Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Feb. 11th to 17th, 2024 - Update #16

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:  At at the world premiere of "Dune: Part Two" in London, "Dune" star, Zendaya's robot body armor has people talking.  This article talks about the pop culture and cinema history behind it.  Zendaya plays the Freemen, Chani, in Dune: Part One and "Dune: Part Two."

TELEVISION - From Variety:  The CW has given a series order to "Sherlock & Daughter," starring David Thewlis as "Sherlock Holmes."  Blu Hunt will play "Amelia," who may be Holmes' lost daughter.  Dougray Scott will play Holmes' nemesis, "Moriarty."

MARVEL STUDIOS - From Variety:  The superhero quartet, the "Fantastic Four" — the first characters created for Marvel Comics by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby — will be played by Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards (aka Mr. Fantastic), Vanessa Kirby as Sue Storm (aka the Invisible Woman), Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm (aka the Human Torch) and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm (aka the Thing).

MOVIES - From Variety:  We now have a first-look image of Jaafar Jackson as his uncle, the late Michael Jackson, in the director Antoine Fuqua's biopic, "Michael."  The film is due April 18, 2025 from Lionsgate (domestically) and Universal Pictures International.

From Variety:  Ashley Olsen and Charles Melton have joined director Todd Solondz's next film, "Love Child."

From Deadline:  Bleecker Street has picked up the U.S. rights to Mikael Håfström’s sci-fi thriller "Slingshot," starring Casey Affleck, Laurence Fishburne, and Emily Beecham.  Bleecker Street is planning a nationwide theatrical release for the film.

MEDIA - From Deadline:  Paramount Global is beginning a round of layoffs today, Tues., Feb. 13th.  The number of people set to be let go (fired) is 800.

AWARDS - From Variety:  The winners at the 38th Spanish Academy Goya Awards were announced.  Director J.A. Bayona's film, "The Society of Snow," won 12 awards, including "Best Picture" and "Best Director."  American actress, Sigourney Weaver, received the "International Goya Award."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  In the wake of the success of "Barbie," it's star and one of its producer, Margot Robbie and her LuckyChap Productions signs a first-look deal with the studio behind "Barbie," Warner Bros. 

SPORTS - From NFL:  The Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LVIII over the San Francisco 49ers in overtime by a score of 25-22.

From Deadline:  Beyonce tries to break Verizon in a Super Bowl ad. Then, she releases two country songs from her upcoming LP, "Renaissance: Part II."

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 2/9 to 2/11/2024 Super Bowl weekend box office is Universal's "Argylle" with an estimated take of 6.5 million dollars.

AWARDS - From Variety:  The Australian horror movie, Talk to Me, topped the 13th Annual AACTA Awards, which are presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts.  "Talk to Me" won eight awards, including "Best Film," "Best Direction in Film" (Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou), and "Best Actress" (Sophie Wilde).

MOVIES - From THR:  Oscar-winners Denzel Washington and Spike Lee will team up again, this time for a remake of Akira Kurosawa's 1963 crime thriller, "High and Low," for Apple Original Films.  This will be their fifth team-up and the first since Inside Man (2006).  The film is a partnership between Apple and A24.

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AWARDS:

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

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:   The Directors Guild of America has announced the winners at the 2024 / 76th DGA Awards.  Christopher Nolan won the top category, "Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Theatrical Feature Film of 2023," for his work on his blockbuster film, "Oppenheimer."

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 THR:  The Art Directors Guild (IATSE Local 800) has announced the winners at the 28th Art Directors Guild Awards.  "Poor Things," "Oppenheimer," and "Saltburn" win top prizes.

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 AwardsWatch:  The Latino Entertainment Journalists Association has announced the 6th Annual LEJA Awards.  "Past Lives" won "Best Picture."  Actor Coleman Domingo won "Best Actor" for his role in "Rustin" and "Best Supporting Actor" for his role in "The Color Purple."

From AwardsWatch:  The Vancouver Film Critics Circle has announced its 2023 film awards.  "Anatomy of a Fall" won "Best Picture."

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 London Critics Circle announced the winners of its 44th annual film awards. "The Zone of Interest" won three awards, including "Film of the Year" and "Best Director" (Jonathan Glazer).

