Amazon Studios has set a May 11, 2018 release date for the dramatic film Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot. In addition to announcing the theatrical release date, the studio debuted the first official teaser trailer and poster for the screen adaptation of John Callahan’s autobiography.
John Callahan was a popular cartoonist whose work appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, the New York Daily News, The London Observer, the Los Angeles Times, as well as more than 50+ other publications. Callahan was injured in a car accident at age 21 (it involved alcohol, but he wasn’t the driver) and that left him a quadriplegic. Following the accident, Callahan turned to art and began creating cartoons which were filled with macabre images and dark humor. After a nearly three-decade career as a cartoonist, John Callahan passed away at the age of 59.
Gus Van Sant directs and Joaquin Phoenix stars as John Callahan. The cast also includes Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black, Carrie Brownstein, Beth Ditto, and Kim Gordon. Prior to its theatrical run, Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot will make its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
The Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot Plot: After Portland slacker John Callahan (Joaquin Phoenix) nearly loses his life in a car accident, the last thing he intends to do is give up drinking. But when he reluctantly enters treatment – with encouragement from his girlfriend (Rooney Mara) and a charismatic sponsor (Jonah Hill) – Callahan discovers a gift for drawing edgy, irreverent newspaper cartoons that develop a national following and grant him a new lease on life.
Based on a true story, this poignant, insightful and often funny drama about the healing power of art is adapted from Callahan’s autobiography and directed by two-time Oscar® nominee Gus Van Sant.
Poster for ‘Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot.’
When he first appeared on The X-Files in its pilot episode in 1993, William B. Davis’ character didn’t even have a name, nor did he say anything. In fact, he didn’t say more than five words the entire first season. He just lurked in the shadows, chain-smoking Morleys.
Yet his character – later named the Cigarette Smoking Man or the Cancer Man – achieved notoriety, becoming the premier adversary on The X-Files. Perhaps the most dangerous man on the planet, the Smoking Man is the mysterious leader of the Syndicate, a global conspiracy that reaches far into the corridors of power, hiding the truth about the existence of extraterrestrials and their plan to colonize Earth.
Davis, 80, a native of Canada, shared his insight on what makes the Smoking Man such an iconic villain to belong in the company of TV’s worst of the worst, including J.R. Ewing of Dallas, Dr. Hannibal Lecter of Hannibal, and Mr. Burns of The Simpsons. (Davis laughed when he learned Mr. Burns surpassed the Smoking Man on TV Guide’s “Nastiest Villains” list in 2013 and Rolling Stone’s “40 Greatest TV Villains of All Time” list in 2016.)
“I can’t fully answer the question. The character has a degree of menace and a degree of enigma. Nobody quite knows who he is, or what he is, or what he’s doing, or why he’s doing it, or where he fits. There’s an energy that he evokes. The smoking helps the image, of course. The lighting helps, too. Everything helps,” said Davis.
Interestingly enough, Davis doesn’t smoke. In fact, he hadn’t smoked for more than 20 years prior to getting the role of the Smoking Man. In his first two episodes, he smoked actual cigarettes. Since then, he’s smoked herbal cigarettes, which have tasted horrible by his own admission.
The Smoking Man has plagued FBI Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) from the very beginning, manipulating events from behind the scenes. It was revealed in the 1996 episode “Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man” that the Smoking Man, a frustrated author raised in orphanages, assassinated JFK in the service of the government and framed Lee Harvey Oswald.
He also rigged the Oscars, arranged it so the Buffalo Bills will never win the Super Bowl, and orchestrated the Clarence Thomas/Anita Hill scandal in addition to more weightier matters, such as the alien conspiracy.
“I have mixed reactions to (‘Musings’). It was not very accurate, I don’t think, in terms of what his real backstory is, so it was confusing that way,” said Davis.
However, X-Files writer/executive producer Frank Spotnitz has stated in interviews this episode is only a possible origin for the Smoking Man.
Davis’ favorite episode is the Season 3 finale “Talitha Cumi,” which aired in 1996. The episode was heavily influenced by “The Grand Inquisitor,” a chapter in the novel The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, particularly the scene where the Smoking Man interrogates Jeremiah Smith (Roy Thinnes), a mysterious healer. References to this novel were hinted at throughout this episode.
Davis wrote the Season 7 episode “En Ami” in 2000, which explored the relationship between the Smoking Man and Scully. In 2011, he published his memoir Where There’s Smoke… Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man.
The X-Files spanned nine seasons (1993-2002) and two feature films released in 1998 and 2008, respectively. It returned for a 6-episode mini-series in 2016 (Season 10) where the X-Files division at the FBI has reopened. It also revealed that the Smoking Man was alive. Davis had no trouble getting back into character after a 14-year absence.
“The character’s pretty much there. I slipped into it very readily. I had some time to prepare because I had to sit in the makeup chair for 4.5 hours while they fixed my face to make it look as if I had survived this great fire. That was creepy-looking,” explained Davis.
