Negromancer News Bits and Bites from November 21st to 30th, 2021 #15

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Star Channing Tatum and director Steven Soderbergh are returning for "Magic Mike's Last Dance," the third film in their "Magic Mike" series.  When the film is ready, it will stream exclusively on HBO Max.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 11/26 to 11/28/2021 weekend box office is Disney's "Encanto" with an estimated take of 27 million dollars.

From Variety:  The Thanksgiving holiday weekend (11/24 to 11/28/2020=1) box office begins with a Disney's "Encanto" victory as the animated film grossed 7.5 million dollars Wed., Nov. 24th.

From Deadline:  Director Denis Villeneuve's "Dune: Part One" finally crosses the 100 million dollar mark at the domestic box office.

ANIMATION - From Deadline:  Hayao Miyzazki, the legendary Japanese director of animated films, is coming out of retirement again to direct an animated feature film adaptation of the "How Do You Live," a 1937 novel by Genzaburo Yoshino.

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Peter Jackson talks about his four-year obsession that resulted on his "Beatles" documentary, "The Beatles: Get Back," which airs on Disney+ from Nov. 25th to Nov. 27th.

COVID-19 - From Deadline:  A new COVID-19 variant, "B.1.1.529," has been found in Africa.  Potentially more transmissible, it has been called "a big jump in evolution."

SCANDAL - From Variety:   An arbitrator has ordered Kevin Spacey and his companies to pay nearly $31 million to MRC, the production company behind Netflix's “House of Cards,” after finding that Spacey breached his contract by violating the company’s sexual harassment policy.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   One of the producers behind the movie Western, "Rust," is co-financing "Sam & Kate," a new film starring Oscar winners Dustin Hoffman and Sissy Spasek.  Actor Alec Baldwin accidentally killed cinematography Halyna Hutchinson on the set of "Rust" after pointing a gun in her direction.

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 11/19 to 11/21/2021 weekend box office is "Ghostbusters: Afterlife" with an estimated take of 44 million dollars.

From Negromancer:  My review of "Ghostbusters: Afterlife."

From Deadline:  The most recent James Bond movie, "No Time to Die," moves past the most recent "Fast & Furious" movie, "F9," to take the lead in worldwide box office.

OBITS:

From ESPN:  American professional golfer, Lee Elder, has died at the age of 87, Sunday, November 28, 2021.  In 1975, he became the first Black golfer to play The Masters Tournament.  He won four tournaments on the PGA Tour, including the 1974 Monsanto Open, which is what got him invited to the 1974 Masters.

From Variety:  American composer and lyricist and Broadway legend, Stephen Sondheim, has died at the age of 91, Friday, November 26, 2021.  He is praised for having reinvented the American musical and for incorporating complex and dissonant themes and structures from 20th century classical music into his works.  Sondheim is known for being the composer and lyricist for such musicals as "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street" (1979) and "Sunday in the Park with George" (1984).  He wrote the lyrics for "West Side Story" (1957) and "Gypsy" (1959).  Sondheim's accolades include nine Tony Awards, an Oscar, eight Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize, a Laurence Olivier Award, and a 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

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"RUST" ACCIDENTAL SHOOTING DEATH:

From Deadline:  This link will take you to Deadline's Halyna Hutchins page, which articles related to everything about her shooting death on the set of the Western film, "Rust."

From THR:  A search warrant affidavit filed Tuesday for a prop shop sheds light on how alleged live ammunition ended up on the set of the Western film, "Rust," where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in October.

From Deadline:  A month after cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins, was shot and killed on the New Mexico set the movie Western, "Rust," by a prop gun “discharged” by Alec Baldwin, those closest to the cinematographer held a private ceremony and interred her ashes at an unknown location.

From Deadline:  Actor Daniel Baldwin defends his brother, Alec Baldwin, in the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film, "Rust."  "Someone loaded that gun improperly," Daniel says.

From Deadline:  The newest lawsuit involving the tragic shooting on the set of the Western film, "Rust," has been filed by the film's script supervisor, Mamie Mitchell, against Alec Baldwin, the producers, the production company, armorer Hanna Gutierrez Reed, and others.

From Deadline:  Serge Svetnoy, the gaffer on "Rust," has filed a lawsuit against several parties related to the film, including the production, the financiers, star Alec Baldwin, armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, and first Assistant Director David Halls.

From THR:   In the wake of the tragic accidental shooting on the set of his film, "Rust," Alec Baldwin on Monday took to social media to urge Hollywood to employ a police officer on every film and TV set that uses guns.

From THR:   The budget for "Rust" - Alec Baldwin was set to earn $150,000 as lead actor and $100,000 as producer, while $7,913 was earmarked for armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed and $17,500 was set aside for the rental of weapons and $5,000 for rounds.

From Deadline:  Attorneys for Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the set of the film, "Rust," said that they’re looking into whether a live bullet was placed in a box of dummy rounds with the intent of  “sabotaging the set.”

From THR:   Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, the armorer on the film, "Rust," released a statement through her lawyers.  She says she had “no idea where the live rounds came from” that were recovered by the Santa Fe County Sheriff's during the investigation of the accidental on-set shooting death of Halyna Hutchins.

From Jacobin:  An opinion piece says that cinematographer Halyna Hutchins' death on the set of the film, "Rust," was not a freak accident, but was about Alec Baldwin and his fellow producers' cost-cutting decisions.  Baldwin accidentally fired the gun that killed Hutchins.

From Deadline:   Two of executive producers on "Rust," Allen Cheney and Emily Salveson, disavow responsibility for the film's troubled production.

From THR:   Iconic "Ghostbusters" actor Ernie Hudson is reeling from the news of the death of Halyna Hutchins, like the rest of Hollywood. Hudson also appeared in the film, "The Crow," the film in which its star, Brandon Lee, was killed because of an on-set accidental shooting.  He also agrees with the call to ban real guns from movie sets.

From THR:  The Sheriff of Sante Fe County says that his office has recovered three guns and 500 rounds of ammunition from the set of the movie "Rust" where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed.

From Deadline:  Regarding criminal charges in the death of Halyna Hutchins on the set of the film "Rust," District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altweis, "all options are on the table - no one has been ruled out."

From THR:  Does Hollywood Need Guns? Will new regulations lead to an overreactions to a tragedy.

From Deadline:   "Rust" producers have opened an internal investigation into the fatal shooting on the set of the Western film.  They have hired outside lawyers to conduct interviews with the film's production crew.

From Deadline:  "Rust's" AD (assistant director), Dave Halls, has come under scrutiny in the wake of the on-set shooting death of the film's cinematographer, Halyna Hutchins.

