Review: Netflix's "THE UNION" is Weak Spy Thriller Tea

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 40 of 2024 (No. 1984) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Union (2024)

Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, suggestive material and some strong language

DIRECTOR:  Julian Farino

WRITERS:  Joe Barton and David Guggenheim; from a story by David Guggenheim

PRODUCERS:  Stephen Levinson, Mark Wahlberg, and Jeff G. Waxman

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Alan Stewart (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Pia Di Ciaula

COMPOSER:  Rupert Gregson-Williams

ACTION/COMEDY/ROMANCE and SPY/THRILLER

Starring:  Mark Wahlberg, Halle Berry, J.K. Simmons, Mike Colter, Alice Lee, Jessica De Gouw, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jackie Earle Haley, Lucy Cork, Stephen Campbell Moore

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

If you are a fan of Mark Wahlberg and/or Halle Berry, you may want to watch this film

Although it does have some good moments and some good production values, “The Union,” comes across as a big-budget made-for-television spy movie or maybe even a straight-to-DVD spy movie

As a romantic comedy, Wahlberg and Berry have good screen chemistry, but the violence in “The Union” makes it hard to be a romantic-comedy

The film ultimately comes across as an average hodge-podge of genres that is only worth your time when you have time to waste

The Union is a 2024 American spy-thriller and action-romantic-comedy from director Julian Farino.  Starring Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry, the film is a “Netflix Original,” and began streaming on Netflix August 16, 2024.  The Union focuses on a down-to earth construction worker who is thrust into the world of spies and secret agents by his high school sweetheart, who is a secret agent.

The Union introduces, “the Union,” a covert agency whose agents work behind the scenes as everyday blue collar workers such as road crews, construction workers, garbage collectors, and water and wastewater treatment operators, to name a few.  The film opens in the Grand Hotel Castelletto in Trieste, Italy, where the Union prepares to bring in CIA turncoat, Derek Mitchell.  However, the mission is botched, and only veteran agent, Roxanne Hall (Halle Berry), survives, but she has a plan.

Roxanne returns to her hometown of Paterson, New Jersey, where she recruits her high school sweetheart, Michael “Mike” McKenna (Mark Wahlberg), a construction worker, into the Union.  Despite the protestations of her boss, Tom Brennan (J.K. Simmons), Roxanne convinces Mike to join the Union.  Before long, Roxanne and Mike are on a mission, but once again, things go awry.  Now, the former lovers have to straighten out this mess and recover some sensitive government intelligence that, if sold on the black market, will endanger the lives of every American spy and secret agent.

Comic book writer, artist, and publisher, Jimmy Palmiotti (DC Comics' Harley Quinn and Radical Publisher's Time Bomb), suggested via Twitter that the 2010 Tom Cruise-Cameron Diaz film, Knight and Day, offers something similar to The Union, but is much better at it.  I've been putting off seeing Knight and Day for 14 years, and after trudging through The Union, I think it's time I did the damn thing and saw it.

I like Mark Wahlberg, and Halle Berry is one of my favorite Hollywood people of all time.  I really wanted to watch The Union because of them, and I found their screen chemistry sometimes sweet and charming.  However, I found The Union to be a slog that took me over a week to watch, as I mostly viewed it in bits and pieces.  Sometimes, I had to do something, and other times, I stopped simply because I was bored.

However, the film is not a total loss.  It is at times, pleasingly pleasant, although had I watched it in an actual movie theater, I would have not found it pleasant at all.  Still, there is about a third of a good action movie here.  The Union is for serious fans of Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry.  That's all I can say.  That's all I should say, lest I say worse, and this review comes back to haunt me.

5 of 10

C+

★★½ out of 4 stars

Sunday, September 1, 2024

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site or blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 18th to 24th, 2024 - UPDATE #13

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:  Oscar-winning Alejandro G. Iñàrritu’s untitled movie with Tom Cruise continues to add to its stellar cast.  The Warner Bros and Legendary Entertainment film now includes such cast members as Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons and Sophie Wilde. Oscar winner Riz Ahmed is in final negotiations to join the cast.

NETFLIX - From Deadline:  Ted Danson's upcoming Netflix comedy, "A Man on the Inside," now has a premiere date of November 2024 and some first-look photos.

FESTIVALS - From Deadline:  The Santa Barbara Film Festival 2024 (Oct. 18-24) will hold a retrospective on the films of Denis Villeneuve.

BUSINESS - From Deadline:  Skydance, which really covets Paramount Global, encourages the company's board to ignore American businessman Edgar Bronfman, Jr.'s 6 billion dollar offer.

From Deadline:  American businessman and media executive, Edgar Bronfman, Jr., makes his move to obtain Paramount Global with a 4.3 billion dollar offer.

KAMALA - From Deadline:  Director and Oscar-nominated film producer, Reginald Hudlin, has directed the short biopic film that will be shown just before Vice-President Kamala Harris gives her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, May 22, 2024. Hudlin and his wife, Chrisette, are friends of VP Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 8/16 to 8/18/2024 weekend box office is 20th Century Studios' Alien: Romulus with an estimated take of 41.5 million dollars.

From EW:  How Alien: Romulus resurrected the late Ian Holm, who starred in "Alien," for a new character.

MUSIC/POLITICS - From RSN:  A "Rolling Stone" list of music acts that don't want Donald Trump using their music.

NETFLIX - From Variety:  "The Union" director Julian Farino explain why Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry never kiss in the newly released Netflix feature.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winner Colin Firth is looking to join Emily Blunt in Steven Spielberg's next film, which is due May 2026. The unnamed film would be Spielberg's first major summer release in years.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  American media personality and television talk show host, Phil Donahue, has died at the age of 88, Sunday, August 18, 2024.  Donahue was best known for "The Phil Donahue Show," later renamed "Donahue."  It began in Dayton, Ohio and the ended after a 29-year run in New York City in 1996. It was the first talk show format to include audience participation.  Donahue returned to TV with the MSNBC talk show, "Donahue," which began in July 2002 and was cancelled in February 2003, apparently because Donahue opposed the then imminent U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003.  Donahue was nominated for 20 Daytime Emmy Awards for hosting his talk show, and won eight times.  He also received two special Daytime Emmys.

