by tyler | Apr 28, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Meghan, Duchess of Sussex has signed a representation deal with global entertainment agency WME, the agency confirmed Friday.
“(WME) will be focusing on building out her business ventures across multiple facets of the agency and its broader ecosystem, including film and television production, brand partnerships and more,” the agency shared on social media, adding that it was “honored” to represent her “in all areas.”
News of the agreement was first reported in an exclusive by Variety on Thursday. The outlet also reported that Meghan’s team at WME will include Dwayne Johnson’s representative, Brad Slater; Serena Williams’ agent, Jill Smoller; and Ari Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor, WME’s global entertainment and sports unit.
WME will also represent Prince Harry and Meghan’s company Archewell, Variety reported.
Through Archewell Productions – which falls under the umbrella of Archewell – the Sussexes have a multi-year production deal with streaming giant Netflix. In December 2022, they released two docuseries: “Harry & Meghan,” a six-parter offering their perspective on their life in the British royal family; and “Live to Lead,” which interviewed leaders in their fields.
Archewell Audio similarly has a partnership with Spotify, and has released “Archetypes,” an original podcast series, on the platform.
by tyler | Apr 28, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
After eight years and multiple Emmy awards, James Corden’s time as host of “The Late Late Show” has come to an end.
The English presenter and actor announced his departure from the show, which was home to popular segments such as “Carpool Karaoke,” last April. He later revealed that his desire to spend more time with his family prompted the move.
“It was going to be a journey, an adventure. I never saw it as my final destination,” Corden said at the time.
On Thursday night, the 44-year-old comic got emotional as he prepared to vacate the seat that made him a household name. The prime-time special featured A-list guests Harry Styles, Adele and Will Ferrell and a surprise video message from President Joe Biden, and Corden’s parents were in the audience.
While his decision to leave the show during a successful run on US late-night television had surprised many, Corden revealed that “one positive” of leaving the show is that he “may finally get a good night’s sleep.”
In his emotional farewell speech, the father-of-three also touched on his journey as the show’s host.
“We started this show with Obama, then Trump, then a global pandemic,” he said.
“I’ve watched America change a lot. Over these past few years, I’ve watched divisions grow and I’ve seen and I’ve felt a sense of negativity bubble and at points boil over,” he added.
Corden implored his audience to “remember what America signifies to the rest of the world. My entire life it has always been a place of optimism and joy. And yes, it has flaws, so many, but show me a country that doesn’t. Show me a person that doesn’t.”
Corden continued: “We are all more the same than we are different. There are so many people who are trying to stoke those differences and we have to try as best we can to look for the light, look for the joy. If you do, it’s out there. That’s all this show has ever been about.”
He described his move to America as “a huge leap,” and thanked CBS for taking a “life-changing” chance on him.
Corden ended his final appearance by performing a piano ballad, as a video montage of his finest moments on the show played.
“Part of me thinks why not stay here forever, but deep in my heart I just know,” he sang. “No more shows to be showing, it’s time I was going. It’s time. Thanks for watching, that’s our show.”
by tyler | Apr 28, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
In his heyday Jerry Springer consistently played down the significance of his talk show and its drift into what became known as “trash TV,” dismissing the daytime program as “stupid” and basically a big joke that the audience was in on. Yet TV paid a price for the excesses “The Jerry Springer Show” helped usher in, with the advent of anything-goes reality television and a nastier mentality that oozed across the media spectrum.
Springer, who has died at the age of 79, had a background in politics as well as television, and he was a cheerful ambassador for his form of TV escapism, calling the show “silly.” His producer, Richard Dominick, spoke of the wacky content appealing to “the Letterman crowd,” a reference to the sophisticated late-night audience, heavily tilted at the time toward college students and young adults, which originally gravitated toward David Letterman’s brand of comedy.
Television hits don’t exist in a vacuum, though, and Springer’s sensationalism bled across the TV landscape, in a manner that was hardly free of consequences. The “craziness” over which Springer presided crept into other daytime fare, as well as the growing trend of “reality” television, mixing the outlandishness of professional wrestling with ordinary people in one big colorful, watchable and occasionally toxic stew.
That included the murder of Scott Amedure, a guest on Jenny Jones’ rival daytime show in 1995, after he revealed his “secret crush” on Jonathan Schmitz, who later shot him. In 1999, a Michigan jury issued a $25-million judgment against the show and its distributor, Warner Bros. (like CNN, part of Warner Bros. Discovery), for its negligence in Amedure’s death.
An appeals court later overturned that judgment. “Jerry Springer” was also sued unsuccessfully in 2002 by the family of a woman killed by her ex-husband after appearing on the show.
