Sunday, October 6, 2024
Donate
Home Blog Page 842

Bad Boy Made Good: Will Smith Explains Why He’s Rich and Doesn’t Want an Oscar in Very Brief Video Clip

Roger Friedman
-
0
Bad Boy Made Good: Will Smith Explains Why He’s Rich and Doesn’t Want an Oscar in Very Brief Video Clip

Will Smith has made a string of turkeys along with several blockbusters. He has two Oscar nominations. The last one was in 2007 for “The Pursuit of Happyness.” He’s promoting the 3rd “Bad Boys” movie, which will make a lot of money and be forgotten. Why did he make it? In this clip, he explains that fans are always asking when is he going to make another Bad Boys movie? “No one asks for Pursuit of Happyness 2,” he says. And there you are. Will will likely receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy in 2032.

“Richard Jewell” Gives Clint Eastwood Lowest Box Office Since 2006’s “Letters from Iwo Jima” — 11 Movies Ago

Roger Friedman
-
0
“Richard Jewell” Gives Clint Eastwood Lowest Box Office Since 2006’s “Letters from Iwo Jima” — 11 Movies Ago

First of all, think of this: Clint Eastwood has made 11 movies since 2006’s “Letters from Iwo Jima,” which was in Japanese. And that was his second movie of 2006. The first was “Flags of Our Fathers.”

Now, “Richard Jewell” turns out to be his lowest grossing movie since “Iwo Jima” made $14 million– and was nominated for an Oscar. “RJ” is ending its theatrical run with about $21 million.

What a shame. It should have been nominated for an Oscar, and its actors as well. As it turns out, Kathy Bates has received an Oscar nomination. But Sam Rockwell, Paul Walter Hauser, and Olivia Wilde should have, too.

But when the Atlanta Journal Constitution attacked “Richard Jewell,” Warner Bros. just backed off and dumped the movie. There was no New York premiere, and not much chance for the movie’s champions to save it.

Last Friday, “Richard Jewell” was pulled from about 1500 theaters. It’s down to 376 this week and then it will disappear into streaming and DVD land. Eastwood is 89 years old. This could be his last film. He told me recently he had no plans for a new movie but was “reading scripts.”

What a run he’s had the last 28 years. His master-master piece was 1992’s “Unforgiven,” and that came 30 years into a remarkable career. Since then he’s had “Mystic River,” “Million Dollar Baby,” “Gran Torino,” “Sully,” the underrated “Perfect World” with Kevin Costner, “Trouble with the Curve,” “Space Cowboys” “J Edgar,” “The Mule,” and so many more. My guess is, Clint isn’t done. But maybe next time he’ll get more studio support.

Linda Ronstadt Says This Weekend May Have Been Her Last Trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles: “It’s too painful”

Roger Friedman
-
0
Linda Ronstadt Says This Weekend May Have Been Her Last Trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles: “It’s too painful”

Linda Ronstadt: may I tell you how wonderful she is? She came to Los Angeles from her home in San Francisco to accept an award on Saturday night. The award — from the AARP’s “Movies for Grown Ups”– was for the documentary made about her currently playing on CNN called “The Sound of My Voice.” She is battling Parkinson’s Disease.

Linda can only walk short distances. Otherwise she’s in a wheelchair. She stood to accept her award and make a speech with her good friend, Maria Muldaur, at her side. You remember Maria: she had many hits in the 70s also, including “Midnight at the Oasis.”

Linda is still charming and beautiful and smart. But she’s suffering. She told me before the show started: “This may be my last trip to L.A. for this sort of thing. It’s just too painful.” She means, actual pain. I sure hope she doesn’t stop traveling and seeing people. She is a gem. Her fans love her. She got a standing ovation when she arrived at the podium, not because she’s sick, but for her whole career.

In the ballroom at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel she wasn’t alone. Alan Alda is tackling the disease, too. But he rose to the occasion when it was time to present Noah Baumbach with an award for “Marriage Story.” You would never know he’s in pain, too. Like Michael J. Fox and others — including a friend of mine in Los Angeles — Alan and Linda are warriors. God bless ’em.

