Get ready to delve into the fascinating world of creativity and inspiration with “This Cultural Life”! Airing on Sunday, May 5th, 2024, at 8:30 Pm on BBC Four, this captivating show invites viewers to join actor, comedian, presenter, and writer Sir Michael Palin as he sits down with John Wilson to discuss his formative creative influences.
In this special episode, audiences will have the opportunity to gain unique insights into the life and career of one of Britain’s most beloved cultural icons. From his early days as a member of Monty Python to his acclaimed travel documentaries and beyond, Sir Michael Palin shares personal anecdotes, reflections, and stories that shed light on the sources of his creativity.
Through engaging conversation and thoughtful reflection, viewers will discover the people, places, and experiences that have shaped Sir Michael’s artistic journey and influenced his work across various mediums.
Whether you’re a fan of comedy,...
In this special episode, audiences will have the opportunity to gain unique insights into the life and career of one of Britain’s most beloved cultural icons. From his early days as a member of Monty Python to his acclaimed travel documentaries and beyond, Sir Michael Palin shares personal anecdotes, reflections, and stories that shed light on the sources of his creativity.
Through engaging conversation and thoughtful reflection, viewers will discover the people, places, and experiences that have shaped Sir Michael’s artistic journey and influenced his work across various mediums.
Whether you’re a fan of comedy,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Posts UK
- TV Everyday
Exclusive: BAFTA-nominated Friday Night Dinner director Steve Bendelack is helming a comedy movie about an ageing rock band who reunites.
Bill & Ben Productions and Night Tide Films are combining on Heavenly Waters, which will shoot in Greece later this year.
Heavenly Waters tells the story of a rock band who, after an acrimonious split in the 1970s, agree to come together in Greece to scatter the ashes of their biggest fan, but things don’t go according to plan.
The pic is the writing debut of producer Kim Leggatt and actor David Schaal.
Bendelack is a two-time BAFTA nominee who was nominated in 2012 for Channel 4’s Friday Night Dinner. He has also helmed a wealth of iconic British comedies including Spitting Image, Little Britain, The Royle Family and Mr Bean’s Holiday.
Heavenly Waters reunites Leggatt with producers Ben Timlett and Bill Jones.
Bill & Ben Productions and Night Tide Films are combining on Heavenly Waters, which will shoot in Greece later this year.
Heavenly Waters tells the story of a rock band who, after an acrimonious split in the 1970s, agree to come together in Greece to scatter the ashes of their biggest fan, but things don’t go according to plan.
The pic is the writing debut of producer Kim Leggatt and actor David Schaal.
Bendelack is a two-time BAFTA nominee who was nominated in 2012 for Channel 4’s Friday Night Dinner. He has also helmed a wealth of iconic British comedies including Spitting Image, Little Britain, The Royle Family and Mr Bean’s Holiday.
Heavenly Waters reunites Leggatt with producers Ben Timlett and Bill Jones.
- 3/7/2024
- by Max Goldbart and Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Animated film franchises have a way of making you feel old. When you watch live-action movie series featuring your favorite stars over a period of many years, the actors at least have the grace to age along with their audiences. But the characters in animated movies tend to always look the same, as demonstrated by Po, the hero of Kung Fu Panda 4. As still delightfully voiced by Jack Black, he’s exactly the same big, furry lug that he was in the original film, which came out in, gulp, 2008.
Well, he’s a little different. He’s now been the Dragon Warrior for so long that his mentor, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman, sounding more gravelly than ever), orders him to relinquish his title and assume the role of Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. Po, who’s preoccupied with starting his own noodle restaurant, resists at first, but ultimately...
Well, he’s a little different. He’s now been the Dragon Warrior for so long that his mentor, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman, sounding more gravelly than ever), orders him to relinquish his title and assume the role of Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. Po, who’s preoccupied with starting his own noodle restaurant, resists at first, but ultimately...
- 3/6/2024
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Broadway revival of Monty Python’s Spamalot will play its final performance on Sunday, April 7, completing a 24-week run at the St. James Theatre.
The production, which opened to favorable critical notices, failed to attract the strong audience figures that the original 2005 production drew. Last week, the production grossed just $589,970, with attendance at about 59% of the St. James’ capacity.
Sources tell Deadline that cost-cutting measures attempted in recent weeks have made little significant impact on the bottom line.
