Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 25th to 30th, 2022 - Update #6

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BUSINESS - From Deadline:   We're not for sale, says Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav - with rumors that Comcast is eying them.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Matthew Broderick has joined Jennifer Lawrence in Sony's R-rated comedy, "No Hard Feelings."

HARRY POTTER - From HuffPost:  The diaries of the late actor, Alan Rickman, who died in 2016 of pancreatic cancer, will be published in the upcoming cook, "Madly, Deeply: The Diaries of Alan Rickman."  Excerpts from the book reveals his true feeling about the "Harry Potter" film franchise.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Nine-time Grammy winner Rihanna will be the headliner at the next Super Bowl Halftime Show for Super Bowl LVII, which is set for February 12, 2023 in Glendale, AZ.  Fox will broadcast.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:   The winner of the 9/23 to 9/25/2022 weekend box office is "Don't Worry Darling" with an estimated take of 19.2 million dollars.

NETFLIX - From BusinessInsider:  Netflix insiders reveal to "Media Insider" the "contentious" debates over how data drives creative decisions, and why beloved series don't always get renewed.

OBIT:

From NYTimes:  The rapper and actor, Coolio (born Artis Leon Ivey, Jr.), has died at the age of 59, Wed., September 28, 2022.  He was best known for his hit song, "Gangsta's Paradise," which was featured on the soundtrack for the film, "Dangerous Minds" (1995), and on his second album, "Gangsta's Paradise" (1995).  "Gangsta's Paradise" earned Coolio a Grammy Award for "Best Rap Solo Performance."

BRITTNEY GRINER:

From Reuters:  Russia says that it is ready to talk prisoner swamp for Brittney Griner and U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan, but also scolds the U.S. Embassy.

From TheDailyBeast:   Legendary NBA bad boy and champion (Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls), Dennis Rodman claims that he has been given permission to go to Russia and help free imprisoned hostage, WNBA star, Brittney Griner.

From Vox:  Vox's Jonathan Guyer talks the Brittney Griner case with Danielle Gilbert, a Dartmouth professor who is writing a book about states and rogue actors that take hostages.

From ESPN:   A Russian court sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison Thursday, Aug. 4th.  Griner was arrested Feb. 17 for bringing cannabis into the country and pleaded guilty July 7, though the case continued under Russian law.

From ESPN:  The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

From RSN:  "Will Support From LeBron James, Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and Other Celebrities Help Free Brittney Griner From a Russian Prison?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar via Substack

From ESPN:  Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday to bringing hashish oil into Russia, telling a judge that she had done so "inadvertently" while asking the court for mercy.

From CBSSports:  The Brittney Griner situation explained.

From RSN:  According to The Washington Post Editorial Board: "Brittney Griner is a hostage, plain and simple."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 1st to 10th, 2022 - Update #20

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

D23 - From TheWrap:  "Indiana Jones 5" trailer brings down the house at D23, Sat., Sept 10th.

From Variety:  At the Disney Legends Award Ceremony at the D23 Expo on Friday, Sept. 9th, the late actor, Chadwick Boseman, was officially named a "Disney Legend."  His brother, Derrick Boseman, gave an emotional acceptance speech.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Former Disney boss, Robert "Bob" Iger, predicts a reckoning for streaming services, the death of linear and satellite TV, and a "smaller and scarred" movie industry.

AMAZON - From THR:  The cast of Prime Video’s "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power" is united in speaking out about racist threats that  non-white performers from the show have apparently faced.

OBAMAS - From CNN:  Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama's official White House portraits were unveiled during an emotional ceremony at the White House on Wednesday, September 7, 2022.

SCANDAL - From TheWrap:  If you are interested, the site has a timeline and explanation of the drama behind the upcoming film, "Don't Worry Darling, directed by Olivia Wilde and starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles.

From Variety:  Connected to "Don't Worry Darling," Harry Styles addresses the story that he spit on co-star Chris Pine during an interview.

CELEBRITY - From Variety:  Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence talks motherhood, the Hollywood pay gap, and falling out with her "Republican family" over the fall of "Roe v. Wade."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 9/2 to 9/4/2022 weekend box office is Sony/Marvel Studios' re-release, "Spider-Man: No Way Home," with an estimated take of 6 million dollars.

From Here:  The Negromancer review of "Spider-Man: No Way Home."

From Variety:  "Top Gun: Maverick" has passed "Black Panther" has the fifth-highest grossing film in North America.

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EMMY AWARDS - From THR:  Creative Arts Emmys: Night 1 (Sat., Sept. 3rd) - A winner's list

From THR:  At Saturday's "Creative Emmy Arts," former President Barack Obama won his first Emmy. It was in the category "Outstand Narration" for "A World of Wonder" episode of "Our Great National Parks."  Obama is the second U.S. President to win an Emmy, but the first to win in a competitive category. Dwight D. Eisenhower won the "Governor's Award" in 1956.

From THR:  The Disney+ live-action/animation hybrid film, "Chip ‘n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers," won the Emmy Award for "outstanding television movie"  during the second night of the 2022 Creative Arts Emmys.

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MOVIES - From VanityFair:  The site has a Fall 2022 movie preview guide with  "34 Films to Watch Out For"

CELEBRITY - From GQUK:  British comedy and television legend, Lenny Henry, talks about becoming a major player in fantasy streaming series, like Netflix's "The Sandman" and Amazon's "The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power."

FILM FESTIVALS - From Variety:  At the 79th Venice Film Festival, director Todd Field's "Tar," which stars Cate Blanchett gets a six-minute standing ovation.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  MGM has bought the Miramax film project, "The Beekeeper," from director David Ayer ("Suicide Squad") and starring Jason Statham.  It will begin filming in late September and the entire cast has not been finalized.

OBITS:

From BBC:  The Queen of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth II, has died at the age of 96, Thursday, September 8, 2022.  Born Elizabeth Alexandra Mary of the House of Windsor, Queen Elizabeth II was the longest reigning British monarch (70 years and 214 days) and second longest recorded of a monarch of a sovereign nation.  Her son, Charles Philip Arthur George, is now Charles III, King of the United Kingdom and of the Commonwealth realm.

From BBC:  Queen Elizabeth II - a life in pictures.

From TheNewYorkTimes:  American journalist and television anchorman, Bernard Shaw, has died at the age of 82, Wednesday, September 7, 2022.  Shaw was the founding anchor of CNN, being the lead anchor from 1980 until his retirement in March 2001.  Shaw was also a former U.S. Marine who served during the Vietnam War.

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BRITTNEY GRINER:

From TheDailyBeast:   Legendary NBA bad boy and champion (Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls), Dennis Rodman claims that he has been given permission to go to Russia and help free imprisoned hostage, WNBA star, Brittney Griner.

