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Monday, March 10, 2025
Marvel Comics Shipping from Diamond Distributors for March 12, 2025
Saturday, August 24, 2024
Negromancer News Bits and Bites from August 18th to 24th, 2024 - UPDATE #13
by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:
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ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:
MOVIES - From Deadline: Oscar-winning Alejandro G. Iñàrritu’s untitled movie with Tom Cruise continues to add to its stellar cast. The Warner Bros and Legendary Entertainment film now includes such cast members as Sandra Hüller, John Goodman, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons and Sophie Wilde. Oscar winner Riz Ahmed is in final negotiations to join the cast.
NETFLIX - From Deadline: Ted Danson's upcoming Netflix comedy, "A Man on the Inside," now has a premiere date of November 2024 and some first-look photos.
FESTIVALS - From Deadline: The Santa Barbara Film Festival 2024 (Oct. 18-24) will hold a retrospective on the films of Denis Villeneuve.
BUSINESS - From Deadline: Skydance, which really covets Paramount Global, encourages the company's board to ignore American businessman Edgar Bronfman, Jr.'s 6 billion dollar offer.
From Deadline: American businessman and media executive, Edgar Bronfman, Jr., makes his move to obtain Paramount Global with a 4.3 billion dollar offer.
KAMALA - From Deadline: Director and Oscar-nominated film producer, Reginald Hudlin, has directed the short biopic film that will be shown just before Vice-President Kamala Harris gives her acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, May 22, 2024. Hudlin and his wife, Chrisette, are friends of VP Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff.
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 8/16 to 8/18/2024 weekend box office is 20th Century Studios' Alien: Romulus with an estimated take of 41.5 million dollars.
From EW: How Alien: Romulus resurrected the late Ian Holm, who starred in "Alien," for a new character.
MUSIC/POLITICS - From RSN: A "Rolling Stone" list of music acts that don't want Donald Trump using their music.
NETFLIX - From Variety: "The Union" director Julian Farino explain why Mark Wahlberg and Halle Berry never kiss in the newly released Netflix feature.
MOVIES - From Deadline: Oscar-winner Colin Firth is looking to join Emily Blunt in Steven Spielberg's next film, which is due May 2026. The unnamed film would be Spielberg's first major summer release in years.
OBITS:
From Deadline: American media personality and television talk show host, Phil Donahue, has died at the age of 88, Sunday, August 18, 2024. Donahue was best known for "The Phil Donahue Show," later renamed "Donahue." It began in Dayton, Ohio and the ended after a 29-year run in New York City in 1996. It was the first talk show format to include audience participation. Donahue returned to TV with the MSNBC talk show, "Donahue," which began in July 2002 and was cancelled in February 2003, apparently because Donahue opposed the then imminent U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Donahue was nominated for 20 Daytime Emmy Awards for hosting his talk show, and won eight times. He also received two special Daytime Emmys.
From THR: Iconic French actor, Alain Delon, has died at the age of 88, Sunday, August 18, 2024. His style, looks, and movie roles made him one of the biggest actors of the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s, and made him an enduring star of European cinema. Among his best known films are "Purple Noon" (1960), "The Leopard" (1963), "Le Samourai" (1967), and "Un Flic" (1972). Although he moved to Hollywood briefly in the mid-1960s, and made several films, including "Once a Thief" (1965) and "Lost Command" (1965), he was never able to crack the American audience.
From Deadline: "Deadline" looks back at the career of French film icon, Alain Delon, with an overview of his best films.
Sunday, December 10, 2023
Review: Prime Video's "CANDY CANE LANE" is an Unexpected Delight
- I watched “Candy Cane Lane” on a lark, and I did not expect much from it. Boy, am I surprised. It is so shockingly charming and endearing that this must be some kind of Christmas magic.
- Eddie Murphy is quite good in family-oriented films, and even his fans who don't ordinarily like Murphy's family films will probably find something to like in “Candy Cane Lane”
- The story is ridiculous at times, but “Candy Cane Lane” is the best Christmas movie I have seen in a long time. I recommend it without reservation.
Friday, January 13, 2023
Review: Original "HOUSE PARTY" is Still Letting the Mutha Burn
Saturday, July 23, 2022
Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 17th to 23rd, 2022 - Update #17
by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:
ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:
SDCC - From Variety: "John Wick 4" has a new trailer and a release date, March 24, 2023.
MOVIES - From Deadline: Jordan Peele's latest film, "Nope," grosses 6.4 million dollars in Thursday night preview sales. The film opens wide today (Fri., July 22nd).
SDCC - From Deadline: What to expect at San Diego Comic-Con 2022, including a list of panels.
CELEBRITY - From Variety: A look at movie star salaries - from Tom Cruise's one million plus payday for "Top Gun: Maverick" to 20 million to Joaquin Phoenix for "Joker 2."
MOVIES - From Deadline: The sequel to the 2021 "Mortal Kombat" film (a reboot of the 1990s film series) is moving forward. Director Simon McQuiod is returning for the sequel.
MOVIES - From Variety: Paramount Pictures unveils first looks at actors in costumes for "Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves."
SCANDAL - From Variety: The attorney for Oscar-winning director, Roman Polanski, has indicated that he will try to resolve the director's rape case (involving a then 13-year-old girl) that has dogged Polanski for 45 years.
MOVIES - From Variety: The character, "John Wick," was originally supposed to be 75 years old ... then, came Keanu.
MOVIES - From Variety: "Dune: Part Two" has begun filming. Warner Bros. and Legendary have also released a synopsis and full cast list.