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: 2

Barbie: 2

The Boy and the Heron: 1

The Holdovers: 2

Killers of the Flower Moon: 9

Oppenheimer: 20

Past Lives: 9

Poor Things: 4

The Zone of Interest: 3

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 1st to 7th, 2023 - Update #22

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:  Guillermo del Toro explains why he didn't direct nor watch "Pacific Rim: Uprising," the 2018 sequel to his 2013 film, "Pacific Rim."

CELEBRITY - From THR:  That time Primetime Emmy winner, Kerry Washington, found out that she was conceived via a sperm donor.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Kevin Costner's Western epic, "Horizon: An American Saga," will be released in two-parts.  Chapter 1 opens June 28, 2024, and Chapter 2 opens August 16, 2024.  The Oscar-winning Costner's previous Western epics include "Dances with Wolves" (1990) and Open Range (2003).

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Universal Pictures is setting up to produce definitive biographical film about the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The studio has optioned the rights to adapt Jonathan Eig’s critically acclaimed biography, "King: A Life."  Chris Rock is in final talks to direct and produce, and Steven Spielberg will be executive producer. [Don't forget Selma, though. - Ed.]

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Apple TV+ has released first-look photos from its World War II drama series, "Master of the Air," starring Austin Butler (Elvis).  The series, which is produced by the "Band of Brothers" team of Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Gary Goetzman is set to debut Friday, January 26, 2024.

POLITICS - From CNN:  Retired Marine Corps General John Kelly was also former president Donald Trump's longest serving White House chief of staff.  Now, Kelly is confirming numerous horrid stories about Trump's utter disrespect to servicemen who were wounded, killed in action, or prisoners of war.

SCANDAL - From BleedingCool:  A lawsuit alleges that a media entity once asked Robert Downey, Jr. (Iron Man) pay it 60 million dollars in order to get a bigger payday.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  "The Drew Barrymore Show" will finally return on Oct. 16th, but the show will be without its three head writers, who have decided not to return.

DISNEY - From Variety:  This year is the 30th anniversary of the release of the Disney film, "Cool Runnings," a Disneyfied account of a real event in Jamaican Olympic history. Apparently, the director, Jon Turteltaub (The Meg) and the cast, tussled with Disney over the cast's Jamaican accents.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Hulu has renewed its popular series, "Only Murders in the Building," its most watched original comedy series ever.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Lionsgate's Michael Jackson biopic, entitled "Michael," will have Universal Pictures International as its distributor to the international film market.

TELEVISION/NFL - From Deadline:  Just the presence of Taylor Swift attending made the Chiefs at Jets Sunday Night Football game (Sun., Oct. 1st) the highest rated NFL games since Super Bowl LVII in February.

AI - From Deadline:  Zelda Williams, the daughter of the late legend Robin Williams, says that she is disturbed by a use of AI to recreate his voice.

POLITICS - From SheKnows:  Author Michael Lewis was on "60 Minutes" (Sun., Oct. 1st) promoting his new book, "Going Infinite: The Rise and Fall of a New Tycoon," which is about disgraced FTX founder, Sam Bankman-Fried. In the book Bankman-Fried says that Donald Trump told him that he wanted 5 BILLION DOLLARS to sit out the 2024 presidential race. Lewis wrote the book that was the basis for the 2009 Sandra Bullock film, The Blind Side.

BUSINESS - From Deadline:  Miramax CEO Bill Block is leaving the company as soon as today, Tues., Oct. 3rd.  Block is credited with reviving the company since his became CEO in 2017.

MOVIES - From EW:  Action director John Woo (Paycheck) talks about making the essentially dialogue-free revenge thriller, "Silent Night," starring Joel Kinnaman.  The film is due Dec. 1st.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 9/29 to 10/1/2023 weekend box office is Paramount's "Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie" with an estimated take of 23 million dollars.

TELEVISION - From THR:  Director Albert Hughes says that his John Wick prequel series, "The Continental" (Peacock), was locked in before they knew the how John Wick 4 would conclude.