From Vox:  Vox's Jonathan Guyer talks the Brittney Griner case with Danielle Gilbert, a Dartmouth professor who is writing a book about states and rogue actors that take hostages.

From ESPN:   A Russian court sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison Thursday, Aug. 4th.  Griner was arrested Feb. 17 for bringing cannabis into the country and pleaded guilty July 7, though the case continued under Russian law.

From ESPN:  The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.

From RSN:  "Will Support From LeBron James, Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and Other Celebrities Help Free Brittney Griner From a Russian Prison?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar via Substack

From ESPN:  Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday to bringing hashish oil into Russia, telling a judge that she had done so "inadvertently" while asking the court for mercy.

From CBSSports:  The Brittney Griner situation explained.

From RSN:  According to The Washington Post Editorial Board: "Brittney Griner is a hostage, plain and simple."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 15th to 21st, 2021 - Update #18

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  "Free Guy" looks to repeat as weekend box office champ, while "Paw Patrol" looks to make a strong debut. 

TELEVISION - From Variety:  HBO's series about the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers loses actor Bo Burnham, who was to play NBA great Larry Bird, but gains five more cast members, including Sean Patrick Small as Burnham's replacement to play Bird.

STAR TREK - From Deadline:   Roddenberry Entertainment is quietly working on a biographical film about the late Gene Roddenberry, the creator of "Star Trek" and a television writer-producer whose career spanned decades.

MARVEL STUDIOS - From Variety:  Actor Anthony Mackie has reportedly signed a deal to star in "Captain America 4."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The BBC and Miramax are developing a television series based on Michael Ondaatje's novel, "The English Patient."  The novel was previously adapted by the late Anthony Minghella into a 1996 film that won nine Oscars, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director."

MEDIA - From Deadline:  Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions expands with multiple promotions across the company.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  "Spencer," the film starring Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana, will hit theaters November 5th.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   AMC Networks has set fall premiere dates for new and returning series across its AMC, AMC+, Acorn TV, AllBlk, BBC America, Shudder, Sundance Now, SundanceTV and WeTV.  Newly revealed dates include the new seasons of "Doctor Who" and "Creepshow "and new series such as "Ragdoll," "Kin," and "Ultra City Smiths.

STAR TREK - From YahooLATimes:   There is a three-battle to be the conservator of Nichelle Nichols, legendary "Star Trek" actress, and it is ugly.

STREAMING - From THR:   In a brewing 100 million dollar deal, Sony Animation's "Hotel Transylvania: Transformania" could bypass its theatrical run and stream on Amazon Prime

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  The winner of the 8/13 to 8/15/2021 weekend box office is "Free Guy" (starring Ryan Reynolds) with an estimated take of 28.4 million dollars.

From Deadline:  Sylvester Stallone has appeared in a movie that was #1 at the box office in six consecutive decades.  Stallone is a voice actor in last weekend's number one film, "The Suicide Squad."

POLITICS - From YahooTheWeek:   It turns out a minor actor participated in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol building.  Michael Aaron Carico, 33, was arrested Wed., August 11th in Burbank, California.

CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:   In his first interview since loosing his libel suit against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, Johnny Depp speaks out about the "Hollywood boycott" of him.

DISNEY - From GiantFreakingRobot:   The site is reporting that the Walt Disney Company has cut all ties and projects with actress Scarlet Johansson, who is suing Disney over profit sharing for the film, "Black Widow."

NETFLIX - From WeGotThisCovered:   Director Leigh Janiak wants her "Fear Street" three-piece to develop into the Marvel Cinematic Universe of horror.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Apple is closing in on a mega-deal to obtain director Paolo Sorrentino's biopic about Sue Mengers, the legendary female Hollywood agent who broke barriers in what had largely been a boys' club.  Oscar-winner, Jennifer Lawrence, is slated to play Mengers.

OBITS:

From Variety:   The Japanese actor and martial artist, Sonny Chiba, has died at the age of 82, Thursday, August 19, 2021 from complications of COVID-19.  American audiences will remember him for his roles in "Kill Bill Volume 1" (2003) and "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift" (2006).

From MeTV:  The English actress and producer, Patricia "Pat" Hitchcock, has died at the age of 93, Monday, August 9, 2021.  Pat was the only child of famed director Alfred Hitchcock and his wife, Alma Reville, the English screenwriter and film editor.  Pat appeared in 10 episodes of the TV series, "Alfred Hitchcock Presents."  She also appeared in several of her father's films, including "Stage Fright" (1950) and "Psycho" (1960).  Her most substantial role in a Hitchcock film was playing "Barbara Morton" in "Strangers on a Train" (1951).

Review: "Dark Phoenix" is a Failed X-Men Resurrection

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 33 of 2021 (No. 1771) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Dark Phoenix (2019)
Running time:  114 minutes (1 hour, 54 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action including some gun play, disturbing images, and brief strong language
DIRECTOR:  Simon Kinberg
WRITERS:  Simon Kinberg (based on Marvel Comics characters)
PRODUCERS:  Hutch Parker, Simon Kinberg, Lauren Shuler Donner, and Todd Hallowell
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Mauro Fiore
EDITORS:  Lee Smith
COMPOSER:  Hans Zimmer

SUPERHERO/SCI-FI/ACTION/DRAMA

Starring:  James McAvoy, Sophie Turner, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Nicholas Hoult, Evan Peters, Tye Sheridan, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Alexandra Shipp, Summer Fontana, Scott Shepherd, Ato Essandoh, and Jessica Chastain

Dark Phoenix is a 2019 superhero movie from writer-director Simon Kinberg.  It is 20th Century Fox’s twelfth film based on Marvel Comics’ X-Men comic book franchise.  This movie is also a sequel to X-Men: Apocalypse (2016).  In Dark Phoenix (also known as X-Men: Dark Phoenix), one of the X-Men begins to develop incredible powers that will force the rest of the X-Men to decide if this one mutant's life is worth more than all of humanity.

Dark Phoenix opens in 1975 and introduces eight-year-old Jean Grey (Summer Fontana) and depicts the automobile accident that changes her life and brings Charles Xavier/Professor X (James McAvoy) into her life.  Then, the story moves to 1992 and to Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters.  There, Xavier has turned the X-Men into what some describe as a team of superheroes that steps in to protect and help mankind when no one else can.

