Ian McKellen is an Oscar-nominated thespian whomhas excelled at everything from Shakespeare to sci-fi on both the stage and screen. Let’s take a look back at 12 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1939 in Lancashire, England, McKellen first came to prominence on the stage, appearing in a number of classic plays from the likes of Anton Chekhov and William Shakespeare (including an acclaimed production of “Richard III” that he brought to the screen in 1995). His performance as Salieri in the 1981 production of “Amadeus” brought him a Tony award as Best Actor in a Play.
McKellen appeared in films sporadically throughout this period, earning his first starring role in “Priest of Love” in 1981. He became increasingly recognizable onscreen throughout the 1990s, earning his first Oscar nomination when he was 59-years-old: Best Actor for “Gods and Monsters” (1998). For his acclaimed performance as “Frankenstein” (1931) director James Whale, McKellen won...
Born in 1939 in Lancashire, England, McKellen first came to prominence on the stage, appearing in a number of classic plays from the likes of Anton Chekhov and William Shakespeare (including an acclaimed production of “Richard III” that he brought to the screen in 1995). His performance as Salieri in the 1981 production of “Amadeus” brought him a Tony award as Best Actor in a Play.
McKellen appeared in films sporadically throughout this period, earning his first starring role in “Priest of Love” in 1981. He became increasingly recognizable onscreen throughout the 1990s, earning his first Oscar nomination when he was 59-years-old: Best Actor for “Gods and Monsters” (1998). For his acclaimed performance as “Frankenstein” (1931) director James Whale, McKellen won...
- 5/18/2024
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Friends alum David Schwimmer is set to lead Season 2 of the Disney+ anthology series Goosebumps.
From Disney Branded Television and produced by Sony Pictures Television, the series is based upon R.L Stine’s bestselling Scholastic series. Each season features a new story, setting and cast. Season 2 will follow teenage siblings who discover a threat stirring, triggering a chain of events that unravel a profound mystery. As they delve into the unknown, the duo find themselves entangled in the chilling tale of four teenagers who mysteriously vanished in 1994.
Schwimmer will portray Anthony, a former botany professor and divorced parent of teenage twins whose world takes a tumultuous turn as he juggles the responsibilities of overseeing an aging parent while having his kids for the summer.
Nicholas Stoller (The Muppets) and Rob Letterman (Pokémon Detective Pikachu) developed the series and serve as executive producers, alongside showrunner Hilary Winston (Community), Neal H. Moritz...
From Disney Branded Television and produced by Sony Pictures Television, the series is based upon R.L Stine’s bestselling Scholastic series. Each season features a new story, setting and cast. Season 2 will follow teenage siblings who discover a threat stirring, triggering a chain of events that unravel a profound mystery. As they delve into the unknown, the duo find themselves entangled in the chilling tale of four teenagers who mysteriously vanished in 1994.
Schwimmer will portray Anthony, a former botany professor and divorced parent of teenage twins whose world takes a tumultuous turn as he juggles the responsibilities of overseeing an aging parent while having his kids for the summer.
Nicholas Stoller (The Muppets) and Rob Letterman (Pokémon Detective Pikachu) developed the series and serve as executive producers, alongside showrunner Hilary Winston (Community), Neal H. Moritz...
- 3/20/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Stephen King is inarguably one of the most adapted authors in the world. The reigning overlord of the horror genre has seen his work translated to film and TV almost continually since his first novel, Carrie, was adapted in 1976. While he’s had his ups and downs in terms of success in those venues, it’s almost a certainty that the King adaptations will continue as the author himself keeps working well into his sixth decade as a published writer.
Naturally, most of the adaptations of King’s work focus on his horror or horror-adjacent output: just about everything from 1,000-page behemoths like the post-apocalyptic The Stand to 10-page short stories like the single-setting monster tale “The Boogeyman” have found their way to the screen. But while filmmakers and creators gravitate toward the King material that they think will scare audiences – after all, that’s his brand – some of the...
Naturally, most of the adaptations of King’s work focus on his horror or horror-adjacent output: just about everything from 1,000-page behemoths like the post-apocalyptic The Stand to 10-page short stories like the single-setting monster tale “The Boogeyman” have found their way to the screen. But while filmmakers and creators gravitate toward the King material that they think will scare audiences – after all, that’s his brand – some of the...
- 1/15/2024
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
Mickey Cottrell, the beloved indie film publicist and producer who long championed independent cinema dating back to the early days of Sundance, has died at 79. He passed away Monday, January 1, 2024 at Motion Picture Hospital in Woodland Hills, Calif. The news was confirmed by his sister, Suzy Cottrell-Smith, who shared on Facebook, “My adorable, fun, critical, foodie, particular, brilliant, loving brother passed on to the next life early on New Year’s Day. He was smiling when he died. Mickey Cottrell will be missed by many.”
Many of Cottrell’s friends and colleagues shared memories of the veteran PR whiz — who also had many credits as an actor — on Facebook. Cottrell suffered a stroke in 2016, with friends and loved ones raising more than $57,000 to help with medical bills on GoFundMe. He relocated back to Los Angeles in 2019 after recovering from the stroke with his sister in Arkansas.
Cottrell was never afraid to pick up the phone,...
Many of Cottrell’s friends and colleagues shared memories of the veteran PR whiz — who also had many credits as an actor — on Facebook. Cottrell suffered a stroke in 2016, with friends and loved ones raising more than $57,000 to help with medical bills on GoFundMe. He relocated back to Los Angeles in 2019 after recovering from the stroke with his sister in Arkansas.
Cottrell was never afraid to pick up the phone,...
- 1/3/2024
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Mickey Cottrell, the PR executive who specialized in the indie film business and worked both as an actor and a producer, died on New Year’s Day at the Motion Picture & Television Fund in Woodland Hills. He was 79.
His death was confirmed by his sister, Suzie Cottrell-Smith, who told Deadline he suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Cottrell experienced a stroke in 2016 and had gone to live with his sister in Arkansas before returning to Los Angeles in 2019.
Cottrell was born September 4, 1944, in Springfield, Il, and spent part of his childhood in Monroe, LA. At age 8, he moved with his family to Little Rock, Ar, where he grew up. He attended the University of Arkansas and spent more than 30 years in the film and PR industries, co-owning multiple firms including most recently Inclusive PR, repping pics including Bill Cunningham: New York, Stones in Exile, Ballets Russes, Down to the Bone,...
His death was confirmed by his sister, Suzie Cottrell-Smith, who told Deadline he suffered from Parkinson’s disease. Cottrell experienced a stroke in 2016 and had gone to live with his sister in Arkansas before returning to Los Angeles in 2019.
Cottrell was born September 4, 1944, in Springfield, Il, and spent part of his childhood in Monroe, LA. At age 8, he moved with his family to Little Rock, Ar, where he grew up. He attended the University of Arkansas and spent more than 30 years in the film and PR industries, co-owning multiple firms including most recently Inclusive PR, repping pics including Bill Cunningham: New York, Stones in Exile, Ballets Russes, Down to the Bone,...
- 1/3/2024
- by Patrick Hipes and Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Mickey Cottrell, the dependable Hollywood publicist who went to bat for independent films for decades while also dabbling in acting and producing, has died. He was 79.
Cottrell died on New Year’s Day at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, his friend Ian Birnie, former Lacma film curator, told The Hollywood Reporter. He suffered a major stroke in 2016.
Cottrell did PR for three Gus Van Sant-directed films: Drugstore Cowboy (1989), My Own Private Idaho (1991), where he also played the clean freak Daddy Carroll in the movie, and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993).
He also repped Bagdad Cafe (1987), Earth Girls Are Easy (1987), Phillip Noyce’s Dead Calm (1989), Tarnation (2003), Ballets Russes (2005), The Price of Sugar (2007), Skin (2008), Bill Cunningham New York (2010), Salt (2010) and Tab Hunter Confidential (2015), among many other films.
Films and filmmakers he represented were honored with eight Sundance jury prizes and three Oscars, he once noted.
Cottrell died on New Year’s Day at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, his friend Ian Birnie, former Lacma film curator, told The Hollywood Reporter. He suffered a major stroke in 2016.
