Negromancer News Bits and Bites from April 1st to 6th, 2024 - UPDATE #19

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Drew Barrymore has said that her frequent co-star, Adam Sandler, has written the screenplay for "Happy Gilmore 2," a sequel to one of his most popular films.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Actor Raymond Lee, star of NBC's "Quantum Leap," reboot announced via "Instagram" that the NBC has cancelled the series after two seasons.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Writer-producer-director-star Dev Patel talks about how important Oscar-winner Jordan Peele was in getting his debut feature, "Monkey Man," into theaters.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Netflix has revealed the cast of "Tyler Perry’s Beauty in Black."  The new 16-episode, hour-long drama series is coming to the streamer as a result of a previously announced creative partnership between Netflix and Tyler Perry.  The deal calls for Perry will write, direct, and produce feature films and series under a multi-year first-look deal.  Cast members include Taylor Polidore Williams, Amber Reign Smith, Crystle Stewart, Ricco Ross, Debbi Morgan, and Richard Lawson, to name a few.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Emmy-winning actress, Gillian Anderson, won't say "No" to appearing in Ryan Coogler's planned reboot of Fox's former sci-fi drama, "The X-Files."  Anderson played FBI Agent Dana Scully in the series, which ran from 1993 to 2002 and again from 2016-18.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Bob Iger thug life is still a thing.  Disney has succeeded in barring Nelson Peltz from its board of directors as shareholders at the company’s hotly anticipated annual meeting today voted in its slate of 12 nominees, fending off outsiders. It was a months-long bitter and costly fight.  Neither Pletz nor anyone from his Trian Group or Blackwells landed anyone on the board.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Warner Bros. is returning to "the Matrix" for a fourth sequel.  "Matrix 5" will be written and directed by Drew Goddard.  Lana Wachowski, the co-creator of the franchise and the director of the fourth film, "The Matrix: Resurrections," will be an executive producer on this film.  No word yet on what actor will be returning.

STAGE - From Deadline:  The Jamie Lloyd Company announced the full cast for the upcoming West End production of Romeo & Juliet.  They confrimed that newcomer Francesca Amewudah-Rivers confirmed as Juliet opposite Tom Holland as Romeo.  "Romeo & Juliet" opens at the Duke of York’s Theatre on Thursday, May 23, 2024, with previews from Saturday, May 11, and runs until Saturday, August 3.

MUSIC/MOVIES - From TheRoot:  Inspired by Beyonce's smash hit new country album, "Cowboy Carter," "The Root" has a list of must see Black Western films.  The list includes a couple of Idris Elba films, "The Harder They Fall" and "Concrete Cowboy."

SCANDAL - From THR:  The estate of the late, legendary comedian, George Carlin, has settled a lawsuit it brought against the makers of a podcast that used generative AI to impersonate the late stand-up comic's voice and style for an unauthorized special.

TELEVISION - From Variety:  Chris Carter, the creator of Fox's former sci-fi drama, "The X-Files," talks about the reboot being shepherded by Ryan Coogler ("Black Panther").  Also, he mentions that original series star, Gillian Anderson ("Dana Scully") did not have enough "sex appeal" for Fox executives.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Oscar-nominee Benedict Cumberbatch and Oscar-winner Olivia Colman will star in director Jay Roach's reimagining of the 1989 film, "The War of the Roses."  The original was directed by Danny DeVito and starred Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Emmy-winner Felicity Huffman ("Desperate Housewives") joins Paramount+'s "Criminal Minds: Evolution" Season Two.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  The winner of the 3/29 to 3/31/2024 weekend box office is Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment's "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" with an estimated take of 80 million dollars.

From Variety:  "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" had an opening weekend of RMB317 (the equivalent of 44.6 million dollars) in mainland China, between Friday and Sunday (March 29th-31st).  Thus far, it is the biggest opening of any Hollywood film in China this year.

From Here:  A review of "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" by Leroy Douresseaux.

OBITS:

From Variety:  American actor, writer, and comedian, Joe Flaherty, has died at the age of 82, Monday, April 1, 2024.  A prolific actor, he was best known for his roles on the Canadian sketch comedy series, "Second City Television" ("SCTV"), and on the former NBC sitcom, "Freaks and Geeks."  As a writer, he shared nine Primetime Emmy nominations for his work on SCTV, winning twice.

From THR:  American film, television, and stage actress, Barbara Rush, has died at the age of 97, Sunday, March 31, 2024.  She appeared in over one hundred films, TV series, and TV movies.  Her best known film appearances include "It Came From Outer Space" (1953), "Magnificent Obsession" (1954), "The Young Philadelphians" (1959), and "Robin and the 7 Hoods" (1964), to name a few.  She appeared in such TV series as ABC'S "Peyton's Place" and "All My Children," NBC's "Flamingo Road," and The WB's "7th Heaven," to name a few.  In 1954, Rush won the "Golden Globe Award" for "New Star of the Year - Actress."