The latest emergency involves a distress signal from a recently launched space shuttle, which has been critically damaged by a solar flare-like energy.  Xavier sends his strike team, “the X-Men”:  Hank McCoy/Beast (Nicholas Hoult), Raven/Mystique (Jennifer Lawrence), Peter Maximoff/Quicksilver (Evan Peters), Jean Grey (Sophie Turner), Scott Summers/Cyclops (Tye Sheridan), Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler (Kodi Smit-McPhee), and Ororo Munroe/Storm (Alexandra Shipp) to rescue the astronauts aboard the space shuttle.  Raven goes along on the mission, but she is furious that Xavier puts his students in danger for the rest of humanity, which she still regards with suspicion.

The X-Men arrive in their jet, the Blackbird, to find the situation rapidly deteriorating and the strange energy mass approaching the shuttle.  While saving the astronauts, Jean is struck by the energy and absorbs it into her body.  This apparently helps her to miraculously survive the blast of the shuttle explosion.  The X-Men and Xavier's other students start calling Jean “Phoenix” because of her miraculously survival.

However, the result of absorbing that energy causes Jean's psychic powers to be greatly amplified.  In turn, that causes her emotional state to begin to deteriorate, leading to tragedy.  Soon, the X-Men are hunting Jean Grey, and so are the X-Men's adversary/rival, Erik Lensherr/Magneto (Michael Fassbender), and also the U.S. military.  Vuk, the leader of a shape-shifting alien race known as the D'Bari, is also searching for Jean, specifically for the power Jean harbors inside her.  Can Xavier and the X-Men save Phoenix, or will their act of salvation doom humanity?

Both film adaptations of the classic X-Men comic book story arc, “The Dark Phoenix Saga,” 2006's X-Men: The Last Stand and 2019's Dark Phoenix, fail to approach the riveting melodrama and enthralling soap opera that readers found and continue to find in Marvel Comics's The X-Men #129-138 (publication cover dates:  January to October 1980).  The writers of both films alter the core original story – to the movies' detriment.

Writer-director Simon Kinberg apparently directed some of 2014's X-Men: Days of Future Past and much or most of 2016's X-Men: Apocalypse, although Bryan Singer is credited as the director of both films.  I consider both films to be disappointments, one more than the other.  True to form, Simon Kinberg delivers in Dark Phoenix a film that is mostly a dud.

The storytelling feels contrived, and the screenwriting offers laughable concepts, especially the entire D'Bari alien subplot; that's just some stupid shit.  Dark Phoenix is one of two final films in 20th Century Fox's X-Men film franchise (the other being the long-delayed The New Mutants, which was finally released in 2020).  I say that Dark Phoenix is deeply disappointing, but honestly, I did not expect much of it, from the moment I first heard that it was going into production.  In fact, this film is a devolution from the franchise's peak, which was released 16 years prior to Dark Phoenix, the fantastic X2: X-Men United (2003).

Even the acting is bad.  Playing Vuk the alien is the lowest low point of Jessica Chastain's career, which includes two Academy Award nominations.  James McAvoy as Xavier, Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, and Michael Fassbender as Erik are overwrought, and when they are trying to have serious conversations, they deliver hackneyed and derivative dialogue and unoriginal speeches.  Maybe their bad acting is a result of uninspired script writing.  However, I did find that Tye Sheridan as Scott, Kodi Smit-McPhee as Kurt, and Alexandra Shipp as Ororo made the most of their scenes, especially Sheridan.  If his Scott Summers/Cyclops were the center of Dark Phoenix, the film would be much better.  Because of him, I am giving this film a higher grade than I planned to do.

Dark Phoenix just doesn't work, and it rarely connected with me.  I don't think that it will connect with audiences the way some of the best and most popular X-Men films did.  Oh, well – let's hope that Marvel Studios does better with its planned X-Men films...

4 of 10
C

Thursday, March 25, 2020


The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 16th to 22nd, 2020 - Update #21

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

STREAMING - From Variety:  NBCUniversal is looking to buy Wal-Mart's streaming service, "Vudu."  [I didn't know Vudu was a Wal-Mart service!!! - Leroy]

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DISNEY - From YahooEntertainment:  Pixar's upcoming "Onward" introduces the first LGBTQ character in Disney animation history.

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STREAMING - From THR:  The reunion special of the popular TV series, "Friends," is official at HBO Max.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Julia Roberts Sean Penn, Armie Hammer and Joel Edgerton are joining "Mr Robot" creator Sam Esmail for a "Watergate" drama series.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Eli Roth will direct a film adaptation of the video game, "Borderlands," for Lionsgate.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  NBC has renewed its long-running TV series, "The Blacklist," for an eighth season.  [I did not realize that it had been on this long. - Leroy]

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CRIME - From TMZ:  20-year-old up-and-coming rapper, Pop Smoke, was killed in his Hollywood Hills house during a home invasion early Wednesday morning, Feb. 19th.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Sony Pictures Television is developing a TV series based on the venerable pulp fiction hero, "Doc Savage."

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STREAMING - From Variety:   Jennifer Lawrence to star in Adam McKay's comedy film, "Don't Look Up," for Netflix.

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MARVEL-CONTEST - From Newsarama:  Actor Chris Evan is raffling off a Captain America shield prop that he used in "Avengers: Endgame" for the charity, "Girl Powerful."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Actress Dichen Lachman ("Animal Kingdom," TNT) has joined the cast of "Jurassic World 3."

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SCANDAL - From GuardianUK:  In regards to the Harvey Weinstein trial, actress Rosanna Arquette says that victims of sexual abuse will never be silent again.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooLifestyle:  Actress Rosario Dawson has come out.

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CRIME - From Deadline:  Famed Hollywood family and sex therapist, Amie Harwick, was killed Sat., Feb. 15, 2020 at her home in the Hollywood Hills.  Her ex-boyfriend has been arrested.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director Martin McDonagh ("Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri") is planning to re-team with his "In Bruges" stars, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 2/14 to 2/16/2020 weekend box office is "Sonic the Hedgehog" with an estimated gross of 57 million dollars.

From Variety:  Did the Internet backlash that lead to a redesign of "Sonic the Hedgehog" save the film from box office disaster?

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MOVIE TRAILERS - From THR:  The site offers a roundup of seven recently released film trailers, including for such films as "The French Dispatch" and "The Green Knight."

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ECO-TELEVISION - From TheGuardian: The BBC is planning a documentary TV series focusing on teenage climate activist, Greta Thunberg.

OBITS:

From THR:   The actress and singer-songwriter, Ja'Net Dubois, has died at the age of 74, Tuesday, February 18, 2020.  She is best known for playing the role of "Willona Woods" in the CBS sitcom, "Good Times" (1974-79).  DuBois also co-wrote and sang the theme song, "Movin' On Up," for the CBS sitcom, "The Jeffersons" (1975-85).  A noted voice actress, DuBois won two Primetime Emmy Awards for her role as "Ms. Avery" in the animated series, "The PJs" (1999-2001, Fox/The WB).

