Month: January 2022

French actor Gaspard Ulliel, known for his role in the film ‘Hannibal Rising’ and the upcoming Marvel miniseries ‘Moon Knight,’ has died following a skiing accident. Ulliel was 37.

Following reports that Ulliel had been hospitalized Tuesday after suffering a head injury during a collision on the slopes in the Savoie region of France, his agent and family confirmed that he was transported by helicopter to a hospital in Grenoble, where he died on Wednesday.  A Disney spokesperson said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened to learn of the tragic passing of our friend and colleague Gaspard Ulliel. Our thoughts are with his family and friends during this time.”

In his first English-speaking role, Ulliel starred as a young Hannibal Lecter in the feature Hannibal Rising. His final film was the French romantic comedy Sibyl with Virginie Efira and Adèle Exarchopoulos, which competed for Cannes’ Palme d’Or in 2019.  Ulliel was cast in Moon Knight in July 2021, playing Anton Mogart/Midnight Man in the upcoming Disney+ series alongside Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke.

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Director Joss Whedon has finally addressed allegations of misconduct that have been leveled him by “Justice League” stars Gal Gadot and Ray Fisher, as well as by cast members of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.”

Whedon denied Gadot’s claim that he threatened to ruin her career during an argument on the set of “Justice League,” saying she didn’t understand his “flowery” way of speaking.  Said Whedon: “I don’t threaten people. Who does that?  English is not her first language, and I tend to be annoyingly flowery in my speech.”  Whedon clams the two were arguing over a scene that Gadot wanted cut. Whedon said he joked that if she wanted to get rid of it, she would have to tie him to a railroad track and do it over his dead body. Said Whedon:  “Then I was told that I had said something about her dead body and tying her to the railroad track.” Gadot’s response to Vulture: “I understood perfectly.”   Actor Ray Fisher ― who played Cyborg in the 2017 film ― also accused Whedon of slashing the character’s presence and making choices that he thought “would be offensive to the Black community” and accused Whedon of changing an actor of color’s complexion to lighten their skin tone.  However, Whedon insists the only reason Fisher’s role was cut in his version of the film was because the story line “logically made no sense,” and he felt the acting was bad.

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The 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards have been rescheduled and will now broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3, from 8-11:30 p.m on CBS, and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.   It’s the first time the show will take place in Vegas.

The show was postponed earlier this month amid the omicron surge from its original date of Jan. 31. It was scheduled to take place at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly known as the Staples Center) in Los Angeles. The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah will return as host of the ceremony. Additional details about the dates and locations of other official GRAMMY Week events, including the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony, MusiCares Person of the Year and the Pre-GRAMMY Gala will be announced soon.

The news came via a joint announcement from the Recording Academy, CBS and CMT. The CMT Awards will now move from its originally scheduled date of April 3 to a later date in April to be determined. This year will mark the first time that the CMT Awards will air on CBS.

Jon Batiste leads all nominees with 11 nominations; J. Cole, Drake, Lil Nas X, Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, H.E.R., Olivia Rodrigo, and more also received multiple nominations.

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NBC has announced plans to air the special ‘Celebrating Betty White: America’s Golden Girl’ on Monday, Jan. 31 at 10/9c. White passed away on Dec. 31 at the age of 99 — just a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday.

Celebrating Betty White: America’s Golden Girl will see friends and stars celebrate the TV legend and animal rights advocate throughout the special. The hour-long tribute will feature curated clips that encapsulate White’s “irreverent tone, spirit and impeccable comedic timing that are a hallmark of her decades-long career.” After airing on NBC on 1/31, the program will be available to stream on Peacock the following day.

White was an Emmy, Grammy and SAG Award winner. Her list of acting credits include roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1973-77), The Golden Girls (1985-92) and Hot in Cleveland (2010-15). White also appeared on the big screen in films like Lake Placid (1999) and The Proposal (2009), and will be remembered as a tireless advocate for animals.

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Scream was No. 1 at the box office over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend with a projected four-day gross of $34 million — dethroning Spider-Man: No Way Home.  Scream‘s three-day domestic weekend gross is an estimated $30 million. Overseas, Scream grossed $18 million from 50 markets for a global debut of $52 million.

Scream comes more than 25 years after the late Wes Craven’s original film hit the big screen. The new film — the first not directed by Craven — is the fifth title in the series, and a direct sequel to 2011’s Scream 4.   Scream sees stars Courteney Cox and Neve Campbell, along with Marley Shelton, David Arquette, Skeet Ulrich, Heather Matarazzo and Roger L. Jackson, reprising their roles. Newcomers include Jenna Ortega, Melissa Barrera, Mason Gooding, Dylan Minnette and Jack Quaid.

Spider-Man: No Way Home fell to No. 2 in its fifth weekend with an estimated $26 million, including $20.8 million for the three days.  Universal took the No. 3 and No. 4 spots with Sing 2 and The 355. Sing 2 is projected to gross $11 million for the four-day weekend, and The 355 earned a projected $2.8 million for the four days. The King’s Man, from 20th Century and Disney, rounded out the top five with an estimated four-day holiday gross of $3 million.

Editorial credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com