The revival opened on Thursday, November 16, 2023. A national tour is set to launch in fall of 2025.
“I am so proud of the entire cast, creative team, musicians and crew for their hard work and for delivering the highest level of joy and laughter back on Broadway when we need this more than ever,” said producer Jeffrey Finn. “I’m also honored to continue the long legacy of Kennedy Center productions transferring...
The production, which opened to favorable critical notices, failed to attract the strong audience figures that the original 2005 production drew. Last week, the production grossed just $589,970, with attendance at about 59% of the St. James’ capacity.
Sources tell Deadline that cost-cutting measures attempted in recent weeks have made little significant impact on the bottom line.
The revival opened on Thursday, November 16, 2023. A national tour is set to launch in fall of 2025.
“I am so proud of the entire cast, creative team, musicians and crew for their hard work and for delivering the highest level of joy and laughter back on Broadway when we need this more than ever,” said producer Jeffrey Finn. “I’m also honored to continue the long legacy of Kennedy Center productions transferring...
- 3/6/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
While two of Monty Python’s most famous former members, Eric Idle and John Cleese, are embroiled in a very public feud, it wasn’t always this way. In recent weeks, Idle has been vocal about how he feels the Monty Python estate is being handled, with him targeting Terry Gilliam and his daughter, Holly, who manages the rights, directly. John Cleese jumped to their aid, writing on X (perhaps in a tongue-in-cheek way) that (referring to Idle) “we always loathed and despised each other, but it’s only recently that the truth has begun to emerge.”
Now, this might need to be taken with a grain of salt, as Cleese has a notoriously dry wit. Let’s not forget that he eulogized his best friend, Graham Chapman, by saying, “Good riddance to him, the freeloading bastard! I hope he fries.” That was lovingly tongue-in-cheek, although Idle and Cleese always...
Now, this might need to be taken with a grain of salt, as Cleese has a notoriously dry wit. Let’s not forget that he eulogized his best friend, Graham Chapman, by saying, “Good riddance to him, the freeloading bastard! I hope he fries.” That was lovingly tongue-in-cheek, although Idle and Cleese always...
- 2/25/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
George Harrison appeared in a handful of films and even opened his own production company. He loved movies, but there was one film he simply couldn’t get behind. In the 1960s, he watched a screening of a much-loved Western while on LSD. He couldn’t stand the movie, referring to it as a “load of baloney shite.” Here’s the movie that aggravated him so deeply.
George Harrison was not a fan of a much-loved film
In the 1960s, The Beatles were in Los Angeles and decided to take LSD. They spent their afternoon swimming in a pool with Peter Fonda and members of The Byrds. Later in the day, they attended a screening of the film Cat Ballou.
“Later on that day, we were all tripping out and they brought several starlets in and set up a movie for us to watch in the house,” he said in The Beatles Anthology.
George Harrison was not a fan of a much-loved film
In the 1960s, The Beatles were in Los Angeles and decided to take LSD. They spent their afternoon swimming in a pool with Peter Fonda and members of The Byrds. Later in the day, they attended a screening of the film Cat Ballou.
“Later on that day, we were all tripping out and they brought several starlets in and set up a movie for us to watch in the house,” he said in The Beatles Anthology.
- 2/17/2024
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
John Cleese says the media got it wrong when it quoted his tweet seemingly declaring that he and his Monty Python co-star Eric Idle have always “loathed and despised each other.”
Cleese originally made the comment amid an apparent online dispute over the beloved comedy troupe’s finances, sparked by Idle criticizing the other Pythons, as well as their asset manager Holly Gilliam — daughter of Python member Terry Gilliam.
The Cleese came to Holly’s defense — and he was apparently serious about that part. But 84-year-old claims he wasn’t being serious when he wrote, “We always loathed and despised each other, but it’s only recently that the truth has begun to emerge.”
“I’ve just seen the Press Association release,” Cleese wrote. “They got it totally wrong. My remark about ‘loathing and despising each other.’ 1. Referred to all the members of the group. 2. Was a joke I would...
Cleese originally made the comment amid an apparent online dispute over the beloved comedy troupe’s finances, sparked by Idle criticizing the other Pythons, as well as their asset manager Holly Gilliam — daughter of Python member Terry Gilliam.
The Cleese came to Holly’s defense — and he was apparently serious about that part. But 84-year-old claims he wasn’t being serious when he wrote, “We always loathed and despised each other, but it’s only recently that the truth has begun to emerge.”
