Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 1st to 10th, 2017 - Update #42

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ECO - From EcoWatch:  Leonardo DiCaprio teams with Mexican government to save the "vaquita porpoise," the most endangered marine mammal in the world.

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OBIT - From Variety:  The actor Adam West has died at the age of 88, Friday, June 9, 2017.  West was best known for his portrayal of Batman in the seminal 1960s ABC TV series, "Batman" (1966-68).  He also gave voice to the animated character, Mayor Adam West," in Fox's animated TV series, "Family Guy."

From YahooTV:  Burt Ward, who played Robin to West's Batman in the 1960s, and Julie Newmar, who played "Catwoman" on the series, are remembering their costar, Adam West.  Actor and producer, Seth Green, who worked with Adam West, on Family Guy and "Robot Chicken," also spoke fondly of West.

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OBIT - From Deadline:  The actress Glenne Headly has died at the age of 63, Thursday, June 8, 2017.  She was known for appearing in such films as "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" and "Dick Tracy."  She received an Emmy nomination for her performance in the miniseries, "Lonesome Dove."

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COMICS-FILM - From Twitter:  Marvel debuts poster for #BlackPanther movie.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  The talented Zhang Ziyi joins the third film in Legendary Pictures' "MonsterVerse" universe, "Godzilla: King of Monsters."  The first two were 2014's Godzilla and the recent "Kong: Skull Island."

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MOVIES - From Variety: Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures will distribute the Eli Roth-Bruce Willis remake of the film, "Death Wish," which is due in November.

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COMICS-FILM - From Fandango:  Connie Nielsen, who plays Wonder Woman's mama, Hippolyta, will also appear in this year's "Justice League."

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  It turns out that "Wonder Woman" director Patty Jenkins is actually not signed to do a sequel to the film.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  FOX is cancelling "24: Legacy," but will explore future versions of the "24" franchise.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Director Ryan Cooger and actor Michael B. Jordan, who have collaborated on two films, "Fruitvale Station" and "Creed," will reunited on an education scandal movie, "Wrong Answer."  Jordan will also appear in Coogler's "Black Panther" for Marvel Studios.

ANIME - From TheReelWord:  Classic anime series, "Cowboy Bebop." is being adapted as a U.S. live-action TV series.

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MOVIES - From SlashFilm:  In addition to directing a sequel to her hit film, "Wonder Woman," Patty Jenkins is working on a horror project for the streaming service, Shudder.

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COMICS-FILM - From Deadline:  Henry Zaga joins "X-Men" spinoff, "New Mutants," as the mutant, Sunspot.

From FlickeringMyth:  Winston Duke will play the "Man-Ape" in Marvel Studios' "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War," both due in 2018.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Emmy winners Sarah Paulson and Bob Okenkirk join Steve Spielberg's "The Papers," about "the Pentagon Papers."

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CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity:  George Clooney and his wife, Amal, welcome twins, a girl and a boy.

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MUSIC - From YahooMusic:  Former Pink Floyd front man, Roger Waters, is in a feud with Radiohead's Thom Yorke over Israel and the BDS movement.

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POLITICS - From WashPost:  Most Trump voters were not working class.

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BLM - From TheHill:  Third noose found this week in Washington D.C.

From RSN:  Trump's proposed budget cuts attack civil rights enforcement.

From TheNation:  Even LeBron James cannot escape wave of toxic racist hate.

From TheNewRepublic:  Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, author of "Black Lives Matter to Black Liberation," had to cancel an event because of death threats.

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TELEVISION - From YahooSports:  Hank Williams, Jr. is returning to ESPN's "Monday Night Football" six years after getting fired.

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COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  Did Patty Jenkins and her film, "Wonder Woman," save the DC Extended Universe film franchise?

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MOVIES - From Indiewire:  Terry Gilliam announces that he has finished "The Man Who Killed Don Quixote," after 17 years.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 6/2 to 6/4/2017 weekend box office is "Wonder Woman" with an estimated take of $100 million.

From YahooNews:  Wonder Woman sets the record for biggest opening weekend for a movie directed by a womna (Patty Jenkins).

