Latest news with #TNS
Toronto Star
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
‘We need him': Actors, comics and critics react to cancellation of ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert'
Colbert began hosting the iconic CBS show in 2015 after a nine-year stint hosting the Comedy Central show 'The Colbert Report.' David Livingston TNS
Otago Daily Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
The comic book Superman returns
Photo: Jessica Miglio/Warner Bros. Pictures/TNS Director: James Gunn Cast: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced Rating: (M) ★★★★ REVIEWED BY AMASIO JUTEL The Gunn didn't jam on the first entry to his brand-new DC Universe. The colourful flair of Superman (Rialto, Reading) is undoubtedly a positive indicator of the direction director-turned-chief executive of DC Studios, James Gunn, will take his new comic book sandbox. Donning the blue and red tights, prominently featuring the iconic red boxer briefs, Clark Kent teams up with journalism, justice and his juvenile super-pup, Krypto, to take to the skies and bring down Luthor Corp and its bloodthirsty international ally. As with any totemic media character, the central focus has been on whose face will be rendered in the Kryptonian armour. I can happily report that David Corenswet's punk-rocker Kal-El is the injection of himbo earnestness severely lacking from the character's previous keeper. Corenswet is a stark departure from the dark and moody Man of Steel, last portrayed by Henry Cavill, bringing a kindness and naivety, off which Gunn bounces his comic sensibilities. His chemistry with Brosnahan's Lane is electric, and paired off against Hoult's raging Lex Luthor, the central trio is cast to perfection. From the film's opening frame, Gunn subverts the franchise template. Superman effectively leapfrogs the "origin story" component of the caped crusader's tale, trusting that viewers will recognise the sensibilities of comic book storytelling that pre-MCU era comic readers grew up on. The film itself plays like a feature-length Saturday morning cartoon, much like Sam Raimi's 2000s Spider-Man trilogy: a close analogue in style. Gunn's universe feels real in its own cartoon logic — a world where Superman swoops in to save a single squirrel during a full-blown Kaiju attack. The film doesn't shy away from balancing G-rated elements with allegories for real-world violence and geopolitical conflict, nor from Deer Hunter-level traumatic violence. In the plot, a xenophobic smear campaign from Luthor's army of online trolls inconveniences our do-gooder protagonist, who is caught up in media turmoil for acting against the fictional Boravia's war crimes. From the newsroom with Lois and Jimmy to the Jarhanpur/Boravia border to a "pocket universe", Superman, the movie, delivers on the "woke" grievances voiced by right-wing commentators. Boravia's US-backed military has been mobilised against the unarmed civilian population of Jarhanpur, and Superman has been under fire for preventing civilian casualties. The film's most effective non-action scene plays between Lois and Clark (as Superman), her interviewing him on the authority he had as an American to interfere with the affairs of other nations. To Superman, the answer is plain: stopping a war. Subtextually, Gunn eloquently echoes the critiques of media outlets for their quote-unquote "objective reporting", instead of reflecting the human rights issues of the conflict. And, although the nuances of the conflict escape the plot, the final action scene directly mirrors the 2018 Gaza border protests, in which 189 Palestinians were killed. While Luthor has Superman subdued in Metropolis and the Boravian troops raise their weapons to fire on an unarmed boy, Green Lantern disperses the IDF-analogue with a wave of massive green middle fingers.
The Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
Legendary singer Connie Francis, of viral hit 'Pretty Little Baby', dies at 87
Connie Francis, a contemporary of Elvis Presley, was one of the most popular singers of the 1950s and early 1960s. Photo: TNS Iconic singer Connie Francis has died just weeks after pulling out of a Fourth of July performance and telling fans she was in the hospital in 'extreme pain.' Ron Roberts, the president of Concetta Records, shared the news to Francis' Facebook page just after midnight on Thursday. 'It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night,' Roberts wrote. 'I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news. More details to follow later.' 'Very sad news,' Randy McGill replied. 'I had so hoped she would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before she passed away. She was considered the first lady of the first decade of rock and roll. Long ago she deserved to be included in the Hall of Fame. Rest in peace Connie. You will always be in my hall of fame.' 'RIP CONNIE,' another wrote. 'You were and will always be my Idol. A voice of an Angel. Always a sweet, beautiful & caring woman! I will never stop listening to your music. Where The Boys Are my absolute favorite movie because of you! Thank you for sharing your incredible talent with all of us and the world! Rest in Peace beautiful lady.' Connie Francis had recently been making headlines due to her 1962 song 'Pretty Little Baby' becoming a huge hit on TikTok, 63 years after she recorded the B-side. Photo: AP Francis took to social media back on July 2 to let her fans know she had been hospitalised and would not be able to perform on July 4. 