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Kurt Russell was born on March 17, 1951, in the Los Angeles suburb of Thousand Oaks. He started acting at the age of 12 on various television programs. In the 1960s he was signed to a 10-year contract with Walt Disney, which led to his appearance in many of the Disney films of the era. According to the late Robert Osborne of TCM (via Wikipedia), he became the studio's top star of the 1970s.

Those Disney appearances did typecast Russell a bit and he would be stuck playing many roles that were somewhat wholesome in nature. He would turn that image around when director John Carpenter (fresh from the surprise blockbuster success of "Halloween") cast him in the lead role of Elvis Presley in a TV movie called "Elvis!" That television film was really the first time Russell was taken seriously as an actor and it earned him an Emmy nomination. Carpenter and...

The Sooner State is well represented on the silver screen, with a cinematic legacy that goes back more than a century. In fact, it began shortly after Oklahoma's founding as the 46th state in 1907. The first movie set and filmed in Oklahoma was probably "The Bank Robbery" in 1908, made in Cache, Oklahoma by two lawmen and a photographer. Proving indisputably that there's no business like show business, the cast included the lawmen, a former outlaw, and even the infamous Chief Quanah Parker, war leader of the Kwahadi ("Antelope") of the Comanche Nation. This scenario proves why storytellers have always been drawn to The Sooner State –- it's a wild, weird, and wonderful place, as rich with stories as it historically was with oil.

"The Bank Robbery" was probably the first movie set in Oklahoma, but it was certainly not the last. Not by a long shot. But we're only considering...

Meryl Streep, we miss you at the Academy Awards.

It’s been seven years since Streep was last nominated for an Oscar for her work in Steven Spielberg’s “The Post” in 2018.

Seven years without Streep is a long time.

Back then, she broke her own record as the most-nominated actress in Oscar history. Her best actress nod for playing Washington Post publisher Katherine Graham landed Streep her 21st Oscar nomination. Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson are tied in second place with a dozen each.

Streep has won Oscars for “Kramer vs. Kramer” in 1979 (supporting actress), “Sophie’s Choice” in 1982 (best actress) and “The Iron Lady” in 2011 (best actress).

The last time she went missing from the Oscars for a long period of time was in the 1990s when she had a gap between her nominations for “Postcards From the Edge” in 1991 to her best actress nod in 1996 for “Bridges of Madison County.

Hulu's streaming platform easily stands out not only for its wide selection of television, which ranges from reality TV to hard-hitting dramas, but also because of its alluring and sometimes frightening documentaries. The newest investigative feature to hit the service, Impact x Nightline: What Happened to Karen Silkwood? The Lost Tapes, has clearly captivated audiences on the streamer, as evident by its recent landing in the top 10 shows on the platform. The ABC series' latest entry revisits the mysterious death of Karen Silkwood in 1974.

Silkwood, who was a chemical technician and union advocate, tragically died in a car accident, with the circumstances of her passing baffling and intriguing investigators and conspirators for decades. The series explores the night of Silkwood's fatal car crash, which happened when she was reportedly set to meet a journalist with documents exposing her employer for unsafe labor practices. The show covers the sinister connotations of the accident,...

Mike Nichols’s astounding thriller, Silkwood, is based on the true story and death of Karen Silkwood, a nuclear whistle-blower and labor union activist in the 70s. Meryl Streep starred as Karen Silkwood, while a transformed Cher and Kurt Russell played workers at the plant and Streep's roommates. The film was a failure at the box office, but won big during the awards season with numerous nominations, including at the Oscars. It's both exhilarating and terrifying in its exposure of the health risks power plant workers were exposed to in the '70s. Though it's some of Streep and Nichols's best work, Silkwood has remained largely unavailable to watch on both digital media and streaming platforms for quite some time. Then, finally, it arrived on Hulu on October 1. This riveting true-crime entry remains vastly underrated, but continues to be one of Nichols's best.

As Ilana Kaplan put the finishing touches on her debut book “Nora Ephron at the Movies,” she was planning a celebration that many of the acclaimed and beloved filmmaker’s own characters pine for. “I had just finished the book right before the wedding,” Kaplan told Indiewire over the phone.

Unsurprisingly, simultaneously organizing her wedding while perfecting her visual celebration of the journalist, director, and writer behind “When Harry Met Sally,” “Sleepless In Seattle,” and “You’ve Got Mail” ascended Kaplan to a “new level of anxiety” and left her “brain a little broken.” Looking back, Kaplan calls it a “beautiful experience,” as she was able to live “in this rom-com world and plan a wedding at the same time.” Kaplan found it particularly hysterical because, growing up, she admits to being “delusional” and thinking her life would unfold like a romcom. “I would make up scenarios in my head about...

In her newly released memoir, Cher reflects on the challenges she faced during her marriage to Sonny Bono, shedding light on the difficulties behind their celebrated public partnership.

