Weaver holding Carrie Henn in a promotional picture for ‘Aliens’ — Mondadori via Getty Images
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.
Bryan St. Pere, drummer for the ’90s rock band Hum, has died. He was 52, Pitchfork reports.
The surviving members of Hum revealed the sad news in a social media post Thursday, writing, “It is with very heavy hearts and tear filled eyes that we share the news that our beloved friend and bandmate, Bryan St. Pere, has passed away.”
The post does not disclose a cause of death, but his passing is described as “sudden and unexpected.”
“Bryan was a dear friend, a loving father, brother, and was an incredible person and musician,” the post reads. “We all feel extremely lucky to have shared time and space with him. Peace and love to all who knew Bryan, and those he touched. We will miss him dearly.”
Hum formed in the late ’80s, with St. Pere joining in 1990. They released four albums in the ’90s, including 1995’s You’d Prefer an Astronaut, which spawned the alternative rock radio hit “Stars.” The group went on hiatus in 2000 and reunited for sporadic performances over the years before returning in 2020 with a new album, Inlet.
Deftones frontman Chino Morenohas cited Hum as one of his influences.
When Jimmie Allen heads out as an opening act for Brad Paisley’s headlining tour this summer, it’ll be a big deal for both artists. Not only is Brad a musical idol to Jimmie, but their duet, “Freedom Was a Highway,” is now rising at country radio.
This will be the first time Brad’s ever toured with an artist with whom he shared a current single, as the country veteran points out during a recent interview the two singers did together for Apple Music Country.
“I’ve never had a tour with the person I had a duet out with,” Brad reveals. “When Carrie [Underwood] and I had ‘Remind Me,’ she wasn’t on tour with me anymore. She was way bigger than that.”
The singer goes on to say that there have been other near misses where he almost shared the stage with a current duet partner, but the timing’s never quite worked out before.
“I’ve had songs with Dierks [Bentley], I’ve had songs with Alan Jackson, but I’ve never had them out on the road while I had that. And in this case, while [the song is] rising like this…we’ve got great entrances planned for you, you know what I mean?” Brad tells Jimmie.
“We’re gonna shoot him out of a cannon for the song,” he jokes.
Before they hit the road together, Jimmie and Brad will take the stage for Good Morning America’s Summer Concert Series on July 5. They’re part of a lineup of July 4th festivities that also includes a performance from Lady A.
Sammy Hagar‘s recently announced four-date Las Vegas residency taking place at The STRAT Theater on October 29-30 and November 5-6 is completely sold out, so the Red Rocker has lined up two additional shows at the venue, on November 12-13.
Tickets for the newly added concerts will go on sale to the general public this Saturday, July 3, at 10 a.m. PT via TheStrat.com. Members of Hagar’s fan club and The STRAT resort’s True Rewards program will be able to purchase pre-sale tickets beginning Friday, July 2, at 10 a.m. PT.
Hagar also has confirmed that more Vegas shows will be scheduled soon in 2022.
“Adding these shows so quickly makes me happier than anyone for the fans that didn’t get tickets the first time,” Sammy says. “This is exciting, we’re going to be doing this for a while.”
As previously reported, Hagar’s Las Vegas show, which has been dubbed Sammy Hagar & Friends, will feature the Red Rocker performing with a rotating cast of his musical pals, similar to the annual birthday bashes he’s known for throwing at his Cabo Wabo Cantina in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
The first two concerts will feature Hagar playing with his current group The Circle, which also includes founding Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony, acclaimed rock drummer Jason Bonham and guitarist Vic Johnson of Sammy’s longtime backing band, The Wabos. Anthony and Johnson also are confirmed to perform with Hagar on November 5, 6, 12 and 13. Other special guests will be announced at a later date.
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.
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.
Janet Jackson is one of 395 individuals who’ve been invited this year to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — the folks who hand out the Oscars. If she accepts, she’ll get to vote on who wins them in the future.
The invitees have “distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures,” the Academy notes, and are divided into different groups, such as actors, cinematographers, directors, makeup artists and hairstylists, and, in Janet’s case, music.
On the list of invitees, Janet is noted for two of her movies: Poetic Justice and Tyler Perry’s Why Did I Get Married Too? Janet starred in the latter and recorded the song “Nothing” for its soundtrack. She also starred in Poetic Justice and her hit “Again” was used as the film’s closing song. It received a Best Original Song nomination at the 1994 Oscar ceremony.
Among the other musicians invited to become Academy members this year is singer/songwriter H.E.R., who just won the Best Original Song Oscar this year for “Fight for You,” from Judas and the Black Messiah. The list also includes singer/songwriter Meshell Ndegeocello, Leslie Odom Jr. and Jon Batiste, who wrote the score to the animated film Soul.
In an attempt to make its membership more diverse, the Academy notes that 46% of this year’s invitees are women, and 39% are from “underrepresented ethnic/racial communities.”
(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.
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, Marlonshared 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.
As previously reported, Jimmy Buffett is among the artists taking part in the 2021 edition of PBS’ A Capitol Fourth television special. Now comes word about what the lauded singer/songwriter will be performing on the show.
