News Analysis India

Tag: Hollywood

  • INTERVIEW | Tom Hanks talks about playing grumpy widower in ‘A Man Called Otto’

    In your new film, A Man Called Otto, you play an ill-tempered character. It is quite a departure to see you do that. What was it like to go from being the nicest guy in Hollywood to becoming the grumpiest man in America?

    To me, to be defined as being nice somehow means that you come to work, don’t make waves, don’t try too hard and take it as easy as possible, but that is not the case at all. To be asked what it’s like to be a nice guy to me is like asking a fish,

    ‘What is it like to live in water?’ A fish doesn’t know that it lives in water and I don’t know that I am a nice guy (laughs). Are you ever grumpy or grouchy in real life?

    Sure. You don’t want to be alone in a car with me when somebody up ahead doesn’t turn their signal because I go off. Let’s just say I use salty language and it goes on for quite some time (laughs).

    Your son, Truman Hanks, appears in the movie as young Otto. Did you get to work together much?

    No, we didn’t. We were always shooting on different days. We did talk a little bit about some physical gestures and the way to walk when you’re pissed off (laughs). The good news is that I looked like him when I was 26. The bad news is he’s going to look like me in another 40 years and he’s just going to have to deal with that.

    Did you know Mariana Trevino, who plays Marisol (Otto’s neighbour), before this project?

    No. We didn’t meet until we went to the production offices in Pittsburgh. Before that, I remember, Rita (wife Rita Wilson) came into the room to show me a picture of Mariana on her iPad. I said, ‘Well, I think we should just get her.’ And that was that. I think the theme of this movie is, if you want to live a better life, have a busybody Mexican woman knock on your door and say ‘que paso?’

    You work with both children and animals in this movie. Which did you prefer?

    The girls. They were magical. They should not have been as carefree and easy as they were. It was like hanging out with really groovy kids.

    What about doing the scenes with cats and dogs?

    Well, cats really look at you. Dogs are always looking at the trainer just off your shoulder. But, a cat looks at you dead in the eye. I didn’t think you could train a cat, but you can. Schmagel (a Columbia County cat that stars in the film) is now a pilot for Delta Airlines.

    Isn’t there a rule in Hollywood about never working with animals?

    They do say that, yes, but only because they (animals) have a habit of stealing the scene from you (laughs) and that happens a lot.

    What are your thoughts about OTT versus watching movies in a theatre?

    Streaming works great for some things and it’s perhaps a handicap for others. One of the greatest things I have watched in the last few years was the five-part HBO series, Chernobyl. It was fantastic. So, I think there’s a place for streaming, but the cinematic experience is irreplaceable for certain kinds of films. There are some films you’ve just got to see on the big screen in a room with 200, 600 or 1,200 strangers. I don’t want to see Quentin Tarantino or Christopher Nolan’s movies for the first time on streaming. I want to go to the theatre. I want to see an awful lot of movies for the first time on the big screen.

    A Man Called Otto is about being never too old to learn and change. What lessons or words of advice that you have got over the years, do you remember?

    I learned through osmosis from moments like Paul Newman’s first shot in Road To Perdition, after which he made a quick little toast. It was literally 30 people, including me, thinking, ‘I’m in a movie with Paul Newman. That’s Paul Newman standing right there!’ And when they said, ‘Cut’, he looked around and said, ‘The first day is loaded with self-consciousness, isn’t it? You don’t really feel yourself.’ Thank God that man said that. I didn’t have the words for it, until probably 10 years ago, but it is a battle against selfconsciousness.

    You star in people’s favourite movies. Which of your own movies do you like to watch?

    I don’t. I can’t watch them. If there’s one that I could stand revisiting, it would be That Thing You Do because that movie makes me feel pretty good––so many of my friends are in it, my kids are in it. Truman was actually born in-between two of the scenes that are in the movie. So, I would have to say it is the one I could watch.

    – Asia Fetaures

    In your new film, A Man Called Otto, you play an ill-tempered character. It is quite a departure to see you do that. What was it like to go from being the nicest guy in Hollywood to becoming the grumpiest man in America?

    To me, to be defined as being nice somehow means that you come to work, don’t make waves, don’t try too hard and take it as easy as possible, but that is not the case at all. To be asked what it’s like to be a nice guy to me is like asking a fish,

    ‘What is it like to live in water?’ A fish doesn’t know that it lives in water and I don’t know that I am a nice guy (laughs). Are you ever grumpy or grouchy in real life?

    Sure. You don’t want to be alone in a car with me when somebody up ahead doesn’t turn their signal because I go off. Let’s just say I use salty language and it goes on for quite some time (laughs).

    Your son, Truman Hanks, appears in the movie as young Otto. Did you get to work together much?

    No, we didn’t. We were always shooting on different days. We did talk a little bit about some physical gestures and the way to walk when you’re pissed off (laughs). The good news is that I looked like him when I was 26. The bad news is he’s going to look like me in another 40 years and he’s just going to have to deal with that.

    Did you know Mariana Trevino, who plays Marisol (Otto’s neighbour), before this project?

    No. We didn’t meet until we went to the production offices in Pittsburgh. Before that, I remember, Rita (wife Rita Wilson) came into the room to show me a picture of Mariana on her iPad. I said, ‘Well, I think we should just get her.’ And that was that. I think the theme of this movie is, if you want to live a better life, have a busybody Mexican woman knock on your door and say ‘que paso?’

    You work with both children and animals in this movie. Which did you prefer?

    The girls. They were magical. They should not have been as carefree and easy as they were. It was like hanging out with really groovy kids.

    What about doing the scenes with cats and dogs?

    Well, cats really look at you. Dogs are always looking at the trainer just off your shoulder. But, a cat looks at you dead in the eye. I didn’t think you could train a cat, but you can. Schmagel (a Columbia County cat that stars in the film) is now a pilot for Delta Airlines.

    Isn’t there a rule in Hollywood about never working with animals?

    They do say that, yes, but only because they (animals) have a habit of stealing the scene from you (laughs) and that happens a lot.

    What are your thoughts about OTT versus watching movies in a theatre?