From Deadline:  The affidavit of Sante Fe Sheriff's Department Detective Joel Cano has been made public. It can be read at "Deadline."  The affidavit was for a search warrant from the property were the Western, "Rust," was being filmed.

From THR:  The production company behind "Rust" has shut the film down until the police investigation into the fatal, on-set shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins is through.  The Sante Fe County Sheriff's Office has also revealed a timeline of the shooting.

From Deadline:  The Santa Fe Sheriff’s Department confirmed Thursday night that Alec Baldwin “discharged” a prop gun on the New Mexico set of the movie, "Rust."  As a result, one crew member, director of photography Halyna Hutchins, was killed and director Joel Souza was injured and remains in a local hospital - his condition unknown.

From THR:  "Rust" director, Joel Souza, who was wounded in the accidental on-set shooting, says that he is "gutted" by the death of his cinematographer on the film, Halyna Hutchins.

From Deadline:  The fatal shooting on the set of "Rust" may have been "recorded" according to detective for Santa Fe Sheriff's Department.

From Deadline:  The production company behind the film, "Rust," will launch an internal safety review after the fatal accident that killed Halyna Hutchins; possible prior gun incidents; and a camera crew walkout.

From CNN:   Crew member yelled "cold gun" as he handed Alec Baldwin prop weapon, court document shows.

From Variety:  Actor Alec Baldwin releases statement on the death of Halyna Hutchins: "There are no words to convey my shock and sadness."

From Variety:  The prop gun that killed “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and wounded director Joel Souza on during an on-set accident on Thursday contained a “live single round,” according to an email sent by IATSE Local 44 to its membership.

All-Star Presenters Announced for 93rd Academy Awards

93RD OSCARS® ALL-STAR CAST REVEALED

Show producers Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and Steven Soderbergh today announced the ensemble cast to present at the 93rd Oscars®, which airs live on ABC on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at 8 p.m. EDT/5 p.m. PDT.

Starring, in alphabetical order, are Angela Bassett, Halle Berry, Bong Joon Ho, Don Cheadle, Bryan Cranston, Laura Dern, Harrison Ford, Regina King, Marlee Matlin, Rita Moreno, Joaquin Phoenix, Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, Renée Zellweger, and Zendaya.

“In keeping with our awards-show-as-a-movie approach, we’ve assembled a truly stellar cast of stars,” said Collins, Sher and Soderbergh.  “There’s so much wattage here, sunglasses may be required.”

Additional talent joining the show to be announced.

The 93rd Oscars will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at Union Station Los Angeles and the Dolby® Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and international locations via satellite, and will be televised live on ABC at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.  The Oscars also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

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ABOUT THE ACADEMY:
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 10,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

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Review: KILLER OF SHEEP Remains Fascinating

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 27 of 2021 (No. 1765) by Leroy Douresseaux

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

Killer of Sheep (1978)
Running time:  80 minutes (1 hour, 20 minutes)
WRITER/DIRECTOR:  Charles Burnett
PRODUCER:  Charles Burnett
CINEMATOGRAPHER/EDITOR:  Charles Burnett

DRAMA

Starring:  Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles Bracy, Angela Burnett, Eugene Cherry, and Jack Drummond

Killer of Sheep is a 1978 film drama from writer-director, Charles Burnett, who also produced, photographed and edited the film.  Burnett shot Killer of Sheep on 16mm black and white film, and he filmed it mostly on weekends in the Watts neighborhood of southern Los Angeles in 1972 and 1973.  He originally submitted the film to the UCLA School of Film in 1977 as his Master of Fine Arts thesis.  Set in Watts, Killer of Sheep focuses on a slaughterhouse worker who suspends him emotions to continue working in such a job, but ends up have little sensitivity for the very family in which he works so hard to support.

Killer of Sheep premiered at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York on November 14, 1978.  It did not receive a general theatrical release because Burnett has not secured the rights to the music he used in the film.  Over the years, however, people were apparently able to see the film at small film festivals, on the college film circuit, and via bootleg copies.  It was inducted into the “National Film Registry” in 1990, the second year of the registry.

In 2007, a group of interests, including the UCLA, Steven Soderbergh, and Milestone Films, worked to purchase the music rights and to restore Killer of Sheep to 35mm film.  It received a limited release in late 2007 and several “Top 10” lists, including being chosen the best film of the year by Ed Gonzalez of Slant Magazine.

Killer of Sheep is a depiction of the urban Black Americans of Watts as seen through a series of loosely connected vignettes.  If the film has a focus, it is on Stan (Henry G. Sanders), a husband and father who works at the slaughterhouse, Solano Meat Co., where he helps process sheep for slaughter.  Stan finds the monotonous work to be repugnant, and he seemingly suspends his emotions to deal with the job.  The result is that his home life suffers.  He shows little sensitivity to his unnamed wife (Kaycee Moore) and to his two children, son (Jack Drummond) and daughter (Angela Burnett).  Stan has trouble sleeping, does not play with his children, and avoids sex with his wife, who wants intimacy and real affection from her husband.

Stan wants another job, and he often finds himself caught up in the schemes and plots of friends and associates.  Stan and his friend, Bracy (Charles Bracy), attempt to buy a car engine from a squabbling family.  Two fast-talking acquaintances want Stan to help them in their plot to murder a man.  All the while, a portrait of the austere and impoverished life of poor and working-class African-Americans emerges.  Can Stan better his life even if he feels unable to affect the course of his life?

I have previously seen two of Charles Burnett's films, To Sleep with Anger (1990) and The Glass Shield (1994).  I had not heard of Killer of Sheep until its surprise inclusion in the list of films inducted into the 1990 class of the National Film Registry.  I have been putting off seeing the film for years since the DVD release of the 2007 restoration and limited theatrical run.

Burnett made Killer of Sheep with nonprofessional actors, reportedly a nod to the influence of “Italian neo-realism.”  I can't say exactly as I have never seen such a film.  I also would not describe Killer of Sheep as having a documentary feel.  The film's loose collection of vignettes have informal story acts, although the film does not have a plot.  Burnett provides the slimmest character development and something like a narrative, but the actors are quite convincing in their portrayals.  I found myself fascinated by the way they sold the idea that they are indeed playing characters and that they made those characters seem real.  Henry G. Sanders makes Stan the solid center of Killer of Sheep.

Killer of Sheep indirectly speaks to the economic exclusion and segregation faced by black people in Watts then and for decades.  Stan, his family, and their friends and neighbors are always short of money and resources and hope.  Still, their lives are filled with moments of happiness and joy, and they make good times out of whatever they can.  There are also moments of beauty, such as when Stan's daughter sings an Earth Wind & Fire song to her doll while her mother (Stan's wife) watches.

