Movies

Maddow Podcast To Become Steven Spielberg Film

Deadline Hollywood reports: After drawing interest from several high-profile buyers, Rachel Maddow is partnering with one of the biggest players in town on a feature adaptation of her podcast Rachel Maddow Presents: Ultra. Sources tell Deadline that Amblin Entertainment has optioned film rights to the podcast from MSNBC and Maddow’s production company Surprise Inside. Steven Spielberg and Kristie Macosko Krieger …

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Alley Memorial To Be Held At Florida Scientology HQ

The Daily Beast reports: Kirstie Alley will be cremated and remembered during a memorial service at the Scientology headquarters in Clearwater, Florida, according to the Daily Mail. The Cheers actress and longtime Scientologist dedicated herself to the organization in 1979 while struggling with substance abuse issues, crediting the group’s drug treatment program, called Narconon, for breaking her cocaine habit. She …

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Emmy Winning Actress Kirstie Alley Dies At Age 71

CBS News reports: Actress Kirstie Alley, known for her breakout role in the sitcom “Cheers,” has died after a recent battle with cancer. She was 71. In 1991, Alley received an Emmy Award and Golden Globe for her role as Rebecca Howe on “Cheers.” In the years after “Cheers,” Alley earned more nods for her role in the sitcom “Veronica’s …

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REPORT: Twitter’s Copyright Strike System Is Broken

The Verge reports: Twitter’s copyright strike system appears to be broken. Naturally, one user took this as an opportunity to post the entire The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift movie in a series of two-minute clips spanning nearly 50 tweets. The thread has been up for almost a whole day now, and the fact that it hasn’t been taken …

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Actor Robert Clary Of “Hogan’s Heroes” Dies At 96

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Robert Clary, the French actor, singer and Holocaust survivor who portrayed Corporal LeBeau on the World War II-set sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, has died. He was 96. Clary, who was mentored by famed entertainer Eddie Cantor and married one of his five daughters, died Wednesday morning at his home in Los Angeles, his granddaughter Kim Wright told …

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Jury Finds Spacey Not Liable In Sexual Assault Lawsuit

ABC News reports: Actor Kevin Spacey is not liable in the $40 million civil lawsuit brought by Anthony Rapp, a federal jury has found. The lawsuit by actor Anthony Rapp has been dismissed. The jury came to the decision after about an hour of deliberations. Attorney Richard Steigman began by presenting a closing argument for Rapp in the New York …

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Kevin Spacey At Assault Trial: My Dad Was A Neo-Nazi

The Daily Beast reports: Kevin Spacey took the stand in his own defense on Monday to dispute allegations he sexually assaulted actor Anthony Rapp four decades ago, and promptly told the jury that his father was a neo-Nazi. “My father was a white supremacist and neo-Nazi,” Spacey said in Manhattan federal court, adding that he would listen to “hours and …

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Robbie Coltrane, Harry Potter’s Hagrid, Dies At Age 72

Variety reports: Robbie Coltrane, who played the lovable half-giant Rubeus Hagrid in the “Harry Potter” franchise, has died, his agency WME confirmed on Friday. He was 72. Coltrane featured in every “Harry Potter” movie, from “Sorcerer’s Stone” in 2001 to “Death Hallows -Part 2” in 2011, and was much beloved for bringing the character from J.K. Rowling’s book series to …

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Actress/Activist Sacheen Littlefeather Dies At Age 75

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Sacheen Littlefeather, the Native American actress and activist who took to the stage at the 1973 Academy Awards to reveal that Marlon Brando would not accept his Oscar for The Godfather, has died. She was 75. Littlefeather died at noon Sunday at her home in the Northern California city of Novato surrounded by her loved ones, …

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Bruce Willis Sells His Likeness For “Deepfake” Usages

The Telegraph reports: Bruce Willis has become the first Hollywood star to sell his rights to allow a “digital twin” of himself to be created for use on screen. Using deepfake technology, the actor appeared in a phone advert without ever being on set, after his face was digitally transplanted onto another performer. Willis allowed US firm Deepcake, which makes …