The book explores their journey from friends and roommates to an impulsive marriage in an apartment bathroom. It reveals the darker aspects of their relationship, including Bono’s infidelity and controlling behavior.

Cher describes how the strain of their marriage took a significant toll on her mental health, leading to moments of despair. In one instance, she recounts experiencing suicidal thoughts while staying in a Las Vegas hotel suite in October 1972.

“There I was, twenty-six years old and in what had become a loveless marriage,” she writes. “Sonny had given me the vehicle and the confidence to become the somebody my mother always told me I would be, and then he just lost interest.”

She continues: “I stepped barefoot onto the balcony...

Richard D. James, the Emmy-winning production designer who worked on all but one of the 14 seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager, has died. He was 88.

James died Nov. 11 of complications from an infection at Ut Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, his longtime friend Tom Sanden told The Hollywood Reporter.

For the big screen, the Texas native was art director on Bill Forsyth’s Local Hero (1983), starring Burt Lancaster and Peter Riegert; on Mike Nichols’ Silkwood (1983), starring Meryl Streep, Cher and Kurt Russell; and on Kevin Reynolds’ The Beast of War, starring George Dzundza, Jason Patric and Steven Bauer.

James joined the syndicated Next Generation for its second season (1988-89) and remained through its conclusion in 1994. He then segued to Upn’s Voyager, working on that series for its entire seven-season run (1995-2001).

James received his Emmy (shared with longtime collaborator Jim Mees) in 1990 for his...

Universal’s “Wicked” has finally been unveiled to members of the film press, who are praising Jon M. Chu’s adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. The film’s leads, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande, are also earning raves across the board as the musical launches them into Oscar season as acting contenders.

Variety’s Katcy Stephen hailed the “Wicked” movie as a “masterpiece,” adding: “Ariana Grande makes Glinda sparkle: she milks every moment with gusto, humor and hair flips. Jon M. Chu added so much new life to the story that I can see why it needed to be 2 parts! Well worth the 20-year wait.”

I was 'pessimistical' going in, but…Wicked is a masterpiece. Ariana Grande makes Glinda sparkle: she milks every moment with gusto, humor and hair flips. Jon M. Chu added so much new life to the story that I can see why it needed to be 2 parts!

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame turns back time this Saturday night to finally welcome Cher as an inductee (to be introduced by double Emmy winner Zendaya). The Oscar winner has been eligible since 1991 and has waited over three decades to be selected. In fact, all of the 2024 newly-elected members have been waiting patiently to be chosen. No first-time eligible music artists were chosen this year.

The 39th annual induction ceremony will be live from Cleveland, Ohio, this Saturday, October 19, at 7:00 p.m. Et; 4:00 p.m. Pt streaming on Disney+. It will be available beginning Sunday on Hulu and will be broadcast later this year on ABC.

SEECher movies: 15 greatest films, ranked worst to best, include ‘Moonstruck,’ ‘Mask,’ ‘Silkwood’

Here is a complete list of 2024 Hof inductees, plus performers and presenters (at least the ones not being revealed ahead of time to create surprises).

Inductees:

Mary J. Blige...

David Burnham, a former New York Times investigative reporter whose work uncovering corruption in the New York Police Department circa the 1970s inspired the twice Oscar-nominated Serpico, died earlier this week at 91.

Per the Times, he died after a choking incident at dinner, at his home in Spruce Head, Maine, which caused his heart to stop.

Detective Frank Serpico, an undercover officer who had been trying to get the police department to crack down on the graft, worked as Burnham’s chief source, becoming the eventual subject of the 1973 crime thriller in which Al Pacino played him.

Frank Serpico, Frank Serpico, 2017. ©Sundance Selects/courtesy Everett Collection

Commemorating the reporter, Serpico wrote on social media, “Couldn’t have done it without you David,” alongside a thumbs up and praying emoji.

Burnham was hired by the Times in 1967 after telling the late metropolitan editor Arthur Gelb that the news organization’s coverage...

Stranger Things is entering the final months of production on its fifth and final season. Star Winona Ryder (Joyce) has been involved from the very start, almost an entire decade ago. It's been a crazy journey for her, from having to deal with searching for her missing son Will in the hellish Upside Down to fighting off hordes of monsters like the Demogorgon, the Mind Flayer and finally Vecna.

Winona Ryder's portrayal of Joyce could've been very different. Turns out, in the beginning of the show, creators Matt and Ross Duffer wanted Joyce to be more of a fighter than she turned out to be; a 'supermom,' as Ryder says. The Joyce we see in season 1 is determined and desperate, she'll do anything to save her son, but she's not without her limits.

“I really fought for Joyce’s flaws,” Ryder told Esquire. “I didn’t want to be like supermom.

