movies
CelebrityVarietyDarlene Love, Singer of Many Phil Spector Classics, Remembers: ‘He Wanted to Control My Talent’
“You know, the whole thing was like a bad marriage,” Darlene Love says. “It’s a marriage that was abusive — not just physically, but mentally. That’s what Phil was trying to do with me. He wanted to control not Darlene, but the talent.” Darlene Love, who sang many of Phil Spector’s greatest songs but also […]
BusinessVarietyEx-Geffen Records Chief Neil Jacobsen Plans $200 Million IPO for Music-Rights Company
In the wake of Hipgnosis Song’s blockbuster growth, former Geffen Records president Neil Jacobsen, who launched his own songwriter-producer management firm in 2019, is lining up a $200 million IPO on the New York Stock Exchange for a new company called the Music Acquisition Corporation. The move was first reported by Music Business Worldwide. While […]
EntertainmentVarietyBox Office: Liam Neeson’s ‘The Marksman’ Ends ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Reign
If time is a flat circle, then it’s only fitting that a second Liam Neeson movie is ruling over the U.S. box office during the pandemic. Months after his action thriller “Honest Thief” led domestic charts, another Neeson (you guessed it!) action thriller “The Marksman” has debut at No. 1 with $3.2 million in ticket […]
EntertainmentThe WrapLiam Neeson’s ‘The Marksman’ Snipes ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Off No. 1 Spot at Box Office
The reign of “Wonder Woman 1984” atop the pandemic box office has come to an end at the hands of Open Road’s Liam Neeson thriller “The Marksman,” which is opening on this Martin Luther King Jr. weekend to an estimated $3.75 million from 1,975 screens. The film stars Neeson as a retired Marine living near the Mexican border who reluctantly takes in a migrant boy named Miguel after his mother is killed by a drug cartel. With the cartel still chasing them, the two head north to find Miguel’s family in Chicago. Directed by Robert Lorenz, the film has a 33% Rotten Tomatoes critics score and an 88% audience score. This is Open Road’s third Neeson action movie to reach No. 1, joining the distributor’s first wide release “The Grey” and last October’s “Honest Thief.” Also Read: 'The Marksman' Film Review: Liam Neeson Shoots Straight but the Script Is Scattershot While the arrival of “The Marksman” has slightly nudged overall weekend numbers higher — Friday through Sunday totals are back above $10 million after dipping below that last weekend — the estimated $14.3 million made during this extended holiday weekend is down a staggering 94% from last year’s MLK weekend, when totals finished at $205 million. Theaters have been hoping that a steady recovery can begin with the start of summer blockbuster season in May, but a slow start to the COVID-19 vaccination process has had epidemiologists push back timetables for when the public might be able to receive the vaccine. Meanwhile, the rise of a more contagious variant of COVID-19 has intensified warnings against even short indoor activities such as grocery shopping, let alone extended ones like watching a movie in a theater. Meanwhile, Universal/DreamWorks’ “The Croods: A New Age” is vying for the No. 2 spot with “Wonder Woman 1984,” and it is expected that it will take until Monday to see which one comes out on top. Universal is reporting a 4-day estimate of $2.9 million, which will push the animated film’s total to $40 million domestically and $134 million globally after staying in the top 5 for the past two months. “WW84” is just behind with an estimated $2.6 million, giving it a domestic total of $35.8 million and a global total of $141.7 million. Completing the top 5 are Universal’s “News of the World” and Sony’s “Monster Hunter,” both of which are estimated to make just over $1 million after the extended weekend. “News of the World” is estimated to finish fourth with a 4-day total of $1.27 million and a cume of $8.7 million, while “Monster Hunter” is set to take fifth with $1.09 million over the weekend and a total of $9.2 million. Read original story Liam Neeson’s ‘The Marksman’ Snipes ‘Wonder Woman 1984’ Off No. 1 Spot at Box Office At TheWrap
EntertainmentThe WrapPhil Spector, Revolutionary Music Producer and Convicted Murderer, Dies at 81
Phil Spector, the eccentric music producer whose “Wall of Sound” recording method transformed the industry and was later convicted of murder, died of natural causes Saturday, California state prison officials said. He was 81. Spector was pronounced dead at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement. The medical examiner for the San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office will announce the official cause of death at a later date. Spector was sentenced in 2009 to 19 years to life after being convicted for the 2003 murder of actress Lana Clarkson. She was found dead in Spector’s home with a gunshot wound through the roof of her mouth. He maintained her death was an “accidental suicide.” He served the last few years of his sentence in a prison hospital east of Stockton, California. The Bronx-born Spector began his career in music as a guitarist, vocalist and songwriter, penning the No. 1 single “To Know Him Is to Love Him” with the pop band the Teddy Bears in 1958. Two years later, at the age of 21, he cofounded Phillies Records, making him the youngest owner of a record label in history at the time. In the decade that followed, he wrote or produced records for some of the biggest names in music at the time, including the Ronettes, the Crystals, and Ike & Tina Turner. After briefly retiring from the music industry in 1966, he returned three years later for what became a milestone in his career — producing the Beatles’ album “Let It Be,” as well as solo records by John Lennon and George Harrison. Within in a few years, he has produced 18 Top 10 singles for various artists, including, “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin'” (for the Righteous Brothers), “The Long and Winding Road” (for the Beatles) and “My Sweet Lord” (for Harrison). A near-fatal accident in 1974 in which he was thrown through the windshield of his car left Spector with over 300 stitches to his face and more than 400 to the back of his head. He slowly began to withdraw from public life and it was the start of what became his trademark look of wearing bizarre wigs. His reemergence in 1977 with the Leonard Cohen album “Death of a Ladies’ Man” (which Spector produced and co-wrote) drew criticism and controversy because of the dramatic change of style and sound to what Cohen fans were used to. He received a similar reaction to his producing of the Ramones’ album “End of the Century.” It was during this time that Spector began to show signs of strange behavior, with Dee Dee Ramone claiming he once pulled a gun on her when she tried to leave a session. In the two decades that followed, Spector largely remained inactive, only emerging a few times, including to co-produce Yoko Ono’s “Season on Glass” shortly after Lennon’s death. More to come… Read original story Phil Spector, Revolutionary Music Producer and Convicted Murderer, Dies at 81 At TheWrap