From CBB:  Deejay Dayton reviews "Wonder Woman" at the ComicBookBin.

From YahooNews:  Lupita Nyong'o is passionate about "Wonder Woman."

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MOVIES - From YahooMovies:  Dan Aykroyd blames director Paul Feig for financial disaster that was the "Ghostbusters" reboot.

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ECO - From TheIndependentUK:  Leonardo DiCaprio responds to President Trump's decision to abandon the Paris climate agreement.

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MUSIC - From Deadline:  Ariana Grande's Manchester benefit concert to air live in over 50 countries.  At the end of her concert in Manchester England on May 22, 2017, there was a suicide bombing that killed 22 people.

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TELEVISION - From YahooTV:  Bill Maher uses the term "house nigger," and I don't have a problem with it - Leroy the Negro.

From People:  Bill Maher apologizes... of course, he did.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Tom Cruise reveals that the "Top Gun" sequel will be titled "Top Gun: Maverick."

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COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  Blu Hunt will play the character "Danielle Moonstar" in X-Men spinoff, "New Mutants."

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TELEVISION - From ThePlaylist:  The final season of "Game of Thrones" may not debut until 2019.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  For nine season, Leah Remini co-starred with Kevin James on the CBS sitcom, "The King of Queens."  Now, Remini will reunite with James on Season 2 of his current CBS sitcom, "Kevin Can Wait," as a regular cast member.

From YahooTV:  Errin Hayes, who played the wife "Donna" on "Kevin Can Wait," has left the show, one day after it was announced that series star Kevin James would be reuniting with his "The King of Queens" costar, Leah Remini.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  The first trailer for "Murder on the Orient Express" (20th Century Fox)

From YouTube:  Trailer for Kate Winslet/Idris Elba film, "The Mountain Between Us (20th Century Fox).

Amazon Announces "American Playboy" for April 7th

American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story Launches Globally April 7, 2017 on Amazon Prime Video

Episode one will be available free of charge on Playboy.com on April 7 through April 13, and for all Amazon customers beginning April 7

Produced by the Emmy Award-winning Stephen David Entertainment and Alta Loma Entertainment, the Amazon Original Series draws from unprecedented access to Hefner’s archive of thousands of hours of footage and his Guinness World Record-holding collection of over 2,900 scrapbooks

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ:AMZN)—The Amazon Original Series, American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story, will premiere on Amazon Prime Video in more than 200 countries and territories on Friday, April 7, 2017. The series tells the story of Playboy magazine’s charismatic founder, Hugh Hefner, who set out to disrupt the status quo and created one of the most recognizable brands in history. The docuseries combines archival footage, pulling from thousands of hours from Hefner’s personal archives; interviews with notable figures including Jesse Jackson, Gene Simmons and Bill Maher; and cinematic reenactments.

    “This series will offer the unprecedented, behind-the-scenes story of Hefner’s life and his fight to protect and advance essential American rights, including free speech.”

Episode one of American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story will be available free of charge on Playboy.com at playboy.com/americanplayboy on April 7 through April 13, 2017. The episode will also be made available for all Amazon customers on amazon.com/americanplayboy starting April 7.

Produced by the Emmy Award-winning Stephen David Entertainment and Alta Loma Entertainment, American Playboy begins in post-war America and takes us through the launch of Playboy magazine in 1953 and the next six decades of Hefner’s life and career. As he built his empire, Hefner became both a social justice advocate and a target of the conservative movement while becoming an outspoken defender of civil rights, freedom of speech, gay rights and, of course, sexual freedom. The series is the result of unprecedented access to thousands of hours of never-before-seen footage from both Hefner’s and the Playboy archives and Hefner’s personal scrapbooks, which number more than 2,900 and constitute a Guinness World Record. The 90-year-old Hefner has been deeply involved in the development and production of American Playboy, imbuing the series with rich first-person accounts and never-before-told stories.

Prime members will be able to stream all 10 episodes of the docuseries via the Amazon Prime Video app for TVs, connected devices including Fire TV, mobile devices and online at amazon.com/americanplayboy. Members can also download the series to mobile devices for offline viewing at no additional cost to their membership. American Playboy will be a global release and available on Amazon Prime Video for members to watch via the Prime Video app or online at PrimeVideo.com in more than 200 countries and territories.

