News Bits & Bobs: Steve & Natasha, Jenn & Donald, Taika & Mjölnir
Friday, October 2, 2015 at 11:00PM • Asking the important question: Is Captain America a virgin still? [Pajiba]
• Damnit. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have delayed the opening of their new museum. I'm so excited about this but we're talking 2018 now [Variety]
• Queen of Dystopia Jennifer Lawrence (who should thus know) has declared that if Donald Trump becomes President it will be "the end of the world". This may have been the most intelligent thing the verbally uninhibited actress has ever said [AV Club]
• 71's awesome debut director Yann Demange will director a true crime story about a teenage undercover informant - they're looking for a quick start in 2016. Yay! [Deadline]
• John Waters might finally make another movie. But he won't talk about it yet! [Speakeasy]
• Black Widow is getting a new comic book in 2016. Why can't the movies understand that she deserves her own? [Comics Alliance]
• Harry Potter's voice actor in Brazil (Caio César Ignácio Cardoso de Melo), who also works as a cop, has been killed. Tragic. [The Guardian]
• 10 reveals from Joss Whedon's Avengers: Age of Ultron commentary including why he put them in marble in the end credits (I personally ♥ed that) [Coming Soon]
• What the hell is going on with Xander (Nicholas Brendan) from Buffy? Violence and arrests right after rehab? So sad. Hope he pulls out of this tailspin. [Variety]
• Joseph Gordon-Levitt will likely headline a new thriller In Sight from screenwriter Katie Lovejoy after a bidding war [Tracking Board]
• Handsome* New Zealander hired to lift Mjölnir. Taika Waititi of What We Do in the Shadows fame will direct Thor: Ragnarok [The Wrap]
• An interesting review of Janet Jackson's new album via Rich Juzwiak. I wish the talented Juzwiak didn't have to diss Madonna to complement her but dissing that icon is as natural to humans as breathing. (sigh) [Defamer]
• Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tatiana Maslany, Olivia Cooke, and Gina Rodriguez are all in the mix for the two key female roles in Star Wars Episode VIII. That's a formidable shortlist of strong popular diverse and young actresses. Let's hope the two roles are good and not just window dressing. John Boyega will chemistry test with them. [/Film]
*What? I met him one time at a festival for his second directorial feature Boy and to my surprise was struck semi-incoherent. I am only human.
Reader Comments (4)
I loved Taiki Waititi in What We Do In The Shadows. He was so sweet and funny, an unusual and winning combination. I hope he has the opportunity to bring that lightness, humor, and sincerity (mixed with sudden violence) to the Thor project. That would be fun.
The Madonna diss is pretty lazy and unnecessary, I agree. However, a much more interesting comparison between Madonna and Janet can be read in The Nation That Janet Jackson Built in The Atlantic. The writer, whose name I can't remember and am too lazy to look up, argues among other things that Madonna is seen as one of the most culturally influential artists at the expense of Jackson. The latter's legacy and influence has diminished, and that largely has to do with the fact that she is a black artist.
Many people do forget Janet's impact, fame, influence and records, assuming Madonna or her brother holds them all. She has three absolute masterpiece albums (Control, Rhythm Nature, Velvet Rope) and helped change the music world not just in terms of her race, but in terms of her own exploration of sexuality. It's a shame she doesn't get enough credit for whatever reason (releasing a few flop albums in a row didn't help, nor did everything involving the Superbowl blunder). The Madonna diss is disappointing, yet par for the hypocritical course when it comes to talking about female musicians. And strange, too, since Rebel Heart did have a lot to say and had a lot of emotions behind it.
On another subject, Taika Waititi is handsome and while his directing Thor 3 sounds odd, perhaps the fact that he's from New Zealand will be a benefit when working with the Australian Chris Hemsworth. He might bring a bit more of Hemworth's natural charm out.
Whedon's head cast of The Thin Man pisses me off more than it should. I don't think anybody should replace Powell and Loy (though I do think a remake would be a good opportunity to reunite Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Nora Zehetner).