Marvel has been quite strict when it comes to gatekeeping their exclusive content before its release. But actors like Tom Holland and Mark Ruffalo have made this challenging by accidentally spilling the beans on several occasions. This has forced the studio to take extreme measures to secure its secrets.

Tom Holland’s superhero in Far From Home. | Credit: Sony Pictures Releasing.

Although the duo has accidentally spilled the beans about their projects, their Marvel co-star, Kurt Russell, in contrast, has an unwavering commitment to secrecy. However, he once gave a dire warning to his family after revealing that he spoiled a major moment of his project to them.

Kurt Russell’s Dire Warning That Sets Him Apart

Kurt Russell is a Hollywood legend known not only for his iconic roles but also for his utmost dedication to keeping his major project moments to secrecy.

Starting as a child actor in the 1960s,...

One thing Cher’s career has never been is predictable.

As a teenager in the Sixties, she cut her teeth with future husband Sonny Bono and producer Phil Spector. They would produce massive pop hits like “I Got You Babe” and “The Beat Goes On” that became staples in the Seventies. For a lesser star, that would have been the end of a good run but Cher is not like any other star. She and Sonny ended up reviving their careers with a variety show until they divorced. Cher would...

Ron Shelton's "Dark Blue" was a victim of impossible expectations. James Ellroy wrote the screenplay in 1993 (then titled "The Plague Season"), envisioning Kurt Russell in the role of racist LAPD Sergeant Eldon Perry. The story takes place in a jittery city awaiting the riot-inciting verdict of the Rodney King trial. We know what's coming in the macro, but the micro tale of Perry and his partner Bobby Keough (Scott Speedman) being forced to frame a couple of ex-cons for murders committed by informants loyal to their corrupt superior Jack Van Meter (Brendan Gleeson) could break either way. This being Ellroy, the master of corrosive neo-l.A. noir, we're expecting everything to go down twisted. But with the riots looming, Perry and Keough's errand feels destined to get extra messy.

Given its long road to a greenlight, "Dark Blue" acquired the aura of a passion project for Ellroy. And since he tended to spin sprawling,...

Bill Cobbs put in the time and the work. He was 90 years old when he passed away June 25 at his home in Riverside, California and leaves behind a career of over 200 screen credits, along with a number of theatrical performances. Born Wilbert Francisco Cobbs in Cleveland, Ohio circa 1934, a time and a place where a Black man wasn’t always assured his dignity and especially not his rights, Cobbs came into this world and grew at a moment where seeing himself on the big screen wasn’t exactly possible. Sure, there were exceptions with stereotypes played by Stepin Fetchit as well as the grandeur of Paul Robeson, but the idea of being an actor wasn’t one that came automatically for Cobbs. He tried his hand at music, spent eight years in the U.S. Air Force as a radar technician and occasional stand-up comedian, sold cars, even worked at Ibm,...

Bill Cobbs, a prolific film and TV actor with memorable performances in Night At The Museum, Brother From Another Planet, Oz The Great And Powerful, The Sopranos and dozens of others, died surrounded by family Tuesday, June 25, of natural causes at his home in Inland Empire, California. He was 90.

His death was announced by family members on Facebook, and confirmed to Deadline by his publicist Chuck I. Jones.

“We are saddened to share the passing of Bill Cobbs,” wrote brother Thomas G. Cobbs. “On Tuesday, June 25, Bill passed away peacefully at his home in California. A beloved partner, big brother, uncle, surrogate parent, godfather and friend, Bill recently and happily celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by cherished loved ones. As a family we are comforted knowing Bill has found peace and eternal rest with his Heavenly Father. We ask for your prayers and encouragement during this time.”

Said Jones, “Bill...

Sad news to report today as it has been confirmed that legendary character actor Bill Cobbs has died at the age of 90. The actor’s publicist, Chuck I. Jones, told TMZ that Cobbs passed away at his home in Riverside. He recently celebrated his 90th birthday. Cobbs leaves behind an incredible body of work, with memorable roles in movies such as The Hudsucker Proxy, The Bodyguard, That Thing You Do!, Ghosts of Mississippi, Night at the Museum, and so much more.

After serving for eight years in the U.S. Air Force, Cobbs sold cars and worked for Ibm before he decided to give acting a try. After appearing in various theater productions, he made his feature film debut in The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. “I came back home to see my mom and dad, and all our friends and neighbors went to see the movie, and everyone was waiting for my appearance,...

For cinephiles who came of moviegoing age during the 1970s and/or '80s, there is a shortlist of movie stars that, if you were talented and fortunate enough to become a filmmaker of some renown, you'd give anything to direct. And if you grew up with a hankering for horror and science-fiction flicks, the name Kurt Russell was probably at or near the top of that list.

