Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Kristen Wiig May Play 'Wonder Woman 2' Villain

With the world soon to be threatened again in "Wonder Woman 2," Warner Bros. needs to cast its latest villain -- and one has possibly been found.

Kristen Wiig is reportedly in talks to play a trouble-making character in the upcoming sequel. Variety's sources say the actress is a front-runner for the part. No deal has yet been reached and the studio declined to comment, but the publication's intel says Wiig has met with studio execs.

If Wiig does indeed sign on for the film, she'll star opposite Gal Gadot, who gained international recognition when she first played Diana Prince (aka Wonder Woman) in 2016's "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." Wiig, on the other hand, has a comedy-heavy resume. The "SNL" vet notably starred in "Bridesmaids," "Ghostbusters," and "Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp." That said, she can do serious, too, like in the Academy Award-nominated film "The Martian."

Director Patty Jenkins is returning for "Wonder Woman 2," and though she is keeping the story under wraps, she has promised "an entirely new adventure" for fans. We're on board for that, and we'd be thrilled to see Wiig be a part of it, too.

"Wonder Woman 2" hits theaters Nov. 1, 2019.



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Barbra Streisand's Cloned Dogs Have Inspired a Lot of Thoughts, Feelings

Money can't buy happiness, but it can apparently buy clones of your beloved dog.

Famed singer-slash-actress Barbra Streisand revealed in Variety's latest cover story that she has not one but two cloned dogs. Named Miss Scarlett and Miss Violet, the two were created using DNA from Streisand's late Coton de Tulear, Samantha. So far, the EGOT winner has reportedly found that the dogs have different personalities, but she is waiting to see "if they have [Samantha's] brown eyes and her seriousness."

Not surprisingly, Streisand's disclosure inspired a lot of people's thoughts and feelings, and they headed to Twitter to express them. Many were completely appalled, but for different reasons. Some thought it was a waste of money, others pointed out the health problems cloned animals suffer from, and others still pointed out how many dogs are in need of adoption. There were also those who just found it creepy.

Of course, Streisand had her supporters, too.

We doubt Streisand cares too much either way -- she has Miss Scarlett and Miss Violet on her side.



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'Heathers' Series Premiere Up in the Air After Florida Shooting

Cross the March 7 premiere of "Heathers" off your calendar -- the show's debut has been delayed.

Paramount Network announced the decision Wednesday in response to the tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14. Seventeen students and staff were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and more than a dozen others injured, allegedly at the hands of a former student. Given that "Heathers" deals with gun violence, the network felt the timing was wrong, as explained in a statement:

Paramount Network's original series "Heathers" is a satirical comedy that takes creative risks in dealing with many of society's most challenging subjects ranging from personal identity to race and socio-economic status to gun violence. While we stand firmly behind the show, in light of the recent tragic events in Florida and out of respect for the victims, their families and loved ones, we feel the right thing to do is delay the premiere until later this year.

The show's Twitter account added a bit more information, including that "there are more important conversations happening right now that we do not want to distract from."

The show is based on the film "Heathers," a black comedy released in 1989 that follows popular high school student Veronica (Winona Ryder) as she becomes fed up with her friends. When she starts dating new student J.D. (Christian Slater), she gets swept up in his violent revenge on them, and then later his plot to attack the student body at large. While the TV show has made many changes, it sounds similar enough that we suspect the story will be controversial no matter when it premieres, especially given how many school shootings we've sadly seen in recent history.

Paramount has not yet announced a new "Heathers" premiere date.



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Anna Paquin Laughs off Her BBC Breast Incident on 'Conan': 'I Have to Claim My Own Boobs'

In case it wasn't already clear that Anna Paquin is comfortable with nudity, the "True Blood" star's recent appearance on "Conan" erased any doubts.

Paquin sat down with the late-night show's host, Conan O'Brien, on Tuesday, and she wasn't at all fazed when he brought up an August 2017 incident involving her breasts being shown during a BBC broadcast. As the actress explained, it appeared to be an accident. The "BBC News at Ten" presenter was sitting in front of a transparent partition, thus allowing viewers to see several computer screens on the other side. Awkwardly -- for the BBC, not Paquin -- cameras were rolling as a "True Blood" sex scene came on one of them.

Not long after the news broadcast, people started tweeting about it, accusing the BBC of showing porn. Paquin, who was in the U.K. at the time to shoot a film in Scotland, saw the controversy on Twitter, and couldn't help but click, as she told O'Brien. That led her to a funny discovery: "I'm like, 'Oh, those are my t*ts!'"

Paquin thought it was so hilarious that she retweeted it, writing, "MY BREASTS!! SO FUNNY ON SO MANY LEVELS!"

"I was like, 'I have to claim my own boobs,'" she told O'Brien of her decision to share the story. "Come on. ... Like, free the nipple or whatever."

Watch her funny retelling of the story below.

"Conan" airs weeknights at 11 p.m. ET/PT on TBS.