From THR:  American visual effects artist, Tim McGovern, has died at the age of 68, Saturday, March 30, 2024.  He won the "Special Achievement Academy Award" for his work on "Total Recall," sharing the win with Eric Brevig, Rob Bottin, and Alex Funke.  A digital effects pioneer, McGovern was also a founding member of Sony Picture ImageWorks, where he worked on such films as "Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation" (2015) and "Dunkirk" (2017).  His other credits include "Last Action Hero" (1993), "As Good as It Gets" (1997), and "Shazam: Fury of the Gods" (2023).

From THR:  American film and television writer and producer and TV director, Norman Steinberg, has died at the age of 83, Saturday, March 15, 2024.  Steinberg is best known for co-writing Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles" (1974) and Richard Benjamin's "My Favorite Year" (1982), which starred Peter O'Toole.  He won a Primetime Emmy Awards for cowriting an episode of the former NBC variety series, "The Flip Wilson Show."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Jan. 21st to 31st, 2024 - Update #35

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  Oscar-nominated filmmaker, Ava DuVernay; the Grammy Award-winning rock band, Los Lobos, and the Grammy Award-nominated rock band, "The Go Go's," are among the 2024 California Hall of Fame inductees.  The induction ceremony will be held, Tues., Feb. 6th.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Nia Long will play Jackson family matriarch, Katherine Jackson, in Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International's Michael Jackson biopic, "Michael."

MOVIES - From WorldofReel:  Brothers Joel and Ethan Coen are set to reunite for the first time since the 2018 film, "The Ballad of Buster Scruggs."  The Oscar-winners announced that they have already written the script for a "pure horror" film, and they could begin production on it this year.

MOVIES - Deadline:  Director Ethan Hawke's film, "Wildcat," a biopic of author Flannery O'Connor, will begin a limited theatrical on May 3rd from Oscilloscope Laboratories. From there, it will have a national rollout.  The films stars Hawke's daughter, Maya Hawke.

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From THR:  Sony has released a new trailer for "Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire," the sequel to 2021's Ghostbusters: Afterlife. The new film is due March 22nd, 2024.

From Deadline:  The cast of Universal/Illumination's "Despicable Me 4" has been revealed, and the first trailer has arrived.  The arrives in theaters, July 3rd, 2024.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 1/26 to 1/28/2024 weekend box office is Amazon/MGM's "The Beekeeper" with an estimated take of 7.4 million dollars.

DOCUMENTARIES - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. has the inside track on obtaining the hot Sundance documentary, "Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story." The film concerns the late actor, Christopher Reeve, who is best known for portraying Clark Kent/Superman in several films for Warner Bros., beginning with the landmark 1978 film, Superman: The Movie.

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From Deadline:  Universal Pictures has a release date (April 5th) and trailer for Dev Patel's "Monkey Man," in which he stars and directs. The film was saved from Netflix purgatory, by one of its producers, Oscar-winner Jordan Peele.

FILM FESTIVALS - From AwardsWatch:  The 2024 Sundance Film Festival has announced it awards in several competition categories:  "U.S. Dramatic Competition," U.S. Documentary Competition," "World Dramatic Competition Awards," World Documentary Competition Awards," "Next Awards," and "Audience Award."

SCANDAL - From THR:  The estate of the legendary late comedian, George Carlin, is suing over the release of a comedy special that uses generative artificial intelligence to mimic the deceased comedian’s voice and style of humor. The hour-long special is entitled "George Carlin: I'm Glad I'm Dead" debuted Jan. 9th on the YouTube channel, "Dudesy," a podcast hosted by Will Sasso and Chad Kultgen.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  In an article written for "Deadline," director Doug Liman says that he will skip the SXSW premiere of his new film, "Roadhouse," a remake of the 1989 film of the same name that starred the late Patrick Swayze.  The reason for his boycott is because he says that the Amazon MGM Studios has gone back on its promise to release the film to theaters and is instead releasing into to Amazon's "Prime Video."  The new film stars Jake Gyllenhaal.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Recent Oscar-nominee, Coleman Domingo ("Rustin"), will play Jackson family patriarch, Joe Jackson, in Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International's Michael Jackson biopic, "Michael."  Michael's real-life nephew, Jaafar Jackson, will portray MJ.  The film is due April 18, 2025.

TELEVISION - From THR:  Jon Stewart is returning to Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," where he held court for 16 years, from 1999-2015.  Recent host, Trevor Noah, hosted from 2015 to 2022, abruptly announcing that he was leaving in September 2022.  Now, Stewart will return through the 2024 election season, but he will only host on Mondays.  He will executive produce the rest of the week, which will be hosted by a variety of "Daily Show" correspondents. The new format is set to begin Feb. 12th.

