Philippa Kaur

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    in Television

    Netflix's New Series 'Katla' Resumes Filming Amid Coronavirus Lockdown

    WENN

    Director Baltasar Kormakur has returned to the set to resume the production of the new show, insisting they enforce strict measures to keep everyone safe.
    May 4, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Director Baltasar Kormakur has resumed production on new Netflix series “Katla” after imposing strict coronavirus rules on set.
    The filmmaker behind action-adventure hits like “Everest” and “Adrift” was working on the project in his native Iceland when the pandemic took hold and stay-at-home orders were imposed in March 2020, but now work on the eight-part supernatural series has resumed, becoming one of the first major filming projects to restart amid the lockdown – but only because severe measures have been enforced to keep castmembers and crew safe.
    “It was done in a safe way,” Kormakur tells Deadline. “I honestly believe that you are probably more safe on that set than anywhere else.”
    Katla is being shot in an isolated studio near Reykjavik and everyone working on the project is regularly tested for COVID-19.
    “We tested every single person and that’s also very helpful because the DNA company, deCode Genetics, has been helping the government and they are a private company, so we could get them to test our crew,” Baltasar shares. “Every morning, we check temperatures on everyone. Everything is sanitised regularly, there are security guards on set at all times.”
    “I built this plan in tandem with Netflix and Icelandic health company and they were very trusting and graceful to let me actually try this and see, while this is easing up, whether this could be done. Because the whole world cannot be on lockdown at the same time. There are going to be different times when things change.”
    The strict testing on the “Katla” set has actually unearthed asymptomatic cases that would have gone undetected if production did not resume.
    “We’ve caught cases which wouldn’t have been caught, and they didn’t get onto the set – so there has been no transmission on set,” he shares. “I better knock on wood now, but these people would have been walking around and wouldn’t have known (they had coronavirus), because they didn’t have any symptoms. We quarantined a few people, but they could work from home. If a person was caught with a fever, they got tested for the virus, but it never got onto the set.”

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    in Movies

    Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes Signed on for 'Matilda the Musical' Movie

    WENN

    The ‘Killing Eve’ actress and the ‘Spectre’ actor have reportedly landed major roles in the upcoming big-screen adaptation of the classic stage show inspired by Roald Dahl’s book.
    May 3, 2020
    AceShowbiz – “Killing Eve” star Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes have reportedly signed on to appear in the upcoming movie adaptation of “Matilda the Musical”.
    The stage show debuted in 2010 before hitting London’s West End the following year. It transferred to Broadway in 2013 and ran for four years before closing in 2017.
    The movie follows the story of a young bookworm prodigy mistreated by her ignorant parents and abusive school headmistress, and according to Britain’s Daily Mail newspaper it’s become a priority for producers at Sony Pictures and Netflix, who have tapped “Killing Eve” star Jodie and “Spectre” actor Ralph to appear in the flick.
    Jodie will reportedly appear as Miss Honey, the kind-hearted teacher who befriends super-bright Matilda, while Ralph is taking on a gender-bending version of bullying headmistress Agatha Trunchbull.
    Further casting details remain under wraps.
    “Matilda the Musical” will be a collaboration between Sony Pictures and Netflix and will receive a limited theatre release in the U.K. before hitting the streaming service worldwide.
    Roald Dahl’s popular children’s novel, which inspired the project, was previously made into a film in 1996, starring Mara Wilson as the title character with appearances from Danny DeVito, Rhea Perlman, Embeth Davidtz, and Pam Ferris.

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    Kelly Clarkson Crying as Thomas Rhett and Wife Recall Adopting Daughter From Uganda