From THR:  Iconic French actor, Alain Delon, has died at the age of 88, Sunday, August 18, 2024.  His style, looks, and movie roles made him one of the biggest actors of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, and made him an enduring star of European cinema.  Among his best known films are "Purple Noon" (1960), "The Leopard" (1963), "Le Samourai" (1967), and "Un Flic" (1972).  Although he moved to Hollywood briefly in the mid-1960s, and made several films, including "Once a Thief" (1965) and "Lost Command" (1965), he was never able to crack the American audience.

From Deadline:  "Deadline" looks back at the career of French film icon, Alain Delon, with an overview of his best films.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 14th to 20th, 2023 - Update #23

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

CANNES - From THR:  Indiana Jones star Harrison Ford received an honorary Palme d’Or for lifetime achievement at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

From Variety:  Variety's Zach Sharf describes the audience's reaction to seeing to a screening of "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" as "a muted standing ovation."

SPORTS/STREAMING - From Deadline:  National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell says that the league's deal with YouTube to carry the "NFL Sunday Ticket" is just the beginning of strengthening ties between the NFL and YouTube.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Hulu's revival of the former Fox animated series, "Futurama," will debut Monday, 24th.  The 20 episodes will constitute Season 11 of the series.

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From Variety:  Apple/Paramount have released the first trailer for director Martin Scorsese's "Killers of the Flower Moon," starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro.  The film is due in theaters Oct. 18th.

From KOSU:  "People Need to Know the History" - Osage citizens are excited and nervous as "Killers of the Flower Moon" hits the big screen.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  In an exclusive Q&A, director Rob Marshall talks about turning an animated classic into the live-action "The Little Mermaid."

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From THR: The new trailer for Mission: Impossible — Dead Reckoning: Part One reveals more of what Tom Cruise has in store when he returns to the IMF agent role of "Ethan Hunt" he originated in 1996's "Mission: Impossible."

MOVIES - From THR:  In this wide-ranging Q&A, Hollywood legend and icon, Arnold Schwarzenegger talks about the end of his involvement with "The Terminator" franchise and about the "Conan" movie he is struggling to get made, among other things.

LGBTQ+ - From CNN:  Oscar and Tony Award-winning actress, Marcia Gay Harden, says that all three of her adult children identify as "Queer."  Harden is an advocate for the LGBTQ community.

DISNEY - From Lucasfilm:  All "Indiana Jones" is coming to Disney+ on May 31st. That includes the four films and, as they titled it, "The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones" (ABC, The Family Channel, 1992-96). So the streamer will likely have the reworked and not the original TV series, "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" (ABC, 1992-96).

From Deadline:  Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kenney says the full "Indiana Jones" catalog will land on Disney+ before the new film, "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" arrives in theaters June 30th.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Because of the writer's strike, ABC has released a contingent 2023-24 television schedule.  It leans heavily on unscripted series, such as "Dancing with the Stars" and "Bachelor in Paradise."

From Deadline:  The Fox broadcast network revealed its 2023-24 television schedule at it "upfront" in NYC on Monday (May 15th).

ANIMATION - From Variety:  Cable network FXX's long-running animated series, "Archer," will end after its upcoming 14th season, which debuts August 30th.

DISNEY/STREAMING - From Variety:  "Avatar: The Way of Water" will begin streaming on both Disney+ and Max (formerly HBO Max) on June 7th.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 5/12 to 5/14/2023 weekend box office is Disney/Marvel Studios' "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" with an estimated total of 60.5 million dollars.

From Here:  My review of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The winners of the 2023 BAFTA TV Awards have been announced.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Millennium Media is going to Cannes to shop around "Infernus," an action thriller that Idris Elba will produce, direct, and star in.

From Deadline:  Mel Gibson's first directorial effort since the Oscar-nominated "Hacksaw Ridge" is "Flight Fisk" a thriller starring Mark Wahlberg. Lionsgate will be selling the film at the Cannes Film Festival.

CELEBRITY - From EW:  65-year-old action movie legend, Dolph Lundgren ("Universal Soldier," "The Expendables" franchises) has revealed that he has been privately engaged in an 8-year battle with cancer.

OBITS:

From AP:  Social activist, actor, and former professional football player, Jim Brown, has died at the age of 87, Thursday, May 18, 2023.  One of the greatest players in football, he is best remembered as the running back for the Cleveland Browns (1957-65).  He was a three-time NFL Most Valuable Player (1957, 1958, and 1965) and "Rookie of the Year" (1957).  He was a member of the Brown's 1964 NFL Champions.  In addition to being one of the greatest football players of all time, Brown is also considered to be one of the greatest lacrosse players of all time.  He was also a prolific film and television actor, appearing in such films as "The Dirty Dozen" (1967), "100 Rifles" (1969), and "Three the Hard Way" (1974), to name a few.  As an activist, Brown organized black professional athletes in the fight for civil rights and against the Vietnam War. He later to curb gang violence in Los Angeles.

From Deadline:  American film editor, John Refoua, has died at the age of 58, Sunday, May 14, 2023.  He was best known for his work editing "Avatar" (for which he shared an Oscar nomination) and "Avatar: The Way of Water."  He also worked on "The Equalizer" (2014), "The Magnificent Seven" (2016), and "Geostorm" (2017), to name a few.

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WRITERS STRIKE:

From Deadline:   President Joe Biden speaks on the Writers Guild of America strike.

From Deadline:  Retaliation! The studios have starting informing writer-producers who have "overall" and "first-look" deals that such deals are being suspended.

From Deadline:  Retaliation!  Prolific HBO creator, David Simon, who is best known for "The Wire," is one of the many writers who have had their overall deals suspended the studios due to the WGA strike.  Simon has been with HBO for 25 years.

From Deadline:  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is on strike.

From Deadline:  Disney, HBO/HBO Max, and CBS have sent letters to showrunners (the TV equivalent of film directors) instructing them to return to work, inspite of the writer's strike.

From Deadline:  The WGA's chief negotiator, Ellen Stutzman, talks about the state of the writers' strike, including the lack of engagement on the part of the strike's other party, AMPTP.

From Deadline:  What went wrong between the WGA and AMPTP? What could they not agree on that led to a strike?

From Deadline:  The site explains the WGA strike: the issues, the stakes, movies and TV shows affected, and how long it might last.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 1st to 8th, 2021 - Update #20

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MUSIC - From NYDailyNews:   The rapper "Pop Smoke" (birth name: Bashar Barakah Jackson) was killed last year, Feb. 2020, in Los Angeles.  The "New York Daily News" is reporting that the Brooklyn rapper was allegedly murdered by a 15-year-old who wanted Pop Smoke's diamond studded Rolex watch.