Killer of Sheep is not a film to be described so much as it us a film to be watched and experienced.  There is such a sense of naturalism about it.  The film is not so real that it is a documentary, nor is it so surreal that it becomes a black and white dream.  Killer of Sheep is a story, a story of ordinary Black people in a particular place and time.  Killer of Sheep is so special because it tells a story that most American filmmakers would have not bothered to tell.  That makes Killer of Sheep and its maker, Charles Burnett, national treasures.

9 of 10
A+

Friday, March 12, 2021


NOTES:
1990 National Film Preservation Board, USA:  1 win: National Film Registry


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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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from February 21st to 28th, 2021 - Update #21

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

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   The winner of the 2/26 to 2/28/2021 weekend box office is the animated "Tom & Jerry" with an estimated take of 13.7 million dollars, the second highest pandemic opening weekend.

GOLDEN GLOBES - From Deadline:  "Deadline" is live-blogging the Golden Globes, which will allow readers to keep up with the announcement of winners.

From Deadline:   Ellen Pompeo penned an open letter the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and “White Hollywood” a day before the 2021 Golden Globes.

From Deadline:  The Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA), which puts on the Golden Globes, does not have a single voting member who is black.  The Directors Guild of America has joined the chorus of voices castigating the HFPA for this.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  "Justice League" actor Ray Fisher and Warner Bros. still having a public feud.

COVID-19 - From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar-nominated actress, Abigail Breslin ("Little Miss Sunshine), has revealed that her father, Michael, recently died of complications of COVID-19.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar-nominated filmmaker, Lee Daniels, talks about creating his own lane in Hollywood and why he still independently finances his films.

COMICS TO FILM - From Deadline:   Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and producer J.J. Abrams prep "Superman" reboot for Warner Bros.  There is no word on whether Henry Cavill, who has been playing Superman since "The Man of Steel" will be back.

SPORTS - From YahooSports:  The WNBA finally rids itself of its worst owner, former U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler, with a new ownership group.  One of the owners is a player, Renee Montgomery, whom Loeffler once disparaged.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Winston Duke ("Black Panther") is in talks to play African-American historical figure, Marcus Garvey," in Amazon's "Marked Man."

MOVIES - From IndieWire:   No longer involved in the Marvel's "Blade" franchise, Wesley Snipes is developing his own "Blade-killer" movie.  It is a supernatural action movie with elements of shapeshifters and time travel.

STREAMING - From Deadline:  Steve Soderbergh will direct Zoe Kravitz in New Line's "KIMI" for HBO Max.

STREAMING - From THR:   ViacomCBS makes its pitch for the streaming service, "Paramount+" which is a rebranding of CBS All Access. There will be sports, reboots, sequels, and spinoffs.

COMICS TO FILM - From VanityFair:  The true history of "Justice League: The Snyder Cut."

SCANDAL - From THR:   Revered and controversial French actor, Gerard Depardieu, was charged by French authorities with rape this past December.  The news just broke recently, and the charge relates to an accusation of the rape of a young actress back in December 2018.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   BET has renewed "Tyler Perry's The Oval" for a third season after its Season 2 premiere.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Netflix has won the auction for a story pitch for a film called, "The Bluff," which would be a vehicle for Zoe Saldana.

COVID-19 - From WebMD:  500,000 Americans now dead from COVID-19

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:   The winner of the 2/19 to 2/21/21 weekend box office is "The Croods: A New Age" with an estimated take of 1.7 million dollars.

SCANDAL - From YahooEntertainment:  Actress Gina Carano says that she is not going down without a fight after "devastating" firing from Disney-Lucasfilm, where she was an actress on the Disney+ series, "The Mandalorian."

BLM - From TheRoot:  African-American St. Louis Officer Luther Hall has secured a $5 million settlement agreement in his lawsuit against the city, related to his alleged assault by white members of the St. Louis Police Department while he was working undercover as a demonstrator during protests against police violence.

SCANDAL - From Deadline:  Fired-from-Lucasfilm actress, Gina Carano, says that she has some shocking stuff to say about Lucasfilm.

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 20th to 31st, 2020 - Update #41

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

TELEVISION - From Deadline:   Actress Tina Louise remembers her fellow "Gilligan's Island" cast mate, Dawn Wells, who died of COVID-19 yesterday (Dec. 30th).  Louise is now the last surviving member of the beloved 1960s TV series, which continues to gain new fans.

COVID-19-STIMULUS - From YahooFortune:   Some people may have already started getting their $600 stimulus check Tuesday night, Dec. 29th.

COVID-19 - From WDSU:   Congress-elect Luke Letlow, Republican from Louisiana, has died of COVID-19.  The 41-year old had recently won Louisiana's 5th U.S. Congressional district seat, representing Central and Northeast Louisiana.  He was slated to be sworn into office in Sunday, January 3rd, 2021.

MOVIES - From WeGotThisCovered:   Director Steven Soderbergh and writer Scott Burns are developing a "philosophical sequel" to their now-prescient 2011 film, "Contagion."

STREAMING - From CBC: How the streaming wars will change movies in 2021

BOX OFFICE - From Variety:  The winner of the 12/25 to 12/27/20 weekend box office is "Wonder Woman 1984" with an estimated take of 16.7 million dollars.

PIXAR - From VictoriaAdvocate:   Meet Texas A&M graduate Cheyenne Chapel, a CG artist behind Pixar's new animated film 'Soul' which premieres this Christmas on Disney+.

KAREN ALERT - From TheGrio:  A white woman assaults a black man and his son over her "stolen" iPhone.  It turns out that she had left it in an Uber a day or so earlier. 

From TheGrio:  A California "Karen" with a taser demands that her black neighbors "act white."

POLITICS - From MSN: Mike Pence Cannot Block the Certification of Joe Biden’s Victory When the Senate Formally Counts Electoral College Votes on Jan. 6th, 2021.

COVID-19 - From Deadline:  Actor Shemar Moore, star of CBS' "S.W.A.T.," has announced that he has COVID-19.

CELEBRITY - From THR:   NBA champion and legend, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar writes about celebrities who basically destroy and hurt their careers via crazy social media commentary.

CULTURE - From TheRoot:  The city council of Murdock, a small town in Minnesota, has given a permit for a hate-group to open a "whites-only" church, and now, people are fighting back.

BREAKING NEWS - From CNN:   Nashville, Tennessee, police now believe this morning's explosion in the downtown area was "intentional."

CELERITY - From YahooReuters:   Billionaire investor, Ron Burkle, has bought the late Michael Jackson's "Neverland" ranch for 22 million dollars, 78 million less than what was the 100 million asking price in 2015.