EntertainmentVarietyAwards Circuit Winners Chart (2020-2021): Maria Bakalova Retakes Supporting Actress Wins, ‘Promising Young Woman’ Leads in Screenplay
Following the Oscars race is a science, and while your gut-check can be your most valuable resource, data always support claims and provide an idea of where the season is headed. The Awards Circuit Winners Chart is where Variety keeps track of all the films and performances on the Academy Awards road. See which actors, […]
EntertainmentVarietyPhil Spector, Wall of Sound Music Producer and Murderer, Dies at 81
Producer Phil Spector, the legendary studio revolutionary of the ’60s and ’70s who ended his life imprisoned for a 2003 murder, has died. He was 81. “Phillip Spector, 80, was pronounced deceased of natural causes at 6:35 p.m. on Saturday, January 16, 2021, at an outside hospital. His official cause of death will be determined […]
EntertainmentVarietyHow James Earl Jones Became ‘The Voice’ After Years of Childhood Silence
James Earl Jones, who turns 90 on Jan. 17, has one of the most famous voices of all time — not just as Darth Vader and Mufasa, but as the voice of CNN and hundreds of other programs. But the distinguished actor and narrator almost didn’t find his voice at all. Born in Mississippi, Jones […]
PoliticsVarietyAfter Twitter Banned Donald Trump, Election Misinformation Online Plunged Dramatically
President Trump’s permanent ban from Twitter helped eliminate huge clouds of misinformation that were polluting social-media networks, according to new research. From Jan. 9-15, misinformation about election fraud on social networks plummeted around 73%, from 2.5 million to 688,000 posts, according to data from social-analytics firm Zignal Labs, as cited by a Washington Post report. […]
EntertainmentVarietyBetty White Celebrates 99th Birthday by Revisiting a Favorite Little-Known Series
Betty White turns 99 today, a life milestone that few people ever reach, let alone performers who are still in the public eye. In September, White reflected on her 70 years in television in an interview with Variety. She knew the medium was here to stay when she saw the impact of her first TV […]
CelebrityThe WrapHappy 99th Birthday, Betty White! Watch 9 of Her All-Time Best TV Moments (Videos)
Betty White is so beloved at this point that younger audiences who have never seen an episode of “The Golden Girls” or “The Mary Tyler Moore” show still adore her sweet charms and warm smile before surprising with a dirty joke or a clever jab. At 99, she’s still an American treasure doing some great work. Here’s a look at some of her best moments. “I’ve been smiling for 11 years!” As Sue Ann Nivens on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” we were introduced to an actress who could never not be smiling, even as she poured her heart out. “I wouldn’t say you were dreary unless you were really dreearrryyyy,” a flamboyant Paul Lynde says to a smitten White in this sketch from “The Donny & Marie Osmond Show.” White has such a sweet glow in this scene, even when her glasses go askew and she doesn’t fix them. “Oh, you’re just being kind, I know I’m exceptional.” This “Golden Girls” rehearsal clip shows what a naturally gifted comic White was, thinking on her feet even during a rehearsal when the cameras weren’t supposed to be on. White was the queen of game shows, appearing on “Match Game,” “Password” and as the host of the game show “Just Men!” starting in 1983. Here she is making a quick bundle during the final round of “The $25,000 Pyramid.” If Johnny Carson was going to take his shirt off for a sketch, better call Betty White. She once played Jane to his Tarzan after years of a disgruntled marriage, and in this sketch, she uses her often smutty sense of humor to bat around some balls with a nude Carson in a baseball locker room. White has been a talk show staple for so many decades and been such a present figure on our TVs that it isn’t crazy to think she reminds us of a mother or grandmother. But later in her life she found enough attitude that she could make even David Letterman blush. White has been around so long that she got her lifetime achievement award from the Screen Actors Guild in 2009 and still had a lot ahead of her. She’s always given off that earnest, humble warmth even when she’s playing a bit naughty. “I actually know many of you and worked with you…maybe had a couple.” No matter how old you live, there aren’t many actors who can boast three successful TV shows. In “Hot in Cleveland,” White got to feel sexy and wanted and better yet got to do whatever she wanted, even if that meant squeeze a football player’s pecs. And just because it would be impossible not to, here’s White making out with Bradley Cooper, probably one of his finest moments even more so than hers. Read original story Happy 99th Birthday, Betty White! Watch 9 of Her All-Time Best TV Moments (Videos) At TheWrap
EntertainmentThe WrapOscars Obliterate Old Record With 240 Qualifying Documentaries
The Oscars Best Documentary Feature race, which set a new record for entries in December when it passed the previous record of 170, has now left all previous years in the dust with 240 eligible films. An additional 25 documentary features were placed in the members-only online screening room devoted to the category on Saturday, in what the Academy told voters would be “the final batch” of this year’s entries. It was the last of seven groups of documentaries that qualified and were placed into the screening room: 25 in July, 12 in August, 16 in September, 33 in October, 36 in November, a huge group of 93 in December and now 25 in January. Academy rules put in place because of the COVID-19 pandemic made it easier than usual for documentaries to qualify for the Oscars this year, which opened the door for a field that obliterated the previous record, which was set in 2017. Films could qualify simply by being chosen for two film festivals from a list of 22, whether or not those festivals actually took place; by winning any one of more than 50 festival awards; or by making themselves available in the Academy Screening Room within 60 days of a streaming, VOD or a broadcast premiere. Also Read: 'Crip Camp' Wins Top Prize at IDA Documentary Awards To guarantee that each eligible film will be viewed by a minimum number of voters, each member of the Academy’s Documentary Branch is assigned certain films as required viewing. Final assignments have yet to be made, but with the record number of contending films, the number of required films for each voter is likely to be more than three dozen. The first round of voting, in which the 240 contenders will be narrowed down to a 15-film shortlist, will take place from Feb. 1-5. While the December group of films included many of the highest profile documentaries in this year’s race, the January group consisted, for the most part, of lesser-known films. They include docs about socialism (“The Big Scary ‘S’ Word”), stem cell research (“Ending Disease”), life in a simulation (“A Glitch in the