A second X-Files mini-series debuted on FOX (Season 11) January 3, 2018. In the first episode, the Smoking Man reveals his real name to be Carl Gerhard Busch. This finally puts to rest what the initials “C.G.B.” stood for in his CGB Spender alias.
The Smoking Man is the father of Mulder and FBI Agent Jeffrey Spender (Chris Owens). It’s also revealed that Mulder and Scully’s son, William, whom Scully gave up for adoption for his own protection, given their line of work, isn’t Mulder’s son – he’s the Smoking Man’s son. The Smoking Man claimed to have drugged Scully and impregnated her via alien technology during the events of “En Ami.”
That is, of course, if the Smoking Man is to be believed, since dealing in lies and half-truths and treachery is his modus operandi.
“Nothing is confirmed on The X-Files, for heaven’s sake!” said Davis, laughing. “It was confirmed that I died and I came back.”
Davis tried explaining what gives The X-Files such staying power after nearly 25 years, which he admitted was not easy to answer.
“That’s a long question in a way,” he said. “It had iconic success in the 1990s for a variety of reasons. I think it appealed to a particular zeitgeist in the 1990s as we moved into the Internet age, but I have to write a book about that. With all that popularity, of course, it creates its own inertia that’s carried it forward. Now there’s another generation of fans.”
Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford star in Warner Bros Pictures’ ‘All the President’s Men.’
There may be a time when newspapers are a thing of the past, like typewriters, record players, and 8-track tapes. When news can be posted 24/7 to the Internet and stories can break on Twitter and trend in a flash, a physical newspaper that requires printing does seem a bit archaic. But there’s no denying that there’s a cinematic appeal to the newspaper biz. Since the earliest days of cinema to the present day, Hollywood has always loved a good newspaper story. Some films make heroes out of journalists; others look to the profession with cynicism while others still find it ripe for comedy.
Here’s a look at the 10 best American films about newspapers. To make this list the films have to be outstanding, they have to be about some aspect of the newspaper business (so not TV news like Network or Nightcrawler), and newspapers have to be key to the plot and not just some peripheral element. The list also reflects the diversity to be found in Hollywood’s newspaper films.
Top 10 Newspaper Films:
1. All the President’s Men (1976)
Alan J. Pakula’s film tops the list because it showcases both the craft of filmmaking and the newspaper business at their finest. The film follows Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward (Robert Redford) and Carl Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) as they doggedly uncover the details of the Watergate scandal, which leads to President Richard Nixon’s resignation. The film effectively captures the dynamics of a working newsroom and conveys not just the satisfaction of getting a story right but also the long dull hours of research and investigation that leads to that story. William Goldman’s script is almost all dialogue and yet Pakula makes the film a tense thriller that rivets the audience.
If you want a perfect double bill in terms of historical narrative, watch Steven Spielberg’s The Post (about the Washington Post’s publishing of the Pentagon Papers after the courts ordered the New York Times to stop publishing articles based on those documents). The end of The Post flows seamlessly into the beginning of All the President’s Men.
2. Ace in the Hole (1951)
Billy Wilder’s gritty, cynical classic gets the second spot for offering the complete flip side to All the President’s Men. Kirk Douglas plays Chuck Tatum, a former big-city newspaperman with a drinking problem and a lousy record for holding onto a job. When his car breaks down, he inveigles his way into a small Albuquerque newspaper. He hungers to return to his former glory and seizes the opportunity to gain national attention when a man gets trapped in an old mine by a cave-in.
Knowing full well that there is an easy way to rescue the man, Tatum instead engineers a more complicated alternative that will keep the man trapped for days and thus allows Tatum to exploit the story to its fullest. The situation quickly escalates to a full-on media circus with tourists coming and paying admission to watch the rescue attempt.
Wilder is absolutely ruthless in his depiction of corrupt, sensational journalism and Douglas pulls no punches in playing Tatum. But Wilder isn’t just critical of Tatum; he also condemns the public that eats up stories like these that feed on the tragedies of others. The poor man in the cave-in is just about the only one who escapes Wilder’s savage attack. The film does not have one sentimental bone or cell in its body and its unflinching look at America’s dark underbelly has not lost any of its bite.
3. His Girl Friday (1940)
All right, time to lighten the tone with this Howard Hawks’ gem. The Ben Hecht-Charles MacArthur play The Front Page was the basis for the film and Hawks’ brilliant tweak was to change the gender of one of the lead characters from male to female so that newspaper editor Walter Burns and reporter Hildy Johnson could be played by Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell respectively. Now the relationship between the two could be complicated by having Burns and Johnson recently divorced. So not only is Burns mad that his best reporter is quitting the newspaper business to get married, but he’s also jealous that he’s been replaced romantically.