Cottrell did PR for three Gus Van Sant-directed films: Drugstore Cowboy (1989), My Own Private Idaho (1991), where he also played the clean freak Daddy Carroll in the movie, and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues (1993).
He also repped Bagdad Cafe (1987), Earth Girls Are Easy (1987), Phillip Noyce’s Dead Calm (1989), Tarnation (2003), Ballets Russes (2005), The Price of Sugar (2007), Skin (2008), Bill Cunningham New York (2010), Salt (2010) and Tab Hunter Confidential (2015), among many other films.
Films and filmmakers he represented were honored with eight Sundance jury prizes and three Oscars, he once noted.
- 1/2/2024
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The The Langoliers episode of Wtf Happened to This Adaptation? was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian. Here is the text of Hatfield’s script:
Well, it’s time to let the King have his moment again. This is Stephen King’s second go around on the show and while Silver Bullet based on Cycle of the Werewolf is a minor cult classic, it’s not one of the bigger adaptations out of his overall catalogue. Today is going to an even deeper cut. While it seems that nearly everything has been adapted, there is a lot that has yet to be turned into a show, movie, or short film. Back in the 90s and early 2000s it felt like his made for TV miniseries were happening more frequently and had more hype to them,...
Well, it’s time to let the King have his moment again. This is Stephen King’s second go around on the show and while Silver Bullet based on Cycle of the Werewolf is a minor cult classic, it’s not one of the bigger adaptations out of his overall catalogue. Today is going to an even deeper cut. While it seems that nearly everything has been adapted, there is a lot that has yet to be turned into a show, movie, or short film. Back in the 90s and early 2000s it felt like his made for TV miniseries were happening more frequently and had more hype to them,...
- 12/21/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Nazi is as Nazi does.
After kicking off spooky season with a look at Tim Burton’s ode to Hammer Horror in Sleepy Hollow and tackling another Friday the 13th with one of its best entries in Friday the 13th Part 2, we’re getting serious for a minute with a discussion of Bryan Singer‘s 1998 Stephen King adaptation Apt Pupil.
Apt Pupil sees high school student Todd Bowden (Brad Renfro) discover a fugitive Nazi war criminal, Kurt Dussander (Ian McKellen), living in his neighborhood under a pseudonym. Bowden, obsessed with Nazism and the Holocaust, blackmails Dussander into sharing his horror stories, and their relationship stirs malice in each of them.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Episode 252: Apt Pupil (1998)
Keep the cat away...
After kicking off spooky season with a look at Tim Burton’s ode to Hammer Horror in Sleepy Hollow and tackling another Friday the 13th with one of its best entries in Friday the 13th Part 2, we’re getting serious for a minute with a discussion of Bryan Singer‘s 1998 Stephen King adaptation Apt Pupil.
Apt Pupil sees high school student Todd Bowden (Brad Renfro) discover a fugitive Nazi war criminal, Kurt Dussander (Ian McKellen), living in his neighborhood under a pseudonym. Bowden, obsessed with Nazism and the Holocaust, blackmails Dussander into sharing his horror stories, and their relationship stirs malice in each of them.
Be sure to subscribe to the podcast to get a new episode every Wednesday. You can subscribe on iTunes/Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeartRadio, SoundCloud, TuneIn, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, and RSS.
Episode 252: Apt Pupil (1998)
Keep the cat away...
- 10/23/2023
- by Trace Thurman
- bloody-disgusting.com
The Mandela Effect.
After dedicating an entire month to Erotic Thrillers like Bound and Stranger by the Lake, October has been blissfully fun and silly. Last week, we celebrated our 250th (!!!) episode last week with Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. This week we paid homage to Jason Voorhees with a look at one of Friday the 13th title: Part 2!
In the sequel to Sean S. Cunningham‘s game changer, poor Alice (Adrienne King) is brutally killed off immediately. After a five-year-jump, a new group of horny counsellors prepare to open Camp Blood. These red shirts include iconic Final Girl Ginny (Amy Steel), her sad sack boyfriend Paul (John Furey), as well as hot and fit Terry (Kirsten Baker) and pervy Scott (Russell Todd). And then there’s poor sweet Vickie (Lauren-Marie Taylor) and disabled Mark (Tom McBride).
What these new twenty-somethings don’t realize that Jason Voorhees (Steve Dash and...
After dedicating an entire month to Erotic Thrillers like Bound and Stranger by the Lake, October has been blissfully fun and silly. Last week, we celebrated our 250th (!!!) episode last week with Tim Burton’s Sleepy Hollow. This week we paid homage to Jason Voorhees with a look at one of Friday the 13th title: Part 2!
In the sequel to Sean S. Cunningham‘s game changer, poor Alice (Adrienne King) is brutally killed off immediately. After a five-year-jump, a new group of horny counsellors prepare to open Camp Blood. These red shirts include iconic Final Girl Ginny (Amy Steel), her sad sack boyfriend Paul (John Furey), as well as hot and fit Terry (Kirsten Baker) and pervy Scott (Russell Todd). And then there’s poor sweet Vickie (Lauren-Marie Taylor) and disabled Mark (Tom McBride).
What these new twenty-somethings don’t realize that Jason Voorhees (Steve Dash and...
- 10/16/2023
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
Before his career came crashing down, Bryan Singer was one of the most successful directors in Hollywood. Having risen through the ranks thanks to his early indie work, Singer was one of the first big directors to emerge from the Sundance Film Festival. His first movie, Public Access, won the Grand Jury Prize, and his follow-up, The Usual Suspects, became a smash hit that made Kevin Spacey a household name. After making an underrated Stephen King adaptation, Apt Pupil, Singer directed 2000’s X-Men. This was arguably the first true Marvel superhero movie and a noted detour from how comic book movies were usually filmed because Singer took the material seriously. The follow-up, X2: X-Men United, was an even bigger smash and helped make Hugh Jackman, who was plucked from obscurity to play Wolverine, one of the biggest stars of his era.
But, behind the scenes, there was a lot of drama surrounding Singer.
But, behind the scenes, there was a lot of drama surrounding Singer.
- 10/13/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
X-Men director Bryan Singer has largely stayed under the radar for the last few years, but Variety reports that he could be plotting a comeback which would kick off with a self-financed documentary addressing the sexual assault allegations against him.
A source told Variety that the Bryan Singer documentary would be about the director and “his struggles.” The pitch, which the source called “impressive,” claims that Singer will address the allegations while he attempts to revive his career. This prompted a documentary veteran to quip, “Well, at least we know it will be fair and balanced.”
The documentary isn’t the only project Bryan Singer has up his sleeves, as he’s also looking to develop three features set in and around Israel, which is apparently where he’s been living. Variety’s report states that Singer has been meeting with potential investors for the three projects, which carry a budget of $10 million each.
A source told Variety that the Bryan Singer documentary would be about the director and “his struggles.” The pitch, which the source called “impressive,” claims that Singer will address the allegations while he attempts to revive his career. This prompted a documentary veteran to quip, “Well, at least we know it will be fair and balanced.”
The documentary isn’t the only project Bryan Singer has up his sleeves, as he’s also looking to develop three features set in and around Israel, which is apparently where he’s been living. Variety’s report states that Singer has been meeting with potential investors for the three projects, which carry a budget of $10 million each.
- 6/6/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
In October 2017, Bryan Singer appeared energetic and in control as he welcomed Olympic diver Greg Louganis and Queen guitarist Brian May on the London set of “Bohemian Rhapsody.” But behind the scenes, chaos reigned. The onetime Hollywood wunderkind’s career was about to unravel, as Fox executives were growing weary of Singer’s pro- longed absences and erratic behavior. On Dec. 4, Fox pulled the trigger and fired Singer, replacing him with Dexter Fletcher. As Louganis and May smiled for photos with the acclaimed director, it marked one of Singer’s last known days on a film set.
Getting fired from “Bohemian Rhapsody” was a public humiliation for a filmmaker who had racked up hit after hit. But a series of personal scandals would dwarf that professional setback. Over the ensuing five and a half years, Singer tried to reenter the fray with an $80 million remake of ’80s action film “Red Sonja” for Millennium Films.