NETFLIX - From Variety:  The original run of HBO's "Sex in the City" (1998-2004) is headed to Netflix in early April 2024.  All 94 episodes will be available.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Sony Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros. are the last studios standing in the bid to obtain an untitled genre thriller from writer-director Ryan Coogler and star Michael B. Jordan. Coogler wants to start production this summer.

OSCARS - From Variety: The nominations for the 2024 / 96th Academy Awards have been announced.  "Oppenheimer" leads with 13 nominations, and "Poor Things" follows with 11.  The winners will be announced Sun., March 10th, 2024.

From THR:  Scott Feinberg of "The Hollywood Reporter" says that that "Barbie" director, Greta Gerwig, not getting a "Best Director" nomination for the 96th Academy Awards and Barbie's lead, Margot Robbie, not getting a "Best Actress" nomination are not good optics.

From Variety: Clayton Davis of "Variety" makes his final Oscar nominations predictions ahead of the official announced Tues., Jan. 23rd.

From Echolive:  Here is a delightful interview with Breandan O' Murchu, the father of actor Cillian Murphy, about his son's "Best Actor" nomination for "Oppenheimer."

MOVIES - From THR:  Screenwriter David Koepp is apparently deep into writing the next "Jurassic World" movie.  Koepp co-wrote Jurassic Park (1993) and wrote its sequel, The Lost World: Jurassic Park.  The new film will apparently involve a new story line that is different from the one began in Jurassic World (2015), and it may arrive in theaters as early as 2025.

NETFLIX - From Variety:  Netflix's film chief, Scott Stuber, has left the streamer to form his own media company.  What does his exit mean for Netflix's future.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Alcon Entertainment is shopping a television series prequel to Denzel Washington's hit film, The Book of Eli (2010), to "premium buyers."  John Boyega is set to headline and executive the project, which hails from the movie’s writer, Gary Whitta, creator/writer/executive producer of the potential series, and its directors, the Hughes Brothers (Albert and Allen), who executive produce.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 1/19 to 1/21/2024 weekend box office is Paramount Pictures' "Mean Girls" with an estimated take of 11.7 million dollars.

LGBTQ - From GLAAD:  GLAAD has announced the nominees for the the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards.  The winners will be announced Sat. May 11th, 2024.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  The "Harry Potter" television series is entering the "premise stage." Martha Hillier, Kathleen Jordan, Tom Moran, and Michael Lesslie are among those who are presenting their visions of a "Harry Potter" television series to HBO Max and Warner Bros Television, according to sources. 

MOVIES - From THR:  Marlon Wayans has scored a leading role in "GOAT," a psychological horror film about the scary side of perfection from Jordan Peele's Monkeypaw Productions.  Peele will be one of the film's producers while Justin Tippings directs.

OBITS:

From THR:  Film and television actor, Gary Graham, has died at the age of 73, Monday, January 22, 2024.  Graham may have been best known for his role on the former Fox science fiction drama, "Alien Nations" (1989-90), which a spin off of the 1988 sci-fi film of the same name.  He also starred in the five "Alien Nation" TV films that spun-off from the series.  In addition, Graham played a sleazy porn film dealer in Paul Schrader's film, "Hardcore" (1979), and as Tom Cruise's older brother in "All the Right Moves" (1983).  Graham appeared in an episode of "Star Trek: Voyager" and was a recurring character in "Star Trek: Enterprise" (2001-05).

From Deadline:  Canadian film and television writer, director, and producer, Norman Jewison, has died at the age of 97, Saturday, January 20, 2024.  Jewison directed Best Picture Oscar winner, In the Heat of the Night (1967).  He directed and produced the Best Picture Oscar nominees:  "Fiddler on the Roof," (1971), A Soldier’s Story (1984), "Moonstruck" (1987), and "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming" (1966).  He was nominated for seven Academy Awards, and in 1999 at the 71st Academy Awards, Jewison received the "Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award."

From Deadline:  American film and stage actor, David Emge, has died at the age of 77, Saturday, January 2024.  Emge's acting career was brief, but he had a major role in an iconic horror movies, George A. Romero's "Dawn of the Dead" (1978). Emge played "Stephen 'Flyboy' Andrews," the doomed pilot and father-to-be who would become a zombie.

---------------------------

AWARDS:

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

From AwardsWatch:  The NAACP has announced the nominees for the 2024 / 55th NAACP Image Awards.  By visiting www.naacpimageawards.net, the public can vote to determine the winners of the 55th NAACP Image Awards’ in select categories. Voting closes February 24th at 9:00 p.m. NAACP will also recognize winners in non–televised Image Awards categories March 11–14th, which will stream via naacpimageawards.net.  The winners will be revealed during the two–hour LIVE TV special, airing Saturday, March 16, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET/ PT on BET and CBS.