“I’ve just seen the Press Association release,” Cleese wrote. “They got it totally wrong. My remark about ‘loathing and despising each other.’ 1. Referred to all the members of the group. 2. Was a joke I would...
- 2/15/2024
- by James Hibberd
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
To borrow a phrase from Paddy Chayefsky, Eric Idle is mad as hell, and he’s not going to take it anymore. The founding member of Monty Python, 80, has taken to X in recent days to clear the air on a number of matters regarding the legendary British troupe — whose catalog (four seasons of Monty Python’s Flying Circus plus five feature films, including Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Monty Python’s Life of Brian) have elevated them to “Beatles of comedy” status. (Idle, it’s worth noting, is also the mind behind the 1978 Beatles parody The Rutles.) The claims — which many fans say are ruining their cherished Python memories — are as follows:
Idle is Out of Money — and Blames the Gilliams
We own everything we ever made in Python and I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously. But I...
Idle is Out of Money — and Blames the Gilliams
We own everything we ever made in Python and I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously. But I...
- 2/14/2024
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Update: John Cleese has responded to Eric Idle’s recent comments, and there doesn’t appear to be any love lost between the former Monty Python performers. Cleese defended Python manager Holly Gilliam, who Idle had suggested was responsible for dwindling income streams.
“I have worked with Holly for the last ten years,” Cleese tweeted, “and I find her very efficient, clear-minded, hard-working, and pleasant to have dealings with. Michael Palin has asked me to make it clear that he shares this opinion. Terry Gilliam is also in agreement with this.” Just in case there was any confusion over the status of the relationship between himself and Idle, Cleese drove the point home by saying, “We always loathed and despised each other, but it’s only recently that the truth has begun to emerge.” Yikes.
—Original article follows below—
Eric Idle may have written “Always Look on the Bright Side...
“I have worked with Holly for the last ten years,” Cleese tweeted, “and I find her very efficient, clear-minded, hard-working, and pleasant to have dealings with. Michael Palin has asked me to make it clear that he shares this opinion. Terry Gilliam is also in agreement with this.” Just in case there was any confusion over the status of the relationship between himself and Idle, Cleese drove the point home by saying, “We always loathed and despised each other, but it’s only recently that the truth has begun to emerge.” Yikes.
—Original article follows below—
Eric Idle may have written “Always Look on the Bright Side...
- 2/13/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Eric Idle has set the record straight for anyone who thought he had a cushy life from his earnings as a member of Monty Python, saying that he still has to work for a living.
“I don’t know why people always assume we’re loaded. Python is a disaster,” the 80-year-old actor and comedian wrote on Twitter. “Spamalot made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.”
Later on, Idle clarified that though the British comedy troupe owns “everything” they ever made as part of the group, changes to royalty distribution — and what he sees as mismanagement of the company — have made a drastic impact on their earnings.
“I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously,” he wrote. “But I guess if you put a Gilliam child in as your manager you should not be so surprised.
“I don’t know why people always assume we’re loaded. Python is a disaster,” the 80-year-old actor and comedian wrote on Twitter. “Spamalot made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.”
Later on, Idle clarified that though the British comedy troupe owns “everything” they ever made as part of the group, changes to royalty distribution — and what he sees as mismanagement of the company — have made a drastic impact on their earnings.
“I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously,” he wrote. “But I guess if you put a Gilliam child in as your manager you should not be so surprised.
- 2/12/2024
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Film News
Seven classic feature films, to be screened for the first time in Saudi Arabia, are showing at the Red Sea Film Festival’s Treasures sidebar in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Director of Arab programs and film classics Antoine Khalife tells Variety: “We really wanted to focus this year on the musical, as well as films about cinema itself.”
Films with a musical theme include a screening of a 4K restoration of Fatih Akin’s 2005 documentary about the music scene in Turkey “Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul” and Jacques Demy’s classic French musical “Les Demoiselles de Rochefort,” starring Catherine Deneuve, Françoise Dorléac and Gene Kelly from 1967.
“From the Arab world, we wanted to have something unusual: ‘The Victory of Youth,’ which stars Farid Al-Atrash and Asmahan,” Khalife says. The real-life siblings play brother and sister singer-musicians looking for fame via the silver screen. “We looked really hard to find...