COVID-19 - From YahooNews:  L.A. County hit another record with 148 COVID-19 deaths in a day.

BLM-COVID-19 - From YahooNews:  A black female doctor dies of COVID-19 after complaining of racist treatment in her battle against the virus.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Warner Bros. has set the the theatrical release dates for three films.  The "Mad Max" prequel, "Furiosa," gets June 23, 2023.  The animated hybrid "Road Runner" movie, "Coyote vs. Acme," gets July 21, 2023.  The movie version of "The Color Purple" musical gets December 20, 2023.

POLITICS - From CNN:  Former Democratic presidential candidate, Andrew Yang, has filed papers to run for mayor of New York City.

POLITICS - From YahooNews:  President Donald - unhappy, unleashed, and unpredictable.

POLITICS - From YahooFinance:   The new stimulus checks will go out to fewer people ... in addition to being smaller.

SPORTS - From YahooSports:  The Los Angeles Lakers get their 2020 NBA Championship rings.

CULTURE - From YahooNews:  MacKenzie Scott, former wife of Amazon's Jeff Bezos, upends philanthropy by giving away billions of dollars fast.

STREAMING - From CNN:  Inside the 5,000+-pages long Covid-19 stimulus bill is a new law that punishes streamers that pirate large amounts of copyrighted content.  Supposedly, the law specifically doesn't apply to people who use illegal streaming services or "individuals who access pirated streams or unwittingly stream unauthorized copies of copyrighted works," but is focused on "commercial, for-profit streaming piracy services" that make money from illegally streaming copyrighted material.

MOVIES - From THR:   Indie filmmaker turned hit-maker, David Gordon Green, is in talks to direct Blumhouse and Morgan Creek Productions sequel to the 1973 movie sensation, "The Exorcist."

AWARDS - From ChicagoSunTimes:   The Chicago Film Critics Film Association has named "Nomadland" its best film of 2020.  The late Chadwick Boseman was named best actor for his performance in "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

ANIMATION - From Deadline:   U2's Bono, Pharrell Williams, and Halsey will lend their voices to Universal/Illumination's "Sing 2."

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   The winner of the 12/18 to 12/20/2020 weekend box office is "Monster Hunter" with an estimated take of 2.2 million dollars.

COVID-19 - From ScienceMagazine:  Mutant coronavirus in the United Kingdom sets off alarms but its importance remains unclear

LGBTQ - From TheMirror:   Comedian and actress, Eddie Izzard, reveals her prounouns - "she" and "her."

MOVIES - From Deadline: Universal Pictures has landed the rights to an adaptation of the graphic novel, "The Electric State," with Millie Bobby Brown attached to star and Joe and Anthony Russo ("Avengers: Endgame") on board to direct. The Russos will also produce through their AGBO banner.

BLM - From WashPost:   The Rev. William H. Lamar IV is the pastor of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington D.C. that was attacked on Sat., Dec. 12th, 2020 by members of the racist group, the "Proud Boys."  The "Boys" were in Washington for a pro-Trump rally/riot.  Rev. Lamar wrote an opinion piece for the "Washington Post" entitled "My church will replace our Black Lives Matter sign. Will America replace its racist myth?" One of the quotes is "...that White men can employ violence to take what they want and do what they want and call that criminality justice, freedom and liberty."

OBITS:

From Deadline:  American choreographer, actor, and dancer, Adolfo Quiñones, who was better known as "Shabba Doo," has died at the age of 65, Wednesday, December 30, 2020.  A dance pioneer, Shabba Doo was a member of "The Original Lockers," innovators in the dance style known as "locking."  However, Shabba Doo was best known for playing the role of "Orlando" also known as "Ozone," in the 1984 break-dancing films, "Breakin'" and "Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo."

From Deadline:  The actress, Dawn Wells, has died at the age of 82, Wednesday, December 30, 2020 of complications of COVID-19.  Welles was best known for the role of "Mary Ann Summers" on the late CBS sitcom, "Gilligan's Island" (1964-67).  Over a six-decade career, Wells appeared in numerous television series, including "77 Sunset Strip," "Bonanza," and the soap opera, "The Bold and the Beautiful."

From Deadline:   Television writer and producer, William Link, has died at the age of 87, Sunday, December 27, 2020.  Link was best known for co-creating the TV series NBC's "Columbo" and CBS' "Murder, She Wrote."  Link and his long-time writing partner, Richard Levinson, won two Primetime Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama."  Link was nominated for the Emmy nine other times.

From Deadline:   Veteran television and film animator, Tuck Tucker, has died at the age of 59, Tuesday, December 22, 2020.  Tucker was best known for his work on Nickelodeon's "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Hey Arnold!"  However, he had numerous credits, including on "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy," to name a few.

From CNN:   Former Major League Baseball pitcher, Phil Niekro, has died at the age of 81, Saturday, December 26, 2020.  He was known for his "knuckleball" pitch, and his 318 career wins is the most by a knuckleball pitcher.  He was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.  Phil and his late brother, Joe Niekro (also an MLB pitcher), had 539 career victories between the two of them - the most combined wins by brothers in baseball history.

From CNN:   Former pro basketball coach and player and NBA champion, K.C. Jones, has died at the age of 88, Friday, December 25, 2020.  Jones won 8 championships as a member of the Boston Celtics (1959-66).  He won two as a Celtics assistant coach (1972, 1981), and two more as the Celtics head coach (1984, 1986).  In 1955 and 1956, Jones won two NCAA championships with his future Celtics teammate, Bill Russell, as members of the University of San Francisco men's basketball team.  He is a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame - Class of 1989.

From Deadline:   Rapper, songwriter, and recording artist, John "Ecstasy" Fletcher, has died at the age of 56, Wednesday, December 23, 2020. Fletcher was best known as a member a co-founder of the pioneering rap group, "Whodini," which was among the most commercially successful of the early rap groups, having multiple albums certified gold or platinum.

From Variety:   Broadway actress and recording artist, Rebecca Luker, has died at the age of 59, Wednesday, December 23, 2020, following a battle with ALS.  She was a three-time Tony Award nominee ("Showboat," "The Music Man," and "Mary Poppins").  She performed numerous Broadway-related recordings, but also recorded four solo albums.

From NFL:   Former NFL linebacker, Kevin Greene, has died at the age of 58, Monday, December 21, 2020.  Greene started his career with the Los Angeles Rams, and he played three seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers.  He was a member of the Steelers team that lost Super Bowl XXX.  As a coach, Greene won a member of the 2010 Green Bay Packers that won Super Bowl XLV.  Green was inducted into the "Pro Football Hall of Fame" in 2016.