MOVIES - From THR:   Legendary Entertainment is developing a remake of the 1978 fake documentary, "Faces of Death," which spawned a grisly franchise.

GOLDEN GLOBES - From THR:   The membership of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), the organization that puts on the "Golden Globes" awards, have approved sweeping reforms in order to address the demographic and ethics questions that have riled Hollywood.

From THR:  The Time’s Up organization and a coalition of more than 100 PR firms released separate letters on Friday afternoon indicating that they are not satisfied with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association plans to address demographic and ethics problems.

TELEVISION - From Variety:  After 12 seasons as a cast member of ABC's long-running hospital drama, "Grey's Anatomy," actor Jessie Williams is leaving the series after this season, the series' 17th.

MOVIES - From VanityFair:   In this "Vanity Fair" video, Sacha Baron Cohen breaks down the Oscar-nominated film, "The Trial of the Chicago 7" with writer-director Aaron Sorkin

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Mark Wahlberg and director Antoine Fuqua's sci-fi film, "Infinite," will debut on Paramount+ and skip movie theaters.

MOVIES - From VogueUK:   British "Vogue" gets you up to date about the early production of the film, "My Policeman," starring Harry Styles and Emma Corrin.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   HBO releases the first images (three of them) from its "Game of Thrones" prequel, "House of the Dragon."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Ben Mendelsohn joins Daisy Ridley in Neil Burger's psychological thriller, "The Marsh King's Daughter."

TELEVISION - From Truthout:   Director Raoul Peck talks to Amy Goodman of "Democracy Now" about his epic new documentary series, "Exterminate All the Brutes," which exposes the worldwide brutality of European colonialism.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   TBS has set a date for the final episode of "Conan," comic Conan O'Brien's talk show for the cable network.  The final episode will air June 24, 2021.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Apple Original Films has picked up "Finch," starring Tom Hanks.  The film, from Amblin Entertainment, is a science fiction movie originally called "Bios" and originally was to be released by Universal Pictures.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   NBC has given a straight-to-series order for a new "Law & Order" series, "Law & Order: For the Defense."

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 4/30 to 5/2/21 weekend box office is "Demon Slayer" with an estimated 6.4 million at the box office.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:   British film and TV actor, Noel Clarke, is in serious trouble.  Multiple women are alleging sexual harassment, bullying, and now, sexual offenses against him.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  A long-lost prototype for the "Xenomorph" from the director Ridley Scott's film, "Alien" (1979) has been found and will go on auction.  It was created by the late artist H.R. Giger, who was part of the team that won an Oscar for the film's visual effects.

SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment:  Former reality TV star, Josh Duggar ("19 Kids and Counting"), was recently arrested by federal authorities.  Now, disturbing details about Duggar's receiving and possessing material depicting the sexual abuse of children have emerged.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:    Actors Joana Ribeiro ("The Man Who Killed Don Quixote") and Annelle Olayele ("Doctors") are set as series regulars opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor and Naomie Harris in Showtime's "The Man Who Fell to Earth."  The drama series is based on Walter Tevis' 1963 novel and the 1976 film adaptation starring the late David Bowie.

OBITS:

From Variety:   Actress and media personality, Tawny Kitaen, has died at the age of 59, Friday, May 8, 2021.  Kitaen was a "video vixen" in the 1980s.  She was known for her association with the rock band, Whitesnake, appearing in several of the band's music videos, including "Here I Go Again" (1987 version) and "Is This Love" (1987).  She also appeared as a cover model on the band, Ratt's EP, "Ratt" (1983), and on its debut studio LP, "Out of the Cellar" (1984).  Her best known film role as actress was playing the bride-to-be of Tom Hank's character in "Bachelor Party" (1984).

From Deadline:   Former NFL player and actor, Frank McRae, has died at the age of 77 , Thursday, April 29, 2021.  McRae was a defensive tackle for the NFL's Chicago Bears and played one season for them, appearing in six games.  After football, he became a character actor and appeared in in more than 40 movies, including a number of TV movies.  His most memorable appearances includes roles in "Red Dawn," "Last Action Hero," "F.I.S.T." and a James Bond movie - 1989's "License to Kill."

From Deadline:  The film, television, and stage actress, Olympia Dukakis, has died at the age of 89, Saturday, May 1, 2021.  She won a "Best Supporting Actress" Oscar for her performance in the film, "Moonstruck" (1987).  Dukakis was also a three-time Primetime Emmy Award nominee.  Her other films include "Look Who's Talking" (1989), "Steel Magnolias" (1989), and "Mr. Holland's Opus" (1995).

From Deadline:  Co-stars Cher, Viola Davis, and Paul Reiser and others in Hollywood mourn the passing of Academy Award-winning actress, Olympia Dukakis.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 14th to 20th, 2020 - Update #24

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT NEWS:

MOVIES - From Variety:  AMC Theatres will require patrons to wear masks when it reopens its theaters after initially not requiring them.

GEORGE FLOYD - From YahooNews:  New Mexico Shooting Raises Specter Of Right-Wing Violence Around Statue Protests

BLM - From YahooLifestyle:  Support grows for making "Juneteenth" (June 19th) an official holiday.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Mark Wahlberg's canine adventure film, "Arthur the King," movies to Lionsgate.  The film reunited Wahlberg with is "2 Guns" and "Contraband" director, Baltasar Kormakur.

BLM-HOLLYWOOD - From BET:  Actress Gabrielle Union talks her "America's Got Talent" departure and on holding "bad apples" accountable.

GEORGE FLOYD - From YahooNews360:  Why was George Floyd's death the breaking point?

POLITICS - From YahooNews:  Five bombshells about President Trump from John Bolton's book, "The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Actress Kristen Stewart will portray Princess Diana in director Pablo Larrain's film, "Spencer."

BLM-EDUCATION - From YahooNews:  Netflix CEO Reed Hastings and his wife, Patty Quillin, are donating $120 million toward student scholarships at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).  The couple is giving $40 million to each of three institutions: the United Negro College Fund, Spelman College and Morehouse College. The organizations said it is the largest individual gift in support of student scholarships at HBCUs.

GEORGE FLOYD - From CNN:  Martin Gugino, the 75-year-old protester who was pushed by two Buffalo, New York, police officers earlier this month, has a fractured skull and is not able to walk, his lawyer said in a statement provided to CNN on Monday.

