Negromancer News Bits and Bites from Dec. 17th to 23rd, 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:

CULTURE - From Variety:  On Jan. 1st, 2024, the earliest versions of Mickey Mouse enter the public domain. Also entering the public domain works from 1928 (such as Virginia Woolf's novel, "Orlando") and sound recordings from 1923 (including works by Bessie Smith and Ma Rainey).

MOVIES - From THR:  The stars of "The Color Purple": Fantasia Barino, Taraji P. Henson, and Danielle Brooks, and the film's producer, Oprah Winfrey, discuss the film with "The Hollywood Reporter."

From Deadline:  During an interview on Gayle King's SiriusXM show about the upcoming movie musical, "The Color Purple," Oscar-nominated and Emmy-nominated actress, Taraji P. Henson breaks down over pay disparity in Hollywood.

OSCARS - From Deadline:  The Oscars "shortlists" have been revealed for 10 categories:  "International Feature Film," "Documentary Feature," "Original Song," "Music Score," "Sound," "Visual Effects," "Makeup & Hairstyling," and the documentary, animated and live action short-film categories.

AWARDS - From Deadline:  Comedian Jo Koy will host the 81st Golden Globe Awards.  Koy is coming off his successful "Funny is Funny World Tour."  The 81st Golden Globes will air on CBS, Sunday, Jan. 7th and stream on Paramount+.

BREAKING - From Variety:  Warner Bros. Discovery and Paramount Global have held talks about a potential merger of the two media companies.

From Variety:  Media mogul Byron Allen has renewed his attempt to buy BET Media Group from Paramount Global.  He has made an offer of 3.5 billion dollars (up from his previous 2.7 billion offer), which would get him the BET cable channel, VH1, BET Studios, and the BET+ stream service.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Director Christopher Nolan says "Oppenheimer" is his most successful film to date.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  A New York City jury of three men and three women has found actor Jonathan Majors guilty of reckless assault and harassment in his domestic violence trial.  The actor, who appeared in Creed III and Disney+/Marvel Studios' "Loki" is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 6th, 2024.  He could face up to a year in jail.

From Deadline:  Disney/Marvel Studios has fired actor Jonathan Majors in the wake of his guilty verdict on charges of reckless assault and harassment in New York City.  Majors had played "He Who Remains" a.k.a. "Kang the Conqueror" in two seasons of the Disney+ series, "Loki," and in the film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 12/15 to 12/17/2023 weekend box office is Warner Bros.'s "Wonka" with an estimated take of 39 million dollars.

From Deadline:  Searchlight Pictures' "Poor Things" tops the specialty box office with an estimated take of 1.3 million dollars, also good enough to make it to the #10 spot at the domestic box office.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Michael Jai White (Black Dynamite) has wrapped production on "Trouble Man!," the action-comedy that he directed and stars in for Samuel Goldwyn Films.  The movie, which also stars Orlando Jones, Mike Epps, and Method Man, to name a few, will be released in 2024.

CELEBRITY - From ETOnline:  Actress Rosario Dawson is going to be a grandmother. [Yeah, I'm shocked, too. Leroy.]

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

AWARDS:

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.

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 1st to 5th, 2023 - Update #11

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Because of the strike, CBS has added the Paramount Network's "Yellowstone," Paramount+'s "SEAL Team," and the original UK version of "Ghosts" to its Fall 2023 schedule.

BUSINESS - From Deadline:  Hasbro has confirmed the sale of film and television studio, Entertainment One (eONe), to a new owner, Lionsgate.

POLITICS - From YahooNew: Column: "Black people presiding over the downfall of Donald Trump is poetic justice" by Erika D. Smith

MOVIES - From Deadline:  The next installment of the "Scream" film franchise is in development.  Christopher Landon, director of "Happy Death Day," is scheduled to direct "Scream 7."

DISNEY - From ComicBook:  After the releases of the Blu-ray and DVD release of "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3" in Australia, Disney will no longer make Blu-ray and DVD releases available in that country.

SPORTS - From Deadline:  Super Bowl LVIII will be broadcast on CBS Sunday, February 11, 2024.  However, there will be an alternate telecast on Nickelodeon, oriented towards kids audiences.

MOVIES - From Variety:  After his star, Joaquin Phoenix, said "I don't know what to do," director Ridley Scott sat with Phoenix for 10 days, talking about their film, "Napoleon," scene by scene.

OBITS:

From Variety:  The film and television actor, Mark Margolis, has died at the age of 83, Thursday, August 3, 2023.  He was best known for the role of the menacing "Hector Salamanca," on the former AMC series, "Breaking Bad" and "Better Call Saul."  He received a 2012 Primetime Emmy nomination for the role. Margolis reportedly appeared in over 50 Off-Broadway plays.

From Variety:  Actor Angus Cloud has died at the age of 25, Monday, July 31, 2023.  Cloud is best known for his breakthrough role in the HBO series, "Euphoria" (2019-22).  He was not a professional actor when he was scouted by Euphoria's casting director.

From Variety:  "Variety" writer, Selome Hailu, talks about the day last summer that she spent with "Euphoria" actor, Angus Cloud, who died Mon., July 31st, 2023,

WRITERS/ACTORS STRIKE:

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.

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

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from May 21st to 31st, 2023 - Update #29

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

SCANDAL - From Variety:  Actor Danny Masterson, best known for Fox's former sitcom, "That '70s Show" (1998-2006), has been convicted on two counts of "forcible rape," seeming from incidents back in 2003.  He faces 30 years in prison, with a sentencing hearing set for August 4th.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 5/26 to 5/28/2023 three-day Memorial Day weekend box office is Disney's "The Little Mermaid" with an estimated total of 95.5 million dollars.

From Here:  This is a review of "The Little Mermaid" by Leroy Douresseaux.