AMAZON - From Deadline: Eddie Murphy will star in and Reginald Hudlin will direct the holiday comedy, "Candy Cane Lane."
BREAKING - From Deadline: A crew member for the NBC series, "Law & Order: Organized Crime" was shot and killed early this morning (Tues., 7/19).
MOVIES - From LATimes: Actor Sylvester Stallone tells the producers of his Oscar-winning film, "Rocky," that he wants "what's left of my rights back."
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 7/15 to 7/17/2022 weekend box office is Marvel Studios' "Thor: Love and Thunder" with an estimated take of 46 million dollars.
From Here: Negromancer's review of "Thor: Love and Thunder."
MOVIES - From THR: The July 15th, 2022 issue of "The Hollywood Reporter" has a cover profile of Oscar-winning actor, Daniel Kaluuya.
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BRITTNEY GRINER:
From RSN: "Will Support From LeBron James, Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and Other Celebrities Help Free Brittney Griner From a Russian Prison?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar via Substack
From ESPN: Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday to bringing hashish oil into Russia, telling a judge that she had done so "inadvertently" while asking the court for mercy.
From CBSSports: The Brittney Griner situation explained.
From RSN: According to The Washington Post Editorial Board: "Brittney Griner is a hostage, plain and simple.
UVALDE, TEXAS MASS SHOOTING:
From YahooAP: An 18-year-old gunman slaughtered 19 children and two teachers on Tues., May 24th, 2022 in Uvalde, Texas. All 21 victims were in the same 4th grade classroom at Robb Elementary.
From TexasTribune: The Texas House of Representatives has released its "Robb Elementary Investigative Committee Report," concerning the massacre of 19 children at two teachers at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. They found that the "systematic failures" went far beyond the local police.
From RSN: At a school board meeting, parents in Uvalde Texas demanded better school security and also demanded that Uvalde schools police Chief Pete Arredondo be fired.
From TheDailyBeast: Texas's top law enforcement official, Department of Public Safety Director Steve McGraw, has said that the school shooter in Uvalde, Texas could have been taken down in three minutes.
From TheDailyBeast: Police officers responding to last month’s mass shooting at an Uvalde, Texas, elementary school never even tried to open the door to the classroom where young children were trapped with the gunman, according to a new report.
From Jacobin: "The Uvalde Massacre has exposed the lies that once justified police militarization" by Branko Marcetic
From Truthout: We don’t need more evidence that police can’t be trusted.
From Truthout: 44 percent of GOP voters view mass shootings as part of living in “Free Society”
From ABCNews: Arnulfo Reyes, a teacher who survived the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, calls the local police "cowards" because of slow response to an active shooter at his school, Robb Elementary. All of 11 students in his class were killed.
From DallasNews: Joe Garcia, the husband of Irma Garcia, one of the two teachers killed at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, has died of a heart attack two days after the murder of his wife. They had been married for 24 years and had been high school sweethearts.
From Axios: Texas gubernatorial candidate, Beto O'Rourke, interrupted Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's gaslighting press conference on the Uvalde elementary school mass shooting.
From USAToday: Beto O'Rourke's outburst at Gov. Greg Abbott's Uvalde news conference shows the spine Democrats need.
From BostonGlobe: Steve Kerr, head coach of the NBA's Golden State Warriors, asks "When are we going to do something?"
From NBCNews: A Robb Elementary teacher describes "the longest 35 minutes of my life" and the terror she now feels.
From NBCNews: The Uvalde school district had an extensive safety plan, but 19 children were killed at Robb Elementary anyway. Even security plans that appear to be up to the latest research-based standards may have gaps and fall short of preventing the worst-case scenario, experts said.
From MSN: Angeli Rose Gomez, the mother who was handcuffed outside Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas, was able to get inside the school and rescue her two children.
From YahooNews: Daniel Defense, the maker of the rifles used by the Uvalde massacre killer, has used "incendiary ads" in the past, including one in which a toddler holds one of its rifles.
From TheIntercept: The police aren't obligated to protect anyone NOT in their custody, as the Supreme Court has ruled twice.
From RollingStone: Right wing lies about the Second Amendment and why they tell them are killing America's childrne.
From Vice: The law enforcement personnel in Texas that arrived at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas on Tues., May 24th did the opposite of what their own training documentary videos show.
From Vox: Uvalde police keep changing their story.
From TheDailyBeast: The families in Uvalde, Texas who lost loved one in the Robb Elementary massacre say that the cops there are "Nothing more than cowards" and that they need to pay for doing nothing while a gunman rampaged through the school last Tues, May 24th.
From TheNewYorker: Thoughts and prayers, Uvalde, Texas. This is the America that Republicans and the right wing have being thinking about and praying for all these decades.
From ABC: Sources say that Uvalde police and school district no longer cooperating with Texas probe of shooting of the May 24th massacre of 19 children and two teachers at Robb Elementary in Uvalde, Texas.
From GuardianUK: Canada plans to freeze all handgun ownership.
From RSNWashPost: Is it time to show the true horror of mass shooting - in pictures?
From MSN: Angeli Gomez, the Uvalde mother who rescued her two children from the Robb Elementary shooting massacre, says that a police officer threatened to arrest her if she did not stop telling her story.
From RSNTheAtlantic: The Uvalde police chose dishonor. Where was there courage?
From RSNWashPost: Brenda Bell: I hid from the Texas Tower sniper (Charles Joseph Whitman) in 1966. His successors have found us all.
From RSNTheIntercept: "AR-15s Were Made to Explode Human Bodies. In Uvalde, the Bodies Belonged to Children" by Murtaza Hussain
From RSNNPR: The tragic history of police responding too late to active shooters.
