Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 1st to 11th, 2018 - Update #30

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STAR TREK - From THR:  Chris Pine and Chris Hemsworth have walked away from contract negotiations for the fourth installment of Paramount's "Star Trek" reboot series.

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STREAMING - From TheWrap:  Ava DuVernay has completed casting for his Netflix limited series, "Central Park Five."

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STAR TREK - From YahooEntertainment:  Nichelle Nichols, who played "Uhura" on the original "Star Trek" series, is reportedly suffering from dementia.

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COMICS-FILM - From WeGotThisCovered:  Sony owns the films rights to "roughly 900 characters" of Marvel Comics' characters, including Spider-Man and characters associated with him.  Sony is creating their own cinematic universe of Marvel Comics characters.  They are calling it the "SUMC."

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MOVIES - From People:  In this first photographic image of Tom Hardy as real-life gangster, Al Capone, Hardy is non-recognizable.  Hardy will play Capone in the director Josh Trank's film, "Fonzo."

STAR TREK - From  WeGotThisCovered:  A few more details leak about Patrick Stewart's return to "Star Trek" as Jean-Luc Picard.

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OSCARS - From THR:  The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have announced sweeping changes to the Academy Awards/Oscars, including announcing a new category, "Outstanding Achievement in Popular Film."

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Showtime boss and CEO David Nevins says that this upcoming eighth season of its hit show, "Homeland," will be its last.

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STAR TREK - From BleedingCool:   The CBS All Access series, "Star Trek: Discovery," is coming to Blu-ray and DVD, with all 15 episodes from the first season and bonus content.  Release date is set for November 13th, 2018.

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STREAMING - From BleedingCool:  "The Disney Streaming Service" will offer original movies and remakes of older Disney films.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" is the winner of the 8/3 to 8/5/2018 weekend box office with an estimated take of $35 million.

From ShadowandAct:  It is official.  "Black Panther" is just the third film to gross $700 million in the United States.

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STREAMING - From ShadowandAct:  Storm Reid ("A Wrinkle in Time") and Niecy Nash (TNT's "Claws") are among five actresses taking supporting roles in Ava DuVernay's Netflix series, "Central Park Five."

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MOVIES - From TheGuardian:  In an interview about his new film, "BlacKkKlansman," director Spike Lee says, "This guy in the White House has given the green light for the Klan."

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MOVIES - From Movieweb:  "Halloween" franchise producer, Malek Akkad, wants William Shatner to make a cameo in a future "Halloween" film.  Find out why... if you don't already know.

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STREAMING-STAR TREK - From TheWrap:  Actor Patrick Stewart will reprise his role as "Captain Jean-Luc Picard" in a new "Star Trek" series for CBS All Access, the CBS streaming service.  Stewart played Picard in "Star Trek: The Next Generations (1987 to 1994) and in "Next Generation" spinoff films.

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COMICS-ANIMATION - From IndieWire:  FX CEO John Landgraf says "we would have done that show" about Donald Glover and his brother Stephen Glover's proposed "Deadpool" animated series, which Marvel, the rights holder of the Deadpool character, nixed

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MOVIES - From YahooNews:  The Foreign Ministry of Russia has appointed action movie star, Steven Seagal, a "special envoy for humanitarian ties" with the United States.

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TELEVISION - From TVLine:  FX has approved a tenth season of "American Horror Story."

From Variety:  Oscar-winner, Emmy-winner, and Tony Award-winner Jessica Lange will appear in "American Horror Story" Season 8.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Chris Rock to star in FX's "Fargo" Season 4.

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MOVIES - From JoBlo:  Len Wiseman ("Underworld") says "Die Hard: Year One," the franchise reboot is happening "fairly soon."

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MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  The "Metal Gear Sold" movie will keep the weird stuff from the games.

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OSCARS - From IndieWire:  Oscars 2019: The 31 Movies You Need to Keep an Eye On During Fall Film Festival Season.

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COMICS-FILM - From Deadline:  Writer-director Matt Reeves provides a few updates on his "Batman" stand-alone film.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  "Spin the Wheel," a game show from executive producer Justin Timberlake, ordered by FOX.

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TELEVISION - From CBR:  After his abuse accusations nearly derailed his career, Chris Hardwick has been reinstated as host of NBC's primetime game show, "The Wall," and will return this fall.  Hardwick was also reinstated as host of AMC's "Talking Dead."