MOVIES/MUSIC - From Variety:  A film based on Beyonce‘s smash hit "Renaissance World Tour" is in advanced talks to distribute directly to AMC Theatres, sources with knowledge of the project told Variety.

DISNEY - From Deadline:   Media entrepreneur Byron Allen talks about his 10 billion dollar offer for ABC and other Disney networks.  Allen said that "capital’s not an issue,” but that Disney CEO Bob Iger “is not ready” yet to pursue linear sale.

OBITS:

From ESPN:  The former American football player, sportscaster, actor, and philanthropist, Dick Butkus, has died at the age of 80, Thursday, October 5, 2023.  Butkus was best known for his legendary career as a middle linebacker for the NFL's Chicago Bears from 1965-73.  Butkus was one of the "Monsters of the Midway," and was an eight-time "Pro Bowl" selection and was twice voted "NFL Defensive Player of the Year."  He was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979.  Butkus has an extensive acting career, appearing in a number of films ("The Longest Yard," "Any Given Sunday) and television series ("My Two Dads," "Hang Time").

From Deadline:  Film and television actor, Keith Jefferson, has died at the age of 53, Thursday, October 5, 2023.  Jefferson has announced his cancer diagnosis on August 9th.  Jefferson had appeared in three of director Quentin Tarantino's films:  Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight, and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.  He was set to appear in "The Burial," an Amazon Prime film starring his longtime friend, Jamie Foxx, who announced Jefferson's passing.

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WRITERS/ACTORS STRIKE:

From Deadline:  The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the Hollywood studios CEOs met for strike talks for the first time since the actors went on strike July 14th. They plan to meet again, Wed., Oct. 4th.

BREAKING - From Deadline:  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) to end its strike after nearly five months. The parties finalized the framework of the deal Sunday when they were able to untangle their stalemate over AI and writing room staffing levels.

From WGAContract:  The WGA contract page has additional information on the settlement.

From WGAContract:  A summary of the new agreement.

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From Deadline:  Television writers rooms are opening again in the wake of the end of the writers strike.  On Monday, such series as "Grey's Anatomy," "9-1-1," and "Family Guy," to name a few, go back to work.

From Variety:  The Writers Guild (WGA) and AMPTP to meet today (Sun., Sept. 24th) after the studios supposedly make their "best and final" offer to the writers.

From Deadline:  A meeting between leading television showrunners, including Kenya Barris and Noah Hawley, and WGA leadership has been cancelled.

From Deadline:   The actors’ strike is now in its 63rd day.  Now, SAG-AFTRA leaders are ramping up their rhetoric against the studio heads, accusing them in the latest issue of the "SAG-AFTRA Magazine" of “behaving like petty tyrants,” “would-be feudal lords” and “land barons in feudal times.”

From Deadline:  Sony Pictures Entertainment CEO Tony Vinciquerra says that Hollywood unions need to embrace AI.

From Deadline:  The AMPTP says that the Writers Guild's claims that their is division in the ranks of the studios about the strike are false.

From Deadline:  The WGA (Writers Guild of America) told its members Friday (Sept. 8th) that despite the united front the streamers and studios (via the AMPTP) have shown in public during the guild’s 130-day strike, several of the legacy companies privately have expressed “both the desire and willingness to negotiate an agreement that adequately addresses writers’ issues.”

From Deadline:  Warner Bros. Discovery boss David Zaslav says the industry must focus and fight to resolve the writers and actors strikes.

From Deadline:  The writers of MTV’s "Ridiculousness" are coming closer to being unionized. The show’s writing team, which was behind over 230 episodes last year, has been going through the process to unionize over the last few months, hoping to join the WGA.

From THR:  As talks with the Writers Guild of America stall, the studio trade association, AMPTP, has retained D.C.-based firm, The Levinson Group, to pursue a fresh messaging strategy.

From Deadline:  Regarding the Hollywood writers strike, the AMPTP (representing the studios) released the details of a proposed labor agreement that it made to the WGA (the Writers Guild) on August 11th.

From Deadline:  A pair of former production assistants-turned-assistant directors have created a nonprofit in hopes of providing financial aid to PAs (production assistants) who’ve been put out of work due to the strike.

From Deadline:  Writers Guild (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) will resume strike talks today, Fri., Aug. 11th.

