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    Kerry Washington Gets Candid Why She Considers Her Villain Role in 'The Prom' A Good Exercise

    Netflix

    When promoting Ryan Murphy’s new movie musical, the actress playing Mrs. Greene believes it has plenty of important lessons for its audience, including encouragement to understand each other.

    Dec 12, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Scandal star Kerry Washington loved sinking her teeth into new movie musical “The Prom” because for once, she got to play “the villain”.
    Kerry is known for her charitable and human rights endeavours, as well as her positive onscreen characters, but she quickly signed on to director Ryan Murphy’s project, also starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, and James Corden, because she wanted to switch things up and play the “bad guy”.
    “(‘The Prom’) is about these two girls who want to go to prom together because they’re in love, and the head of the PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) cancels the prom because she does not believe two girls should be allowed to go together,” she tells America’s “Live with Kelly and Ryan”.
    “And I play the president of the PTA so I’m basically the bad guy in this movie. I’m the villain who will not accept love is love.”
    Kerry’s character is mum to one of the lesbian schoolgirls, and though the activist would have no problem accepting her own child’s sexuality, she had to approach the role with real “compassion”.

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    “I do have a really progressive ideology,” she continues. “I’m very inclusive and believe in human rights across the board, and freedom around who you should love and who you are. But it was really a good exercise for me to not have judgement with this mum who is struggling with her daughter’s identity, and to try to put myself into her shoes.”
    “She does love her child and she’s trying to do what is best for her child, so what is she afraid of? What is she struggling with? So (I had to) try and come at it with more compassion and understanding.”
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    And she thinks “The Prom” has plenty of important lessons for its audience, especially in America as the country remains divided following the election of President-elect Joe Biden last month (Nov20) to replace incumbent leader Donald Trump when he leaves the White House in January (21).
    “We have to try to understand each other,” Washington adds. “That’s how we’re going to heal this country – if we really do a better job of trying to understand each other.”

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    Ray Fisher Reacts After 'Justice League' Investigation Concludes With 'Remedial Action' Taken

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    The Cyborg depicter relays a message from Warner Media addressing the conclusion of its investigation into the actor’s allegations of abusive behavior against director Joss Whedon.

    Dec 12, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Ray Fisher has scored a victory following months-long back and forth between him and Joss Whedon regarding his allegations of toxic work environment on the set of “Justice League”. Warner Bros. launched an investigation into the actor’s claims and on Friday, December 11, it announced that it has concluded the investigation.
    “WarnerMedia’s investigation into the Justice League movie has concluded and remedial action has been taken,” the studio said in a statement, while remaining tight-lipped on the findings and the repercussion to those involved in the allegations. Fisher, however, believed that Whedon’s recent exit from HBO’s “The Nevers” had something to do with the investigation.
    Meanwhile, Fisher seemed to be rather pleased with the results. Relaying a message he received from Warner Media, he tweeted, “The following was relayed to me on behalf of @WarnerMedia at 5pm EST today: – The investigation of Justice League is now complete.”
    “It has lead to remedial action (Some we’ve seen, and some that is still to come),” read the second point. “And this statement (which truly belongs to ALL who participated in the investigation): ‘WarnerMedia appreciates you having the courage to come forward and assist the company with creating an inclusive and equitable work environment for it’s employees and partners.’ ”

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    Regardless the conclusion of the investigation, the Cyborg depicter said, “There are still conversations that need to be had and resolutions that need to be found.” He expressed his gratitude to those who have been supporting him as writing, “Thank you all for your support and encouragement on this journey,” before concluding with, “We are on our way. More soon.”

    Ray Fisher reacted to end of ‘Justice League’ investigation.
    Fisher first came with the allegations against Whedon, who took over the directing role from Zack Snyder during the pre-production of “Justice League”, in July. In an interview with Forbes, he claimed to have heard “blatantly racist conversations” among studio executives. He also complained about “massive blowups, threats, coercion, taunting, unsafe work conditions, belittling, and gaslighting like you wouldn’t believe” on the set.
    Jason Momoa, Fisher’s co-star in the 2017 movie, publicly supported the 33-year-old actor and demanded proper investigation into Fisher’s claims. “THIS S**T HAS TO STOP AND NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT @ray8fisher AND EVERYONE ELSE WHO EXPERIENCED WHAT HAPPEN UNDER THE WATCH OF @wbpictures NEEDS PROPER INVESTIGATION,” he tweeted in September, before confirming Fisher’s claims about “the s**tty way we were treated on Justice League reshoots.”

