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An archival recording of the original Blues Brothers — John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd — performing live, The Lost Recordings, will arrive this October.

The release coincides with a new graphic novel, The Blues Brothers: The Escape of Joliet Jake, written by Aykroyd’s daughter Stella, Luke Pisano (son of Belushi’s widow, Judy Belushi Pisano), and filmmaker and writer James Werner. The album, pressed on “royal blue” vinyl, is only available as part of a package with the graphic novel. The release, available to preorder now, coincides with the 45th anniversary...

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Live from New York, it’s… Saturday Night Live’s 50th anniversary weekend extravaganza, which kicked off Friday with SNL50: The Homecoming Concert, live from Radio City Music Hall.

More from TVLine<em>SNL50</em>: Watch All the Highlights From the Star-Studded Anniversary Special (Updating Live)<em>SNL50: The Anniversary Special</em>: How to Watch the Live Celebration OnlineThe Voice Recap: Which Singers' Blind Ambition Got Them Deemed Battle-Ready?...

Suddenly, it’s 2006 again.

Lady Gaga took the stage at SNL50: The Homecoming Concert on Friday night to perform “Shallow” from Bradley Cooper’s 2018 film A Star Is Born. She was joined by SNL alum Andy Samberg, who was comically filling in for Cooper.

Gaga quickly interrupted Samberg and suggested they perform something more in his “vocal range.” Samberg mentioned: “There is one song, but Justin [Timberlake’s] not here to do his parts!” Gaga responded: “Andy, don’t be a bitch. I’ll do it with you.”

They then sang a slower version, with Gaga playing the piano, of “Dick in a Box,” a fan-favorite SNL sketch and The Lonely Island song that aired during a holiday episode of the comedy sketch series in 2006. The performance earned laughs from Colin Jost, Scarlett Johansson, Sarah Jessica Parker and more in the audience. The original sketch starred the comedy duo, Justin Timberlake and Samberg.

What could be a better way to celebrate Valentine’s Day than to honor the music of “Saturday Night Live”? It might not be the first thing that springs to mind on what’s supposed to be a romantic weekend for lovers of all kinds, but “SNL” and its multiple 50th-anniversary specials have a way of taking over the weekend. Tonight’s party: “SNL50: The Homecoming Concert,” a star-studded concert extravaganza equipped with many of the musical guests that have performed on the famed stage of Studio 8H for the past five decades.

Kicking the festivities off on Peacock’s live special direct from New York City’s Radio City Music Hall was the master of ceremonies and longtime 30 Rockefeller Plaza resident and “SNL” alum, Jimmy Fallon. Opening the show by singing the Blues Brothers classic cover, “Soul Man,” Fallon was flanked by backup dancers dressed in their best...

The Backstreet Boys just delivered a live rendition of their 1999 hit “I Want It That Way” with a little help from … Jerry Seinfeld?!

The one-of-a-kind performance took place during the SNL50: The Homecoming Concert on Friday night. Original boyband members Aj McLean, Kevin Richardson, Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, and Brian Littrell performed for a packed house including former Saturday Night Live cast members, hosts, and musical guests.

Near the end of “I Want It That Way,” Littrell ran into the A-list audience and stuck his microphone in front of Seinfeld’s face. To the surprise of many, the 70-year-old comedian started singing the lyrics along with Littrell — and yes, Seinfeld even appeared to know all of the words.

#SNLHomecoming Jerry Seinfeld Wants it That Way #BackstreetBoys pic.twitter.com/lDCtREV9OD

— LateNighter (@latenightercom) February 15, 2025

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Many of the former SNL stars in the crowd...

Jimmy Fallon opened the SNL50: The Homecoming Concert on Friday night with a live rendition of “Soul Man,” the song made famous by the Blues Brothers, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, who starred in the first several seasons of Saturday Night Live. “We are coming to you live from Radio City Music Hall, and I am out of breath!” Fallon shouted to the crowd of A-listers.

Jimmy Fallon opens #SNL50 the Homecoming Concert with a Blues Brothers tribute. pic.twitter.com/d3Cqqmner4

—...

For many musicians, getting booked on Saturday Night Live (SNL) is like a rite of passage, a milestone in their career. Through its 50-year run since 1975, the sketch comedy show has had iconic music performances. It can be a career-making (or even breaking) move. SNL has always welcomed artists of all kinds who are reflective of the time. From hip-hop to soft rock, country to electronic music, punk to R&b, the most eclectic mix of musicians have been featured on the show. Some iconic performances go down in history for being incredible, like TheBlues Brothers performing “Soul Man.” Others for the wrong reasons, like the obvious tension among the Red Hot Chili Peppers when they performed in 1992 or Captain Beefheart’s strange performance that was met with zero applause by the end.

