Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Jan. 14th to 20th, 2024 - Update #24

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

SCANDAL - From CNBC:  A New Mexico grand jury has indicted actor Alec Baldwin.  He is facing two separate types of "involuntary manslaughter" charges in relation to a fatal shooting on the New Mexico set of the Western film, "Rust." The charges are "Involuntary Manslaughter (Negligent Use of a Firearm)" and "Involuntary Manslaughter (Without Due Caution or Circumspection)."  On Oct. 21, 2021, Baldwin was handling a prop gun that discharged, killing Rust's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, and injuring the film's director Joel Souza. Rust has since been completed and is awaiting distribution.

From DocumentCloud:  Read the charges brought against Emmy-winning, Oscar-nominated actor, Alec Baldwin, in the accidental shooting death of cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, on the New Mexico set of the film, "Rust."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director Chad Stahelski will oversee the "Highlander" and "John Wick" franchises for Lionsgate.  Stahelski, who is set to direct the reboot of the 1986 fantasy film, "Highlander," has directed all four of the John Wick films, including the most recent, John Wick: Chapter 4.

MOVIES - From THR:  Oscar-nominated actor, Paul Mescal ("Aftersun"), does not want the upcoming "Gladiator 2" to make him more famous.

EMMYS - From Deadline:  The winners at the 2023 / 75th Primetime Emmy Awards were announced Monday night, January 15th, 2024.  HBO's "Succession," Hulu's "The Bear," and Netflix's "Beef" dominated the evening.

From Deadline:  Four members of the cast of the former Fox sitcom, "Martin," reunited at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards ceremony.  Martin Lawrence, Tisha Campbell, Carl Anthony Payne II, and Tichina Arnold reunited to present the "Lead Actor in a Comedy Series," which was won by Jeremy Allen White for "The Bear" (Hulu).

From USAToday:  At the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, actress Niecy Nash won "Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series" for her role as "Glenda Cleveland" in the Netflix series, "Dahmer - Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story."  Her Emmys speech paid tribute to "every Black and brown woman who has gone unheard," and she referenced Glenda and real-life victims of police violence, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor. 

From Variety:  With his recent Emmy win at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards for his Disney+ special, "Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium," Elton John becomes the 24th person to join the "EGOT Club."  To join the club, one must win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony Award.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The site examines why a number of broadcast network series are ending with their seventh season, including CBS' "Young Sheldon" and "S.W.A.T." and ABC's "The Good Doctor."

DISNEY - From Variety:  The Walt Disney Company and the National Football League (NFL) are in some kind of "earnest talks."  It could lead to the NFL buying a stake in Disney-owned ESPN and put the league's "NFL Media" unit under Disney's control.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 1/12 to 1/14/2024 weekend box office is Paramount Pictures' "Mean Girls" with an estimated take of 28 million dollars.

DISNEY - From TechCrunch:  Pixar will see a round of layoffs in 2024.  The number of people let go could be as high as 20%, seeing its team of 1300 employees fall to below 1000.

MOVIES - From THR:  Producers StudioCanal and Monumental Pictures have dropped the first international teaser trailer for the hotly anticipated "Back to Black," the upcoming music biopic on the late Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter and recording artist, Amy Winehouse.  Up-and-coming British actress Marisa Abela plays Amy Winehouse.  "Back to Black" will debut in the UK and Ireland on April 12th. Focus Features will release the film in the U.S. on May 10th.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  American actress, Joyce Randolph, has died at the age of 99, Saturday, January 13, 2024.  She was best known for portray the character, "Trixie Norton," wife of the late actor Art Carney's "Ed Norton," on "The Jackie Gleason Show (1952-57, CBS) and on the classic American television sitcom, "The Honeymooners" (1955-56, CBS)

From Deadline:  Film and television actress, Lynne Marta, has died at the age of 78, Thursday, January 11, 2024. Marta appeared in such films as the Clint Eastwood/Robert Duvall Western, "Joe Kid" (1972), the music driven teen drama, "Footloose" (1984).  However, Marta was a prolific TV actress. She appeared on 18 episodes of "Love, American Style" and was a guest star on numerous TV series over a four decade career, including "Barnaby Jones," "Charlie's Angels," "Designing Women," and "ER."

AWARDS:

From THR:  Key award season dates leading up to the 2024 / 96th Academy Awards, which are Sunday, March 10th, 2024.

From Variety:  The nominations for the 2024 / 77th EE BAFTA Film Awards have been announced.  "Oppenheimer" leads with 13 nominations, and "Poor Things" follows with 11 nominations.  The winners will be announced Feb. 18th.

From Variety:  The Producers Guild of America has announced the nominees for the 2024 / 35th annual Producers Guild Awards.  For the first time in the history of the awards, two international films, "Anatomy of a Fall" and "The Zone of Interest," have made been nominated in the PGA's top category, "Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures." The winners will be announced Feb. 25th.

From Variety:   The nominees for the 2024 / 51st Annie Awards have been announced.  Netflix's "Nimona" leads the features categories with nine nominations.  The winners will be announced Sat., Feb. 17th.

From Deadline:  The Screen Actors Guild nominations for the 2024 / 30th annual SAG Awards have announced. "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" leads the film side of things with four nominations apiece.  The winners will be announced Saturday, Feb. 24th.

From Variety:  The Directors Guild of America has announced the nominations for the 2024 / 76th DGA Awards.  In the top category, "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film of 2023," the nominees are Greta Gerwig for "Barbie," Christopher Nolan for “Oppenheimer,” Martin Scorsese for “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Yorgos Lanthimos for “Poor Things,” and Alexander Payne for “The Holdovers.”  The winners will be announced Feb. 10th.

From Variety:  The Motion Picture Sound Editors has revealed the nominations for the 71st annual MPSE Golden Reel Awards in categories spanning feature film, television, animation, computer entertainment and student productions.  The winners will be announced March 3rd.

From AwardsWatch: The Iowa Film Critics Association (IFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  Alexander Payne's "The Holdovers" won four awards, including "Best Picture."

From Variety:  The Visual Effects Society has announced the nominations for the 2024 / 22nd Annual VES Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Feb. 21st.

From AwardsWatch:  The North Dakota Film Society (NDFS) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won nine awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The Music City Film Critics Association has announces it MCFCA 2023 Film Awards.  Oppenheimer won seven awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  The Portland Critics Association (PCA) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won nine awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From Deadline:  The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) announced the 15th annual African-Ameri an Film Critics Awards. "American Fiction" was voted the #1 film and won four awards, including "Best Comedy." Ava DuVernay's "Origin" was voted the #2 film and won three awards, including "Best Drama." 

