Who’s here to take on all your bio-exorcism needs? Who’s ready to raise hell at any given opportunity? Who’s partial to a bit of Harry Belafonte-soundtracked spectral activity? Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Yes, the black-and-white-striped ghoul has officially been summoned – and not only is he heading back to the big screen, he’s living it large on the cover of Empire too. This summer, Beetlejuice finally returns in the long-awaited, brilliantly-titled Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – with filmmaker Tim Burton back behind the camera, Michael Keaton revving it up in the title role once more, and the legendary Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara now joined by Wednesday star Jenna Ortega. Buckle up: the ghost with the most is back.
This month’s issue of Empire takes a world-exclusive deep-dive into the making of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – going on set with Burton to get the inside scoop on a sequel several decades in the making,...
This month’s issue of Empire takes a world-exclusive deep-dive into the making of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – going on set with Burton to get the inside scoop on a sequel several decades in the making,...
- 5/30/2024
- by Ben Travis
- Empire - Movies
The ghost with the most is back in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Here’s the full trailer for the Tim Burton-directed sequel, starring Michael Keaton.
After a brief teaser trailer in March, Warner Bros. has now released a full trailer for thei upcoming sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Michael Keaton returns to reprise his role as the titular trickster and Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara also return to play Lydia and Delia Deetz. Joining them are new faces Jenna Ortega as Lydia’s daughter Astrid, Justin Theroux as Lydia’s husband and Monica Bellucci as Delores, who is looking for Beetlejuice. I’m sure she only wants to say a friendly hello to him, nothing else.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is heading into cinemas 6th September.
Take a look at the brand new trailer below:
Our original story follows…
22nd March, 2024: It’s been over 30 years, but finally Michael Keaton is back where he...
After a brief teaser trailer in March, Warner Bros. has now released a full trailer for thei upcoming sequel, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Michael Keaton returns to reprise his role as the titular trickster and Winona Ryder and Catherine O’Hara also return to play Lydia and Delia Deetz. Joining them are new faces Jenna Ortega as Lydia’s daughter Astrid, Justin Theroux as Lydia’s husband and Monica Bellucci as Delores, who is looking for Beetlejuice. I’m sure she only wants to say a friendly hello to him, nothing else.
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is heading into cinemas 6th September.
Take a look at the brand new trailer below:
Our original story follows…
22nd March, 2024: It’s been over 30 years, but finally Michael Keaton is back where he...
- 5/24/2024
- by Jake Godfrey
- Film Stories
Throughout 2024, we will continue to update this In Memoriam photo gallery with notable celebrity deaths from film, television, theater and music. Major entertainment figures to be honored in the 2024 gallery are Oscar winner Louis Gossett, Jr., director/producer Norman Jewison, broadway legend Chita Rivera, country music superstar Toby Keith and actors Dabney Coleman and Carl Weathers.
Featured in the 2023 gallery were Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Tina Turner, Harry Belafonte, Jeff Beck, Robbie Robertson and David Crosby, Oscar and Tony winner Alan Arkin, Oscar/Emmy/Tony winner Glenda Jackson, Oscar and Grammy winner Burt Bacharach, Oscar winner William Friedkin, Grammy legend Tony Bennett, Emmy nominee Matthew Perry, Emmy winner Norman Lear, Emmy winner Andre Braugher, Emmy winner Ron Cephas Jones, along with rock legend Elvis Presley‘s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, and actresses Melinda Dillon, Annie Wersching and Cindy Williams.
Featured in the 2023 gallery were Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Tina Turner, Harry Belafonte, Jeff Beck, Robbie Robertson and David Crosby, Oscar and Tony winner Alan Arkin, Oscar/Emmy/Tony winner Glenda Jackson, Oscar and Grammy winner Burt Bacharach, Oscar winner William Friedkin, Grammy legend Tony Bennett, Emmy nominee Matthew Perry, Emmy winner Norman Lear, Emmy winner Andre Braugher, Emmy winner Ron Cephas Jones, along with rock legend Elvis Presley‘s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, and actresses Melinda Dillon, Annie Wersching and Cindy Williams.
- 5/17/2024
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Jerry Herman’s musical “Hello, Dolly!” dominated the 18th Tony Awards which took place at the New York Hilton on May 24, 1964. “Hello, Dolly!” entered the ceremony with 11 nominations and walked out with ten awards including best musical, best actress for Carol Channing, original score for Herman and for Gower Champion’s choreography and direction.
Other musicals in contention for multiple awards that year were “High Spirits,” based on Noel Coward’s classic comedy “Blithe Spirit,” “Funny Girl,” which transformed Barbra Streisand into a Broadway superstar, and “110 in the Shade,” based on the straight play “The Rainmaker.”
Bert Lahr, best known as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” won lead actor in a musical for “Foxy,” based on Ben Jonson’s “Volpone.” The musical was not a hit closed after 72 performances. Also nominated in the category was Bob Fosse for a short-lived revival of Rodgers and Hart’s “Pal Joey.
Other musicals in contention for multiple awards that year were “High Spirits,” based on Noel Coward’s classic comedy “Blithe Spirit,” “Funny Girl,” which transformed Barbra Streisand into a Broadway superstar, and “110 in the Shade,” based on the straight play “The Rainmaker.”
Bert Lahr, best known as the Cowardly Lion in the 1939 classic “The Wizard of Oz,” won lead actor in a musical for “Foxy,” based on Ben Jonson’s “Volpone.” The musical was not a hit closed after 72 performances. Also nominated in the category was Bob Fosse for a short-lived revival of Rodgers and Hart’s “Pal Joey.
- 5/15/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
While we absolutely love scripted movies and television here at /Film, we also have a deep appreciation for documentaries — series and films alike. With so many streaming services available, it feels like there are more documentaries out there than ever before, which can make finding the right one to watch a bit intimidating. Thankfully, I'm here to help recommend some of the best docs streaming this May, from remastered versions of music classics like "Stop Making Sense" and "Let it Be" to new docs with a fresh perspective, like the shocking "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV" and "Stormy." There has honestly been a massive influx of showbiz docs lately, with a couple more great ones dropping fresh this month. The entertainment industry has always been rife with controversy and chaos, so there's sure to be no end of these docs anytime soon. Still, this latest crop is a real doozy.
- 5/1/2024
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
Films featuring Lily Gladstone and Jenna Ortega and music documentaries about the changing country scene and singer-songwriter Linda Perry will all premiere this spring at Tribeca Film Festival. The annual New York City event will take place from June 5 – 16 all over the city.
Jazzy, by filmmaker Morrisa Maltz, focuses on a girl named Jazzy (Jasmine Bearkiller Shangreaux) who is growing up in South Dakota where she experiences happy moments and heartbreaks with her peers. Gladstone, who won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Killers of the Flower Moon,...
Jazzy, by filmmaker Morrisa Maltz, focuses on a girl named Jazzy (Jasmine Bearkiller Shangreaux) who is growing up in South Dakota where she experiences happy moments and heartbreaks with her peers. Gladstone, who won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Killers of the Flower Moon,...
- 4/17/2024
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
Harry Belafonte is a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador and one of the leading human rights activists in show business.