Matrix”), the Russia investigation of Donald Trump (“The Plot Against the President”) and Terry Gilliam’s attempt to film “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” (“He Dreams of Giants”). Three additional documentary shorts were also added to the screening room, bringing the total number of contenders in that category to 114. That is also a record, topping the 104 entries in 2018. Also Read: 'Time' Director Garrett Bradley Explains How She Exposed Mass Incarceration Via One Woman's Fight Here is the list of the 240 documentary features that are now eligible in the category. The Academy has not made this list public but is expected to officially release the eligible films later in January, before shortlist voting begins. Films in the final January batch are indicated with an asterisk. “Acasa, My Home” “Addicted to Ralphie” * “Aggie” “All I Can Say” “All In: The Fight for Democracy” “The American Sector” “American Selfie: One Nation Shoots Itself” “America’s Forgotten” “The Antidote” “Apocalypse ’45” “The Art of Living in Danger” * “The Art of Political Murder” “Assassins” “Aswang” * “Athlete A” “Babenco – Tell Me When I Die” “Be Water” “Beastie Boys Story” “Beautiful Something Left Behind” “Becoming” “Bedlam” “Belly of the Beast” “Belushi” “Beyond the Visible: Hilma Af Klint” “The Big Scary ‘S’ Word” * “Billie” “Black Boys” “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets” “The Booksellers” “Born to Be” “Boys State” “Bulletproof” “Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn” “Capital in the Twenty-First Century” “Chicago: America’s Hidden War” * “Childhood 2.0” “Chuck Berry” “Circus of Books” “City Dream” “City Hall” “Coded Bias” “Collective” “Colombia in My Arms” “Coming Clean” “Coronation” “Coup 53” “Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words” “Creem: America’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll Magazine” “Crip Camp” “Crock of Gold – A Few Rounds With Shane MacGowan” “The Curve” “Dads” “Dave Grusin: Not Enough Time” “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet” “Days of Cannibalism” “Dear Santa” “Death Protocol” * “Descent” “Desert One” “Diana Kennedy: Nothing Special” “Dick Johnson Is Dead” “Disclosure” “The Dissident” “The Dog Doc” “The Donut King” “Dope Is Death” “Down a Dark Stairwell” “Downstream to Kinshasa” “The Earth Is Blue as an Orange” “Elementa” “Ending Disease” * “Epicentro” “Erased, ____ Ascent of the Individual” “Escape From Extinction” “Everybody Flies” “F11 and Be There” “Fandango at the Wall” “Father Soldier Son” “Feels Good Man” “The Fight” “Find Your Groove” “Finding Yingying” “Fireball: Visitors From Darker Worlds” “First Vote” “First We Eat” * “Flannery” “For They Know Not What They Do” “The Forbidden Reel” “40 Years a Prisoner” “The Ghost of Peter Sellers” “Giving Voice” “A Glitch in the Matrix” * “Freak Power: The Ballot or the Bomb” “Freedia Got a Gun” “The Go-Go’s” “Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind” “Gunda” “Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something” “He Dreams of Giants” * “House of Cardin” “The Human Factor” “Human Nature” “I Am Greta” “I Am Not Alone” “I Owe You a Letter About Brazil” “iHuman” “In My Skin” * “Indian Space Dreams” “Influence” “Irmi” “The Infiltrators” “(In)visible Portraits” “Irradies (Irradiated)” “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President” “John Lewis: Good Trouble” “Journey to Royal: A WWII Rescue Mission” * “Kate Nash: Underestimate the Girl” “A Kid from Coney Island” “Kingdom of Silence” “Kings of Capitol Hill” “Kiss the Ground” “La Madrina: The (Savage) Life of Lorine Padina” “Lance” “Landfall” “The Last Blockbuster” “Last Call for Tomorrow” “Lennox: The Untold Story” * “Lessons of Love” “The Letter” “Libelu – Down With the Dictatorship” “Life Is Deadly” “Lift Like a Girl” “Lost Course” “Lost in Face” “The Lost Paradise” “Love Child” “Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art” “Man in the Arena” “Martin Margiela: In His Own Words” “Mayor” “Mighty Ira” “Miss Americana” “MLK/FBI” “The Mole Agent” “The Monster Inside Me” “A Most Beautiful Thing” “Mother to Earth: The Untold Story of Earth Bound” “Mr. Soul!” “Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado” “Music Got Me Here” “My Darling Vivian” “My Darling Supermarket” “My Octopus Teacher” “My People: The Jews of Greece” “My Psychedelic Love Story” “My Rembrandt” “Napoli Eden” “Narciso Em Ferias” “Nasrin” “The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel” “9/11 Kids” “915” * “9to5: The Story of a Movement” “Notturno” “Oliver Sacks: His Own Life” “Olympia” “On the Record” “Once Upon a Time in Venezuela” “Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and the Band” “Ottolenghi and the Cakes of Versailles” “Our Time Machine” “Pahokee” “The Painter and the Thief” “A Pandemic: Away From the Motherland” “The Phenomenon” “Planet of the Humans” “The Plot Against the President” * “The Pollinators” “The Power of Movement” “Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton” “Public Trust” * “Queen of Hearts: Audrey Flack” “The Reason I Jump” “Rebuilding Paradise” “Red Penguins” “Reunited” “Rewind” “The Right Girls” * “Ringside” “Rising Phoenix” “River City Drumbeat” “River Tales” “Runner” * “Searching for Mr. Rugoff” “Self Portrait” “17 Blocks the Final Cut” “76 Days” “Sky Blossom” “Slay the Dragon” “The Social Dilemma” “Softie” “Some Kind of Heaven” “Songs of Repression” “Soros” “Spaceship Earth” “Stars and Strife” “The State of Texas vs. Melissa” “Stray” “Strip Down, Rise Up” “System K” “They Call Me Babu” * “This Is Not a Movie” “This Is Paris” * “A Thousand Cuts” “Through the Night” “Time” “The Times of Bill Cunningham” * “Totally Under Control” “Transhood” “The Truffle Hunters” “Trust Me” * “Uncle Tom” * “#Unfit: The Psychology of Donald Trump” “Us Kids” “The Walrus and the Whistleblower” “The Way I See It” “WBCN and the American Revolution” “We Are the Radical Monarchs” “We Don’t Deserve Dogs” “Welcome to Chechnya” “White Noise” “Who Is Gatsby Randolph” * “Wild Daze” “Wim Wenders, Desperado” “With Drawn Arms” “A Woman’s Work: The NFL’s Cheerleader Problem” * “Women in Blue” “You Cannot Kill David Arquette” “Yusuf Hawkins: Storm Over Brooklyn” “Zappa” Read original story Oscars Obliterate Old Record With 240 Qualifying Documentaries At TheWrap
EntertainmentThe Wrap‘Crip Camp’ Wins Top Prize at IDA Documentary Awards