    Streaming works great for some things and it’s perhaps a handicap for others. One of the greatest things I have watched in the last few years was the five-part HBO series, Chernobyl. It was fantastic. So, I think there’s a place for streaming, but the cinematic experience is irreplaceable for certain kinds of films. There are some films you’ve just got to see on the big screen in a room with 200, 600 or 1,200 strangers. I don’t want to see Quentin Tarantino or Christopher Nolan’s movies for the first time on streaming. I want to go to the theatre. I want to see an awful lot of movies for the first time on the big screen.

    A Man Called Otto is about being never too old to learn and change. What lessons or words of advice that you have got over the years, do you remember?

    I learned through osmosis from moments like Paul Newman’s first shot in Road To Perdition, after which he made a quick little toast. It was literally 30 people, including me, thinking, ‘I’m in a movie with Paul Newman. That’s Paul Newman standing right there!’ And when they said, ‘Cut’, he looked around and said, ‘The first day is loaded with self-consciousness, isn’t it? You don’t really feel yourself.’ Thank God that man said that. I didn’t have the words for it, until probably 10 years ago, but it is a battle against selfconsciousness.

    You star in people’s favourite movies. Which of your own movies do you like to watch?

    I don’t. I can’t watch them. If there’s one that I could stand revisiting, it would be That Thing You Do because that movie makes me feel pretty good––so many of my friends are in it, my kids are in it. Truman was actually born in-between two of the scenes that are in the movie. So, I would have to say it is the one I could watch.

    – Asia Fetaures

  • INTERVIEW | Tom Hanks talks about playing grumpy widower in ‘A Man Called Otto’

    In your new film, A Man Called Otto, you play an ill-tempered character. It is quite a departure to see you do that. What was it like to go from being the nicest guy in Hollywood to becoming the grumpiest man in America?

    To me, to be defined as being nice somehow means that you come to work, don’t make waves, don’t try too hard and take it as easy as possible, but that is not the case at all. To be asked what it’s like to be a nice guy to me is like asking a fish,

    ‘What is it like to live in water?’ A fish doesn’t know that it lives in water and I don’t know that I am a nice guy (laughs). Are you ever grumpy or grouchy in real life?

    Sure. You don’t want to be alone in a car with me when somebody up ahead doesn’t turn their signal because I go off. Let’s just say I use salty language and it goes on for quite some time (laughs).

    Your son, Truman Hanks, appears in the movie as young Otto. Did you get to work together much?

    No, we didn’t. We were always shooting on different days. We did talk a little bit about some physical gestures and the way to walk when you’re pissed off (laughs). The good news is that I looked like him when I was 26. The bad news is he’s going to look like me in another 40 years and he’s just going to have to deal with that.

    Did you know Mariana Trevino, who plays Marisol (Otto’s neighbour), before this project?

    No. We didn’t meet until we went to the production offices in Pittsburgh. Before that, I remember, Rita (wife Rita Wilson) came into the room to show me a picture of Mariana on her iPad. I said, ‘Well, I think we should just get her.’ And that was that. I think the theme of this movie is, if you want to live a better life, have a busybody Mexican woman knock on your door and say ‘que paso?’

    You work with both children and animals in this movie. Which did you prefer?

    The girls. They were magical. They should not have been as carefree and easy as they were. It was like hanging out with really groovy kids.

    What about doing the scenes with cats and dogs?

    Well, cats really look at you. Dogs are always looking at the trainer just off your shoulder. But, a cat looks at you dead in the eye. I didn’t think you could train a cat, but you can. Schmagel (a Columbia County cat that stars in the film) is now a pilot for Delta Airlines.

    Isn’t there a rule in Hollywood about never working with animals?

    They do say that, yes, but only because they (animals) have a habit of stealing the scene from you (laughs) and that happens a lot.

    What are your thoughts about OTT versus watching movies in a theatre?

    Streaming works great for some things and it’s perhaps a handicap for others. One of the greatest things I have watched in the last few years was the five-part HBO series, Chernobyl. It was fantastic. So, I think there’s a place for streaming, but the cinematic experience is irreplaceable for certain kinds of films. There are some films you’ve just got to see on the big screen in a room with 200, 600 or 1,200 strangers. I don’t want to see Quentin Tarantino or Christopher Nolan’s movies for the first time on streaming. I want to go to the theatre. I want to see an awful lot of movies for the first time on the big screen.

    A Man Called Otto is about being never too old to learn and change. What lessons or words of advice that you have got over the years, do you remember?

    I learned through osmosis from moments like Paul Newman’s first shot in Road To Perdition, after which he made a quick little toast. It was literally 30 people, including me, thinking, ‘I’m in a movie with Paul Newman. That’s Paul Newman standing right there!’ And when they said, ‘Cut’, he looked around and said, ‘The first day is loaded with self-consciousness, isn’t it? You don’t really feel yourself.’ Thank God that man said that. I didn’t have the words for it, until probably 10 years ago, but it is a battle against selfconsciousness.

    You star in people’s favourite movies. Which of your own movies do you like to watch?

    I don’t. I can’t watch them. If there’s one that I could stand revisiting, it would be That Thing You Do because that movie makes me feel pretty good––so many of my friends are in it, my kids are in it. Truman was actually born in-between two of the scenes that are in the movie. So, I would have to say it is the one I could watch.

    – Asia Fetaures

    In your new film, A Man Called Otto, you play an ill-tempered character. It is quite a departure to see you do that. What was it like to go from being the nicest guy in Hollywood to becoming the grumpiest man in America?

    To me, to be defined as being nice somehow means that you come to work, don’t make waves, don’t try too hard and take it as easy as possible, but that is not the case at all. To be asked what it’s like to be a nice guy to me is like asking a fish,

    ‘What is it like to live in water?’ A fish doesn’t know that it lives in water and I don’t know that I am a nice guy (laughs). Are you ever grumpy or grouchy in real life?

    Sure. You don’t want to be alone in a car with me when somebody up ahead doesn’t turn their signal because I go off. Let’s just say I use salty language and it goes on for quite some time (laughs).

    Your son, Truman Hanks, appears in the movie as young Otto. Did you get to work together much?

