As the Dodgers’ first year with Shohei Ohtani brings a new wave of fans to Vin Scully Avenue, tour guides at the nearly 62-year-old stadium have voted to unionize.
During a National Labor Relations Board election on Tuesday afternoon, 18 tour guides voted “yes” to unionize and 12 voted against. As a result, pending Nlrb certification of the election results, a group of nearly 40 tour guides, tour leads and one plant data collector (a.k.a. the guide of the stadium’s “garden tour”) will join IATSE B-192, a growing Local that represents fellow tour guides at Universal Studios Hollywood and ushers at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. Since the Dodger Stadium group went public with their unionization drive, more tour guides have been hired and will ultimately be included in the union, according IATSE B-192.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to the Dodgers for comment.
Responsible for leading the wide array...
During a National Labor Relations Board election on Tuesday afternoon, 18 tour guides voted “yes” to unionize and 12 voted against. As a result, pending Nlrb certification of the election results, a group of nearly 40 tour guides, tour leads and one plant data collector (a.k.a. the guide of the stadium’s “garden tour”) will join IATSE B-192, a growing Local that represents fellow tour guides at Universal Studios Hollywood and ushers at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. Since the Dodger Stadium group went public with their unionization drive, more tour guides have been hired and will ultimately be included in the union, according IATSE B-192.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to the Dodgers for comment.
Responsible for leading the wide array...
- 4/2/2024
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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The Little Golden Books have been a staple of childhood across several generations. Created in 1942, the collection is known for bringing picture books to children at affordable prices, with text ranging from adventures and fairytales to educational material. In fact, the story of "The Poky Little Puppy" from the Little Golden Books roster is actually the best-selling children's book of all time.
After delivering classic tales from the likes of Mary Blair, Margaret Wise Brown, Richard Scarry, Eloise Wilkins, Garth Williams, and many more, Little Golden Books have also dived into the wide world of established intellectual property, including stories inspired by "Star Wars," "Sesame Street," DC and Marvel Comics, Barbie, Disney, Nickelodeon, and much more. In recent years, Little Golden Books have also been delivering biographies of the most influential people in history, starting with Martin Luther King Jr....
The Little Golden Books have been a staple of childhood across several generations. Created in 1942, the collection is known for bringing picture books to children at affordable prices, with text ranging from adventures and fairytales to educational material. In fact, the story of "The Poky Little Puppy" from the Little Golden Books roster is actually the best-selling children's book of all time.
After delivering classic tales from the likes of Mary Blair, Margaret Wise Brown, Richard Scarry, Eloise Wilkins, Garth Williams, and many more, Little Golden Books have also dived into the wide world of established intellectual property, including stories inspired by "Star Wars," "Sesame Street," DC and Marvel Comics, Barbie, Disney, Nickelodeon, and much more. In recent years, Little Golden Books have also been delivering biographies of the most influential people in history, starting with Martin Luther King Jr....
- 3/25/2024
- by Ethan Anderton
- Slash Film
It’s Game 6 of the 1971 World Series. Orioles-Pirates. Tied game, bottom of the ninth, two outs. Mark Belanger is on first when Don Buford rips a double down the line. Belanger should score easily on the play. Not today. In right field, the Pirates’ Roberto Clemente plays the carom perfectly — not easy in a visitor’s ballpark — and throws a perfect strike to catcher Manny Sanguillen, his best friend on the team. Belanger has to hold at third.
It was an extraordinary throw that Clemente made routinely during a Hall of Fame career that included two world titles, 3,000 hits, four batting titles, and 12 Golden Gloves. But it wasn’t all highlights, as the new documentary, “Clemente,” shows in aching detail. Even Clemente’s greatest talents were turned against him in an America that viewed number 21 as already having three strikes against him: Black, Puerto Rican and outspoken. Matter of fact,...
It was an extraordinary throw that Clemente made routinely during a Hall of Fame career that included two world titles, 3,000 hits, four batting titles, and 12 Golden Gloves. But it wasn’t all highlights, as the new documentary, “Clemente,” shows in aching detail. Even Clemente’s greatest talents were turned against him in an America that viewed number 21 as already having three strikes against him: Black, Puerto Rican and outspoken. Matter of fact,...
- 3/8/2024
- by Stephen Rodrick
- Variety Film + TV
Hank Bradford, the clever stand-up comic who performed a half-dozen times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson before serving a five-year stint as head writer on the program, has died. He was 88.
Bradford died Jan. 18 in Los Angeles, his family announced.
Bradford did uncredited dialogue rewrites on the Burt Reynolds-starring Smokey and the Bandit (1977) — when he got the script, “it wasn’t a comedy,” he revealed to host Mark Malkoff on a 2017 episode of The Carson Podcast — and wrote for such TV shows as M*A*S*H, Private Benjamin and Three’s Company.
The Brooklyn native made his first appearance on the Tonight Show in September 1966 when it was based in New York. He got a spot inside the writers room in 1969, succeeded Marshall Brickman as head writer in 1970 and moved with the show to Burbank in 1972.
Bradford’s role on the fabled NBC late-night program was...
Bradford died Jan. 18 in Los Angeles, his family announced.
Bradford did uncredited dialogue rewrites on the Burt Reynolds-starring Smokey and the Bandit (1977) — when he got the script, “it wasn’t a comedy,” he revealed to host Mark Malkoff on a 2017 episode of The Carson Podcast — and wrote for such TV shows as M*A*S*H, Private Benjamin and Three’s Company.
The Brooklyn native made his first appearance on the Tonight Show in September 1966 when it was based in New York. He got a spot inside the writers room in 1969, succeeded Marshall Brickman as head writer in 1970 and moved with the show to Burbank in 1972.
Bradford’s role on the fabled NBC late-night program was...
- 2/9/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Chadwick Boseman’s tragic death at the age of 43 shocked the world on August 28, 2020. The talented young actor, best known around the world for his portrayal of the superhero Black Panther, broke into Hollywood through a series of portrayals of black historical figures. Boseman was a versatile actor, capable of playing his roles with both a dignified stoicism and a manic energy. In honor of the late actor’s memory, let’s take a look back at his greatest film roles in our ranked photo gallery.
Boseman began his career as a theater actor and director, and shortly after starred in several small television roles, culminating in a recurring role on the show “Persons Unknown.” The actor got his big break when he was cast as baseball star Jackie Robinson in the biopic “42,” and was subsequently cast as singer James Brown in another biopic, “Get On Up.” Boseman received...
Boseman began his career as a theater actor and director, and shortly after starred in several small television roles, culminating in a recurring role on the show “Persons Unknown.” The actor got his big break when he was cast as baseball star Jackie Robinson in the biopic “42,” and was subsequently cast as singer James Brown in another biopic, “Get On Up.” Boseman received...
- 11/25/2023
- by Zach Moore, Chris Beachum and Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
For over 125 years, Pepsi has not only created ads, it has created culture, collaborating with musicians, artists, and icons to make moments that transcend marketing and contribute to the broader cultural conversation. So, we brought together a couple world-class mad men to have a conversation about Pepsi’s role as a maker, a cultural force, and a brand that has lived in the new, and the now, for 125 years.
Creative Director, Jeremy Hodges, founder of the Project Art Collective and Steven Simoncic, Partner/Cco at Morning Walk, sat down to talk about craft,...
Creative Director, Jeremy Hodges, founder of the Project Art Collective and Steven Simoncic, Partner/Cco at Morning Walk, sat down to talk about craft,...
- 11/21/2023
- by Jeremy Hodges and Steve Simoncic
- Rollingstone.com
Fisherman, family, blue-collar life, debts that pile up, and crime all swirl together in the new drama, “Finestkind” from Oscar-winning writer/director Brian Helgeland, who won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for “LA Confidential” in 1998. Helgeland’s done a ton since, writing the Oscar-winning “Mystic River” for Clint Eastwood, “Man on Fire” for Tony Scott, and directing the Jackie Robinson biopic “42,” “Legend” with Tom Hardy, and now, “Finestkind.”
“Finestkind” stars Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Tommy Lee Jones, and Jenna Ortega, and it’s a crime drama about a crew of fishermen who tread dangerous waters after their debts start piling up.