Sam Moore, the legendary soul singer, and one-half of the titular soul duo, Sam & Dave, has died aged 89. Moore is best known for his distinct voice, which can be heard on Sam & Dave's legendary tracks like "Hold On, I'm Coming," "Soul Man," and "Soothe Me," to name a few. As well as his musical work, Moore appeared on-screen in an episode of the 1993 TV mini-series, Tales of the City, as well as Blue Brothers 2000, the 1998 sequel to the 1980 original, Blues Brothers. He was also featured in the 1988 film Tapeheads, starring John Cusack and Tim Robbins.

Sam Moore's death was confirmed by his wife and manager, Joyce Moore (via Rolling Stone), who revealed the legendary musician passed away on Friday, January 10 at his home in Coral Gables, Florida. The singer and actor had "unspecified surgery earlier in the week." This was confirmed by Moore's rep, Jeremy Westby, who revealed "the cause...

Bruce Springsteen paid tribute to Sam Moore — a musical influence, friend, and collaborator to the E Street rocker — following the death of the soul legend Friday at the age of 89.

“Over on E Street, we are heartbroken to hear of the death of Sam Moore, one of America’s greatest soul voices,” Springsteen wrote on social media Saturday. “There simply isn’t another sound like Sam’s soulful tenor in American music.”

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Moore, who once called Springsteen “one of my best friends,...

Following the death of Sam Moore, many of the artists inspired by the Sam and Dave singer turned to social media to pay tribute to the soul legend.

“Rip Sam Moore. One of the last of the great Soul Men,” Steven Van Zandt wrote. “Him and Dave Prater were the inspiration for me and Johnny to start Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. An important righteous wonderful man.”

https://twitter.com/StevieVanZandt/status/1877969482770972776

“Sam Moore, the Soulman, one of the pioneers and greatest singers ever has left us..,” Jon Bon Jovi...

Sam Moore, one-half of the Grammy-winning R&b duo Sam & Dave behind ’60s hits “Soul Man,” “Hold On I’m Coming” and “I Thank You,” died this morning in Coral Gables, Fla. at the age of 89.

The cause of death was listed as complications recovering from surgery.

Born on October, 12, 1935, Moore grew up in Miami’s Overtown and Liberty City neighborhoods and began his musical journey in church. Upon becoming the singing Mc and talent show host at Miami’s King O’ Hearts Club, he met Dave Prater, a local baker who tried out for the club’s talent show. Thus was the genesis of Sam & Dave, who were eventually inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1992.

After being discovered in late 1964 at the club, where they had become locally known, Sam & Dave were signed to Atlantic Records. Jerry Wexler loaned the duo to Atlantic’s southern production arm,...

Sam Moore, who with with partner Dave Prater helped bring the sound of the church to pop music with a string of call-and-response hits as the high tenor in the famed Stax Records duo Sam & Dave, has died. He was 89.

Moore died Friday morning in Coral Gables, Florida, of complications recovering from surgery, his rep Jeremy Westby announced.

Called “the greatest of all soul duos” by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which inducted the pair in 1992, Sam & Dave worked with the songwriting/production team of Isaac Hayes and David Porter — and used Booker T & the M.G.’s and the Memphis Horns as their backing band — to produce a string of indelible rave-up hits from 1965-68.

Their combined talent produced fevered back-and-forth exchanges in “You Don’t Know Like I Know,” “Hold On, I’m Coming,” “You Got Me Hummin’,” “Soul Man” and “I Thank You.”

Along with labelmate Otis Redding,...

Sam Moore, one-half of the legendary soul group Sam & Dave, known for their iconic hits including “Soul Man” and “Hold On I’m Coming,” has died at the age of 89.

According to Roger Friedman of Showbiz 411, Moore passed away on Friday, January 10th due to complications from a recent surgery.

A native of Miami, Moore began singing in his local church and briefly considered pursuing a career in gospel music. However, he had a change of heart after seeing Jackie Wilson perform in concert and shifted his focus to pop and soul. He met future collaborator, Dave Prater, at a talent show, and together they began recording music as Sam & Dave. By 1965, the duo signed a record contract with Atlantic Records and were subsequently “loaned out” to Stax Records, through which they released their biggest hits. In 1968, Sam & Dave appeared at Martin Luther King, Jr.’s memorial concert at Madison Square Garden.

