by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:
ACADEMY AWARD - From Deadline: The story of Orson Welles' "Best Screenplay" Oscar(s) of "Citizen Kane" and the attempts to auction them.
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 7/28 to 7/30/2023 weekend box office is Warner Bros.'s "Barbie" with an estimated take of 93 million dollars.
STAR TREK - From ScreenRant: On directing the "Star Trek: Discovery" finale, "Star Trek" legend, Jonathan Frakes, said, "We didn't know it was the end."
From Variety: Jonathan Frakes, a "Star Trek" legend, talks about directing the season/series finale of "Star Trek: Discovery" and about the "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds-Star Trek: Lower Decks" crossover.
SCANDAL - From Deadline: NBC's long-running daytime soap opera, "Days of Our Lives," which now streams on NBCUniversal's "Peacock" platform, is on an unplanned hiatus due to a scandal. Thirty to forty people, most women, have accused longtime co-executive producer/director Albert Alarr of inappropriate comments and conduct. The series will remain on hiatus at least until August 7th.
TELEVISION - From Deadline: A federal judge dismissed Donald Trump's $475 million defamation suit against CNN. The Dumpster had argued that CNN's use of the term, "the Big Lie," to describe his lies that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him were defamatory.
MOVIES - From Deadline: Actor Seann William Scott has revealed that he made $8000 for his role in the surprise hit teen sex comedy, "American Pie" (1999).
ANIMATION - From TheFilmStage: Japanese director of animated films, Hayao Miyazaki, has seen the release of his latest (and last film), "How Do You Live?" It is scheduled to be released later this year under the title, "The Boy and Heron." "The Film Stage" has a two clips of the film's theme song, "Spinning Globe," written and performed by Japanese musician, Kenshi Yonezu.
SCANDAL - From Deadline: Kevin Spacey has been acquitted of all nine sex crime charges he was facing at Southwar Crown Court in London. The charges were the results of accusation from four men who alleged abuse occurring in a period beginning in 2001 and ending in 2013.
CELEBRITY - From Deadline: Carlos Macci is the 72-year-old man who sold the late actor, Michael K. Williams, a fatal dose of fentanyl. A Manhattan judge sentenced Macci to 2.5 years in prison and three years of supervised release, with the first year spent as an inpatient at drug treatment facility. Williams ("The Wire," "Boardwalk Empire") was found dead in his Brooklyn home in 2021.
ANIMATION - From Deadline: Warner Bros. Discovery has announced the first "localized" version of iconic MGM cartoon, "Tom and Jerry." The famous cat and mouse duo take their cartoon rivalry and adventures to Singapore in a series produced locally in Asia and will premiere on Cartoon Network in Asia Pacific and HBO Go in Southeast Asia.
FILM FESTIVALS - From Deadline: The 48th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has announces the first 60 films that will screen at the festival. The total number is expected to exceed 200. The festival will run from Thurs., Sept. 7th to Sun., Sept. 17th, 2023.
From Deadline: The 80th edition of the Venice Film Festival has announced its full lineup of films being screened, including those being shown "in competition" and those "Out of Competition." The festival runs from August 30th, to September 9th, 2023. Oscar-winning director Damien Chazelle is jury president.
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 7/21 to 7/23/2023 weekend box office is Warner Bros.'s "Barbie" with an estimated take of 155 million dollars.
From Deadline: "Barbie" and "Oppenheimer" (collectively known as "Barbenheimer") had a combined domestic opening weekend box office of 235.5 million dollars and a combined global debut of 511 million dollars. They set numerous records, including that this is the first time one film had a debut of 100M+ and another 50M+ in the same weekend.
From Variety: "Barbie" director Greta Gerwig makes history as "Barbie" has the biggest opening weekend ever ($155 million) for a female director.
From Deadline: Greta Gerwig resisted orders to remove a scene in the new movie, "Barbie," that features Margot Robbie, who plays Barbie, sitting on a bench next to an older woman.
MOVIES/TRAILERS - From CBR: Actor-writer-director, Kenneth Branagh, returns as Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot for a third time in "A Haunting in Venice." The film, which is due in theaters Sept. 15th, has its first official trailer.
MOVIES - From Deadline: James Cameron, the director of the "Avatar" films said he warned us about AI (artificial intelligence) back in 1984 with his film, "The Terminator." "I warned you guys in 1984, and you didn’t listen," Cameron told Canada's CTV News.
OBITS:
From Deadline: Actor, comedian, writer, and children's entertainer, Paul Reubens, has died at the age of 70, Sunday, July 30, 2023. Reubens is best known for his character, "Pee-wee Herman." As Herman, Reubens starred in two films, director Tim Burton's breakthrough film, "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" (1985), and the 1988 sequel, "Big Top Pee-wee." Reubens also starred as Pee-wee in the former CBS children's comedy television series, "Pee-wee's Playhouse" (1986-90). The series won 15 of the almost 60 Daytime Emmy Award nominations it received over its run, including two wins for Reuben himself. He was also nominated for 3 Primetime Emmy Awards. As an actor, Reubens also appeared in such films as "Batman Returns" (1992), "Mystery Men" (1999), and "Blow" (2001).
From Variety: Musician and singer-songwriter, Randy Meisner, has died at the age of 77, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. Meisner was best known as one of the four co-founding members of the seminal rock band, "The Eagles." Meisner was primarily the band's bassist and back-up high-harmony vocalist, but he sang lead on the band's 1975 hit single, "Take it to the Limit," which he also co-wrote with bandmates, Don Henley and Glenn Frey. Meisner quit the Eagles in 1977. With them, he won three Grammy Awards and received five more Grammy nominations.
