One of the hottest films of the summer is sure to be Greta Gerwig’s Barbie, starring Margot Robbie. Before you head into theaters to see that, visit a Barbie world with Susan Stern’s director’s cut of Barbie Nation: An Unauthorized Tour. The documentary gives you the origin of the famous doll and introduces you to those who love the blonde-haired trailblazer.
In 1959, a toy company known as Mattel decided to create a toy for girls that would allow them not only to dress and pose but to help them become more comfortable with their transition to womanhood. That doll was Barbie, who was met with much controversy as some believed that the doll would give young girls a false image of what women should look like. This controversial subject is still going on today.
“…the origin of the famous doll and introduces you to those who love the blonde-haired trailblazer.”
What Barbie Nation: An Unauthorized Tour does well is show all sides of Barbie and those that hold her on the highest pedestal. Several Barbie lovers detail what the doll has brought to their lives. We hear from a Barbie dealer, a doll artist, Barbie “players,” and more. I use quotation marks around players because the duo that the documentary uses the term for are two women who pose as Barbie and G.I. Joe in erotic ways. These women keep their identity hidden, which is ironic, and they display how they use dolls in BDM and orgy scenarios. Seeing someone do this and knowing that it is a hobby is pretty funny.
Aside from the orgy scenes that were both uncomfortable and hilarious, something that kind of took me out of the film is that the picture quality is very dated. The video used is clear, but you can tell that the interviews came straight out of the 1980s and early 90s. I guess this can help the nostalgia factor for some, but I would have liked to have seen some updated footage just for the sake of modernizing it a bit.
I never played with Barbie, but the doll was always in my life due to family members playing with or collecting them, as well as going to the toy stores and seeing the all-pink aisles, mostly made up of the doll and every accessory on the planet. I admire Barbie for what it is: a G.I. Joe for young girls. Everyone who ever played with Barbie will appreciate Barbie Nation: An Unauthorized Tour in one way or another. Whether Stern’s film gives them nostalgia or teaches them more about where the doll came from. If nothing else, the film shows that Ruth Handler, co-creator of Barbie, is a true inspiration, and you can see where Barbie’s ambition came from.
“It is human nature to find someone to blame, and Scot Peterson is an easy punching bag,” Mr Jarvis said. It was easier to try Mr Peterson, he argued, than it was to solve the larger, thornier issue of wide access to guns in the US and a lack of mental health resources, particularly for young men and boys.
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Despite what you’ve seen in slapstick travel flicks, not every memorable automobile adventure needs to be an epic Twitter tale-turned-movie or end at the bottom of a canyon. Many people are opting for more road trips in light of flight cancellations, fluctuating gas prices, lost baggage and other nightmares shared by air travelers over the winter season. Plus, hopping in your own ride might be the most convenient way to take a spur-of-the-moment summer vacation before returning to school or work.
If you don’t already have a tricked-out camper van (like nomadic actress Holland Roden) or prefer not to add extra miles to your ride, Outdoorsy and RV Share are among the best online RV and trailer rental services that let you borrow Airstreams (a favorite among globe-trotting stars like Milo Ventimiglia), towable campers and others directly from their owners. And if you’ve got a driveable or towable travel vehicle that’s collecting dust, you can earn some money while it’s not in use by listing it for rent on the aforementioned platforms.
What Are the Best Road Trip Essentials?
To help you plan a great mini-vacay, the best road trip essentials can help you stay prepared for whatever comes your way — regardless of the route or season. Whether you’re boondocking along your cross-country route or glamping at your final destination a few towns over, we’ve put together a shoppable road trip checklist with items that are fun and functional for everyone.
Some of the essentials on our list include travel items such as fully stocked roadside emergency bags, digital nomad-friendly backpacks and toiletry bags and versatile duffle bags, plus entertainment options for that long and hopefully relaxing road ahead. Below, check out some of our favorite driving essentials for your next summer or fall road trip, many of which are made from sustainable materials so you can hit the road with a lower environmental impact too.
1. Stanley 40-oz. Quencher H2.0 Flowstate Tumbler
Staying hydrated is one of the most important things while traveling, which is why Stanley’s TikTok-beloved 40-oz. Quencher tumbler is a road trip essential. We love the cup holder-friendly design and stainless steel vacuum insulation that keeps your drink icy for up to two days or hot for up to seven hours. It comes in more than a dozen colors and the splash-free Flowstate lid lets you sip your beverage three ways.
Stanley
2. Dramamine Motion Sickness Tablets
Can’t stomach the road — literally? Dimenhydrinate tablets (such as pharmacist-recommended Dramamine) are a glove box must-have for anyone who tends to get nauseous or dizzy in the car.
Amazon
Dramamine Motion Sickness Original, 36 Count $10.58 on Amazon.com
Hook + Albert’s genius leather toiletry kit has three zippered sections in a fold-flat design that makes it easy to keep your skincare, grooming products and other personal care essentials organized.
Available in two colorways, State’s canvas packing cubes come in a set of two or three (choose from one large and two small cubes or two large pieces). We like the mesh front panel for quickly peeking inside the cubes, and the top handles make it easy to grab your stuff. You can also customize the cubes with a monogram for the perfect travel gift.
For when you want to pull over for a quick picnic, this cooler bag from Business & Pleasure lets you enjoy cold drinks in style. It’s made with the brand’s UV-, water- and mold-proof umbrella canvas and it’s finished with chic leather handles and an eco-friendly printed lining.
Amazon
Business & Pleasure Premium Cooler Bag $79.00 on Amazon.com
This top-rated SUV air mattress is a car camping essential. Four separate segments let you customize the fit to your vehicle’s back area, and the mattress features flocking on both sides for comfort. It’s suitable in temps as cold as -13°F or as hot as 122°F and a 12-volt air pump is included.
No coffee snob‘s travel kit is complete without an AeroPress, which uses a “rapid, total immersion brewing process” that lets on-the-go baristas pull the perfect cup of coffee or espresso-style shots. Just add your own grounded coffee (ideally a medium-find grind) and water, then stir and press.
Amazon
Aeropress Original Coffee and Espresso Maker $39.95 on Amazon.com
You can never be too prepared on the road, which is why (in addition to a first aid kit and a portable charger) a roadside emergency kit is also one of the top driving essentials we recommend keeping in your vehicle. This one includes a safety vest, a reflective warning triangle, 7.6-foot jumper cables, a whistle, tools, basic first aid items, gloves, PVC tape, tire repair tools and other road trip must-haves for your RV or car.
Amazon
STDY Car Roadside Emergency Kit $49.99 on Amazon.com
9. Altec Lansing Kid-Safe Active Noise-Canceling Headphones
For the kiddos, Altec Lansing’s active noise-canceling headphones can connect to devices via Bluetooth or an auxiliary cable, and offers up to 15 hours of battery life. These comfy headphones are great for protecting hearing for kids ages 7 and up as the volume is limited to 85 decibels, and they’re IPX4 rated for withstanding a little bit of splashing.
Target
Altec Lansing Kid-Safe Active Noise-Canceling Headphones $30
You won’t be bored in the car and in the car bored with this set of four travel bingo cards (available in other games). Small enough to be stowed away in the glove compartment or seat pocket, each reusable card has fingertip-friendly shutter slides and large print that’s easy to read for kids and grown-ups.
Need some support while getting your steps in? We’re fans of Fulton’s comfortable insoles, which are great for flat-footed walkers (like us) or anyone who needs arch support. We like that they’re made of sustainable cork (which molds to your feet) and that there’s no trimming required, and we’ve found that the insoles make our feet and knees feel more comfortable, especially during all-day outings.
Turn your car into a mobile spa with Lelior’s chic Le Bonaparte car diffuser, which plugs into any USB port to transform small spaces (up to 250 square feet) into a relaxing oasis with your favorite essential oils. The French fragrance brand also offers luxe hotel-inspired scents, including ones that evoke the Ritz-Carlton, the 1 Hotel South Beach, the Wynn Hotel and more.
When the reception is spotty but you want to catch up on audiobooks and podcasts while driving, Amazon’s Audible lets you download titles so that you can listen offline. New subscribers get 30 days free and one free credit, and Prime members get two free credits to use on titles that’ll stay permanently in their digital library. Sign up here.
Drive Auto’s genius collapsible car trunk organizer is made of water-resistant 600D canvas and expands to two sizes and nine compartments. The adjustable straps, outer mesh pockets and tie-down straps make it a must for anyone who wants to keep their ride tidy.
Amazon
Drive Auto Car Trunk Organizer $24.99 on Amazon.com
For when you find yourself nodding off but don’t have time for a coffee stop, GummiShot’s energy gummies can help give you a boost of plant-based caffeine to keep you on the road.
Amazon
GummiShot Energy Gummies, Variety Pack (3-Pack) $9.97 on Amazon.com
Our go-to for car camping and trailer travel, Hidaway’s collapsible silicone bowls are perfect for when you’re tight on space. This one-quart option includes a lid and insulated sleeve and we love how easy it is to fold up and throw in a backpack or picnic basket. (Other sizes and designs are also available.)
Amazon
HYDAWAY Collapsible Insulated 1-Quart Bowl with Lid $29.95 on Amazon.com
Tired of fumbling for a charging cable for your Apple devices? This three-in-one charger folds easily into a compact, travel-friendly size and can charge up your Apple Watch, AirPods, iPhone and other MagSafe- and wireless charging-capable devices.
Amazon
UCOMX Nano 3-in-1 Wireless Charger $39.99 on Amazon.com
No more worrying about TP at rest stops with Tushy’s travel bidet, which conveniently collapses to save space while staying discreet. It can hold up to 11 fluid ounces of water and features a hinged nozzle with three spout positions, a carabiner and a carrying bag.
Get some shut-eye in the passenger or back seat with Cabeau’s best-selling Evolution S3 neck pillow, which has a memory foam core and an ergonomic design that helps protect your neck and allows you to breathe and sleep comfortably.
Amazon
Cabeau Evolution S3 Airplane Travel Neck Pillow $39.99 on Amazon.com
Don’t get caught without power — stow Eco Flow’s River 2 portable power station into your trunk. This compact 600-watt generator weighs less than eight pounds and can keep up to six appliances running during your off-grid adventure. It takes just one hour to fully charge with an AC outlet, and you can plug in the optional solar panel to charge it under the sun — making it one of the most versatile and convenient (not to mention budget-friendly at under $300) power stations out there.
Amazon
EF ECOFLOW Portable Power Station RIVER 2 $239.00 on Amazon.com
Whether you’re ending up at a hotel or just want to freshen up at a pit stop, this hanging toiletry bag makes it easy to stash all of your bath and body products, jewelry and other road trip essentials into a convenient carryall. And when you are ready to fly, the bag features a separate bag that follows TSA 3-1-1 liquids rules, making it easier to breeze through airport security.
Amazon
Bagsmart Large Hanging Toiletry Bag $22.39 on Amazon.com
Document your adventures in Compendium’s Everywhere You Gotravel journal, which is filled with creative prompts, inspiring quotes and blank note pages (think packing lists and contact info) so you won’t forget a thing about your trip.
Courtesy of Amazon
Compendium Everywhere You Go: A Guided Travel Journal with Prompts $15.95 on Amazon.com
This six-foot-long truck bed tent makes it easy to turn your ride into a shelter for shut-eye or a quick rest, thanks to the padded floor and quick setup. It’s made of 150D waterproof polyester and has three windows for catching the sights or fresh air.
Don’t love your driver’s soundtrack? Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones (also available in black) are perfect for audiophiles, frequent travelers and anyone who wants excellent automatic noise canceling (Auto NC) and sound for listening to music, making calls and other situations where you need to cut out distractions. Our go-to amid noisy surroundings, these super-comfortable wireless headphones also include a 3.5-millimeter cable for when you want to plug in (such as an airplane entertainment system), and they offer up to 30 hours of battery life on a single charge.
The four beamforming microphones deliver crystal-clear voice pickup for phone and video calling, and we like the speak-to-chat mode (which automatically stops the music so you can hear ambient sound) and the intuitive touch control settings for the volume, activating Auto NC, voice assistants and more.
Amazon
Sony WH-1000XM5 Wireless Industry Leading Headphones $398.00 on Amazon.com
When you’re traveling with digital nomads (or tech-obsessed passengers), this 200-watt car power inverter has two 110-volt outlets and four USB ports so you can charge up to six devices.
Amazon
FOVAL 200W Car Power Inverter $25.99 on Amazon.com
All of that extra mileage likely means more messes, too. Thisworx’s car vacuum cleaner conveniently plugs into your car or RV and features a HEPA filter, three attachments and a 106-watt motor to suck up dirt, crumbs, ash, pet hair and other debris.
This laptop-friendly convertible weekender bag from Béis has all the compartments, pockets and space you need for one day or three. The removable bottom compartment (which doubles as a packing cube) and padded laptop sleeve, wide opening, key leash and luggage handle pass-through combine to make it the ultimate versatile carryall.
Not every camper van or trailer has modern upgrades, but Zero Breeze’s highly-rated Mark 2 portable air conditioner can keep you cool. It has four fan speeds and three cooling modes (including an “on-demand” setting for conserving energy), and it’s great for tents, small rooms and recreational vehicles. Go off-grid with the rechargeable battery, which gives you about five hours of run time.
Walmart
Zero Breeze Mark 2 Portable Air Conditioner $1,499
When nature calls, don’t be caught squirming in your seat until the next rest stop. This unisex urinal lets anyone — including kids — relieve themselves in the car without spillage (for safety and sanitary reasons, we don’t recommend using it when you’re at the wheel).
Whether you’re traveling with kids or very bored backseat drivers, Duluth Trading Co.’s Seat Back Bunker has plenty of pockets for stowing away road trip entertainment and other essentials.
Duluth Trading Co.
Duluth Trading Co. Seat Back Bunker (reg. $90) $67
There’s not always a rest stop or convenience store on those long stretches where you can stop to buy drinks, and that’s when Hydro Flask’s 64-ounce water bottle comes in handy.
Backcountry
Hydro Flask Wide Mouth Bottle with Flex Cap $24.67 on Amazon.com
Accidents — hopefully, minor ones — can happen anywhere, and this first aid kit by Surviveware is packed with more than 200 basic medical emergency items such as bandages, splints, wound dressings, tweezers, a first aid guide and more, all in a water-resistant 600D nylon storage bag.
Amazon
Surviveware Comprehensive Premium First Aid Kit Emergency Medical Kit $125.95 on Amazon.com
Keep passengers warm with Pendleton’s washable wool blanket, which is made from sustainable materials and measures 54 inches by 60 inches. The machine-washable throw’s fringe also adds a stylish touch in your home on wheels.
Of course, you’re going to want to document your moments, and Kodak’s Mini Shot 3 Retro instant camera offers the best of both analog and digital worlds. Plus, it’s currently on sale for 35 percent off.
