Philippa Kaur

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    'Scrubs' Episodes Featuring Blackface Yanked Off Hulu

    ABC

    One of the deleted episodes features Zach Braff’s character in blackface while another outing sees his co-star Sarah Chalke’s character wearing dark face paint.
    Jun 26, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Three episodes of hit U.S. TV show “Scrubs” have been pulled from streaming service Hulu over characters using blackface.
    Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence and ABC studios, who made the programme, both put in requests with Hulu to take down the episodes, according to Variety.
    And, following their requests, one season-three episode and two episodes from season five have been removed from the service. One of the episodes featured Zach Braff’s character in blackface at a party, while another saw Elliot, played by Sarah Chalke, in blackface during a fantasy sequence.
    Lawrence was contacted by a fan who referenced the recent decision to pull episodes of “30 Rock” due to blackface, tweeting the exec, “Hey @VDOOZER @hulu @ABCNetwork could we do this with #Scrubs please?”
    “Agreed. Already in the works,” Lawrence replied on Tuesday, June 23, 2020.
    “30 Rock”, “Little Britain”, and “W/Bob & David” are among the shows which have recently had episodes removed from streaming services due to the inclusion of blackface.

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    'Narcos' Producers to Develop TV Adaptation of 'The Phantom of the Opera'

    The project of adapting Gaston Leroux’s beloved story into a six-part TV mini-series is said to be in the early stages with writer Anthony Horowitz being tapped to reimagine the dark romance.
    Jun 25, 2020
    AceShowbiz – The producers of drug drama “Narcos” are the unlikely brains behind plans to develop the classic novel “The Phantom of the Opera” for the small screen.
    Executives at French production company Gaumont are in the early stages of adapting Gaston Leroux’s beloved story into a six-part TV mini-series.
    Writer Anthony Horowitz will reimagine the dark romance, which centres on a disfigured composer who falls for singer Christine Daae, leading to a tragic series of events. While the tale has served as the basis for the long-running stage musical, Deadline reports the book will serve as the basis for the new adaptation.
    “The Phantom of the Opera” has been adapted for the screen on several occasions, including the 1925 silent film version and the 2004 version starring Emmy Rossum and Gerard Butler, which was directed by the late Joel Schumacher.

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    Oprah Winfrey to Address Emotional Toll Black Fathers Endure in New TV Special

    WENN

    ‘OWN Spotlight: Oprah and 100 Black Fathers’ will see the media mogul talking to filmmaker Tyler Perry, rapper and activist Killer Mike, and actor Courtney B. Vance among others.
    Jun 25, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Oprah Winfrey is to tackle fatherhood in the black community as part of a new TV special.
    The multi-media queen will talk to Tyler Perry, rapper and activist Killer Mike and actor Courtney B. Vance, among other dads as part of “OWN Spotlight: Oprah and 100 Black Fathers”.
    During the special, Winfrey will ask dads how they are tackling stories of racial injustice with their kids and the murders of African-Americans, like George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer in Minnesota.
    The special will air on Oprah’s OWN network on 30 June and will stream on the Watch OWN app later the same night.
    It will be filmed virtually with an audience made up of parents of trans children, members of the military, ex-convicts, front-line healthcare workers, and mothers and fathers who have experienced the death of a child at the hands of the police.

    “I am honored to bring this conversation to light, so we might better understand the emotional toll Black fathers endure, and how they continue to show up for their children, their family and the community,” Winfrey said in a statement.

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    'Matrix 4' Stars Resume Filming in Berlin Despite Spike of Coronavirus Cases in Germany

    WENN

    Keanu Reeves has been pictured being joined by his girlfriend Alexandra Grant at Berlin’s Schonefeld Airport, presumably to prepare the filming of the new ‘Matrix’ movie with co-stars Carrie-Anne Moss and Neil Patrick Harris.
    Jun 25, 2020
    AceShowbiz – “The Matrix 4” is back in production after it was temporarily shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. On Sunday, June 20, the stars, including Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss and Neil Patrick Harris, were spotted hitting Schonefeld Airport in Berlin, Germany, presumably to resume the filming.
    They were all dressed in their daily outfits instead of their character costumes. Lead actor Reeves, who reprises his role as Neo in the upcoming sequel, wore a black T-shirt underneath a jacket and pants in matching color. He paired them with sneakers, while also sporting a baseball cap.
    He was joined by his girlfriend Alexandra Grant, who kept herself warm in a black sweater, a vest and black leggings, with a white scarf around her neck. The pair were seen having a friendly conversation with several men, possibly the movie crew members, on the sidewalk.
    Moss, who plays Trinity in the franchise, donned a long coat on top of her dress, as she appeared to try to go incognito with a black round hat and a pair of oversized glasses. Harris, meanwhile, dressed casually in a gray T-shirt and darker pants with sneakers in matching color, while carrying a backpack.
    “The Matrix 4” began production in San Francisco in February of this year. The filming came to a halt in March due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The film was initially set for release on May 21, 2021, but has been pushed back to April 1, 2022 due to this unfortunate circumstance.
    Recently, German authorities have reimposed lockdown restrictions in two districts in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia after a spike in coronavirus cases. The state’s health minister, Karl-Josef Laumann, announced the second lockdown on Tuesday, June 23 just hours after the first was lifted after a new cluster linked to the Tonnies meatpacking plant was reported. At least 1,550 workers of the factory have tested positive for the novel virus.
    The spike of the cases in Germany, however, may not affect “The Matrix 4” filming in Berlin as Thomas Kamradt, president of the German Society for Immunology, told CNBC on Wednesday, “Currently it’s very localized and the important thing is to keep it like that and prevent it from further spreading.”