From VICE: There is likely bodycam footage of the school shooting in Uvalde, TX, but the public may never see it.
BLM-BUFFALO:
From ABCNews: A 18-year-old white MAN shot 13 people, killing 10 at a Buffalo, New York Tops Friendly Markets supermarket on Saturday, May 14, 2021.
From RSNAP: The white male suspect in the Buffalo Tops Supermarket shooting, Payton Gendron, was charged with federal hate crimes on Wed., June 15th and could face the death penalty if convicted.
From Truthout: The racist attack in Buffalo at the Tops Friendly supermarket was crafted to terrorize us. We can fight back, and here’s how we fight back.
From WGRZ: Who are the victims of the Buffalo Tops Friendly Markets grocery store shooting. This comes from local station WGRZ Channel 2 and includes video and some victim photos.
From BuffaloNews: One of the 10 Black murder victims of the Buffalo massacre was Katherine "Kat" Massey. She was a leader in her community and civil rights activist and advocate for education.
From NewYorkPost: One of the 10 Black murder victims of the Buffalo massacre was Andre Mackniel. He was at TOPS Supermaket to pick up a birthday cake for his son.
From Truthout: The racist attack in Buffalo, NY at the Tops supermarket was crafted to terrorize us, so here is how we fight back.
From CNN: What is known about the 18-year-old MAN, Payton Gendron.
From NPR: 198 mass shooting this year ... so far.
From Truthout: White supremacist massacre of 10 people in Buffalo, NY shows that the “Alt-Right” ideology leads to murder.
From RollingStone: Buffalo rampage killing is "Straight Up Racially Motivated Hate Crime."
From InformedComment: Rene Binet, the originator the "great replacement" was a French Nazi, and he saw all American as "Negroes," an "impure mestizo 'race'."
From WashPost: Only 22 people saw the live-stream of a white terrorist kill Black shoppers at the Buffalo Tops Friendly Markets supermarket, but millions have seen it since...
From GuardianUK: Buffalo Tops Friendly Markets shooter may have been motivated by "eco-fascism," a focus on overpopulation and environmental degradation.
From RSN: "What Lessons Have We Learned From the Buffalo Shooting?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
From Truthout: “Innocent” White People Are Also Complicit in the Anti-Black Murders in Buffalo by George Yancy.
From Truthout: "Black Lives Matter" cofounder discovered that Alicia Garza has learned that her name is mentioned in the Buffalo Tops supermarket killer's manifesto.
From GuardianUK: Cornell West says, "Trump isn't out there with a gun, but he's enabled this war against Black people.
From Slate: From the Tulsa Race Massacre to the Buffalo Tops Friendly Markets shootings: the legacy of anti-Black violence.
From Truthout: After mass shootings, Republicans shield white supremacists from scrutiny
From MSN: Angeli Gomez, the Uvalde mom who rescued her children from the school shooting at Robb Elementary, says that local police have threatened to have her arrested if she does not stop telling her story.
Tuesday, June 15, 2021
Comics Review: "STATIC SEASON ONE #1: is a Return of the Cool
STATIC (SEASON ONE) #1 (OF 6)
DC COMICS/Milestone Media
STORY: Vita Ayala
LAYOUTS: ChrisCross
FINISHES: Nikolas Draper-Ivey
COLORS: Nikolas Draper-Ivey
LETTERS: Andworld Design
EDITOR: Chris Conroy
PRODUCERS: Reginald Hudlin and Denys Cowan for Milestone Media
COVER: Khary Randolph with Emilio Lopez
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Shawn Martinbrough with Chris Sotomayor; Nikolas Draper-Ivey; Denys Cowan with Brad Anderson; Olivier Coipel with Brad Anderson
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S., (August 2021)
Rating: 13+
Milestone and Static created by Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle
Episode One: Trial by Fire
Milestone Comics was the publishing division of Milestone Media, and its comic book titles were published and distributed by DC Comics. Milestone was founded in 1993 by a coalition of African-American artists and writers, consisting of Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle. Milestone Media's founders believed that minorities were severely underrepresented in American comic books and wished to address this. In 1993, Milestone Media launched its first four titles Icon, Blood Syndicate, Static, and Hardware, but DC Comics ceased publication of all Milestone Comics titles in 1997.
Static, Milestone's most popular superhero character, first appeared in Static #1 (cover dated: June 1993). Static is Virgil Ovid Hawkins, an African-American teenage boy who is a member of a subspecies of humans with superhuman abilities known as “metahumans.” Static's origin has changed since he first debuted, and now, he has gained his powers after an incident exposed him to a radioactive chemical, making Virgil capable of electromagnetic control and generation.
Both Milestone and Static are back with the launch of the new comic books series, Static (Season One), also known as Static: Season One. The series is written by Vita Ayala; drawn by ChrisCross (layouts) and Nikolas Draper-Ivey (finishes); colored by Draper-Ivey; and lettered by Andworld Design. The new comic book focuses on a bullied nerd who gains super-powers, only to discover that his enemy has also gained powers.
Static: Season One #1 (“Trial by Fire”) opens in Dakota City, USA in the aftermath of the “Big Bang.” That incident happened at a “Black Lives Matter” rally that turned insane when the police released an experimental tear gas on the protesters. Some people were maimed or died; others gained stunning new abilities and powers. Bullied nerd, 16-year-old Virgil Hawkins, gained powers.
Virgil has power inside him now, real power that he constantly hears and feels buzzing inside him. He has the ability to channel and manipulate electromagnetic fields, but Virgil also has anger burning inside him. One of his classmates, the bully Francis Stone, has already felt Virgil's power. But Francis, who calls himself “Hotstreak,” also has power inside him, and he is ready for some payback.