“Crip Camp” has been named the best documentary of 2020 at the 36th annual IDA Documentary Awards, the International Documentary Association announced on Saturday at a virtual ceremony. The film, about an upstate New York summer camp for disabled teens that helped launch the disability rights movement, also won the ABC News VideoSource Award for its use of archival footage and finished as runner-up to “My Octopus Teacher” for the Pare Lorentz Award. “Crip Camp,” a Netflix film that premiered at last year’s Sundance Film Festival, won in a category whose other nominees were “Collective,” “Gunda,” “MLK/FBI,” “The Reason I Jump,” “Reunited,” “Softie,” “Time,” “The Truffle Hunters” and “Welcome to Chechnya.” Also Read: 'Crip Camp' Directors Grappled With a Question: Did a Teen Summer Camp Really Launch the Disability Rights Movement? Garrett Bradley won the best director award for “Time” and also won the Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award for that film. In the television categories, awards went to “American Experience” for curated series, “Last Chance U” for episodic series and “Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children” for multi-part documentary. Matthew Killip’s “John Was Trying to Contact Aliens” won the award for documentary short. “Dick Johnson Is Dead” won two awards, one for its editing and one for its writing, while “My Octopus Teacher” won for music and also took the Pare Lorentz Award for “exemplary filmmaking while focusing on the appropriate use of the natural environment, justice for all and the illumination of pressing social problems.” Founded in 1982, the IDA runs the longest-running awards dedicated exclusively to nonfiction filmmaking. In the 15 years since the IDA Awards have been handing out a single Best Feature prize, the winner has gone on to be nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar 10 times, and has won four times. Willie Garson hosted the online ceremony. Also Read: 10 Best Documentaries of 2020, From 'Crip Camp' to 'Totally Under Control' (Photos) The winners: Best Feature: “Crip Camp” Directors and Producers: Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht. Producer: Sara Bolder Best Director: Garrett Bradley, “Time” Best Short: “John Was Trying to Contact Aliens” Director and Producer: Matthew Killip Best Curated Series: “American Experience” Executive Producers: Susan Bellows and Mark Samels Best Episodic Series: “Last Chance U” Director and Executive Producer: Greg Whiteley. Executive Producers: Joe LaBracio, James D. Stern, Lucas Smith, Andrew Fried, Dane Lillegard Best Multi-Part Documentary: “Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children” Directors and Executive Producers: Sam Pollard, Maro Chermayeff, Joshua Bennett, Jeff Dupre. Executive Producers: John Legend, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorious, Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller Best Short Form Series: “POV Shorts” Producer: Opal H. Bennett. Executive Producers: Justine Nagan, Chris White Best Audio Documentary: “Somebody” Reporters and Producers: Alison Flowers, Bill Healy and Sarah Geis. Host: Shapearl Wells. Reporters: Sam Stecklow, Annie Nguyen, Kahari Blackburn, Rajiv Sinclair, Henri Adams, Matilda Vojak, Dana Brozost-Kelleher, Frances McDonald, Diana Akmajian, Andrew Fan and Maddie Anderson. Associate Producer: Ellen Glover. Executive Producers: Jamie Kalven, Maria Zuckerman, Christy Gressman, Leital Molad Best Music Documentary: “Universe” Directors: Sam Osborn and Nicholas Capezzera. Producers: Esther Dere and Leah Natasha Thomas David L. Wolper Student Documentary Award: “People Like Me” Director/Producer: Marrok Sedgwick, Co-Editor: Jackson Patrick-Sternin, University of California, Santa Cruz Best Cinematography: Viacheslav Tsvietkov, “The Earth Is Blue as an Orange” Best Editing: Nels Bangerter, “Dick Johnson Is Dead” Best Music Score: Kevin Smuts, “My Octopus Teacher” Best Writing: Nels Bangerter and Kirsten Johnson, “Dick Johnson is Dead” Pare Lorentz Award: “My Octopus Teacher” Director: Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed. Producer: Craig Foster Honorable Mention: “Crip Camp” Directors/Producers: Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht. Producer: Sara Bolder ABC News VideoSource Award: “Crip Camp” Directors/Producers: Nicole Newnham, Jim LeBrecht. Producer: Sara Bolder Honorary AwardsAmicus Award: Regina S. ScullyCareer Achievement Award: Sam PollardCourage Under Fire Award: David France, Olga Baranova, David Isteev and the filmmakers and activists from “Welcome to Chechnya”Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award: Garrett Bradley, “Time”Pioneer Award: Firelight MediaTruth to Power Award: Maria Ressa and Rappler Read original story ‘Crip Camp’ Wins Top Prize at IDA Documentary Awards At TheWrap
EntertainmentVariety‘Crip Camp’ Wins Best Feature at IDA Documentary Awards – Full Winner’s List
The International Documentary Association has announced the winners of the 36th annual IDA Documentary Awards, with “Crip Camp” taking home the top prize. The ceremony was hosted by actor Willie Garson, with musical entertainment from Ruby Ibarra, who performed the theme from “A Thousand Cuts.” Directed by Nicole Newnham and Jim LeBrecht, “Crip Camp” received […]
EntertainmentThe Wrap‘Tiger’ Directors on Documentary’s Powerful Opening Scene That Almost Didn’t Happen
Hollywood loves character-driven stories with a meteoric rise, a dramatic fall and the ultimate redemption. Tinsel Town is going to love HBO’s Tiger Woods documentary, and so will viewers — and it’s only going to take two minutes to hook you. “Tiger,” from directors Matthew Heineman and Matt Hamachek, has an excellent opening scene. The cold open combines never-before-seen footage from Eldrick “Tiger” Woods’ dad, Earl, speaking glowingly about his boy at the Haskins Collegiate Awards Banquet with a childhood Tiger making sure “daddy” just saw his brilliant iron shot from the fairway. Earl’s audio continues over a signature Woods win at The Masters, and then ultimately, laid on top of police-station footage from Tiger’s 2017 DUI arrest. Yeah, it’s been a wild 45 years. Also Read: HBO's 'Tiger' Documentary Trailer Charts Tiger Woods' Meteoric Rise - and Shocking Fall (Video) Heineman and Hamachek told TheWrap they first read about Earl Woods’ proud-papa Haskins speech in Gary Smith’s 1996 Sports Illustrated article, “The Chosen One.” “Both of us had read that and sort of thought that, well this would be a fascinating way to start the film because I think introducing our film through Earl’s words was always going to be fascinating,” Hamachek said. “The problem was that, while Gary had written about it and several people had sort of taken what Gary said and wrote it and used it and regurgitated it, nobody had ever seen the actual footage or heard Earl’s words before. This was really just sort of cocktail napkin scribblings of a journalist who was there.” A month into making their movie, the Matts reached out to the Haskins organization. “One of the things that is so fascinating about Tiger and these people in his life and the people that have access to his footage, they’re all very, very protective of him. And I think that one of the things we had to do with Haskins, in terms of getting access to their archive, was to convince them that we were making a very complex sort of nuanced portrait of him, that it wasn’t going to be salacious and it wasn’t going to be a puff piece on Tiger,” Hamachek continued. “And once they understood that we were doing that, probably after eight, nine months of talking to them back and forth, they finally agreed very close to the end of our filmmaking process to let us have the footage. And once we did, it was clear that this was going to be the beginning of the