Entertainment

When one thinks of the Alien movies, they immediately think of Sigourney Weaver‘s tough-as-nails Ellen Ripley, as well as acid-bleeding xenomorphs stalking humans in the shadows of space.

And while alien warfare certainly comes to mind when one thinks of the films, class warfare likely doesn’t, but that theme is a major element of a new Alien series for FX, according to show creator Noah Hawley.

Hawley, who brought the trippy, X-Men-based Legion to life, and also adapted the Coen Brothers‘ Oscar-winning Fargo into Emmy gold, firstly tells Vanity Fair that his Alien series is “not a Ripley story.” 

He explains, “She’s one of the great characters of all time, and I think the story has been told pretty perfectly, and I don’t want to mess with it.”

While the original 1979 film may have touched down on far-flung planet LV-426, Hawley says the still-in-development series will tackle issues on humans’ terrestrial home.

“You will see what happens when the inequality we’re struggling with now isn’t resolved. If we as a society can’t figure out how to prop each other up and spread the wealth, then what’s going to happen to us?”

He tells Vanity Fair that what he finds interesting about Ridley Scott‘s original, as well as about James Cameron‘s beloved 1986 sequel and David Fincher‘s 1992 Alien 3, was that they “were great monster movies” that are “not just monster movies.”

Hawley adds, “There’s that great Sigourney Weaver line to Paul Reiser [in Aliens] where she says, ‘I don’t know which species is worse. At least they don’t f*** each other over for a percentage.'”

The series should go before cameras in 2022, Hawley says.

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On Thursday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced the addition of 395 new members from 50 countries. 

Among them are a diverse group of performers, from Minari Oscar nominee Steven Yuen and winner Yuh-Jung Youn, to trans Promising Young Woman actress and activist Laverne Cox, and singer/actress Andra Day, who was nominated last year for The United States vs. Billie Holiday. 

Other invitees included Da 5 Bloods‘ Jonathan Majors and Isiah Whitlock, Jr.; One Night in Miami‘s Leslie Odom, Jr.; The Trial of the Chicago 7‘s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II; and actress and producer Issa Rae.

The full list is posted on the Academy’s website.

Ever since it was taken to task with the hashtag #OscarsSoWhite in 2016, the Academy has made efforts to boost diversity both in front of and behind the camera, as well as in its own ranks. In 2020, it announced that it instituted new standards for representation and inclusivity when considering films for Oscar nominations, including the esteemed Best Picture category.

In 2021, a record nine actors of color were nominated, including Minari’s Yeun, the first Asian American to be nominated for Best Actor.

Last year was also the first time in Oscar history that white men were in the minority in the Best Actor category — however, the low-rated telecast made headlines for all the wrong reasons once again when Anthony Hopkins won the trophy for The Father, instead of the actor many believed would win, the late Chadwick Boseman for Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

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(NOTE LANGUAGE) Thursday night, Chris Pratt was at the Los Angeles premiere of his new sci-fi film The Tomorrow War, which debuts on Amazon Prime July 2, but he swore — literally — to Variety that he would spoil another big project, the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie. 

“I’m giving you the scoop,” Pratt told the trade. “F*** it. I’m telling you everything.”

Sorry, Marvel fans: he was kidding. All he would allow about 2023’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? The actor said, “[Writer-director] James Gunn is back.”

Pratt did shed a little light on another upcoming Marvel Studios property he’s in, Thor: Love and Thunder, which hits theaters next May, and in which he’ll again play Peter Quill/Star-Lord. He said of its Oscar-winning writer-director Taika Waititi: “He’s a madman. He’s a genius. He’s the kinda guy who can deliver an amazing movie, that’s the destination [but] the journey to getting there [is] just as fun as watching the movie. He’s vibrant, he’s always making the crew laugh, he’s doing bits. You can’t believe he’s the director.”

As for Tomorrow War, which was headed to theaters before the pandemic hit, Pratt joked that its debut on Amazon “is a pretty good deal” for families, seeing as they won’t have to shell out for movie tickets. 

In the film, Pratt plays a man drafted — through time — to fight a war against aliens in 2051. So where does Pratt see himself in 2051?

“I’ll probably be on the set of Guardians of the Galaxy 71,” Pratt joked. “I think I’m probably going to be surrounded by grandchildren, hopefully…I’m going to be fat and happy and not wearing makeup.”

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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White Chicks is one of the most hilarious films by comedian Marlon Wayans. But did you know that the Hilton sisters inspired it?

In an Instagram message posted Thursday, Marlon shared a photo of himself and Paris Hilton while revealing that the 2004 film, which starred himself and his brother Shawn Wayans, was inspired by Paris and her sister Nicky Hilton.