[h/t: EW]



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Emma Thompson Reveals Real Heartbreak Inspired 'Love Actually' Crying Scene

Broken heart, actually. Emma Thompson has opened up about the real-life heartbreak that fueled her devastating crying scene in 2003's "Love Actually."

"That scene where my character is standing by the bed crying is so well known because it's something everyone's been through," she told The Telegraph.

Thompson was referring to infidelity, which she experienced with ex-husband Kenneth Branagh, who cheated on her with Helena Bonham Carter in 1994.

In the movie, Emma Thompson's character, Karen, discovers her husband (the late Alan Rickman) was cheating on her. After opening her own Christmas present, she realizes that a necklace she found in his coat is meant for another woman. So, she leaves the room and quietly sobs while listening to Joni Mitchell.

"I had my heart very badly broken by Ken," Thompson said. "So I knew what it was like to find the necklace that wasn't meant for me. Well, it wasn't exactly that, but we've all been through it."

Thompson and Branagh first met while making the 1987 BBC drama "Fortunes of War" and got married two years later. They starred together movies including "Dead Again" and "Much Ado About Nothing." Then, Branagh began an affair with Bonham Carter on the set of "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein." They were together for five years.

Now, Thompson has been married to Greg Wise, who she met on "Sense and Sensibility," for 15 years and has two children. Branagh married art director Lindsay Brunnock in 2003 as well. Bonham Carter had a longterm relationship with director Tim Burton, with whom she has two children.

"That is... all blood under the bridge," Thompson said of holding a grudge against "the other woman."

"You can't hold on to anything like that. It's pointless. I haven't got the energy for it ... Helena and I made our peace years and years ago ... She's a wonderful woman."



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Chris Hemsworth in Talks For 'Men in Black" Spinoff

'12 Strong' World PremiereChris Hemsworth may be ready to suit up.

The "Thor" star is in talks to headline the planned "Men in Black" spinoff, according to The Hollywood Reporter. "Fate of the Furious" director F. Gary Gray is in talks to helm the movie, which is slated for release June 14, 2019.

The spinoff would feature new characters instead of the original's Agents K and J, played by Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith. It will build on the contemporary sci-fi world established in the first three movies, much like "Jurassic World" did with its franchise. The original "Men in Black" trilogy was a massive hit, generating some $1.5 billion worldwide.

Sony is still putting the project's pieces together and THR notes they hope to have a diverse ensemble and leads that are a white male, a female of color, and an older man.

Hemsworth already has a lot on his plate. He recently starred in "12 Strong," appears in May's "Avengers: Infinity War" and in October's "Bad Times at the El Royale."



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Oscar Facts: 25 Things You (Probably) Didn't Know About the Academy Awards

It's almost here -- the 90th Academy Awards finally airs this Sunday, and we're counting down the minutes.

We're bringing you some of the best (and, um, craziest) facts about Hollywood's biggest awards show. From the first Best Actor winner, to the "one dollar" Oscar rule, here are 25 things you (probably) don't know about the Oscars.
1. The youngest Oscar winner was Tatum O'Neal (above), who won Best Supporting Actress for "Paper Moon" (1973) when she was only 10 years old. Shirley Temple won the short-lived Juvenile Award at 6 years old.

2. After winning Best Actress for "Cabaret" (1972), Liza Minnelli became (and still is) the only Oscar winner whose parents both earned Oscars. Her mother, Judy Garland, received an honorary award in 1939 and her father, Vincente Minnelli, won Best Director for "Gigi" (1958).

3. Nameplates for all potential winners are prepared ahead of time; in 2014, the Academy made 215 of them!

4. The first Academy Awards were presented in 1929 at a private dinner of about 270 people. It was first televised in 1953, and now the Oscars ceremony can be seen in more than 200 countries.

5. Only three women have received Best Director nominations, while Kathryn Bigelow is the lone winner for "The Hurt Locker" (2009). Interestingly, Bigelow beat out ex-husband James Cameron, who was nominated for the technological wonder "Avatar."

6. At 82, Christopher Plummer (above) became the oldest person to win an Academy Award. He received the Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his work in "Beginners" (2010) opposite Ewan McGregor.

7. Peter Finch ("Network") and Heath Ledger ("The Dark Knight") are the only actors to be awarded an Academy Award posthumously. Ledger's Oscar -- and his entire fortune -- was gifted to his young daughter, Matilda.

8. With her nomination last year for "Into the Woods," Meryl Streep has been nominated a record 19 times. She has won three Best Actress Oscars -- the last for "The Iron Lady" (2011).

9. Katharine Hepburn won a record four Academy Awards -- all Best Actress Oscars -- the last for "On Golden Pond" (1981), which starred another Hollywood legend, Henry Fonda.

10. The first Oscars were held at the famous Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Today, the ceremony takes place at the Dolby Theatre (around the corner from the Roosevelt), its tenth venue over the decades.
11. Jack Nicholson (above) is the most-nominated male actor, receiving 12 Oscar nominations beginning with 1969's "Easy Rider." His three wins tie him with Walter Brennan and Daniel Day-Lewis.