    No, we didn’t. We were always shooting on different days. We did talk a little bit about some physical gestures and the way to walk when you’re pissed off (laughs). The good news is that I looked like him when I was 26. The bad news is he’s going to look like me in another 40 years and he’s just going to have to deal with that.

    Did you know Mariana Trevino, who plays Marisol (Otto’s neighbour), before this project?

    No. We didn’t meet until we went to the production offices in Pittsburgh. Before that, I remember, Rita (wife Rita Wilson) came into the room to show me a picture of Mariana on her iPad. I said, ‘Well, I think we should just get her.’ And that was that. I think the theme of this movie is, if you want to live a better life, have a busybody Mexican woman knock on your door and say ‘que paso?’

    You work with both children and animals in this movie. Which did you prefer?

    The girls. They were magical. They should not have been as carefree and easy as they were. It was like hanging out with really groovy kids.

    What about doing the scenes with cats and dogs?

    Well, cats really look at you. Dogs are always looking at the trainer just off your shoulder. But, a cat looks at you dead in the eye. I didn’t think you could train a cat, but you can. Schmagel (a Columbia County cat that stars in the film) is now a pilot for Delta Airlines.

    Isn’t there a rule in Hollywood about never working with animals?

    They do say that, yes, but only because they (animals) have a habit of stealing the scene from you (laughs) and that happens a lot.

    What are your thoughts about OTT versus watching movies in a theatre?

    Streaming works great for some things and it’s perhaps a handicap for others. One of the greatest things I have watched in the last few years was the five-part HBO series, Chernobyl. It was fantastic. So, I think there’s a place for streaming, but the cinematic experience is irreplaceable for certain kinds of films. There are some films you’ve just got to see on the big screen in a room with 200, 600 or 1,200 strangers. I don’t want to see Quentin Tarantino or Christopher Nolan’s movies for the first time on streaming. I want to go to the theatre. I want to see an awful lot of movies for the first time on the big screen.

    A Man Called Otto is about being never too old to learn and change. What lessons or words of advice that you have got over the years, do you remember?

    I learned through osmosis from moments like Paul Newman’s first shot in Road To Perdition, after which he made a quick little toast. It was literally 30 people, including me, thinking, ‘I’m in a movie with Paul Newman. That’s Paul Newman standing right there!’ And when they said, ‘Cut’, he looked around and said, ‘The first day is loaded with self-consciousness, isn’t it? You don’t really feel yourself.’ Thank God that man said that. I didn’t have the words for it, until probably 10 years ago, but it is a battle against selfconsciousness.

    You star in people’s favourite movies. Which of your own movies do you like to watch?

    I don’t. I can’t watch them. If there’s one that I could stand revisiting, it would be That Thing You Do because that movie makes me feel pretty good––so many of my friends are in it, my kids are in it. Truman was actually born in-between two of the scenes that are in the movie. So, I would have to say it is the one I could watch.

    – Asia Fetaures

  • Cardi B reflects on decision to call off her divorce from Offset

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: American rapper and songwriter Cardi B, who filed for divorce from her husband Offset in 2020 but two months later ultimately called off their legal separation, has recently reflected on her decision.

    According to E! News, a USA-based entertainment news outlet, while filing for the divorce, Cardi had described her relationship with Offset as “irretrievably broken” with “no prospects for a reconciliation” in court documents. She later submitted new paperwork to have her initial filing dismissed.

    “Me and Offset, we were not seeing eye-to-eye… This was like, the same year I filed for divorce and everything,” said Cardi in the latest episode of Revolt’s ‘The Jason Lee Show’. However, it was her husband’s willingness to change that made her change her mind, reported E! News.

    While Cardi did not exactly specify what made her want a divorce in the first place, she did say the issue that was “really bothering” and has since been addressed by her husband, reported E! News.

    “The main thing that I wanted him to stop and everything, he stopped and he changed,” she explained, “and it showed me that he wanted to change for me.”

    In November 2021, Cardi said her brief split with Offset actually made their relationship stronger. “Of course we went through some challenges,” she told E! News.

    A year after their reconciliation, the celebrity duo welcomed son Wave in September 2021. They are also parents to 4-year-old daughter Kulture, while Offset is dad to three other children from previous relationships, as per E! News. 

    WASHINGTON: American rapper and songwriter Cardi B, who filed for divorce from her husband Offset in 2020 but two months later ultimately called off their legal separation, has recently reflected on her decision.

    According to E! News, a USA-based entertainment news outlet, while filing for the divorce, Cardi had described her relationship with Offset as “irretrievably broken” with “no prospects for a reconciliation” in court documents. She later submitted new paperwork to have her initial filing dismissed.

    “Me and Offset, we were not seeing eye-to-eye… This was like, the same year I filed for divorce and everything,” said Cardi in the latest episode of Revolt’s ‘The Jason Lee Show’. However, it was her husband’s willingness to change that made her change her mind, reported E! News.

    While Cardi did not exactly specify what made her want a divorce in the first place, she did say the issue that was “really bothering” and has since been addressed by her husband, reported E! News.

    “The main thing that I wanted him to stop and everything, he stopped and he changed,” she explained, “and it showed me that he wanted to change for me.”

    In November 2021, Cardi said her brief split with Offset actually made their relationship stronger. “Of course we went through some challenges,” she told E! News.

    A year after their reconciliation, the celebrity duo welcomed son Wave in September 2021. They are also parents to 4-year-old daughter Kulture, while Offset is dad to three other children from previous relationships, as per E! News. 

  • Kate Hudson says nepotism prevalent in other industries ‘way more than’ in Hollywood

    By PTI

    LONDON: Amid the growing debate around nepotism in Hollywood and the privileges that come along with it, actor Kate Hudson says while she doesn’t care about the controversy, the practice is perhaps more widespread in other walks of life than the American entertainment industry.

    Hollywood’s moment of reckoning over nepotism culture came with the discourse around “nepotism babies”, a term used to describe the vast flock of newly famous celebrities descended from establishment stars.

    In an interview with British news outlet The Independent, Hudson, daughter of Hollywood veterans Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson, acknowledged that she comes from a well-connected film family.

    “The nepotism thing, I mean. I don’t really care. I look at my kids and we’re a storytelling family. It’s definitely in our blood. People can call it whatever they want, but it’s not going to change it.”