Harry Belafonte exposed America to world music and spent his life challenging and overturning racial barriers across the globe. Belafonte met a young Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on King’s historic visit to New York in the early 1950s and developed a deep and abiding friendship. Belafonte played a key role in the civil rights movement, including the 1963 March on Washington. In 1985, disturbed by war, drought, and famine in Africa, Belafonte helped organize the Grammy-winning song “We Are the World,” a multi-artist effort to raise funds for Africa. Belafonte was active in efforts to end apartheid in South Africa and to release Nelson Mandela.
Belafonte served as the cultural advisor for the Peace Corps, a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador and was honored as an Ambassador of Conscience by Amnesty International. Recently, Belafonte...
Harry Belafonte exposed America to world music and spent his life challenging and overturning racial barriers across the globe. Belafonte met a young Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on King’s historic visit to New York in the early 1950s and developed a deep and abiding friendship. Belafonte played a key role in the civil rights movement, including the 1963 March on Washington. In 1985, disturbed by war, drought, and famine in Africa, Belafonte helped organize the Grammy-winning song “We Are the World,” a multi-artist effort to raise funds for Africa. Belafonte was active in efforts to end apartheid in South Africa and to release Nelson Mandela.
Belafonte served as the cultural advisor for the Peace Corps, a Unicef Goodwill Ambassador and was honored as an Ambassador of Conscience by Amnesty International. Recently, Belafonte...
- 4/12/2024
- Look to the Stars
Julie Robinson Belafonte, a dancer, actress, and long-time activist who was married to legendary singer Harry Belafonte for 50 years, has died. She was 95. As reported by the New York Times, Julie passed away on Saturday, March 9, in Los Angeles at an assisted living facility. She had been residing at the facility for the past year and nine months after living for decades in Manhattan. The cause of death was said to be cardio pulmonary failure. “Our mother left us within months of our father, Harry Belafonte, her first and only husband and partner of 50 years until their divorce in 2007,” Gina and David Belafonte said in a joint statement, per Wate.com. “Julie’s journey was intertwined with love, as she became his political companion and wife. Together, they shared a life filled with political organizing, activism, love, laughter, and artistic inspiration.” As an interracial couple, Julie being white and Harry Black Caribbean-American,...
- 3/22/2024
- TV Insider
Eight years before "Saturday Night Live" started stirring up trouble for NBC, "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" was the counterculture bane of CBS' programming existence. And unlike the surprisingly game gang at 30 Rockefeller Center, the suits at the Eye (that's the nickname for CBS' logo) could not be mollified by high ratings.
The enmity between CBS and Smothers was forged by a perfect confluence of time and content. When the variety show premiered on February 5, 1967, the United States was waging two very different wars on two geographically inconvenient fronts. The country had just entered its second year of full-on, boots-on-the-ground combat in Vietnam, and though a slim majority still supported the conflict, the nation's youth weren't keen on getting drafted to fight an enemy that didn't pose an immediate physical threat to America. This unease dovetailed with the unrest at home: anti-war protests, the ongoing Civil Rights Movement, and a...
The enmity between CBS and Smothers was forged by a perfect confluence of time and content. When the variety show premiered on February 5, 1967, the United States was waging two very different wars on two geographically inconvenient fronts. The country had just entered its second year of full-on, boots-on-the-ground combat in Vietnam, and though a slim majority still supported the conflict, the nation's youth weren't keen on getting drafted to fight an enemy that didn't pose an immediate physical threat to America. This unease dovetailed with the unrest at home: anti-war protests, the ongoing Civil Rights Movement, and a...
- 3/22/2024
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Altogether now: Daaaaaayo! Yes, with a version of the opening call of Harry Belafonte's 'Banana Boat Song,' the first teaser for Beetlejuice Beetlejuice announces its intention to A) continue the story of the 1988 film and B) unleash fresh chaos from Michael Keaton's Ghost with the Most. Take a look:
Burton, of course, is back to direct once more, with the likes of Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara reprising their roles alongside Keaton, and new recruits including Wednesday's Jenna Ortega (that show's Alfred Gough and Miles Millar wrote the script).
It has been a long old road back to screens for Keaton's classic character (the second to return in as many years following a certain Caped Crusader), and after decades in development, this has a lot to live up to. Or a lot to die down to? It is Beetlejuice, after all.
Here's the official synopsis: "After an unexpected family tragedy,...
Burton, of course, is back to direct once more, with the likes of Winona Ryder and Catherine O'Hara reprising their roles alongside Keaton, and new recruits including Wednesday's Jenna Ortega (that show's Alfred Gough and Miles Millar wrote the script).
It has been a long old road back to screens for Keaton's classic character (the second to return in as many years following a certain Caped Crusader), and after decades in development, this has a lot to live up to. Or a lot to die down to? It is Beetlejuice, after all.
Here's the official synopsis: "After an unexpected family tragedy,...
- 3/21/2024
- by James White
- Empire - Movies
Rihanna‘s “Pon de Replay” is completely different from the campy, Gothic vibes of Beetlejuice. Because the world is full of surprises, Beetlejuice still managed to inspire Rihanna’s first hit. The “We Found Love” singer also took some ideas from a tune Gwen Stefani covered.
Rihanna’s ‘Pon de Replay’ was inspired by a Jamaican song in ‘Beetlejuice’
“Pon de Replay” was co-written by Alisha “M’Jestie” Brooks. During a 2020 interview with Vulture, Brooks explained how a famous musical sequence from Beetlejuice inspired the song. “The scene where they sing ‘Come, mister tally man, tally me banana’ [from Harry Belafonte’s 1956 song ‘Day-o (The Banana Boat Song)’], I used to rewind it all the time because it was so dope,” she recalled. “That song came into my head when I heard the track after a few hours of sitting there with the beat just repeating over and over again.”
“Day-o...
Rihanna’s ‘Pon de Replay’ was inspired by a Jamaican song in ‘Beetlejuice’
“Pon de Replay” was co-written by Alisha “M’Jestie” Brooks. During a 2020 interview with Vulture, Brooks explained how a famous musical sequence from Beetlejuice inspired the song. “The scene where they sing ‘Come, mister tally man, tally me banana’ [from Harry Belafonte’s 1956 song ‘Day-o (The Banana Boat Song)’], I used to rewind it all the time because it was so dope,” she recalled. “That song came into my head when I heard the track after a few hours of sitting there with the beat just repeating over and over again.”
“Day-o...
- 3/17/2024
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Andrea Bocelli performed a rendition of the song “Time to Say Goodbye” with his son Matteo Bocelli to accompany the Academy’s annual obituary section. Perhaps mindful of previous years, in which eagle-eyed viewers have jumped on omissions, this year’s “In Memoriam” — which began with footage of the recently deceased Russian opposition leader and subject of last year’s winning documentary Navalny — seemed comprehensive but at the same time not enough.
Related: ‘Oppenheimer’ Wins Best Picture Oscar & Six Others; Emma Stone & Cillian Murphy Take Lead Acting Prizes – Full List
Beloved actors Lance Reddick, Treat Williams, Apocalypse Now’s Frederic Forrest, Rocky’s Burt Young all relegated to a fine print reference at the end, along with such writers as Norman Lear and No Country for Old Men’s Cormac McCarthy. Also given afterthought treatment were Kenneth Anger, Terence Davies, Carl Davis, David McCallum, Sinead O’Connor and Paolo Taviani in...