From Deadline:  Meeting for the first time in more than three months, the Writers Guild and the AMPTP on Friday failed to reach an agreement to resume contract negotiations. The Writers Strike will go on indefinitely.

From Deadline:  Hollywood’s superstars are answering the call from the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, donating $1 million or more each to help their fellow performers during the ongoing actors and writers strikes.  Among the big donors are Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep, Oprah Winfrey, and Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.

From Deadline:  If you are interested, here is a list of the film and TV productions SAG-AFTRA has granted waivers to continue filming.

From Variety:  International superstar, Dwayne Johnson, makes a seven-figure contribution to the "SAG-AFTRA Foundation Relief Fund." Foundation president, actor Courtney B. Vance, says the amount will remain confidential.

From Variety:  Why haven't A-list stars joined the SAG-AFTRA picket line?, asks "Variety."

From Deadline:  Author George R.R. Martin, whose works were the basis for HBO's "Game of Thrones," says the strikes will be long and bitter.

From THR:  Production works at Warner Bros. Animation (66) and at Cartoon Network (22) have gone public with their attempt to unionize via The Animation Guild.

From Variety:  Halted film productions due to the writers and actors strikes are costing each Hollywood studio at least 600,000 dollars per week.

From Variety:  Said at a strike meeting: “Without a transformative change in SAG-AFTRA’s current contract with the AMPTP, the acting profession will no longer be an option for future generations of performers, and actors already working in the industry will need to pursue other careers in order to survive.”

From Deadline:  If you are a "social media influencer" who is NOT  a member of SAG-AFTRA, you can be barred from future membership for promoting a film or television series during the actors' strike.

From Variety:  The SAG/AFTRA strike begins in New York and Los Angeles.  Hollywood actors began striking today, Fri., July 14th.

From Deadline:  The site has the video of the powerful strike speech given by SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, the actress best known for CBS' former sitcom, "The Nanny."

From Deadline:  Concerning the Hollywood writers strike (via the WGA), the Hollywood Studios (as represented by the AMPTP) is to let the writers go broke before resuming talks deep into the Fall.

From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA is already preparing strike picket signs in case the actors' strike begins next week.

From Deadline:  WGA is picketing the New York City filming location of the 12th series of FX's "American Horror Story" (entitled "Delicate") after series co-creator Ryan Murphy threaten litigation against an east coast strike captain.

From THR:  TV super-producer, Ryan Murphy, in a letter from his attorney to the leadership of the Writers Guild of America, threatened litigation against Warren Leight, an East Coast strike captain and Strike Rules Compliance Committee member who has subsequently forfeited those positions.

From Deadline:  The Hollywood studios via the AMPTP has given Canadian actors a new contract, including a 5 percent raise.

From Deadline:  Writers Strike puts the spotlight back on the challenge from writers for animation productions to be covered by the WGA.

From THR:  Studios won't give writers better pay, and now, are laying off janitors.

From Deadline:  The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has reached a tentative new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So what does the Writers Guild (WGA), currently on strike and negotiating with the AMPTP, think of that deal.

From Deadline:  Netflix shareholders declined to support the 2023 pay packages of top executives during a non-binding vote at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday.  The vote won't prevent these execs from getting their loot (an total of $166 million), but this is a rare public rebuke.  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has urged shareholders to vote "No" because the pay was "inappropriate" at this time.

From Deadline:  Warner Bros Discovery chief David Zaslav gave the commencement address at Boston University. There he was met with jeers and also chants of "pay your writers" from picketers and from some in the audience.

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.

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Advanced Comics Review: "ALICE COOPER Volume 2 #1" is Number One with a Bullet

ALICE COOPER VOLUME 2 #1

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Rodney Barnes

ART: Edu Menna

COLORS: Adriano Lucas

LETTERS: Troy Peteri

EDITOR: Joseph Rybandt

COVER: Jason Shawn Alexander

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Stuart Sayger; Andrew Mangum; Jason Shawn Alexander

32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (October 2023)

Rated Teen+

Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier) is an American rock singer, actor, and Grammy Award-nominated recording artist.  He is known for his outlandish stage shows which include fake blood, stage illusions, and pyrotechnics, to name a few elements.  Originally the name of his band, Furnier made “Alice Cooper” his legal name and embarked on a solo career in the mid-1970s.

