Latest news with #Groff
Elle
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
Exclusive: Lauren Groff Reveals Her Next Book, the Short Story Collection ‘Brawler'
Every item on this page was chosen by an ELLE editor. We may earn commission on some of the items you choose to buy. Seven years have passed since the three-time National Book Award-nominated author Lauren Groff last published a short story collection: the beloved, Story Prize-winning Florida. In the near-decade since, she has published two additional novels—Matrix and The Vaster Wilds—and opened The Lynx, a bookstore in Gainesville, Florida. She's served as a chair for the National Book Award for fiction and edited The Best American Short Stories anthology. Last year, she was named one of TIME's 100 Most Influential People of the year. A letter from former President Obama hangs in her office. She reads hundreds of books a year and has provided many of her colleagues with glowing blurbs for those books. In other words, Groff is not only one of our 'finest living writers,' as fellow author Hernan Diaz put it to The New York Times; she's also one of our finest and most beloved literary citizens. So it's a relief to know that, in the midst of her ever-growing to-do list, coupled with the shifting gears of modern publishing, Groff has far from abandoned the short-story form. On Feb. 24, 2026, Riverhead Books will publish her next book, a story collection named Brawler. Groff says she's been working on Brawler for a number of years now, having pulled a few of its nine stories from as far back as 2016. Organizing each piece meant considering the collection's connective tissue: Despite its sprawling territory—Brawler jumps from Florida to California to New England and beyond, refusing to stay settled in any one place or time, or with any one cast of characters—the book feels neatly and distinctly of a kind. 'As I'm writing, I don't have much control over which stories come to me with urgency,' Groff says. 'But I do have control over the selection of the stories and the way that they speak to one another. The first story offers questions that are then modified as the stories go on—they're shifted, they're moved, they're seen in a different light. And then the last story has possibly the hardest job, which is to take all the questions that have been asked throughout the story collection, and fragment them, right? I fragment them outward, and create a sense of backwards cohesion.' Brawler's assembled stories follow a mother and her children attempting to flee an abusive husband; a young woman newly responsible for her disabled sibling; a talented but angry swimmer awash in her parent's pain; a group of old classmates gathered to say goodbye to their dying friend; a stunted business scion yearning to make the woman he's fallen for 'presentable' to his family; and more. Each piece brushes up against, as Groff puts it, 'the violence that lurks within familial spaces,' which echo within the 'larger moments of cultural violence that I think we've been in for a very long time.' She continues, 'I was thinking about a lot of the hidden loves and the hidden costs of family—a lot of the secrets that we keep from one another.' The cover features the titular 'brawler' from Groff's story of the same name, first published in The New Yorker in 2019. 'Brawler' became the title of the collection after Groff's literary agent, Bill Clegg, suggested it. 'He was like, 'Of course you're going to call it Brawler,'' Groff says, laughing. 'And I don't know about you, but right now I feel like we need to fight. There's a lot of laser-like rage happening now, and so, of course, it would make sense to have a book called Brawler out.' Brawler's official artwork—designed by Jaya Miceli and featuring the swimmer in black-and-white, her reflection mirrored in an inky blue pool—was immediately Groff's favorite of the options Riverhead sent her. 'It was the one that I gasped when I saw it,' Groff says. 'I was a swimmer, and I have so much love for this girl. I love the way that her swim cap fades into the water, and the way that, if you turn the image upside down, it's a completely different book. It kind of takes your breath away.' As a writer, a bookseller, and the aforementioned literary citizen, Groff insists that the breathtaking nature of such art is, in fact, an issue she considers 'morally urgent.' That's what keeps her returning not only to her novels, but to the creation and curation of her short stories. 'There are times,' she says, 'that I feel unequal to the task of writing in this world because, with the gravity of everything that's going on, you can trick yourself into believing that it's not important, right? Or that it's not important enough to meet with your full soul, because there are people suffering.' To that idea, she responds with a quote from the William Carlos Williams poem 'Asphodel, That Greeny Flower': 'It is difficult / to get the news from poems / yet men die miserably every day / for lack / of what is found there.' Groff continues, 'I do feel very deeply that loving attention to the soul—which is what art is—is just as important, if not more so, than constant attention to the news or to Bluesky or to Instagram. I'm not saying that an individual soul can heal the world,' she concludes. 'But I am saying that, if we collectively paid more attention to our own particular souls, possibly the world would be better than it is now.'Brawler is out from Riverhead Books on Feb. 24, 2026.