Related: ‘Oppenheimer’ Wins Best Picture Oscar & Six Others; Emma Stone & Cillian Murphy Take Lead Acting Prizes – Full List
Beloved actors Lance Reddick, Treat Williams, Apocalypse Now’s Frederic Forrest, Rocky’s Burt Young all relegated to a fine print reference at the end, along with such writers as Norman Lear and No Country for Old Men’s Cormac McCarthy. Also given afterthought treatment were Kenneth Anger, Terence Davies, Carl Davis, David McCallum, Sinead O’Connor and Paolo Taviani in...
- 3/11/2024
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Part of every awards show is the In Memoriam segment, which honors those who have died in the past year. And that also means that part of every awards show is taking note of who didn’t make the cut (as happens every time). The 2024 Oscars are no exception. Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo performed “Time to Say Goodbye” for the 2024 Oscars In Memoriam segment. Among the names part of the segment—at the end, the broadcast directed viewers to a website for the “many other legends we lost”—were: Michael Gambon, Harry Belafonte, Alan Arkin, Julian Sands, Andre Braugher, Chita Rivera, Tom Wilkinson, Glynis Johns, Jane Birkin, Paul Reubens, Piper Laurie, Richard Roundtree, Ryan O’Neal, Matthew Perry, Richard Lewis, Lee Sun-Kyun, Carl Weathers, William Friedkin, Glenda Jackson, and Tina Turner. The In Memoriam segment, which you can watch above, did end with a long list of names on...
- 3/11/2024
- TV Insider
The Academy Awards paid tribute to Alan Arkin, Paul Reubens, Harry Belafonte, and directors William Friedkin and Norman Jewison during the In Memoriam portion of the 2024 Oscars.
Andrea Bocelli and his son Mateo Bocelli led the tribute with a moving delivery of “Time to Say Goodbye.” During the segment, dozens of dancers took the stage for a performance art piece, embracing and twirling around each other.
The 2024 #Oscars show their In Memoriam tribute pic.twitter.com/NmGBnrhxt3
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 11, 2024
The past year since the 2023 Academy Awards also...
Andrea Bocelli and his son Mateo Bocelli led the tribute with a moving delivery of “Time to Say Goodbye.” During the segment, dozens of dancers took the stage for a performance art piece, embracing and twirling around each other.
The 2024 #Oscars show their In Memoriam tribute pic.twitter.com/NmGBnrhxt3
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 11, 2024
The past year since the 2023 Academy Awards also...
- 3/11/2024
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Oscars 2024 Live Updates ( Photo Credit – Instagram )
The big day is finally here. It’s time for Oscars 2024, the biggest award ceremony of all we have been waiting for so long. The year 2023 saw some fantastic movies releasing worldwide, packed with incredible performances. It will be a galore of big celebrities – Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone, Christopher Nolan, Emily Stone and many others. Keep reading this space as we keep you updated about every big thing happening at the award ceremony.
Jimmy Kimmel is the host of the 96th Academy Awards. It is the fourth time he’s hosting the Oscars. The award ceremony is being held at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.
Oscars 2024 Live Updates Best Picture- Oppenheimer
To close out the night, the Academy Award for Best Picture goes to… 'Oppenheimer'! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/nLWam9DWvP
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 11, 2024
Oscars 2024 for Best Actress...
The big day is finally here. It’s time for Oscars 2024, the biggest award ceremony of all we have been waiting for so long. The year 2023 saw some fantastic movies releasing worldwide, packed with incredible performances. It will be a galore of big celebrities – Cillian Murphy, Emma Stone, Christopher Nolan, Emily Stone and many others. Keep reading this space as we keep you updated about every big thing happening at the award ceremony.
Jimmy Kimmel is the host of the 96th Academy Awards. It is the fourth time he’s hosting the Oscars. The award ceremony is being held at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California.
Oscars 2024 Live Updates Best Picture- Oppenheimer
To close out the night, the Academy Award for Best Picture goes to… 'Oppenheimer'! #Oscars pic.twitter.com/nLWam9DWvP
— The Academy (@TheAcademy) March 11, 2024
Oscars 2024 for Best Actress...
- 3/10/2024
- by Pooja Darade
- KoiMoi
Hollywood and the entertainment industry lost a number of giants during 2023, from Norman Lear, Raquel Welch, Harry Belafonte, Matthew Perry and André Braugher to Tony Bennett, Tina Turner and Robbie Robertson. Here is Deadline’s annual tribute to those who left us during the past year, with each photo in the gallery also including a feature-length obituary covering their life, career and accolades.
- 3/1/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Oppenheimer won the marquee Cast in a Motion Picture prize as the 30th annual SAG Awards were presented Saturday, and its star Cillian Murphy might have wrestled Oscar front-runner status away from Paul Giamatti by taking the trophy for Male Actor in a Leading Role.
Lily Gladstone was cemented as the favorite for the Best Actress Oscar, winning Female Actor in a Leading Role for Killers of the Flower Moon at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in a ceremony streaming live on Netflix for the first time.
Related: Lily Gladstone Calls For Compassion In Emotional Speech After Historic SAG Awards Win
Robert Downey Jr won the Male Actor in a Supporting Role for Oppenheimer in a mini-upset. But the evening’s first film award wasn’t much of a surprise as Da’vine Joy Randolph continued her awards-season dominance with a Supporting win for The Holdovers.
Related: “Your Solidarity Ignited Workers Around The World,...
Lily Gladstone was cemented as the favorite for the Best Actress Oscar, winning Female Actor in a Leading Role for Killers of the Flower Moon at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles in a ceremony streaming live on Netflix for the first time.
Related: Lily Gladstone Calls For Compassion In Emotional Speech After Historic SAG Awards Win
Robert Downey Jr won the Male Actor in a Supporting Role for Oppenheimer in a mini-upset. But the evening’s first film award wasn’t much of a surprise as Da’vine Joy Randolph continued her awards-season dominance with a Supporting win for The Holdovers.
Related: “Your Solidarity Ignited Workers Around The World,...
- 2/25/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Viewers will be able to watch content featuring Michelle Obama, originals from Tyler Perry and much more during the preview.
February is Black History Month, and to celebrate Sling TV is providing its subscribers with a great opportunity to watch free content from some of the best Black creators working today. For a limited time, Sling TV is offering customers free access to live and on-demand content from Revolt and BET+, and audiences can start watching right now.
Free content from BET+ and Revolt is available on Sling TV until Feb. 29. Titles available include “All the Queen’s Men,” interviews with Ava DuVernay and Michelle Obama, and more. Sling TV starts at $40 per month, and the streamer often provides free viewing windows of premium services. Get 50% Off $40+ / month sling.com What’s Available to Watch Free on Sling TV from BET+ and Revolt?
There is a wide range of titles coming...
February is Black History Month, and to celebrate Sling TV is providing its subscribers with a great opportunity to watch free content from some of the best Black creators working today. For a limited time, Sling TV is offering customers free access to live and on-demand content from Revolt and BET+, and audiences can start watching right now.