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    Chris Evans Can't Stop Smiling Over Buzz Lightyear Role in 'Toy Story' Prequel

    WENN/Pixar Animation Studios/Jaime Espinoza

    The ‘Avengers: Endgame’ actor also clarifies that his character in an upcoming Pixar film is different from the one voiced by Tim Allen, claiming, ‘This one is gonna special.’

    Dec 12, 2020
    AceShowbiz – Chris Evans has landed a new role post-his Captain America days. The actor has been announced to voice Buzz Lightyear in a new Pixar movie. Titled “Lightyear”, the upcoming movie will tell the origin story of the original astronaut whom the toy in the “Toy Story” film series is based on.
    Retweeting Pixar’s post of a teaser of “Lightyear” that appears to show a brief intergalactic voyage before featuring the film’s title, he wrote on Thursday, December 10, “I don’t even have the words.” He added in another tweet, “And just to be clear, this isn’t Buzz Lightyear the toy. This is the origin story of the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy is based on.”

    Chris Evans tweeted about his Buzz Lightyear role.
    Evans also shared his excitement about scoring the voice role on his Instagram page. Along with a picture of the character, he wrote, “Working with Pixar is a dream come true. I’ve been a massive fan of their films since the very beginning. My team could barely contain their excitement when they told me that Pixar had a pitch for me. All they said was ‘Buzz Lightyear’.”

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    Assuring that he isn’t replacing Tim Allen, who originated the character in the “Toy Story” movies, he continued, “I didn’t know what that meant, since Tim Allen is Buzz Lightyear, and no one could ever touch his performance. I needed to know how this character was different and why this story was worth telling. I can say 2 things with absolute confidence: 1.. I didn’t stop smiling through the ENTIRE pitch. Ear to ear. 2. Everyone can rest easy. And get very excited.”
    The 39-year-old hunk went on telling fans, “Trust me when I say that they REALLY know what they’re doing over there. This one is gonna special, and it doesn’t step on a single thing. I can’t even put my excitement into words. I smile every time I think about it. #LIGHTYEAR.”

    Disney broke the news about “Lightyear” during its Investor Day 2020 on Thursday. The studio announced that the new movie is slated to hit theaters on June 17, 2022. Other details, including who will be directing and is writing the script, are currently not available.

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    The Biggest Casting News From Disney’s Investor Day