From THR:  Actress-singer Stephanie Mills says that she can relate to the racist backlash fellow actress-singer Halle Bailey has face over playing the lead in "The Little Mermaid." When she was 17, Mills originated the role of "Dorothy" in Broadway's "The Wiz," a soulful re-imagining of "The Wizard of Oz."

STREAMING - From Variety:  Actress Kim Cattrall will return as "Samantha Jones" for the Season 2 finale of "And Just Like That," Max's revival of the beloved HBO series, "Sex in the City."  The new season of "And Just Like That" debuts June 22nd, but Cattrall's episode won't stream until August.

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Prime Video Australia is remaking the British sitcom, "The Office" (2001-03) as a female-led series with comedian Felicity Ward in the role Ricky Gervais made famous in the original.  Of course, there was the NBC's American remake, also entitled "The Office" (2005-13).

ANIMATION/MOVIES - From THR: Mason Thames will star as "Hiccup" and Nico Parker will star as "Astrid" in Universal's live-action version of DreamWorks Animation's 2010 3D-animated hit, "How to Train Your Dragon." Thames starred in Universal’s horror hit The Black Phone, and Parker was last seen in HBO’s "The Last of Us."  Universal has set the films for a March 14, 2025 theatrical release.

MOVIES - From THR:  Director Penelope Spheeris talks about how falling out with star Mike Myers on "Wayne's World" cost her the gig directing "Wayne's World 2."

MOVIES - From Variety:  During his post-Cannes 2023 tour of Italy, famed film director Martin Scorsese meet with Pope Francis, and the result is that Scorsese is going to make a film about Jesus Christ.

CANNES - From Deadline:  As Cannes 2023 ends, the festival's top honor, the "Palme d'Or," goes to the film, "Anatomy of a Fall."  The film's director, Justine Triet, becomes only the third woman to win that honor.

From Deadline:  Jane Fonda gives a no-holds-barred interview at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

From Deadline:  In the first of a two-part Cannes interview with famed director Quentin Tarantino, Deadline gets a few more details about Tarantino's next film (and perhaps last), "The Movie Critic."

From Deadline: In the second of a two-part Cannes interview with famed director Quentin Tarantino, the Oscar winner talks about retirement, trying to make a James Bond movie, and working in television.

MOVIES - From ComicBook:  Lionsgate Motion Pictures Group chairman Joe Drake confirms that "John Wick 5" is in early development.

COMICS - From ImageComics:  Image Comics is pleased to announce a worldwide exclusive distribution deal with Lunar Distribution, effective with September on-sale titles (which will open for order on the Lunar site for retailers on Wednesday, June 14), for Direct Market/comic shop distribution.

CANNES - From Variety:  A white male can direct a 200-million dollar flop and get the chance to direct another film, but she as a Latina would not get that second chance says actress and now director Eva Longoria.

STREAMING - From Variety:  Today, "HBO Max" becomes just "Max." Of course, the transition is not without some glitches.

MOVIES/TRAILERS - From Variety:  On Christmas Day 2023, "The Color Purple" returns to theaters as a musical from director Blitz Bazawule and executive producers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg. Warner Bros. has debuted the film's first trailer.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 5/19 to 2/21/2023 weekend box office is Universal's "Fast X" with an estimated take of 67.5 million dollars.

From Here:  Leroy Douresseaux's review of "Fast X."

MOVIES - From Deadline:  According to Quentin Tarantino, "Rick Dalton," the character that Leonardo DiCaprio played in Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood," has died - 1933 to 2023.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Where is the next generation of movie stars?

AMAZON - From Deadline:  Eddie Murphy is circling the lead role of "Inspector Clouseau" in MGM's currently in development new "Pink Panther" movie.

OBITS:

From Deadline:  Film and television actor, John Beasley, has died at the age of 79, Tuesday, May 30, 2023.  Beasley appeared in such films as "Rudy" (1993), "The General's Daughter" (1999), and "The Purge: Anarchy" (2014).  He was both a regular and a recurring character in TV Land's "The Soul Man" (2012-16) and also appeared in such TV series as "Millennium," "Treme," and "The Mandalorian," to name a few.

From RollingStone:  Singer, dancer, recording artist, actress, and author, Tina Turner, has died at the age of 83, Wednesday, May 24, 2023.  Born in America (Tennessee, USA), Turner was a naturalized citizen of Switzerland, where she died.  Born Anna Mae Bullock, she rose to prominence as "Tina Turner," half of the musical duo, the "Ike and Tina Turner Revue."  As part of this duo, she was nominated for four Grammy Awards and won one.  In 1976, Tina broke away from Ike, and began her solo career.  As a solo act, she was nominated for a Grammy 21 times and won seven of them.  Turner was a hugely successful touring act as a solo artist, and she also co-authored books and appeared in several films, most famously in 1985's "Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome."

From Deadline:  Remembering Tina Turner, a career in photos.

From THR:  Angela Bassett, who portrayed Tina Turner in the film, "What's Love Got to Do With It," released a statement about Turner to "The Hollywood Reporter."

From Deadline:  On her website, Beyonce posted a tribute message to Tina Turner, with whom she once performed at the Grammy Awards ceremony.

From Variety:  Irish film and television actor, Ray Stevenson, has died at the age of 58, Monday, May 22, 2023.  He portrayed "Frank Castle/The Punisher" in the film, "Punisher: War Zone" (2008).  He played "Volstagg" in Marvel Studios' first three "Thor" films.  He is scheduled to appear in the upcoming Lucasfilm Disney+ series, "Ahsoka." 

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

WRITERS STRIKE:

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.

