TV show reviews and streaming video news | The Mercury News https://www.mercurynews.com Bay Area News, Sports, Weather and Things to Do Thu, 29 Feb 2024 23:57:29 +0000 en-US hourly 30 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/32x32-mercury-news-white.png?w=32 TV show reviews and streaming video news | The Mercury News https://www.mercurynews.com 32 32 116372247 Bradley Cooper walks around naked at home; ‘totally’ comfortable, he says in new interview https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/02/29/bradley-cooper-walks-around-naked-at-home-totally-comfortable-he-says-in-new-interview/ Thu, 29 Feb 2024 18:43:13 +0000 https://www.mercurynews.com/?p=10369641 Two years ago, Bradley Cooper spoke in dramatic terms about filming his first full-frontal nude scene for the 2021 film, “Nightmare Alley,” saying it was a “big deal” when he spent six hours totally naked in front of the crew to shoot a steamy sex scene with Toni Collette.

But Cooper has a different view of nudity when it comes to the privacy of his own home. In an interview on Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast, the “Maestro” actor and director said he grew up with a father who was “always nude” in their house, according to the Daily Mail.

So, Cooper said, he has a very relaxed approach when it comes to shedding his clothes behind closed doors, including around his 6-year-old daughter.

Best Actor nominee for "A Star is Born" Bradley Cooper (L) and his wife Russian model Irina Shayk arrive for the 91st Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 24, 2019. (Photo by Mark RALSTON / AFP) (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)
Best Actor nominee for “A Star is Born” Bradley Cooper (L) and his wife Russian model Irina Shayk arrive for the 91st Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California on February 24, 2019. (Photo by Mark RALSTON / AFP) (Photo credit should read MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) 

When Shepard revealed that he and his wife, actor Kristen Bell, are pretty relaxed about nudity at home, saying he and his family are “naked all the time,” Cooper agreed, “Me too.”

“I was like that. Not with my mom but with my dad,” Cooper told Shepard, according to the Daily Mail. “My dad was always nude, always took showers with him.”

“And you’re quite comfortable nude?” Shepard asked.

“Totally,” Cooper said.

During the conversation, Cooper and Shepard also shared stories about how being parents of young children means they enjoy little privacy — including when they use the bathroom, the Daily Mail reported.

Cooper revealed that he and his daughter Lea — whom he co-parents with ex-girlfriend Irina Shayk — regularly chat while he is on the toilet. For his part, Shepard said that his daughters, Lincoln, 10, and Delta, 9, regularly “file in” to the bathroom to talk during his “poopy time.”

In response, Cooper laughed: “My bedroom — the bathtub and toilet and bed are all in the same room.”

“It’s 24/7, dude! There are no doors,” Cooper said, according to the Daily Mail. “The stairs go up and it’s all one floor.”

When Shepard asked, “Do you find that your daughter doesn’t care at all?’

Cooper replied, “Yeah, no, no. We talk where I’m on the toilet, she’s in the bathtub; that’s sort of the go-to.”

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If it wasn’t Tom Cruise or Hugh Jackman: Top candidates for Rebecca Ferguson’s screaming co-star https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/02/29/if-it-wasnt-tom-cruise-or-hugh-jackman-top-candidates-for-rebecca-fergusons-screaming-co-star/ Thu, 29 Feb 2024 18:41:20 +0000 https://www.mercurynews.com/?p=10369504 The biggest buzz of film-related speculation this week isn’t who will win trophies at the March 10 Academy Awards but which A-lister screamed at Rebecca Ferguson while they co-starred in a movie.

The Swedish actor, who is best known for the “Dune” and “Mission: Impossible” franchises, touched off this internet guessing game when she recently recounted her heated exchange with a co-star during an appearance on the “Reign With Josh Smith” podcast Tuesday, the New York Post and other outlets reported.

Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson arrives for the premiere of "Dune: Part Two" at Josie Robertson Plaza in Lincoln Center on February 25, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Swedish actress Rebecca Ferguson arrives for the premiere of “Dune: Part Two” at Josie Robertson Plaza in Lincoln Center on February 25, 2024, in New York City. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images) 

“I did a film with an absolute idiot of a co-star and it doesn’t matter who it was,” Ferguson began.

“I remember there was a moment when this human being was being so insecure and angry because this person couldn’t get the scenes out,” Ferguson shared. “And I think I was so vulnerable and uncomfortable that I got screamed at.

“But because this person was No. 1 on a call sheet, there was no safety net for me,” Ferguson added. “So no one had my back. And I would cry walking off set.”

But Ferguson said she rallied by the next day and stood up for herself. She told her co-star, “You get off my set. You can (expletive) off. I’m gonna work towards a tennis ball. I never want to see you again.” While producers told her, “You can’t do this to No. 1. We have to let this person be on set,’” she replied that “the person can turn around and I can act to the back of the head.”

Ferguson added that this happened “within my last 10 or 12 years.”

Everyone pretty much agrees that it’s wrong that Ferguson had to deal with such a big, raging, fragile ego, though. Hollywood has long been filled with big, raging, fragile egos. But her story still raises the question of who yelled at her.

As Decider writer Liz Kocan wrote, Ferguson provided few clues. She was careful not to use gender pronouns. The only thing she said is that the A-list actor or actress was no. 1 on the call sheet, the project was a movie and that the incident occurred 10 or 12 years ago.

The New York Post and Decider listed many of of Ferguson’s major co-stars. They include Tom Cruise, Hugh Jackman, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Grant, Michael Fassbender, Chris Hemsworth, Ewan McGregor, Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt.

It should be noted that, in her interview, Ferguson clarified that her screaming co-star was not Cruise or Jackman, her co-star in “The Greatest Showman.”