12. Oscar statuettes are technically property of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. As a result, before an Academy Award winner or his estate can sell his Oscar, he must first offer to sell it to the Academy first for one dollar (yes, one dollar). This, of course, is to discourage winners from selling the award for financial gain. Oscars awarded before 1950, however, are not bound by this agreement. In 2011, Orson Welles' 1941 Oscar for "Citizen Kane" was sold at auction for over $800,000 in 2011!

13. Only three films have won all of the "Big Five" Academy Award categories: "It Happened One Night" (1934), "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975), and "The Silence of the Lambs" (1991). The "Big Five" categories are: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay (either adapted or original).

14. In 1940, the LA Times broke the Academy's embargo and published the names of all the Oscar winners prior to the ceremony. As a result, the Academy introduced the sealed envelope tradition that is present to this day.

15. The legendary Alfred Hitchcock was nominated five times for Best Director, but never took home the Oscar.
16. "Ben-Hur," "Titanic," and "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (above) are the most successful films in Oscar history, each winning a shocking 11 Oscars. "Return of the King" is the only one to win every award for which it was nominated.

17. Composer John Williams is the most-nominated living person, having earned 49 Oscar nominations throughout his storied career, beginning with 1967's "Valley of the Dolls."

18. The longest Oscar acceptance speech ever given was five and half minutes by 1943 Best Actress winner Greer Garson ("Mrs. Miniver").

19. Oscar statuettes were made from painter plaster during World War II due to metal shortages. After the war ended, these Oscars were replaced with the traditional statues.

20. Bob Hope hosted the ceremony a whopping 19 times, making him the most frequent Oscar host.
21. With his Best Actor nomination for "American Sniper," Bradley Cooper (above) has now been nominated for an acting Oscar three years in a row. That's one shy of the record for most consecutive acting nods, held by the late Marlon Brando.

22. The first Best Actor awards were given to Emil Jannings for "The Last Command" and "The Way of All Flesh" (yes, both!).

23. At the 29th Academy Awards ceremony in 1957, the Best Foreign Language Film category was introduced. Previously, the best foreign language film was simply acknowledge with a Special Achievement Award.

24. In 1999, Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench were both nominated for playing Queen Elizabeth in "Elizabeth" and "Shakespeare in Love." Dench won Best Supporting Actress despite only appearing in the film for a total of eight minutes. Meanwhile, Blanchett lost the Best Actress Oscar to Gwyneth Paltrow -- also for "Shakespeare in Love."

25. Although "Boyhood" (2014) was filmed over 12 years, it only took a total of 39 days to film.

[Sources: Wikipedia, The Wrap, Empire, ET Online]

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The 'Black Panther' Cast Bonded By Singing Snoop Dogg’s 'Drop It Like It’s Hot'

'Black Panther' Panel Discussion"Black Panther" is the hottest movie in the world. Its cast is full of the hottest stars right now (keep doing push-ups, Michael B. Jordan). And so it's only right that they all bonded over the Snoop Dogg's song "Drop It Like It's Hot."

Last night at Harlem's Apollo Theater, Chadwick Boseman and Lupita Nyong'o sat down for a Q&A session with Ta-Nehisi Coates (who writes the current "Black Panther" comic series). During a discussion about the positive atmosphere cultivated by director Ryan Coogler, Boseman recalled "musical moments" that would erupt on set.

As Nyong'o elaborated, one such moment occurred while filming of T'Challa's first battle at Warrior Falls.

"The drummers started drumming to Snoop Dogg's 'Drop It Like It's Hot' and then the entire crowd joined in on that 'snooooooop snooooop,'" she said.

"That's the moment that I really felt the pan-Africanism because we were all there. We're from Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Kenya, Uganda, Germany, the U.K., Zimbabwe, South Africa, Ghana, Senegal — you know, we're from everywhere. South Carolina, California, Canada, you name it."

She added, "We were on this crazy cliff and we all knew Snoop Doggy Dogg's 'Drop It Like It's Hot.'"

Please, by all that is holy on the ancestral plane, include this priceless karaoke moment on the DVD outtakes!



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Missing 'Westworld' Characters Will Be Seen Again in Season 2

It's a big "Westworld" out there and we've only begun scratching the surface.

Season 1 of the sci-fi show ended on a major cliffhanger, with a violent end to the violent delights of Robert Ford's (Anthony Hopkins) new narrative. He was shot and killed by Dolores (Evan Rachel Wood), the hosts amassed to take over the park, and Maeve (Thandie Newton) nearly escaped to the real world.

Several other characters whereabouts remained unknown, but co-creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy have teased their Season 2 futures to Entertainment Weekly.

Let's start with programmer Elsie Hughes (Shannon Woodward) and security chief Ashley Stubbs (Luke Hemsworth). Elsie was attacked while exploring an abandoned part of the park. In later episodes, Bernard (Jeffrey Wright) seemed to have memories of strangling her. As for Stubbs, he was taken hostage by Ghost Nation hosts who were able to override his commands.