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best MoviesBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest TheaterBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyThe Biggest Casting News From Disney’s Investor Day“Black Panther 2” will not recast King T’Challa. Harrison Ford is picking up the hat and whip again. And “Star Wars” recruited Rosario Dawson for her own show.Lupita Nyong’o, Chadwick Boseman and Danai Gurira in the 2018 film “Black Panther.” Disney will not recast King T’Challa in the wake of Mr. Boseman’s death, the company announced.Credit…Marvel Studios/Disney, via Associated PressDec. 11, 2020Updated 6:27 p.m. ETIn unveiling a huge raft of content coming to theaters and its streaming service at a four-hour investor presentation on Thursday, Disney announced major cast news for many of its highest profile properties, including Pixar, Marvel and “Star Wars.”Each division of Disney’s entertainment empire brought big names to the table, though some landed with a bigger splash than others. Film and TV fans will have a hard time missing what’s coming.Here are some of the biggest casting announcements for Disney’s film and streaming projects:Marvel will not recast King T’Challa in “Black Panther,” first played by Chadwick BosemanPerhaps the biggest news at the event was a decision not to make a casting announcement. Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, said that, after the indelible mark that Chadwick Boseman, who died this year, made playing King T’Challa in the 2018 movie “Black Panther,” Marvel would not recast the role out of respect for the actor’s legacy. The film’s sequel, however, is still scheduled for release on July 8, 2022, with the director Ryan Coogler and much of the original cast returning.Mr. Boseman died at 43 on Aug. 28 of colon cancer. The news stunned the industry and fans, some of whom mounted a campaign demanding that Disney not recast the role. In a tribute shared with The Hollywood Reporter, Mr. Coogler wrote, “It is with a heavy heart and a sense of deep gratitude to have ever been in his presence, that I have to reckon with the fact that Chad is an ancestor now. And I know that he will watch over us, until we meet again.”Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.” Credit…ILM/Lucasfilm LTD, via 20th Century FoxHayden Christensen will again play Darth VaderIn the upcoming “Obi-Wan Kenobi” series for Disney’s streaming service, Disney+, the actor Hayden Christensen will reprise his role as Anakin Skywalker, this time behind the mask of Darth Vader. The series will take place 10 years after the events of the 2005 movie “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith,” with Mr. Christensen starring opposite Ewan McGregor’s title character.After starring in two of George Lucas’s prequels to the original “Star Wars,” Mr. Christensen largely moved on to other projects. He did not completely part from the franchise, though: Die-hard fans could make his voice out at the end of last year’s “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” “Obi-Wan Kenobi” will debut in 2022.Amy Adams returns as Princess GiselleAmy Adams — who has been nominated for six Academy Awards — will reprise her role from the 2007 revisionist fairy tale “Enchanted” in a follow-up titled “Disenchanted” for Disney+.In The New York Times’s review of the original film, the critic Manohla Dargis called Ms. Adams “superb,” adding that she was an “irresistibly watchable screen presence and a felicitous physical comedian.”Harrison Ford in the 2008 film “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”Credit…David James/Paramount PicturesHarrison Ford will play Indiana Jones one last timeThe fifth and final “Indiana Jones” film is officially in preproduction, and Harrison Ford will, of course, play the title role. The director of “Logan” and “Ford v Ferrari,” James Mangold, will lead the project. Not much else is known about the film so far, other than that there will need to be a hat and a whip.The new Indy film is set to reach theaters in July 2022.Chris Evans will play Buzz Lightyear. No, the real Buzz Lightyear.Chris Evans, best known for playing Captain America and that guy with the great sweater in Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out,” will play the starring role in Pixar’s “Lightyear,” set for a release on June 17, 2022. The film will set out to explore the back story of the human whose likeness was turned into the toy that Tim Allen played in the “Toy Story” series. You get it.Rosario Dawson gets her own “Star Wars” seriesRosario Dawson will star in “Ahsoka,” a Disney+ series that, along with “Rangers of the New Republic,” will be a spinoff from “The Mandalorian.”Ms. Dawson first appeared in a “Star Wars” feature, “The Mandalorian,” only weeks ago, as Ahsoka Tano, a character whose exploits “Star Wars” fans have followed from the 2008 film “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” to the more recent animated series “Star Wars Rebels.” The new series doesn’t yet have a release date.Whoopi Goldberg, right, in “Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.”Credit…Buena Vista PicturesWhoopi Goldberg signs on for “Sister Act 3”Whoopi Goldberg, who played the iconic Deloris Van Cartier in “Sister Act” nearly 30 years ago, will star in and produce “Sister Act 3” for Disney+. The writer-director Tyler Perry will produce alongside her.