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

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

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

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

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

From AwardsWatch:  The Kansas City Film Critics Circle (KCFCC) has won the 2023 film awards.  "Oppenheimer" won six awards, including "Best Picture," "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan), and "Best Actor" (Cillian Murphy tied with Paul Giamatti for "The Holdovers").

From Variety:  The American Cinema Editors has announced the nominees for the 2024 / 74th Annual ACE Eddie Awards.  The winners will be announced March 3rd, 2024.

From AwardsWatch:  The Online Film Critics Society (OFCS) has named its 2023 film awards. "Oppenheimer" won eight awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director" (Christopher Nolan).

From AwardsWatch:  The Houston Film Critics Society (HFCS) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Poor Things" won three awards, including "Best Picture."

From AwardsWatch:  The Chicago Indie Critics (CIC) has announced its 2023 films awards.  "Oppenheimer" won seven awards, including "Best Studio Film." Celine Song's "Past Lives" won three, including "Best Independent Film."

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

BEST PICTURE COUNT:

All of Us Strangers: 1

American Fiction: 2

Anatomy of a Fall: 1

Barbie: 2

The Boy and the Heron: 1

The Holdovers: 2

Killers of the Flower Moon: 9

Oppenheimer: 19

Past Lives: 8

Poor Things: 4

The Zone of Interest: 2

-------------------

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 19th to 25th, 2023 - Update #12

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Recently departed (fired?) Marvel Studios executive, Victoria Alonso, is weighing legal action against the Walt Disney Company and Marvel Studios.

GHOSTBUSTERS - From Deadline:  Kumail Nanjiani, Patton Oswalt, comedian James Acaster, and Emily Alyn Lind have joined the cast of the live-action sequel to Sony Pictures’ hit film, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife." The film is due December 2023.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar winner Adam McKay has lined up Rob Pattinson, Amy Adams, Robert Downey Jr, Forest Whitaker, and Danielle Deadwyler ("Till") to head the ensemble cast of his next directorial effort, the serial killer comedy, "Average Height, Average Build."

MOVIES - From Variety:  Apple and Amazon are making pricey investments in making films for release to theatres.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Destry Allyn Spielberg, the daughter of legendary director, Steven Spielberg, will make her directorial debut with the thriller, "Please Don't Feed the Children."

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Netflix has tapped "Dune" screenwriter, Jon Spaihts, to pen its live-action "Gears of War" film, based on the hit video game series.

CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  President Joe Biden will present the "2021 National Medals of Arts" in conjunction with the "2021 National Humanities Medals" tomorrow, Tues., March 21st 2023, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.  The list for the National Medal of Arts recipients includes Bruce Springsteen, José Feliciano, Gladys Knight, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Mindy Kaling, Antonio Martorell-Cardona, Judith Francisca Baca, Fred Eychaner, Joan Shigekawa and Vera Wang, along with organizations the Billie Holiday Theatre and the International Association of Blacks in Dance.

The National Humanities Medals for 2021 will go to "Just Mercy" writer and justice advocate Bryan Stevenson; poet Richard Blanco; anthropologist Johnnetta Betsch Cole; historian Earl Lewis; educator Henrietta Mann; authors Walter Isaacson, Ann Patchett, Amy Tan, Colson Whitehead and Tara Westover; and call-in show "Native America Calling."  Elton John is also on the 2021 NEH medal list, but he received his honor in September and played a concert on the White House lawn.

MOVIES - From BloodyDisgusting:  According to the site, director Jordan Peele's next film will debut December 25, 2024. In addition, his production company, Monkeypaw, is producing a film that will arrive in theaters Friday, September 27, 2024.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 3/17 to 3/19/2023 weekend box office is Warner Bros. Pictures' "Shazam! Fury of the God" with an estimated take of 30.5 million dollars.

From Here:  Leroy Douresseaux's review of "Shazam! Fury of the Gods."

EN MEMORIAM - From Deadline:  Film and television actor, Lance Reddick, died suddenly, Friday, March 17, 2023.  He leaves behind a number of projects yet to be released, but in which he finished filming his scenes.  Those includes the upcoming "John Wick: Chapter 4" and its upcoming spinoff, "The Ballerina."

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Film and television producer and screenwriter, Norman Steinberg, has died at the age of 83, Wednesday, March 15, 2023.  He was best known for co-scripting Mel Brooks' "Blazing Saddles," and he won an Primetime Emmy as a writer on the former NBC variety show, "The Flip Wilson Show" (1970-74).

