#best costume design nomination incoming
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With the CW network canceling almost all scripted shows on its network, many great shows have been canceled or are facing the threat of cancellation. Gotham Knights is potentially one of the shows that unfortunately, could share this same fate.
Many fans all over the world support Gotham Knights and would love to see it continued for more seasons! Gotham Knights has an immense following all around the world. The show has been a massive success globally, where streaming services like HBOMAX and the CW app have continuously shown the series in the top 10 most watched of 2023, ranking number six for the current year and number three for the last two months with only the international hits "The Last of Us", and "Succession" ahead, respectively. That's astounding statistics considering the series has only been on the air for two months.
Gotham Knights is the most talked about show on the CW. From its gripping and action-packed storylines, to production and costume design, to the phenomenal acting talent of a diverse cast, there is constant buzz about potential award nominations for this series. Misha Collins, playing the tragic Harvey Dent who, eventually becomes the iconic villain Twoface, has been exceptional invoking the duality of an honorable and upstanding man, who succumbs to his darker, deadlier side. Olivia Rose Keegan, as Duela Doe, not only provides comic relief, but is also effective showing her vulnerable side.
If the show is canceled, then the producers of the show will have to find a new home for it. However, that's not an easy task. The CW network, as well as, Nexstar Media Group, Inc. will have to be convinced to sell the show to other networks or streaming services. I do believe, however, that with the show's immense popularity and success on HBOMAX and the CW app, that selling it would be the best option if it's not renewed. Considering its popularity worldwide, other networks and streaming services would hugely benefit from acquiring Gotham Knights due to its cheaper production costs and potential buyers of streaming memberships.
I was moved to start this petition because I believe that Gotham Knights is a television series that is needed on air and to be seen not only for its talented cast and hardworking crew, but also for its diversity and real life issues that people around the world suffer with. In today's political climate where discrimination is rampant, Gotham Knights, embraces a cast of characters, as well as, actors of different race, sexual orientation, and sexual identity. They promote inclusion and acceptance, especially with the LGBTQIA community. Gotham Knights's storylines are emotional and raw because they tackle issues that are relevant in the world today, such as, substance abuse, mental health issues, homophobia, transgender discrimination and income inequality. Gotham Knights deserves to be renewed!
I'm writing this because this is something I care about deeply and it won't happen without the support of people like you. Starting a petition isn't something would normally do, but I was moved to do so because not only is this a show that means so much to the fans but also, to the entire cast and crew, who worked with dedication and love to create a series that fans would adore. It would be incredibly sad to see them so disappointed. I know I'm not alone and together we can make this change happen. Please sign and share!
#misha collins#supernatural#gotham knights#misha#cw gotham knights#Jensen ackles was almost Batman#jensen ackles#cockles#jenmish#batman#harvey dent#two face#Misha sexy villain era#Destiel#save the winchesters#hbo max#carrie kelley#cullen row#harper row#stephanie brown#turner hayes#court of owls#the talon#navia robinson#anna lore#oscar morgan#olivia rose keegan#tyler dichiara#fallon smythe#renew Gotham knights
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hey! if you're looking for a sign NOT to watch the rings of power, this can be it if you want 🥰 film-lover's psa incoming:
(this was originally a drop-down message on my the beauty of: lotr amv, which i deleted and copied here instead!)
lotr was created out of earnest love for the source material and the magic of filmmaking. the films took a total of 8 years to produce, including pick-up shots. they shot all three films continuously, well over a year, because peter jackson knew exactly what his vision would entail. the fellowship cast got matching tattoos after the experience because of how bonded they were by the end of production (john rhys-davies was the only one not to get one bc he said his stunt double, who does have a matching tattoo, did most of the hard work for him! ha!). the films put new zealand on the map and jackson opened the door for kiwi filmmakers of his generation and beyond in a way the world had never seen before. fun fact! the films also employed a huge number of Māori actors and you can actually hear and watch them doing the haka during specific battle scenes.
