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Oscar nominated actor Ryan Gosling, star of “Project Hail Mary,” is a fan.
Like, a massive one.
Watch this interview. It’s hilarious. Gosling expresses his love for the show, as well as his admiration for the actors who must memorize hundreds of pages a week.
If only “Days” had a regular shooting schedule, they could work Gosling into the story. But they’re about 10 months ahead. Also, I think the era he enjoyed is long over.
John Oliver also recently revealed his love of soaps. “General Hospital” is trying to find him a role.
PS Let’s not forget that new Oscar winner Michael B. Jordan came from “All My Children.” Oscar winners Julianne Moore and Marisa Tomei are graduates of “As the World Turns.” So is Parker Posey.
Ryan Gosling: "Soap opera actors, in general, don't get the love they deserve." Ryan is playing my favorite song! Courtesy of Happy Sad Confused. #DAYSpic.twitter.com/7IUWxwI2ah
“Project Hail Mary” made a stunning $80 million on its opening weekend.
This means a lot on so many levels.
Star Ryan Gosling’s previous foray into space, Damien Chazelle’s “First Man,” did not live up to expectations. That was eight years ago.
Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller should be equally thrilled. They were yanked off 2018’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story,” and replaced with Ron Howard. The pair have produced a lot of projects since then but this is the first film they’ve directed since then.
MGM is ecstatic since this is the first movie of theirs to score much outside of James Bond.
Amazon, famous for shipping toasters, is just getting over the PR debacle of “Melania.” They squandered $75 mil on that baby.
More records: this is the biggest box office for a non-franchise, non-sequel original idea released in the month of March in an even numbered year.
Of course, “Project Hail Mary” is not a sequel but rather a cousin of “The Martian.” Both titles came from sci fi books written by Andy Weir and are similar in tone.
The other good news is that “PHM” is a really well made movie, lot of fun if not a bit too long. A lot of people may see it again just to understand a few of the elusive plot points.
As for that $80 mil: let’s hope it’s just the beginning. Amazon/MGM has spent gazillions on promotion and marketing. The $250 million budget means they’ll need $500 million to break even. Then “PHM” will come to Amazon Prime.
How is it possible that today marks the 7th week she’s been missing- with no end in sight?
Savannah Guthrie and her family have posted a note of thanks to everyone, especially all the people of Tucson. Maybe not the mayor, who doesn’t acknowledge what happened.
The case has fallen off the headlines as new atrocities and challenges have occurred. Only the Today Show and NBC are keeping Nancy Guthrie in the news. Meanwhile, social media and others not dignified themselves by continuing to hound Savannah’s sister and brother-in-law, as if they’re somehow involved. I can’t imagine how horrible that must have been.
When this case is solved, the people responsible should maximally punished. The cruelty is off the charts.
Special prosecutor Robert Mueller died today. He was 81, and a fine, dedicated public servant who tried to prove Donald Trump was a puppet of the Russians.
Mueller also was in charge of the FBI for 12 years.
Donald Trump, already the worsrt person in the world, had this to say: “Robert Mueller just died. Good, I’m glad he’s dead. He can no longer hurt innocent people! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
If Hell exists, it’s too good for Trump, a vile man who respects only dictators and criminals. He’s a piece of shit, to put it bluntly. I hope he’s ready because when he dies this quote will be applied to him instantaneously.
Here’s the classy response to Mueller’s death, from President Barack Obama: “Bob Mueller was one of the finest directors in the history of the FBI, transforming the bureau after 9/11 and saving countless lives. But it was his relentless commitment to the rule of law and his unwavering belief in our bedrock values that made him one of the most respected public servants of our time. Michelle and I send our condolences to Bob’s family, and everyone who knew and admired him.”
“Project Hail Mary” scored $33 million from Thursday previews and Friday opening day.
Amaze, amaze.
The Phil Lord-Christopher Miller space bonanza is looking at a $70 million weekend. Stunning.
Amazon has waited and waited for years for a gigantic hit, a real hit, the kind they can boast about.
I did love “Manchester by-the-Sea,” but Casey Affleck never left Earth.
Ryan Gosling is all but assured awards action next winter, and so are all the below-the-line artists who’ve made a production for the ages.
If only Melania Trump had waited. She could have been on the spaceship with “Rocky” when Gosling’s Ryland Grace arrived!
Meantime, “The Bride!”– the poor bride — stood up, returned gifts, trying to sell the wedding dress on ebay — dropped 1,900 theaters on its way to streaming somewhere — like HBO Max — where it can be shown as the centerpiece of fun parties. There might be a drinking game involved!