Continue reading ‘Finestkind’ Trailer: Bluecollar Fisherman Get Ensared In Crime Starring Ben Foster, Jenna Ortega, Tommy Lee Jones & More at The Playlist.
“Finestkind” stars Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Tommy Lee Jones, and Jenna Ortega, and it’s a crime drama about a crew of fishermen who tread dangerous waters after their debts start piling up.
Continue reading ‘Finestkind’ Trailer: Bluecollar Fisherman Get Ensared In Crime Starring Ben Foster, Jenna Ortega, Tommy Lee Jones & More at The Playlist.
- 10/26/2023
- by Rodrigo Perez
- The Playlist
If Peacock had built it, look who would have come!
A year and a half after the streaming outlet pulled the plug on his Field of Dreams adaptation, executive producer Mike Schur has revealed the ill-fated limited series’ all-star lineup — an A-list roster that would’ve brought together veterans of Schur comedies Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place and Parks and Recreation, all under one clubhouse.
More from TVLine<em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</em>‘s 10 Best Cold Opens, Ranked — Which Comes In at No. 1?Galentine’s Day: How a <i>Parks and Rec</i> Episode Has Haunted Me for 13 YearsElite to End With Season 8 at Netflix...
A year and a half after the streaming outlet pulled the plug on his Field of Dreams adaptation, executive producer Mike Schur has revealed the ill-fated limited series’ all-star lineup — an A-list roster that would’ve brought together veterans of Schur comedies Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place and Parks and Recreation, all under one clubhouse.
More from TVLine<em>Brooklyn Nine-Nine</em>‘s 10 Best Cold Opens, Ranked — Which Comes In at No. 1?Galentine’s Day: How a <i>Parks and Rec</i> Episode Has Haunted Me for 13 YearsElite to End With Season 8 at Netflix...
- 10/18/2023
- by Ryan Schwartz
- TVLine.com
In the 24th weekly installment of the Deadline Strike Talk Podcast, host Billy Ray doesn’t seem too shaken by the surprise breakoff of talks between the studios and SAG-AFTRA.
Even though CAA chief Bryan Lourd stated publicly there is a wide gap between the streamers and actors over residuals, Ray believes a deal could be had by the end of next week. The pressure is high, as crew members stretch further without a paycheck, and the streamers find themselves the focus over issues like viewer transparency and what that should mean in the area of residuals and health benefits for actors.
This week, Ray takes a look at the actor’s life with three veterans who each trod a hard road to get to a position of prominence: Ashley Nicole Black, Clark Gregg, and Robert Wisdom. They discuss the ongoing strike, the importance of continued solidarity and the essential next steps for performers to protect their work.
Ray’s intro deals with Jackie Robinson and former Dodgers Gm Branch Rickey and how the historic shattering of baseball’s color line came two years in the making and involved a key person who’d grown up in the segregated South and had to be swung over to the right side of history in order for the audacious move to succeed. Luck is opportunity meeting preparation, Ray says. He believes that the planning that went into the current painful labor stoppage will change the business long term, for the better, and make it possible for the next Ashley Nicole Black, Clark Gregg and Robert Wisdom to thrive in an art form that pours of billions in revenues, and ought to provide for health benefits and a cushion against lean times like the ones we are all dealing with right now.
Listen here:...
Even though CAA chief Bryan Lourd stated publicly there is a wide gap between the streamers and actors over residuals, Ray believes a deal could be had by the end of next week. The pressure is high, as crew members stretch further without a paycheck, and the streamers find themselves the focus over issues like viewer transparency and what that should mean in the area of residuals and health benefits for actors.
This week, Ray takes a look at the actor’s life with three veterans who each trod a hard road to get to a position of prominence: Ashley Nicole Black, Clark Gregg, and Robert Wisdom. They discuss the ongoing strike, the importance of continued solidarity and the essential next steps for performers to protect their work.
Ray’s intro deals with Jackie Robinson and former Dodgers Gm Branch Rickey and how the historic shattering of baseball’s color line came two years in the making and involved a key person who’d grown up in the segregated South and had to be swung over to the right side of history in order for the audacious move to succeed. Luck is opportunity meeting preparation, Ray says. He believes that the planning that went into the current painful labor stoppage will change the business long term, for the better, and make it possible for the next Ashley Nicole Black, Clark Gregg and Robert Wisdom to thrive in an art form that pours of billions in revenues, and ought to provide for health benefits and a cushion against lean times like the ones we are all dealing with right now.
Listen here:...
- 10/13/2023
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
As the Hollywood strikes stretched to Week 23, optimism is high that a deal between signatories and SAG-AFTRA is close and the town can go back to work. That enthusiasm could be felt with all the deal stories that Deadline broke this week, a clear signal of hope.
Not so fast, says Deadline Strike Talk host Billy Ray. Citing examples that range from director Ted Kotcheff changing the death of John Rambo in First Blood to Jackie Robinson retiring rather than the lifelong Dodger accepting a deal to play for the Giants and all that Jimmy Carter accomplished post-White House, Ray implores SAG-AFTRA to remember it isn’t who drew first blood but who sticks the landing. And for actors, that means safeguards against AI.
Joining him as guests this week are Rumman Chowdhury, an expert in AI and machine learning with fellowships and research positions at Harvard, Cambridge and NYU,...
Not so fast, says Deadline Strike Talk host Billy Ray. Citing examples that range from director Ted Kotcheff changing the death of John Rambo in First Blood to Jackie Robinson retiring rather than the lifelong Dodger accepting a deal to play for the Giants and all that Jimmy Carter accomplished post-White House, Ray implores SAG-AFTRA to remember it isn’t who drew first blood but who sticks the landing. And for actors, that means safeguards against AI.
Joining him as guests this week are Rumman Chowdhury, an expert in AI and machine learning with fellowships and research positions at Harvard, Cambridge and NYU,...
- 10/6/2023
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
Perhaps no other film has shaped Hollywood like "Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope" has since 1977, which is not bad for a movie whose crew regarded it as a joke during production. George Lucas' epic saga of space wizards, space fascists, and plucky everyday heroes long ago in a galaxy far, far away was ground-breaking in its VFX, yet its story looked to the past. Drawing from a myriad of sources across different cultures and genres, Lucas wove a fairy tale as elemental as any in its depiction of the eternal war between the forces of darkness and light.
Due to its success, the cast of "Star Wars" would forever be associated first and foremost with their roles in the film, sometimes to the chagrin of the actors who had led long and illustrious careers before that. For the likes of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels,...
Due to its success, the cast of "Star Wars" would forever be associated first and foremost with their roles in the film, sometimes to the chagrin of the actors who had led long and illustrious careers before that. For the likes of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels,...
- 10/4/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Amid Hollywood’s double strikes and a recent resurgence of Covid-19, rolling with the punches is a necessary quality for those looking to enter the entertainment industry, according to FredAnthony Smith, who serves as head of nonscripted development at “Bs High” producer Smac Entertainment, which was co-founded by Constance Schwartz-Morini and Michael Strahan.
“Part of the job is planning, and being very detailed… but also knowing that as soon as you wake up the next day, getting ready to enact that plan, you’re gonna have to rip the plan up, because something’s gonna go wrong,” Smith told TheWrap for this week’s Office With a View. “At the very beginning of the day, something’s going to happen where you have to completely change your plan.”
It’s not just trying to guess when the guilds and studios might come back to the negotiating table or navigating a stubbornly persistent pandemic.
“Part of the job is planning, and being very detailed… but also knowing that as soon as you wake up the next day, getting ready to enact that plan, you’re gonna have to rip the plan up, because something’s gonna go wrong,” Smith told TheWrap for this week’s Office With a View. “At the very beginning of the day, something’s going to happen where you have to completely change your plan.”
It’s not just trying to guess when the guilds and studios might come back to the negotiating table or navigating a stubbornly persistent pandemic.
- 8/31/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
One of the greatest pitchers in Los Angeles Dodgers history was honored Friday night at Dodger Stadium before the game.
The Dodgers retired Fernando Valenzuela’s No. 34 jersey, the culminating event in the city council declaration of “Fernando Valenzuela Day.”
