Month: September 2022

Broadway’s Cort Theatre, located on West 48th Street in Manhattan’s Theater District, has been officially renamed the ‘James Earl Jones Theatre.’ The 18th century French-inspired building, which holds up to 1,082 people, is the theater where James Earl Jones made his Broadway debut in 1958.

A star-studded dedication ceremony featured actors Norman Lewis and Brian Stokes Mitchell, New York Mayor Eric Adams, and Samuel L. Jackson and his wife, LaTanya Richardson Jackson. Jones, who is 91, did not attend. The attendees shared remarks about the impact Jones had on other artists.  Said Jackson: “If you are an actor or you aspired to be an actor or you pounded the pavement in these streets looking for jobs and doing things — one of the standards that we always had was to be a James Earl Jones.”

Jones is an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony) winner. He gave his first onstage performance at the Cort Theatre in 1958, playing Edward in “Sunrise at Campobello.” Jones also performed in 14 theatrical productions at Shubert theaters and starred in 21 Broadway shows, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017.

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The first trailer is out for Damien Chazelle’s period piece on Old Hollywood titled Babylon, starring Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie.

Chazelle assembled a large ensemble cast for the film, including Olivia Wilde, Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Tobey Maguire, Samara Weaving, Jean Smart, Li Jun Li, Jovan Adepo, Katherine Waterston, Flea, Lukas Haas, Rory Scovel, P.J. Byrne, Spike Jonze, Chloe Fineman, Jeff Garlin, and Max Minghella.

Babylon, which comes in with a current runtime of three hours and five minutes, is due for a limited release in theaters on December 25 before being released nationwide on January 6, 2023.

Check out the trailer for Babylon  – here.

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Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny will portray Elvis and Priscilla Presley in Sofia Coppola’s adaptation of Priscilla Presley’s 1985 memoir, “Elvis and Me.”  The project, titled “Priscilla,” will be written and directed by Coppola and distributed by A24 in North America. Coppola has previously worked with A24 on “On the Rocks” and “The Bling Ring.”

The A24 film’s press release notes: “Sofia Coppola wrote and will direct the feature film ‘Priscilla’ based on the memoir Elvis and Me by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley. Published in 1985, Presley’s intimate account of her life with Elvis became a New York Times Bestseller and an international sensation.” Priscilla met Elvis Presley in 1959 when she was 14 years old and he was serving in the army in Germany. She moved to the United States to be with him in 1963, and the pair were married from 1967 until 1973.  In her memoir, Priscilla describes her relationship with Elvis, their marriage and daughter, his infidelity, their eventual divorce, and his death.

“Priscilla” comes on the heels of Baz Luhrmann’s 2022 feature “Elvis,” which featured Austin Butler as Elvis, and Olivia DeJonge as Priscilla.  Elordi stars in “Euphoria” and “The Kissing Booth,” while Spaeny is best known for her roles in “Mare of Easttown” and “Bad Times at the El Royale.”  Per the press release, filming for this project has yet to begin, and further details on the movie’s plot, cast, and release date have not been announced.

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Warner Bros. Pictures has released a new trailer for the upcoming film Black Adam, the latest DC Extended Universe film starring Dwayne Johnson in the titular role. Black Adam also stars Aldis Hodge, Noah Centineo, Sarah Shahi, Marwan Kenzari, Quintessa Swindell, and Pierce Brosnan.

The trailer shows Black Adam (Johnson) angry and in despair after his son is killed, which fuels his quest for vengeance. Black Adam says in a voiceover:  “these powers are not a gift…but a curse…born out of rage.” Also shown for the first time in the trailer is the Justice Society, a superhero team first seen in the DC Comics, who hope to negotiate a peaceful surrender with Black Adam.  Black Adam tells the Justice Society: “I’m not peaceful. Nor do I surrender. I kneel before no one.”

Black Adam arrives in theaters on Oct. 21. Take a look at the trailer – here.

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The 2022 Primetime Emmy Awards took place Monday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, airing live on NBC. The 74th annual ceremony, hosted by Saturday Night Live’s Kenan Thompson, also streamed on Peacock.

Ted Lasso, The White Lotus, and Succession were the big winners of the evening. Ted Lasso was voted Best Comedy, and Jason Sudeikis and Brett Goldstein won for Best Lead Actor and Supporting Actor in a Comedy respectively. Best Actress in a Comedy was awarded to Jean Smart for Hacks; and Sheryl Lee Ralph won the Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy award for Abbott Elementary, which also scored the Best Writing for a Comedy award for Quinta Brunson.

Succession was voted Best Drama and cast member Matthew Macfadyen earning the honor for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama. Zendaya was voted Best Actress in a Drama for Euphoria and Julia Garner won the Best Supporting Actress in a Drama statuette for Ozark, while Lee Jung-jae won the Emmy for Best Actor in a drama series for “Squid Game.”

Amanda Seyfried won the Emmy for Best Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie for The Dropout, while Michael Keaton won for Best Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie for Dopesick. Murray Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge were named Best Supporting Actor and Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie for White Lotus, which also won the Emmy for Best Limited or Anthology Series.

Saturday Night Live was named Best Variety Sketch Series and the trophy for Best Variety Talk Series went to Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, while Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls won the Emmy for Best Competition Program.

Actress Geena Davis was honored with the Governors Award for career achievement.

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