Getting fired from “Bohemian Rhapsody” was a public humiliation for a filmmaker who had racked up hit after hit. But a series of personal scandals would dwarf that professional setback. Over the ensuing five and a half years, Singer tried to reenter the fray with an $80 million remake of ’80s action film “Red Sonja” for Millennium Films.
- 6/6/2023
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety Film + TV
Director/Tfh Guru Mick Garris discusses his favorite year in film, 1986, with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.
Show Notes:
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Stir of Echoes (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Fly (1958) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary
*The Fly (1986) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary
The Fly II (1989)
Fuzzbucket (1986)
The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
Alien (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
*Aliens (1986) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Terminator (1984) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary
The Brood (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
Scanners (1981) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Fast Company (1979)
Rabid (1977) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Shivers (1975)
Crimes of the Future (1970)
Crimes of the Future (2022)
Stereo (1969)
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary
Stand By Me...
Show Notes:
Movies Referenced In This Episode
Stir of Echoes (1999)
The Sixth Sense (1999)
The Fly (1958) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary
*The Fly (1986) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary
The Fly II (1989)
Fuzzbucket (1986)
The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
Gremlins (1984) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review, Tfh’s Mogwai Madness
Alien (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings
*Aliens (1986) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
The Terminator (1984) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary
The Brood (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
Scanners (1981) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Fast Company (1979)
Rabid (1977) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review
Shivers (1975)
Crimes of the Future (1970)
Crimes of the Future (2022)
Stereo (1969)
Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985) – Alan Spencer’s trailer commentary
Stand By Me...
- 9/27/2022
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
In “My Neighbor Adolf,” a Polish Holocaust survivor living in South America suspects that the belligerent German who’s just moved in next door could be none other than der Führer himself. How could that be? Hitler shot himself in his bunker at the end of the war. Or did he? Director Leon Prudovsky’s middling mind game pits David Hayman and prolific German character actor Udo Kier against one another in what could have been a sly, “Sleuth”-style two-hander. But the tonally uneven movie isn’t prepared for its own premise: If the man’s hunch is correct, what are the implications of making friends/enemies with evil?
Years earlier, Malek Polsky (Hayman) sat opposite Hitler at the World Chess Championship in Berlin. He swears he’d recognize “those dead blue eyes” anywhere — and now they’re staring right back at him over the rickety wooden fence that separates their properties.
Years earlier, Malek Polsky (Hayman) sat opposite Hitler at the World Chess Championship in Berlin. He swears he’d recognize “those dead blue eyes” anywhere — and now they’re staring right back at him over the rickety wooden fence that separates their properties.
- 8/5/2022
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Yellowstone star and Academy Award-winning filmmaker Kevin Costner paid emotional tribute to his longtime collaborator, production designer Ida Random as she received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 26th annual Art Directors Guild Awards tonight. And his tribute included the revelation that he might not have an an acting career without her intervention.
From the stage at the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown, an admittedly nervous Costner – who’s worked with Random on his directorial efforts including The Postman – recounted the critical impact she had when he was an extra on the 1981 film Frances, on which Random served as art director.
“For six years I’d been trying to break into Hollywood, and despite all my best efforts, I was just unable to get a SAG card,” said Costner, who had a minute appearance in a scene set in an alleyway outside a theater where actress Frances Fischer, played by Jessica Lange,...
From the stage at the Intercontinental Los Angeles Downtown, an admittedly nervous Costner – who’s worked with Random on his directorial efforts including The Postman – recounted the critical impact she had when he was an extra on the 1981 film Frances, on which Random served as art director.
“For six years I’d been trying to break into Hollywood, and despite all my best efforts, I was just unable to get a SAG card,” said Costner, who had a minute appearance in a scene set in an alleyway outside a theater where actress Frances Fischer, played by Jessica Lange,...
- 3/6/2022
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Johnny Brown, the actor, comedian and singer best known for his role as superintendent Nathan Bookman on the popular 70s sitcom “Good Times,” died Wednesday. He was 84 years old.
Brown’s death was confirmed by his daughter, Broadway actress Sharon Catherine Brown, through a post shared on her Instagram. No further details on Brown’s death are available at this time.
“He was literally snatched out of our lives. It’s not real for us yet,” Sharon Catherine Brown wrote. “So there will be more to say but not now. Dad was the absolute best. We love him so very much.”
Prior to his sitcom stardom, Brown was a seasoned entertainment veteran, regularly performing in nightclub acts with his future wife, June Russell. Early in his career he dabbled in recording music, releasing the single “Walkin’, Talkin’, Kissin’ Doll” for Columbia Records in 1961 and “You’re Too Much in Love...
Brown’s death was confirmed by his daughter, Broadway actress Sharon Catherine Brown, through a post shared on her Instagram. No further details on Brown’s death are available at this time.
“He was literally snatched out of our lives. It’s not real for us yet,” Sharon Catherine Brown wrote. “So there will be more to say but not now. Dad was the absolute best. We love him so very much.”
Prior to his sitcom stardom, Brown was a seasoned entertainment veteran, regularly performing in nightclub acts with his future wife, June Russell. Early in his career he dabbled in recording music, releasing the single “Walkin’, Talkin’, Kissin’ Doll” for Columbia Records in 1961 and “You’re Too Much in Love...
- 3/5/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
Johnny Brown, the comedian and actor who broke out on “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In” in the early 1970s and then played apartment-building superintendent Nathan Bookman on the sitcom “Good Times,” died Wednesday at age 84.
Brown’s daughter Sharon Catherine Brown shared the news Friday via Instagram. “Our family is devastated. Devastated. Devastated. Beyond heartbroken. Barely able to breathe. We respectfully ask for privacy at this time because we need a minute to process the unthinkable,” she wrote. No further details about his death were available.
Brown got his start as a singer in the late 1950s, touring with saxophonist Sam “The Man” Taylor and releasing singles such as “Walkin’ Talkin’, Kissin’ Doll” in 1961 through Columbia Records.
In the 1960s, he appeared in two Broadway shows — “Golden Boy” and “Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights” — and picked up guest spots on TV shows such as “The Leslie Uggams Show,” “Julia” and...
Brown’s daughter Sharon Catherine Brown shared the news Friday via Instagram. “Our family is devastated. Devastated. Devastated. Beyond heartbroken. Barely able to breathe. We respectfully ask for privacy at this time because we need a minute to process the unthinkable,” she wrote. No further details about his death were available.
Brown got his start as a singer in the late 1950s, touring with saxophonist Sam “The Man” Taylor and releasing singles such as “Walkin’ Talkin’, Kissin’ Doll” in 1961 through Columbia Records.
In the 1960s, he appeared in two Broadway shows — “Golden Boy” and “Carry Me Back to Morningside Heights” — and picked up guest spots on TV shows such as “The Leslie Uggams Show,” “Julia” and...
- 3/5/2022
- by Thom Geier
- The Wrap
Johnny Brown, best known for his role as the housing project superintendent Nathan Bookman on the TV show Good Times and a Laugh-In regular, has died at 84. No cause of death was given by his family, who announced his March 2 death on Instagram.
Daughter and actress Sharon Catherine Brown wrote on Instagram. “Our family is devastated. Devastated. Devastated. Beyond heartbroken. Barely able to breathe.”
Brown had a multi-facted career. He recorded songs and played in a band, appeared on Broadway, and was a television regular, including three seasons as part of the ensemble on the hit show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. That appearance was a double-edged sword, as his contractual commitments to the show prevented him from taking the role of Red Foxx’s son on Sanford and Son.
Former Laugh-In writer-turned-producer Allan Manings brought Brown to Good Times in 1975, midway through its second season.
Born on June 11, 1937, in St.
Daughter and actress Sharon Catherine Brown wrote on Instagram. “Our family is devastated. Devastated. Devastated. Beyond heartbroken. Barely able to breathe.”
Brown had a multi-facted career. He recorded songs and played in a band, appeared on Broadway, and was a television regular, including three seasons as part of the ensemble on the hit show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In. That appearance was a double-edged sword, as his contractual commitments to the show prevented him from taking the role of Red Foxx’s son on Sanford and Son.
Former Laugh-In writer-turned-producer Allan Manings brought Brown to Good Times in 1975, midway through its second season.