    “I actually think there are other industries where it’s [more common]. Maybe modelling? I see it in business way more than I see it in Hollywood. Sometimes I’ve been in business meetings where I’m like, wait, whose child is this? Like, this person knows nothing,” she said.

    The Hollywood nepotism debate started after a feature piece by entertainment news outlet Vulture, titled “The Year of the Nepo Baby”.

    In the cover story featured a list that included prominent names, ranging from young celebs like Lily-Rose Depp, John David Washington and Maya Hawke to veterans George Clooney, Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael Douglas.

    A person’s background does not matter as hard work is the only way to succeed in the entertainment business, added Hudson, who is also the step-daughter of Hollywood star Kurt Russell.

    “I don’t care where you come from, or what your relationship to the business is – if you work hard and you kill it, it doesn’t matter,” the “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” star said.

    Previously, actor Jamie Lee Curtis criticised the debate around nepotism in a post on Instagram, saying that it is unfair to assume that all “nepo babies” are automatically untalented or undeserving of their fame.

    LONDON: Amid the growing debate around nepotism in Hollywood and the privileges that come along with it, actor Kate Hudson says while she doesn’t care about the controversy, the practice is perhaps more widespread in other walks of life than the American entertainment industry.

    Hollywood’s moment of reckoning over nepotism culture came with the discourse around “nepotism babies”, a term used to describe the vast flock of newly famous celebrities descended from establishment stars.

    In an interview with British news outlet The Independent, Hudson, daughter of Hollywood veterans Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson, acknowledged that she comes from a well-connected film family.

    “The nepotism thing, I mean. I don’t really care. I look at my kids and we’re a storytelling family. It’s definitely in our blood. People can call it whatever they want, but it’s not going to change it.”

    “I actually think there are other industries where it’s [more common]. Maybe modelling? I see it in business way more than I see it in Hollywood. Sometimes I’ve been in business meetings where I’m like, wait, whose child is this? Like, this person knows nothing,” she said.

    The Hollywood nepotism debate started after a feature piece by entertainment news outlet Vulture, titled “The Year of the Nepo Baby”.

    In the cover story featured a list that included prominent names, ranging from young celebs like Lily-Rose Depp, John David Washington and Maya Hawke to veterans George Clooney, Jamie Lee Curtis and Michael Douglas.

    A person’s background does not matter as hard work is the only way to succeed in the entertainment business, added Hudson, who is also the step-daughter of Hollywood star Kurt Russell.

    “I don’t care where you come from, or what your relationship to the business is – if you work hard and you kill it, it doesn’t matter,” the “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” star said.

    Previously, actor Jamie Lee Curtis criticised the debate around nepotism in a post on Instagram, saying that it is unfair to assume that all “nepo babies” are automatically untalented or undeserving of their fame.

  • Jacob Elordi to headline ‘The Narrow Road to the Deep North’

    By Express News Service

    It has been reported that Jacob Elordi, best known for The Kissing Booth films and Euphoria, is set to headline a new limited series titled The Narrow Road to the Deep North. The series is in development at Sony Pictures Television.

    The series is an official adaptation of Richard Flanagan’s novel of the same name. 

    According to Variety, Elordi will be playing the main character in the series named Dorrigo Evans. Evans is an army surgeon who develops a love affair with his uncle’s young wife, Amy. This relationship continues to haunt him during his hardest time, WWII when he doubles up as the leader of men who are held prisoners in a Thai-Burmese camp. 

    Reports suggest that the series will enter production in Australia shortly.

    Justin Kurzel, whose credits include The Turning and Macbeth, will direct and serve as an executive producer.

    In addition to The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Elordi has Priscilla and Saltburn coming up.

    (This story originally appeared on Cinema Express)

    It has been reported that Jacob Elordi, best known for The Kissing Booth films and Euphoria, is set to headline a new limited series titled The Narrow Road to the Deep North. The series is in development at Sony Pictures Television.

    The series is an official adaptation of Richard Flanagan’s novel of the same name. 

    According to Variety, Elordi will be playing the main character in the series named Dorrigo Evans. Evans is an army surgeon who develops a love affair with his uncle’s young wife, Amy. This relationship continues to haunt him during his hardest time, WWII when he doubles up as the leader of men who are held prisoners in a Thai-Burmese camp. 

    Reports suggest that the series will enter production in Australia shortly.

    Justin Kurzel, whose credits include The Turning and Macbeth, will direct and serve as an executive producer.

    In addition to The Narrow Road to the Deep North, Elordi has Priscilla and Saltburn coming up.

    (This story originally appeared on Cinema Express)

  • Netflix officially renews ‘The Sandman’ for season 2

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: “The Sandman”, the live-action adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s popular graphic novel, has been renewed by streaming service Netflix for the second season.

    According to the entertainment website The Hollywood Reporter, news of the renewal leaked earlier on Wednesday via a since-deleted tweet from DC Comics, the publisher of the book. The formal announcement came in the evening.

    Gaiman said he is elated to work with Netflix, Warner Bros, and fellow executive producers Allan Heinberg, and David Goyer, to bring more stories from “The Sandman” books to life.

    “Millions upon millions of people have welcomed and watched and loved The Sandman on Netflix, from established ‘Sandman’ fans to people who were simply curious, and then became obsessed with the Lord of Dreams, his family and their goings-on.”

    There are some astonishing stories waiting for Morpheus and the rest of them (not to mention more members of the Endless Family to meet).

    Yes, it’s true: The Sandman will return to NetflixSays @neilhimself: “There are some astonishing stories waiting for Morpheus and the rest of them…Now it’s time to get back to work. There’s a family meal ahead, after all. And Lucifer is waiting for Morpheus to return to Hell” pic.twitter.com/WKiWp7IDkk
    — The Sandman (@Netflix_Sandman) November 3, 2022
    Nobody is going to be happier about this than ‘The Sandman’ cast and crew: they are the biggest Sandman fans there are. And now it’s time to get back to work. There’s a family meal ahead, after all. And Lucifer is waiting for Morpheus to return to Hell” the author said.