Brawls became a daily staple of Springer’s program, offering just enough titillation to keep the audience coming back. Yet as USA Today critic Kelly Lawler noted, while Springer himself was generally respectful toward his guests – and indeed, often conveyed a sense of bemused detachment from the circus where he served as ringmaster – “part of the series’ success stemmed from trafficking in racial stereotypes, homophobia, transphobia and the othering of disabled people.”
While there are few straight lines in pop culture, Springer’s antics clearly played a part in the zigzagging staircase that the media rode into the 21st century, which hinged on pushing boundaries on programming that billed itself as “reality,” despite all the editing and manipulation employed in shaping those stories.
Although there were speed bumps along the way, such as the Jenny Jones case, producers and executives found it difficult, if not impossible, to put the toothpaste back in the tube. The occasional excess, even tragedy, became a cost of doing business.
In a podcast interview last year, Springer apologized for the influence of what his show helped unleash, saying, half-jokingly, “What have I done? I’ve ruined the culture.”
To be fair, Springer had plenty of company and accomplices in leading television down the path that it followed.
Yet even Springer appeared to acknowledge that amid the garishness, money and chants of “Jerry! Jerry!,” there was a darker side, too, to that legacy, one whose ripples can be seen not just in what’s on TV, but what flows from it.
by tyler | Apr 28, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
“Peter Pan & Wendy” wants to conjure magic but turns out to be low on fairy dust, yielding a dreary live-action adaptation of the 1953 movie that transforms Neverland into what vaguely feels like a discount version of Pandora. Modest narrative upgrades help lift the Disney+ film above the service’s recent “Pinocchio,” but clearing that very low bar amounts to damnation with faint praise.
There have been numerous live-action renderings of J.M. Barrie’s classic, from “Hook” to “Peter Pan” to simply “Pan” – plus “Finding Neverland,” which cast Johnny Depp as Barrie in a touching look at the play’s origins.
Other than a few welcome and necessary changes to rid the Disney animated film of more problematic elements, and a bit more backstory explaining this Captain Hook (Jude Law) and his semi-depressed demeanor, this version pretty closely adheres to the basic blueprint, pondering that age-old question about children’s reluctance to grow up.
Wendy (Ever Anderson) says as much when her mother (Molly Parker) chides her for clinging to childhood, telling her mom tartly, “What if I don’t want your life?” Yet that rather philosophical conundrum quickly gives way to the arrival of Peter Pan (Alexander Molony) and Tinkerbell (Yara Shahidi, making the most of a near-silent role), who whisk Wendy and her brothers off to Neverland.
Pan’s Lost Boys (some of whom are girls) receive somewhat short shrift in this telling, while Tiger Lily (Alyssa Wapanatâhk) has a more enhanced role. Indeed, by giving Wendy a more active part in the heroics indicative of the title change, this movie features more female empowerment all around, dispensing with much of the petty jealousy and girlish mooning over Peter that didn’t age particularly well during the last 70 years.
Still, there’s only so much that “The Green Knight” director David Lowery (who shares script credit with Toby Halbrooks) can do within the confines of toeing the Disney line, and even believing in fairies can’t bring the movie to consistent life.
While there are snippets of the original music, the film forgoes songs other than a few shanties the pirates croon when not trying to kill Pan and his mates. That said, the action is reasonably tame, other than the sheer size of the crocodile, who fleetingly demonstrates why Hook is rightly terrified of it.
Disney has obviously made live-action remakes of its animated properties a staple of its creative arsenal, flitting between more ambitious theatrical productions (see “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast” and the upcoming “The Little Mermaid”) and those sent straight to streaming (among them the aforementioned “Pinocchio” and “Lady and the Tramp”).
Yet the obvious appeal of introducing or reintroducing these stories to young audiences while allowing their parents to watch along works better if there’s some creative spark to invigorate the exercise, and maybe even hold the adults’ attention as opposed to letting them drift off to second screens (or dreamland).
“Peter Pan & Wendy” isn’t a complete failure, but nor does this return to Neverland pass that test; rather, it’s another case of a Disney production that – unlike the beloved and venerable story that inspired it – never truly takes flight.
“Peter Pan & Wendy” premieres April 28 on Disney+. It’s rated PG.
by tyler | Apr 28, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Within the first scene of new Prime Video series “Citadel,” Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden have a conversation that flits from English to Mandarin to German to Spanish and finally, back to English.
It’s a flashy exchange that establishes the intelligence and worldliness of the secret agents they are portraying. But it is also a statement of intent from the series, indicating the radical ambition of the project the creative team is embarking upon.