Review: Spielberg's "THE COLOR PURPLE" Still Wants to Be Seen (Celebrating "The Fabelmans")

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 7 of 2023 (No. 1896) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Color Purple (1985)

Running time:  154 minutes (2 hours, 34 minutes)

MPAA – PG-13

DIRECTOR:  Steven Spielberg

WRITER:  Menno Meyjes (based on the novel by Alice Walker)

PRODUCERS:  Steven Spielberg; Quincy Jones, Frank Marshall, and Kathleen Kennedy

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Allen Daviau (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Michael Kahn

COMPOSER:  Quincy Jones

Academy Award nominee

DRAMA

Starring:  Whoopi Golderg, Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery, Willard E. Pugh, Akosua Busia, Desreta Jackson, Adolph Caesar, Rae Dawn Chong, Dana Ivey, Leonard Jackson, Bennet Guillory, and Laurence Fishburne

The Color Purple is a 1985 drama and period film directed by Steven Spielberg.  The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel, The Color Purple, by author Alice Walker.  The Color Purple the movie focuses on an African-American woman who suffers abuse from the men in her life, but finds strength in the women close to her.

The Color Purple opens in 1909, in rural Hartwell County, Georgia.  Celie Harris (Desreta Jackson) is a teenage African-American girl living with an abusive father who rapes her.  He has already fathered two children by Celie, both of which he sold shortly after Celie gave birth.  Celie's father eventually gives her to an older man named Albert Johnson (Danny Glover), who Celie calls “Mister.”

A widower with three children, Mister initially wants to marry Celie's younger sister, Nettie (Akosua Busia).  Now, Mister abuses Celie, while his children also mistreat her.  One day, Nettie arrives at Mister's door, thrown out after rejecting her father's advances.  Nettie eventually also has to fight off a rape attempt by Mister, who promptly throws her off his property.

In the years and decades that follow, an adult Celie (Whoopi Goldberg), grown meek from years of abuse, finds strength in two other women.  The first is Mister's daughter law, Sofia (Oprah Winfrey).  The second is a woman Mister once wanted to marry, jook joint singer, Shug Avery (Margaret Avery).  For Celie, however, there are still great secrets from her past that will eventually be revealed.

It had been nearly 37 years since I last watched The Color Purple.  I cried so much during the first time I saw it that I had not been able to watch it again until now.  Over the years, I planned to view it a number of times, especially during the twentieth (2005) and twenty-fifth (2010) anniversaries of its original release.  It is also one of my favorite directorial efforts by Steven Spielberg.  I forced myself to watch it again because of my “celebration” of the release of Spielberg's recent autobiographical film, The Fabelmans.

The film's themes of domestic violence, pedophilia, and sexism still resonate, and, for me, the themes of racism and sexism seem to have strengthen with time.  The screenplay does so much to emphasize these themes that it is as if it creates a world within the larger world where abuse and degradation are the natural order.  Over the years, I have encountered people, mostly black men, who say that the film makes black men look bad.  I say that the film makes an honest portrayal of the abuse that black women faced in the past – from both black and white men.  [Over time, I have spoken with African-American women who personally knew older African-American women whose experiences are of the exact kind of abuse faced by Celie, Nettie, Sofia and other women in the film.]

That aside, I consider The Color Purple to be one of Spielberg's most subtle efforts as a director.  Some contemporaneous commentary said that the film was overly sentimental, but I find that Spielberg allows the film's narrative and characters to grow naturally from the screenplay.  In collaboration with his longtime editor, the Oscar-winning Michael Kahn (nominated here), Spielberg creates the illusion that he is simply capturing the evolution of Celie's tale from its harsh beginnings to its golden-hued happy ending.  The Color Purple feels organic … although I don't think anyone would have described it as such when it was first released.

One of the most impressive things about The Color Purple is that two its best performances are by actresses who have little or no acting experience – Whoopi Golderg as Celie and Oprah Winfrey as Sofia.  Spielberg gets these performers to create characters that are unique in form and substance.  To me, characters like Celie and Sofia seem so genuine because they were utterly new to American cinema, and truthfully, there has been nothing like them since.

Truthfully, all the film's performances are unique and winning.  Margaret Avery amazingly makes her Shug Avery an oasis in the often relentless pain of this film.  Danny Glover is also brilliantly cruel as the awful Mister, and Willard Pugh is sweet and charming as his son and Sofia's husband, the hapless Harpo.

At the 58th Academy Awards, The Color Purple did not win in any of the 11 categories in which it was nominated.  In fact, Steven Spielberg did not even receive a “Best Director” Oscar nomination.  In the decades since its release, The Color Purple remains as relevant today as it was being a historical and monumental release in 1985 and 1986.  The films that bested it at the Oscars are largely forgotten compared to it.  Alice Walker's novel was also adapted into a 2005 Broadway musical, and the film adaptation of that musical is scheduled for release later this year (2023), as of this writing.

As a triumph in Spielberg's filmography, some may discount The Color Purple, considering the films Spielberg has made since then (such as Schindler's List).  Still, as a line in the film says (more or less), The Color Purple wants to be seen and loved … and it still is.