In a pregame moment, the 62-year-old Valenzuela admitted, “It’s very emotional” to a crowded room of English and Spanish-language media hours before the ceremony. “I never expected it.”
A drone show honoring Valenzuela is expected after the game against the Colorado Rockies. On Saturday, the team is giving away his bobblehead, and on Sunday, the giveaway is a replica of Valenzuela’s 1981 World Series ring.
Valenzuela broke in with the Dodgers in a huge way in 1981. Besides winning the World Series, he won Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award, the first player to do so in the same year.
He was named the Opening Day starter...
The Dodgers retired Fernando Valenzuela’s No. 34 jersey, the culminating event in the city council declaration of “Fernando Valenzuela Day.”
In a pregame moment, the 62-year-old Valenzuela admitted, “It’s very emotional” to a crowded room of English and Spanish-language media hours before the ceremony. “I never expected it.”
A drone show honoring Valenzuela is expected after the game against the Colorado Rockies. On Saturday, the team is giving away his bobblehead, and on Sunday, the giveaway is a replica of Valenzuela’s 1981 World Series ring.
Valenzuela broke in with the Dodgers in a huge way in 1981. Besides winning the World Series, he won Rookie of the Year and the Cy Young Award, the first player to do so in the same year.
He was named the Opening Day starter...
- 8/12/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
To look at Ruth E. Carter’s body of work is intimidating, ranging from nearly all of Spike Lee’s directorial efforts to crafting the wardrobe for both “Black Panther” features. Now, the two-time Oscar-winner is receiving a tribute courtesy of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures this Saturday where she’ll be sitting down with the Academy’s director and President, Jacqueline Stewart, for a discussion about her illustrious career and a signing of her first book, “The Art of Ruth E. Carter.”
“It further confirms that I am supported by my peers, and that the efforts that I have made throughout my career that [are] outlined in this book are supported and celebrated by the Academy,” Carter told TheWrap. “For a young girl from Springfield who pulled herself up by her bootstraps and made it out to Los Angeles in a little Volkswagen Rabbit, and worked hard in the...
“It further confirms that I am supported by my peers, and that the efforts that I have made throughout my career that [are] outlined in this book are supported and celebrated by the Academy,” Carter told TheWrap. “For a young girl from Springfield who pulled herself up by her bootstraps and made it out to Los Angeles in a little Volkswagen Rabbit, and worked hard in the...
- 7/28/2023
- by Kristen Lopez
- The Wrap
Chicago – Sam Pollard has established himself as a top director of documentaries, to add to his stellar career as a film editor … including for Spike Lee. His latest doc is a deep dive into the 20th Century curiosity of the Negro League. With interviews, archival photos/footage and comprehensive storytelling, the doc is entitled “The League.”
The Negro Leagues were born because of Major League Baseball’s segregation in the first half of the 20th Century, as the owners colluded to keep blacks off their teams. It took black entrepreneur Rube Foster to organize the rag-tag “negro” teams of the era into a collective in 1920. At the League’s peak they forged their own top players, introduced a more modern speed-oriented game and produced many future stars … including Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. Barely surviving the Depression, the barnstorming league changed teams and areas of the country with impunity,...
The Negro Leagues were born because of Major League Baseball’s segregation in the first half of the 20th Century, as the owners colluded to keep blacks off their teams. It took black entrepreneur Rube Foster to organize the rag-tag “negro” teams of the era into a collective in 1920. At the League’s peak they forged their own top players, introduced a more modern speed-oriented game and produced many future stars … including Jackie Robinson, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays. Barely surviving the Depression, the barnstorming league changed teams and areas of the country with impunity,...
- 7/15/2023
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
There’s no shortage of great movies about baseball, but there is a severe lack of films about the Negro leagues. The fifth inning of Ken Burns’ expansive “Baseball” covers them with admirable reverence, but feature-length projects — whether narrative or documentary — are vanishingly rare. “The League” is therefore something close to required viewing for devotees of our national pastime just by virtue of its existence, so it comes as a relief that Sam Pollard’s documentary (exec produced by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson) is also quite good on the merits.
Given his résumé, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Pollard’s prior work as director includes “MLK/FBI” and “Citizen Ashe,” and he’s also edited several Spike Lee joints; in addition to a Peabody Award and career achievement prize from the International Documentary Association, he shared an Oscar nomination with Lee for 1997’s “4 Little Girls” about the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
Given his résumé, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. Pollard’s prior work as director includes “MLK/FBI” and “Citizen Ashe,” and he’s also edited several Spike Lee joints; in addition to a Peabody Award and career achievement prize from the International Documentary Association, he shared an Oscar nomination with Lee for 1997’s “4 Little Girls” about the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing.
- 7/14/2023
- by Michael Nordine
- Variety Film + TV
If you didn’t grow up in Pittsburgh (which boasted rival baseball greats the Homestead Grays and the Pittsburgh Crawfords) or watch Episode 5 of the 1994 Ken Burns docu-series “Baseball,” you may not know much about the Negro Leagues. That’s about to change.
Sam Pollard’s “The League” is an eye-opening slice of American baseball’s 154-year history. In fact, the recent rule changes imposed on the Majors by Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred were inspired in part by the practices of the Negro Leagues: while Babe Ruth focused on home runs (like many players today), these extraordinary Black athletes favored a fast, hit-and-run, base-stealing game.
“If you watch footage of Jackie Robinson from the ’40s and the ’50s, his style of play, his aggressiveness, all came from the Negro Leagues,” Oscar-nominated documentary director Pollard told IndieWire during a recent interview. “If you watch the players who integrated Major League Baseball,...
Sam Pollard’s “The League” is an eye-opening slice of American baseball’s 154-year history. In fact, the recent rule changes imposed on the Majors by Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred were inspired in part by the practices of the Negro Leagues: while Babe Ruth focused on home runs (like many players today), these extraordinary Black athletes favored a fast, hit-and-run, base-stealing game.
“If you watch footage of Jackie Robinson from the ’40s and the ’50s, his style of play, his aggressiveness, all came from the Negro Leagues,” Oscar-nominated documentary director Pollard told IndieWire during a recent interview. “If you watch the players who integrated Major League Baseball,...
- 7/13/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Spike Lee and the photographs, album covers, movie posters, letters, books, costumes and film memorabilia that have inspired him will be explored through a new immersive exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum.
Spike Lee: Creative Sources will offer an in-depth look at the individuals, places and influences that have shaped the Oscar winner’s work. Running Oct. 6, 2023 to Feb. 4, 2024 and organized by Kimberli Gant, a curator of modern and contemporary art, with Indira A. Abiskaroon, curatorial assistant, modern and contemporary art at the Brooklyn Museum, the installation will feature over 300 objects displayed thematically in seven sections, each of which will feature a clip from one of Lee’s films.
“By making Lee’s collection accessible to the public, this showcase celebrates his legacy while honoring his deep connection to Brooklyn, a place that has been an integral part of his storytelling,” Gant said in a statement.
The seven sections of influences span Black history and culture,...
Spike Lee: Creative Sources will offer an in-depth look at the individuals, places and influences that have shaped the Oscar winner’s work. Running Oct. 6, 2023 to Feb. 4, 2024 and organized by Kimberli Gant, a curator of modern and contemporary art, with Indira A. Abiskaroon, curatorial assistant, modern and contemporary art at the Brooklyn Museum, the installation will feature over 300 objects displayed thematically in seven sections, each of which will feature a clip from one of Lee’s films.
“By making Lee’s collection accessible to the public, this showcase celebrates his legacy while honoring his deep connection to Brooklyn, a place that has been an integral part of his storytelling,” Gant said in a statement.
The seven sections of influences span Black history and culture,...
- 7/10/2023
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A sci-fi comedy by Mel Eslyn and a literary noir by Alice Troughton – who are, respectively, the longtime producer for the Duplass brothers and an award-winning UK television director — debut in limited release this weekend, alongside Adele Lim’s Joy Ride, a Lionsgate wide-release – marking first-time feature film debuts by three women.
(Noting that Chelsea Peretti’s recent Tribeca-premiering film First Time Female Director sort of re-coined that phrase.)
