debut at a later date could well be much more impressive than its theatrical one.
Amazon Prime members can save big on security cameras today. The retailer has a bundle including the Blink Video Doorbell and three Blink Outdoor 4 security cameras for 61 percent off. Usually $424.95, you can pick up the four-camera collection for $164.98.
Blink
You can connect the Blink Video Doorbell to your existing in-home chime or use it wirelessly. The device records in 1080p during the day and infrared at night. It supports two-way audio so you can hear and talk with whoever shows up on your front step.
Meanwhile, wireless Blink Outdoor cameras can alert you to motion or people in your yard, allowing you to check in from your phone or Alexa devices. The outdoor cameras have a 143-degree field of view and on-device computer vision to help with nighttime recording. The Outdoor 4 also supports two-way audio.
Blink
Each camera in the bundle uses two AA batteries (included), which Amazon estimates will last up to two years. The collection also ships with four mounting kits and the Sync Module 2, a hub that connects the cameras to your Wi-Fi network. You can bring your own USB drive for local storage or subscribe to a Blink Subscription Plan ($3/month or $30/year) for cloud storage. You can choose between black or white options for the cameras, although there’s no mixing and matching colors within the bundle: It’s all one or the other.
The deal only lasts through the end of today, wrapping up at midnight PST. Remember that you’ll need a Prime membership to take advantage of the deal. If you don’t have one already, you can subscribe for $15/month or $139 / year.
The winners of the 50th Student Academy Awards competition have been announced by the The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Academy voted 14 students out of 2,443 entries to win awards across four categories. They will be honored at an in-person award ceremony on Oct. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
Leo Behrens of the American Film Institute won the award for alternative/experimental film for “Skin.”
Gabriel Augerai, Romain Augier and Yannick Jacquin of École des Nouvelles Images in France won an animation award for “Boom.” Other animation winners include César Luton, Achille Pasquier and Clémence Bailly of MoPA 3D Animation School in France for their film “Diplomatie de l’Éclipse.” Lisa Kenney of the National Film and Television School in the UK also won in the animation category for “Mum’s Spaghetti.”
In the documentary category, Lyuwei Chen of New York University won for “Duet.” Other documentary winners are Jean Chapiro of Columbia University, who won for “Hasta Encontrarlos (Till We Find Them),” and Giorgio Ghiotto of New York University who won for “Wings of Dust.”
Finally, in the narrative category, Mark Gerstorfer of Filmakademie Wien in Austria won an award for “Invisible Border.” Iain Aigin Stronach Forbes of Den Norske Filmskolen in Norway won for “Revisited.” The third narrative winner is Tamara Denić of Hamburg Media School in Germany, who made the film “Istina (Truth).”
All of the student winners are eligible to compete for 2023 Oscars in the Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film or Documentary Short Film categories.
The Student Academy Awards ceremony is free and open to the public; tickets can be obtained at oscars.org.
K. Asher Levin’s mystery comedy “Helen’s Dead,” which stars Emile Hirsch and Dylan Gelula, has been acquired by Screen Media.
“Helen’s Dead” will spotlight the story of Addie (Gelula) who finds out that her boyfriend is sleeping with her cousin, Helen. Reeling the effects of the betrayal, Addie prepares to confront them both when she stumbles upon Helen’s murder scene.
Alongside Hirsch and Gelula, Emile Hirsch, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, Tyrese Gibson, Dylan Gelula, Oliver Cooper and Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz are set to star in “Helen’s Dead.”
“I have always dreamt of making my very own freewheelin’, one crazy night movie,” said Levin. “It’s truly a blessing to have assembled such an amazing cast and found such a supportive company in Screen Media to release the film.”
“Helen’s Dead” was written by Amy Brown Carver from a story by Levin and Carver. Levin, too, produced alongside Daniel Cummings, Robert Dean, Roy Scott MacFarland and Todd Lundbohm. MacFarland negotiated the deal on behalf of Tetrad Studios and Stoked Film Group, with Madison Karsenty and Lisa Califf providing legal services via Donaldson, Califf & Perez.
Steven Spielberg, Kate Capshaw Donate $1.5 Million to Support Workers Impacted by Hollywood Strikes
Since the Hollywood strikes began back in May, Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw have donated a collective $1.5 million to writers, actors and other industry workers who have been negatively impacted by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
Capshaw and Spielbergs generous donations have gone to the Entertainment Community Fund as well as the SAG-AFTRA Foundation’s Emergency Financial Assistance Program.