Director of Arab programs and film classics Antoine Khalife tells Variety: “We really wanted to focus this year on the musical, as well as films about cinema itself.”
Films with a musical theme include a screening of a 4K restoration of Fatih Akin’s 2005 documentary about the music scene in Turkey “Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul” and Jacques Demy’s classic French musical “Les Demoiselles de Rochefort,” starring Catherine Deneuve, Françoise Dorléac and Gene Kelly from 1967.
“From the Arab world, we wanted to have something unusual: ‘The Victory of Youth,’ which stars Farid Al-Atrash and Asmahan,” Khalife says. The real-life siblings play brother and sister singer-musicians looking for fame via the silver screen. “We looked really hard to find...
- 11/30/2023
- by John Bleasdale
- Variety Film + TV
Cinematographer Peter Biziou — who earned an Oscar and BAFTA for Alan Parker-directed 1988 film Mississippi Burning — will receive the lifetime achievement award at the 31st EnergaCamerimage international festival of cinematography, which returns to Turun, Poland, in November.
Biziou’s credits include Peter Weir’s The Truman Show, for which he earned an additional BAFTA nom, and several films with Parker, including Bugsy Malone (shared with Dp Michael Seresin) and Pink Floyd: The Wall.
His other notable credits also include Monty Python’s Life of Brian, helmed by Terry Jones; Time Bandits, directed by Terry Gilliam; Another Country, by Merek Kanievska; and In the Name of the Father, by Jim Sheridan.
Born in Wales in 1944, Biziou’s family was evacuated during WWII. His father, Leon Bijou, was a cinematographer, special effects, animation pro and an assistant director who worked with Richard Thorpe on 1952’s Ivanhoe.
Following his return to post-war London,...
Biziou’s credits include Peter Weir’s The Truman Show, for which he earned an additional BAFTA nom, and several films with Parker, including Bugsy Malone (shared with Dp Michael Seresin) and Pink Floyd: The Wall.
His other notable credits also include Monty Python’s Life of Brian, helmed by Terry Jones; Time Bandits, directed by Terry Gilliam; Another Country, by Merek Kanievska; and In the Name of the Father, by Jim Sheridan.
Born in Wales in 1944, Biziou’s family was evacuated during WWII. His father, Leon Bijou, was a cinematographer, special effects, animation pro and an assistant director who worked with Richard Thorpe on 1952’s Ivanhoe.
Following his return to post-war London,...
- 7/19/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
John Cleese couldn’t help but view the recent coronation of British monarch King Charles III as a satire worthy of one of his classic Monty Python sketches.
In an interview with Gb News, the legendary British comedian — who also famously dressed down a certain British noble named King Arthur in 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail — admitted he “lost it” after starting to watch the historic televised event with his wife. “I couldn’t stop laughing,” he shared, barely able to contain himself through his harsh-yet-candid recollection. “All these people in these silly costumes, all taking things so seriously. I thought it was a [Monty] Python sketch.”
Cleese further clarified that he “wasn’t laughing at the people because they were playing their parts really well” but had one note for the “marvelous” Archbishop of Canterbury, who had to make several adjustments while bestowing the crown on the new monarch’s head.
In an interview with Gb News, the legendary British comedian — who also famously dressed down a certain British noble named King Arthur in 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail — admitted he “lost it” after starting to watch the historic televised event with his wife. “I couldn’t stop laughing,” he shared, barely able to contain himself through his harsh-yet-candid recollection. “All these people in these silly costumes, all taking things so seriously. I thought it was a [Monty] Python sketch.”
Cleese further clarified that he “wasn’t laughing at the people because they were playing their parts really well” but had one note for the “marvelous” Archbishop of Canterbury, who had to make several adjustments while bestowing the crown on the new monarch’s head.
- 5/9/2023
- by Bryan Kress
- Consequence - Film News
Bill Hader appears on my screen from Los Angeles, unshaven, a little groggy and in an uncluttered white room. Faced with this pixelated version of him, I’m instantly reminded of his role in the 2008 Judd Apatow-produced romcom Forgetting Sarah Marshall, for which he appeared almost exclusively on video call, in the days before Zoom was a thing. “It was such a novelty back then,” he says, that furrowed brow unmistakeable. “It was like, ‘Whoa, this is new.’”