From YahooEntertainment:  Whoopi Goldberg says police officers have to 'relearn how to police': 'Because now they're soldiers — and we're not in a war'

SPORTS - From YahooSports:  Here is a look at Super Bowl champion QB Tom Brady in his new uniform for his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

POLITICS - From InformedComment:  How American cities were Reduced to Esper’s “Battlespace”: From Fallujah to Minneapolis

OSCARS - From Deadline:  The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has announced that the 2021 / 93rd Academy Awards ceremony has been moved from February 28, 2021 to April 25, 2021 - the latest date ever for the Oscars.  Films will be eligible to compete for the 93rd Academy Awards though Feb. 28th.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director Antonie Fuqua and actor Will Smith's runaway slave thriller, "Emancipation," will be introduced at the virtual Cannes market and will begin production in early 2021.

LGBTQ - For BuzzFeed:  The Supreme Court on Monday issued its most sweeping decision ever to protect LGBTQ people from discrimination, finding that a federal ban on sex discrimination in workplaces also protects employees on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

POLITICS-CELEBRITY - From FoxNews:  U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) challenges actor Ron Perlman... to wrestle with former wrestling coach and protector of sexual assailants, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio).

GEORGE FLOYD - From People:  Legendary singer, actress, and filmmaker, Barbra Streisand, has given Gianna Floyd, the daughter of the police-slain George Floyd, an unknown numbers of shares of stock in The Walt Disney Company.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  After his "Gone with the Wind" op-ed, Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley ponders permanent Hollywood change.

BLM - From Deadline:  "Saturday Night Live" alum, Jay Pharoah, was profiled by the Los Angeles Police Department and then one of them put his knee on his neck.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  The British actor, Ian Holm, has died at the age of 88, Friday, June 19, 2020.  Holms was best known for his appearances in such films as "Alien," "Chariots of Fire," "The Sweet Hereafter," and "The Fifth Element."  He also appeared in "The Lord of the Rings" and "The Hobbit" film series.  Holm won a Tony Award in 1967 for his performance in "The Homecoming."  He received a best supporting Oscar nomination for his role in "Chariots of Fire" (1981), a role for which he won the BAFTA.

From CNN:  Former U.S. Ambassador to Ireland (1993-98), Jean Kennedy Smith, has died at the age of 92, Wednesday, June 17, 2020.  She was also the last surviving sibling of assassinated U.S. President John F. Kennedy.

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BLACK LIVES MATTER News:

From YahooFinance:  Why Black wealth has stayed 'relatively flat' since Tulsa massacre

From InTheseTimes:  The four questions we must ask before we agree to police reform.

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CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 NEWS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From NPR:  A sad milestone: over 100,000 American have died due to COVID-19.

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

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

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New Scooby-Doo Movie, "Scoob!," Hits On Demand Fri., May 15th

Warner Bros. to Make the Full-Length Animated Feature “SCOOB!” Available for Both Premium Video On Demand and Premium Digital Ownership May 15, 2020

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In response to the unprecedented demand for high-quality family entertainment in the home, Warner Bros. will make its upcoming animated feature film “SCOOB!” available for both Premium Video On Demand (PVOD) and for premium digital ownership in the U.S. and Canada on May 15, 2020 providing first-run content while theaters remain closed due to the current global health crisis. The announcement was made today by Ann Sarnoff, Chair and CEO, Warner Bros.

    “While we’re all eager to be able to once again show our films in theaters, we’re navigating new, unprecedented times which call for creative thinking and adaptability in how we distribute our content”

“While we’re all eager to be able to once again show our films in theaters, we’re navigating new, unprecedented times which call for creative thinking and adaptability in how we distribute our content,” said Sarnoff. “We know fans are eager to see ‘SCOOB!’ and we’re delighted we can deliver this feel-good movie for families to enjoy while they’re home together.”

“SCOOB!” will be available for a 48-hour rental via Premium Video On Demand for $19.99 or premium digital ownership for $24.99 beginning on Friday, May 15 (prices listed U.S. SRP). The title will be available on participating digital platforms.

The first full-length animated Scooby-Doo adventure for the big screen, “SCOOB!” reveals how lifelong friends Scooby and Shaggy first met and how they joined with young detectives Fred, Velma and Daphne to form the famous Mystery Inc. Now, with hundreds of cases solved and adventures shared, Scooby and the gang face their biggest, most challenging mystery ever: a plot to unleash the ghost dog Cerberus upon the world. As they race to stop this global “dogpocalypse,” the gang discovers that Scooby has a secret legacy and an epic destiny greater than anyone imagined.

Starring in “SCOOB!” are Will Forte (“Booksmart,” TV’s “The Last Man on Earth”) as Scooby-Doo’s best friend, Shaggy; two-time Oscar nominee Mark Wahlberg (“The Fighter,” “The Departed”) as Blue Falcon; Jason Isaacs (the “Harry Potter” films, TV’s “The OA”) as the infamous Dick Dastardly; Gina Rodriguez (“Deepwater Horizon,” TV’s “Jane the Virgin”) as Velma; Zac Efron (“The Greatest Showman,” “Hairspray”) as Fred; Amanda Seyfried (the “Mamma Mia!” films, “Mean Girls”) as Daphne; Kiersey Clemons (“Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising,” TV’s “Angie Tribeca”) as Falcon Fury pilot Dee Dee Skyes; Ken Jeong (“Crazy Rich Asians,” “The Hangover” trilogy) as the Falcon Force’s Dynomutt; Tracy Morgan (“What Men Want,” TV’s “30 Rock”) as Captain Caveman; and Frank Welker (TV’s Scooby-Doo; the “Transformers” franchise) as Scooby-Doo.

“SCOOB!” is directed by Tony Cervone, Annie Award nominee for the feature “Space Jam” and two-time Emmy nominee for his work on “Duck Dodgers.”

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

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.

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

----------
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.

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

----------
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.

----------
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.

----------
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.

----------
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.

----------
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.

----------
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 September 1st to 8th, 2018 - Update #25

Support Leroy on Patreon:

MOVIES - From Variety:  At the 2018 Venice Film Festival, Alfonso Cuaron's "Roma" wins the top prize, the "Golden Lion."

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SCANDAL-MUSIC - From YahooHuffPost:  Les Moonves, CBS CEO and chairman, was obsessed with ruining Janet Jackson’s career, sources say.

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TELEVISION - From YahooEntertainment:  The is a "GoFundMe" campaign for Dawn Wells, the actress who played "Mary Ann" on the classic 1960s TV series, "Gilligan's Island."