Russell wasn't always one of the cool kids. In fact, he was a literally uncool kid for Disney as the teenage star of family comedies like "The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes." Indeed, no one viewed Russell as a grown-up actor until he impressed in the title role of Carpenter's 1979 TV movie "Elvis." This did the trick. Two years later, Russell slipped under the scaly skin of laconic scoundrel Snake Plissken in Carpenter's dystopian actioner "Escape from New York." Then he went the...

Is Meryl Streep the greatest film performer of all time? According to Oscar voters over the past five decades, that might just be the case with her record-shattering 21 nominations and three wins. But her filmography is filled with gems that didn’t get any awards buzz. Tour through our photo gallery of Streep’s 27 greatest performances ranked from worst to best.

Streep snagged her first Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress for “The Deer Hunter” (1978) and picked up her first trophy in that category the very next year for “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979). She subsequently snagged two prizes in the lead category (“Sophie’s Choice” in 1982 and “The Iron Lady” in 2011) and competed 17 more times: Best Actress for “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” (1981), “Silkwood” (1983), “Out of Africa” (1985), “Ironweed” (1987), “A Cry in the Dark” (1988), “Postcards from the Edge” (1990), “The Bridges of Madison County” (1995), “One True Thing” (1998), “Music of the Heart” (1999), “The Devil Wears Prada...

Three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep revealed her admiration for actresses who move into production having achieved fame on the big screen in an onstage conversation Wednesday at the Cannes Film Festival.

“There are so many women are producing for themselves and I’m so in awe of the ones who have done that. Reese [Witherspoon] and Nicole [Kidman], Natalie Portman. Everybody has their own production company,” she said.

“I have a production company of babies and that’s what I’ve produced, but I didn’t ever want to get phone calls after seven o’clock at night. So, I never did that. I’m in awe of people who do that. There are only so many hours in the day,”’ said Streep, who had highlighted earlier that she was a mother of four, and grandmother of five.

Streep was speaking to a packed Debussy Theatre in Cannes, where she was the...

Exclusive: Meryl Streep says that a meeting is “imminent” where she’ll hear about the proposals for her to return for a third helping of Mamma Mia!

The acting legend, honored with an Honorary Palme d’Or at an emotional presentation Tuesday night during the Cannes Film Festival’s opening ceremony the Grand Théâtre Lumière, confirmed that “of course, I want to do it,” but first she wants to hear how producer Judy Craymer has resolved the issue of how Streep’s character Donna Sheridan can return for MM3 when it was revealed during the during the 2018 sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again that Donna had died.

Will there be some sort of resurrection, I wondered. “I don’t know how they’re going to do it. They have an idea. I haven’t heard it yet but it’s in [my diary] and I’m going to hear about it pretty soon,...

Glen Powell, Anthony Mackie, and Laura Dern are set to star in “Monsanto,” a drama based on the true story of an upstart lawyer who took on one of the most powerful and controversial chemical corporations in the U.S.

“Monsanto” is being co-written and directed by John Lee Hancock, and it’s also being produced by Adam McKay, who has long been vocal about the climate crisis and the impact corporations like Monsanto in particular have had on the environment.

The film is being introduced to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival Marché du Film beginning next week, with CAA Media Finance handling domestic rights and Rocket Science handling international sales.

“Monsanto” tells the true story of young, untried attorney Brent Wisner (Powell) who sues the giant U.S. chemical company on behalf of Dewayne “Lee” Johnson (Mackie), who used Monsanto’s weed and pesticide product Roundup for his...

Glen Powell, Anthony Mackie and Academy Award winner Laura Dern have signed on to star in “Monsanto,” the latest film from writer-director John Lee Hancock.

The film follows the true story of young, untried attorney Brent Wisner (Powell), who in 2019 took on a seemingly insurmountable case against the giant U.S. chemical company Monsanto on behalf of Dewayne “Lee” Johnson (Mackie) who used the company’s best-known product Roundup, a wildly financially successful weed and grass pesticide killer, as part of his job as a high school groundskeeper. Dern plays Dr. Melinda Rogers, the Monsanto Company’s chief toxicologist, who testifies with certainty that Roundup is safe during the landmark cancer trial.

“I was drawn to this contemporary David vs. Goliath true story because I found it dramatic, moving, quite funny and of critical importance in today’s world,” said Hancock. “My ambitions are to deliver a smart, thoughtful and...

Three Oscar winners on stage together!

Cher received the Icon Award at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards and she was honored by friends Meryl Streep and Jennifer Hudson!

The legendary performer was joined by Jennifer for a special performance on Monday (April 1) at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

Meryl kicked off the segment by giving a speech to honor Cher and she talked about what the singer meant to her as a kid. Then, Jennifer performed “If I Could Turn Back Time” with Cher joining in for “Believe.”

For those who don’t know, Meryl and Cher worked together in the 1983 movie Silkwood and again in the 2018 film Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, in which the pop star played the three-time Oscar winner’s mom.