Free content from BET+ and Revolt is available on Sling TV until Feb. 29. Titles available include “All the Queen’s Men,” interviews with Ava DuVernay and Michelle Obama, and more. Sling TV starts at $40 per month, and the streamer often provides free viewing windows of premium services. Get 50% Off $40+ / month sling.com What’s Available to Watch Free on Sling TV from BET+ and Revolt?
There is a wide range of titles coming...
- 2/19/2024
- by David Satin
- The Streamable
When Quincy Jones posted a sign above the entrance to Am Studios in Los Angeles that read “Check Your Ego at the Door,” the night the producer and a group of 40 or so of the biggest singers of the ‘80s recorded the charity anthem “We are the World.”
It wasn’t exactly foolproof.
“The egos were still there; let’s not pretend they weren’t there,” says Kenny Loggins in the documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, now streaming on Netflix.
The Bao Nguyen film, which made its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, tells the story of how the single that raised more than $80 million ($214 million today) for humanitarian aid in Africa and the United States came to be, with commentary from entertainers such as Loggins, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Sheila E., Huey Lewis, and the key orchestrator who co-wrote the song with Michael Jackson and kept the...
It wasn’t exactly foolproof.
“The egos were still there; let’s not pretend they weren’t there,” says Kenny Loggins in the documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, now streaming on Netflix.
The Bao Nguyen film, which made its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, tells the story of how the single that raised more than $80 million ($214 million today) for humanitarian aid in Africa and the United States came to be, with commentary from entertainers such as Loggins, Bruce Springsteen, Cyndi Lauper, Sheila E., Huey Lewis, and the key orchestrator who co-wrote the song with Michael Jackson and kept the...
- 2/10/2024
- by Brande Victorian
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Editor’s note: If you have watched the Netflix docu The Greatest Night in Pop, you saw the 40 biggest singers of the ’80s break into a spontaneous chorus of “Day-o” in tribute to Harry Belafonte for organizing the “We Are the World” global fundraiser that raised over $60 million to save starving, famine-stricken African families. So you understand why the late singer/activist/actor’s daughters were disappointed when an In Memoriam segment on the Grammys flashed his photo but omitted him from a special section honoring the giants. Here, daughter Shari reminds why her father meant so much to the world, and music.
Related: Harry Belafonte Dies: Actor, Singer & Civil Rights Icon Was 96
Being a woman of color and having been in the entertainment business literally All of my life, I’ve witnessed and have been exposed to many instances of what one would call “unjustified treatment.” But, don’t...
Related: Harry Belafonte Dies: Actor, Singer & Civil Rights Icon Was 96
Being a woman of color and having been in the entertainment business literally All of my life, I’ve witnessed and have been exposed to many instances of what one would call “unjustified treatment.” But, don’t...
- 2/9/2024
- by Shari Belafonte
- Deadline Film + TV
Harry Belafonte’s Daughters Criticize Grammys for Not Doing More to Recognize Singer During Ceremony
Harry Belafonte’s daughters, Shari and Gina, are calling out the Grammys for not doing more to recognize the late singer during the 2024 awards ceremony Sunday.
During the In Memoriam segment, Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox, Fantasia Barrino and Jon Batiste took to the stage to perform emotional tributes for Tina Turner, Tony Bennett, Sinead O’Connor, Clarence Avant and more.
While they performed, images of other artists the music industry lost last year were displayed onscreen behind them, including Belafonte, while Batiste sang “The Best Is Yet to Come.”
But Shari and Gina feel the Grammys should have given the singer a special tribute, similar to the ones for Turner, Bennett, O’Connor and Avant.
“While the folks who had a bit more of a #shoutout on the #GrammyAwards this year were absolutely deserving of accolades, I’m a bit appalled that our father was not included in a #SpecialTribute and...
During the In Memoriam segment, Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox, Fantasia Barrino and Jon Batiste took to the stage to perform emotional tributes for Tina Turner, Tony Bennett, Sinead O’Connor, Clarence Avant and more.
While they performed, images of other artists the music industry lost last year were displayed onscreen behind them, including Belafonte, while Batiste sang “The Best Is Yet to Come.”
But Shari and Gina feel the Grammys should have given the singer a special tribute, similar to the ones for Turner, Bennett, O’Connor and Avant.
“While the folks who had a bit more of a #shoutout on the #GrammyAwards this year were absolutely deserving of accolades, I’m a bit appalled that our father was not included in a #SpecialTribute and...
- 2/8/2024
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Recording Academy recognized many of the musicians and people who worked behind the scenes in the music industry who have died in the past year during the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. Tony Bennett, Sinead O’Connor, Clarence Avant, Jimmy Buffet, and Tina Turner were among those celebrated.
Stevie Wonder, who on Thursday presented Mariah Carey with the Global Impact Award at the Black Music Collective Ceremony, performed a touching piano-backed rendition of Bennett’s “For Once in My Life,” reviving a duet together as a video of Bennett played in the background,...
Stevie Wonder, who on Thursday presented Mariah Carey with the Global Impact Award at the Black Music Collective Ceremony, performed a touching piano-backed rendition of Bennett’s “For Once in My Life,” reviving a duet together as a video of Bennett played in the background,...
- 2/5/2024
- by Kory Grow and Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
Grammys In Memoriam 2024: Fantasia, Annie Lennox, Stevie Wonder & More Touching Performances (Video)
Stevie Wonder opened the In Memoriam segment of the 66th Grammy Awards, giving tribute to Tony Bennett before performing alongside a recording of the man and showing those who we lost last year. Names like Harry Belafonte, Jimmy Buffett, and others appeared on the screen before Annie Lennox took the stage for a secondary performance. More names, such as Gary Rossington and Sinead O’Connor, appeared before Lennox called for peace around the world. After that, the carousel of names on faces began to cycle through, with names like Clarence Avant appearing. Lenny Kravitz then came to honor the pioneer as a music executive and the “Black Godfather” of entertainment. Another performance began, this time featuring Jon Batiste with a rendition of “Lean on Me.” DJ Mark and Gangsta Boo from Three 6 Mafia and Magoo were also mentioned. Finally, Oprah Winfrey came out to give a tribute to Tina Turner, following Mylie Cyrus‘ performance,...
- 2/5/2024
- TV Insider
Robert Wise’s Odds Against Tomorrow came along at the tail end of film noir’s steady decline in popularity in the 1950s and just before the civil rights movement reached its peak in the ’60s. The quintessential male icons of these two distinct eras clash in the film through the extremely confrontational yet mutually beneficial collaboration between a virulently racist ex-con, Earle (Robert Ryan), and a slick, Black jazz musician, Johnny (Harry Belaafonte).
The unlikely pair are brought together by a disgraced retired cop, Burke (Ed Begley), who caught wind of a robbery that’s a sure thing. If something sounds too good to be true in a noir, it always is, but the weaselly Earle’s too macho to let his doting wife, Lorry (Shelley Winters), continue being the breadwinner. Meanwhile, Johnny’s gambling debts have caused him to be estranged from his wife, Ruth (Kim Hamilton), as...
