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After opening the book on her private life in her expansive, best-selling 2023 memoir My Name is Barbra, Barbra Streisand will dive even deeper into her private life in an upcoming mutli-part documentary. Sony Music Vision, Columbia Records, Jigsaw Productions and the Kennedy/Marshall Company announced on Thursday (Sept. 26) that production has already begun on a definitive biopic about the EGOT winner.
“For years I’ve been thinking about the best way to share the vast amount of content I’ve been safely storing in my vault. These films, photos and music masters — many never seen or heard by the public — hold some of my most cherished memories,” said Streisand in a statement about granting the production unprecedented access to her personal archives, including hundreds of hours of never-before-seen video, photos and audio recordings, as well as personal items from throughout her career.
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“I’m so pleased that producer Alex Gibney and director Frank Marshall have agreed to take this journey with me,” she added of director Marshall (Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story) and Oscar-winning producer Gibney (Taxi to the Dark Side). “My appreciation to Tom Mackay, head of Sony Music’s Premium Content team, for his belief in the project. And especially to Sony Music Chairman Rob Stringer who has unwaveringly supported so many of my creative endeavors.”
According to the release announcing the project, the series will “offer an intimate and comprehensive exploration of every facet of the iconic multi-hyphenate, who, in a career spanning six decades, has excelled in every area of entertainment.” The release promises that the access to Streisand’s personal archives alongside contemporary verité will provide an “in-depth look at Streisand’s star-studded past and her current artistic endeavors.”
At press time a title and release date for the doc had not been announced.
“I’m thrilled to be working with Alex again and to have the opportunity to bring Barbra’s incredible life story to the screen,” said Marshall in a statement. “We have been given unprecedented access to archival footage from decades of her groundbreaking career and intimate visibility to the trailblazing she continues to do in life today. Uncovering these remarkable moments illustrate why she has become an enduring icon to a global audience of all generations.”
Producer Gibney added, “People have been talking about the need for the definitive documentary on Barbra Streisand for years. After a series of wonderful conversations and rigorous research, we are moving forward with Frank Marshall at the helm. I am delighted to produce this film on Barbra, a legendary singer, extraordinary actor, director, and political activist who inspires us all. Did I forget to mention that she’s a great storyteller who is funny as hell?”
Leave it to Lady Gaga to give one of the most famous faces in the world a maniacal makeover. On Wednesday morning (Sept. 25), the singer released a tantalizing 80-second preview of one of the songs from her surprise Joker: Folie à Deux companion album, Harlequin. “The Joker,” a rock-edged track that seems to be co-star Joaquin Phoenix’s theme song is accompanied by a video in which Gaga’s Harley Quinn takes a midnight stroll through Paris’ Louvre Museum for a bout of midnight mischief.
“There’s always a joker in the pack/ There’s always a lonely clown,” Gaga sings over the sound of subtle guitar as she meanders by the signature IM Pei-designed glass pyramid and dances down the steps with the Winged Victory of Samothrace sculpture in the background. Wearing a modest prairie dress, low-top Chuck Taylor gym shoes and polka dot tights, her hair colored red, Gaga (as Quinn), sings, “The poor laughing fool falls on his back/And everyone loves when he’s down/There’s always a funny man in the game/ But he’s only funny by mistake,” a succinct summary of tragic anti-hero Jack Oswald White’s killer clown persona.
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With the whole place to herself at night, Gaga/Quinn takes aim with her finger guns and blasts away at priceless artworks as the song’s tempo and intensity rise to match her character’s sinister plans. “And everyone laughs at him, just the same/ They don’t see his lonely heart break,” she sings as her voice reaches a crescendo and Quinn ekes out a crooked smile and wave while taking in the Mona Lisa.
With the electric guitars cranking up and drums kicking in, Gaga wails, “They don’t care as long as there is a jester/ Just a fool, as foolish as he can be/ There’s always a joker/ That’s the rule, but fate is the hand that I see/ The Joker is meeeee!!” as Harley pulls out a tube of lipstick and gives the most iconic painting of a smiling woman a new, Joker-worthy blood red Chelsea grin.
Satisfied with her work, Gaga walks away, her eye makeup starting to melt across her face as the guitars get louder and she repeats “the Joker is me,” while strutting through the darkened Louvre galleries. “There’s always a joker,” Gaga captioned the video preview, along with hashtags for the museum, the movie and the upcoming “Figures du Fou” exhibit at the Louvre. Not for nothing, the august institution is clearly all-in on the movie promo, as it changed the official image on its X account to the Joker-ized Mona Lisa lipstick smile.