Amazon
KODAK Mini Shot 3 Instant Camera and Photo Printer Gift Bundle $124.99 on Amazon.com
36. Halo Bolt Portable Charger and Car Jump Starter
Equipped with two USB charging ports and a 120V AC wall outlet, this portable charger can also be used to jump-start your car battery with the included jumper cables. It’s also got an LED flood light for staying safe and visible in the dark and comes in a handy carrying pouch.
Amazon
HALO Bolt 58830 mWh Portable Phone Laptop Charger Car Jump Starter $87.90 on Amazon.com
Popular among rideshare drivers, a good dashboard camera can provide peace of mind in the unfortunate event of collisions, or to capture stunning road trip views. Nexar’s GPS-enabled Beam 1080p HD dash cam captures 135-degree wide video and syncs with the brand’s iPhone or Android app, which can create post-accident reports with key crash information (such as driving speed, location, G-force impact and video footage) that you can send to your car insurance company.
The device can start recording immediately when it senses even minor impacts (even when you’re parked), and it comes with a 32 GB SD card for on-device video storage as well as unlimited cloud storage.
If your vehicle is tight on space, Yeti’s compact Hopper Flip 8 cooler can fit a six-pack or whatever else you need to keep cool in between stops. The DryHide shell means it can take a beating in the rugged outdoors, and when used with a combination of Yeti’s ice packs and regular ice, the cooler can keep contents cold for two or more days.
39. Carpool Karaoke The Mic 2.0 Wireless Microphone System
This could be the best or worst idea for a road trip, depending on your fellow travelers’ vocal chops. While passengers can simply belt it out without any technical assistance, this official Carpool Karaoke microphone lets everyone recreate their favorite Late Show with James Corden bits while embellishing their performance with echo effects and lights. The microphone and speaker can stream audio from a music app or smartphone via Bluetooth, or you can connect it to your car’s FM tuner. The rechargeable battery promises up to six hours of non-stop karaoke (or auditory torture).
Amazon
Carpool Karaoke The Mic 2.0 2021 Version $46.00 on Amazon.com
You may be living a freewheelin’ driver’s life, but your car doesn’t need to look the part. Keep your car organized on trips and in everyday life with this back seat organizer, which contains pockets, fold-down trays (perfect for holding tablets to keep passengers entertained), water bottle holders and other storage compartments.
Amazon
SANMITTI Car Back seat Organizer with Foldable Table Tray $21.99 on Amazon.com
Brazilian supermodel Adriana Lima hit the Taormina Film Festival on Wednesday for the world premiere of the short film FIFA: A Love Letter to Rwanda, going behind the scenes of the FIFA congress in the Rwandan capital of Kigali in March of this year.
Lima, who was announced as a FIFA Global Fan Ambassador in February, executive produced and fronts the 20-minute short exploring how Rwanda has moved on from the 1994 genocide that killed at least 500,000 people belonging to the Tutsi minority ethnic group.
She connects with Rwanda’s burgeoning creative scene and also travels to the jungle to discover the country’s efforts to preserve its gorilla population with former poachers now working as their protectors.
Lima told the Deadline Studio that working with FIFA and on the film chimed with her desire to work on projects that “do good” as well as her love of soccer.
Quizzed on relationship with soccer, Lima replied: “It’s football not soccer, for starters [laughs]. Every Brazilian has football in their veins. It is part of our culture, our religion. It’s in our blood… we’re passionate.”
The other stars of the film are FIFA president Gianni Infantino and rising Rwandan multi-hyphenate artist Cedric Mizero, whose many talents span arts, fashion, music and costume design.
“I travel the world and I’ve seen so many artists and musicians… his talent has no limits. He is a musician, he is a painter, he is a designer, he is a creator designer. I am like what else? It’s truly incredible what he can do with his vision,” said Lima.
Click above to watch the Deadline Studio interview with Lima, Mizero, director Craig Goodwill and producer Andre L III at MiLu Entertainment.
Plumes of pink smoke. Explosions of blue. Expectant parents laughing, screaming, fainting, shooting arrows or even guns. The new documentary “Every Body” opens with footage of the often absurd practice of elaborate “gender reveals.”
But by the end of this illuminating film, we’re forced to confront something much deeper and more insidious: society’s need to divide humans into a binary system, and the sometimes disastrous results for those born with reproductive or sexual anatomy that isn’t neatly “male” or “female.”
The term “intersex” is one many are unfamiliar with (“whatever THAT is,” scoffs a certain former Fox News pundit in an early news clip). Hopefully, director Julie Cohen’s sensitive and graceful work — deftly weaving hope and some joy, too, into its sobering lesson — will help change that.
Go beyond the binary. “Every Body” is Julie Cohen’s revelatory investigation of the lives of intersex people. Only in theatres June 30.
Cohen, who co-directed the Oscar-nominated “RBG” about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, chooses to tell her story through three main subjects who are now proudly open about their bodies and lives, despite childhoods shrouded in confusion, secrecy and often pain — especially from medically unnecessary corrective surgeries.
The filmmakers, citing experts, say up to 1.7% of the population is born with some intersex traits. One such person is Alicia Roth Weigel, a political consultant and activist in Austin, Texas. Roth Weigel, blonde and blue-eyed, notes she used to absolutely clean up in the online dating world — but that was before she came out publicly as intersex.
She tells us she was born with XY chromosomes — the typical genetic makeup of a male — and with a vagina, but no ovaries. Rather, she had testes, which were surgically removed when she was a child. “That’s a castration,” she says bluntly.
And although Roth Weigel shares photos depicting a happy youth surrounded by friends, she describes a painful side to her young life, carrying around tampons to give the impression that she, too, menstruated, or being instructed by doctors to use painful means to create a vaginal canal, alone in her room, as a child — a situation so secret, even her brother didn’t know.
As for Sean Saifa Wall, he shows us birth documents where his gender is classified “ambiguous,” then crossed out and assigned “female.” Born with a mix of male and female characteristics, he, like Weigel Roth, underwent a gonadectomy, and was treated as a girl even though he always felt like a boy.
Then there is River Gallo, a nonbinary artist and actor who at age 12 underwent surgery to implant prosthetic testes. Gallo, who uses they/them pronouns, describes telling an early girlfriend in college that they had had testicular cancer, rather than explaining the real reason she wouldn’t get pregnant.
These conversations are instructive but also uplifting, showing three people who’ve found satisfaction and purpose in their activism, which is aimed at preventing invasive surgery on children too young to decide for themselves. (A slogan, at rallies: “Unless I say, scalpels away.”)
The disturbing middle section of the film focuses on the late John Money, a sexologist at Johns Hopkins University who essentially posited that gender was determined by social conditioning, meaning one could raise a child to be a different gender than genetics dictated.
His influence was profound in the field, and also in the life of David Reimer, subject of what became known as the John/Joan case. One of a pair of twin boys, he was maimed during a botched circumcision. Reimer’s mother consulted with Money and decided to raise him as a girl, named Brenda.
In a story told in archival news clips, we learn how David was miserable as a girl, ripping off his dress, and reclaimed his male gender later through painful surgery, eventually marrying a woman and going public to spare others the same fate. He tragically ended his life at 38.
Reimer’s mother appears in clips, devastated that she hurt her son by forcing him to be female. Although he was not intersex, Reimer’s story resonates deeply for the subjects of Cohen’s film, who say their own parents were merely doing what they thought best. Cohen captures a particularly moving scene between Gallo and their mother, weeping as they embrace. Still, Gallo quips: “I don’t think she’ll ever get my pronouns right.”
Near the end, harking back to those early scenes of gender reveals, it’s especially striking to hear one intersex activist express the wish that they’ll someday see expectant parents erect a sign in their yard that’s not pink or blue — but rather yellow.
And, that they will merely announce: “It’s a baby.”
“Every Body,” a Focus Features release, has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America “for some language and graphic nude images.” Running time: 92 minutes. Three stars out of four.
___
MPAA definition of R: Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
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With only a week to go until opening night, we’ve got a very special treat for those that are as excited as we are about Rogers: The Musical! Disney is sharing a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Rogers: The Musical which is premiering June 30th at the Hyperion Theater at Disney California Adventure will run through August 31, 2023.
You can check out the video below:
Rogers: The Musical is an all-new one-act live theater production inspired by the fictional musical number from the first episode of the Disney+ series Hawkeye. The musical tells the story of Steve Rogers (AKA Captain America) including his relationship with Peggy Carter in a 30-minute show that is sure to delight!
The production features a book written by Hunter Bell and music by Grammy-winning composer Christopher Lennertz.
Rogers: The Musical will be super-powered with fantastic musical numbers including “Save the City” from Hawkeye, “Star-Spangled Man” from Captain America: The First Avenger, and five additional original songs written just for the Disneyland production.
The musical will run on Tuesdays through Saturdays most weeks this summer. We can’t wait to see the musical and are sure that it will be nothing short of EPIC!
Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for further Walt Disney World news and updates. We’ll be coming to you LIVE! from the theme parks each and every week.
Have you heard the news? MickeyTravels just earned the incredible distinction of being a Diamond Earmarked Agency!
Whether it’s a visit to the theme parks, a Disney cruise, a stay at Aulani in Hawaii, or the trip of a lifetime with Adventures by Disney, I can’t wait to help you plan your vacation utilizing all of our incredible concierge-level services. This includes discount monitoring, itinerary planning, flexible booking, and more. Best of all my services are 100% FREE!
In 2015, at the age of 83, we lost an icon who brought joy to countless lives around the world. Transcending generations, Leonard Nimoy’s quintessential role as Spock became an iconic one to say the least. He was revered by sci-fi geeks everywhere and in many ways, set the standard for levels of fandom that could often grow into obsession. While he played the character across dozens of episodes of the original show, spin-offs, and many of the films, there was a lot more to Nimoy’s acting career than his super fans would have you believe.
video of the day
Secret Invasion: How The Blip SHOOK Nick FuryHow ready is he? How much did the blip change him? Well, actor Samual L. Jackson, is here to answer
The late actor’s filmography began all the way back in 1951 and included appearances in dozens of films and hundreds more in TV shows right up until three years before his death. Not just an actor who relied on his character’s fame, Nimoy was a great performer no matter what the role was. As a terrific performer, he earned himself many prestigious award nominations over the course of a majestic career. While he sadly isn’t with us anymore, his legacy tells the tale of a true screen legend. With this in mind, here’s a look back at Leonard Nimoy’s best performances across film and television.
15 Deathwatch
Altura Films International
By 1965, the talents of Leonard Nimoy had already led his career to leading roles and even behind the camera work as a producer. The indie drama Deathwatchwas one such project as Nimoy acted in it and produced the film, which was based on a French play. Playing a prisoner named Lefranc, Nimoy’s character and his cellmate are both non-violent criminals who fight to align themselves with a harder man to survive incarceration.
What ensues is a brilliant tale that highlights some important themes as the men look up to their stronger mate and seek his favor. Ultimately, Lefranc’s actions lead him to live a life of deep regret as he’s forced to reassess everything he thought he knew about who he wanted to be as a person.
14 A Woman Called Golda
Paramount Television
By the 1980s, Leonard Nimoy was already an established icon for his many portrayals of Spock by then. In 1982, he appeared in the made for TV biopic of the Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir. The film was led by the iconic Ingrid Bergman while Nimoy played Meir’s husband, Morris Meyerson.
A Woman Named Golda received a ton of acclaim for its depiction of a multi-layered historical figure and the intricacies of her life and legacy. The film received seven Primetime Emmy Award nominations with Nimoy being nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or a Special. Both he and Bergman were exceptional in it.
13 Invasion of the Body Snatchers
United Artists
Now seen as a cult classic, the 1978 science-fiction horror Invasion of the Body Snatcherswasn’t as well received when it first released. However, over time, the true brilliance of the film has been contemporaneously reassessed, and is now regarded as the best remake of all time.
A remake of the 1956 classic, this rendition and others told a similar story of a city besieged by invisible enemies that turn out to be body snatching aliens. Nimoy played Dr. David Kibner in the film. Set in San Francisco, Kibner is a celebrity psychiatrist who becomes wrapped up in the events plaguing the city. The film has since been honored with a host of awards, with Nimoy and its other major stars also subsequently being honored for it.
12 The Big Bang Theory
Monty Brinton CBS
The Big Bang Theoryhas become one of the most beloved and successful sitcoms around with a huge following and a spin-off. Arguably the main character from it, Sheldon Cooper, and his friends are the biggest fanboys you’ll ever meet as they geek out on everything from comic books and iconic films to every major science-fiction franchise around. Sheldon, in particular is obsessed with Leonard Nimoy’s most iconic character Spock and the actor because of it.
His fandom often led to Leonard Nimoy and Spock receiving mentions and even tying into the plot lines of various episodes in the show. This all builds to an iconic episode where Sheldon and his best friends Leonard Hofsteder receive Spock toys as gifts. Sheldon’s guilt when he breaks his own and then tries to swap it with Leonard’s causes him to have hilarious dreams where his toy speaks to him in Spock’s voice. Well, guess what, though uncredited, the show was so huge at that point that when they needed an actor to play Spock’s voice, it was Leonard Nimoy himself who actually played the role!
11 Transformers: Dark of the Moon
Paramount Pictures
The Transformers franchise has grown into an epic movie world with fans across the globe. Back in 2011, when Transformers: Dark of the Moonreleased, the film became another great installment with more of the iconic action sequences that fans love so much. Throughout the franchise’s history, one of its most legendary characters has always been the famous leader of the Autobots, Optimus Prime.
In this film, fans were thrilled when another famous character debuted on-screen. This time it was Sentinel Prime, who was the Autobots’ leader before Optimus. Since Optimus Prime has always been iconic for his deep, booming voice, Sentinel Prime needed one that could match its intensity. Fans everywhere were delighted when it was Leonard Nimoy who was chosen to voice Sentinel Prime – a role he absolutely nailed.
10 Never Forget
TNT
The Holocaust remains one of the darkest chapters in human history. An event that shattered millions of lives, its legacy never seems to lose relevance in reminding us of just how evil humanity can be. Never Forgetwas a hard hitting TV film that told the story of Mel Mermelstein, an American holocaust survivor who faced a new battle decades later.
The sole survivor when his family were killed at Auschwitz, Mermelstein now lives in California with his wife and their four kids. A hate group and holocaust deniers challenge Jews to prove that the atrocities at Auschwitz really occurred. Mermelstein and his family, at great cost to their personal lives, take on the challenge in court and begin a painful battle against the hatred they face. Nimoy was brilliant in the film, his performance made more poignant since he’s always been an active member of the Jewish community.
9 Fringe
Fox
Having become a legend of science-fiction, Leonard Nimoy’s appearances always sent fans into rapture when he chose the genre over others. Fringewas a popular science-fiction show that followed a Joint Federal Task Force supported by the FBI as they investigated paranormal events.
Its popularity saw it run for five seasons and 100 episodes.Between 2009 and 2012, Nimoy played Dr. William Bell on the show. Bell was a scientist who discovers a way to travel back and forth between a parallel dimension. However, this soon begins to take a physical toll on his body and mind. The roll was a perfect fit for the actor who was best known for playing a science officer, and he was excellent in it.