    NBC

    The former ‘American Idol’ champion is reduced to tears as she listens to the moving story of the country music singer and his wife bringing their adopted daughter home.
    May 3, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Kelly Clarkson was reduced to tears on her talk show on Thursday, April 30, 2020 as country singer Thomas Rhett and his wife told her the story of adopting their daughter.
    Kelly asked Thomas and Lauren why they’d decided to adopt a child before having their own biological baby, to which Lauren said her mum was adopted.
    “I just thought it was really cool,” she said. “We’d talked about it off and on, but it wasn’t something that we had sat down and had, like, a full-on adoption conversation.”
    But it was when Lauren went to Uganda on a charity trip in 2016 that she met a baby girl and called Thomas on FaceTime to tell him she’d found the child she wanted to adopt.
    “I was telling him her story and I was like, ‘Babe, we know so many people who are trying to adopt right now, and this little girl needs a forever home,’ ” she said. “I was, like, so moved. I mean, the second I touched her, it was, like, electric. I was like, ‘Oh my word. This little girl has just taken my heart.’ I was like, ‘Honey, we’ve gotta find her her forever home. Like, I know that’s why I’m here is to get this girl to her home.’ ”
    Struggling as she heard the tale, Kelly – a mother of three herself – broke down in tears as she explained, “It’s so beautiful because I know that feeling. As a mama, you touch them and you hug them. It doesn’t matter if it’s yours or not. We’re a blended family. You’re like, this is my purpose. It’s such a powerful thing.”
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    In the end, Thomas ended up telling his wife to bring the baby girl, who they called Willa Gray.
    “I don’t fully remember even saying it,” he said. “It was, like, such a spiritual thing for me that it came out of my body. Then, literally two weeks after, we were having home assessments and talking to adoption agencies.”
    Thomas and Lauren are also parents to daughters Ada, three, and Lennon, who was born in February 2020.

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    in Movies

    'The Nightingale' Starring Elle and Dakota Fanning Pushed Back for a Year

    WENN

    The World War II movie adapted from Kristin Hannah’s best-selling book has been pushed back to Christmas 2021 release amid the ongoing coronavirus lockdown.
    May 3, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Sisters Elle and Dakota Fanning’s new movie has been bumped to a Christmas 2021 release due to the coronavirus pandemic.
    World War Two drama “The Nightingale” was supposed to drop at the end of 2020 but studio bosses want more time to prepare the film for a possible Oscar run, and it will now hit theatres on December 22, 2021.
    The real-life sisters will play on-screen siblings in the adaptation of Kristin Hannah’s international bestseller, directed by French actress Melanie Laurent.

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    in Movies

    Fleetwood Mac's Song 'Rhiannon' Turned Into Movie by Stevie Nicks

    Stevie Nicks reveals that she has been hard at work during the coronavirus lockdown developing a big-screen project based on her band’s 1975 hit single.
    May 3, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Stevie Nicks has kept her 2020 schedule free so she can work on a movie inspired by her 1975 Fleetwood Mac hit “Rhiannon”.
    The star opened up in a chat with Rolling Stone about life in lockdown and confessed she’s not finding it as tough as other artists because she’d already planned to take a year off touring.
    “Last year I made a pitch to everybody that when this Fleetwood Mac tour is over, I’m taking next year off because I want to work on my Rhiannon book/movie,” she explained, with her new project based on the original Welsh Mabinogion myths that inspired her song. “And I want to maybe work with some different producers… I don’t know what I want to do! I just know that I don’t want a tour!”
    While the “Stand Back” star hasn’t been able to meet with producers, she’s been recording music for the project based on a collection of poetry she’s amassed over the last 30 years.
    “I have some Rhiannon poetry that I have written over the last 30 years that I’ve kept very quiet,” she teased. “I’m thinking, ‘Well here I have all this time and I have a recording setup.’ And I’m thinking I’m going to start doing some recording. I’m going to start putting some of these really beautiful poems to music, and I have the ability to record them. So that’s on my to-do list.”
    Explaining she’s trying to make the most of the enforced downtime, the star insisted, “What all we have right now, if you’re home in quarantine, is time, unless you’re taking care of kids. So, really, you could do anything you wanted that you’ve been wanting to do your whole life. So that’s how I’m trying to look at it.”