10 of 10

Thursday, February 16, 2023

NOTES:

1986 Academy Awards, USA:  11 nominations: “Best Picture” (Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, and Quincy Jones), “Best Actress in a Leading Role” (Whoopi Goldberg), “Best Actress in a Supporting Role” (Margaret Avery), “Best Actress in a Supporting Role” (Oprah Winfrey), “Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium” (Menno Meyjes), “Best Cinematography” (Allen Daviau), “Best Art Direction-Set Decoration” (J. Michael Riva, Bo Welch, and Linda DeScenna), “Best Costume Design” (Aggie Guerard Rodgers), “Best Music, Original Song” (Quincy Jones-music/lyrics, Rod Temperton-music/lyrics, and Lionel Richie-lyrics for the song “Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)”), “Best Music, Original Score” (Quincy Jones, Jeremy Lubbock, Rod Temperton, Caiphus Semenya, Andraé Crouch, Chris Boardman, Jorge Calandrelli, Joel Rosenbaum, Fred Steiner, Jack Hayes, Jerry Hey, and Randy Kerber), and “Best Makeup” (Ken Chase)

1987 BAFTA Awards:  1 nomination: “Best Screenplay – Adapted” (Menno Meyjes)

1986 Golden Globes, USA:  1 win: “Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama” (Whoopi Goldberg); 4 nominations: “Best Motion Picture – Drama,” “Best Director - Motion Picture” (Steven Spielberg), “Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture” (Oprah Winfrey), and “Best Original Score – Motion Picture” (Quincy Jones)

1986 Image Awards (NAACP):  2 wins: “Outstanding Motion Picture” and “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture” (Whoopi Goldberg)

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

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

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

Amazon wants me to inform you that the affiliate link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the affiliate link below AND buy something(s).

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 7th to 13th, 2021 - Update #29

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS: 

CELEBRITY - From WeGotThisCovered:  After securing his place as a box office star, actor Robert Downey, Jr. is reportedly now focused on winning an Oscar.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Netflix's password sharing crackdown may be beneficial to the company in the long term.

MOVIES - From THR:  Warner Bros. has released a series of six posters for director Jon M. Chu's "In the Heights," the musical film adaptation of Lin Manuel Miranda's Broadway musical.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Disney Channel has ordered "Descendants: The Royal Wedding," an animated special set to premiere this summer.  The special will also pay memory to late cast member Cameron Boyce, who appeared as "Carlos." Boyce died in July 2019 of epilepsy at the age of 20.

MOVIES/COVID-19 - From Deadline:  Los Angeles County officials say that movie theaters can reopen Monday (March 15th), because the county has met COVID requirements.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Netflix makes a worldwide rights deal for actor Dev Patel's directorial debut, "Monkey Man," which recently completed filming.

From Deadline:  Netflix had a hit with the sci-fi/horror film, "Bird Box," starring Julia Roberts.  The streamer is planning "local language" spinoffs of the film.  The first will be a Spanish-language spinoff of Bird Box.

CULTURE - From Jacobin:  Actor and activist Danny Glover talks about the struggle of workers in Alabama to organize a union at Amazon.

MUSIC - From RollingStone:   Grammy-winning recording artist, The Weeknd, says he is finished with the Grammy Awards because of the awards' "secret committees" (expert committees).

CULTURE - From BuzzFeed:   Actress Katie Leung, who played "Cho Chang" in the Harry Potter film series, says that she faced online racist attacks after her casting in the series was announced.  Leung also says that the film's publicist told her to deny that she was experiencing racist attacks.

MOVIES - From RSNNewYorker:  "The New Yorker's" Vinson Cunningham interviews Spike Lee.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Oscar winners, Natalie Portman and Lupita Nyong'o, are set to star in the television limited series, "Lady in the Lake," for Apple TV+

BLACK FILM - From Deadline:   The African-American Film Critics Association has named "Judas and the Black Messiah" the best film of 2020.

BAFTA - From THR:   The 2021 British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs) nominations have been announced, featuring a more diverse group of nominees since last year's #BAFTAsSoWhite controversy.  The winners will be announced over two days April 10th and 11th.

AWARDS - From Variety:  The nominees for the 2021 Directors Guild Awards have been announced with some history made.  The winners will be announced Saturday, April 10th.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   The CW has found the leads for its live-action pilot, "The Powerpuff Girls."  They are Chloe Bennet (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Dove Cameron (Descendants) and Yana Perrault (Jagged Little Pill).

MOVIE - From Deadline:   Steven Spielberg is developing a film that is based on his boyhood.  Multiple Oscar-nominee Michelle Williams will play a character based on Spielberg's mother.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Actor Josh Holloway has snagged the lead in LaToya Morgan and J.J. Abrams 1970s Southwest crime series, "Duster."  This is reunion as Holloway was one of the leads in Abram's Emmy-winning his series, "Lost" (ABC).

HARRY & MEGHAN - From YahooLife:  Meghan’s racism claims come as no surprise to Black Britons.

MEDIA - From FastCompany:  The site and magazine offer a profile on NBA superstar LeBron James and super-agent Maverick Carter's media company, The SpringHill Company.

AWARDS - From Deadline:  The nominees for the 2021 / 32nd annual Producers Guild Awards have been announced.  Winners will be announced at a virtual show on March 24th.

From Variety:    "Judas and the Black Messiah" becomes the first film with an all-black producing team (Shaka King, Ryan Coogler, and Charles D. King) to be nominated by the Producers Guild Awards.

From Deadline:  The winners at the 2021 /26th annual Critics Choice Awards have been announced.  "Nomadland" wins best picture, and "The Crown" wins best TV drama series.

From Deadline:  The nominations for the 2021 48th annual Annie Awards have been announced.  The winners will be announced at a virtual show on April 16, 2021.

HARRY & MEGHAN - From YahooEntertainment:   11 bombshells from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey.

From BET:  5 revelations you might have missed during Meghan Markle’s bombshell CBS interview with Oprah Winfrey 

From BET:  Tyler Perry played a part in helping Harry & Meghan escape the royal Red Lectroids.

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 3/5 to 3/7/2021 weekend box office is Disney's "Raya and the Last Dragon" with an estimated take of 8.6 million dollars.

From Deadline:  Film industry worries about "Raya and the Last Dragon's" sluggish opening weekend at the North American box office.

OSCARS - From NoFilmSchool:   Watch 10 Animated Short Films on the Shortlist for the 2021 Academy Awards.