From Deadline:  The winners of the 2024 / 29th Annual Critics Choice Awards have been announced.  "Oppenheimer" won eight awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  The Hawaii Film Critics Society (HFCS) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Barbie" wins four awards, including "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Denver Film Critics Society (DFCS) has announced the winners of its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won four awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) revealed the nominees for the "2024 / 38th Annual ASC Awards" with categories in feature film, documentary, television and music video categories.  The winners will be announced March 3rd, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS) announced the winners in 21 categories for the 2023 Seattle Film Critics Society Awards.  Director Celine Song’s "Past Lives" was named the "Best Picture of 2023."

From AwardsWatch:  The Cinema Audio Society (CAS) has announced the nominations for the 60th CAS Awards.  The winners will be announced March 2nd.

From AwardsWatch:  The Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) has announced the nominations for the 28th Art Directors Guild Awards. The winners will be announced Feb. 10th.

From AwardsWatch:  The Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) has announced it 2024 ASTRA Film Awards.  "Barbie" won eight awards, including "Best Picture.

From AwardsWatch:  The Greater Western New York Film Critics Association (GWNYFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" was named "Best Picture."

From NSFC:  The National Society of Film Critics announce its 58th annual NSFC Awards.  "Past Lives" was named "Best Picture of 2023."

From Deadline:  The 2024 / 81st Golden Globes Awards ceremony was held Sun. night, Jan. 7th, 2024.  "Oppenheimer" won five awards, including "Best Motion Picture-Drama," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), "Best Actor-Drama" (Cillian Murphy), and "Best Supporting Actor-Motion Pictures" (Robert Downey, Jr.). "Poor Things" won "Best Motion Picture-Musical or Comedy."

From Deadline:  NIGHT 2 of the 75th Creative Arts Emmys took place Sun., Jan. 7th, 2024.  (Former) President Barack Obama and Keke Palmer were among the winners.

From Deadline:  NIGHT 1 of the 75th Creative Arts Emmys took place Sat., Jan. 6th, 2024.  HBO's "The Last of Us" lead the night with 8 wins, including wins in both "Guest Actor in a Drama Series" categories: Nick Offerman (Guest Actor) and Storm Reid (Guest Actress).

From AwardsWatch:  The 5th annual DiscussingFilm Critics Awards were announced.  "Oppenheimer" won eight awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:   The Utah Film Critics Association (UFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards. "Past Lives" won three awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Celine Song).

From AwardsWatch:  The Georgia Film Critics Association (GFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" won seven honors, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" was named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Columbus Film Critics Association (COFCA) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won six awards including "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese).

From AwardsWatch:  The Costume Designers Guild (Local 892) announced the official nominees list for the 26th CDGA (Costume Designers Guild Awards). The annual CDGA ceremony will take place Wed., Feb. 21st, 2024.

From Variety:   The British Academy has unveiled the results of the first round of voting across all 24 categories for the 2024 / 77th BAFTA Film Awards.  These results are known as "the longlists."  "Barbie," "Killers of the Flower Moon," and "Oppenheimer" all appeared on the longlist of 15 categories.  The nominations will be announced Jan. 18th, and the winners will be announced Feb. 18th.

From AwardsWatch:  The Oklahoma Film Critics Circle (OFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won five awards, including "Best Film," "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese), and "Best Actress" (Lily Gladstone).

From AwardsWatch:  The Critics Association of Central Florida (CACF) has announced the winners of its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won 10 awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan). 

From AwardsWatch:  U.K. Film Critics Association (UKFCA) has announced the winners of its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won three awards: "Best Film," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From Variety: The Make-Up Artists & Hair Stylists Guild (MUAHS, IATSE Local 706) has announced nominations for the 11th MUAHS Guild Awards. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 led with five mentions in the film categories and ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" led with four in the television categories. The winners will be announced Sunday, February 18, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Nevada Film Critics Society has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" won five awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  Florida Film Critics Circle (FFCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  Hayao's Miyazaki's anime film, "The Boy and the Heron" was named "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Black Film Critics Circle (BFCC) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "American Fiction" won six awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Cord Jefferson), and Best Actor (Jeffrey Wright).

From AwardsWatch:  The San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS) has announced its 2023 film awards.  Always trying to be difficult, it named "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" the "Best Picture."  It named Martin Scorsese "Best Director" for "Killers of the Flower Moon."

From AwardsWatch:  The Dublin Film Critics Circle has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" wins "Best Film" and "Best Director" (Celine Song)"

From AwardsWatch:  The North Texas Film Critics Association (NTFCA) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" wins five awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  The Southeaster Film Critics Association (SEFCA) has announces its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won eight awards including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy).

From AwardsWatch:  The Indiana Film Journalists Association (IFJA) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Poor Things" won six awards, including "Best Pictuere," "Best Director" (Yorgos Lanthmos), "Best Actress" (Emma Stone"), and "Best Supporting Actor" (Mark Ruffalo).

From AwardsWatch:  The Philadelphia Film Critics Circle (PFCC) has announced it 2023 film awards.  "Poor Things" won four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Yorgos Lanthimos), and "Best Actress" (Emma Stone).

From AwardsWatch:  The St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) has announced its 2023 awards.  "Oppenheimer" won seven awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy)

From AwardsWatch:  The Phoenix Film Critics Society (PFCS) has named its 2023 film awards.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture."  Oppenheimer wins six, including "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The Dallas-Ft. Worth Film Critics Association (DFWFCA) has named its 2023 films awards.  "The Holdovers" wins "Best Picture."  "Oppenheimer" wins four, including "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA) have announced their 2023 film awards.  "The Zone of Interest" wins "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (for Jonathan Glazer).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2023 Boston Online Film Critics Association (BOFCA) awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture," one of two awards its won.  "Oppenheimer" wins five, including a "Best Director" for Christopher Nolan.

From AwardsWatch:  The nominations for the 2024 / 24th annual Black Reel Awards have been announced.  "The Color Purple" leads with 19 nominations.  The winners will be announced Jan. 16th, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Phoenix Critics Circle (PCC) has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Past Lives" wins "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The New York Film Critics Online (NYFCO) have named "Killers of the Flower Moon" the "Best Film" of 2023.  Christopher Nolan wins "Best Director" for "Oppenheimer."

From AwardsWatch:  The Las Vegas Film Critics Society have named "Oppenheimer" the "Best Picture" of 2023, with the film's director, Christopher Nolan, winning "Best Director."

From AwardsWatch:  The winners at the 2023 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" wins "Best Picture," and Christopher Nolan wins "Best Director" for "Oppenheimer."

From THR:   The winners at the 2023 / 49th annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards have been announced.  The Holocaust historical drama, "The Zone of Interest," wins four awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Jonathan Glazer), and "Best Actress" (Sandra Huller).