8 Mission: Impossible
CBS
Long before Tom Cruise ever made the Mission: Impossible films a global hit as a franchise, the original show, Mission: Impossible, was its popular precursor during the ’60s and ’70s. The show revolved around the fictional agency known as the IMF or Impossible Missions Force. Various characters played a part on it, each with differing skills sets and traits that made them popular.
Between seasons four and five, Leonard Nimoy joined the cast as he played a character called The Great Paris, whose real name was never revealed. Nimoy became a beloved part of the show, playing the role with his typical flair and screen presence. The Great Paris was a magician who used his skills like hypnosis, sleight of hand, mimicry, and disguises to entertaining effect. Nimoy played the character in 49 episodes of the show.
7 Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Paramount Pictures
With his other memorable roles mentioned, no Leonard Nimoy list would be complete without his iconic roles as his most famous character, Spock. Nimoy played the role countless times across the original show and many films in the Star Trek franchise. In what follows, we look at some of his turns as Spock in order of how they fared. As an interesting aside, Nimoy directed many of the films himself.
Starting with Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, the film centered around Spock when he was technically killed and his body shot into space in a casket. The movie was the third in the film franchise, but was surprisingly a little dull in a visual sense and even comes across as cheaply made at times, in comparison to the brilliance of earlier films. The story revolved around the crew of The Enterprise trying to find a way to return his body to his home world.
6 Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Paramount Pictures
After the seconds Star Trek film was hailed as brilliant and saw fans reveling in their beloved show now being big screen darling, the films that followed in the earliest installments were always likely to struggle a bit to keep up. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country was the sixth film and saw the Klingons seek help from the Federation when their moon explodes.
Spock’s brilliance was on full display in the film as fans were treated to him performing a Vulcan mind-meld which is a touch technique that allows a Vulcan to merge minds with another person. Nimoy was as gripping as ever in the role. However, the film itself was a little stodgy compared to others.
5 Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Paramount Pictures
In the fifth film, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Spock experiences family drama when the Enterprise is taken over by his half-brother. The reason is even more entertaining since he wishes to fly it to the middle of the Milky Way and meet God. Nimoy was again excellent in the role.
This time, Spock faces some intense pressure from his brother, Sybok, who forces him to confront his innermost struggles. In Spock’s case, this is rejection by his father for being too human. Spock is of course part of the Vulcan race, who are meant to be immune to human emotion and favor logical thought and actions alone.
4 Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Paramount Pictures
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home became one of the most fun films of the series. It saw the former crew of the USS Enterprise as exiles on Vulcan. After receiving a distress signal, they steal a starship to investigate. They find a probe has entered Earth’s orbit and disabled power everywhere. Worse yet, the oceans have evaporated.
Spock and the rest of the team travel back in time. Spock has figured out that now-extinct Humpback Whales will be able to use their songs as a way to communicate with the probe and send it away. The film is often referred to as “the one with the whales” and was a novel entry into the franchise that made it very enjoyable.
3 Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Paramount Pictures
The second film in the franchise, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khanis widely regarded as the best film of all and the gold standard for Trekkies everywhere. The film is also regarded as having saved the franchise since the original show had been canceled by that point and the first film underwhelmed.
With a stellar performance from Nimoy and others, the film’s greatest achievement was how it built on the strong bond between Spock and Captain Kirk, setting the standard for the two iconic characters to cement themselves as fan favorites throughout. Here’s a little of what Empirehad to say about it.
“..the material was there to meet their new-found enthusiasm, Meyer leaning into the characters in a way that Roddenberry never really had. As much as it’s about ship battles, The Wrath Of Khan is about the interpersonal relationships and enduring friendships of the crew, particularly Kirk, Spock and McCoy, dealing with ageing and exhaustion and – by the end of the film – loss. Maybe that renewed focus on its actual people is the film’s greatest Star Trek legacy.
2 Star Trek Into Darkness
Paramount Pictures
By the time the new age filmscame around, the legendary original cast members like Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner were far too old to keep appearing as their famed characters. It was time to hand the baton over to the new actors who would take their place, in this instance, Zachary Quinto and Chris Pine, respectively.
While Star Trek Into Darknessmay have seen Leonard Nimoy play his smallest role in a Star Trek film for a cameo role as Spock Prime, his appearance meant the world to fans around the globe. For a character and an actor who has meant so much to so many people for decades now, that cameo became Nimoy’s most poignant as it was his last role in a film and the last time he would ever appear as a version of Spock that wasn’t provided by archival footage. An amazing end to a truly legendary role, it was a fitting goodbye to the original Spock and Leonard Nimoy as the character.
1 Star Trek: The Original Series
NBC
Between 1966 and 1969, Leonard Nimoy and the other original cast members would immortalize themselves into science-fiction history with Star Trek. The original series broke boundaries and provided viewers with a groundbreaking look at what was possible in the world of television as it gave viewers the first look at the original characters who would go onto become so legendary around the world and birth one of the largest, most enduring, and popular franchises in the world.
For Nimoy and others, it would represent the turning point and become the basis that the rest of their careers were defined by. The show’s legacy and cultural influence remains relevant to this day, and it will forever go down as a historical show for its pop culture influence. Nimoy played Spock, the Enterprise’s Chief Science Officer, and defined the role in a way that can never be surpassed. He played Spock in the original show across 79 legendary episodes that provided the basis for all that came after with the other shows and the film franchise.
During the FTC-Microsoft trial, the head of Microsoft revealed that he would “love” to get rid of exclusive games, but it’s something that the company has to do because of Sony.
According to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella’s testimony today (via The Verge), he said this while commenting on the company’s strategies and plans for the future. When he was asked about games being exclusive to one platform, this is what he said:
“If it was up to me I would love to get rid of the entire exclusives on consoles, but that’s not for me to define especially as a low-share player in the console market. The dominant player there [Sony] has defined market competition using exclusives, so that’s the world we live in. I have no love for that world.”
As pointed out by The Verge report, Nadella is fully aware that exclusive games are a significant reason why consumers purchase one console over the other and that it plays a big part in gaining new subscribers for Xbox Game Pass.
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
Max Communications reached out to No Film School a month ago setting that they will revise the credits to accurately acknowledge filmmakers. After five weeks of waiting, WBD has updated the “details” page on Max. According to Variety, the update will roll out throughout the week on all devices.
Many stood against Max’s consolidation of creative talent on projects to be a slap in the face to new and veterans in the industry. The Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America slammed the “unilateral decision by Warner Bros. Discovery to change the long-standing individual credits of directors and writers in the new rollout of Max.”
Although Max believes that this credit detail was an oversight during the transition from HBO Max to Max, it is hard to not feel that this mistake was easily avoidable, especially since the move came in the first weeks of the WGA writers’ strike.
The devaluation of roles on set and cinema as a medium has been prevalent over the past year, with WBD CEO David Zaslav shelving and completely removing films and TV shows from the culture to reduce the billion dollars of debt the company has accumulated over the years.
While we are happy to see directors, writers, and producers receiving the credit they deserve for their work on films, the initial move and inability to give respect to creatives in the industry from the streamer will leave a mark on the film community and culture.
Kelly Clarkson is opening up about one of her biggest hits and claims she was actually “lied to” when it came to writing the song.
During a recent appearance on Watch What Happens Live, the singer responded to accusations from former RCA Records head Clive Davis’ memoir that said Clarkson pushed back on recording the song and including it on her 2004 album.
“Let’s give some backstory,” Clarkson told host Andy Cohen. “I was lied to.”
“They told me, ‘Hey, there’s these producers that want to work with you and there’s this song and it had dummy lyrics,” she recalled. “They didn’t really have lyrics yet. They were like, ‘We just want you to work with them.’ And I was told to write to the song.”
She said they then flew her to Sweden, where she learned people working on the single there were told something different.
“I get there and these two people, Luke and Max, were not told that I was writing to it and just already had it written,” Clarkson explained. “And I look like a fool ’cause I walked in and they had, the label had told me something completely different. And I just think that’s a red flag too. Why lie to me like that? Why not just get me to go there and then they’ll have the song? … I don’t like the lying.”
Despite having a “bad vibe with that song, because of the origin story,” the singer clarified that she’s still able to sing the song that fans have loved for nearly two decades because she’s “such a great compartmentalizer.”
Clarkson added, “I can put that aside and I sing the hell out of it on tour.”
In 2013, Clarkson initially slammed Davis, claiming he was spreading “false information” in his memoir, The Soundtrack of My Life. The book revisited the singer’s feud over her third studio album, My December, as well as drama around recording one of her songs.
At the time, the singer said in part, “I refuse to be bullied and I just have to clear up his memory lapses and misinformation for myself and for my fans. It feels like a violation. Growing up is awesome because you learn you don’t have to cower to anyone — even Clive Davis.”
Temptation Island season 5 episode 3, “If There Were No Cameras…” gave viewers a better look at the relationships blossoming between the contestants, while setting the stage for the bonfires, where the most jaw-dropping information would be shared. Throughout the first several episodes of Temptation Island season 5, the contestants who came into the experience coupled up with partners who’d done their best to disengage from their original relationships. The paired up men are living with the single women, and vice versa, which has allowed them all to make new connections together. Still, the possibilities of temptation have been lurking around every corner, and seem more likely than ever.
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While Hall Toledano’s relationship with Makayla Halstead has started to heat up, the new connections made within the villas (between Paris Pedro and Tahjicc Smith, as well as Rob Maldonado and Desiree Almedia) were featured heavily in the most recent episode. Though not every connection seems to be working out, like the relationships that Great Ezihie is pursuing, the contestants have been open and honest with each other at every turn. They’ve taken the Temptation Island process seriously. Mark L. Walberg, the host of the series, popped in toward the end of the episode to shake things up. He invited the coupled up contestants to private bonfires, where things got juicy.
10 Paris’s Date With Kristian Had Her Questioning Her Relationship
As the episode opened, the women were seen discussing their recent dates in their villa. Paris, who’d been on a date with Kristian Barbarich during Temptation Island season 5 episode 2, explained that her date with Kristian had been wonderful. She’d enjoyed herself, and felt incredibly attracted to Kristian, which left her questioning her relationship with her partner. While the date with Kristian had been an eye-opening experience for Paris, she was interested in seeing if she could make any other connections within the villa, and discussed her options with the other women. The support between the women has clearly helped them to navigate the Temptation Island process.
9 The Coupled Up Contestants Made New Connections
Temptation Island gave a quick run-through of all the new connections being made in the guys’ and girls’ villas. Within the girls’ villa, Paris mustered up the confidence to ask Tahjicc out, in order to see if there was chemistry between them. Marisela Figueroa, who came to the series in a relationship with Christopher Wells, asked Sebastian Baraza on her next date. In the guys’ villa, Rob asked Tia Hairston, even though his eyes seemed to be lingering elsewhere. Meanwhile, Great asked Tamie Lawson out, even though he’s been interested in Nafeesah Terry. Hall also asked Makayla out on their second date, making it clear he’s serious about her.
8 Nafeesah Felt Great Was Playing Games
Nafeesah has expressed interest in Great since the first episode of Temptation Island season 5, and it seemed like the pair were building a connection after their last date. While Great has been interested in more than one woman throughout his time on the series, it seems like Nafeesah caught his eye more than others. When she learned that he asked Tamie out on his next date, Nafeesah made it clear that she was confused about Great’s intentions. She told him that she felt like he was playing games, then expressed in a confessional that she wasn’t going to wait for him to come to her.
7 Hall And Makayla Got Closer On A Second Date
During Hall and Makayla’s second date, things got serious when Hall asked Makayla about her future plans. Though Hall is engaged to Kaitlin Tufts, it’s clear that he’s already felt swayed by the allure of Temptation Island and Makayla, respectively. In the past, Hall separated from Kaitlin in order to pursue other relationships, so it’s not surprising to see him moving into a new relationship. During their time together, Hall and Makayla talked about children, and their desire to have them in the future. Makayla got emotional, sharing with Hall that she felt ready to settle down in her life, and have a family.
6 The Guys Villa Stripped Down For A Party
During a night of spicy parties at the villas, the guys’ party got a bit wilder than the girls’. The guys’ party offered a stripped down event, where both the guys and single girls were in as little clothing as possible, dancing and drinking together. During the party, it was clear which connections were staying strong. Hall and Makayla were only interested in each other, while Great was vacillating between Tamie and Nafeesah. Christopher, who hasn’t really shown much interest in the women before, was shown with Abby Bryan, and the two seemed to be getting along well.
5 Rob Decided He Was More Interested In Desiree Than Tia
Though Rob had chosen to ask Tia out on a date earlier in the episode, after connecting with Desiree, he decided that he was more interested in getting to know her. Though he nearly made a move, Desiree rebuffed him, and said that because Tia was one of her closest friends in the house, that Rob had to let Tia know he wasn’t interested anymore, before they went any further. Rob uncomfortably called Tia over to the conversation, and tried to speak to her in front of Desiree, but the two were eventually left alone to sort things out. Rob made it clear that he was only there for Desiree.
4 Hall Expressed His Doubts For His Future With Kaitlin
During a moment alone with the guys, which was followed by some time alone with Makayla, Hall talked about the doubts he was beginning to feel for his fiance, Kaitlin. While Hall and Kaitlin came to Temptation Island in order to understand Kaitlin’s doubts about moving forward in their relationship, Hall made it clear that he was feeling uneasy after meeting Makayla, and getting to know her. He said that while he knows Kaitlin wants children, he believes she wants them for him, rather than for herself.
Seeing Makayla speak so freely about having kids made him doubt his relationship with Kaitlin. According to Hall, he “knew this would happen” when they opened themselves up to this situation, which is why he, “didn’t want to do this” in the first place. Hall explained that though he understands Kaitlin’s reservations, he wasn’t feeling certain about their future in the way he was just days prior.
3 The First Bonfires Were Nerve-Wracking
Temptation Island host Mark interrupted the morning in the girls’ villa in order to let the women know that they’d be having their first bonfire of the season later on, and gave them the opportunity to get ready. The series offers the opportunity for the guys and girls to participate in bonfires separately. At the bonfires, Mark shows each person a clip package of what’s going on with their partner in the other villa. They are then able to assess their own feelings, and speak about how they wish to proceed on Temptation Island.
2 The Womens’ Bonfire Opened Their Eyes
The womens’ bonfire was shocking, leading to some of the most emotional moments of the season thus far. First, Kaitlin saw Hall discussing his doubts with the guys, and then with Makayla. She’d previously seen Hall asking Makayla on a date, so seeing her in another moment was concerning. She didn’t seem too phased by Hall’s doubts, and said she was happy to see him opening up. Next, Paris saw a cut of Great saying that he didn’t want to focus on her or their relationship, along with other women dancing on him. She broke down quickly, explaining that Great doesn’t make her feel safe or secure within their relationship.
