Movies
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It’s been several weeks since Jamie Foxx‘s daughter announced that the 55-year-old actor/singer had been hospitalized for an undisclosed “medical complication.” And while no updates on his condition have been officially released since, one of Foxx’s friends, Nick Cannon, spoke to Entertainment Tonight over the weekend to share some good news.
“Man, I’m praying,” Cannon told ET about the good vibes he’s sending to Foxx. “You see, I posted on Instagram. I literally have been saying prayers out loud. Words of affirmation for my big brother.” While not offering any details about Foxx’s recovery, Cannon said the actor is “doing so much better,” teasing that he knows that because he’s about to “do something special for him, and doing him a favor.”
Cannon also didn’t tip his hat to what the favor will be, but he said it will be “out there soon.” Nick said he was initially reluctant to even say that much, but then he got Foxx’s blessing to share the news. “So it’s a beautiful thing. He’s awake. They say he’s alert, so, we love it.”
After the news broke about Foxx’s complication, Cannon shared an image of the two writing, “Prayer Changes Things! Living Testament! Let’s all speak complete and total recovery for the most talented human on earth with a Spirit bigger than this small planet!! @iamjamiefoxx Gods power is working through you as we speak! Sickness, Low frequencies nor negativity have any authority over your life King!”
Last week CNN reported that Foxx remains in a Georgia hospital getting treatment for an as-yet-unnamed medical issue, an unnamed source with knowledge of the situation told the network; spokespeople for Foxx have not returned requests for updates on his condition.
Earlier this month, the Grammy- and Oscar-winning actor and singer’s daughter, Corinne Foxx, shared in an Instagram post that her dad “experienced a medical complication” and that he was “already on his way to recovery.” At press time there was still no additional information available about what sent Foxx to the hospital or what treatment he received.
This year’s Tribeca Festival is packed with musical stories, from biopics and documentaries to hard-hitting investigative films and docuseries that seek to inspire and shine a light on the sounds of the Latino diaspora.
Among the highlights of the NOW portion of the fest are Exposing Parchman, an investigative doc that explores the efforts to reform the Mississippi correctional system led by attorneys on behalf of the inmates of Parchman Prison. In addition to telling the inside stories of these inmates and their families, the movie zeroes in on the work of a team of Roc Nation attorneys and features Roc founder Jay-Z.
The screening will be followed by a conversation with the legal team, some of the film’s subjects and Roc Nation executives.
The fest will also feature the debut of the docuseries De La Calle, a journey into the Latino musical diaspora with special guests Fat Joe and Juelz Santana that a festival description says explores, “the evolution of Urbano music and cultures that ignited the musical revolution of Rap, Reggaeton, Bachata, Latin trap, Cumbia and other sounds that are influencing music and culture worldwide.”
Additionally, Choir will seek to lift up the spirits via the Disney+ film based on the Detroit Youth Choir, who went from rehearsing in a church basement with a handful of kids to taking the stage on one of the biggest reality platforms in the country as finalists on America’s Got Talent. The movie follows the new faces in the choir as they are put through their paces in auditions, asking the question, “can the DYC stay relevant in their hometown and on the national stage?”
The screening will be followed by a conversation with DYC artistic director Anthony White, director Rudy Valdez and executive producer Sara Bernstein, as well as members of the choir and a performance by the DYC.
This year’s event will also feature films about Alicia Keys, Gogol Bordello, Milli Vanilli, Gloria Gaynor, Biz Markie, The Indigo Girls, Tierra Whack and legendary Marvel comic book writer Stan Lee. Click here to see the full 2023 lineup of films.
The 2023 Tribeca Festival announced its lineup for this year’s event on Tuesday (April 18) and among the 109 feature films from 127 directors from 36 countries are a number of documentaries about some of the most beloved, scandalous and intriguing musicians of the modern era.
The Festival, which takes place from June 7-18, will spotlight 93 world premieres and a diverse roster featuring 43 first-time directors with 41% of all feature films directed by women and, in a first, more than half of competition films directed by women (68%), as well as 36% of feature films directed by BIPOC filmmakers.
Among the notable music-related movies are:
Uncharted — (world premiere) Director Beth Aala goes behind the scenes of Alicia Keys’ “She Is the Music” songwriting camp, with a performance from She Is the Music artists afterwards curated by Keys.
Scream of My Blood: A Gogol Bordello Story — (world premiere) After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, GB leader Eugene Hütz breaks down the influence of Ukrainian and Roma culture on his punk band’s music, followed by a performance by the band.
Milli Vanilli — (world premiere) Director Luke Korem’s deep dive into the origin and precipitous downfall of the “Girl You Know It’s True” duo featuring a rare interview with surviving member Fabrice Morvan. (This writer was interviewed for the film.)
Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive — (world premiere) A documentary chronicling the “I Will Survive” singer’s comeback with a new gospel album, touching on her struggles with ageism and financial ruin, followed by a live performance.
All Up in the Biz — (world premiere) Director Sacha Jenkins collages celebrity interviews, rare film, reenactments and animation to describe how late rap icon Biz Markie left his mark on the music world.
It’s Only Life After All — (New York premiere) A look at the beloved folk duo, with a songwriting masterclass to follow.
Songs About F–king — (world premiere) Musician Marc Rebillet goes on one of the first live music tours after the COVID-19 lockdown, with musical Q&A with Rebillet afterwards.
Waitress, the Musical – Live on Broadway! — (world premiere) A movie treatment of the Broadway musical about a small-town pie baker with big dreams featuring lyricist Sara Bareilles, who will perform live after the screening.
Cypher — (world premiere) Director Chris Mourkabel “captures the weird and sinister side of fame” in a pseudo-documentary about rapper Tierra Whack.
Bad Like Brooklyn Dancehall — (world premiere) Doc about the city’s role in the evolution of dancehall, featuring Shaggy and Sean Paul, followed by performance from dancehall legends.
Maestra — (world premiere) Director Maggie Contreras follows women from different backgrounds as they compete in the first all-women competition for conducting.
In addition to those music features, the festival will host the “Escape From Tribeca” series featuring films such as Enter the Clones of Bruce, a doc looking at the Bruce Lee exploitation craze, director Sav Rodgers’ Chasing Chasing Amy about the filmmaker’s journey of self-discovery while making a doc on the development of Kevin Smith’s controversial LGBTQ+ film Chasing Amy and Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History of Popular Music, a concert film that dives into New York theater legends Mac’s “ostentatiously queer 24-hour musical performance.”
There will also be a world premiere of the life of late Marvel Comics genius Stan Lee, a profile of legendary MLB promoter and owner Bill Veeck (The Saint of Second Chances) touching on his famous 1979 “Disco Demolition” stunt at Chicago’s Comiskey Park, a profile of New York concert promoter Ron Delsener (Ron Delsener Presents) and the world premiere of Anthem, in which DJ Dahi and composer Kris Bowers set off on a road trip across the country to find out what it sounds like to have a national anthem that actually reflects America.
For a full list of this year’s films click here.
Jamie Foxx is reportedly on the mend after an undisclosed illness sent him to the hospital. The Oscar-winning actor and singer “experienced a medical complication” this week according to a post from his daughter, Corinne Foxx, who said he is “already on his way to recovery.”
At press time no additional information was available about what sent the 55-year-old Foxx to the hospital or what treatment he received, but his 29-year-old daughter’s post said her dad is on the mend. “We wanted to share that, my father, Jamie Foxx, experienced a medical complication yesterday. Luckily, due to quick action and great care, he is already on his way to recovery,” she wrote on Instagram.
“We know how beloved he is and appreciate your prayers,” she added. “The family asks for privacy during this time.” Last week Foxx posted a short video cued to Rick Ross’ verse from Nicole Bus’ “You” in which he was seen chilling on a megayacht. At press time it did not appear that Foxx had commented on his health issue on his socials.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Foxx was recently spotted in Atlanta working on the set of the upcoming Netflix action comedy Back in Action, on which he will re-team with his Annie co-star Cameron Diaz, who is returning to movie making after an 8-year hiatus from acting that began after she appeared in the reboot of the classic Broadway musical; the pair also co-starred in the 1999 football drama Any Given Sunday.
See Corinne Foxx’s statement below.
Jack Black‘s music video for his Super Mario Bros. Movie ballad is peach perfection.
Black, all decked out in a Bowser-green suit and seated at a peach piano in a peach room, croons an ode to Princess Peach in the colorful clip. A framed photo of Peach sits atop his piano, along with a bowl of peaches.
Black is the voice of Bowser in Illumination and Universal’s Nintendo video game adaptation, which hit movie theaters this weekend. The Super Mario Bros. Movie scored the top global launch ever for an animated pic, and the second-best ever domestically, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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The music video for “Peaches” was directed by Cole Bennett, who says Black’s suit was both Bowser and Elton John-inspired.
Watch “Peaches” below, as well as a behind-the-scenes clip of the making of the music video.
Poppy and Branch finally make it official in the new trailer for the upcoming third episode in the Trolls trilogy, Trolls Band Together. The follow-up to 2020’s Trolls World Tour is slated to drop this November and it will, of course feature Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake), who finally earn their couple name (#broppy) after years of flirting.
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The two-minute trailer that dropped on Tuesday (March 28) features Branch and Poppy prepping for the royal marriage between Bridget and Gristle to the tune of JT singing Sister Sledge’s 1978 hit single “We Are Family.” Things are going swimmingly until John Dory (Eric Andre), Branch’s long-lost brother parachutes in and interrupts the proceedings, leading to her discovery that Branch was once part of her favorite boy band: BroZone.