Fyi: Cher is wearing Dolce&Gabbana. Jennifer is wearing a Taller Marmo dress, Alevi shoes, and Anabela Chan earrings on the carpet. She’s wearing...

For Henry Hill, the appeal of becoming a mobster is simple. “They weren’t like anybody else. They did whatever they wanted,” he explains in the famous monologue at the start of Goodfellas. “They parked in front of hydrants and never got a ticket. When they played cards all night nobody ever called the cops.”

Hank might also add to the list that they get the best deals at the grocery store, something that happens to wiseguy Vinnie Antonelli in the comedy My Blue Heaven. Noticing an unattended pricing gun, Vinnie gives himself a huge markdown on a bunch of steaks. When the cashier totals the haul at less than $20, he’s too impressed with the $100 bill Vinnie handed him to call foul. Even the manager only stops Vinnie to give the former mobster a comment card, saying nothing of the steal of a deal that just occurred.

Hill doesn’t realize it,...

Jim Carrey once called himself the “Tom Hanks of the Golden Globes” after his second straight victory with the Hollywood Foreign Press in 2000 (for “Man on the Moon” following “The Truman Show”). He could win with that group but somehow couldn’t impress Oscar voters. And he’s not the only actor in that situation. Our photo gallery features Carrey among the 20 actors who’ve never been nominated for an Oscar.

Even Academy Awards hosts such as Billy Crystal and Steve Martin haven’t been noticed by Oscar voters other than seeing them perform on the ceremony stage. They have both received critics awards and Golden Globe nominations in their long careers. Martin has at least received an honorary Oscar, but alas no individual nomination for either one throughout their careers.

Other Golden Globe film winners have included Richard Gere (“Chicago”) and Hugh Grant (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”). Our...

Not a single human on this or any other continent was surprised that Meryl Streep was nominated for a 2024 Golden Globe on Monday morning for her energetic and uproarious supporting performance in Hulu’s “Only Murders in the Building.” The instant her name was read, she became a heavy favorite to win, too. It would be her ninth Globe statuette if it comes to pass on January 7 (if you don’t count her career achievement Cecil B. DeMille Award in 2017). Ho hum, just another day.

It’s already long since been established that Streep is consistently the greatest actress of our time, as effective doing comedy as she’s riveting performing drama. And yet maybe because she’s as dependable as the sunrise, it’s absurdly easy to take her and her achievements for granted. For instance, it’s been a dozen years since she won her last Globe – in...

Wyatt Russell believes that revisiting his father's iconic roles would be a bad idea because they were unique and contained original ideas that have stood the test of time. Kurt Russell has had a remarkable career in Hollywood, earning nominations for his performances in Elvis and Silkwood, and appearing in a wide range of recognizable films. Kurt and Wyatt Russell are excited to play different versions of the same character in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, allowing them to explore new depths and create a cohesive portrayal.

Wyatt Russell and father Kurt Russell may both portray the same character for Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, but don't expect to see Wyatt step into any of his father's past roles. Kurt is a veteran actor whose most notable credits include roles in John Carpenter's Escape from New York, its sequel Escape from L.A., The Thing, and Big Trouble in Little China. According to the younger Russell,...

Hollywood legend Tom Hanks has reminisced about his youthful brush with Cher. The actor recently appeared on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ alongside Cher and fellow actors Julia Roberts and Timothee Chalamet, and regaled the audience with a story from his days working at a hotel in the 1970s.

“I have worked for Cher. I was a bellman at the Oakland Hilton Hotel,” he began, prompting a surprised “No” from the ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ singer, 77, reports People magazine.

“You were with one of your rock-and-roll husbands, and we had your bag. And then word came down, ‘Hey, run this up to Cher’s room,’ so I did,” Tom continued.

The actor further mentioned, “I knocked on the door and I put it down and you came out and said, ‘Yeah, that’s it. Thanks, kid.’ And that was it.” “So I have worked for Cher.”

As per People,...

Hollywood legend Tom Hanks has reminisced about his youthful brush with Cher. The actor recently appeared on ‘The Graham Norton Show’ alongside Cher and fellow actors Julia Roberts and Timothee Chalamet, and regaled the audience with a story from his days working at a hotel in the 1970s.

“I have worked for Cher. I was a bellman at the Oakland Hilton Hotel,” he began, prompting a surprised “No” from the ‘If I Could Turn Back Time’ singer, 77, reports People magazine.

“You were with one of your rock-and-roll husbands, and we had your bag. And then word came down, ‘Hey, run this up to Cher’s room,’ so I did,” Tom continued.

The actor further mentioned, “I knocked on the door and I put it down and you came out and said, ‘Yeah, that’s it. Thanks, kid.’ And that was it.” “So I have worked for Cher.”

As per People,...

