by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:
ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:
MOVIES - From BBC: Authorities in Iran have released prominent actress, Taraneh Alidoosti, who had been held in prison since mid-December for expressing solidarity with anti-government protestors.
MOVIES - From Deadline: Actor Paul Mescal is in negotiations to play the lead in director Ridley Scott's sequel to his 2000 "Best Picture" Oscar winner, "Gladiator."
STREAMING - From Deadline: Oscar and Tony-nominated actress, Ruth Negga, will join Jake Gyllenhaal in Apple TV+'s "Presumed Innocent." A miniseries, it is based on Scott Turow's 1987 novel, "Presumed Innocent," which first adapted as a 1990 film starring Harrison Ford and Bonnie Bedelia.
SCANDAL - From Variety: Lifetime's docu-series "Surviving R. Kelly" has new details on a nondisclosure agreement concerning the controversial and illegal marriage between Grammy-winning singer-songwriter convict, R. Kelly, and the late singer-actress, Aaliyah.
TELEVISION - From Deadline: Paramount Network has announced that "Yellowstone" is returning for a Season Five ... at some point.
DISNEY - From Deadline: Thanks to the power of "Avatar: The Way of Water," The Walt Disney Company rule the domestic box office for 2022 with 2 billion dollars and the international box office for 2022 with 2.9 billion dollars for a worldwide total of 4.9 billion dollars.
MARVEL STUDIOS - From ABCNews: Oscar-nominated actor, Jeremy Renner, is in "critical but stable condition" after a snow plowing accident in Reno, Nevada. Renner is best known for playing Clint Barton/Hawkeye in several movies and a streaming series for Marvel Studios.
BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro: The winner of the 12/30/22 to 1/1/2023 weekend box office is "Avatar: The Way of Water" with an estimated take of 63.4 million dollars.
From Here: Leroy Douresseaux's review of "Avatar: The Way of Water."
MOVIES - From Deadline: James Cameron says that he "mourns" all the projects that he cannot work on because of his commitment to the "Avatar" series.
OBITS:
From Deadline: The rapper, Gangsta Boo, has died at the age of 43, Sunday, January 1, 2023. Born Lola Chantrelle Mitchell, Boo was the second female member of the hip hop group, "Three 6 Mafia," and appeared on six of their LPs before leaving the group in 2002. She also released three solo albums and at least 10 mixtapes from 2006 to 2018.
From Deadline: Singer-songwriter and vocalist, Anita Pointer, has died at the age of 74, Saturday, December 31, 2022, after a battle with cancer. Anita was a founding member of the vocal group, "The Pointer Sisters," along with her sisters, Bonnie and June. As a member of the group, Anita was nominated for 11 Grammy Awards and won three. In 1987, Anita released a solo album, "Love for What it Is."
AWARDS:
From Deadline: The nominations for the 2023 / 23rd Annual Black Reel Awards have been announced. "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" and "The Woman King" have tied for the lead in nominations with 14 apiece. The winners will be announced February 6, 2023.
From Deadline: The Black Film Critics Circle named "The Woman King" the "Best Film" of 2022.
From Deadline: The winners of the 2022 Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) Awards have been announced. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" and "Tar" tie for "Best Picture" award.
From Deadline: The nominations for the 2023 / 80th annual Golden Globes Awards were announced today (Mon., Dec. 12th). "The Banshees of Inisherin" led the film field with eight nominations. ABC's "Abbot Elementary" lead the TV side with five nominations. The winners will be announced January 10, 2023.
From Deadline: The American Film Institute (AFI) has named its "AFI Awards Film" list of "Top 10 Films of 2022." The list includes "Avatar: The Way of Water," "Top Gun: Maverick," and "The Woman King."
From THR: The African-American Film Critics Association name "The Woman King" the "Best Film of 2022."
From Deadline: The nominations for the "2023 Critics Choice Awards" in the television categories have been announced. ABC's sitcom, "Abbot Elementary" leads the nominations. The winners will be announced Sunday, January 15, 2023 and broadcast on The CW.
From Variety: The 2022 / 88th Annual New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) Awards have been announced. Todd Field's "Tar" wins "Best Film" and "Best Actress" (Cate Blanchett). Keke Palmer wins "Best Supporting Actress" for her performance in "Nope."
From Deadline: "Everything Everywhere All at Once" wins the "Best Feature" award at the 2022 / 32nd Annual Gotham Awards, one of two wins for the film.
From IndieWire: The nominations for the 2023 Film Independent Spirit Awards have been announced. "Everything Everywhere All at Once" leads with eight nominations. The winners will be announced March 4th, 2023.
From Variety: The nominations for the 2022 / 32nd Annual Gotham Awards were announced a month ago. Todd Field's "Tar" leads with five nominations. The winners will be announced Monday, November 28th.
---------------
BRITTNEY GRINER:
From CBSNews: WNBA star Brittney Griner has been released from her Russian imprisonment in a one-for-one prisoner swap for notorious international arms dealer, Viktor Bout.
From NBCNews: Brittney Griner will enter a system of isolation, grueling labor and psychological torment when she is transferred to a penal colony, the successor to the infamous Russian gulag, to fulfill a nine-year sentence handed down Tuesday in Moscow, former prisoners and advocates said.
From NBCNews: A Russian court has rejected Brittney Griner's appeal of her nine-year prison sentence on (fake) drug charges.
From Reuters: Russia says that it is ready to talk prisoner swamp for Brittney Griner and U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan, but also scolds the U.S. Embassy.
From TheDailyBeast: Legendary NBA bad boy and champion (Detroit Pistons, Chicago Bulls), Dennis Rodman claims that he has been given permission to go to Russia and help free imprisoned hostage, WNBA star, Brittney Griner.
From Vox: Vox's Jonathan Guyer talks the Brittney Griner case with Danielle Gilbert, a Dartmouth professor who is writing a book about states and rogue actors that take hostages.
From ESPN: A Russian court sentenced WNBA star Brittney Griner to nine years in prison Thursday, Aug. 4th. Griner was arrested Feb. 17 for bringing cannabis into the country and pleaded guilty July 7, though the case continued under Russian law.
From ESPN: The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing home WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.
From RSN: "Will Support From LeBron James, Joe Rogan, Kim Kardashian, and Other Celebrities Help Free Brittney Griner From a Russian Prison?" by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar via Substack
From ESPN: Detained WNBA star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty on Thursday to bringing hashish oil into Russia, telling a judge that she had done so "inadvertently" while asking the court for mercy.
From CBSSports: The Brittney Griner situation explained.
From RSN: According to The Washington Post Editorial Board: "Brittney Griner is a hostage, plain and simple."