"Oprah with Meghan and Harry" Draws in 17.1 Million Viewers

“OPRAH WITH MEGHAN AND HARRY: a CBS Primetime Special” Delivers Broadcast Television Event – 17.1 Million Viewers; Two-Hour Interview Is the Most-Watched-Non-Super-Bowl-Sunday Primetime Event on Any Network in Over a Year

Social Media Numbers Are Huge

Special Was a Top Trending Topic Throughout Primetime and into the Early Morning

CBS’ Most Live Streamed Event Outside of the NFL and Super Bowl Sunday This Season

CBS App, Where the Special Is Available on Demand, Is Currently #1 in the App Store

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sunday night’s two-hour CBS special, OPRAH WITH MEGHAN AND HARRY delivered 17.1 million viewers, the largest primetime audience for any entertainment special during the current 2020-2021 season, according to Nielsen fast national ratings for Sunday, March 7, 2021.

Oprah Winfrey’s extraordinary interview with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex was the night’s top program, averaging 17.1 million viewers, while also dominating in key demos (3.6 in adults 25-54 and 2.6 in adults 18-49). This was the largest primetime audience for any entertainment special since the Academy Awards on Feb. 9, 2020.

In social media, last night’s interview drove 12 billion potential impressions. In the week leading up to the event, it drove 28.3 billion potential impressions. The special dominated the night – with the word Meghan trending within the top 10 in the U.S. for 12 hours and peaking at #1. #OprahMeghanHarry, Archie, Kate, Charles, Diana, William and Royal all trended within the top 10 last night as well.

This was CBS’ most-live-streamed event outside of the NFL and Super Bowl Sunday this season. The special is available to stream for free, on demand, on the CBS App and CBS.com. Finally, the CBS App is currently the #1 app in Apple’s App Store.

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

#28DaysofBlack Review: "A WRINKLE IN TIME" is Wonderfully Weird

 

[I imagine that The Walt Disney Company had to make “A Wrinkle in Time” an accounting write-off.  The film under-performed at the box office, which is a shame.  It is one of the most original science fiction and fantasy films of the 21st century.  I also honestly believe that this film is such a unique vision because it was directed by an African-American woman, Ava DuVernay.]

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 18 of 2021 (No. 1756) by Leroy Douresseaux

A Wrinkle in Time (2018)
Running time:  109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – PG for thematic elements and some peril
DIRECTOR:  Ava DuVernay
WRITERS:  Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell (based on the novel by Madeleine L'Engle)
PRODUCERS:  Catherine Hand and Jim Whitaker
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Tobias Schliessler (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Spencer Averick
COMPOSER:  Ramin Djawadi

SCI-FI/FANTASY/ADVENTURE/FAMILY/DRAMA

Starring:  Storm Reid, Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, Levi Miller, Deric McCabe, Chris Pine, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Zach Galifianakis, Michael Pena, Andre Holland, Rowan Blanchard, and David Oyelowo

A Wrinkle in Time is a 2018 science fiction and fantasy-adventure film directed by Ava DuVernay.  The film is based on Madeleine L'Engle's 1962, A Wrinkle in Time, the first book in her “Time Quintet” series.  A Wrinkle in Time the movie follows a young girl, her brother, and a school friend as they set off on a quest across the universe to find the girl's missing father.

A Wrinkle in Time introduces 13-year-old Meg Murry (Storm Reid).  She continues to struggle to adjust at school four years after the disappearance of her father, Alex Murry (Chris Pine), a renowned astrophysicist.  Meg and her gifted younger brother, Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), have also been in trouble with their school's Principal Jenkins (Andre Holland).  Even their mother, Dr. Kate Murry (Gugu Mbatah-Raw), struggles in the wake of the disappearance of her husband.  However, Meg has made a new friend, her classmate, Calvin O'Keefe (Levi Miller).

Then, the Murrys and Calvin start to get unusual visitors.  They call themselves “the Misses.”  They are Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey), Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon), and Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), a trio of astral beings who claim that the “tesseract,” a method of space travel that Alex Murry was studying, is real.  These astral travelers reveal that they have come to help find Alex, who has transported himself across the universe.  They need Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin's help, and they need them to be “warriors.”  However, Meg doubts her own abilities and really doesn't like herself all that much, and that will make her vulnerable to the powerful enemy that awaits them, “The IT.”

The cinematography by Tobias A. Schliessler, the costume design by Paco Delgado, and the production design by Naomi Shohan come together to create one of the most visually beautiful science fiction films that I have seen in a decade.  The film editing by Spencer Averick and the gorgeous score by Ramin Djawadi make that beauty move and feel vibrant, creating a film like no other.

Beyond the high production values, director Ava DuVernay has fashioned a big-hearted film that is one of the most ambitious science fiction and fantasy films in recent memory.  I have never read Madeleine L'Engle's now legendary novel, so I assume that screenwriters Jennifer Lee and Jeff Stockwell (and any other writers that contributed to the final product) condensed the character drama in order to focus on Meg Murry.  However, DuVernay and the writers, through Meg, tell a story in which love and imagination and determination and fortitude can send humans on a voyage that traverses not only our galaxy, but also the universe.

Young actress Storm Reid as Meg Murry is poignant and engaging as the young hero who must learn to both love and accept herself and to believe in herself.  Her teen (or 'tween) struggles seem honest and genuine.  In a movie full of offbeat performances of odd characters, Reid makes Meg seem solid and the driving force of this narrative.

Young Deric McCabe seems supernaturally self-assured as Charles Lawrence Murry, making the young brother an important counterpart to Meg.  Levi Miller is a pleasant addition as Calvin O'Keefe whose main role is to believe in Meg even when she doesn't believe in herself, but the story also gives Calvin his own poignant journey.