When Barbra Streisand’s “Yentl” opened on Nov. 18, 1983, directing was very much a man’s world. In the 1970s, there had been a few inroads for women. Italian director Lina Wertmuller was nominated for best director for 1976’s “Seven Beauties” Stateside, actress Barbara Loden, who was married to Oscar-winning director Elia Kazan, wrote, directed and starred in the acclaimed 1970 indie drama “Wanda,” which won best foreign film at the Venice Film Festival. She never followed up with another movie and died of breast cancer in 1980.

There was also Joan Micklin Silver (“Hester Street”), Claudia Weill (“Girlfriends”), Martha Coolidge (“Not a Pretty Picture”), Joan Tewkesbury (“Old Boyfriends”) and Joan Darling (“First Love”). But those filmmakers ran into brick walls when they tried to set up projects with the major studios. The late Silver told Vanity Fair in 2021 that a studio executive didn’t mince his word: “Feature films are expensive to make and expensive to market,...

Meryl Streep's career consists of iconic films that have solidified her status as one of the most powerful forces in Hollywood. Streep's performances in films like "Out of Africa" and "Silkwood" showcased her remarkable ability to convey internal struggles and anger. Streep's supporting roles in films like "Little Women" and "Kramer vs. Kramer" added depth and balance to the complex themes of the movies.

From heartbreaking tragedies to iconic comedies, Meryl Streep's career has provided movie lovers with some of the most iconic films in history. Easily one of the most powerful forces in Hollywood, Streep has been working on her G.O.A.T. status since her breakout role in The Deer Hunter in the 1970s. With a record-setting 21 Academy Award nominations and three wins, Streep has solidified her place as a star capable of perfecting and enhancing many unique roles.

Throughout her career, Streep has taken roles...

The Thing (1982) had a strong and talented cast led by Kurt Russell. Kurt Russell went on to have an impressive career and has recently starred in major movies, such as Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and The Fast and the Furious series. The Thing cast also included Keith David, Wilford Brimley, and T.K. Carter, among others.

The Thing is a classic horror film from 1982, and here is everything that the cast has done since the film's conclusion. The film follows a team of researchers who are determined to study an alien spacecraft that has been found in Antarctica. While there, they discover an alien who has been buried in ice and can imitate human form, making the group have to decipher who's real and who's in "The Thing" in disguise. The movie is a remake of 1951's The Thing From Another World and another film has been speculated to be in the works.

One of the most beloved movies of 1983 is “The Big Chill,” starring Kevin Kline, Glenn Close, William Hurt and Meg Tilly. Written by Lawrence Kasdan and Barbara Benedek and directed by Kasdan, the film is an ensemble comedy-drama about a group of former college friends who reunite for a weekend after one of their college friends dies. Released 40 years ago on September 28, 1983, “The Big Chill” did well at the box office, making $56 million worldwide on a budget of just $8 million. The movie marked another financial triumph for director Kasdan, whose feature debut two years earlier, “Body Heat,” did well at the box office and with critics. Read on as Gold Derby celebrates “The Big Chill” 40th anniversary.

Critics for the most part gave positive notices to “The Big Chill,” including Richard Corliss in Time Magazine, who called it “funny and ferociously smart.” Vincent Canby in The New York Times said,...

Hollywood is going through a historic period, recently seeing both the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild of America simultaneously striking. Now that the WGA has secured a historic deal after 148 days of striking, securing gains in residual pay, health insurance, safeguards against AI, and access to accurate streaming data, change is in the air. A deal still awaits those on strike with SAG, but the gains made by the WGA's members thus far are promising. These strikes represent an important movement, and as more films and television shows are pushed back or taken off of the release calendar entirely, it's become evident the important role that these artists play in the industry. Hollywood has actually produced several compelling films about standing up to corrupt corporate owners thanks to classics like Harlan County, USA, and Silkwood. However, 1979’s Norma Rae wasn’t just a great film about the importance...

Since the 1970s, American actress Meryl Streep has been able to call herself one of the most popular residents of the Hollywood block. She’s widely considered among the finest thespians that cinema has ever seen and is constantly sought after by filmmakers and production studios alike, and that’s been the case for the past several decades. She’s never once fallen off the public or professional radar, and that’s thanks to the various habits, practices, mindsets, and inherent abilities found within the famous actress.

Her individual films may not be the most commercially successful or overall most well-known films ever made, but her name value almost carried each individual project to new heights, nonetheless. If it weren’t for her inclusion in most of the titles throughout her critically acclaimed career, those individual films would hardly be heard of or discussed today.

Update August 18, 2023: With Meryl...

Oliver Stone settled into a sofa on the terrace of the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cluj, Romania, apologizing for the jetlag and gazing at a downcast sky that had briefly parted over the Transylvanian hillside. “Let’s see if we can find some blue,” he said, describing himself — despite ample evidence to the contrary — as a “hopeful” person. But after a week of steady downpours in this picturesque medieval city, the weather refused to cooperate. From the hotel terrace it was gray as far as the eye could see.