 

Vanity Fair Oscar Issue Goes for Outliers, Eschews Nominees, Top Stars for Eddie Murphy, JLo, Young People

Roger Friedman
-
0
Vanity Fair Oscar Issue Goes for Outliers, Eschews Nominees, Top Stars for Eddie Murphy, JLo, Young People

Vanity Fair’s 2020 Oscar issue goes for something different than usual: it’s the anti-Oscar issue.

Instead of nominees and big stars, they went mostly for outliers and young people. On the main cover there’s one nominee: Renee Zellweger, who seems photoshopped into a photo of non-nominees Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Lopez. VF maybe stands for Very Funny.

Inside there are just two or three more nominees including Laura Dern and Antonio Banderas. But the magazine made the obvious choice to skip Brad Pitt, Adam Driver, Scarlett Johansson, Joaquin Phoenix, Leo, even Cynthia Erivo, anyone from “The Irishman” and so on. And still, all those people will show up at Vanity Fair’s Oscar party on February 9th to get their pictures taken.

Instead there are a lot of newcomers and young people, as well as a completely unrecognizable picture of Jennifer Hudson (to honor the hit Oscar winning “Cats”) and Alfre Woodard getting no Clemency in African garb. (Maybe it’s a tribute to her late good friend Nelson Mandela.) My favorite of these, actually, is Beanie Feldstein, dancing for joy after a great year with “Booksmart.” There’s also a picture of Lily Rose Depp. I have no idea why. If you do, let me know.

The good news is that Mark Harris wrote the accompanying piece. He’s part of the new former Entertainment Weekly staff that have moved in of late to the Radhika Jones-edited publication. Anthony Breznican is also in the group. Things can only get better.

The VF website also features photos from the magazine’s pre-Golden Globes party sponsored by Amazon. Aside from Tony Shalhoub, there are no pictures of anyone from Amazon’s hit series, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” No Midge, no Susie, no Lenny Bruce.

 

 

No Time to Sing: Billie Eilish, 18, Gets James Bond Theme Song, She’s the Anti-Shirley Bassey, Adele

Roger Friedman
-
0
No Time to Sing: Billie Eilish, 18, Gets James Bond Theme Song, She’s the Anti-Shirley Bassey, Adele

This is no time to be belting out the James Bond theme song, apparently.

Eighteen year old Billie Eilish, an eyelash of a singer, has recorded the theme song to “No Time to Die,” the last Daniel Craig James Bond movie.

Eilish is no Shirley Bassey or Adele, let alone Paul McCartney. Her vocal stylings are a whisper of darkness and cold. This is the way Craig’s Bond will exit.

Her real name is Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O’Connell, and it’s her brother, Finneas, age 22, who writes the songs. She’s up for six Grammy awards later this month. She’s a vegetarian, and says she suffers from Tourette’s Syndrome.

Well, the Bond people want the young audience, so Eilish is the right choice. After all, Adele is 30– way out of their demo. Will Eilish fans flock to “No Time to Die”? They don’t seem likely to be excited about anything. But maybe they will launch off their divans, drop their sunglasses, and head into the Cinemarama. We’ll see.

For your eyes only:

Winter Is Here: Broadway Shows Face January Chill with Big Drops for Long Running Shows Like “Lion King,” “Mormon,” “Wicked”

Roger Friedman
-
0
Winter Is Here: Broadway Shows Face January Chill with Big Drops for Long Running Shows Like “Lion King,” “Mormon,” “Wicked”

Winter, as they say on Game of Thrones, is here.

On Broadway the January chill has set in after three weeks of big holiday box office.

Already, many long running show are facing steep drops. I’m surprised that “The Lion King” is showing real signs of wear and tear in that regard. Last week’s $1.6 million take is their third drop in a row. They’re running around $200,000 a week less than they did at this time last year.

“Wicked,” another mainstay, is down $2 million since the end of the year. “The Book of Mormon” has fallen over $500,000 in that time. So did “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which just had its lowest weekly gross since April 2019. Many other shows, even “Hamilton,” saw steep declines as the holiday ended and the tourists returned to their home planets.

Only two shows are really booming right now: David Byrne’s “American Utopia” and LinManuel Miranda’s “Freestyle Love Supreme.” They’re perfect ways to warm up on a cold January night.