Born on June 11, 1937, in St.
- 3/5/2022
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Ned Eisenberg, a stage and screen actor who played defense attorney Roger Kressler on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and Detective Hauser in “Mare of Easttown,” has died. He was 65.
His agents at Nicolosi & Co. confirmed his death. Eisenberg’s wife Patricia said in a statement, “As Ned would say, he was attacked by two very rare assassins — cholangiocarcinoma and ocular melanoma. Over the course of two years, he bravely fought the cancers in private while continuing to work in show business to ensure that his medical coverage paid for himself and his family.”
Eisenberg also worked in feature films, playing Sally Mendoza in Clint Eastwood’s “Million Dollar Baby” and photographer Joe Rosenthal in “Flags of Our Fathers.”
Among his other feature roles were Oliver Stone’s “World Trade Center,” “Limitless,” “Won’t Back Down,” “Experimenter,” “Asher,” “The Exterminator,” “The Burning,” “Moving Violations,” “Air America,” “Last Man Standing,...
His agents at Nicolosi & Co. confirmed his death. Eisenberg’s wife Patricia said in a statement, “As Ned would say, he was attacked by two very rare assassins — cholangiocarcinoma and ocular melanoma. Over the course of two years, he bravely fought the cancers in private while continuing to work in show business to ensure that his medical coverage paid for himself and his family.”
Eisenberg also worked in feature films, playing Sally Mendoza in Clint Eastwood’s “Million Dollar Baby” and photographer Joe Rosenthal in “Flags of Our Fathers.”
Among his other feature roles were Oliver Stone’s “World Trade Center,” “Limitless,” “Won’t Back Down,” “Experimenter,” “Asher,” “The Exterminator,” “The Burning,” “Moving Violations,” “Air America,” “Last Man Standing,...
- 2/28/2022
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
Ned Eisenberg, a prolific stage, television and film character actor perhaps most widely recognized for his long-running recurring role as defense attorney Roger Kressler on NBC’s Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, died of cancer Feb. 27 at his home in New York. He was 65.
His death was announced by his agents at Nicolosi & Co. speaking on behalf of his wife, the actress Patricia Dunnock, and family.
In a statement, Dunnock said “As Ned would say, he was attacked by two very rare assassins — cholangiocarcinoma and ocular melanoma. Over the course of two years, he bravely fought the cancers in private while continuing to work in show business to ensure that his medical coverage paid for himself and his family.”
Born in the Bronx, Eisenberg began his film and TV career in the early 1980s, most notably in four episodes of Miami Vice and, in 1990, a starring role in...
His death was announced by his agents at Nicolosi & Co. speaking on behalf of his wife, the actress Patricia Dunnock, and family.
In a statement, Dunnock said “As Ned would say, he was attacked by two very rare assassins — cholangiocarcinoma and ocular melanoma. Over the course of two years, he bravely fought the cancers in private while continuing to work in show business to ensure that his medical coverage paid for himself and his family.”
Born in the Bronx, Eisenberg began his film and TV career in the early 1980s, most notably in four episodes of Miami Vice and, in 1990, a starring role in...
- 2/28/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
HBO dropped a first look at its upcoming drama series “The Time Traveler’s Wife,” releasing new images Tuesday and announcing the show is coming this spring.
The series — an adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s novel — stars “Divergent” actor Theo James as the time traveling Henry DeTamble, and “Game of Thrones” alum Rose Leslie as his wife Clare Abshire.
The six-episode season is being billed by the cable network as “an intricate and magical love story,” adapted by executive producer Steven Moffat. David Nutter, who directed the “GoT” pilot, directed the series. The show follows Claire and Henry whose marriage is plagued by the problem of time travel.
On Tuesday’s HBO panel for the show as part of the Television Critics Association Winter Tour, Nutter addressed a casting question from TheWrap, and said when he read the script, he zeroed in on fellow “Game of Thrones” alum Rose Leslie.
Theo...
The series — an adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger’s novel — stars “Divergent” actor Theo James as the time traveling Henry DeTamble, and “Game of Thrones” alum Rose Leslie as his wife Clare Abshire.
The six-episode season is being billed by the cable network as “an intricate and magical love story,” adapted by executive producer Steven Moffat. David Nutter, who directed the “GoT” pilot, directed the series. The show follows Claire and Henry whose marriage is plagued by the problem of time travel.
On Tuesday’s HBO panel for the show as part of the Television Critics Association Winter Tour, Nutter addressed a casting question from TheWrap, and said when he read the script, he zeroed in on fellow “Game of Thrones” alum Rose Leslie.
Theo...
- 2/15/2022
- by Jolie Lash
- The Wrap
Joshua Jackson has a thrilling new TV role.
Paramount+ today announced Joshua Jackson has been cast opposite Lizzy Caplan in the Original Series Fatal Attraction.
Jackson will star as Dan Gallagher, the object of his lover’s (Caplan) obsession after a brief affair.
"A deep-dive reimagining of the classic psychosexual thriller and ‘80s cultural touchstone, the new series will explore fatal attraction and the timeless themes of marriage and infidelity through the lens of modern attitudes towards strong women, personality disorders and coercive control," according to the streamer's official description.
“Joshua is an incredible talent who creates beautifully complicated characters on both the screen and stage,” said Nicole Clemens, President, Paramount+ Original Scripted Series.
“He and Lizzy are perfectly matched to tell a nuanced and modern narrative about the complexities of the human psyche. We’re thrilled to partner with them to bring this provocative and captivating story to a new generation.
Paramount+ today announced Joshua Jackson has been cast opposite Lizzy Caplan in the Original Series Fatal Attraction.
Jackson will star as Dan Gallagher, the object of his lover’s (Caplan) obsession after a brief affair.
"A deep-dive reimagining of the classic psychosexual thriller and ‘80s cultural touchstone, the new series will explore fatal attraction and the timeless themes of marriage and infidelity through the lens of modern attitudes towards strong women, personality disorders and coercive control," according to the streamer's official description.
“Joshua is an incredible talent who creates beautifully complicated characters on both the screen and stage,” said Nicole Clemens, President, Paramount+ Original Scripted Series.
“He and Lizzy are perfectly matched to tell a nuanced and modern narrative about the complexities of the human psyche. We’re thrilled to partner with them to bring this provocative and captivating story to a new generation.
- 1/20/2022
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
It’s never a slow news day at the Vought News Network.
Today, Amazon Prime Video unleashed a Biblical torrent of tidbits surrounding the release of The Boys season 3, including a date for the season premiere, and for the long-awaited “Herogasm” installment of the series adapted from Garth Ennis’s comics.
For starters, The Boys season 3 will premiere its first three episodes on Friday, June 3. To celebrate the release date (and presumably my mom’s birthday), Prime Video unveiled an intense little teaser featuring everyone’s favorite superpowered psychopath, Homelander.
Payback's coming June 3rd, and it ain't gonna be pretty. Heads will explode, and not in the figurative kinda way. pic.twitter.com/fl1COOOphJ
— The Boys (@TheBoysTV) January 7, 2022
My God, just look at Homelander’s face as every high-powered photo flash digs further into his soul. Not one episode has aired yet but don’t let that stop you...
Today, Amazon Prime Video unleashed a Biblical torrent of tidbits surrounding the release of The Boys season 3, including a date for the season premiere, and for the long-awaited “Herogasm” installment of the series adapted from Garth Ennis’s comics.
For starters, The Boys season 3 will premiere its first three episodes on Friday, June 3. To celebrate the release date (and presumably my mom’s birthday), Prime Video unveiled an intense little teaser featuring everyone’s favorite superpowered psychopath, Homelander.
Payback's coming June 3rd, and it ain't gonna be pretty. Heads will explode, and not in the figurative kinda way. pic.twitter.com/fl1COOOphJ
— The Boys (@TheBoysTV) January 7, 2022
My God, just look at Homelander’s face as every high-powered photo flash digs further into his soul. Not one episode has aired yet but don’t let that stop you...