Both are still alive, the showrunners said, if in difficult situations. "They're finally getting to experience Westworld as guests and not in the managerial halls, but I'm not sure they're enjoying their experience," Joy said.

As for other characters in very hot water, the Man in Black (Ed Harris) was facing a firing squad of angry hosts, but he will survive. "He gets a bit of damage done to him, that's for sure," Harris told EW.

And Jimmi Simpson will be back as the younger version of William, as the show explores the early days of the park and sheds light on how he gained so much influence with park owners Delos.

Speaking of Delos, executive director Charlotte Hale (Tessa Thompson) "causes trouble," Joy said.

"She went from this controlled person playing this chess game with Ford. He takes out her king and queen in one fell swoop. Now she's left at the mercy of the hosts like everyone else."

"Westworld" Season 2 premieres April 22 on HBO.



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'Fuller House' Creator Jeff Franklin Fired After Misconduct Allegations

The Paley Center For Media's 11th Annual PaleyFest Fall TV Previews Los Angeles - NetflixJeff Franklin, the creator of "Full House" and its Netflix sequel series "Fuller House," has effectively been fired over misconduct allegations. Warner Bros. TV declined to renew Franklin's production deal after the studio received complaints about his behavior on the set and in the writers room.

"We are not renewing Jeff Franklin's production deal and he will no longer be working on 'Fuller House,'" Warner Bros. TV said in a statement.

Franklin has been accused of verbally abusing staffers and making inappropriate, sexually charged comments about his personal life. He has not been accused of sexual harassment or physical misconduct. One source told Variety that Franklin would bring women he was dating on set and give them small roles. Franklin's rep declined to comment to Variety.

Even without Franklin's involvement, the show will go on. "'Fuller House' will return for a fourth season, as planned," Netflix said in a statement. "We hope to go into production in the next few months."

"Fuller House" has been a hit for Netflix and helped unleash a wave of '90s reboots, including "Will and Grace," "Roseanne" and "Murphy Brown."



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It's a Wild, Violent West for Kevin Costner in 'Yellowstone' Trailer

"Survive another season," a gravelly-voiced Kevin Costner says in the first trailer for "Yellowstone," the new Paramount Network series created by Taylor Sheridan ("Hell or High Water").

That's the ethos of his rancher patriarch, John Dutton, whose family controls the largest contiguous ranch in the country. But as the trailer shows, the ranch is under constant attack by land developers, an Indian reservation, and the titular national park that share its orders.

There's a lot of shady dealings and violence going on, in a world where land grabs can make billions, politicians are bought with oil money, fracking wells poison the drinking water, and murder is often the shortest path to riches. The series also stars Wes Bentley, Kelly Reilly, Luke Grimes, and Cole Hauser.

"Yellowstone" was the first original series ordered by Paramount, formerly known as Spike TV. The network is now heating up, having poached "Heathers" from TV Land and the Spike-developed miniseries "Waco."

"Yellowstone" premieres June 20.



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First 'Wreck-It Ralph 2' Trailer Breaks a Bunny, if Not the Internet

Disney is almost ready to upload the sequel to 2012's hit "Wreck-It Ralph."

In the new movie, "Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2," Ralph (John C. Reilly) is introduced to the wonders of the World Wide Web. He's tempted by clickbait, awwws over kittens, and gets a little too into a game feeding pancakes to a bunny.

Watch the official teaser trailer:No shots of the Disney princesses yet, but we know they're in there.

Here's the synopsis from Disney:

"'Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2' leaves Litwak's video arcade behind, venturing into the uncharted, expansive and thrilling world of the internet—which may or may not survive Ralph's wrecking.

Video game bad guy Ralph (voice of John C. Reilly) and fellow misfit Vanellope von Schweetz (voice of Sarah Silverman) must risk it all by traveling to the world wide web in search of a replacement part to save Vanellope's video game, Sugar Rush. In way over their heads, Ralph and Vanellope rely on the citizens of the internet—the netizens—to help navigate their way, including a webite entrepreneur named Yesss (voice of Taraji P. Henson), who is the head algorithm and the heart and soul of trend-making site 'BuzzzTube.'

Directed by Rich Moore ("Zootopia," "Wreck-It Ralph") and Phil Johnston (co-writer "Wreck-It Ralph," "Cedar Rapids," co-writer "Zootopia,"), and produced by Clark Spencer ("Zootopia," "Wreck-It Ralph," "Bolt")."

"Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-Ralph 2" arrives in theaters on November 21, 2018, just in time for Thanksgiving.

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'The Bachelor' Book Reveals Top Reason Applicants Don't Get Cast Is ... This STD

It's hard to believe, but "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" actually have exhaustive casting criteria. They don't just let any crazy person on the show, they have to be the right crazy person.

L.A. Times writer Amy Kaufman details the casting process in her new book "Bachelor Nation: Inside the World of America's Favorite Guilty Pleasure." The New York Post shared an excerpt revealing how people get cast, and what keeps them from making it on the show.