The Figures Du Fou exhibition (which translates to Figures of the Fool), opens on Oct. 16 and is described as examining, “the omnipresence of fools in Western art and culture at the end of the Middle Ages, and attempts to parse the meaning of these figures, who would seem to play a key role in the advent of modernity. The fool may make us laugh, with his abundance of frivolous antics, but he also harbours a wealth of hidden facets of an erotic, scatological, tragic or violent nature. Capable of the best and of the worst, the fool entertains, warns or denounces; he turns societal values on their head and may even overthrow the established order.”
In other words, the Joker.
On Tuesday, Gaga surprised Little Monsters when she announced that the Harlequin album will drop on Friday (Sept. 27). On the LP’s cover, Gaga is depicted standing in a shower fully clothed, with the water causing her clown makeup to drip down her face as it does as the end of “The Joker” video.
On the back of a milk carton Gaga appeared to preview the 13-song album’s track list, which features some recognizable standards, including “Get Happy,” “That’s Entertainment,” “Oh When the Saints” and “World on a String.”
Gaga recently revealed that her upcoming, untitled seventh studio album is due out in February, with a lead single slated to drop next month. Joker: Folie à Deux is due in theaters on Oct. 4.
Watch “The Joker” preview below.
The Toronto Film Festival premiere of Pharrell Williams‘ LEGO-fied animated biopic Piece By Piece on Tuesday night (Sept. 10) was interrupted by an animal rights protester who stormed the stage during a Q&A session after the screening of the film.
The unnamed woman ran on stage at the Princess of Wales Theatre waving a sign that read: “Pharrell stop supporting killing animals for fashion” and decrying the singer’s use of wild animal skins and furs in his role as creative director of the Louis Vuitton men’s collection; Williams was named as Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director in Feb. 2023. Shouting “Pharrell stop torturing animals!,” the activist scurried away from security guards chasing her and hopped onto the floor in front of the stage as Williams addressed her directly.
“You know what? You’re right,” he said in video of the moment as she continued her protest, repeatedly telling her “you’re right… God bless you” as the crowd erupted into applause. “It’s okay. Everybody give her a round of applause please,” Williams added as he encouraged the audience to repeat “God bless you” while security escorted the woman out of the auditorium.
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Once she was removed, Williams took a moment to address her protest, saying, “You know, Rome wasn’t made in a day and sometimes when you have plans to change things and situations you have to get in a position of power and influence where you can change people’s minds and help progression.”
He then seemed to offer that the protest was not the best way to affect change in the fashion industry, while suggesting that he’s already trying to turn the tide behind the scenes. “That’s not necessarily the way to do it and sitting in my position, when I have conversations on behalf of organizations like that, unbeknownst to them, they come out here and do themselves a disservice,” he said. “That’s okay, when that change comes everybody in this room will remember that I told you we’re actually working on that. And if she would have just asked me, I would have told her. But instead she wanted to repeat herself.”
In an Instagram post about the interruption, PETA wrote, “We CRASHED @pharrell’s @piecebypiecefilm premiere at @tiff_net to remind the @louisvuitton men’s creative director that animals suffer for fur & wildlife skins. Do the right thing and switch to faux & vegan alternatives NOW!”
Back in June 2023, PETA executive vice president Tracy Reiman issued a statement responding to Williams’ use of fur in his then-new collection for the fashion house. “Instead of being the creative innovator Louis Vuitton desperately needs to stay relevant, Pharrell Williams debuted a collection that belongs in a history museum. Tormenting and killing animals to wear bits of their body parts alienates today’s socially conscious consumers, who are driving the demand for luxurious vegan materials that leave animals in peace. If mutilating animals makes Williams happy, PETA hopes his stint at Louis Vuitton will be as short-lived as the animals who suffer for his awful fashion sense.”
The animal rights organization said at the time that it had sent a letter to Williams urging him to ban fur and reptile skins in his role at LV, sharing links to an investigation by PETA Asia that claimed “rampant animal abuse at facilities that supply Louis Vuitton’s parent company, LVMH,” including a graphic description of the way the company’s workers treat crocodiles.
In a statement after the TIFF interruption, Reiman said that the organization would like to stop disrupting Williams’ appearances, “but despite a lot of lip service, he’s yet to ditch fur and exotic skins. Pharrell can decide in a heartbeat, today, to use his power for good and stop being complicit in cruelty — it’s quite easy to be kind.”
The Hollywood Reporter reported that PETA activists also protested a press and industry screening for the Morgan Neville-directed film that also features the voices of many of the 13-time Grammy winner’s past collaborators, including Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes and Jay-Z.
The movie, which features two new songs by Pharrell, will hit theaters on Oct. 11.
Check out PETA’s footage of the incident below.
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Source: Jim Spellman / Getty
The iconic film legend James Earl Jones has passed. He was 93.