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Hollywood remembers the Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning actor, Burt Reynolds, who died today, Thursday, Sept. 6th.

From YahooEntertainment:  According to Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds hated "Boogie Nights," the film for which he earned an Oscar nomination.

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MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Olivia Munn discovered that one of the actors who appears in the new film, "The Predator," is a registered sex offender... and a friend of the film's director, Shane Black.  Fox has edited his scene from the film.

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CULTURE-MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  WarnerMedia and Michael B. Jordan Announce Company-Wide Diversity and Inclusion Policy

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MUSIC - From YahooMusic:  The so-unusual story of how 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' went from bad-boy party song to feminist anthem, 35 years after its made Cyndi Lauper an MTV icon.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  NBC orders 13 episodes of "Law & Order: Hate Crimes," from franchise creator Dick Wolf and one of his top lieutenants, Warren Leight.

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COMICS-STREAMING - From JoBlo:  Len Wiseman, one of the people behind the "Underworld" film franchise, has been tapped to executive produce a series based on DC Comics' "Swamp Thing" for the "DC Universe" streaming platform.  Wiseman would also direct the first episode.

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TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Tyler Perry has offered actor Geoffrey Owens a job on his TV series for OWN, "The Haves and the Have Nots."  Ownes, an alumnus of "The Cosby Show," was recently photographed working at Trader Joe's.

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TELEVISION - From TheVerge:  The Big Bang Theory is better at portraying geekdom than haters admit.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 8/31 to 9/2/2018 three-day, Labor Day, holiday weekend box office is "Crazy Rich Asians" with an estimated take of $22.2 million.

From Variety:  "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" tops the international box office thanks to $77 million grossed in China.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Actor Steve Guttenberg said in a Twitter post that a new "Police Academy" movie "is coming."  Guttenberg.  There are seven films in the franchise, beginning with the first in 1984 and the last in 1994.  Guttenberg appeared in the first four films.  [Yes, I am a big fan of the franchise. - Ed.]

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Vince Vaughn talks about re-teaming with Mel Gibson in "Dragged Across Concrete."

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POLITICS - From WashPost:  Ken Burns writes "How to Honor John McCain's memory."

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CULTURE - From THR:  What happens when fandom does not grow up.

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POLITICS - From YahooNews:  The memorial service of Senator John McCain, the former Vietnam prisoner of war, is marked by an impassioned and emotional eulogy from his dauther, Meghan McCain, a powerful eulogy frpm President Barack Obama, a former rival of McCain's, and a eulogy of strong and comforting words from President George W. Bush, another former rival.

From TheAtlantic:  This article has the full text of President Barack Obama's eulogy of Sen. John McCain.

From TheAtlantic:  This article has the full text of President George W. Bush's eulogy of Sen. John McCain.

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STREAMING - From TVSeriesFinale:  Jennifer Esposito has reportedly joined Amazon Studio's "The Boys."  This is an adaptation of the comic book by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson.

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STREAMING - From SlashFilm:  Netflix plans to shifts the focus of its original movies to films that are Marvel-like blockbusters.

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CULTURE-BLM - From Truthout:  “Sorry to Bother You” Exposes the Danger of Bourgeois Integration

OBITS:

From Variety:  The actor and comedian, Bill Daily, died at the age of 91, Tuesday, September 4, 2018.  Daily was best known for playing the comic foil on two classic television series.  On "I Dream of Jeannie" (1965-70), he was astronaut Major Roger Healey.  On the "The Bob Newhart Show" (1972-78), he was airline pilot and Bob Newhart's Dr. Robert Hartley's daffy neighbor, Howard Borden.

From Variety:  The actor Burt Reynolds has died at the age of 82, Thursday, September 6, 2018.  One of the most popular leading men of the 1970s and 1980s, Reynolds appeared in a number of films that are legendary or are iconic, including "Deliverance," "The Longest Yard," and "Smokey and the Bandit."  He received an Oscar nomination for his performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights," and he won an Emmy for his lead role in the late CBS series, "Evening Shade."  Reynolds was scheduled to appear in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

From RollingStone:  The rapper and recording artist, Mac Miller, has died at the age of 26, Friday, September 7, 2018.

Warner Bros. Announces Kroll & Co. Entertainment

Industry Veteran Sue Kroll Launches Kroll & Co. Entertainment at Warner Bros.

The widely respected movie executive kicks off an impressive development and production slate

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Having made her mark as one of the industry’s top studio executives for more than two decades, Sue Kroll is now hanging her own production shingle, Kroll & Co. Entertainment, based on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank.

Under her new banner, Kroll is already involved in the production and development of a wide range of feature film projects, teaming her with some of the noted filmmakers and actors with whom she has collaborated over the course of her illustrious career. Kroll will also look to develop television, digital and other content.

“My passion for film and television and for telling great stories is not only the cornerstone of my wonderful career, but has also been a huge part of my life since I was a young girl enthralled by the moving image,” stated Kroll. “I am excited to be collaborating in this new capacity with amazing, visionary filmmakers, many of whom I have known and worked with, and to also champion new and unique voices. This is just the beginning and I am thrilled about our slate of films and our incredible filmmaking partners.”

Kroll is attached as an executive producer to a number of films currently scheduled for release through the studio, and has expanded her slate to include new projects in various stages of development joining esteemed filmmakers and producing teams. As a producer, Kroll’s upcoming projects include the sci-fi action thriller “Nemesis,” with producers Ridley Scott and Jules Daly; the YA drama “The Selection,” with producers Denise Di Novi and Pouya Shahbazian; an untitled comedy starring Sandra Bullock, who will also produce with Michael Bostick; and the action thriller “The Six Billion Dollar Man,” soon going into production starring Mark Wahlberg, who also produces alongside Stephen Levinson, Bill Gerber, Scott Faye and Karen Lauder.

Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg stated, “Over the years, I have seen Sue in action as one of the most inspired marketing minds in the industry, most recently on the campaign for ‘Ready Player one.’ I trust her instincts, appreciate her unflagging devotion to her work, and admire her knowledge of film. I am looking forward to collaborating with her in her new capacity as a producer in the very near future.”