The unlikely pair are brought together by a disgraced retired cop, Burke (Ed Begley), who caught wind of a robbery that’s a sure thing. If something sounds too good to be true in a noir, it always is, but the weaselly Earle’s too macho to let his doting wife, Lorry (Shelley Winters), continue being the breadwinner. Meanwhile, Johnny’s gambling debts have caused him to be estranged from his wife, Ruth (Kim Hamilton), as...
- 2/1/2024
- by Derek Smith
- Slant Magazine
Chronicling what should probably be considered the Avengers Assemble of the rock music world, Netflix’s latest musical documentary, The Greatest Night in Pop, lays out everything that went behind the scenes of the 1985 single We Are the World. It is certainly one of the most popular songs in the history of music, mainly because of its universal appeal and the people that are associated with it. You don’t get names like Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones, Harry Belafonte, Kenny Rogers, Bob Dylan, and Stevie Wonder working together to create one single piece of art every day. It is a once-in-a-lifetime thing, and Netflix makes sure that the audience gets to see it that way only.
What Happens In The Documentary?
The Greatest Night in Pop takes us back to one cold winter night in January 1985, where all the shining stars of the musical world gathered together in the A&m Studios,...
What Happens In The Documentary?
The Greatest Night in Pop takes us back to one cold winter night in January 1985, where all the shining stars of the musical world gathered together in the A&m Studios,...
- 1/30/2024
- by Rohitavra Majumdar
- Film Fugitives
No event in the history of pop music is so widely remembered and retrospectively underestimated as the 1985 recording of “We Are the World." Envisioned as a philanthropic drive by the likes of Lionel Richie, Michael Jackson, Harry Belafonte, and producer Ken Kragen, the single sold over 20 million copies, raised upwards of $168 million for famine relief in Africa, and remains the definitive example of an all-star "charity single" for the benefit of worthy causes. It also became shorthand for cheesy Hollywood piousness and, when it swept the Grammy Awards the following year, mistaking good intentions for good art.
- 1/30/2024
- by Joe Reid
- Primetimer
“The Greatest Night in Pop” is a documentary for anyone who loves “We Are the World” (that would include me), or even for those who look at that legendary charity single with some serious questions but are fascinated by the phenomenon of it (that’s me as well). In a sense, “We Are the World” always was a documentary — the famous music video that captures the song as it was being recorded, in an into-the-night session that took place at A&m Recording Studios in Los Angeles immediately after the American Music Awards on January 28, 1985. (The organizers of USA for Africa realized that only by pinning the recording session to that night could they be sure all the stars they needed for the song would be in one place at the same time.)
That music video has always been more than just a video. It’s a pop-stars-reveal-themselves psychodrama in miniature.
That music video has always been more than just a video. It’s a pop-stars-reveal-themselves psychodrama in miniature.
- 1/29/2024
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Logistically, the task seemed impossible: Gather 46 of the world’s most massive musical stars in a Los Angeles studio and record a hit song, all in a single night. Oh, and the reason for this ambitious endeavor? To raise a record-breaking amount of money to benefit African famine relief and forever alter global pop culture.
No pressure or anything.
On Jan. 28, 1985, that’s exactly what happened during the recording session for “We Are the World.” The story of The Greatest Night in Pop is told in a new documentary film from director Bao Nguyen (Be Water): the idea, the song, and the long, wild night in the studio with some of the most significant musicians of the 20th century.
“This story starts with a call from Harry Belafonte,” Nguyen tells Tudum, referring to the late singer and activist’s idea...
No pressure or anything.
On Jan. 28, 1985, that’s exactly what happened during the recording session for “We Are the World.” The story of The Greatest Night in Pop is told in a new documentary film from director Bao Nguyen (Be Water): the idea, the song, and the long, wild night in the studio with some of the most significant musicians of the 20th century.
“This story starts with a call from Harry Belafonte,” Nguyen tells Tudum, referring to the late singer and activist’s idea...
- 1/29/2024
- by Amanda Richards
- Tudum - Netflix
Everyone knows that (almost) all of America’s biggest pop and rock stars crammed into a Los Angeles recording studio on the night of January 28, 1985 in order to lay down the vocals for the charity single “We Are the World,” a semi-tolerable earworm that would ultimately raise more than $68 million to provide food and relief aid to people suffering from starvation in Africa. What Bao Nguyen’s light and fluffy new Netflix documentary presupposes is that it would be entertaining to revisit the room where it happened and watch as this legendary session nearly devolved into an absolute shitshow that threatened to fall apart in 100 different ways due to the egos and insecurities of the singular artists involved.
And while “The Greatest Night in Pop” may not amount to anything more than a sanitized and somewhat masturbatory look back at one of the wildest get-togethers in the modern history of music,...
And while “The Greatest Night in Pop” may not amount to anything more than a sanitized and somewhat masturbatory look back at one of the wildest get-togethers in the modern history of music,...
- 1/24/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Norman Jewison, a seven-time Academy Award nominee who directed the 1968 Best Picture Oscar winner “In the Heat of the Night” as well as Oscar winners “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Moonstruck” and numerous other iconic films, is dead. He died peacefully on Saturday at his home.
A filmmaking giant in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, Jewison was undeniably one of the most prominent producer-directors never to have won an Oscar – though he was honored with the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Award at the Academy Awards in 1999. He was nominated three times for his directing: “In the Heat of the Night” in ’68 (losing to Mike Nichols for “The Graduate”), “Fiddler on the Roof” in 1972 (William Friedkin won for “The French Connection”) and “Moonstruck” in 1988 (won by Bernardo Bertolucci for “The Last Emperor”). He was also nominated for producing a quartet of Best Picture contenders: “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming...
A filmmaking giant in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s, Jewison was undeniably one of the most prominent producer-directors never to have won an Oscar – though he was honored with the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Award at the Academy Awards in 1999. He was nominated three times for his directing: “In the Heat of the Night” in ’68 (losing to Mike Nichols for “The Graduate”), “Fiddler on the Roof” in 1972 (William Friedkin won for “The French Connection”) and “Moonstruck” in 1988 (won by Bernardo Bertolucci for “The Last Emperor”). He was also nominated for producing a quartet of Best Picture contenders: “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming...
- 1/23/2024
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Norman Jewison, the celebrated film director, has died. He was 97. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker passed away at his home on Saturday, January 20, 2024.
Jewison had a long and varied directing and producing career that was peppered with accolades. His films "Moonstruck," "A Soldier's Story," "Fiddler on the Roof," "In the Heat of the Night," and "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming" were nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 1987, 1984, 1971, 1967, and 1966 respectively, with "Heat of the Night" winning. Jewison also helmed dozens of other notable dramas and musicals besides, including "The Thomas Crown Affair", "Gaily, Gaily" (nominated for three Oscars), "Jesus Christ Superstar" (nominated for one Oscar), "...And Justice for All" (two), "Agnes of God" (three), and "The Hurricane" (one).
All told, Jewison's films were nominated for 41 Oscars, winning 12. He also directed the sci-fi thriller "Rollerball," the comedy "Bogus," the romance "Only You," the Stallone drama "F.I.S.T.,...