Sam Moore, one half of beloved soul duo Sam and Dave, died Friday morning at his home in Coral Gables, Fla. at the age of 89. Moore’s wife and manager, Joyce Moore, confirmed the singer’s death to Rolling Stone. Moore had had unspecified surgery earlier in the week, Joyce tells Rolling Stone. Moore’s rep, Jeremy Westby, said the cause of death was complications recovering from that surgery.

As one half of Stax Records’ preeminent vocal duo, Moore and Dave Prater helped propel Stax Records to its status as...

“A Complete Unknown,” “Deadpool & Wolverine,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Gladiator II” and “Wicked” have received nominations for the 61st annual Cas Awards for Outstanding Sound Mixing in 2024, the Cinema Audio Society announced on Tuesday.

All five of those films are also on the 10-film Oscar shortlist in the Best Sound category, and four of the five received multiple nominations on Monday for the Motion Picture Sound Editors’ Golden Reel Awards. “Gladiator II” is on the Oscar shortlist but was bypassed by the Mpse.

Since the Oscars combined Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing into a single Best Sound category in 2020, Cas nominees have gone on to receive 15 of the 20 Oscar nominations. But only two of the five matched last year, after the first three years had produced four or five matches each year.

In the animation category, the Cas nominees were “Inside Out 2,” “Moana 2,” “Mufasa: The Lion King,...

Francis Ford Coppola is responsible for half a century of onscreen leading men. The greatest Hollywood actors of the later 20th century, from Al Pacino to Robert De Niro to Robert Duvall? They also got their big break in one of the first two "Godfather" films. That's not to say these actors wouldn't have been stars without Coppola's movies (none of them are exactly one-hit wonders), but the New Hollywood truly put several artists in the right place at the right time to produce classic films.

In 1983, Coppola did it again with "The Outsiders," adapting S.E. Hinton's 1967 coming-of-age novel about several low-class teenage "Greasers" in 1960s Oklahoma. The main ensemble was played by several then up-and-comers, now-stars: Ralph Macchio as the sensitive Johnny Cade, Matt Dillon as wannabe tough guy Dallas "Dally" Winston, and Rob Lowe and Patrick Swayze as brothers Sodapop and Darrel "Darry" Curtis. Diane Lane also appears as Cherry,...

For over 50 years, the late James Earl Jones' name in the credits of a film was reason enough to devote a couple of hours to a movie. Was it always a satisfying two hours? As someone who sat through "Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold," "Three Fugitives," and "Soul Man," I can confidently say no.

This is more than fine. Jones was a working actor who took the "work" part seriously. As he told journalist Joe Leydon in 1989, "This is my profession. I do need to make a living at it, because I can't make a living any other way." So, when you're not getting offered, say, "The Great White Hope" every time out, you roll up your sleeves and do some time on the sets of "Blood Tide," "Best of the Best," and "Excessive Force" with no apologies. Those paychecks keep you afloat while you wait for...

The resonant baritone of James Earl Jones – the Emmy Award-, Grammy Award-, and Tony Award-winning actor who also received an honorary Oscar, making him a non-competitive Egot designee – has gone silent. At age 93, the actor, best known for voicing the evil Darth Vader in the original “Star Wars” trilogy and later the regal Mufasa in “The Lion King,” began his career on stage, in productions of “Othello” and the boxing biography “The Great White Hope.” The latter won him his first of three Tonys, as well as an Academy Award nomination for the film version in 1970.

His other notable work over the years included “Dr. Strangelove,” “The Hunt for Red October” (and its sequels), “Conan the Barbarian,” John Sayles’s labor struggle drama “Matewan,” the Broadway production of August Wilson’s “Fences,” the uneasy racial comedy “Soul Man,” and the South Africa-set “Cry, the Beloved Country.” He was also a...

As Dan Aykroyd reminds us in his enjoyable new Audible Original, Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude, there was a moment in 1978 when his friend and collaborator John Belushi was at the center of a smash-hit album, movie, and TV show, all at once. The album in question was Briefcase Full of Blues, by the Blues Brothers, Aykroyd and Belushi’s band — who went from a fun side project to a powerhouse band with their own, now-legendary movie, 1980’s The Blues Brothers. (The movie, of course, was Animal House, and...

Chef, a popular character on South Park, was a hilarious, insightful, and inappropriate yet caring role model for the show's young protagonists. Actor Isaac Hayes, who voiced Chef, unexpectedly left the show in 2006, causing controversy and disappointment among fans and the show's creators. Hayes' departure was influenced by his involvement with the Church of Scientology and his objection to the show's satirical approach to religion, particularly Scientology.