With that, here is a breakdown of the leading contenders to be Ferguson’s unnamed screaming co-star based on reports and social media speculation.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson 

The Hayward native, Ferguson’s co-star in the 2014 film “Hercules,” actually rushed to distance himself from her accusations. In a post on X, Johnson wrote, “Hate seeing this but love seeing her stand up to (expletive). Rebecca was my guardian angel sent from heaven on our set. I love that woman. I’d like to find out who did this.”

US actor Dwayne Johnson (L) is greeted by Japanese fans upon his arrivalat the red carpet ceremony for the Japan premiere of "Hercules" in Tokyo on October 19, 2014. The film will open across Japan on October 24. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images)
US actor Dwayne Johnson (L) is greeted by Japanese fans upon his arrivalat the red carpet ceremony for the Japan premiere of “Hercules” in Tokyo on October 19, 2014. The film will open across Japan on October 24. AFP PHOTO / KAZUHIRO NOGI (Photo credit should read KAZUHIRO NOGI/AFP via Getty Images) 

Unfortunately, Johnson may not have done himself any favors with this post, as Decider’s Kocan pointed out. On one hand, it’s “great that Johnson was quick to jump in with his support,” Kocan said. On the other hand, Johnson’s post may be an example of a self-serving actor “trying to get ahead of the story,” cynics said. Kocan also said that he’s “had his share of ego moments on movie sets, including his notorious rivalry with Vin Diesel, and the role he played in tanking the success of “Shazam‘s” sequel and his own Black Adam franchise.

Jake Gyllenhaal

For Decider’s Kocan, Gyllenhaal is a top contender, even though Gyllenhaal’s collaboration with Ferguson is more recent than 10 or 12 years ago. They co-starred in the 2017 film “Life” with Ryan Reynolds, who isn’t among the top contenders for the screamer.

AUSTIN, TX - MARCH 18: (L-R) Actors Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson and Jake Gyllenhaal attend the "Life" premiere during 2017 SXSW Conference and Festivals at the ZACH Theatre on March 18, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for SXSW)
AUSTIN, TX – MARCH 18: (L-R) Actors Ryan Reynolds, Rebecca Ferguson and Jake Gyllenhaal attend the “Life” premiere during 2017 SXSW Conference and Festivals at the ZACH Theatre on March 18, 2017 in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for SXSW) 

Nonetheless, Kocan wrote how Gyllenhaal recently made news for his alleged demanding behavior in pre-production for the film “Suddenly.” That film’s director, Thomas Bidegain, told a French magazine about a “humiliating” situation involving Gyllenhaal, according to Variety. The magazine story also described how Gyllenhaal demanded multiple rewrites and rehearsed scenes in a mocking “Pepe Le Pew-like accent.”

During the press tour for “Life,” Gyllenhaal also made some arrogant comments about the art of acting, which may echo what Ferguson’s screaming co-star said to her: “You call yourself an actor?” Gyllenhaal told The Guardian in 2017 that it “seems to me that anybody feels they can be an actor nowadays.”

Hugh Grant

Ferguson was in the 2016 movie “Florence Foster Jenkins” with both Grant and Meryl Streep. Many social media sleuths are pointing the finger at the “Notting Hill” star who has developed a reputation for being curmudgeonly, the New York Post said.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA - MARCH 12: Hugh Grant takes a selfie with a fan during the 95th Annual Academy Awards on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)
HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 12: Hugh Grant takes a selfie with a fan during the 95th Annual Academy Awards on March 12, 2023 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images) 

“I looked into it a little … consensus on Reddit is that it was Hugh Grant in ‘Florence Foster Jenkins,'” one of these sleuths wrote on X. “The scolding words sounded feminine and insecure, but so is Hugh Grant. Multiple reports from female co-stars (say) that Hugh can be horrible to work with.”

When another person argued that Streep was the star of the film, still another pointed out that Grant could have been No. 1 on the call sheet the day that he filmed scenes that involved Ferguson.

Someone else wrote: “I’ll bet it was Hugh Grant, I’ve read stuff about him being really rude and hard to work with. He’s even said himself that his female costars probably hate him.”

Michael Fassbender 

Fassbender and Ferguson co-starred in the poorly reviewed 2017 serial killer thriller, “The Snowman.” According to The Post, many movie fans believe that Fassbender, famous for his intense roles, was the screamer.

“It’s Michael Fassbender y’all,” one person declared.  “This was definitely Fassbender,” another said. 

But others defended Fassbender, based on the way that he and Ferguson appeared to get along well while doing publicity together for “The Snowman.” Still, one person pointed out: “People posting interviews with them together doesn’t prove a damn thing. Publicity tours are part of the job and they’re ACTORS.”

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How HBO’s ‘The Regime’ creates comedy from an authoritarian regime https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/02/29/how-hbos-the-regime-creates-comedy-from-an-authoritarian-regime/ Thu, 29 Feb 2024 17:12:47 +0000 https://www.mercurynews.com/?p=10369616&preview=true&preview_id=10369616 Imagine a world where a country’s leader lived a wildly self-indulgent lifestyle and dictated what was to be considered true, and the leader’s followers either cravenly indulge this or blindly believe it all.

No, this isn’t a documentary. HBO’s “The Regime” may have a bland title, but the fictional series, which premieres March 3, is a wild ride, a dark and absurdist satire of authoritarianism, that finds the funny in the sinister and the brutality in the outlandish. 

Set in a fictional Central European country, it centers on the chancellor, Elena Vernham (a mesmerizing, deeply weird Kate Winslet) who rules according to her whims and her paranoia. (She fears her dead father’s disapproval, visiting his glass coffin to pathetically plead her case.)