From Deadline:  Screenwriter Hal Dresner has died at the age of 85, Friday, March 17, 2023.  He is best known for his work on such films as "Cool Hand Luke" (1967) and "Zorro, the Gay Blade" (1981).  He is credited with writing the line, "What we have here is a failure to communicate" for "Cool Hand Luke."

Review: "HONK FOR JESUS. SAVE YOUR SOUL." is Both Funny and Ruthless

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 2 of 2023 (No. 1891) by Leroy Douresseaux

Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul (2022)

Running time:  102 minutes (1 hour, 42 minutes)

MPA – R for language and some sexual content

DIRECTOR:  Adamma Ebo

WRITER: Adamma Ebo (based on her short film)

PRODUCERS:  Sterling K. Brown, Jessamine Burgum, Matthew R. Cooper, Amandla Crichlow, Kara Durrett, Adanne Ebo, Regina Hall, Daniel Kaluuya, and Rowan Riley

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Alan Gwizdowski

EDITORS:  Ali Greer and Stacy Moon

COMPOSER:  Marcus Norris

COMEDY/RELIGION

Starring:  Regina Hall, Sterling K. Brown, Nicole Beharie, Conphidance, Austin Crute, Dever Rogers, Robert Yatta, Greta Glenn, and Selah Kimbro Jones

Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. is a 2022 comedy-drama and mockumentary (mock documentary) film from writer-director Adamma Ebo.  The film is Ebo's directorial debut and is also a feature-length adaptation of Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul, her 2018 short film.  Oscar-winner Jordan Peele is one of the film's executive producers.  Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. the film focuses on the first lady of a megachurch as she attempts to help the pastor of the church rebuild his congregation in the wake of a scandal.

Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. is largely set in and around Wander to Greater Paths Baptist Church in Atlanta, Georgia.  The film introduces Pastor Lee-Curtis Childs (Sterling K. Brown) and his wife, the church's “First Lady,” Trinitie Childs (Regina Hall).  Lee-Curtis preaches the “prosperity gospel,” and he and his wife live a lavish lifestyle that is a big as their megachurch.

Once upon a time, Wander to Greater Paths (WGP) had about 25,000 congregants, but Pastor Lee-Curtis became embroiled in a notorious scandal that involves multiple sexual misconduct allegations.  Lee-Curtis and Trinitie were forced to close the church after backlash and a mass exodus of congregants.

Now, a year later, the Childs plan to reopen the church in one month on Easter Sunday.  They have also hired a documentary film crew to chronicle their lives and the preparation during the run-up to the reopening.  However, Trinitie finds the crew and its director, Anita Bonet, to be intrusive.  Also, the Childs struggle to get people interested in their return, so Lee-Curtis comes up with an idea for a roadside ministry, entitled “Honk for Jesus.”  Will that scheme save the church … and the couple's marriage?

Some of you, dear readers, are familiar Pentecostal televangelist (television evangelist), Jimmy Swaggart.  Beginning in 1988, a series of scandals, two of them involving Swaggart's relationship with prostitutes, caused him to lose a significant number of congregants at his megachurch, Family Worship Center, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.  His Jimmy Swaggart Bible College also saw a drastic drop in enrollment, largely in part to his 1988 sex scandal.

A former coworker of mine was a devout Christian, and he considered Swaggart to be a hypocrite because of his scandals.  I told him that I did not quite see it that way.  I argued that the most successful evangelical preachers were probably intimately familiar with sin, especially related to sexual activity.  I said that what made Swaggart a hypocrite wasn't him sneaking around for some kind of sexual contact with a prostitute, but rather that he frequently condemned people who were engaged in sexual activity of which he did not approve.  He insisted that other sinners pay a price for sexual improprieties that he clearly did not expect to pay himself.

Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. is not the greatest mockumentary (which is still This is Spinal Tap), but it is a very good comedy about characters that are difficult when laid bare.  Honk for Jesus. Save You Soul. makes it clear that the Childs, especially Pastor Lee-Curtis, are oblivious and lack self-awareness.  Lee-Curtis condemns those engaged in the same kind of sexual activity which brought him down, and his behavior is also predatory.  It is not just the nature of his sin; it is also that he betrayed the trust of the people who relied on him for help.

Sterling K. Brown shines as Pastor Lee-Curtis, depicting him not as evil, but as narcissistic, vain, and material.  His faith, God, the Bible, and his success are about himself and not about salvation or about “saving souls.”  He collects “saving souls” and congregants seemingly the same way he collects Italian suits and clothing, jewelry, and cars.  Brown deftly conveys to the audience that the reopening of Wander to Great Paths is all about shining on Lee-Curtis and not necessarily on God.