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French Filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard Dies At Age 91

Reuters reports: Film director Jean-Luc Godard, the godfather of France’s New Wave cinema who pushed cinematic boundaries and inspired iconoclastic directors decades after his 1960s heyday, died on Tuesday aged 91, his family and producers said. Godard was among the world’s most acclaimed directors, known for such classics as “Breathless” and “Contempt”, which broke with convention and helped kickstart a …

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Actress Anne Heche Dies At 53 After LA Car Crash

The Huffington Post reports: Actor Anne Heche died on Friday, after succumbing to injuries from a car crash days earlier, according to friends. She was 53 years old. Heche was severely burned when she crashed into a Los Angeles home in the Mar Vista neighborhood on Aug. 5. Shortly after the crash, her car burst into flames, which took firefighters …

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Melbourne Turns Pink In Tribute To Olivia Newton-John

Sky News Australia reports: Premier Daniel Andrews turned several Melbourne landmarks – including Flinders Street Station, Melbourne Cricket Ground and the Arts Centre – pink on Tuesday night as an acknowledgement of Olivia Newton-John’s “enormous contribution” to the state. “Tonight, landmarks across our city will be lit up pink to remember Olivia Newton-John, and her enormous contribution to cancer awareness, …

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BREAKING: Olivia Newton-John Dies At Age 73

Posted just now to her Facebook page: Dame Olivia Newton-John (73) passed away peacefully at her Ranch in California this morning, surrounded by family and friends. We ask that everyone please respect the family’s privacy during this very difficult time. Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer. Her …

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Actress Anne Heche Critically Injured In Car Crash

Variety reports: Actor Anne Heche was hospitalized in critical condition on Friday after crashing her car into a home in the 1700 block of Walgrove Avenue in West Los Angeles, according to reports from NBC4LA and CNN. Heche suffered burn injuries when the Mini Cooper she was driving burst into flames, according to multiple published reports. TMZ broke the news …

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Actress Pat “Ursula” Carroll Dies At Age 95 [VIDEO]

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Pat Carroll, the gregarious Emmy-winning comedienne who was a television mainstay for decades before segueing to a voiceover career that included portraying the villainous sea witch Ursula in The Little Mermaid, has died. She was 95. Carroll died Saturday of pneumonia at her home in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, her daughter Kerry Karsian told The Hollywood Reporter. …

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Will Smith Offers New Apology To Chris Rock [VIDEO]

The Associated Press reports: Will Smith has again apologized to Chris Rock for slapping him during the Oscar telecast in a new video, saying that his behavior was “unacceptable” and that he had reached out to the comedian to discuss the incident but was told Rock wasn’t ready. “There is no part of me that thinks that was the right …

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“Goodfellas” Star Paul Sorvino Dies At Age 83

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Paul Sorvino, the burly character actor who made a career out of playing forceful types, most notably the cold-hearted mobster Paulie Cicero in Martin Scorsese’s GoodFellas, has died. He was 83. Sorvino, the father of Oscar-winning actress Mira Sorvino (Mighty Aphrodite), died Monday of natural causes, his wife, Dee Dee, announced. During a solid career that …

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Oscar And Emmy Nominee James Caan Dies At Age 82

The Guardian reports: James Caan, the American actor renowned for his role as Sonny Corleone in the mafia epic The Godfather, as well as a string of key films in the 1970s, has died aged 82. The news was released by his Twitter account on Thursday. Notorious for a hell-raising party lifestyle, Caan cut a swathe through Hollywood in the …

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Lightyear Star Chris Evans Rips Anti-Gay Critics: Idiots

The Guardian reports: The actor Chris Evans, who voices the main character in the new Pixar animated movie Lightyear, has applauded its depiction of a gay couple, saying those who react negatively should be disregarded. “The real truth is those people are idiots,” Evans said. “Every time there’s been social advancement as we wake up, the American story, the human …

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