Showbiz History: The Love Boat, The Social Network, Nevermind

10 random things that happened on this day, September 24th, in showbiz history

Alison Pill and Tom Hiddleston as the Fitzgeralds in "Midnight in Paris"

1896 F  Scott Fitzgerald born in St Paul Minnesota. Though he only lives 44 years, plagued by alcoholism and ill health, he leaves behind a rich legacy of novels and short stories that other artists have riffed on or adapted ever since, most notably The Great Gatsby, The Last Tycoon, and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. He's been recently played onscreen by Tom Hiddleston (Midnight in Paris) and David Hoflin (Z: The Beginning of Everything)

1976 Oh! Calcutta! opens on Broadway (after a successful run Off Broadway in 1969) becoming a controversial musical hit (with explicit nudity) and eventually the 2nd longest running revival of all time, running for 13 years (Chicago is #1 by a mile, still playing and about to hit its 22nd anniversary) 

1965 Marriage on the Rocks opens in movie theaters, the last leading men screen pairing of Frank Sinatra & Dean Martin. I have to share this nutso poster for y'all...

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Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again (Review)

by Jorge Molina

Almost ten years ago to the date, Mamma Mia! opened in theaters. The jukebox musical based on the theater phenomenon that at the same time was based on the biggest hits of Europop sensation ABBA went on to gross almost 600 million dollars globally, and became the highest grossing live action musical ever. That movie seems to be divisive among fans of the genre because of the fluffy, silly and often nonsensical joy that poured out of the screens (you can read about the emotional connection I personally have with the movie here). 

Ten years and a Cher later, Donna and her Dynamos make a return to the island of Kalokairi with a sequel that doubles down on everything that made adamant fans of the first one fell in love with it, and made the skeptics roll their eyes...

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Mamma Mia, it's a Sequel!

by Murtada

By now you’ve probably already heard the news. There’s a sequel to Mama Mia! (2008) coming our way in July of next year. The release date will be exactly 10 years after the first one. Yes we are that old! It will be unimaginatively titled Mama Mia: Here We Go Again, taken right from the chorus of the song. They must’ve spent all of 2 seconds coming up with that. The original wasn’t exactly a good movie, but it was a fun summer time at the movies buoyed along by everyone’s familiarity with the ABBA song catalog. More of that is definately not an unappealing prospect.

The studio announced that all cast members are expected to return. However so far only Amanda Seyfried is confirmed. If Meryl Streep does indeed sign on, 2018 will mark her first foray into sequels. And of course she’s going big with not one but two of them. She will also appear in a supporting part in that other musical sequel; Mary Poppins Returns, albeit her character there is a new one. Frankly this is not the character we would’ve liked to see her reprise. We are still waiting for The Further Adventures of Miranda Priestly.

Which ABBA song not in the original would you like to see in the sequel? Our vote goes to Waterloo for reasons totally unrelated to Greek island shenanigans or even the famous 1815 battle. But rather to something that happened in Waterloo, Iowa!

New on DVD: Bridget Jones's Baby

David here on the return of one of the UK's most memorable heroines...

Bridget Jones's Baby is, as things stand, the highest-grossing film released in the UK this year. Quite the result for the long-delayed comeback of a female romcom heroine whose target audience isn’t typically recognised by the movie industry as big ticket buyers. Sure, Bridget’s return wasn’t as heralded at the US box office, earning a paltry $20 million. But Bridget’s peers amongst the UK public are more loyal creatures, and the film’s easy rewatchability is apparent in the abundant returns. (Perhaps as a result of the film’s longer theatrical lifespan in the UK, the home entertainment release on UK shores isn’t until the end of January.)

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Review: Bridget Jones's Baby

by Eric Blume

Everyone’s favorite contemporary British heroine is back:  Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger) is now successful, at her ideal weight, and alas still single.  In Bridget Jones’s Baby, she has two surprising one-night stands with different men:  an American dating guru (Patrick Dempsey) and her former flame Mark Darcy (Colin Firth).  Then she’s pregnant:  who could the father be?  Will we see misunderstandings and shenanigans along the lines of a typical Three’s Company episode?  Unfortunately, yes…yes, we do.

The original 2001 Bridget Jones’s Diary remains a mini-classic of its kind:  one of the most dignified and intelligent of its genre (romantic comedy), yet it also transcends the genre, truly plumbing some depth (as mainstream movies go) about accepting who you really are, and understanding what love actually is.  It went beyond your typical “boy and girl like each other because they’re in a movie together as leads” mentality and went to the heart of the characters’ specifics.  With sharp, interesting acting from its three leads (Zellweger, Firth, and Hugh Grant), the film had snap and verve; it felt vital.

Diary’s skilled director, Sharon Maguire, didn’t return for the first sequel (Beyond Reason) but is back in the chair for Baby...

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