Charles Bramesco
Smithsonian Mounts $300,000 Campaign to Preserve Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers
A step above the sought-after Maltese Falcon and the fabled Ark of the Covenant, Dorothy Gale’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz have to be the single most vital prop in cinematic history. The red-sequined shoes, so lusted after by the Wicked Witch of the West in the immortal 1939 fantasy film, have spent the last 30 years as one of the Smithsonian's most popular attractions. But not even magical footwear is immune to the ravages of time, and Judy Garland’s old kicks have lost a bit of their luster. As The Hollywood Reporter notes, the iconic slippers have faded from their original Technicolor ruby to something closer to “a dull auburn.”
‘Ninja Turtles 2’ Trailer: They’re Turtles, Whether You Like It or Not
It’s only been a few weeks since the most recent trailer for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows, the sequel to the Michael Bay-produced TMNT picture of 2014, and though it also nicks the Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep Til Brooklyn” for the soundtrack, there are a handful of key differences that distinguish one from the other. Specifically, that this latest spot is chockablock with soundbites that, when taken out of context, could be used by audio editors to form scathing critiques of this film. As the trailer timecounter ticks on, the negative review puns basically write themselves: “We‘re turtles, whether you like it or not.” “This isn’t working!” “We keep failing.” It’s almost like they’re challenging their harshest critics to do their worst.
Will Ferrell to Return to the North Pole For His Next Comedy
Get a few drinks in a group of guy-pals, and antics inevitably arise: doing donuts in an abandoned parking lot, maybe hitting a strip club, the odd snowmobile expedition to the North Pole — you know, guy stuff. That last one actually happened to a group of foolhardy drinking buddies in 1968 Minnesota, too, and now Deadline reports that Will Ferrell and Sony have set about recreating the epic journ
Daniel Radcliffe’s Dead-ish Body Saves the Day in Bizarre ‘Swiss Army Man’ Trailer
Among the hottest topics of conversation at Sundance back in January was a picture by the name of Swiss Army Man, or as it was commonly referred to, “the farting corpse movie.” Described by Variety as “Cast Away meets Weekend at Bernie’s as directed my Michel Gondry,” the singularly weird picture casts Paul Dano as Hank, a man marooned on a desert island who has officially exhausted all his option
Netflix Joins Pushback Against Anti-LGBT Legislation in Georgia
Up until very recently, Georgia was a haven for film productions, the rolling amber waves of generous tax breaks beckoning to crews from Hollywood to New York. That all changed when the Georgia state legislature moved to pass a new bill that harshly restricts the rights of LGBT individuals under the guise of religious freedom. The Free Exercise Protection Act grants any religious official the option to refuse to officiate a non-hetero couple’s wedding, and permits any employer to discriminate in hiring and service practices on the basis of sexual orientation, all under the rationale that being forced to interact with queer men and women in any capacity would violate their religious freedom. Such giants of the entertainment industry as Disney/Marvel, Warner Bros., AMC, Viacom and Sony have all urged a veto to the bill, with the threat of withdrawing all operations from Georgia looming over the legislators.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Acceptance Speech Was the Most-Tweeted Oscar Moment Ever
Each year’s ceremony usually yields a handful of viral moments, little unexpected happenings that catch the public’s interest and make their way around social media platforms. Last year, the surprise selfie taken by host Ellen Degeneres quickly set Twitter ablaze, racking up millions of retweets and favorites in a matter of minutes.
This year’s ceremony re-set that bar, with Leonardo DiCaprio’s long-awaited Best Actor win now the most-tweeted Oscar moment of all time.
First ‘Absolutely Fabulous’ Trailer Appreciates the Finer Things in Life
The film rejoins Edina and Patsy for the first time since their reunion special on TV in 2012, and though the trailer embedded above doesn’t give too much of an impression as to what this film will actually be about, the official press release confirms that the two women will find themselves at the center of a “media firestorm” in their feature debut.
See Harry Potter With a Live Orchestra Accompaniment on an Upcoming ‘Film Concert’ Tour
WB and CineConcerts have partnered to produce a series of events at which a full orchestra will provide a live performance of John Williams’ iconic theme music in perfect tandem with the film.
‘Police Academy’ and ‘Punky Brewster’ Actor George Gaynes Dies at 98
Surrounded by family at his daughter’s home in North Bend, Washington, Gaynes died on Monday. He was 98 years old.
‘Pee-wee’s Big Holiday’ Trailer Promises Fun, Antics, Wordplay
There are few TV shows as purely, innocently, and energetically delightful as Pee-wee’s Playhouse, the Saturday morning vehicle for Paul Reubens’ grey-suited man-child. An adult perpetually trapped at the stage of early boyhood in which kids mostly say funny nonsensical things and that’s it, Pee-Wee and his colorful gang of anthropomorphic pals brought a hefty dose of camp humor to the happy shiny
Platform 9 3/4 at King’s Cross Has Been Turned Into an Alan Rickman Memorial
It’s been one full day now since the news of Alan Rickman’s passing first surfaced, and while that may be the regulation time period for mourning, say, a casual work acquaintance or distant relative, many are still stinging over the loss of this esteemed actor...
Remembering Alan Rickman in 6 Classic Roles
This morning’s big Oscar nominations announcement had to contend with an even more major and affecting piece of breaking news. A few days after David Bowie passed into the next dimension, cancer has taken another sixty-nine-year-old Brit from us: esteemed actor Alan Rickman. Flip to the word “arch” in the newest editions of the Oxford Goes To Hollywood dictionary, and there you’ll find a photo of Rickman, single eyebrow raised, his tone of dour bemusement audible even from the printed page. The man gained the most international recognition from a choice role in a certain franchise about a boy wizard, but he was an actor of boundless versatility who gifted audiences plenty of fond moviegoing memories.