Next, Vanessa Valente was shown footage of Rob during his breakdown from the previous episode, along with him saying he wasn’t sure he’d be leaving Temptation Island with her. Vanessa, who is quick to anger in the first place, was hurt by Rob’s words, and immediately withdrew. She didn’t want to discuss what she’d seen, but did share that she was angry about it. Finally, Marisela saw a clip of Chris and Abby dancing, along with him complimenting her. Marisela shared that if Chris can find something “better” than her, he should take it. Mark pushed her to discuss this further, and Marisela explained she, “isn’t who [she] want[s] to be.”
1 The Mens’ Bonfire Left Off On A Huge Cliff Hanger
After the drama of the womens’ bonfire, the guys’ event was off to a better start, when Chris saw a clip package of Marisela. He was shown footage of Marisela crying in an interview segment, saying that she was finally alone, and getting some time to herself. Marisela shared that she was terrified to disappoint the people who loved her, and Chris said he was happy to see her being open about her feelings.
Next, Great was shown footage of Paris that shocked him to his core. Paris was shown getting a lap dance, and then saying she would have given into temptation, “if there were no cameras around” during her date with Kristian. Though everyone was floored, Great’s true reaction won’t be seen until the next Temptation Island installment.
There are a new crop of contenders for “Squid Game” Season 2.
The official cast list for the much-anticipated second season has been announced by Netflix. Jo Yu-ri, a member of South Korean-Japanese girl group Iz*One, is among the new cast members, including Netflix stars Park Gyu-young (“Sweet Home,” “Celebrity”) and Kang Ae-sim (“Move to Heaven”).
The cast also includes Choi Seung-hyun, Roh Jae-won, Won Ji-an, and fellow “Sweet Home” actor Lee Jin-uk, who previously worked with “Squid Game” creator Hwang Dong-hyuk on “Miss Granny.” Another Hwang collaborator cast in “Squid Game” is “The Fortress” breakout Lee David, who additionally collaborated with “Squid Game” lead Lee Jung-jae on “Svaha: The Sixth Finger.”
Returning cast members for “Squid Game” include Lee Jung-Jae, Lee Byung-Hun, Yim Si-Wan, Kang Ha-Neul, Park Gyu-Young, Park Sung-Hoon, Jo Yu-Ri, Wi Ha-Jun, Yang Dong-Geun, Kang Ae-Sim, and Gong Yoo.
Cast members and showrunners gathered for their first table read for Season 2, with production starting later this year. Director Hwang, who won an Emmy for the first season, will return to write, direct, and executive produce the entire second season. Kim Ji-yeon also executive produces with Firstman Studio.
Showrunner Hwang shared that it took 12 years for “Squid Game” to be made. Within 12 days, the series became the most popular Netflix show of all time.
“As the writer, director and producer of ‘Squid Game,’ a huge shout out to fans around the world. Thank you for watching and loving our show,” Hwang tweeted. “And now, Gi-hun returns. The Front Man returns. Season 2 is coming. The man in the suit with the ddakji might be back. You’ll also be introduced to Young-hee’s boyfriend, Cheol-su. Join us once more for a whole new round.”
Hwang teased that Season 2 will “ask the question, ‘Is true solidarity between humans possible?’” after characters were “focused on wanting to kill each other off” in Season 1. The series later spurred a Netflix reality show that has yet to debut after a production wrought with medical injuries.
Madonna was hospitalized for several days with a “serious bacterial infection,” forcing her to postpone her forthcoming “Celebration” tour, her manager said on Wednesday.
The 64-year-old pop icon developed the infection on Saturday, leading to a stay in an intensive care unit, her manager, Guy Oseary, wrote on Instagram.
“Her health is improving, however she is still under medical care,” he said. “A full recovery is expected.”
Madonna’s world tour was set to begin on July 15 in Vancouver and to last seven months, highlighting songs from the past 40 years of her career.
A new start date for her tour has not been announced.
Madonna announced her tour, which would be her 12th, in January, with a five-minute black-and-white video that showed her speaking at a dinner party with a group of famous friends. Her conversation and party games made references to her some of her songs, like “S.E.X.” and “La Isla Bonita,” as well as her documentary and concert film “Truth or Dare.”
“I am excited to explore as many songs as possible in hopes to give my fans the show they have been waiting for,” Madonna said in the video.
Tickets for her “Celebration” shows in New York, London, Paris and Amsterdam sold out in minutes, according to Billboard.
The tour, produced by Live Nation, was to span about 40 cities before concluding in Mexico City on Jan. 30, 2024.
In North America, she had stops planned in Detroit, Chicago, New York, Miami and Los Angeles. In Europe, she was scheduled to perform in London, Barcelona, Paris and Stockholm.
Caldwell Tidicue, a New York comedian better known as Bob the Drag Queen, was slated to appear as a guest on all dates of the tour.
“The Celebration Tour will take us on Madonna’s artistic journey through four decades,” the tour announcement said.
After announcing the tour, Madonna collaborated with the pop and R&B singer the Weeknd and rapper Playboi Carti on the single “Popular.” The collaboration brought her back to Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for the first time in years.
I’ve seen it all with it comes to movies for the younger set. The best way to describe Mike Heff’s feature film, Punk Kids, is it’s that hard-edge family film you’ve been looking for. Punk music, a bit of swearing, and a heartfelt message to get your kids on the right track in life…and then back into punk music.
Elmer (Wynton Odd), or Elmo to his friends, is a high school teen with mad drumming skills. Much to his father’s dismay, Elmo has joined a band called Snotty with his best friends, Sid (Kailii Nau) and Nancy (Stephanie Heiner), and together they have the potential to be something.
Their dream is to one day play at the notorious punk music hall, the 429 Theater. When Elmo’s sister, Tay (Rachelle Highbrou), begins dating a member of a “real” punk band, becoming their opening act would give them the “in” they need to make their dreams come true at the 429. They only need a demo.
After getting scammed by a phony producer, the only chance Snotty has to impress is the upcoming school talent show. Since the judging committee hates punk music, the only way to get into the show is to take a church choir girl, Ruby (Jasmin Corley), and pretend to be a legit popular band. The plan is totally punk, but Sid wants Ruby gone the moment the scheme is done.
“Their dream is to one day play at the notorious punk music hall, the 429 Theater.”
While Punk Kids boasts a lot of punk music and a bit of swearing, there is a bit of family-friendly drama permeating the story. Elmo is having difficulty relating to his recently divorced father, and tensions mount when Elmo is caught stealing from the church, offering to pay for the demo record.
Sid is the hardcore punk purist and absolutely hates the fact that Snotty is going “pop” just get into the talent show…which he also hates. This “ends justifies the means” guy has no problem stringing Ruby along for his own benefit.
The heart of Punk Kids is about following your dreams. Nancy wants to become a songwriter. Ruby wants to join a band to sing and make friends. Elmo and Sid just want to express themselves through punk. Odd, Nau, Heiner, and Corley perform well for young actors, and the music is an excellent introduction to young people unfamiliar with punk.
With its punk setting, Punk Kids is a family film in tone. Positivity is on order, and nothing goes below any family-friendly teen shenanigans. There’s even a tame religious lesson at Elmo’s church.
Punk Kids gets a recommendation for telling a solid family story for the pre-teens. If you don’t mind some swearing (mostly the “S”-word), Mike Heff’s film is a great alternative and sets itself apart from the crowded, family-friendly fair on the market today.
Assembly of First Nations chiefs voted Wednesday to remove RoseAnne Archibald as national chief, bringing an end to an acrimonious term for the organization under its embattled leader and sparking an early search for her replacement.
The vote was held during a virtual special chiefs assembly meeting over Zoom, where 71 per cent of First Nations leaders voted in favour of Archibald’s removal. The motion needed at least 60 per cent support to pass.
Archibald was the first woman to hold the position of national chief.
“We look forward to getting back to the important work of advancing First Nations priorities and acting on behalf of the best interests of our communities,” AFN Nova Scotia Regional Chief Paul Prosper said in a statement released by the organization.
“We extend our best wishes to RoseAnne Archibald in her future endeavors.”
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Assembly of First Nations: Financial, leadership issues overshadow pressing concerns
Archibald has yet to comment publicly on her removal and her office did not respond to a request for comment. Her Twitter account was deleted shortly after the vote Wednesday.
Controversy has been swirling around Archibald and her leadership since she was elected in 2021.
At the time of her election, she was already facing an investigation into allegations of harassment and bullying from her time as Ontario regional chief. She said then that the probe, which has since been resolved, was due to her vocal allegations that women and LGBTQ2 members of the organization were facing harassment and bullying.
In Jun 2022, the AFN’s executive committee and national board of directors unlawfully suspended Archibald, blocking her phone and email access while a human resources investigation into four workplace harassment complaints against her got underway.
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At the following month’s AFN convention in Vancouver, chiefs voted down an emergency resolution to affirm her suspension. Archibald then took the stage to express her gratitude, alleging she was unjustly suspended because she had been trying to investigate corruption within the assembly.
Archibald claimed the upset staffers had demanded more than $1 million in payouts, which she refused to provide. Prior to her suspension, she had publicly alleged corruption is rife within the AFN, describing various “financial irregularities,” “backroom deals,” and efforts to silence her disclosure of them.
Youth delegates call on AFN leaders to stop fighting
The general assembly then approved a motion that called for a financial review of the AFN, including how contracts are awarded within the organization as well as conflict of interest concerns, and would make recommendations aimed at strengthening transparency and accountability.
The AFN said Wednesday’s meeting was meant to fulfill the mandate of that motion, which was amended at the convention to include a report on the findings of a human resources investigation into the claims against Archibald.
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The meeting was not open to the public. CBC News said it was allowed to view the virtual session but was barred from reporting on it until the meeting concluded.
The AFN said position of national chief will remain vacant until a member of the executive committee is chosen as an interim replacement.
A new national chief will be chosen in a special election scheduled for December — seven months before Archibald’s term was set to end.
—With files from Global’s Elizabeth McSheffrey and the Canadian Press
DoorDash said on Wednesday that it would begin giving its delivery drivers the option to be paid an hourly minimum wage, instead of earning money for each delivery.
The significant shift in compensation could be an answer to concerns that some delivery people are not paid fairly. It could also add an incentive for drivers to pick up smaller orders that don’t pay as well and that they would typically avoid.
Drivers will be able to choose whether they earn money for each order — usually a few dollars in base pay plus compensation for miles driven — or receive a flat hourly amount, DoorDash said.
The hourly rate includes only active time, meaning time between accepting and dropping off an order, and does not include the period when drivers are waiting for the next order. Drivers will be able to toggle between the two payment methods. Tips would be applied on top of the hourly base pay, the company said.
DoorDash, which uses gig workers to transport food and other deliveries, announced the change as part of Dash Forward, a product event marking DoorDash’s 10th anniversary.
DoorDash said it was adding the payment option in response to driver feedback, and because it wanted to give drivers more decision-making power.
“One of the things we’ve heard a lot is around choice: Choice of when, where and how they earn is really important,” said Cody Aughney, head of the company’s Dasher & Logistics team.
The relationship between gig workers and companies like DoorDash and Uber has been scrutinized in recent years by regulators and labor activists. The biggest questions have been over how those workers are classified and whether they are adequately paid.
Gig drivers are usually independent contractors who are responsible for their own expenses and do not receive benefits like full-time employees. They have long complained that they are underpaid and sometimes exploited by the companies.
DoorDash said drivers who chose to be paid hourly and those earning money per delivery were likely to earn a similar amount. The minimum compensation will depend on the region and range from $10 to $19.50 per hour, the company said.
The new payment method is similar to Proposition 22, a 2020 California ballot measure that was backed by gig companies and guaranteed drivers a minimum wage and other limited benefits in exchange for precluding them from being classified as employees.
But DoorDash said there was a big difference: Drivers can switch between hourly and per-delivery pay as frequently as they want. The new system will not be used in California, Seattle or New York — areas that have passed laws governing minimum pay for drivers.
Sergio Avedian, a longtime driver and a contributor to The Rideshare Guy, a blog that provides tips to gig drivers, said an hourly pay option “gives the drivers a little bit of a comfort zone.”
Mr. Avedian, who encourages drivers to decline orders that are unlikely to offer a decent payday or a good tip, said the hourly payment could be a way for DoorDash to get them to accept smaller deliveries they would have skipped.
“On their end, the point is to push as many orders as they can, and on the driver’s end, it may give them some security,” he said.
Because some drivers do decline less desirable orders, DoorDash said, those who accept everything they are offered receive a disproportionate number of those cheaper deliveries and are put at a disadvantage. Hourly minimum pay, the company said, will help that group.
Suzanne Kounkel, CMO of Deloitte and Jen Howard, global head of sales and VP of Canva, sat down at Variety Studios presented by Canva at Cannes Lions to discuss AI integration and other tech developments in their marketing.
“Our view really is that AI will not replace the creative process,” said the Canva VP. “That it really is a collaboration tool for the process itself and really kind of giving people a place to start, something to react to, something to build off of, but we don’t believe that it replaces the entire process.”
Kounkel echoed this, saying it tech like AI allows humans to focus on the things that only humans are capable of while moving away from other tasks doable by AI.
“Even all of the technology and enablement will allow for a lot of convergence across industries in ways that is unparalleled,” said Kounkel. “[These technologies] help us be more human at scale, because it actually frees up the human time to be spent in things that only humans can do.”
Kounkel and Howard also discussed ways marketers can interact with their company’s C-suite to amplify their voice, rather than having to lobby. Kounkel said planning for the short-term while being transparent about potential business avenues is always effective.
“We put some of the messiness and the choices on the table with them and have them really engage in helping us with the decisions that we’re making,” she added. “And then that allows us to have really good decisions that we’re making collectively. And that frees us up to spend our time on the creative and the marketing superpowers that they don’t have.”
As digital marketing continues to progress, Howard said it’s important to have money set aside for marketing teams to test the new tech waters. AI has been a driving example as of late.
“Often the most sophisticated marketers always hold a bit of budget to play with new media as it emerges,” said Howard. “So, I think they’re prepared for that as it emerges. But your point’s a good one, in that each of these platforms requires a different format, a different asset, potentially a different creative asset, and so maybe even a different voice.”
As marketing technology grows, so does the marketing team, which means new roles are required to properly integrate any new innovations.
Shiva Baby was my favorite movie of 2021. Writer/director Emma Seligman’s microbudget indie about a young bisexual female student who starts spiraling after a surprise encounter with both her ex-GF AND a (male) john she’s been secretly sleeping with WHILE sitting shiva with her family is a dramedy that plays like a cringe horror masterpiece. So why am I recommending it now? Because it stars Rachel Sennott and Molly Gordon, both of whom are making major waves this summer on buzzy television shows (The Idol and The Bear, respectively). Shiva Baby came out during the panny, which meant that it never really got the love that it deserved, but with Seligman’s follow-up Bottoms — a (bigger) budget studio comedy! —landing on screens later this summer, now’s the time to get familiar with this promising young auteur’s vibe.