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2024 / 29th annual Critics Choice Awards have been announced. "Barbie" leads with 18 nominations.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2024 / 81st annual Golden Globe Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Jan. 7th, 2024 on CBS and Paramount Plus.

From AwardsWatch:  The Las Vegas Film Critics have announced their 2023 LVFC Awards nominations.  "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" are the leading vote getters.  The winners will be announced Wed., Dec. 13th.

From THR:  The winners at the 2023 European Film Awards have been announced.  "Anatomy of a Fall" won five awards including for "Best Film," "Best Director" (Justine Triet), and "Best Actress" (Sandra Huller).

From AwardsWatch:  The 2023 National Board of Review film honors have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" won "Best Film," "Best Director" (Martin Scorsese), and "Best Actress" (Lily Gladstone).

From AwardsWatch:  The American Film Institute (AFI) names its top ten films: American Fiction, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, May December, Oppenheimer, Past Lives, Poor Things, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.  It also names its top ten television series: Abbott Elementary, The Bear, Beef, Jury Duty, The Last of Us, The Morning Show, Only Murders in the Building, Poker Face, Reservation Dogs, and Succession.

From AwardsWatch:  "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" lead the nominations for "Astra Film & Creative Arts Awards," which are put on by the "Hollywood Creative Alliance" (formerly known as the Hollywood Critics Association).  The winners will be announced Jan. 6th, 2024 in Los Angeles.

From Deadline:  At the 2023 / 26th British Independent Film Awards, director Andrew Haigh's "All of Us Strangers" won seven awards, including "Best British Independent Film."

From Variety:  The winners at the 2023 / 89th New York Film Critics Circle Awards have been announced.  "Killers of the Flower Moon" (directed by Martin Scorsese) was named "Best Film of 2023."  Christopher Nolan won "Best Director" for his film, "Oppenheimer."

From Variety:  The winners at the 2023 / 33rd Annual Gotham Awards were announced Mon., Nov. 27th.  Writer-director Celine Song's South Korean romantic drama, "Past Lives" won the "Best Feature" award.

BEST PICTURE COUNT:

All of Us Strangers: 1

American Fiction: 2

Barbie: 2

The Boy and the Heron: 1

The Holdovers: 2

Killers of the Flower Moon: 9

Oppenheimer: 16

Past Lives: 7

Poor Things: 3

The Zone of Interest: 2

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 13th to 19th, 2021 - Update #23

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BLM - From Variety:   Ms. Opal Lee, the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," and Grammy Award-winning recording artist, Pharrell Williams, talk about their fight for the "Juneteenth" holiday.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:   Netflix has given a 10-episode straight-to-series order to a half-hour workplace comedy inspired by the front office of the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers. The project hails from Mindy Kaling, former star/executive producer of one of the all-time great workplace comedy series, "The Office;" "Modern Family" alumna Elaine Ko; Lakers’ President and Governor Jeanie Buss; and Warner Bros. TV.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   "Mortal Kombat" actor Hiroyuki Sanada has joined "John Wick: Chapter 4."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  CBS latest "NCIS" installment, "NCIS: Hawaii," has begun production in Hawaii with a traditional Hawaii blessing.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. will finance the biopic of music legend, Marvin Gaye, entitled "What's Going On."  At 80 million dollars, it will be the biggest budget for an American-African musical biopic.  Allen Hughes will direct with Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine among the producers.  The Gaye estate and Motown are also onboard the production.

CULTURE - From YahooNews:   President Joe Biden and Vice-President Kamala Harris have signed "Juneteenth" (June 19th) into a federal holiday - beginning immediately.

POLITICS - From APNews:   The U.S. Supreme Court upholds the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as "Obamacare," a third time.

LGBTQ - From Queerty:   In honor of Pride Month, actor and Grammy-nominated recording artist Adam Lambert declares, "I like dick."

STAR TREK - From YouTube:  Here is a new teaser trailer for "Star Trek: Picard" Season 2, which debuts next year. 

From TrekCore:  The site offers a breakdown of the new teaser trailer for "Star Trek: Picard" Season 2.

ANIMATION - From YahooNBC:   Last week a Warner Bros. representative announced that “Scooby-Doo” character, "Velma Dinkley," would be reprised as East Asian in Mindy Kaling’s new adult HBO Max show.  This article addresses the social media reaction (some of it racist) to the news.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Zoe Kravitz will make her directorial debut with the film, "Pussy Island."  In this genre thriller, Channing Taturm will play a tech billionaire with a mysterious tropical island.

MUSIC - From RollingStone:   Roger Waters has said that Facebook approached him about using the 1979 Pink Floyd classic song, “Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2," which Waters wrote, in an upcoming advertisement for Instagram (which Facebook owns).  Despite the offer of a "huge, huge amount of money," Waters turned down the offer - saying "Fuck You. No fuckin' way."

NETFLIX - From Variety:   Jeb Stuart, who wrote such late 1980/early 1990s movies such as "Die Hard" (1988), "Another 48 Hours" (1990), and "The Fugitive" (1993), will write Netflix's "Assassin's Creed" TV series.

STAR TREK - From Deadline:   Paramount+ and Nickelodeon's animated "Star Trek: Prodigy" reveals its cast and unveils some first-look images.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  "Sideways" director Alexander Payne and star Paul Giamatti reunite for "poignant" comedy, "The Holdovers."

SCANDAL - From YahooNews:   Exclusive: Saudi assassins picked up illicit drugs in Cairo to kill "Washington Post" columnist, Jamal Khashoggi, in 2018 in the Saudi Arabian consulate in Turkey.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 6/11 to 3/13/2021 weekend box office is "In the Heights" with an estimated gross of 11.4 million dollars.

From Variety:  "A Quiet Place II" has become the first movie of the pandemic era to surpass $100 million in U.S. tickets sales.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:   Melissa McCarthy and Ben Falcone’s Netflix comedy series, God’s Favorite Idiot," has wrapped up production earlier than expected in Australia, and "Deadline" explains why.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   The CW has rounded out the cast for its original made-for-TV movie "The Waltons’ Homecoming."  The Waltons’ Homecoming marks the 50th anniversary of "The Homecoming: A Christmas Story" television movie, which aired December 19, 1971, and launched the long-running series "The Waltons," created by Earl Hamner.

OBITS:

From THR:   The television actor and director, Frank Bonner, has died at the age of 79, Wednesday, June 16, 2021.  Bonner was best known for the role of "Herb Tarlek" on the former CBS sitcom, "WKRP in Cincinnati" (1978-82).  Bonner was also a prolific director of episodic TV and directed all 105 episodes of the former NBC Saturday morning TV series, "City Guys" (1997-2001).