Troughton called it “really reassuring” to see female helmers opening films. In the UK “we are below 20% of the directing force and … directorial women’s roles are dropping, as are roles for people of color. So the diversity is sort of slacking off a bit after a really good push. So it felt really important as somebody who had the privilege to be in the position to go and make a film, to go and do it.
(Noting that Chelsea Peretti’s recent Tribeca-premiering film First Time Female Director sort of re-coined that phrase.)
Troughton called it “really reassuring” to see female helmers opening films. In the UK “we are below 20% of the directing force and … directorial women’s roles are dropping, as are roles for people of color. So the diversity is sort of slacking off a bit after a really good push. So it felt really important as somebody who had the privilege to be in the position to go and make a film, to go and do it.
- 7/7/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Sam Pollard’s “The League” Is Not Your Typical Baseball Doc.
The documentary filmmaker grew up in the 1960s watching the St. Louis Cardinals, whose roster of players included Black or Latino players including Bill White, Curt Flood, Orlando Cepeda and Lou Brock, but did not know much about the Negro Leagues that existed when the sport was still segregated.
“I knew who Jackie Robinson was and that it was because of him Blacks had integrated the Major Leagues in 1947,” says Pollard. “But what I did not know much about in 1964 at the age of 14 was that he had come out of the Negro Leagues and that the Negro Leagues had been home to Black and Latino ballplayers who had to play segregated baseball during the height of the Jim Crow era.”
While some segregation in the sport always existed, the color line in baseball was not rigidly enforced until...
The documentary filmmaker grew up in the 1960s watching the St. Louis Cardinals, whose roster of players included Black or Latino players including Bill White, Curt Flood, Orlando Cepeda and Lou Brock, but did not know much about the Negro Leagues that existed when the sport was still segregated.
“I knew who Jackie Robinson was and that it was because of him Blacks had integrated the Major Leagues in 1947,” says Pollard. “But what I did not know much about in 1964 at the age of 14 was that he had come out of the Negro Leagues and that the Negro Leagues had been home to Black and Latino ballplayers who had to play segregated baseball during the height of the Jim Crow era.”
While some segregation in the sport always existed, the color line in baseball was not rigidly enforced until...
- 7/7/2023
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
During the opening frames of Sam Pollard’s “The League,” a wistful and profound documentary about the rise and fall of the Negro Leagues, baseball hall-of-famers Hank Aaron and Monte Irvin share how they played the game as kids, even when they had nothing more than broomsticks.
As footage of Black kids playing on a sandlot rush by, what’s being discussed isn’t merely successful men reminiscing about their past hardships, they’re talking about how they overcame those obstacles through resourcefulness and guile. Pollard’s newest incisive documentary about one of the largest Black-owned businesses in America, the Negro Leagues, is filled with those gems of perseverance and adaptation.
And yet, Pollard doesn’t skirt from the deeply felt dangers that afflicted these athletes living under the cloud of systemic racism. He tells this history through his narration and chronologically. He begins by straightening a misconception: Though Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier,...
As footage of Black kids playing on a sandlot rush by, what’s being discussed isn’t merely successful men reminiscing about their past hardships, they’re talking about how they overcame those obstacles through resourcefulness and guile. Pollard’s newest incisive documentary about one of the largest Black-owned businesses in America, the Negro Leagues, is filled with those gems of perseverance and adaptation.
And yet, Pollard doesn’t skirt from the deeply felt dangers that afflicted these athletes living under the cloud of systemic racism. He tells this history through his narration and chronologically. He begins by straightening a misconception: Though Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier,...
- 7/7/2023
- by Robert Daniels
- Indiewire
The story of the Negro baseball leagues has the hallmarks of a feel-good story: determination, inventiveness, and relentless optimism in the face of unyielding hatred. But while Sam Pollard’s mostly straightforward and celebratory documentary The League doesn’t skimp on those elements, he also introduces knottier emotions that allow the film, which is executive produced by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, to escape two-dimensionality.
Unlike many other manifestations of American racial prejudice, baseball in its early years was at least somewhat integrated. The historians here describe how late-19th-century baseball featured largely white teams with occasional Black players. In the film’s telling, this relative openness started coming to an end after an 1883 game where star white player and manager Adrian Constantine Anson, nicknamed “Pop” and “Cap,” refused to play an integrated team. When the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson “separate but equal” ruling provided legal justification for segregation, the practice became standardized across many American institutions,...
Unlike many other manifestations of American racial prejudice, baseball in its early years was at least somewhat integrated. The historians here describe how late-19th-century baseball featured largely white teams with occasional Black players. In the film’s telling, this relative openness started coming to an end after an 1883 game where star white player and manager Adrian Constantine Anson, nicknamed “Pop” and “Cap,” refused to play an integrated team. When the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson “separate but equal” ruling provided legal justification for segregation, the practice became standardized across many American institutions,...
- 6/30/2023
- by Chris Barsanti
- Slant Magazine
We all know Harrison Ford as a big movie star now, but he only had a handful of credits when George Lucas decided to cast him as Han Solo. After that, nothing would be the same. Suddenly, he was in one of the world’s biggest movies. He would go on to have a very storied career and play some of the biggest icons on the big screen. With Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, he is putting one of his most enduring characters to rest. Now, it’s time to go back and look at his filmography and seek out some of the most underrated Harrison Ford movies.
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
Ford plays Russian Submarine Captain Alexei Vostrikov in the true story of the K-19 Russian submarine. During the 60s Cold War, Russia hurries to compete with the United States’ nuclear submarine capabilities. They hastily put...
K-19: The Widowmaker (2002)
Ford plays Russian Submarine Captain Alexei Vostrikov in the true story of the K-19 Russian submarine. During the 60s Cold War, Russia hurries to compete with the United States’ nuclear submarine capabilities. They hastily put...
- 6/25/2023
- by Bryan Wolford
- JoBlo.com
[Warning: The below contains Major spoilers for the June 20 episode of Jeopardy!] In the June 20 episode of Jeopardy!, two-day champ Ben Goldstein had to secure his $15,198 winnings against scrum master Janie Sullivan and cryptocurrency & angel investor Tym Blanchard. However, several wrong answers and a bunch of stumpers made it a rough watch for fans, especially when it came to Tym’s performance. During the first Daily Double, host Mayim Bialik read for $800 in the Architects category, “In the 1690s, he began designing the twin-domed Royal Hospital for seamen in London.” Janie answered incorrectly, dropping $1,500 from her $4,400 total against Ben’s $6,200. By this time, there were more than a few stumpers and misses from the contestants, including one where no one guessed Jackie Robinson when asked which Brooklyn Dodger’s name is on a foundation to help minority kids go to college. It was also becoming evident that Tym was answering questions before the host could call on him. Going ...
- 6/20/2023
- TV Insider
“Wait, the name at the top of this website reads ‘Den of Geek’ and now they’re talking about sports? Don’t they know I’m gangly and uncoordinated?”
Yes, dear reader, we know that. Truth is, we’re all gangly and uncoordinated as well. But that doesn’t mean that we geeks can’t occasionally get together and enjoy the dramatic majesty of competitive sports. Sports documentaries have always been a part of the entertainment ecosystem. Of late, however, it seems as though there’s more of them for the casual sports fan or even fully sports-phobic TV-watcher to enjoy.
ESPN’s “30 for 30” sports documentary initiative kicked off a new era of TV sports documentaries in 2009. And since then, the offerings have only gotten better. With streamers like Netflix fully into the fray there have never been as many compelling sports stories being told as there is right now.
Yes, dear reader, we know that. Truth is, we’re all gangly and uncoordinated as well. But that doesn’t mean that we geeks can’t occasionally get together and enjoy the dramatic majesty of competitive sports. Sports documentaries have always been a part of the entertainment ecosystem. Of late, however, it seems as though there’s more of them for the casual sports fan or even fully sports-phobic TV-watcher to enjoy.
ESPN’s “30 for 30” sports documentary initiative kicked off a new era of TV sports documentaries in 2009. And since then, the offerings have only gotten better. With streamers like Netflix fully into the fray there have never been as many compelling sports stories being told as there is right now.