The proliferation of documentaries on streaming services makes it difficult to choose what to watch. Each month, we’ll choose three nonfiction films — classics, overlooked recent docs and more — that will reward your time.
Henri-Georges Clouzot’s documentary begins with the proposition that cinema can offer a glimpse into the “secret mechanism” that guides a creator — that it’s feasible, at least with painting, if not with music or poetry, to observe the artistic process as it occurs, to begin to understand what is happening in an artist’s head. To that end, the filmmaker has a shirtless Pablo Picasso engage in a marathon painting and drawing session for the camera. For the majority of the movie, we see only Picasso’s artwork, which fills the frame. Around the half-hour mark, Clouzot reveals how he has achieved this effect: Sitting on the other side of a page from the camera, Picasso is filling sheet after sheet of see-through paper. What the film captures are mirror images of whatever he is sketching.
Picasso says that he could paint all night. When, immediately after that remark, Clouzot informs him that the cinematographer has only five minutes of film left, Picasso replies, “It’ll do,” and proceeds to create what looks like a fish that morphs into a rooster that turns into a faintly feline inkblot face. To see Picasso improvise and revise is to want to shout, “Stop!” whenever the composition begins to look interesting, which is almost always immediately — and then to see the error of wanting to arrest his inspiration. The artworks change radically once he begins adding color and filling in the backgrounds, a progression that reveals a complexity barely hinted at in the initial drafting. The process isn’t necessarily shown in real time — editing speeds up hours into minutes (and makes Picasso’s revisions look faintly like animation). A score by Georges Auric that incorporates elements of classical and jazz gives the movie an appealing rhythm.
For the finale, Picasso tells Clouzot that he wants to work on something more ambitious, and, after he fusses with the face and coloring of a goat, the film switches to CinemaScope and watches as the painter toys with the facial expressions and abdominal contours of a nude woman, among other sights. The secret mechanism undergirding Picasso’s creativity remains a mystery by the movie’s end, but watching his handiwork is still enthralling.
Forget Picasso. Is it possible to get inside Stanley Kubrick’s head? Rodney Ascher’s documentary dives deeply into various fan theories surrounding Kubrick’s “The Shining” (1980). Kubrick’s reputation for total control means that absolutely nothing in his movies should be regarded as accidental (even if it is), and “The Shining” opened near the start of a revolution in film watching. Home video suddenly made it possible for obsessives to pore over every image with relative ease.
The theorists themselves narrate, and Ascher, who did his own editing, creates a vortex-like atmosphere that makes it hard not to get hooked on what they’re saying, no matter how ludicrous. They have some persuasive ideas: Passages suggesting that Kubrick conceived the film as an allegory for genocide — filling it with allusions to the Holocaust and to the slaughter of Native Americans — are convincing. Fans invested in the Minotaur and labyrinth imagery, or who attempt to map the floor plan of the Overlook Hotel, or who discover strange connections when they play the movie overlaid backward and forward simultaneously, have at least done interesting spadework. And still other notions here — like the conspiracy theory that the moon-landing footage was faked with Kubrick’s help, and that “The Shining” was his attempt to reveal it to the public — are the sort of pernicious idiocy that ought to be confined to the most obscure pockets of Reddit. (The movie opens with a long legal disclaimer stating that none of the views in it reflect those of Kubrick or the other “Shining” filmmakers.)
That Ascher’s subsequent paranoia-thons (“The Nightmare,”“A Glitch in the Matrix”) have gotten mired in that sort of speciousness suggests he hasn’t yet found another subject as rich or complex as Kubrick. But while “Room 237” may piggyback off another filmmaker’s genius, it proves yet again that “The Shining” is an endlessly fun puzzle to solve.
Bianca Stigter’s documentary takes a close reading of a very different sort of film. It centers on three minutes of footage shot in August 1938 by David Kurtz, who had arrived in the United States when he was 4, but was that summer back in Europe touring the continent. He shot those three minutes of footage in his hometown, Nasielsk, Poland, where, according to the documentary, fewer than 100 of the 3,000 Jewish residents would survive the Holocaust.
Stigter, whose book “Atlas of an Occupied City (Amsterdam 1940-1945)” served as the basis for a recent, Cannes-premiered documentary from her husband, the director Steve McQueen, shows the three minutes in full at the beginning and then spends the rest of “A Lengthening” examining them in minute detail, sometimes frame by frame. Taking cues from a book by Glenn Kurtz, David Kurtz’s grandson, who elaborates in voice-over, the documentary explains how the location and even some of the people in the footage were identified. (Eleven, to be precise — out of more than 150 people in the footage. Stigter at one point arrays all the subjects’ faces in a mosaic.)
Maurice Chandler, of the two people in the footage whom Glenn Kurtz was able to locate still living, says that cameras like David Kurtz’s were rare, which explains why different social groups in the town that rarely mingled had all clamored to greet him. Every element of every image of the footage, from the clothes that women are wearing to the shadows on buildings to the shapes of out-of-focus letters, offers a potential clue. Stigter, whose perspective is voiced by the narrator, Helena Bonham Carter, is also concerned with just how much the images leave unseen. During testimony about the December 1939 roundup of Jews in Nasielsk, she slowly zooms in on a frozen image of the calm town square where it happened. Glenn Kurtz says that most contemporary viewers of the footage see it differently from how survivors do, because survivors can see what’s beyond the frame.
Jamie Foxx was missing Tuesday from the Hollywood premiere of his new movie at Hollywood Post 43 American Legion, but his co-star John Boyega said he’s “doing well.”
Boyega, who stars in Netflix’s “They Cloned Tyrone” with Foxx and Teyonah Parris, told People magazine that he had recently shared a phone call with the 55-year-old actor, who has been recovering from an unspecified “medical complication” since April.
“He finally picked up the phone. ” Boyega said in an interview with People magazine. “He’s doing well. We just giving him the privacy, and we can’t wait for his return.”
“I gave him the well wishes directly,” he added later. “I gave him all the well wishes. So I’m just gonna be waiting until he comes back out here. So take your time, Jamie. We love you, bro.”
Foxx’s exact condition remains murky but updates through friends, family and Foxx himself point toward improvement.
Jamie Foxx arrives at the premiere of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” at the Regency Village Theater on Monday, Dec. 13, 2021, in Los Angeles.
(Jordan Strauss / Invision / Associated Press)
Nearly two weeks after the news broke in April about Foxx’s hospitalization, family friend and media mogul Nick Cannon confirmed in an interview with Entertainment Tonight that Foxx was “awake” and “alert.” Cannon was also tapped to temporarily take over Foxx’s hosting duties on Season 6 of Fox’s “Beat Shazam,” which premiered in late May.
In early May, the Oscar winner broke his digital silence by posting a written message on Instagram: “Appreciate all the love!!! Feeling blessed,” with prayer, heart and fox emojis.
Days later, Corinne Foxx assured that her father had been out of the hospital for weeks and was even playing pickleball.
But TMZ reported at the time that Foxx in late April had reportedly checked into a Chicago facility that specializes in stroke recovery, brain injury, spinal cord injury and cancer rehabilitation. The facility, which the outlet did not name, offers an adaptive sports and fitness program, which TMZ noted could explain Corinne Foxx’s mention of pickleball.
“They Cloned Tyrone” will be Foxx’s second film release since he was hospitalized. The first,”God Is a Bullet,” is playing in select theaters.
“He’s just so amazing,” she told Entertainment Tonight. “It was just such an honor to work with him. He’s so generous as an actor and as a human, along with John. I got lucky to be able to work with such dope men on this project, and dope men of color, that it was just so much fun.”
She also told Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday that she’s “happy that he’s taking the time he needs to heal in whatever way that is for him …. We want him well.”
Though Foxx is recovering, the “Spiderman: No Way Home” actor has continued to book gigs. The Fox network announced in May that the multi-hyphenate is set to co-host “We Are Family,” a new music-centered game show showcasing “non-famous relatives of celebrities performing duets with their hidden famous family member,” the network said in a statement.
Foxx was filming the Netflix movie “Back in Action” with Cameron Diaz and Glenn Close in Atlanta at the time of his health emergency. That movie initially halted production, but it resumed filming using multiple body doubles in Foxx’s stead, TMZ reported.
“They Cloned Tyrone” will stream on Netflix on July 21.
Times staff writers Nardine Saad and Jonah Valdez contributed to this report.
Over the last few years, Sony started to release films focused on Spidey villains. The studio considers them all part of its own cinematic universe.
This includes Tom Hardy’sVenom, Jared Leto‘sMorbius, and now Johnson‘s Kraven, none of which have yet actually crossed paths with Spider-Man, despite usually being villains to Marvel’s web-slinger.
Sony Pictures shared the official synopsis for Aaron Taylor Johnson’s Kraven the Hunter, and it confirms that Sony has early plans for the villain to eventually go up against Spider-Man.
The plot blurb, found on the movie’s official website, noted how the film is “set before his notorious vendetta with Spider-Man,” implying the feud in question will come eventually, just not yet:
“Kraven the Hunter is the visceral story about how and why one of Marvel’s most iconic villains came to be. Set before his notorious vendetta with Spider-Man, Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as the titular character in the R-rated film.”
So, Will Kraven and Spider-Man Fight?
When it comes to the actual likelihood of a crossover, Aaron Taylor Johnson previously noted that “the possibilities are definitely there” for his Kraven to go face-to-face with Spider-Man.
There’s no telling yet. After all, so many people involved with the Venom movies have tried teasing the villain’s inevitable crossover with Spidey, but nothing looks to be coming from it so far.
Though, Sony has potentially made some blatant in-universe teases.
For one, Kraven’s silhouette can be seen in the sky during the chaotic finale of Spider-Man: No Way Home. In the Kraven trailer, a large number of spiders can be seen descending onto Johnson’s villain—clearly a nod to his rivalry with the iconic arachnid superhero.
Whether it happens or not, Sony is certainly thinking about it.
Evil Dead Rise writer/director Lee Cronin sits down with Nerdist’s Kyle Anderson to discuss his process for developing the film, the themes of family and motherhood, and bringing something new to the franchise!
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We knew it was coming soon, and now it’s almost here. The next big regional update to Genshin Impact was officially announced in the latest Special Program stream. Although the biggest portion of it was dedicated to the next version, which is still a Sumeru patch, Fontaine sneaked its way into the last minutes.
And with this first glimpse at the new region, we could have an (official) look at what’s awaiting us in the French-flavored land of justice in Teyvat, complete with its outrageous outfits, exotic sea creatures and, most importantly, the most polite dogs you’ve seen this week.
From the Same Creators of Underground Puzzles, Meet Underwater Puzzles
Our first visit to Fontaine is focused on three different settings: the urban area, a seemly underground zone and (probably the most impactful) the oceans. Some earlier teases pointed out to the Traveler exploring the ocean’s depth, but now we see the real deal.
Image via Hoyoverse
The ocean is ours to conquer. And for that, we’ll do our usual chores: completing tons of puzzles, encountering exotic creatures and maybe fighting underwater with whatever we got in our hands. The video doesn’t show much of that, and more should be revealed in the following month. Let’s hope it doesn’t get as confusing as the underground areas were in Sumeru.
A Social Commentary in My Mobile Game?!
Going back to the surface, we follow an Amy Rose expy in her daily duty of maintaining justice and order in the streets of Fontaine. Here’s where we get to see what this seemly futuristic city looks like, and god, it looks great!
Characters have consistently referenced Fontaine as the main technological and artistic hub in Teyvat. This is the home of the Steambird, the journal for which Mona and Charlotte both write. The Kameras (and tons of different gadgets we use throughout events) were invented here. Xinyan’s main inspirations hail from these Victorian-like walls. It’s just too good to be true.
Image via Hoyoverse
So yeah, something is definitely off here. Our justice hero is seen for some moments in a way less developed area, where we see people who are seemly in poor conditions. As we know, the Hydro Archon is obsessed with justice and punishing criminals, so maybe this is where they’re sent.
This evokes a similar feeling to what we’ve seen recently in Star Rail’s Overworld and Underworld dynamics in Jarilo-VI. What happens to those who break the rules? How far should a punishment go? Depending on the answers, can it even be called justice, at this point? These are definitely things to be questioned in the next Archon Quests, and we can’t wait for that.
French Dogs are Just Built Different
But none of that could be more important than the ACTUAL biggest star in this mini teaser: the elegant dog that appears around the 6 seconds mark. Forget about the new characters, forget about areas and puzzles. Screw the Archons and I don’t care about my brother/sister anymore. This good boy over here is ALL that I need in my life right now.
Best boy/girl hands down. Image via Hoyoverse
This little fella right here looks like he’s ready to lecture me for an hour on how to behave inside these walls, and I would be delighted to hear it all day. Its sheer aura is powerful enough to make this expansion the best one in Genshin yet.
But seriously, I cannot help but be excited about this new region, and the teaser reminded me that detailed, breathtaking sights are not the only reason people enjoy exploring this game. Sometimes a dog with a wig and dressed better than I did in my cousin’s marriage is enough.
We’ll still have to wait quite a bit for it, though. We’re not even done with 3.7, and there’s still 3.8 on the way there. It will be a long wait, but definitely worth in the end.
Tom Cruise recognizes he won’t be the only game in town this summer — at least, he wants you to think he recognizes he won’t be the only game in town this summer.
On Wednesday, the star of the upcoming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One tweeted pictures of himself in front of three posters for moving coming out in the next month: Oppenheimer, Barbie and Joy Ride.
He also gave a shout out to Harrison Ford and how he’s reprising his signature role.
“This summer is full of amazing movies to see in theaters,” he wrote. “Congratulations, Harrison Ford, on 40 years of Indy and one of the most iconic characters in history. I love a double feature, and it doesn’t get more explosive (or more pink) than one with Oppenheimer and Barbie.”
This summer is full of amazing movies to see in theaters.
Congratulations, Harrison Ford, on 40 years of Indy and one of the most iconic characters in history.
I love a double feature, and it doesn’t get more explosive (or more pink) than one with Oppenheimer and Barbie. pic.twitter.com/udWHHj4fAe
Having been credited last year for getting butts back in the theaters with the release of Top Gun:Maverick, Cruise also used his star power to indirectly show support for The Flash. He got an advanced screening of the DC superhero movie and gave Andy Muschietti and his sister Barbara a “confidence boost.”
“[We got] more confidence in the thing that we did, because the movie was finished by the time that [Cruise] saw it, so it was a confidence boost if anything,” Andy Muschietti told Games Radar.
“It’s a very cynical industry, and to hear people that really have no skin in the game, because they have nothing to gain, just say something that lovely – in the case of Tom Cruise, he called us, talked for 15 minutes, praising Andy, praising the film, and it just feels very good because we really work very hard to make these movies,” added Barbara Muschietti.
Carmen Sevilla, the Spanish-born actor who starred in the Oscar-nominated 1958 film Vengeance and played Mary Magdalene in Nicholas Ray’s 1961 Biblical epic King of Kings, died Tuesday of Alzheimer’s disease and pneumonia at a hospital in Madrid. She was 92.
