by tyler | Oct 3, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Get in losers, we’re celebrating.
Tuesday is, of course, “Mean Girls Day.”
How did that day come to be, you might ask? Well, in the popular 2004 film there’s a scene where Aaron Samuels (played by Jonathan Bennett) turns to Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) in class and asks her what day it is.
“It’s October 3,” she answers.
Thus “Mean Girls Day” was born.
To celebrate, Paramount has made the movie available for free – in 23 parts – on TikTok.
The film has become a cult classic and even spurred a musical, which is also being made into a movie scheduled for release next year.
Tina Fey, famous for her time as a star and writer on “Saturday Night Live” as well as “30 Rock” and other projects, is the creator of both the “Mean Girls” film and musical. She, too, is doing something special in honor of the “holiday”
Fey is auctioning the annotated script of “Mean Girls the Musical” and it comes “complete with her own handwritten notes and sketches in the margins, sharing her thoughts and ideas from the creation of both the original film and the musical.”
Whoever buys the script will be treated to extras like a sketch of Regina George’s mother Mrs. June George, played in the film by Amy Poehler, with the comment “Amy Poehler was iconic!” Other handwritten Fey quips include “You’re nearly done reading this” and “Jesus Christ this script is long.”
She’s just one of a group of Hollywood, Broadway and West End A-listers who have donated first editions of their work, including Richard Curtis’ original “Love Actually” script and an annotated a rare edition of “The Vagina Monologues” from V (formerly Eve Ensler).
The auction for Fey’s script runs until Oct. 6 at theauctioncollective.com.
by tyler | Oct 2, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
The likeness of Stevie Nicks, former member of rock band Fleetwood Mac, has been immortalized in a new Barbie doll – and the singer-songwriter is made up.
The 75-year-old presented her Barbie doll to fans at her Madison Square Garden show in New York City on Sunday, calling it “Stevie Barbie,” a video posted on Instagram on Monday by entertainment company Live Nation showed.
Toy company Mattel, which owns the Barbie brand, made the doll available for preorder for $55 on Monday, but it has already sold out.
The doll, which forms part of Mattel’s Barbie Music Series, has smoky eyes and bangs and holds Nicks’ signature ribboned tambourine. She wears Nicks’ signature platform boots and golden moon necklace, and is clad in a flowing black dress inspired by the one the artist wore on the cover of her band’s legendary 1977 album “Rumours.”
“We wanted to wish Stevie Nicks a happy 75th birthday in the best way possible. So we created a Barbie doll to capture her iconic style,” Mattel said in a statement on Monday. Nicks’ birthday was in May.
“Stevie Nicks actually loaned us her signature black dress and boots for us to use as reference for the doll,” designer Bill Greening added.
The official Barbie Instagram account shared images of the new doll in a post on Monday, with the caption: “Soulful stage presence. Spellbinding style. With a career that’s touched generations of music lovers, @StevieNicks is the latest legend to be celebrated as part of the Barbie Music Series, bringing her inspiring story and chart-topping career to artists and audiences of all ages. #Barbie #YouCanBeAnything.”
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, Nicks said her Stevie Barbie, which she called “so pretty and so soulful and so real,” has been with her for several months and added that the doll “means the world” to her.
“When Mattel came to me asking if I would like to have a Barbie made in the ‘Rumours’ cover style I was very overwhelmed,” she wrote. “Of course I questioned ‘would she look like me? Would she have my spirit? Would she have my heart…’”
“When I look at her, I see my 27 year old self~ All the memories of walking out on a big stage in that black outfit and those gorgeous boots come rushing back~ and then I see myself now in her face. What we have been through since 1975~ the battles we have fought, the lessons we have learned~ together. I am her and she is me. She absolutely has my heart,” she added.
by tyler | Oct 2, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Add to the list of Taylor Swift and Beyoncé’s accomplishments an unlikely new mission: Helping to save movie theaters, as theater owners – apparently tired of waiting for Hollywood to mount a rescue mission – have seemingly opted to take matters into their own hands.