First, potential suitors fill out an application and submit photos of themselves. Candidates are then flown to L.A. for final audition weekends. They fill out a 150-question personalty test, have meetings with producers, talk to the show's therapist, go through psychological testing, and allow the show to conduct a thorough background check. (What they find can and will be used against you on camera.)

But you can't get on the show unless you pass the medical examination. As Kaufman writes, samples of blood and urine are collected and tested for drugs and sexually transmitted diseases. Hopefuls fill out their medical history and answer questions about their health. If they have an STD, they are immediately cut. And a lot of them have herpes.

Kaufman revealed that's the top reason applicants don't make it onto the show:

"As soon as the medical tests came back, you'd see that herpes was the biggest thing," said Ben Hatta, [creator and executive producer] Mike Fleiss's old assistant. "And sometimes you'd be the first person to tell a contestant that they had herpes. You'd be like, 'Uh, you should call your doctor.' Why? 'We're not going to be able to have you on our show, but you should call your doctor.'

Then they'd realize they'd been denied from 'The Bachelor' and now a bunch of people knew they had herpes."


Oops. But, as HuffPost noted, genital herpes is pretty common -- "More than 1 in 6 Americans ages 14 to 49 have genital herpes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making its status as the chief disqualifier on a mainstream reality show rather less surprising."

Also less surprising: The psych tests they do don't really weed out the crazies:

"There's psychological tests they have to pass, but there's a window of the pass, do you know what I mean?" insinuated Michael Carroll, the producer who got so close to contestants that he even crashed in their rooms occasionally. "You'd know there'd be a possibility of [someone] being kind of unhinged — like, she passed, but just barely. You can see it at the casting events during the interviews: 'Oh, this chick is going to go ­f–king nuts. She's amazing.'"

If it sounds like Lifetime's "unREAL," it should. That's basically how the show works. The book revealed that one of the show's supervising producers would keep cash on hand to motivate producers to deliver on camera.

"The first producer to get tears? A hundred bucks! You get [the bachelor] to make out with the right girl? A hundred bucks! Catch a chick puking on-camera? A hundred bucks!"

Read more of the book excerpt. Arie's season of "The Bachelor" comes to its own crazy conclusion this Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. on ABC. "UnREAL" Season 3 airs Mondays at 10 p.m. on Lifetime.

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It's Time for the Brutally Honest 2018 Oscar Ballot & Best Picture Honest Trailer

Our favorite infuriating tradition is back!

Voting has now closed for Sunday's Academy Awards. That means The Hollywood Reporter is ready to share its Brutally Honest Oscar Ballots. They share at least one every year, and they tend to be quite juicy.

That's what happens when Academy members have anonymity -- they take open shots at Leonardo DiCaprio and Meryl Streep, when they otherwise wouldn't dare. (Only Jennifer Lawrence is candid enough to just say what she actually thinks on the record. Bless her.)

Also on the honesty theme, ScreenJunkies shared an Honest Trailer mocking the nine Best Picture nominees.

Let's start with that:Back to THR's Brutally Honest Oscar Ballot. It looks like we might just get one this year, and it's from a male member of the producer's branch.

Here's a portion of his brutally honest thoughts on the Best Picture nominees:

I didn't like Call Me by Your Name. From what I understand, there was less of a difference between the ages of the young boy and his lover in the book, but I have to tell you, in the movie version it looked like a 35- or 40-year-old guy was hitting on a 16- or 17-year-old boy, and it just seemed wrong. It would have been wrong if they were heterosexuals.

With The Post, Spielberg couldn't get out of his own f*cking way. He gave every actor business. ["Business" meaning physical actions beyond delivering lines.] I felt like he saw Birdman and said, "Let's do that, only I'm gonna make everybody fiddle about with something in their pocket or a cigarette or whatever." It killed me. It was a great story with a great cast that got over-Spielberg-ized.

Three Billboards [Outside Ebbing, Missouri]? Nothing was honest about that movie. The acting was superb, but the characters didn't seem real and the story seemed exactly like what it was: a Brit's version of America. I don't feel that if I went to Ebbing, Missouri, that is how it would be. Get Out was a great, fun, entertaining genre film, but I don't read as much into it as others do.

Dunkirk looked great, but it was a little confusing, there wasn't enough of an emotional thread, and the drone of the airplane through the whole f*cking movie just drove me crazy. For me it just didn't fully work.

I liked Lady Bird — even though it's about a mother and daughter, and even though I'm a guy, there were actually elements that reminded me of me and my parents — but I grew to dislike Lady Bird because of its f*cking social media campaign. They pounded the drum too much. They put a magnifying glass on everything — like, how they shot the scene at the airport in one take. They shot the scene at the airport in one take because they f*cking stole it! ["Stealing a shot" means filming on location without permission.]

There's a lot more in this category. Ultimately, he voted for "The Shape of Water" as No. 1, followed by "Darkest Hour," "Phantom Thread," "Lady Bird," and "Dunkirk."