In the giant buffet of cartoon characters to choose from, South Park's Chef is the filet mignon next to the Salisbury steak. He is a hilarious, insightful, and totally inappropriate yet caring role model for South Park Elementary's children notably the show's four young protagonists. When South Park premiered in 1997, Chef became one of its breakout stars and helped fuel its meteoric rise to the heights of pop culture.

Which is why the abrupt departure of the beloved character left a cloud of controversy and disappointment.

Veteran actor James B. Sikking, known for Hill Street Blues and several other roles, has passed away. He was 90 years old.

Per Deadline, Sikking died on Saturday at his home in Los Angeles, California. His passing was attributed to dementia. According to his publicist, Cynthia Snyder, the actor was surrounded by loving family members when he passed.

A statement shared by Snyder reads, In a remarkable career, Sikkings wonderfully exciting face gave us drama, comedy, tragedy and hilarious farse. His career spanned over six decades in television, film and on stage. His talent, integrity and imagination intrigued and delighted audiences.

An L.A. native, Sikking was born on March 5, 1934. He was named after author James Barrie, which Snyder said, "It seemed a perfect choice. There is a bit of Peter Pan in James his sense of imagination appeared whether playing roles on stage or screen. After studying theater at UCLA and serving in the military,...

L-r: Julia Louis-Dreyfus in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Downhill, and You Hurt My Feelings Screenshot: Warner Bros. Entertainment/YouTube Julia Louis-Dreyfus is one of the most successful television performers of all time. That’s not a personal opinion—it’s a statistic. She holds not one but two records...

L-r: Julia Louis-Dreyfus in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Downhill, and You Hurt My FeelingsScreenshot: Warner Bros. Entertainment/YouTube, Searchlight Pictures/YouTube, Photo: A24

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is one of the most successful television performers of all time. That’s not a personal opinion—it’s a statistic. She holds not...

Jamila Wignot understood going in to her assignment as director of the four-part HBO documentary series “Stax: Soulsville, U.S.A.” that she had her work cut out to hit a certain sweet spot. She was tasked to satisfy both people who have no clue about the legendary and influential Memphis-based record label and soul music producer that launched the careers of Otis Redding, Isaac Hayes, Carla Thomas, Booker T. and the M.G.’s, Sam and Dave and many other acts through the 1960s and ’70s – and those who were completely steeped in its colorful (pun intended) history. “It was very challenging,” she admits, “because music fanatics can be exceptionally particular about what they want their favorite label or music doc to cover. But I think the goal is to always try to satisfy he folks who are already kind of deeply in the know and hopefully provide them...

As a child of the 1980s, I thought I knew pretty much everything I needed to know about Wham!, just as I thought I had a pretty good handle on the behind the scenes of the late-night all-star recording of “We Are the World.” But maybe that’s why I enjoyed the docs “Wham!” and “The Greatest Night in Pop” so much — a mix of the familiar with those moments of surprise.

In the case of “Wham!,” it’s how Andrew Ridgeley managed to be so gracious as his buddy George Michael went on to a massively successful solo career. In “The Greatest Night in Pop,” I learned just how instrumental Lionel Richie was in serving as traffic cop for producer Quincy Jones in creating “We Are The World” with dozens of A-list musicians over just one late night. The doc is filled with legend-help-legend moments, like when Stevie Wonder...

You don’t have to be an expert on classic soul and R&b to recognize the American music monuments that emerged from Stax Records in the Sixties and Seventies. Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man,” Otis Redding’s “Respect” and “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay,” Isaac Hayes’ “Theme From Shaft,” and the Staple Singers’ “I’ll Take You There” — just a few of Stax’s greatest hits — made the case that the Memphis-based record company was the Southern version of Motown.

Whether anyone fully realizes that is another matter.

Get ready to delve deeper into the rich history of soul music with “Stax: Soulsville, U.S.A.” Season 1 Episode 2 titled “Chapter Two: Soul Man,” airing this Monday, May 20th, at 10:00 Pm on HBO. In this captivating episode, viewers are taken on a journey through the highs and lows of the iconic Stax Records as it breaks through to the white market with the smash hit “Soul Man.”

As the episode unfolds, viewers will witness the impact of “Soul Man” on the music industry and its role in bringing soul music to a wider audience. However, amidst the success, cracks begin to appear in the company’s façade as Stax grapples with the untimely death of its star, Otis Redding, and the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Against the backdrop of legal obstacles and ongoing racial tensions in Memphis, the episode explores the challenges...

