Month: December 2021

Kim Kardashian announced on Instagram that after two years of studying and three failed attempts, she has passed the California “baby bar” exam, also known as the ‘First-Year Law Students’ Examination,’ according to the California State Bar website.

Kardashian failed the exam three times during the two-year journey, saying in her post: “But I got back up each time and studied harder and tried again until I did it!! In California, the way I’m studying law you need to take 2 bar exams, this was just the first one but with the harder pass rate. I was told by top lawyers that this was a close to impossible journey and harder than the traditional law school route but it was my only option and it feels so so sooooo good to be here and on my way to achieving my goals.” The 41-year-old Kardashian did not complete college, and initially said she had plans to take the bar exam in 2022. Four states, including California, where she lives, offer an alternative path to passing the bar known as “reading the law,” or apprenticing with a practicing lawyer or judge.

Kardashian thanked her professors and others who have helped on her law school journey, and mentioned her late father, Robert Kardashian:  “I know my dad would be so proud and he would actually be so shocked to know that this is my path now but he would have been my best study partner. I am told he was notorious for making fun of people who didn’t pass on their first attempt like he did, but he would have been my biggest cheerleader!”

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The nominees for the 79th Golden Globe Awards were announced on Monday, December 13th. Hollywood Foreign Press Association President Helen Hoehne brought out Snoop Dogg to help announce the nominees during a live stream, saying: “For eight months, we have worked tirelessly to be better.” 

NBC previously announced that it will not air the show due to scandal surrounding the  Hollywood Foreign Press Association. In February, a Los Angeles Times exposé about the HFPA detailed alleged misconduct and diversity issues going on behind-the-scenes, which caused major backlash in the industry. NBC said in a statement in May:  “We continue to believe that the HFPA is committed to meaningful reform. However, change of this magnitude takes time and work, and we feel strongly that the HFPA needs time to do it right. As such, NBC will not air the 2022 Golden Globes. Assuming the organization executes on its plan, we are hopeful we will be in a position to air the show in January 2023.”

The HBO series Succession leads the field in television with five nominations, followed by the Apple TV+ series The Morning Show and Ted Lasso with four nominations each.  Other TV nominees include the hit Netflix series Squid Game and the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building. HBO was the most-nominated TV outlet with 12 nominations, followed by Netflix and Hulu with 10 each and Apple TV+ with eight.

Power of the Dog and Belfast topped the field in film with seven nominations each. Netflix leads the field in film with 17 nominations for movies including Power of the Dog, Don’t Look Up and Tick, Tick… Boom!

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Director Steven Spielberg’s musical “West Side Story” grossed $10.5 million in North American theaters this weekend, a disappointing opening, but enough to claim the top spot at the box office. The remake of 1961’s Oscar winner for best picture, based on Stephen Sondheim’s 1957 Broadway smash, beat out Disney’s animated film “Encanto,” which took in $9.4 million in its third weekend in theaters.  “Ghostbusters: Afterlife” was third with $7.1 million Friday through Sunday in its fourth weekend. “House of Gucci” was next with $4 million in its third week, followed by “Eternals,” which grossed $3.1 million in its sixth week in theaters.

Rounding out the top 10 domestic releases, as estimated by Comscore, were “Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City” ($1.6 million), “Clifford the Big Red Dog” ($1.3 million), “Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers” ($1.29 million), “Dune” ($857,000) and “Venom: Let There be Carnage” ($850,000).

Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story stars Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler as Tony and Maria, two teenagers living in a culturally divided New York City in 1957.

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Variety is reporting that Marvel Studios has greenlit a sequel to “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”. The first film’s director, Destin Daniel Cretton, will be back for the sequel, which is part of an “exclusive multi-year overall deal with Marvel Studios and Hulu’s Onyx Collective.” As part of the deal, Cretton will develop new television projects for Marvel on Disney+ and Hulu’s Onyx Collective.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings made history as Marvel’s first superhero film to feature an Asian lead (star Simu Liu) and a predominantly Asian cast, and also raked in an impressive $431.9 million at the box office. Liu took to Twitter to celebrate the news with the caption: “Flopped so hard we got a sequel!!”

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige in a statement:  “Destin is an amazing collaborator who brought a unique perspective and skill to ‘Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings’. We had a fantastic time working together on the film and he has so many intriguing ideas for stories to bring to life on Disney Plus, so we’re thrilled to expand our relationship with him and can’t wait to get started.”

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