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MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Carl Lumbly and Alex Essoe join Warner Bros. "Doctor Sleep" film.  Based on the 2013 Stephen King novel, "Doctor Sleep" is a sequel to "The Shining."

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COMICS-STREAMING - From Variety:  Diane Guerrero ("Orange in the New Black") joins "Doom Patrol," based on the DC Comics series.  The "Doom Patrol" series is headed for the "DC  Universe" streaming service.

OBITS:

From Variety:  The actress Charlotte Rae died at the age of 92, Sunday, August 5, 2018.  Rae was best known as the housemother, Mrs. (Edna) Garrett, on the long-running NBC sitcom, "The Facts of Life" (1979-1988).  She also appeared on the short-lived, 1960s sitcom, "Car 54 Where Are You?" (which is one of my favorite TV shows - Ed.)

From THR:  The actress Mary Carlisle has died at the age of 104, died at the age of Wednesday, August 1, 2018.  She was Bing Crosby's co-star in three delightful musicals of the 1930s, including 1937's "Double or Nothing."  She co-starred with several big names of the "Golden Age" of Hollywood films, including Jack Benny in "It's in the Air" and John Barrymore in "Should Ladies Behave."  Carlisle retired from acting after appearing in the 1943 horror film, "Dead Men Walk."

Teaser Trailer Released for "The Gambler" Starring Mark Wahlberg

THE ONLY WAY OUT IS ALL IN.

Watch the red-band teaser and read an interview with star and producer Mark Wahlberg:
https://www.yahoo.com/movies/mark-walhberg-the-gambler-preview-weight-100665948362.html

Jim Bennett (Academy Award®-nominee Mark Wahlberg) is a risk taker. Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster (Michael Kenneth Williams) and offers his own life as collateral. Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring (Alvin Ing) and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother (Academy Award®-winner Jessica Lange) in his wake. He plays both sides, immersing himself in an illicit, underground world while garnering the attention of Frank (John Goodman), a loan shark with a paternal interest in Bennett’s future. As his relationship with a student (Brie Larson) deepens, Bennett must take the ultimate risk for a second chance…

THE GAMBLER in select theaters starting December 19th

Official site: www.TheGamblerMovie.com
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGamblerMovie

Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheGamblerMovie
#THEGAMBLER

2014 Primetime Emmy Awards - Complete Winners List

by Leroy Douresseaux

AMC's much-loved crime drama, “Breaking Bad” (which ended last year) won five awards at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, including for best drama series and lead actor.  “Modern Family” won its fifth consecutive award for best comedy series, one of three awards its won.  Other multiple winners included “Fargo,” Sherlock: His Last Vow, and “American Horror Story: Coven.”

To me, the entire ceremony seemed stuck in a loop that began three or four years ago.  Television is supposed to be in a new golden age.  However, all the buzzed-about shows like Game of Thrones, House of Cards, and Orange is the New Black lose to the same shows and performers who have been winning again and again for what seems like ages.  And “The Walking Dead” doesn't even get nominations in the major categories.  Oh, well...

The 66th Primetime Emmy Awards took place on Monday, August 25, 2014.  The ceremony aired on NBC and was hosted by Seth Meyers.

For a complete list of winners and nominees, go here: http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners

2014 / 66th Primetime Emmy Awards winners:

Drama Series
Breaking Bad

Comedy Series
Modern Family

Lead Actor in a Drama
Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad

Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock: His Last Vow

Lead Actress in a Drama
Julianna Margulies, The Good Wife

Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Jessica Lange, American Horror Story: Coven

Lead Actor in a Comedy
Jim Parsons, The Big Bang Theory

Lead Actress in a Comedy
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep

Reality Competition Program
The Amazing Race

Variety Series
The Colbert Report

Miniseries
Fargo

Television Movie
The Normal Heart

Supporting Actor in a Drama
Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad

Supporting Actress in a Drama
Anna Gunn, Breaking Bad

Writing for a Drama
Moira Walley-Beckett, Breaking Bad

Directing for a Drama
Cary Joji Fukunaga, True Detective

Supporting Actor in a Comedy
Ty Burrell, Modern Family

Supporting Actress in a Comedy
Allison Janney, Mom

Writing for a Comedy
Louis C.K., Louie

Directing for a Comedy
Gail Mancuso, Modern Family

Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie
Martin Freeman, Sherlock: His Last Vow

Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie
Kathy Bates, American Horror Story: Coven

Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special
Steven Moffat, Sherlock: His Last Vow

Directing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special
Colin Bucksey, Fargo

Writing for a Variety Special
Sarah Silverman: We Are Miracles

Directing for a Variety Special
Glenn Weiss, 67th Annual Tony Awards

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2012 Primetime Emmy Winners Announced

The Emmy Award is a television production award that is considered the television equivalent of the Academy Awards in film and the Grammy Awards in music. My focus is usually on the Primetime Emmy Awards.