From YahooEntertainment:  The young actress, Nikita Pearl Waligwa, has died at the age of 15, Saturday, February 15, 2020.  Nikita appeared in the 2016 Disney film, "Queen of Katwe."  She died as the result of a brain tumor.

From CNN:  Former Major League Baseball (MLB) player, Tony Fernandez, has died at the age of 57, Saturday, February 15, 2020.  Born in the Dominican Republic, Fernandez was a shortstop and played for 17 seasons, most notably with the Toronto Blue Jays where he was part of the 1993 World Series Championship team.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 20th to 31st, 2019 - Update #32

Support Leroy on Patreon:

COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  Director Matt Reeves confirms that Jeffrey Wright will play "Commissioner James 'Jim' Gordon" in his upcoming film, "The Batman."

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CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Family and friends remember actor and comedian, John Witherspoon ("Friday," "The Wayan Bros.," and "The Boondocks"), who died Tuesday, October 29, 2019.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  HBO is not going forward with the "Game of Thrones" prequel pilot starring Naomi Watts.

From THR:  However, HBO has ordered a "Game of Thrones" prequel series, "House of the Dragon" that is set 300 years before "Game of Thrones." It is created by George R.R. Martin, the author of the "Game of Thrones" novels, and Ryan Condal

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BOX OFFICE - From THR:  It turns out the ACTUAL winner of the 10/25 to 10/27/2019 weekend box office is "Malificent: Mistress of Evil" with a final take of 19.4 million dollars.  "Joker," the previously announced winner had a final box office take of 19.2 million dollars instead of 18.9 million.

From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 10/25 to 10/27/2019 weekend box office is "Joker" with an estimated take of 18.9 million dollars.

From Patreon:  My review of "Joker."

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SCANDAL - From TheWrap:  Actor Jared Padalecki, who plays "Sam Winchester" on The CW's "Supernatural," has apparently been arrested for assaulting employees at his bar, "Stereotype," in Austin, Texas.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Australian director Baz Luhrmann has chosen Australian actress Olivia DeJonge to play Priscilla Presley in his Elvis Presley biopic for Warner Bros.

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DISNEY - From Vulture:  Now, that it complete only 20th Century Fox, Disney is reportedly placing classic Fox movies in the "Disney vault," which is causing problems for repertory movie theaters.

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MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Crispin Glover admits that he only took the job acting in "Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter" (the fourth film) for the paycheck.

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JAMES BOND - From Deadline:  The 25th James Bond film, "No Time to Die," has wrapped up shooting.  The film will open in the U.S. on April 8th, 2020.

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DISNEY - From THR:  "Chernobyl" creator, Craig Mazin, has been hired to reboot Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean" film franchise alongside veteran "Pirates" writer, Ted Elliot.

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ECO - From Variety:  Actors Jane Fonda and Ted Danson were arrested during a climate change protest in Washington D.C. For Fonda, it is second recent climate protest arrest.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Grammy-winning recording artist, Adele, shows off a slimmer look at Grammy-winner Drake's birthday party.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  The nominations for the 29th / 2019 Gotham Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Monday, Dec. 2nd.

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MOVIES - From RollingStone:   Vin Diesel reveals that Grammy-winning singer Cardi B will appear in the 9th installment of the "Fast & Furious" franchise.

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MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Recording artist and choreographer, Paula Abdul, talks about choreographing the African dance scene during the aborted wedding that takes place early in the Eddie Murphy classic, "Coming to America."

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MOVIES - From ShadowandAct:  Andre Holland ("Moonlight") joins Ruth Negga and Tessa Thompson in the film adaptation of Nella Larsen's 1939 novel, "Passing."

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SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Lori Loughlin facing an additional 10 years in jail because of an additional charge in the "college admissions scandal" (the FBI's "Operation Varsity Blues).

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OSCARS - From Deadline:  The stars of "Ford v. Ferrari," actors Matt Damon and Christian Bale, will go head to head in the best actor Oscar race.

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CELEBRITY - From BET:  Celebrated and reviled rap music impresario, Suge Knight, is serving 28 years in prison for voluntary manslaughter.  It has been reported that he has sold the rights to his life story to recording artist, actor, and TV personality, Ray J.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 10/18 to 10/20/2019 weekend box office is "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil" with an estimated take of 36 million dollars.

From THR:  The Ang Lee-directed, Will Smith-headling "Gemini Man" could lose 75 million dollars for companies behind it.

From Deadline:  "Joker" looks like it is headed to 900 million dollars in worldwide gross.  That would make it the highest grossing R-rated film ahead of current record holder, "Deadpool," which grossed 783 million dollars.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  Tom Hanks will recevie the "Cecil B. DeMille Award" from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at the 77th Annual Golden Globes Awards on Jan. 5th, 2020.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence married Cooke Maroney Sat., Oct. 18th.

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POLITICS-BDS - From Truthout:  Actor David Clennon wonders if he will be blacklisted because of his support of the Boycott Divest Sanction movement against Israel.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  The actor and comedian, John Witherspoon, has died at the age of 77, October 29, 2019.  His 42-year film and TV career began with a two appearances on "The Richard Pryor Show" (1977).  His longest running TV gig was playing "John 'Pop' Williams" on "The Wayans Bros" (1995-99), and he also provided the voice of "Robert 'Grandad' Freeman" for the animated series, "The Boondocks" (2005-2014).  His best known film role was as "Willie Jones" in Ice Cube's "Friday" film series.

From Deadline:  Legendary Hollywood film producer, Robert Evans, has died at the age of 89, Saturday, October 26, 2019.  He was best known as the producer of many films, including 1974's "Chinatown," for which he received an Academy Award nomination, his only Oscar nod.  He also, notoriously, produced 1984's "The Cotton Club," a production that became entangled in a murder trial. Evans was also the head of production at Paramount Pictures from 1967 to 1974.

From NPR:  Former congressman, U.S. Representative John Conyers, Democrat-Michigan, has died at the age of 90, Sunday, October 27, 2019.  Conyers was the longest serving African-American member of Congress, 1965 to 2017.

From NFL and TheMercuryNews:  Former NFL player, coach and executive,Willie Brown, has died at the age of 78, Monday, October 21, 2019, according sources with the Oakland Raiders, the team with which he is most associated.  Brown played cornerback for the Denver Broncos (1963 to 1966) and the Oakland Raiders (1967 to 1978).  Brown won three Super Bowl titles (XI, XV, and XVIII) with the Raiders, one as a player and two as a coach.