film.” Also Read: Tiger Woods Publishing Memoir to Correct 'Speculative and Wrong' Reporting on His Life If you’re wondering, Heineman says they reached out to Woods to request his participation in “Tiger” even earlier than that — on “almost on Day 1” — and then again later in the process. Both times they were told by Woods’ camp that “due to a preexisting relationship” he was not able to take part in their project, Heineman said. Woods has a TV deal with The Golf Channel. That is either a legit or convenient (polite) excuse. Woods’ ex-wife, Elin Nordegren, also declined to be interviewed for the documentary. Knowing the subject matter, Heineman and Hamachek were never going to get either of them. Also Read: Tiger Woods Learned of Kobe Bryant's Death Minutes After Finishing a Round of Golf Instead, HBO’s two-part “Tiger” doc is driven (that’s a golf pun, get it?) by never-before-seen footage and revealing interviews with those who were once close with Woods, including his former caddy and close friend Steve Williams; Earl Woods’ friend and biographer, Pete McDaniel; Tiger’s first love, Dina Parr; and Rachel Uchitel, the woman at the center of the sex scandal that forever altered Woods’ world. “Tiger,” which hails from HBO Sports and Jigsaw Productions in association with Our Time Projects, boasts Uchitel’s first-ever sit-down interview about her relationship with Woods. Alex Gibney executive produced “Tiger” alongside Sam Pollard, Stacey Offman, Richard Perello, Armen Keteyian and Jeff Benedict. “Tiger” premiered Jan. 10 on HBO and concludes with Part II on Jan. 17. Read original story ‘Tiger’ Directors on Documentary’s Powerful Opening Scene That Almost Didn’t Happen At TheWrap
EntertainmentThe Wrap‘Extracurricular’ Director Made School Shooting Film as ‘Warning’ to Society (Video)
Ivan-Goran Vitez made his Croatian film “Extracurricular” about an enraged, armed father taking his daughter’s class hostage as a warning to society that there are desperate, lost people among us. “When I started to think about this film, I wanted to make it some kind of a warning to people not to act this way because, in the film, we have the enraged father who bursts into the school of his 9-year-old daughter, because it’s her birthday and he doesn’t have the right to be with her on her birthday,” Vitez told TheWrap’s Steve Pond. “He’s a recently divorced man, he’s an unemployed father who lost his rights to be heard in the society and even in his family, and I wanted to warn the society about these people that exist here around us,” he continued. “And we have to be careful, no, you don’t have to be too careful not to enrage them — you have to live our life — but we have to be prepared that something like this happens too, which can cause a crisis.” Also Read: How 'Impetigore' Director Gave Back to Remote Indonesian Village Used for Filming (Video) “Extracurricular,” Croatia’s entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards, is about a recently divorced father who is told he can’t see his 9-year-old daughter on her birthday, so he holds her classroom hostage with a gun… and a birthday cake. The filmmaker says it was important for him to make this film because it addresses a universal issue, as school shootings are unfortunately prevalent in the United States. “When I started to make this movie, I felt like I was in some kind of battle with time, that I had to finish it before something like this really happens,” he explained. “In Croatia, we didn’t yet have to face the problem with the school shootings as you do. But our country is also full of guns due to the war in the ’90s, you know, even a year and a half ago, some maniac shot and killed his social worker and his attorney in a small Croatian town. So I made this film as a warning — if you make some plan based on your first enraged decision, it won’t end well because the consequences won’t be the consequences you want it to be probably.” Also Read: How 'Working Girls' Filmmakers Gained Access to a Brothel to Research Their Film (Video) He added: “I’m not naive enough to believe it’ll change anybody’s mind in the state of rage, but who knows.” While the subject matter was a sensitive one and Vitez faced some challenges working with so many children, he said his biggest challenge was the budget and the death of one of the cast members. “The budget is always the challenge in Croatia — we made this movie with less than half a million dollars, and we had a limited amount of time to shoot it,” he said. “Then, in the middle of shooting, tragedy hit. One of the actors, the one who was supposed to play the janitor, Drago, one of the possible greatest Croatian filmmakers, died of a stroke in the middle of shooting. So we had to reshoot all of these scenes during the school holidays.” Watch the full interview above. Read original story ‘Extracurricular’ Director Made School Shooting Film as ‘Warning’ to Society (Video) At TheWrap
NewsThe WrapAlex Rodriguez Accused of Racketeering and Civil Theft in Ongoing Legal Battle
Alex Rodriguez has been accused of racketeering and civil theft, the latest step in a years-long legal battle with the younger brother of Rodriguez’ ex-wife, Cynthia. The former New York Yankees slugger — and fiance of Jennifer Lopez — has been locked in a legal dispute with Constantine Scurtis since 2014 around a joint real estate venture that was launched almost two decades ago. Among the 59 counts in a lengthy amended complaint filed in a Florida State court on Jan. 8, Scurtis accuses Rodriguez of racketeering and civil theft. While a 2015 New York Daily News report outlined accusations against Rodriguez of mortgage and insurance fraud, the new complaint lists evidence that supports those claims. “Mr. Rodriguez will face a jury on August 2, 2021, to answer claims that he and his co-conspirators engaged in a pattern of racketeering and embezzlement, gravely damaging a legitimate and successful family real estate business that Constantine Scurtis built through hard work and savvy investment decisions, as laid out in the complaint,” Scurtis’ attorney, Katherine Eskovitz, said in a statement. Also Read: Virtual Concert Innovator Wave Raises $30 Million in New Funding From Maveron, Scooter Braun and Alex Rodriguez In the complaint, Scurtis accuses Rodriguez of lying and cheating in their real estate partnership, including “breaches of fiduciary duty, breaches of contract, and illegal and fraudulent pattern of criminal activity–including embezzlement, obtaining property by fraud, insurance fraud, forgery, mail fraud, and wire fraud.” It goes on to say that “through their racketeering, Rodriguez and his co-conspirators have caused Scurtis many millions of dollars in damages.” Scurtis had filed a $50 million lawsuit against Rodriguez last July. Denying all allegations, A-Rod countersued. Scurtis is now demanding a jury trial on all counts and issues. Rodriguez’ attorney, John C. Lukacs of Coral Gables, Florida, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This is not Rodriguez’ first brush with the law: While playing for the New York Yankees in 2014, he was suspended for using performance-enhancing drugs and violating the MLB’s anti-doping rules. Pamela Chelin contributed to this report. Read original story Alex Rodriguez Accused of Racketeering and Civil Theft in Ongoing Legal Battle At TheWrap