- 1/7/2022
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
In this first-person account, Blake Stuerman, 30, details his experiences over his four years with the filmmaker Bryan Singer, who came to prominence as a director with 1995’s “The Usual Suspects,” and directed several blockbusters, including “X-Men,” “Superman Returns,” and, most recently, 2018’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Stuerman met Singer in 2009 in New York City when he was 18 years old, and entered into a sexual relationship with him shortly after; Singer was 43. Their time together ended after Stuerman was fired as Singer’s assistant in June 2013 on the film “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” which opened the following year. Stuerman believes his relationship with Singer was abusive and traumatic. He says he was further traumatized by witnessing an incident in 2012 in which Singer allegedly assaulted someone.
Variety corroborated parts of Stuerman’s account of his life with Singer through documents, photographs, emails and text messages provided by Stuerman, and by speaking with people...
Stuerman met Singer in 2009 in New York City when he was 18 years old, and entered into a sexual relationship with him shortly after; Singer was 43. Their time together ended after Stuerman was fired as Singer’s assistant in June 2013 on the film “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” which opened the following year. Stuerman believes his relationship with Singer was abusive and traumatic. He says he was further traumatized by witnessing an incident in 2012 in which Singer allegedly assaulted someone.
Variety corroborated parts of Stuerman’s account of his life with Singer through documents, photographs, emails and text messages provided by Stuerman, and by speaking with people...
- 12/20/2021
- by Blake Stuerman
- Variety Film + TV
Writer/director Johannes Roberts discusses his favorite Stephen King adaptations of the ’80s with host Josh Olson.
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
47 Meters Down (2017)
Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
Great White a.k.a. The Last Shark (1981)
The Exorcist III (1990) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City (2021)
The Strangers: Prey At Night (2018)
Carrie (1976) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Maximum Overdrive (1986)
The Shining (1980) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary
Children of the Corn (1984)
The Night Flier (1997)
Christine (1983)
The Dead Zone (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Cujo (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Roar (1981) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
The Thing (1982) – Jesus Trevino’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s’ Blu-ray review
Halloween (1978) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing, Alex Kirschenbaum’s timeline and movie power rankings
Assault On Precinct 13 (1976) – Neil Marshall’s trailer commentary
Pet Sematary (1989) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review
Pet Sematary (2019)
Blade Runner...
Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode
47 Meters Down (2017)
Jaws: The Revenge (1987)
Great White a.k.a. The Last Shark (1981)
The Exorcist III (1990) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary
Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City (2021)
The Strangers: Prey At Night (2018)
Carrie (1976) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary
Maximum Overdrive (1986)
The Shining (1980) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary
Children of the Corn (1984)
The Night Flier (1997)
Christine (1983)
The Dead Zone (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Cujo (1983) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary
Roar (1981) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary
The Thing (1982) – Jesus Trevino’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s’ Blu-ray review
Halloween (1978) – Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing, Alex Kirschenbaum’s timeline and movie power rankings
Assault On Precinct 13 (1976) – Neil Marshall’s trailer commentary
Pet Sematary (1989) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review
Pet Sematary (2019)
Blade Runner...
- 11/16/2021
- by Kris Millsap
- Trailers from Hell
“Fast & Furious” director Justin Lin will executive produce and direct the untitled project co-created by Nick Wootton and Jake Coburn from Universal TV.
Per the logline, the pilot (which Wootton wrote) is a pulse-pounding, high-stakes two-hander about Elena Federova, a recently captured international arms dealer and brilliant criminal mastermind who orchestrates a number of coordinated bank heists throughout New York City for a mysterious purpose, and Val Fitzgerald, the principled, relentless and socially outcast FBI agent who will stop at nothing to foil her ambitious plan. The female-led drama was ordered in April for NBC’s 2021-2022 broadcast season, along with “Getaway” from writers and executive producers JJ Bailey and Moira Kirland.
Julie Plec and Emily Cummins are also executive producing under their My So-Called Company banner. Universal Television will produce, with My So-Called Company under an overall deal at the studio. Lin will be executive producing under his banner,...
Per the logline, the pilot (which Wootton wrote) is a pulse-pounding, high-stakes two-hander about Elena Federova, a recently captured international arms dealer and brilliant criminal mastermind who orchestrates a number of coordinated bank heists throughout New York City for a mysterious purpose, and Val Fitzgerald, the principled, relentless and socially outcast FBI agent who will stop at nothing to foil her ambitious plan. The female-led drama was ordered in April for NBC’s 2021-2022 broadcast season, along with “Getaway” from writers and executive producers JJ Bailey and Moira Kirland.
Julie Plec and Emily Cummins are also executive producing under their My So-Called Company banner. Universal Television will produce, with My So-Called Company under an overall deal at the studio. Lin will be executive producing under his banner,...
- 6/10/2021
- by Mónica Marie Zorrilla
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Quiver Distribution has acquired Martin Guigui’s Drama Drama, with plans to release the teen musical on digital and VOD June 1.
The film, scripted by Guigui and Brian Lukow, centers on five unlikely friends who are called upon to lead an anti-bullying initiative at their high school, teaming up to form a pop music group with a socially conscious message.
Starring in the coming-of-age pic, which features a set of 14 original songs, are newcomers Michelle DeFraites, Ana Golja, Zonta (Breaking Legs), Carlye Tamaren (Golden Boy) and Amelia DeMilo.
Pic is produced by All For One Media, Sprockefeller Pictures and Sunset Pictures. Executive producers include Brian Gold, Ryan R. Johnson and Martin Sprock.
“Drama Drama‘s heartwarming plot, captivating characters and fun music and dance numbers makes it the quintessential teen film,” said Quiver Distribution Co-Presidents Berry Meyerowitz and Jeff Sackman,...
The film, scripted by Guigui and Brian Lukow, centers on five unlikely friends who are called upon to lead an anti-bullying initiative at their high school, teaming up to form a pop music group with a socially conscious message.
Starring in the coming-of-age pic, which features a set of 14 original songs, are newcomers Michelle DeFraites, Ana Golja, Zonta (Breaking Legs), Carlye Tamaren (Golden Boy) and Amelia DeMilo.
Pic is produced by All For One Media, Sprockefeller Pictures and Sunset Pictures. Executive producers include Brian Gold, Ryan R. Johnson and Martin Sprock.
“Drama Drama‘s heartwarming plot, captivating characters and fun music and dance numbers makes it the quintessential teen film,” said Quiver Distribution Co-Presidents Berry Meyerowitz and Jeff Sackman,...
- 5/27/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Despite having the heart of a champion the Zebra couldn’t keep up with his fellow semifinalists on Wednesday’s episode of “The Masked Dancer.” The fiery hoofer that we loved watching torch the stage was eliminated in fourth place and revealed to be boxing legend and two-time Olympic Gold medalist Oscar De La Hoya. After shimmying his tassels in a Las Vegas-inspired number to “Mack the Knife” by Bobby Darrin, the “Golden Boy” was cut from the competition just short of next week’s Season 1 finale.
See See all 62 ‘The Masked Singer’ costumes and celebrity reveals through the years
“It was probably the best experience I’ve ever had,” Oscar admitted during his unmasked interview with host Craig Robinson. When asked how it compared to competing in the ring, the athlete showed off his signature footwork before responding, “I think being the Zebra is a lot tougher!” In a more serious moment,...
See See all 62 ‘The Masked Singer’ costumes and celebrity reveals through the years
“It was probably the best experience I’ve ever had,” Oscar admitted during his unmasked interview with host Craig Robinson. When asked how it compared to competing in the ring, the athlete showed off his signature footwork before responding, “I think being the Zebra is a lot tougher!” In a more serious moment,...
- 2/11/2021
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
The Zebra has been the most entertaining of the season 1 contestants on “The Masked Dancer.” Even he can’t believe he has made it to the Top 4 competing on February 10 for a place in the final. He made it to this stage of the competition by impressing the four judges with his lively routine set to “Take You Dancing” by Jason Derulo on the February 3 quarter-final.
We’ve been trying to figure out who the Zebra is all season long. We’ve watched that performance again as well as his first three appearances: “Magalenha” by Sérgio Mendes on January 6; “All My Life” by K-Ci and JoJo on January 13; and “Mi Gente” by J Balvin on January 2y. Keep reading for all “The Masked Dancer” spoilers, including our theory as to the true identity of the Zebra.