“Sister Act” was one of the top grossing movies of 1992, and went on to inspire a sequel and a Tony-nominated Broadway musical. “Ms. Goldberg starts out with some tough talk, but this turns out to be one of her ultra-lovable roles,” the Times critic Janet Maslin said in a review of the original.John Mulaney and Andy Samberg will play Rescue RangersThe “SNL” alumni John Mulaney and Andy Samberg will play the title roles in “Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Rangers,” a live-action-animated hybrid heading to Disney+.The film will be an update on the 1989 animated series of the same name, wherein two chipmunks start a detective agency. It was a different time. Akiva Schaffer, a member of The Lonely Island with Samberg, will direct.Tatiana Maslany in “Orphan Black.” For Disney, she will play the character She-Hulk, a lawyer.Credit…Ian Watson/BBC AmericaTatiana Maslany will join the Marvel Cinematic Universe as She-HulkTatiana Maslany, best known for award-winning turns as several clones on the BBC’s “Orphan Black,” will star in the upcoming Marvel series “She-Hulk” on Disney+. The series will involve her character, Jennifer Walters, taking on superhero-related legal cases.Mark Ruffalo, who plays the Hulk in the Marvel movies, will also appear, along with Tim Roth, who played the Abomination in the 2008 movie — pre-Ruffalo entry in the series — “The Incredible Hulk.”HBO meets Marvel in Ant-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniaThe stars of a few recent prestige dramas on HBO will appear in the next “Ant-Man” film. Jonathan Majors, a lead of “Lovecraft Country,” will appear as the villain in the movie, playing the classic Marvel character Kang the Conqueror. Kathryn Newton, who played a rebellious teenager opposite Reese Witherspoon in “Big Little Lies,” will play Cassie Lang, who comic fans know goes on to become the superhero Stature.Warwick Davis will reprise his role from WillowWarwick Davis will star as the title character in a sequel series to the 1988 cult classic “Willow” on Disney+, set to air in 2022.The original film, conceived by George Lucas and directed by Ron Howard, involved a farmer and would-be sorcerer, Willow Ufgood, tasked with helping an infant — the future empress of the realm — fulfill her destiny. Val Kilmer helps them out. The series will take place years after the film’s events.Christian Bale goes from Dark Knight to God ButcherChristian Bale, who donned superhero tights for three Batman movies, has officially joined the cast of “Thor: Love and Thunder,” the fourth installment in the “Thor” series and the second from the director Taika Waititi. Mr. Bale will play Gorr the God Butcher, a being who wants to kill all of the gods. Straightforward stuff, really. The film is scheduled for release on May 6, 2022.Hailee Steinfeld may be the next HawkeyeHailee Steinfeld, who could last be heard in “Spider-Man: Enter the Spider-Verse” as Gwen Stacy, will appear alongside Jeremy Renner in Marvel’s “Hawkeye” series, airing on Disney+ next year. She plays Kate Bishop, who in the comics takes the Hawkeye name for herself.Ms. Steinfeld has already been spotted in set photos from the series:Happy birthday, Ms. Steinfeld.Multiple series will deal with Tony Stark’s legacyDon Cheadle, already busy picking up Emmy nominations for his work in the Showtime series “Black Monday,” will star as James Rhodes, a.k.a. War Machine, in a new series called “Armor Wars.” No longer playing second fiddle to Iron Man after Tony Stark’s death in “Avengers: Endgame,” his character will instead have to deal with, according to Mr. Feige, what happens when Stark’s tech falls into the wrong hands — something of a trend for Stark Industries.Dominique Thorne, whose film debut was in “If Beale Street Could Talk,” will star in “Ironheart,” Marvel’s first series featuring a Black female lead. The actress will play Riri Williams, a young inventor who reverse-engineers Iron Man armor to protect her neighborhood.Finally, Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn will return as Nick Fury and Talos in a Disney+ series based on Marvel’s “Secret Invasion” comics event. The series explored what happened when Marvel’s superheroes were replaced by Skrulls, the aliens first seen in the 2019 film “Captain Marvel.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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    FKA twigs Sues Shia LaBeouf, Citing Abusive Relationship

    AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyFKA twigs Sues Shia LaBeouf, Citing ‘Relentless’ Abusive RelationshipThe lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles by the musician, accuses the actor of sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress.The musician FKA twigs, born Tahliah Debrett Barnett, filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court that accuses the actor Shia LaBeouf of sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress.Credit…Ana Cuba for The New York TimesKatie Benner and Dec. 11, 2020Updated 6:12 p.m. ETJust after Valentine’s Day in 2019, the musician FKA twigs was in a car speeding toward Los Angeles. At the wheel was her boyfriend, the actor Shia LaBeouf. He was driving recklessly, she said in a lawsuit filed on Friday, removing his seatbelt and threatening to crash unless she professed her love for him.They were returning from the desert, where Mr. LaBeouf, the star of “Transformers,” had raged at her throughout the trip, FKA twigs said in the lawsuit, once waking her up in the middle of the night, choking her. After she begged to be let out of the car, she said he pulled over at a gas station and she took her bags from the trunk. But Mr. LaBeouf followed, and assaulted her, throwing her against the car while screaming in her face, according to the suit. He then forced her back in the car.The gas station incident is at the heart of the lawsuit that says Mr. LaBeouf, 34, abused FKA twigs physically, emotionally and mentally many times in a relationship that lasted just short of a year. Her aim in coming forward, she said in an interview, was to explain how even a critically acclaimed artist with money, a home and a strong network of supporters could be caught in such a cycle.“I’d like to be able to raise awareness on the tactics that abusers use to control you and take away your agency,” FKA twigs, 32, born Tahliah Debrett Barnett, said.Mr. LaBeouf responded Thursday to the concerns raised by Ms. Barnett, and a second former girlfriend who has accused him of abusive behavior, in an email that broadly addressed his conduct.“I’m not in any position to tell anyone how my behavior made them feel,” he said in an email to The New York Times. “I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years. I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I’m ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt. There is nothing else I can really say.”The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, says that Mr. LaBeouf knowingly gave Ms. Barnett a sexually transmitted disease. It accuses him of “relentless abuse,” including sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress.Mr. LaBeouf and his representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.“I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations,” Mr. LaBeouf wrote in an email to The New York Times. Responding to specific accusations in another email, he wrote that “many of these allegations are not true.”Credit…Mark Blinch/ReutersKarolyn Pho, a stylist who is another of Mr. LaBeouf’s former girlfriends, described similarly tumultuous experiences to The Times, some of which are also outlined in the lawsuit. Once, the suit says, he drunkenly pinned her to a bed and head-butted her, enough that she bled. Afterward, she began to grapple with the idea that he was abusing her. “So much goes into breaking down a man or woman to make them OK with a certain kind of treatment,” she said in an interview.Presented with a detailed account of the claims that the women made against him, in interviews and subsequently in the lawsuit, Mr. LaBeouf, responding in a separate email, wrote that “many of these allegations are not true.” But, he continued, he owed the women “the opportunity to air their statements publicly and accept accountability for those things I have done.”He added that he was “a sober member of a 12-step program” and in therapy. “I am not cured of my PTSD and alcoholism,” he wrote, “but I am committed to doing what I need to do to recover, and I will forever be sorry to the people that I may have harmed along the way.”Mr. LaBeouf has a long history of turbulent behavior. He has been arrested several times on charges that have been dismissed, including assault and disorderly conduct, according to newspaper reports and public records. In 2015, strangers recorded video of him arguing with his girlfriend at the time, the actress Mia Goth, telling her, “This is the kind of thing that makes a person abusive.” After the men recording Mr. LaBeouf gave him a ride, he told them: “If I’d have stayed there, I would’ve killed her,” according to the video.Ms. Barnett said Mr. LaBeouf would squeeze or grab her to the point of bruising. But she did not go to the police, she said, first out of a misguided concern about harming his career, and later because she thought her account would not be taken seriously, and it would be futile.Though many states have laws that treat gender-based, sexual or domestic violence as a civil rights violation, tort suits of the kind Ms. Barnett is pursuing, with a daunting account of painful moments, are relatively uncommon; most often, allegations arise amid divorce or custody proceedings, or while seeking orders of protection. But there has been a slight uptick in civil claims since the #MeToo movement, amid more attention on the complex nature of abuse, said Julie Goldscheid, a law professor at CUNY Law School who studies gender violence and civil rights.Three women die each day at the hands of their abusers, according to the National Organization for Women. The pandemic has exacerbated dangerous situations by forcing partners to stay without interruption in close quarters, law enforcement officials said, and hotlines around the world have reported an increase in calls for help.In the lawsuit, Ms. Barnett describes how she met Mr. LaBeouf in 2018, when she was cast in “Honey Boy,” a mostly autobiographical film he wrote, and they started dating after the movie wrapped. The early days of their relationship were marked by his “over-the-top displays of affection,” she says in the lawsuit, which helped earn her trust.In an abusive relationship, there’s often a “honeymoon phase,” as some experts call it, that builds intimacy and sets a benchmark for how happy the romance could be. It serves as a powerful lure; though flashes of bliss may remain, they are meted out through increasingly controlling demands and impossible standards of behavior.Noah Jupe and Ms. Barnett on the set of “Honey Boy,” a mostly autobiographical film Mr. LaBeouf wrote.Credit…Amazon StudiosIn the lawsuit, Ms. Barnett and Ms. Pho said that Mr. LaBeouf did not like it if they spoke to or looked at male waiters; in an interview, Ms. Barnett said she learned to keep her eyes down when men spoke to her. She also stated in the suit that Mr. LaBeouf had rules about how many times a day she had to kiss and touch him, which he enforced with constant haranguing and criticism.Mr. LaBeouf convinced Ms. Barnett to stay with him in Los Angeles, she said, rather than move back to London where she and her professional circle lived. It was a step toward her isolation, she said. And he would often say that her creative team used her, a message that eventually led her to doubt them.But living with him became frightening, she said. The lawsuit says that he kept a loaded firearm by the bed and that she was scared to use the bathroom at night lest he mistake her for an intruder and shoot her. He didn’t let her wear clothing to bed, and would spin a trifling disagreement — over an artist she liked and he didn’t, for example — into an all-night fight, depriving her of sleep, the suit says.The situation came just as she was completing what became her most critically lauded album, “Magdalene.” Ms. Barnett said she found herself in stasis, struggling to fulfill her professional duties, and confounding her friends and colleagues. “Twigs is always the driving force behind her career — always a step ahead of everyone else,” said her longtime manager, Michael Stirton. “This was an extreme change in her personality and character.” The album’s release was delayed multiple times, and a tour was rescheduled at great cost, Mr. Stirton said, as Ms. Barnett receded. “I could speak to her,” he said. “But I couldn’t reach her.”As Ms. Barnett grew more isolated, she said she felt as though her safety nets were unraveling. The gas station incident had happened in public, she said, and no one stepped to her aid; an early attempt she made to tell a colleague was brushed off. “I just thought to myself, no one is ever going to believe me,” she said in an interview. “I’m unconventional. And I’m a person of color who is a female.”Slowly, with the help of a therapist, she began to strategize her exit. While she was packing to leave in spring 2019, Mr. LaBeouf turned up unannounced and terrorized her, according to a sworn statement from a witness, her housekeeper, in the lawsuit. When Ms. Barnett wouldn’t leave with him, the statement says, he “violently grabbed” her, picked her up and locked her in another room, where he yelled at her.Escaping him began to seem “both difficult and dangerous,” the lawsuit says. And even as she grew in resolve, she felt overwhelmed, she told her therapist, in an email The Times has reviewed. Though she had the means, it took several attempts for Ms. Barnett to extricate herself, she said in an interview. And it was only afterward that she realized how broken down she had become.“The whole time I was with him, I could have bought myself a business-flight plane ticket back to my four-story townhouse in Hackney,” in London, she said. And yet she didn’t. “He brought me so low, below myself, that the idea of leaving him and having to work myself back up just seemed impossible,” she said.In her lawsuit, Ms. Barnett said she plans to donate a significant portion of any monetary damages to domestic-violence charities. “It was actually very expensive, and a massive undertaking of time and resources, to get out,” she said in an interview. Her status makes her situation unusual, she said. But she wanted to share her story because it was otherwise so common.“What I went through with Shia was the worst thing I’ve ever been through in the whole of my life,” she said. “I don’t think people would ever think that it would happen to me. But I think that’s the thing. It can happen to anybody.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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    Same-Sex Kisses Under the Mistletoe: Holiday Movies Rethink a Formula