THE LOWDOWN: In the original 1990s Static, Virgil Ovid Hawkins was essentially a 1990s, African-American version of the early 1960s teenage Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Like that classic character, Virgil/Static struggled at becoming a superhero and had to deal with what it did to his life.
Writer Vita Ayala and artists ChrisCross Nikolas Draper-Ivey present a Virgil Hawkins who is a Black teenager coming of age in this era of protests that was launched by the death of an African-American man, George Floyd, (May 25, 2020), murdered by the hands (and knee) of a White police officer.
Ayala presents Virgil as an African-American teen who may be bullied, but does not even understand the idea that he should defer, know his place, or be a second class citizen. Will he fight back against those who attack him or turn the other cheek … or is there an entirely different path that others have not imagined? After reading this first issue, I feel that Ayala is going to take us, dear readers, on a journey of questions and answers, but one also filled with superhero action.
The compositions and colors by Nikolas Draper-Ivey remind me of the quirky animation of the 2018 film, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, crackling with eye-popping colors and striking graphics. It is as if Nikolas wants us to feeling the shimmering, crackling, and buzzing inside Virgil. ChrisCross (layouts) and Draper-Ivey move the story through this issue like an electric charge running along a line, and for the final page, Cross/Nikolas gives us a … static shock. The drama, tension, and conflict practically bleed off the page.
I thought that I would like Static: Season One #1, but I am surprised by how much I like it. By the end, I could have read another forty pages. If Milestone fans were unsure about moving on, this first issue will make them happy for this re-imagining of a Black superhero for the BLM generation.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Milestone Comics will want Static Season One.
A
[This comic book has a tribute from Denys Cowan and Chris Conroy to the late comic book artist, John Paul Leon (1972-2021), who drew the first Static comic book. This comic book also includes a “DC Nation” “Spotlight On” interview with Joshua Williamson about Infinite Frontier #1.]
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
https://twitter.com/definitelyvita
https://twitter.com/chryslus
https://twitter.com/NikDraperIvey
https://twitter.com/DakotaUniverse
http://milestone.media/
https://www.instagram.com/milestone.media/
https://www.dccomics.com/
https://twitter.com/DCComics
https://www.facebook.com/dccomics
https://www.youtube.com/user/DCEntertainmentTV
https://www.pinterest.com/dccomics/
https://www.periscope.tv/DCComics/1ZkKzezXwZdxv
The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Friday, June 4, 2021
Comics Review: "MILESTONE RETURNS: Infinite Edition #0
MILESTONE RETURNS: INFINITE EDITION 0
DC COMICS/Milestone Media
COVER: Denys Cowan with Chris Sotomayor
EDITORS: Chris Conroy; Mark Doyle and Jim Chadwick
48pp, Color, $4.99 U.S., (July 2021)
Rating: 13+
Milestone created by Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle
Milestone Comics was the publishing division of Milestone Media, and its comic book titles were published and distributed by DC Comics. Milestone was founded in 1993 by a coalition of African-American artists and writers, consisting of Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan, Michael Davis, and Derek T. Dingle. Milestone Media's founders believed that minorities were severely underrepresented in American comic books and wished to address this. In 1993, Milestone Media launched its first four titles Icon, Blood Syndicate, Static, and Hardware. DC Comics ceased publication of all Milestone Comics titles in 1997.
There have been rumors, even press releases, saying that Milestone Comics was returning, especially the past several years. Finally, Milestone returned in Milestone Returns: Fandome Preview, a 17-page, online digital comic that was a primer story. It was released September 12, 2021 during one of DC's “FanDome” events. DC Comics recently combined the contents in Milestone Returns: Fandome Preview with a new 24-page story, “The Big Bang,” to create the one-shot comic book, Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition 0 (or Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition Zero). I'll review the two sections separately.
“The Big Bang”
STORY: Reginald Hudlin
LAYOUTS: Denys Cown
PENCILS: Denys Cowan; ChrisCross
FINISHES: Nikolas Draper-Ivey
INKS: Bill Sienkiewicz; Juan Castro
COLORS: Nikolas Draper-Ivey; Chris Sotomayor; Wil Quintana
LETTERS: Andworld Design
Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition 0 opens with “The Big Bang.” It is a retelling or re-imagining of “the Big Bang,” the event in which the superheroes of the Milestone Comics' “Dakota Universe” received their powers.
It begins with a “Black Lives Matter” protest in the city of Dakota. It ends when the police shot canisters filled with an untested chemical at the protesters. Bullied teen, Virgil Ovid Hawkins, is one of the BLM protesters exposed to the chemicals, and now he has strange powers. Virgil isn't the only one with strange new powers, and some of those other kids are his bullies.
Meanwhile, Curtis “Curt” Metcalf, a famed scientist at Alva Industries prepares to take the blame for the use of those chemicals, so he will go on the run – as the super-weapon, Hardware. Elsewhere, an alien stranded on Earth meets the ambitious young woman who will transform his life. Together, they become the superhero duo, “Icon and Rocket.” Plus, a leader steps forward.
THE LOWDOWN: Beginning this month (June 2021), DC Comics will launch three six-issue Milestone titles, Static: Season One, Icon and Rocket: Season One; Hardware: Season One. “The Big Bang” introduces the events of the Big Bang: the police-brutality protest gone wrong that changes the face of the city of Dakota forever by unleashing a wave of superpowers across its population.