Jewison had a long and varied directing and producing career that was peppered with accolades. His films "Moonstruck," "A Soldier's Story," "Fiddler on the Roof," "In the Heat of the Night," and "The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming" were nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards in 1987, 1984, 1971, 1967, and 1966 respectively, with "Heat of the Night" winning. Jewison also helmed dozens of other notable dramas and musicals besides, including "The Thomas Crown Affair", "Gaily, Gaily" (nominated for three Oscars), "Jesus Christ Superstar" (nominated for one Oscar), "...And Justice for All" (two), "Agnes of God" (three), and "The Hurricane" (one).
All told, Jewison's films were nominated for 41 Oscars, winning 12. He also directed the sci-fi thriller "Rollerball," the comedy "Bogus," the romance "Only You," the Stallone drama "F.I.S.T.,...
- 1/22/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Norman Jewison, who directed Best Picture Oscar winner In the Heat of the Night and nominees Fiddler on the Roof, A Soldier’s Story, Moonstruck and The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming, also producing the latter four, died peacefully Saturday, January 20. He was 97.
Jewison’s film career spanned more than four decades and seven Oscar nominations — three for Best Director and the four for Best Picture. His films received a total of 46 nominations and 12 Academy Awards. In 1999, Jewison was honored with the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Award at the Academy Awards. He also collected three Emmy Awards for his work in television.
A smattering of his other wide-ranging work includes The Hurricane, Agnes of God, Rollerball (1975) and Jesus Christ Superstar, all of which he also produced. As a producer, Jewison had an eye for talent, as well.
Jewison’s film career spanned more than four decades and seven Oscar nominations — three for Best Director and the four for Best Picture. His films received a total of 46 nominations and 12 Academy Awards. In 1999, Jewison was honored with the prestigious Irving G. Thalberg Award at the Academy Awards. He also collected three Emmy Awards for his work in television.
A smattering of his other wide-ranging work includes The Hurricane, Agnes of God, Rollerball (1975) and Jesus Christ Superstar, all of which he also produced. As a producer, Jewison had an eye for talent, as well.
- 1/22/2024
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Courtesy of Kino Lorber
by Chad Kennerk
Considered the first film noir to feature a leading black protagonist, Odds Against Tomorrow is a vital entry in the noir canon. Directed by legend Robert Wise and produced by star Harry Belafonte’s HarBel Productions, the gritty look at racial tension is also one of cinema’s most important films about prejudice. Created amidst growing disquiet in America, the film heralds the explosive events to come at the dawn of the 1960s and the Civil Rights Movement.
The screenplay was based on the novel by William P. McGivern (The Big Heat) and secretly written by Abraham Polonsky, who penned the screenplays for films such as Body and Soul and Force of Evil. Polonsky had been blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee, so Belafonte approached black novelist and friend John O. Killens to serve as the credited screenwriter. It would take until...
by Chad Kennerk
Considered the first film noir to feature a leading black protagonist, Odds Against Tomorrow is a vital entry in the noir canon. Directed by legend Robert Wise and produced by star Harry Belafonte’s HarBel Productions, the gritty look at racial tension is also one of cinema’s most important films about prejudice. Created amidst growing disquiet in America, the film heralds the explosive events to come at the dawn of the 1960s and the Civil Rights Movement.
The screenplay was based on the novel by William P. McGivern (The Big Heat) and secretly written by Abraham Polonsky, who penned the screenplays for films such as Body and Soul and Force of Evil. Polonsky had been blacklisted by the House Un-American Activities Committee, so Belafonte approached black novelist and friend John O. Killens to serve as the credited screenwriter. It would take until...
- 1/20/2024
- by Chad Kennerk
- Film Review Daily
At one point as the supergroup dubbed “USA for Africa” was assembling on January 28, 1985, at A&M Recording Studios in Hollywood, Paul Simon reportedly joked, “If a bomb lands on this place, John Denver’s back on top.” Such was the magnitude of mid-‘80s music luminaries on hand, everyone from Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick and Tina Turner through Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Billy Joel and beyond. Unless you’ve spent your whole life under a rock, sometime or other, the resulting charity single, “We Are the World,” has likely gotten stuck in your head. The song achieved instant global saturation, selling out the initial run of a million copies in the first weekend of its release.
Of course, this is pre-downloads, so we’re talking actual vinyl sales, and it’s audiences with fond recollections of those analog days and the music stars who dominated the charts during the...
Of course, this is pre-downloads, so we’re talking actual vinyl sales, and it’s audiences with fond recollections of those analog days and the music stars who dominated the charts during the...
- 1/20/2024
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As a global pop culture event, it’s hard to match the release of “We Are the World,” the charity single that sold more than 20 million copies in 1985 and united 46 musical stars as enormous and disparate as Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and Diana Ross at an all-night secret recording session. The story of that night — the scrambling, the egos, the moments of creative kismet — is now told in Bao Nguyen’s documentary The Greatest Night in Pop, which will premiere Jan. 19 at Sundance before streaming on Netflix beginning Jan. 29.
“When I heard how they assembled the team, to me it was almost like a heist film,” says Nguyen, who directed the 2020 Bruce Lee documentary Be Water. “You have Quincy Jones as the Danny Ocean of the whole effort. And they’re assembling [the team] — who’s the best rock star, who’s the best legend? There’s a bit of...
“When I heard how they assembled the team, to me it was almost like a heist film,” says Nguyen, who directed the 2020 Bruce Lee documentary Be Water. “You have Quincy Jones as the Danny Ocean of the whole effort. And they’re assembling [the team] — who’s the best rock star, who’s the best legend? There’s a bit of...
- 1/18/2024
- by Rebecca Keegan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers took the stage at the 2023 Emmys to pay tribute to their former colleague Norman Lear, in addition to other notable television figures who passed away since the previous ceremony.
Charlie Puth and The War and Treaty — comprised of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter — performed the former’s hit 2015 song “See You Again” for the In Memoriam segment. They finished the segment with a rendition of the Friends theme song that coincided with Matthew Perry being featured as the final name in the video tribute.
In keeping with the ceremony’s theme of celebrating television reunions, Reiner and Struthers reminisced about their time together as co-stars on All in the Family, the classic CBS sitcom that debuted in 1971 and ran for nine seasons.
“There’s a Yiddish word that describes Norman’s genius — it’s ‘kochleffel,'” Reiner said. “For all you non-Jews out there,...
Charlie Puth and The War and Treaty — comprised of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter — performed the former’s hit 2015 song “See You Again” for the In Memoriam segment. They finished the segment with a rendition of the Friends theme song that coincided with Matthew Perry being featured as the final name in the video tribute.
In keeping with the ceremony’s theme of celebrating television reunions, Reiner and Struthers reminisced about their time together as co-stars on All in the Family, the classic CBS sitcom that debuted in 1971 and ran for nine seasons.
“There’s a Yiddish word that describes Norman’s genius — it’s ‘kochleffel,'” Reiner said. “For all you non-Jews out there,...
- 1/16/2024
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix has shared the trailer for an upcoming documentary about the making of the 1985 charity single “We Are the World.”
Directed by Bao Nguyen, The Greatest Night in Pop tells the story of how 46 of music’s biggest stars came together in a single day to record one song that would become a global sensation in the truest sense of the phrase. As Lionel Richie explains in the trailer, he and Michael Jackson co-wrote “We Are the World” after Harry Belafonte called him directly to ask if he could write a song to raise money for hunger relief in Africa.