I think the film really turns on Regina Hall's performance, a mixture of comedy, drama, and pathos.  From start to finish, Hall's performance chronicles the difficulty that is Trinitie's mission to save their church.  Although she is known for comedy, Hall shows serious dramatic chops in conveying the ultimate futility of the couple's quest, especially in those painful scenes in which she faces either their detractors or Lee-Curtis' victims.

Mock or faux documentary films are generally comedies, although they have dramatic and poignant moments.  Writer-director Adamma Ebo pulls off the trick of producing a mockumentary that is more drama than comedy.  Getting a great performance from her cast, especially Regina Hall, is what makes Ebo's film highly original and even more substantive than mockumentary films generally are.  My take is that Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. is both a portrayal of a corrupted megachurch pastor and first lady and also a commentary on the megachurches that pedal the prosperity gospel.

Mockumentary films generally always seem to be a tad bit longer than they need to be, and they are at their best in their first acts.  The best energy in Honk for Jesus. Save Your Soul. is in its second half, especially its last act.

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, January 10, 2023

The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

------------------------

------------------------

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 11th to 17th, 2022 - Update #14

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Once meant to stream on HBO Max, "Magic Mike's Last Dance," the third "Magic Mike" film, is headed to theaters February 10, 2023 - Super Bowl weekend.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Amazon Studios has ordered a TV series set in the world of "Blade Runner," entitled "Blade Runner 2099."  Ridley Scott who directed the original film, "Blade Runner" (1982), will executive produce the new series.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  In Chicago, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter, R. Kelly was found guilty on 6 of 13 charges related to child pornography and enticing underage girls.  In June, a Brooklyn federal court sentenced Kelly to 30 years on 9 counts of sex trafficking and racketeering.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winner Matthew McConaughey has exited the inspiring sports movie, "Dallas Sting," which is based on the true story of a Dallas high school girls soccer team.  Apparently, there is some brewing scandal behind the real story.

ANIMATION - From Inverse:  20 animated series were removed from HBO Max in August.  The creators don't know why and no one has reached out to them.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Director Jordan Peele reveals an innovative technique that cinematographer Hoyte van Hoytema used for his recent film, "Nope."

EMMYS - From Variety:  Here is a list of winners at the 2020 / 74th annual Primetime Emmy Awards.

From YahooLife:  Zendaya becomes the first Black woman to win an Emmy for "Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series" twice (for her role in HBO's "Euphoria") and the youngest to win in that category twice. She dedicates her win to people who have been affected by addiction.

From EW:  "Abbot Elementary" actress Sheryl Lee Ralph wins her first Emmy and delivers a rousing acceptance speech.  She is only the second African-American woman to win in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy."

From People:  Actress Jackee Harry celebrates actress Sheryl Lee Ralph's Emmy win.  Harry was the first African-American actress to win in the category of "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy" (for the NBC comedy, "227") and, until Ralph's win Monday night (9/12), the only one.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 9/9 to 9/11/2022 weekend box office is 20th Century Studios' "Barbarian" with an estimated take of 10 million dollars.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, there is big Oscar buzz for Steven Spielberg's semi-autobiographical film, "The Fabelmans."

OBITS:

From Variety:  Veteran film and television actor, Henry Silva, has died at the age of 95, Wednesday, September 14, 2022, one day before his 96th birthday.  "The Washington Post" calls him a "versatile Hollywood villain," and his best remembered roles are as villains.  Among his most memorable roles is  "Chunjin," the houseboy and Communist agent in "The Manchurian Candidante" (1962).  Silva was also the last surviving star of the original "Oceans 11" (1960), in which he played "Roger Corneal," one of the 11 casino robbers.

From Deadline:  Pioneering French film director, Jean-Luc Goddard, has died at the age of 91, Tuesday, September 13, 2022.  He was the leading figure of the 1960s "French New Wave" movement and his 1960 film, "Breathless," helped establish the movement.

From Deadline:  The actor and screenwriter, Mark Miller, has died at the age of 97, Friday, September 9, 2022.  He was a prolific television actor and is best known for starring in ABC's "Guestward, Ho!" and NBC's "Please Don't Eat the Daises."  He wrote the 1982 family film, "Savannah Smiles," and episodes of such sitcoms as "The Jeffersons" "Diff'rent Strokes," and "The Munsters Today," to name a few.  Two of his three daughters are actresses, including the prolific film and TV actor, Penelope Ann Miller.

