Zack Sharf Digital News Director Angelica Ross announced on Twitter/X that Emma Roberts called and apologized to her over an alleged incident that occurred on the set of “American Horror Story: 1984.” Ross revealed during a previous Instagram Live that “Emma” (she only said Roberts’ first name and her initials at the time) intentionally misgendered her in between filming a take. “Thank you @RobertsEmma for calling and apologizing, recognizing your behavior was not that of an ally,” Ross wrote in an update to fans. “I will leave the line open to follow up on your desire to do better and support social justice causes with your platform.” In the original Instagram Live video, Ross said Roberts was joking around, saying “Anglica is being mean” while speaking with a man named John on set (presumably “AHS” director John J.
‘Terminator’ Producer Says James Cameron Cut Key Scene After Financiers Forced Him to Cast Their Friends in It: That ‘Ruined It for Us’
01.09.2023 - 00:47 / variety.com
Zack Sharf Digital News Director “The Terminator” producer Gale Anne Hurd revealed on X/Twitter that James Cameron removed a crucial scene from the 1984 action movie after financiers forced him to use their friends in it. The scene in question provided important context about how Cyberdyne Systems, the tech corporation responsible for the creation of Skynet, came into possession of the technological chip that gets placed inside of Terminators.
“‘The Terminator’ financier John Daly’s Hemdale Films had an output deal with Orion Pictures, but hadn’t yet made a hit (that changed with our film and ‘Platoon’),” Hurd explained on Twitter/X. “They insisted we use financier friends not actors in this scene, which ruined it for us.” The financier’s friends “were paid as actors, via the Taft Hartley act,” Hurd added.
“I think [Daly] insisted they be in the film because the financiers were promised a return on their investment and had yet to receive one. Daly never believed the film would be a success.” When asked by a fan if Cameron cut the finacniers’ friends out of the movie because they were bad actors, Hurd responded, “Jim (thankfully) was never satisfied with ‘just ok,’ even back then!” Cameron made headlines in July for saying in an interview that he tried to warn the public about the dangers of artificial intelligence back in 1984, referring to “The Terminator.” “Today, everyone is frightened of it, of where this is gonna go,” Cameron’s “Terminator” star Arnold Schwarzenegger also recently said about AI.
“And in this movie, in ‘Terminator,’ we talk about the machines becoming self-aware and they take over… Now over the course of decades, it has become a reality. So it’s not any more fantasy or kind of futuristic.
Howard Stern Tells Off Critics Who Say He’s ‘Woke’ Now: I’m Anti-Trump, Pro-Vaccine and Support Transgender People… ‘I Am Woke, Motherf—er’
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Howard Stern is “woke” and proud. The radio host confronted his critics this week on his SiriusXM radio show (via Mediaite) when he caught wind of claims that he’s “not good anymore” because he’s “woke.” “By the way, I kind of take that as a compliment, that I’m woke,” Stern fired back. “I’ll tell you how I feel about it.
Stephen Fry ‘Shocked’ to Discover AI Stole His Voice From ‘Harry Potter’ Audiobooks and Replicated It Without Consent, Says His Agents ‘Went Ballistic’
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Stephen Fry recently revealed at the CogX Festival (via Forbes) that his voice from the “Harry Potter” audiobooks was taken by AI software and replicated without his consent, much to the horror of both himself and his agents. “I’m a proud member of [actors’ union SAG-AFTRA]. As you know, we’ve been on strike for three months now.
Chris Evans Agrees With Tarantino That Captain America Is the Star of Marvel Movies, Not Him; Says ‘No Time Soon’ When Asked About MCU Return
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Chris Evans said in a new GQ profile that he agrees to an extent with Quentin Tarantino’s recent claim that Marvel killed the movie star. The filmmaker said last year that people go to see a Marvel movie because “Captain America is the star or Thor is the star,” and not because they want to see Chris Evans or Chris Hemsworth. Evans somewhat agrees.
Chris Rock ‘Had to Go to Counseling With His Daughters’ After Will Smith Oscars Slap, Says Leslie Jones: ‘That S— Was Humiliating’
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Leslie Jones told People magazine while promoting her new memoir, “Leslie F*cking Jones,” that her longtime friend Chris Rock went to counseling after Will Smith slapped him at the 2022 Academy Awards. Rock wrote the foreword to Jones’ new book. “That shit was humiliating.
‘Percy Jackson’ Author Says Casting a Black Actor as Annabeth in Disney+ Show Stays True to Why He Wrote the Books: ‘Everybody Can Be a Hero’
Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Percy Jackson” author Rick Riordan explained to Entertainment Weekly that making his franchise more diverse by casting Leah Jeffries as Annabeth Chase in the upcoming Disney+ series was always staying true to the reason he wrote the “Percy Jackson” books in the first place. Jeffries’ casting last year generated backlash from racist fans upset that a Black actor was playing a character that Riordan described in his book as a blonde white girl. Riordan immediately shut down toxic fans, and now he has told EW that Jeffries’ casting is true to the spirit of his franchise, as the only reason he wrote “Percy Jackson” was because his child was having difficulty in school.