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best MoviesBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest TheaterBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storySame-Sex Kisses Under the Mistletoe: Holiday Movies Rethink a FormulaIn a conservative genre that has mainly told straight stories, six new films, including titles on Hallmark and Lifetime, center on gay or lesbian characters.With Daniel Levy by their side, Kristen Stewart, center, and Mackenzie Davis play a couple in “Happiest Season.”  Credit…Lacey Terrell/Hulu, via Associated PressDec. 11, 2020, 4:36 p.m. ETWill the adorable couple adopt a baby in time to celebrate Christmas with Mom and Dad and the neighborhood kids? Sounds like a delightful holiday TV movie. But this is disruptive 2020, so here’s the thing: the couple are Brandon and Jake and the channel is Hallmark.“The Christmas House” is one of six new original holiday films released since November with something rare: main characters in same-sex relationships. Others include Hulu’s “Happiest Season,” a lesbian coming-out comedy starring Kristen Stewart; “The Christmas Setup,” a Lifetime rom-com debuting Saturday and starring the real-life husbands Ben Lewis and Blake Lee; and “Dashing in December,” a drama starting Sunday on the Paramount Network about two men who fall in love on a ranch.More under the radar but still noteworthy are two indies: “A New York Christmas Wedding,” a drama on Netflix about a woman who has relationships with both a man and a woman, and the scrappy on-demand “I Hate New Year’s” (for rent on major platforms), a lesbian romance set on New Year’s Eve in Nashville.L.G.B.T.Q. characters aren’t new to holiday movies, and six films may not sound like a revolution. But so many leading queer love stories — and same-sex kisses! — is a sea change for Christmas cinema, a conventionally heterosexual universe with more stories about puppies than gay people.“It’s the start of something bigger,” said Clea DuVall, the director and co-writer of “Happiest Season.” She added, “Networks and streamers are starting to see the value in telling these stories that have always been there but were not given the platform to get out to wider audiences.”According to Hulu, “Happiest Season” is the first holiday rom-com about a same-sex couple from a major Hollywood studio. Nicole Brown, the president of TriStar Pictures, which sold “Happiest Season” to Hulu in October, called the queering of the Christmas picture “very organic.” So what took so long?“Film has always been under the assumption that the safest kind of characters are the way to go,” Brown said. “Our studio felt confident that the script and Clea’s vision and her ambition were aligned to make a commercial story, and that the quality of her storytelling would bring everybody in. When something’s great, it’s great.”This shift is most seismic for Hallmark, which has become shorthand for “holiday movie.” “The Christmas House” is one of 40 new holiday films released this year on the Hallmark Channel and its sister network Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, the leaders in the holiday moviemaking machine. What’s most striking about “The Christmas House” is that Brandon and Jake, played by Jonathan Bennett and Brad Harder, are unconditionally accepted as part of the family.L.G.B.T.Q. people “work on a lot of these Christmas movies,” said Bennett, who is gay but has played straight in Hallmark films before. “For the first time we feel we belong at the holiday table.”Last December, the Hallmark Channel faced a firestorm when it pulled four television ads with kissing brides after a conservative group petitioned the network to “reconsider airing commercials with same-sex couples” and to refrain from adding L.G.B.T.Q. movies to its schedule. Days later, Hallmark apologized for removing the commercials, and said it would work with GLAAD, the media advocacy organization, “to better represent the L.G.B.T.Q. community.”Michelle Vicary, executive vice president of programming and network publicity at Crown Media Family Networks, the parent company of the Hallmark Channel, said in an interview that her chief goal this year was to make “a bigger holiday table where people can see themselves on TV.” In 2021, Hallmark “will be moving forward, not backward,” she said, with more L.G.B.T.Q. tales at Christmas and during the year.“We are really focused on continuing our commitment to the authenticity in our storytelling for all of our characters, and making sure that everyone can see themselves represented on Hallmark services,” she said. “It’s the right thing to do.”Jonathan Bennett, center, and Brad Harder in “The Christmas House.”Credit…Hallmark ChannelLifetime, Hallmark’s biggest Christmas competitor, has featured original holiday films with L.G.B.T.Q. characters in supporting roles and story lines before; last year for the first time it ran one with a same-sex kiss. But “The Christmas Setup” — one of 34 new holiday movies on Lifetime this year — breaks ground as the channel’s first such film with an L.G.B.T.Q. romance front and center.Tanya Lopez, Lifetime’s executive vice president of movies, limited series and original movie acquisitions, said having gay leading characters in a film was “an incredible positive.” But the real breakthrough?“Remember when we would lower our voices and say a movie has a very special holiday twist?” she whispered. “We’re not doing a very special kind of Christmas.” Gay characters “being treated normal in storytelling is what feels fresh,” she added, “and that’s the norm I want to create.”Holiday TV movies generally follow a formula — a young city gal unexpectedly finds love with a small-town handyman or prince in disguise. Viewers show no signs of fatigue with that basic plot, and it’s a pretty white world. But while racial diversity has become more prevalent in the genre, if only a little, queer representation has not kept pace with even that minimal progress.Guaranteed, aspirational feel-good: that’s the name of the holiday movie game, said Joanna Wilson, the author of the Christmas entertainment encyclopedia “Tis the Season TV.”“These movies are fantasies where the real world doesn’t exist,” said Wilson, who also runs the blog ChristmasTVHistory.com. “Families don’t worry about different political viewpoints or health care. These are very cautious, conservative stories to begin with. But changes are coming, and that matters.”Wilson traces the holiday TV bonanza to ABC’s “Carol for Another Christmas,” a 20th-century “Christmas Carol” written by Rod Serling and broadcast in 1964. Original holiday films blossomed on the networks in the ’70s and ’80s, and in the ’90s, cable TV first marketed them as niche programming, Wilson said. This year, there are an estimated 115 new holiday movies on cable and major streaming platforms, including original films on Fox Nation, the Fox News streaming service.If ratings are an indication, the move toward L.G.B.T.Q. story lines isn’t a fluke. Hallmark said “The Christmas House” attracted over two million total viewers in its premiere last month. “Happiest Season” got the biggest audience for any Hulu original film in its opening weekend, according to Hulu.Complaints remain. One Million Moms, the conservative group that took credit for Hallmark’s decision to pull ads last year, is boycotting the company. Some L.G.B.T.Q. advocates are dissatisfied that the husbands in “The Christmas House” take more of a back seat to the film’s straight romance. There’s also disappointment that trans characters and actors are scarce.But for holiday movie fans like Kevin A. Barry, a higher education administrator in West Hollywood, Calif., there’s joy in knowing the days are numbered for watching only straight people smooch under a snow-coated gazebo.“We’ve always had to fight for love,” Barry said. “These movies remind us that love always wins.”AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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    Tommy Lister, Actor Who Menaced as Deebo in ‘Friday,’ Is Dead at 62