Swift’s deal with AMC to play a concert movie based on her “Eras Tour,” opening October 13, will be followed by Beyoncé’s plan to do the same with her “Renaissance World Tour,” destined to hit theaters in December.
For theaters, eyeing a potentially grim fall with the ranks of movies thinned out by the writers and actors strikes, the one-two punch looks like a gift from the musical gods, and a potential means of filling seats that doesn’t rely on what has come to look like an increasingly shaky theatrical business even for usually reliable studio blockbusters.
Yes, the summer brought us “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” – or “Barbenheimer,” as they came to be known – but also saw expensive movies like “The Flash,” “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” and even the latest “Mission: Impossible” all fall short of expectations in their missions to boost box-office totals.
The turn toward using theaters for concert movies and other events isn’t new, but it does reflect a potential pivot that hinges on the notion something like watching a concert with the best seat in the house – even mediated through the medium of film – represents an experience that people want to share in person, something that has become increasingly elusive in the streaming age.
Whether this amounts to a stopgap measure or a full pivot into a new opportunity for theaters remains to be seen. There’s risk all around, though probably the least of it involving Swift and Beyoncé, who, unlike lesser artists, needn’t worry about cannibalizing their tour-going fan bases by giving them a diluted version of what they get in an arena- or stadium-sized venue live.
That might not be as true for other musical acts that might follow this siren song and try to emulate this model.
The clear winner, for now, would appear to be consumers, especially those who were unwilling or unable to buy tickets for these concerts but will now have the chance to experience a facsimile of them at a much-reduced cost, and without the headaches and hassles associated with attending.
The bigger issue is that for theaters struggling through the combination of streaming and the lingering fallout associated with the pandemic, this might amount to putting a band-aid on a wound that requires a more significant response. Certainly, movie studios need to prove that they can deliver titles that will lure audiences out of the house, with Marvel’s “The Marvels” and DC’s “Aquaman” sequel among the contenders that will test those abilities through the remainder of the year.
For now, the twin power of Beyoncé and Swift could represent the unlikely heroes for which theaters – having spent the last few years grappling with existential questions about the future – have been waiting.
Still, to quote a line from the movie “L.A. Confidential” about needing a hero to resolve a major crisis, “In a situation like this, you’re going to need more than one.”
by tyler | Oct 2, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Jodie Turner-Smith and Joshua Jackson are parting ways.
The “Queen & Slim” star filed a petition to divorce Jackson on Monday in Los Angeles, according to court records.
The two married in 2019 and share a young daughter. Turner-Smith has requested equally shared custody of their child.
In early September, the two actors were photographed celebrating Turner-Smith’s birthday in New York.
They met in 2018 at an event for Usher, she revealed on “Late Night with Seth Meyers” in 2021.
“When I first met my husband, we had a one-night stand,” she said. “We’re in a two, three-year one-night stand now.”
In May Jackson appeared on “Watch What Happens Live” that he fell in love with Turner-Smith when she “walked into the room.”
CNN has reached out to both Jackson’s and Turner-Smith’s representatives for comment.
by tyler | Sep 28, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced Thursday that it will have a new streaming and broadcast home on Disney+ and ABC.
The 2023 Induction ceremony will be broadcast live coast to coast on Disney+ from Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York, starting at 8 p.m. ET on Nov. 3 and will be available to stream following the ceremony.
This years inductees include Kate Bush, Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, George Michael, Willie Nelson, Rage Against the Machine and The Spinners, along with DJ Kool Herc and Link Wray for Musical Influence, and Chaka Khan, Al Kooper, Bernie Taupin for Musical Excellence, as well as Don Cornelius for the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
ABC will air a special featuring performance highlights and standout moments 8:00-11:00 p.m. ET on Jan 1.
“This historic live stream on Disney+ and special on ABC is a testament to the diverse sounds and enduring power of rock and roll,” John Sykes, chairman of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Foundation, said in a statement. “Over the last three decades, the annual live Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction has become music’s highest honor, celebrating the artists who’ve defined generations and changed music forever.”
