Thursday, October 10, 2024
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Ellen De Generes Looks for Comeback, Vindication in Possible “Final” Special for Netflix After Talk Show Cancellation

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Ellen De Generes is going to attempt a comeback. And maybe get some vindication.

Ellen has announced what may be her “final” comedy special for Netflix. It’s an attempt to set the record straight after her talk show was cancelled because of a “toxic” backstage atmosphere.

“Yes this is my last special,” she says, although if it’s a hit, you know there will be more.

The comedian was on top of the world until it came crashing down around her when employees, ex-staff and even guests broke their silence about the show being out of control. In a short time, the show was cancelled and Degeneres was out of TV completely.

The new special is produced by Ben Winston, of James Corden and Grammy fame, and will come out this year after Ellen’s tour ends. The tour begins June 19 in San Diego.

Can De Generes resurrect her career and reputation? She says in a press release “I’m finally going to talk about it.” Will that be funny? Or newsmaking? Or an explanation for how her show wound up being out of control?

To be honest, this all sounds like the plot of “Hacks,” as fictitious comedian Deborah Vance uses her failures to make lemonade out of lemons.

End of an Era: Melinda Gates Resigns from Gates Foundation, Will Start Her Own Concern with $12.5 Billion

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Melinda Gates has resigned from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which will now just be called The Gates Foundation.

Melinda Gates will start her own foundation with a $12.5 billion payout from her ex-husband.

This is huge news in the world of philanthropy but not unexpected since the Gates’s divorce. It’s the end of an era.

“Downton Abbey 3” Starts Production, First in Series without Maggie Smith: Final Chapter?

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“Downton Abbey 3” has begun production in England.

This is the first “DA” without Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess. Her absence may be noticeable, but Imelda Staunton has slowly moved in to succeed her in scenes with Penelope Wilton.

“DA 3” may bring the end to a series and two movies that began a hundred years ago.

The great Simon Curtis is returning to direct, as he did chapter 2. He’s already a member of the “Downton” family, married to Elizabeth McGovern (Lady Cora Grantham, aka Crawley).

For this round, Oscar nominee Paul Giamatti will return as Cora’s brother from the States. If you remember, it’s their family that has the money. (Their mother was played by Shirley MacLaine.)

Everyone from the cast is returning, plus they’ve added Joely Richardson, Alessandro Nivola, Simon Russell Beale, and Arty Froushan.

But there’s no mention of Matthew Goode as Mary’s race car driver husband. Something is wrong with Goode’s relationship to this company. He appears for a few minutes or less in each film.

It’s still 1925 in “Downton Abbey” unless creator Julian Fellowes moves it ahead a bit. The cut off should be 1929, when the world economy crashes, and the Downton gang would be in peril financially. No one wants to see that.

Steve Buscemi Gets Punched in Face by Crazy Guy on Street But Recovering Well in NY Fashion

Thank goodness Steve Buscemi is ok.

The beloved star of “Fargo,” Boardwalk Empire,” “The Sopranos,” and dozens of other hit movies and TV shows was randomly punched by some nut job on the street last week.

All the reports say that despite being taken to Bellevue Hospital (he was in the area) with injuries, Buscemi is making a full recovery.

Did his attacker recognize Buscemi and not like his films? Impossible. Everyone loves Steve who, in addition to be a fine actor, has been a huge supporter of the FDNY.

It could have been worse: in “Fargo,” his character wound up memorably in a wood chipper.

Coincidentally, another fine actor from “Boardwalk Empire” — Michael Stuhlberg — was hit with a rock recently on a run in Central Park. Stuhlbarg nevertheless went on to open on Broadway to rave reviews in “Patriots.” His attacker was caught, and Stuhlbarg has a much deserved Tony nomination.

“Buscemi was assaulted in Mid-Town Manhattan, another victim of a random act of violence in the city,” his publicist said in a statement.

“He is ok and appreciates everyone’s well wishes, though incredibly sad for everyone that this has happened to while also walking the streets of NY,” the statement said.

People ask me, Is this a common thing in New York? No, it is not. But there are a lot of mentally ill people wandering around, and you have to steer clear of them.

Luckily, Mayor Eric Adams is on a jaunt to Rome this week, so he won’t have to deal with this.

