Lifestyle
Black Panther Director Ryan Coogler Almost Quit Film Making Altogether When Chadwick Boseman Died
2018’s Black Panther defied all expectations and ended up changing into one of many greatest films of not simply the Marvel Cinematic Universe however one of many greatest films of all time. Director Ryan Coogler was praised for his wonderful work on the film, alongside top-notch performances by Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Letitia Wright, and all of the solid and crew concerned.
As quickly because the movie hit cinemas, the sequel for it was virtually instantly give the greenlight, with Ryan Coogler returning within the director’s chair and a lot of the solid reprising their roles.
Nonetheless, tragedy struck in 2020, when Chadwick Boseman, who performed the position of the titular character misplaced his life after an extended battle with Colon Most cancers.
Followers had been distraught and the creators of the film weren’t certain the place to go from that time as audiences had grown so hooked up to Chadwick’s portrayal of the Black Panther that recasting for the position was out of the query.
Nonetheless, it wasn’t simply audiences who had been distraught. Director Ryan Coogler revealed whereas chatting with Leisure Weekly not too long ago that Chadwick Boseman’s demise left him so distraught that he virtually thought-about giving up making films totally.
He defined it within the following phrases:
“I used to be at a degree once I was like, “I am strolling away from this enterprise,” I did not know if I may make one other film interval, [let alone] one other Black Panther film, as a result of it harm quite a bit. I used to be like, “Man, how may I open myself as much as feeling like this once more?” […] I used to be poring over loads of our conversations that we had, in direction of what I noticed was the top of his life. I made a decision that it made extra sense to maintain going.”
Thankfully, Coogler determined to maintain going and now he has talked about on a number of events, that with Black Panther 2, he has aimed to create a movie that not solely honors Chadwick’s legacy however relatively a movie that he is aware of Chadwick would’ve been happy with.
Black Panther: Wakanda Endlessly releases in cinemas on November 11.
Lifestyle
Beautifully acted 'Shardlake' brings 500-year-old Tudor intrigue into the present day
Martin Mlaka/Hulu
We live in discordant times, which may be why the turbulent reign of King Henry VIII has enjoyed a revival over the last few years. We’ve had the gleefully trashy TV series The Tudors, the Tony-winning Broadway musical Six and – at the high end of achievement – Hilary Mantel’s trilogy about Henry’s right-hand-man Thomas Cromwell.
Now comes the new Hulu mystery series Shardlake, based on C.J. Sansom’s first novel in a series about a crime-solving lawyer in 16th-century England. As a rule, I hate historical mysteries and I feared that Shardlake would serve up the Tudor era’s usual cavalcade of castles, codpieces, clopping horses and quasi-Shakespearean lingo – “Prithee, stop, sirrah!” But to my surprise this odd, beautifully acted show pulled me in.
Arthur Hughes stars as Matthew Shardlake, a bitingly intense London barrister known for his brains and for the curved spine that leads the world to undervalue him. One who sees his value is the king’s minister Thomas Cromwell – played by a domineering Sean Bean – a dangerous man who’s busy stripping the assets of the Catholic church and claiming them for the Crown.
As the action begins, Cromwell has just had his envoy murdered in a coastal monastery. He sends Shardlake to find the killer and, in the process, to find evidence of monkish malfeasance that will justify seizing the monastery’s holdings. To keep Shardlake on his toes, he sends along one of his henchmen, brash, impulsive Jack Barak. That’s Anthony Boyle, who plays John Wilkes Booth in the current series Manhunt.
Because the monastery is filled with Catholic monks who hate the Protestant king, things are tricky there from the get-go. Not only do Shardlake and Jack keep being lied to, but the murders are just beginning. As they investigate, they both grow smitten with a servant – played by Ruby Ashbourne Serkis – and they start to develop one of those classic detective story partnerships between a brilliant misfit and an earthier, ordinary guy.