Saturday Night Live’s erstwhile Man of a Thousand Faces is here on my laptop to talk about his greatest creation, Barry Berkman, a marine turned assassin turned aspiring actor in the HBO comedy-drama Barry, which Hader writes and directs as well as playing the title character. The show has won multiple Emmys; critical adulation; obsessive fans. What began as an apparent riff on the hitman-with-a-heart-of-gold trope has evolved over four...
Saturday Night Live’s erstwhile Man of a Thousand Faces is here on my laptop to talk about his greatest creation, Barry Berkman, a marine turned assassin turned aspiring actor in the HBO comedy-drama Barry, which Hader writes and directs as well as playing the title character. The show has won multiple Emmys; critical adulation; obsessive fans. What began as an apparent riff on the hitman-with-a-heart-of-gold trope has evolved over four...
- 4/22/2023
- by Patrick Smith
- The Independent - TV
In most versions of the classic 1831 Victor Hugo tale, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, the female protagonist is Esmeralda, a French Romani girl who is so beautiful that every major male character in the story either wants to marry her or seduce her. (She’s also only 16 in the novel—a book from over 200 years ago). For all her kindness and compassion, Esmeralda is basically treated terribly throughout the story and finally ends up hanged for a crime she didn’t commit, just as she reunites with her long-lost birth mother.
Quasi, a satirical new take on the story from the Broken Lizard crew (Super Troopers), has a decidedly different view of its female lead. Directed by Broken Lizard’s Kevin Heffernan and written by him and the rest of the team—Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske—the film dispenses with the tragic Esmeralda in favor of...
Quasi, a satirical new take on the story from the Broken Lizard crew (Super Troopers), has a decidedly different view of its female lead. Directed by Broken Lizard’s Kevin Heffernan and written by him and the rest of the team—Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske—the film dispenses with the tragic Esmeralda in favor of...
- 4/20/2023
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
The Holy Grail, a character in “Mrs. Davis” observes, might be the “most overused MacGuffin ever.” From “Monty Python” to “Indiana Jones,” the mythical chalice is an easy shorthand for a magical object that motivates heroes and antagonists alike. Sister Simone (Betty Gilpin), a nun who spends her days mak- ing strawberry jam at an abbey outside Reno, is the latest protag- onist to set her sights on the Grail. She’s been assigned this quest by an artificial intelligence known as Mrs. Davis, which marries the menace of Skynet with the affable mien of Alexa. For reasons both principled and personal, Simone despises Mrs. Davis, but she’s been extended an offer she can’t refuse: If she finds the Grail and destroys it, Mrs. Davis will destroy herself. As the same supporting player notes: “Algorithms love clichés, and there’s no cliché bigger than the quest for the Holy Grail.
- 4/18/2023
- by Alison Herman
- Variety Film + TV
If you're a movie or TV viewer, you've seen Chris Diamantopoulos. Probably many times. If you're an animation nerd, you've heard Chris Diamantopoulos. Again, probably many times. Anyone who is pop culture-literate in the year 2023 has encountered the actor in some capacity -- even if you don't know his name, you know his face. But you can be forgiven for not recognizing his voice, because his chameleonic voiceover work suggests the work of a dozen different actors.
After cutting his teeth on the Broadway stage, Diamantopoulos smashed into film and television and has seemingly never stopped working. You may know him from roles on major TV series like "CSI," "24," "The Sopranos" and "Arrested Development," where he eased into those shows' distinct tones with ease. He was the sound guy who tempted Pam away from Jim in the final season of "The Office." He was that guy from the horse...
After cutting his teeth on the Broadway stage, Diamantopoulos smashed into film and television and has seemingly never stopped working. You may know him from roles on major TV series like "CSI," "24," "The Sopranos" and "Arrested Development," where he eased into those shows' distinct tones with ease. He was the sound guy who tempted Pam away from Jim in the final season of "The Office." He was that guy from the horse...
- 4/18/2023
- by Jacob Hall
- Slash Film
Some of The Beatles‘ songs are just plain weird. For example, one Beatles song is less than a minute long. Another is basically one line repeated over and over for several minutes.
The Beatles | Michael Ochs Archives / Handout 5. ‘Revolution 9’
“Revolution 9” might seem totally random. The book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon includes an interview from 1968. In it, someone asked John if “Revolution 9” is about death.