Dynamite Entertainment has preciously featured Alice Cooper as a comic book character in Alice Cooper Volume 1 (2014-15).  Cooper returns to comic books in Alice Cooper Volume 2.  It is written by Rodney Barnes; drawn by Edu Menna; colored by Adriano Lucas; and lettered by Troy Peteri.  The series finds Alice Cooper in the middle of a promotional tour for his new album when he notices something decidedly odd about some of his new fans.

Alice Cooper Volume 2 #1 opens at the “Crossroads” jazz club, located somewhere in another dimension.  Tonight, Lucifer makes his debut as a blues-singing sensation, and he is quite good the first time.  However, he is quickly informed that he needs to be loved above all other performers if he is going to have any staying power.  Jealous, Lucifer sends out his demonic forces and suddenly, legendary rock stars start disappearing.

Meanwhile, Alice Cooper – singer, rock musician, and sometimes demon slayer – has a new album out and is in the midst of a promotional tour.  Of course, it's great to see all his fans again, but everywhere he goes, he notices something strange and disturbing.  Some of those fans appear to be the undead!  Even more shocking, someone in the “Nightmare Place,” has a warning for him.  This chapter features guest appearances by such legendary performers as Aerosmith, James Brown, Miles Davis, Buddy Holly, Michael Jackson, Mike Jagger, Elvis Presley, Prince, and Richard Pryor

THE LOWDOWN:  Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  Alice Cooper Volume 2 #1 is the latest, and it is the first Alice Cooper comic book that I have ever read.

Honestly, I am not really a fan of Alice Cooper.  I don't dislike him.  It's just that by the time I discovered him, the legendary rock band, Kiss, was already providing me with my rock 'n' roll weirdness, although I did find Cooper's interesting.  Cooper is a fantastic, killer homeless dude in director John Carpenter's 1987 horror flick, Prince of Darkness.

The only reason that I am reading this comic book is because I am a huge fan of its writer, the amazing Rodney Barnes, who is dazzling many readers with his and Jason Shawn Alexander's vampire comic book, Killadelphia.  And he doesn't disappoint me with Alice Cooper Volume 2 #1.  Every subplot, every location, every scene change, and every character is an utter delight.  Barnes makes every story element so intriguing and every character so likable that I want more.

Edu Menna's art and storytelling are quite potent, bringing Barnes story to comic book life in a variety of moods and changes of style that give this story a surreal tone grounded in a kind of everyday reality.  Menna makes this first issue feel like more than just another dark fantasy comic book; he makes it feel like an event.

Adriano Lucas's colors help this first issue become something a little bit more than just another trip into dark fantasy, and Troy Peteri's lettering conveys the overall sense of oddness that permeates this debut.  These are the finishing touches to a clever opening issue. Alice Cooper Volume 2 #1 hasn't come out yet and I already want the second issue.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Alice Cooper and of the comic books of Rodney Barnes will want Alice Cooper Volume 2.

A

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

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

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 18th to 24th, 2023 - Update #16

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

STRIKE - From Deadline:  Members of the Directors Guild of America have overwhelmingly ratified a new film and television contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents the film and TV studios.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  The "Magnum P.I." reboot starring Jay Hernandez was broadcast for four seasons on CBS. NBC picked it up for a fifth season when CBS cancelled it.  Now, NBC has opted not to order additional episodes beyond this current fifth season.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director Spike Lee is attending the Cannes Lions Festival where he will receive the "Creative Maker of the Year" awards.  In an interview, the Oscar-winner mentioned a piece of advice given to him by the late recording artist and icon, Michael Jackson.  The King of Pop told Spike, "Don't ever use the term, 'music video'." Spike calls his music videos "short films."