“At a time when civil rights are more in the news than ever, Prime members will be delighted to learn more about the Playboy brand and its contributions in that area,” said Conrad Riggs, Head of Unscripted, Amazon Originals. “This series will offer the unprecedented, behind-the-scenes story of Hefner’s life and his fight to protect and advance essential American rights, including free speech.”

American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story is produced by the Emmy award-winning Stephen David Entertainment, a Banijay Group company, and Playboy Enterprises’ production company Alta Loma Entertainment, and executive produced by Stephen David (The Men Who Built America, The World Wars, The Making of the Mob, The American West), Peter Jaysen (You Me Her, Fired Up, Dateline NBC) and longtime Playboy executive Dick Rosenzweig (The House Bunny, The Playboy Club) with co-executive producers Shirley Escott (Shadow of Doubt, The Making of the Mob: New York) and Tim Kelly (NASCAR: The Rise of American Speed, American Genius).

Customers who are not already Prime members can sign up for a free trial at www.amazon.com/prime. For a list of all Amazon Video compatible devices, visit www.amazon.com/howtostream.


About Amazon Video
Amazon Video is a premium on-demand entertainment service that offers customers the greatest choice in what to watch, and how to watch it. Amazon Video is the only service that provides all of the following:

•     Prime Video: Thousands of movies and TV shows, including popular licensed content plus critically-acclaimed and award-winning Amazon Original Series and Movies from Amazon Studios like Transparent, The Man in the High Castle, Love & Friendship and kids series Tumble Leaf, available for unlimited streaming as part of an Amazon Prime membership. Prime Video is also now available to customers in more than 200 countries and territories around the globe at www.primevideo.com.
•     Amazon Channels: Over 100 channel subscriptions that Prime members can add to their membership, including HBO, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax, PBS KIDS, Acorn TV and more, plus Anime Strike – the first curated on-demand subscription by Amazon Channels. To view the full list of channels available, visit www.amazon.com/channels
•     Rent or Own: Hundreds of thousands of titles, including new-release movies and current TV shows available for on-demand rental or purchase for all Amazon customers
•     Instant Access: Instantly watch anytime, anywhere through the Amazon Video app on TVs, mobile devices, Amazon Fire TV, Fire TV Stick, and Fire tablets, or online. For a list of all compatible devices visit www.amazon.com/howtostream
•     Premium Features: Top features like 4K Ultra HD, High Dynamic Range (HDR) and mobile downloads for offline viewing of select content

In addition to Prime Video, the Prime membership includes unlimited fast free shipping options across all categories available on Amazon, more than two million songs and thousands of playlists and stations with Prime Music, secure photo storage with Prime Photos, unlimited reading with Prime Reading, unlimited access to a digital audiobook catalogue with Audible Channels for Prime, a rotating selection of free digital games and in-game loot with Twitch Prime, early access to select Lightning Deals, exclusive access and discounts to select items, and more. To sign-up for Prime or to find out more visit: www.amazon.com/prime.

About Amazon
Amazon is guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment by Amazon, AWS, Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered by Amazon. For more information, visit www.amazon.com/about.

About Stephen David Entertainment
Stephen David Entertainment (SDE) – a Banijay Group Company – is an Emmy® Award-winning, New York-based production company. SDE counts The Men Who Built America, The World Wars and The Making of the Mob: New York among its popular, hybrid documentary series. In the six years since its inception, SDE has developed numerous docudrama mini-series and select scripted projects, utilizing high-end production techniques and cutting-edge VFX. In 2014 and 2015, SDE was named to Realscreen’s Global 100 list of top production companies. SDE’s upcoming productions include American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story and Frontiersmen.