Speedy recovery to Steve!

Stevie Wonder Celebrates 74th Birthday with Jubilant Trip to Ghana (See Video)

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Today is Steveland Morris’s 74th birthday. Congratulations!

The musical genius and humanitarian we know as Stevie Wonder celebrated by taking a jubilant trip to Ghana. He was greeted as a hero. See the video below.

Stevie should get the Presidential Medal of Freedom every year. His musical canon is stunning — from his early Motown days as a prodigy to his incredible run of Grammy winning hit albums in the 70s and 80s, all full of classics that will outlive all of us!

Stevie is also an incredibly devoted activist and humanitarian. He was instrumental in the creation of the Martin Luther King Jr holiday. His song, “Happy Birthday,” written for the holiday, remains not only a groundbreaker but a national anthem of sorts.

Happy Birthday, Stevie!

From 2021:

MTV Cancels Movie and TV Awards for 2024, Skips “Barbenheimer” Movies After 2023 Ratings Debacle

MTV will not have a 2024 Movie and TV Awards this year.

You may recall that last year’s show was a debacle, what with the two Hollywood strikes and Drew Barrymore pulling out as host, under pressure at the last minute.

The show did air, in pre recorded clips, and was a disaster.

By skipping 2024, MTV is jumping past “Oppenheimer,” “Barbie,” “Killers of the Flower Moon,” and so on. Frankly, it’s a smart idea. We’ve put those films to rest. It’s time to move on. But I am surprised: did no one want come and be part of the show?

MTV says the awards will be back in 2025. They should really move them up to winter or spring so they can be current. There may be some reluctance to mount an awards show right now in the current political climate, but does anyone who watches MTV know much about it? I doubt it.

Maybe al awards shows should skip a year on a staggered basis. We’d all be better for it.

New “Planet of the Apes” Doesn’t Monkey Around with $56.5 Mil Weekend

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You want people to see movies with humans? Don’t be ridiculous. But apes and gorillas? Yes, indeed!

The number 1 movie of the weekend is “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.” Ridiculous, right? But $56.5 million later, who’s laughing? It’s got a big cast of non-names except for William H. Macy who — hopefully — is not wearing a costume.

Movie fans know what they want because the other big movie on the top 10 is still “Godzilla vs Kong 2” which is also basically about primates. (At least Kong is one. I don’t know how Godzilla identifies. Check the pronouns.) “G v K” is almost at two hundred million dollars! The stars are now talking about who goes into lead or supporting.

The people don’t want to see movies with people. Come on, don’t be ridiculous. “The Fall Guy” and “Challengers” are each struggling, despite star power, good marketing, decent reviews, and so on.

“The Fall Guy” has Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt acting with a lot of laughs and romance and explosions. For some reason, this is a turn off to the monkey crowd. And “Challengers” has Zendaya and two hot guys and lots of sex, and tennis! Again, apparently, chimps rule.

It’s going to be a long, hot summer!

Still the best:

Will “Baby Reindeer” Upend Emmy Awards? Chilling Psychosexual Drama of Addiction and Obsession Is No. 1 Rated Netflix Show

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Everyone is talking about “Baby Reindeer.”

In the UK, the whole thing has gone off the rails. Piers Morgan is involved. Lawsuits are being threatened.

The number 1 show Netflix by far is threatening to upend the Emmy Awards in the miniseries category.

“Baby Reindeer” is a dark twisted binge watch of obsession and addiction that is inconsistent in its story telling but still packs a powerful punch. Have a stiff drink at the ready when viewing.

Actors actually play the parts in the based-on-a-true story told by Scottish comedian Richard Gadd. One night in real life when Gadd was working as a bartender, a small, jolly woman came in for a cup of tea. He gave it to her for free. She immediately started stalking him.

Gadd himself had issues. He was dating a transsexual woman. He was a failed comedian with a drug and drink problem, and he harbored a deep secret that he’d been raped by a famous British TV director and personality.

The result of this meeting is a seven part series — immaculately directed and filmed — in which Gadd — playing himself — recounts the whole saga of knowing “Martha,” as she is called in the series. He’s named “Donny” but he’s playing a version of himself in which he vacillates between being a hero and his own worst enemy.