From THR:  Television writer and producer, James Schmerer, died at the age of 81, Friday, October 4, 2019.  Schmerer was known for writing episodes of TV series such as "Mannix," "CHiPs," "MacGuyver," and "The High Chaparral" (for which he was also a producer).

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 14th to 20th, 2019 - Update #17

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MOVIES - From THR:  Oscar-winning director Roman Polanski ("The Pianist") has sued to be reinstated into the Academy of Motions Pictures Arts and Sciences, the non-profit organization behind the Oscars.  He was expelled in 2018 over the Academy's "standard of conduct."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Two-time Oscar nominee, John Singleton, who is best known for the 1991 film, "Boyz n the Hood," has apparently suffered a stroke.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Clint Eastwood may direct "The Ballad of Richard Jewell."  The late Richard Jewell was a real-life figure, a security guard whose life got turned upside down after media reports identified him as a possible suspect in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics bombing.  Previously, Leonardo DiCaprio and Jonah Hill were to be greatly involved in this project, but they make be limited to producing it.

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MOVIES - From Variety:   The 72nd Cannes Film Festival has announced its lineup.

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COMICS-FILM - From Deadline:  Two weeks before production was to begin, Disney has cancelled the "Mouse Guard" film, a motion-capture movie based on the comic book of the same name.  It was being developed by Fox before the Disney merger.

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POLITICS - From Axios:  The 10 episodes of potential Trump obstruction listed in the Mueller report.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Travis Knight ("Bumblebee") has been picked to direct, "Six Billion Dollar Man," a movie based on the classic 1970s television series, "Six Million Dollar Man."  Mark Wahlberg is attached to star in the film.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Jennifer Lawrence's next film will be an as-yet untitled drama from director, Lila Neugebauer, who is acclaimed for her work in live theater.

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CULTURE - From Pulitzer:  The 2019 Pulitzer Prize winners and finalists have been announced.  The late Aretha Franklin posthumously received the Pulitzer Prize in the category of "Special Awards and Citations," becoming the first individual woman to earn the prize.

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AVATAR - From Newsarama:  Michello Yeoh has been casts in James Cameron's "Avatar" sequel films.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 4/12 to 4/14/2019 weekend box office is "Shazam" with an estimated take of 25.1 million dollars.

From Patreon:  A review of "Shazam!"

From IndieWire:  Oscar-winner Guillermo del Toro's films, "Hellboy" (2004) and "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" (2008) were the last films of their kind.  On the weekend when the "Hellboy" reboot apparently flops at the box office, IndieWire offers a look back.

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SPORTS - From YahooSports:  Golfer Tiger Woods has won the 2019 Masters, his first win in one of professional golf's four major tournaments in 11 years.  Overall, it is his 15th win in a major and his fifth win at the Masters.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  CBS renews its TV cop-family drama, "Blue Bloods," for a tenth season.


TRAILERS/VIDEO:

From YouTube:  First teaser trailer for "Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker."

From WaltDisney:  This is a page where you can view The Walt Disney Company's Investor Day 2019 webcast.  This video includes information about Disney upcoming streaming service, Disney+.

OBITS:

From Variety:  The novelist, playwright, and poet, Warren Adler, has died at the age of 91, Monday, April 15, 2019.  He wrote 50 novels and a number of them were adapted for film, TV, and the stage.  The best known of those adaptations is probably the 1989 film, "War of the Roses," which starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner and was directed by Danny DeVito, and was based on Adler's 1981 novel of the same name.

From EW:  The television actress, Georgia Engel, has died at the age of 70, Friday, April 12, 2019.  Known for her soft voice, she rose to fame "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" as the soft-spoken Georgette Franklin.  The five-time Emmy-nominated actress also had a recurring role on "Everybody Loves Raymond," and she also appeared on "The Betty White Show" and "Hot in Cleveland."

From TheWrap:   The Swedish actress, Bibi Andersson, has died at the age of 83, Sunday, April 14, 2019.  Andersson is best known for her association with legendary Swedish writer-director, Ingmar Bergman.  She appeared in 11 of Bergman's films, including "The Seventh Seal," "Wild Strawberries," and "Persona."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 9th to 15th, 2018 - Update #25

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AWARDS - From TheWrap:  The 2018 European Film Awards named director Pawel Pawlikowski's "Cold War" the "Best European Film" of 2018.

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SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment:  Jennifer Lawrence denies claims made in a lawsuit that she had a sexual relationship with disgraced movie mogul, Harvey Weinstein.

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TELEVISION - From THR:  Disney has fired actor Stoney Westmoreland from its Disney Channel TV series, "Andi Mack."  Westmoreland was arrested in Utah after he used an online dating app to attempt a sexual liason with a 13-year-old.

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STREAMING - From Deadline:  Apple TV lands rights to produced new content based on the classic comic strip, "Peanuts."

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SCANDAL - From Deadline:  CBS secretly settled a sexual harassment claim by Eliza Dushku for $9.5 million.  The claim concerned Dushku's appearance on the current CBS TV series, "Bull," and its star, Michael Weatherly.

From YahooTV:  Cybill Shepherd says that CBS' now-disgraced for chairman, Les Moonves, cancelled her 1990s CBS comedy series, "Cybill," because she would not have sexual relations with him.

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MUSIC - From BleedingCool:  The 2019 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee class will include Janet Jackson, Radiohead, The Cure, Stevie Nicks, Roxy Music, Def Leppard, and The Zombies.  The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled to take place on  March 29th 2019 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, with a tv broadcast scheduled to air on HBO at a later date.

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STREAMING - From Collider:   Steven Yeun, best known for playing Glenn Rhee on "The Walking Dead," will star in an episode of Jordan Peele's "The Twilight Zone" for CBS All Access.

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PIXAR - From Deadline:   Chris Pratt, Tom Holland, Octavia Butler, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus lead the voice cast of Pixar's film, "Onward," which is being directed by Dan Scanlon and is due March 2020.

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AWARDS - From TheWrap:  The 2019 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations have been announced.

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STREAMING - From TVLine:  Netflix has greenlit a biographical series based on the life of slain Tejano music singer, the late Selena Quintanilla-Perez a.k.a. "Selena."

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CULTURE - From TIME:  "Time Magazines'" has named is "Person of the Year" for 2018, and it is "The Guardians and the War on Truth," with an emphasis on murdered Saudi journalist, Jamal Khashoggi.

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COMICS - From THR:  There is a new comic book publisher, TKO Studios, that wants to change the way readers buy comic books.

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MOVIES - From TheDailyBeast:  Director Adam McKay, who is seeing the release of his Dick Cheney film, "Vice," talks about the time he was forced to film a Donald Trump cameo for his film, "The Other Guys."  Apparently, if you want to film on a Trump property, you have to film a cameo of Trump for your film.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Starz's hit series, "Power," has shut down production of its sixth season after a production assistant was killed in an on-set accident.