Her death was reported by her son to the Europa Press new agency.
Born in Seville, Spain, Sevilla launched her show business career as a dancer in the 1940s but had pivoted to film acting by the end of the decade. During the 1950s she became one of Spanish cinema’s most popular stars.
Her starring role in writer-director Juan Antonio Bardem’s 1958 La Venganza (Vengeance) made her an international star as the film became the first Spanish film nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
Sevilla became more widely known in the U.S. with King of Kings, in which she played a beautiful Mary Magdalene opposite Jeffrey Hunter’s equally attractive Jesus. Eleven years later she would star as Octavia opposite Charlton Heston in Antony and Cleopatra, a poorly received late entry in the epic storytelling genre.
Her film career and popularity continued in Spain throughout the 1970s. Sevilla became a familiar presenter on Spanish television during the 1990s and early 2000s, until her 2009 Alzheimer’s diagnosis curtailed her public appearances. Last year she was reported to be in the disease’s advanced stages.
Detailed information on survivors was not immediately available.
“The Other Two” will end with its third season on Max, TheWrap has confirmed.
The Hollywood satire series, which stars Heléne Yorke, Drew Tarver and Molly Shannon, will end with its season 3 finale, which will air on Thursday. The decision to end the series came from creators Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider, according to an individual with knowledge of the show’s conclusion.
Created, written and executive produced by former “SNL” head writers Kelly and Schneider, “The Other Two” began its three-season run on Comedy Central before heading to HBO Max for its second and third seasons.
The series kicks off at the onset of fame for a Justin Bieber-esque preteen pop star named ChaseDreams (Case Walker), suddenly putting a spotlight on 30-somethings Cary (Tarver) and Brooke (Yorke), whose messy lives are anything but picture perfect. By Season 2, the whole family has paved their way in the entertainment industry, with Chase’s mother (Shannon) landing her own daytime talk show.
Romance movies of the past often depicted relationships that, when viewed through a modern lens, would be considered inappropriate or problematic. Older romance movies, while significant in their time, often depicted relationships that would be considered inappropriate or problematic by today’s standards. Only through recognizing the problematic elements in these films can we reflect on the progress we have made in promoting healthy, consensual relationships in modern cinema.
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By striving for more authentic and inclusive portrayals, we can ensure that romance movies reflect the evolving values and expectations of our society. Below are 12 old romance movies that featured inappropriate relationships, highlighting how their portrayal wouldn’t align with today’s standards.
12 Gone with the Wind (1939)
Loew’s, Inc.
While Gone with the Wind is a beloved classic, it reflects outdated views on consent and romance. The film romanticizes non-consensual advances and portrays Rhett Butler’s pursuit of Scarlett O’Hara as persistent, disregarding her lack of interest. Rhett’s actions, framed as passionate and charming, overlook the importance of consent and reinforce harmful notions that persistence can eventually win over someone’s affection. In today’s context, the film’s portrayal of such behavior would be considered highly inappropriate.
11 Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
Paramount Pictures
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is regarded as a classic, but it features a portrayal that perpetuates racial stereotypes. One of Hollywood’s worst whitewashing casting decisions, Mickey Rooney’s portrayal of Mr. Yunioshi, a Japanese neighbor, is marred by cultural insensitivity and caricature-like representation. The character relies on exaggerated racial features and mannerisms, promoting harmful stereotypes that are disrespectful and offensive. In today’s context, the film’s racially insensitive portrayal would be deemed highly inappropriate and disrespectful.
10 The Graduate (1967)
Embassy Pictures
In The Graduate, a young college graduate, Benjamin Braddock, embarks on an affair with an older family friend, Mrs. Robinson. The relationship showcases a significant age disparity and raises questions about consent and manipulation. Mrs. Robinson takes advantage of Benjamin’s vulnerability and naivety, blurring the boundaries between mentorship and exploitation. While the movie serves as a cultural touchstone, it would likely face criticism today for its portrayal of an inappropriate relationship between a young man and an older woman.
9 Some Like It Hot (1959)
United Artists
Although Some Like It Hot is a comedy classic, it relies heavily on gender stereotypes. The film features two male musicians, Joe and Jerry, who disguise themselves as women to escape from the mob. Their transformation into women for comedic effect perpetuates gender stereotypes, reinforcing traditional gender roles. The film presents women as objects of desire, with Joe and Jerry’s characters primarily focused on pursuing romantic interests rather than developing meaningful connections. In today’s context, the film’s reliance on gender stereotypes would be seen as inappropriate and regressive.
Considered a romantic comedy, Say Anything… tells the story of Lloyd Dobler, a high school graduate who falls for Diane Court, a class valedictorian. However, the film features a male protagonist who engages in stalking behavior, which is portrayed as an endearing pursuit of love. Lloyd’s persistent and unwelcome intrusions into Diane’s life, such as playing her favorite song outside her window, would now be recognized as invasive and potentially threatening. Today, the movie would face criticism for romanticizing stalking behaviors that undermine consent and personal boundaries.
7 The Blue Lagoon (1980)
Columbia Pictures
The Blue Lagoon explores a romantic relationship between two cousins, Richard and Emmeline, who find themselves stranded on a deserted island. The film’s portrayal of incestuous undertones raises serious ethical concerns. While the story focuses on survival and young love, the close familial ties between the characters add an uncomfortable layer to their relationship. In today’s context, the film’s depiction of a romantic relationship between cousins would be viewed as highly inappropriate and taboo, and ironically enough it has been the subject of recent controversy.
6 Working Girl (1988)
20th Century Fox
Working Girl depicts a workplace romance between Tess McGill, a determined secretary, and her high-powered boss, Jack Trainer. While the film celebrates Tess’ ambition and perseverance, it blurs the lines of professional boundaries and power dynamics. The relationship raises concerns about coercion and favoritism in the workplace, as well as the potential for exploitation. In today’s context, the film’s portrayal of a romantic relationship between a subordinate and her superior would be seen as highly inappropriate.
5 9 1/2 Weeks (1986)
20th Century Studios
The erotic drama, 9 1/2 Weeks, explores a relationship between Elizabeth, a recently divorced woman, and John, a mysterious man. However, the film blurs the lines between consensual exploration and emotional manipulation. John engages in a series of emotionally charged power plays, pushing Elizabeth to her limits in a game of control and dominance. Their relationship borders on emotional abuse and control, with John using manipulation tactics to push boundaries without clear consent. Today, the film would face criticism for romanticizing unhealthy power dynamics and emotional manipulation.
4 Pretty Woman (1990)
Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
While Pretty Woman is a popular romantic comedy, it romanticizes a relationship between a wealthy businessman, Edward Lewis, and a sex worker, Vivian Ward. The film oversimplifies complex issues surrounding class dynamics and consent, presenting a problematic narrative that love can conquer all barriers. By glossing over the inherent power imbalances and the challenges faced by sex workers, the film perpetuates harmful fantasies about the potential for a fairy-tale romance in an exploitative situation. In today’s context, the film’s romanticized portrayal of a relationship between a wealthy client and a sex worker would be met with criticism for its inappropriate and unrealistic depiction.
The psychological thriller, Sleeping with the Enemy, portrays an abusive relationship, with the protagonist, Laura Burney, fleeing from her controlling and violent husband. While the film highlights the dangers of abuse, it still somewhat romanticizes the idea of love conquering all. Laura’s husband, Martin, is portrayed as possessive and controlling, exhibiting violent behavior. The film’s depiction of the relationship may inadvertently send mixed messages, suggesting that love can overcome abusive tendencies. In today’s context, the film would face scrutiny for potentially normalizing or romanticizing abusive relationships.
2 Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Focus Features
Brokeback Mountain is considered a landmark film for LGBTQ+ representation. However, the movie depicts a secretive and often painful relationship between two closeted gay men, Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist. While the film sheds light on the struggles faced by the LGBTQ+ community, it showcases a relationship marked by secrecy, fear, and societal pressures. The characters’ inability to openly embrace their love perpetuates the idea that same-sex relationships are inherently problematic or tragic. In today’s context, there is a greater demand for authentic LGBTQ+ representation that moves away from the tragic narrative and offers more positive, diverse portrayals.
1 Twilight (2008)
Summit Entertainment
This wildly popular franchise centers around the relationship between Edward Cullen, a vampire, and Bella Swan, a human. While Twilight captivated a massive fan base, it also showcases an unhealthy obsession and possessiveness. Edward’s controlling behavior, constant surveillance, and refusal to respect Bella’s boundaries are portrayed as signs of love and protection. This portrayal can blur the lines between love and control, sending a problematic message to impressionable audiences. In today’s context, the film would face criticism for romanticizing abusive and possessive behaviors.
“Eileen,” which debuted to mostly positive reviews at this year’s Sundance film festival, will arrive in theaters amid the year-end awards season rush. Neon has slated the 1960s-set queer melodrama, starring Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway, for a platform release in New York City and Los Angeles on Dec. 1 before going wide on Dec. 8.
Based on Ottessa Moshfegh’s novel of the same name, “Eileen” concerns a young secretary becoming enchanted by and then befriending, a glamorous new counselor at the prison where she works. Their friendship amid a harsh 1964 Massachusetts winter takes a twisted turn when Rebecca reveals a dark secret and sets Eileen on a sinister path.
“Eileen” is directed by William Oldroyd from a screenplay courtesy of Moshfegh and Luke Goebel. They both serve as producers alongside the director and Anthony Bregman, Stefanie Azpiazu and Peter Cron. Alongside its top-billed stars, it features Shea Whigham, Marin Ireland and Owen Teague (who will soon headline the next “Planet of the Apes” movie alongside Freya Allen).
Hathaway’s 25-year career mostly speaks for itself, while McKenzie has quickly become a must-see talent since her breakout in Debra Granik’s “Leave No Trace” in 2017. Granik’s “Winter’s Bone” put Jennifer Lawrence on the map (and gave the future star her first Oscar nomination) in 2010, so maybe Granik should get more money to make more movies. Since the 2017 drama, McKenzie has starred in M. Night Shyamalan’s “Old,” Edgar Wright’s “Last Night In SoHo” and Taika Waititi’s “Jojo Rabbit” among other projects.
Everyone seems to love simple flower nail designs, especially A-listers and nail art connoisseurs Lizzo, Selena Gomez, and Hailey Bieber. The only thing that’s not to love? How complicated creating the floral looks can be.
Fortunately, nail pros insist that flower nail designs don’t have to be over the top to make a stylish impact. “We’re seeing an increase in floral mani popularity, especially minimal floral patterns,” Juli Russell, DIY Nail Expert for Sally Beauty, tells Glamour. As for why that is? “They’re easy to create and more importantly, easy to customize and make your own,” she says. “A lot of very cute floral manicures can be done using your fave summer polishes and a dotting tool, which is a nail art tool that has rounded sides for creating perfect dots.”
It’s true: you really don’t need a huge arsenal of polishes to create a fun and trendy summer manicure (though it doesn’t hurt either). For example, Russell created this minimal white design using just a nail art tool, the technique to which can be applied to any nail polish color you like.
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“Electric Blue is also super popular this season,” Russell adds. “Check out his mix-n-match french manicure using a bright, electric blue from Kokie in the shade ‘Atlantis at Last, or this fabulous cherry blossom manicure that’s like sipping on an Arizona Green Tea.”
To create the look, Russell used a tiny dotting tool and a nail striping brush. “The shades I picked from Nailboo’s ‘Max Gloss’ collection are bursting with vibrant color, shine like crazy, and won’t budge for days. It’s the perfect blend of beauty and beverage-inspired creativity,” she says.
Before starting your floral mani, Russell suggests grabbing a pack of dotting tools to help you create the designs. “They come with an assortment of sizes so you can create a smaller floral print with the small sizes or flip the tool and use the larger end,” she says. And if you’re truly a total beginner, there’s still no need to worry: This Nail Art 101 Basics video from DIY University by Sally Beauty explains in depth how to use dotting tools and other nail art accessories.
It is always interesting to see how cinema represents different aspects of our society. Casinos and gambling are no exception. Depending on the movie, casinos can be portrayed as romantic, exciting, and glamorous places, or as dark and dangerous establishments where people lose not only their money but their lives as well. It is curious that no movie about online casinos has been made yet, it would be an interesting story, especially about best online casinos in Sweden. At the same time, each director has a specific idea in mind through which he wants to show people a specific aspect of the industry or create a certain impression on the viewer. We will see two main representations of the casino in the cinema.
The casino as a place of problems and addiction
“21: Blackjack” (21, 2008)
This film, based on true events, shows how a group of students from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology use their math skills to cheat the casinos in Las Vegas by playing blackjack. While they initially enjoy success, they eventually face the consequences of their deceit.
“The Gambler” (Owning Mahowny, 2003)
This film, based on true events, tells the story of a bank employee who suffers from compulsive gambling and who stole millions of dollars to satisfy his addiction.
Romanticism of casinos and gambling
“Casino Royale” (2006)
This movie about James Bond, the spy 007, presents the casino as a place of luxury and excitement. Bond engages in a high-stakes game of poker against his adversary, creating an image of the casino as an arena for intrigue and heroic fighting.
“Ocean’s Eleven: Match Up” (2001)
In this film, a group of professional thieves plan to rob three casinos in Las Vegas. Casinos here are portrayed as shining symbols of wealth and glamour.
The purpose of these representations and their closeness to reality
Films that expose casino issues often seek to draw attention to gambling-related issues, such as gambling addiction and criminal activity. These movies are close to reality in that they show the possible consequences of gambling.
On the other hand, movies that romanticize casinos often use these scenes for dramatic effect and introduce elements of luxury and excitement. However, they can give a distorted representation of reality, diverting the focus from the possible risks and negative consequences of participating in games of chance.
Ultimately, how accurately the cinema portrays reality depends on the specific film. However, it’s important to remember that while film can be a powerful storytelling tool, it often romanticizes or simplifies complex issues in order to entertain an audience.
At the same time, it is impossible to say which of the presented films shows the most realistic image, since the casino is a multifaceted area. With all the glitter, it really does have issues that everyone should know about. For this reason, all the films presented in this selection are mandatory viewing, because the truth, as always, is in the middle. Therefore, everyone must find it for themselves.
Wreckage of the Titan submersible has been lifted out of the water at St John’s, Newfoundland. All five people on board the vessel died on 18 June after it imploded about 90 minutes into a dive to view the famous 1912 shipwreck, which sits at a depth of 3,800m (12,500ft) in the north Atlantic.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre canceled a planned appearance on ABC’s The View on Wednesday because of the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike.
The show employs some writers who are represented by the WGAE East. The View has continued airing new episodes since the strike began.
A White House official said in a statement, “Out of respect for striking writers, we pulled down our scheduled appearance on The View. President Biden and his entire administration sincerely hope that the writers’ strike gets resolved – and writers are given the fair deal they deserve – as soon as possible.” Jean-Pierre’s appearance had been promoted for Wednesday’s show.