The ECF, which was previously known as the Actors Fund, said in a statement, “Thanks to the transformative support from Kate Capshaw & Steven Spielberg, along with numerous other generous donors, the Fund is helping film and television workers in need with emergency financial assistance to cover basic living expenses (rent, groceries, health insurance, medical bills, etc.), mental health support and more.”
The SAG-AFTRA Foundation reports that since the work stoppages began, they have been processing up to 100 applications for financial assistance every day, which go toward rent and mortgage payments, food and medical needs.
They added in a statement, “This significant donation from Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg to the Foundation’s Emergency Financial Assistance Program will not only help meet the current and overwhelming demand for financial assistance, but will continue to support the SAG-AFTRA community who will be faced with long term financial hardships and challenges for years to come.”
Spielberg and Capshaw are just the latest of those making large donations to striking workers. Shonda Rimes, Seth MacFarlane, Meryl Streep, Matt Damon, Oprah Winfrey and George Clooney are just some of the previous A-list stars who have helped raise money for writers and actors since the strikes started in May.
2023 Gotham Awards to Present George C. Wolfe’s “Rustin” With the Icon and Creator Tribute for Social Justice
The upcoming Netflix film “Rustin,” produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground, will be honored with the Icon and Creator Tribute for Social Justice at the 33rd annual Gotham Awards Ceremony on Nov. 27 at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City.
The Icon and Creator Tribute “was created for this year’s Gotham Awards in order to recognize cultural icons and the filmmakers responsible for bringing that icon’s story to life.” This year’s Icon and Tribute for Social Justice will honor activist Bayard Rustin, who was an organizer of the 1968 March on Washington and won the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The accolade will also celebrate director George C. Wolfe and the work he put into bringing Rustin’s story to life on screen.
“This beautifully crafted and moving film shines a light on the visionary contributions of a proud gay Black man on the heels of the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington,” said Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of the Gotham Film and Media Institute.
“Rustin” stars Emmy Award winner Colman Domingo in addition to Chris Rock, Glynn Turman, Aml Ameen, Gus Halper, CCH Pounder, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Johnny Ramey, Michael Potts, Jeffrey Wright and Audra McDonald. It will be released in select theaters on Nov. 3 and stream on Netflix on Nov. 17.
Eddie Alcazar and Steven Soderbergh Unveil Trailer for Sci-Fi Film ‘Divinity’
The trailer has been unveiled for Eddie Alcazar’s sci-fi feature “Divinity.” Executive produced by Steven Soderbergh, the film stars Scott Bakula, Stephen Dorff, Moises Arias, Jason Genao and Karrueche Tran. “Divinity” is set to premiere in New York theaters on Oct 13.
Per the official synopsis: “Set in an otherworldly human existence, scientist Sterling Pierce (Bakula) dedicated his life to the quest for immortality, slowly creating the building blocks of a groundbreaking serum named Divinity. Jaxxon Pierce (Dorff), his son, now controls and manufactures his father’s once-benevolent dream. Society on this barren planet has been entirely perverted by the supremacy of the drug, whose true origins are shrouded in mystery. Two mysterious brothers (Arias and Genao) arrive with a plan to abduct the mogul, and with the help of a seductive woman named Nikita (Tran), they will be set on a path hurtling toward true immortality.”
Watch the “Divinity” trailer below.
Abramorama Promotes Karol Martesko-Fenster to CEO, Co-Chairman and Evan Saxon to President, Head of International Distribution
Richard Abramowitz, founder of film distribution company Abramorama, announced that Karol Martesko-Fenster has been promoted to chief executive officer and co-chairman, and Evan Saxon has been promoted to president, head of international distribution.
“Karol, Evan and I have worked closely together for years, with their partnership driving unparalleled results in the Event Cinema world,” Abramowitz said. “Their decades-long experience in the music and social impact film genres makes me confident that they will take the company to the next level and continue to dominate, innovate, and lead the way as the industry continues to evolve.”
As CEO, Martesko-Fenster will lead the expansion of Abramorama’s footprint and partnerships in the filmed entertainment realm, among other duties. Saxon will helm music-focused engagements, direct-to-consumer campaigns and international theatrical distribution and marketing activities.