- 6/16/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
Yogi Berra smiling. Photo credit: Getty. Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
It doesn’t get any more delightful than the surprising, warm documentary about beloved baseball legend Yogi Berra, It Ain’T Over. Surprising? Yes, as this well-made bio documentary looks back at Yogi’s outstanding baseball career as player, something overshadowed and even forgotten by fans, as he became best known as a lovable pop culture icon and for his “Yogi-isms,” quotable phrases like “it’s deja vu all over again,” “when you come to a fork in the road, take it” and “it ain’t over until it’s over.” Yet Yogi Berra was a baseball player whose record put him among the greats of the game, As actor and baseball fan Billy Crystal put it, Yogi was “the most overlooked superstar in the history of baseball.”
The numbers are impressive, jaw-dropping even, considering what we might think we know about Yogi Berra.
It doesn’t get any more delightful than the surprising, warm documentary about beloved baseball legend Yogi Berra, It Ain’T Over. Surprising? Yes, as this well-made bio documentary looks back at Yogi’s outstanding baseball career as player, something overshadowed and even forgotten by fans, as he became best known as a lovable pop culture icon and for his “Yogi-isms,” quotable phrases like “it’s deja vu all over again,” “when you come to a fork in the road, take it” and “it ain’t over until it’s over.” Yet Yogi Berra was a baseball player whose record put him among the greats of the game, As actor and baseball fan Billy Crystal put it, Yogi was “the most overlooked superstar in the history of baseball.”
The numbers are impressive, jaw-dropping even, considering what we might think we know about Yogi Berra.
- 5/19/2023
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
It’s another weekend of box office domination for “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which collected a towering $40 million in its fourth frame. Those ticket sales, down just 33% from the weekend prior, were easily enough to rule over the weekend’s newcomers, including literary adaptation “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” Finnish war drama “Sisu” and biopic “Big George Foreman.”
After four weeks on the big screen, “Mario” has grossed $490 million in North America and $532 million internationally to loom even larger as the highest-grossing film of 2023. It’s also the first movie of the year to cross $1 billion globally. Only five pandemic-era blockbusters have hit that milestone.
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” fared the best among the new releases, opening in third place with $6.8 million from 3,343 North American theaters. Those are rocky ticket sales for the $30 million-budgeted coming-of-age story, which is based on Judy Blume’s seminal novel,...
After four weeks on the big screen, “Mario” has grossed $490 million in North America and $532 million internationally to loom even larger as the highest-grossing film of 2023. It’s also the first movie of the year to cross $1 billion globally. Only five pandemic-era blockbusters have hit that milestone.
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” fared the best among the new releases, opening in third place with $6.8 million from 3,343 North American theaters. Those are rocky ticket sales for the $30 million-budgeted coming-of-age story, which is based on Judy Blume’s seminal novel,...
- 4/30/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Denzel Washington wants to touch people’s lives.
In a new interview on “Good Morning America”, the Oscar-winning actor opens up about his work with the Boys & Girls Club, and reveals how he once met a very young Drake.
Read More: Denzel Washington In Talks To Star Opposite Paul Mescal In Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator’ Sequel
"You just never know who you touch."
Denzel Washington talks about the impact the Boys & Girls Club has had on his life as he celebrates its 5,000th location. @reevewill has more. pic.twitter.com/4zUUNaX1Mi
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 13, 2023
“You just never know who you touch. I met a kid in Toronto who came up and was fascinated because I was like this star, and he wanted to talk to me, and he couldn’t believe that he met me,” Washington said.
“Well, 10 or 15 years later, he came up and he said,...
In a new interview on “Good Morning America”, the Oscar-winning actor opens up about his work with the Boys & Girls Club, and reveals how he once met a very young Drake.
Read More: Denzel Washington In Talks To Star Opposite Paul Mescal In Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator’ Sequel
"You just never know who you touch."
Denzel Washington talks about the impact the Boys & Girls Club has had on his life as he celebrates its 5,000th location. @reevewill has more. pic.twitter.com/4zUUNaX1Mi
— Good Morning America (@GMA) April 13, 2023
“You just never know who you touch. I met a kid in Toronto who came up and was fascinated because I was like this star, and he wanted to talk to me, and he couldn’t believe that he met me,” Washington said.
“Well, 10 or 15 years later, he came up and he said,...
- 4/14/2023
- by Corey Atad
- ET Canada
“Sweetwater” is a biopic about Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, the Black power forward who broke the color barrier of the NBA in 1950, three years after Jackie Robinson accomplished the same feat in baseball. It’s telling that Robinson remains one of the most celebrated heroes in sports history, while Clifton is still a somewhat obscure figure.
There’s a biting irony to that contrast. It relates to how the integration of basketball totally changed the game, even more than the integration of baseball changed baseball. “Sweetwater,” written and directed by Martin Guigui, is a straight-down-the-middle inspirational sports movie — and, one regrets to say, a kind of benign sketchbook version of the form. Yet it also tells the tale of the Harlem Globetrotters, the fabled team of barnstorming trickster prodigies who Clifton started off as a member of. There were several levels to the Globetrotters’ athletic magic, and the film captures how...
There’s a biting irony to that contrast. It relates to how the integration of basketball totally changed the game, even more than the integration of baseball changed baseball. “Sweetwater,” written and directed by Martin Guigui, is a straight-down-the-middle inspirational sports movie — and, one regrets to say, a kind of benign sketchbook version of the form. Yet it also tells the tale of the Harlem Globetrotters, the fabled team of barnstorming trickster prodigies who Clifton started off as a member of. There were several levels to the Globetrotters’ athletic magic, and the film captures how...
- 4/13/2023
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Emmy-winning filmmaker Erika Dilday is joining Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, and David McMahon as co-director and co-producer of the upcoming documentary film Emancipation to Exodus (working title). It’s a long-term commitment – the film about a critical period in the African American experience isn’t expected to air on PBS until 2027.
Dilday’s participation in the project will be as an independent filmmaker – in other words, separate from her role as executive director of American Documentary and executive producer of AmDoc’s PBS series Pov and World Channel’s America ReFramed.
Emancipation to Exodus (wt) explores the African American struggle for freedom and opportunity “from the Civil War and end of slavery, through Reconstruction and the start of the Great Migration out of the south that began in the early 20th century,” according to a release about the film.
Erika Dilday at the IDA Documentary Awards on December 10, 2022 in Los Angeles.
Dilday’s participation in the project will be as an independent filmmaker – in other words, separate from her role as executive director of American Documentary and executive producer of AmDoc’s PBS series Pov and World Channel’s America ReFramed.
Emancipation to Exodus (wt) explores the African American struggle for freedom and opportunity “from the Civil War and end of slavery, through Reconstruction and the start of the Great Migration out of the south that began in the early 20th century,” according to a release about the film.
Erika Dilday at the IDA Documentary Awards on December 10, 2022 in Los Angeles.
- 4/6/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
On April 28, Netflix will take viewers inside the world of rare sports cards and collectibles with one of the industry’s best-known experts: Ken Goldin.
Goldin and his team at Goldin Auctions will be the centerpiece of the newest transactional TV series, King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch, a six-episode, half-hour series that offers a first look into the hobby that has turned into a multibillion-dollar business as stars and athletes turn to Goldin to buy and sell rare collectibles.
In the exclusive first look at the series, featured below, Goldin works with athletes including Joe Montana, Peyton Manning (who also exec produces the show) and Mike Tyson. Viewers get a peek into the auction house that features incredible collectibles like a game-worn Jackie Robinson jersey and other high-end items, including Jim Morrison’s ID, the first Apple computer and a signed Michael Jordan uniform. Think of King of Collectibles...
Goldin and his team at Goldin Auctions will be the centerpiece of the newest transactional TV series, King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch, a six-episode, half-hour series that offers a first look into the hobby that has turned into a multibillion-dollar business as stars and athletes turn to Goldin to buy and sell rare collectibles.
In the exclusive first look at the series, featured below, Goldin works with athletes including Joe Montana, Peyton Manning (who also exec produces the show) and Mike Tyson. Viewers get a peek into the auction house that features incredible collectibles like a game-worn Jackie Robinson jersey and other high-end items, including Jim Morrison’s ID, the first Apple computer and a signed Michael Jordan uniform. Think of King of Collectibles...