From Deadline:  Country singer-songwriter, K.T. Oslin, has died at the age of 78, Monday, December 21, 2020. A late bloomer, Oslin had a string of hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s.  Her 1987 album, "80s Ladies," topped the "Billboard" Country LP chart.  Oslin won three Grammy Awards including the 1989 award for "Best Country Song" for "Hold Me."

From Deadline:  American stage and television actress, Peg Murray, has died at the age of 96, November 29, 2020.  Murray won a Tony Award for her performance in the original Broadway production of "Cabaret" (1966).  Her TV credits include the daytime soap operas, "Another World" and "All My Children."

 

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from December 6th to 12th, 2020 - Update #24

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

OBIT-COVID-19 - From YahooEntertainment:   Country music's first Black icon, Charley Pride, has died of COVID-19.

MOVIES - From CNN:   It is official, actor Harrison Ford will return for a fifth film in the "Indiana Jones" series, which began in 1981 with the Oscar-winning "Raiders of the Lost Ark."  The film is due July 2022.

PIXAR - From Deadline: Pixar is working on an origin movie for "Buzz Lightyear," the space hero from "Toy Story."  "Captain America's" Chris Evans will voice the lead role.  The film is due in July 2022.

DISNEY+ - From Deadline:   Whoopi Goldberg is returning for a third "Sister Act" film.  Goldberg will reprise her role of Deloris Wilson for "Sister Act 3" and will produce the film along with Tyler Perry for Disney+.

DISNEY+ - From Variety:   Disney+ announces 10 new "Star Wars"-related series and 10 new series from Marvel Studios.

BLM - From WebMD:   In an article for "WebMD," college and pro basketball legend and champion, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar talks about the health of African-Americans and the risks to that posted by the healthcare system.

STREAMING - From BleedingCool:   Amazon is developing a TV series based on the 1997 teen horror flick, "I Know What You Did Last Summer."  Craig Macneill will direct the series pilot.

STREAMING - From Deadline:   Kevin Hart and Wesley Snipes will play brothers in "True Story," a Netflix limited series drama.  It written and executive produced by Eric Newman of "Narcos: Mexico."

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  HBO has been working on a reboot of its vampire melodrama, "True Blood."  Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (creator of "Riverdale") and Jami O'Brien (creator of AMC'S "NOS4A2") will write the pilot with O'Brien acting as the executive producer with Alan Ball, creator of the original series.

MOVIES - From IndieWire:  The best undistributed films of 2020

OSCARS - From Deadline:   Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh have been announced as the producers for the 93rd Academy Awards, which will be held Sunday, April 25th, 2021.

WARNER MEDIA - From THR:  Oscar-nominated director, Christopher Nolan, rips into WarnerMedia's announced plan to release its 2021 film slate on its streaming service, HBO Max, which Nolan calls "the worst streaming service."

STAR TREK - From Deadline:  Actors who have starred in the "Star Trek" franchise, from the original series to the recent "Star Trek: Discovery," will hold a virtual fund raiser for U.S. Senate candidates from Georgia, Democrats Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock, on Sat. Dec. 12th, 2020.

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Constantin Film has issued an apology for its film, "Monster Hunter," an adaptation of the popular video game.  The film contains dialogue that was considered offensive in China, where the film has been a hit.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:  The winner of the 12/4 to 12/6/2020 weekend box office is DreamWorks Animation's "The Croods: A New Age" with an estimated take of 4.4 million dollars.

MOVIES - From YahooEntertainment:  Oscar-winning screenwriter Alan Ball wonders about the legacy of the Oscar-winning film he wrote, "American Beauty" (1999), because of the scandals related to the film's star, Kevin Spacey.  Spacey won a "Best Actor" Oscar for his performance, but the last few years have seen Spacey beset by accusations of predatory behavior and sexual assault.

TELEVISION - From ShadowandAct:  Oscar and Emmy-winning actress Regina King is producing "Slay," an African-American themed supernatural drama that is in development at The CW.

TELEVISION - From LATimes:  Inside the TV networks' battle for Christmas movie supremacy 

OBITS:

From TMZ:  Character actor and occasional professional wrestler, Tom "Tiny" Lister, Jr. was found dead in his apartment, Thursday, December 10, 2020.  Lister is best known for playing the character, "Deebo," in "Friday" (1995) and its sequel, "Next Friday" (2000).  He appeared in numerous other films, including "The Fifth Element" (1997) and "The Dark Knight" (2008), to name a few.

From Deadline:  The film and television actress, Natalie Desselle, has died at the age of 83, Monday, December 7, 2020 of colon cancer.  Her best known film roles were in "B.A.P.S." (1997) and "Madea's Big Happy Family" (2010).  Desselle made her television debut on a 1996 episode of ABC's former family sitcom, "Family Matters."  Desselle was a main cast member on UPN's TV series, "Eve" (2003-06).

From BET:  Halle Berry issues a statement about the passing of Natalie Desselle, who co-starred with her in "B.A.P.S."

 

From BET:  Halley Berry posts new emotional tribute to former co-star, Natalie Desselle, who died Monday morning, Dec. 7th. 

From YahooEntertainment:  Halle Berry and other celebs react to the death of Natalie Desselle.

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From Deadline:   Film and television character actor and stage actor, Warren Berlinger, has died at the age of 83, Wednesday, December 2, 2020.  He was known for playing next to bigger stars, including a role in the Elvis Presley film, "Spinout" (1966).  Later in his career, he made numerous guest appearances on such TV series as "Happy Days," "Murder, She Wrote," and "Friends," to name a few.  He began his stage career as a nine-year-old in the 1946 Broadway production of "Annie Get Your Gun," and he went on to perform on stage in "Blue Denim" and "Happy Time," to name a few.

From Deadline:   The actor television actor, David Landers, has died at the age of 73, Friday, December 4, 2020.  Landers is best known for playing the role of "Squiggy" on the former ABC sitcom, "Laverne & Shirley" (1976-83).  He was also a noted voice actor who performed in multiple animated film and TV series.

COVID-19:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From TheGuardian:  More than 20 million Americans could have contracted COVID-19, experts say.

From RSN/WashPost:  The COVID-19 mutation that has taken over the world.

7/13 - From YahooSports:  Maybe a pandemic means that there will not be college football this fall.

7/13- From YahooNews:  The CDC adds four new symptoms (including nausea and purple or blue lesions on feet and toes) to the list of COVID-19 symptoms.

7/19 - From YahooFinance:  Harvard Public Health professor Dr. Howard Koh says the U.S. "needs to regroup" to find COVID-19.

7/22 - From YahooNews:  A public health employee predicted Florida's coronavirus catastrophe — then she was fired.

