What to stream this week: 'House of the Dragon,' 'Origin,' Snoopy and Paul McCartney
This weekโs new streaming entertainment releases include an album from Paul McCartney & Wings, Jake Gyllenhaal starring in his first TV role as a prosecutor accused of murder in โPresumed Innocent," and actor Andrew McCarthy sets out to reconnect with some of this fellow Brat Pack alum.
Former prosecutor settles lawsuit against Netflix over Central Park Five series
Former Manhattan prosecutor Linda Fairstein and Netflix have announced theyโve settled the defamation lawsuit she filed four years ago over her portrayal in the streaming serviceโs miniseries about the five Black and Latino teenagers known as the now-exonerated Central Park Five.
Venice Film Festival unveils A-list lineup with โPriscilla,โ โFerrari,โ โMaestroโ amid strikes
Bradley Cooperโs Leonard Bernstein drama โMaestro,โ Sofia Coppolaโs Priscilla Presley movie, Michael Mannโs โFerrari,โ David Fincherโs โThe Killerโ and Ava DuVernayโs โOriginโ will be making their world debuts at the Venice International Film Festival this fall.
Academy Museum to honor Sophia Loren, Haile Gerima at gala
Director Haile Gerima appears at the 65th edition of the Venice Film Festival in Venice, Italy, on Sept. 2, 2008, left, and Sophia Loren arrives at the Governors Awards in Los Angeles on Oct. 27, 2019. Loren and independent filmmaker Haile Gerima will be honored with special awards by the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. (Photos by Andrew Medichini/AP, left, and Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is assembling a star-studded cast for its opening gala in September. Italian screen legend Sophia Loren and independent filmmaker Haile Gerima will be honored with special awards, and Tom Hanks, Annette Bening and Bob Iger are being saluted for their efforts to raise $388 million for the long gestating museum, the organization said Monday. Designed by architect Renzo Piano, The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is located at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in the historic Saban Building.
'Nomadland,' 'Borat' win at a socially distant Golden Globes
Sheโs only the second woman in the history of the Globes to win, and the first since Barbra Streisand won for โYentlโ in 1984. Its star, guerilla comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, also won best actor in a comedy. โThe Queen's Gambitโ won best limited series, and best actress in the category for Anya Taylor-Joy. โSchitt's Creek,โ the Pop TV series that found a wider audience on Netflix, won best comedy series for its final season. Catherine O'Hara also took best actress in a comedy series.
Podcast odd couple: Obama, Springsteen in Spotify series
Bruce Springsteen, left, appears with former President Barack Obama during their podcast of conversations recorded at Springsteen's home studio in New Jersey. The eight-episode series covers their upbringings, racism, fatherhood and even recall a White House singalong around a piano. (Rob DeMartin/Spotify via AP)NEW YORK โ Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen are teaming up for an eight-episode Spotify podcast series, swapping stories about their upbringings and even a White House singalong around a piano. The seemingly offbeat relationship between the former president and rock star began when Springsteen performed benefits for Obama during his presidential campaigns. Springsteen uses a few of those guitars during the course of the podcast.
New Orleans stage and screen actor Carol Sutton dies at 76
FILE - In this May 1, 2019, file photo, actress Carol Sutton arrives at the World Premiere of "Poms" in Los Angeles. Sutton, a fixture on stages in her native New Orleans who built a steady career on the big and small screens, including roles in the 1989 comedy Steel Magnolias and the TV series Queen Sugar, has died Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020, from complications from COVID-19, according to New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. Sutton was 76. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)(AP) โ Actor Carol Sutton, a fixture on stages in her native New Orleans who built a steady career on the big and small screens, including roles in the 1989 comedy โSteel Magnoliasโ and the TV series โQueen Sugar,โ has died from complications from COVID-19, according to New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell. Sutton was 76.
Barack Obama to be honored next month by PEN America
NEW YORK โ Former President Barack Obama, already a million-selling author, is also a prize-winning author. During the ceremony, Obama and historian Ron Chernow, a former PEN board president, will discuss freedom of expression and the importance of truth in a world of misinformation. Obamaโs previous books include โDreams from My Fatherโ and โThe Audacity of Hope.โโAs an organization of writers, we have always seen President Obama not just as a leader, but as one of us: an author. His probing and evocative narratives helped introduce the world to his unique background, and the power of his life experience as a prompt toward a more pluralistic and encompassing society,โ PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel said in a statement. PEN presented its first Voice of Influence Award in 2019 to filmmaker Ava DuVernay.
