Posts Tagged: movie news

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Kanye West Confirms Dr. Dre’s Version of ‘Jesus Is King’, Lands 10-Year Partnership with GAP

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Kanye West confirmed a new follow-up to his critically acclaimed album "Jesus is King" with Dr. Dre is coming soon.

The news came in the form of a tweet in which Kanye announced his 10-year partnership with GAP clothing.

Kanye listed all the projects he has upcoming, including the GAP deal, a highly anticipated sequel to Ye's 2019 album, Jesus Is King, in collaboration with super producer Dr. Dre, and an animated cartoon series.

Kanye also confirmed his film Jesus Is King, released in IMAX theaters last October, will be released on Apple Music soon.

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If that's not enough, Kanye also has an animated Kids See Ghosts series with rapper Kid Cudi, who shared a teaser trailer for the series, directed by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.

Additionally, Kanye teamed up with cinematographer Arthur Jafa for the music video for a song titled "Wash Us in the Blood."

 

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Queen Latifah Slams ‘Gone With the Wind’, Don’t Celebrate GWTW Because of Hattie McDaniel’s Oscar Win

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Queen Latifah is no fan of movie classic Gone With the Wind. The rapper-turned-actress disagreed with the decision by HBO Max bosses to reinstate Gone With the Wind following a massive backlash.

HBO removed Gone With the Wind from its movie lineup earlier this month following weeks of Black Lives Matter protests and unrest around the country.

But many criticized the streaming giant's decision to ban the classic 1939 film that depicted the horrors of the Civil War.

Filmmaker Spike Lee urged HBO Max bosses to reconsider and now the film will return to the site's lineup with an introduction from Jacqueline Stewart, a Black Cinema and Media Studies professor at the University of Chicago in Illinois.

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But Latifah, who portrayed Gone With the Wind star Hattie McDaniel in Ryan Murphy's Netflix hit Hollywood, feels viewers should also be educated on the racial prejudice McDaniel endured, even as she made history for winning the Academy Award.

"They didn't even let her in the theater until right before she got that award. Someone came outside and brought her into the auditorium. She wasn't even allowed to sit in there.

"And then she had to read a speech that was written by a studio. You know that's not what the hell she wanted to say... Then after that, all she could do was play the same kinds of roles..., so the opportunities at that time and the way that those in power in that business were relegating us and marginalizing us and not allowing us to grow and thrive after that was just terrible. And a lot of that is still around today."

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‘Contagion’ Tops Pay-Per-View Movie Charts in the U.S.

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The disaster movie Contagion beat The Ten Commandments to the top of the FandangoNow top 10 film countdown list this week.

Director Steven Soderbergh's 2011 hit movie Contagion is still topping pay-per-view movie charts in the U.S. as film fans try to make sense of the coronavirus pandemic.

The film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne and Kate Winslet, has led FandangoNow's Top 10 Catalog Films countdown for the past two weeks and now tops beloved religious classic The Ten Commandments, which movie goers are paying to rent and buy on the streaming platform with Easter approaching.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is America's third most-watched non-new-release movie this week, ahead of Trolls and Harry Potter & the Sorcerer's Stone.

Shrek, Selena, Home, Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets, and Spider-Man: Homecoming complete the top 10.

Meanwhile, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's Bad Boys sequel has ended The Invisible Man's reign at the top of FandangoNow's overall video-on-demand service.

Americans on lockdown raced to view Bad Boys For Life over the weekend, giving the action comedy the edge over another new release, Sonic The Hedgehog.

Source: WENN.com

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Rapper T.I. added to cast of Aretha Franklin TV series

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Rapper/actor Tip "T.I." Harris has been added to the cast of an upcoming Aretha Franklin TV project, Genius: Aretha. The "ASAP" hitmaker portrays Franklin's one-time lover, fashion designer Ken Cunningham.

Actress Cynthia Erivo will star as the late music icon in Genius: Aretha, an authorized limited TV series that chronicles the life and legacy of the late Queen of Soul.

Although production was halted earlier this month due to the global coronavirus chaos, show officials have unveiled new cast additions.

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Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

T.I., 39, will play socially-conscious New York entrepreneur Cunningham, who approaches Aretha to invest in his fashion business, and ends up embarking on a relationship with the singer.

Cunningham eventually became the singer's road manager, and fathered her youngest son, Kecalf Cunningham, who was born in April, 1970.