From Deadline:  NBC is developing "Conway," a detective series from Vin Diesel and his One Race TV company and also Universal Television.

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STREAMING - From THR:  Netflix has ordered its first "African original" series, "Queen Sono."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 12/7to 12/9/2018 weekend box office is "Ralph Breaks the Internet" with an estimated take of $16.1 million.  This is the film's third week in the top spot.

From TheWrap:  Warner Bros. opened its upcoming DC Comics' superhero flick, "Aquaman," in China, two weeks before its U.S. debut.  The result is a $93 million opening weekend in China.

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AWARDS - From TheWrap:  Los Angeles Film Critics Association name Alfonso Cuaron's "Roma" the best film of 2018.

From THR:  The New York Film Critics Online also name "Roma" best film of 2018.

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ECO - From RSN:  How the Iconic 1968 Earthrise Photo Changed Our Relationship to the Planet

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STREAMING - From SlashFilm:  "Sister Act 3" is being produced for the streaming service, Disney+.  Whoopi Goldberg, who starred in the first two films, will not be involved with the new film... reportedly.

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AWARDS - From Deadline:  "Minding the Gap" takes the top prize at the 2018 IDA Documentary Awards.

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SPORTS - From ESPN:  University of Oklahoma junior quarterback, Kyler Murray, is the winner of the 2018 Heisman Trophy, as the top player in college football.  Murray is the second consecutive Sooner to win the trophy following the 2017 winner, Baker Mayfield, who is currently a quarterback for the NFL's Cleveland Brown.

OBITS:

From Variety:  One of the most revered jazz singers of the 20th century, Nancy Wilson, has died at the age of 81, Thursday, December 13, 2018.  Wilson, who won three Grammys and recorded more than 70 albums, also had a 1974-75 NBC variety series, "The Nancy Wilson Show."  She was also a frequent guests on variety shows hosted by Carol Burnett, Andy Williams, and Flip Wilson.

From Variety:  The actress Sondra Locke died at the age of 74, November 3, 2018.  She received a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her first movie role in the film, "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter."  She is probably best known for her association with Clint Eastwood.  She appeared in several of his films, including as a murderous, vengeful rape victim in "Sudden Impact."  Locke also had a romantic relationship with Eastwood that was quite contentious.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 1st to 10th, 2018 - Update #30

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COMICS-FILM - From JoBlo:  "New Mutants" actress Anya Taylor-Joy confirms that the reshoots for the film "The New Mutants" are being done to add a new character and to reportedly make the film scarier.

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COMICS-FILM - From Movies.com:  Vin Diesel confirmed for R-rated comic book movie, "Bloodshot."

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MOVIES - From SlashFilm:  The Oscar-winning film, "Call Me By Your Name," will have a sequel, according to the director.

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MOVIES - From BET:  Ava DuVernay & Oprah On How “Wrinkle In Time” Amplifies The Voices of Today’s Young “Warriors”

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SCANDAL - From TheDailyBeast:  The NYPD claims that it is ready to arrest film mogul, Harvey Weinstein, for felony sexual assault...

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Michael B. Jordan to adopt an inclusion rider on all future projects.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Michael Bay has set his next two films, "6 Underground" and "Robopocalypse."

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POLITICS - From TheDailyBeast:  Ron Reagan says, "The Problem Isn’t Just Trump. It’s Our Ignorant Electorate."

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MOVIES - From Collider:  Martin Scorsese has announced that he has finished filming his next film, "The Irishman."  Now, begins the post-production for the film which may appear in the second half of 2019.

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MOVIES - From Reuters:  Lawsuit seeks White House, Justice Department records on Fox-Disney deal.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Hot comedienne and actress Tiffany Haddish joins Tyler Perry's "The List."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 3/2 to 3/4/2018 weekend box office is Marvel Studios' "Black Panther" with an estimated total $65.7 million.

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OSCARS - From Variety:  "The Shape of Water" wins the Academy Award (Oscar) as "Best Picture of 2017."  Guillermo del Toro wins "Best Director" for directing "The Shape of Water."

From DeadlineTV:  The viewership for the Oscar telecast was down an all-time low for the 2018 Oscars, $26.5 million.

From ETCanada:  Despite the "Time's Up" and #MeToo movements, the 2018 Academy Awards saw the fewest women winners since the 2012 Oscars.  This year, 6 women claiming Oscars compared to 33 men.  Only four women won Oscars in 2012.

From YahooEntertainment:  5 things you didn't see at the 2018 Oscars

From Deadline:  Frances McDormand And #InclusionRider Go Viral After Oscar Speech – Reactions

From ShadowandAct:  For Jordan Peele, This Is Bigger Than An Oscar

From Variety:  Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway are going to present the "Best Picture" Oscar again this year.  The pair presented last year's "Best Picture" Oscar mistakenly to "La La Land," after they received the wrong envelope.  "Moonlight" was the winner.

From GoldDerby:  ‘Moonlight’ team turns down invitation for an Oscars do-over

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SCANDAL - From Variety:  A statue of Harvey Weinstein entitled "Casting Couch" has appeared on Hollywood Boulevard.  It was created by two artists Plastic Jesus and Joshua “Ginger” Monroe.  Monroe is responsible for the nude Donald Trump statue that appeared in numerous cities.

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COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  Sony's remake of "The Crow," starring Jason Momoa and directed by Corin Hardy will arrive in theaters October 11, 2019.

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COMICS-FILM - From BleedingCool:  The tone of Marvel Studio's upcoming film, "Captain Marvel" (2019), might be action-comedy.

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STREAMING - From Variety:  Anna Kendrick's Santa Claus movie, the fantasy comedy "Noelle," has been pulled from Disney's theatrical release and will appear on Disney's still-unnamed streaming service.

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MOVIES - From ShadowsandAct:  Oscar winners Viola David and Lupita N'yongo will play mother and daughter in the film "The Woman King," based on the real-life "Dahomey Amazon Warriors."

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COMICS-FILM - From Deadline:  Disney/Marvel moves up the release date for "Avengers: Infinity War" from May 4th to April 27, 2018.

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CELEBRITY - From YahooEntertainment:  Jennifer Lawrence reveals movie roles she coveted by did not get.

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DISNEY - From BleedingCool:  Walt Disney is doing a live-action remake of its classic animated film, "Peter Pan" [My all time favorite animated film. - Editor].  Here is an update on its progress.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Brad Pitt will join Leonardo DiCaprio in Quentin Tarantino's ninth film, the so-called "Manson murders film."  It now has a title, "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood," and is scheduled for release August 9, 2019.

