Browsing Tag

Dan Stevens

Jean Smart on the ‘Jeanaissance’

jean smart on the cover of variety

Jean Smart, who is nominated at Sunday night’s Emmy Awards for both Hacks and Mare of Easttown, covers the new issue of Variety. She talks about her character on Designing Women (“I always felt like she was my actual core person, kind of gullible and trusting and believes that everybody’s basically good. And I’d like to play a character like that again”) and losing her husband while she was shooting Hacks (“Him passing away was just not ever even a thought. And it’s changed every moment of my everyday life; every atom of my existence I feel like is altered”).

Andrew Garfield revealed his mother died while he was preparing to film Tick, Tick… Boom! and says “every frame, every moment, every breath” of his performance in the musical is in honour of her. “We lost her just before COVID, just before we started shooting, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. So, for me, I was able to continue her song on the ocean and the wave of Jonathan [Larson]’s songs. It was an attempt to honor him in his unfinished song, and her in her unfinished song, and have them meet.”

-Real Housewives star Mary Cosby has been accused of running a cult. What is up with all the shady activity and criminal investigations overtaking this franchise lately?

Timothée Chalamet dined with Larry David in NYC and everyone is wondering what in the world that convo sounded like.

Zoë Kravitz and Channing Tatum may not have officially commented on their relationship yet, but they did allow Vogue to take a photo of them at the Met Gala featuring him holding her purse.

-An ex Grey’s Anatomy exec producer says that leading up to Derek’s death, Patrick Dempsey was “sort of was terrorizing the set. Some cast members had all sorts of PTSD with him. He had this hold on the set where he knew he could stop production and scare people…I think he was just done with the show. He didn’t like the inconvenience of coming in every day and working. He and Shonda were at each other’s throats.”

Natalie Portman‘s new Dior ad is very, very pretty. (I coulda done without the whale shot, for my own mental sanity.)

-Also pretty is JLo‘s video from Venice for Dolce & Gabbana (though I still can’t believe everyone seems to be giving that  brand a pass).

-Smallville’s Allison Mack has begun her three-year prison sentence related to her involvement in the NXIVM sex cult.

-This is an interesting take on how Nicky Minaj‘s vaccine tweets are distracting us all from the fact that her husband is facing 10 years in prison.

-One of the multiple sexual assault lawsuits against Marilyn Manson has been dismissed due to statute of limitations.

-Following all the pushback against CBS’ proposed reality show The Activist (this was my fave reaction to it), they’re backtracking and re-imagining the show.

Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman talked about the horrible racist cyber-bullying he received when judging Canada’s Drag Race. It’s awful obviously, but fan fave contestant Jimbo had a different take on it: “It was just not the right fit with the [early pandemic] times, that stereotypical harsh judge — the Simon Cowell, tough-love judge. I don’t think him playing up that campy bitchiness was the best way to go about it all.” (And I’m guessing his judging had more to do with the producers than him.)

-There won’t be new rotating guest hosts this time around on Jeopardy. Mayim Bialik and Ken Jennings will split hosting duties for the rest of the season.

-Ted Lasso led the winners at the 37th annual Television Critics Association’s 2021 Awards.

-This is review of Hulu’s The D’Amelio Show paints a grim view of the two teen TikTokers’ lives. “Charlie and Dixie D’Amelio seem truly distressed about the expectations they labor under, but to be famous and to continue working at the pace that they do seems to be their only mode of being.”

-Here’s the trailer for Love Life season 2. I really liked the first season with Anna Kendrick, and am very much looking forward to this one with William Jackson Harper (The Good Place’s Chidi).

Christopher Nolan’s demands to secure the rights to his next film, a movie about J. Robert Oppenheimer, included total creative control, at least a 100-day theatrical window, around a $100 million budget, equal marketing spend, 20 percent of first-dollar gross, and a blackout period where the studio would not release another movie for three weeks before and after the feature. Look, I don’t begrudge him for trying to get the most control and money possible. But for someone who talks a big game about how streaming is killing theatres, him demanding the studio can’t release another movie within three weeks of his has nothing to do with the health or future of theatres.

-Following the box office success of Shang-Chi, Disney will debut the rest of the movies on its 2021 schedule in theaters only.

David Chase is not happy that his Sopranos prequel is also streaming on HBO Max. “I don’t think, frankly, that I would’ve taken the job if I knew it was going to be a day-and-date release…People should go see it in a theater. It was designed to be a movie. It’s beautiful as a movie. I never thought that it would be back on HBO. Never.” I don’t know that an audience who fell in love with a show on TV is really interested in watching this any place but on TV. Also, the next time a director bemoans their project going to streaming during a pandemic because they care about which medium is displaying their art (which I’m sure is true), they should also be asked if some of their anger is coming from missing out on box office points and backend profits. Which would be understandable! But maybe it’s just not all about the art?

Maria Schrader’s I’m Your Man has been chosen to represent Germany at the Oscars. I saw it this week and I loved it. Who knew Dan Stevens spoke perfect German?

-Here’s a new TV spot for The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson.

Selena Gomez Covers Elle

selena gomez elle cover

-In her new Elle cover story, Selena Gomez opens up about mental illness, lupus, and letting go of social media. I’m very intrigued by her new Hulu show Only Murders in the Building, in which she stars alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short. The reviews are good.

-Also, Hailey Baldwin (who is married to Gomez’s ex Justin Bieber) liked a post about the cover. I appreciate that she knew that would make headlines.

Kanye West has filed to legally change his full name to Ye.

Megan Thee Stallion has reportedly filed legal documents  alleging that her label is blocking the release of new music from her, particularly a remix of BTS‘ global hit “Butter.”