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Mindhunter' May Return as Three Movies, Star Holt McCallany Reveals
There is hope, Mindhunter fans. Holt McCallany, who starred in the Netflix series for two seasons alongside Jonathan Groff, recently told CBR about the long-awaited possibility of a revival and how he's spoken to the show's executive producer/director David Fincher about the series returning as possibly three films. More from The Hollywood Reporter Don't Expect Netflix to Save U.S. Broadcast Networks Somebody Listen to Phil Kathryn Bigelow's 'A House of Dynamite' Sets Fall Release for Theaters and Netflix 'I had a meeting with David Fincher in his office a few months ago, and he said to me that there is a chance that it may come back as three two-hour movies, but I think it's just a chance,' said the Waterfront star. 'I know there are writers that are working, but you know, David has to be happy with scripts.' He continued, 'I recently wrote a script that he was kind enough to give me notes on. I was in script revisions with David for two and a half years.. but [he] was very meticulous, which is why I think he's the best director in Hollywood,' The Iron Claw star said before adding, 'He gave me a little bit of hope when I had that meeting with him, but the sun, the moon and the stars would all have to align.' Mindhunter dropped on Netflix in 2017 and 2019 and followed Bill (McCallany) and Holden (Groff) investigating the psyche of serial killers. Netflix decided not to renew the series primarily because of high production costs, according to Fincher. 'It's a very expensive show, and in the eyes of Netflix, we didn't attract enough of an audience to justify such an investment' for a season three, he said in 2023. However, six years later, the fans and its passionate fanbase have continued to ask for more. Previously, in 2021, Groff also told The Hollywood Reporter he would return and gushed about his love of working with Fincher. 'To me, Mindhunter is Fincher. The whole experience for me was the honor and privilege of getting to work with him. This was the main draw for me,' Groff said. 'The minute he says he wants to do another one, I'll be there in a second. But I trust his vision and his instincts, and so I leave it always in his hands, as ever.' Best of The Hollywood Reporter 'The Studio': 30 Famous Faces Who Play (a Version of) Themselves in the Hollywood-Based Series 22 of the Most Shocking Character Deaths in Television History A 'Star Wars' Timeline: All the Movies and TV Shows in the Franchise
Economic Times
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
Outer Banks season 5 release date: Has Netflix hit series cancelled for final season?
Outer Banks season 5 release date on Netflix is yet to be announced. The hit series is likely to have its final season. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads FAQs Netflix subscribers have a major update on "Outer Banks" Season 5. The fifth season is set to be the final season. In a good news that the production for the season 5 of "Outer Banks" has commenced, as per a report."Outer Banks" Season 5 will follow events aftermath of brutal murder of JJ. Groff will be hunted down by the Pogues, as per a report on WhatsOnNetflix."Outer Banks" Season 5 release date is yet to be announced by the makers or Netflix. However, there are major chances that the final stream might start streaming sometime in the next year, according to the WhatsOnNetflix teen drama series Outer Banks has captivated audiences with its blend of adventure, mystery, and coming-of-age themes. Since its debut in 2020, the show has followed the lives of a group of teenagers from the working-class side of the fictional Kildare Island in North Carolina, known as the 4 concluded with a dramatic twist: JJ Maybank (Rudy Pankow) was fatally stabbed by his biological father, Chandler Groff, during a confrontation in event sets the stage for Season 5, where the remaining Pogues—John B, Sarah, Kiara, Pope, and Cleo—embark on a quest for vengeance and justice. The central narrative will revolve around retrieving the stolen Blue Crown and confronting Groff, who has fled to Portugal with the the Pogues prepare for their final adventure, fans can look forward to a season that encapsulates the essence of Outer Banks: thrilling escapades, emotional depth, and the unbreakable bonds of friendship. While the wait for Season 5 may be long, the promise of a satisfying conclusion makes it all the more worthwhile.A1. Outer Banks season 5 can be watched on Netflix, only when the new season is released.A2. Yes, Outer Banks season 5 is the final one.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Outer Banks season 5 release date: Has Netflix hit series cancelled for final season?
Live Events FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Netflix subscribers have a major update on "Outer Banks" Season 5. The fifth season is set to be the final season. In a good news that the production for the season 5 of "Outer Banks" has commenced, as per a report."Outer Banks" Season 5 will follow events aftermath of brutal murder of JJ. Groff will be hunted down by the Pogues, as per a report on WhatsOnNetflix."Outer Banks" Season 5 release date is yet to be announced by the makers or Netflix. However, there are major chances that the final stream might start streaming sometime in the next year, according to the WhatsOnNetflix teen drama series Outer Banks has captivated audiences with its blend of adventure, mystery, and coming-of-age themes. Since its debut in 2020, the show has followed the lives of a group of teenagers from the working-class side of the fictional Kildare Island in North Carolina, known as the 4 concluded with a dramatic twist: JJ Maybank (Rudy Pankow) was fatally stabbed by his biological father, Chandler Groff, during a confrontation in event sets the stage for Season 5, where the remaining Pogues—John B, Sarah, Kiara, Pope, and Cleo—embark on a quest for vengeance and justice. The central narrative will revolve around retrieving the stolen Blue Crown and confronting Groff, who has fled to Portugal with the the Pogues prepare for their final adventure, fans can look forward to a season that encapsulates the essence of Outer Banks: thrilling escapades, emotional depth, and the unbreakable bonds of friendship. While the wait for Season 5 may be long, the promise of a satisfying conclusion makes it all the more worthwhile.A1. Outer Banks season 5 can be watched on Netflix, only when the new season is released.A2. Yes, Outer Banks season 5 is the final one.