The Greatest Night in Pop compiles footage of that day in Jim Henson’s studio, where Richie’s newly-assembled supergroup recorded the song live — for better or for worse. The Grammy-winning track featured the voices of just some of the biggest stars of the era, including Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson,...
Directed by Bao Nguyen, The Greatest Night in Pop tells the story of how 46 of music’s biggest stars came together in a single day to record one song that would become a global sensation in the truest sense of the phrase. As Lionel Richie explains in the trailer, he and Michael Jackson co-wrote “We Are the World” after Harry Belafonte called him directly to ask if he could write a song to raise money for hunger relief in Africa.
The Greatest Night in Pop compiles footage of that day in Jim Henson’s studio, where Richie’s newly-assembled supergroup recorded the song live — for better or for worse. The Grammy-winning track featured the voices of just some of the biggest stars of the era, including Bruce Springsteen, Smokey Robinson,...
- 1/9/2024
- by Abby Jones
- Consequence - Film News
One of the biggest pop culture moments of the 80s was when a large group of pop artists came together for a special one-time song dedicated to raising awareness and helping to end famine in Africa. That song, “We Are the World,” was amazingly stacked with talent, including Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, Bob Dylan, Cyndi Lauper, Bruce Springsteen, Harry Belafonte, Kenny Loggins, Dionne Warwick, and Huey Lewis. A documentary from Netflix recounts the story of how the song came together with The Greatest Night in Pop. The film is also scheduled to screen at the Sundance Film Festival this year, with Lionel Richie in tow.
Netflix’s description of the documentary reads,
“On January 25, 1985, dozens of the biggest names in music convened at a studio in Los Angeles, checked their egos at the door and recorded a song to benefit African famine relief that would alter global pop culture history.
Netflix’s description of the documentary reads,
“On January 25, 1985, dozens of the biggest names in music convened at a studio in Los Angeles, checked their egos at the door and recorded a song to benefit African famine relief that would alter global pop culture history.
- 1/9/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
You may not remember, but Ethiopia’s 1983–1985 famine prompted many musical artists to take humanitarian action. First, there was Band-Aid, formed by Bob Geldolf and all the U.K. pop stars of the day, and then Harry Belafonte helped create the U.S. own supergroup, U.S.A for Africa, which spawned the global hit, “We Are The World” released in April 1985.
Continue reading ‘The Greatest Night In Pop’ Trailer: New Netflix Doc Tells Story Behind Global Pop Song, “We Are The World” at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘The Greatest Night In Pop’ Trailer: New Netflix Doc Tells Story Behind Global Pop Song, “We Are The World” at The Playlist.
- 1/9/2024
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
A new documentary, The Greatest Night in Pop, will dig into the history of the 1985 charity smash, “We Are the World.” The film will have its premiere at Sundance on Jan. 19 and then hit Netflix not long after on Jan. 29.
Directed by Bao Nguyen, The Greatest Night in Pop will feature a plethora of previously-unseen footage as it traces the “We Are the World” story from the planning stages through the all-star recording session. The movie will offer a glimpse at Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson’s writing sessions and...
Directed by Bao Nguyen, The Greatest Night in Pop will feature a plethora of previously-unseen footage as it traces the “We Are the World” story from the planning stages through the all-star recording session. The movie will offer a glimpse at Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson’s writing sessions and...
- 1/5/2024
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
I was 10 when I fell in love with Tommy Smothers, who succumbed to cancer on Tuesday at 86. He was my first television hero. He was funny, he was gentle, he was quietly outrageous. And for a pre-teen kid in the 1960s, he was everything I thought a grown-up should be.
Let me back up for a second to note that I was raised in a houseful of liberals bordering on radicals. My parents and siblings were all proudly antiwar when it came to Vietnam. My older sister was the kind who went to love-ins and hung with the hippies, possibly because she was a hippie herself. My mother would bake pot brownies that my sister took to the love-in. Me? I was too young to do much more than get taken along for the ride, but it was made abundantly clear that if I wanted to be a Richmond, I...
Let me back up for a second to note that I was raised in a houseful of liberals bordering on radicals. My parents and siblings were all proudly antiwar when it came to Vietnam. My older sister was the kind who went to love-ins and hung with the hippies, possibly because she was a hippie herself. My mother would bake pot brownies that my sister took to the love-in. Me? I was too young to do much more than get taken along for the ride, but it was made abundantly clear that if I wanted to be a Richmond, I...
- 12/28/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Tom Smothers, one-half of The Smothers Brothers, has died at the age of 86 following a battle with cancer.
The National Comedy Center announced his death on behalf of the family, with his younger brother Dick Smothers releasing a statement. “Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner,” Dick said. “I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years. Our relationship was like a good marriage – the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another. We were truly blessed.“
The brothers initially wanted to be folk musicians but quickly realized that they weren’t quite good enough. However, once they began adding a little comedy to their act, it took off. “It was a series of performances when we started out as a duet in Aspen.
The National Comedy Center announced his death on behalf of the family, with his younger brother Dick Smothers releasing a statement. “Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner,” Dick said. “I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years. Our relationship was like a good marriage – the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another. We were truly blessed.“
The brothers initially wanted to be folk musicians but quickly realized that they weren’t quite good enough. However, once they began adding a little comedy to their act, it took off. “It was a series of performances when we started out as a duet in Aspen.
- 12/27/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Tom Smothers, who with his younger brother Dick changed the face of comedy with their musical humor and The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, died Tuesday in Santa Rosa, California, following a cancer battle. The news was announced by the National Comedy Center, on behalf of Smothers’ family. He was 86.
Tom and Dick Smothers started out as folk musicians in the early ’60s, and soon discovered that, while they were not good enough to be professional musicians, the act worked if they mixed in comedy.
Dick Smothers said in a statement, “Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner. I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years. Our relationship was like a good marriage – the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another.
Tom and Dick Smothers started out as folk musicians in the early ’60s, and soon discovered that, while they were not good enough to be professional musicians, the act worked if they mixed in comedy.
Dick Smothers said in a statement, “Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner. I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years. Our relationship was like a good marriage – the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another.
- 12/27/2023
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
Tom Smothers, the countercultural comedy icon admired for the 1960s variety program he created and hosted with his younger brother, Dick, and for the tenacity he displayed in frequent clashes with CBS censors, has died. He was 86.
Smothers died Tuesday at his home in Santa Rosa, California, after a battle with cancer, his brother announced in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter by the National Comedy Center.
“Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner,” Dick, 84, said. “I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years. Our relationship was like a good marriage — the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another. We were truly blessed.”
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour ran from February 1967 until April 1969, when the pair were fired after...
Smothers died Tuesday at his home in Santa Rosa, California, after a battle with cancer, his brother announced in a statement shared with The Hollywood Reporter by the National Comedy Center.
“Tom was not only the loving older brother that everyone would want in their life, he was a one-of-a-kind creative partner,” Dick, 84, said. “I am forever grateful to have spent a lifetime together with him, on and off stage, for over 60 years. Our relationship was like a good marriage — the longer we were together, the more we loved and respected one another. We were truly blessed.”