Yusef Salaam writing memoir about his wrongful imprisonment
NEW YORK โ One of the five teens wrongly imprisoned for the assault on a Central Park jogger has a memoir coming out in the spring. The five Black and Latino teens were coerced into confessing to a rape they didnโt commit in 1989. Ken Burns made a documentary about them and Ava DuVernay directed a Netflix series. โOne of the most powerful lessons I learned while being wrongfully incarcerated was that instead of going through something, I was going to grow through something," Salaam said in a statement. โPunching the Air,โ co-written by Ibi Zoboi, came out in September.
Filmmaker Ava DuVernay, her company honored by MacDowell
NEW YORK โ Filmmaker Ava DuVernay will be honored next month by MacDowell, which is presenting its inaugural Marian MacDowell Arts Advocacy Award to her media company and arts collective ARRAY. The award is named for the co-founder of MacDowell, the century-old artist residency in Peterborough, New Hampshire, where James Baldwin, Leonard Bernstein and many others have been visiting fellows. DuVernay, known for such acclaimed movies as โSelmaโ and โ13th," founded ARRAY in 2012 as a way of amplifying the work of women and people of color. โI am touched that our narrative change collective ARRAY, which is built upon a mission to articulate and amplify stories from the widest range of art makers, is being honored in Ms. MacDowellโs name,โ DuVernay said in a statement Sunday. Actress and former chair of the National Endowment for the Arts, Jane Alexander, will present the award.
Oscars diversity criteria 'not about exclusion' say leaders
I want to commend them for trying and for putting together a criteria because we know criteria is a way to counter bias, said Smith. Five years ago, the film academy endeavored to significantly diversify its own membership. The best picture adjustment is just one of the effort. Others include implementing a set 10 best picture nominees starting at the 94th Oscars and mandatory unconscious bias training for academy members. The best picture standards were specifically designed to be flexible and give latitude to filmmakers.
New this week: Katy Perry's 'Smile' and 'Love Island' return
This image released by BBC America shows Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in a scene from "Planet Earth: A Celebration." The special debuts at 8 p.m. EDT Monday, Aug. 31, on BBC America, AMC, SundanceTV and IFC. (BBC Studios/BBC America via AP)
New this week: Katy Perry's 'Smile' and 'Love Island' return
Heres a collection curated by The Associated Press entertainment journalists of whats arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week. Infused with a hip-hop energy and a solidly anarchic spirit, Get Duked! is the directorial debut of music video director Ninian Doff. Katy Perry says shes been on a real emotional, psychological and spiritual journey... to find my smile in the last three years since releasing her Witness album. AP Music Editor Mesfin FekaduTELEVISIONWhether the new season of CBS Love Island includes any version of love remains to be seen, but its definitely not on an island. Love Island, with host Arielle Vandenberg and narrator Matthew Hoffman, debuts 8 p.m. EDT Monday with a two-hour episode, followed by nightly episodes at 9 p.m. EDT.
Winfrey picks Isabel Wilkerson's 'Caste' for her book club
And on Tuesday, Winfrey announced she had chosen Isabel Wilkerson's exploration of race and hierarchy in the U.S., Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, as her latest book club pick. Wilkerson's book, Winfrey said in a telephone interview, could change the way we see each other, how we see our humanity and the structure of our world." Caste continues Winfrey's book club partnership with Apple that began last fall and includes such previous picks as Ta-Nehisi Coates' novel The Water Dancer and the nonfiction Hidden Valley Road, by Robert Kolker. Winfrey said many details in Caste were revelatory for her, such as the Nazis' admiration for the Jim Crow system. She read Caste a few months ago, before bound, printed copies were available.
Ava DuVernay, Jimmy Fallon and More React to 'Hamilton' on Disney Plus
https://t.co/32oodfc238 Ava DuVernay (@ava) July 3, 2020This was the moment it all changed for me. Had been watching thinking, Oh this is very cool. Then, this moment with John, Lafayette + Hercules hits and I suddenly was watching @Lin_Manuel change everything. #Hamilfilm #HamiltonFilm https://t.co/2IR14JXOQV Ava DuVernay (@ava) July 3, 2020She later defended Miranda against critics who accused Hamilton of being a "feel-good" story and a "falsification of history." https://t.co/sBwBQYUi1s Ava DuVernay (@ava) July 3, 2020Meanwhile, Jimmy Fallon tweeted his excitement on Friday. Watch the video below for more:RELATED CONTENT:How to Watch 'Hamilton' on Disney Plus'Hamilton' Cast on Why the Musical Is Relevant Now More Than EverLin-Manuel Miranda Reveals Lyrics Cut From 'Hamilton' for Disney Plus
Netflix series to dramatize Kaepernick's path to activism
LOS ANGELES Colin Kaepernick is joining with Emmy-winning filmmaker Ava DuVernay on a Netflix drama series about the teenage roots of the former NFL players activism. Colin in Black & White will examine Kaepernick's high school years to illuminate the experiences that shaped his advocacy, Netflix said Monday. Too often we see race and Black stories portrayed through a white lens, Kaepernick said in a statement. Writing by on the six-episode series was completed in May, the streaming service said. Kaepernick will appear as himself as the limited series' narrator, Netflix said.