Now, I don’t want to oversell Shardlake. As a historical show, it lacks the sweeping grandeur of Shogun, another period drama that reminds us that Protestants and Catholics were once at each other’s throats. Nor does it approach Mantel’s richly vibrant vision of Henry VIII’s England, with its divisions and hatreds and social climbing.
Yet it has a strong historical atmosphere, especially in showing how Shardlake and Jack find themselves squeezed by powerful forces around them. Both believe they’re doing the right thing in helping Cromwell seize Catholic wealth, thinking it should go to England’s countless poor people. At the same time, they come to realize that, in Cromwell, they’re working for an utterly ruthless politician, one who may have played a key role in setting up Anne Boleyn, whose beheading figures into the plot here.
The show’s finest moments lie in the byplay between its lead actors, played by two of Britain’s rising stars. As the cocky Jack – a lad risen from the streets and terrified of sinking back – Boyle deftly straddles the line between likable and not. You see why he’s been cast to star as a charismatic IRA leader in the upcoming TV adaptation of Patrick Radden Keefe’s book Say Nothing.
Jack’s extroversion pairs nicely with the tightly wound Shardlake, whose smile is almost a wince. Hughes was the first actor with a disability to ever play Richard III for the Royal Shakespeare Company – he was born radial dysplasia affecting his right arm – and he doubtless understands Shardlake’s pride in the face of what some consider his physical imperfection. “I’m known for my gait,” Shardlake says. “It is I, and I embrace it.”
Such self-assertion is profoundly modern, and for all its Tudor trappings, Shardlake is filled with present day resonances – not least in its portrait of Cromwell who claims to speak for the people but actually works on behalf of the elite. “The truth must be what we want it to be,” Cromwell declares, and though Shardlake knows this is un-true, he also knows that saying so can get a man killed.
Lifestyle
Nikki Glaser Stands By Tom Brady Divorce Jokes, Apologizes to Gisele
TMZ.com
Nikki Glaser‘s standing by her Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen divorce jokes … saying she thinks the topic’s fair game at a roast — and joking Gisele actually had it coming.
We caught up with the controversial comedian outside “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in Hollywood Tuesday, and asked her if she thinks Brady’s roast panel hit the divorce jokes a little too hard … which is a feeling many had after each person hammered the topic home.
Netflix
5/5/24
Glaser says she tried not to go too hard on GB … and, she actually hopes the supermodel can forgive her one day if she’s upset … ’cause she says she loves her a ton.
Nikki also cracks a joke here … saying Bündchen actually deserved the roast swipes — because she’s roasted Nikki for years just by existing — with her looks, putting NG to shame.
Netflix
5/5/24
On a more serious note, Nikki says all is fair in love and roasts … but, adds she’s not above apologizing if she runs into Gisele, which it sounds like she might do if they meet face-to-face.
Reports are swirling Gisele’s pissed over all the divorce jokes in Netflix’s “The Roast of Tom Brady” with sources close to her telling People she found the portrayal of her family issues disrespectful … while TB12 seemingly took all the jokes in stride.
The Howard Stern Show / Sirius XM
Nikki revealed the roast’s limits on an episode of Howard Stern‘s show Monday, explaining only Brady’s children were above the mudslinging … and they were ultimately spared.
Basically, Nikki’s cool with all the divorce jokes … and, it seems she’s just hoping Gisele will come around too.
Lifestyle
The Eurovision Song Contest kicked off with pop and protests
Martin Meissner/AP
MALMO, Sweden — Competition in the 68th Eurovision Song Contest kicked off Tuesday in Sweden, with the war in Gaza casting a shadow over the sequin-spangled pop extravaganza.
Performers representing countries across Europe and beyond took the stage in the first of two semifinals in the Swedish city of Malmo. It and a second semifinal on Thursday will winnow a field of 37 nations to 26 who will compete in Saturday’s final against a backdrop of both parties and protests.