Kroll is also an executive producer on the drama “A Star is Born,” directed, produced and co-written by Bradley Cooper, who also stars in the film opposite Lady Gaga, and slated for release on October 5, 2018. Cooper noted, “I have been fortunate to know and work with Sue Kroll for more than 10 years, and have appreciated her friendship as well as her counsel. She has a personal investment in everything she does, and I have no doubt she will bring that same level of care, commitment and creativity to producing. Simply put, Sue is the gold standard.” Kroll joins producers Bill Gerber, Jon Peters, Cooper, Todd Phillips and Lynette Howell Taylor, and executive producers Ravi Mehta, Basil Iwanyk, Niija Kuykendall, Michael Rapino and Heather Parry.

In addition, Kroll serves as an executive producer on Edward Norton’s “Motherless Brooklyn,” inspired by Jonathan Lethem’s award-winning book, which Norton adapted for the screen. Kroll is teaming with producers Norton, William Migliore, Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane, and executive producers Michael Bederman, Adrian Alperovich, Robert F. Smith, Brian Sheth and Daniel Nader. Currently in production, the film stars Norton, Bruce Willis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Willem Dafoe and Alec Baldwin.

Norton stated, “Sue Kroll is universally loved by the filmmakers that have been lucky enough to work with her and has both great taste and real wisdom about how to engage audiences. It’s wonderful news that she’ll be producing films and she’s already brought important long lead strategy and foresight to our production. I feel like we’ve won the lottery to have our film be one of the first she’ll collaborate with in this role.”

In addition, Kroll is an executive producer on “The Goldfinch,” the film version of Donna Tartt’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, being directed by John Crowley, and starring Ansel Elgort and Nicole Kidman. Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson are producing, and Mari Jo Winkler-Ioffreda is also serving as an executive producer.

Rounding out Kroll & Co. Entertainment, are SVP of Development and Production Jennifer Malloy, Creative Executive Olivia Heighten, longtime Kroll staffer Chelsea Bradshaw as Operations / Production Executive, and administrative assistant Nicole Kraft.

Throughout her Studio career, Kroll has worked closely with some of the most respected directors in the industry, including Clint Eastwood, Christopher Nolan, Patty Jenkins, Steven Spielberg, Ben Affleck, David Yates, Alfonso Cuarón, Zack Snyder, Todd Phillips, Peter Jackson, George Miller, the Wachowskis, Nancy Meyers, Robert Zemeckis and Guillermo del Toro.

Kroll most recently served as Warner Bros. Pictures’ President, Worldwide Marketing and Distribution. First joining the Studio in 1994, she rose up to be one of the film division’s top executives for nearly 20 years.

During her tenure, Warner Bros. consistently ranked as one of the industry’s most creatively and financially successful film studios. Last year was the biggest year in the Studio’s history, with $5.13 billion in global box office—the second time it has passed the $5 billion mark. The film division crossed the $1 billion mark domestically and internationally in each of the last 18 years, an industry record.

Under her marketing leadership, the Studio won a Best Picture Oscar for “Argo,” as well as a Best Animated Feature Oscar for “Happy Feet,” in addition to Best Picture nominations for “Dunkirk,” “The Blind Side,” “Inception,” “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” “Gravity,” “Her,” “American Sniper,” “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “Letters from Iwo Jima.” Other films on which she oversaw marketing include some of the most popular and profitable of the last two decades, including “Wonder Woman”; “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”; “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”; all eight “Harry Potter” films; “Suicide Squad”; “Sully”; “The Accountant”; “Interstellar”; “The LEGO® Movie”; “The Hobbit” Trilogy; “The Dark Knight” Trilogy; “Inception”; “Sherlock Holmes” and its sequel; “The Hangover” Trilogy; “I Am Legend”; “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”; “300”; the “Ocean’s” movies; “Beowulf”; “Constantine”; “The Polar Express”; “Troy”; “The Last Samurai”; “The Matrix” Trilogy; and “Flags of Our Fathers.”

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 14th to 20th, 2018 - Update #34

Support Leroy on Patreon.

COMICS-FILM - From WeGotThisCovered:  Brie Larson continues her preparation for Marvel Studios' "Captain Marvel," as seen in these photos.

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COMICS-FILM - From ICv2:  "Marvel's Cloak & Dagger" will debut on Freeform (Disney) June 7, 2018 at 8 p.m. Eastern/Pacific.

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MUSIC - From Billboard:  Drake drops two new songs.  Here, them at Billboard.

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MUSIC - From RollingStone:  A medical examiner has ruled that rock musician Tom Petty died of an accidental mixture of medication including opiods.  Petty died in October 2017.

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MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  The "Crocodile Dundee" film franchise gets a new life with "Dundee" starring Danny McBride.

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PIXAR - From THR:  Stephany Folsom is the new writer on "Toy Story 4."  Previous writer Rashida Jones left the project.

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COMICS-FILM - From ComicBook:  Matthew Lloyd, who was the cinematographer on the first season of Marvel/Netflix's "Daredevil" will be do the photography duties on the "Spider-Man: Homecoming" sequel.

COMICS-FILM - From BleedingCool:  NBA legend, champion, and Basketball Hall of Famer Shaquille O'Neal wants to be in an "Avengers" movie.  Back in the 1990s, he was the star of the film, "Steel," based on the DC Comics character.

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MANGA-FILM - From CBR:  Director Robert Rodriguez explains the photo-realistic "manga eyes" in "Alita: Battle Angel" (based on the manga "Battle Angel Alita").

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CULTURE - From YahooNews:  A University of Alabama female student finds herself expelled and returned to her New Jersey home after she posts a racist anti-African-American rant on Instagram.

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COMICS-FILM - From ComicBookMovie:  John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein will be the directors of "Flashpoint," the stand-alone film featuring DC Comics superhero, "Flash."

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TELEVISION - From THR:  J.J. Abrams is working on a television science fiction drama that has HBO and Apple would like to buy.

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CULTURE - From TheNewYorker:  When Barbie Went to War with Bratz

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COMICS-ANIMATION - From DenofGeek:  There are rumors that Marvel will cancel all three of its Disney XD animated TV series.

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COMICS-FILM - From TheWrap:  Vin Diesel wants to play the lead in Sony's film adaptation of Valiant Comics' "Bloodshot."

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CELEBRITY - From Deadline:  Pam Grier talks about her biopic and speaks on sexual harassment.

----------
MOVIES - From Deadline:  Trevor Jackson and Jason Mitchell to star in Sony's "Superfly" remake.  Director X (a Canadian music video director) is set to director.