BTS‘ RM will be the subject of the upcoming solo documentary, RM: Right People, Wrong Place. According to a release, the film directed by Lee Seokjun — who also produced BTS bandmate J-Hope’s videos for “Arson” and “MORE” — will take viewers “through Seoul, Tokyo, and London — cities where RM captured the essence of […]
It would not be an understatement to say that Emma Roberts has been training to play Britney Spears for more than half her life. In an interview with Cosmopolitan magazine, 33-year-old Space Cadet star was asked about recent headlines in which Spears’ longtime assistant, Felicia Culotta, pitched Roberts as the perfect actress to portray the […]
In case you haven’t heard, Super Bowl winning Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is headed to the big screen. Adam Sandler confirmed last week that Kelce will have an unspecified role in the upcoming sequel to the comedian’s iconic 1996 sports comedy Happy Gilmore.
And on Wednesday (August 28), Kelce and his other brother, New Heights podcast co-star and retired Super Bowl champ Jason Kelce, teased the footballer’s cameo by recreating one of the iconic scenes from the golf goof. In the clip, Travis, 34, is on a golf course getting ready to haul off on a tee shot in run-up Happy fashion. “Hey Happy,” Travis says as Jason responds off screen with a quote from Sandler’s title character, “You too good for your home?”
Travis then takes a quick step-up to address the ball with maximum effort as the shot cuts to a scene from the original movie of the ball zooming through the air for way too long over a neighborhood before doinking an unsuspecting homeowner on the head as he shakes his fist, shouting, “you boys are gonna pay for that!”
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After getting properly beaned and stumbling about, Jason — whose head is superimposed on the moving company worker played by actor Will Sasso in the original movie — shouts, “You hit that guy!” Then, with Travis’ head plopped onto Happy’s movie body, he shrugs and says, “He shouldn’ta been standing there.”
Last week during a visit to the Tonight Show, Sandler confirmed that Kelce would have some role in the anticipated sequel. “Travis has… he mentioned it, so we have a nice something for Travis,” Sandler said of the gig that Kelce has publicly dreamed out. “He’s gonna come by. He’s a very nice guy. You guys would love him in real life. What a big, handsome guy. Funny and cool as hell. He’s a stud and he’s so funny.”
Kelce seemed to manifest the cameo in May on New Heights — which just scored a major nine-figure new distribution deal — when he said he was a “huge fan of the Sandman” and would do “anything” to get a role in the film.
Speaking to the brothers on New Heights this week, Sandler opened up about how the role came together. “The whole thing was to get to hang out with Travis!… We were talking about you playing my son while we were writing it literally like, six months ago,” Sandler said. “We were like, ‘Imagine if Travis was my first baby, how funny that would be.’” Travis also said he’s been working on the patented way Gilmore addresses the ball, promising that he thinks he’s “got the swing down” since going out to practice after seeing Sandler on the Tonight Show.
“The scene you’re doing is with so many great golfers,” Sandler teased. “It’s gonna be amazing. You’re gonna be funny as hell.”
Watch the clip and Sandler’s New Heights chat below.
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Source: Paramount Pictures / SEGA / Sonic The Hedgehog 3 / Shadow
FINALLY, the first trailer for Sonic the Hedgehog 3 has arrived, and it did not disappoint in building hype for the third film in the Sonic movie trilogy.
Fans have been patiently waiting to get their first glimpse of Shadow in action after his tease at the end of Sonic The Hedgehog 2.
To get fans even more hype for the popular anti-hero, Paramount Studios revealed that Keanu Reeves would lend his signature voice to help bring Shadow The Hedgehog to the big screen.
After months of speculation, the first trailer for the film has arrived, and it does not disappoint.
In Sonic The Hedgehog 3, Team Sonic, comprised of the titular character, his trusty sidekick Tails, and new buddy Knuckles (Idris Elba), is an official task force working with the government to tackle threats they can’t handle.
Source: Paramount Pictures / SEGA / Sonic The Hedgehog 3
The trio of color and extremely fast heroes meet their match in Shadow, who shares a story similar to his blue counterpart’s, but instead of finding a family, he only endures pain and loss.
Shadow uses those emotions, plus his impressive abilities, to gain the upper hand on Team Sonic, forcing them to enlist the help of Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey), who now looks like Dr. Eggman more than ever, sporting his signature mustache, big stomach, and bald head.
Source: Paramount Pictures / SEGA / Sonic The Hedgehog 3
Since Robotnik can no longer take over the world, he decides to help it, but rest assured, he will be up to some nefarious shenanigans because he meets his long-lost father.