  • An image from the HBO Original Limited Series, “The Regime.”...

    An image from the HBO Original Limited Series, “The Regime.” (Courtesy of Miya Mizuno / HBO)

  • An image from the HBO Original Limited Series, “The Regime.”...

    An image from the HBO Original Limited Series, “The Regime.” (Courtesy of HBO)

  • An image from the HBO Original Limited Series, “The Regime.”...

    An image from the HBO Original Limited Series, “The Regime.” (Courtesy of Miya Mizuno / HBO)

  • An image from the HBO Original Limited Series, “The Regime.”...

    An image from the HBO Original Limited Series, “The Regime.” (Courtesy of HBO)

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When she brings in the violent, possibly unhinged army corporal Herbert Zubak (Matthias Schoenaerts) as an aide, sparks fly. He becomes her advisor on everything from his awful country diet to foreign policy, creating new layers of chaos in the palace and the country.   

The show’s creator, Will Tracy, honed his political comedy chops writing for “The Onion News Network” and “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” and refined his skills writing about power and wealth (and tantrums) on “Succession” and his film, “The Menu.”

He spoke recently by video about the central relationship and the geopolitics, the laughs and the fears. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Q. This is obviously a political show, but it also feels like you were creating the most toxic version of the Sam and Diane dynamic from “Cheers.” 

Herbert originally was a narrative device for the audience to enter this world – a simple country guy who asks, “What is all this?” and “Who are these people? – and he meets everybody, but around page 15 in the pilot, he just faded into the ensemble. 

But I was having trouble making Elena emotionally accessible and the story felt mainly bureaucratic and political. Then I realized he was interesting and had the idea that he might actually have something to say and what he says makes her feel very powerful. 

So just going back to old precepts of how watchable television works, it became a kind of love story like Sam and Diane. There’s a way in which they make themselves feel for little glimpses like the best version of themselves even though it is an incredibly non-traditional and toxic love story.

Q. Elena has a ruthlessness when it comes to holding onto power; she will sacrifice everyone and everything. There are obviously real-life parallels but how do you make the point without making it too on the nose?

We were interested in making a show that had something to say and felt relevant to our world without feeling like a polemic or didactic in any way. Obviously, humor helps with that. And the characters are not emotionally expressive; they’re very presentational and masked, which helps because they would not get on a soapbox and say what they’re thinking about politics because that would not be in their best interest to do so. 

Q. Keplinger, the imprisoned former chancellor, says of Elena that her behavior is born of pain and “you turn their pain to anger and then use it as a cudgel.” But he also says of her, Herbert and their followers that “Broken people love broken people,” which is not so far from Hillary Clinton’s “deplorables” perspective. 

Exactly. Keplinger is a representation of the leftist exasperation, “Why do you people love her and not me?” We were being careful to remember that about the left – he’s certainly the preferable option but he is quite craven and needy and narcissistic in his own specific way. 

Q. Do you feel any empathy for Elena’s cabinet members as they accommodate and appease in ways we’ve seen in real life? 

It’s hard for me to feel that. There’s a story that they tell themselves that they’re doing this for virtuous reasons. But there’s opportunism baked into that feeling of, “I’m going to be the steady hand in there” and sometimes what that means is “I can be that in case this guy gets booted.” They all want to be in pole position. It happens until the moment in which it becomes impossible. And then they’ll do anything to protect themselves. They’ll throw anyone or any idea under the bus to survive. 

I was also inspired a bit by reading about Hitler’s big four cabinet and how even when the Soviets were just days from the bunker and all was lost, there was still a sense they were kind of still positioning themselves, they wanted Papa H to like them the best. 

Q. What did you learn from your days writing for The Onion News and “Last Week Tonight”? Obviously, “Succession” feels like a natural bridge from there to here. 

I think it still stems from The Onion in a way. We were writing these insane, impossible comic stories, but remembering all throughout, even down to the editorial voice style, that it had to have this veneer of verisimilitude. It had to look, sound and feel real, even if what you’re describing is insanity. 

Practically speaking, you also have to do your research to give it the flavor and the structure of how these real-world processes work. And on “Succession” as we’ve seen so many times recently, what would never happen has happened in politics and media and business, so we felt emboldened by that. 

Q. How did you balance the humor with everyone’s outlandish but often brutal behavior and the realism of the geopolitics?

One thing I learned just in my research is just when you think you’ve written something ridiculous and over the top about an authoritarian leader, you read about real-life figures and think, “Boy, maybe we didn’t push it enough.”

The world of the show is so extreme because the character is so extreme and so powerful and has access to unlimited kinds of material resources – Elena can create her own reality, and then everyone around her has to pretend as though it is reality. To me, that is an inherently funny, absurd, dark situation. 

The comedy is ingrained in the subject matter and the challenge is remembering that there’s real fear and cruelty and pain that comes out of the world that she creates. We have to remember that she’s a dangerous figure and we owe it to ourselves, especially in the world we live in now, to try to make the geopolitics and the consequences of all that feel real and not like a joke. 

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7 amazing Bay Area things to do this weekend, March 1-3 https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/02/29/7-amazing-bay-area-things-to-do-this-weekend-march-1-3/ Thu, 29 Feb 2024 14:30:55 +0000 https://www.mercurynews.com/?p=10368683 From the new “Dune” to an exciting new seafood joint to great golden fun in Napa, there’s a great weekend awaiting us.

As always, be sure to double check event and venue websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.

1 WATCH : The ‘Dune’ we deserve

“Dune: Part 2” is finally in theaters and all we can say is, wow!