SportVarietyWWE Moves WrestleMania 37 to Tampa Bay, Sets Dallas and LA for 38, 39
WWE is officially moving WrestleMania 37 to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Florida. The date has also shifted from March 28 to a two-night event on April 10 and 11. In addition, the sports entertainment company also announced that WrestleMania 38 will take place in Arlington/Dallas at the AT&T Stadium on April 3, 2022, […]
CelebrityVarietyDr. Dre Recovering at Home After Brain Aneurysm
Dr. Dre is back at home after reportedly being hospitalized for a brain aneurysm. Peter Paterno, an attorney for Dre, confirmed the news to Variety on Saturday. On Friday, rapper Ice-T tweeted that Dre had been released from the hospital. “Update: Just FaceTimed with @DrDre,” Ice-T wrote on Twitter. “He just made it home. Safe […]
EntertainmentThe Wrap‘El Olvido Que Seremos’ Shows Off the Other Side of Colombia, Star Javier Cámara Says
Veteran Spanish actor Javier Cámara — who played Guillermo Pallomari, the chief accountant of Colombia’s Cali Cartel in the third season “Narcos” — took the starring role in “El Olvido Que Seremos” (English title: “Memories of My Father”) in part because of the Netflix series. Cámara had the opportunity to know Colombia because “Narcos” was a huge success around the world, and he told TheWrap’s Sharon Waxman, “All this prejudice that we have about Colombia, about these countries, that have this amazing progress, and we have the same progress in our countries too but, we have only seen one side of the country.” “I was willing to offer all my experience, all my love, and all my emotions, to do this film because it shows the other part of Colombia, the other side of Colombia, the bright side of this amazing country,” Cámara added. “It was amazing because we were not only giving all our energy, but they gave us all the love. I’ve never received more love in a film than with this film, it was amazing.” “El Olvido Que Seremos” was selected as the Colombian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 93rd Academy Awards. The film is based on the memoir “Oblivion” by Héctor Abad Faciolince and centers on his father, Héctor Abad Gómez, a prominent doctor and human rights activist in the polarized and violent Medellín of the 70s. His criticism of the Colombian regime led to his murder by paramilitaries in 1987. Cámara stars as Héctor Abad Gómez. Director Fernando Trueba shot “El Olvido Que Seremos” in 2019 and has faced challenges in building visibility for the film due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic that has delayed the official theatrical release of the film. In the meantime, Trueba’s film has been invited to some high profile film festivals. “The film was finished in February (2020), and then it got selected for the Cannes Film Festival, but the festival didn’t happen. Then we were invited to close the San Sebastian Film Festival and to close the Rome Film Festival,” Trueba said. “We are waiting for the opening in Colombia, in Spain, in the States, in France but the idea is March, April of this year,” Trueba added. Last summer, Cohen Media Group and Curzon acquired North American and U.K. distribution rights to “El Olvido Que Seremos” and hopes to release the film theatrically in both England and the United States later this year. “El Olvido Que Seremos” also stars Juan Pablo Urrego, Patricia Tamayo, Aida Morales, and the film was produced by Caracol Television and DGP. Watch Sharon Waxman’s full interview with director Fernando Trueba and star Javier Cámara above. Read original story ‘El Olvido Que Seremos’ Shows Off the Other Side of Colombia, Star Javier Cámara Says At TheWrap
PoliticsThe WrapSocial Media References to Journalists as ‘Soft Targets’ Ignites Inauguration Coverage Fears
As the media gear up to cover President-elect Joe Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration in Washington D.C., some journalists are alarmed by an ongoing spate of Twitter references to journalists as “soft targets” in relation to possible violence surrounding the event. Seattle Times managing editor Ray Rivera told the Associated Press he was disturbed after coming across tweets using the “chilling” phrase “soft targets” to describe journalists who will be covering the inauguration in D.C. or planned protests at state capitols across the nation. “This is scary territory,” Rivera said. “I don’t want to overstate this, but there is always the concern. It’s hard to know how much of this is rhetoric or bombast, but it’s easy for me to think that some person is going to take those messages seriously and do something.” Also Read: US Capitol Police Officer on Life Support After Pro-Trump Riots, Police Say “Soft target” is a military term describing unarmored and undefended places or people under threat of being attacked or destroyed. Journalists reported being threatened and having camera equipment grabbed and smashed during the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol by a violent mob of Trump supporters. In the mayhem, the words “murder the media” were scratched on the door of the Capitol. Many of the more than 100 tweets currently posted about the “soft target” phrase are reaction to an incendiary user post on the alt-right social media site Parler. Amazon shut down the service on Jan. 11 following Google and Apple banning the Parler app from its app stores. Still, the Parler user quote lives on on Twitter: “Remember, ALL JOURNALISTS are soft targets, and are fair game in the coming revolution! Don’t be afraid to take reporters down by any means necessary!” Fellow Journalists, please be careful out in the field.In addition to COVID concerns, there is this growing concern from Trump supporters on Parler saying that we are "soft targets."We already saw the message they sent while they ransacked the Capitol.Please be on alert. https://t.co/XuvtBtZLI5 — Mekahlo Medina (@MekahloNBCLA) January 11, 2021 The Presidential Inaugural Committee announced Friday that the inauguration will feature a scaled-back crowd and a “reimagined” parade. The announcement addressed the need for a change from the traditional festivities due to COVID-19 protocols rather than concerns over violence. However, security surrounding the inauguration is being ramped up significantly in light of the Jan. 6 riots. Read original story Social Media References to Journalists as ‘Soft Targets’ Ignites Inauguration Coverage Fears At TheWrap
EntertainmentVarietyNeil Mahoney, Emmy-Nominated Editor for ‘Key & Peele’ and ‘Drunk History,’ Dies at 43
Neil Mahoney, an Emmy-nominated editor for “Key & Peele” and “Drunk History,” among other comedy shows, has died. He was 43. Actor and comedian Jonah Ray first announced the news on Instagram.”Ask anybody, they will tell you that Neil was the best guy,” Ray wrote. “He cared so much about his friends. He kept up […]