“It’s about death,” he said. “Well, listen to it on another day. In the sun. Outside. And see if it’s about death then. It’s about everything. I mean, it’s not specifically about anything. It’s a set of sounds like walking down the street is a set of sounds. And I just captured a moment of time, put it on disc, and it’s about that.”
Subsequently, John was asked if the track was about revolution. “Yeah, you know,...
The Beatles | Michael Ochs Archives / Handout 5. ‘Revolution 9’
“Revolution 9” might seem totally random. The book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon includes an interview from 1968. In it, someone asked John if “Revolution 9” is about death.
“It’s about death,” he said. “Well, listen to it on another day. In the sun. Outside. And see if it’s about death then. It’s about everything. I mean, it’s not specifically about anything. It’s a set of sounds like walking down the street is a set of sounds. And I just captured a moment of time, put it on disc, and it’s about that.”
Subsequently, John was asked if the track was about revolution. “Yeah, you know,...
- 4/7/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
One of the most impressive signs of the MCU’s might occurred early in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. As Cap and Black Widow make their way through a ship held captive by pirates, they’re stopped by the ring leader: Batroc the Leaper. To comic book fans, Batroc was one of the goofier characters in Cap’s rogues gallery, a Frenchman straight out of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, endowed with the power of jumping really well. But in The Winter Soldier, Batroc was played by UFC fighter Georges St-Pierre, who proceeded to have a really cool action sequence with Cap.
“If that’s what the MCU can do with Batroc, imagine what they’ll do with Crossbones?” we all thought. Introduced in Captain America #359 as the Red Skull’s enforcer during writer Mark Gruenwald’s legendary run, Crossbones quickly established himself as a formidable counter to Cap,...
“If that’s what the MCU can do with Batroc, imagine what they’ll do with Crossbones?” we all thought. Introduced in Captain America #359 as the Red Skull’s enforcer during writer Mark Gruenwald’s legendary run, Crossbones quickly established himself as a formidable counter to Cap,...
- 4/5/2023
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
One of the most acclaimed comedy series of all time is returning to TV more than four decades later. “Fawlty Towers,” the beloved British sitcom starring John Cleese, is getting a revival, with the “Monty Python” star set to return.
The show is being developed at Castle Rock Entertainment, with Matthew George, Rob Reiner, Michele Reiner, and Derrick Rossi executive producing for the studio. Cleese will write and star in the revival with his daughter, Camilla Cleese.
“What I like about Matt is that, unlike many producers, he really ‘gets’ the creative process,” Cleese said in a statement announcing the project. “When we first met, he offered an excellent first idea, and then Matt, my daughter Camilla, and I had one of the best creative sessions I can remember. By dessert we had an overall concept so good that, a few days later, it won the approval of Rob and Michele Reiner.
The show is being developed at Castle Rock Entertainment, with Matthew George, Rob Reiner, Michele Reiner, and Derrick Rossi executive producing for the studio. Cleese will write and star in the revival with his daughter, Camilla Cleese.
“What I like about Matt is that, unlike many producers, he really ‘gets’ the creative process,” Cleese said in a statement announcing the project. “When we first met, he offered an excellent first idea, and then Matt, my daughter Camilla, and I had one of the best creative sessions I can remember. By dessert we had an overall concept so good that, a few days later, it won the approval of Rob and Michele Reiner.
- 2/7/2023
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
Basil Fawlty is back. A reboot of John Cleese’s British comedy sensation Fawlty Towers is in the works and Rob Reiner’s Castle Rock Entertainment is developing.
More than 40 years after the second and final season drew to a close, Monty Python star Cleese is set to write and star alongside daughter Camilla Cleese, in news that will bring joy to a generation of British comedy fans.
The new series will explore how Cleese’s over-the-top, cynical and misanthropic Basil Fawlty navigates the modern world. Plot details are largely being kept under wraps but the development will bring the story forward to explore Basil’s relationship with a daughter he has just discovered he had, as the pair tempt fate and team up to run a boutique hotel.
The Cleeses have joined with Reiner’s Castle Rock on the development, with Reiner, Michele Reiner, Derrick Rossi and Matthew George exec producing.
More than 40 years after the second and final season drew to a close, Monty Python star Cleese is set to write and star alongside daughter Camilla Cleese, in news that will bring joy to a generation of British comedy fans.
