"In three major films ... Lana Turner proved that she was more than just a classic Hollywood exemplar of what hype and glamour can do," film writer and author Dan Callahan says in his Substack, Stolen Holiday. Here's his tribute to the actress, who died 29 years ago.
Chance Perdomo, who played Andre in Prime Video's “Gen V” and Ambrose Spellman in the Netflix series “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” has died in a motorcycle accident, his representatives said. The actor was 27. Here’s more from The Wrap. https://flip.it/yEAI.b #Culture#Entertainment#Hollywood#TV#ChancePerdomo
UNFORGETTABLE STAR ANNA MAY WONG, a pioneering Chinese-American actor whose career spanned screen, stage, radio, and television, is the topic of this fascinating, deeply researched biography. Old Hollywood glam through a very modern lens! B PLUS
Actor Louis Gossett Jr., Oscar and Emmy winner, has died at age 87, according to his family.
AP reports: "Gossett broke through on the small screen as Fiddler in the groundbreaking 1977 miniseries 'Roots,' which depicted the atrocities of slavery on TV." He was the first Black man to win the best supporting actor Oscar for "An Officer and a Gentleman."
A Hollywood auction last week sold iconic props from movie history including Indiana Jones' whip and Forrest Gump's chocolates. The item that made most money was the panel from "Titanic" that Rose used to float to safety (sans Jack), which went for $718,750. Here's more from NPR.
Even great directors can produce the odd turkey. @RollingStone has created a list of 50 truly terrible movies by otherwise excellent filmmakers. But which do you think topped the list? Once you've cast your vote, take a peek at the story and let us know your thoughts. Apologies for shortening the name of Steven Spielberg's 2008 masterpiece — Mastodon wouldn't allow us to give it its full title, which is, of course, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."
The artificial intelligence startup has scheduled meetings in Los Angeles next week with Hollywood studios, media executives and talent agencies to form partnerships in the entertainment industry and encourage filmmakers to integrate its new AI video generator into their work, according to people familiar with the matter.
The upcoming meetings are just the latest round of outreach from OpenAI in recent weeks, said the people, who asked not to be named as the information is private. In late February, OpenAI scheduled introductory conversations in Hollywood led by Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap. Along with a couple of his colleagues, Lightcap demonstrated the capabilities of Sora, an unreleased new service that can generate realistic-looking videos up to about a minute in length based on text prompts from users. Days later, OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman attended parties in Los Angeles during the weekend of the Academy Awards."
Carl Laemmle ( January 17, 1867 – September 24, 1939) was a German-American film producer and the co-founder and, until 1934, owner of Universal Pictures. He produced or worked on over 400 films.
"Joker: Folie à Deux" will be a jukebox musical, insiders have told Variety magazine. Joaquin Phoenix returns in the title role while Lady Gaga will play Harley Quinn in the Todd Phillips-directed movie, which is set to premiere this year, possibly at the Venice International Film Festival. We'll have to see how that will turn out, but we want to know: What do you think about musicals in general? Tell us your favorite (or least favorite) in the comments.
Hollywood Blvd. is getting an overhaul, including one mile of bus lanes and over two miles of protected bike lanes. I can't wait. Buses from every direction start and finish their routes on Hollywood Blvd.
L.A. City Announces Hollywood Boulevard Bus/Walk/Bike Upgrades
Nice essay by @DavidKlion in the Nation about Jonathan Glazer's speech.
"For those of us who appreciate The Zone of Interest in the spirit Glazer in which intended it, and who share his basic perspective on Gaza, what’s additionally striking is how measured his remarks were. Glazer did not demand a free Palestine from the river to the sea, did not comment on whether Zionism is inherently racist, and did not deny the suffering of Israelis on October 7 (in fact, he cast them as victims of the occupation, just as Palestinians are). All he did was attempt to reclaim Jewish identity and Holocaust memory from their propagandistic use in the service of Israel’s military campaign, and to suggest that the lessons of the Holocaust might apply to atrocities committed by Jews and not only those committed against Jews. The ferocious response suggests that Glazer’s critics now recognize themselves in Rudolf and Hedwig Höss, and they’ll never forgive Glazer for that."
One fringe benefit of the unfortunate #Hollywood strikes, has been the sudden appearance of a bunch of foreign content on #Netflix, including some great South Korean shows. Got to admit I'm jazzed to see a 2nd season of #Physical100 has dropped. 👍
My life has been a literal psych experiment in scapegoating, and it turns out i'm famous in Hollywood. I'm Brian from Life of Brian and Nobody, for sure. I strongly suspect a lot of other stuff was built around me. I'm tired of the scapegoating thing. Hated isolation hurts, especially when i'm universally hated for something i'm not. I need someone who admits i'm real. Can you help me find one?
Another bunch of self-identifying genocide apologists have outed themselves.
"Rabbi Marvin Hier, a two-time Oscar winner who founded the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said he was appalled by the response in the room to Glazer’s words.
“I couldn’t believe it,” he said. “If I didn’t know better, I would think that this was a Hamas rally."
M. Emmet Walsh, Actor in ‘Blood Simple’ and ‘Blade Runner,’ Dies at 88 (www.hollywoodreporter.com)
The Spirit Award winner, adept at comedy as well as drama, also was memorable in 'The Jerk,' 'Slap Shot,' 'Brubaker' and 'Critters.'