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Pokémon, Post Malone and Darius Rucker might seem like unusual bedfellows. That is, until you know that Malone owns an old-school Game Boy Color so that he can still play Pokémon on the regular, and that, before Saturday’s Pokémon Day 25th anniversary celebration, Malone’s released a cover of Rucker’s co-written 1995 hit with Hootie and […]
The Washington Post defended one of its White House reporters, Seung Min Kim, on Thursday after she became the target of “racist and sexist attacks” on Twitter. “The racist and sexist attacks have been vicious — and typical. She and other minority women endure vile, baseless attacks on a daily basis, no matter what story they are working on or tweeting about. The attacks on her journalistic credibility were wildly misguided and a bad-faith effort at intimidation,” the Post’s national editor, Steven Ginsberg, said in a statement. On Wednesday, a photo began circulating on Twitter of Kim showing an old tweet from Neera Tanden, the nominee for the director of the Office of Management and Budget, to Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski. According to Ginsberg, Kim had bumped into Murkowski in the Capitol and asked the senator about a 2017 tweet from Tanden, in which she criticized the senator for being “high on [her] own supply.” Also Read: Washington Post Flamed for Calling Jenna Ryan 'Unlikely' Capitol Riot Participant Murkowski had not seen the tweet, Ginsberg said, so Kim showed it to her on her phone and included Murkowski’s reaction in the Post’s story about Tanden’s nomination. But the photo of Kim and Murkowski’s interaction led to a “flood of racist, sexist and ill-informed attacks aimed at Seung Min.” “What she did was basic journalism. In reporting about Tanden’s tweet, she asked Murkowski for comment. Murkowski had not seen the tweet, so Seung Min showed it to her. This is standard practice. If a subject is not aware of the information they are being asked to comment on, reporters share it with them. This only makes sense and is the fair and responsible thing to do,” Ginsberg said. “No one should have to deal with the hate that has been directed at Seung Min. She did her job, and she did it well, like she always does,” he added. “We could not be prouder that she is our colleague and a reporter for The Washington Post.” Read original story Washington Post Defends Reporter Seung Min Kim After ‘Racist and Sexist Attacks’ by ‘Vicious’ Online Trolls At TheWrap
The documentary “My Name Is Pauli Murray” about the non-binary Black activist, lawyer and poet and is directed by “RBG” filmmakers Julie Cohen and Betsy West, has sold out of Sundance to Amazon Studios. The film tells the life story of Pauli Murray and how they over time influenced everyone from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Thurgood Marshall. The documentary includes Murray’s writings and newly discovered photographs, footage and audio interviews, including how Murray spent their life grappling with gender norms and identifying as non-binary. West and Cohen came across Murray’s story while making “RBG” and managed to premiere the film at Sundance three years later. Murray is known for their 1950 book “States’ Laws on Race and Color,” which Marshall and others considered to be a key document in the fight against racial segregation. Also Read: 'My Name Is Pauli Murray': Directors of 'RBG' Follow Up With Tale of Ginsburg's Greatest Influence (Video) Murray was also named a co-author in Ginsburg’s brief for her landmark Reed v. Reed victory at the Supreme Court that gave women more control over estates. And Murray was also the first Black person to receive a doctorate from Yale Law School. Murray died in 1985. Betsy West and Julie Cohen directed the film, and Talleah Bridges McMahon produced. Participant’s Jeff Skoll, Diane Weyermann and Elise Pearlstein executive produced, along with Peggy Drexler. “Having Amazon Studios as our distribution partner is really a dream. We are so excited to work with their team–they are passionate about this film and we know we’re going to be in very capable hands,” the directors said in a statement. Also Read: Barry Jenkins' 'Underground Railroad' Gets May Premiere Date at Amazon (Video) “To share a story that gives visibility to Pauli Murray means so much for so many people and for so many reasons. Everyone should know Pauli’s story and to imagine the film can be available so widely is really monumental,” Bridges McMahon said in a statement. “After releasing ‘RBG’ three years ago, we jumped at the opportunity to partner again with the incredibly talented Betsy and Julie, who have once more hit it out of the park in crafting a deeply thoughtful, timely and entertaining film about another real-life American superhero,” Diane Weyermann, chief content officer for Participant. “We are incredibly excited to partner with Amazon Studios in bringing My Name is Pauli Murray to audiences around the world and shining a long-overdue spotlight on this revolutionary trailblazer.” “Decades later, we’re still fighting for the same rights that Pauli Murray fought to achieve for gender and racial equity, and I’m so proud to have worked on this film in bringing Pauli’s story to the forefront today.” Participant and Cinetic negotiated the deal on behalf of the filmmakers. Variety reported the news. Read original story ‘My Name Is Pauli Murray’ Documentary Sells to Amazon Studios At TheWrap