7/22 - From YahooLifestyle:  Florida mom loses son, 20, to coronavirus, and then days later, her daughter.

7/23 - From TheWrap:  The site has a list of movie and TV stars, entertainment and sports figures who have tested positive for COVID-19

From Bloomberg:  Will the COVID-19 pandemic turn Millennials into socialists?

7/27 - From CNN:   Chief of critical care at Baltimore's Mercy Medical Center, Dr. Joseph Costa, passes away due to Covid-19 complications... after treating the hospital's sickest COVID-19 patients.  He was 56 and leaves behind family, including a husband of 28 years.

7/31 - From Slate:  COVID-19 is airborne - for reals!

8/9 - From YahooAFP:  According to the real-time tally kept by John Hopkins University, the United States has hit 5 million cases of COVID-19.

8/16 - From Truthout: COVID Deaths Continue to Surge in Countries Led by Far Right Authoritarians

9/19 - From WashPost:  U.S. coronavirus death toll reaches 200,000

9/23 - From CNBC:  Mark Cuban, who owns the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and star of ABC's "Shark Tank," suggests that every household in American get a $1000 check every two weeks for the next two months.

11/7 - From YahooNews:  "It's a slaughter," doctors say of new coronavirus wave.

11/13 - YahooNews:  "We blew it": U.S. reaches 'explosive' COVID-19 spread as virus is nearly impossible to control, experts say.

11/29 From LATimes:  California sets record with most COVID-19 hospitalizations since pandemic began

12/6 - From YahooNBC:  President Donald has announced that his lawyer, former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giulani, has tested positive for COVID-19.

BLACK LIVES MATTER:

From RSN:   Judge's Blistering Opinion Says Courts Have Placed Police Beyond Accountability

From TheGuardian:  Yusef Salaam, one of the "Central Park Five," says in an interview, "Trump would have had me hanging from a tree in Central Park."

From NPR:  Prosecutors' plea deal required drug suspect to name Breonna Taylor a "co-defendant."

From ChicagoSunTimes:  Rev. Jesse Jackson: America has millions of people in poverty because Americans choose not to demand the policies that would lift them out of poverty.

From APNews:  No one will be held accountable for the killing of Louisville African-American resident, Breonna Taylor.

From Channel4:  Revealed: Trump campaign strategy to deter millions of Black Americans from voting in 2016

From GuardianUK:  California is going to consider paying reparations to the descendants of African slaves after adopting a landmark law to study and to develop proposals around the issue.

From TheRoot:   What to Do When Your Country Turns Into a Dumpster Fire

From Vox:  It's True: 1 in 1,000 Black Americans Have Died in the Covid-19 Pandemic

From CBS:  Breonna Taylor's boyfriend certain cops didn't identify themselves

From DonaldTrump:  Well, because it has been in the news a lot lately (via Ice Cube and Li'l Wayne), here is "The Platinum Plan."  It is impressive, but no Republican Congress would go along with even 10 percent of this plan which is basically a long list of promises to the Black Americans - individually and as a group.

From Truthout:   Yes, 55 Percent of White Women Voted for Trump. No, I’m Not Surprised.

Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, and Steven Soderbergh Announced as Producers of 2020 Oscars Ceremony

JESSE COLLINS, STACEY SHER AND STEVEN SODERBERGH TO PRODUCE THE 93RD OSCARS®

Emmy®-nominated producer Jesse Collins, Oscar®-nominated producer Stacey Sher and Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh will produce the 93rd Oscars®, Academy President David Rubin announced today.  It will be their first involvement with the Oscars, which airs live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on Sunday, April 25, 2021.

“The upcoming Oscars is the perfect occasion for innovation and for re-envisioning the possibilities for the awards show.  This is a dream team who will respond directly to these times,” said Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “The Academy is excited to work with them to deliver an event that reflects the worldwide love of movies and how they connect us and entertain us when we need them the most.”

“We're thrilled and terrified in equal measure. Because of the extraordinary situation we're all in, there’s an opportunity to focus on the movies and the people who make them in a new way, and we hope to create a show that really FEELS like the movies we all love,” said Collins, Sher and Soderbergh.

“Jesse, Stacey and Steven are the ideal storytellers to harness the uniqueness of this moment and celebrate the artists who are dedicated to telling stories that stand the test of time,” said Craig Erwich, president of Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment. “By enlisting this incredibly talented team of television and film producers, I’m confident we will deliver a prestigious event that will be remembered for years to come.”

Collins has produced numerous awards shows and events including the Grammy Awards®, BET Awards, UNCF An Evening of Stars®, Black Girls Rock! and Soul Train® Awards, and such television series and specials as “John Lewis: Celebrating a Hero,” “Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices,” “Change Together: From the March on Washington to Today,” “Sunday Best,” “American Soul,” “Rhythm + Flow” and “The New Edition Story.”  He earned an Emmy nomination for the 61st Grammy Awards in 2019.  Collins also has been tapped to co-executive produce the upcoming Grammy Awards and executive produce the Pepsi Super Bowl LV Halftime Show, both in early 2021.  He is the founder and CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment, a full-service television and film entertainment production company.

Sher earned Best Picture Oscar nominations for “Django Unchained” (2012) and “Erin Brockovich” (2000).  She has produced or executive produced more than two dozen major motion pictures, including such notable films as “Pulp Fiction,” “The Hateful Eight,” “Contagion,” “Garden State,” “Man on the Moon,” “Out of Sight,” “Gattaca,” “Get Shorty” and “Reality Bites.”  Her television credits include such series as “Mrs. America,” which earned 10 Emmy nominations, “Reno 911!,” “Into the Badlands” and “Sweet/Vicious.”  She also served as an executive producer on the Oscar-winning documentary short subject “Period. End of Sentence.” (2018).  Sher is currently a producer on the Aretha Franklin biographical film “Respect,” starring Jennifer Hudson, set for release in August of 2021.

Soderbergh won a Directing Oscar for “Traffic” in 2000 and earned a nomination for directing “Erin Brockovich” that same year.  He also earned a writing nomination for “sex, lies, and videotape” (1989), his feature film directorial debut.  A prolific writer, director, producer, cinematographer and editor, he has directed more than 30 films in a three-decade career, including “Magic Mike,” “Contagion,” the “Ocean’s” trilogy, “Out of Sight” and, most recently, “Let Them All Talk,” premiering this month.  He also has produced or executive produced a wide range of projects for both film and television, including “Bill & Ted Face the Music,” “The Report,” “Ocean’s Eight,” “Citizenfour,” “Michael Clayton,” “Good Night, and Good Luck.” and two seasons of his own series, “The Knick.”