NETFLIX - From Variety:  Netflix has revealed the cast for its live-action series version of "Avatar: The Last Airbender," and it has released the first teaser trailer.  The series is due in 2024,

MOVIES - From IndieWire:  Oscar-winners, Steven Spielberg and Martin Scorsese, and should-be-an-Oscar-winner, Paul Thomas Anderson, have teamed up for an emergency call with Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav about the layoffs of Turner Classic Movies’ (TCM) top brass.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. Discovery is shopping some of its HBO library titles to its rival, Netflix.  The first title may be the Issa Rae comedy, "Insecure," which recently finished its five-season run.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  France’s highest appeals court dismissed accusations of rape by Belgian-Dutch actress Sand Van Roy against French director and producer Luc Besson on Wednesday. Van Roy accused Besson of raping her in 2016 and 2018 encounters.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Actor Dan Stevens will now provide the voice of the lead character, "Korvo," in Hulu's animated series, "Solar Opposites."  He replaces Justin Roiland, who is also the co-creator (with Mike McMahan) of the series.  Roiland was ousted from Solar Opposites in January because he was facing domestic abuse charges.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Television super-producer and creator, Ryan Murphy ("American Horror Story," "Nip/Tuck," "Pose") is set to leave Netflix after his five-year Netflix deal expires.  He is in talks to return to Disney which owns FX, the home of his biggest hits.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 6/16 to 6/18/2023 weekend box office is Warner Bros.' "The Flash" with an estimated total of 55.1 million dollars.

From Deadline:  Wes Anderson's latest film, "Asteroid City," has the strongest opening weekend ($790,000) for a limited release/specialty box office film in many years.

From BloodyDisgusting:  John Squires of "Bloody Disgusting" says that The seven million-dollar debut of Tim Story's "The Blackening" is a win for Lionsgate.

DISNEY - From Variety:  In an interview with "Variety," Pixar CCO (Chief Creative Officer) Pete Docter says that Disney has trained families to wait for films to appear on Disney+.  He reveals that Pixar is working on "Toy Story 5."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Two plagiarism claimants were trying to delay the recent release of director Tim Story's black-centric horror comedy, "The Blackening."  A California district court judge didn't buy the claim.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Stage and screen actor, Frederic Forrest, has died at the age of 86, Friday, June 23, 2023.  His breakthrough film was 1972's "When Legends Die," which earned his a Golden Globe Award.  He appeared in four films in which Francis Ford Coppola was involved, including "The Conversation" (1974) and "Apocalypse Now" (1979).  He earned an Academy Award nomination for "Best Supporting Actor" for his role as "Huston Dyer" in "The Rose" (1979), alongside Bette Midler.

From Deadline:  American mystery author and actress, Carol Higgins Clark, has died at the age of 66, Monday, June 12, 2023.  She was best known for her "Regan Reilly" mystery series, and Clark was also the daughter of the late suspense novelist, Mary Higgins Clark.  She also appeared in several television movies, including "A Cry in the Night" (1992), which was based on her mother's 1982 novel of the same title.

WRITERS STRIKE:

From THR:  Studios won't give writers better pay, and now, are laying off janitors.

From Deadline:  The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has reached a tentative new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So what does the Writers Guild (WGA), currently on strike and negotiating with the AMPTP, think of that deal.

From Deadline:  Netflix shareholders declined to support the 2023 pay packages of top executives during a non-binding vote at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday.  The vote won't prevent these execs from getting their loot (an total of $166 million), but this is a rare public rebuke.  The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has urged shareholders to vote "No" because the pay was "inappropriate" at this time.

From Deadline:  Warner Bros Discovery chief David Zaslav gave the commencement address at Boston University. There he was met with jeers and also chants of "pay your writers" from picketers and from some in the audience.

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.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 1st to 11th, 2023 - Update #21

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From THR:   Daniel Fajemisin-Duncan and Marlon Smith, who co-created the 2013 British crime drama "Run," has been tapped to write the action thriller, "Rainbow Six," that has Michael B. Jordan starring and Chad Stahelski directing.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Writer-director David Twohy and star Vin Diesel are reunited for a fourth film in the "Riddick" series, entitled "Riddick: Furya."

From JoBlo:  On Instagram, Vin Diesel shares some concept art for the upcoming, "Riddick: Furya."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-nominee Sacha Baron Cohen and Keke Palmer ("Nope") are teaming up with writer-director David O. Russell ("Amsterdam") for "Super Toys."