2 PLAY: Magic mustard season

It’s that time of the year in Napa when mustard blooms cast those rolling hills in a beautiful golden glow — but that’s not the only reason to visit the wine country these days.

Diners arrive at Hurrica Restaurant & Bar in Redwood City (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group) 

3 DINE: Check out an exciting new seafood restaurant

Newly opened Hurrica Restaurant in Redwood City welcomes visitors by land or sea with first-rate seafood and a flashy jellyfish aquarium. We checked it out recently and here are our thoughts.

4 MAKE & SCARF: Umami bombs away

These crispy, healthy and utterly addictive lettuce wraps are so easy and quick to make, you won’t believe your tastebuds.

5 SEE & HEAR: Great shows are all over

From Smuin Ballet reviving two of its greatest hits to a “Magic Flute” in Livermore and free tunes at a beloved old bandshell, there are a lot of great shows and concerts to catch this weekend.

Hiroyuki Sanada stars as the shrewd and powerful leader Lord Toranaga in “Shogun.” (FX) 

6 WATCH: A ‘Shogun’ for a new generation

James Clavell’s epic and compelling novel has been adapted for TV again, and this version is even better than the classic 1980 one.

7 PLAY: A hot, hot, hot new game

“Helldivers 2” is taking the video game world by storm — here’s why.

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10368683 2024-02-29T06:30:55+00:00 2024-02-29T15:57:29+00:00
‘The Mandalorian & Grogu,’ 14 other film projects getting California tax credits https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/02/29/15-film-projects-to-receive-state-tax-credits/ Thu, 29 Feb 2024 12:49:47 +0000 https://www.mercurynews.com/?p=10369311&preview=true&preview_id=10369311 Lucasfilm’s “The Mandalorian & Grogu” and 14 other film projects have been greenlighted for California’s film and TV tax-credit program.

The California Film Commission said the productions will create nearly 20,000 jobs and add nearly $408 million into the state’s economy.

The California Film and Television Tax Credit Program offers companies a 20% tax break for productions with a budget of at least $1 million. The credit applies only to the first $100 million in expenditures and uplifts, or purchases paid off over time through installments.

The latest round of productions getting the tax credits includes five big-budget films and 10 independent films.

Lucasfilm’s “The Mandalorian & Grogu,” part of the “Star Wars” franchise, will be shot entirely in California and will be the biggest tax credit recipient.

RELATED: Star-studded major motion picture set to start production soon in Humboldt County

Other non-independent tax-credit recipients include an as-yet untitled Disney live action project and another untitled film plus two Amazon MGM Studios projects, “The Accountant 2” and “Mercy.”

Janice Arrington, who heads the Orange County Film Commission, said the positive impacts of on-site film productions are substantial.

“The footprint can be large in terms of needs,” she said. “It creates business for suppliers, hotels, restaurants, car rentals and other businesses like dry cleaning. The location sites are paid and local people can also work as background actors.”

Jeffrey Ball, president and CEO of the Orange County Business Council, wants the state to go further with its tax credits.

“We would like to see an expansion of this program and other measures which support business to help promote the economic health of our region while providing a net increase in taxes which support the vital services we depend on,” Ball said in a statement.

The Film & Television Tax Credit Program is nearly a decade old. The $1.55 billion Version 3.0 program, which sunsets June 30, 2025, provides tax credits for production costs on projects produced in California.

Film production slated for Southern California include “Lurker” in San Bernardino County and two untitled movies. An untitled Disney live action film will be filmed in Orange County. “California Convergence,” an independent film, will be filmed in San Diego County.

Scores of big-budget movies have been filmed in Orange County, including “Iron Man,” “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Catch Me if You Can,” “Rain Man” and “Jerry Maguire,” among others.

San Bernardino County has also played host to some big productions, including “The Parent Trap” and “American Sniper.”

Other movies aided by California’s latest round of tax credits are set to be filmed in San Francisco County, Alameda County and Marin County.

Academy Award nominated producer Charles Roven, who’s set to produce the sci-fi film “Mercy” starring Chris Pratt, said there are distinct advantages to filming locally.

“Almost everyone gets to go home to their own bed at the end of day,” he said.

Colleen Bell, the film commission’s executive director, said the broad array of film projects included in the latest round of incentives demonstrates California’s “enduring attraction for storytellers.”

“These productions, spanning big-budget features to indie films, not only infuse millions into our economy but also showcase our state’s talent and versatility,” Bell said.

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Harry and Meghan’s Manhattan car chase was ‘dangerous’ after all, NYPD found https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/02/28/harry-and-meghans-manhattan-car-chase-was-dangerous-after-all-nypd-found/ Wed, 28 Feb 2024 23:03:43 +0000 https://www.mercurynews.com/?p=10367976 Before Prince Harry learned Wednesday that he had lost his legal battle over the security arrangements he’s  entitled to while visiting the U.K., he knew that the New York City Police Department was at least sympathetic to his concerns.

In fact, Harry may believe that he received vindication from the NYPD in December over the widely derided claims that he and his wife Meghan Markle made six months earlier about being involved in a “near catastrophic” two-hour car chase with paparazzi in Manhattan, the Daily Beast reported.

The NYPD  found that the behavior of the paparazzi pursuing Harry, Meghan and her mother, Doria Ragland, was not just “reckless” but also “persistently dangerous,” the Daily Beast had said. Harry and Meghan claimed that the nighttime pursuit through the streets of Manhattan caused “multiple near collisions” with other drivers, pedestrians and police officers.”

In a letter to London’s Metropolitan Police, Dec. 6, 2023, the NYPD’s Chief of Intelligence explained that “certain changes to the security posture” will be provided to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex when they next visit the city, following a “thorough review” of the incident, the Daily Beast reported.