Stone was in Romania to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Transilvania Film Festival, which also programmed a small retrospective in honor of the three-time Academy Award-winning director including his latest film, the pro-nuclear-energy documentary “Nuclear Now,” which Variety’s Owen Gleiberman described as an “intensely compelling, must-see” doc after its premiere at the Venice Film Festival last year.

Before receiving the award,...

Craig T. Nelson is a prolific movie and TV actor who has co-starred in award-winning dramas and led network sitcoms since the early '80s. Nelson began his career in 1971 in the vampire film, The Return of Count Yorga, where he played Sgt. O’Connor. While the movie was not of particular note, it did give an early look into the types of roles Nelson would end up playing throughout his career. Often appearing as a soldier, coach, father, or some other authority figure, Nelson has always fit the mold (even when he was younger) of an aging man who is still capable of feats of strength and inspiration.

Nelson’s career has spanned decades and even when he isn’t the main character in the movies and shows he appears in, he’s frequently in a crucial supporting role. His starring roles have seen him placed at the forefront...

Cher is one of the driving forces behind a new horror movie titled Little Bites. The legendary pop culture figure is a music icon thanks to iconic songs from throughout the years including "I Got You Babe," "Believe," and "If I Could Turn Back Time." She is also a major figure in Hollywood, having won an Oscar for her role in 1988's Moonstruck in addition to appearing in a variety of movies including Silkwood, which earned her her first Oscar nomination, Burlesque, and the Mamma Mia! sequel Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, Cher and her son Chaz Bono are executive producing a new horror movie titled Little Bites. The project, which will shoot in Los Angeles next month, is being written and directed by rock musician Spider One, the younger brother of House of 1000 Corpses director and musician Rob Zombie. The movie will follow young...

One of the most high-profile releases in the spring of 1983 was “Flashdance,” starring Jennifer Beals, directed by Adrian Lyne, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson. It marked Beals’ feature film debut, as well as Lyne’s second major feature following 1980’s “Foxes.” It was also one of Bruckheimer’s and Simpson’s earliest projects, coming soon after “American Gigolo.” Released 40 years ago on April 15, 1983, “Flashdance” took second place at the box office its opening weekend with four million dollars, but then it became the sensation of the spring movies, jumping up to first place the next weekend and staying there well into early May. By the end of its run, “Flashdance,” about a woman who works as both a welder and an exotic dancer and wants to get into ballet school, made more than $90 million in the United States and more than $200 million worldwide. Read on for our...

Strangely, Elvis Presley and Kurt Russell's careers are intrinsically linked. For more than four decades, Russell has been a Hollywood mainstay. With his chiseled chin and rugged good looks, the actor looks like he was born to be a Hollywood A-lister. His performance in 1981's "Escape from New York" put him on the map as one of Hollywood's hottest action heroes. With subsequent films "Silkwood" and "Overboard," Russell would prove he had the acting chops to succeed in any genre.

But it didn't always feel like that. Russell made his feature film debut in 1963 with an uncredited role in the Elvis Presley movie "It Happened at the World's Fair." Despite rubbing elbows with one of the most popular entertainers of the era, Russell would spend the next 16 years toiling away in film and minor television roles, waiting for his big break. Ironically, an unexpected reconnection with the King of...

Iconic Tremors actor Fred Ward sadly passed away on May 8th, 2022, and viewers have an impressive body of work to watch in memory of his talent. Both a former boxer and Alaska-based lumberjack, Ward was a master of gruff characters, but he also injected them with something more.

The actor brought a subtle sense of humor to the table, even in unsubtle comedies like Naked Gun 33+1⁄3: The Final Insult, proving just as adept in genre films as he was in gut-wrenching dramas like The Right Stuff (1983) and Silkwood. His whole filmography has been rated by Metacritic, but most viewers would probably rather start with the best.

Fred Ward, a prolific actor best known for roles in The Right Stuff, Tremors, Miami Blues, True Detective and many others, died May 8. He was 79.

His death was announced by his publicist. No cause or place of death was disclosed.

Hollywood & Media Deaths In 2022: Photo Gallery

Ward, a San Diego native, began his professional career with small roles in 1970s episodic television before making a strong impression in his breakthrough film Southern Comfort, directed by Walter Hill and released in 1981. Two years later, he’d star as astronaut Gus Grissom in the hit film The Right Stuff.

Featured roles would quickly follow, including in such films as Silkwood, Swing Shift, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, Tremors, Henry & June, the Robert Altman movies The Player and Short Cuts Errol Morris’ The Dark Wind and Michael Apted’s Thunderheart. He starred in and exec-produced the 1990 film Miami Blues, directed by...