Buffett will be singing folk legend Woody Guthrie‘s classic Americana tune “This Land Is Your Land” in a segment that was taped at a Southern California location overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
The performance also features two members of Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band — keyboardist Mike Utley and steel-drum player Robert Greenidge — and will be intercut with scenes of various American landmarks, including the Statue of Liberty, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Grand Canyon.
Written in 1940 and first recorded by Guthrie in 1944, “This Land is Your Land” was chosen in 2002 to be added to the Library of Congress’ National Recording Registry.
The 41st annual edition of the A Capitol Fourth special will be broadcast this Sunday, July 4, at 8 p.m. ET on PBS. The program also will stream on Facebook and YouTube as well as PBS’ website.
The special’s performance lineup also includes Gladys Knight, Train, Cynthia Erivo, Kermit the Frog, Alan Jackson, Pentatonix, Renée Fleming and many more.
Vanessa Williams will host the festivities but due to the pandemic, A Capitol Fourth will feature pre-recorded performances from stages all across the country, in lieu of the traditional concert on the U.S. Capitol’s West Lawn.
The show also will feature a live fireworks display over the D.C. skyline, as well as tributes to the men and women of the military and their families, and a salute to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams ahead of this year’s Olympic Games in Tokyo.
(SURFSIDE, Fla.) — Engineers and Surfside, Florida, officials are concerned that recent construction at a neighboring residential building may have contributed to instability at the Champlain Tower South building that collapsed last week — and could potentially have been “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” according to one expert.
“Construction of a neighboring building can certainly impact the conditions, particularly the foundation for an existing building,” Ben Schafer, a structural engineer at Johns Hopkins University, told ABC News. “A critical flaw or damage must have already existed in the Champlain towers, but neighboring new construction could be the ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ in terms of a precipitating event.”
Construction at Eighty-Seven Park, a ritzy condominium that abuts Champlain Tower South to the south, began in 2015, when a firm called Terra Developers began erecting the 18-story building, according to news reports at the time.
The project caused such a ruckus for Champlain Tower residents that, in January 2019, a member of the board reached out to Surfside officials, according to records released by the city.
“We are concerned that construction next to Surfside is too close,” Mara Chouela, a member of the Champlain Tower South board of directors, wrote to city officials. “The Terra project … are digging too close to our property and we have concerns regarding the structure of our building.”
Chouela received a terse response from Ross Prieto, the city’s then-building inspector: “There is nothing for me to check.”
“The best course of action is to have someone monitor the fence, pool and adjacent areas for damage,” Prieto wrote, “or hire a consultant to monitor those areas as they are closest to the construction.”
Champlain Tower South residents and condo board members continued to complain about the construction next door, mostly regarding Styrofoam and dirt from the construction site washing up into the Champlain pool deck and plaza.
On Tuesday, Surfside Commissioner Eliana Salzhauer slammed Prieto’s response to Chouela, telling ABC News that it reflects “laziness” from a person “too comfortable” in his job.
“The residents should have a place to go for their complaints … they should have been treated seriously,” Salzhauer said. “What happened here is a wake-up call for every small town and for every government.”
Prieto has not responded to multiple requests for comment.
A spokesperson for 8701 Collins Development LLC, a joint venture that was established by Terra and other developers involved in the Eighty-Seven Park project, told ABC News in a statement Wednesday that they are “confident that the construction of 87 Park did not cause or contribute to the collapse that took place in Surfside on June 24, 2021.”
Joel Figueroa-Vallines, an Orlando-based forensic structural engineer, told ABC News that because Eighty-Seven Park is “lower in elevation” than Champlain Tower South, there is a possibility that the construction of the building could be a concern — but that more evidence is needed.
“It’s most important and necessary to not discard anything so early on that could potentially be a consideration,” Figueroa, president of the engineering firm SEP Engineers, said.
Dr. Mehrdad Sasani, a professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Northeastern University, told ABC News that the method in which Champlain South’s support structure was built would usually allow it to withstand disturbances to the soil near the surface, which means the impact of the excavation for the neighboring construction would have likely been what Sasani called “minute.”
“But indirectly, as a result of a failure in the pool area and the deck slab, the parking garage roof could have been affected,” Sasani said.
He said more information on both buildings, including a geotechnical distance analysis, would be needed to determine the potential role of the construction on the Champlain Tower. ABC News has requested relevant documents to the City of Miami Beach.
Dr. Mehrooz Zamanzadeh, a corrosion engineering expert, told ABC News that cracks and spalling on the Champlain building should also be examined to determine whether vibrations from the construction had any effect on the building’s structural integrity.
Regardless, said Zamanzadeh, the building’s accelerated deterioration and corrosion was likely a critical factor in the collapse. He said that corrosion inspections should be mandatory, and also called for building recertifications to be the performed more frequently than the current 40-year cycle.
Miami Dade County Commissioner Jose Diaz told ABC News that he would not speculate what role neighboring construction had on the collapse, but said, “We’re going to investigate.”