The play was adapted to the screen in 1931 (by Lewis Milestone with Adolph Menjou and Pat O’Brien) and 1974 (by Billy Wilder with Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon). But Hawks’ version wins the prize for its fast-paced, cleverly gender-swapped screwball comedy perfection. It also provides a comedic view of an old-school newspaper.
4. Citizen Kane (1941)
The previous films all focus on reporters or reporters and their relationships to their editors. Orson Welles’ brilliant feature film directorial debut provides a portrait of a newspaper-publishing tycoon. Welles plays Charles Foster Kane, a character modeled after real-life publisher William Randolph Hearst. His Kane is brash, bold, arrogant and absolutely riveting. The film serves up multiple angles on the newspaper business because not only do we see how Kane runs his but also the framing device of the story has a reporter trying to find out what Kane’s dying word, “Rosebud,” means.
This film contains many memorable quotes about how Kane ran his newspaper. Early on we get a glimpse of his idealistic and noble intent for his paper. After remaking the front page four times he asks for a fifth to create something that is not merely a cosmetic makeover. He calls it a Declaration of Principles.
Kane: I will provide the people of this city with a daily paper that will tell all the news honestly. I will also…
Leland: That’s the second sentence you started with I.
Kane: People are going to know who is responsible. Now they are going to get the truth from The Inquirer and they are going to get it quickly and simply and entertainingly and no special interests are going to be able to interfere with that truth. I’ll also provide them with a fighting and tireless champion of their rights as citizens and as human beings. Signed Charles Foster Kane.
Later he rails in an argument: “The trouble is, you don’t realize you’re talking to two people. As Charles Foster Kane, who has 82,634 shares of Public Transit Preferred. You see, I do have a general idea of my holdings. I sympathize with you. Charles Foster Kane is a scoundrel. His paper should be run out of town. A committee should be formed to boycott him. You may, if you can form such a committee, put me down for a contribution of $1,000 dollars. On the other hand, I am the publisher of The Inquirer! As such, it’s my duty – and I’ll let you in on a little secret, it’s also my pleasure – to see to it that decent, hard-working people in this community aren’t robbed blind by a pack of money-mad pirates just because they haven’t anybody to look after their interests.”
But his noble crusading efforts eventually give way to darker less idealistic motives and that Declaration of Principles gives way to greed and ambition.
5. Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
Columnists are not the same as reporters and films usually treat them with less respect. In 1944, Clifton Webb brought the character of columnist Waldo Lydecker to wicked life in Laura. His character was supposedly inspired by real-life columnist and theater critic Alexander Wolcott. But a darker look at the world of a powerful columnist is at the center (I was going to say heart but there is no heart in this film) of Sweet Smell of Success.
Walter Winchell, a real-life tabloid columnist who wielded immense power during his long reign from the late 1920s to the 1950s, was likely the source of inspiration for Burt Lancaster’s unscrupulous but powerful Broadway columnist J.J. Hunsecker. Tony Curtis plays the slimy press agent always hungry for an inch of Hunsecker’s column space. This film is a kindred spirit to Ace in the Hole – bleak, scathing, uncompromising, and thoroughly riveting. And both stand the test of time well, their biting cynicism seeming to protect them from the kind of aging that more sentimental films suffer.
It was directed by Alexander Mackendrick with a script by playwright Clifford Odets and Ernest Lehman (based on Lehman’s novella). The film is ripe with delicious Hunsecker lines like, “You’re dead, son. Get yourself buried,” and “I’d hate to take a bite outta you. You’re a cookie full of arsenic.” This is nastiness at its finest.
6. Spotlight (2015)
Back to the more dignified side of journalism with another true story about good, old-fashioned investigative journalism. Writer-director Tom McCarthy turns to the real story of the Boston Globe as its editor and a team of reporters set off on a long and grueling journey to uncover the massive child molestation scandal and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese. When the story broke it ended up rattling the cages of the entire Catholic Church. A good companion piece to All the President’s Men in terms of providing insight into how a newsroom operates and the challenges reporters face when trying to cover a story where no one wants to talk and the powers that be exert every pressure to maintain that silence.
7. Zodiac (2007)
Another of the true story-based journalism films, this one by David Fincher plays even more like a thriller because the story these characters are chasing involves a serial killer. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, someone identifying himself as the Zodiac Killer terrorizes Northern California with a series of random and brutal murders. The real-life story also inspired the film Dirty Harry.
The reporter is not the driving force of this film but rather an editorial cartoonist working at the San Francisco Chronicle. Robert Graysmith (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) wrote the book about the case. The film crossbreeds the police procedural with the newspaper film to come up with something original and disturbingly effective. In the interactions between Graysmith, police inspector David Toschi (Mark Ruffalo), and the suspects in the killings you can see the creepy groundwork for Mindhunter, a series Fincher executive produced and directed some episodes. The reporter in this film, Paul Avery, is played by Robert Downey, Jr. but it’s amateur sleuth Graysmith who drives the film. This is less about the day-to-day running of a newspaper but it shows how a newspaper can get pulled into its own story and how that can complicate reporting it.