The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour ran from February 1967 until April 1969, when the pair were fired after...
- 12/27/2023
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Throughout 2023, we have been updating our “In Memoriam” photo gallery (view above). Scroll through to remember 36 entertainers from film, television, theater and music. Many were winners at the Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and/or Tonys. Here is a closer look at just a few of those we celebrate in our gallery:
Veteran actor Alan Arkin died on June 29 at age 89. He was an Oscar winner for “Little Miss Sunshine” and was also nominated for “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming,” “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” and “Argo.” He was a six-time Emmy nominee and won a Tony Award for “Enter Laughing.”
Composer Burt Bacharach died on February 8 at age 94. He was a six-time Grammy winner and also won at the Oscars and Emmys. Some of hit songs included “Walk on By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “Alfie,” “What the World...
Veteran actor Alan Arkin died on June 29 at age 89. He was an Oscar winner for “Little Miss Sunshine” and was also nominated for “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming,” “The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter” and “Argo.” He was a six-time Emmy nominee and won a Tony Award for “Enter Laughing.”
Composer Burt Bacharach died on February 8 at age 94. He was a six-time Grammy winner and also won at the Oscars and Emmys. Some of hit songs included “Walk on By,” “I Say a Little Prayer,” “Do You Know the Way to San Jose,” “Alfie,” “What the World...
- 12/26/2023
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
In 1988, the world was given the gift of "Beetlejuice." It featured a tour de force comedy performance by Michael Keaton as Beetlejuice, a demon/bio-exorcist who derails the afterlife of Barbara (Geena Davis) and Adam Maitland (Alec Baldwin). In the film, Adam and Barbara die in a car crash and become ghosts. They are given an afterlife handbook and told they have to stay in their house for 125 years. However, the living Deetz family moves in, and they are told by the dead people's corporate office they have to get the family out by themselves. Barbara and Adam hire Beetlejuice to help them get rid of the living, though he is a disaster and evil in the silliest way.
Even Baldwin thought Keaton's performance was great, though he was worried that the film's reception might keep the actors from getting cast in the future, according to a GQ video...
Even Baldwin thought Keaton's performance was great, though he was worried that the film's reception might keep the actors from getting cast in the future, according to a GQ video...
- 12/24/2023
- by Jenna Busch
- Slash Film
Out with the old, in with the new! As Netflix begins cleaning house for both a new month and a new, several of its biggest titles will sadly have to say goodbye. January 2024 will be your last month to watch several modern classics, including Jordan Peele’s culture-changing horror debut “Get Out,” the Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone-starred “La La Land,” and “Poor Things” director Yorgos Lanthimos’ Greek tragedy retelling “The Killing of a Sacred Deer.”
Now’s your last chance to watch everything before they’re gone— get started with The Streamable’s Top 5 picks for everything leaving Netflix in January and see everything that will be removed from the platform throughout the month below!
Sign Up $6.99+ / month netflix.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Leaving Netflix in January 2024? “BlacKkKlansman” | Friday, Jan. 5
Ron Stallworth’s memoir about infiltrating the local Ku Klux Klan chapter after being...
Now’s your last chance to watch everything before they’re gone— get started with The Streamable’s Top 5 picks for everything leaving Netflix in January and see everything that will be removed from the platform throughout the month below!
Sign Up $6.99+ / month netflix.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Leaving Netflix in January 2024? “BlacKkKlansman” | Friday, Jan. 5
Ron Stallworth’s memoir about infiltrating the local Ku Klux Klan chapter after being...
- 12/18/2023
- by Ashley Steves
- The Streamable
The Hollywood Radio and Television Society is honoring former Grey’s Anatomy star Jesse Williams.
Williams will be feted with the inaugural Hrts Change Maker Award during a gala event December 14 at the Beverly Hilton, where he will join Hrts Board President, Hrts Foundation Board Member and Head of Drama Series, Amazon Studios, Odetta Watkins for an onstage conversation about his career and activism.
The event will be hosted by Matt Friend.
Williams recently appeared in Paramount’s Secret Headquarters with Owen Wilson, Netflix’s Your Place or Mine with Reese Witherspoon, and Season 3 of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building with Meryl Streep, Martin Short, Steve Martin, Paul Rudd and Selena Gomez.
Williams operates multimedia company Visibility, co-founded with artist Glenn Kaino, all while connecting students to more than $100 million in scholarship money via college scholarship app Scholly, where he is both a company partner and ambassador. He is...
Williams will be feted with the inaugural Hrts Change Maker Award during a gala event December 14 at the Beverly Hilton, where he will join Hrts Board President, Hrts Foundation Board Member and Head of Drama Series, Amazon Studios, Odetta Watkins for an onstage conversation about his career and activism.
The event will be hosted by Matt Friend.
Williams recently appeared in Paramount’s Secret Headquarters with Owen Wilson, Netflix’s Your Place or Mine with Reese Witherspoon, and Season 3 of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building with Meryl Streep, Martin Short, Steve Martin, Paul Rudd and Selena Gomez.
Williams operates multimedia company Visibility, co-founded with artist Glenn Kaino, all while connecting students to more than $100 million in scholarship money via college scholarship app Scholly, where he is both a company partner and ambassador. He is...
- 12/13/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Throughout 2023, we will continue to update this In Memoriam photo gallery with notable celebrity deaths from film, television, theater and music. The first major entertainment figures to be honored in the 2023 gallery are Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members Tina Turner, Harry Belafonte, Jeff Beck, Robbie Robertson and David Crosby, Oscar and Tony winner Alan Arkin, Oscar/Emmy/Tony winner Glenda Jackson, Oscar and Grammy winner Burt Bacharach, Oscar winner William Friedkin, Grammy legend Tony Bennett, Emmy nominee Matthew Perry, Emmy winner Norman Lear, Emmy winner Andre Braugher, Emmy winner Ron Cephas Jones, along with rock legend Elvis Presley‘s daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, and actresses Melinda Dillon, Annie Wersching and Cindy Williams.
- 12/12/2023
- by Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
2023 is a milestone year for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (Aaadt) and its artistic director emerita Judith Jamison. On May 10, Jamison celebrated her 80th birthday, and on Nov. 29, the dance company will hold its annual opening night gala celebrating its 65th season; founder Alvin Ailey and a group of Black dancers first performed under the Aaadt name in New York City in March of 1958.
“Numbers and ages really do matter,” says Jamison, a Philadelphia native who began dance training at the age of 6 at the Judimar School of Dance. “I love when people say, ‘The number doesn’t matter.’ Oh, yes it does when you’ve been dancing most of your life. It matters a whole lot because your body is catching up to what craziness you were doing as a dancer. At 80, everything doesn’t work the same way. And that’s the challenge, finding out, what can I do?...
“Numbers and ages really do matter,” says Jamison, a Philadelphia native who began dance training at the age of 6 at the Judimar School of Dance. “I love when people say, ‘The number doesn’t matter.’ Oh, yes it does when you’ve been dancing most of your life. It matters a whole lot because your body is catching up to what craziness you were doing as a dancer. At 80, everything doesn’t work the same way. And that’s the challenge, finding out, what can I do?...
- 11/27/2023
- by Brande Victorian
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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