I get why adults, especially film critics, had mixed feelings about the film.  I think young viewers will get it, and this film adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time is important because Ava DuVernay, once again, reinvents what a black female can be on screen in a Hollywood film.  A Wrinkle in Time may be a fantasy film dressed in the many multi-colored robes of science fiction, but this film introduces new kinds of warriors in service of the universe.  And one of those new colors is a young black girl, and that makes A Wrinkle in Time an exceptional film for this time.

9 of 10
A+

Monday, February 22, 2021


2019  Black Reel Awards”  3 nominations: “Outstanding Cinematography” (Tobias A. Schliessler), “Outstanding Costume Design” (Paco Delgado), and “Outstanding Production Design” (Naomi Shohan)


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

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

Amazon wants me to inform you that the link below is a PAID AD, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on the ad below AND buy something(s).

"Oprah's Book Club" Unites with Apple to Create a Global Book Club

Oprah’s Book Club Starts a New Chapter with Apple

Powerful stories to be celebrated on Apple Books; first author interview premieres exclusively on Apple TV+ November 1

CUPERTINO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apple® and Oprah Winfrey today announced Oprah’s Book Club will connect a community of readers worldwide to stories that truly matter by today’s most thought-provoking authors. Winfrey, the esteemed producer, actress, talk show host, philanthropist and CEO of OWN, will partner with Apple to build a vibrant, global book club that has the power to both transport and transform people — turning every book into an opportunity for self-discovery, and bringing the world together through reading.

    “It’s our honor to provide a new platform for Oprah’s Book Club and support the American Library Association in opening hearts and minds to the joy of reading.”

Winfrey’s first book selection is “The Water Dancer” by Ta-Nehisi Coates, available for pre-order now on Apple Books (https://apple.co/OprahsBookClub) in both ebook and audiobook formats, and debuting tomorrow.1 Winfrey will interview Coates for the first installment of her new exclusive Apple TV+ series, “Oprah’s Book Club,” premiering November 1, 2019. A new episode will be available every two months. For every Oprah’s Book Club selection sold on Apple Books, Apple will make a contribution to the American Library Association to support local libraries, fund programs that give access to everyone and create lifelong readers at an early age.

“Few people in the world can bring us together like Oprah, whose compassion and grace celebrating the power of books are unmatched,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “It’s our honor to provide a new platform for Oprah’s Book Club and support the American Library Association in opening hearts and minds to the joy of reading.”

“I am who I am today because of the experience of learning to read at an early age. Reading opened up a whole world for me beyond the red dirt road and my grandmother’s porch in Mississippi,” said Oprah Winfrey. “I want to do that for everybody. And the opportunity to do this with Apple, to speak to people all over the world about the pleasures, the excitement, the tension, the drama that a good book can bring you… I don't know what's better than that.”

Readers around the world can easily discover Oprah’s Book Club through the Apple Books app, where they can learn more about the latest selection and browse previous selections in a beautiful and immersive experience. With the new Reading Goals feature in Apple Books, readers can make reading a daily habit more easily.

Winfrey will interview the authors of her book club selections at various locations. Her conversation with Coates about “The Water Dancer” will be filmed in front of a live audience at Apple Carnegie Library in Washington, D.C. next month. Audiences around the world can watch “Oprah’s Book Club” starting November 1 exclusively on Apple TV+, Apple’s all-original video subscription service and home for the world’s greatest storytellers.

1The availability of the Oprah’s Book Club page and selections will vary based on publisher rights, translations and available format.

Apple revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and Apple TV. Apple’s four software platforms — iOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay and iCloud. Apple’s more than 100,000 employees are dedicated to making the best products on earth, and to leaving the world better than we found it.

© 2019 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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

BET Celebrates Michelle Obama and Rashida & Quincy Jones in December

BET Celebrates Black Excellence with Two Uplifting Specials Premiering in December

“A THOUSAND WORDS WITH MICHELLE OBAMA” Premieres on Wednesday, December 5 AT 9PM ET

“Q85: A MUSICAL CELEBRATION FOR QUINCY JONES” Premieres on Sunday, December 9 AT 8PM ET

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--BET Networks is set to premiere two powerful specials in December, embracing the holiday spirit that uplifts and celebrates black excellence. “A THOUSAND WORDS WITH MICHELLE OBAMA” premieres on Wednesday, December 5,2018 at 9PM ET and “Q85: A MUSICAL CELEBRATION FOR QUINCY JONES” will air on Sunday, December 9, 2018 at 8PM ET.

“A THOUSAND WORDS WITH MICHELLE OBAMA” is an empowering new one-hour special featuring former First Lady Michelle Obama in candid conversation with former Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama Valerie Jarrett at the Leading Women Defined symposium at the St. Regis hotel in Miami, FL. The women discuss a range of topics as Michelle Obama shares words of uplift, stories of sisterhood, the importance of self-care and her marked growth through her husband’s eight years in office.

Tune in to the captivating conversation with the Former First Lady as she shares anecdotes and salient advice from her worldwide bestselling autobiography, Becoming. “A THOUSAND WORDS WITH MICHELLE OBAMA” premieres Wednesday, December 5 at 9 PM ET/PT on BET.

WATCH & SHARE: Please see exclusive clips from the highly anticipated special below. Additional assets and photos are available at: BET Press Room.

Michelle Obama on confidence and identity, “I always laugh when people ask, ‘how did you figure out how to be the First Lady?’”: https://youtu.be/YsrQciMbUsQ

…On sisterhood, “When I meet good women, hold on to them and don’t compete with them”: https://youtu.be/zYrg_ov0mOs

…On “sharing your shine”: https://youtu.be/JYyP_HsVkLc

…On self-care, “You’re worthy of a quality of life…why do you think you deserve to live a grind…to only leave yourself the crumbs of your day?”: https://youtu.be/pxY4RLeybY4

For photos and exclusive assets from BET Presents: “Q85: A Musical Celebration for Quincy Jones,” please visit BET Press Room.