A source told that Bill Maher, sometimes thought of as funny, was going to receive the Mark Twain Prize for Humor at the Kennedy Center.
The Atlantic published the story. It seemed plausible, so why not?
But as soon as the story appeared, The Atlantic now reports, the Trump White House phoned the Kennedy Center to tell them no, absolutely not.
Professional liar Karoline Leavitt immediately disowned the whole thing, saying it was fake news. Maher was never scheduled to get the award. She said: “This is fake news. Bill Maher will NOT be getting this award.”
Frankly, it’s unlikely there will be a Mark Twain award again until Trump is out of office. Last year, Conan O’Brien’s award show, taped live for Netflix, turned into a hilarious bashing of Trump. Can you imagine what would happen now as comic after comic took to the stage to denounce the administration?
Also, there’s never been a time set for the Mark Twain Award this year. And with Trump shutting the Kennedy Center down for two years, the whole thing seems impractical.
Maher is sure to address this debacle on his HBO show tonight. We’ll be listening. Follow me on Twitter @showbiz411
Harry Styles spent a big week at number 1 last. His new “Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally” sold 425,000 copies immediately.
But the pop audience is fickle. During its second week, “Kiss” dropped a whopping 77% and sold just 98K copies. The “Aperture” closed.
This was even after Harry’s appearance on “Saturday Night Live” and his taped-live Netflix special. In the second week he sold only 22,486 actual albums and downloads.
Now, with last night’s release of a new KPop BTS album, Harry has dropped to number 8 on the iTunes the top 100 albums chart. One single, “American Girls,” is number 80. All his other tracks have evaporated.
Harry’s not hurting. His tour including the MSG residency, are selling out. The fans will go see him without hesitation. He puts on a great show! He just needs a hit single from the album.
Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s “Project Hail Mary” had a home run last night with $12 million in previews.
The Ryan Gosling space fest is headed toward a $70 million weekend.
Amazon never had a hit like this before.
Some of the credit must go to their newish head of global marketing, Sue Kroll, who turned a similar film — “Gravity” — into a massive hit for Warner Bros many moons ago. She knows her way around the cosmos!
“Project Hail Mary” cost at least $250 million. You can see it all on screen. The production is dazzling, including the music. It’s like being in a planetarium show. And that’s what saves it when the story gets bogged down. Also, when the two hour point hits, the production is what keeps you tuned in.
Look for “PJM” to get a lot of awards attention next winter for the below-the-line artisans.
Meantime, the box office should be buzzing this weekend.
This is what Bari Weiss will be remembered for destroying the legacy of CBS News.
Today CBS News announced it will cut 15% of its staff. This is as Weiss was paid $150 million by David Ellison to carry out this erasure.
Now comes the announcement that the famed and important CBS News Radio will end a 100 year run in May. They’ve told 700 radio affiliates they’re pulling the plug. Among them are WINS in NY and KNX 1070 in Los Angeles, stations I — and many others– depend on.
Gone in this disaster are names we hear everyday like Cami McCormick, Jim Krasula, Deborah Rodriguez, Steve Futterman, Vicki Barker, and many others. All of them have day in and day out reported news from all over the world fearlessly, tirelessly, and objectively.
No more CBS News World Round Up, a comforting sound that you can rely on for breaking facts and reports.
This move shows the total lack of investment Ellison and Skydance have in journalism and media. Weiss is their hatchet man. When all else fails — the internet goes out, cell phone service dies — radio is always there providing up to date information. It sounds old fashioned, but it’s not. It’s vital to the lifeline of media.
Of course, advertising isn’t what it was. All of radio is littered with ads for fake remedies and oddball products. But what’s the difference? Soon all local media will evaporate. The next generations will get their news from clips on TikTok that emanate from a fantasy world.
Meantime, Weiss’s destruction of CBS News continues. The CBS Evening News has lost 25% of its audience in just three months. She’s about to destroy CBS Mornings, and also has already taken aim at “60 Minutes.”
Sad news to report Chuck Norris, on our screens for over 60 years, has died at age 86.
Norris starred in TV’s “Walker, Texas Ranger,” a perennial, from 1993 to 2001. He appeared in dozens of movies and TV shows as a tough guy. He was also part of a long running infomercial about fitness with Christie Brinkley. He seemed indestructible.
Norris’s work was niche. There were no Oscars but plenty of money made and lots of fans suitably entertained. He worked with Bruce Lee and Sylvester Stallone, among others.