Some of the most beautiful music ever recorded has come when two complementary voices join together, sometimes resulting in a love duet, other times a dance hit and many times a top ten hit that becomes ingrained in the pop culture movement of that generation. There are solo singers, bands and vocal groups, but there is something unique and special about a duo harmonizing.

Since the early days of rock and roll, duos have found great success across all genres, with brothers Don and Phil Everly charting with singles like “Wake Up Little Susie” in the late 1950s, and influencing the generations of rock and pop artists that have followed. In the 1960s, with the creation of Motown, duos like Sam and Dave led the way for Black musicians to appeal to white audiences with hits like “Soul Man,” while California musicians Jan and Dean were influential in popularizing “surf music.

C. Thomas Howell shot to stardom in the 1980s with breakout roles in films like The Outsiders, earning praise from critics and solidifying his status as the decade's "It-boy." While his post-'80s career didn't reach the same heights, Howell has found steady work in TV shows, from Criminal Minds to The Walking Dead, often playing deranged and unlikable characters. In addition to his acting career, Howell has explored his creativity in the music industry under the alias Tommy Howell, releasing his debut country album, American Storyteller, to favorable reviews. He's also set to star in upcoming films, including the Ronald Reagan biopic, Reagan.

Known for his boyish charm and solid acting chops, C. Thomas Howell was a household name during the 1980s, however, his hot streak suddenly cooled down from the '90s onward. Howell's breakout role would come in Francis Ford Coppola's 1983 adaptation of The Outsiders book,...

Canadian actor, comedian, and activist Tommy Chong is best known for his string of marijuana-themed Cheech and Chong movies with Los Angeles actor, comedian, and activist Cheech Marin. While Chong has gone on to enjoy a fruitful acting career, appearing in thirty-plus films since 1978, the Up in Smoke actor’s eldest daughter Rae Dawn Chong, might not be as recognizable as her father. Although not the most famous actress in the entertainment industry, Chong has worked hard to solidify herself as a skilled actress with minimal involvement from her more popular father.

After Chong enjoyed a successful career throughout the 1980s, her star gradually faded in the 1990s and continued to do so well into the new millennium. As many familiar with Hollywood and its politics know, it is difficult for people to start a career in the entertainment industry, and this is especially true for women and people of color.

The Outsiders brings the S.E. Hinton novel to life and features a cast full of future stars playing the book's many characters. Released in 1983 to high critical praise, the Francis Ford Coppola-directed cult classic tells the story of a gang of teens in the '60s who must deal with the consequences of their violent lifestyle. Unflinching in its approach to storytelling, The Outsiders weaves a lyrical and gripping narrative that puts it head and shoulders above the usual coming-of-age movies of the '80s, and it made legitimate stars out of most of its ensemble cast.

Essentially introducing the group known affectionately as the "Brat Pack" to the movie-going public, The Outsiders collected an eclectic mix of young actors who became some of the biggest box office draws of the '80s. While actors like Patrick Swayze and Tom Cruise went on to be iconic leading men, supporting...

David Finfer, the Academy Award-nominated film editor of “The Fugitive,” died on Monday following complications that resulted from a heart attack. He was 80.

Finfer was nominated for the Oscar as well as the American Cinema Editors and BAFTA awards for editing the 1993 film “The Fugitive,” which starred Harrison Ford.

He worked with Albert Brooks on several movies including “Real Life,” “”Lost in America,” “Modern Romance” and “Defending Your Life.”

Finfer’s career as a film editor took off with his first feature credit on “Ya Gotta Walk it like You Talk it or You’ll Lose that Beat.” He continued to work on a number of comedy and teen/family movies including “Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey,” “Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion,” “Snow Day,” “Waiting…” and “The Tooth Fairy.”

His other editing credits include “Inside Out,” “Soul Man” and “Boxing Helena.”

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1942, Finfer...

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Gayle S. Maffeo, the three-time Emmy-nominated producer who worked on the first season of Roseanne and all eight seasons of another hit ABC sitcom, the Tim Allen-starring Home Improvement, has died. She was 81.

Maffeo died Friday at her home in Los Angeles after a brief battle with cancer, her daughter, Laura, announced.

Maffeo had produced specials starring Frank Sinatra, Jack Benny and George Burns in the 1960s and ’70s before she segued to sitcoms including Nell Carter’s Gimme a Break!, Dabney Coleman’s Buffalo Bill, Mary Tyler Moore’s Mary, Head of the Class and Open All Night.