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 July 24th to 31st, 2022 - 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 BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 7/29 to 7/31/2022 weekend box office is "DC League of Super-Pets" with an estimated domestic take of 23 million dollars.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Oscar-winner Will Smith releases new video in which he apologizes to Chris Rock for slapping him during this year's Oscars telecast.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  HBO Max is pulling back on live-action kids and family programming.  Thus, it will not review the 1980's coming-of-age comedy, "The Gordita Chronicles" for a second season.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Oscar winners Charlize Theron and Alfonso Cuaron are among the people behind "Jane," a film about the family life of the one of the 20th century's greatest and most influential authors, Philip K. Dick, who works inspired the "Blade Runner" films.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  MGM is developing "Drago," a spin-off of the "Creed" film series.  Robert Lawton is writing.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Netflix, Anthony & Joe Russo, and star Ryan Gosling are already plotting a sequel to "The Gray Man," the recently released streaming film that may have set some streaming records.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Writer, producer, and comic book creator, Rodney Barnes, has extended his overall deal with HBO for another three years and will continue to develop, write and produce under his "Rodney Barnes Productions" banner.  Barnes most recently co-wrote 9 of the 10 episodes of HBO'S prestige miniseries, "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty," and executive produced it.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 7/22 to 7/24/2022 weekend box office is director Jordan Peele's "Nope" with an estimated take of 44 million dollars.

From Here:  Negromancer's review of "Nope."

SDCC/MARVEL STUDIOS - From Variety:  Finally, there is a trailer for and some details about Disney/Marvel Studios' "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever," which is due in theaters, November 11, 2022.

From IGN:  This article has "everything announced at the Marvel Studios San Diego Comic-Con 2022 Panel."

OBITS:

From NYTimes:  Former professional basketball player and NBA legend, Bill Russell, has died at the age of 88, Sunday, July 31, 2022.  He played for the Boston Celtics from 1956-69, the team that drafted him.  Russell was an 11-time NBA champion (including 2 when he was a player-coach), 5-time league MVP, 2-time NCAA champ (University of San Francisco), Olympic gold medalist (1956 Melbourne Games).  He was the first Black head coach of any North American pro sports team (Celtics, 1966-69), and he received Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011

From Variety:  Actress, singer, dancer, icon, and role model, Nichelle Nichols, has died at the age of 89, Saturday night, July 30, 2022.  Nichols was best known for playing communications officer, "Uhura," on the original "Star Trek" (1966-69) television series.  Uhura was a groundbreaking role for African-American actresses.  From 1977 until 2015, Nichols volunteered her time to promote NASA's programs, and to recruit diverse astronauts, including women and ethnic minorities.

From Deadline:  Stage, film, and television actress, Mary Alice, has died Wednesday, July 27, 2022.  Her age has been reported as being from 80 to 86, depending upon her actual date of birth.  Her best known film roles were as "Effie" in the 1976 film, "Sparkle," and as "The Oracle" in 2003's "The Matrix Revolutions."  She won a Tony Award for playing "Rose" in the play, "Fences" (1987-88).  Among her best known television roles were on the former NBC TV series, "A Different World" and on NBC's "I'll Fly Away," for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award.

From Deadline:  Former child star and television actor and director, Tony Dow, has died at the age of 77, Wednesday, July 27, 2022, following a battle with cancer.  Dow was best known for the role of "Wally Cleaver," the older brother of "Theodore 'Beaver' Cleaver," in the former CBS/ABC series, "Leave it to Beaver" (1957-63).  He reprised the role in the series "The New Leave it to Beaver" (The Disney Channel, 1984-85; Superstation WTBS, 1986-89).

From Deadline:  Film and television actor, Paul Sorvino, has died at the age of 83, Monday, July 25, 2022.  The prolific Sorvino appeared in many notable films, including "Reds" (1981), "Goodfellas" (1990), "The Rocketeer" (1991), and "Nixon" (1995), to name a few.  He also appeared in the early seasons of NBC's "Law & Order" and had a role on "Star Trek: The Next Generation."  Sorvino was the father of a son, Michael Sorvino, and of an Oscar-winning actress, Mira Sorvino.

From BBC:  English film, television, and theatre actor, David Warner, has died at the age of 80, Sunday, July 24, 2022.  He appeared in two "Star Trek" films and in the TV series, "Star Trek: The Next Generation."  A prolific actor, he appeared in many notable and popular films, including "Straw Dogs" (1971), "The Omen" (1976), "Titanic" (1987), and "Mary Poppins Returns" (2018).  An English Jew, Warner was Emmy-nominated for his role in the 1978 NBC miniseries, "Holocaust" and won an Emmy for his role in the 1981 ABC miniseries, "Masada."

From THR:  Film director, writer, and producer, Bob Rafelson, has died at the age of 89, Saturday, July 23, 2022.  He is best known for his work with actor, Jack Nicholson, having collaborated with him on seven films.  He directed Nicholson on "Head" (1968) and "Five Easy Pieces" (1970) and produced "Easy Rider," in which Nicholson was a supporting actor.  Rafelson was also one of the creators of the pop group, "The Monkees" and of the TV series that featured them.  He won a Primetime Emmy for his work on "The Monkees" (1966-68) TV series, and was nominated for two Oscars for his work on "Five Easy Pieces."

