Charles Bramesco
‘Star Wars’ Theme Park Coming to a Galaxy Far Away (Orlando) in 2019
Just as the nation’s mushroom-takers have begun to hit up their connections in preparation for this May’s opening of the lush, psychedelic new amusement park Pandora — The World of AVATAR, yet another attraction has appeared on the horizon. At present, Star Wars superfans can immerse themselves in the fantasy universe with the series of films, novels, spin-off films, animated television programs, various board games, and Disneyland’s popular Star Tours ride. But some diehards demand more, a fuller and more transportive experience. And Disney CEO Bob Iger has some great news for them. (And less-great news for everyone else.)
‘Batman v Superman,’ ‘Zoolander 2’ Dominate Razzie Nominations
As is tradition, the night before the Oscar ceremony takes place, the 37th Annual Golden Raspberry Awards will descend on Los Angeles to commemorate the worst that Hollywood had to offer in 2016. A mean-spirited diss-fest in the estimation of some, a good-natured ribbing to others, the so-called Razzies are twice as unpredictable and ten times as frank as the usual awards program. The expected categories of Worst Picture, Worst Director and Worst Actor/Actress share space with the distinctions of Worst Screen Combo and Worst Prequel, Remake, Ripoff, or Sequel at the ignominious ceremony. Some celebrities take the jokes in stride (Sandra Bullock famously showed up to receive her Worst Actress Razzie for All About Steve the day before she dropped by the Oscars to pick up her Best Actress prize for The Blind Side), but the program goes widely ignored by the industry overall.
Hear Mark Hamill Make Trump Tweets Slightly More Villainous as the Joker
The most widely recognized iterations of Batman’s constant foe the Joker would probably have to be Heath Ledger as the unchained mad-dog of The Dark Knight, Jack Nicholson as an urbane creep in Tim Burton’s 1989 film, and to a lesser extent, Cesar Romero’s campy turn in the goofy TV series from the ’60s. But Mark Hamill logged more hours as the Clown Prince of Crime than the rest of them put together, voicing the Joker in the long-running animated series and its many spin-offs. The man with the greatest claim to the Joker persona dusted off his special crazy-voice this week for a more pointedly political purpose than the usual cocktail-party entertainment.
George Lucas Bringing His Museum (And Rare ‘Star Wars’ Art) to L.A.
When you have as much money as George Lucas has (a number we common peasants can scarcely imagine, a secret number, known only to those of the one percent’s one percent), simple luxury begins to lose its luster. You can only pay so many Ukrainian models to hand-feed you grapes and gently fan you with palm fronds before it all gets a little tired, at which point a person starts looking for more meaningful ways to spend their money. Philanthropy was born from this impulse, and branding-obsessed Lucas has found the perfect act of humanitarianism that also befits his planet-sized ego: founding a museum in which his creations of Star Wars can be displayed for all the world, and then slapping his name on it.
‘Lion King,’ ‘Princess Bride,’ More Added to the National Film Registry
The one good thing that the United States Congress has ever done was pass the National Film Preservation Act in 1988, establishing a National Film Registry in the Library of Congress wherein moving pictures deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” can be securely preserved. The National Film Preservation Board can induct up to 25 new entries into the archives each year, and today Deadline brings the news of which movies will effectively achieve immortality as the Class of 2016. Lots of enduring, worthy works have made the cut, though it is with a solemn heart that I must once again report the egregious continued snub of Pauly Shore comedy vehicle Bio-Dome.
Will Ferrell to Star as Ronald Reagan in Satirical Biopic
As a President and as a man, Ronald Reagan has a complex and divisive legacy. To modern-day conservatives, his sweeping return of power to the free market and decentralization of federal influence was tantamount to an act of God; to his detractors, Reagan’s the guy who waged a racist “War on Drugs” and may or may not have approved the governmental manufacturing of crack-cocaine, the guy who allowe
Screen Gems Remaking 1971 Mia Farrow Horror Classic ‘See No Evil’
Every little daily task is substantially more difficult for a blind person: selecting clothes for the day, traveling from one place to the next, solving the grisly slaughter of all your relatives. That last one is more specific to Sarah Rexton, the heroine that Mia Farrow portrayed in the 1971 horror-thriller See No Evil...
The Hunt for Kate Moss Is Afoot in ‘Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie’ Trailer
Like an enjoyable version of Entourage, the cult-beloved Britcom Absolutely Fabulous took an acidic, satirical eye to the world of celebrity and fame. A pair of aging PR agents with delusions of life of the A-list cut a calamitous swath through thirty-nine episodes of booze-and-drug-fueled hijinks in the early ’90s, and now the nostalgia factor has reunited creator/star Jennifer Saunders with her co-star Joanna Lumley for a feature-length movie. It turns out ten years’ worth of aging has only made the actresses and their characters more hilariously tragic, their futile attempts to muscle into exclusive soirees and land new clients twice as disastrous.
Comcast Negotiating DreamWorks Animation Buyout for Over $3 Billion
The adult version of realizing Santa Claus is not real is the revelation that pretty much everything on Earth is owned by one of a small handful of multinational conglomerates. Trace the corporate parentage of any major entertainment enterprise back far enough, and unless it travels the rocky road of independent operation, it’ll inevitably lead to one of six megastudios...
Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally Power Duo to Star in ‘Infinity Baby’
Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally: greatest celebrity couple, or the best celebrity couple? The comedic character actors have been married since 2003, and as anyone who has seen Parks and Recreation can attest, they have an explosive onscreen chemistry...