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From CinemaBlend:   One Way The New Halloween Movie Is Like The Original, According To Nick Castle

OBITS:

From Billboard:  Businessman Russ Solomon has died at the age of 92, Sunday, March 4, 2018.  Solomon founded Tower Records.  He began selling records in his father's drug store, calling his business "Tower Record Mart."  He opened his first stand alone store in 1960.

From Variety:   The actor David Ogden Stiers has died at the age of 75, Saturday, March 3, 2018.  He was best known for his role in the venerable TV series, "M.A.S.H.," as the character Major Charles Emerson Winchester III, for which he received two Emmy nominations.  He was also noted for doing voice performances for numerous animated films, including Disney's "Beauty and the Beast," "Pocahontas," and "The Hunchback of Notre Dame."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 10th to 16th, 2017- Update #22

Support Leroy on Patreon.

SCANDAL - From RSN:  Salma Hayek talks about how both Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump retaliated against her.

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  ABC's "Roseanne" revival/reboot to debut March 2018 with an hour-long episode.

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BUSINESS - From Variety:  Disney to buy 21st Century Fox in a $52.4 all-stock merger.

From BleedingCool:  More on the Disney-Fox deal.

From TheWrap:  Hollywood celebrities have fun with Marvel-Fox merger.

From BleedingCool:  Disney CEO Bob Iger is not against an R-rated Marvel movie, as Fox has done.

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MOVIES - From YahooHuffPost:  Even Will Smith is commenting on dopey Roy Moore's election loss in Alabama on Tuesday, Dec. 12th.

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MUSIC - From YahooMusic:  Supremely rare vinyl copies of Prince's "Black Album" have been find.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Hotter-than-hot Tiffany Haddish and John Cho join Ike Barinholtz in the satirical thriller, "The Oath."

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MOVIE-TV-AWARDS - From Variety:  A full list of 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  PBS suspends late-night talk show host, Tavis Smiley over sexual misconduct allegations.  [Sigh. - Leroy]

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Jennifer Lawrence joins the film, "Burial Rites," from director Luca Guadagnino, who is out off his film "Call Me By Your Name."

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  Woody Harrelson joins Tom Hardy in Spider-Man spinoff film, "Venom."

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TELEVISION - From ShadowandAct:  Michael Che and Colin Jost have been named co-head writers for venerable variety show, "Saturday Night Live."  Che is the first person of color to hold that title on the show.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Jim Broadbent to join Robert Downey, Jr. in "Voyage of Doctor Doolittle."

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COMICS-STREAMING - From TheWrap:  Marvel-Netflix's "The Punisher" gets a second season.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Guillermo del Toro has set up at Fox Searchlight to write and direct a remake of 20th Century Fox's 1947 Tyrone Power flick, "Nightmare Alley."

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CULTURE - From HuffPost:  " Inside The Voucher Schools That Teach L. Ron Hubbard, But Say They’re Not Scientologist"

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Seth Rogen to play Walter Cronkite in David Gordon Green's film, "Newsflash."

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MOVIES - From Collider:  Steven Caple, Jr. will direct "Creed 2" instead of Sylvester Stallone.  Stallone will return for the sequel along with stars Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson.

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MOVIE AWARDS - From TheWrap:  The 2018 Golden Globe nominations are in...

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COMICS-FILM - From BleedingCool:  Even if the Disney-Fox merger happens, it may be too late for us to see Hugh Jackman playing Wolverine in a Marvel Studios movie.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 12/8 to 12/10/2017 weekend box office is Pixar's "Coco" with an estimated take of $18.6 million.

From Variety:  "Coco"wins weekend box office while "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" waits in the wings for next weekend.

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MOVIES AWARDS - From Variety:  "God's Own Country" wins big at 2017 British Independent Film Awards.

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POLITICS - From RSN:  Late night talk show host, Jimmy Kimmel, speaks on Alabama U.S. Senate candidate, Roy Moore, and his "Christian values."

TRAILERS:

From USAToday:  The first trailer for the animated film, "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse," featuring the Miles Morales Spider-Man, once known as the "Ultimate Spider-Man."

OBIT:

From ESPN:  Tommy Nobis, NFL and college football great, has died at the age of 74, Thursday, December 14, 2017.  Playing for the University of Texas Longhorns, Nobis appeared on the covers of "Sports Illustrated" and "Life."  He was the first player drafted by the then expansion NFL team, the Atlanta Falcons, in the 1966 NFL draft.  After professional football, Nobis co-founded the Tommy Nobis Center to help people with disabilities gets job training.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 26th to 30th, 2017 - Update #16

Support Leroy on Patreon.

COMICS-FILM - From THR:  The release date for the reboot of the "Hellboy" film franchise is January 11, 2019.

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TELEVISION - From TheWrap:  Aaron Sorkin has said that he has a standing offer from NBC to revive his beloved, Emmy-winning TV series, "West Wing."  Sorkin says that he would prefer to have Sterling K. Brown of NBC's "This is Us" be the President of the U.S. in a new version of the show.

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SCANDAL - From DeadlineTV:  NBC has fired Matt Lauer over allegations of "inappropriate sexual behavior."

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MOVIE AWARDS - From TheWrap:  The National Board of Review Names Steven Spielberg's "The Post" the "Best Film of 2017."

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MUSIC AWARDS - From TheWrap:  2018 / 60th Grammy Award nominations announced.

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AWARDS - From TheWrap:  Here are your 2017 Gotham Award winners.

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CELEBRITY - YahooNews:  Prince Harry of British royal family has got has gone black and may never come back with the women he announced as his bride-to-be, Meghan Markle, the actress and lifestyle blogger, whose father is white and mother is black.

From TheGuardian:  The myth of (British) royal purity.

From YahooNews:  J.K. Rowling shuts down "The Spectator" over Meghan Markle's suitability as Prince Harry's wife.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 11/24 to 11/26/2017 three-day Thanksgiving weekend box office is Pixar's "Coco" with an estimated haul of $49 million.  Over the five-day weekend, 11/22 to 11/26/2017, "Coco" is also the winner with an estimated take of $72.1.

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TELEVISION - From TVGuide:  The character that will bridge the world of "The Walking Dead" and "Fear the Walking Dead" is Morgan, played by actor, Lennie James.

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WEBTV - From ShadowandAct:  A fan-made web series centers on a black Hermoine Granger in a post-Hogwarts world.

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BOX OFFICE - From YahooEntertainment:  "Coco" wins the five-day Thanksgiving weekend with an estimated box office take of $71.2 million.

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CELEBRITY - From EW:  James Cameron recalls the time he almost whooped Harvey Weinstein at the Oscars.

