Pages

Monday, April 29, 2019

‘Boyz n the Hood’ Director John Singleton Dies at 51





‘Boyz n the Hood’ Director John Singleton Dies at 51



John Singleton, writer-director of “Boyz n the Hood” and industry pioneer, who was the first African American to earn an Oscar nomination for best director, has died. He was 51. 
Singleton suffered a stroke after experiencing weakness in his legs, and was admitted to the hospital on April 17. He was taken off life support Monday and died a few hours later at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.

His family issued a statement, saying: “We are sad to relay that John Singleton has died. John passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family and friends. We want to thank the amazing doctors at Cedars-Sinai Hospital for their expert care and kindness and we again want thank all of John’s fans, friends and colleagues for all of the love and support they showed him during this difficult time.” — The Singleton Family.

He grew up in South-Central Los Angeles, which became the setting for much of his work as a writer and director. He attended USC film school and turned his student thesis into the screenplay for 1991’s landmark “Boyz n the Hood.”

Fresh out of college with no credits under his belt, Singleton boldly insisted he direct the movie when Columbia Pictures approached him about optioning the “Boyz” screenplay. “I wasn’t going to have somebody from Idaho or Encino [Los Angeles] direct this movie,” he recounted at a 25th anniversary screening.

“Boyz n the Hood” starred Ice Cube and Cuba Gooding Jr., in a raw look at life for African-American youths in communities torn apart by drugs and violence. The movie earned Oscar nominations for Singleton for original screenplay and for directing. In addition to being the first black director to land an Academy Award nom, he was also the youngest person to nab a directing mention, at the age of 24.
“As the movie was going along, I was learning how to direct,” Singleton explained at the anniversary screening. “As it becomes more intense and comes on to the third act, the camera work is more and more fluid, because I’m getting better and better — and taking more chances.”

Roger Ebert wrote on its release, “By the end of ‘Boyz n the Hood,’ I realized I had seen not simply a brilliant directorial debut, but an American film of enormous importance.”

He then moved into music videos, directing Michael Jackson’s “Remember the Time” with Eddie Murphy, Iman and Magic Johnson.

Singleton went on to direct such films as “Poetic Justice” (1993), “Higher Learning” (1995), a remake of “Shaft” (2000) and the second installment of the “Fast and Furious” franchise, 2003’s “2 Fast 2 Furious.”

Singleton, who had said he was profoundly affected by the death of Tupac Shakur, had signed on to direct the “All Eyez on Me” Tupac biopic, but left the project due to creative differences.

He was vocal about Hollywood’s poor track record in recruiting black filmmakers to tell black stories. At a Hollywood Masters talk at Loyola Marymount University, Singleton said, “If you’re doing a story that is African-American-themed, you have to have black people on that can give you advice that are not insecure — they are not just there to show their damn face. That actually can challenge and listen and say, ‘Maybe you should think about this,’ in the development process. That kind of thing.”

As a producer, he shepherded films including Craig Brewer’s “Hustle & Flow” and “Illegal Tender.”
“There’s hardly any precedent for a guy like me to have the career that I’ve had,” Singleton told Variety in 2017. “Because I grew up the way I grew up, I’m an in-your-face kind of guy. I developed that as a defense mechanism to survive in the streets. I do that in Hollywood in the service of my passion.”

Singleton turned his attention to working in TV in recent years as his filmmaking opportunities became narrower and less interesting to him. He earned an Emmy nomination for directing the powerful “The Race Card” episode of FX’s 2016 miniseries “The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.”
“I got them in a room. I said, ‘It’s an L.A. story. I’m from L.A. I met O.J. I gotta be part of this,’” Singleton said. “I said, ‘You guys gotta get this right. You have to have a real black perspective on this — you can’t just whitewash it.’”

Singleton left the room with a commitment that led to his directing the episode “The Race Card,” an unflinching look at the racial politics in play during Mark Fuhrman’s testimony and the defense team’s “redecorating” of Simpson’s Brentwood home for the jury’s visit. That episode of the much-lauded series landed Singleton nominations for an Emmy and Directors Guild Award.

The following year he launched two drama series, BET’s “Rebel” and FX’s “Snowfall.” “Rebel,” which revolved around a savvy female detective, lasted one season. “Snowfall,” which examines the rise of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles in the early 1980s, has been renewed for a third season to air in 2019.
He also directed episodes of “Billions” and “Empire.”

Singleton is survived by five children.


Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Ken Kercheval, Cliff Barnes on ‘Dallas,’ Dies at 83



Ken Kercheval, Cliff Barnes on ‘Dallas,’ Dies at 83


Ken Kercheval, who played oil tycoon Cliff Barnes, the rival of Larry Hagman’s J.R. Ewing on “Dallas,” has died. He was 83.