“The original ‘white chick’ and I. Funny story, one day my brother [Shawn] calls me at 3 am saying, ‘Marlon, we should play white chicks.’ I replied, ‘[man], you high?'” the 48-year-old wrote on Instagram. “The next day, he showed me a magazine with @parishilton and her sister on the cover and said we should play girls like this. I immediately got it.”

Marlon, who wrote and produced White Chicks, went on to say, “We did that film in good spirit to celebrate a special time in all of our lives. So thank you, Paris and [Nicky], for being muses.”

He concluded the post by mentioning a forthcoming sequel, White Chicks 2, and quoting one of the original film’s famous lines, “Let’s go shopping.”

White Chicks follows Marlon and Shawn as FBI agents, who go undercover as white women while investigating a kidnapping and money-laundering case. The film was directed by their brother Keenen Ivory Wayans and also starred Terry Crews, Jaime King, Busy Phillipps and Frankie R. Faison.

 

 

 

 

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Tilda Swinton reflected on her time starring in the 2016 Marvel movie Doctor Strange, where she was controversially cast as the Ancient One — a character who, in the comics, is a man of Asian descent. 

Swinton, a Scottish actress, found herself in a precarious situation once her casting was announced — the character was changed from Asian to Celtic — with critics decrying Marvel’s decision as so-called ‘whitewashing.’

Looking back at the controversy in a new interview with Variety, Tilda called the situation a “hot, sticky, gnarly moment,” but necessary because it forced a conversation on whitewashing and how to improve diversity in movies.

“The audience feels ever more empowered to contribute to the narrative and to feel heard within the narrative, and that’s a really healthy social development,” said Swinton.  “The way in which people get listened to is by speaking up and getting hot. And sometimes, it needs to get messy.”

The actress also offered her thoughts on Marvel president Kevin Feige‘s apology during a May 2021 interview with Men’s Health, where he called the outcry a “wake-up call” and said he regretted the casting choice.

Tilda said, upon reading his full statement, she was “very, very grateful that he said that.”  Still, when Swinton was asked if she’s noticed any substantial change in Hollywood in the years since the public backlash, she answered that the industry has  a “long, long, long road” ahead.

“There are big shiny claims made and big public shows made, and everybody claps, and it all looks great. And that is not what we’re talking about,” she declared. “We’re talking about institutionalized, endemic fairness across the board. Ask me that in 100 years.”

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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Storm Reid has launched her swimsuit collection with PacSun on her 18th birthday today.

The Euphoria actress caught up with People to shares details about her new line, which is designed to make people feel confident in their bodies.

“It’s just all about trying to define what beauty is and be what beauty is without restriction and not trying to be perfect, trying to be perfectly imperfect,” Reid tells People. “It’s about not only empowering yourself but empowering others around you.”

Reid’s collection features a variety of swimsuit styles, as well as cover-ups, head wraps, tops, pants and more. There are also pieces named after the women who inspire her, including R&B duo Chloe x Halle, model Gigi Hadid, and Euphoria co-star Zendaya.

Reid says her sense of fashion and style also came from her mother, Robyn Simpson, who used to tell her, “‘You wear the clothes. The clothes don’t wear you.'”

“It’s a phrase that sounds very simple, but it’s very profound,” Reid says. “I think my confidence really comes from my mom, and her always just empowering me and letting me know that I look beautiful and that I was wearing things for myself, not for others.”

Aside from her swimsuit line, Reid says fans are in for another surprise regarding the upcoming season of Euphoria, which she’s currently filming for HBO.

“Just hold your horses for season two,” she says. “I think there’s been growth in all of the characters. They’re the same, but they’re vastly different from who they were in season one,” adding, “I think that’s why people love the show so much, because it’s relatable.”

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After four seasons on The View, Meghan McCain announced Thursday that she’s leaving at the end of the season.

“It is a privilege to work alongside such strong, brilliant, intelligent, incredible broadcasters like the four of you. You are the most talented women on all of television hands down and it has been so incredible,” McCain said to her co-hosts in announcing her departure.

Declaring “This was not an easy decision,” McCain added, “I’m just eternally grateful to have had this opportunity here so, seriously, thank you from the absolute bottom of my heart.” She also implied that COVID-19 had something to do with her decision, sharing in part that the pandemic has “changed the way I’m looking at my life, the way I’m living my life, the way I want my life to look like.”

McCain, 36, the daughter of the late Sen. John McCain. joined as a co-host of the Emmy Award-winning daytime talk show in October 2017, and as the lone conservative voice on the show would often spar with co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar.  On Thursday’s show, Behar called McCain a “formidable opponent,” adding, “You’re no snowflake, missy!”