Conan O’Brien Says Donald Trump ‘Hurt’ Comedy: Comics Resort to Saying ‘I Hate That Guy’ and ‘He’s an Asshole,’ and ‘Those Aren’t Jokes’
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Conan O’Brien appeared Kara Swisher’s New York Magazine podcast (via Insider) and criticized Donald Trump for hurting comedy. The former late night host joked, “I’m really going on a limb here saying: That’s his greatest crime, that I think he’s hurt political comedy by being so outlandish himself. I think the January 6 thing is a blip compared to how much he’s hurt comedy.” Jokes aside, O’Brien noted that “when Trump came along, what a lot of people have to revert to is: ‘Doesn’t he suck? I hate that guy.
‘Harry Potter’ Actor Miriam Margolyes Says Steve Martin Was ‘Horrid,’ ‘Unlovely and Unapologetic’ on ‘Little Shop of Horrors’ Set
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Miriam Margolyes writes in her new memoir, “Oh Miriam! Stories from an Extraordinary Life,” that Steve Martin was “horrid” to her on the set of Frank Oz’s 1986 “Little Shop of Horrors” movie musical (via HuffPo UK). Martin played the sadistic dentist Orin Scrivello, while Margolyes, best known these days for playing Professor Sprout in the “Harry Potter” film series, starred as his character’s assistant.
Jessica Chastain’s ‘Memory’ Director Was Warned She’d Be a ‘Nightmare and a Diva’ After Oscar Win; People Told Him, ‘She Is Going to Leave Your Film’
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Jessica Chastain earned stellar reviews out of the Venice and Toronto film festivals for her performance in Michel Franco’s “Memory,” but the role might have never materialized for the actor had Franco listened to some wrongful advice. Speaking to IndieWire, Chastain and Franco revealed that he was warned she’d be “a nightmare and a diva” to work with after winning the Oscar for best actress. Chastain went to film “Memory” shortly after winning the Academy Award for “The Eyes of Tammy Faye.” “Because I have been doing bigger things sometimes and have gotten a lot of attention as of late, [there’s been the idea] that I would not be interested in being on a set without a trailer,” Chastain said.
Beyond Fest Unveils 2023 Lineup, James Cameron and Guillermo del Toro to Attend Special Screenings
Sophia Scorziello editor Beyond Fest genre film festival returns for its 11th edition with a full slate of premieres and acclaimed classics from Palme d’Or winner “Anatomy of a Fall” to the Michael Mann hit “Manhunter.” James Cameron is set to make an appearance for a special edition screening of “The Abyss” followed by a special tribute to Roger Corman, along with appearances by Mann and Guillermo del Toro. “Our goal this year was to go bigger while also exposing audiences to new filmmakers who represent the future,” said Evrim Ersoy, Beyond’s head of programming.
Tim Burton Says ‘Disturbing’ A.I. Art ‘Takes Something From The Soul’
Tim Burton finds the influx of artificial intelligence art mimicking his work to be a disturbing development.
Michael Cera Revived the ‘Scott Pilgrim’ Cast Email Chain After a 9-Year Break; Chris Evans Playfully Wrote Back: ‘What the F— Are You Doing?’
Zack Sharf Digital News Director As fate would have it, the decades-old “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” cast email chain was randomly revived by Michael Cera just before Netflix ordered its new “Scott Pilgrim Takes Off” anime series featuring the original film cast in voice roles. Franchise creator Bryan Lee O’Malley revealed the coincidence in a chat with Entertainment Weekly, noting that the long-dormant email chain’s revival was so random that cast member Chris Evans hilariously called out Cera.
Amanda Seyfried Says ‘Mamma Mia 3’ Likely Depends on Universal Paying Cast Fair Salaries: They ‘Probably Can’t Afford Us to Be Honest’
Zack Sharf Digital News Director A new oral history on “Mamma Mia!” from Vogue magazine ends with the cast and crew all in support of making a third installment in the Universal Pictures franchise, which kicked off in 2008 with a film adaptation of the musical and continued in 2018 with “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.” Combined, the two musical films grossed over $1 billion at the worldwide box office. “Universal would love to make a third movie, and I’ll leave it at that,” Universal Pictures chairman Donna Langley said point blank when the discussion turned to a potential “Mamma Mia 3.” Amanda Seyfried, who leads the franchise as Sophie, added, “I dare you to show me one person who doesn’t want a third Mamma Mia!” But she also cast a bit of a doubt on a third movie since, according to her, its existence would most likely depend on Universal paying the cast what they are worth, which is far more now than when the franchise started.