8. Parallax View (1974)
It is probably no accident that All the President’s Men director Alan J. Pakula made this paranoid thriller just a couple of years before telling the story of The Post and breaking the Watergate Scandal. This fictional tale finds a reporter (played by Warren Beatty) deep in trouble when he proves too good at investigating a senator’s assassination and uncovers a vast conspiracy involving a multinational corporation. This film does not allow for any sense of victory at the end and it leaves you feeling powerless and angry. A classic example of the paranoid cinema of its time and Beatty gives us a character who is so driven to find the truth that he’s willing to risk his own life.
9. Story of GI Joe (1945)
There are a number of films (Under Fire, The Killing Fields, even the much lighter Almost Famous) that look to a single reporter and his determination to tell one particular story but to tell it fully. This is the best of the bunch because it is told with no frills or window dressing. Burgess Meredith plays Ernie Pyle, a war correspondent who joins the Army in order to tell the stories of ordinary men fighting in World War II. William A. Wellman directs with a steady, unsentimental sense of naturalism. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1944 for his work.
10. It Happened One Night (1934)
And let’s end on a light, fun note with the screwball comedy It Happened One Night. Clark Gable is a reporter looking for a great story and he finds it in Claudette Colbert as an heiress on the run from the altar. This would go well on a double feature with Roman Holiday, which uses a similar plot setup. Both films show how a story can fall into a reporter’s lap and then raise questions of unethical practice as he dupes his subject into trusting him when she shouldn’t. Both films are delightful to watch and show the dangers of a journalist becoming too close to his story.
Bonus Picks: I want to mention Deadline USA (1952) for Humphrey Bogart’s performance and for having a lot of the footage for the fictional newspaper shot in the real press rooms of the New York Daily News. And this is a cheat because it was a made-for-TV movie, but no list of newspaper films can be complete without The Night Stalker (1972), which introduced us to Darren McGavin’s Carl Kolchak. The TV movie would inspire a TV show (that only lasted a season), Kolchak, that also starred McGavin as the title character. Kolchak had a knack for cases that had a supernatural or unexplainable element. Although the show dates a bit in terms of how it treats women and other minorities, McGavin’s performance is spot-on and great, and the stories were always inspired.
Jack White just announced he’ll be touring in support of his upcoming album, Boarding House Reach, due to hit stores on March 23, 2018. White will kick off his 2018 tour on April 19th in Detroit, Michigan, and will hit cities including Dallas, Cleveland, Toronto, and Atlanta before wrapping up the tour on August 23rd at The Chelsea @ The Cosmopolitan in Las Vegas, NV.
The tour also includes stops at the Governors Ball, Shaky Knees, and Boston Calling festivals.
Tickets will go on sale on January 26th at 10am local time. Members of Third Man Records Vault are eligible to participate in the pre-sale beginning January 22nd at 10am local time. Per the official announcement: “Fans will also have the opportunity to purchase tickets in advance of the public on sale during the Ticketmaster Verified Fan pre-sale to ensure tickets get directly into the hands of the fans. Registration for Ticketmaster Verified Fan is currently open and continues until January 19 at 11:59 PM ET. Verified Fan registration is available at http://jackwhite.tmverifiedfan.com/.”
Jack White’ first single from Boarding House Reach, “Connected by Love,” just dropped along with an official music video directed by Pasqual Gutierrez. The video debuted on January 10th and as of January 16th it had been viewed more than 1 million times.
Jack White 2018 Tour Dates
April 19: Little Caesars Arena – Detroit, MI
April 20: Eagles Ballroom – Milwaukee, WI
April 21: 20 Monroe – Grand Rapids, MI
April 23: Baxter Arena – Omaha, NE
April 24: Providence Medical Center Amphitheater – Bonner Springs, KS
April 25: Chaifetz Arena – St. Louis, MO
April 27: Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX
April 29: Bomb Factory – Dallas, TX
April 30: Revention Music Center – Houston, TX
May 1: Revention Music Center – Houston, TX
May 2: 360 Amphitheater – Austin, TX
May 4 – 6: Shaky Knees Music Festival – Atlanta, GA
May 25 – 27: Boston Calling Music Festival – Boston, MA
May 27: Brewery Ommegang – Cooperstown, NY
May 29: The Anthem – Washington, DC
June 1 – 3: Governors Ball Music Festival – New York, NY
June 4: Express Live! Outdoor Amphitheater – Columbus, OH
June 6: Jacobs Pavilion at Nautica – Cleveland, OH
June 7: Dome Arena – Rochester, NY
June 8: Artpark Amphitheater – Lewiston, NY
June 9: Budweiser Stage – Toronto, ON
June 27: London, UK – Hammersmith Apollo
June 28: London, UK – Hammersmith Apollo
July 2: AFAS Live – Amsterdam, NL
July 3: L’Olympia – Paris. FR
July 4: L’Olympia – Paris. FR
August 6: The Armory – Minneapolis, MN
August 8: 1st Bank Center – Broomfield, CO
August 9: SaltAir – Salt Lake City, UT
August 11: Veterans Memorial Coliseum – Portland, OR
August 12: Rogers Arena – Vancouver, BC
August 13: WAMU Theatre – Seattle, WA
August 15: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium – San Francisco, CA
August 19: Santa Barbara Bowl – Santa Barbara, CA
August 21: Viejas Arena – San Diego, CA
August 22: Comerica Theatre – Phoenix, AZ
August 23: The Chelsea @ The Cosmopolitan – Las Vegas, NV
Boarding House Reach Track List:
1. Connected By Love
2. Why Walk A Dog?
3. Corporation
4. Abulia and Akrasia
5. Hypermisophoniac
6. Ice Station Zebra
7. Over and Over and Over
8. Everything You’ve Ever Learned
9. Respect Commander
10. Ezmerelda Steals The Show
11. Get In The Mind Shaft
12. What’s Done Is Done
13. Humoresque
Albums and singles from artists including David Bowie, Nirvana, Jimi Hendrix, Public Enemy, Whitney Houston, and Queen have been added to the Grammy Hall of Fame. The Recording Academy revealed the list of artists whose work will be preserved as part of the Hall of Fame, with each addition qualifying by being at least 25 years old and exhibiting “qualitative or historical significance.”
“The Grammy Hall of Fame strives to embody the changing climate of music throughout these past decades, always acknowledging the diversity of musical expression for which the Academy has become known,” stated Neil Portnow, President/CEO of the Recording Academy. “Iconic and inspiring, these recordings are an integral part of our musical, social, and cultural history, and we are proud to have added them to our growing catalog.”
A committee made up of professionals in the recording arts reviewed the eligible recordings, with this year’s 25 titles bringing the total of all recordings to 1,063.
New Grammy Hall Of Fame Inductees:
BAND OF GYPSYS
Jimi Hendrix
Capitol (1970)
Album
“BRING IT ON HOME TO ME”
Sam Cooke
RCA Victor (1962)
Single
THE CHRONIC
Dr. Dre
Death Row (1992)
Album
“DREAM ON”
Aerosmith
Columbia (1973)
Single
“FIGHT THE POWER”
Public Enemy
Motown (1989)
Single
“FLASH LIGHT”
Parliament
Casablanca (1978)
Single
“GRAZING IN THE GRASS”
Hugh Masekela
UNI (1968)
Single
HEART LIKE A WHEEL
Linda Ronstadt
Capitol (1974)
Album
“I CAN’T HELP MYSELF”
Four Tops
Motown (1965)
Single
“I HEARD IT THROUGH THE GRAPEVINE”
Gladys Knight & The Pips
Soul/Motown (1967)
Single
“(I LOVE YOU) FOR SENTIMENTAL REASONS”
The King Cole Trio
Capitol (1946)
Single
“I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU”
Whitney Houston
Arista (1992)
Single
JOHNNY CASH AT FOLSOM PRISON
Johnny Cash
Columbia (1968)
Album
“MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB”
Thomas Alva Edison
N/A (1878)
Single
“ME AND MRS. JONES”
Billy Paul
Philadelphia International (1972)
Single
“MOON RIVER”
Andy Williams
Columbia (1962)
Track from Moon River & Other Great Movie Themes
“MY MAN ”
Billie Holiday
Brunswick (1937)
Single
NEVERMIND
Nirvana
DGC (1991)
Album
A NIGHT AT THE OPERA
Queen
Elektra (1975)
Album
“PAINT IT, BLACK”
The Rolling Stones
London (1966)
Single
“SAVOY BLUES”
Louis Armstrong & His Hot Five
Okeh (1927)
Single
“A SONG FOR YOU”
Leon Russell
Shelter (1970)
Single
“SPACE ODDITY”
David Bowie
Mercury (1969)
Track from Space Oddity
“THAT’S ALL RIGHT”
Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup
RCA Victor (1949)
Single
Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein and Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander in Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy adventure “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. (Photo by Jaap Buitendijk)
Warner Bros. Pictures continues to tease fans of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, today releasing two more photos from the upcoming second film of the Fantastic Beasts franchise. The new photos from Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald feature Eddie Redmayne reprising his role as Newt Scamander and Katherine Waterston as Tina Goldstein.
The second of five planned films based in Rowling’s world of wizards and muggles will hit theaters on November 16, 2018. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald will be released in 2D, 3D, and IMAX formats.