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CELEBRITY/AWARDS - From TMZ:  Halle Berry may have "gone commando" at the 49th NAACP Image Awards ceremony on Mon., Jan. 15th, 2018.

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CULTURE - From THR:  "The Big Sick" and Hollywood's Muslim-American Renaissance by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

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POLITICS - From HuffPost:  Famed whistleblower, Chelsea Manning, is running for a U.S. Senate seat in Maryland.

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COMICS-FILM - From CinemaBlend:  Stan Lee talks about what he wanted his "Black Panther" cameo to be.

From ScreenRant:  Both Todd McFarlane and Stan Lee will appear in the reboot of the "Spawn" film franchise.  McFarlane is the creator of the Spawn comic book and is writing and directing the reboot.  Stan Lee was the creator or co-creator of many of the most iconic Marvel Comics characters.

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MLK - From TheGuardian:  If Martin Luther King Jr were alive today, politicians would denounce him.

MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Quentin Tarantino reportedly wants Al Pacino in his 1969/Manson murders movie.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:   The winner at the 1/12 to 1/14/2018 weekend box office is "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle" with an estimated take of $27 million.

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SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Eliza Dushku has accused famed stunt coordinator, Joel Kramer, of molesting her on the during filming of the James Cameron film, "True Lies" (1994).

From Facebook:  Eliza Dushku's post describing the sexual assault she alleges a True Lies coordinator committed against her when she was 12.  [WARNING: Her post is shocking, graphic, and heartbreaking.]

From BleedingCool:  James Cameron, director of True Lies, and Jamie Lee Curtis, co-star of True Lies, comments on Eliza Dushku's allegations that she was molested as a child on the set of True Lies by a stunt coordinator.

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MOVIES - From Variety:  Mark Wahlberg and his agency WME to donate "All the Money in the World" reshoot money (a combined $2 million) to "Times Up" legal defense fund.

From TheWrap:  Mark Wahlberg's "All of the Money in the World," Michelle Williams, praises Wahlberg for donating his reshoot money to #TimesUp.

From TimesUp:  About #TimesUp

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CELEBRITY - From THR:  A profile of journalist and writer Ronan Farrow, the son of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen, and one of the writers who broke open the Harvey Weinstein sexual misconduct scandal.

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COMICS - From BleedingCool:  Oscar winning screenwriter, John Ridley (12 Years a Slave) is writing "The Other History of the DC Universe" for DC Comics.

VIDEO:

From FlickeringMyth:  Lucasfilm and Disney XD has released a trailer for the final episodes of "Star Wars Rebels." The final six episodes will be released over a 3-week period beginning Feb. 19th, 2018.

OBITS:

From ChicagoSunTimes:  The Chicago-based rapper, Fredo Santana, has died at the age of 27, Saturday, January 20, 2018.  Known as a "drill rapper," Fredo was the older cousin of controversial rapper, Chief Keef.  Fredo released nine mixtapes and one solo album, 2013's "Trappin Ain't Dead."

From PEOPLE:  Irish musician, Dolores O'Riordan, has died at the age of 46, Monday, January 15, 2018.  She was the lead singer of the Irish band, "The Cranberries," which has a number of hit songs in the 1990s, especially "Linger" and "Zombie."

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from January 7th to 13th, 2018 - Update #28

Support Leroy on Patreon.

MOVIES - From BleedingCool:  Blumhouse's "Halloween" sequel began shooting today (Jan. 13th, 2018).  David Gordon Green is directing with original director John Carpenter co-producing and scoring the film.  Jamie Lee Curtis, the original film's star, returns, as does original Michael Myers, Nick Castle.

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CELEBRITY - From BET:  Paris Jackson, daughter of the late, great Michael Jackson, tried to help some bums and they stole from her.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Oscar-winner Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) and Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther) are joining for "Expatriate," a 1970s set international thriller.

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Leonardo DiCaprio will star in Quentin Tarantino's ninth feature length film, which is set during the summer of 1969 around the time of the Charles Manson murders.  DiCaprio appeared in Tarantino's 2012 film, "Django Unchained."

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TELEVISION - From BleedingCool:  Gareth Edwards' ("Rogue One") film, Monster, is being adapted as a TV series.  The film was originally released in the U.S. in 2010.

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COMICS-FILM - From Collider:  "Deadpool 2" will now open May 18, 2018, instead of June 1st.  Fox also moves "The New Mutants" from April 13, 2018 to February 22, 2019.

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TELEVISION - From BleedingCool:  ABC is developing a reboot of its 1980s series, "The Greatest American Hero," and a live-action version of "The Jetsons."

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COMICS-FILM - From BleedingCool:  Channing Tatum's X-Men spinoff film, "Gambit," has lost another director, Gore Verbinski.

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CULTURE - From TheNewYorker:  Legendary French actress, Catherine Deneuve, and other prominent French women denounce the #MeToo and #BalanceTonPorc (the French #MeToo) movements.

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COMICS - From TheWrap:  Marvel Studios is moving forward with a "Black Widow" stand alone movie.  Jac Schaeffer, who made her debut with the film "TiMER," will write the film.

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MOVIE - From ShadowandAct:  There is a biopic of African-American actress Hattie McDaniel in the works.  McDaniel was the first African-American to receive an Oscar nomination for acting and the first to win an Academy Award (Best Supporting Actress, "Gone with the Wind").

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MOVIE AWARDS - From HuffPost:  While introducing Meryl Streep at the "National Board of Review Annual" awards, Robert DeNiro called President Donald Trump a "fucking idiot" and a "fucking fool."

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CELEBRITY - From ComicBook:  The photography of the late actor Anton Yelchin will be at the De Buck Gallery in New York City through January 20th, 2018.

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Mark Wahlberg paid way more money than Michelle Williams for the "All the Money in the World" reshoots.

From YahooNews:  The Mark Wahlberg-Michelle pay gap on the reshoots for Ridley Scott's "All the Money in the World," is sparking growing outrage.

----------
ANIMATION/SCANDAL - From Variety:  TBS has ended its involvement in the animated comedy, "The Cops," co-created by and set to star Louis CK, the comedian accused of having a history of misconduct.

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OPRAH - From CNN:  The transcript to Oprah Winfrey's rousing and acclaimed Golden Globes speech after receiving the "Cecil B. DeMille Award" for lifetime achievement - the first black woman to receive the award.

From YouTube:   See Oprah's speech at the 75th Golden Globes Awards.

From RSN:  Actresses protest at 75th Golden Globes Awards.