As the series quickly reveals, things get brutal between these two people. She wants him and he’s repulsed but also fascinated. He can’t pull away even though he reports her to the police and discovers she has a past of similar behavior. Then the middle three episodes become extremely dark to the point where you can only imagine this will only end in violence. (There’s plenty anyway.)

In the UK, fans immediately found the real life woman who they surmised was Martha. She wound up on Piers Morgan’s YouTube show this week. Fans also targeted Sean Foley, a British director, as Donny/Gadd’s rapist. Foley has registered his outrage on social media, and Gadd has sort of defended him.

All of this is very “Crying Game” with Lou Reed singing “Walk on the Wild Side,” a journey to the center of the Earth. Gadd already had a following in the UK after creating a performance piece for this at the cutting edge Edinburgh Festival before turning it into a series. He’s unsparing about himself, which is chilling when you get to the final episode. This is one time when you may not want to meet the star of the show. But you might want to take a shower, or a walk around the block.

And the Emmys? When Gadd gives the monologue about being raped, you can’t take your eyes off of him. It’s stunning. “Martha,” played with desperation and sensitivity by Jessica Gunning, is memorable. There’s a breakout performance from Nava Mau as Teri, Gadd’s trans girlfriend. “Baby Reindeer” itself is addicting and obsessed over. Let’s just hope they never attempt a second season.

Saturday Night Live Celebrates Mother’s Day With Cast Moms Looking Very, Very Young (Video)

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“SNL” opened the show last night with its annual salute to Mother’s Day.

It was very sweet, but it also meant there was no reference to Stormy Daniels or the Trump trial — which was pointed out by Kenan Thompson’s mother.

Watch this clip. The mothers look a lot younger than they used to. Time has marched on!

Broadway: Rachel McAdams Makes Her Debut in Amy Herzog’s Moving “Mary Jane”

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Amy Herzog’s tender play, “Mary Jane,” about a mother raising an ill child, demands that we slow down, take in the drama of the day-to-day.

Oscar nominee Rachel McAdams, a movie star — plays the titled role as an with Everywoman. The plays opens with Mary Jane in the kitchen of her Queens apartment with the super, Ruthie (Brenda Wehle) clearing a stubborn pipe. The dialogue is the stuff of existence starting with talk of the body and how trauma is stored in our cells.

These banalities that are familiar, and then life affirming, segueing to jobs and how things are kept in line. Mary Jane, for example, has removed the child protective bars from her windows as baby Alex — who is on a breathing tube — will not be wandering anywhere near a dangerous opening. Alex is known only by the beeps of his life support. So, this no-no is logical. Ruthie, bending the rules, has to pretend not to notice.

As Mary Jane moves toward the bedroom to check on her son (sometimes a little easy-going skip to the door is reminiscent of McAdams’ character in Wedding Crashers) the swagger of her “Mean Girls” Regina George is far away.

Apace with this play, as Mary Jane in a Broadway debut, McAdams breathes through the difficulties of caring for an ill child, politely thanking everyone for their help. Except for Kat (Lily Santiago), the music therapist who comes to the hospital when Alex lands in emergency pediatric care. Too little too late, she begins to sing “The lion sleeps tonight,” and Mary Jane loses it till the song becomes “Bluebird, bluebird, through my window.” Triggers are kept at bay.

Once you are used to the rhythms, a final transcendence has meaning. In this all-woman production directed by Anne Kauffman, all actors except for McAdams who is onstage for all of its 90 minutes, do double duty. Becoming a Buddhist priest, Tenkei (Brenda Wehle again) now ministers to Mary Jane, who answers “?” to the hospital’s question about faith. She has slipped on hospital all-whites as a spotlight illuminates her.

Theater-goers remain rapt, hushed, until a final “Ah;” the play shows us how to participate in the ministry of presence and the compassion of storytelling.

All of this is personal: Herzog and Broadway director Sam Gold (who’ve collaborated on the current production of “An Enemy of the People” just up the street) lost their eldest daughter — born in 2012 with a rare muscular disorder, nemaline myopathy — last July at the age of 11. Knowing this makes “Mary Jane” even more profound.