A version of this story about Kemp Powers first appeared in the Actors/Directors/Screenwriters issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine Kemp Powers had the difficult task of acting as his own editor when adapting his 2013 stage play “One Night in Miami” for the big screen. “One Night in Miami” — the feature directorial debut of actress Regina King — fictionalizes a real-life meeting of Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown and Sam Cooke in February 1964, on the night that Ali (then Cassius Clay) won the heavyweight championship. Powers explained to TheWrap how the adaptation process both opened and closed creative doors. Also Read: 'One Night in Miami' Film Review: Regina King Goes the Distance in Impressive Feature Directorial Debut “I was using my own play as source material, but I still wanted it to be very different from the play,” said Powers, who is also on Oscar’s radar the Awards season as writer and co-director of “Soul,” Pixar’s first animated film with a Black lead character. “It’s still confined in and around a hotel, but the play I wrote begins when the four of them enter the hotel room together, and it ends 85 minutes later when they leave the hotel room. It was a literal chamber piece.” Powers said reworking his own play was more difficult than it might appear. “The hardest part was not being precious about your own writing,” he observed. “You know the expression killing your babies? A lot of things that I loved most about the play didn’t make it into the film.” The cuts included the play’s showstopping moment, when the fourth wall breaks and Sam Cooke is performing at Miami’s Harlem Square Club. “It’s honestly the most popular part of the play,” he said. “Sam explains the difference between playing for Black and white audiences, kind of like a dream moment that gets at the root of what makes his music soul music. “But as great as it is in the play, it just didn’t serve the story. I don’t regret cutting it, but it was very painful to let that go.” Powers’ film takes its place alongside August Wilson’s “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” and “Hamilton” as stage works translated to film and released in the past year. He said that both Miami and Ma Rainey celebrate the art of dialogue, something that impressed him from an early age. “I remember as a very young kid, sitting in class and watching the movie ’12 Angry Men’ and being riveted,” he said. “There have been films driven by words before–this isn’t a new thing. However, you might not see it as much in films with predominantly Black casts. That’s kind of wonderful.” Read more from the Actors/Directors/Screenwriters issue here. Vanessa Kirby Read original story ‘One Night in Miami’ Writer Kemp Powers on the ‘Painful’ Process of Reworking His Play for the Screen At TheWrap
Mike Tyson is objecting to Hulu’s unauthorized miniseries about his life and career, accusing the streamer of “tone-deaf cultural misappropriation” in a statement issued Thursday. “Hulu’s announcement to do an unauthorized miniseries of my life, although unfortunate, isn’t surprising,” Tyson said in a statement on Instagram that included a call to #BoycottHulu. “This announcement on the heels of social disparities in our country is a prime example of how Hulu’s corporate greed led to this tone-deaf cultural misappropriation of my life story.” On Thursday, Hulu announced that it had picked up the eight-episode limited series “Iron Mike” from “Mixed-ish” showrunner Karin Gist and the writing, directing and producing team behind the Tonya Harding biopic “I, Tonya.” Also Read: Hulu Sets Mike Tyson Biopic Series From Karin Gist and 'I, Tonya' Team “To make this announcement during Black History Month only confirms Hulu’s concern for dollars over respect for Black story rights,” Tyson’s statement continued. “Hollywood needs to be more sensitive to Black experiences especially after all that has transpired in 2020. My authorized story is in development and will be announced in coming days.” Representatives for Tyson and Hulu did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment. Per Hulu’s description, “Iron Mike” will explore the “wild, tragic and controversial life and career behind one of the most polarizing figures in sports culture.” In addition to Gist, executive producers on the series include creator Steven Rogers; director Craig Gillespie; Claire Brown of Gist’s production company The Gist of It; Bryan Unkeless and Scott Morgan of Clubhouse Pictures; Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley and Brett Hedblom of LuckyChap; and Darin Friedman of Entertainment 360. Read original story Mike Tyson Slams Hulu for ‘Cultural Misappropriation’ Over Unauthorized Biopic Series At TheWrap
A surveillance camera captured the moment a driverless motorboat smashed into two docks in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, on February 21.Homeowner Cynthia Pellerito’s security camera recorded the incident.“The boat nearly hit me and my dog and did extreme damage to our seawall, our dock, and boat lift,” said Pellerito.The impact also sent pieces of wood flying 100 feet into Pellerito’s backyard and pool, according to reports. Despite two people being ejected from the boat before impact, no one was seriously hurt. The crash is under investigation, local media said. Credit: Cynthia Pellerito via Storyful
U.S. President Joe Biden on Thursday told Saudi King Salman he would work for bilateral ties "as strong and transparent as possible," the White House said, ahead of the expected release of a sensitive U.S. intelligence report on the 2018 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The report is a declassified version of a top-secret assessment that sources say singles out the king's son Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for approving the murder of Khashoggi in the kingdom's consulate in Istanbul. Biden and Salman discussed regional security and other issues and that the new U.S. president told the Saudi monarch that "he would work to make the bilateral relationship as strong and transparent as possible," the White House said.
