Month: August 2022

When the teaser for Netflix’s NC-17 Marilyn Monroe movie Blonde landed, there was much rejoicing over how much star Ana de Armas looked like the star of Some Like It Hot. As for how she sounded? That was a bit more contentious. While de Armas nailed Monroe’s breathy, purry delivery while in movies and in public, some complained that they could still hear traces of the actress’ Cuban accent. If you felt that way, then the estate of Marilyn Monroe has some thoughts.

“Marilyn Monroe is a singular Hollywood and pop culture icon that transcends generations and history,” Marc Rosen, president of entertainment at Authentic Brands Group (ABG), which owns the Marilyn Monroe Estate, told Variety. “Any actor that steps into that role knows they have big shoes to fill. Based on the trailer alone, it looks like Ana was a great casting choice as she captures Marilyn’s glamour, humanity and vulnerability. We can’t wait to see the film in its entirety!”

The actress worked hard to sound like Monroe. “It took me nine months of dialect coaching, and practicing and some ADR sessions [to get the accent right],” she told The Times of London earlier this year. “It was a big torture, so exhausting. My brain was fried.”

For the record, Blonde is no straight biopic. Based on the novel by Joyce Carol Oates, it’s a fictionalized account of the screen legend, who died of a barbiturate overdose at 36. Its director, Andrew Dominik (The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, Killing Them Softly) has proudly boasted that it has something “to offend everyone.”

Meanwhile, Monroe was back in the news earlier this year, when Kim Kardashian wore one of her iconic dresses, and may have damaged it in the process — accusations she has denied.

Blonde hits Netflix on September 28.

(Via Variety)

The world’s feeling ominous for several reasons these days, but for women, things are pretty scary regarding one issue in particular: abortion rights. The right to choose no longer exists in several red states (and counting) after frontrunners Texas and Oklahoma essentially outlawed abortion (through a weasel-y civil method) by putting a bounty on the head of anyone who helps a woman get an abortion. Following the Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, the situation grew more dire when states like Missouri decided to place a ban on out-of-state travel for the residents to obtain the medical procedure, and that’s leaving some women with very little choice in the matter.

Employers have been stepping up to fill the gaps and pledge to protect their employees. That’s translated into policies to help fund out-of-state travel for abortions, and some legal assistance, but Hollywood studios initially stayed very quiet. Then last week, a group of 400+ female showrunners came together to call studios and press them to enact protective policies. Now, an even greater number of male showrunners have stepped up in solidarity. Variety has the official roster of names, which seemingly spans time, space, and genre. Jordan Peele, J.J. Abrams, Taika Waititi, Elgin James, Kurt Sutter, Kenya Barris, Lamorne Morris, D.B. Weiss, David E. Kelley, Rian Johnson, Greg Berliani — the list goes on and on with a few notable omissions (no Joss Whedon or Nic Pizzolatto). The letter’s short and sweet and begins as follows:

WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH OUR FEMALE, TRANS & NON-BINARY SHOWRUNNER COLLEAGUES

In demanding a coordinated and timely response from our employers regarding the imminent workplace-safety crisis created by the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

Abortion access doesn’t only affect people who can become pregnant. It affects us all.

You can see the full list of male showrunners here, and now, the nearly 1000 total names demand that studios consider the issue to be an “emergency” not only in Texas and Oklahoma but also Georgia, and Louisiana, all of which have gone back into the 1960s with various “heartbeat”-related restrictions and very few exceptions (not even rape in Texas) to allow a woman to abort a fetus. These letters shall likely do nothing to change states’ minds, but at least workers won’t have to worry as much about safety, protection, and logistics during their time of need.

(Via Variety)

Despite what Disney+ might want you to think, there are some people out there who actually do not want to be a part of a galaxy far far away. Leonardo DiCaprio famously did not want to portray Anakin Skywalker (probably for the best) while Rooney Mara opted out of Rogue One because she didn’t feel right for the role. This is seemingly a common occurrence with actors who don’t believe they are the right fit for the role, and Taron Egerton had a similar experience when auditioning for the lead in Solo: A Star Wars Story.

While speaking on a recent episode of the podcast Happy Sad Confused, Taron Egerton revealed that he tried out to be Han Solo, and even went as far as to try on the signature outfit and board the Millenium Falcon, all before opting out of the 2018 movie.

“I’ll be honest, I got on the Falcon,” Egerton admitted. “I was with Chewie. I was in the full costume. I felt like I got there, I did it, I lived it.” Despite living it, he did not portray Solo in the movie, which was not very popular among fans, or at the box office. The role eventually went to Alden Ehrenreich.

Egerton tried to explain that despite meeting the cutest little furry alien in the world and boarding one of the most iconic ships, he just wasn’t into it. “It just felt to me like I didn’t feel…like you know when we mentioned earlier, that thing when I read the Kingsman script and I was like, ‘This is…I’ve got to do this. This is my part,’” Egerton admitted. “I just didn’t feel it.”

The actor has had several high-profile roles since, so he didn’t miss out on much. “It’s far enough in the past now that I feel I can say that. I hope no one feels annoyed that I have said it,” he added. Chewie has yet to comment on the ordeal, though he is probably really upset about it!