The 93rd Oscars will be held on Sunday, April 25, 2021, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

# # #

ABOUT THE ACADEMY:
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a global community of more than 10,000 of the most accomplished artists, filmmakers and executives working in film. In addition to celebrating and recognizing excellence in filmmaking through the Oscars, the Academy supports a wide range of initiatives to promote the art and science of the movies, including public programming, educational outreach and the upcoming Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from October 1st to 10th, 2020 - Update #29

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

Support Leroy on Patreon:

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS: 

DISNEY - From Deadline:  Pixar's upcoming animated film, "Soul," will skip theaters and debut on the streaming service, "Disney+" on Christmas Day.

STAR TREK - From Variety:  Actress Kate Mulgrew will return as "Captain Kathryn Janeway" (of "Star Trek Voyager") for Nickelodeon's animated "Star Trek: Prodigy."

POLITICS - From YahooNews:  The federal government has broken up a plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer by seven members of the militia group, the "Wolverine Watchmen." 

POLITICS - From YahooFinance:  Most Americans support higher taxes if it's spent on these 2 things: Poll

MOVIES - From IndieWire:   Robert Downey, Jr. is working of his third "Sherlock Holmes" film, following the first two, in 2009 and 2011.  He hopes to use this third film to launch a Marvel-style cinematic universe with Sherlock-inspired films.

MOVIES - From People:   Whoopi Goldberg says there is work being done to bring about "Sister Act 3," which would be the second sequel to her hit 1992 film, "Sister Act."

STREAMING - From Deadline:   AMC Network's streaming service, UMC, will launch the limited series thriller, "Terror Lake Drive."  "Empire" star, Malik Yoba, leads the cast.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Constantin Film has set a reboot of its "Resident Evil" film franchise.  Writer-director Johannes Roberts has said that he has conceived an origin story with "faithful ties" to the original Capcom video games.  Netflix is also planning an eight-episode TV series based on the game.

CULTURE - From YahooLifestyle:  'They dictate their care': VIP (very important patient) syndrome may be behind Trump's discharge from Walter Reed, expert says

TELEVISION - From TCM:   TCM's (Turner Classic Movies) "Star of the Month" for October 2020 is the late, great lion of British cinema, Peter Cushing.  On Monday evenings in October, TCM will be screening two films starring Cushing.

MOVIES - From Variety:  Warner Bros. and Legendary Entertainment have delayed the release of director Denis Villeneuve's "Dune" from Dec. 18th, 2020 to October 1, 2021.

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline:   The winner of the 10/2 to 10/4/2020 weekend box office is "Tenet" with an estimated take of 2.7 million dollars.

From Deadline:  "Tenet" leads the international box office with a take of 11.5 million.

From Variety:  OPINION - "Why 'Tenet' was the Wrong Movie at the Wrong Time." (Column)

From Variety:  Cineworld is considering closing all its Regal Cinemas in the U.S., U.K., and Ireland.  This may be fallout from the announcement that the next James Bond movie, "No Time to Die," has been moved from a November 2020 release date to April 2021.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Clint Eastwood has found his next film.  He will star in and direct "Cry Macho" for Warner Bros.

TELEVISION - From Deadline:  Rob and Michele Reiner have revived the "Castle Rock" banner that Rob Reiner co-founded in 1987.  The Reiners have signed an overall multi-year directing and producing deal with Warner Bros. Television.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Warner Bros. has moved "Roald Dahl's The Witches" from a theatrical release (scheduled for release Oct. 16th) to a streaming release on HBO Max on Oct. 9th.

STREAMING - From EW:  Netflix releases first look at the late Chadwick Boseman ("Black Panther") in his final role in the film, "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

MOVIES - From Deadline:   Don Cheadle and Benecio del Toro headline director Steven Soderbergh's all-star HBO Max crime thriller, "No Sudden Move."

OBITS:

From CNN:  American reggae and pop music singer-songwriter, Johnny Nash, has died at the age of 80, Tuesday, October 6, 2020.  Nash was best known for his 1972 hit song that he wrote and produced, "I Can See Clearly Now," which hit "No.1" on the "Billboard Hot 100" charts.  He was one of the first non-Jamaican artists to record reggae music in Kingston, Jamaica.

From RollingStone:   Rock music and rock guitar legend, Eddie Van Halen, has died at the age of 65, Tuesday, October 6, 2020.  Van Halen was best known for co-founding the rock band, "Van Halen," which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.  Eddie was frequently considered among the very best or the best guitarist of all time.  Eddie had apparently been battling throat cancer for the past five years.

From Variety:   The actor, Thomas Jefferson Byrd, was killed Saturday, October 3, 2020 at the age of 70.  Byrd appeared in several Spike Lee films, beginning with "Clockers" (1995) and ending with "Chi-raq" (2015).  He received a Tony Award nomination for his role in the 2003 revival of "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom."

From StLouisPostDispatch:   Hall of Fame Major League Baseball pitcher, Bob Gibson, has died at the age of 84, Friday, October 2, 2020.  Gibson spent his entire 17 year career, 1959 to 1975, with the National League's St. Louis Cardinals.  Gibson won the top pitching honor, the Cy Young Award, 1968 and 1970, and he was the National League MVP in 1968.  He was the World Series MVP in 1964 and 1967, leading the Cardinals to the World Series Championship both years.  1968, the pinnacle of his career, saw him post a 1.12 ERA (earned run average).

From RollingStone:   Country music singer-songwriter and actor, Mac Davis, has died at the age of 78, Tuesday, September 29, 2020.  Davis' initial fame came as a songwriter for Elvis Presely, writing such hits as "A Little Less Conversation" (1968) and "In the Ghetto" (1969).  Davis' own solo hits included “Baby Don’t Get Hooked on Me” (1972), “Stop and Smell the Roses” (1974), and “One Hell of a Woman" (1974).  Davis parlayed his hit music into a career in films and television, including hosting a number of his own TV variety specials.

From Deadline:  Australian-American singer, actress, and activist, Helen Reddy, has died at the age of 78, Tuesday, September 29, 2020.  Called the "Queen of 70s Pop," Reddy was best known for her feminist anthem, "I Am Woman," in particularly the 1972 recording of the song which had originally been released in 1971.  In 1973, "I Am Woman" won Reddy a Grammy Award for "Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female."

CORONAVIRUS/COVID-19 NEWS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From TheGuardian:  More than 20 million Americans could have contracted COVID-19, experts say.

From RSN/WashPost:  The COVID-19 mutation that has taken over the world.

7/13 - From YahooSports:  Maybe a pandemic means that there will not be college football this fall.

7/13- From YahooNews:  The CDC adds four new symptoms (including nausea and purple or blue lesions on feet and toes) to the list of COVID-19 symptoms.