------------------

BRITTNEY GRINER:

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.

UVALDE, TEXAS MASS SHOOTING:

From YahooAP:  An 18-year-old gunman slaughtered 19 children and two teachers on Tues., May 24th, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas.  All 21 victims were in the same 4th grade classroom at Robb Elementary.

From TexasTribune:  The Texas House of Representatives has released its "Robb Elementary Investigative Committee Report," concerning the massacre of 19 children at two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. They found that the "systematic failures" went far beyond the local police.

From RSN:  At a school board meeting, parents in Uvalde Texas demanded better school security and also demanded that Uvalde schools police Chief Pete Arredondo be fired.

From TheDailyBeast:  Texas's top law enforcement official, Department of Public Safety Director Steve McGraw, has said that the school shooter in Uvalde, Texas could have been taken down in three minutes.

From TheDailyBeast:  Police officers responding to last month’s mass shooting at an Uvalde, Texas, elementary school never even tried to open the door to the classroom where young children were trapped with the gunman, according to a new report. 

From Jacobin:  "The Uvalde Massacre has exposed the lies that once justified police militarization" by Branko Marcetic

From Truthout:  We don’t need more evidence that police can’t be trusted.

From Truthout:   44 percent of GOP voters view mass shootings as part of living in “Free Society”

From ABCNews:  Arnulfo Reyes, a teacher who survived the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, calls the local police "cowards" because of slow response to an active shooter at his school, Robb Elementary.  All of 11 students in his class were killed.

From DallasNews:  Joe Garcia, the husband of Irma Garcia, one of the two teachers killed at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, has died of a heart attack two days after the murder of his wife.  They had been married for 24 years and had been high school sweethearts.

From Axios:  Texas gubernatorial candidate, Beto O'Rourke, interrupted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's gaslighting press conference on the Uvalde elementary school mass shooting.

From USAToday:  Beto O'Rourke's outburst at Gov. Greg Abbott's Uvalde news conference shows the spine Democrats need.

From BostonGlobe:  Steve Kerr, head coach of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, asks "When are we going to do something?"

From NBCNews:  A Robb Elementary teacher describes "the longest 35 minutes of my life" and the terror she now feels.

From NBCNews:  The Uvalde school district had an extensive safety plan, but 19 children were killed at Robb Elementary anyway.  Even security plans that appear to be up to the latest research-based standards may have gaps and fall short of preventing the worst-case scenario, experts said.

From MSN:  Angeli Rose Gomez, the mother who was handcuffed outside Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, was able to get inside the school and rescue her two children.

From YahooNews:   Daniel Defense, the maker of the rifles used by the Uvalde massacre killer, has used "incendiary ads" in the past, including one in which a toddler holds one of its rifles.

From TheIntercept:  The police aren't obligated to protect anyone NOT in their custody, as the Supreme Court has ruled twice.

From RollingStone:  Right wing lies about the Second Amendment and why they tell them are killing America's childrne.

From Vice:  The law enforcement personnel in Texas that arrived at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas on Tues., May 24th did the opposite of what their own training documentary videos show.

From Vox:  Uvalde police keep changing their story.

From TheDailyBeast:  The families in Uvalde, Texas who lost loved one in the Robb Elementary massacre say that the cops there are "Nothing more than cowards" and that they need to pay for doing nothing while a gunman rampaged through the school last Tues, May 24th.

From TheNewYorker:  Thoughts and prayers, Uvalde, Texas. This is the America that Republicans and the right wing have being thinking about and praying for all these decades.

From ABC:  Sources say that Uvalde police and school district no longer cooperating with Texas probe of shooting of the May 24th massacre of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.

From GuardianUK:  Canada plans to freeze all handgun ownership.

From RSNWashPost:  Is it time to show the true horror of mass shooting - in pictures?

From MSN:  Angeli Gomez, the Uvalde mother who rescued her two children from the Robb Elementary shooting massacre, says that a police officer threatened to arrest her if she did not stop telling her story.

From RSNTheAtlantic:  The Uvalde police chose dishonor. Where was there courage?

From RSNWashPost:  Brenda Bell:  I hid from the Texas Tower sniper (Charles Joseph Whitman) in 1966. His successors have found us all.

From RSNTheIntercept:  "AR-15s Were Made to Explode Human Bodies. In Uvalde, the Bodies Belonged to Children" by Murtaza Hussain

From RSNNPR:  The tragic history of police responding too late to active shooters.

From VICE:  There is likely bodycam footage of the school shooting in Uvalde, TX, but the public may never see it.