(Via The Independent)

When it was announced by his family that Bill Russell had died at the age of 88 on Sunday, the NBA community offered their remembrances of the legend, both on and off the court.

Russell’s legacy is immense and that was evident in all the stories that poured out onto social media from players and coaches, past and present, as his presence hadn’t waned in impact over the years, with current stars just as awestruck by him as those who grew up watching him. However, those contemporaries of Russell know him better than anyone and can detail his impact in a way few others can, and there may be no one better equipped to speak on Russell than Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The legendary Laker grew up idolizing Russell and entered the league the year after Russell retired from playing, picking up the mantle as the league’s next great big man. On Monday, Kareem joined ESPN’s NBA Today to speak on Russell’s legacy, both what he meant to Abdul-Jabbar personally and to the game as a whole.

For Kareem, Russell’s greatest impact was showing how he didn’t have to compromise who he was as a person to be a great athlete, while also noting that his on-court legacy will be his leadership and competitiveness that led to 11 championships, something Abdul-Jabbar says will never be matched.

Kareem also wrote a more personal remembrance of Russell on his Substack, detailing the first time he met Russell as a 14-year-old — and how it didn’t go quite as he’d hoped — as well as Russell’s leadership at the legendary Cleveland Summit, and the moments they shared together as legends and “old men” as Abdul-Jabbar put it. All of it provides a look at the many facets of Russell, a great player and activist, but also a man who lived life with incredible fervor and joy, even while the world didn’t often offer that in abundance back to him.

A lot of digital ink has been spilled over pop music stans and their often aggressive method of demonstrating their fealty to the stars they love so much, but perhaps no group is as feared as the BeyHive, the swarming, stinging online army dedicated to Beyonce. And with her new album Renaissance out and taking new creative risks, they’ve been busier than ever this week, even lashing out at Beyonce’s esteemed peers and forebears such as “Diane Warren, who had the unfortunate temerity to question the number of songwriters on the album.

“How can there be 24 writers on a song?” she wondered on Twitter. Although the R&B icon insisted she intended no shade, Beyonce’s self-appointed defense force wasn’t taking any chances. It probably doesn’t help that she added a rolling eyes emoji, which is, as any longtime denizen of the world wide web can tell you, a universal symbol for shade.

Either way, Ms. Diane became the recipient of plenty of shade herself as Beyonce fans chimed in either offering “helpful” primers on the nature of sample credits or just outright bullying the 65-year-old singer, telling her to stay in her lane. While some fans did join the fracas to note Warren’s many lasting contributions to the musical canon as a songwriter, the damage was already done. Perhaps we’ll just chalk this one up to a generational conflict with truly unfortunate timing. See the fans’ reactions below.

The Bear‘s given us a lot: Plentiful jargon into the inner workings of the kitchen run by Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and a delightful soundtrack to keep the intensity humming, even during the credits. We still, however, don’t know (and probably won’t know anytime soon) the definitive answer to the one pressing question about the show in light of the Internet’s lust: will Carmy (or anyone else) get a little behind-the-kitchen action?

Standup comedian Ayo Edebiri (who plays sous chef Sydney, who I not-so-secretly want to manage a future franchise) isn’t so sure! According to Ayo’s new interview with The Cut, she can’t visualize the characters even having the spare energy or time or desire to get down. Furthermore, Ayo really doesn’t want Sydney and Carmy to hook up because (among other reasons) the results would be “disappointing.” I tend to agree, but here’s Ayo’s full quote:

“I don’t personally think there’s anything romantic there! I don’t think the show is a sexual one. These people don’t have … very robust personal lives. They’re devoted to their jobs. If anything happened between Sydney and Carmy, nobody would be happy. It would be disappointing and jarring and weird. I don’t think people actually want that.”

Don’t get her wrong, though. Ayo understands why the internet is hot for Carmy:

“He’s got those blue eyes! I don’t know. People on the internet are into it, I’m happy for him, and it’s good for us. I don’t think I evoke that, where just a picture of his face causes somebody to divulge a very jarring memory. Or fantasy. It’s hard to say which. But he’s handling it like a champ.”

In other words, Ayo feels similarly to Jeremy Allen White, who is no doubt still very aware of how people lust after his character, even though he’s also maintained (in a GQ conversation), “Carmy does not f*ck.” But I still believe that Carmy eventually will do so, and man, the pressure is on for the writers to deliver a satisfying scenario.

On a related note, Ayo recently appeared on Penn Badgley’s Podcrushed podcast, where she discussed many things unrelated to The Bear. It’s a highly entertaining episode, so maybe go check it out while waiting for more details on the second season of The Bear.

(Via The Cut)

Whenever anyone thinks back to the awkward fiasco when Jay Leno left The Tonight Show only to return a few years later, obviously, the person who got screwed over the most was Conan O’Brien. Thanks to Leno sticking around on NBC for The Jay Leno Show at an earlier time slot, the whole thing was very awkward for everyone involved and ultimately ended with O’Brien getting screwed out of The Tonight Show gig.