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    Skylar Astin Shows Off Vocal Chops in Online Audition for 'Hercules' Movie

    Twitter

    The ‘Pitch Perfect’ actor covers classic song ‘Go the Distance’ in hopes to land a role in the upcoming Disney big-screen remake of the classic Roman hero tale.
    May 3, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Skylar Astin made his bid to star in Disney’s upcoming live action “Hercules” movie with a cover of the classic song, “Go the Distance”.
    The 32-year-old actor, best known for his work in the “Pitch Perfect” films and on U.S. TV hit “Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist”, has posted a video of his performance of a cover of the song on his Twitter account.
    In the caption, he added an emoji of a man raising his hand and wrote, “I’m also available for the soundtrack. Thank you @DisneyStudios for your consideration during this casting process.”
    Actor Roger Bart recorded the original version of the song for his role as Young Hercules in Disney’s 1997 film while Michael Bolton recorded a pop version of the song for the animated movie’s end credits.
    The new adaptation of the film follows Disney remakes of “Aladdin” and “The Lion King”, with producers Jeffery Silver and Karen Gilchrist reportedly circling the project along with director Jon Favreau.

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    Chris Pratt and Amy Poehler Raise Over $3M With 'Parks and Recreation' Special to Feed the Hungry

    NBC

    Chris Pratt and Amy Poehler have reunited with their former TV co-stars including Paul Rudd to benefit a charity dedicated to feed the needy amid the ongoing health crisis.
    May 2, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Amy Poehler and Chris Pratt’s virtual “Parks and Recreation” special has already raised more than $3 million to help non-profit Feeding America amid the coronavirus pandemic.
    Rashida Jones, Rob Lowe, Aziz Ansari, and their castmates reprised their characters for the one-off on Thursday, April 30, 2020, which revolved around Poehler’s character, Leslie Knope, attempting to stay connected to her friends and colleagues during the coronavirus shut-in.
    [embedded content]
    The show also saw former cast member Paul Rudd return as Bobby Newport, in an opening segment urging viewers to donate.
    “Hi, my name is Bobby Newport and as you can see, I’m in Switzerland at my family’s private fox hunting estate, but I haven’t caught any yet. They’re so fast. I get close and it’s like, zoom, they’re gone. Anyways, my friend Leslie Knope asked me if I would read this message,” Paul said while in character.
    At the end of the video, Paul, as Bobby, said, “Is something going on? I don’t watch the news.” After someone tells him, he looked shocked and said, “What?!” as the camera cut to black.
    [embedded content]
    The new instalment was well-received by fans, who donated in their millions to the appeal. The running total also includes $500,000 in matching donations from State Farm, Subaru of America, NBCUniversal and the producers, writers, and cast
    “Thank you to everyone who has donated!” Chris reacted to the news on Twitter. “It’s not over. Let’s get that number up!”
    [embedded content]
    He added, “There are a lot of wonderful pay check to pay check folks struggling to feed their kids right now. We’re making them stay home from work to protect our most vulnerable. They’ve earned our help.”
    Fans are able to contribute to the fund through May 21 at Feeding America website.

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    Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia and 'This Is Us' Cast Reunite to Feed Medical Workers

    Instagram

    The cast members of the NBC family drama comedy series are raising money for a non-profit organization to provide free meals for healthcare workers amid the ongoing coronavirus struggle.
    May 2, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Mandy Moore, Sterling K. Brown, and Chrissy Metz were among the cast members of hit TV show “This Is Us” who held a virtual get together after doing their bit for Covid-19 relief.
    The stars caught up with each other after teaming up with Frontline Foods to feed hospital workers at Jefferson Hospital and Allegheny Valley Hospital in Natrona Heights, Pittsburgh, and other hospitals in Philadelphia.
    Following the meeting on video conference app Zoom, several stars took to Instagram to share screenshots from the session, with Mandy writing, “I miss my Pearson family SO much and seeing these faces really lifted my spirits. #thisisus.”
    Susan Kelechi Watson added, “You know like when you just gotta see the fam? Yeah… that part. #ThisIsUs zooming.”
    Milo Ventimiglia, Jon Huertas, Chris Sullivan, and Justin Hartley also took part in the Zoom catch-up.

    Frontline Foods, a partner of non-profit World Central Kitchen, is raising money to allow local restaurants to make and deliver meals to healthcare workers on the front lines of the Covid-19 pandemic.

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    Chris Pratt and Amy Poehler Raise Over $3M With ‘Parks and Recreation’ Special to Feed the Hungry

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