NewsThe WrapJames Murdoch Condemns Media That Know Truth but ‘Choose Instead to Propagate Lies’
James Murdoch, son of Fox Corporation chairman Rupert Murdoch, has criticized “media property owners” for the “toxic” state of American politics, blaming not only the politicians but also the outlets who “know the truth but choose instead to propagate lies.” In an interview with Financial Times that was posted Friday — and without directly naming Fox News or other outlets owned by his father, like the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post — Murdoch said that the amplification of disinformation by some media groups has led to a “substantial” portion of the public believing a falsehood. Therefore, he said, those outlets played a role in the U.S. Capitol riot last week. “The damage is profound,” Murdoch said. “The sacking of the Capitol is proof positive that what we thought was dangerous is indeed very, very much so. Those outlets that propagate lies to their audience have unleashed insidious and uncontrollable forces that will be with us for years.” “I hope that those people who didn’t think it was that dangerous now understand, and that they stop,” he added, but also pointed out to FT that he had not “seen any evidence of that yet.” Also Read: Trump's 'Level of Cruelty ... Infects the Population,' James Murdoch Says Murdoch resigned from the board of News Corp. last July due to “disagreements” over “certain editorial content,” according to a letter he sent to the board. He has spoken out at length in the past about Fox News’ coverage of the climate crisis and, contrary to the pro-Trump agenda of the network, he has called the president’s leadership “craziness,” “callousness” and “cruelty.” “Spreading disinformation — whether about the election, public health or climate change — has real world consequences,” James and his wife Kathryn said in a joint statement to FT following the recent interview. “Many media property owners have as much responsibility for this as the elected officials who know the truth but choose instead to propagate lies. We hope the awful scenes we have all been seeing will finally convince those enablers to repudiate the toxic politics they have promoted once and forever.” Whether or not the media will someday regret the framing of their reporting remains to be seen. Although Murdoch said he thinks a media “reckoning” is bound to happen, he also believes that the news organizations are “being co-opted by forces that only want to stay in power, or are manipulating our discourse from abroad and are only too happy to make a mess and burn things down.” Read original story James Murdoch Condemns Media That Know Truth but ‘Choose Instead to Propagate Lies’ At TheWrap
EntertainmentThe Wrap‘Bridgerton’ Book 2 Focuses on This Bridgerton Sibling’s Love Story
(Warning: Spoilers ahead for “Bridgerton” Season 1 through its finale.) Netflix’s “Bridgerton” has been a hit for the streaming service since the Shonda Rhimes-produced romance series debuted on Christmas Day. But the show has yet to be renewed for Season 2. So while you sit around waiting for that second-season pick-up, TheWrap is here to give you some insight into what those potential episodes might be about. As you might know, the first season of “Bridgerton” was adapted by series creator Chris Van Dusen from author Julia Quinn’s novel, “The Duke and I,” which follows the love story of Daphne Bridgerton (played by Phoebe Dynevor on the series) and Simon Basset a.k.a. the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page). But what you might not know is that book is the first in a series of eight, each one devoted to a different Bridgerton sibling. So while the first season of “Bridgerton” focuses heavily on Daphne and Simon’s romance — and its happy ending — Van Dusen told TheWrap he would, ultimately, like to explore the stories of all the Bridgerton brothers and sisters. Also Read: 'Bridgerton' Showrunner Reveals Season 2 Plans and Lady Whistledown-Identity Easter Eggs And which one would be up next? Well, if the show is renewed for a second season, the likely candidate for its source material would be Quinn’s “The Viscount Who Loved Me,” which is No. 2 in the series. That book focuses on Daphne’s brother, Anthony, the eldest Bridgerton sibling, who is played by Jonathan Bailey on “Bridgerton.” Here’s the description for “The Viscount Who Loved Me,” from Quinn’s “Bridgerton Collection Volume 1”: “The season has opened for the year of 1814, and there is little reason to hope that we will see any noticeable change from 1813. The ranks of society are once again filled with Ambitious Mamas, whose only aim is to see their Darling Daughters married off to Determined Bachelors. Discussion amongst the Mamas fingers Lord Bridgerton as this year’s most eligible catch, and indeed, if the poor man’s hair looks ruffled and windblown, it is because he cannot go anywhere without some young miss batting her eyelashes with such vigor and speed as to create a breeze of hurricane force. Perhaps the only young lady not interested in Lord Bridgerton is Miss Katharine Sheffield, and in fact, her demeanor toward the viscount occasionally borders on the hostile. And that is why, Dear Reader, This Author feels a match between Anthony Bridgerton and Miss Sheffield would be just the thing to enliven an otherwise ordinary season. – Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers, 13 April 1814” Also Read: 'Bridgerton' Has Been a Top 10 Show in All but 1 of Netflix's 190 Countries - Here's Which In case you were wondering, here is the chronological breakdown for Quinn’s “Bridgerton” novels: Anthony – Book 2, “The Viscount Who Loved Me” Benedict – Book 3, “An Offer From a Gentleman” Colin – Book 4, “Romancing Mister Bridgerton” Daphne – Book 1, “The Duke and I” Eloise – Book 5, “To Sir Phillip, With Love” Francesca – Book 6, “When He Was Wicked” Gregory – Book 8, “On the Way to the Wedding” Hyacinth – Book 7, “It’s in His Kiss” If TheWrap’s dear readers would like to find out what Van Dusen is planning for a possible Season 2 — and beyond — they can head over here. Read original story ‘Bridgerton’ Book 2 Focuses on This Bridgerton Sibling’s Love Story At TheWrap
NewsThe Wrap‘Night Stalker': 10 Most Terrifying Details About ‘Satanic’ Serial Killer Richard Ramirez