Buckle up. “Black Box” is the kind of smart, taut conspiracy thriller Hollywood used to consistently make, only this one hails from France, which has been beating the American studios at their own game lately in the good-movies-for-grown-ups department. Centered on the eponymous device, recovered from a freak airplane accident, this engaging if slightly overlong film stars Pierre Niney as an obsessive forensic analyst who hears the words “Allahu Akbar!” on a recovered cockpit voice recorder and can’t quite believe his ears.

If the setup sounds a bit like Brian De Palma’s “Blow Out,” that’s hardly a bad thing, except “Black Box” centers on high-altitude hijinks, rather than a Chappaquiddick-like car crash. Opening the movie in mid-air, director Yann Gozlan leaves the crisis mostly up to the imagination, firing our neurons rather than our adrenaline receptors as he dollies backward from the cockpit, through the cabin, all...

Cher’s lawsuit claiming Sonny Bono’s widow, Mary Bono, owes her $1 million in unpaid royalties for Sonny & Cher songs — including hits like “I Got You Babe” — had its first major court hearing Monday, April 25, with a federal judge asking a telling hypothetical.

U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt heard arguments on a pending motion to dismiss the suit and challenged Mary Bono’s position that the federal Copyright Act allows her to terminate the 50% right to royalties that Sonny Bono agreed to fork over to Cher when the...

Sony Pictures Television is teaming up with corporate sibling the Game Show Network for the companies’ first joint upfront presentation to advertisers.

Live viewing and game shows’ capacity for brand integration will be two key areas of focus, an announcement said. In addition to staples like Jeopardy and some new programming, the pitch will also feature The Good Doctor, a marquee Sony property coming to the off-network syndication market in September.

Game Show Network, a highly penetrated linear channel with an active digital presence, says it boosted production last year by 32% over 2020 levels, reaching 350 hours of original programming. In an on-demand world, much of what it puts on the air is seen live, which the network sees as an advantage. Its most-viewed title is People Puzzler, a Leah Remini-hosted series based on People magazine’s crossword puzzle. Other staples include America Says, Master Minds and Chain Reaction.

Another show currently in development is Switch,...

In “The Burning Sea,” which is your basic, everyday Norwegian oil-rig disaster thriller, Stian (Henrik Bjelland), a rig worker stationed on a drilling platform that’s about to collapse, must descend into the bowels of the rig to shut down a well that can’t be reached remotely. As the soundtrack fills with one of those flatulent brass musical scores that sounds like it’s heralding the arrival of the devil, a bureaucratically ominous title splashes across the screen: “D Shaft, Gullfaks A, 138 meters under the sea.” 138 meters? That’s pretty far down, though not necessarily deep enough to be, you know, scary.

The disaster film started off as a “realistic” genre, one that gradually grew more over-the-top. In recent decades, though, directors like Roland Emmerich have accustomed us to the earthly-disaster-as-digital-ride. You could say it’s refreshing that “The Burning Sea,” the third in a series of not-so-over-the-top Norwegian disaster films,...

Is Meryl Streep the greatest film performer of all time? According to Oscar voters over the past 40+ years, that might just be the case with her record-shattering 21 nominations and three wins. But her filmography is filled with gems that didn’t get any awards buzz.

Streep snagged her first Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actress for “The Deer Hunter” (1978) and picked up her first trophy in that category the very next year for “Kramer vs. Kramer” (1979). She subsequently snagged two prizes in the lead category (“Sophie’s Choice” in 1982 and “The Iron Lady” in 2011) and competed 17 more times: Best Actress for “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” (1981), “Silkwood” (1983), “Out of Africa” (1985), “Ironweed” (1987), “A Cry in the Dark” (1988), “Postcards from the Edge” (1990), “The Bridges of Madison County” (1995), “One True Thing” (1998), “Music of the Heart” (1999), “The Devil Wears Prada” (2006), “Doubt” (2008), “Julie & Julia” (2009), “August: Osage County” (2013), “Florence Foster Jenkins” (2016), and “The Post” (2017); Best Supporting Actress...

There’s not much that Lady Gaga cannot do. A 12-time Grammy winner, the pop superstar has made a seamless transition to features (“A Star Is Born”) and television (“American Horror Story: Hotel”). As the world awaits her interpretation of the murderess Patrizia Reggiani in “House of Gucci,” are we also waiting on a future best actress winner, who could mimic a trajectory once executed by Cher (“Moonstruck”)?

The best actress race is buzzing with past nominees, previous winners, newcomers and career-defining character transformations (Kristen Stewart for “Spencer”). But while the field is notable, the cemented front-runner status has yet to materialize. Instead, the season has been awaiting Gaga’s turn as the Italian socialite convicted for hiring a hit man to kill her ex-husband, Maurizio Gucci (played by Adam Driver).

Many singers-turned-actors have achieved Oscar glory in the performance realm, including Barbra Streisand (“Funny Girl”) and Jennifer Hudson (“Dreamgirls...