7/19 - From YahooFinance:  Harvard Public Health professor Dr. Howard Koh says the U.S. "needs to regroup" to find COVID-19.

7/22 - From YahooNews:  A public health employee predicted Florida's coronavirus catastrophe — then she was fired.

7/22 - From YahooLifestyle:  Florida mom loses son, 20, to coronavirus, and then days later, her daughter.

7/23 - From TheWrap:  The site has a list of movie and TV stars, entertainment and sports figures who have tested positive for COVID-19

From Bloomberg:  Will the COVID-19 pandemic turn Millennials into socialists?

7/27 - From CNN:   Chief of critical care at Baltimore's Mercy Medical Center, Dr. Joseph Costa, passes away due to Covid-19 complications... after treating the hospital's sickest COVID-19 patients.  He was 56 and leaves behind family, including a husband of 28 years.

7/30 - From Deadline:  Emmy-winning actor Bryan Cranston ("Breaking Bad") reveals that he had a bout with COVID-19.

7/31 - From YahooEntertainment:  Writer and actress, Lena Dunham, creator of HBO's "Girls, reveals that she contracted COVID-19 and the symptoms she experiences and still experience.

7/30 - From YahooGMA:  In their bid to crackdown on illegal gatherings amid COVID-19, New York authorities break up an alleged sex party.

7/31 - From Slate:  COVID-19 is airborne - for reals!

8/2 - From TheDailyBeast:  In Mississippi, COVID-19 has coroners terrified.

8/6 - From YahooNews:  Testing everyone constantly could stop the spread of COVID-19... according to this article.

8/8 - From YahooNYT:  The coronavirus is new, but your immune system might recognize it.

8/8 - From YahooNBC:  They thought COVID-19 was a hoax, and they almost died from it or are watching family and loved ones suffer with it or die from it.

8/9 - From YahooNews:  The rest of the world is incredulous at the pitiful U.S. response to COVID-19.

8/9 - From YahooAFP:  According to the real-time tally kept by John Hopkins University, the United States has hit 5 million cases of COVID-19.

8/16 - From Truthout: COVID Deaths Continue to Surge in Countries Led by Far Right Authoritarians

9/19 - From WashPost:  U.S. coronavirus death toll reaches 200,000

9/23 - From CNBC:  Mark Cuban, who owns the NBA's Dallas Mavericks and star of ABC's "Shark Tank," suggests that every household in American get a $1000 check every two weeks for the next two months.

9/28 - From Deadline:  John Hopkins University's coronavirus tracker reports that over 1 million people have died of COVID-19 worldwide.

10/2 - From YahooNews:  President Donald and the First Lady have tested positive for COVID-19.

BLACK LIVES MATTER:

From RSN:   Judge's Blistering Opinion Says Courts Have Placed Police Beyond Accountability

From TheGuardian:  Yusef Salaam, one of the "Central Park Five," says in an interview, "Trump would have had me hanging from a tree in Central Park."

From NPR:  Prosecutors' plea deal required drug suspect to name Breonna Taylor a "co-defendant."

From ChicagoSunTimes:  Rev. Jesse Jackson: America has millions of people in poverty because Americans choose not to demand the policies that would lift them out of poverty.

From APNews:  No one will be held accountable for the killing of Louisville African-American resident, Breonna Taylor.

From Channel4:  Revealed: Trump campaign strategy to deter millions of Black Americans from voting in 2016

From GuardianUK:  California is going to consider paying reparations to the descendants of African slaves after adopting a landmark law to study and to develop proposals around the issue.

From TheRoot:   What to Do When Your Country Turns Into a Dumpster Fire

From Vox:  It's True: 1 in 1,000 Black Americans Have Died in the Covid-19 Pandemic

"Ocean's 8" Surpasses $100 Million in Domestic Box Office

“Ocean’s 8” Hits $100 Million at the Domestic Box Office

BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Warner Bros. Pictures and Village Roadshow Pictures’ “Ocean’s 8” crossed $100 million at the domestic box office this past weekend. The film now stands as the 10th-highest-grossing film of the year domestically, it was announced today by Jeff Goldstein, President of Domestic Distribution, Warner Bros. Pictures.

    “Since its opening, ‘Ocean’s 8’ has been delighting moviegoers, resulting in strong word of mouth that is driving the box office. We congratulate the amazing ensemble cast and the filmmakers, as well as our partners at Village Roadshow, on this success.”

Goldstein stated, “Since its opening, ‘Ocean’s 8’ has been delighting moviegoers, resulting in strong word of mouth that is driving the box office. We congratulate the amazing ensemble cast and the filmmakers, as well as our partners at Village Roadshow, on this success.”

The latest installment of the successful “Ocean’s” franchise, “Ocean’s 8” stars Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Mindy Kaling, Sarah Paulson, Awkwafina, Rihanna, and Helena Bonham Carter.

Five years, eight months, 12 days...and counting. That’s how long Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock)—just released from prison—has been concocting the greatest heist of her storied career. She knows what it’s going to take—a team of the best in their field, starting with her former partner-in-crime Lou (Cate Blanchett). Together, they recruit a crew of specialists: jeweler Amita (Kaling); street con Constance (Awkwafina); expert fence Tammy (Paulson); hacker Nine Ball (Rihanna); and fashion designer Rose Weil (Bonham Carter). The target is $150 million in diamonds—diamonds that will adorn the neck of world-famous actress Daphne Kluger (Hathaway), who will be center stage at the event of the year, The Met Gala. Their plan appears rock solid, but it will need to be flawless if the team is to get in and get away—all in plain sight.

“Ocean’s 8” also stars Richard Armitage as Claude Becker, Kluger’s unwitting date at the Gala, and James Corden as John Frazier, an insurance investigator trying to put the pieces together.

Gary Ross (“Seabiscuit,” “The Hunger Games,” “Pleasantville”) directed “Ocean’s 8” from a screenplay he co-wrote with Olivia Milch, original story by Ross. Steven Soderbergh and Susan Ekins produced the film. Michael Tadross, Diana Alvarez, Jesse Ehrman and Bruce Berman served as executive producers, with Milch co-producing.

Ross’s behind-the-scenes team included director of photography Eigil Bryld, production designer Alex DiGerlando, Oscar-nominated editor Juliette Welfling (“The Diving Bell and the Butterfly”), costume designer Sarah Edwards, and composer Daniel Pemberton. “Ocean’s 8” is based on characters created by George Clayton Johnson & Jack Golden Russell.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Rahway Road production, “Ocean’s 8.” The film is being distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures. This film has been rated PG-13.

www.Oceans8movie.com

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