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    Hugh Jackman Assures Delay of 'The Music Man' Broadway Opening Will Not Take Energy Away

    WENN

    Originally set for October 2020 opening, the theater production show has been pushed back to May 2021 because of the novel coronavirus pandemic with previews beginning in April.
    Jun 25, 2020
    AceShowbiz – The opening of Hugh Jackman’s Broadway production of “The Music Man” has been pushed back to May, 2021.
    The original opening date was set for 15 October before the coronavirus shutdown forced all productions on The Great White Way to close temporarily.
    Produced by Scott Rudin, Barry Diller, and David Geffen, previews for the show, also starring Sutton Foster, will start at New York’s Winter Garden Theatre on 20 April (21).

    “We’re obviously profoundly disappointed to be unable to start rehearsals for ‘The Music Man’ as scheduled, but safety is safety, and it has to take precedence over every other consideration – for both our audience and for our company,” Rudin said in press release. “Despite the postponement, we are sticking together as a company, and we are grateful to be able to do so.”
    “The energy in the theater is palpable. It is those same feelings that happen every show thereafter – and you and I are going through it together,” adds Jackman, addressing future theatre goers. “The change of dates will not take any of that away. What it will do, however, is help to ensure that ‘The Music Man’ audiences, and our company, are in a completely safe environment. Can’t wait for that day!.”
    Rehearsals for the show, directed by Jerry Zaks and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, are slated to begin on 8 February (21).

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    Jenny Slate Steps Down From 'Big Mouth' to Give Missy to Black Actress

    Instagram

    ‘Central Park’ producers have also taken similar step in dealing with their mixed-race character by announcing that Kristen Bell will no longer voice Molly on the Apple TV series.
    Jun 25, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Jenny Slate has quit cult animated show “Big Mouth”, because her character is supposed to be biracial.
    The 38 year old has announced she’s stepping down from the role of Missy on the hit Netflix series, because a black actress should voice the part.
    “At the start of the show, I reasoned with myself that it was permissible for me to play Missy because her mom is Jewish and white – as am I. But Missy is also Black and Black characters on an animated show should be played by Black people,” Slate said in a statement, explaining she felt she was “engaging in an act of erasure of Black people” by playing her.
    “Ending my portrayal of Missy is one step in a life-long process of uncovering the racism in my actions,” she adds.

    The show’s creators have accepted Jenny’s resignation, while thanking her for creating “an inspiring, compassionate and very human character”.
    “We look forward to being able to explore Missy’s story with even greater authenticity to come,” a statement reads.

    Meanwhile, the producers of another new animated show, “Central Park”, have announced “Frozen (2013)” star Kristen Bell will no longer voice the character Molly, who is mixed-race, on the Apple TV+ comedy series.
    “Kristen Bell is an extraordinarily talented actress, who joined the cast of Central Park from nearly the first day of the show’s development – before there was even a character for her to play – and she has since delivered a funny, heartfelt, and beautiful performance,” a statement from the show’s creative team reads, “but after reflection, Kristen, along with the entire creative team, recognises that the casting of the character of Molly is an opportunity to get representation right – to cast a Black or mixed race actress and give Molly a voice that resonates with all of the nuance and experiences of the character as we’ve drawn her.”

    Bell will continue to be a part of the show in a new role, while the producers are looking for a new actress to lend her voice to the role of Molly. She will reportedly re-record dialogue Bell has already recorded for season two.

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    'Top Gun: Maverick' Director Circles the Remake of 'Twister'

    WENN

    Joseph Kosinski is rumored to be the frontrunner to oversee this revamp version of Jan de Bont’s 1996 storm film, which will be produced by Frank Marshall.
    Jun 25, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Joseph Kosinski, the man behind Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” return, is in talks to remake classic storm movie “Twister”.
    Universal bosses are keen to revamp Jan de Bont’s 1996 film, starring Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt, and “Top Gun: Maverick” director Kosinski appears to be the frontrunner to oversee the new version, which will be produced by Frank Marshall, the husband of one of the original producers, Kathleen Kennedy, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
    The original made almost $500 million (£403 million) at the global box office.
    Kosinski was also the visionary behind the camera for “Tron Legacy” and another Cruise blockbuster, “Oblivion”.

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    Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones Reprise 'Normal People' Characters for Comic Relief Specials

    Hulu

    Co-founder Richard Curtis promises that the two skits, which will be debuted as part of Ireland’s RTE Does Comic Relief, will be ‘so much better than anything we’ve ever made.’
    Jun 25, 2020
    AceShowbiz – “Normal People” stars Paul Mescal and Daisy Edgar-Jones are reprising their characters from the hit drama for two one-off Comic Relief specials.
    In “Normal Older People”, the pair revisits Connell and Marianne 40 years in the future.
    Comic Relief co-founder Richard Curtis explains, “It is imagining what would have happened to Marianne and Connell 40 years from now. I promise you, these are two very special bits… It’s so much better than anything we’ve ever made.”
    He also teases a guest star, who will appear in the skits when they debut on Friday night (June 26) as part of Ireland’s RTE Does Comic Relief.
    “Normal People” became a huge international hit earlier this year when the BBC production debuted on streaming service Hulu.
    RTE Does Comic Relief will also feature appearances from Hozier, Chris O’Dowd, Andrew Scott, Jimmy Carr, Saoirse Ronan and folk legend Christy Moore.

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