    The 10-episode series follows Tom Sturridge’s Morpheus, the king of dreams, who escapes after being held captive for 105 years and sets out to restore order in his kingdom. A surprise 11th episode followed two weeks after the August 5 release of the debut season.

    “The Sandman” also stars Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, Charles Dance, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, David Thewlis, Stephen Fry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander Park and Donna Preston.

    LOS ANGELES: “The Sandman”, the live-action adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s popular graphic novel, has been renewed by streaming service Netflix for the second season.

    According to the entertainment website The Hollywood Reporter, news of the renewal leaked earlier on Wednesday via a since-deleted tweet from DC Comics, the publisher of the book. The formal announcement came in the evening.

    Gaiman said he is elated to work with Netflix, Warner Bros, and fellow executive producers Allan Heinberg, and David Goyer, to bring more stories from “The Sandman” books to life.

    “Millions upon millions of people have welcomed and watched and loved The Sandman on Netflix, from established ‘Sandman’ fans to people who were simply curious, and then became obsessed with the Lord of Dreams, his family and their goings-on.”

    There are some astonishing stories waiting for Morpheus and the rest of them (not to mention more members of the Endless Family to meet).

    Yes, it’s true: The Sandman will return to Netflix
    Says @neilhimself: “There are some astonishing stories waiting for Morpheus and the rest of them…Now it’s time to get back to work. There’s a family meal ahead, after all. And Lucifer is waiting for Morpheus to return to Hell” pic.twitter.com/WKiWp7IDkk
    — The Sandman (@Netflix_Sandman) November 3, 2022
    Nobody is going to be happier about this than ‘The Sandman’ cast and crew: they are the biggest Sandman fans there are. And now it’s time to get back to work. There’s a family meal ahead, after all. And Lucifer is waiting for Morpheus to return to Hell” the author said.

    The 10-episode series follows Tom Sturridge’s Morpheus, the king of dreams, who escapes after being held captive for 105 years and sets out to restore order in his kingdom. A surprise 11th episode followed two weeks after the August 5 release of the debut season.

    “The Sandman” also stars Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, Boyd Holbrook, Charles Dance, Asim Chaudhry, Sanjeev Bhaskar, David Thewlis, Stephen Fry, Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Mason Alexander Park and Donna Preston.

  • Weinstein used Hollywood power to rape, court in Los Angeles hears

    By AFP

    LOS ANGELES: Harvey Weinstein used his power and influence in Hollywood to rape women, leaving them terrified for their careers if they stood up to him, a court in Los Angeles heard Monday.

    The movie mogul exploited both his physical size and his position as “king” of the film industry to attack his victims in hotel rooms, the prosecution said, as a two-month trial began to hear evidence.

    “They feared that he could crush their careers if they reported what he had done,” Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson told the packed courtroom.

    Thompson said jurors would hear from eight women who were sexually assaulted by the “Pulp Fiction” producer, who is credited with making the careers of some of the movie industry’s biggest names, including Quentin Tarantino, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow.

    “Each of these women came forward independent of each other, and none of them knew one another,” he said.

    The jury will hear testimony from these women, he said, including how they begged the now-70-year-old to stop, but that he persisted in raping them, forcing them to perform oral sex on him, or making them watch him masturbate.

    Attorneys Alan Jackson (left), Mark Werksman (centre), and Jacqueline Sparagna, representing Harvey Weinstein, arrive at the Los Angeles County Superior Court on October 24, 2022 | AP 

    Weinstein, who produced “The English Patient” and “Good Will Hunting,” is already serving 23 years in jail in New York after being convicted there of a series of sex crimes.

    He now faces 11 more charges, including sexual battery by restraint, forcible rape and forcible oral copulation against women in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles hotels between 2004 and 2013.

    If convicted, Weinstein — who has pleaded not guilty to all counts — could be sentenced to more than 100 additional years behind bars.

    Thompson played jurors a series of quotes from the alleged victims, describing Weinstein as “the most powerful person in the industry,” and “the king.”

    ALSO READ | Ex Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein goes on trial in LA, where he once reigned

    “Part of me was thinking should I just make a run for it, but he’s a big guy,” one of the women told investigators.

    “He’s big. He’s broad. He’s overweight. He’s domineering,” one said.

    “I still wanted to work in Hollywood so I was afraid to do anything because of that,” one woman said.

    “I was scared that if I didn’t play nice something could happen in the room or out of the room because of his power in the industry,” another woman said.

    In common with most victims of sexual assault, the women in the case are being referred to as “Jane Doe,” in order to preserve their anonymity, but one has been publicly identified as Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California governor Gavin Newsom.

     #MeToo 

    Defending, Mark Werksman said the prosecution’s case was one of quantity, not quality, and driven by emotion, not reason. He said sex in Hollywood was a commodity, and that this was all exploded by the advent of the #MeToo movement.

    “It was transactional sex. It may have been unpleasant, and embarrassing… but it was consensual.

    “It was the casting couch. Everyone did it. He did it. They did it. Because each wanted something from another,” Werksman said.

    Attorney Mark Werksman, representing Harvey Weinstein | AP

    “Look at him. He’s not Brad Pitt or George Clooney. Do you think those beautiful women had sex with him because he’s hot? No. They did it because he was powerful.”

    “An asteroid called the #MeToo movement hit the earth with such ferocity that everything changed overnight. And Mr Weinstein became the epicentre.

    “The accusers, in this case, women who willingly played the game by the rules that applied back then, they will come into this courtroom now… and claim they were raped and sexually assaulted,” Werksman said.

    Widespread sexual abuse and harassment allegations against Weinstein exploded in October 2017, and his conviction in New York in 2020 was a landmark in the #MeToo movement.

    In June, he lost a bid to have that sex crimes conviction overturned. He has been separately charged by British prosecutors with the 1996 indecent assault of a woman in London. In total, nearly 90 women, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Salma Hayek, have accused Weinstein of harassment or assault.

    ALSO READ | Harvey Weinstein to be charged in UK over assault claims

    Before the allegations emerged, he and his brother Bob were Hollywood’s ultimate power players.

    Their hits included 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love,” for which Weinstein shared the best picture, Oscar. Over the years, Weinstein’s films received more than 300 Oscar nominations and 81 statuettes.