According to a description of the clip, the group — which featured former *NSYNC member Timberlake/Branch, Floyd (Troye Sivan), Dory, Spruce (Daveed Diggs) and Clay (Kid Cudi) — broke up when Branch was a baby and he hasn’t seen his brothers since. But after Floyd is kidnapped by two pop-star villains intent on stealing his musical abilities — Amy Schumer and Andrew Rannells — Branch and Poppy set off on an adventure to rescue him.
The preview features footage of BroZone in their prime singing “BroZone’s Back” (a nod to *NSYNC’s boy band rivals The Backstreet Boys amid a flurry of other boy band name puns) and the Bee Gees’ “Stayin’ Alive,” as Branch assures Poppy that estranged sibling Dory “used to be my brother.” What follows is an attempt to get the band back together, with Poppy freaking out about reuniting her childhood faves.
“BroZone 2.0!, BroZone Reunion!, BroZone, here we Bro again, BroZone, where’d they bro?,” she raves as Branch face palms. The film promises the usual mix of pop classics sung by all your favorites, as well as new additions to the cast including Camila Cabello (Viva), Zosia Mamet (Crimp) and RuPaul (Miss Maxine). The returning cast includes Zooey Deschanel (Bridget), Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Gristle), Icona Pop (Satin and Chenille), Anderson .Paak (Prince D), Ron Funches (Cooper), Kunal Nayyar (Guy Diamond) and Kenan Thompson (Tiny Diamond).
Check out the Trolls Band Together trailer below.
Something Wicked this way comes. Fans are finally getting a sneak preview of the eagerly anticipated Wicked movie musical. On Sunday (March 26) the movie’s co-star, Ariana Grande, shared some behind-the-scenes pictures from the set in which she elegantly poses alongside co-star Cynthia Erivo with the caption “up to (no) good,” followed by bubbles and a broom emoji.
In the first snap, Grande’s Glinda — dressed in an elegant polka dot gown and long white gloves — holds hands with Erivo’s Elphaba, dressed in a plaid dress, tall black boots and big hoop earrings; Erivo posted the same pics on her feed. The pair star in the Jon M. Chu-directed movie filming in two parts and in the pics she and Erivo are seen chatting in the back set of a car, holding each other’s hands at the dinner table and standing toe-to-toe.
While Chu has kept things tightly under wraps during the shoot, an excited Jeff Goldblum spilled some secrets last week on Jimmy Kimmel Live! when he confirmed that he had joined the cast of the film. “I was just on the set of Wicked. I’m not supposed to talk about that. But it’s been out and about,” Goldblum said with a wicked grin.
It’s still not confirmed what role Goldblum will play, but he had nothing but praise for his co-stars, adding, “you should see our witches, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, very good.” The film based on Gregory Maguire’s novel and the hit Broadway musical adaptation, will also feature Jonathan Bailey as Fiyero, as well as Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible, Bowen Yang, Adam James, Keala Settle and Bronwyn James.
The movie was initially meant to hit theaters on Christmas Day of next year (Dec. 25, 2024). But in the spirit of giving thanks, Wicked Part 1 is now set to be released next Thanksgiving (Nov. 27, 2024), according to Chu, who excitedly shared the news via Instagram recently. He wrote that he and his team were “deep into shooting WICKED here in London” before officially announcing the new release date. “Bring the family, bring your friends…it’s going to be a ride!!! appreciate all your support through this long production process. Shooting two movies at once is no small feat.”
Check out Grande’s pics from set below.
Halsey is not in the mood for anyone’s b.s. in the first look at director Tony Tost’s heist drama Americana. In a 90-second sneak peek that dropped on Wednesday (March 15), the singer — rocking a 1970s-style choppy shag cut and all-black ensemble — is minding her own business while filling up her orange muscle car when she’s interrupted not once, but twice.
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“Beautiful day today,” says Paul Walter Hauser’s (Black Bird) character Lefty to Halsey’s Mandy. “Still, they say it might rain. Any big weekend plans?,” he continues. Mandy is clearly not interested, snapping back, “Hey buddy, today is not the f—ing day.”
The confrontation is interrupted by Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria), whose character Penny Jo sticks a gun into Mandy’s back demanding the mythical Native American artifact that she and Lefty were planning to steal. “Do you have the artifact?” Penny Jo asks as Mandy looks back over her shoulder in annoyance.
“I thought you were sweet,” she says, her face softening in seeming condescension. “Do you have it?” Penny Jo repeats more menacingly as Mandy suggests she might have the object, or maybe not. “Give it to me,” Penny Jo demands. “No,” Mandy says as she finishes pumping, walks away and dares Penny to “shoot me” nonchalantly.