From THR: Film and television writer, Bo Goldman, has died at the age of 90, Tuesday, July 25, 2023. He won a "Best Adapted Screenplay" Oscar for the film, "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest" (1975) and a "Best Original Screenplay" Oscar for the film, "Melvin and Howard" (1980). He also received a "Best Adapted Screenplay" Oscar nomination for the film, "Scent of a Woman" (1992).
From Deadline: Irish singer, musician, and recording artist, Sinead O'Connor, has died at the age of 56, found Wednesday, July 26, 2023, cause of death currently unknown. She was a seven-time Grammy Award nominee, winning once. She recorded 10 studio albums with the first two, "The Lion and the Cobra" (1987) and "I Do Now Want What I Haven't Got" (1990)," being the most successful. The latter contained her "Billboard Hot 100" number one hit, "Nothing Compares 2 U," a remake of a song written by Prince.
From Deadline: Walt Disney animator, Randy Fullmer, has died at the age of 73, Monday, July 10, 2023. Fullmer's specialty as Disney was visual effects animation, which he performed on such films as "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988), "The Little Mermaid" (1989), and "Beauty and the Beast" (1991), to name a few. Fullmer also produced "The Emperor's New Groove" (2000) and "Chicken Little" (2005).
WRITERS/ACTORS STRIKE:
From Deadline: If you are interested, here is a list of the film and TV productions SAG-AFTRA has granted waivers to continue filming.
From Variety: International superstar, Dwayne Johnson, makes a seven-figure contribution to the "SAG-AFTRA Foundation Relief Fund." Foundation president, actor Courtney B. Vance, says the amount will remain confidential.
From Variety: Why haven't A-list stars joined the SAG-AFTRA picket line?, asks "Variety."
From Deadline: Author George R.R. Martin, whose works were the basis for HBO's "Game of Thrones," says the strikes will be long and bitter.
From THR: Production works at Warner Bros. Animation (66) and at Cartoon Network (22) have gone public with their attempt to unionize via The Animation Guild.
From Variety: Halted film productions due to the writers and actors strikes are costing each Hollywood studio at least 600,000 dollars per week.
From Variety: Said at a strike meeting: “Without a transformative change in SAG-AFTRA’s current contract with the AMPTP, the acting profession will no longer be an option for future generations of performers, and actors already working in the industry will need to pursue other careers in order to survive.”
From Deadline: If you are a "social media influencer" who is NOT a member of SAG-AFTRA, you can be barred from future membership for promoting a film or television series during the actors' strike.
From Variety: The SAG/AFTRA strike begins in New York and Los Angeles. Hollywood actors began striking today, Fri., July 14th.
From Deadline: The site has the video of the powerful strike speech given by SAG-AFTRA president, Fran Drescher, the actress best known for CBS' former sitcom, "The Nanny."
From Deadline: Concerning the Hollywood writers strike (via the WGA), the Hollywood Studios (as represented by the AMPTP) is to let the writers go broke before resuming talks deep into the Fall.
From Deadline: SAG-AFTRA is already preparing strike picket signs in case the actors' strike begins next week.
From Deadline: WGA is picketing the New York City filming location of the 12th series of FX's "American Horror Story" (entitled "Delicate") after series co-creator Ryan Murphy threaten litigation against an east coast strike captain.
From THR: TV super-producer, Ryan Murphy, in a letter from his attorney to the leadership of the Writers Guild of America, threatened litigation against Warren Leight, an East Coast strike captain and Strike Rules Compliance Committee member who has subsequently forfeited those positions.
From Deadline: The Hollywood studios via the AMPTP has given Canadian actors a new contract, including a 5 percent raise.
From Deadline: Writers Strike puts the spotlight back on the challenge from writers for animation productions to be covered by the WGA.
From THR: Studios won't give writers better pay, and now, are laying off janitors.
From Deadline: The Directors Guild of America (DGA) has reached a tentative new three-year deal with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP). So what does the Writers Guild (WGA), currently on strike and negotiating with the AMPTP, think of that deal.
From Deadline: Netflix shareholders declined to support the 2023 pay packages of top executives during a non-binding vote at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday. The vote won't prevent these execs from getting their loot (an total of $166 million), but this is a rare public rebuke. The Writers Guild of America (WGA) has urged shareholders to vote "No" because the pay was "inappropriate" at this time.
From Deadline: Warner Bros Discovery chief David Zaslav gave the commencement address at Boston University. There he was met with jeers and also chants of "pay your writers" from picketers and from some in the audience.
From Deadline: President Joe Biden speaks on the Writers Guild of America strike.
From Deadline: Retaliation! The studios have starting informing writer-producers who have "overall" and "first-look" deals that such deals are being suspended.
From Deadline: Retaliation! Prolific HBO creator, David Simon, who is best known for "The Wire," is one of the many writers who have had their overall deals suspended the studios due to the WGA strike. Simon has been with HBO for 25 years.
From Deadline: The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is on strike.
From Deadline: Disney, HBO/HBO Max, and CBS have sent letters to showrunners (the TV equivalent of film directors) instructing them to return to work, inspite of the writer's strike.
From Deadline: The WGA's chief negotiator, Ellen Stutzman, talks about the state of the writers' strike, including the lack of engagement on the part of the strike's other party, AMPTP.
From Deadline: What went wrong between the WGA and AMPTP? What could they not agree on that led to a strike?
From Deadline: The site explains the WGA strike: the issues, the stakes, movies and TV shows affected, and how long it might last.
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