The Primetime Emmys award show aired on Sunday, Sept. 23rd. The list below is not a complete list of the 2012 Primetime Emmy winners. The winners in some Primetime Emmy categories were previously announced as part of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards, although I think I have included two or three winners in this list who were already announced at the Creative Arts ceremony.

2012 PRIMETIME EMMY AWARD WINNERS in categories announced Sunday, September 23, 2012:

COMEDY SERIES
“Modern Family”
ABC; Levitan-Lloyd Productions in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television
Steven Levitan, Executive Producer
Christopher Lloyd, Executive Producer
Danny Zuker, Executive Producer
Dan O’Shannon, Executive Producer
Bill Wrubel, Executive Producer
Paul Corrigan, Executive Producer
Brad Walsh, Executive Producer
Jeff Morton, Co-Executive Producer
Jeffery Richman, Co-Executive Producer
Abraham Higginbotham, Co-Executive Producer
Cindy Chupack, Co-Executive Producer
Chris Smirnoff, Producer

COMEDY ACTOR
Jon Cryer as Alan Harper in "Two and a Half Men"

COMEDY ACTRESS
Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Selina Meyer in "Veep"

SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTOR
Eric Stonestreet as Cameron Tucker in "Modern Family"

SUPPORTING COMEDY ACTRESS
Julie Bowen as Claire Dunphy in "Modern Family"

DRAMA SERIES
“Homeland”
Showtime; Showtime Presents, Teakwood Lane Productions, Cherry Pie Productions, Keshet, Fox 21
Alex Gansa, Executive Producer
Howard Gordon, Executive Producer
Michael Cuesta, Executive Producer
Gideon Raff, Executive Producer
Avi Nir, Executive Producer
Ran Tellem, Executive Producer
Chip Johannessen, Co-Executive Producer
Alexander Cary, Co-Executive Producer
Michael Klick, Produced By

DRAMA ACTRESS
Claire Danes as Carrie Mathison in "Homeland"

DRAMA ACTOR
Damian Lewis as Nicholas Brody in "Homeland"

SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTRESS
Maggie Smith as Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham in "Downton Abbey"

SUPPORTING DRAMA ACTOR
Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman in "Breaking Bad"

MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE
Game Change
HBO • Playtone and Everyman Pictures in association with HBO Films
Tom Hanks, Executive Producer
Gary Goetzman, Executive Producer
Jay Roach, Executive Producer
Danny Strong, Co-Executive Producer
Steven Shareshian, Co-Executive Producer
Amy Sayres, Produced By

LEAD ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin in "Game Change"

LEAD ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Kevin Costner as 'Devil' Anse Hatfield in "Hatfields & McCoys"

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Jessica Lange as Constance Langdon in "American Horror Story"

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A MINISERIES OR MOVIE
Tom Berenger as Jim Vance in "Hatfields & McCoys"

VARIETY SERIES
“The Daily Show With Jon Stewart”
Comedy Central; Central Productions, LLC
Jon Stewart, Executive Producer/Host
Rory Albanese, Executive Producer
Kahane Cooperman, Co-Executive Producer
Steve Bodow, Co-Executive Producer
Jennifer Flanz, Co-Executive Producer
Adam Lowitt, Co-Executive Producer
Jim Margolis, Co-Executive Producer
Pamela DePace, Supervising Producer
Hillary Kun, Supervising Producer
Timothy Greenberg, Supervising Producer
Stuart Miller, Supervising Producer
Jill Katz, Producer

REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
“The Amazing Race”
CBS; World Race Productions Inc.
Bertram van Munster, Executive Producer
Elise Doganieri, Executive Producer
Jerry Bruckheimer, Executive Producer
Jonathan Littman, Executive Producer
Mark Vertullo, Executive Producer
Dan Coffie, Co-Executive Producer
Giselle Parets, Co-Executive Producer
Phil Keoghan, Co-Executive Producer
Michael Norton, Supervising Producer
Matt Schmidt, Supervising Producer
Patrick Cariaga, Supervising Producer
Michael Miller, Supervising Producer
Darren Bunkley, Senior Producer
Chad Baron, Senior Producer
Neil Jahss, Senior Producer