'Hello Everyone — As many of you may now have learned through Cousin Brucie's Facebook page, I am back in hospital where I have been undergoing tests and checks to determine the cause (s) of the extreme pain I have been experiencing,' she wrote on Facebook. 'I had hope to take part in Brucie's show for Independence Day, having had to cancel a previous slot a few weeks ago when receiving treatment on my hip. Sadly, I had to let him know that I again had to withdraw. My thanks for your many get well soon messages. I will endeavor to keep you updated.' She followed that with a promising post later in the day. 'I am pleased to advise that following a series of tests and examinations in Intensive Care, I have now been transferred to a private room,' she added. 'Thank you all for your kind thoughts, words and prayers. They mean so much!' And on July 4 she provided a promising update. 'Today I am feeling much better after a good night, and wanted to take this opportunity of wishing you all a happy Fourth of July,' she wrote on Facebook. 'Thank you all for your continued kind thoughts and prayers. A happy Independence Day to you and your loved ones.' Francis had recently been making headlines due to her 1962 song Pretty Little Baby becoming a huge hit on TikTok, 63 years after she recorded the B-side. Francis, a contemporary of Elvis Presley, was one of the most popular singers of the 1950s and early 1960s, with Top 10 singles like Who's Sorry Now?, My Heart Has A Mind Of Its Own, Where the Boys Are and Don't Break The Heart That Loves You. According to People magazine, Francis was the first woman to have a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with her 1960 track Everybody's Somebody's Fool . – Agencies/Tribune News Service
New York Post
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
‘Pretty Little Baby' singer Connie Francis dead at 87
Iconic singer Connie Francis, best known for her viral song 'Pretty Little Baby,' has died at age 87. Francis' death was confirmed on social media by her friend and copyright manager, Ron Roberts. 'It is with a heavy heart and extreme sadness that I inform you of the passing of my dear friend Connie Francis last night,' he wrote on Facebook Thursday. Advertisement 3 Iconic singer Connie Francis, best known for her viral song 'Pretty Little Baby,' has died at age 87. TNS 'I know that Connie would approve that her fans are among the first to learn of this sad news.' Francis, who earned her stripes as one of the most successful female singers in the 1950s and 1960s, was rushed to the hospital earlier this month after experiencing 'extreme pain.' Advertisement On July 2, radio personality Cousin Brucie revealed that Francis was hospitalized in Florida after experiencing 'extreme pain.' 'Hello Everyone — As many of you may now have learned through Cousin Brucie's Facebook page, I am back in hospital where I have been undergoing tests and checks to determine the cause(s) of the extreme pain I have been experiencing,' Francis wrote. 3 Francis earned her stripes as one of the most successful female singers in the 1950s and 1960s. Bettmann Archive 3 The singer was rushed to the hospital earlier this month after experiencing 'extreme pain.' Getty Images Advertisement 'I had hoped to take part in Brucie's show for Independence Day, having had to cancel a previous slot a few weeks ago when receiving treatment on my hip,' she continued. 'Sadly, I had to let him know that I again had to withdraw.' In a series of posts on July 3 and 4, Francis said that she was 'feeling much better' during her hospital stay. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
The Star
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Star
'Madam Secretary' co-stars Tea Leoni and Tim Daly are officially married
Tim Daly and Tea Leoni began dating in the summer of 2014. Photo: TNS Tea Leoni and Tim Daly, I now pronounce you Mr. & Mrs. Madam Secretary . The pair of actors, who shared the screen on the CBS political drama, will now share a life together as husband and wife, making their TV romance a reality. Leoni, 59, and Daly, 69, tied the knot Sunday in a private ceremony, The Times confirmed Tuesday. Leoni and Daly began dating in the summer of 2014 and starred in Madam Secretary as United States Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord and her scholar husband Henry McCord. The series aired on CBS from September 2014 to December 2019. A representative for Leoni did not confirm additional details about the newlyweds' ceremony, but People reported that the actors' intimate nuptials took place in New York with only immediate family as attendees. Leoni and Daly began their romance just before the former finalised her divorce with X Files star David Duchovny. Leoni and Duchovny wed in 1997 after meeting on The Tonight Show and share two adult children, actor West Duchovny and Kyd Miller Duchovny. Before David Duchovny, Leoni was married to TV producer Neil Joseph Tardio Jr. from 1991 to 1995. Daly's marriage to Leoni marks his second: He was previously married to theatre actor Amy Van Nostrand. The exes share children Sam and Emelyn. In a March 2024 interview with the Really Famous With Kara Mayer Robinson podcast, Daly spoke to its host about finding love on Madam Secretary . He said his views about starting a committed relationship later in his life changed once he met Leoni. "It's the deepest, most fun, most truly intimate relationship I've ever had," he said. – Los Angeles Times/Tribune News Service