Notorious star Antonique Smith and acting newcomers Tina Fears and Ethan Henry have also been added to the line-up, with Henry set to portray civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.

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The news was released to coincide with what would have been Aretha's 78th birthday on Wednesday, March 25.

Producers at National Geographic Network marked the occasion by releasing a new image of Erivo as the "Respect" legend.

Genius: Aretha, which also stars Courtney B. Vance as the musician's father, Rev. C.L. Franklin, was due to premiere this spring, but will now launch at a later date.

The TV series isn't the only screen project about Aretha in the works - Jennifer Hudson is also playing Franklin in a new movie biopic, titled Respect, which is set to debut this Christmas.

The biopic was pushed back from its previously-announced October opening, according to Deadline.

Source: WENN.com

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Disney Plus debuts ‘Elephant’ featuring narration by Meghan Markle

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Here's a story to take your mind off the coronavirus: Disney Plus released the trailer for "Elephant", narrated by Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex.

The film follows one family of elephants as they make an extraordinary journey across the Kalahari Desert in Africa - an adventure that will change their lives.

The trailer does not feature Meghan's narration, but we all know what she sounds like.

Photo: Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images

Meghan and Harry begged Disney chairman Bob Iger to give her a voiceover gig when they met him during the London premiere of the Lion King in July.

Their less than royal behavior was an embarrassment to the royal family and is partly the reason the former royal couple decided to step back from their royal duties to seek fame and fortune on their own.

"Elephant" streams April 3rd on Disney Plus.
 

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Jordan Peele releases gory first trailer for ‘Candyman’

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Jordan Peele released the gory first trailer for his thriller 'Candyman'. The MGM/Universal Pictures remake was released on Thursday and tells the story of an artist fixated on finding a mysterious hook-handed killer, who appears when his name is repeated 5 times.

Jordan's version of Candyman is set in 1992 in Chicago's notorious Cabrini-Green housing projects. The last of the buildings that comprised Cabrini-Green Homes was demolished in March 2011.

The area where the projects once stood is now a landscape of gleaming high-rise buildings and upscale townhouses on the gentrified Near North Side of Chicago.

According to urban legend, "Candyman" is summoned when anyone repeats his name 5 times in a mirror.

"The urban legend is, if you say his name five times while looking in the mirror, he appears in the reflection and it kills you," says Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who plays artist Anthony McCoy.

Candyman's murderous rampage begins when a group of girls says his name five times in a mirror and are promptly murdered.

McCoy becomes obsessed with finding out if the Candyman is real. He takes photos around the old Cabrini-Green neighborhood, basing his art exhibit on the elusive slasher, as bodies begin piling up.
 

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Taraji P. Henson remembers Katherine Johnson, NASA mathematician she portrayed in ‘Hidden Figures,’ who died at age 101

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Katherine Johnson, the NASA space scientist and mathematician who's calculations helped send astronauts into space, passed away of natural causes at age 101.

Johnson's groundbreaking career played a key role in the historic Apollo 11 moon landing.

The space pioneer's death was announced by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Monday, Feb. 24.

"We're saddened by the passing of celebrated #HiddenFigures mathematician Katherine Johnson," the statement read. "Today, we celebrate her 101 years of life and honor her legacy of excellence that broke down racial and social barriers."

Actress Taraji P. Henson penned a heartfelt tribute to the NASA scientist she portrayed in the Oscar nominated 2016 movie Hidden Figures.

Henson, 49, took to Instagram on Monday to share an image of Johnson alongside a touching dedication.

"Thank you QUEEN #KatherineJohnson for sharing your intelligence, poise, grace and beauty with the world!" she wrote.

"Because of your hard work little girls EVERYWHERE can dream as big as the MOON!!! Your legacy will live on FORVER AND EVER!!! You ran so we could fly!!! I will forever be honored to have been a part of bringing your story to life.

"You/your story was hidden and thank GOD you are #hiddennomore God bless your beautiful family. I am so honored to have sat and broke bread with you all. My thoughts and prayers are with you! #RIHKatherineJohnson #representationmatters."

Source: WENN.com

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R.I.P: Actress Esther Scott, Dead at 66

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Esther Scott, who appeared in the coming of age film Boyz N the Hood, died in Los Angeles after suffering a heart attack at her Santa Monica home. She was 66.