See ‘The Masked Dancer’ spoilers: Cotton Candy is …
We are absolutely sure that the...
We’ve been trying to figure out who the Zebra is all season long. We’ve watched that performance again as well as his first three appearances: “Magalenha” by Sérgio Mendes on January 6; “All My Life” by K-Ci and JoJo on January 13; and “Mi Gente” by J Balvin on January 2y. Keep reading for all “The Masked Dancer” spoilers, including our theory as to the true identity of the Zebra.
See ‘The Masked Dancer’ spoilers: Cotton Candy is …
We are absolutely sure that the...
- 2/10/2021
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
French screenwriter Jean-Claude Carrière, who has penned the scripts for films including The Unbearable Lightness of Being and That Obscure Object of Desire, has died. His daughter Kiara Carrière told Afp that the screenwriter died on Monday of natural causes at his Paris home. He was 89.
Throughout his decades-long career as a writer, actor and director, Carriere received a number of awards and recognitions for his work. Carrière shared his first Academy Award with Pierre Etaix, winning best short subject for Heureux anniversaire. In 1969, The Nail Clippers (La pince à ongles) took home the Cannes grand jury prize for best short film. In addition to BAFTA and César wins throughout the years, Carrière received an Honorary Oscar of his body of work as a screenwriter in 2014.
Born in 1931, Carrière was born in a small village in the south of France and trained as a historian. After publishing his first novel...
Throughout his decades-long career as a writer, actor and director, Carriere received a number of awards and recognitions for his work. Carrière shared his first Academy Award with Pierre Etaix, winning best short subject for Heureux anniversaire. In 1969, The Nail Clippers (La pince à ongles) took home the Cannes grand jury prize for best short film. In addition to BAFTA and César wins throughout the years, Carrière received an Honorary Oscar of his body of work as a screenwriter in 2014.
Born in 1931, Carrière was born in a small village in the south of France and trained as a historian. After publishing his first novel...
- 2/9/2021
- by Alexandra Del Rosario
- Deadline Film + TV
What worse than being stranded on a deserted island? Being a teenage girl in the world, Amazon Prime’s teen survival drama The Wilds suggests in Friday’s series premiere.
The first episode begins with an investigation: A scratched-up Leah (played by Gotham‘s Sarah Pidgeon) is being interviewed about what happened after she and several other girls found themselves stuck in the middle of nowhere. According to Leah, the authorities assume it was a horrible experience. But “what was so f–king great about the lives we left behind?” she posits, before adding that being a teenage girl is “the real living hell,...
The first episode begins with an investigation: A scratched-up Leah (played by Gotham‘s Sarah Pidgeon) is being interviewed about what happened after she and several other girls found themselves stuck in the middle of nowhere. According to Leah, the authorities assume it was a horrible experience. But “what was so f–king great about the lives we left behind?” she posits, before adding that being a teenage girl is “the real living hell,...
- 12/12/2020
- by Vlada Gelman
- TVLine.com
It’ll be “part survival drama, part dystopic slumber party,” when The Wilds premieres on Amazon Prime in December.
The streaming service released on Wednesday both a full trailer (above) and a key art poster (below) for Season 1 of the YA drama, which premieres Friday, Dec. 11 — and which will also stream its first episode for free on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
More from TVLineLily Rabe's Scrapped TNT Thriller Finds New Home at Amazon PrimeNicole Kidman to Star in Amazon Series Things I Know To Be TrueBorat Sequel, Featuring Compromising Rudy Giuliani Scene, Drops Early on Amazon Ahead of Presidential Debate...
The streaming service released on Wednesday both a full trailer (above) and a key art poster (below) for Season 1 of the YA drama, which premieres Friday, Dec. 11 — and which will also stream its first episode for free on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
More from TVLineLily Rabe's Scrapped TNT Thriller Finds New Home at Amazon PrimeNicole Kidman to Star in Amazon Series Things I Know To Be TrueBorat Sequel, Featuring Compromising Rudy Giuliani Scene, Drops Early on Amazon Ahead of Presidential Debate...
- 11/18/2020
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
For some, he will always be Pukey Nicholls, the troubled skinhead from Shane Meadows’ This Is England. For other equally early adopters across the pond, he’s James “Cookie Monster” Cook in the British teen show Skins. Maybe you discovered him in the intense prison drama Starred Up, standing toe to toe with Ben Mendelsohn, or first noticed him as the lead in Unbroken, Angelina Jolie’s biopic on lost-at-sea Olympian Louis Zamperini that was supposed to kick Jack O’Connell up the A-list. Oh, and the wounded outlaw in Netflix’s Western miniseries Godless?...
- 11/6/2020
- by David Fear
- Rollingstone.com
Mansoor Noor in ‘The Furnace.’
When Mansoor Noor decided to study at the Actors Centre Australia in 2014 after playing the lead in the ABC sci-fi series Shifters and a supporting role in the ABC docudrama Singapore 1942: End of Empire, it was a big gamble.
“It was a huge investment and risk for me, given there were hardly any people that looked like me on the screen and stages, unless it was a stereotype,” Noor tells If.
“I’m so glad I did because of the changes we are starting to see now, although in the the majority of my on-set experiences, I have yet to see the same shift to diversity we are seeing on screen.”
Noor’s career is flourishing, reflecting his versatility. He played a bad cop in Cleverman, a doctor in Rake, a journalist in The Secrets She Keeps, an impressionable young scientist in Eddie Arya’s thriller Risen,...
When Mansoor Noor decided to study at the Actors Centre Australia in 2014 after playing the lead in the ABC sci-fi series Shifters and a supporting role in the ABC docudrama Singapore 1942: End of Empire, it was a big gamble.
“It was a huge investment and risk for me, given there were hardly any people that looked like me on the screen and stages, unless it was a stereotype,” Noor tells If.
“I’m so glad I did because of the changes we are starting to see now, although in the the majority of my on-set experiences, I have yet to see the same shift to diversity we are seeing on screen.”
Noor’s career is flourishing, reflecting his versatility. He played a bad cop in Cleverman, a doctor in Rake, a journalist in The Secrets She Keeps, an impressionable young scientist in Eddie Arya’s thriller Risen,...
- 9/15/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Exclusive: Freeform is developing Golden Boy, a half-hour dramedy from On My Block co-creators and executive producers Eddie Gonzalez and Jeremy Haft, LeBron James’ The SpringHill Company and ABC Signature.
Written by Gonzalez and Haft, Golden Boy centers on Ricky “The Big Hurt” Hurtado, a generational NFL prospect with an ego to match. He suffers a very public and humiliating flameout so returns home as a failure with no clear future. The Big Hurt is determined to rebuild his fractured relationships with his family and the community that once showered him in love and support, but now hate him.
The half-hour dramedy is described as being Compton-inspired with some Latino Elmore Leonard flavor. It was inspired by Gonzalez’s life growing up in Compton and Lynwood.
Gonzalez and Haft serve as showrunners. They executive produce with SpringHill. ABC Signature, where SpringHill is under an overall deal, is the studio.
Gonzalez...
Written by Gonzalez and Haft, Golden Boy centers on Ricky “The Big Hurt” Hurtado, a generational NFL prospect with an ego to match. He suffers a very public and humiliating flameout so returns home as a failure with no clear future. The Big Hurt is determined to rebuild his fractured relationships with his family and the community that once showered him in love and support, but now hate him.
The half-hour dramedy is described as being Compton-inspired with some Latino Elmore Leonard flavor. It was inspired by Gonzalez’s life growing up in Compton and Lynwood.
Gonzalez and Haft serve as showrunners. They executive produce with SpringHill. ABC Signature, where SpringHill is under an overall deal, is the studio.
Gonzalez...
- 9/10/2020
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
“It’s both daunting and kind of exhilarating at the same time,” confesses Tony Shalhoub of the challenges thrown at his character on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” After winning the Best Comedy Supporting Actor Emmy this past year for playing Abe Weissman, he now returns as a nominee yet again for Abe’s most complex season yet. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
While every actor hopes their show runs for many years, Shalhoub thinks that one of the pitfalls is that “often you get squeezed into a limited range.” This can be especially true for comedies, which all too often lock players into the same set of circumstances in order to keep the jokes fast and familiar. Shalhoub says as an actor, that can make you “start to feel a little painted into a corner… but with Amy and Dan it just doesn’t work like that.”