Americana marks Halsey’s big screen debut and according to Deadline, the movie follows waitress Penny Jo and lonesome cowboy Lefty as they plan to swipe the mythical “Lakota Ghost Shirt” from some criminals to fund Penny’s Nashville dreams. “Things get complicated when the lead criminal’s long-suffering girlfriend (Halsey) decides to take the artifact for her own personal reasons,” reads a description.
“It’s one of my favorite scenes because none of these characters are smooth, experienced criminals in the slightest, and I love how Sydney, Paul, and Halsey all play their desperate intentions and discomfort to quietly comedic effect,” Tost told Deadline. The film, Tost’s first major feature, also stars Eric Dane, Simon Rex, Zahn McClarnon and Gavin Maddox Bergman. Americana is slated to make its world premiere at 2:30 ET on Friday (March 17) at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX during SXSW.
Check out the Americana sneak peek below.
On the eve of Sunday’s (March 12) Academy Awards, movie maximalist Baz Luhrmann is giving Elvis fans more, more, more. The director whose dizzying biopic of The King is nominated for 8 Oscars announced a deluxe edition of the movie’s official soundtrack on Tuesday (March 7) featuring previously unreleased recordings of star Austin Butler, some contemporary versions of Elvis classics and the new mash-up “Backstreet Boss Nova (Daisy O’Dell Remix)” that mixes up Presley and the iconic ’90s boy band.
“The whole Elvis music team has answered the call from fans with this new Deluxe Edition of the Elvis soundtrack,” said Luhrmann in a statement. “Featuring everything from previously unreleased recordings by Austin Butler to contemporary takes on Elvis’s classics and a fresh mash-up with the Backstreet Boys, the Deluxe album reveals all the complex layers of Austin’s performance, Elvis’s music and those who continue his legacy.”
At a massive 52 tracks, the deluxe edition features “Toxic Las Vegas” (Presley x Britney Spears and “Fly Away Weave” with the film’s scorer, Elliott Wheeler, as well as Gary Clark Jr., Shannon Sanders, Nashville Urban Choir, Butler, Shonka Dukureh and Lanesha Randolph. The beefed-up album also has the Presley songs “Rubberneckin’,” “Blue Moon,” “Can’t Help Falling In Love” (Wheeler remix and Aug. 12 — Midnight Show version), “A Little Less Conversation” (Presley x JXL) and Butler performing “Blue Suede Shoes,” “Heartbreak Hotel” (with Wheeler), “Are You Lonesome Tonight” (with Wheeler) and “Crawfish” (live on set).
Also included is “How Do You Think I Feel” by Kodi Smit-McPhee (who plays Jimmie Rodgers in the film) and Wheeler and Kacey Musgraves and Mark Ronson’s version of “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” which, along with the Spears song were released as singles leading up to the original album’s release.
Listen to the Elvis deluxe edition below.
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Ben Stiller publicly defended his Tropic Thunder movie recently, which garnered controversy over Robert Downey Jr. appearing in blackface in the film among other issues.
The actor and writer was mentioned in a tweet about the film last Tuesday by a Trump supporter who goes by “Benny Sings.” The individual wrote: “Please stop apologizing for doing this movie. It was and still is funny AF… Even funnier now with cancel culture the way it is. It’s a MOVIE. Ya’ll can just get over it. I was DYING laughing when I first saw it back in the day and so was everyone else.”
In an included text statement, the user noted that the Wayans Bros didn’t apologize for White Chicks in which they appeared as two white women. Stiller would respond afterward, writing: “I make no apologies for ‘Tropic Thunder.’ Don’t know who told you that. It’s always been a controversial movie since when we opened. Proud of it and the work everyone did on it.”
The 2008 comedy movie, which features Stiller and Downey Jr. along with Jack Black, drew a swarm of backlash on its release mainly for Stiller’s role as Tugg Speedman, who played a character in the fictional film-within-the-film Simple Jack that disability advocates felt mocked them. They pointed to the usage of the R-slur in particular in their criticisms.
Downey Jr. would also face some backlash for his role as Australian method actor Kirk Lazarus, who opts to darken his skin to play a Black soldier. The Iron Man actor did express his reservations about taking the role while appearing on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast in 2019, which would wind up earning him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor the following year. “Sometimes, you just have to go, ‘Yeah I effed up,’” he said.
Stiller appeared to apologize for that or claimed to in another tweet in 2018 prompted by Olympic medalist Shaun White appearing as Simple Jack for a Halloween costume. “Actually Tropic Thunder was boycotted 10 years ago when it came out, and I apologized then. It was always meant to make fun of actors trying to do anything to win awards. I stand by my apology, the movie, Shaun White, And the great people and work of the @SpecialOlympics,” he wrote.
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