Sonic The Hedgehog Fans Are Excited
As expected, Sonic The Hedgehog fans are losing their rings after watching the first action-packed trailer for the third highly anticipated film in what has been one of the solid video game movie franchises.
We hope we also get a Shadow spinoff series.
You can catch Keanu Reeves as Shadow in Sonic The Hedgehog 3 when it speeds into theaters on December 20.
You can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. Sounds accurate to us
2. A moment indeed
4. Yes, yes he does
6. Let’s goooooooo
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Source: Marvel Studios / Deadpool & Wolverine / Blade
Deadpool might be “Marvel Jesus” after “resurrecting” the MCU with Deadpool and Wolverine. Can he do the same for Wesley Snipes’ Blade movie franchise?
After Deadpool and Wolverine did what many expected it to at the box office, becoming the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, Ryan Reynolds has been sharing moments from the cameo-filled goodbye to the Fox Marvel universe and giving props to each of the actors who helped him, Hugh Jackman and director Shawn Levy make history.
One person in particular, Reynolds, has been showering with praise, none other than Wesley Snipes, the original cinematic version of The Daywalker, Blade, aka “Marvel Daddy.”
In a post to his social media accounts, Reynolds echoed sentiments shared by many Marvel fans, who call for Snipes’ Blade to return.
Snipes has been credited with saving Marvel from bankruptcy with his hit 1998 Blade film, followed by 2002’s Blade II and 2004’s Blade: Trinity. The latter also starred Reynolds but was not as well received as the first two films, which allegedly led to some bad blood between the two actors.
So, you can imagine Snipes’ return as the human/vampire vamp hunter in Deadpool and Wolverine generated a lot of excitement, and Reynolds acknowledged that.
In an Instagram post, he called for “More Blade Please,” wanting Snipes’s version of Blade to get a sendoff akin to Hugh Jackman’s “Swan Song” in Logan.
“The reaction when @realwesleysnipes enters the movie is the most intense thing l’ve heard in a theater. People screaming with uninhibited joy and love is also the sound of a legacy. More Blade please. #DayWalker ***A Logan-style send off, specifically,” Reynolds wrote.
We can’t argue with that.
Can Ryan Reynolds Push Kevin Feige To Give Snipes’ Blade Another Movie?
We don’t know how much influence Ryan Reynolds has over Marvel Studios’ head, Kevin Feige, so it’s not certain that something like that will happen.
But he has a sound bargaining chip worth $1.029 billion. There is also that Blade reboot starring Mahershala Ali as the titular character currently stuck in “development hell.” Still, Feige insists that his studio is taking its time so they can deliver a good film.
Still, many fans feel like Ryan Reynolds; you can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. E-Man with some ideas for a Wesley Snipes movie, Kevin Feige we you are listening
2. We hope not, because we want BOTH!
3. We all did.
4. No debate here.
5. Time is indeed a flat circle
The first official trailer for Jung Kook‘s upcoming documentary, JUNG KOOK: I AM STILL finds the BTS member fretting about whether fans will accept him as a solo artist as he steps outside of the K-pop supergroup’s massive shadow.
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“I’m suddenly nervous, I’ll do my best guys,” he says in Korean at the outset of the one-minute preview of the film that is slated to open in theaters worldwide on Sept. 18. Amid footage of thousands of fans gathered in arenas and on streets to greet him, he frets, “Without the power of BTS, just on my own, will I be able to receive recognition?”
Reflecting on the success of his debut solo album, 2023’s Golden, which entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 2 and featured collabs with Jack Harlow, Latto and Major Lazer, among others, he says, “with all these achievements I gained more self-confidence.” Mixing in footage of JK dancing and rehearsing dance moves in the studio, the preview promises to provide “eight months of golden moments.”
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With a vow from the singer to “keep going forward,” the trailer then cuts to a run-down of some of JK’s solo chart success and footage from his videos cued to his single “Standing Next To You,” which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. “I’ve never though of myself as a genius,” Jung Kook says at one point, admitting that he’s well-aware of his artistic blind spots, which only push him to get better.
“I just follow my own compass,” he says as the screen fades to black before zooming back in on a clip of JK bounding through a backstage area and shouting out the group’s legendarily fervent ARMY fan group. “It’s always more fun with the fans.”
The promo materials promise that the film will capture JK’s development as a solo act, beginning with his No. 1 Hot 100 hit “Seven” (featuring Latto) in July 2023, followed by the release of Golden three months later via never-before-seen video, interviews and concert performance footage. The doc was directed by Junsoo Park and produced by Jiwon Yoon and is set to premiere in limited screenings worldwide in more than 120 countries and regions on Sept. 18, with tickets on sale today here.
Watch the trailer for JUNG KOOK: I AM STILL below.
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