Scott's representative conformed her death in a statement on Tuesday. Scott appeared in 73 films and TV shows including Beverly Hills 90210, Full House, Sister Sister, The Steve Harvey Show and Party of Five.

Scott is best known for playing the grandmother of Tisha in Boyz N the Hood. She was also a character actress in the movies You Got Served (2004), Dreamgirls (2006), Transformers (2007) and The Birth of a Nation (2016).

"She loved the work she did," a family rep told PEOPLE. "She loved her fans. She was always humbled and honored when her fans acknowledged and recognized her. She'll be missed."

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Issa Rae: ‘There are people who don’t procreate with white people’

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Issa Rae wants to showcase romances that don't "center on whiteness" in her upcoming movies. The actress currently stars in two romantic movies with Black leading men this year.

The Los Angeles native stars in The Photograph, a drama with Lakeith Stanfield, and The Lovebirds, a romantic comedy with Kumail Nanjiani as her leading man.

Photo by Nicky Nelson/WENN.com

Speaking to Variety, the 35-year-old said her movies are important because they show Black relationships that are often excluded from Hollywood films, while interracial relationships are pushed to the forefront.

"Every time there's an interracial romance, it feels like it centers on whiteness, and it doesn't have to," she said. "Just so you know, there are people who don't procreate with just white people."

Reflecting on the issue of diversity in Hollywood, after vocalizing her disappointment that the 2020 Oscars nominations were white and male, she added she hopes to see a change in the near future.

Photo by Adriana M. Barraza/WENN.com

"I don't feel like it's up to me to answer those questions. Like, I'm doing the work. I'm out here. I'm employing who I need to employ, I'm telling the stories that I need to tell," she said. "Those questions need to be asked to the powers-that-be. It needs to be asked to the white people who run this industry."

Issa added: "Hopefully, something will be done... I think it's easy to be like, '(clapping) I'm so glad he said something. Next. Let's go get tacos.'"

Rae, who is rumored to be a discreet lesbian, made Glamour Magazine's "35 Under 35" list in 2013 and the Forbes "30 Under 30" list in both 2013 and 2014.

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Lupita Nyong’o Pays Tribute to 15-Year-Old ‘Queen of Katwe’ Co-Star Nikita Pearl Waliga

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Lupita Nyong'o paid tribute to her "Queen of Katwe" co-star Nikita Pearl Waliga in a touching Instagram post on Sunday, following the announcement of the 15-year-old's tragic death from brain cancer.

The teenager died at TMR International Hospital in the Ugandan capital of Kampala on Saturday, according to a Twitter announcement from the school in Uganda where she was a student.

Waliga was first diagnosed with a brain tumor in 2016 and, after radiation therapy, she was told she was cancer-free a year later. However, another tumor was detected in 2019, WENN.com reports.

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Nikita (right) was best known for her only starring role in Queen of Katwe as Gloria, a friend of Ugandan chess prodigy Phiona Mutesi (played by Madina Nalwanga). The film also starred David Oyelowo and Lupita, who played Mutesi's mother in the Disney film.

Sharing a snap of Nikita from the movie, Lupita wrote:

"It is with great sadness that I post about the passing of Nikita Waligwa, the sweet, warm, talented girl whom I worked with on the film, Queen Of Katwe. She played Gloria with such vibrancy. In her real life she had the enormous challenge of battling brain cancer.

"My thoughts and prayers are with her family and community as they come to terms with having to say goodbye so soon. May she truly rest in piece [sic]. May it be well with her soul."

 

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R.I.P: Dancer, Choreographer, Actress Paula Kelly Dead at 76

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Character actress, singer, dancer and choreographer Paula Kelly died of natural causes on Sunday, February 9, at age 76, according to Broadway World.

Kelly made her Broadway debut in the 1964 musical Something More! She worked with other artists and choreographed numerous television specials, including Sammy and Friends (starring Sammy Davis Jr.).

Kelly performed a dance solo at the 41st Annual Academy Awards in 1968. She also won the London Variety Award for Best Supporting Actress in the London stage play Sweet Charity with dancer and actress Juliet Prowse.

Kelly's film credits include Trouble Man; Uptown Saturday Night (with Bill Cosby and Sidney Poitier); Soylent Green (with Charlton Heston); Andromeda Strain; Jo Jo dancer, Your Life is Calling (with Richard Pryor); and Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored, among other films.