From YahooEntertainment:   The stage, screen, and television actress, Lisa Banes, has died at the age of 35, Monday, June 14, 2021, a victim of a hit and run accident in New York City.  She was hospitalized June 4th after being struck by a scooter or motorcycle while crossing Amsterdam Avenue at 64th Street, in a crosswalk, on Manhattan's Upper West Side.  Her best known film work includes "Cocktail" (1988) and "Gone Girl" (2014).  She appeared in numerous TV series, including "L.A. Law," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Murder, She Wrote," "Son of the Beach," and "Nashville," to name a few.

From Deadline:   The prolific film actor, Ned Beatty, has died at the age of 83, Sunday, June 13, 2021.  Beatty had more than 160 screen credits, so his "best known for" list his long.  His most notorious role was probably as rape victim, Bobby Trippe, in 1972's Deliverance.  He also had memorable turns in "White Lightning" (1973), "Superman" (1972), "Rudy" (1993), "Shooter" (2007), "Toy Story 3" (2010), and the 1979 TV movie, "Friendly Fire."  Beatty was nominated for a "Best Supporting Actor" Oscar for "Network" (1976).  He was twice nominated for an Emmy Award, "Friendly Fire" and "Last Train Home" (1989).

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 16th to 22nd, 2020 - Update #25

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

Support Leroy on Patreon:

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION:

From CNN:  Full video of Vice-President Joe Biden's acceptance speech at the 2020 DNC.

From CNN:  Full video of Sen. Kamala Harris acceptance speech at the 2020 DNC

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURAL NEWS:

EVENT - From DCFanDome:  "DC FanDome" is live.

SCANDAL - From Variety:  Actress Lori Loughlin ("Full House") was sentenced to two months in federal prison for her part in paying bribes in order to get her daughters admitted into the University of Southern California (USC).  She was also ordered to pay $150,000 in fines and perform 100 hours of community service.  Her husband, Mossimo Gainnulli was earlier sentenced to five months in federal prison.

SCIENCE - From IndependentUK:  750 million geneticially engineered mosquitoes to be released in Florida...

FOOD - From YahooLife:  Are the so-call "Go Mobile" Taco Bell restaurants the future of fast food?

SPORTS-CRIME - From YahooSports:  Could the prostitution case against NFL owner, Robert Kraft (New England Patriots), also help protect citizens from unchecked police surveillance.

STAR TREK - From YahooEntertainment:  Their is an intense legal battle for what is basically control over iconic "Star Trek" actress, Nichelle Nichols ("Uhura"), who is 83-years-old and suffers from dementia, involving her son, Kyle Johnson, and her manager, Gilbert Bell.

SCANDAL - From Variety:  Nick Cannon may be able to reconcile with ViacomCBS after he has met with Jewish leaders.  Cannon made some crazy ass anti-Semitic statements on his podcast June 30th.

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From Variety:  "Death on the Nile," the sequel to 2017's "Murder on the Orient Express," has a star-studded first trailer.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  "Saturday Night Live‘s" Pete Davidson and "Straight Outta Compton‘s" O’Shea Jackson Jr. are set to co-star in "American Sole," a high-stakes, high-top dramatic comedy set in the world of after-market sneakers.  The film will be written and directed by How To Make It In America creator Ian Edelman and produced by Kevin Hart and NBA All-Star Chris Paul.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Will Smith and Kevin Hart will star in and produce a remake of John Hughes' beloved 1987 road trip movie, "Planes, Trains & Automobiles."

SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment:  Rose McGowan accuses director and Oscar-winning screenwriter, Alexander Payne ("Sideways") of sexual misconduct, which is not the first time he has been accused.

CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Ryan Reynold's "Aviation Gin" sells for 300 million dollars.

MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Laurence Fishburne has confirmed that he will not return for "The Matrix 4."  He played the wise warrior monk-type, Morpheus, in the original "Matrix" trilogy.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  The latest round California tax incentives have been announced.  Among the recipients include a Jordan Peele film and one starring Chris Evans.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  The winner of the 8/14 to 8/16/2020 weekend box office is the new release, "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run," with an estimated take of $900,000.

From THR:  After an unprecedented 5-month shutdown due to the coronavirus pandemic, movie theaters reopen in North America.  In Canada, movie theaters welcomed the first new Hollywood releases to open wide since the shutdown.  They are "The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run" and "Unhinged," a Russell Crowe road-rage thriller.
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BLACK ACTRESS - From BuzzFeed:  The article article got a call-back: "18 reasons why Angela Bassett is the most amazing actress of all time."  [She is certainly underrated and under-appreciated. - Leroy]

CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Bo Derek reflects on her career... and on those cornrows in "10."

OBITS:

From Loudwire:  American rock musician and recording artist, Frankie Banali, has died at the age of 68, Thursday, August 20, 2020, of pancreatic cancer.  Banali was best known as the drummer for the 1980s heavy metal band, Quiet Riot.  He also was the drummer for W.A.S.P. for a period of time.

From Deadline:  English stage, film and television actor, Ben Cross, has died at the age of 72, Tuesday, August 18, 2020.  Cross was best known for starring in the "Best Picture" Academy Award-winner, "Chariots of Fire" (1981) and for playing Spock's father, Sarek, in the 2009 reboot film, "Star Trek."

From Deadline:  Actor, writer, producer, and prolific filmmaker, Ash Christian, has died at the age of 35, Thursday, August 13, 2020.  His best known films include "1985," "Social Animals," and "Coyote Lake."  He won a Daytime Emmy in 2014 for the short, "mI Promise."

From Deadline:  Television music composer, Duane L. Tatro, has died at the age of 93, Sunday, August 9, 2020.  He composed music for TV series, including several for ABC, including "Dynasty," "The Love Boat," and "The Invaders," which was his first TV job.  The only television series for which he composed the theme music was "The Manhunter" (CBS, 1974-75).

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 NEWS:

From CDC:   The Centers for Disease Control has a "COVID Data Tracker."

From YahooNews:  Why does COVID-19 kill some people and hardly affects others?

From YahooNews:  Yahoo has a dedicated page of links updating news about COVID-19.

From Deadline:  The news site "Deadline" has a dedicated page for news about coronavirus and the film, TV, and entertainment industries.

From TheNewYorker:  The venerable magazine has a dedicate COVID-19 page free to all readers.

From YahooNews:  Re: the federal government's response to COVID-19: What if the most important election of our lifetime was the last one - 2016?

From YahooLife:  What is "happy hypoxia?"  And do you have this COVID-19 symptom?

From JuanCole:  Remeber when President Donald went crazy and suggested that we ingest household cleaning supplies and UV light to fight COVID-19.  Here is the video and commentary from Juan Cole.