- 3/31/2023
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The 54th NAACP Image Awards did the thing! After its regular week-long, non-televised celebrations, the annual awards ceremony concluded with its main ceremony on Saturday night.
Hosted by Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress and producer Queen Latifah, Saturday’s ceremony included Janelle Monae, Taye Diggs, Kerry Washington, Jonathan Majors, Zendaya and more presenting awards to their peers, while also highlighting the accomplishments of political leaders and activists.
Jennifer Hudson, Quinta Brunson, Keke Palmer and more scored wins during the pre-awards festivities, while Saturday’s ceremony saw Angela Bassett, Viola Davis, Will Smith and more honoured for their artistic contributions.
Read More: 2023 NAACP Image Awards Nominations: See the Full List
This year’s Activist of the Year Award was presented to Dr. Derrick Lee Foward, president of the Dayton Unit of the NAACP and a vice president of the Ohio NAACP, and the Youth Activist of the Year Award honoured to Bradley Ross Jackson,...
Hosted by Grammy, Emmy and Golden Globe-winning actress and producer Queen Latifah, Saturday’s ceremony included Janelle Monae, Taye Diggs, Kerry Washington, Jonathan Majors, Zendaya and more presenting awards to their peers, while also highlighting the accomplishments of political leaders and activists.
Jennifer Hudson, Quinta Brunson, Keke Palmer and more scored wins during the pre-awards festivities, while Saturday’s ceremony saw Angela Bassett, Viola Davis, Will Smith and more honoured for their artistic contributions.
Read More: 2023 NAACP Image Awards Nominations: See the Full List
This year’s Activist of the Year Award was presented to Dr. Derrick Lee Foward, president of the Dayton Unit of the NAACP and a vice president of the Ohio NAACP, and the Youth Activist of the Year Award honoured to Bradley Ross Jackson,...
- 2/26/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
When Sidney Poitier was honored as the first African American male to win a competitive acting Oscar in 1964 for his lead performance in “Lilies of the Field,” it had been 24 years since Hattie McDaniel became the Jackie Robinson of the Academy Awards with her breakthrough triumph in 1940 for “Gone With the Wind.” And it would be another 19 years before there was a third: Louis Gossett Jr.’s supporting actor victory in 1983 for “An Officer and a Gentleman.”
Wins for three performers of color in 43 years didn’t exactly represent a trend. But in the 39 years after that, there would be 19 more, including a pair of African American actors (Denzel Washington and Mahershala Ali) who won twice apiece. Poitier’s ’64 triumph proved as surprising as it was stirring, and undeniably political. Leading up to that historic event, his inscrutable countenance and the almost regal way he carried himself made Poitier a...
Wins for three performers of color in 43 years didn’t exactly represent a trend. But in the 39 years after that, there would be 19 more, including a pair of African American actors (Denzel Washington and Mahershala Ali) who won twice apiece. Poitier’s ’64 triumph proved as surprising as it was stirring, and undeniably political. Leading up to that historic event, his inscrutable countenance and the almost regal way he carried himself made Poitier a...
- 2/25/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
February is Black History Month, and with such a wide array of streaming options, there’s no shortage of options for learning about Black heritage and celebrating Black excellence.
Amazon Prime Video
Among the programming being promoted in Prime Video’s “Celebrating Black History Month” lineup are the new second season of “Harlem,” which follows four female friends from Harlem as they navigate their love lives and careers. There’s also the new original unscripted series “Coach Prime,” which chronicles Deion Sanders in his third year coaching football at Jackson State. Other noteworthy selections include Regina King‘s Oscar-nominated “One Night in Miami,” the acclaimed documentaries “My Name is Pauli Murray” and “I Am Not Your Negro,” the Emmy-nominated romance “Sylvie’s Love,” Spike Lee‘s “Chi-Raq,” the Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect” starring Jennifer Hudson, the Oscar-winning stage adaptation “Fences” from Denzel Washington, who also stars in Prime offerings “Devil in a Blue Dress...
Amazon Prime Video
Among the programming being promoted in Prime Video’s “Celebrating Black History Month” lineup are the new second season of “Harlem,” which follows four female friends from Harlem as they navigate their love lives and careers. There’s also the new original unscripted series “Coach Prime,” which chronicles Deion Sanders in his third year coaching football at Jackson State. Other noteworthy selections include Regina King‘s Oscar-nominated “One Night in Miami,” the acclaimed documentaries “My Name is Pauli Murray” and “I Am Not Your Negro,” the Emmy-nominated romance “Sylvie’s Love,” Spike Lee‘s “Chi-Raq,” the Aretha Franklin biopic “Respect” starring Jennifer Hudson, the Oscar-winning stage adaptation “Fences” from Denzel Washington, who also stars in Prime offerings “Devil in a Blue Dress...
- 2/9/2023
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Rise, an epic true-life story produced by Disney, has continued to cause a stir as it makes the spotlight. The movie centers on the “Greek freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo and his family story. They happened to find themselves in Greece through a circumstance that caught up with their parents long before now, Charles and Vera Antetokounmpo. Do you remember movies like “42,” which narrated the true-life story of Jackie Robinson, which starred Chadwick Boseman, and “Ali,” which narrated the true-life story of Mohammed Ali, with a phenomenal performance from Award-winning Hollywood actor Will Smith? Rise
Movie Review: Rise (2022)...
Movie Review: Rise (2022)...
- 1/10/2023
- by Zion Peter
- TVovermind.com
Click here to read the full article.
In Universal’s She Said, Andre Braugher plays real-life journalist Dean Baquet, the former executive editor of The New York Times who helped spearhead the paper’s investigation into Harvey Weinstein. While this is the first time the actor has played a historical figure who is still alive (he previously portrayed Jackie Robinson and labor unionist A. Philip Randolph, for example), Braugher didn’t feel he had to meet Baquet to capture the spirit of the editor.
“Sometimes when you’re playing real people, there’s a tendency to get stuck on their real mannerisms, and what you imagine their real attitudes are as opposed to the script, and I think my highest loyalty goes to the playwright [Rebecca Lenkiewicz, who penned the screenplay] in collaboration with the director to find out what it is that we want to try to play,” Braugher tells THR.
In Universal’s She Said, Andre Braugher plays real-life journalist Dean Baquet, the former executive editor of The New York Times who helped spearhead the paper’s investigation into Harvey Weinstein. While this is the first time the actor has played a historical figure who is still alive (he previously portrayed Jackie Robinson and labor unionist A. Philip Randolph, for example), Braugher didn’t feel he had to meet Baquet to capture the spirit of the editor.
“Sometimes when you’re playing real people, there’s a tendency to get stuck on their real mannerisms, and what you imagine their real attitudes are as opposed to the script, and I think my highest loyalty goes to the playwright [Rebecca Lenkiewicz, who penned the screenplay] in collaboration with the director to find out what it is that we want to try to play,” Braugher tells THR.
- 12/21/2022
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Don't worry, "Black Panther" fans. The long-awaited Marvel sequel, "Wakanda Forever," may mourn the loss of King T'Challa (played by the late Chadwick Boseman), but the film still finds a way to honor him with a proper sendoff.
Following Boseman's death on Aug. 28, 2020 - the actor died at age 43 after a battle with colon cancer - fans had mixed feelings about his role getting recast in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." However, during Disney's Investor Day event in December of that year, Marvel confirmed Boseman would not be replaced with another actor.
"You will not see T'Challa in the [Marvel Cinematic Universe] 616 universe. We couldn't do it."
"Chadwick Boseman was an immensely talented actor and an inspirational individual who affected all of our lives professionally and personally," said Marvel President Kevin Feige, per Deadline. "His portrayal of T'Challa the Black Panther is iconic and transcends iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel's past.
Following Boseman's death on Aug. 28, 2020 - the actor died at age 43 after a battle with colon cancer - fans had mixed feelings about his role getting recast in "Black Panther: Wakanda Forever." However, during Disney's Investor Day event in December of that year, Marvel confirmed Boseman would not be replaced with another actor.
