Category: media

“[Samantha] Barbash alleges her character and likeness have been exploited and is seeking $20m compensation and $20m in punitive damages. Court documents show Barbash is targeting production company STX and Lopez’s own Nuyorican Productions.” – The Guardian

“The film entitled The First Temptation of Christ, by the Brazilian production company Porta dos Fundos, came out on December 3 and drew strong criticism from conservative politicians in the mainly Catholic country, the church itself and from evangelicals. … Judge Benedicto Abicair said Wednesday he was ordering the film yanked for now so as to calm tempers until courts can consider the broader merits of a suit against the movie brought by a Catholic association called the Don Bosco Center for Faith and Culture.” – Yahoo! (AFP)

“As Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker‘s second unit director, and the first woman to ever hold the megaphone on a Star Wars movie, [Victoria] Mahoney got to experience all of it. Now that the movie is out, Mahoney — who’s been a writer, producer, actor, and director (Grey’s Anatomy, I Am the Night, her indie film Yelling to the Sky) — can finally talk about it.” – Wired

“On Dec. 20, as Cats opened in theaters domestically, Universal made an unprecedented decision to send exhibitors a new version of the film with ‘some improved visual effects.’ By then, however, it was too late.” (includes video) – The Hollywood Reporter

“The controversial practice of ‘brownface’ in Indian cinema, where actors with lighter skin wear brown makeup to play certain roles — often reinforcing negative stereotypes — has been attracting attention. [What’s more,] actors with lighter skin are frequently seen as more ‘sellable’ at the Indian box office and often receive higher profile parts.” (video) – BBC

The speech, which introduced Ellen DeGeneres as that comedian won the Carol Burnett Award, made it clear that Ellen was a trailblazer. McKinnon said, “She risked her entire life and her entire career in order to tell the truth, and she suffered greatly for it. Of course, attitudes change, but only because brave people like Ellen jump into the fire to make them change.” – The New York Times

She won for The Farewell, the film’s only win of the night. She thanked director Lulu Wang – who was not nominated, one of several snubs to women from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association – and to the woman who plays her character’s grandmother in the film. Part of her speech: “I’d like to dedicate this to my dad, Wally. I told you I’d get a job, Dad.” – The New York Times

Netflix had 34 nominations, but HBO – and Sony – topped the list. – Los Angeles Times

Will Netflix rule the night? How terrible will Ricky Gervais be? Who will win Best Actor? And why, why, why are all of the Best Director nominees men, AGAIN? – NBC