Abramorama is a release partner that has relationships with companies like National Geographic, HBO, Hulu, Apple, Amazon and more. Up next, Abramorama will premiere the documentary “UnCharitable” directed by Stephen Gyllenhaal on Sept. 22.
Brooklyn Horror Film Festival Announces 2023 Lineup
The Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, which will run from Oct. 12-19, has announced their upcoming lineup of films for this year’s iteration of the festival.
Alix Austin and Kier Siewert’s debut feature “Kill Your Lover” will open the festival. Other films premiering at BHFF include Jaco Bouwer’s “Breathing In,” Aimee Kuge’s “Cannibal Mukbang” and Tyler Chipman’s “The Shade.” Horror director William Lustig will be presented with the inaugural Leviathan Award at a 35th anniversary screening of his film “Maniac Cop,” which will be followed by a conversation with Lustig. Jenn Wexler’s “The Sacrifice Game” will close the festival.
All of the BHFF screenings will take place at Nitehawk Cinema’s Williamsburg and Prospect Park locations. Festival badges are on sale now and limited tickets go on sale here on Friday at 12 p.m. ET.
Academy Names Erica Eng and July Jung as the 2023 Gold Fellowship for Women Recipients
The Academy has revealed Erica Eng and July Jung as their latest recipients of the sixth annual Academy Gold Fellowship for Women. Presented in partnership with Chanel, the Gold fellowship is awarded to one international and one U.S. female filmmaker each year, providing them with $35,000 and networks via the Gold Alumni program to help support their projects and film endeavors.
“We are honored to advance the work of Erica and July – two extraordinary filmmakers. The Academy’s Gold Fellowship for Women is a crucial part of the Academy’s goals to inspire up-and-coming artists, create engaging film industry opportunities for underrepresented communities, and develop the next generation of diverse and dynamic film talent,” said Kendra Carter, the Academy’s SVP of impact and global talent development.
Eng is a Chinese American director raised in Oakland, Calif. and now based in Los Angeles. Her upcoming film “The Ghost” is set to premiere on Disney+ as part of Disney’s Launchpad shorts program. Previously, her 2021 short “Americanized” screened at numerous festivals across the country, garnering 25 awards.
Jung is a South Korea native who has been working as a screenwriter and director for over a decade. Her 2014 debut feature “A Girl at My Door” was screened at the 67th Cannes Film Festival and her 2022 sophomore feature “Next Sohee” closed the 75th Cannes Film Festival Critics’ Week.
Social-impact agency Propper Daley’s annual TV creators gathering A Day of Unreasonable Conversation has launched the Unreasonable Fellowship, an initiative for rising television writers to create stories that explore important social issues and inspire meaningful change in media.
In partnership with philanthropic organization Quadrivium, the inaugural Unreasonable Fellowship will focus on climate change, with the ultimate goal to shift the media narrative away from dystopian climate futures in favor of ones that inspire realistic and optimistic solutions.
With a total grant pool of $125,000 to be distributed to 10-12 select writers, the pilot program will invite its fellows to engage with issue experts, funders and activists in the climate space through a series of conversations and workshops to support their ongoing writing projects. Each fellow will receive approximately a $7,500 stipend each, along with a separate budget of $1,500 to host small gatherings for their peers within the program.
“This fellowship is an opportunity to shift away from the bleak dystopian narratives that have come to depict climate issues in the media and instead start focusing on the brighter, more attainable futures that people all over the country are actively fighting for,” said Quadrivium co-founder and president Kathryn Murdoch. “The creative community has the power to reshape the story and help us imagine a more sustainable future, one that is defined by an abundance mindset, not one of scarcity. By bringing these key players together, we can create networks and forge new strategies to support narrative and social change.”
Founded by Propper Daley, A Day of Unreasonable Conversation is a yearly gathering of television writers, producers, executives, activists and others designed to inspire the exchange of fresh ideas and perspectives in media. Through the power of TV storytelling, A Day of Unreasonable Conversation strives to stimulate a more nuanced conversation surrounding the greatest challenges and opportunities facing the world.
This year’s A Day of Unreasonable Conversation was postponed due to the writers strike and is set to pick up again in March 2024. Last year’s event featured a starry lineup of industry conversations between the likes of Kim Kardashian, Uzo Aduba, Chrissy Teigen and BJ Novak. The Fellowship was also approved by the Writers Guild of America.
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