The new series will explore how Cleese’s over-the-top, cynical and misanthropic Basil Fawlty navigates the modern world. Plot details are largely being kept under wraps but the development will bring the story forward to explore Basil’s relationship with a daughter he has just discovered he had, as the pair tempt fate and team up to run a boutique hotel.
The Cleeses have joined with Reiner’s Castle Rock on the development, with Reiner, Michele Reiner, Derrick Rossi and Matthew George exec producing.
- 2/7/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
George Harrison clashed with his bandmates for creative representation in The Beatles, and, years later, he had to do the same with a movie director. Harrison founded HandMade Films, a production company, to help finance Monty Python’s Life of Brian. The company produced many other films, some of which Harrison found highly frustrating. Harrison and his business partner, Denis O’Brien, wanted the former Beatle’s songs on a film soundtrack. The director, Terry Gillam, was vehemently opposed to this.
George Harrison | Chapman/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images The former Beatle founded a production company
When the first backer of Life of Brian unexpectedly pulled out, Eric Idle contacted Harrison. He was the richest person he knew, and Harrison was a fan of Monty Python.
"He gave us the money to shoot Life Of Brian because he wanted to see the movie. It remains the highest price ever paid for a cinema ticket.
George Harrison | Chapman/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images The former Beatle founded a production company
When the first backer of Life of Brian unexpectedly pulled out, Eric Idle contacted Harrison. He was the richest person he knew, and Harrison was a fan of Monty Python.
"He gave us the money to shoot Life Of Brian because he wanted to see the movie. It remains the highest price ever paid for a cinema ticket.
- 1/29/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The following contains spoilers from the Season 4 premiere of Titans, which was released Nov. 3 on HBO Max.
Lex Luthor is dying.
More from TVLineDegrassi Reboot Cancelled at HBO MaxTitus Welliver Recalls Wowing Titans Boss With His DC Comics Cred, Teases Lex Luthor's Fight With MortalityPretty Little Liars: Summer School Teased as New Title for Season 2
Er, scratch that. Lex Luthor is dead.
In a twist that had to catch you off guard — if only because of Titans‘ top-shelf casting of Titus Welliver as the criminal mastermind — Lex keeled over, d-e-a-d, as the Season 4 premiere drew to a harrowing close.
The cause of death?...
Lex Luthor is dying.
More from TVLineDegrassi Reboot Cancelled at HBO MaxTitus Welliver Recalls Wowing Titans Boss With His DC Comics Cred, Teases Lex Luthor's Fight With MortalityPretty Little Liars: Summer School Teased as New Title for Season 2
Er, scratch that. Lex Luthor is dead.
In a twist that had to catch you off guard — if only because of Titans‘ top-shelf casting of Titus Welliver as the criminal mastermind — Lex keeled over, d-e-a-d, as the Season 4 premiere drew to a harrowing close.
The cause of death?...
- 11/3/2022
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
Alejandro González Iñárritu’s eagerly awaited return, following the one-two Oscar punch of Birdman and The Revenant, manages to be at once wilfully obscure, completely beautiful and so staggeringly on the nose it could form the bulbous centrepiece of a clown’s face. Whatever else it achieves (and it achieves an awful lot) few films are so opaque and yet so obvious at the same time – in itself that’s pretty impressive. And that’s before we get to how staggeringly gorgeous Bardo can look.
Daniel Giménez Cacho is wonderful as Silverio Gacho, a Mexican-born journalist-turned-documentary-filmmaker, who is to be given a major award by his LA contemporaries, sending him into a spiral of self-doubt, by turns prickly and vulnerable, as he faces his imposter syndrome and the hostility of those he left behind in Mexico. The ensuing three hours explores those feelings as well as ideas of nationhood, identity,...
Daniel Giménez Cacho is wonderful as Silverio Gacho, a Mexican-born journalist-turned-documentary-filmmaker, who is to be given a major award by his LA contemporaries, sending him into a spiral of self-doubt, by turns prickly and vulnerable, as he faces his imposter syndrome and the hostility of those he left behind in Mexico. The ensuing three hours explores those feelings as well as ideas of nationhood, identity,...