HOST FOR A REALITY OR REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM
Tom Bergeron, "Dancing With the Stars"

DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Steven Levitan, "Modern Family" (“Baby On Board” episode)

WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Louis C.K., "Louie" (Episode: “Pregnant”)

DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Tim Van Patten, "Boardwalk Empire" (“To The Lost” episode)

WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Alex Gansa, Howard Gordon & Gideon Raff, "Homeland" (Pilot episode)

DIRECTING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL
Jay Roach, "Game Change"

WRITING FOR A MINISERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL
Danny Strong, "Game Change"

SPECIAL-CLASS PROGRAMS
"65th Annual Tony Awards" (CBS)

DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SERIES
Don Roy King, "Saturday Night Live" (“Host: Mick Jagger”)

DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL
Glenn Weiss, "65th Annual Tony Awards"

WRITING FOR A VARIETY SERIES
"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," Tim Carvell (head writer), Rory Albanese, Kevin Bleyer, Rich Blomquist, Steve Bodow, Wyatt Cenac, Hallie Haglund, JR Havlan, Elliott Kalan, Dan McCoy, Jo Miller, John Oliver, Zhubin Parang, Daniel Radosh, Jason Ross, & Jon Stewart

WRITING FOR A VARIETY SPECIAL
"Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theatre," Louis C.K.

"The Help" Cleans Up at 2012 Screen Actors Guild Awards

The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) is an American labor union that represents film and television performers worldwide. Most people probably know SAG for the various actors’ strikes or for the Screen Actors Guild Award, which SAG uses to honor outstanding performances by its members. The first SAG Awards ceremony was held in February 1995 (for films released in 1994).

The big winner last night was the 2011 hit movie, The Help.  It won two acting awards and the top prize, "Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture" (or Best Ensemble-Film), which is something of an upset.  Going into last night, The Artist, had to be at least a slight favorite because it has won the top prize from most film critics organizations, and it won the top prize at the Golden Globes and from both the Directors and Producers Guilds.  However, in the previous 17 years of the SAG Awards, only 9 "Best Ensemble" winners have also won the best picture Oscar.  Last year's Best Ensemble SAG winner, The King's Speech, did win the Oscar.

The 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards were presented on Jan. 29, 2012 from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles and aired live on TBS and TNT.

18th Annual SCREEN ACTORS GUILD AWARDS® Winners (for the year 2011):

FILM

BEST ENSEMBLE
"The Help" (Jessica Chastain, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Chris Lowell, Ahna O'Reilly, Sissy Spacek, Octavia Spencer, Mary Steenburgen, Emma Stone, Cicely Tyson, Mike Vogel)

BEST ACTOR
Jean Dujardin, "The Artist"

BEST ACTRESS
Viola Davis, "The Help"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christopher Plummer, "Beginners"

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Octavia Spencer, "The Help"

BEST STUNT ENSEMBLE
"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"

TELEVISION

BEST DRAMA ENSEMBLE
"Boardwalk Empire" (Steve Buscemi; Dominic Chianese; Robert Clohessy; Dabney Coleman; Charlie Cox; Josie Gallina; Lucy Gallina; Stephen Graham; Jack Huston; Anthony Laciura; Heather Lind; Kelly MacDonald; Declan McTigue; Rory McTigue; Gretchen Mol; Brady Noon; Connor Noon; Kevin O'Rourke; Aleksa Palladino; Jacqueline Pennewill; Vincent Piazza; Michael Pitt; Michael Shannon; Paul Sparks; Michael Stuhlbarg; Peter Van Wagner; Shea Whigham; Michael Kenneth Williams; Anatol Yusef)

BEST DRAMA ACTOR
Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"

BEST DRAMA ACTRESS
Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story"

BEST COMEDY ENSEMBLE
"Modern Family" (Aubrey Anderson-Emmons; Julie Bowen; Ty Burrell; Jesse Tyler Ferguson; Nolan Gould; Sarah Hyland; Ed O'Neill; Rico Rodriguez II; Eric Stonestreet; Sofia Vergara; Ariel Winter)

BEST COMEDY ACTOR
Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"

BEST COMEDY ACTRESS
Betty White, "Hot in Cleveland"

BEST MOVIE/MINI ACTOR
Paul Giamatti, "Too Big to Fail"

BEST MOVIE/MINI ACTRESS
Kate Winslet, "Mildred Pierce"