She served as senior vp television for Matt Williams and David McFadzean’s Wind Dancer Productions, where she produced Roseanne in 1988-89, Home Improvement from 1991-99 and other shows such as Carol Burnett’s Carol & Company, Dan Aykroyd’s Soul Man, Thunder Alley and Buddies.

Amazon Freevee has given the greenlight to “Clean Slate,” a new comedy from Norman Lear’s Act III Productions, starring Laverne Cox and comedian George Wallace. The original comedy has been in development at Freevee since February 2021, back when the ad-supported streamer was known as IMDb TV.

“Clean Slate,” which comes from Cox, Wallace and Dan Ewen, centers on car wash owner Henry (Wallace), whose estranged child comes home to Alabama after 17 years. But he must do some soul searching as he comes to terms with the fact that his adult child is a trans woman, Desiree (Cox). There’s no word yet on an episodic order, when the series might shoot or an estimated premiere date.

Ewen serves as executive producer and writer on “Clean Slate,” and he has story credit along with Cox and Wallace. Cox will also serve as an executive producer on the show, while Wallace is a producer.

Directors James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte discuss the movies that inspired them while making The Big Conn.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

The Big Lebowski (1998)

Boogie Nights (1997)

Saturday Night Fever (1977)

Happiness (1998)

World’s Greatest Dad (2009)

Windy City Heat (2003)

Ocean’s 11 (1960)

Ocean’s Eleven (2001)

Pulp Fiction (1994)

Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Bad Boys (1995)

Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)

Kill Bill: Vol. 2 (2004)

Munich (2005)

Fargo (1996)

Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Delicatessen (1991)

The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet (2013)

The Hole (2009) – Joe Dante’s U.S. trailer commentary, Joe Dante’s Italian trailer commentary, Joe Dante’s British trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review

Dial M For Murder (1954) – Mark Pellington’s trailer commentary

Jaws 3D (1983)

Cave Of Forgotten Dreams (2010)

Katy Perry: Part of Me (2012)

U2 3D (2008)

The Pink Panther (1963) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary

Goodfellas (1990) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Children of Men (2006)

The Imposter (2012)

Other Notable Items

The Big Conn podcast (2022)

The Big Conn docuseries (2022)

Bronzeville...

Mike Hagerty, the prolific character actor who recently starred in HBO’s critically acclaimed dramedy “Somebody Somewhere,” died Thursday in Los Angeles. He was 67.

Bridget Everett, who played Hagerty’s on-screen daughter in “Somebody Somewhere,” shared the news via her Instagram on Friday.

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A veteran character actor with over 100 credits in various television shows and movies, Hagerty was also known for his recurring role in the hit NBC sitcom “Friends,” where he played Mr. Treeger, the superintendent of the apartment complex that the majority of the main cast lived in. He also was a main cast member on Fox’s “The George Carlin Show” and on HBO’s “Lucky Louie.” Born and raised in Chicago, Hagerty was noted for his distinctive mustache and thick Chicago accent and got his start as a performer at the city’s famed improv theater company Second City.

Exclusive: Stax Records, the label responsible for hits such as Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” and Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man,” is getting the docuseries treatment.

HBO is behind a new multi-part series telling the story of the fabled Memphis-based label.

Jamila Wignot — who directed Ailey, a portrait of the legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey, and has worked on HBO’s Axios — is directing, with Oj: Made in America helmer Ezra Edelman and producer Caroline Waterlow exec producing. Nigel Sinclair and Nicholas Ferrall of White Horse Pictures, the company behind Martin Scorsese’s doc No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, also are EPs.

The series will explore the rise and fall of the label, which was founded in 1957 by Jim Stewart. Stewart, a country music fan, and his sister Estelle Axton, who mortgaged her house to afford recording equipment, released “Fool in Love” by the Veltones under its original name Satellite Records.

Despite being the third actor to play the role inside of six years, it’s no small thing to portray the Clown Prince of Crime. Indeed, as soon as The Batman opened in theaters last month, almost the entire internet chatter was about that cameo where out of seemingly nowhere, Barry Keoghan showed up under heavy prosthetics as an unnamed Arkham Asylum inmate. One who is obviously the Joker.

With his intensely disfigured facial scars and green hair he stands a long way from either Joaquin Phoenix’s Oscar winning Mistah J or the one portrayed by Jared Leto in Suicide Squad. He even has little in common with the last Joker to have a major appearance in a Batman movie, the unforgettable Heath Ledger. But that is unmistakably the Joker who consoles Paul Dano’s Riddler about his plan going sideways, just as it’s unmistakably Barry Keoghan giving...