The intelligence chief wrote: “We found the following: reckless disregard of vehicle and traffic laws and persistently dangerous and unacceptable behavior on the part of the paparazzi during the night in question,” the Daily Beast reported. The intelligence chief also said that the Manhattan District Attorney’s office concluded there was sufficient evidence to arrest two individuals for “reckless endangerment,” though no arrests had yet taken place.

This opinion represents a major turnaround for the NYPD, which originally joined Mayor Eric Adams and a cab driver who briefly transported the couple during the incident in suggesting that there was no car chase.

A spokesperson for the police department downplayed the seriousness of the pursuit at the time, saying “The NYPD assisted the private security team protecting the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. There were numerous photographers that made their transport challenging. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex arrived at their destination and there were no reported collisions, summonses, injuries, or arrests in regard.”

The police in June also said that Sussexes’ claims warranted “no further investigation.” Meanwhile, their car-chase description also was challenged by an extensive report by the New York Times, and “pretty much anyone who has ever sat in a Manhattan traffic jam” mocked the couple or suggested that the couple exaggerated the nature of the pursuit, the Daily Beast said.

On The View, Whoopi Goldberg even cracked jokes about the couple’s claims, saying, “If it was possible to have car chases in New York, we’d all make it to the theatre on time.”

Goldberg continued, “I think their spokesperson referenced something you generally would reference in Los Angeles. That’s where you have chases, that’s where you can move at high speeds.”

The NYPD’s intelligence chief didn’t necessarily mention high speeds in the briefing, but said that the paparazzi pursuing Harry and Meghan in cars and on scooters and bicycles showed “reckless disregard of vehicle and traffic laws.” The photographers forced the Sussexes’ security team, which included an NYPD escort, “to take evasive actions on several occasions and a circuitous route to avoid being struck by pursuing vehicles or trapped on side blocks.”

The intelligence chief’s briefing was revealed Wednesday in Harry’s court case in the U.K., the Daily Beast reported.

The California-based son of King Charles III filed a lawsuit with the British government over its 2020 decision that he, Meghan and their two children — Prince Archie, 4, and Princess Lilibet, 2 — were no longer entitled to the “same degree” of taxpayer-funded security when visiting Britain because they had stopped working as senior members of the royal family, The Telegraph reported.

Instead, a government committee created a “bespoke” approach that involved assessing each visit on its merits, but Harry said this approach has resulted in him being denied police protection on each subsequent return to the U.K., The Telegraph reported.

A judge in London’s High Court dismissed Harry’s argument that the committee’s decisions on his security weren’t legal or based on sound consideration of the risks to him and his family, reported. Harry has vowed to appeal the ruling.

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Actor-comedian Richard Lewis, ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ co-star, dies at 76 https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/02/28/actor-comedian-richard-lewis-curb-your-enthusiasm-co-star-dies-at-76/ Wed, 28 Feb 2024 21:40:32 +0000 https://www.mercurynews.com/?p=10368159 By Mark Kennedy | Associated Press

NEW YORK — Richard Lewis, an acclaimed comedian known for exploring his neuroses in frantic, stream-of-consciousness diatribes while dressed in all-black, leading to his nickname “The Prince of Pain,” has died. He was 76.

Lewis, who revealed he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2023, died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday night after suffering a heart attack, according to his publicist Jeff Abraham.

A regular performer in clubs and on late-night TV for decades, Lewis also played Marty Gold, the romantic co-lead opposite Jamie Lee Curtis, in the ABC series “Anything But Love” and the reliably neurotic Prince John in “Mel Brooks’ Robin Hood: Men In Tights.” He re-introduced himself to a new generation opposite Larry David in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” kvetching regularly.

“Richard and I were born three days apart in the same hospital and for most of my life he’s been like a brother to me,” David said in a statement. “He had that rare combination of being the funniest person and also the sweetest. But today he made me sob and for that I’ll never forgive him.”

Comedy Central named Lewis one of the top 50 stand-up comedians of all time and he earned a berth in GQ magazine’s list of the “20th Century’s Most Influential Humorists.” He lent his humor for charity causes, including Comic Relief and Comedy Gives Back.

“Watching his stand-up is like sitting in on a very funny and often dark therapy session,” the Los Angeles Times said in 2014. The Philadelphia’s City Paper called him “the Jimi Hendrix of monologists.” Mel Brooks once said he “may just be the Franz Kafka of modern-day comedy.”

Comedians took to social media Wednesday to share their thoughts, including Albert Books who called Lewis “a brilliantly funny man who will missed by all. The world needed him now more than ever” on X, formerly Twitter. Other tributes came from Bette Midler, Michael McKean and Paul Feig, who called Lewis “one of the funniest people on the planet.”

Following his graduation from The Ohio State University in 1969, the New York-born Lewis began a stand-up career, honing his craft on the circuit with other contemporaries also just starting out like Jay Leno, Freddie Prinze and Billy Crystal.

He recalled Rodney Dangerfield hiring him for $75 to fill in at his New York club, Dangerfield’s. “I had a lot of great friends early on who believed in me, and I met pretty iconic people who really helped me, told me to keep working on my material. And I never looked back,” he told The Gazette of Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2010.

“I’m paranoid about everything in my life. Even at home. On my stationary bike, I have a rear-view mirror, which I’m not thrilled about,” he once joked onstage. To Jimmy Kimmel he said: “This morning, I tried to go to bed. I couldn’t sleep. I counted sheep but I only had six of them and they all had hip replacements.”