See Amy Sherman-Palladino interview: ‘The Marvelous Mrs.
While every actor hopes their show runs for many years, Shalhoub thinks that one of the pitfalls is that “often you get squeezed into a limited range.” This can be especially true for comedies, which all too often lock players into the same set of circumstances in order to keep the jokes fast and familiar. Shalhoub says as an actor, that can make you “start to feel a little painted into a corner… but with Amy and Dan it just doesn’t work like that.”
See Amy Sherman-Palladino interview: ‘The Marvelous Mrs.
- 8/19/2020
- by Sam Eckmann
- Gold Derby
The latest book from Stephen King, a collection of four novellas titled If It Bleeds, has already yielded three separate movie deals since its publication in May.
According to Deadline, three of the tales in the book — “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone,” “Rat” and “The Life of Chuck” — have been snapped up by three different companies. The title story, meanwhile, seems likely to get an adaptation too, since it stars a character that has already appeared in two different King adaptations.
King has an unusual way of doing business in that he licenses the options to his stories for the sum of one dollar (with more to come later), although he gets certain creative control rights as part of the bargain and the productions must go in front of the cameras within specified time frames. That latter aspect may be a challenge with Covid-19 still hampering a lot of Hollywood productions.
According to Deadline, three of the tales in the book — “Mr. Harrigan’s Phone,” “Rat” and “The Life of Chuck” — have been snapped up by three different companies. The title story, meanwhile, seems likely to get an adaptation too, since it stars a character that has already appeared in two different King adaptations.
King has an unusual way of doing business in that he licenses the options to his stories for the sum of one dollar (with more to come later), although he gets certain creative control rights as part of the bargain and the productions must go in front of the cameras within specified time frames. That latter aspect may be a challenge with Covid-19 still hampering a lot of Hollywood productions.
- 7/11/2020
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
Stephen King’s latest bestselling four novella collection If It Bleeds has quickly garnered three option deals, with a fourth in the offing because it involves a preexisting character who just starred in an HBO series adaptation. For those who know that King extends options for $1, that’s an extra $4 in the prolific author’s pocket, with a lot more coming when they get made.
Netflix, Blumhouse and Ryan Murphy have teamed to option the book’s first tale, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, which John Lee Hancock will adapt and direct. Jason Blum, Murphy and Carla Hacken will produce the feature.
Rat has been optioned to Ben Stiller, who intends to product, direct and star in the feature.
And Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa has optioned The Life Of Chuck. At this point, Aronofsky is just aboard as producer.
The fourth installment, Let It Bleed, might have found a deal of its own,...
Netflix, Blumhouse and Ryan Murphy have teamed to option the book’s first tale, Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, which John Lee Hancock will adapt and direct. Jason Blum, Murphy and Carla Hacken will produce the feature.
Rat has been optioned to Ben Stiller, who intends to product, direct and star in the feature.
And Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa has optioned The Life Of Chuck. At this point, Aronofsky is just aboard as producer.
The fourth installment, Let It Bleed, might have found a deal of its own,...
- 7/10/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Herb Stempel, whose admission that television game shows were fixed led to a major scandal and congressional investigation, has died. He passed at age 93 on April 7, but his death just recently came to light.
No cause of death was given by his stepdaughter, Bobra Fyne.
Stempel was a contestant on the game show Twenty-One, and became a nerdy star for seeming to know something about everything. The only problem was that he was supplied with the answers in advance, with the promise of winning $25,000 if he kept quiet. The sum later ballooned to just short of $50,000.
When he finally lost, he deliberately gave the wrong answer to a question on film that he knew well. The winner of the evening’s competition, Charles Van Doren, went on to be a TV Golden Boy.
Stempel later taught social studies in New York high school and worked for the city’s Dept.
No cause of death was given by his stepdaughter, Bobra Fyne.
Stempel was a contestant on the game show Twenty-One, and became a nerdy star for seeming to know something about everything. The only problem was that he was supplied with the answers in advance, with the promise of winning $25,000 if he kept quiet. The sum later ballooned to just short of $50,000.
When he finally lost, he deliberately gave the wrong answer to a question on film that he knew well. The winner of the evening’s competition, Charles Van Doren, went on to be a TV Golden Boy.
Stempel later taught social studies in New York high school and worked for the city’s Dept.
- 5/31/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
(Updated with Norman Lear remarks) Just over two months after she wowed the crowd at ABC’s Live in Front of a Studio Audience: All in the Family & Good Times, Ja’net DuBois died suddenly today. She was 74.
As confirmed by her family and those close to the two-time Emmy winner, the seemingly healthy DuBois died early Tuesday in her sleep at her home in Glendale, CA.
She was known for making some of the greatest entrances in sitcom history week after week as neighbor Willona Woods on Good Times, the groundbreaking 1970s sitcom starring Esther Rolle, John Amos, Jimmie Walker and Janet Jackson. Back in December of last year, DuBois joined Walker and co-star Bern Nadette Stanis for an appearance on the latest live retelling of one of Norman Lear’s classic TV shows – and she stole the star-studded show with pure pizzazz.
Good Times wasn’t DuBois’ only connection to Learland.
As confirmed by her family and those close to the two-time Emmy winner, the seemingly healthy DuBois died early Tuesday in her sleep at her home in Glendale, CA.
She was known for making some of the greatest entrances in sitcom history week after week as neighbor Willona Woods on Good Times, the groundbreaking 1970s sitcom starring Esther Rolle, John Amos, Jimmie Walker and Janet Jackson. Back in December of last year, DuBois joined Walker and co-star Bern Nadette Stanis for an appearance on the latest live retelling of one of Norman Lear’s classic TV shows – and she stole the star-studded show with pure pizzazz.
Good Times wasn’t DuBois’ only connection to Learland.
- 2/19/2020
- by Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
The veteran pair duel hypnotically in a mystery thriller whose occasional silliness is masked by storytelling gusto
This mystery thriller is outrageous and irresistible, an old-fashioned drama with dashes of Patricia Highsmith, Patrick Hamilton, John le Carré and maybe Elizabeth Jane Howard’s memoir Slipstream. It features delicious performances by Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen – I don’t think McKellen has had such a juicy role since his turn in the 1998 drama Apt Pupil – and the film has such storytelling gusto that you’ll overlook bits of implausible silliness involving smartphone-type “handsets” with which large financial sums can supposedly be transferred from one bank account to another.
The director is Bill Condon, and it’s adapted by screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher from the bestselling 2016 novel by first-time author Nicholas Searle who caused a flurry of his own by announcing that he was “not allowed to say more about his career than...
This mystery thriller is outrageous and irresistible, an old-fashioned drama with dashes of Patricia Highsmith, Patrick Hamilton, John le Carré and maybe Elizabeth Jane Howard’s memoir Slipstream. It features delicious performances by Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen – I don’t think McKellen has had such a juicy role since his turn in the 1998 drama Apt Pupil – and the film has such storytelling gusto that you’ll overlook bits of implausible silliness involving smartphone-type “handsets” with which large financial sums can supposedly be transferred from one bank account to another.
The director is Bill Condon, and it’s adapted by screenwriter Jeffrey Hatcher from the bestselling 2016 novel by first-time author Nicholas Searle who caused a flurry of his own by announcing that he was “not allowed to say more about his career than...
- 11/7/2019
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: Don Winslow, the bestselling author of The Cartel and The Force, has thrown a surprise at his publishers at HarperCollins and made a multimillion-dollar worldwide deal for his trouble. Winslow just got an April 2020 publication date for Broken, a book that contains five novellas and one short story. Four of those novellas and the short story will be shopped soon to studios, networks and streamers. The book is being edited by Jennifer Brehl.
This is just part of a set of moves that Winslow and Shane Salerno’s The Story Factory have quietly made to better control the destiny of his terrific fiction as it gets turned into film and TV adaptations. These moves come at a time when The Irishman director Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro are often telling the story of trading a Paramount green light on The Winter of Frankie Machine to instead tell the...