Israeli conman Simon Leviev conned a number of women out of a lot of money on dating app Tinder.

His actions, however, have helped Netflix documentary The Tinder Swindler become the streamer’s most-watched doc to date.

Netflix revealed during its financial results that, with 166M hours watched in its first 28 days, the feature doc from The Imposter and Don’t F*ck with Cats producer Raw TV, AGC Television and Gaspin Media has topped its list.

Last year, the streamer noted that American Murder: The Family Next Door was its most watched documentary with around 52M subscribers watching (the streamer has subsequently changed the way it reports its data).

The Tinder Swindler, which launched February 2, recorded 45.8M hours in its four days on the service, before rising to 64.7M in its first full week.

The doc, which was directed by Felicity Morris, looks at Leviev’s cons as well...

(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)

The Movie: "The Imposter"

Where You Can Stream It: Peacock, Tubi, Kanopy

The Pitch: Bart Layton's gripping, endlessly twisty documentary tells the story of a family reunited, then unraveled. A Texas family whose son, Nicholas, had been missing for three years gets word that he's been found in Spain. Overjoyed, they bring him home, and he resumes his previous life. Only, Nicholas seems different -- not just subdued by whatever trauma he's endured,...

The post The Daily Stream: The Imposter Tests the Limits of the Phrase 'Stranger Than Fiction' appeared first on /Film.

One of the big questions we’re always asked whenever there’s a new superhero movie is what comics should someone who only knows a character from TV or movies check out. Sometimes this question is easier to answer than other times, but with The Batman, it’s an incredibly easy answer. Batman: The Imposter, which is now available in hardcover from DC Comics, reads like a direct sequel to the new movie. It isn’t one, to be clear, but if all you know about the character and his world is what you just saw on the screen? Then The Imposter is a perfect next step.

There’s a good reason for that. Batman: The Imposter is written by Mattson Tomlin, who is an uncredited writer on The Batman screenplay. The Imposter takes place in year three of Batman’s career, in a very grounded Gotham City, and features...

Netflix is taking viewers back to the world of Tiger King.

The streamer on Thursday dropped a teaser for the highly-anticipated follow-up to one of the biggest shows in the history of the streaming service.

The series is set to return sometime in the fall, but a definite date is Tbd.

"The global hit Tiger King, which attracted 64 million households in the first four weeks after its March 2020 premiere, will return to Netflix for more madness and mayhem," Netflix shared in a new statement regarding the series.

Indeed, Tiger King was the show everyone was talking about when it launched last year. It's hard to believe it's been a year since the show, especially when you consider we had Carole Baskin on Dancing With the Stars last year.

The project propelled everyone associated to stardom -- some of it good, and some of it not so much.

The series arrived...

A Tiger King sequel is coming to Netflix this year as part of a new true crime line-up of documentaries to be released.

Although the streamer announced the project on Thursday, it is as yet unknown what the angle for Tiger King 2 will be. The first installment profiled wildcat owners with a focus on Joe Exotic (Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage), the former owner of the G.W. Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma who is currently serving a lengthy prison sentence for his crimes against his animals and his role in a murder for hire plot against his nemesis Carole Baskin.

Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin will re-team as directors and executive producers; Chris Smith and Fisher Stevens will also serve as EPs. It is being produced by A Goode Films Production in association with Library Films and Article 19 Films.

Goode and Chaiklin have remained connected with Exotic since he began serving his sentence.

When The Imposter premiered at Sundance back in January 2012, it set a new benchmark for narrative documentaries, especially those with a mysterious or investigative angle. The story’s brazen absurdity did much of the work fordirector Bart Layton, but he packaged it into a narrative that remains taut, artfuland painfully suspenseful. So, how does Misha and the Wolves compare to this seminal documentary?

Well, it’s a very curious story. The ‘Misha’ in the title refers to Misha Defonseca, a US-based Belgian writer who published Misha: A Memoire of the Holocaust Years, which recounted how she, as a seven-year-old Jewish girl, survived the Holocaust after searching for her parents across Belgium, Germany and Poland. At some point during this vast journey, Misha was adopted by a roving pack of wolves that provided ample leftovers for the diminutive child, who managed to fatally stab a German soldier ‘twice her size’.

Sounds far-fetched,...

Exclusive: Documentary+, the non-fiction streaming service established by studio Xtr, is to share viewership data with its filmmakers, potentially becoming the first digital platform to reveal ratings.