BEST TV STUNT ENSEMBLE
"Game of Thrones"

LIFE ACHIEVEMENT AWARD - Screen Actors Guild Awards 48th Annual Life Achievement Award:
Mary Tyler Moore

Review: Tim Burton's "Big Fish" Out of Water

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 3 (2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

Big Fish (2003)
Running time: 125 minutes (2 hours, 5 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for a fight scene, some images of nudity and a suggestive reference
DIRECTOR: Tim Burton
WRITER: John August (from a novel by Daniel Wallace, Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions)
PRODUCERS: Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks, and Richard D. Zanuck
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Philippe Rousselot
EDITOR: Chris Lebenzon
COMPOSER: Danny Elfman
Academy Award nominee

DRAMA with elements of comedy and fantasy

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange, Alison Lohman, Helena Bonham Carter, Robert Guillaume, Marion Cotillard, Matthew McGroroy, David Denman, Steve Buscemi, Danny DeVito, Ada Tai, Arlene Tai, Deep Roy, and Hailey Ann Nelson

Tim Burton is an imaginative, creative, and innovative filmmaker, but his eccentric vision is traditionally wasted on studio fare. He’s sometimes managed to make average to very good movies out of junk, as in Planet of the Apes. He’s made visually appealing films that sadly misfire, Mars Attacks. He’s made fairy tales and fables into visually appealing films like Edward Scissorhands and Sleepy Hollow. He occasionally makes a films that live up to people’s expectations of him as a great filmmaker, as in Beetlejuice and Ed Wood. His new film Big Fish belongs in the category with Planet of the Apes.

Will Bloom (Billy Crudup) has a father Ed Bloom (Albert Finney) who likes to spin tall yarns. It’s how Ed tells the story of his life, mixing tall tales (or big fish stories) with what actually happened; that must mean his stories have a life lesson somewhere inside. As the Young Ed (Ewan McGregor), he claims to have had many adventures: as a star athlete, as a circus worker, and as a soldier. Will grows to hate those stories and what he sees as his father’s dishonesty. He goes away, until his mother Sandra (Jessica Lange) calls Will and his wife Josephine (Marion Cotillard) home because Ed is dying. Ed wants to make peace with his father, so he tries again to figure out fact from fiction, but maybe he’s missing the point.

For all his visual aplomb and quirkiness, Tim Burton made a pleasant, but ultimately safe father-son movie with a few oddball characters thrown into the mix. And when it’s all said and done, there’s nothing really odd about them other than they might not look or act like the average folks. On the surface, they may appear strange, but underneath, they’re just your typical country witticism-spewing role players. There’s potential in each one, but Burton wastes it by making them less dangerous. Fairy tales and oddities are dangerous because they challenge our preconceived notions of what is and what is not. To make them little more than weird looking is to take away what makes them truly different and all you have left is fluff.

It’s not entirely Burton’s fault; he’s admitted before that he wouldn’t know a good screenplay if he saw one, and weak screenplays are often the biggest flaw of his films. He focuses on making his movies look unusual, but the story ultimately fails to live up to his visual promise.

The acting in Big Fish is pretty good, but it’s wasted. How can you have a major talent like Jessica Lange and regulate her to making sad faces with sad smiles. Don’t get me started on Robert Guillaume playing the patient and wise Negro who just so happens to say those typically wise-Negro words that finally make Will “get it” about his father.

Big Fish isn’t bad; it’s just pleasant. It’s not a bad time at the movies. There are some laughs and some clever moments. There’s a bit of magic in the air, but be careful you don’t choke on maudlin and sentiment.

5 of 10
C+

NOTES:
2004 Academy Awards: 1 nomination for “Best Music, Original Score” (Danny Elfman)


2004 BAFTA Awards: 7 nominations: “Best Achievement in Special Visual Effects” (Kevin Scott Mack, Seth Maury, Lindsay MacGowan, and Paddy Eason), “Best Film” (Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks, and Richard D. Zanuck), “Best Make Up/Hair” (Jean Ann Black and Paul LeBlanc), “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role” (Albert Finney), “Best Production Design” (Dennis Gassner), “Best Screenplay – Adapted” (John August), and “David Lean Award for Direction” (Tim Burton)


2004 Golden Globes: 4 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy,” “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Danny Elfman), “Best Original Song - Motion Picture” (Eddie Vedder for the song "Man of the Hour"), and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Albert Finney)

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