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.
 

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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.

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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.