    “She Said,” a film about the 2017 newspaper investigation into Weinstein that sparked the demise of his movie empire, is set for wide release on November 18 in the United States.

    LOS ANGELES: Harvey Weinstein used his power and influence in Hollywood to rape women, leaving them terrified for their careers if they stood up to him, a court in Los Angeles heard Monday.

    The movie mogul exploited both his physical size and his position as “king” of the film industry to attack his victims in hotel rooms, the prosecution said, as a two-month trial began to hear evidence.

    “They feared that he could crush their careers if they reported what he had done,” Deputy District Attorney Paul Thompson told the packed courtroom.

    Thompson said jurors would hear from eight women who were sexually assaulted by the “Pulp Fiction” producer, who is credited with making the careers of some of the movie industry’s biggest names, including Quentin Tarantino, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon and Gwyneth Paltrow.

    “Each of these women came forward independent of each other, and none of them knew one another,” he said.

    The jury will hear testimony from these women, he said, including how they begged the now-70-year-old to stop, but that he persisted in raping them, forcing them to perform oral sex on him, or making them watch him masturbate.

    Attorneys Alan Jackson (left), Mark Werksman (centre), and Jacqueline Sparagna, representing Harvey Weinstein, arrive at the Los Angeles County Superior Court on October 24, 2022 | AP 

    Weinstein, who produced “The English Patient” and “Good Will Hunting,” is already serving 23 years in jail in New York after being convicted there of a series of sex crimes.

    He now faces 11 more charges, including sexual battery by restraint, forcible rape and forcible oral copulation against women in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles hotels between 2004 and 2013.

    If convicted, Weinstein — who has pleaded not guilty to all counts — could be sentenced to more than 100 additional years behind bars.

    Thompson played jurors a series of quotes from the alleged victims, describing Weinstein as “the most powerful person in the industry,” and “the king.”

    ALSO READ | Ex Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein goes on trial in LA, where he once reigned

    “Part of me was thinking should I just make a run for it, but he’s a big guy,” one of the women told investigators.

    “He’s big. He’s broad. He’s overweight. He’s domineering,” one said.

    “I still wanted to work in Hollywood so I was afraid to do anything because of that,” one woman said.

    “I was scared that if I didn’t play nice something could happen in the room or out of the room because of his power in the industry,” another woman said.

    In common with most victims of sexual assault, the women in the case are being referred to as “Jane Doe,” in order to preserve their anonymity, but one has been publicly identified as Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the wife of California governor Gavin Newsom.

     #MeToo 

    Defending, Mark Werksman said the prosecution’s case was one of quantity, not quality, and driven by emotion, not reason. He said sex in Hollywood was a commodity, and that this was all exploded by the advent of the #MeToo movement.

    “It was transactional sex. It may have been unpleasant, and embarrassing… but it was consensual.

    “It was the casting couch. Everyone did it. He did it. They did it. Because each wanted something from another,” Werksman said.

    Attorney Mark Werksman, representing Harvey Weinstein | AP

    “Look at him. He’s not Brad Pitt or George Clooney. Do you think those beautiful women had sex with him because he’s hot? No. They did it because he was powerful.”

    “An asteroid called the #MeToo movement hit the earth with such ferocity that everything changed overnight. And Mr Weinstein became the epicentre.

    “The accusers, in this case, women who willingly played the game by the rules that applied back then, they will come into this courtroom now… and claim they were raped and sexually assaulted,” Werksman said.

    Widespread sexual abuse and harassment allegations against Weinstein exploded in October 2017, and his conviction in New York in 2020 was a landmark in the #MeToo movement.

    In June, he lost a bid to have that sex crimes conviction overturned. He has been separately charged by British prosecutors with the 1996 indecent assault of a woman in London. In total, nearly 90 women, including Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Salma Hayek, have accused Weinstein of harassment or assault.

    ALSO READ | Harvey Weinstein to be charged in UK over assault claims

    Before the allegations emerged, he and his brother Bob were Hollywood’s ultimate power players.

    Their hits included 1998’s “Shakespeare in Love,” for which Weinstein shared the best picture, Oscar. Over the years, Weinstein’s films received more than 300 Oscar nominations and 81 statuettes.

    “She Said,” a film about the 2017 newspaper investigation into Weinstein that sparked the demise of his movie empire, is set for wide release on November 18 in the United States.

  • Ex Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein goes on trial in LA, where he once reigned

    By Associated Press

    LOS ANGELES: Five years after women’s stories about him made the #MeToo movement explode, Harvey Weinstein is going on trial in the city where he once was a colossus at the Oscars.

    Already serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in New York, the 70-year-old former movie mogul faces different allegations including several that prosecutors say occurred during a pivotal Oscar week in Los Angeles. Jury selection for an eight-week trial begins Monday.

    Weinstein has been indicted on four counts of rape and seven other sexual assault counts involving five women, who will appear in court as Jane Does to tell their stories. He has pleaded not guilty.

    Four more women will be allowed to take the stand to give accounts of Weinstein sexual assaults that did not lead to charges, but which prosecutors hope will show jurors he had a propensity for committing such acts.

    Starting in the 1990s, Weinstein, through the company Miramax that he ran with his brother, was an innovator in running broad and aggressive campaigns promoting Academy Award nominees. He had unmatched success, pushing films like “Shakespeare in Love” and “The Artist” to best picture wins and becoming among the most thanked men ever during Oscar acceptance speeches.

    Miramax and its successor The Weinstein Co. were based in New York, where Weinstein lived and did business, but that didn’t diminish his presence in Hollywood.

    “He was a creature of New York, but he was also a creature of Los Angeles,” said Kim Masters, editor at large for The Hollywood Reporter and a longtime observer of the movie industry. “He had this huge Golden Globes party that was always well beyond capacity when he was in his heyday. He was the King of Hollywood in New York and LA.”

    It was during Oscars week in 2013, when Jennifer Lawrence would win an Academy Award for the Weinstein Co.’s “Silver Linings Playbook” and Quentin Tarantino would win for writing the company’s “Django Unchained,” that four of the 11 alleged crimes took place.