A spokeswoman at Frist Funeral Home in Kercheval’s hometown of Clinton, Ind., confirmed his death on Wednesday to Variety, but did not provide additional information.

Kercheval and Hagman were the only two stars who appeared on CBS’ soap opera “Dallas” for its entire 14-season run between 1978 to 1991. Kercheval was a recurring character for the first two seasons, but was then upped to a regular in the 1979-1980 season. He reprised his role in the 1996 “Dallas” reunion, the 2004 CBS reunion special and the 2012-2014 TNT revival. He was among five series stars who directed episodes, taking the helm for two episodes for Seasons 13-14.

When “Dallas” viewers asked him when Cliff was “finally going to get J.R.,” Kercheval always answered: “This Friday night!”

In the 1960s, Kercheval appeared on Broadway in Mike Nichols’ “The Apple Tree” and Harold Prince’s “Cabaret.” He also had roles in films like “Pretty Poison,” “Rabbit Run” and Sidney Lumet’s “Network” and “F.I.S.T.” Kercheval’s small-screen career was prolific, with appearances on “Search for Tomorrow” in the ’60s and early ’70s, “CHiPs,” “The Love Boat,” “Murder, She Wrote,” “ER” and more.

Kercheval was born on July 15, 1935, in Wolcottville, Ind., and raised nearby in Clinton. He attended the Indiana University to major in music and drama, and later studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse in New York with Sanford Meisner.
A heavy smoker, Kercheval had part of his lung removed in 1994 after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.






Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Darcey Bussell has decided to step down as judge from Strictly Come Dancing



Breaking News: 
After seven incredible series, Dame Darcey Bussell has decided to step down as judge from Strictly





The Lion King Official Trailer 10 April 2019



The Lion King Official Trailer 10 April 2019

The Lion King” roars into theaters on July 19, 2019

Published on 10 Apr 2019
Disney's The Lion King opens in theaters July 19, 2019. Watch the new trailer now.

Director Jon Favreau’s all-new “The Lion King” journeys to the African savanna where a future king is born. Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.

The all-star cast includes Donald Glover as Simba, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter as Nala, James Earl Jones as Mufasa, Chiwetel Ejiofor as Scar, Seth Rogen as Pumbaa and Billy Eichner as Timon.

Utilizing pioneering filmmaking techniques to bring treasured characters to life in a whole new way, Disney’s “The Lion King” roars into theaters on July 19, 2019.

Facebook:



Hashtag: #TheLionKing



Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Grease Prequel Summer Loving In Development At Paramount



Grease Prequel Summer Loving In Development At Paramount





Deadline has confirmed that Aladdin screenwriter John August is writing a prequel to Paramount’s 1978 musical Grease.
The movie will take it's jumping off point from the song "Summer Nights" and focus on the fling that John Travolta and Olivia Newton John's high school characters Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson.
The original 1978 Grease soundtrack has sold over 38M copies worldwide. There was a sequel to the film in 1982 starring Michelle Pfeiffer and it tanked at the time making just over $15M at the domestic box office.






The Addams Family - Official Teaser Trailer (Universal Pictures)



The Addams Family - Official Teaser Trailer (Universal Pictures) HD




Published on 9 Apr 2019

Coming soon to cinemas. Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheAddamsFamilyMovieUK/

Genre: Animation

Cast:
Oscar Isaac as Gomez Addams, Morticia’s husband

Charlize Theron as Morticia Addams, Gomez’s wife

Chloë Grace Moretz as Wednesday Addams, Gomez and Morticia’s daughter

Finn Wolfhard as Pugsley Addams, Gomez and Morticia’s son



Allison Janney as Margaux Needler, a reality-TV host

Elsie Fisher as Parker Needler, Margaux’s daughter

Aimee Garcia as Denise


Karen Gillan as Abigail Addams

Beck Bennett as Mortimer Addams


Sarah Paulson as Aunt Goomba



Director: Conrad Vernon and Greg Tiernan

Producers: Gail Berman, Alex Schwartz Executive Producer: Andrew Mittman Get ready to click your fingers!


The Addams Family is back on the big screen in the first animated comedy about the kookiest family on the block. Funny, outlandish, and completely iconic, the Addams Family redefines what it means to be a good neighbour.




Monday, April 8, 2019

Academy Award winner RUTH E CARTER is doing preliminary fitting for Coming to America 2



COMING TO AMERICA 2

It’s official! Academy Award winner RUTH E CARTER is doing preliminary fitting for Coming to America 2 with Prince Akeem ( Eddie Murphy ) and Semmi ( Arsenio Hall )

The sequel to Coming to America is set for 2020 release!


[Photo Credit: Ruth E Carter https://twitter.com/iamRuthECarter/status/1115293280554459136 ]


Here are updated photos of some of the cast now and then