The move is an interesting one given the often nebulous data put out by many of the more established streamers. Netflix has started to release some data for hit titles over their first 28 days, but generally only if they do particularly or surprisingly well, while many of the others release vague statements of success.

Alongside the news that it will share data with its filmmakers, the service revealed that between January and May, its top performing title on the service was Western, a documentary about life at the border of Mexico and Texas directed by Bill Ross IV and Turner Ross, followed by Cartel Land and The Imposter.

It will give filmmakers information including a gender identity breakdown, age range, which platform, such as Roku,...

Demi Lovato is returning to scripted television in a food issues comedy that is in the works at NBC.

Lovato, who got her break in the Disney Channel’s Camp Rock franchise and starred in Sonny with a Chance, is to star in and exec produce Hungry, which has received a put pilot commitment from NBC.

The single-camera comedy is being written and exec produced by Will & Grace writer and Hot In Cleveland creator Suzanne Martin. It comes from Hazy Mills and Sb Projects in association with Universal Television.

Hungry follows a group of friends who belong to a food issues group help each other as they look for love, success and the perfect thing in the fridge that’s going to make it all better.

Lovato, herself, appeared in a guest role in the final season of Will & Grace, her first role since guest starring on Glee in 2013. The singer,...

David Richardson, the veteran writer and showrunner of such television comedies as “The Simpsons,” “Two and a Half Men” and “Malcolm in the Middle,” died Monday from heart failure. He was 65.

Richardson, who was a cancer survivor for almost 30 years, began his three-decade career as a comedy writer on Michael Leeson/Carsey-Werner’s NBC series “Grand” starring Bonnie Hunt, as well as the family-friendly “Zoobilee Zoo” with Ben Vereen and “The Pat Sajak Show”.

He went on to be one of the most successful writer-producers in television, wearing both hats on shows like “Empty Nest,” “The Simpsons,” “The John Larroquette Show,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” “Two and a Half Men” and, most recently, the adult animated series “F Is for Family,” which just wrapped its fifth and final season on Netflix.

He also served as co-executive producer on “Phenom” (starring Judith Light), “Soul Man” (starring Dan Aykroyd), “What About Joan...

The one and only James Earl Jones has just turned 90 years old, and fans are celebrating the career of the award-winning actor and Hollywood icon. With his instantly recognizable voice and truly incredible performances, Jone is widely considered to be one of the greatest actors in American history. With the hopes that the actor is having a very happy birthday, fans all across the world, from Star Wars fans to Disney fanatics and everything in between, are posting tribute messages wishing him well and honoring his work.

"He's got the most iconic voice in the galaxy. Leave birthday wishes for James Earl Jones below," the Star Wars UK account on Twitter posted, prompting many, many birthday wishes from Star Wars fans.

He’s got the most iconic voice in the galaxy. Leave birthday wishes for James Earl Jones below. pic.twitter.com/MuX79fwqX0

— Star Wars UK (@StarWarsUK) January 17, 2021

One fan tweets,...

Niecy Nash has joined the cast of the upcoming ABC limited anthology series “Women of the Movement,” Variety has learned.

The series will tell the story of key female figures in the Civil Rights Movement. Season 1 will focus on Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till. Mamie will be played by Adrienne Warren. Nash will play Alma, Till’s grandmother. After Emmett’s murder in Mississippi, Alma, a young grandmother who had been like a second mother to Emmett, fought to protect her family in Chicago while her daughter travelled the country seeking justice in Emmett’s name.

Nash currently leads the TNT drama series “Claws.” She has been nominated for three Emmy Awards throughout her career — two for the HBO series “Getting On” and other for the Netflix limited series “When They See Us.” She played the role of Officer Raineesha Williams in “Reno 911,” a role she reprised in...

How the 1940s standard “Happiness Is a Thing Called Joe” failed to be adapted into a Joe Biden campaign song until now is a mystery, but Cher recognized the obvious pairing of classic song and candidate and has recorded her rewrite of the tune, which was originally sung by Ethel Waters in the 1943 film “Cabin in the Sky.”

The song, with music by Harold Arlen and lyrics by E.Y. Harburg, was nominated for an Oscar after Waters sang it in the Black-themed Vincente Minnelli film. Many of the original lyrics would not do — Waters refers to “little Joe” in the film version, which sounds more like a nickname Donald Trump would apply to the candidate than something they’d want in a campaign anthem. So that reference gets changed to “president Joe” in Cher’s version, among other alterations.

Cher introduced the song Sunday night in closing “I Will Vote,...