Unlike contemporary Robin Williams, Lewis allowed audiences into his world and melancholy, pouring his torment and pain onto the stage. Fans favorably compared him to the ground-breaking comedian Lenny Bruce.

“I take great pains not to be mean-spirited,” Lewis told The Palm Beach Post in 2007. “I don’t like to take real handicaps that people have to overcome with no hope in sight. I steer clear of that. That’s not funny to me. Tragedy is funny to other humorists, but it’s not to me, unless you can make a point that’s helpful.”

HOLLYWOOD, CA - JUNE 06: (L-R) Actor/comedian Richard Lewis, honoree Mel Brooks, and Larry David attend the 41st AFI Life Achievement Award Honoring Mel Brooks after party at Dolby Theatre on June 6, 2013 in Hollywood, California. Special Broadcast will air Saturday, June 15 at 9:00 P.M. ET/PT on TNT and Wednesday, July 24 on TCM as part of an All-Night Tribute to Brooks. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for AFI)
Lewis joins Mel Brooks, center, and Larry David at a 2013 event in Hollywood. Lewis starred in Brooks’ film “Robin Hood: Men in Tights,” and on David’s sitcom “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for AFI)

Singer Billy Joel has said he was referring to Lewis when he sang in “My Life” of an old friend who “bought a ticket to the West Coast/Now he gives them a stand-up routine in L.A.”

In 1989 at Carnegie Hall, he appeared with six feet of yellow legal sheets filled with material and taped together for a 2½-hour set that led to two standing ovations. The night was “the highlight of my career,” he told The Washington Post in 2020.

Lewis told GQ his signature look came incidentally, saying his obsession with dressing in black came from watching the television Western “Have Gun – Will Travel,” with a cowboy in all-black, when he was a kid. He also popularized the term “from hell” — as in “the date from hell” or “the job from hell.”

“That just came out of my brain one day and I kept repeating it a lot for some reason. Same thing with the black clothes. I just felt really comfortable from the early ’80s on and I never wore anything else. I never looked back.”

After getting sober from drugs and alcohol in 1994, Lewis put out his 2008 memoir, “The Other Great Depression” — a collection of fearless, essay style riffs on his life — and “Reflections from Hell.”

Lewis was the youngest of three siblings — his brother was older than him by six years, and his sister by nine. His father died young and his mother had emotional problems. “She didn’t get me at all. I owe my career to my mother. I should have given her my agent’s commission,” he told The Washington Post in 2020.

“Looking back on it now, as a full-blown, middle-aged, functioning anxiety collector, I can admit without cringing that my parents had their fair share of tremendous qualities, yet, being human much of the day, had more than just a handful of flaws as well,” he wrote in his memoir.

Lewis quickly found a new family performing at New York’s Improv. “I was 23, and all sorts of people were coming in and out and watching me, like Steve Allen and Bette Midler. David Brenner certainly took me under his wing. To drive home to my little dump in New Jersey often knowing that Steve Allen said, ‘You got it,’ that validation kept me going in a big, big way.”

He had a cameo in “Leaving Las Vegas,” which led to his first major dramatic role as Jimmy Epstein, an addict fighting for his life in the indie film, “Drunks.” He played Don Rickles’ son on one season of “Daddy Dearest” and a rabbi on “7th Heaven.”

Lewis’ recurring role on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” can be credited directly to his friendship with fellow comedian, producer and series star Larry David. Both native Brooklynites — born in the same Brooklyn hospital — they first met and became friends as rivals while attending the same summer camp at age 13. He was cast from the beginning, bickering with David on unpaid bills and common courtesies.

He is survived by his wife, Joyce Lapinsky.

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10368159 2024-02-28T13:40:32+00:00 2024-02-29T04:21:29+00:00
Bay Area boxer grabs biggest opportunity in bout against Jake Paul https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/02/28/vallejo-boxer-ryan-bourland-grabs-biggest-opportunity-in-bout-against-jake-paul/ Wed, 28 Feb 2024 13:22:09 +0000 https://www.mercurynews.com/?p=10367083&preview=true&preview_id=10367083 Jake Paul is a major name, known for social media and Disney Channel background before he moved to the boxing ring.

Vallejo’s Ryan Bourland is a big name around Solano County because of his boxing resume but a relative unknown in the social media world.

Those two worlds collide Saturday in San Juan, Puerto Rico when the two face off in a cruiserweight undercard. Many consider Bourland (17-2, six knockouts) the underdog against the relatively inexperienced but powerful Paul (8-1, five knockouts).

“He’s a strong guy, and I know he’s knocked some people out,” Bourland said by phone earlier this month. “He’s pretty new to boxing. I’m pretty experienced, but I know he’s very dedicated. It should be a good fight. He’s a strong dude.”

Vallejo's Ryan Bourland, right, has been training with Mario L'Esperance in North Dakota in anticipation of his bout with Jake Paul on March 2 in Puerto Rico. (Contributed photo)
Vallejo’s Ryan Bourland, right, has been training with Mario L’Esperance in North Dakota in anticipation of his bout with Jake Paul on Saturday in Puerto Rico. (Contributed photo) 

The 35-year-old Bourland said the arena in Puerto Rico sits about 18,000 fans and is expected to be a sellout. The bout will begin around 4 p.m. on the West Coast and will be televised on DAZN, a subscription streaming service.

Bourland, nicknamed “Rhino” has been living in North Dakota since 2018 and working long hours on the oil rigs.

“It’s a very physical, tough job,” he said. “It’s long hours and the weather is very extreme. Mentally and physically, it’s very tough work.”

Bourland got married in North Dakota and just bought a house in Dickinson, N.D. area.

“I moved out here for work, but I continued to fight out here,” he said. “I continued to train at the gym. I haven’t had that many fights here, but I had one about a year and a half ago.”