Harry Potter veteran David Yates directed from a screenplay by J.K. Rowling. Heyman, Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram produced.
The Plot: At the end of the first film, the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald was captured by MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America), with the help of Newt Scamander. But, making good on his threat, Grindelwald escaped custody and has set about gathering followers, most unsuspecting of his true agenda: to raise pure-blood wizards up to rule over all non-magical beings.
In an effort to thwart Grindelwald’s plans, Albus Dumbledore enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested, even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding world.
The Characters: Eddie Redmayne stars again as wizarding world Magizoologist Newt Scamander who has now gained fame in the wizarding world as the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. Katherine Waterston returns as Tina Goldstein, who has been reinstated as an Auror for MACUSA. Jude Law plays a young Albus Dumbledore, taking on the mantle of one of J.K. Rowling’s most beloved characters. Ezra Miller makes a return as the enigmatic Credence whose fate was unknown at the end of the first film. Claudia Kim appears as a Maledictus, the carrier of a blood curse that destines her ultimately to transform into a beast.
Zoe Kravitz plays Leta Lestrange, who had once been close to Newt Scamander but is now engaged to his brother. Callum Turner joins the cast as Newt’s older brother, Theseus Scamander, a celebrated war hero and the Head of the Auror Office at the British Ministry of Magic. Dan Fogler reprises the role of the only No-Maj in the group, Jacob Kowalski. Alison Sudol reprises the part of Tina’s free-spirited sister, Queenie Goldstein, a Legilimens who can read minds. And Johnny Depp returns as the powerful Dark wizard Gellert Grindelwald.
Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander in Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy adventure “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. (Photo by Jaap Buitendijk)
Fox is so pleased with the ratings of its new dramatic series 9-1-1 that it’s given the show an early season two renewal. Episode one of the series finished as the #1 drama the week of its debut, drawing in 15 million viewers over its first seven days. The series’ second episode brought in 11.6 million viewers and ranked as the #1 show of the night.
9-1-1 was created by executive producers/writers Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Tim Minear. Alexis Martin Woodall, Angela Bassett, and Bradley Buecker also serve as executive producers, with Buecker directing the series’ first episode. The cast includes Angela Bassett (American Horror Story, What’s Love Got to Do with It), Peter Krause (The Catch, Six Feet Under), Connie Britton (Nashville, Friday Night Lights, American Horror Story), Oliver Stark (Into The Badlands), Aisha Hinds (Shots Fired, Underground), Kenneth Choi (The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story), and Rockmond Dunbar (Prison Break, The Path).
“With a bold concept, award-winning stars and a flawless execution, Ryan, Brad and Tim have done it again,” stated Gary Newman and Dana Walden, Chairmen & CEOs, Fox Television Group. “They have tapped into the cultural zeitgeist and reimagined the procedural as only they could, bringing it to life with a dream team of actors led by Angela, Peter and Connie. This is storytelling at its best and we’re so pleased that it’s resonated with our audience. We’d like to thank everyone involved with this production for their stellar work, and we look forward to another thrilling season of 9-1-1.”
The Plot:9-1-1 explores the high-pressure experiences of police officers, firefighters and emergency operators who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking and heart-stopping situations. These first responders must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable with solving the problems in their own lives.
In the “Next Of Kin” episode of 9-1-1 airing Wednesday, Jan. 17 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on Fox, Bobby (Krause) and his team respond to an emergency at a children’s birthday party that leaves lives hanging in the balance. The crew jumps into action after one of their own is involved in a devastating accident. Athena (Bassett) tries to cope with a tragedy that hits way too close to home, and Abby (Britton) is confronted with a life-changing decision for her mother and makes a connection with Buck (Stark).
The cast of the drama series Love Is___ has expanded by five. Idara Victor, Tyrone Brown, Kadeem Hardison, Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing, and Lana Young have just been announced as joining the cast in series regular roles. The new cast members join Michele Weaver and Will Catlett in the OWN drama from executive producers Mara Brock Akil and Salim Akil.
Love Is___ is a one-hour drama from Akil Productions in association with Warner Horizon Scripted Television. Mara Brock Akil wrote the pilot and is the series’ showrunner. OWN has greenlit the series for a 10-episode first season.
The Plot: A humorous drama about a modern-day power couple balancing successful careers and a beautiful family, Love Is___ draws inspiration from the real-life relationship between executive producers Mara Brock Akil & Salim Akil. In the world of Black Hollywood, they navigate a complex set of social codes, and this series will explore it all, from the good to the bad…to the ’90s, because that’s where this definitive love story all began.
Character Descriptions:
Idara Victor (Alita: Battle Angel) has been cast in the series regular role of Angela. A member of the same writing staff as Nuri (series star Michele Weaver), Angela doesn’t always agree with everything Nuri says, mainly because she is a disgruntled drama writer stuck in a comedy she doesn’t believe in. She’s often misunderstood as mad. Professionally, Angela plays it cool. But in private conversation with Nuri, Angela is considerably more warm and relaxed, and she is the good friend that Nuri needs.