 

Critics Choice Awards Exclusive: Norman Lear, 97, Has Two Actresses in Mind for “Maude” Reboot This Spring, Show Will Be Updated

Roger Friedman
-
0
Critics Choice Awards Exclusive: Norman Lear, 97, Has Two Actresses in Mind for “Maude” Reboot This Spring, Show Will Be Updated

Norman Lear, 97, literally bounced on stage to receive his Critics Choice award for the live broadcasts of “All in the Family” and “The Jeffersons” this past year. I am in awe of him, I think everyone in Hollywood is. Lear has definitely taken the right vitamins.

I asked him before the show started last night what plans he had for “Maude.” I told you a couple of weeks ago a “Maude” reboot would follow most recent “All in the Family”/”Good Times” live showing.

“I’ve got two actresses in mind,” Lear told me. “I can’t tell you who they are yet.” One would play Maude, the other her daughter, Carol. The originals were, of course, Bea Arthur and Adrienne Barbeau.

The big news is that “Maude” will not take place in the 1970s. It’s going to be updated for now. “There’s a whole concept, it’s very different,” Lear told me. It’s unclear whether another “All in the Family” episode will air, or if “Good Times,” which was spun off of “Maude,” will play in tandem.

The whole casting of “Maude” will no doubt be an event announcement. So far, Lear and co-producer Jimmy Kimmel have slotted in a lot of A list movie stars for the all actors in these revivals.

I did tell Lear my theory about Meryl Streep playing Maude– even though she’s 20 years older than Bea Arthur was in 1972. Lear laughed. “Listen,” he said, “Meryl Streep is so good she could play you!”

Robert De Niro Snubbed by Academy as “The Irishman” Scores 10 Nods: Was It His Politics That Turned Voters Off?

Roger Friedman
-
0
Robert De Niro Snubbed by Academy as “The Irishman” Scores 10 Nods: Was It His Politics That Turned Voters Off?

Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” scored 10 Oscar nominations today. But it should have been 11. Missing from their list was Robert De Niro as Frank Sheeran, the lead actor/character from the movie.

De Niro, who gives a beautiful, subtle performance and drives the movie from beginning to end, has been overlooked by almost every group this awards season. He’s considered our finest actor for his catalog of performances in movies like “Taxi Driver,” “Raging Bull,” “Goodfellas,” and more recently, “Silver Linings Playbook.” He has two Oscars.

So what’s going on? Could it be his outspoken condemnation of Donald Trump? Possibly. Even in liberal Hollywood it’s possible to over do it. De Niro has never wasted a second to denounce Trump in graphic terms. He’s called him every name in the book. He’s even suggested attacking him.

De Niro has suggested Trump be “hit by a bag of sh-t.” He’s said Trump and his kids should “disown” each other. “I wouldn’t want to be related to them,” he’s declared. He’s said that Trump needs to be humiliated. De Niro has gone in strong, never once letting up.

Often, instead of promoting “The Irishman” in interviews or at SAG screenings, the great actor has stuck with the Trump offensive. He’s gotten loud applause and cheers wherever he’s gone. But the lasting effect seems to be that Academy voters remember his politics more than the performance as Sheeran.

And some may not agree with him. I know I do, and plenty of Academy voters may be thrilled to hear one of their leaders voice their opinion. But some may disagree with De Niro or wish he’d kept the volume down. Particularly at SAG screenings, the people who go like to hear about acting. They already know about Trump.

If his politics prevented a nomination, for De Niro it may have been worth it. He’s had lots of awards. He cares passionately about our country, and felt he had to make his voice heard on the subject of Trump. It was his sacrifice to make. But I wish he were in that group of nominated lead actors.

 

Oscar Nominations: Double Nods for Scarlett Johansson in Acting, Cynthia Erivo for Acting, Songwriting in “Harriet”

Roger Friedman
-
0
Oscar Nominations: Double Nods for Scarlett Johansson in Acting, Cynthia Erivo for Acting, Songwriting in “Harriet”

Female director still can’t penetrate the Oscars. Greta Gerwig was denied for a second time this morning with her “Little Women.” And she wasn’t alone.