This is just part of a set of moves that Winslow and Shane Salerno’s The Story Factory have quietly made to better control the destiny of his terrific fiction as it gets turned into film and TV adaptations. These moves come at a time when The Irishman director Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro are often telling the story of trading a Paramount green light on The Winter of Frankie Machine to instead tell the...
- 10/29/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Around the same time that Stephen King released his 1982 novella, Apt Pupil — in which a teen accuses a neighborhood man of being a Nazi criminal — a real-life alleged former Nazi was uncovered in Cleveland, Ohio. Retired Ukranian-American autoworker John Demjanjuk, a family man, found himself accused of being Ivan the Terrible, one of the most notorious concentration-camp guards of the Holocaust.
Netflix tells Demjanjuk’s story in The Devil Next Door, a new docuseries premiering on November 4th. It covers the initial accusation by Holocaust survivors, his 1986 extradition to Israel to stand trial,...
Netflix tells Demjanjuk’s story in The Devil Next Door, a new docuseries premiering on November 4th. It covers the initial accusation by Holocaust survivors, his 1986 extradition to Israel to stand trial,...
- 10/24/2019
- by Brenna Ehrlich
- Rollingstone.com
With It Chapter Two out next month, plus the news that an adaptation of The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is back on track, we count down the finest big-screen versions of King’s terrifying tales
Cujo arguably has more thrills. Apt Pupil certainly has more chills. But with his sole directorial effort, Stephen King – that great chronicler of retro Americana – somehow made the perfect drive-in movie: a silly, slapdash nightmare of murderous vehicles and appliances attacking hysterical patrons (including a bewildered Emilio Estevez) at a truck stop.
Cujo arguably has more thrills. Apt Pupil certainly has more chills. But with his sole directorial effort, Stephen King – that great chronicler of retro Americana – somehow made the perfect drive-in movie: a silly, slapdash nightmare of murderous vehicles and appliances attacking hysterical patrons (including a bewildered Emilio Estevez) at a truck stop.
- 8/22/2019
- by Graeme Virtue
- The Guardian - Film News
Olivia Munn worked with Bryan Singer on 20th Century Fox’s 2016 superhero tentpole “X-Men: Apocalypse,” in which she starred as the villainous mutant Psylocke. The movie was a bomb with film critics and fans, and apparently making the film wasn’t exactly pleasant for Munn. During a recent video interview with GQ (via The Playlist), Munn said that it was frustrating working with Singer and “Apocalypse” screenwriter Simon Kinberg because they knew next to nothing about her mutant character.
“When I was doing ‘X-Men,’ I was actually surprised that the director and the writer didn’t even know that Psylocke had a twin brother,” Munn said. “And I had to talk to them about a lot of different things about Psylocke and some other parts of the world that they didn’t even know, and that, as a fan, was very frustrating.”
Munn isn’t the only “X-Men” cast member...
“When I was doing ‘X-Men,’ I was actually surprised that the director and the writer didn’t even know that Psylocke had a twin brother,” Munn said. “And I had to talk to them about a lot of different things about Psylocke and some other parts of the world that they didn’t even know, and that, as a fan, was very frustrating.”
Munn isn’t the only “X-Men” cast member...
- 7/15/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Ian McKellen celebrates his 80th birthday on May 25, 2019. The Oscar-nominated thespian has excelled at everything from Shakespeare to sci-fi on both the stage and screen. In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 12 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1939 in Lancashire, England, UK, McKellen first came to prominence on the stage, appearing in a number of classic plays from the likes of Anton Chekhov and William Shakespeare (including an acclaimed production of “Richard III” that he brought to the screen in 1995). His performance as Salieri in the 1981 production of “Amadeus” brought him a Tony award as Best Actor in a Play.
See‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ voted Best Picture of 2000s
McKellen appeared in films sporadically throughout this period, earning his first starring role in “Priest of Love” in 1981. He became increasingly recognizable onscreen throughout the 1990s,...
Born in 1939 in Lancashire, England, UK, McKellen first came to prominence on the stage, appearing in a number of classic plays from the likes of Anton Chekhov and William Shakespeare (including an acclaimed production of “Richard III” that he brought to the screen in 1995). His performance as Salieri in the 1981 production of “Amadeus” brought him a Tony award as Best Actor in a Play.
See‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ voted Best Picture of 2000s
McKellen appeared in films sporadically throughout this period, earning his first starring role in “Priest of Love” in 1981. He became increasingly recognizable onscreen throughout the 1990s,...
- 5/25/2019
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Hey, Marvel fans. We've got some pretty interesting X-Men set news for you guys today. This one is in reference to the big, upcoming X-Men: Dark Phoenix main star Sophie Turner. She's playing The young Dr. Jean Grey in the flick. According to the folks over at Indiewire.com, Sophie revealed in a recent Rolling Stone interview that she found her experience of working with director Bryan Singer on the "X-Men: Apocalypse" movie to be unpleasant. Sophie made her first appearance as the young Dr. Jean Grey in The Apocalypse movie. In her statement about Bryan Singer, Sophie didn't go into specifics as to what made him unpleasant to work with. Instead, she gave an analogy of sorts. She stated,"There’s a lot of Sansa in me. You go into something and you think it’s going to be a huge dream, and then you figure out, ‘Oh, wait.
- 4/1/2019
- by Andre Braddox
- OnTheFlix
Nearly two months after Rami Malek spoke critically of working with Bryan Singer on the set of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Game of Thrones” actress Sophie Turner is doing the same about her time working with the filmmaker on the superhero tentpole “X-Men: Apocalypse.” Turner made her debut as the “X-Men” character Jean Grey in the film. In a new cover story with Rolling Stone, Turner is asked about working with Singer and bluntly answers: “Our time together was, like Rami said, unpleasant.”
Singer was accused of sexual misconduct by five men in a report published by The Atlantic in January. The allegations were the latest in a long timeline of sexual harassment and abuse claims made against Singer that dates back to at least 1997, when the director was sued during the making of “Apt Pupil” for allegedly filming minors naked without permission. Prior to the Rolling Stone interview, Turner had not...
Singer was accused of sexual misconduct by five men in a report published by The Atlantic in January. The allegations were the latest in a long timeline of sexual harassment and abuse claims made against Singer that dates back to at least 1997, when the director was sued during the making of “Apt Pupil” for allegedly filming minors naked without permission. Prior to the Rolling Stone interview, Turner had not...
- 3/26/2019
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Ian McKellen is apologizing after he made controversial comments about the sexual assault allegations that have been leveled against Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer.
The 79-year-old actor released a statement on Twitter on Saturday, saying that his comments were “wrong.”
“As part of an extended podcast recently, I suggested that if closeted people were instead open about their sexuality they wouldn’t abuse others. That, of course, is wrong,” he wrote. “My intention was to encourage the Lgbt audience I was addressing, to be proud and open about their sexuality. In doing so, my point was clumsily expressed. I would never,...
The 79-year-old actor released a statement on Twitter on Saturday, saying that his comments were “wrong.”
“As part of an extended podcast recently, I suggested that if closeted people were instead open about their sexuality they wouldn’t abuse others. That, of course, is wrong,” he wrote. “My intention was to encourage the Lgbt audience I was addressing, to be proud and open about their sexuality. In doing so, my point was clumsily expressed. I would never,...
- 3/3/2019
- by Helen Murphy
- PEOPLE.com
Ian McKellen has taken a controversial stance regarding the sexual assault allegations leveled against Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer.
During a recent live recording of the #QueerAF podcast, the 79-year-old actor was asked to share his thoughts on the #MeToo movement, with the interviewer specifically mentioning Spacey and Singer, both of whom McKellen has worked with in the past.
“With the couple of names you mentioned of people I worked with, both of them were in the closet,” the openly gay actor said. “Hence all their problems as people and their relationship with other people. If they had been able...
During a recent live recording of the #QueerAF podcast, the 79-year-old actor was asked to share his thoughts on the #MeToo movement, with the interviewer specifically mentioning Spacey and Singer, both of whom McKellen has worked with in the past.
“With the couple of names you mentioned of people I worked with, both of them were in the closet,” the openly gay actor said. “Hence all their problems as people and their relationship with other people. If they had been able...
- 3/2/2019
- by Maria Pasquini
- PEOPLE.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.