President Joe Biden weighed in on the strike last month, telling a White House reception, “I sincerely hope the writers’ strike in Hollywood gets resolved, and the writers are given a fair deal they deserve as soon as possible.”
A spokesperson for ABC referred questions to the White House. CBS News first reported on the canceled appearance.
Last week, Dermot Mulroney walked off the set of The View in solidarity with writers. He had been promoting his new Disney+ Marvel series Secret Invasion.
Amazon Prime Day is a great opportunity to snag yourself a new electric toothbrush. These high-powered devices can clean away more plaque than a manual toothbrush can. Although the actual sales event hasn’t started yet, it’s a good chance to get clued up on what to buy, when the sales begin, and how to get the best deals.
When you’re browsing the best electric toothbrushes online, it can be difficult to tell what’s truly good value: there’s just so much jargon around toothbrushes, complicating a seemingly very simple action, which can make it difficult to identify the really good deals. Many toothbrushes also seem almost artificially inflated in price.
So which of the Amazon Prime Day deals are really any good? Fortunately, we’ve written enough about electric toothbrushes to really know our stuff, and we’re on hand to tell you when the deals are happening, how to spot a good value discount, and we’ve got some examples of last year’s discounts.
Today’s best electric toothbrush deals
No matter where you live, you’ll find all the lowest prices for top electric toothbrushes like Oral-B, Philips Sonicare and more from around the web right here, with offers available where you are.
Amazon Prime Day electric toothbrush deals: FAQs
When will Amazon Prime Day electric toothbrush deals be available?
Amazon Prime Day 2023 is actually a sales event stretching across two days, 11-12 July 2023. From one minute past midnight on 11 July, you’ll be able to take advantage of some great bargains on electric toothbrushes which usually cost hundreds of dollars or pounds. We’ll be online recommending all the deals we can find, from the ultra-premium Oral-B iO Series 10, to the cheap-and-cheerful Colgate Hum series.
Deals that disappear over the course of those two days, known as Lightning deals, might not come back again during the sales event, so if you see a discount on a toothbrush you like, there’s not much point closing your browser and checking again in a few hours’ time, as it may be gone.
Instead, get clued up on the sort of toothbrush you might want in the days prior to the sale, so you know what to look for when the deals do appear. Some very early deals also crop up in the days leading up to the sales event, presumably so Amazon can entice more people to start checking the site for the discounts they want ahead of time.
Do I need to get Amazon Prime to get the best electric toothbrush deals?
Yes, to put it bluntly. Amazon loves to run sales events exclusive to Prime members in order to entice people to sign up to its premium service, so some discounts will be hidden from, or inaccessible to, non-Prime members.
Fortunately, it’s great value if you’re a regular Amazon user, but you can cancel after the event is over if you don’t want to pay that $14.99 / £8.99 / AU$9.99 subscription service price. More on that in a minute.
Which electric toothbrush should I buy on Amazon Prime Day?
That’s a tough one, and it will all depend on your budget and needs. If you’re prepared to spend hundreds of pounds or dollars, you’re likely to get a much bigger discount (for example, in the US, you might get a $400 toothbrush marked down to $250) than you would on a cheaper toothbrush, so the more you spend, the more you’ll save. An Oral-B iO Series brush, is probably your best best.
However, when it comes to cheaper toothbrushes, you might be able to get brushes like the Colgate Hum or Ordo Sonic+ for half price or more. Don’t forget about replacement heads either, as bundle deals will crop up: shop right, and you could get a year’s worth of brushing on the cheap.
How to get access to the Amazon Prime Day electric toothbrush deals for free
When you sign up to Amazon Prime, you get your first 30 days with the service free. When you’re finished shopping the deals, you can simply cancel your Prime subscription before the 30-day mark and you’ll never have to pay a thing for the service.
However, it is a good opportunity to see what you get with Amazon Prime, including Prime Video (one of our best streaming services), Priem Music, Gaming and of course free delivery from Amazon itself. More about this below:
Last year’s Amazon Prime Day electric toothbrush deals
Below are a few examples of the deals that came up last year in the UK and the US. This should give you a good indication of the discounts that will be on offer this time.
YouTube now requires users who run fan accounts to “make it obvious” in their channel name or handle that they don’t actually represent the company or artist that their account revolves around. That’s according to an update spotted earlier by 9to5Google, which says the new impersonation policy goes into effect on August 21st, 2023.
Previously, YouTube’s policies never carved out rules for fan accounts. It simply stated that channels designed to impersonate other channels or specific people aren’t allowed on the platform. But now, fan accounts must be clear that they aren’t affiliated with whoever their accounts are dedicated to or else risk having their account or channel deleted.
“Content intended to impersonate a person or channel is not allowed on YouTube,” YouTube spokesperson Ivy Choi says in a statement to The Verge. “Starting today, to further protect Creators from impersonation and help viewers better identify content from fan channels, we’re requiring fan channels to explicitly state so in their channel name or handle.”
Under the new rules, YouTube says any channels that claim to be a fan account in their description but end up “posing as another’s channel and reuploading their content” won’t be allowed. The company adds that the update will “help genuine fan channels know exactly how you can celebrate your favorite creators” and that it also protects “original creators from content and channels that are impersonating them.”
In Joaquín del Paso’s new gut punch of a morality tale, a group of teenagers master machismo at an exclusive summer camp in the Mexican countryside. The true-believer counselors are devoted to training the boys to become Christian tough guys, and if that means looking the other way as the kids bully the possibly gay kid, so be it.
Not that the men aren’t watching the teens carefully because they are — through binoculars as they roughhouse shirtless. When the campers find a hole in a fence that divides them from the impoverished town outside, and one of the boys goes missing, it sets in motion a sinister force — of human, not supernatural, origin — with “Lord of the Flies”-style consequences.
Emotionally gripping and formally icy, this is horror of the uncomfortable kind, thanks to a script by del Paso and Lucy Pawlak, that’s an exercise in brutality. Take the scene in which two of the teens sense an attraction brewing, and for seconds the camp’s demented lessons in manhood disappear and tenderness takes their place. Their bliss doesn’t last long, because that would get in the way of this skin-crawling film’s expedition to excoriate toxic masculinity, religious radicalism and class and racial entitlements.
Animated horror films intended for adults don’t come around often these days, so I’m stoked to shout hallelujah for this very funny, stupidly gory horror-comedy from the “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” co-creator Matthew Maiellaro.
The story is set in a “pastademic” world where gluten is banned. After being disqualified at the Global Pasta Championship for using bootleg gluten, the billionaire pasta maker Alfredo Manicotti (Dana Snyder) tracks down a hidden gluten reserve. But when he and a security guard, Al Dente Bob (William Sanderson), accidentally fall into a toxic vat of the stuff, it turns them into pasta monsters and gives Alfredo the ability to summon bow-tie demons. Drunk on power and blind to the needs of his spoiled daughter, Emma (Lauren Holt), Alfred sets out to install a “newdle world order” where gluten reigns.
That paragraph barely scratches the surface of the cuckoo course this witty, boisterously animated (and free!) film takes. Snyder and Sanderson have stellar comic timing, and their performances elevate the potty-punny humor to whip-smart levels. Sorry, but not sorry: This movie will mac you smile.
Newt (Timothy Morton) and his wife, Ollie (Audra Todd), show up one day at a small church in 1930s Kentucky to ask James (Ted Ferguson), the cranky old pastor, to bless the house they just moved into, claiming it’s inhabited by a dark spirit. James begrudgingly agrees, but on his first attempt all he finds is a ramshackle house and a dead raccoon. But when James returns, he faces an evil entity that makes him question who, exactly, is the real monster in the house.
If it’s haunted house mayhem you want, see “The Boogeyman”; this film walks in the opposite direction. The writer-director Dane Sears delivers a tender but chilling parable about the consequences of unexamined grief and loss; he’s as confident keeping his camera still for long stretches to let darkness do its thing, even if his actors are often too pitched or muted, as he is racing it around. Some horror fans may find the film too spare to be scary, but I savored its austere unfussiness. The real star is the landscape of rural Bourbon County, Ky., where Sears was raised and where he shot parts of his film.
Jessica (Jessica Sula), a rookie second-generation police officer, asks to be assigned to work the night shift at the station where, one year before, her father killed several colleagues and himself after he helped rescue three cult members in the grip of a Manson-like leader named John Malum (Chaney Morrow). As Jessica wanders the darkened hallways and keeps an eye on the deranged man she locked up in a holding cell, she discovers she’s not alone in a place that may itself be under Malum’s sinister supernatural spell.
According to its production notes, Anthony DiBlasi’s movie is an “expanded reimagining” of “Last Shift” (2014), his smaller and scrappier (and to me, superior) film. This version is a similar and equally intense fever dream that reminded me of the terrifying where-are-we mysteries of “The Void.” It’s good-looking too, thanks to Sean McDaniel’s menacing cinematography and Russell FX’s extra-gory makeup effects. Hats off to DiBlasi and his co-writer, Scott Poiley, for being so ambitious with genre; they serve cultism, occultism, a monster, a ghost, comedy, sci-fi and family drama. By the end of the film I was stuffed, but horror fans with more maximalist tastes will be satiated.
Creepypasta, for those unfamiliar with the term, describes online horror stories that depict uncanny nightmare realms; some go viral, like Momo and Slender Man.
This entertaining anthology compiles 10 creepypasta fictions from eight directors folded into a framing device about a man who finds a mysterious thumb drive in a house of horrors. The films vary in polish, fright and budget, but they’re generally eerie and all short, in some cases just a few minutes long — a nice departure from some of the bloatedness in the “V/H/S” franchise.
My favorite is Tony Morales’s “BEC,” a macabre meditation on mortality. Filmed in blue-tinted black and white (and told in Spanish), it’s about an older woman who wanders her home with her mouth covered in a filthy CPAP mask as a record player plays a warped rendition of “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” You don’t need me to tell you that a wolf isn’t what she should be afraid of.
And while you’re here, I’d like to make *my* case for Ugly Betty, Superstore, The Floor is Lava, A Stitch in Time, and of course Selling Sunset. Share your favourite comfort shows in the comments below!
Some responses were edited for length and/or clarity.
“It’s always nice to know that people appreciate you, and this award is really given because of what folks feel like I’ve done for the culture,” Goldberg said in a video message, accepting the Social Impact Award from presenter Macy Gray and thanking Hollywood Unlocked for the recognition.
The East Coast-based Goldberg didn’t travel to L.A. for the awards ceremony, held at the Beverly Hilton on Tuesday night. Instead, the EGOT winner recorded her acceptance speech from home, gleefully thanking “everyone who thought this [honor] was a good idea” and sharing how wonderful it was to hear that her accomplishments were appreciated.
“As you well know, many people get a little annoyed with me when I’m talking about the culture. But I’m glad you all were not mad enough at me to say, ‘I’m not giving this award to you,’” Goldberg joked. “Because I really feel like I’m standing on the shoulders of a lot of people. Whether it’s somebody like Cicely Tyson or Marian Anderson or Pearl Bailey, I just feel like the impact I have is because of the impact I’ve seen. So, when you’ve seen people make an impact, you feel like you could do the same thing.”
As the first Black woman to achieve the coveted EGOT (winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award for her work), Goldberg is a trailblazer — which fits in with the Impact Awards’ mission to celebrate change-makers across the music, film, media, political, social and creative industries for their accomplishments and contributions to the Black community.
The third annual awards ceremony was hosted by Tiffany Haddish, who happens to be a close friend of Goldberg’s (and former co-star in the 2018 comedy “Nobody’s Fool”). In Variety’s 2021 cover story celebrating the 30th anniversary of Goldberg’s Oscar win for “Ghost,” Haddish discussed the impact the comedian had on her future career.
“I didn’t understand the enormity of what an Oscar was at that time. All I knew was that she deserved it,” Haddish shared, explaining that, “For so many hundreds of years, we’ve been told, ‘You can’t do this. You can’t do that. You’re restricted ’cause of this.’ But when you see someone [like Goldberg] do it, you think, ‘If they can do it, I can do it too.’”
And Goldberg wasn’t the only person who appeared via video — Vice President Kamala Harris also recorded a special message shouting out Hollywood Unlocked CEO Jason Lee “for his work in advancing and protecting the culture with the Impact Awards.”
One of the evening’s most powerful speeches was delivered by Grammy-nominated singer and actor Bailey (“Swarm,” “Praise This”), who received the Fearlessness Award. Bailey walked the carpet with her sister, “The Little Mermaid’s” Halle Bailey, though “Good Trouble” and “Insecure” star Sarunas Jackson presented her the trophy, which celebrates an individual who “faces the world unafraid and unapologetic.”
In her remarks, Bailey was candid about how she’s learned to overcome self-doubt and embrace her vulnerability.
“You know I don’t sugarcoat everything, so let me be honest and tell you when I was told that I was the recipient of the Fearlessness Award, I was a little apprehensive. In fact, it was somewhere between apprehension and terrified,” she began. “Over the past few years there have been so many times where I didn’t feel fearless at all. It may sound crazy, but I felt the opposite of fearless.”
Bailey said that she felt vulnerable, worrying that her art wouldn’t translate or be what people expected from her — or that she wouldn’t be able to be successful without her sister Halle as her “partner in art.”
Chlöe and Halle Bailey at the Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards.
Michael Buckner for Variety
“I felt vulnerable and bare, and then I realized that’s the whole point of being fearless. Doing it anyway because you believe in it,” Bailey said as the audience burst into applause. “Sure, I could create my art and lock it away for only me but I chose to share it. I chose to stand with my head high and say, ‘This is me, accept it or don’t.’”
It can feel “lonely” and “isolating” to put yourself out there, Bailey explained, “but you cannot even attempt to find your worth until you embrace your vulnerability, until you conquer your self-doubt and your fear. It’s a lifelong journey.”
Bailey concluded her speech with a call to action for the next generation: “Feel those vulnerabilities and those doubts. Conquer it and overcome it. It won’t be easy, and I’m still working on it. Be fearless.”
Haddish pulled double duty as host and presenter, saluting image architect (and recently retired top fashion stylist) Law Roach with the Innovator Award, which is awarded to an individual who has proven longevity and consistency in their field, with crossover appeal to help “bridge the gap between entertainment and the world.”
Hollywood Unlocked also saluted 12-time Grammy winner Babyface, who received his Icon award from Tyrese Gibson. Evan Ross presented the Community Award to Catherine Brewton, VP of creative at Broadcast Music, Inc. And, in recognition of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, rapper Joyner Lucas presented the Culture Award to the late Tupac. The influential rapper’s sister Sekyiwa ‘Set’ Shakur accepted the award, stating, “A voice for the culture is not just a trend but a call to action.”
Guests at the black-tie gala included Yvette Nicole Brown, Fat Joe, Floyd Mayweather, Eric Bellinger and Michael Blackson, who were entertained with performances from Muni Long, who sang a sultry rendition of her hit “Hrs & Hrs”; Chrisean Rock, who took the stage for a surprise performance of “Vibe”; and Jonathan McReynolds, who closed the show with a rousing gospel tune.