Executive produced by Joe and Anthony Russo – the directors of “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Avengers: Endgame” – the plan is to make this six-part spy thriller a launchpad for a series of international spinoffs, breaking geographical and language barriers for the streamer.
Chopra Jonas – the star of over 50 Bollywood films – told CNN, “What we’re trying to do has never been attempted – in TV, features, long-form, short-form, anything. The show is uniquely global.”
“It’s not just about casting a few people who look different. It’s actually taking the show into cultures, into language and seeping it in that and then pulling on threads that kind of bind all the shows together.”
Prime Video has announced two spinoffs – one set in India, and one in Italy – have already been commissioned, both written and produced by local teams and filmed in local languages.
“As someone who has worked in non-English language material in the past, and has hoped to have that material transcend languages via subtitles or dubbing, living in a world now where streamers are giving people that kind of access around the world is amazing,” she continued.
For Madden, who made his name with star turns in prestige TV series “Game of Thrones” and “Bodyguard,” the ambition of the show is a sign the small screen is closing the gap with Hollywood.
“I like the fact that we ask more of an audience now,” he said. “That you can’t (be) on a tablet or on your phone while you’re watching this, because you’re going to miss something really important.”
“Let’s go bigger; let’s go more complicated. Our show jumps between timelines, we both play multiple versions of ourselves. I think that’s kind of what’s exciting about TV now – people have had a lot of great content, and we need to up the game.”
Given the international scope of the world Prime Video hopes to create, it’s no surprise they have turned to two titans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to steer the ship.
The Russo brothers were at the helm of four films in Marvel’s “Infinity Saga,” culminating in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” which grossed over $2.98 billion, making it the second most successful film of all time in the box office.
Joe Russo told CNN, “We like surprising ourselves with what we do next. We’re not interested in trying the same thing over and over, which is why we’ve jumped around between comedies and dramas, film and television. We’ll play in any format.”
“We also believe in global storytelling. There are very few things that bind us together in this increasingly divisive world, and stories are one of them.”
“Citadel” is available of Prime Video from April 28.
by tyler | Apr 28, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” is a classic coming-of-age tale, but the Judy Blume book receives the ageless treatment it deserves in a movie that captures the 1970 vibe (starting with the soundtrack) while completely transcending it. Sweet, charming and thoughtful, this theatrical release will likely land on a streaming service sooner than later, but it appears destined to have a very, very long shelf life.
Writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig’s film debut, “The Edge of Seventeen,” turned out to be a terrific training ground for this tween version of youthful angst, and a protagonist who – having been raised without any religion by her Christian mom (Rachel McAdams) and Jewish dad (Benny Safdie) – seeks help from God when the family abruptly decides to relocate from New York to New Jersey.
“Don’t let New Jersey be too horrible,” Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson, previously featured in “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” giving a giant-sized performance) pleads before embarking on the move, which, among other things, greatly upsets her paternal grandmother (Kathy Bates, yet again guilty of scene-stealing larceny).
Beyond leaving her school and friends behind, Margaret enters this strange new suburban world at a critical phase in her life, falling into the circle of a domineering girl, Nancy (Elle Graham), whose prodding makes Margaret even more obsessed with the vagaries of puberty. That isn’t helped when Nancy coaxes her to steal her dad’s Playboy, fueling anxieties about a body that isn’t developing at the rate she wishes.
“Are You There God?” could easily drift into after-school special territory, but it has more edge than that. For starters, Margaret’s exploration of religion – which drove a wedge between her mom, Barbara, and her parents – helps elevate it, as does the parallel plot about Barbara trying to fit in among the PTA mothers and fretting about her domestic skills.
While the songs and styles set the period mood, the subject matter possesses a universal and timeless quality, from the awkwardness of watching sex-education videos to the discomfort associated with that first crush.
Produced by James L. Brooks’ company, which has a long association with these kind of character-driven films, “Are You There God?” feels like a throwback to another era of entertainment as well. Such movies have struggled of late at the box office, and this certainly isn’t the kind of fare that tends to cause people to rush out to theaters these days (although mothers and daughters looking for quality bonding time, in particular, could do a whole lot worse).
Still, despite all her tween misery, “Margaret” should make some streaming service very happy. Because for an audience seeking something that doesn’t speak down to kids, or anyone who can remember being one, “Are You There God?” addresses youthful preoccupations in a refreshingly relatable manner that feels almost heaven-sent.
“Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” premieres April 28 in US theaters. It’s rated PG-13.