From YahooEntertainment:  On the 20th anniversary of his monster hit, "Titanic," writer-director answers questions about the film.

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CELEBRITY - From EntertainmentTonight:  Jennifer Lawrence ready to take time off and buy a farm and milk goats.

OBITS:

From THR:  Film director and editor, Anthony Harvey, died at the age of 87, Thursday, November 23, 2017.  Harvey earned an Oscar nomination for directing "The Lion in Winter."  Harvey also edited Stanley Kubrick's films, "Lolita" (1962) and "Dr. Strangelove" (1964).

From TheWrap:  Rance Howard, the father of actor/director Ron Howard and actor Clint Howard, has died at the age of 89, Saturday, November 25, 2017.  Rance appeared in 15 of his son Ron's films, including "A Beautiful Mind," which won Ron two Oscars.

From Variety:  Prolific television director, Peter Baldwin, died at the age of 86, Sunday, November 19, 2017.  He won a Primetime Emmy for directing ABC's late 1980s series, "The Wonder Years."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 12th to 18th, 2017 - Update #39

Support Leroy on Patreon.

CELEBRITY - From ETCanada:  Musician and former "Partridge Family" star, David Cassidy, has been hospitalized with organ failure.

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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  Box office for "Justice League" looks to be less than forecasted.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Oscar-winning actress Viola Davis joins director Malcolm D. Lee for the film adaptation of "I Almost Forgot About You."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Oscar-winner Mahershala Ali will star in and executive produce the crime thriller, "Burn."

From TheWrap:  "Selma" star, Carmen Ejogo, joins Mahershala Ali in Season 3 of HBO's "True Crime.

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TERMINATOR - From Variety:  Screenwriter Billy Ray ("Captain Phillips") joins the writing room of the upcoming "Terminator" film.

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BUSINESS - From Variety:  Comcast expresses interest in buying parts of 21st Century Fox, a week after news comes that Disney was in brief talks with Fox.  Verizon is apparently also interested.

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SCANDAL - From TheDailyMail:  Back in 1988, a 16-year-old girl filed a police reported accusing Sylvester Stallone and his bodyguard of sexually misconduct.

From YahooEntertainmentET:  Stallone says the incident never happened.

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CELEBRITY - From THR:  Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone, both Oscar winners, are working on a secret project together.

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TELEVISION - From YahooEntertainment:  The seventh and final season of "Veep" has been postponed as star Julia Louis-Dreyfus is battling breast cancer.

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COMICS-FILM - From THR:  James Franco in talks to join Fox's "X-Men" universe as "Multiple Man" in a self-titled film.

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HARRY POTTER - From Variety:  Here is the first cast photo from "Fantastic Beasts 2."

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SCANDAL - From YahooGMA:  Terry Crews finally names the Hollywood player who groped him in February 2016.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  "Girls Trip" scene stealer, Tiffany Haddish is hot.  She became the first African-American stand-up comic to host, "Saturday Night Live" in its history (WTF!).  Now, she has landed lead roles in two film.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Taraji P. Henson to star in a female take on the 2000 hit film, "What Women Want," which was directed by Nancy Myers and starred Mel Gibson.

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COMICS-FILM - From ThePlaylist:  15 to 20 percent of Justice League is from Joss Whedon reshoots.

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SPORTS/BLM - From ThePlayersTribune:  Stephen Curry pens "The Noise," about peaceful protests, Veterans Day, and accusing protesters of being against the military.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Zendaya will star in and produce the thriller, "A White Lie," playing the first African-American woman to graduate from Vassar College.

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COMICS-FILM - From ComicBook:  Wonder Woman Gal Gadot does not want Brett Ratner (via his company RatPac-Dune Entertainment) involved with "Wonder Woman 2" because of sexual misconduct accusations against him... at least that what the Internet is reporting.

From LATimes:  Because of an issue of timing, Gadot's alleged demands may be moot.  Warner Bros.'s "Wonder Woman 2" is due in 2019, and Brett Ratner's arrangement with Warner Bros. will expire in 2018.

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COMICS-FILM - From Variety:  Sony Pictures is developing a film based on Spider-Man antagonist, Morbius, the Living Vampire.

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MOVIES - From ScreenRant:  Co-writer Danny McBride confirms the timeline and other information concerning the 2018 reboot of John Carpenter's horror film classic, "Halloween."

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STREAMING - From Deadline:  Amazon sets "The Lord of the Rings" TV series with a multi-season commitment.  The series will apparently be a prequel to "The Fellowship of the Ring."

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SOCIAL - From GQ:  "GQ" names blacklisted NFL quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, "Citizen of the Year."

From FoxNews:  And Fox News is so bitter about that honor for Kaepernick.

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JAMES BOND - From Deadline:  MGM and Annapurna to unite to distribute the next James Bond, which will star Daniel Craig.

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COMICS-FILM - From Deadline:  The cast is set for "Deadly Class," the TV series from Syfy that is based on the comic book series published by Image Comics.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 11/10 to 11/12/2017 weekend box office is "Thor: Ragnarok" with an estimated haul of $56.6 million.

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SPORTS - From YahooSports:  Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard, Lonzo Ball, became the youngest NBA player to record a statistical "triple-double."  At the age of 20 years and 20 days old, he beat the previous recorder holder, LeBron James by five days.

From YahooSports:  Lonzo really don't give a...

From LakerNation:  And LeVar Ball is handling the China situation.

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STAR TREK - From YahooEntertainment:   George Takei says that he is "shocked and bewildered" by the sexual assault acclaim against him by a former model and actor.

SCANDAL - From TheSun:  "Smallville" actress Allison Mack is involved in some kind of "sinister sex cult."

OBITS:

From YahooGMA:  Malcolm Young, guitarist and co-founder of legendary rock band, AC/DC, has died at the age of 64.  Malcolm founded the band with his brother, guitarist Angus Young, in 1973.  Malcolm had been suffering from dementia for several years.

From MLB:  Former Major League Baseball player and coach, Bobby Doerr, has died at the age of 99, Monday, November 13, 2017.  Doerr played 14 seasons for the Boston Red Sox and is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, and its only member to live to 99 years old.  He played for the Red Sox from 1937 to 1951, but missed the 1945 season for military service.

From TheWrap:  Legendary newspaper gossip columnist, Liz Smith, has died at the age of 94, Sunday, November 12, 2017.  Her column ran for more than three decades and she was credited with helping to bring forth the era of celebrity journalism.

TRAILERS:

From YouTube:  The first official trailer for the film, "Rampage," starring Dwayne Johnson and is due April 2018.

From YouTube:  First official trailer for "The Strangers: Prey at Night," the sequel to "The Strangers" and which is due March 2018.