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Nicole Kidman and Jamie Lee Curtis will headline Amazon Studios' TV series adaptation of Patricia Cornwell's "Kay Scarpetta" novels.  Kidman will play the lead, and Curtis will play her sister, Dorothy.

TELEVISION - From EW:  British comedy legend, John Cleese, is reviving his beloved BBC sitcom, "Fawlty Towers," with his daughter, Camilla Cleese.  The series is being developed by Rob Reiner's Castle Rock Entertainment.  The original series ran for two series of six episodes each in 1975 and 1979.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Sony Pictures is developing a direct sequel to its 1997 hit slasher film, "I Know What You Did Last Summer."  Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze, Jr. are in talks to reprise their respective roles from the original.

NETFLIX - From THR:   Matthew McConaughey has signed on to voice Elvis Presley in Netflix’s adult animated action comedy series "Agent Elvis."

MOVIES - From THR:  The AMC Theatres chain is going start basing movie ticket prices on where patrons want to sit in the auditorium.  This price will take place after 4 pm.

MUSIC - From Deadline:  At the 2023 / 65th annual Grammy Awards, "Harry's House," an album by recording artist Harry Styles, won the top honor "Album of the Year."  With her 32nd Grammy win, Beyonce became the all-time leaders in career Grammy wins.

MOVIES - From BloodyDisgusting:  Film producer-director, Sean S. Cunningham, is "working to get his own 'Friday the 13th' reboot off the ground.  Much depends on the setting the franchise's rights issues"

BOX OFFICE - BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 2/3 to 2/5/2023 weekend box office is "Knock at the Cabin" with an estimated take of 14.2 million dollars.

From Here:  Negromancer's review of "Knock at the Cabin."

From Variety:  Actor Dave Bautista explains his most shocking scene in the new film, "Knock at the Cabin."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Warner Bros has acquired the rights to Stephen King's novel, "Billy Summers.  JJ Abrams and Leonard DiCaprio's respective production companies are producing.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  NBC has given its comedy revival, "Night Court," a renewal for a second season.

MUSIC - From Variety: Grammy-winning recording artist and music icon, Beyonce, has announced stadium tour dates for her "Renaissance" world tour.  The first U.S. date appears to be July 12th in Philladelphia.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Jerry Bruckenheimer and director Guy Ritchie's World War II movie, "The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare," has added eight new names to a cast that already includes Henry Cavill and Eiza Gonzalez. New cast includes Alex Pettyfer and Cary Elwes.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Amazon Prime's "The Terminal List," staring Chris Pratt, will continue with a second season and will become a franchise with a prequel executive produced and starring Taylor Kitsch.

MOVIES/MUSIC - From Variety:  Jaafar Jackson will portray his late uncle, Michael Jackson, in director Antoine Fuqua's biopic about the Grammy Award-winning legend and music icon, which is entitled "Michael."  Jaafar is the second youngest son of Michael Jackson's brother, Jermaine Jackson, songwriter, producer, recording artist, and member of the "Jackson 5."

*DC STUDIOS - From Deadline:   DC Studios co-CEOs James Gunn and Peter Safran finally revealed their plans for an inter-connective universe of DC Comics character-based film and television.

*MOVIES - From Deadline:  Will Smith and Martin Lawrence announced that "Bad Boys 4" is in pre-production.  "Bad Boys for Life" directors El Arbi and Bilall Fallah are also returning.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Songwriter, composer, and record producer, Burt Bacharach, has died at the age of 94, Wednesday, February 8, 2023.  Over a three decade career, he composed hundreds of pop songs that have been recorded by over 1000 recording artists.  He won the "Best Original Song" Oscar twice and "Best Original Score" once (for "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid").  He won six Grammy Awards, including for the 1987 "Song of the Year" award for "That's What Friends Are For" (1986, co-written with his then wife, Carole Bayer Sager).

From MarinIJ:  Author and activist, David Harris, has died at the age of 76, Monday, February 6, 2023.  He was a leader and an icon of the Vietnam War draft resistance movement.  He encouraged young men to resist the draft and to refuse to report for military service.  When he himself was drafted in 1968, he refused to report and was immediately indicted.  He spent 20 months of a three-year sentence in the federal prison system.  He would go on to write for "Rolling Stone" and "The New York Times Magazine."  He also published 10 non-fiction books on a range of topics, including the NFL, politics, and international events.