"You will not see T'Challa in the [Marvel Cinematic Universe] 616 universe. We couldn't do it."
"Chadwick Boseman was an immensely talented actor and an inspirational individual who affected all of our lives professionally and personally," said Marvel President Kevin Feige, per Deadline. "His portrayal of T'Challa the Black Panther is iconic and transcends iteration of the character in any other medium from Marvel's past.
- 11/12/2022
- by Karenna Meredith
- Popsugar.com
The tragic passing of Chadwick Boseman, a generational talent hitting just the prime of what should have been a decades-long, award-filled acting career, in the summer of 2020 came as a devastating blow to many, especially during a year filled with so much loss and grief due to the then ongoing global pandemic. In a far too short, brilliant career, Boseman specialized in multi-layered depictions of mythic or near-mythic Americans, from Jackie Robinson (42), the first Black man to play in the major leaguers, to James Brown (Get On Up), the funk pioneer and singer-performer, to Thurgood Marshall (Marshall), the ground-breaking NAACP attorney and future Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. Each major role demanded a different skill set, some more physical than others,...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 11/9/2022
- Screen Anarchy
Click here to read the full article.
During the 2009 recession, History Channel found an unlikely hit in Pawn Stars, the unscripted series in which everyday people found life-changing treasures in their attic and turned them into cash at a time when money was tight.
The series has since gone on to become a massive hit. More than 700 episodes have been commissioned, with repeats airing across History, Lifetime, A&e and Netflix. Several others in the so-called transactional TV genre launched around the same time, series like Shark Tank, American Pickers, Storage Wars, American Restoration and others. A spinoff of the successful franchise that started it all, Pawn Stars Do America, will launch Nov. 9 on History.
Now, Brent Montgomery — who gave birth to transactional TV with the creation of Pawn Stars — is the driving force behind a rebirth in the genre as the U.S. economy finds itself in familiar territory...
During the 2009 recession, History Channel found an unlikely hit in Pawn Stars, the unscripted series in which everyday people found life-changing treasures in their attic and turned them into cash at a time when money was tight.
The series has since gone on to become a massive hit. More than 700 episodes have been commissioned, with repeats airing across History, Lifetime, A&e and Netflix. Several others in the so-called transactional TV genre launched around the same time, series like Shark Tank, American Pickers, Storage Wars, American Restoration and others. A spinoff of the successful franchise that started it all, Pawn Stars Do America, will launch Nov. 9 on History.
Now, Brent Montgomery — who gave birth to transactional TV with the creation of Pawn Stars — is the driving force behind a rebirth in the genre as the U.S. economy finds itself in familiar territory...
- 10/31/2022
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts is releasing a documentary film in the days before he pursues his third World Series title that goes behind the baseball diamond to explore the home life and career of the legendary Jackie Robinson. And like Robinson, Betts hopes that with this film he’s able to demonstrate that there’s so much more to him than just being a ball player.
“I’m an athlete in this same space like he was, and I want to be known as more than an athlete,” Betts told TheWrap. “I don’t want to be just the athlete. I don’t want to be in just this little box. I know I’m more than that. Yes, I may be good at hitting the baseball, but I’m also good at being an entrepreneur and running companies and doing these things with my best friends.”
Betts...
“I’m an athlete in this same space like he was, and I want to be known as more than an athlete,” Betts told TheWrap. “I don’t want to be just the athlete. I don’t want to be in just this little box. I know I’m more than that. Yes, I may be good at hitting the baseball, but I’m also good at being an entrepreneur and running companies and doing these things with my best friends.”
Betts...
- 10/10/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
African American boxing champ Muhammad Ali famously refused to fight for his country, justifying himself with the oft-quoted quip, “No Viet Cong ever called me n—–.” That’s one-half of American history, and an important one. “Devotion” tells the other, presenting the story of a Black pilot so determined to defend — and die for, if need be — the United States that he was willing to endure institutional bigotry to become the Jackie Robinson of the skies: Jesse Brown, the first aviator of color to complete the Navy’s basic training program.
A square but satisfying social justice drama set against the backdrop of the Korean War, “Devotion” impressed on the biggest screen possible at the Toronto Film Festival two months before its Nov. 23 theatrical release. Featuring elements of both “Green Book” and “Red Tails,” the film is more than just a stirring case of Black exceptionalism; it also celebrates the...
A square but satisfying social justice drama set against the backdrop of the Korean War, “Devotion” impressed on the biggest screen possible at the Toronto Film Festival two months before its Nov. 23 theatrical release. Featuring elements of both “Green Book” and “Red Tails,” the film is more than just a stirring case of Black exceptionalism; it also celebrates the...
- 9/22/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
This year’s Disney Legends panel felt different than it did three years ago, when “Iron Man” himself, Tony Stark, admitted to smoking pot at Disneyland. With three years removed from the event due to Covid, and the awareness that several prominent actors were being given Disney Legend status, the air felt charged for anything.
And after several happy speeches from the likes of “Frozen” actresses Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell, and inspirational moments like “Black-ish” actress Tracee Ellis Ross discussing the significance of her ABC series, the final Legend was met with utter appreciation and reverence. The late Chadwick Boseman was honored with the award, and his brother Derrick sought to remind the audience that the honor of Disney Legend status went deeper than anyone could have expected. The “Black Panther” star was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in 2016 and died in 2020 at the age of 43.
After announcing...
And after several happy speeches from the likes of “Frozen” actresses Idina Menzel and Kristen Bell, and inspirational moments like “Black-ish” actress Tracee Ellis Ross discussing the significance of her ABC series, the final Legend was met with utter appreciation and reverence. The late Chadwick Boseman was honored with the award, and his brother Derrick sought to remind the audience that the honor of Disney Legend status went deeper than anyone could have expected. The “Black Panther” star was diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer in 2016 and died in 2020 at the age of 43.
After announcing...
- 9/9/2022
- by Kristen Lopez
- Indiewire
Click here to read the full article.
In Amazon’s A League of Their Own TV show, the experiences of women in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League are just half of the story.
A scene in Penny Marshall’s 1992 film of the same name inspires the other half of the series, which debuted Aug. 12 on Prime Video. In the sequence, Rockford Peaches catcher Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) fields a painfully fast throw from an unnamed Black woman (DeLisa Chinn-Tyler), who comes down from the stands to return a foul ball. It’s one of the movie’s most memorable moments because of what it alludes to beyond its brief screen time: the history of Black women in baseball.
Given the chance to expand the story Marshall told, which itself was based on director Mary Wilson and producers Kim Wilson and Kelly Candaele’s 1987 documentary about the Aagpbl, co-creators Abbi Jacobson...
In Amazon’s A League of Their Own TV show, the experiences of women in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League are just half of the story.
A scene in Penny Marshall’s 1992 film of the same name inspires the other half of the series, which debuted Aug. 12 on Prime Video. In the sequence, Rockford Peaches catcher Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) fields a painfully fast throw from an unnamed Black woman (DeLisa Chinn-Tyler), who comes down from the stands to return a foul ball. It’s one of the movie’s most memorable moments because of what it alludes to beyond its brief screen time: the history of Black women in baseball.
Given the chance to expand the story Marshall told, which itself was based on director Mary Wilson and producers Kim Wilson and Kelly Candaele’s 1987 documentary about the Aagpbl, co-creators Abbi Jacobson...
- 9/9/2022
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Vin Scully, the longtime Dodgers play-by-play announcer considered by many to be the king of his profession, died Tuesday. He was 94.
The Los Angeles Dodgers confirmed Scully’s death through its official social media.
“He was the voice of the Dodgers, and so much more,” the organization wrote. “He was their conscience, their poet laureate, capturing their beauty and chronicling their glory from Jackie Robinson to Sandy Koufax, Kirk Gibson to Clayton Kershaw. Vin Scully was the heartbeat of the Dodgers — and in so many ways, the heartbeat of all of Los Angeles.”
pic.twitter.com/FloR9dBhZj
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 3, 2022
Also for years a national announcer of baseball for NBC, football and golf for CBS and baseball for CBS Radio, Scully endeared himself to fans through 67 seasons with the Dodgers, a record for one broadcaster with one team in any sport. In 2010, the American Sportscasters Assn. named...