- 10/12/2022
- by Marc Burrows
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Actor / Filmmaker Alex Winter joins Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss movies featuring a cog in the machine – the individual struggling to exist within the system.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s Bill and Ted character power rankings
Bill And Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
Bill And Ted Face The Music (2020)
The Game (1997)
Showbiz Kids (2020)
The Panama Papers (2018)
Zappa (2020)
200 Motels (1971)
Modern Times (1936)
Metropolis (1927) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Avatar (2009)
Things To Come (1936) – Jesus Trevino’s trailer commentary
M (1931)
M (1951)
The Last Laugh (1924) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Brazil (1985)
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
City Lights (1931)
Goin’ Down The Road (1970)
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Young And The Damned (1950)
Shock Corridor (1963) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary
The Naked Kiss (1964)
Stroszek (1977)
Even Dwarves Started Small (1970)
Ikiru (1952) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s Bill and Ted character power rankings
Bill And Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)
Bill And Ted Face The Music (2020)
The Game (1997)
Showbiz Kids (2020)
The Panama Papers (2018)
Zappa (2020)
200 Motels (1971)
Modern Times (1936)
Metropolis (1927) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Avatar (2009)
Things To Come (1936) – Jesus Trevino’s trailer commentary
M (1931)
M (1951)
The Last Laugh (1924) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Brazil (1985)
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
City Lights (1931)
Goin’ Down The Road (1970)
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (1972) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Young And The Damned (1950)
Shock Corridor (1963) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary
The Naked Kiss (1964)
Stroszek (1977)
Even Dwarves Started Small (1970)
Ikiru (1952) – Glenn Erickson’s trailer...
- 10/11/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
Comedy star John Cleese is returning to British TV by making a show for right-leaning channel Gb News.
The Monty Python and Fawlty Towers star, who campaigns against “wokeism” and “cancel culture,” will become a presenter on the network, which launched in the UK last year with an ethos to present an alternative to rivals by focusing partly on culture wars content.
Cleese will debut on the channel next year, working alongside satirist Andrew Doyle on the currently unnamed program. Together they will encourage “proper argument,” said Cleese.
Doyle already presents Free Speech Nation on the channel, which boasts a presenting line-up that includes Dan Wootton but has rarely rated in a meaningful way in the UK.
Cleese appeared on BBC radio program Today this morning to talk about the show. Somewhat ironically, he claimed he would not have been approached by the BBC to make the same program and...
The Monty Python and Fawlty Towers star, who campaigns against “wokeism” and “cancel culture,” will become a presenter on the network, which launched in the UK last year with an ethos to present an alternative to rivals by focusing partly on culture wars content.
Cleese will debut on the channel next year, working alongside satirist Andrew Doyle on the currently unnamed program. Together they will encourage “proper argument,” said Cleese.
Doyle already presents Free Speech Nation on the channel, which boasts a presenting line-up that includes Dan Wootton but has rarely rated in a meaningful way in the UK.
Cleese appeared on BBC radio program Today this morning to talk about the show. Somewhat ironically, he claimed he would not have been approached by the BBC to make the same program and...
- 10/10/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Season 8 of “The Masked Singer” premiered on Wednesday night, introducing four new mystery celebrities in wild, extravagant costumes. Only one could advance in the competition and the second contestant eliminated was the Hedgehog. The spiny crooner with an adoring smile was revealed to be Tony Award-winning comedy legend Eric Idle from the comedy group Monty Python.
See What do You think of ‘cutthroat’ ‘The Masked Singer’ format change with multiple eliminations each week? [Poll]
“It’s a little hot in there,” the 79-year old told host Nick Cannon during his unmasked interview. “Actually this is John Cleese’s real body,” he joked about his “Monty Python” co-star after judge Jenny McCarthy had guessed Cleese was the Hedgehog. In fact, Robin Thicke was the only judge to correctly name the “Spamalot” creator, stating, “I knew the voice.” Ken Jeong had guessed Elton John and Nicole Scherzinger thought it was Bill Nighy.
“My...
See What do You think of ‘cutthroat’ ‘The Masked Singer’ format change with multiple eliminations each week? [Poll]
“It’s a little hot in there,” the 79-year old told host Nick Cannon during his unmasked interview. “Actually this is John Cleese’s real body,” he joked about his “Monty Python” co-star after judge Jenny McCarthy had guessed Cleese was the Hedgehog. In fact, Robin Thicke was the only judge to correctly name the “Spamalot” creator, stating, “I knew the voice.” Ken Jeong had guessed Elton John and Nicole Scherzinger thought it was Bill Nighy.
“My...
- 9/22/2022
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
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