Vol. 29
No. 48
Pick Hits
At The Movies
Emancipation
A runaway slave (Will Smith) forges through the swamps of
Louisiana on a tortuous journey to escape plantation owners that nearly killed
him. The Apple film, directed by Training Day’s Antoine
Fuqua, had originally been slated for a 2022 release but was shelved
after the actor slapped Chris Rock at this year’s Oscars
ceremony before he went on to win best actor for his role in King
Richard. Emancipation, which is reported to have a $120m budget, is based on
the true story of an enslaved person who escaped a Louisiana plantation in the
1860s and made his way to the north, to join the Union army.
Stream This
Welcome To Chippendales (Hulu)
While most people are familiar with the Chippendales
brand many don’t know much about its dark history and
its appeal seemed limited for a television series. After
all, how interesting could the story of a bunch of oiled
up dudes dancing around in g-strings possibly be? Then I
viewed the premiere, got hooked, and binged all eight
episodes of the limited series over two days. Welcome to
Chippendales is surprisingly humorous, fits squarely in
the truth is stranger than fiction genre, and is a flat
out addictive drama.
Stream This Too
Guardians Of The Galaxy Holiday Special (Disney+)
Marvel seems to have unlocked a new short format
goldmine with their feature presentations, following up
the highly rated Werewolf By Night
with this engaging Holiday Special, which fittingly
serves as the final property of MCU's fabled
Phase 4. Dave Bautista and Pom
Klomentieff carry forward the sparkling chemistry
that made them such a wholesome, quirkily funny duo in
the first two Guardians of the Galaxy
films, winning your heart both with their innocence and
their spot on physical comedy. James Gunn
as usual weaves a madcap universe where everything goes
and yet you cannot help but get sucked into the mayhem
and find yourself enjoying the ride.
The Buzz...
Christine McVie, the British born Fleetwood Mac
vocalist, songwriter and keyboard player whose cool, soulful contralto helped
define such classics as You Make Loving Fun, Everywhere
and Don’t Stop, died Wednesday at age 79.
Megyn Kelly has slammed Kim Kardashian for not
shelving her partnership with Balenciaga after the luxury fashion brand
launched an ad campaign that featured children clutching dolls adorned in
clothing associated with BDSM, bondage, discipline, dominance, submission and
sadomasochism, lifestyles.
Megan Thee Stallion has got plenty she still wants to
accomplish. This week, the rapper is making history as the first Black woman to
be featured on the cover of Forbes‘ annual 30 Under 30
issue. “It’s really hard to be the first something in 2022, so ah!” Megan says
of the honour. Given her rapid climb to stardom, some might think the 27 year
old would want to take a break, but that’s not on her mind at all.
Sophia Bush and Hilarie Burton claim One
Tree Hill bosses forced them to take part in a sexy photoshoot for
Maxim magazine. The actresses appeared on the cover of the men’s magazine
back in 2006 alongside their co-star Danneel Ackles with the trio
being picture wearing cream shorts and open shirts which revealed push-up bras
underneath, and now Sophia and Hilarie have said they didn’t want to take part.
Leonardo DiCaprio is partying it up. The actor helped kick off Art
Basel Miami at the star studded party celebrating Stone Island’s 40th
anniversary on Tuesday night. He attended the party in the VIP section of the
venue and spent his time drinking and socializing with attendees which included
numerous models and friends.
Don’t hold your breath for Mean Girls 2. This week, Interview
magazine published a conversation between Lindsay Lohan and
Amanda Seyfried, reuniting almost 19 years after starring together in
Mean Girls.
Sylvester Stallone is going back to Oklahoma. Paramount+
has renewed its series Tulsa King for a second season. The latest
series from producer Taylor Sheridan scored big ratings after it
was given a special Paramount Network preview after an episode of Yellowstone.
BTS will be the focus of a new Disney docuseries titled BTS
Monuments: Beyond the Star, showcasing the launch and
history of the South Korean boyband. The news arrived on Wednesday via a teaser
trailer on the Disney+ Singapore Twitter account, and although no release
date has been confirmed, it will be premiering in 2023.
Director Ang Lee, the Oscar winning filmmaker behind
Life of Pi and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,
has tapped his son, Mason Lee, to play revered martial artist,
actor and filmmaker Bruce Lee in his upcoming action pic for
Sony’s 3000 Pictures.
When Russian forces first invaded Ukraine earlier this year, Mila
Kunis and her husband Ashton Kutcher immediately reacted to
help the country where Kunis was born.