Tyrone Brown (Bull) has been cast in the series regular role of Sean. Sean possesses great taste and has a lot of opinions, but he lacks follow-through. He was the first one to spot Nuri as a catch and uses his best friend, Yasir (series star Will Catlett), as a wingman to meet her — but to no avail. A year later, when he and Yasir cross paths with Nuri again, Sean is in a relationship and has a child with Camille, giving Yasir the opportunity to pursue Nuri.
Kadeem Hardison (K.C. Undercover, A Different World) has been cast in the series regular role of Norman. The executive producer of Marvin, Norman is a tough boss who is hard to impress and even harder to amuse. As the play-cousin to the star of the show, he’s under a lot of pressure, and he takes his frustrations out on his room of writers, pressing them all to dig a lot deeper into themselves before they’re all fired and replaced.
Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing (Hunter Street, The Price of Sugar) has been cast in the series regular role of Ruby. Ruby is Yasir’s on-and-off girlfriend; they came to L.A. to chase their dreams, but hers are idling and Yasir’s never got any traction. Worn out, she’s acerbic and moody and fed up that Yasir still does not have a job. She winds up gently set aside when Yasir pairs off (for life) with Nuri.
Lana Young (Greenleaf) has been cast in the series regular role of Nuri in the year 2027. Nuri is first seen in 2027, in her 50s, relaxed, happy, and comfortable in her life and her 32-year marriage to Yasir.
Walt Disney Pictures has released a new behind-the-scenes video from the upcoming fantasy film, A Wrinkle in Time. The minute and a half video features director Ava DuVernay explaining her vision for the film adaptation of Madeleine L’Engle’s bestselling novel. “My overall vision for the film is to create with the fantastic team of artists and crafts people something visually something visually stunning, something that reverberates within you when you see it. Something that sticks to your ribs,” said DuVernay.
The behind-the-scenes video also features Oprah Winfrey complimenting Ava DuVernay’s vision. “I think that the particular discipline, organization, and artful eye that Ava brings to the work inspires everybody who’s working for her.”
The star-studded ensemble cast includes Oscar nominee Oprah Winfrey (The Color Purple), Oscar winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line), Emmy nominee Mindy Kaling (The Office), Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Michael Peňa, Zach Galifianakis, and Chris Pine. Newcomer Storm Reid stars in the lead role of Meg Murray. The behind the scenes team includes director of photography Tobias Schliessler, production designer Naomi Shohan, editor Spencer Averick, costume designer Paco Delgao, and composer Ramin Djawadi. Jim Whitaker and Catherine Hand produced, with Doug Merrifield executive producing.
Disney will release A Wrinkle in Time in theaters on March 9, 2018.
A Wrinkle in Time Plot: Meg Murry (Reid) is a typical middle school student struggling with issues of self-worth who is desperate to fit in. As the daughter of two world-renowned physicists, she is intelligent and uniquely gifted, as is Meg’s younger brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), but she has yet to realize it for herself. Making matters even worse is the baffling disappearance of Mr. Murry (Pine), which torments Meg and has left her mother (Mbatha-Raw) heartbroken. Charles Wallace introduces Meg and her fellow classmate Calvin (Levi Miller) to three celestial guides—Mrs. Which (Winfrey), Mrs. Whatsit (Witherspoon) and Mrs. Who (Kaling) — who have journeyed to Earth to help search for their father, and together they set off on their formidable quest.
Traveling via a wrinkling of time and space known as tessering, they are soon transported to worlds beyond their imagination where they must confront a powerful evil. To make it back home to Earth, Meg must look deep within herself and embrace her flaws to harness the strength necessary to defeat the darkness closing in on them.
Anthony Anderson handled hosting duties at the 2018 NAACP Image Awards which were held in Pasadena, CA on January 15th. In addition to hosting, Anderson was also a winner at the 49th NAACP Image Awards, earning the Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series award for black-ish. black-ish was also honored with Outstanding Comedy Series, Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series (Tracee Ellis Ross), Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (Marsai Martin), and Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series (Anton Cropper) wins.
Girls Trip took home top movie awards, snagging a win in the Best Original Motion Picture category as well as in the Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (Tiffany Haddish) category. The timely horror/drama Get Out was also a multiple NAACP Image Awards winner. Daniel Kaluuya was named Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture while Jordan Peele collected awards in both the Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture and Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture categories.