The only original Milestone Comics titles that I read on a monthly basis were Hardware and Static. At the time, Static read like something relevant and of the moment. That was the opposite of the contemporary mainstream, superhero comic books that DC Comics was then publishing, which seemed focused on continuity and internal fictional mythology of the “DC Universe.” Dakota, the setting of Static, seemed like a real city where people lived real, day to day struggles. Even with the introduction of superheroes, Dakota felt less like fantasy and more like contemporary urban world.
“The Big Bang” doesn't feel as gritty and real as the original Static. Still, the year 2020 was marked by the “Black Lives Matter,” anti-police violence, civil rights, and human rights protests that took off in the wake of the death of George Floyd (May 25, 2020), an African-American man murdered by a white police officer. “The Big Bang” uses the protests of 2020 as its launching point, and that includes the protests of the police-killing of a black woman, Breonna Taylor (March 13, 2020), in her apartment. So rather than feel real world, “The Big Bang” is connected to the real world, which I think makes its superhero fantasy relevant.
“Milestone Returns: Fandome Preview”
STORY: Reginald Hudlin
PENCILS: Jim Lee; Ryan Benjamin; Denys Cowan; Khoi Pham
INKS: Jim Lee; Ryan Benjamin; Jimmy Palmiotti; Don Ho, Bill Sienkiewicz; Scott Hanna
COLORS: Alex Sinclair; Hi-Fi; Chris Sotomayor
LETTERS: Andworld Design
The second half of Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition Zero reprints the contents of “Milestone Returns: Fandome Preview,” the digital FanDome comic. “Fandome Preview” is comprised of six vignette segments that act as origin stories or introductions to what will be the core titles of the new Milestone: Static, Icon and Rocket, and Hardware.
THE LOWDOWN: Overall, I can say that if you, dear readers, are previously familiar with Milestone Comics, “Milestone Returns: Fandome Preview” will make sense to you, to one extent or another. That is also the case with “The Big Bang” story. I did find myself clueless about several aspects of both stories and some characters. I like the art in both sections, especially anything drawn by the great Denys Cowan, as well as ChrisCross and Ryan Benjamin.
I am ecstatic that Milestone Comics is back. So you might want to take the following recommendation with a proverbial grain of salt: buy Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition Zero.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Milestone Comics will want Milestone Returns: Infinite Edition 0.
B+
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
https://twitter.com/DakotaUniverse
http://milestone.media/
https://www.instagram.com/milestone.media/
https://www.dccomics.com/
https://twitter.com/DCComics
https://www.facebook.com/dccomics
https://www.youtube.com/user/DCEntertainmentTV
https://www.pinterest.com/dccomics/
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The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Tuesday, February 16, 2021
#28DaysofBlack Review: Heroes Abound in "MARSHALL"
[The year after he first played Marvel Comics superhero, Black Panther, the late Chadwick Boseman played real-life hero, Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, early in his career when he was a defense attorney defending oppressed African-Americans. There is something about playing both Thurgood Marshall and the Black Panther that makes an actor special. That is why some of us both mourn Boseman's passing and celebrate his work.]
TRASH IN MY EYE No. 15 of 2021 (No. 1753) by Leroy Douresseaux
Marshall (2017)
Running time: 118 minutes (1 hours, 58 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for mature thematic content, sexuality, violence and some strong language
DIRECTOR: Reginald Hudlin
WRITERS: Michael Koskoff and Jacob Koskoff
PRODUCERS: Reginald Hudlin, Jonathan Sanger, and Paula Wagner
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Newton Thomas Sigel (D.o.P.)
EDITOR: Tom McArdle
COMPOSER: Marcus Miller
Academy Award nominee
BIOPIC/DRAMA/HISTORICAL/THRILLER
Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Dan Stevens, James Cromwell, Sterling K. Brown, Keesha Sharp, John Magaro, Roger Guenveur Smith, Ahna O'Reilly, Jeremy Bobb, Derrick Baskin, Jeffrey DeMunn, Andra Day, Sophia Bush, Jussie Smollett, and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas
Marshall is a 2017 biographical film, period drama, and legal thriller directed by Reginald Hudlin. The film's lead character is Thurgood Marshall (1908 to 1993), the first African-American to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States. Marshall the film focuses on one of the first cases of his career, the State of Connecticut v. Joseph Spell, which concerns an African-American chauffeur accused of raping a white woman in 1940.
Marshall opens in 1941. Thurgood Marshall (Chadwick Boseman) is an attorney for the “NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund,” which he founded. Marshall travels the country defending people who are accused of crimes solely because of their race. Upon his return to his New York office, Marshall finds more work waiting for him. Walter Francis White (Roger Guenveur Smith), Executive Secretary of the NAACP, sends Marshall to Bridgeport, Connecticut. There, he will defend Joseph Spell (Sterling K. Brown), a chauffeur accused of rape by his white employer, Eleanor Strubing (Kate Hudson), in a case that has gripped the newspapers.
In Bridgeport, insurance lawyer, Sam Friedman (Josh Gad), is assigned by his brother, Irwin Friedman (John Magaro), to get Marshall admitted to the local bar, against Sam's will. At the hearing for Spell, Judge Carl Foster (James Cromwell), a friend of the father of prosecutor Lorin Willis (Dan Stevens), agrees to admit Marshall, but forbids Marshall from speaking during the trial, forcing Friedman to be Spell's lead counsel. Now, Marshall must guide Friedman through the trial via notes, but is this case a lost cause when Thurgood and Sam discover that it is rife with lies – on both sides.