For any broadcast requests for the above content via downloadable link, please contact Melissa.Nyarko@bet.net.

“Q85: A MUSICAL CELEBRATION FOR QUINCY JONES” is a star-studded evening that celebrates the life and legacy of the icon. Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight, Brian McKnight, John Legend, Gloria Estefan, Emily Estefan, Fantasia, Charlie Wilson, Jennifer Hudson, Ne-Yo, Meghan Trainor, Patti Austin, Yolanda Adams, Ledisi, Cynthia Erivo, and Gregory Porter all hit the stage to pay tribute to Mr. Jones performing his classic works in this nostalgic musical special. Additionally, Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Danny Glover, Usher Raymond, Dave Chappelle, LL Cool J, Rashida Jones, Ludacris, and Aloe Blacc share their personal stories of how Quincy has impacted them throughout the years.


ABOUT BET NETWORKS:
BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; BET HER, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the African-American Woman; BET Music Networks - BET Jams, BET Soul and BET Gospel; BET Home Entertainment; BET Live, BET’s growing festival business; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET around the globe.

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

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.

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

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

----------
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."

----------
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.

----------
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.

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

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

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

----------
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.

----------
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").

----------
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."

----------
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.

----------
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.

----------
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.

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

----------
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.

----------
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.

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

----------
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).

Mark Hamill, Oprah, Stan Lee Among Nine New Disney Legends

Nine New Disney Legends to Be Honored During D23 EXPO 2017 in Anaheim on July 14, 2017

Oprah Winfrey, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Stan Lee, Julie Taymor, and Other Incredible Talents to be Honored at a Special 30th Anniversary Awards Ceremony Hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oprah Winfrey, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Stan Lee, Julie Taymor, and other remarkable contributors to the Disney legacy will be honored as official Disney Legends during D23 Expo 2017. Hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, the Disney Legends Award ceremony will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, July 14, 2017, in Hall D23 of the Anaheim Convention Center.

    “It’s a celebration of talent, a recognition of achievement, and an expression of gratitude to the men and women whose work has significantly contributed to Disney’s enduring reputation for creative excellence.”

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Disney Legends Awards. The first Disney Legend was Fred MacMurray (The Shaggy Dog, The Absent-Minded Professor, The Happiest Millionaire), who was honored in 1987.

“The Disney Legends Award is the highest honor our company can bestow on an individual, reserved for those few who have truly made an indelible mark on the history of The Walt Disney Company,” said Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger. “It’s a celebration of talent, a recognition of achievement, and an expression of gratitude to the men and women whose work has significantly contributed to Disney’s enduring reputation for creative excellence.”

The awards ceremony is just one of the dozens of spectacular events that Disney fans can enjoy during the three-day D23 Expo.

The 2017 Disney Legends Award honorees (listed alphabetically) are:

CARRIE FISHER became an overnight sensation in 1977 with her iconic performance as Princess Leia in Star Wars. But throughout her career, Carrie took on many roles—as an actress, author, playwright, screenwriter, and outspoken advocate for mental health awareness. For Disney, Carrie appeared in Scream 3 (2000) and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) for Dimension Films, and, in 2015, she returned to the role that made her famous, starring as General Leia Organa in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. She reprised the role for Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which will be released in December.

CLYDE “GERRY” GERONIMI joined the Disney Studio in 1931. His first assignments as an animator were for several memorable Mickey Mouse, Silly Symphony, and Pluto cartoons, and he eventually contributed to more than 50 of the Studio’s shorts. Gerry made the leap to sequence director with 1943’s Victory Through Air Power, and he subsequently contributed to The Three Caballeros, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Cinderella, Peter Pan, and One Hundred and One Dalmatians. He also directed segments for television’s Mickey Mouse Club and contributed to episodes of Walt Disney’s Wonderful World of Color. The apex of his Disney career came when he served as supervising director for the 1959 masterpiece Sleeping Beauty.

MANUEL GONZALES was one of 33 artists selected from thousands of applicants to join Disney in 1936. In 1938, he took over penciling duties on the Sunday Mickey Mouse comic strip from Disney Legend Floyd Gottfredson. He brought Mickey Mouse to newspapers nationwide for nearly 40 years. At its peak, his Mickey-starring comic strip appeared in 120 newspapers around the world with a collective circulation of more than 20 million readers each week. Manuel was presented a “Mousecar” award by Walt Disney in 1966.

MARK HAMILL began his career in 1970, appearing in numerous television series guest-roles and several TV movies, including a recurring role on ABC’s General Hospital and starring in MTM's acclaimed The Texas Wheelers. He achieved worldwide attention as Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy, which included The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. He returned as Luke in The Force Awakens and will appear in the upcoming The Last Jedi. His stage career includes Broadway shows and the first national tour of Amadeus directed by Sir Peter Hall. A prolific voice-over actor, he has performed in countless animated television shows, feature films, documentaries, and video games. He appears on Disney’s Miles from Tomorrowland and Milo Murphy’s Law, and has also provided the voice of The Joker in the Batman animated series, a role that recently earned him a BAFTA Award.

WAYNE JACKSON began his career as a Walt Disney Imagineer in October 1965, and in the decades that followed he would put his technical skills and know-how to great use in the development and installation of Disney attractions around the world. Originally trained in aircraft tooling, he began as a technician and machinist assigned to rebuild the shows from the 1964–65 New York World’s Fair that were slated for installation at Disneyland. Instrumental in the early development of Audio-Animatronics® technology, Wayne would go on to help bring Pirates of the Caribbean and the Haunted Mansion to Disneyland. He went on to work on the construction and installation of attractions and show systems at Walt Disney World Resort, Tokyo Disney Resort, and Disneyland Paris.