    Like most of the incidents in the indictments, they happened under the guise of business meetings at luxury hotels in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, which Weinstein used as his California headquarters and where he could be seen during awards season and throughout the year. He was treated as more than a VIP.

    At a pre-trial hearing, the chauffeur who drove Weinstein around Los Angeles testified that even he was allowed to take as much as $1,000 in cash in Weinstein’s name from the front desk of the hotel where the mogul was staying.

    By the time stories about him in The New York Times and The New Yorker in October of 2017 brought about his downfall, Weinstein’s power to seemingly will films to win awards had diminished, and his company had fallen into financial trouble.

    “His stature changed, he was no longer the king of Oscar, which was really what made him vulnerable,” Masters said.

    The Los Angeles trial is likely to be far less of a spectacle than the New York proceedings, and not merely because it’s a sequel and Weinstein is already serving a long sentence.

    Foot traffic is sparse and there is no grand entrance at the downtown LA courthouse that’s hosting the trial. Weinstein will not be visible to any media horde or protesters outside as he was in Manhattan, as he’ll be ushered into the courtroom straight from jail — once he’s changed form his prison garb into a suit — across a short hallway where no cameras are allowed that could capture him.

    Only a dozen reporters, including two sketch artists, will be allowed into the small courtroom each day, compared to several dozen in New York.

    Weinstein will also be represented by different lawyers in Los Angeles, Alan Jackson and Mark Werksman. They have expressed worries that the movies may play a role in the trial.

    The film “She Said,” which fictionalizes the work of two New York Times reporters and their bombshell stories on Weinstein, is set to be released midway through the trial on Nov. 18.

    Weinstein’s lawyers lost a bid to have the proceedings delayed over the film, with the judge rejecting their argument that publicity surrounding it would prejudice a potential jury against him.

    “This case is unique,” Werksman said at a pretrial hearing. “Mr. Weinstein’s notoriety and his place in our culture at the center of the firestorm which is the #MeToo movement is real, and we’re trying to do everything we can to avoid having a trial when there will be a swirl of adverse publicity toward him,” Werksman said at a pretrial hearing.

    Weinstein’s trial is one of several with #MeToo connections that have begun or are about to begin as the fifth anniversary of the movement’s biggest moment passes, including the rape trial of “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson just down the hall from Weinstein’s and the New York sexual assault civil trial of Kevin Spacey.

    LOS ANGELES: Five years after women’s stories about him made the #MeToo movement explode, Harvey Weinstein is going on trial in the city where he once was a colossus at the Oscars.

    Already serving a 23-year sentence for rape and sexual assault in New York, the 70-year-old former movie mogul faces different allegations including several that prosecutors say occurred during a pivotal Oscar week in Los Angeles. Jury selection for an eight-week trial begins Monday.

    Weinstein has been indicted on four counts of rape and seven other sexual assault counts involving five women, who will appear in court as Jane Does to tell their stories. He has pleaded not guilty.

    Four more women will be allowed to take the stand to give accounts of Weinstein sexual assaults that did not lead to charges, but which prosecutors hope will show jurors he had a propensity for committing such acts.

    Starting in the 1990s, Weinstein, through the company Miramax that he ran with his brother, was an innovator in running broad and aggressive campaigns promoting Academy Award nominees. He had unmatched success, pushing films like “Shakespeare in Love” and “The Artist” to best picture wins and becoming among the most thanked men ever during Oscar acceptance speeches.

    Miramax and its successor The Weinstein Co. were based in New York, where Weinstein lived and did business, but that didn’t diminish his presence in Hollywood.

    “He was a creature of New York, but he was also a creature of Los Angeles,” said Kim Masters, editor at large for The Hollywood Reporter and a longtime observer of the movie industry. “He had this huge Golden Globes party that was always well beyond capacity when he was in his heyday. He was the King of Hollywood in New York and LA.”

    It was during Oscars week in 2013, when Jennifer Lawrence would win an Academy Award for the Weinstein Co.’s “Silver Linings Playbook” and Quentin Tarantino would win for writing the company’s “Django Unchained,” that four of the 11 alleged crimes took place.

    Like most of the incidents in the indictments, they happened under the guise of business meetings at luxury hotels in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, which Weinstein used as his California headquarters and where he could be seen during awards season and throughout the year. He was treated as more than a VIP.

    At a pre-trial hearing, the chauffeur who drove Weinstein around Los Angeles testified that even he was allowed to take as much as $1,000 in cash in Weinstein’s name from the front desk of the hotel where the mogul was staying.

    By the time stories about him in The New York Times and The New Yorker in October of 2017 brought about his downfall, Weinstein’s power to seemingly will films to win awards had diminished, and his company had fallen into financial trouble.

    “His stature changed, he was no longer the king of Oscar, which was really what made him vulnerable,” Masters said.

    The Los Angeles trial is likely to be far less of a spectacle than the New York proceedings, and not merely because it’s a sequel and Weinstein is already serving a long sentence.

    Foot traffic is sparse and there is no grand entrance at the downtown LA courthouse that’s hosting the trial. Weinstein will not be visible to any media horde or protesters outside as he was in Manhattan, as he’ll be ushered into the courtroom straight from jail — once he’s changed form his prison garb into a suit — across a short hallway where no cameras are allowed that could capture him.

    Only a dozen reporters, including two sketch artists, will be allowed into the small courtroom each day, compared to several dozen in New York.

    Weinstein will also be represented by different lawyers in Los Angeles, Alan Jackson and Mark Werksman. They have expressed worries that the movies may play a role in the trial.

    The film “She Said,” which fictionalizes the work of two New York Times reporters and their bombshell stories on Weinstein, is set to be released midway through the trial on Nov. 18.

    Weinstein’s lawyers lost a bid to have the proceedings delayed over the film, with the judge rejecting their argument that publicity surrounding it would prejudice a potential jury against him.

    “This case is unique,” Werksman said at a pretrial hearing. “Mr. Weinstein’s notoriety and his place in our culture at the center of the firestorm which is the #MeToo movement is real, and we’re trying to do everything we can to avoid having a trial when there will be a swirl of adverse publicity toward him,” Werksman said at a pretrial hearing.