“It’s such a privilege to be on the show. It’s such an iconic show. It’s so iconic to be in this chair that [Elisabeth Hasselbeck] made so great,” McCain said at the top of her first show on Oct. 9, 2017. “I watched Elisabeth in college, and to be the conservative on this show is something I take very seriously, and I’m excited to bring a different perspective to the show.”

So far, there’s no public indication of what McCain may do next.

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Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson says he hopes “to correct history” with his directorial debut Summer of Soul. 

The documentary, which chronicles the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, follows the series of concerts that took place at Marcus Garvey Park in Harlem over the course of several weekends. Questlove tells ABC Audio that Summer of Soul actually “found [him].”

“I was approached thinking that I was this like wise music savant, who just so happened to write four books, made 17 albums, won five Grammys and had my hand in all things creative,” Thompson says. “And these guys are telling me that back in ’69 300,000 people saw Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Sly and the Family Stone, Nina Simone, Mahalia Jackson, Ray Barretto and [Babatunde] Olatunji. And I’m sitting there… embarrassed like ‘How do I not know about this?'”

Questlove says it was that ignorance that motivated him to put on his filmmaker hat.

“To be told that this footage sat in a basement for 50 years… let me know how dangerous… the idea of Black erasure is,” he says. “Be it something as historical as this particular concert, or even something as minuscule [as] [Black TikTok] content creators… not getting proper credit.”

“I felt like this wasn’t about me,” Questlove continues. “This wasn’t about my directorial debut more than it was about my chance to correct history.”

And it’s safe to say Thompson accomplished his goal with his nearly two-hour film which includes never-before-seen concert performances and commentary from those who attended.

“[Because] if you don’t correct history, you’re going to repeat it again,” Questlove notes. “So… I hope that this film is… a paradigm shift to let artists know that they have a responsibility to use their voice in their activism.”

Summer of Soul is available in theaters and on Hulu July 2.

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Rumer Wills took a stand against body shaming after fans criticized her appearance in her latest Instagram post.

The actress, who is the daughter of Demi Moore and Bruce Willis, had shared a playful photo of her posing in bright clothing on Tuesday, which drew sharp commentary from critics who claimed Willis looked too skinny and needed to eat something.

In a Wednesday Instagram story, Rumer shared an alternative photo from the shoot, saying it reflects “what I actually look like” and called out the harmful comments.

“After the barrage of some really inappropriate comments left on my pic I posted yesterday I was left really bummed cause I was really enjoying the silly pics I took,” said Rumer, 32. “It was a weird angle that even made me feel like I looked smaller than I do in real life.”

“Even though you may think it’s your job or even your right to leave your unfiltered thoughts or judgements about my body for me and others to read… it’s not,” the Masked Singer alum continued, adding she will not tolerate such negativity.

“If I was really struggling with any kind of food issues (which I’m gratefully not) coming for me in my comments and telling me how I’m too skinny or I need to eat is absolutely not helpful and extremely body shaming,” said Rumer, who laid out the appropriate way for concerned fans to reach out and offer help.

“If you were actually concerned for my health and welfare or anyone you think may be actually struggling send them a dm and have a private conversation and really ask how they are doing and if they would like support,” she continued, closing her statement with, “Body shaming of any kind is something I will not stand for.”

 

 

 

 

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Martha Stewart revealed Wednesday that she is on bed rest after injuring her Achilles tendon.  

Taking to Instagram, the 79-year-old lifestyle guru admitted her latest update was “not the prettiest photo nor the happiest back story” and shared a photo of her heavily bandaged ankle.

“Bad timing all around,” said Stewart. “Ruptured my Achilles’ tendon a while ago. Tried to get it to heal on its own to no avail.”

The Meatless author explained that she underwent a three-hour surgery the previous day “to repair the damage” and is now “recuperating at home.”

“I have been ordered to lay still with leg elevated for two weeks. After that another two to four weeks of crutches. Then maybe some more normal activity,” continued Stewart, who then described how she managed to injure herself.

“Most such ruptures occur when dancing or playing sports. Mine was caused by a surprise step into a hole in the dark getting out of the car,” Martha lamented before shouting out her doctors for “attempting to make me whole again.”

Several of Martha’s famous friends were quick to send in their well wishes, including Drew Barrymore, Ellen Pompeo and celebrity chef Geoffrey Zakarian.

“Glad to hear you are on your way to a full recovery,” wrote Pompeo, who referenced her long-running medical drama Grey’s Anatomy in her encouraging note. “Lots of love from your favorite fake doctor.”

Barrymore left Martha a cheeky pick-me-up with her comment, which read, “Your [sic] still so sexy !!! so so so sexy!”

 

 

 

 

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