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AWARDS - From TheWrap:  The 2018 / 75th Golden Globe Awards - the complete winners list.

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo:  The winner of the 1/5 to 1/7/2018 weekend box office is "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle," with an estimated take of $36 million.  This is its first time winning the weekend box office, although this is also its third weekend in release.

From Variety:  "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" stumbles in its Chinese box office debut, but still moves up to $1.2 billion in worldwide box office.

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MOVIES - From IndieWire:  Ridley Scott, who directed the original "Blade Runner," is already planning a sequel to the recent "Blade Runner 2048," which he did not direct.

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MOVIE AWARDS - From GoldenGlobes:  The nominees for the 2018/ 75th Golden Globe Awards, which are tonight.

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STREAMING - From Deadline:   David Letterman's six-episode Netflix show will be entitled "My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman."  It starts streaming Jan. 12th, 2018, and President Barack Obama will be Letterman's first guest.

-----------
POLITICS:  From ThinkProgress:  Companies that announced big bonuses after GOP tax cut are now laying off their workers

TRAILER:

From YahooEntertainment:  See the teaser trailer for Marvel's "Black Panther" shown during Mon., Jan. 8th's college football National Championship Game.

OBITS:

From ESPN:  Legendary sports broadcaster Keith Jackson has died at the age of 89, Friday, January 12, 2018.  He was a play-by-play announcer for a number of sports, but is best known for his work on college football games.  He was known for his folksy manner, down-to-earth manner and for his colorful expressions like "Who, Nellie!" and "Big Uglies."  He is also credited for dubbing college football's "Rose Bowl" game as "The Granddaddy of Them All."

From TheWrap:  The Canadian actor, Donnelly Rhodes, has died at the age of 80, Monday, January 8, 2018.  He is best known for his work on the late ABC series, "Soap" (1977-1981), the "Battlestar Galactica" reboot (2004 to 2009), and the Canadian police drama, "Da Vinci's Inquest" (1998 to 2005).

From THR:  The actress Greta Thyssen has died at the age of 90, Saturday, January 6, 2018.  Born in Denmark, Thyssen was a "blonde bombshell" of the 1950s and 1960s.  She doubled for Marilyn Monroe in the film "Bus Stop" and appeared in 3 "Three Stooges" films, including the final Stooges short film, "Sappy Bull Fighters" (1959).

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 1st to 6th, 2017 - Updated #25

Support Leroy on Patreon.

SPORTS - From YahooSports:  "Always Dreaming" wins the 143rd Kentucky Derby.

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BLM - From YahooNews:  Roy Oliver, the fired cop who shot into a car full of teenagers, killing a 15-year-old, is free on bail after being charged with the child's death.

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OBIT -  From Variety:  The actor Don Gordon died at the age of 90, April 24, 2017.  He was known as a character actor and appeared on the big and small screen alongside his friend Steve McQueen several times, including in the film "Bullitt" and on the TV series, "Wanted: Dead or Alive."

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POLITICS - From WashPost:  House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) no longer was Democratic Party candidates to be forced to tow the party line of abortion i.e. be pro-choice.

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ECO - From IndependentUK:  We have all heard of the lead-contaminated water crisis in Flint, Michigan.  Well, more than 8,000 residents could lose their water service and homes for refusing to pay for the poisoned water.

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POLITICS - From RSN:  Under GOP House of Representatives healthcare plans, sexual assault and rape would be considered pre-existing conditions.

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BLM - From IBT:  Hog farms spray pig urine and feces into air around North Carolina's Black communities.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  HBO is developing a "Game of Thrones" spinoff.

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COMICS-FILM - From DenofGeek:  The reboot of "The Crow" (the film that cost Brandon Lee his live over 20 years ago) is still alive and is seeking an "R" rating.

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MOVIES - From YahooNews: Mark Wahlberg reflects on almost passing on Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights" 20 years ago.

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TELEVISION - From Variety:  Oscar-winner Anna Paquin and Oscar-nominee Terrence Howard have been added to the cast of Amazon's anthology, Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams."

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TELEVISION - From NewYorkMagazine:  Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel's recent monologue about his  newborn son's health issues may affect debates about access to health care, specifically the Affordable Care Act (ACA) a.k.a. "Obamacare."

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CELEBRITY - From YahooTV:  Brad Pitt admits his recent alcoholism.

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TELEVISION - From People:  The "Happy Days" cast reunites at a memorial for the late actress Erin Moran, who played Joanie Cunningham on the series.  Moran recently died, apparently from cancer.

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COMICS-FILM - From WeGotThisCovered:  Is Josh Gad playing the Penguin in "The Batman."

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BLM - From YahooNews:  North Charleston, South Carolina  police officer Michael Slager finally finally admits what we already know: he is a murderer.  Slager plead guilty to federal civil rights charges in the shooting death of an unarmed black man, Walter Scott.

From YahooNews:  Meanwhile, Attorney General Jeff Sessions' KKK version of the U.S. Justice Department will not bring charges against to Baton Rouge, La police officers, Blane Salamoni and Howie Lake II, for killing Alton Sterling in July 2016.

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SPORTS - From YahooSports:  City of Boston and the Boston Red Sox apologize to Baltimore Oriole Adam Jones for the racial taunts hurled at him during a recent Orioles-Red Sox Major League Baseball game.

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TELEVISION - From Wired:  Neil Gaiman wishes "American Gods" was not so relevant now.

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POLITICS - From LATimes:  The young'uns love them some "Auntie Maxine" a.k.a. Congresswoman Maxine Waters.

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BLM - From YahooNews:  Police Chief Jonathan Haber admits that he lied in the cop-shooting death of #JorrdanEdwards.

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BOND - From ThePlaylist:  Paul McGuigan, according to rumor, is being considered to direct the 25th James Bond movie.

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MOVIES - From THR:  Jeremy Renner signs to play famed gunslinger "Doc" Holliday.

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MOVIES - From ThePlaylist:  Ridley Scott says Neill Blomkamp's "Alien 5" is probably dead.

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AWARDS - From Variety:  The 44th Annual Daytime Emmy winners were announced last night.

From Deadline:  The winners in the "Creative Arts" categories of the 44th Annual Daytime Emmy Awards.

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COMICS-FILM - From YahooMovies:  A black and white version of the recent hit, "Logan," will hit theaters May 16th.

TRAILERS:

From YahooMovies:  See the new trailer for Christopher Nolan's "Dunkirk," due this July.