From TheIntercept:  The federal government has ramped up security and police-related spending in response to the COVID-19/coronavirus pandemic, including issuing contracts for riot gear, disclosures show. The purchase orders include requests for disposable cuffs, gas masks, ballistic helmets, and riot gloves...

From TheAtlantic:  The Coronavirus Was an Emergency Until Trump Found Out Who Was Dying. The pandemic has exposed the bitter terms of our racial contract, which deems certain lives of greater value than others.

From ProPublica:  Hospital's Secret COVID-19 Policy Separated Native American Mothers From Their Newborns

From TheGuardian:  More than 20 million Americans could have contracted COVID-19, experts say.

From RSN/WashPost:  The COVID-19 mutation that has taken over the world.

7/13 - From YahooSports:  Maybe a pandemic means that there will not be college football this fall.

7/13- From YahooNews:  The CDC adds four new symptoms (including nausea and purple or blue lesions on feet and toes) to the list of COVID-19 symptoms.

7/19 - From YahooFinance:  Harvard Public Health professor Dr. Howard Koh says the U.S. "needs to regroup" to find COVID-19.

7/22 - From YahooNews:  A public health employee predicted Florida's coronavirus catastrophe — then she was fired.

7/22 - From YahooLifestyle:  Florida mom loses son, 20, to coronavirus, and then days later, her daughter.

7/23 - From TheWrap:  The site has a list of movie and TV stars, entertainment and sports figures who have tested positive for COVID-19

From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar-winning filmmaker Mel Gibson reveals that he was hospitalized with COVID-19 for a week in April.

From Bloomberg:  Will the COVID-19 pandemic turn Millennials into socialists?

7/27 - From CNN:   Chief of critical care at Baltimore's Mercy Medical Center, Dr. Joseph Costa, passes away due to Covid-19 complications... after treating the hospital's sickest COVID-19 patients.  He was 56 and leaves behind family, including a husband of 28 years.

7/29 - From YahooPolitico:  Rep. Louie Gohmert, the defiant Texas Republican U.S. congressman who refused to wear a mask, has tested positive for COVID-19.

7/30 - From Deadline:  Emmy-winning actor Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") reveals that he had a bout with COVID-19.

7/31 - From YahooEntertainment:  Writer and actress, Lena Dunham, creator of HBO's "Girls, reveals that she contracted COVID-19 and the symptoms she experiences and still experience.

7/30 - From YahooGMA:  In their bid to crackdown on illegal gatherings amid COVID-19, New York authorities break up an alleged sex party.

7/31 - From Slate:  COVID-19 is airborne - for reals!

8/2 - From TheDailyBeast:  In Mississippi, COVID-19 has coroners terrified.

8/6 - From CNN:  Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (Republican) has tested positive for COVID19.

8/6 - From YahooNews:  Testing everyone constantly could stop the spread of COVID-19... according to this article.

8/8 - From YahooNYT:  The coronavirus is new, but your immune system might recognize it.

8/8 - From YahooNBC:  They thought COVID-19 was a hoax, and they almost died from it or are watching family and loved ones suffer with it or die from it.

8/9 - From YahooNews:  The rest of the world is incredulous at the pitiful U.S. response to COVID-19.

8/9 - From YahooAFP:  According to the real-time tally kept by John Hopkins University, the United States has hit 5 million cases of COVID-19.

8/15 - From NBA:  Bosnian NBA player Jusuf Nurkic of the Portland Trail Blazers says that his grandmother, 67-year-old Hana, has died of COVID-19.

8/16 - From Truthout: COVID Deaths Continue to Surge in Countries Led by Far Right Authoritarians

8/16 - From YahooEntertainment:  Sharon Stone reports that her sister, Kelly, is in the hospital with COVID-19.  She blames "non-mask wearers" for his sister's condition.

BLACK LIVES MATTER:

From RSN:   Judge's Blistering Opinion Says Courts Have Placed Police Beyond Accountability

From Billboard:  In an interview will the venerable music publication, legendary country music singer-songwriter and actress, Dolly Parton, expresses support for the "Black Lives Matter" movement.

From RSN:  Reader Supported News' "Sunday Song" for Aug. 8th, 2020 is "Chain Gang" by Sam Cooke.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 1st to 7th, 2019 - Update #27

Support Leroy on Patreon:

AWARDS - From IndieWire:  The National Board of Review has announced its 2019 film awards and name Martin Scorsese's "The Irishman" as its "Best Film of 2019."

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DISNEY - From THR:  Disney is developing its first spinoff from its hit, live-action film, "Aladdin."  The Disney+ project would focus on "Prince Anders," the dim-witted royal who wanted to marry Jasmine.  Actor Billy Magnussen, who played the role in the film, would return for the spinoff.

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TELEVISION - From THR:  HBO has picked up Adam McKay's drama about the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers of the professional basketball league, the National Basketball Association (NBA).  McKay is executive producing the series that would focus on the "Showtime" era of the Lakers, led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Jason Reitman's "Ghostbusters" film now has a title, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife."  There is also a first poster for the film, which is scheduled for a July 10, 2020 release.  There may also be a first trailer of some sort released Mon. Dec. 9th.

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POLITICS - From TheHill:  Oscar-nominated actor, Mark Ruffalo, endorses Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2020 U.S. presidential race.

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BLM - From YahooNews:  Georgia college student, Tommia Dean, and a representative of Georgia's Department of Administrative Services have signed a settlement that gives Dean $145,000.  Dean, a former Kennesaw State University cheerleader, was disciplined for taking a knee during the national anthem during a September 2017 football game.

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STAR WARS - From YahooGMA:  "Star Wars" actress Daisy Ridley says that she does not take selfies with fans for reasons of privacy.

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CELEBRITY - From TheDailyBeast:   The Egyptian-born, Canadian actor, Mena Massoud, played "Aladdin," in Disney's billion-dollar-grossing live-action remake, "Aladdin."  Massoud says that he has not been able to get an audition since Aladdin debuted in theaters.

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JAMES BOND-TRAILER - From THR:  The first official trailer for the next James Bond movie, "No Time to Die," makes it debut.

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MOVIES - From THR:   20th Century Fox has reportedly hired Wes Ball, the filmmaker behind "The Maze Runner" series, to redevelop the "Planet of the Apes" franchise.  This would be the first historically Fox property to get the redevelopment treatment since the Walt Disney Company acquired Fox.

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AWARDS - From Variety:  The New York Film Critics Circle name "The Irishman" the "best film of 2019."

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SPORTS - From NBA:  Los Angeles Lakers Coach Frank Vogel has been named the "NBA Western Conference Coach of the Month" for game played in October and November 2019.

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JAMES BOND - From Newsarama:  There are new character posters for the next James Bond film, "No Time to Die."  The film is due April 8, 2020.