‘Stranger Things 5’ Is ‘Major Cinematic Storytelling’ and ‘As Big as Any of the Biggest Movies That We See,’ Says EP Shawn Levy
Zack Sharf Digital News Director “Stranger Things 4” pushed television episode lengths to crazy extremes with two episodes that ran around 90 minutes and a season finale that was the length of a Hollywood blockbuster at nearly two-and-a-half hours. Anyone thinking the upcoming fifth and final season of the Netflix series will scale things back is mistaken. Speaking to Total Film magazine, “Stranger Things” executive producer and director Shawn Levy said Season 5 will only expand the scale of the already-humungous Season 4.
Timothée Chalamet’s Singing Voice Is ‘Beautiful’ and ‘Reminded Me of Bing Crosby,’ Says ‘Wonka’ Director: He Has ‘Quite a Range’
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Timothée Chalamet’s “Wonka” director Paul King recently told Total Film magazine that his singing voice in the upcoming Warner Bros. family adventure is “beautiful” and reminiscent of Bing Crosby, whose rendition of “White Christmas” remains the world’s best-selling single of all time with over 100 million sales. Chalamet is playing a younger version of the eponymous chocolatier in the film, which follows Willy Wonka as he attempts to open up his first chocolate shop.
Meg Ryan Says Son Jack Quaid Feels ‘Very Unique Embarrassment’ Over Her Iconic ‘When Harry Met Sally’ Fake Orgasm Scene
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Meg Ryan joined Interview Magazine for a discussion with comedy legend Carol Burnett, and she admitted that her kids are often embarrassed by one of her most iconic movie scenes: the fake orgasm at Katz’s Deli in “When Harry Met Sally.” In the 1989 romantic comedy, Ryan’s Sally proves to Billy Crystal’s Harry that women can convincingly trick men into thinking they’ve orgasmed by demonstrating as much at the deli table, prompting a fellow customer to say, “I’ll have what she’s having.” “My son just called me this morning and he’s in New York staying at a hotel that’s right across the street from Katz’s Deli,” Ryan told Burnett. “My daughter was here and everybody was on speaker, and they were like, ‘Mom, this is a very unique embarrassment.’ He said, ‘You know you can go into that deli and there’s an arrow pointing down to the table where you shot that scene.” “I wonder if it’s the right one,” Ryan added about the table.
‘The Last Of Us’ Season 2 Is All ‘Outlined and Ready to Go as Soon as Strike Ends,’ Says Neil Druckmann
Zack Sharf Digital News Director SPOILER ALERT: This post discusses plot developments from “The Last Of Us Part II” video game, which will presumably serve as inspiration for Season 2 of the HBO adaptation. “The Last of Us” creator and co-showrunner Neil Druckmann confirmed to Entertainment Weekly that Season 2 of the Emmy-nominated HBO series is all outlined and ready to go as soon as the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes come to an end. He’s currently making the press rounds touting the new “Last of Us” attraction at Universal Studios’ Halloween Horror Nights. “We’ve outlined all of Season 2 and we’re ready to go as soon as the strike ends,” Druckmann said.
Gwyneth Paltrow Says Ask Marvel About Pepper Potts’ Return, Not Her: ‘Iron Man Died. Why Do You Need Pepper Without Iron Man?’
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Gwyneth Paltrow redirected one Marvel fan to studio executives after she was asked about no longer appearing as Pepper Potts in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Paltrow debuted as the character in 2008’s “Iron Man,” the very first MCU movie. She had sizable roles in “Iron Man 2” and “Iron Man 3,” and she also appeared as Pepper in other MCU films such as “Spider-Man: Homecoming” (which she infamously forgot about) and “Avengers: Endgame.” The latter film marked her final MCU appearance for now.
Florence Pugh Says It’s Scary When People Get Upset Over Her Body: ‘We Can’t Even Look at My Nipples Behind Fabric in a Way That Isn’t Sexual’
Zack Sharf Digital News Director Speaking to fellow actor Jodie Turner-Smith for Elle magazine’s style awards, Florence Pugh railed against the backlash she often gets for exposing skin either in movies or on the red carpet. It was over one year ago when Pugh seemed to break the internet by wearing a see-through dress at a Valentino couture show in Rome, which ignited online conversation about her body.
‘Hunger Games’ Director Says Rachel Zegler’s Lucy ‘Wears Sexuality on Her Sleeve,’ Whereas Katniss Was ‘Almost Asexual’
Zack Sharf Digital News Director The upcoming “Hunger Games” prequel movie “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” may not feature Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, but it does feature her longtime franchise director Francis Lawrence behind the camera. Francis Lawrences directed every “Hunger Games” sequel and is back for the Lionsgate prequel, which features “West Side Story” breakout Rachel Zegler in the lead role of Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute from District 12 who is mentored by a young Snow (Tom Blyth) for the 10th annual Hunger Games. “Katniss was an introvert and a survivor,” Lawrence told Empire magazine about the big difference between Katniss and Lucy.