-No surprise here: Disney is hoping to resolve its issues with Scarlett Johansson in private. Disney’s lawyers filed a motion to put the dispute over Black Widow’s profits in private arbitration rather than have a public trial.

-Amid all the hand-wringing about the quality of season 2 of Ted Lasso, this is the most valid complaint I’ve seen: Apple’s weekly rollout is hurting it. (Also, here’s yet another critic alluding to the fact that the season is about to kick into a higher gear…)

-The world is morning Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, who passed away at 80.

-Scheduling conflicts may keep Mayim Bialik from hosting Jeopardy full-time, but she has expressed an interest in the position if she is able to make it work. Of course she has.

-I’m surprised that it’s taken this long for some of her questionable momfluencer advice to surface again.

-I’m very glad to see Brandon Routh leading a new TV show after how it sounds like he was treated on Legends of Tomorrow, and a Netflix series about Magic: The Gathering sounds perfect for him.

-In her second day of testimony, the woman accused R. Kelly of forcing her to have sex with his other girlfriends and another male, and testified that he made her lie to Gayle King.

Jessica Chastain says she spent 4 to 7 hours a day in the makeup chair for The Eyes of Tammy Faye. “I think for sure I’ve done some permanent damage to my skin on this.”

-If Harry Styles launches a nail polish line I will buy every damn shade.

-Buffy alum Nicholas Brendon is in the new again. He was arrested last week and charged with felony prescription fraud.

-This is a great thread of reviews from Asian critics of Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

-Venom: Let There Be Carnage, which was originally supposed to be released in Oct 2020, will likely be delayed again.

Dan Stevens plays a robot in the trailer for the German sci-fi romcom I’m Your Man. Ohhhh, this might be one of my TIFF picks.

-Here’s the very good trailer for Yellowjackets, a new Showtime drama series about a team of talented high school girls soccer players who become the survivors of a plane crash deep in the remote northern wilderness, starring Christina Ricci, Juliette Lewis and Melanie Lynskey.

Margaret Qualley is a single mother fighting for survival in the trailer for Netflix’s Maid. (Her real-life mom Andie MacDowell plays her on-screen mom in the series.)

-Netflix just announced a huge new slate of movies dropping over the next few months. (I’m especially excited for Cowboy Bepop based on the magnificent first photos.)

Melissa McCarthy and Chris O’Dowd play a couple dealing with the loss of a baby who meet ex-shrink Kevin Kline in trailer for The Starling, on Netflix September 24.

-The Spider-Man: No Way Home trailer leaked over the weekend, but it officially debuted at CinemaCon. I’m not as interested in a story about the multi-verse (as someone who always got annoyed by it when the CW superhero shows messed around with alt versions of characters) and I’d prefer if Peter Parker was still fighting a neighborhood badguy like Michael Keaton in Homecoming, but Tom Holland and Zendaya own me, so it’s all good.

Is Emma Roberts Dating Garrett Hedlund?

Emma Roberts and Evan Peters have reportedly called off their engagement — and she’s been spotted looking cozy with Garrett Hedlund.

Pete Davidson joined Kate Beckinsale and her family on the anniversary of her dad’s death. (Sidenote: I’ve been staring at this photo of them for the last five minutes. I just don’t get it.)

-Who’s criticizing Gemma Chan? Let that precious unicorn alone!

-According to Us Weekly, Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman haven’t quite wrapped their heads around the fact that they might actually end up going to prison.

-Ouch! 90% of Ariana Grande’s “7 Rings” royalties are going to the composers of “My Favorite Things.”

-This is a really fascinating deep dive into the writers room on The Good Place.

-When Sophie Turner realized she was on the Jumboton at MSG, she chugged a glass of red wine. Which is both gross and awesome.

-Five years after it first aired Andy Daly revisits the pancakes episode of Review, which might be my favourite half-hour of television ever.

-The Stranger Things season 3 trailer is here. The bit with Steve geeking out with imaginary lightsabers with Dustin in front of the hot girl warmed my heart.

Jordan Peele hid three Corey Feldman Easter eggs in Us.

-Bill & Ted 3 is finally, officially happening. I don’t know how Keanu Reeves is making this haircut work, but he really is.

Mindy Kaling just got a straight-to-series Netflix comedy inspired by her childhood.

Ricky Gervais‘ new Netflix show After Life, about a grieving widower whose suicide attempt is interrupted by a dog, is getting rave reviews.

-Speaking of rave reviews, critics are digging Jann Arden’s six-part series, which debuts tonight.

-Today Disney closed their $71 billion acquisition of Fox entertainment business, one of the biggest media consolidations in Hollywood history. It brings nearly all Marvel heroes and villains under one owner, with the Fox-owned X-Men and Deadpool now in the Disney-controlled MCU. (It’ll be interesting to see if they’ll be able to keep the Deadpool movies profane despite Disney’s squeaky clean rep.) On the TV side, Disney now has a massive TV studio with A-list showrunners like Seth MacFarlane, Lee Daniels and Kurt Sutter.  They also acquired Fox’s 30% stake of Hulu, which now gives Disney a controlling interest of 60%.

-Here’s the first trailer for Quentin Tarantino‘s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. People are going crazy for it, but I’m not sold yet.

-Also, this video on the Easter eggs you may have missed in the film’s poster made me laugh a lot.

-Here’s the first trailer for Lucy in the Sky, starring Natalie Portman, Jon Hamm, Zazie Beetz and Dan Stevens. It’s produced by Reese Witherspoon and is the directorial debut of Legion/Fargo creator Noah Hawley.  So yeah, I’m in.