Bourland knocked out Santonio Martin in the fifth round at Four Bears Casino in his last fight in 2022. His last fight in Northern California was in 2018 when he beat Jose Hernandez in a 10-round rematch in a super middleweight bout at Cache Creek Casino.

“I moved out here for work, but I’m always training,” he said. “I’m always in the gym.”

Bourland even ran a 58-mile marathon in June of last year through the mountains.

He had heard that Paul knocked a guy out and planned to fight again in March but didn’t have an opponent. Bourland Googled his manager and found him on social media. After some back and forth, they sent over the contracts, and Bourland signed.

Mario L’Esperance, Bourland’s coach when he trained in Solano County, flew out to North Dakota about 4-5 weeks ago, and the two have been training together.

Bourland has always been known for his aggressive nature, and he said that won’t change with this bout.

“I’m still going to do what I do, but I think we have a great game plan for the fight,” he said. “I’m going to keep my same style, but it will be a different game plan than other fights.”

Paul rose to fame when he played the role of Dirk Mann on the Disney Channel series “Bizaardvark” for two seasons. He is known around social media circles because of his own YouTube channel. He dabbled in Mixed Martial Arts before moving to boxing.

Bourland knows that some people were surprised that a relative unknown was picked to fight Paul, but that’s OK with him. He joked with FightsATW that he was going to get some shirts made that said, “Who the f*** is Ryan Bourland?”

Paul is age 27 and Bourland is 35, but “Rhino” doesn’t see that as a disadvantage.

“I don’t feel old,” he said. “I’m in great shape. I’ve always taken care of my body.”

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10367083 2024-02-28T05:22:09+00:00 2024-02-28T07:37:53+00:00
‘Mary Poppins’ gets a new age rating over its use of a racial slur https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/02/27/mary-poppins-gets-a-new-age-rating-over-its-use-of-a-racial-slur/ Tue, 27 Feb 2024 19:43:23 +0000 https://www.mercurynews.com/?p=10365814 By Harmeet Kaur | CNN

 A British film industry group has raised the age rating for the beloved children’s classic “Mary Poppins” over discriminatory language.

The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), which regulates films and video content in the country, changed the rating of the 1964 Disney musical last week from U (Universal) to PG (Parental Guidance) because it features a racial slur once used by White Europeans to refer to the native peoples of southern Africa.

Mary Poppins (1964) includes two uses of the discriminatory term ‘hottentots,’” a BBFC spokesperson said in a statement to CNN. “While Mary Poppins has a historical context, the use of discriminatory language is not condemned, and ultimately exceeds our guidelines for acceptable language at U.”

The iconic film returns to UK theaters this year in celebration of its 60th anniversary, which prompted the BBFC to reexamine its original rating.

“Mary Poppins,” starring Julie Andrews in the titular role as well as Dick Van Dyke, follows the magical adventures of a nanny who comes to the rescue of the dysfunctional Banks family. It was a commercial and critical success in its time, with a lifetime gross of more than $103 million and five Academy Awards. In 2013, the US Library of Congress added it to the National Film Registry, which recognizes American cinema of cultural, historic or aesthetic significance. And in 2018, it got a long-awaited sequel.

Even as “Mary Poppins” remains a treasured part of the cultural canon, the film has been criticized for trafficking in blackface. It’s partly in this context that the discriminatory language referenced by BBFC appears in the film.

In one scene, the eccentric Admiral Boom asks one of the Banks children if he is going on an adventure to “defeat hottentots.” Later in the film, as Admiral Boom sees chimney sweeps with soot-blackened faces dancing in the distance, he shouts, “We’re being attacked by hottentots!” and orders a cannon to be fired in their direction.

“Hottentot” is a derogatory term used by European settlers to refer to Khoikhoi peoples of South Africa and Namibia, according to the Oxford reference.

Per the new film rating, children of any age can still watch without an adult present, but parents should consider whether the content might upset younger or more sensitive children, a BBFC spokesperson said.

A 2021 BBFC report on racism in media found that people generally understand films and TV shows with objectionable material to be “products of their time,” but that they would prefer to be warned about such content so that they can decide whether it’s appropriate for themselves and their families.

“We understand from our racism and discrimination research, and recent classification guidelines research, that a key concern for people, parents in particular, is the potential to expose children to discriminatory language or behaviour which they may find distressing or repeat without realising the potential offence,” a BBFC spokesperson said.

In recent years, the movie industry has grappled with how to handle racist or offensive content in classic films.

In 2019, Disney+ began issuing disclaimers on films such as “Dumbo” that they featured “outdated cultural depictions.” In 2020, the company updated the language in its advisories to more strongly condemn racist content, with warnings appearing on films including “Lady and the Tramp” and “Peter Pan.”

“This programme includes negative depictions and/or mistreatment of people or cultures,” the updated advisories read. “These stereotypes were then and are wrong now. Rather than remove this content, we want to acknowledge its harmful impact, learn from it and spark conversation to create a more inclusive future together.”

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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10365814 2024-02-27T11:43:23+00:00 2024-02-27T11:44:13+00:00
What to watch: ‘Shogun’ a worthy remake of classic series https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/02/27/what-to-watch-shogun-a-worthy-remake-of-classic-series/ Tue, 27 Feb 2024 18:00:09 +0000 https://www.mercurynews.com/?p=10364875 Producers of streaming and cable series seem to be throwing an awful amount of money at certain series these days. Sometimes it’s all for naught. Case in point, Amazon Prime’s “Citadel” series, an action-packed six-parter whose budget reportedly ballooned to nearly $250 million.