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AWARDS:

From Oscar:  The nominations for the 2023 / 95th Academy Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Sunday, March 12, 2023.

From Deadline:  "Top Gun: Maverick" wins "Best Picture" at the "AARP Movies for Grownups Awards" held Saturday night in Beverly Hills.

From Variety:  The nominations for the 2023 Writers Guild Awards have been announced.  Winners will be announced Sunday, March 5, 2023.

From Variety:  The nominations for the 2023 EE BAFTA Awards have been announced. The Netflix World War I drama, "All Quiet on the Western Front," leads with 14 nominations.  The winners will be announced Sunday, February 19, 2023.

From Deadline:  The winners were announced at the 2023 / 28th annual Critics Choice Awards.  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" was named "Best Picture."

From Deadline:  The nominees for the 2023 / 34th Producers Guild of America Awards have been announced in both film and TV categories.  The winners will be announced Sat. Feb. 25th, 2023.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 29th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced Sun., Feb. 26th, 2023.

From Deadline:  The National Society of Film Critics has named "Tar" its "Best Picture" of 2023 and its star, Cate Blanchette, as "Best Actress."

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 23rd Annual Black Reel Awards have been announced.  "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and "The Woman King" have tied for the lead in nominations with 14 apiece.  The winners will be announced February 6, 2023.

From Deadline:  The Black Film Critics Circle named "The Woman King" the "Best Film" of 2022.

From Deadline:  The winners of the 2022 Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) Awards have been announced.  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "Tar" tie for "Best Picture" award.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2023 / 80th annual Golden Globes Awards were announced today (Mon., Dec. 12th).  "The Banshees of Inisherin" led the film field with eight nominations. ABC's "Abbot Elementary" lead the TV side with five nominations.  The winners will be announced January 10, 2023.

From Deadline:  The American Film Institute (AFI) has named its "AFI Awards Film" list of "Top 10 Films of 2022."  The list includes "Avatar: The Way of Water," "Top Gun: Maverick," and "The Woman King."

From THR:  The African-American Film Critics Association name "The Woman King" the "Best Film of 2022."

From Deadline:  The nominations for the "2023 Critics Choice Awards" in the television categories have been announced.  ABC's sitcom, "Abbot Elementary" leads the nominations.  The winners will be announced Sunday, January 15, 2023 and broadcast on The CW.

From Variety:  The 2022 / 88th Annual New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) Awards have been announced.  Todd Field's "Tar" wins "Best Film" and "Best Actress" (Cate Blanchett).  Keke Palmer wins "Best Supporting Actress" for her performance in "Nope."

From Deadline:  "Everything Everywhere All at Once" wins the "Best Feature" award at the 2022 / 32nd Annual Gotham Awards, one of two wins for the film.

From IndieWire:  The nominations for the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced.   "Everything Everywhere All at Once" leads with eight nominations.  The winners will be announced March 4th, 2023.

From Variety:  The nominations for the 2022 / 32nd Annual Gotham Awards were announced a month ago.  Todd Field's "Tar" leads with five nominations.  The winners will be announced Monday, November 28th.

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TYRE NICHOLS:

From NBCNews:  Tyre Nichols' death: A summary and timeline of his encounter with Memphis police officers

From YahooNews:  In the 67 minutes of the Tyre Nichols video, brutality followed by nonchalance.

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BRITTNEY GRINER:

From CBSNews:  WNBA star Brittney Griner has been released from her Russian imprisonment in a one-for-one prisoner swap for notorious international arms dealer, Viktor Bout.

From NBCNews:   Brittney Griner will enter a system of isolation, grueling labor and psychological torment when she is transferred to a penal colony, the successor to the infamous Russian gulag, to fulfill a nine-year sentence handed down Tuesday in Moscow, former prisoners and advocates said.

From NBCNews:  A Russian court has rejected Brittney Griner's appeal of her nine-year prison sentence on (fake) drug charges.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From CBSSports:  The Brittney Griner situation explained.

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

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