Amazon Studios has acquired worldwide distribution rights to the film “My Name is Pauli Murray,” about the trailblazing LGBTQ and civil rights activist, which premiered this year at Sundance. Participant, Drexler Films, and Storyville Films produced the doc, directed by Oscar nominees Betsy West and Julie Cohen (“RBG”). The film follows the overlooked history of Murray, […]
Tottenham defender Eric Dier has rejected Jose Mourinho's claim that he is suffering from a dramatic loss of confidence.
Papua New Guinea's first prime minister and "father of the nation," Sir Michael Somare, died on Friday aged 84 after what his family described as a brief battle with cancer.
Naturi Naughton, known most for her role as Tasha St. Patrick in Starz’s “Power” franchise, is set to play a leading role in the ABC music drama pilot “Queens.” Naughton will star opposite Grammy award-winning rapper Eve. The pilot follows the four members of the Nasty Bitches, a fictitious legendary ’90s hip-hop girl group, as […]
Feb.25 -- Michael Novogratz, the founder of cryptocurrency investment firm Galaxy Digital, talks about the Bitcoin revolution. and the growth of his asset management unit. He spoke to Jon Erlichman of BNN Bloomberg.
Rebel Wilson will star in “Senior Year,” a high school comedy being produced by Paramount Players and directed by Alex Hardcastle, the studio announced Thursday. Wilson will play a cheerleader who was once one of the most popular kids in her high school before an accident put her in a coma for 20 years. After she awakes, she returns to the same school to finish her senior year as she tries to regain her status and capture the prom queen crown that she once so desired. Brandon Scott Jones, who wrote the 2019 comedy “Isn’t It Romantic” also starring Wilson, will write the screenplay based on a spec by Andrew Knauer and Arthur Pielli. Wilson will produce with Todd Garner and Chris Bender. Jeremy Stein, Jake Wagner, Jake Weiner are executive producers. Also Read: Did Paramount Just Put a Nail in the 90-Day Theatrical Window? Hardcastle will step into feature filmmaking after more than 20 years as a TV director, working on episodes for shows like “The Office,” “Parks & Recreation,” and “Grace & Frankie.” “Senior Year” will be Wilson’s return to the screen after a year-long break, having appeared in four films in 2019: “Isn’t It Romantic,” “The Hustle,” “Cats” and the Oscar-winning “Jojo Rabbit.” Paramount Players is a new division of Paramount Pictures focusing on contemporary genre films from newer directors. Jeremy Kramer, former EVP of production at 20th Century Fox, was hired by Paramount last October as president of the division. Along with “Senior Year,” the studio’s upcoming slate includes an adaptation of the young adult hip-hop novel “On the Come Up” and the crime film “American Son” starring Russell Crowe and “If Beale Street Could Talk” star Stephan James. Wilson is repped by WME in USA, Tavistock Wood in UK and Creative Representation in Australia. Hardcastle is repped by CAA, Artists First, and Kevin Marks at Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown & Passman. Jones is repped CAA, Mosaic, and Josh Sandler at Granderson Des Rochers. The casting was first reported by Deadline. Read original story Rebel Wilson to Star in Paramount Players Teen Comedy ‘Senior Year’ At TheWrap
Facebook announced on Friday preliminary agreements with three Australian publishers, a day after the Parliament passed a law that would make the digital giants pay for news. Facebook said letters of intent had been signed with independent news organisations Private Media, Schwartz Media and Solstice Media. The commercial agreements are subject to the signing of full agreements within the next 60 days, a Facebook statement said.
Ronnie O'Sullivan has hailed Stephen Hendry as snooker's "game-changer" as the Scottish legend prepares to come out of retirement at the age of 52.
Peru's most popular tourist site Machu Picchu will reopen on Monday at 40 percent capacity having been closed throughout February due to a coronavirus lockdown, a government source said.
TikTok and its parent company, China’s ByteDance, have agreed to a settlement resolving a federal class-action lawsuit claiming the short-form video app wrongfully collected users’ biometric data and shared it with third parties. Under the terms of the settlement, TikTok will pay $92 million toward a fund for users who claim their personally identifiable information […]
The Texas State Aquarium released over 800 formerly cold-stunned sea turtles into the Gulf of Mexico on February 23, after rehabilitating the turtles during a historic cold snap in the state.Footage released by the aquarium shows turtles transported by the truckload and then slid into the ocean.According to a press release, the operation on February 23 was preceded by another on February 22, with 146 of the largest sea turtles released. The larger scale operation the next day involved the Marine Spill Response Corporation, who provided a vessel to transport over 800 sea turtles 20 miles offshore into the Gulf of Mexico.Record low temperatures during the previous week incapacitated a large number of sea turtles. Thousands were rescued by organizations across Texas and returned to the sea once water temperatures were safely above 50 F. Credit: Texas State Aquarium via Storyful
Facebook on Friday restored access to news for its Australian users after reaching agreement with the government on a landmark law requiring it and other tech firms to pay for journalistic content.
Caught between megabanks and food-branded DEXs, how does Coinbase compete?