Marshall is technically a biographical film, focusing on a specific period in the life and career of future Supreme Court justice, Thurgood Marshall. Early in the film, however, it is obvious that director Reginald Hudlin has his mind on making Marshall a film that resembles a 1940s film noir with elements of a legal drama and a crime thriller. The audience can hear that in Marcus Miller's lovely film score and in the way Hudlin stages the action, uses space, and places the actors.
In one of the film's early moments, when Marshall has his back to the camera and is ironing a shirt, I immediately thought of my favorite actor, Humphrey Bogart, and one of his most famous roles, that of Sam Space in director John Huston's The Maltese Falcon (1941). From that point, there is hardly a setting in which Marshall's life does not seem to be in danger. Hudlin races his audience through a movie that seems to be shorter than its almost two hours of run time. Is Marshall a courtroom drama? Yes, and it is also a courtroom thriller with a mystery at its center.
I do wish the father-son screenwriting team of Michael Koskoff and Jacob Koskoff had given the script more depth, as the narrative is mostly style and genre. There is also a lack of depth in the characterization, and the characters are a bit shallow. As hard as actor Sterling K. Brown tries, he can't seem to really draw anything from the well of defendant Joseph Spell's soul. Spell comes across as more of a stand-in than an actual portrait of a man whose life is on the line.
The very talented Josh Gad is able to give a lot of color to Sam Friedman, playing as a subtly wily man who is able to navigate his way between conflicting sides. Kate Hudson, mostly known for romantic comedies, shows some serious dramatic chops as the trapped suburban wife and alleged victim, Eleanor Strubing. As usual, Roger Guenveur Smith is spry, this time as the real-life Walter Francis Wright.
Of course, in the wake of his 2020 death to complications of colon cancer, Chadwick Boseman as Thurgood Marshall will be the center of attention in the film, Marshall, going forward. Despite a lack of characterization in the film's script, Boseman turns Marshall into a relentless paladin, traveling the countryside fighting the forces of white bigotry and racism. His field of battle is the courtroom, and black men falsely accused because they are black are the people he defends. Boseman makes me believe that he is a stubborn attorney and hero in an old-fashioned courtroom drama. He also makes me believe that he is a superhero, almost a year before he became the beloved Black Panther of Disney/Marvel Studios' Oscar-winning film, Black Panther.
Marshall convinces me that Thurgood Marshall was both a heroic lawyer and a superhero. The film also convinces me that Boseman was the best at bringing the most famous African-American men to life on the big screen. Plus, Marshall is a really good movie.
8 of 10
A
Monday, February 15, 2021
NOTES:
2018 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures-Original Song” (Common and Diane Warren for song “Stand Up for Something”)
2018 Black Reel Awards: 7 nominations: “Outstanding Motion Picture” (Jonathan Sanger, Paula Wagner, and Reginald Hudlin), “Outstanding Actor, Motion Picture” (Chadwick Boseman), “Outstanding Director, Motion Picture” (Reginald Hudlin), “Outstanding Ensemble” (Victoria Thomas-Casting Director), “Outstanding Score” (Marcus Miller-Composer), “Outstanding Original Song” (Andra Day-Performer, Common-Performer, Writer, and Diane Warren-Writer for the song “Stand Up for Something”), and “Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male” (Sterling K. Brown)
2018 Image Awards (NAACP): 5 nominations: “Outstanding Motion Picture,” “Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture” (Chadwick Boseman), “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture” (Sterling K. Brown), “Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture” (Keesha Sharp), “and “Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture” (Reginald Hudlin)
The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Saturday, March 14, 2020
Negromancer News Bits and Bites from March 8th to 14th, 2020 - Update #25
Support Leroy on Patreon:
CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 and Hollywood and Beyond:
From Deadline: The news site "Deadline" has a dedicated page for news about coronavirus and the film, TV, and entertainment industries.
From TheNewYorker: The venerable magazine has a dedicate COVID-19 page free to all readers.
From Variety: Universal Pictures has stopped production on all its live-action films due to the coronavirus.
From YahooEntertainment: Tom Hanks, who is quarantined in a hospital with his wife Rita Wilson, posted a positive message about have coronavirus COVID-19. "There is no crying in baseball," he says in reference to his film, "A League of Their Own."
From YahooSports: The IOC and Japan's Olympics minister insist that the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is still happening, Friday, July 24th to Sunday, August 9th.
From Deadline: The National Basketball Association (NBA) suspends its current 2019-2020 season during to coronavirus fears.
TOM HANKS - From Deadline: Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks and producer Rita Wilson, who are also a Hollywood power couple, have tested positive for the coronavirus, COVID-19, while in Australia working on Baz Luhrmann's Elvis Presley biopic.
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DISNEY - From Variety: Disney shuts down production on most of its live-action films, including Marvel's "Shang-Chi" and Ridley Scott's "The Last Duel."
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SPORTS-CRIME - From BET: Back in July 1993, James Jordan, Jr. was murdered. He was the father of NBA champion and pro basketball legend, Michael Jordan. One of the two men who were sentenced to life for the crime, Larry Demery, is up for parole.
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MOVIES - From Deadline: The horror film franchise, Scream, is getting a reboot, and the directors of the cult horror film, "Ready or Not" (2019), will helm the film.
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SCANDAL - From Deadline: Former Hollywood mogul and Oscar-winning film producer ("Shakespeare in Love") Harvey Weinstein was sentenced to 23 years in prison by New York Supreme Court Judge James Burke. Judge Burke also ordered Weinstein to register as a sex offender.
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TELEVISION - From Deadline: Shout! Factory has struck a distribution deal with Stephen J. Cannell Productions for its extensive catalog which is comprised of 900 hours of TV series and movies. Shout! will distribute the library to broadcast and streaming platforms across territories.