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best MoviesBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest TheaterBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyTommy Lister, Actor Who Menaced as Deebo in ‘Friday,’ Is Dead at 62The actor was found dead in his California home on Thursday after friends and business associates could not reach him, the authorities said.Tommy Lister’s acting career started in the 1980s, and he also developed a following in wrestling.Credit…Rob Kim/Getty ImagesDec. 11, 2020, 3:57 p.m. ETTommy Lister, a 6-foot-5-inch actor nicknamed Tiny who played the hulking neighborhood bully Deebo in the “Friday” films, has died at his home in Marina del Rey, Calif. He was 62.Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies visited Mr. Lister’s home on Thursday to do a welfare check, urged by friends and business associates who had grown concerned after not hearing from him. Mr. Lister was found dead inside the home, the Sheriff’s Department said.The department said that Mr. Lister’s death was being investigated and that a cause would be determined by the county medical examiner-coroner’s office, but added that the actor’s death “appears to be of natural causes.”Cindy Cowan, Mr. Lister’s friend and manager, said in an interview on Friday that by Wednesday night, none of his friends had heard from him for several days. After one of them knocked on his door and got no answer, the person contacted the authorities. “I think we are all shocked,” she said.Ms. Cowan said that Mr. Lister had struggled with his health after testing positive for the coronavirus several months ago, and that more than a week ago he was unable to keep a meeting at her home because he felt sick and weak. He later told her he was having trouble breathing and was unable to show up to work on a new project last Sunday, Ms. Cowan said.Mr. Lister’s acting career started in the 1980s, with roles in movies including “Runaway Train,” “Blue City” and “Beverly Hills Cop II,” according to his IMDb profile, which lists more than 250 film and television titles.Tributes to the actor from co-stars were shared on social media.Ice Cube, a writer and star of “Friday,” the 1995 comedy that gave Mr. Lister perhaps the signature role of his acting career, praised Mr. Lister as “a born entertainer who would pop into character at the drop of a hat terrifying people on and off camera” before following up with “a big smile and laugh.”Mr. Lister was also cast as President Lindberg in “The Fifth Element” in 1997, and would joke that he was the “first Black president,” Ms. Cowan said.He also gathered a following in the world of wrestling, where he was known as Zeus or the Human Wrecking Machine. He appeared with Hulk Hogan in the film “No Holds Barred” in 1989.Thomas G. Lister Jr. was born on June 24, 1958, in Los Angeles County, according to California birth records.Keith Lister, a brother of Mr. Lister, said the actor was married to Felicia Forbes and had a daughter, Faith, 12. Other survivors included Mr. Lister’s mother, Mildred Edwards Lister, and his siblings Anthony and Jill.During public appearances Mr. Lister would often oblige requests from fans to act out a few lines as the character Deebo, jokingly “scaring” them, Ms. Cowan said.“Then his teddy bear would come out, and he would break into these great, goofy smiles,” she said.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