Here are the grumpy old dude's thoughts on the Best Actor nominees:

I don't understand why everyone's so crazy for [Get Out's] Daniel Kaluuya. Timothee [Chalamet, of Call Me by Your Name] is a brave little actor — I can't say I liked the movie, but he's a huge talent. Straight or gay — I don't know his orientation [ed. note: he's straight] — he did a great job. I happened to really like Denzel Washington in Roman J. Israel, Esq. — it was one of the freshest things I've seen him do in years — but the movie itself just didn't stand out. Daniel Day-Lewis was brilliant, but not Oscar-winning brilliant.

This one was easy: [Darkest Hour's] Gary Oldman was so good that I don't care if he hit his wife with a telephone. [In 2001, the actor's then-spouse alleged that he beat her with one; he denied the allegations and was never charged.] I hate when people use words like "transformative," but what they did to make him look like Churchill and what he did in that role can only be described as that. He blew it out of the water.

My Vote: Gary Oldman (Darkest Hour)


Read the full ballot for more. He thinks "The Florida Project" should've been nominated for a lot more, and wishes Willem Dafoe would get the Best Supporting Actor win. "Man, that movie got f*cking screwed."

The 90th Academy Awards, hosted for a second time in a row by Jimmy Kimmel, will air Sunday, March 4 at 5 p.m. PST on ABC. Here's the full list of nominations.

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Oscars 2018 Red Carpet: Publicists May Steer Stars Away From Ryan Seacrest  

Ryan Seacrest will still host E!'s big Oscars red carpet pre-show, despite the resurfaced sexual harassment allegations from his former personal stylist. Seacrest has denied the claims, but since he's in the spotlight right before Sunday's Oscars, that may affect his red carpet coverage.

Suzie Hardy has alleged, per Variety, "years of unwanted sexual aggression -- grinding his erect penis against her while clad only in his underwear, groping her vagina, and at one point slapping her buttock so hard that it left a large welt still visible hours later." Seacrest said he was already cleared by a third party investigation.

But it's a delicate situation. We saw at the Golden Globes how E! could become part of the story, with stars mentioning Catt Sadler live on air. Would Seacrest end up in the same boat?

Page Six talked to some top Hollywood publicists who said, depending on the client, they will just have the star speak to E!'s Giuliana Rancic or skip E! altogether:

"Usually Ryan is the one you want ... but there are so many outlets on that carpet, why risk it? There's plenty of other places for clients to get the exposure," one publicist told Page Six.

Another added, "[I]f it was a [client who had been involved in the #MeToo movement], I would never put them in that position. I don't think any smart person would."

The 2018 Academy Awards air this Sunday, March 4 on ABC. As usual, E! is doing live red carpet coverage pretty much all day long. ABC is doing an "Oscars Opening Ceremony: Live From the Red Carpet" starting at 6:30 p.m. EST and running until the ceremony at 8 p.m.

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15 Things You Never Knew About 'The Big Lebowski'

It's been 20 years since moviegoers were first introduced to The Dude, an affable hippie just trying to make his way through life and bowl a few rounds -- in between buying coffee creamer using a check.

"The Big Lebowski" was not a smash hit when it first debuted, but it's built up a considerable cult following in the years since -- deservedly so. To celebrate its 20th anniversary, here are 15 things you might not know about this Coen Bros. classic.

1. While fictional, the movie draws inspiration from several real-life figures. The Dude himself is loosely based on a man named Jeff Dowd, who helped distribute the Coens' first film, "Blood Simple."

2. Meanwhile, Julianne Moore's character, Maude, is based on artist Carolee Schneemann and singer Yoko Ono. John Goodman's Walter is based on screenwriter John Milius.3. The Coens' friend, Peter Exline, a screenwriter and film professor, also directly inspired the development of "The Big Lebowski." It was Exline who actually coined the phrase: "It really ties the room together" and whose personal anecdotes inspired several key moments in the film.

4. If you've ever wondered how The Dude manages to financially support himself while clearly in a perpetual state of "funemployment," an early draft of the screenplay revealed he's the heir to the Rubik's Cube fortune.5. The majority of The Dude's outfits were supplied by Jeff Bridges himself. He even reused a shirt he previously wore in 1991's "The Fisher King."

6. In order to film the bowling shots from just the right angle, the Coens mounted a camera atop an RC car frame and used that to follow the bowling balls down the alley.
7. The Dude drives a 1973 Ford Torino. Two versions of the car were used for filming. One of them was destroyed, but the other later resurfaced in an episode of "The X-Files."

8. Every single song played during the course of the film is actually heard by the characters themselves, either on the radio or on the supermarket loudspeakers.

9. Bridges clearly has musical talent, as shown by his starring role in 2009's "Crazy Heart." However, Bridges also moonlights as a musician on the side and plays in a Lebowski-inspired band called The Abiders.10. Steve Buscemi's poor, put-upon hero Donnie (RIP) apparently has trouble remembering his own name, or at least has really ticked off his tailor. The character's customized bowling bowling shirts always display the wrong name throughout the film.