    Weinstein’s trial is one of several with #MeToo connections that have begun or are about to begin as the fifth anniversary of the movement’s biggest moment passes, including the rape trial of “That ’70s Show” actor Danny Masterson just down the hall from Weinstein’s and the New York sexual assault civil trial of Kevin Spacey.

  • Elizabeth Olsen speaks about experiencing panic attacks on New York streets

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Hollywood star Elizabeth Olsen has revealed that she “didn’t understand” feelings of panic until she reached a certain age while living in New York.

    According to E! News, in an interview with Variety, the ‘WandaVision’ actor got candid about how she experienced panic attacks in New York at the age of 21; a feeling she said she wasn’t aware of as she was a very loud and confident kid growing up.

    “I remember I would get [panick attacks] on the go every hour. I used to live on 13th Street between 6th and 7th. I was crossing 6th Avenue at 14th Street, and I realized I couldn’t cross the street — I stood up against the wall, and I just thought I was going to drop dead at any moment,” Olsen said.

    She described the “spiralling” feeling that would happen in her body at signs of change in her environment, reported E! News.

    “If I went from cold to hot, hot to cold, full to hungry, hungry to full — any kind of shift in my body, my whole body thought, ‘Uh oh, something’s wrong!’ It was so weird. An ENT doctor said that it could be vertigo related because it was all about truly spinning. So it was an interesting six months,” Olsen told the publication.

    To cope with the feelings, she looked to a friend who was seeing a medical professional for panic attacks and knew a lot of brain games. Olsen learned one strategy called “repetition” as a grounding technique.

    As per E! News, the Marvel star said the technique was a “helpful tool,” but still recalled her panic attacks as “very weird” because she was not anxious as a child.

    WASHINGTON: Hollywood star Elizabeth Olsen has revealed that she “didn’t understand” feelings of panic until she reached a certain age while living in New York.

    According to E! News, in an interview with Variety, the ‘WandaVision’ actor got candid about how she experienced panic attacks in New York at the age of 21; a feeling she said she wasn’t aware of as she was a very loud and confident kid growing up.

    “I remember I would get [panick attacks] on the go every hour. I used to live on 13th Street between 6th and 7th. I was crossing 6th Avenue at 14th Street, and I realized I couldn’t cross the street — I stood up against the wall, and I just thought I was going to drop dead at any moment,” Olsen said.

    She described the “spiralling” feeling that would happen in her body at signs of change in her environment, reported E! News.

    “If I went from cold to hot, hot to cold, full to hungry, hungry to full — any kind of shift in my body, my whole body thought, ‘Uh oh, something’s wrong!’ It was so weird. An ENT doctor said that it could be vertigo related because it was all about truly spinning. So it was an interesting six months,” Olsen told the publication.

    To cope with the feelings, she looked to a friend who was seeing a medical professional for panic attacks and knew a lot of brain games. Olsen learned one strategy called “repetition” as a grounding technique.

    As per E! News, the Marvel star said the technique was a “helpful tool,” but still recalled her panic attacks as “very weird” because she was not anxious as a child.

  • Hollywood actress Anne Heche currently in ‘extreme critical condition’ after car crash 

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Anne Heche is in “extreme critical condition” after the actor was hospitalised last week with severe burn injuries following a car crash, according to her representative.

    The Emmy-nominated actor continues to be in a coma, the representative said in a statement to entertainment outlet Deadline.

    “At this time Anne is in extreme critical condition. She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention. She is in a coma and has not regained consciousness since shortly after the accident,” the representative said.

    The updated statement comes days after Heche’s publicist released a hopeful statement on Saturday citing her as being “in stable condition”.

    The 53-year-old actor, known for the soap opera “Another World” and films such as “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Six Days, Seven Nights”, has been in the hospital since Friday when a car she was driving crashed into a residential building and caught fire in the Mar Vista area of Los Angeles.

    There has been a lot of chatter about Heche’s condition preceding the crash as she was filmed driving erratically and speeding in the minutes prior to the accident, including getting into another, minor car accident, blocks away from the crash site.

    A podcast featuring Heche, in which she is heard slurring her speech, was released Friday, and has been linked to the crash on social media.

    Sources close to the Los Angeles Police Department told entertainment website TMZ that the actor may have been driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

    Authorities have obtained a warrant to draw Heche’s blood, the insiders said.

    Neighbours of Lynne Mishele, whose home was destroyed in the crash, have raised over USD 75,000 as of Monday afternoon via a crowdfunding page to help her get back on her feet.

    According to the page, Mishele “very narrowly escaped physical harm” in the accident, but she lost “her entire lifetime of possessions”.

    LOS ANGELES: Anne Heche is in “extreme critical condition” after the actor was hospitalised last week with severe burn injuries following a car crash, according to her representative.

    The Emmy-nominated actor continues to be in a coma, the representative said in a statement to entertainment outlet Deadline.

    “At this time Anne is in extreme critical condition. She has a significant pulmonary injury requiring mechanical ventilation and burns that require surgical intervention. She is in a coma and has not regained consciousness since shortly after the accident,” the representative said.

    The updated statement comes days after Heche’s publicist released a hopeful statement on Saturday citing her as being “in stable condition”.

    The 53-year-old actor, known for the soap opera “Another World” and films such as “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Six Days, Seven Nights”, has been in the hospital since Friday when a car she was driving crashed into a residential building and caught fire in the Mar Vista area of Los Angeles.

    There has been a lot of chatter about Heche’s condition preceding the crash as she was filmed driving erratically and speeding in the minutes prior to the accident, including getting into another, minor car accident, blocks away from the crash site.

    A podcast featuring Heche, in which she is heard slurring her speech, was released Friday, and has been linked to the crash on social media.

    Sources close to the Los Angeles Police Department told entertainment website TMZ that the actor may have been driving under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol.

    Authorities have obtained a warrant to draw Heche’s blood, the insiders said.

    Neighbours of Lynne Mishele, whose home was destroyed in the crash, have raised over USD 75,000 as of Monday afternoon via a crowdfunding page to help her get back on her feet.

    According to the page, Mishele “very narrowly escaped physical harm” in the accident, but she lost “her entire lifetime of possessions”.