STAN LEE got a job as an office assistant at a comic publisher in 1939 called Timely Comics—forerunner of the powerhouse we all know as Marvel. Stan made his debut with a Captain America story in 1941, and by the next year, at the age of just 18, he was promoted to editor. In 1961, Stan teamed up with Jack “King” Kirby to create the Fantastic Four and ushered in a spectacular new age of comics. Stan co-created an enormous roster of Marvel characters, including Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, the X-Men, Daredevil, and Falcon. He became Marvel’s editorial director and publisher in 1972, and eventually was named chairman emeritus. His well-known cameos in Marvel films began with 1989’s telefilm The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, and since the release of X-Men in 2000 he has appeared in nearly every Marvel film project. Outside the super-hero realm, he has even popped up as a wedding guest in Disney’s The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement.

GARRY MARSHALL began his career in Los Angeles writing for a number of hit shows, including The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Lucy Show. But his big break came in 1970, when he produced The Odd Couple for ABC, the first of many big hits he created for the network. Beginning with Happy Days in 1974, he developed a shared universe of spinoffs including Laverne & Shirley, Mork & Mindy, and Joanie Loves Chachi. His other ABC sitcoms during these years included Angie, The New Odd Couple, and Blansky’s Beauties. Garry was also a successful movie director, with 18 films to his credit. At Disney, he made stars of two young actresses: Julia Roberts, in Pretty Woman, and Anne Hathaway in The Princess Diaries. He directed Bette Midler in Beaches, as well as in The Lottery, a short film that for years was a fixture of the Backstage Tour at the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park. Garry was known for his acting, as well, and he appeared in Disney’s Race to Witch Mountain, Chicken Little, and as the Devil in Hocus Pocus.

JULIE TAYMOR is a Tony®-, Emmy®-, and Grammy®-winning and Oscar®-nominated filmmaker who has changed the face of Broadway with her innovative direction. Her adaptation of The Lion King debuted in 1997, becoming the most successful stage musical of all time; 24 global productions have been seen by more than 90 million people. The show has played in more than 100 cities in 19 countries. It received 11 Tony Award nominations, earning Julie Best Director, Costume Designer, and Best Musical for the show. Her production of The Magic Flute is currently in repertory at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. Her films include A Midsummer’s Night Dream, Titus, The Tempest, the Golden Globe-nominated Across the Universe, and the Oscar-winning Frida. Taymor is a recipient of the MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship and an inductee into the Theater Hall of Fame for Lifetime Achievement. She is currently directing M. Butterfly on Broadway, opening Fall 2017.

OPRAH WINFREY is a renowned award-winning producer, actress, talk show host, and philanthropist. For 25 years she was the host of the award-winning talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ran for 25 seasons on hundreds of stations domestically and in more than 100 countries around the world. Oprah is also an Academy Award®-nominated actress for her role in Steven Spielberg’s 1985 hit The Color Purple. In 1998, she starred in Beloved for Disney’s Touchstone Pictures, a film that she also produced. Oprah also produced and starred in ABC’s 1989 limited series The Women of Brewster Place, and would go on to produce many films for ABC, including Tuesdays with Morrie, Before Women Had Wings, and Their Eyes Were Watching God under the “Oprah Winfrey Presents” banner. She performed as Eudora in Disney’s The Princess and the Frog in 2009 and will co-star as Mrs. Which in Disney’s 2018 film A Wrinkle in Time.

Honorees receive a two-foot-tall bronze Disney Legends sculpture that signifies the imagination, creativity, and magic they have brought to the Company. Disney Legends Award recipients will also participate in a handprint ceremony at the end of the event, and their bronzed prints will be displayed in the Disney Legends Plaza at the Company’s Burbank headquarters.

Admission to the ceremony will be on a first-come, first-served basis and is included in the price of a ticket to D23 Expo 2017.

Including this year’s honorees, a total of 276 Disney Legends have been named. Past Disney Legends include Tim Allen, Julie Andrews, Beatrice Arthur, Howard Ashman, Regis Philbin, Annette Funicello, Peter Jennings, Johnny Depp, Estelle Getty, George Lucas, Angela Lansbury, Steve Martin, Rue McClanahan, Alan Menken, Hayley Mills, Fess Parker, Sir Tim Rice, Dick Van Dyke, Barbara Walters, Betty White, and Robin Williams. Beginning with the inaugural D23 Expo in 2009, thousands of Disney fans have been able to enjoy the Legends Awards ceremony live.

Tickets for D23 Expo 2017 are available for $81 for one-day adult admission and $59 for children 3–9. Members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club can purchase tickets for $72 for a one-day adult admission and $53 for children 3–9. Multi-day tickets are also available. For more information on tickets and D23 Expo 2017, visit D23Expo.com.


About D23 Expo 2017
D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings together all the worlds of Disney under one roof for three packed days of presentations, pavilions, experiences, concerts, sneak peeks, shopping, and more. The event provides fans with unprecedented access to Disney films, television, games, theme parks, and celebrities. For the latest D23 Expo 2017 news, visit D23expo.com. Presentations, talent, and schedule subject to change. To join the D23 Expo conversation, be sure to follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and YouTube, and use the hashtag #D23Expo.

About D23
The name “D23” pays homage to the exciting journey that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his first studio in Hollywood. D23 is the first official club for fans in Disney’s 90-plus-year history. It gives its members a greater connection to the entire world of Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly publication, Disney twenty-three; a rich website at D23.com with members-only content; member-exclusive discounts; and special events for D23 Members throughout the year.

Fans can join D23 at Gold and General Membership levels at D23.com and at DisneyStore.com/D23. To keep up with all the latest D23 news and events, follow DisneyD23 on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube.

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