Martin Meissner/AP
Ten of the 15 acts performing Tuesday were voted through to the final by viewers. They include Croatian singer-songwriter Baby Lasagna, whose infectious electro number “Rim Tim Tagi Dim” is the current favorite to win, and Ukrainian duo alyona alyona and Jerry Heil, flying the flag for their war-battered nation with the anthemic “Teresa & Maria.”
Also making the cut were goth-style Irish singer Bambie Thug, 1990s-loving Finnish prankster Windows95man and Portuguese crooner Iolanda. Iceland, Azerbaijan, Poland, Moldova and Australia were eliminated.
Other bookmakers’ favorites who will perform Thursday include nonbinary Swiss singer Nemo, Italian TikTok star Angelina Mango and the Netherlands’ Joost Klein with his playful pop-rap song “Europapa.”
Martin Meissner/AP
Anti-war demonstrations become the backdrop
Security is tight in the Swedish city, which expects an influx of some 100,000 Eurovision fans, along with tens of thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters. Israel is a Eurovision participant, and demonstrations are planned on Thursday and Saturday against the Israel-Hamas war, which has left almost 35,000 Palestinians dead.
Israel’s government warned its citizens of a “tangible concern” Israelis could be targeted for attack in Malmo during the contest.
Organizers told Israel to change the lyrics of its entry, originally titled “October Rain” in apparent reference to Hamas’ cross-border Oct. 7 attack that killed some 1,200 Israelis and triggered the war. The song was renamed “Hurricane” and Israeli singer Eden Golan was allowed to remain in the contest.
Jean Philip De Tender, deputy director-general of Eurovision organizer the European Broadcasting Union, told Sky News that banning Israel “would have been a political decision, and as such (one) which we cannot take.”
Police from across Sweden have been drafted in for Eurovision week, along with reinforcements from neighboring Denmark and Norway.
Sweden’s official terrorism threat level remains “high,” the second-highest rung on a five-point scale, after a string of public desecrations of the Quran last year sparked angry demonstrations across Muslim countries and threats from militant groups. The desecrations were not related to the music event.
Eurovision’s motto is “United by Music,” but national rifts and political divisions often cloud the contest despite organizers’ efforts to keep politics out.
Flags and signs are banned, apart from participants’ national flags and the rainbow pride flag. That means Palestinian flags will be barred inside the Malmo Arena contest venue.
Some musicians seem determined to make a point. Eric Saade, a former Swedish Eurovision contestant who performed as part of Tuesday’s show, had a keffiyeh, a headscarf associated with the Palestinian cause, tied around his wrist as he sang.
Afterwards, organizers said in a statement that “we regret that Eric Saade chose to compromise the non-political nature of the event.”
Performers are feeling political pressure, with some saying they have been inundated with messages on social media urging them to boycott the event.
“I am being accused, if I don’t boycott Eurovision, of being an accomplice to genocide in Gaza,” Germany’s contestant, Isaak, said in an interview published by broadcaster ZDF. He said he did not agree.
“We are meeting up to make music, and when we start shutting people out categorically, there will be fewer and fewer of us,” he said. “At some point there won’t be an event anymore.”
Martin Meissner/AP
One person who knows how Eurovision unity can collide with bitter reality is singer Manizha Sangin, who represented Russia at the contest in 2021. The country was expelled the following year over its invasion of Ukraine.
Manizha, who performs under her first name, spoke out against the war. As a result, her performances were canceled in Russia and her music banned from public spaces. The singer remains in Russia but has found it all but impossible to work.
“People are afraid to work with me here because they’re afraid to have consequences after, problems after that,” she said.
Despite the difficulties, Manizha has recorded a single, “Candlelight,” which she is releasing on Wednesday as “a message of hope.”
“Music cannot stop war,” she said. But “what music can do is inspire people.”
Manizha thinks Russia will one day return to the Eurovision fold – but not soon.
“Maybe next generation,” she said. “But for now, relationships are too complicated. And then that makes me sad, you know, because that’s why people are not hearing each other. Because we are separated from each other. And the thing, is music should unite.”
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