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POLITICS - From TheWrap: Actress Rosario Dawson says that she voted for Senator Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary election the same day that her boyfriend, Senator Cory Booker, endorsed Sanders' rival, Vice-President Joe Biden.
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SCANDAL - From Variety: Harvey Weinstein once emailed a reporter that "Jennifer Aniston should be killed" after a false report that Weinstein had sexually assaulted the actress.
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MOVIES - From BlackFilm: Director Reginald Hudlin talks about celebrating the 30th anniversary of his classic film, "House Party," which his brother, Warrington Hudline, produced.
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MOVIES - From Deadline: "Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway" is the latest film to have its release dates, domestic and international, altered due to fears of the coronavirus, "COVID-19."
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SPORTS - From Deadline: Tom Brady enters the Hollywood content game by launching "199 Productions," a multi-platform content company. Brady was the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL Draft.
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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo: The winner of the 3/6 to 3/8/2020 weekend box office is Pixar's "Onward" with an estimated total of 40 million dollars.
From Variety: The Oscar-winning South Korean film, "Parasite," is now the high-grossing foreign language film in the United Kingdom, grossing 11.5 million pounds since its release there.
From Deadline: At the specialty (art house) box office, the film "First Cow" led the pack with an estimated take of $96,059.
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JAMES BOND - From THR: MGM to take a loss of $30 million because it has moved the next Bond film, "No Time to Die," from an April release to November over coronavirus fears.
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STREAMING - From Variety: Luke Evans and Josh Gad will return for a prequel series to Disney's live-action "Beauty and the Beast," which will stream on Disney+.
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MOVIES - From Variety: Director James Wan ("Aquaman") is working on a movie "inspired" by Universal Pictures' "Universal Monsters" legacy. Wan will produce, but there are few other details.
TRAILER:
From YouTube: This is the first official trailer for Disney/Pixar's "Soul" (March 12, 2020), which is due in theaters, June 19th.
OBITS:
From Variety: The actor R.D. Call has died at the age of 70, Tuesday, March 10, 2020. Call appeared in several films that either starred Sean Penn or were directed by him, including "At Close Range" (1986) and "Colors" (1988) to "Into the Wild" (2007). He also appeared in such TV series as "Walker, Texas Ranger," "The X-Files," and "Castle."
From Variety: The Swedish-born actor, Max von Sydow, has died at the age of 90, Sunday, March 8, 2020. Sydow is best known for the 11 films he made with legendary Swedish director, Ingmar Bergman, in particularly, "The Seventh Seal," in which von Sydow portrayed a knight playing chess against Death. He also appeared in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Von Sydow received two Oscar nominations for his work in the films, "Pelle the Conqueror" (Best Actor) and "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" (Best Supporting Actor).
Tuesday, January 2, 2018
Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 3, 2017
NOV170908 ASTONISHING X-MEN #7 LEG $3.99
NOV170991 BLACK BOLT #9 LEG $3.99
OCT171002 BLACK PANTHER ADVENTURES DIGEST TP $9.99
OCT170998 BLACK PANTHER BY HUDLIN TP VOL 02 COMPLETE COLLECTION $39.99
NOV170938 CAPTAIN AMERICA #697 LEG WW $3.99
OCT171001 COLOR YOUR OWN BLACK PANTHER TP $9.99
JUL171192 DEADPOOL & CO OMNIBUS HC $125.00
JUL171190 DEADPOOL WORLDS GREATEST HC VOL 03 $34.99
OCT170816 GUARDIANS OF GALAXY LH #150 LEG $4.99
NOV170979 HAWKEYE #14 LEG $3.99
NOV171008 ICEMAN #9 LEG $3.99
OCT171015 INHUMANS BEWARE THE INHUMANS TP $34.99
NOV170969 IRON FIST #76 LEG $3.99
JUL171193 MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIVERSE GUIDEBOOK ALL CONNECTED HC $24.99
NOV170889 PHOENIX RESURRECTION RETURN JEAN GREY #2 (OF 5) HUGO CONNECT $3.99
NOV170891 PHOENIX RESURRECTION RETURN JEAN GREY #2 (OF 5) LEE JEAN GRE $3.99
NOV170888 PHOENIX RESURRECTION RETURN JEAN GREY #2 (OF 5) LEG $3.99
NOV170915 RISE OF BLACK PANTHER #1 (OF 6) LEG $3.99
NOV170920 RISE OF BLACK PANTHER #1 (OF 6) MOVIE VAR LEG $3.99
NOV170932 ROGUE & GAMBIT #1 (OF 5) LEG $3.99
JUL171191 SPIDER-GWEN HC VOL 02 $34.99
NOV170960 SPIDER-MAN #236 LEG $3.99
OCT171005 SPIDER-MAN DEADPOOL TP VOL 04 SERIOUS BUSINESS $15.99
NOV171027 STAR WARS #41 $3.99
NOV170996 X-MEN GOLD #19 LEG $3.99
NOV171016 X-MEN GRAND DESIGN #2 (OF 2) $5.99
NOV171017 X-MEN GRAND DESIGN #2 (OF 2) PISKOR CHARACTER VAR $5.99
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for November 1, 2017
SEP170958 ASTONISHING X-MEN #5 $3.99
SEP170900 AVENGERS #673 LEG $3.99
AUG171036 AVENGERS BY BENDIS COMPLETE COLLECTION TP VOL 03 $39.99
SEP170951 BLACK BOLT #7 $3.99
AUG171042 BLACK PANTHER BY HUDLIN TP VOL 01 COMPLETE COLLECTION $39.99
SEP170802 CAPTAIN AMERICA #695 LEG $3.99
MAY170937 DEADPOOL AND X-FORCE OMNIBUS HC $100.00
AUG171017 DEADPOOL WORLDS GREATEST TP VOL 10 SECRET EMPIRE $17.99
AUG171032 GENERATION X TP VOL 01 NATURAL SELECTION $17.99
SEP170868 GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #146 LEG $3.99
SEP170934 ICEMAN #7 LEG $3.99
SEP170952 INHUMANS ONCE FUTURE KINGS #4 (OF 5) $3.99
SEP170953 INHUMANS ONCE FUTURE KINGS #4 (OF 5) NOTO CHARACTER VAR $3.99