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COMICS-FILM TRAILER - From EW:  Marvel Studios releases the first official teaser trailer and a poster for its next feature film, "Black Widow," which is set for release, May 1, 2020.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  The winners of the 2019 IFP "Gotham Awards" were announced last night (Mon., Dec. 2nd).  Noah Baumbach's "Marriage Story" won four awards including for "best feature," "best actor" (Adam Driver), and "best screenplay."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Two-time Oscar-winner Alexander Payne is attached to a "re-imagining" of the Oscar-winning Danish film, "Babette's Feast" (1987).

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SCANDAL - From Deadline:  The actor's union, SAG-AFTRA, has gotten involved in Gabrielle Union's firing from the reality competition TV series, "America's Got Talent" (NBC)," by launching their on probe.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  The nominations for the 47th / 2020 Annie Awards have been announced.  The Annies are considered the most important honor in the animation film industry... after the Academy Awards, which currently dedicates two Oscars to animated filmmaking.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 11/29 to 12/1/2019 weekend box office is "Frozen 2" with an estimated take of 85.2 million dollars.

From Variety:  "Frozen 2" grossed 123.7 million dollars over the five-day Thanksgiving 2019 weekend.  That is a record for that frame, besting previous record holder, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" (2013), which made 109 million dollars over the five-day period.

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MOVIES - From IndependentUK:  2019 seems to be the year directors and stars of film bombs and flops have been apologizing in public for them.  Why?  The article offers a reason.

From TorontoSun:  The "Toronto Sun" suggests 10 films to see this month, in December 2019.

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AVATAR - From Deadline:  The "Avatar" sequel marks the end of filming for 2019 with a set photo.

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ECO - From Deadline:  Leonardo DiCaprio responds to the ridiculous claims from Jair Bolsonaro, president of Brazil, that the Oscar-winning actor is bankrolling the fires currently raging through the Amazon rain forest.

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OBITS:

From Deadline:  Veteran TV and film executive and producer, Leonard Goldberg, has died at the age of 85, Wednesday, December 4, 2019.  He was the former president of 20th Century Fox and Head of Programming at ABC.  Goldberg was an executive producer of such TV series as "Charlie’s Angels" (1976-1981) and "Blue Bloods" (2010 to present).


From Deadline:  The actor, Robert Walker, Jr., has died at the age of 79, Thursday, December 5, 2019.  He was the son of Hollywood stars, Robert Walker (best known for Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train") and Jennifer Jones (who won an Oscar for her performance in "The Song of Bernadette").  Although he made numerous film and TV appearances, Walker is best known for appearing in the "Charlie X," the second episode of the first season of the original "Star Trek" TV series.

From THR:  Television writer Dorothy Catherine Fontana, better known as D.C. Fontana, has died at the age of 80, Monday, December 2, 2019.   Once a secretary, Fontana moved into writing scripts for television in the 1960s.  She is best known for her association with the original "Star Trek" TV series, being credited for writing or co-writing 10 episodes and working as the series "story editor" for the first two seasons.

From Deadline:  Actress Shelley Morrison has died at the age of 83, Sunday, December 1, 2019.  She had a 50-year career in film and television, but Morrison was best known for playing fan-favorite character, "Rosario Salazar," on the NBC television series, "Will & Grace" (1999-2006).

From BBC:  The African-American songwriter and musician, Irving Louis Burgie - better known as Lord Burgess - has died at the age of 95, Friday, November 29, 2019.  Burgess is best known for co-writing a version of the Jamaican folk song, "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)," that Harry Belafonte made famous.  He also wrote eight of the 11 songs on Belafonte's 1956 album, Calypso, which was the first album to sell one million copies.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 15th to 21st, 2016 - Update #41

Support Leroy on Patreon.

MOVIES - From BusinessInsider:  Legendary screenwriter Shane Black says that Mel Gibson is blacklisted in Hollywood.  Black wrote "Lethal Weapon," one of Gibson's most successful film franchises.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  The Weinstein Company has bought the worldwide rights (except for French-speaking territories) to "21 Years: Quentin Tarantino," a documentary about the Oscar-winning filmmaker.

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COMICS - From IGN:  All the spoilers for this coming week's hot comic book, "DC Universe: Rebirth #1."

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BLACK LIVES MATTER - From NYT:  When white cops can't find a black man to kill, they just might kill a white man.  Article comes with shocking video.

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COMICS - From Marvel:  Marvel confirms stellar cast for "Thor: Ragnarok."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Michael Keaton back in the mix to play the villain in "Spider-Man: Homecoming."

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TELEVISION - From DeadlineTV:  Ewan McGregor to star in Season 3 of "Fargo" for FX.

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OBITS - From Variety:  The actor, Alan Young, has died at the age of 96, Thursday, May 19, 2016.  Young was best known for the classic sitcom, "Mr. Ed."  He played "Wilbur Post," the young architect who kept a talking horse in his suburban stable.  I was a fan.  R.I.P., Mr. Young.

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MUSIC - From YahooNews:  John Berry, one of the original Beastie Boys (from the band's punk rock incarnation), has died at the age of 52.

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COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Mark Millar, creator of "Kick-Ass" and "Kingsman: The Secret Service," wants to do a Star Wars/Marvel Comics crossover project.

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MOVIES - From HitFix:  Daniel Craig rejects the truckloads of cash offered him to play James Bond again.  So we'll have a new Bond... stay tuned.

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OBIT - From Variety:  Legendary CBS and "60 Minutes" newsman, Morely Safer, has died at the age of 84 - Thursday, May 19, 2016.

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COMICS - From YahooMovies:  "Captain America: Civil War" is now the biggest movie of 2016 - in terms of worldwide gross.

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MUSIC - From TheHill:  Sir Elton John writes a piece the ignorance of North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory concerning trans-identity.

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TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  CBS boss defends lack of diversity in its 2016-17 season's new offerings.  You'd think it was the 1950s at CBS.

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COMICS - From THR:  The fallout from "Batman vs. Superman" is a shakeup in executive positions at Warner Bros.

From Vulture:  Meet Geoff Johns, the guy who will change nothing... or very little.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Noomi Rapace is in talks to join Will Smith and Joel Edgerton in "Bright" (based on a Max Landis script) for Netflix.

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MOVIES - From ScreenRant:  Tyrese Gibson wants back in on the Transformers, specifically 2017's "Transformers: The Last Knight."  Michael Bay responds.

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COMICS - From DCComics:  DC has a new logo.

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POLITICS - From Salon:  Donald Trump, the President of the Confederacy.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Shia Labeouf for "American Honey" and Joel Edgerton for "Loving" are born-again stars at Cannes.

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MOVIES - From Collider:  Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson may be the title character in Shane Black's "Doc Savage" movie.