Sydney Morning Herald
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
These are the best and worst moments from the 2025 Tony Awards
Best placement: Cynthia Erivo's balcony bit It's become an awards-show staple: The host schleps up to the balcony seats to mingle with us regular folks and maybe tell a joke or two. Erivo's ascent at Radio City was worth the climb. In a night of a thousand costume changes, her pink candy wrapper of a dress was a zany delight. And the atmosphere up there lent itself to deft comedy – about her height, about Abraham Lincoln and, best of all, about why sitting far away was the best place to watch Jonathan (He Spits When He Sings) Groff perform: 'So please welcome the man who makes everyone wet …' – SH Best nightclub act: Groff as Bobby Darin Showmanship is distinct from acting. It's an elusive, unfairly distributed quality: You have it, or you don't. Groff's dynamite medley – Mack the Knife, That's All and Once in a Lifetime – proved he has it. In this context, merely delivering a song well isn't enough — you have to sell it. It's something that Darin, the subject of Groff's current vehicle, Just in Time, had. At Radio City on Sunday, Groff moved like a man possessed by the need to entertain, straddling a seated Keanu Reeves' head and driven by the rhythm of mad bongos. Please, let him host the Tonys next year. – EV Loading Worst eyeful: Too many pixels This season, virtual scenery reached critical mass on Broadway, in Sunset Boulevard, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Redwood and Maybe Happy Ending. The Tony Awards telecast followed suit, ditching traditional flats, drops and clunky wagons in favour of digital backgrounds that ultimately looked cheesy. Literally cheesy-looking in the case of the excerpt from Operation Mincemeat, a totally old-tech musical performed during the ceremony in front of yellow-washed screens that made the actors look as if they'd fallen into a vat of fondue. Why would the producers of a theatre awards show make such an anti-theatrical choice? For the same reason some of the less artful shows do: It's faster, cheaper and, for audiences who have to be pried away from their own screens, perhaps more enticing. – JG Best homecoming: Asian and Asian American artists win big It was a historic evening for a troupe of Asian and Asian American theatre artists, including Nicole Scherzinger, Francis Jue and Darren Criss, who all won performance Tonys. Marco Paguia also received a Tony for his Buena Vista Social Club orchestrations, and Hue Park won for writing the lyrics and co-writing the book for Maybe Happy Ending, the evening's breakout success. In their speeches, several of the artists made reference to feeling left out or ignored before finding a home in the theatre. Scherzinger, who noted her Filipina, Native Hawaiian and Ukrainian ancestry, said, 'I always felt like I didn't belong, but you all have made me feel like I belong and I have come home at last.' – ALEXIS SOLOSKI Best sell: Making the plays pop For all their glamour, and their genuine recognition of talent, the Tonys are an industry advertisement — meant not only to sell tickets in New York, but also to give the nominated shows a life beyond Broadway. Musicals, with their colourful numbers, have always had an advantage in making their case for that. Plays, by comparison, have tended not to translate. But there was real charm to the way this year's best play nominees were introduced. With a framed screen of video clips playing upstage, a Tony-nominated star from each show spoke with an insider's affection while giving a synopsis of it: Marjan Neshat for English, Sadie Sink for John Proctor Is the Villain, Cole Escola for Oh, Mary!, Harry Lennix for Purpose, Laura Donnelly for The Hills of California. It was easy to imagine would-be producers and audience members out there, their interest suddenly piqued. – LAURA COLLINS-HUGHES Best 'sing-off': Cynthia Erivo's My Way It's always a delicate matter: how to usher off winners whose speeches go too long. A clever step up from canned elevator music: Erivo singing a passage from the standard My Way, popularised by Frank Sinatra. When Kara Young, accepting her award for Purpose, was still in the thick of her extensive list of thank-yous to those who had made her back-to-back featured actress in a play wins possible, it was a gentle balm to hear 'And now, the end is near / And so I face the final curtain …' – SARAH BAHR Loading Worst placement: Preshow spot for book and score awards Not every scene deserves a spotlight, but relegating the book and score awards to the Tonys preshow felt at least a little rude. What is a musical without its songs? Or its occasionally effortful patter between songs? (And is dance really an also-ran, too?) At the 2025 Tonys, a win for Maybe Happy Ending was practically assured after its wins for book and score, though viewers watching only the main broadcast would never have known this. Couldn't we swap out a drug ad or a few host jokes to show these prizes on the main stage? – AS Best farewell to cynicism: Hester's open heart In the World War II caper Operation Mincemeat, Jak Malone's big song, Dear Bill, is nearly six minutes long. It's a major reason he won a featured-actor Tony, because that is the moment when his character — a middle-aged British intelligence secretary named Hester — opens her wounded heart to the audience. 'They weep for her,' Malone said in his speech, 'they invest in her, they love her for her old romantic heart. And if you watched our show and found yourself believing in Hester, well, then I am so glad to tell you that, intentionally or otherwise, you might have just bid farewell to cynicism, to outdated ideas, to that rotten old binary, and opened yourself up to a world that is already out there in glorious Technicolor and isn't going away anytime soon.' – LCH