SEP170916 IRON FIST #74 LEG $3.99
AUG178500 LEGACY FREE NOVEMBER PREVIEWS SPOTLIGHT (BUNDLES OF 25) (NET $5.00
JUL171194 MARVELS THOR RAGNAROK ART OF MOVIE SLIPCASE HC $50.00
SEP170962 OLD MAN LOGAN #30 $3.99
SEP170946 PETER PARKER SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #6 $3.99
SEP170891 POWER PACK #63 CHRISTOPHER TRADING CARD VAR LEG $3.99
SEP170889 POWER PACK #63 LEG $3.99
AUG178699 SPIDER-GWEN #24 2ND PTG RODRIGUEZ VAR $3.99
SEP170809 SPIDER-MAN #234 LEG $3.99
MAY170936 SPIDER-MAN CLONE SAGA OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 $125.00
SEP170973 STAR WARS DARTH VADER #7 $3.99
MAY170940 UNCANNY INHUMANS HC VOL 02 $34.99
Saturday, June 24, 2017
Negromancer News Bits and Bites from June 18th to 24th, 2017 - Update #23
TELEVISION - From Grist: As John Oliver predicted, a coal tycoon is suing him.
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MOVIES - From YahooMovies: SPOILER - A familiar face from "Transformers" movies past makes a cameo in "Transformers: The Last Knight."
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BLM - From TIME: Jay Z on How the bail system exploits black and brown people.
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SPORTS - From YahooSports: The inside story of how Lonzo Ball became a Los Angeles Lakers.
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OBIT - From TheWrap: As a baby, Henry J. Deutschendorf II along with his twin brother, William, played the role of "Baby Oscar" in "Ghostbusters II" (1989). Last week, Henry took his own life.
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CELEBRITY - From YahooMovies: In his new memoir, actor Curtis Armstrong ("Booger" from "Revenge of the Nerds") talks about his wild summer with Tom Cruise in 1982 while filming 1983's "Risky Business."
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CELEBRITY - From YahooNews: 2 holdouts on the jury prevented guilty verdicts for Bill Cosby.
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STAR WARS - From Variety: Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were fired from "young Han Solo" film because they clashed with Lucasfilm boss, Kathleen Kennedy, among others.
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COMICS-FILM - From Variety: One of the most famous American comic books of all time, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbon's "Watchmen," became one of the worst films ever based on a comic book. Now, HBO wants to turn it into a TV series.
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OBIT - From YahooMusic: Albert Johnson a.k.a. "Prodigy" of the beloved rap/Hip-Hop duo, Mobb Deep, has died at the age of 42, Tuesday, June 20, 2017.
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MOVIES - From Variety: Three-time Oscar winning actor, Daniel Day-Lewis, has announced through his spokeswoman that he is retiring from acting. He has one film left to be released, a film by Paul Thomas Anderson, due for December 2017.
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BLM - From StLouisPostDispatch: The family of Mike Brown, the unarmed Black teen killed by a policeman in Ferguson, Missouri, are close to a settlement in a wrongful death lawsuit their attorney filed against the city and elements within the police department.
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MUSIC - From BET: Jay-Z may be changing his name again.
TELEVISION - From Variety: The team behind the Emmy-winning BBC series, "Sherlock" (starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman) are developing a new take on "Dracula."
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CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity: Leaked emails reveal Johnny Depp's dire financial situation.
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MOVIES - From Collider: Synopsis and cast of "Godzilla 2" revealed, as filming begins in Atlanta.
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STAR WARS - From Popsugar: Carrie Fisher, known to fans as "Leia Organa," had multiple drugs in her system when she died last December at the age of 60.
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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficeMojo: The winner of the Father's Day weekend (6/16 to 6/18/2017) box office is Pixar's "Cars 3" with an estimated take of $53.5 million.
From YahooMovies: "Cars 3" knocks "Wonder Woman" out of first place at the weekend box office, and Tupac Shakur biopic has a strong start.
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COMICS-FILM - From ShadowandAct: Reginald Hudlin has announced that he will direct and film adaptation of the Valiant Entertainment comic book, "Shadowman."
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CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity: Leonardo DiCaprio surrendered a Picasso painting, a Basquiat collage, a Diane Arbus photograph, and the Oscar Marlon Brando won for his performance in “On the Waterfront," to the U.S. Justice Department as part of a Malaysian money laundering probe.
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MOVIES - From Deadline: Ben Kingsley will play Nazi Adolf Eichmann and Oscar Isaac will play the man who eventually captured him, Peter Malkin, in the MGM film "Operation Finale," from director Chris Weitz.
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OBIT - From THR: Actor Stephen Furst died at the age of 63, Friday, June 16, 2017. His breakout film role was in the film, "Animal House" (1978), and he starred on the NBC medical drama, "St. Elsewhere" (1982-1988).
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CELEBRITY - From YahooCelebrity: Apparently, Beyonce and Jay-Z have welcomed twins babies into the world.