However, what isn’t discussed much is how Jimmy Kimmel got pulled into the situation. While stopping by Bill Maher‘s podcast, Leno opened up about the infamous Tonight Show fracas and how he’s since apologized to Kimmel for how the whole thing shook out. According to Leno, he was in talks to go over to ABC for a new show that would’ve pushed Jimmy Kimmel Live! into a later time slot, which Kimmel was actually onboard with because it could give him a better lead-in than Nightline. But Leno ended up staying at NBC, and he apparently never called Kimmel to let him know what happened, which apparently added to some bad blood that already existed between the two.

Via Deadline:

“I suppose I should have called Jimmy and explained to him again, but I didn’t. I don’t know why I didn’t. I just didn’t. I thought he probably would figure it out. But I think maybe he was hurt by that, and I apologized to him for that,” added Leno.

The You Bet Your Life host added that he thought Kimmel was “really funny” and did a great job hosting the Oscars. “It’s just one of those awkward situations where he was a huge Letterman guy and when Letterman didn’t get The Tonight Show, somehow it was my fault. I think he resented that and I get that. But, Dave never had The Tonight Show,” he added.

Obviously, compared to Conan, Kimmel came out of The Tonight Show situation practically unscathed, but clearly, Leno isn’t happy with how he handled things and felt the need to make things right. Of course, that didn’t stop Kimmel from getting in a jab at Leno during Conan’s final TBS broadcast last year.

“Here’s to Conan and Andy Richter and everybody involved with that show. We look forward to whatever you have planned next at HBO Max,” Kimmel said. “And I also want to say, congratulations to Jay Leno on his new time slot at TBS.”

(Via Deadline)

While many artists have warm feelings when it comes to their greatest hits, one can imagine that Noel and Liam Gallagher of Oasis are probably sick of hearing “Wonderwall” at this point. Heck, Noel even said last year that his brother originally hated the song to begin with. “He said it was trip-hop. There speaks a man who’s never heard trip-hop,” he told Mojo. So perhaps there was a bit of irony when an entire restaurant in Ibiza broke out into a rendition of “Wonderwall” for Noel and his family this past weekend.

In the clip, the customers at a beachside restaurant on the Spanish island were not only singing along to “Wonderwall” as it played on the speakers, but they were also clapping along rather awkwardly with their heads turned towards an unsuspecting Noel Gallagher with his wife and son. A dog is barking incessantly in the background, seemingly startled by the off-key celebration. Surely this must’ve made Noel’s blood boil a bit as he was just trying to have a peaceful meal and a beer with his family. Although he was a good sport about it and clapped as the singing stopped.

Unfortunately for the crowd, it is indeed Liam who sings lead vocals on “Wonderwall,” and not Noel. The Gallagher brothers get that a lot.

Every Star Trek fan was devastated by the death of Nichelle Nichols, the actress and icon who played Nyota Uhura for three seasons of the original series and six movies, but none more than Zoe Saldaña. She portrayed the Enterprise’s communications officer in 2009’s Star Trek, 2013’s Star Trek Into Darkness, and 2016’s Star Trek Beyond (a.k.a. the Kelvin Timeline reboot series). On Monday, Saldana shared a tribute to Nichols.

“I’m saddened to learn of Nichelle Nichols’ passing. We have lost a true star- a unique artist who was ahead of her time always. She’s an icon, an activist and most importantly an amazing woman- who blazed a trail that has shown so many how to see women of color in a different light. Her strive for equality was unwavering,” she wrote on Instagram.

Saldana continued:

I knew I had big shoes to fill when I was chosen to play Uhura, and Nichelle made me feel safe, told me to play her with all the confidence in the world. My hope is that we continue to keep her memory alive by celebrating her amazing body of work, and by spreading the message of peace and equality amongst all people. She lived a long, impactful life and not only prospered, but helped so many others prosper too.

The post ends with, “REST IN POWER QUEEN NICHELLE.” You can read it below.

Beyoncé concluded a six-year wait for a new album with the release of her seventh album Renaissance over the weekend. Of the many talking points about the album after its release, one was a line from “Church Girl” that many assumed was about Jay-Z. On the song, Beyoncé sings, “Must be the cash ’cause it ain’t your face.” It’s inspired many reactions and memes (like this one) that connect it to Jay-Z. While we’ll never know if Mr. Carter is the subject of the line, one can’t forget that Jay probably heard the song beforehand as he helped write songs for Beyoncé on multiple occasions.

Here Are All The Beyoncé Songs That Jay-Z Has Co-Written

Beyoncé and Jay-Z have collaborated on multiple occasions. Their list of songs together includes, “Crazy In Love,” “Drunk In Love,” “Part II (On The Run),” “Deja Vu,” and the entire Everything Is Love album. Their collaborations even go as far as Jay-Z helping to write Beyoncé songs. To begin, despite not having a guest verse on the album, Jay-Z has three writing credits on Renaissance: “Alien Superstar,” “Break My Soul,” and “America Has A Problem.” Jay also has writing credits on “Kitty Kat” from Beyoncé’s 2006 sophomore album B’Day as well as “Baby Boy,” ‘Hip Hop Star” and “Yes” from her 2003 debut album Dangerously In Love.