11. Donnie is also notable for bowling a strike every single time -- until his very last turn, which comes moments before his tragic death.
12. Walter's gun shop, Sobchak Security, advertises that it sells "peace of mind." This is a callback to John Goodman's character in "Barton Fink," who made a similar claim.13. Peter Stormare's character, Uli, was partly conceived on the set of "Fargo." There, Stormare's character showed a similar obsession with pancakes, and Stormare would often lapse into an exaggerated German accent in between takes.

14. The Dude is so lazy, that he's never actually seen bowling once in the entire film, even during that iconic dream sequence. However, he does drink exactly nine White Russians during that time.15. Characters say the F-word exactly 292 times throughout the movie, which puts it just above 1983's "Scarface" and below 1990's "Goodfellas."



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Tuesday, February 27, 2018

Milo Ventimiglia Shaved Off Jack's Facial Hair After 'This Is Us' Season 2 Wrap 

'Guardians' Director Drops a Groot Bomb He Thought Fans Knew, But They're Traumatized

Cruel James Gunn casually broke hearts in the middle of a thread about porgs.

The "Guardians of the Galaxy" and sequel director weighed in on a tweet asking fans to save one -- a "Star Wars" Porg or Marvel favorite Groot. In the middle of his arguments, Gunn revealed that the first Groot of "Guardians" Vol. 1 died, and the Baby Groot of Vol. 2 was his child.

That was news to many fans, who figured Groot was the same Groot, just changed.

Here's that part of the convo, to start:


Fans were shook. And Gunn was irritated by everyone being surprised by stuff we (apparently) should already know.


Some people seemed to already know. Fine. But since it was never quite spelled out so bluntly before this Twitter thread pitting cute fantasy creatures against each other, many did not know.

The "Guardians" will return in "Avengers: Infinity War," opening May 4.

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'The Bachelorette' 2018 Will Probably Be Arie's Screwed-Over 'The Bachelor' Winner

Grab your popcorn for the sh*tshow to end all sh*tshows in "The Bachelor" two-day finale event.

Bachelor Arie Luyendyk Jr. knows viewers are going to hate him after Monday's finale and Tuesday's "After the Final Rose" special. Do you want to know what he reportedly did? It's directly related to who will most likely be named the 2018 "Bachelorette" -- a choice ABC will reveal on Tuesday.

****

SPOILER ALERT

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According to spoiler king Reality Steve, Arie picks Becca Kufrin in the finale. They get engaged. But then after a while, he dumps her. Then he starts dating his runner-up, Lauren Burnham. There are unconfirmed rumors that Arie even proposed to Lauren and they are now engaged.

Either way, Becca gets screwed, in an even worse situation than the one Jason Mesnick left Melissa Rycroft. If you'll recall, Jason ended up marrying his runner-up, Molly, and Melissa went on to two seasons of "Dancing With the Stars."

Well, never mind DWTS for Becca. Instead, Steve says she is almost a lock to be the next Bachelorette. But he didn't see the choice of Arie coming as Bachelor, so he added some caveats:

"After seeing what they've pulled in recent seasons and their last minute change ups, it's basically impossible to tell you for certain who it will be. However, everything I've told you since January stands true. I've always said Becca will have all of America behind her, she has the best built-in storyline of any previous contestant going into the "Bachelorette," and the only way she wouldn't get the gig is if she didn't want it. Everything I've been told up to this point has led me to believe she wants it, they've talked to her, they've filmed in MN, and she will be the "Bachelorette." When they're gonna make this announcement, I don't know. If we see Becca on Monday night, do they bring her back the next night and announce her? If we don't see her til Tuesday night, do they have her talk to Arie then announce her later in the show? That'd seem weird. We know the announcement will happen on one of three shows: the ATFR, GMA, or Jimmy Kimmel. But since we don't know how next Monday & Tuesday night are playing out yet, impossible to know when the "official" Bachelorette announcement will be.

So the speculation about Tia, Bekah, or Seinne, or even Kristina aren't even in the ballpark. You can't be the "Bachelorette" when they haven't even approached you about it yet. None of those girls are going to be the "Bachelorette." Everything I'm being told is it's Becca, which should surprise no one. We know they've pulled last second change ups in the past, but I really don't expect it this time. I fully expect Becca to be the next "Bachelorette" and filming begins in two weeks on schedule to where it normally begins filming. I even have some of the guys for you which I'll be releasing as we get closer to the first night of filming."

Just don't expect her to take her ex Ross back, if he shows up again:


Apparently Becca was blindsided when Arie dumped her, on camera. Per Steve:

"The second week of January in mid week (Jan 10th on her IG), Becca was in Las Vegas for work. After this Vegas work trip, that weekend was a scheduled Happy Couple with Arie in LA. This was a planned regular meet up, but SOMEBODY, either Arie or producers or both, lied to her and told Becca they were being filmed because they wanted to give the fans an update on their relationship to be shown later. This is when Arie, with cameras in tow, broke up with Becca and ended the engagement. This was the d**k move of the season. So yes, she was pissed and blindsided. At no point did she ever think Arie was going to end the engagement on that meet up, and at no point did she ever think it was going to be filmed doing it."