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CRIME - From YahooCelebrity:  Bill Cosby and Playboy's Hugh Hefner are joint defendants in a sexual battery suit.

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MOVIES - From DarkHorizons:  The title of the fifth Transformers film is, "Transformers: The Last Knight."  Josh Duhamel also returns to the franchise.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  "Jurassic World" homies, Steven Spielberg and Colin Trevorrow, reteam for family action movie, Powerhouse.

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POLITICS - From SheKnows:  This Michelle Obama caricature is not "racist" or "sexist," so much as it is simply unimaginative and is also the work of dull and marginally talented cartoonist.

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COMICS - From THR:  Warner Bros. is working on a "Harley Quinn" movie starring Margot Kidder.  She would headline the film with several other female villains and heroes.  The DC Comics character will appear in this year's Suicide Squad."

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  "Top Gun" is 30 years old.

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies: "Loving," the film about Mildred and Richard Loving, is hot at the Cannes Film Festival 2016.  The movie tells the story of a black woman and white man who were arrested in their bedroom in 1958 for being married.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner at the box office for the weekend of 5/13 to 5/15/2016 is "Captain America: Civil War" with an estimated haul of $72.5 million.  This is its second straight weekend at #1.

From Variety:  "Captain America: Civil War" hits over $940 million worldwide.

From Patreon:   Haven't seen "Civil War?"  Read my review, which is fairly spoiler free.

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OBIT - From Variety:  The actress Madeleine LeBeau has died at the age of 92, Sunday, May 1, 2016.  She was the last surviving credited cast member of the film Casablanca.

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MOVIES - From CinemaBlend:  Jennifer Lawrence could be the lead in that all-female "Ocean's 11" reboot.

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COMICS - From Twitter:  #BlackPantherSoLit - enjoy!

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MOVIES - From XOJane:  This article by a woman who worked in the film industry is riveting.  I think the unnamed film is "Election," a really good 1999 film and the unnamed director is probably Alexander Payne.

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  There may be a deal in the works for director Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro to reunited (for the first time since 1995's "Casino"), and they'd bring along Al Pacino.  The film is called "The Irishman."

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COMICS - From TheWrap:  Patrick Stewart has been confirmed to return as "Professor X" in "Wolverine 3."

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TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  Second trailer for "Star Trek Beyond" and it is kick-ass and way better than the first.


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DARWYN COOKE - on the passing, work, and life of the great American cartoonist and comic book artist.

From Deadline:  An obituary of Cooke, which is similar to his Wikipedia page.

From BleedingCool:  Professionals remember the late, great comic book artist, Darwyn Cooke.

From ComicBookBin:  More on the wonderful artist, Darwyn Cooke.

From BleedingCool:  The now-legendary WonderCon panel with Cooke.

From ComicsReporter:  A gallery of Cooke pieces.

Alfonso Cuarón Wins 2014 "Best Directing" Oscar

Achievement in directing:

 “Gravity” Alfonso Cuarón WINNER

Nominees:
“American Hustle” David O. Russell
“Nebraska” Alexander Payne
“12 Years a Slave” Steve McQueen
“The Wolf of Wall Street” Martin Scorsese

Oscar Nominees Luncheon is Today

Oscar® Nominees to be Honored at Academy Luncheon

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — More than 150 Oscar® nominees will come together at noon on Monday, February 10, at the Beverly Hilton when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honors this year’s Oscar contenders at its annual Nominees Luncheon.

Among the Lead Actor and Actress nominees, Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Sandra Bullock, Bruce Dern, Leonardo DiCaprio, Matthew McConaughey and Meryl Streep are expected to attend the pre-Oscars® event. Supporting Actor and Actress nominees Barkhad Abdi, Bradley Cooper, Jonah Hill, Jared Leto, Lupita Nyong'o, Julia Roberts and June Squibb also will join in the celebratory lunch.

All five nominees in the Directing category, Alfonso Cuarón, Steve McQueen, Alexander Payne, David O. Russell and Martin Scorsese, are expected to attend as well.

Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2013 will be presented on Oscar Sunday, March 2, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® and televised live on the ABC Television Network. The Oscars, produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

First Poster for Alexander Payne's "Nebraska" Released

NEBRASKA

Director: Alexander Payne

Cast:  Bruce Dern, Will Forte, Stacy Keach, June Squibb, Bob Odenkirk

After receiving a sweepstakes letter in the mail, a cantankerous father (Bruce Dern) thinks he’s struck it rich, and wrangles his son (Will Forte) into taking a road trip to claim the fortune.  Shot in black and white across four states, Nebraska tells the stories of family life in the heartland of America.

MPAA rated R — Restricted

IN THEATERS NOVEMBER 15th

Official Site: NebraskaMovie.com

Facebook: Facebook.com/NebraskaMovie

Twitter: Twitter.com/ParamountPics

Winner- Cannes Film Festival 2013- Best Actor Award (Bruce Dern)

"Blue is the Warmest Color" Wins 2013 Palme d'Or

by Lucy Troy

The 66th annual Cannes Film Festival was held in Cannes, France from May 15 to May 26, 2013. I’ve included a list of winners of the “In Competition” categories, the main competition in which films compete for the festival’s top prize, the Palme d’Or. I’ve included the winners from three other competitions: “Un Certain Regard,” “Cinefondation,” and the “Golden Camera.”

The “Grand Prix” is the second most prestigious prize given at Cannes, after the Palme d’Or. The competition known as “Un Certain Regard” is a part of Cannes that runs parallel to the competition for the Palme d’Or.

Steven Spielberg headed the jury for the main competition. Twenty films competed for the Palme d’Or. Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the Cinefondation and Short Film sections.

The lesbian romance and drama, Blue is the Warmest Color: The Life of Adele, won the Palme d’Or. Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1960s folk tale, Inside Llewyn Davis, took the second prize, the Grand Prix.

In an unusual move, the jury gave the Palme d’Or not just to Blue is the Warmest Color’s director, Abdellatif Kechiche, but also to the film’s two stars, Adele Exarchopoulos and Lea Seydoux. Adele Exarchopoulos portrays a 15-year-old girl whose life is changed when she falls in love with an older woman, played by Lea Seydoux. The three-hour film caught headlines and gained notoriety for its lengthy, graphic sex scenes.