The results might have been better if the budget had made room for a more refined screenplay.

We don’t know how much producers spent on FX’s/Hulu’s new take on “Shōgun,” but we can see via our own eyes that it probably cost a bunch. And it was money well spent, given the source material.

Bookworms of a certain age know well that you didn’t merely read James Clavell’s epic 1975 novel, a 1,152-page classic, as much as you devoured it. Didn’t matter if you were going to work or school or on a hot date — all plans got shoved aside so you could power through this mesmerizing, multi-pronged narrative about a power struggle in 1660s Japan. The tale, based on a true story, brings two unlikely figures together — a wise but imperiled feudal lord and a brash, crass British pilot whose ship got washed ashore. They didn’t exactly strike up a let’s-do-brunch friendship, but learned to respect and learn from each other, and stare down enemies in the process.

Clavell was a masterful storyteller and this, his third novel, sold millions upon millions and then got turned into one of TV’s first “event” miniseries, airing on ABC in 1980. It starred “Seven Samurai’s” Toshiro Mifune and Richard Chamberlain, and the ratings shot through the Nielsen roof. That nine-hour series, along with the book itself and the ensuing computer games and even Broadway musical spurred, a deep dive into Japan’s fascinating and rich history, culture and lore.

Now, the husband-wife duo of Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo have created their own 10-episode interpretation of the durable Clavell classic (his daughter Michaela Clavell serves as an executive producer), and they’ve crafted something better, more daring and ferociously gripping than the popular 1980 version. They also showcase its Japanese cast first and foremost, rather than telling the story predominantly from a White man’s perspective. Most of the dialogue is spoken in Japanese with subtitles.

This version balances such jaw-dropping spectacles as an earthquake and a bloody cannonball attack with its story lines full of cultural clashes and multi-pronged political strategizing.

It is just as gripping as Clavell’s words, and is guaranteed to be one of the best limited series you’ll see this year.

The casting choices be much better, each actor is in perfect sync with the complicated people they are portraying. Hiroyuki Sanada gives a seamless understated performance as sage-like Yoshii Toranaga, the lord presiding over the Kanto Region and a ruler who is dangerously at odds with major players at Osaka Castle, including the cunning Ishido Kazunari (Takehiro Hira). Sanada is ingenious here, able to convey with just one glimmer in his eye a sentiment that would take most actors a protracted monologue to deliver. He’s magnificent.

When Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) — dubbed the Barbarian and later the Anjin (or pilot) — arrives after a distressed vessel deposits him on this new land, the ever-aware Toranaga seizes on the opportunity to reap the benefits of this hot head’s knowledge base. The impatient Blackthorne can’t understand or appreciate Japanese culture and rituals, a stance that softens once Toranaga assigns Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai) — who’s dealing with disgrace of her own along with a brute of a husband — as a translator.

Jarvis and Sawai wisely temper how their evolving connection develops, never revealing what we know is going on underneath. Jarvis previously co-starred in 2016’s “Lady Macbeth” and 2022’s “Persuasion” and continues to excel at being a fearless actor. He never soft pedals who Blackthorne is — an uncouth, short-fused blowhard — and still manages to make him likable. It’s a historically appropriate approach given how Blackthorne represents European ideals and actions, those at odds with Eastern ways of being. His Blackthorne is also resentful of what he sees as Jesuits interference and power plays. Sawai’s performance only deepens and intensifies as her backstory gets revealed. She’s stunning in the part, as are so many others in this vast Japanese cast.

“Shōgun” is a stirring and meaty historical series that matches its spectacle and scale with its emotion and intelligence as it ponders deep philosophical discussions about life, sacrifice, valor and death. It’s epic, in the very best way.

Details: 4 stars out of 4; episodes are 7 p.m. (PST) Tuesdays on FX with each episode available to stream on Hulu. Final episode drops April 23.

“Monolith”: Wily is the best word to describe Matt Vesely’s genre nonconformist, a brainy piece of work that fools you once then fools you again and again. Lily Sullivan is the only actor on-screen throughout its entirety, and she is riveting — and the major reason that the film actually works. She portrays a scandal-plagued journalist holed up at her parent’s posh, remote home in Australia. It’s there where she pursues a new podcast searching for answers or truths out of mysteries or unsolved phenomena. But can truth be subjective and shaped by the person investigating it? Those questions pop up as Sulllivan’s nameless looks into an anonymous email about a black brick. Is it tied to a conspiracy? Or something else? And will the “truth” – whatever that should be – win out? Lucy Campbell’s risky screenplay isn’t afraid to look at bigger pictures in an industrious indie that defies its genre conventions every step of the way. Sound designer Leigh Kenyon deserves special attention along with director of photography Michael Tessari.

Details: 3 stars, available to rent now.

Find of the week

“Trust:” A matriarch’s suicide reunites three neurotic siblings for an awkward funeral and then the reading of a shocker of a will. The brief amount of time that nursing student Kate (co-writer Jennifer Levinson) spends with recovering alcoholic Josh (Heston Horwin) and hypochondriac diva Trini (Kate Spare) — the trust’s executor — is for the best since these meet-ups only collapse into bitter screaming matches. Director/co-writer Almog Avidan Antonir’s debut feature, receiving a world premiere, does cover familiar terrain but “Trust” sports a fearless attitude and is never dismissive about the issues at hand or the festering problems this family and its disowned father (Linden Ashby) have failed to work through. The cast is first-rate in this gutsy indie with a strong message about how it sometimes is best to uproot from a dysfunctional family tree in order to maintain your own sanity. Details: 3 stars; available to rent or stream on Apple TV,  Amazon, Vudu, Google Play, YouTube Movies and more.

Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.

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