About Alta Loma Entertainment
Alta Loma Entertainment is a wholly owned subsidiary of Playboy Enterprises, Inc., a media and lifestyle company that markets the brand through a wide range of media properties and licensing initiatives. The company developed the successful series You Me Her, which has been picked up for three seasons by DirecTV’s Audience channel. Other credits include E!’s The Girls Next Door, NBC’s The Playboy Club, Columbia Picture’s The House Bunny, and the documentaries Why Be Good: Sexuality & Censorship in Early Cinema and Gangland: Bullets Over Hollywood. Playboy is one of the most recognized and popular consumer brands in the world. The company publishes Playboy magazine in the United States and licenses foreign editions of Playboy around the world; operates Playboy.com, a leading men’s lifestyle and entertainment site; and creates content for distribution via feature films, television networks, websites, mobile platforms and radio. Through licensing agreements, the Playboy brand appears on a wide range of consumer products in more than 180 countries, as well as retail stores and entertainment venues. For more information about Playboy Enterprises, please visit www.PlayboyEnterprises.com.

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Review: "Religulous" is Brilliant and Funny

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 31 (of 2010) by Leroy Douresseaux


Religulous (2008)
Running time: 101 minutes (1 hour, 41 minutes)
MPAA – R for some language and sexual material
DIRECTOR: Larry Charles
WRITER: Bill Maher
PRODUCERS: Bill Maher, Jonah Smith, and Palmer West
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Anthony Hardwick (director of photography)
EDITOR: Jeff Groth, Christian Kinnard, and Jeffrey M. Werner

DOCUMENTARY – Religion/COMMENTARY/COMEDY

Starring: Bill Maher, Julie Maher, Kathy Maher, Senator Mark Pryor, Pastor John Westcott, Ken Ham, Reginald Foster, Tal Bachman, Bill Gardiner, Aki Nawaz, Ray Suarez, and Jeremiah Cummings

Comedian and politically provocative talk show host Bill Maher took on religion and faith in the hot-button documentary, Religulous, a title derived by blending the words “religion” and “ridiculous.” Maher examines the presence of religion in many of the big news stories of recent years, from Muslim rioting over cartoon depictions of Mohammed in European newspapers to a born-again Christian being President of the United Sates (George W. Bush).

Maher, currently the host of HBO’s "Real Time with Bill Maher," also skewers the current state of organized religion, while visiting Jerusalem, Salt Lake City, the Vatican, and other holy destinations. Of the many questions Maher asks on his journey, the main questions are why are believers of many faiths so sure that their religion is right, and why they’re so certain others are wrong?

One thing I wish that Bill Maher had done in Religulous was to offer more commentary from cultural, historical, political experts on religion and faith. Often this movie seems like Maher vs. the crazy religious people, which makes Maher come across as a prankster (a la Borat) snarking on the loons. Still, what Maher and director Larry Charles do present is fantastic and also funny on so many levels.

Some of Religulous is laugh-out-loud funny, but some of it made me cringe as much as I laughed behind my hands. I don’t think Maher is able to get an answer to the question of why believers from a variety of faiths are so sure their religion is right, and why they’re so certain others are wrong? Many of the people Maher meets are quite sensitive to someone not only questioning their faith, but also questioning why they are religious.

In fact, the attitude from many people is that they don’t want outsiders questioning their faiths, although many of these same people seem to have large, answered questions of their own about their religions. Maher often interrupts his subjects, and many times, he should have let them rant, even if their ranting made them look bad, scary, or crazy. The best line in Religulous came from self-avowed Evangelical Christian and U.S. Senator Mark Pryor, D-Arkansas, when he said, “You don't need to pass an IQ test to become a senator.” Pryor seemed eager to be interviewed, and while he certainly comes across as a nice guy (maybe even a smart fellow), his willingness to declare his allegiance to superstition is both sad and frightening.

By the end of the Religulous, I got the idea that this film was less about the faithful’s embrace of irrationality, superstition, and blind faith, and more about Maher giving rational people a wake-up call. He thinks that the rational, non-religious are actually in the majority, and one can hope he is right.

That said, Religulous is a great documentary because it takes a blunt, unflinching look at organized religion and faith, not through the eyes of religious scholars and clerics, but by taking on the foot soldiers and rank and file believers who give voice to their faith, warts and all. Only Maher, brilliant as both a social observer/critic and provocateur, could deliver a documentary about blind faith that is almost as powerful as blind faith.

9 of 10
A+

Sunday, May 09, 2010