2013/66th Cannes Film Festival winners:

FEATURE FILMS:

Palme d'Or:
LA VIE D'ADÈLE - CHAPITRE 1 & 2 (Blue is the Warmest Color: The Life of Adele) directed by Abdellatif Kechiche

Grand Prix:
INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

Award for Best Director:
Amat Escalante for HELI

Award for Best Screenplay:
JIA Zhangke for TIAN ZHU DING (A Touch of Sin)

Award for Best Actress:
Bérénice Bejo in LE PASSÉ (THE PAST) directed by Asghar Farhadi

Award for Best Actor:
Bruce Dern in NEBRASKA directed by Alexander Payne

Jury Prize:
SOSHITE CHICHI NI NARU (Like Father, Like Son) directed by Kore-Eda Hirokazu

Vulcain Prize for an artist technician, awarded by the C.S.T.:
GRIGRIS directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun

SHORT FILMS:

Palme d'Or - Short Film:
SAFE directed by Byoung-Gon Moon

Short Film Special Distinction Ex-aequo:
• HVALFJORDUR (WHALE VALLEY) directed by Gudmundur Arnar Gudmundsson
• 37°4 S directed by Adriano Valeio

UN CERTAIN REGARD:

Prize of Un Certain Regard:
L'IMAGE MANQUANTE (The missing picture) directed by Rithy Panh

Jury Prize - Un Certain Regard:
OMAR directed by Hany Abu-Assad

Directing Prize of Un Certain Regard:
L'INCONNU DU LAC (Stranger by the Lake) directed by Alain Guiraudie

A Certain Talent Prize:
LA JAULA DE ORO played by Diego Quemada-Diez

Avenir Prize:
FRUITVALE STATION directed by Ryan Coogler

CINEFONDATION:

1st Prize Cinéfondation:
NEEDLE directed by Anahita Ghazvinizadeh

2nd Prize Cinéfondation:
EN ATTENDANT LE DÉGEL (Waiting for the Thaw) directed by Sarah Hirtt

3rd Prize Cinéfondation Ex-aequo:
• ÎN ACVARIU (IN THE FISHBOWL) directed by Tudor Cristian Jurgiu
• PANDY (PANDAS) directed by Matúš Vizár

GOLDEN CAMERA:

Caméra d'or:
ILO ILO directed by Anthony Chen

Review: "Jurassic Park III" is a Third of the Original Film

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 of 2001 (No. 2) by Leroy Douresseaux

Jurassic Park III (2001)
Running time: 92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sci-fi terror and violence
DIRECTOR: Joe Johnston
WRITERS: Peter Buchman, Alexander Payne, and Jim Taylor (based on characters created by Michael Crichton)
PRODUCERS: Larry J. Franco and Kathleen Kennedy
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Shelly Johnson
EDITOR: Robert Dalva
COMPOSER: Don Davis
Razzie Award nominee

SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE/HORROR/THRILLER

Starring: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola, Trevor Morgan, Michael Jeter, John Diehl, Bruce A. Young, and Laura Dern

The subject of this movie review is Jurassic Park III, a 2001 science fiction and dinosaur movie from director Joe Johnston. Steven Spielberg, who directed the first two films in the Jurassic Park franchise, executive produced this film. Although musical themes by John Williams, who composed the music for the first two films, are used, Don Davis provides the musical score for Jurassic Park III.

Jurassic Park III is purely and simply product; it is created and delivered to its consumers in the form of movies, toys, and interactive media. The movie is a quick, chaotic thrill, that attempts to waste nothing via tight, concise action and storytelling and wastes all its potential to be a really good movie in an attempt to make sure no one gets too long a glance and at this scared, awkward baby.

Based more on the Steven Spielberg directed 1993 original than the 1997 Spielberg follow up The Lost World: Jurassic Park 2, this movie stars Sam Neill who reprises his role from the original as Dr. Alan Grant. William H. Macy and Tea Leoni play a divorced couple that tricks Dr. Grant into finding their son (Trevor Morgan) who is presumed missing on an island used by InGen, the dinosaur creating frankencorp, to produce dino specimens for their dino theme parks.

The cast, led by, Neill is up to the task of making a really good film. Neill is earnest and believable as Grant, and the character fits him like old, familiar clothes. Macy is always a pleasure to watch. His Paul Kirby is a weak, flawed and disingenuous man who climbs out of the morass of wimp hood into manhood as the film progress. Leoni’s Amanda Kirby is equally up to the task of transformation, and that is shocking. She is a likeable actress, but she is usually one note only; it was refreshing to see her play a character that can actually grow as the movie progresses. Morgan as their son Eric and Alessandro Nivola as Grant’s assistant Billy Brennan are also both fully fleshed three-dimensional characters. The viewer cares about these characters, and we cringe when they are in danger as much as we cheer them on their quest for survival.

These wonderful characters are the mark of strong writing, but what does go wrong? Johnston is a capable director and has shown the ability to control the pace of an SFX film that could get out of control in less skilled hands, as he did in Jumanji (1995). It seems as if the movie is hung on a thin, thread. Its premise is a basic and quick “get in, snatch and grab, get out.” The creators are blessed with even more knowledge about dinosaurs than its two predecessors, as well as SFX (special effects) and CGI (computer generated imagery) capabilities that surpass the original's (a movie that is still as good today as it was back in 1993).

One gets the sense that the filmmakers were very concerned about making a short movie, one in which the audience would not get to restless. That’s understandable. No matter how good the computer and effects work get, or how much new technology dates the original, any follow up to Jurassic Park cannot have the impact that the original did. Every dino sighting in the first film was a thrill; it was like discovering a whole new world. Jurassic Park was and will always be a landmark of cinema, a testament to both Spielberg’s savvy and skill and a testament to Hollywood SFX men, the special ones who always introduce us to something that we never thought we’d see on the big screen. They show us the amazing and do it with such class, quality, and skill that they leave us breathless and speechless and wanting more.

So how can part three compete with that? The sequel deals with it by running away from trying to be something special. It scampers through the dino-infested jungle of its predecessors like a madman, as afraid of its own shadow as it is of the raptors.

Granted that the characters are fighting for their lives, they rarely take the time to stop and observe something that would and should leave them speechless. A hallmark of the first was how the characters could be both fascinated and horrified by the wonderful things before them. They’re seeing real living breathing dinosaurs, and they’re only mildly interested. Yes, they’re genetic replicants, but these dinos are as close to the real thing as they’ll probably ever see. Even Dr. Grant didn’t seem too awed by the appearance of this film’s giant predator villain, the Spinosaurus, which runs through the film like a clumsy, wrecking bawl, screeching and slobbering all over the proceedings. Even the new look raptors mostly seem to be stiff and nervous models on the runway of an annual Paris toy show.

Through all this, one can see the skill and talent of Johnston and his writers, which includes Alexander Payne, the auteur of the (sadly) ignored Election. Even in a quick 90 minutes, one can see the quality of the work of the cast and crew. It’s a shame we got a truncated Reader’s Digest version of a story that could have been so much more. Still, it was as nice a treat as one can expect from a summer movie.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2002 Razzie Awards: 1 nomination: “Worst Remake or Sequel”

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