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    ‘Wander Darkly’ Review: After Death, a Fractured Life

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best MoviesBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest TheaterBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main story‘Wander Darkly’ Review: After Death, a Fractured LifeIn this drama, Sienna Miller plays a woman who gets to witness her own funeral after a car crash.Sienna Miller and Diego Luna in “Wander Darkly.”Credit…Lionsgate, via Associated PressDec. 11, 2020, 2:50 p.m. ETWander DarklyDirected by Tara MieleDramaR1h 37mFind TicketsWhen you purchase a ticket for an independently reviewed film through our site, we earn an affiliate commission.Surviving a car crash, even a minor one, is a singular experience. In “Wander Darkly,” a film written and directed by Tara Miele, Adrienne (Sienna Miller) has an extra-singular experience — she dies in her auto accident, but lives on.At the time of the crash, she and her partner Matteo (Diego Luna) are at an impasse. Unmarried, with a child they thought would focus their relationship, they’re angry at each other: Adrienne at Matteo’s inattention, Matteo at Adrienne’s flirtation at a party. After the collision, Adrienne, believing herself a ghost, wanders out of a hospital and to her own funeral. The experience is more “Carnival of Souls” than “Tom Sawyer,” and that’s encouraging.[embedded content]Then Matteo shows up. For reasons never thoroughly rationalized or explained, he can see her, while others can’t. He becomes her docent in scenes from their shared past and possible future. They can converse privately while witnessing various scenarios, just like Marley and Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol.”But instead of a revelation of past sins, we walk through the travails of yet one more generationally vague bourgeois bohemian Los Angeles couple grappling with the question, “What’s the point of us?”Miele presents some interesting, insinuating imagery — a sidewalk that morphs into a wave-lapped beach, a Day of the Dead dance popping up in the middle of an idyllic Saturday-in-the-park scene.But Adrienne and Matteo are, even as insular indie couples go, poorly developed. “You are my calm and my truth,” Adrienne says to Matteo in one scene. Only he doesn’t appear to be anything of the sort. Rather, both characters are attractive, socially presentable people who are ordinarily, aimlessly and stubbornly self-absorbed. Car crash, or baby, or neither, their alliance never seems worth sustaining.Wander DarklyRated R for intense content and language. Running time: 1 hour 37 minutes. In theaters and available to rent or buy on Amazon, Apple TV and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators. Please consult the guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention before watching movies inside theaters.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More