Colin Kaepernick Teams Up With Ava DuVernay for Netflix Series About His Adolescent Life
Colin Kaepernick's adolescent life is getting the Netflix treatment. The former NFL star's years in high school are being turned into a new scripted limited series, Netflix announced on Tuesday. Colin in Black & White, from Kaepernick and Ava DuVernay, was conceived in 2019, and recently completed writing in May. Michael Starrbury will write and serve as executive producer, alongside DuVernay and Kaepernick, who will appear as himself as narrator of the series. "With his act of protest, Colin Kaepernick ignited a national conversation about race and justice with far-reaching consequences for football, culture and for him, personally," DuVernay said in a statement.
Floyds death hastens shift in police pop culture portrayals
In this image released by NBC, Jason Beghe portrays Hank Voight, left, in a scene from the crime series "Chicago PD." The divide between crime fiction and real life dates back to the genre's origins, more than 200 years ago. Law enforcement violence and corruption were extreme in the mid-19th century and some police forces were rooted in the patrols that used to chase down runaway slaves. Meanwhile, The police in early crime fiction were depicted as good, courageous, and brilliant, says Otto Penzler, the crime fiction publisher and bookseller. Over the past 50 years, the image of law enforcement has sometimes mirrored debates between liberals and conservatives.
Ava DuVernay joins the film academy's Board of Governors
LOS ANGELES Filmmaker Ava DuVernay has been elected to the film academys Board of Governors for the first time. The academy has increased the number of women and people of color on the board. Incumbent governors reelected include Whoopi Goldberg, Dolemite Is My Name screenwriter Larry Karaszewski and Participant Media CEO David Linde among others. The organization that puts on the Oscars said that the number of women on the board has gone from 25 to 26 and people of color from 11 to 12. The Board of Governors represent each of the academys 17 branches and work to set the organizations strategy, finances and fulfillment of its mission.
Ava DuVernay on Why George Floyd's Death Brought Me to My Knees
Ava DuVernay has sifted through hours of horrific footage while making films which highlight racial inequality. In Mondays episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show, DuVernay, who is behind such films as 13th, Selma and When They See Us, shared why Floyds death brought me to my knees and what shes now doing to further help fight racial injustice. So, it was really shocking to me why the George Floyd video just brought me to my knees." See more on DuVernay and other celebrities and filmmakers supporting the Black Lives Matter movement below. RELATED CONTENT:Jennifer Lopez, YG, Madonna & More Protest George Floyd's DeathJennifer Aniston Donates Nearly $1 Million to Racial Justice CharitiesBeyonc Hopes for 'Real Change' In Moving Commencement Speech
These movies, shows and documentaries about race should be required viewing
Netflixโ13thโDirected by Ava DuVernay (sheโll come up again in this list), the documentary shows you how America changed after the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, but also kickstarted the prison boom in America. โMoonlightโThis Oscar-winning picture tells the story of a young black gay man living in Miami. chronicles the Central Park Five, a group of young black teenagers who were wrongfully convicted of a crime they didnโt commit. The documentary tells the story of the days of protests, unrest and riots that followed. Itโs a great film that shows how two different groups of people can react to fatal police shootings.
What to Stream This Weekend: '13th,' 'American Son,' 'Just Mercy' and More
Selma was nominated for Best Picture and won Best Original Song -- "Glory," by Common and John Legend -- at the 87th Academy Awards. It also received four Golden Globe Award nominations, including Best Motion Picture Drama, Best Director and Best Actor, and won for Best Original Song. The 2016 documentary film directed by Raoul Peck is based on James Baldwin's unfinished manuscript Remember This House. I Am Not Your Negro was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 89th Academy Awards and won the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary. Gran Olsson/Swedish TelevisionThe Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975How to Watch: The Black Power Mixtape: 1967-1975 is streaming now on Amazon Prime Video and is available to rent on digital.