(SPOILER ALERT: Do not read on if you don’t want to know what happens in “Night Stalker: Searching for a Serial Killer”.) Richard Ramirez, known as The Night Stalker, is one of the most prolific and vicious serial killers to have terrorized the streets of Los Angeles in the ’80s. Now, Netflix’s docuseries “Night Stalker: Searching for a Serial Killer” delves into how investigators finally apprehended the killer, after he managed to evade law enforcement for a year. Ramirez, first known as the “walk-in killer,” invaded homes, murdering and sexually assaulting the residents, from June 1984 to August 1985. He used a wide variety of weapons and would leave behind satanic symbols. After finding prints on a stolen car and releasing a mugshot to the public, Ramirez was apprehended after he was subdued by a group of residents and was beaten before cops could step in. Also Read: 'Night Stalker': How Dianne Feinstein Jeopardized the Search for Serial Killer Richard Ramirez On September 20, 1989, he was convicted of all charges: 13 counts of murder, five attempted murders, 11 sexual assaults and 14 burglaries, although he’s assumed to have committed many more crimes. He was sentenced to death — but in 2013, he died of cancer in prison, after serving 23 years on death row. See below for 10 of the most shocking facts presented in the docuseries, available on Netflix now. (Note: What you are about to read might be disturbing and upsetting.) 1. His Bloody Murders You probably know how vicious his crimes were — but the true-crime series delves deeply into how bloody and gory they really were. He had a pattern — he killed the man in the house, and sexually assaulted a woman, and always made sure he could see the fear in his victim’s eyes. In the early days of his crimes, he knocked on the car hood of Maria Hernandez so she would see him before the attack, and he yanked Tsai-Lian “Veronica” Yu out of her car as opposed to shooting her through the window. In Whittier, he cut out Maxine Zazzara’s eyes and took them with him. Investigators identified him as an “enraged killer” because of how viciously his victims had been killed: in one case, the victim, Patty Higgins, was slashed and stabbed in the throat. Another victim, Florence “Nettie” Lang, 81, was beaten to death with a hammer. 2. Post-Murderous Snacks In the docuseries, detective Frank Salerno says, “he got comfortable after killing someone — he would take the time to have a snack. That’s a pretty sick individual.” Indeed, he would help himself to food and drinks in the kitchen after his crime. When he continued his killing spree in San Francisco, Bay Area police said in the docuseries that he killed an accountant named Peter Pan and raped his wife Barbara, ate everything in the fridge, threw up on the kitchen floor and masturbated on the living room floor — and then wrote a satanic symbol on the wall. Also Read: 'American Horror Story: 1984' Star Zach Villa on What the Night Stalker Wants With Brooke (Video) 3. The Shoe Trail One of the only trails investigators had was a shoe print he left in a flower bed in one of his earlier murders. In the process of finding the shoe to match it, investigators found out it was an Avia-brand shoe, an uncommon one at the time. Heading straight to the manufacturer, they looked through spreadsheets where the shoes were distributed in the United States, and only size 11.5 black shoes (the ones he was wearing) were manufactured. Five went to Arizona, and one was sold in Los Angeles. “He could’ve left us a signed signature,” Salerno says. However, that lead would cause some issues down the line. Somehow, reporters heard about the shoe print lead and threatened to print it. This was problematic for investigators because that would mean the killer could just change his shoe, and the lead would go cold. However, reporters were convinced to withhold that information from the public. But… one political figure would make a damming mistake later on. More on that below. 4. Assaults of Children Unfortunately, Ramirez didn’t spare children. Earlier on in his killing spree, there were a series of young children being taken from their beds, assaulted, and then abandoned. One of the 6-year-old survivors would be crucial in identifying Ramirez later on. In some cases, he would sexually assault a kid he came across in the house during a burglary. 5. Satanic Symbols It wasn’t until Ramirez left a pentagram, written with lipstick on the wall and on the leg of a victim, that investigators drew the connection to Satanic worship. They were also concerned he was a copy cat of Charles Manson. In the following years, he would leave more of these pentagrams behind, and would also tell his victims to “swear to Satan” instead of God. During a court appearance, he held up the pentagram and after pleading not guilty, he said, “Hail Satan.” Also Read: Murder Charges Dropped Against Curtis Flowers, Subject of True Crime Podcast 'In the Dark' 6. Almost Apprehended Investigators were close to apprehending Ramirez several times. One time, he attempted a kidnapping but it failed, and while he was driving away he committed a traffic violation and a cop saw it happen. While being pulled over, Ramirez heard a broadcast of his kidnapping attempt on the cop’s radio — and drew a pentagram on the hood of his stolen car and began running. Ramirez is now known to have had extremely bad teeth, and in the stolen car, they found a business card for a dentist’s office. Upon investigation, they found a man named Richard Mena had been in and had gotten X-rays done, which showed he had an infected tooth — so he would be back. Investigators put two officers in the dentist’s office to be ready. But as time went on without a sign of Ramirez, the dentist’s office suggested installing an alarm that employees could press when Ramirez came back, directly alerting the cops, which they did. However, when Ramirez did come in and the alarm was pressed — it didn’t go off. “We missed him,” detective Gil Carrillo said. “How many more people are going to die?” 7. Dianne Feinstein’s Mistake When Ramirez killed the accountant Peter Pan in his San Francisco home in 1985, evidence of the crime made it all the way up to then-Mayor Dianne Feinstein, which would be a tipping point in the investigation. Holding a news conference, she held up a police sketch of the killer, and also went on to describe the evidence from all the cases throughout the state — crucial information that hadn’t been made public. And by then, investigators knew Ramirez was watching the news, because he told a surviving victim, “I am the Night Stalker.” Feinstein gave up the caliber of gun, the type of shoe, and the fact that he left foot prints. “Without a doubt, Mayor Feinstein made a big mistake,” said Frank Falzon, a San Francisco police inspector. Turns out, the chief of police had never told her to not release it. They never were able to find the shoes after that. 9. His Childhood The documentary series also delves into Ramirez’s past and the horrible trauma Ramirez had to face as a child. His dad treated him poorly — he would tie him to a cross in a graveyard overnight as a form of punishment. His cousin killed his wife right in front of him when he was 13 years old. Later, in an interview from jail, he posed the question of whether serial killers are born or bred. 10. His Heroes When Ramirez was finally apprehended, he called Salerno “Mr. Salerno” as a sign of respect, but he also looked up to The Hillside Strangler — a serial killer Salerno had previously apprehended. “He was a student,” Salerno said in the documentary. To persuade him to talk, they put him in the same cell as The Hillside Strangler, and he got excited. He later asked Salerno and Carrillo if they would be attending his execution. Read original story ‘Night Stalker': 10 Most Terrifying Details About ‘Satanic’ Serial Killer Richard Ramirez At TheWrap