Tiffany Haddish and Jason Lee at the Hollywood Unlocked Impact Awards.
Michael Buckner for Variety
Cobie Smulders has been a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for over a decade.
Originally appearing as SHIELD agent Maria Hill in 2012’s The Avengers, Smulders would reprise her role in five movies and three television series.
Photo: Marvel
Despite being featured prominently in the advertising and build-up for the new Disney+ series Secret Invasion, we may have seen the last of Maria Hill after just one episode. In a shocking twist, the former SHIELD agent met her end in the series premiere, “Resurrection.”
“I Don’t Have Anything to Complain About”
Despite the abrupt end to her storied Marvel career, Smulders is thankful.
Photo: Marvel
“This has been an amazing run. What a dream job,” Smulders tells The Hollywood Reporter. “On paper, the credits are great, but … every production I’ve done has been an absolute blast with amazing people. So I really don’t have anything to complain about.”
While Smulders is taking her MCU exit in stride, she was surprised that her character’s death didn’t leak.
The final scene of Secret Invasion‘s premiere episode was filmed at The Piece Hall in Halifax, West Yorkshire, with background artists and onlookers galore.
Photo: Marvel
“There were a lot of people around, so I’m surprised that there wasn’t an image that got leaked. I guess that’s the respect that Marvel has earned over the last decade, which is like, ‘Don’t spoil it for people.’ And nobody did, thankfully,” Smulders says.
An Emotional Farewell
What made Hill’s death all the more shocking, is that it was Samuel L. Jackson, as a fake Nick Fury, who pulled the trigger.
In the scene, Kingsley Ben-Adir’s Gravik shapeshifted into Fury, shooting an unsuspecting Hill. The real Nick Fury arrived just in time for Smulders and Jackson to have an emotional on-screen farewell.
Photo: Marvel
“It was strange and kind of dark, wasn’t it? It was kind of weird on the day, because that very violent moment was followed by a very emotional moment that Sam and I got to share,” Smulders recalls. “So I focused more on that last moment than the darkness of him actually doing that [as Skrull imposter Fury].”
Photo: Marvel
Secret Invasion is now airing on Disney+
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WARNING: This article includes MAJOR spoilers from Superman & Lois season 3, episode 13, “What Kills You Only Makes You Stronger.”The Superman & Lois season 3 finale introduced one of the Man of Steel’s biggest villains as fans are freaking out online about the character’s proper debut. While The CW is winding down its DC TV franchise, the network still has Superman & Lois, which will be back for season 4. However, before going on its new hiatus, the Superman & Lois season 3 finale had loose threads to wrap up as Lex Luthor unleashed Clark Kent’s biggest challenge yet.
SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAYSCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
After returning earlier this season, theSuperman & Lois season 3 finale brought a former villain’s arc full circle as he became the show’s version of Doomsday. With this being a huge surprise, fans freaked out across social media as the Man of Steel duked it out with the DC foe. Check out several reactions below:
How Superman & Lois’ Doomsday Differs From Past Versions
While Superman & Lois season 3 introduced Doomsday, the show takes a similar route to Zack Snyder’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Instead of adapting the comics, the show’s take on Doomsday is an evolved version of Bizarro, Superman’s doppelganger from the Inverse World. Similarly to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Lex Luthor had a major role in creating Doomsday.
After discovering the existence of Bizarro, Lex put the alternative Superman through cruel experiments and tortured him, that in turn, transformed him into Doomsday. This is almost the same approach as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, where Lex fused his blood with General Zod’s body which turned him into the dangerous creature. Given that the Superman & Lois season 3 finale ended with the battle unconcluded, the showdown will continue in the season 4 premiere.
If Superman & Lois season 4 ends up being the final season for the DC TV drama, it wouldn’t be shocking if the show plans to adapt The Death and Return of Superman as one of its last major storylines. Given the massive budget cuts for the upcoming season, it would make sense to have the Man of Steel die in the Superman & Lois season 4 premiere and eventually have him return throughout the season. But for now, time will tell what is in store for Superman & Lois season 4, which will likely premiere in 2024.
Behrooz Karamizade’s Iranian drama “Empty Nets,” which has its international premiere in the Crystal Globe Competition at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival, offers a sobering look at the increasingly difficult, sometimes hopeless lives of young working-class people in Iran as they strive for better lives.
Set on Iran’s northern Caspian Sea coast, the film follows Amir (Hamid Reza Abbasi), a young man who, desperate to marry his girlfriend Narges (Sadif Asgari), seeks work at a local fishery with the hope of earning enough money for an appropriate dowry and winning over her upper-class parents. Once there, illicit opportunities present themselves and he is soon drawn into the dangerous but lucrative business of sturgeon poaching and the black market caviar trade.
The Iranian-German director, who grew up in Germany, says he always wanted to shoot his first feature film in Iran. “I’m very impressed by Iranian cinema and I grew up with Iranian cinema. I thought my cinematic roots are in Iran and I have to go there and shoot my first film there.”
While his family is from southern Iran, Karamizade traveled to the northern region of the country, finding inspiration on the Caspian coast. “I am very connected to the sea; I am a very sea-addicted person. I love the sea and I love the different faces of the sea. I was always interested in fishermen, this very strong masculinity and very hierarchic, arcane people. One of my favorite stories was that of Captain Nemo – ‘Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea.’ I love these stories.”
Before making the film, Karamizade spent time with fishermen in the area while working on a photographic essay. It was then that he learned about the poaching.
In wanting to explore Iranian society, the filmmaker developed an allegorical tale set in the fishing community.
Behrooz Karamizade
Credit: Laura Nickel
“Our society is very male-dominated, which leaves very little place for other persons, other genders, to breath and develop themselves,” he notes.
The idea came to him to bring a young, innocent, naive, romantic person, still unspoiled by the hardships of life, into this world dominated by men and ruled by power – a role perfectly embodied by Abbasi. The fishery itself is a parable of a dictatorship, Karamizade adds.
In addition to underscoring the growing rift between the wealthy and working-class people of Iran and the economic hardship exacerbated by U.S. sanctions that hurt the poor much more than the elites, the film also examines the alarming environmental harm to marine ecosystems caused by trash, plastic waste and illicit fishing in the waters of the Caspian Sea.
As the once pristine nature is increasingly destroyed, so too is young Amir corrupted by the wrong decisions that he makes while working with the opportunistic and greedy men who manage the fishery, Karamizade points out.
There is a large elite in Tehran that enjoys a very good life but unfortunately the gap is getting bigger and bigger and many people are suffering, Karamizade says. “That’s also why I made the film. I wanted to understand the fishermen and also the poachers and why they are doing it. … But I also wanted to criticize them and I wanted to show that sometimes when you push people to the edge, they can do a lot of things that are not good for them and not good for the world. But we cannot judge them. We have to follow and see what was the route to this edge. I wanted to follow this – why Amir goes to the edge and what was his path to get to the edge.”
“Empty Nets”
Credit: Hamid Janipour
Karamizade also highlight the plight of Iran’s young people, who are suffering the most from the country’s economic situation. Lack of employment and good wages, for example, gravely limit the prospects for marriage, children and prosperity. The multitude of problems they face – economic difficulties, tradition, debt – keep them trapped in a seemingly hopeless situation as they stack up layer upon layer, he explains.
“All these young people are like fish in a net, gasping for air but they’re not getting air. … They are really suffering a lot.”
At the same time, he also wanted to present another image of Iran, of young people with a great deal of hope despite the dire situation, “to show the world these beautiful young faces.”
Karamizade shot “Empty Nets” on location in the northern Iranian coastal cities of Rasht and Bandar Anzali – a region whose damp climate and overcast skies evoked a melancholic and oppressive atmosphere the director and cinematographer Ashkan Ashkani (“There Is No Evil”) found ideal for the film.
Commenting on his own visual style, the importance of imagery and his use of locations, Karamizade said he was inspired by his mentor, Thomas Mauch, the DOP who collaborated with Werner Herzog on many of the director’s films, including “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” and “Fitzcarraldo.”
Karamizade currently has a German project in early development, a historical film set during World War II that he’s writing with Heide Schwochow (“The German Lesson”).
Based in Kassel and Berlin, Karamizade is one of four founders of Living Pictures Production, which co-produced the film with Basis Berlin Filmproduktion, Rainy Pictures, ZDF/Kleines Fernsehspiel and Arte. Port au Prince Pictures will release “Empty Nets” in Germany on Jan. 18.
Pluto Film is selling “Empty Nets” internationally. The company, which was taken over last year by Benjamin and Daniela Cölle, says the new acquisition perfectly represents its focus “on engaging global cinema through identifying emerging talents.”
Nouvelles Vagues, a new international festival dedicated to films about youth, is set to make a splashy debut Wednesday in Biarritz, a surf haven in southwestern France, with Penélope Cruz as its inaugural guest of honor.
Launching with partners such as Chanel and leading French pay TV banner Canal+, Nouvelles Vagues was founded by fashion veteran Jérôme Pulis, who worked at Christian Dior for 16 years and producer Sandrine Brauer. The pair have enlisted former Locarno artistic director Lili Hinstin as programming chief.
The festival is kicking off Wednesday evening with the screening of Tina Satter’s “Reality,” the Berlinale breakout film starring Sydney Sweeney, followed by a gala dinner hosted by Chanel. “Reality” was acquired by HBO Films for North America on the heels of its critically acclaimed world premiere at Berlin. Metropolitan FilmExport, the French distributor of “Reality,” is holding the local premiere of “Reality” at Nouvelles Vagues ahead of its theatrical release in August — a sign that the festival is perceived by French industry players as a potentially strong launchpad in a crowded marketplace.
The presence of Chanel is also indication of the festival’s pedigree. The haute couture brand, whose ambassadors include many film talent such as Cruz, Tilda Swinton and Kristen Stewart, has been cultivating a bond with the film world for nearly a century. The brand’s tradition of championing contemporary artists, filmmakers and talent has intensified in recent years, under Virginie Viard, the artistic director of Chanel who debuted at the house in 1987, worked as a costume designer on several films and took over from the late Karl Lagerfeld in 2019 after working alongside him for many years. Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel’s president of fashion, who is attending Nouvelles Vagues, said Chanel has “always had a strong relationship with cinema.”
“The House is committed to supporting singular and daring cinematographic projects. Each of these partnerships is based on close ties with filmmakers, costume designers and actresses close to the House, or linked to our history, and is part of Chanel’s unfailing commitment to supporting creation in all its forms,” said Pavlovsky.
Biarritz also symbolizes the birth of Chanel in 1915, when Gabrielle Chanel open her first couture house at her Villa Larralde, nestled in the beach town.
Along with showcasing films about youth, Nouvelles Vagues also boasts a jury of talent under 35, and an international jury of film schools. Presided over by Iranian director Saeed Roustaee, the jury comprises Lyna Khoudri (“Papicha”), Dali Benssalah (“Athena”), Camila Morrone (“Daisy Jones and the Six”), actor Noah Centineo (“Black Adam”), actor-filmmaker Francesca Scorsese (“We Are Who We Are”) and dancer-choreographer Léo Walk.
While being honored at Nouvelles Vagues, Cruz will present the French premiere of her latest film,”On The Fringe,” directed by Juan Diego Botto. Cruz, who also produced the film, will take part in a meeting with the public following the screening. Condor Distribution will release “On The Fringe” theatrically in France on July 5. “On The Fringe” played at Venice and was nominated for five Goyas this year.
The competition lineup includes eight films from Senegal, China, Canada, France, Italy, the U.K. and Spain. Among the films competing are Molly Manning Walker’s “How to Have Sex,” Ramata-Toulaye Sy’s “Banel & Adama,” and Zihan Geng’s “A Song Sung Blue” — all of which played at Cannes.
The “sex, lies, and videotape” auteur helms six-episode limited series “Full Circle” for HBO’s streaming platform Max. Soderbergh signed an overall first-look deal with HBO in January 2020.
“Full Circle” follows an investigation into a botched kidnapping that uncovers long-held secrets connecting multiple characters and cultures in present day New York City. Claire Danes and Timothy Olyphant star as affluent parents whose teenage son goes missing.
Zazie Beetz, Jim Gaffigan, Jharrel Jerome, CCH Pounder, Phaldut Sharma, Adia, Sheyi Cole, Gerald Jones, Suzanne Savoy, Ethan Stoddard, Lucian Zanes, and Dennis Quaid appear in the series, which premiered at 2023 Tribeca.
Ed Solomon (“No Sudden Move,” “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure”) wrote the series, with Soderbergh directing and executive producing. Fellow executive producer Solomon also penned Soderbergh’s previous series “Mosaic” starring Sharon Stone; Soderbergh additionally helmed show “The Knick” as well.
“Even by Ed’s standards this is a complex narrative that manages to be both kaleidoscopic and intimate,” Soderbergh said about Solomon’s storytelling in the upcoming series. “Our task now is to assemble a great cast and make sure we execute at the level the scripts deserve.”
The “Kimi” and “Magic Mike’s Last Dance” director recently addressed the debates over A.I. in writers’ rooms, saying he is “not afraid” of artificial intelligence penning better scripts due to its lack of humanity. “It’s never been hungover. It’s never made a meal for anybody it loved. It’s never been scared walking home late at night. It’s never felt insecure because somebody that it went to high school with 20 years ago has become incredibly successful,” Soderbergh said. “I’m not afraid of it. It’s just another tool. If it helps you finish a first draft of a script, great. But can it finish that thing and make it great on its own? Absolutely not.”
“Full Circle” premieres July 13 on Max. Check out the trailer below.
The soccer comedy directed and co-written by the New Zealand filmmaker is set for a Nov. 17 release from Searchlight Pictures after bowing in Toronto.
Based on a 2014 British documentary of the same name from Mike Brett and Steve Jamison, Next Goal Wins is an underdog story that follows the national football team of American Samoa and their coach, Thomas Rongen (Fassbender), as they try to transform from perennial losers into a FIFA World Cup-qualifying outfit.
The film stars Michael Fassbender, Will Arnett, Elisabeth Moss, Oscar Kightley, Kaimana, David Fane, Rachel House, Beulah Koale, Uli Latukefu and Semu Filipo.
Next Goal Wins was originally set to open in April 2023, but had to undergo reshoots when Armie Hammer exited the project after the actor was accused by multiple women of sexual assault. Arnett replaced Hammer in playing a soccer executive working at the Football Federation American Samoa, which required reshoots.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Taika back to the Festival and share his audacious take on the most popular sport in the world,” Cameron Bailey, CEO of TIFF, said ahead of his 48th edition to run from Sept. 7 to 17. Waititi was in Toronto for the world premiere of Jojo Rabbit, which won TIFF’s top audience award and an Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.
He was also in theaters with Marvel Studios’ Thor: Love and Thunder.
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