Among the celebrities taking part in this year’s awards show were Sterling K. Brown, Halle Berry, Mary J. Blige, Michael B. Jordan, Daniel Kaluuya, Issae Rae, Mandy Moore, Chadwick Boseman, Terry Crews, and Tracee Ellis Ross. Yara Shahidi, Angela Rye, Danai Gurira, Isaiah Washington, Jacob Latimore, Jay Pharoah, Jemele Hill, Josh Gad, Loretta Devine, Meta Golding, Michael Smith, Tyler James Williams, Omari Hardwick, Ava DuVernay, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Chris Sullivan, Sonequa Martin-Green, Judge Greg Mathis, and Mike Colter also appeared during the two-hour live broadcast.
The 2018 NAACP Image Awards recognized outstanding achievements in 56 categories (not all winners were announced during the live show). The NAACP describes the Image Awards as celebrating “the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film, and also honors individuals or groups who promote social justice through creative endeavors.”
49th NAACP Image Awards Winners:
ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR
Ava DuVernay
Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture
Daniel Kaluuya – “Get Out” (Universal Pictures)
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture
Octavia Spencer – “Gifted” (Fox Searchlight Pictures)
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson – “`black-ish” (ABC)
Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series
Tracee Ellis Ross – “`black-ish ” (ABC)
Outstanding Comedy Series
“`black-ish” (ABC)
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series
Omari Hardwick – “Power” (Starz)
Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series
Taraji P. Henson – “Empire” (FOX)
Outstanding Drama Series
“Power” (Starz)
The winners of the Non-Televised Categories for the 49th NAACP Image Awards are:
Television:
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Jay Ellis – “Insecure” (HBO)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Marsai Martin – “`black-ish” (ABC)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Joe Morton – “Scandal” (ABC)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Naturi Naughton – “Power” (Starz)
Outstanding Television Movie, Limited – Series or Dramatic Special
“The New Edition Story ” (BET)
Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Limited-Series or Dramatic Special
Idris Elba – “Guerrilla” (Showtime)
Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Limited -Series or Dramatic Special
Queen Latifah – “Flint” (Lifetime)
Outstanding News/ Information – (Series or Special)
“Unsung” (TV One)
Outstanding Talk Series
“The Real” (Syndicated)
Outstanding Reality Program/Reality Competition Series
“The Manns” (TV One)
Outstanding Variety or Game Show – (Series or Special)
“Lip Sync Battle” (Spike)
Outstanding Children’s Program
“Doc McStuffins” (Disney Junior)
Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series)
Caleb McLaughlin – “Stranger Things” (Netflix)
Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble
Roland Martin – “News One Now” (TV One)
Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble
LL Cool J – “Lip Sync Battle” (Spike)
Recording:
Outstanding New Artist
SZA (RCA Records/Top Dawg Entertainment)
Outstanding Male Artist
Bruno Mars (Atlantic Records)
Outstanding Female Artist
Mary J. Blige (Capitol Records)
Outstanding Duo, Group or Collaboration
Kendrick Lamar feat. Rihanna (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope)
Outstanding Jazz Album
“Petite Afrique” – Somi (Sony Music/OKeh)
Outstanding Gospel/Christian Album (Traditional or Contemporary)
“Greenleaf Soundtrack Volume 2” – Greenleaf Soundtrack (RCA Inspiration)
Outstanding Music Video/Visual Album
“That’s What I Like” – Bruno Mars (Atlantic Records)
Outstanding Song – Traditional
“That’s What I Like” – Bruno Mars (Atlantic Records)
Outstanding Album
“DAMN.” – Kendrick Lamar (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope)
Outstanding Song – Contemporary
“HUMBLE.” – Kendrick Lamar (TDE/Aftermath/Interscope)
Literature:
Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction
“The Annotated African American Folktales” – Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Editor),Maria Tatar (Editor), (Liveright Publishing Corporation)
Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction
“Defining Moments in Black History: Reading Between the Lies” – Dick Gregory (Author), (HarperCollins Publishers)
Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author
“No One Is Coming to Save Us” – Stephanie Powell Watts (Author), (HarperCollins Publishers)
Outstanding Literary Work – Biography / Autobiography
“Becoming Ms. Burton – From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women” – Susan Burton (Author), Cari Lynn (Author), Michelle Alexander (Foreword By), (The New Press)
Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional
“The Awakened Woman: Remembering & Reigniting our Sacred Dreams ” – Dr. Tererai Trent (Author), Oprah Winfrey (Foreword By), (Simon and Schuster)
Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry
“Incendiary Art: Poems” – Patricia Smith (Author), (TriQuarterly Books/Northwestern University Press)
Outstanding Literary Work – Children
“Little Leaders: Bold Women in Black History ” – Vashti Harrison (Author), (Hachette Book Group)
Outstanding Literary Work – Youth / Teens
“Clayton Byrd Goes Underground” – Rita Williams-Garcia, (Author), Frank Morrison (Illustrator), (Amistad/HarperCollins Publishers)
Motion Picture:
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Idris Elba – “THOR: Ragnarok” (Marvel Studios)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Tiffany Haddish – “Girls Trip” (Universal Pictures)