The Los Angeles Dodgers confirmed Scully’s death through its official social media.
“He was the voice of the Dodgers, and so much more,” the organization wrote. “He was their conscience, their poet laureate, capturing their beauty and chronicling their glory from Jackie Robinson to Sandy Koufax, Kirk Gibson to Clayton Kershaw. Vin Scully was the heartbeat of the Dodgers — and in so many ways, the heartbeat of all of Los Angeles.”
pic.twitter.com/FloR9dBhZj
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 3, 2022
Also for years a national announcer of baseball for NBC, football and golf for CBS and baseball for CBS Radio, Scully endeared himself to fans through 67 seasons with the Dodgers, a record for one broadcaster with one team in any sport. In 2010, the American Sportscasters Assn. named...
- 8/3/2022
- by Jon Weisman
- Variety Film + TV
Vin Scully, the velvet-tongued sports broadcaster known to generations of baseball fans as the voice of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has died, the team announced Tuesday. He was 94.
Scully’s mark on Los Angeles, baseball and broadcasting history will never be matched. To say he was beloved is a colossal understatement — while most baseball fans could scarcely name a close rival’s play-by-play man, every decent baseball fan gets wistful at the mere mention of Scully.
“He was the voice of the Dodgers, and so much more,” the team wrote. “He was their conscience, their poet laureate, capturing their beauty and chronicling their glory from Jackie Robinson to Sandy Koufax, Kirk Gibson to Clayton Kershaw.”
Also Read:
Vin Scully Celebrated by Hollywood, Sports World: ‘Nobody Ever Told the Story of Baseball Better’
Scully’s longevity is almost hard to process. He began calling Dodgers games in 1950, when the team was still in Brooklyn.
Scully’s mark on Los Angeles, baseball and broadcasting history will never be matched. To say he was beloved is a colossal understatement — while most baseball fans could scarcely name a close rival’s play-by-play man, every decent baseball fan gets wistful at the mere mention of Scully.
“He was the voice of the Dodgers, and so much more,” the team wrote. “He was their conscience, their poet laureate, capturing their beauty and chronicling their glory from Jackie Robinson to Sandy Koufax, Kirk Gibson to Clayton Kershaw.”
Also Read:
Vin Scully Celebrated by Hollywood, Sports World: ‘Nobody Ever Told the Story of Baseball Better’
Scully’s longevity is almost hard to process. He began calling Dodgers games in 1950, when the team was still in Brooklyn.
- 8/3/2022
- by Josh Dickey and Ross A. Lincoln
- The Wrap
The animated series “Xavier Riddle and The Secret Museum” shares the misadventures of Xavier Riddle and his two best friends. The PBS Kids’ show follows the trio as they tackle the everyday problems that children tend to face by traveling back in time to learn from real-life icons and inspirational people.
The show, which is based on the “Ordinary People Change the World” book series by author Brad Meltzer, has been popular among children five to eight years old since it first aired in 2019.
This story will walk you through everything you need to know about the show and its key characters.
Who Are the Main Characters of “Xavier Riddle and The Secret Museum?”
Let’s meet the show’s main characters:
Xavier Riddle:
Voiced by Aidan Vissers, Xavier is the show’s namesake and the leader of his friend group, which includes his younger sister, Yadina, and their friend Brad.
The show, which is based on the “Ordinary People Change the World” book series by author Brad Meltzer, has been popular among children five to eight years old since it first aired in 2019.
This story will walk you through everything you need to know about the show and its key characters.
Who Are the Main Characters of “Xavier Riddle and The Secret Museum?”
Let’s meet the show’s main characters:
Xavier Riddle:
Voiced by Aidan Vissers, Xavier is the show’s namesake and the leader of his friend group, which includes his younger sister, Yadina, and their friend Brad.
- 8/2/2022
- by Buddy TV
- buddytv.com
Paul Sorvino, the celebrated character actor who could play mob kingpins, cops, presidential cabinet members, and even do Shakespeare, died Monday, July 25, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He was 83.
Sorvino’s wife, Dee Dee, confirmed his death, saying Sorvino died of natural causes. “Our hearts are broken, there will never be another Paul Sorvino, he was the love of my life, and one of the greatest performers to ever grace the screen and stage,” she said.
Sorvino’s daughter, Mira — who followed her father into acting and won a Best...
Sorvino’s wife, Dee Dee, confirmed his death, saying Sorvino died of natural causes. “Our hearts are broken, there will never be another Paul Sorvino, he was the love of my life, and one of the greatest performers to ever grace the screen and stage,” she said.
Sorvino’s daughter, Mira — who followed her father into acting and won a Best...
- 7/25/2022
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Denzel Washington made a surprise appearance at the MLB’s All-Star game in Dodger’s Stadium on Tuesday night to honor the late Jackie Robinson, who ended racial segregation in baseball when he began playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Washington donned Robinson’s “42” jersey and gave an impassioned speech. “Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, 1947,” Washington said, […]
The post Denzel Washington Honors Jackie Robinson At MLB All-Star Game appeared first on uInterview.
The post Denzel Washington Honors Jackie Robinson At MLB All-Star Game appeared first on uInterview.
- 7/20/2022
- by Jacob Linden
- Uinterview
Major League Baseball hit another home run tonight.
As it did last year with Kevin Costner’s appearance at the Field of Dreams game in Iowa, the league brought in a Hollywood heavy hitter to add a little televised magic to the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.
Just before players took the field, Denzel Washington walked out in the late afternoon sun and gave the crowd a laconic but stirring remembrance of number 42 and all he meant, not just to the Dodgers or baseball or sports, but to the world. Fox Sports captured the moment.
“Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, 1947,” said Washington setting the scene. “When Jackie Robinson stepped onto a Major League Baseball field for the first time, armed with supreme talent and unshakable character and wearing a Dodgers uniform, he changed the game of baseball and so much more.”
He continued, “What he carried with him, what he represented, was towering.
As it did last year with Kevin Costner’s appearance at the Field of Dreams game in Iowa, the league brought in a Hollywood heavy hitter to add a little televised magic to the All-Star Game at Dodger Stadium.
Just before players took the field, Denzel Washington walked out in the late afternoon sun and gave the crowd a laconic but stirring remembrance of number 42 and all he meant, not just to the Dodgers or baseball or sports, but to the world. Fox Sports captured the moment.
“Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, 1947,” said Washington setting the scene. “When Jackie Robinson stepped onto a Major League Baseball field for the first time, armed with supreme talent and unshakable character and wearing a Dodgers uniform, he changed the game of baseball and so much more.”
He continued, “What he carried with him, what he represented, was towering.
- 7/20/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game returned to Dodger Stadium today for the first time in more than 40 years, bringing with it a host of Hollywood all-stars to take in the action on the field. But it was Oscar winner Denzel Washington who had the honor of kicking off the Fox telecast as part of a special tribute to Dodger legend Jackie Robinson.
Washington — following a performance of the national anthem from Ben Platt who wore a “Choice” pin amid a reckoning over reproductive rights — walked up to home plate shortly after 5 p.m. wearing a Dodger jersey with Robinson’s iconic No. 42 on the back.
“Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, 1947,” Washington said in opening his brief remarks, recalling the date that Robinson broke color barriers by becoming the first Black player to suit up for the MLB in the modern era when he started...
Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game returned to Dodger Stadium today for the first time in more than 40 years, bringing with it a host of Hollywood all-stars to take in the action on the field. But it was Oscar winner Denzel Washington who had the honor of kicking off the Fox telecast as part of a special tribute to Dodger legend Jackie Robinson.
Washington — following a performance of the national anthem from Ben Platt who wore a “Choice” pin amid a reckoning over reproductive rights — walked up to home plate shortly after 5 p.m. wearing a Dodger jersey with Robinson’s iconic No. 42 on the back.
“Ebbets Field, Brooklyn, 1947,” Washington said in opening his brief remarks, recalling the date that Robinson broke color barriers by becoming the first Black player to suit up for the MLB in the modern era when he started...
- 7/20/2022
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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