But women had an impact in a different way. Scarlett Johansson got two acting nominations. She was named for lead in “Marriage Story” and supporting in “Jojo Rabbit.” That’s quite an accomplishment.

The other double was Cynthia Erivo, the lone African American nominee for “Harriet” as lead actress. Erivo also received a Best Song nomination for “Harriet” for her song, “Stand Up.” Not a surprise that music was involved in Erivo’s world. She won the Tony Award for the musical “The Color Purple.” She’s currently filming an 8 part mini series playing Aretha Franklin.

Erivo has arrived!

 

UPDATING Oscar Nominations: Snubs Include JLo, Beyonce, Eddie Murphy, “1917” for Editing, No Women Directors, “The Farewell,” “Cats,” Just 1 African American Nominee

Roger Friedman
-
0
UPDATING Oscar Nominations: Snubs Include JLo, Beyonce, Eddie Murphy, “1917” for Editing, No Women Directors, “The Farewell,” “Cats,” Just 1 African American Nominee

The 2020 Oscar nominations are here. Snubs  include Jennifer Lopez for “Hustlers.” Eddie Murphy for “Dolemite” and everything for that movie. But I’m really shocked that “1917” didn’t get editing. This was the movie with the “one cut” and incredible editing by Lee Smith. What??? And no women editors, no nomination for Greta Gerwig. There was also nothing for “The Farewell”– no Awkwafina, or “Cats,” of course. Robert De Niro was not nommed for “The Irishman.” (See my next story.)

Other snubs: No Clint Eastwood, but Kathy Bates made it in from “Richard Jewell.” Nothing for “Just Mercy.” Almost nothing for African Americans except Cynthia Erivo as “Harriet.”

In documentaries, “Maiden” was ignored. This was really a shame.

Best Picture

Ford v Ferrari, Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, Joker, Little Women, Marriage Story, 1917, Once Upon a Time, Parasite

Actor in a Leading Role

Antonio Banderas, Leonardo Di Caprio, Adam Driver, Joaquin Phoenix, Jonathan Pryce

Actress in a Leading Role

Cynthia Erivo, Scarlett Johansson, Saoirse Ronan, Charlize Theron, Renee Zellweger

Animated Feature Film

Dragon, Lost My Body Klaus, Missing Link, Toy Story 4

Cinematography

Irishman, Joker Lighthouse, 1917, Once Upon a time

Directing

Irishman, Joker, 1917, Once Upon a Time, Parasite

Documentary Feature

American Factory. The Cave, Edge of Democracy, For Sama, Honeyland

Documentary Short Subject

Absence, Learning to Skateboard, Life Over Skates Me, St Louis Superman, Walk Run Chacha

International Feature Film

Corpus Christi, Honeyland, Les Miserables, Pain and Glory, Parasite

Makeup and Hairstyling

Bombshell Judy 1917 Maleficient

Visual Effects

Avengers, Irishman, Lion King, 1917, Star Wars

Adapted Screenplay

Irishman, Jojo, Joker, Little Women, Two Popes

Original Screenplay

Knives out, Marriage Story, 1917, Once Upon a time, Parasite

Original Song

Toy Story 4, Rocketman, Diane Warren, Into the Unknown, Stand Up

Production Design

Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, 117, Once Upon a Time, Parasite

 

Actor in a Supporting Role

Tom Hanks, Anthony Hopkins, Al Pacino, Joe Pesci, Brad Pitt

Actress in a Supporting Role

Kathy Bates, Laura Dern, Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, Margot Robbie

Costume Design

Irishman, Jojo Rabbit, Joker, Little Women, Once Upon a Time

Film Editing

Ford v Ferrari, Irishman, Jojo Rabbit. Joker, Pparasite

Original Score

Joker, Little Women, Marriage Story, 1917, Star Wars

Animated Short Film

Dcera (Daughter) Hair Love Kitbull Memorable Sister

 

Live Action Short Film

 

Sound Editing

Ford, Joker, 1917. Once Upon a Time, Star Wars

Sound Mixing

Ad Astra,  Ford , Joker, 1917, Once Upon a Time

1...841842843...2,130Page 842 of 2,130

Hollywood to the Hudson

Company

Trending

Categories

© Showbiz411.com