We're going to be hearing a lot of back-and-forth about the details on Tuesday.

"The Bachelor" finale airs from 8 to 11 p.m. EST on Monday, March 6. "The Bachelor: After the Final Rose" will air over two hours on Tuesday, March 7 from 8 to 10 p.m. on ABC. The Bachelorette will be revealed at the end of that episode.

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'The Walking Dead' Carl Death Episode Was Lowest-Rated Midseason Premiere Ever

Jennifer Lawrence Slams 'Phantom Thread': 'I Got Through About 3 Minutes of It'

The Queen of Oversharing is on a streak. Jennifer Lawrence always gives candid interviews, and with "Red Sparrow" heading to theaters Friday, March 2, she is everywhere right now, saying everything ... whether she should or not.

Her latest target is a bit of left field choice: Paul Thomas Anderson's movie "Phantom Thread." It is nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and Best Actor for Daniel Day-Lewis in what's billed as his final acting role.

Jennifer Lawrence is an Oscar winner for "Silver Linings Playbook," and she gets to vote for the 2018 Best Picture. But not only did she not care to vote for "Phantom Thread," she didn't even watch it. Here's what she told Marc Maron's "WTF" podcast (via IndieWire):

"I got through about three minutes of it. I put in a good solid three. I'm sorry to anybody who loved that movie," Lawrence said. "I couldn't give that kind of time. It was three minutes and I was just [oof].

Is it just about clothes? Is [Reynolds Woodcock, DDL's character] kind of like a narcissistic sociopath and he's an artist so every girl falls in love him because he makes her feel bad about herself and that's the love story? I haven't seen it, so I don't know. I've been down that road, I know what that's like, I don't need to watch that movie [laughs]."

Oof is right. If there are any third rails in Hollywood, insulting Daniel Day-Lewis might be one of them. Lawrence didn't quite go that far, but she got close.

BRITAIN-ENTERTAINMENT-FILM-RED SPARROWAt the very least, PTA is less likely to give her a call for his next film, and considering his track record ("There Will Be Blood," "The Master," "Boogie Nights," "Punch-Drunk Love") you'd almost think she'd want to at least be respectful. Then again, JLaw's brand is candor. Maybe PTA and DDL would appreciate her honesty.

Some commenters have agreed with her on "Phantom Thread" -- which has a 91 percent fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 70 percent Audience Score. But others have used JLaw's words as an opportunity to say the same about her films, including the reviled "mother!" and "Passengers."

Speaking of "mother!" Lawrence is up for a Razzie Award for that movie. Don't forget to see if she "wins" on Saturday, the day before the Sunday, March 4 Oscars. You always get bonus points for showing up to accept your Razzie in person, but considering she was a controversial nominee, she may not be the big loser/winner.

[Via: IndieWire]

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Fox Developing Silver Surfer Standalone, Among Other Marvel Films, & Fans Are Annoyed

Despite the looming merger with Disney/Marvel Studios, 20th Century Fox is "going 100 miles per hour" with multiple "X-Men" movies and other Marvel-led projects in the coming year.

"We actually have way more in development and production in Marvel IP than at any point in the history of the studio," a Fox insider told The Hollywood Reporter. "There's been zero slowdown on that front given Disney."

THR said Fox has several films in development to further develop the "X-Men" and "Fantastic Four" brands. A Silver Surfer standalone movie is being written by comic book and TV writer Brian K. Vaughan. (Hey, remember the 2007 movie "Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer." Apologies if you'd rather forget.) And a Doctor Doom movie is in the works from Noah Hawley ("Fargo," "Legion").

There are two "X-Men" movies coming out this year -- "Deadpool 2" and "X-Men: Dark Phoenix" -- with three more expected in 2019 and three more the following year.

Fox's "Deadpool" spinoff, "X-Force," is set to start filming in October, bringing back Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Josh Brolin as Cable. "New Mutants" is going back for more filming this summer for its February 2019 release. "Gambit" is still looking for a director but a new script draft is expected in March and the studio is still pushing it to move forward.

Many fans reacted to the reports with frustration. Why is Fox stepping on the gas instead of the brakes when it comes to adapting Marvel characters? Why not leave the characters alone until they can be blended into the Marvel Cinematic Universe after the Disney merger?


THR's report did share some hints as to why Fox is pushing all of this through now, instead of waiting for Disney. "They have to proceed as business as usual in case the merger doesn't go through," one agent whose clients work on Fox's Marvel movies told THR. "It's a unique position to be in." Stay tuned for what actually moves forward. Several fans suspect the Silver Surfer standalone won't ever make it to screen.

At least the "Deadpool" movies seem to be on the right track. The sequel opens in theaters May 18th, 2018 -- just a couple of weeks after the Disney MCU's "Avengers: Infinity War."

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