There are planned performances and collaborations by Sheryl Crow, Missy Elliott, Chaka Khan, and Willie Nelson as well as special guests Brandi Carlile, Dave Matthews, Elton John, H.E.R., Chris Stapleton, St. Vincent, New Edition and more.
by tyler | Sep 28, 2023 | CNN, entertainment
Actor Michael Gambon, best known for playing Albus Dumbledore in most of the “Harry Potter” movies, has died at 82 following a “bout of pneumonia,” a statement issued on behalf of his family said on Thursday, PA Media news agency reported.
“We are devastated to announce the loss of Sir Michael Gambon,” the statement issued by his publicist Clair Dobbs said, according to PA.
“Beloved husband and father, Michael died peacefully in hospital with his wife Anne and son Fergus at his bedside, following a bout of pneumonia. Michael was 82.”
“We ask that you respect our privacy at this painful time and thank you for your messages of support and love.”
Gambon was known for his extensive catalog of work across TV, film and radio, with another of his biggest roles as the psoriasis-ridden sleuth in the 1980s hit series “The Singing Detective.”
One of the leading thespians of his generation, Gambon was born in Cabra, Dublin, but moved to London as a child. He grew up in an Irish immigrant community in Camden and his first job was as an apprentice toolmaker. He developed a passion for antique guns, clocks and classic cars that lasted a lifetime.
“I’ve always been an obsessive collector of things,” he told a Guardian interviewer in 2004. “Richard Briers collects stamps. I collect cars and guns, which are much more expensive, and much more difficult to store.”
While apprenticing as a toolmaker, Gambon studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, making his professional stage debut in Dublin’s the Gate Theatre production of “Othello” (1962).
He caught the attention of actor Laurence Olivier, who hired him to join the newly-formed National Theatre Company. Four years later, Gambon joined the Birmingham Repertory Company, finally playing title roles in his favorite Shakespearean plays.
It wasn’t until the 1980s that Gambon became a household name playing lead character Philip Marlow in the 1986 Anglo-American public television mini-series “The Singing Detective.”
In 1990 he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire. Eight years later he was made a Knight Bachelor for his services to drama.
But it was as Hogwarts’ headmaster Dumbledore in the “Harry Potter” film series that Gambon will perhaps be best remembered, a role he took up following the death of Richard Harris in 2002. In all, Gambon was cast as Dumbledore for six of the eight “Harry Potter” films.
Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley in the series, paid tribute to Gambon in a post on Instagram.
“So sad to hear about Michael. He brought so much warmth and mischief to every day on set,” wrote Grint. “He captivated me as a kid and became a personal role model of mine for finding the fun and eccentricities in life.”
James Phelps, who played Ron’s brother Fred Weasley in the “Harry Potter” film franchise, posted a tribute to Gambon on X, formerly known as Twitter, Thursday.
“Very sorry to hear about the passing of Michael Gambon. He was, on and off the camera, a legend,” wrote Phelps.
“He was always very funny and very welcoming to share any knowledge he had,” Phelps added, detailing a fond memory he had working with the veteran actor between takes on the sixth “Harry Potter” movie.
And Fiona Shaw, who played Potter’s aunt Petunia Dursley in the movies, told the BBC that Gambon “varied his career remarkably.”
Shaw also said Gambon was a “gun maker” who always said “he could fool the V&A [museum] into believing that they were 18th century guns.”
“So I will think of him as a trickster, just a brilliant, magnificent trickster, but with text there was nothing like him, he could do anything.”
Helen Mirren also paid tribute to Gambon in an interview with the BBC, recalling his sense of humor.
“Naughty but very, very funny,” she said. “He kept me constantly in laughter.”
Mirren also called Gambon an “instinctive actor” who made an “extraordinary contribution to the British landscape of theater.”
Over the course of his career, Gambon won multiple Best Actor awards at the British Academy Television Awards (BAFTAs) and was nominated for two Emmy awards.