Her TV credits included Sanford and Son; The Carol Burnett Show; Kojak; Good Times; and The Richard Pryor Show. She also played a voodoo priestess/housekeeper in an episode of The Golden Girls.

Kelly was nominated for an EMMY Award for her recurring role as Liz Williams on the first season of the TV sitcom Night Court.

Kelly was married to TV director Don Chaffey (Charlie's Angels). They had one child together before he died of a heart attack in 1990.
 

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RIP: Movie Legend Kirk Douglas Dead at 103

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Acting legend Kirk Douglas died from natural causes at his Hollywood home on Wednesday, Feb. 5.

Son Michael Douglas announced the passing of the 'Spartacus' star in a statement, which reads: "It is with tremendous sadness that my brothers and I announce that Kirk Douglas left us today at the age of 103.

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"To the world, he was a legend, an actor from the golden age of movies who lived well into his golden years, a humanitarian whose commitment to justice and the causes he believed in set a standard of us all to aspire to... but to me and my brothers, Joel and Peter, he was simply dad, to Catherine, a wonderful father-in-law, to his grandchildren and great grandchildren, their loving grandfather, and to his wife Anne, a wonderful husband."

According to WENN.com, New York-born Kirk, real name Issur Danielovitch, started his acting career onstage in New York in 1940 before he enlisted in the U.S. Navy.

Following service in World War II, the son of Russian emigrants returned to the theater and then found fame on the big screen.

He was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in 1959 for his role in Champion and went on to become one of the most revered Hollywood icons of the 1960s and 1970s.

Douglas survived a helicopter crash in 1991 and a stroke in 1996. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1981 and was also honored with France's top award, the Chevalier of the Legion of Honor.

Considered one of the greatest movie stars of all time, Kirk was nominated for three Oscar awards but he never won.

He was finally presented with an honorary Oscar in 1995, a year before suffering a stroke.

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PICS: Stars Attend Hollywood Premiere of ‘Bad Boys for Life’

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Will Smith (left) and Martin Lawrence pose for photos at the Hollywood Premiere of their film Bad Boys for Life, held at The TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, California on Tuesday, Jan. 14. Bad Boys for Life opens everywhere on Jan. 17.
 

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Actors Vivica A. Fox (left) and LisaRaye dined together at Mr. Chow in Beverly Hills after attending the Hollywood Premiere of Bad Boys for Life, held at The TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, CA on Tuesday, Jan. 14.
 

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Martin, 54, posed with his fiancée Roberta Moradfar (center) and his daughters: (L-R) Jasmine Page Lawrence, Amara Trinity Lawrence and Iyanna Faith Lawrence at the Hollywood Premiere of Bad Boys for Life.

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Jamie Foxx Calls Into Ryan Cameron’s Cameron Uncensored

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One of the most anticipated movies for the new year is Just Mercy, starring award-winning actor Jamie Foxx, Michael B. Jordan and Brie Larson. Just Mercy is about a lawyer who works tirelessly to win freedom for Black prisoners on death row.

Jamie is pictured far right partying with Majic 107.5/97.5 FM radio host Ryan Cameron (far left), singer Tank, 2nd from left, Kenny Burns, 2nd from right, at Compound nightclub in Atlanta in 2010.

Ryan spoke with Jamie Foxx about his new film, Just Mercy, his children now becoming stars in their own right, his new projects, and returning to the stage as a standup comedian.

Listen to the full interview below.
 

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Former James Bond actor says a woman can play Bond because men are “less masculine” today

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Former James Bond actor George Lazenby says the James Bond franchise has to change because today's men are "less masculine" than they were in his day.

Lazenby played manly agent 007 James Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service. He offered his opinion on actress Lashana Lynch taking over as fictitious agent 007 after actor Daniel Craig plays his fifth and final role as Bond in No Time to Die.

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Lynch plays a British agent who takes over Bond's assignments when he retires from active service in No Time to Die.

The news that a woman is stepping into Craig's macho shoes does not sit well with Bond fans.

But Lazenby accepts a woman playing Bond. He said today's men are less masculine now than they were back when he was Bond.

"Men haven't got the balls they had 50 years ago," the 80-year-old told London's Daily Mail.

"When I was born my mother had to get permission to speak. And now the men have to [get permission to speak]. It's a different time. And, well, the movies have to show that."

He added: "You just have to look at the newscast. 75 percent of the people are women and before it was ten percent, so women have taken over. I don't say that as a bad thing, but it's different."