lotr is the perfect marriage of both 20th and 21st century filmmaking, expertly utilizing award winning practical and special effects mixed with cgi to create something wholly unique and almost timeless. compared to the two towers and return of the king being colour graded digitally, fellowship was still physically graded via colour timing (colourizing film in a lab, traditionally how all colour films were developed before the digital age), a prime example of just how new digital colour grading was in the industry. gollum was also a big first for the film industry: andy serkis shot his scenes in a motion capture suit (opposite elijah wood and sean astin), and the level of work weta digital put in to bring gollum to life resulting in such a sheer level realism was unprecedented. gollum still stands the test of time today and has aged incredibly well. the ai software, massive, was also developed for the first time for lotr to create large crowds and armies via visual effects, and changed the visual effects and 3d animation game forever. every single (computer generated) battle and crowd sequence you see in film & tv today is thanks to this software and lotr. the first time it was used was for the battle at helm's deep sequence during the two towers - and even then, that scene took over 100 days to film! the lord of the rings trilogy has been nominated 30 times and won 17 academy awards, honouring their revolutionary work in cinematography, score, visual effects, sound and picture editing, costume design, adapted screenplay, and more, and the return of the king was the first fantasy film ever to win best picture. the return of the king also accumulated eleven (!!) oscar wins, a record tied with titanic and ben-hur. aside from academy awards, the films, crew and cast have been nominated and awarded by countless guilds, boards and various awards ceremonies alike.
the rings of power however is a soulless cash grab that actively shits on tolkien's work, which is only loosely based on the novels at best. there are countless tolkien experts that can explain this much better than me, if you're interested in learning more i highly recommend reading up on it. the portrayal of galadriel alone is so severely out of character (just from the trailers!), i would argue these characters we know and love from the lotr books and films may as well be from an alternate reality of middle-earth. peter jackson and fran walsh are not affiliated with the rings of power. much like the house of the dragon, this is yet another attempt at attracting streams through the promise of nostalgia-bait, and it's riding the success of what came before it. and no, this is not because im a racist, woman-hating, anti-progressive, and elitist tolkienist, and the people who say this are performative and dont actually understand the underlying issue. the rings of power was funded because of jeff bezos personally involving himself in negotiations, and the series was created because he wanted it to be after obtaining the rights to develop a tv show. showrunners will label people like me criticizing and asking people not to support the series as anti-progressive until the cows come home because it makes them look good. if you still care about boycotting amazon, boycott this show. it's directly tied to bezos and his rotten money. if you must watch it purely for entertainment, fine, but this is a gentle reminder that pirating is easy and free <3
#this was a reply to my own post but linds pointed out most people would overlook a 'read more' so ty linds <3#anyway copy + pasting my tags here:#guess i cant shut up about lotr! :)#please dont watch the rings of power for the love of GOD#before anyone comes for me about the show also being filmed in nz well guess what :) they're filming the next season in london :)#which means it will be shot almost entirely on blue/green screen#so do with that what you will !#lotr#lord of the rings#lotr trilogy#the lord of the rings#jrr tolkien#the rings of power#amazon#jeff bezos#sammy.txt
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Oscar nominations incoming (for costume design)
I know it's too early but I really have no doubt (especially if they campaign hard enough) that the costume and production design nominations are in the bag and they have a shot at best original song because they wrote at least two I just don't know if they're gonna be in part 1 or 2
Ariana and Cynthia just need to perform at the Oscars next year
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Diana Ross
Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer, actress, and record producer. Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Ross rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group The Supremes, who during the 1960s became Motown's most successful act, and are the best-charting female group in US history, as well as one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. The group released a record-setting twelve number one hit singles on the US Billboard Hot 100, including "Where Did Our Love Go", "Baby Love", "Come See About Me", "Stop! In the Name of Love", "You Can't Hurry Love", "You Keep Me Hangin' On", "Love Child", and "Someday We'll Be Together".
Following her departure from the Supremes in 1970, Ross released her eponymous debut solo album that same year, featuring the No. 1 Pop hit "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". She later released the album Touch Me in the Morning in 1973; its title track was her second solo No. 1 hit. She continued a successful solo career through the 1970s, which included hit albums like Mahogany and Diana Ross and their No. 1 hit singles, "Theme from Mahogany" and "Love Hangover", respectively. Her 1980 album Diana produced another No. 1 single, "Upside Down", as well as the international hit "I'm Coming Out". Her final single with Motown during her initial run with the company achieved her sixth and final US number one Pop hit, the duet "Endless Love" featuring Lionel Richie, whose solo career was launched with its success.
Ross has also ventured into acting, with a Golden Globe Award-winning and Academy Award–nominated performance in the film Lady Sings the Blues (1972); she recorded its soundtrack, which became a number one hit. She also starred in two other feature films, Mahogany (1975) and The Wiz (1978), later acting in the television films Out of Darkness (1994), for which she also was nominated for a Golden Globe Award, and Double Platinum (1999).
She is the only female artist to have number one singles as a solo artist; as the other half of a duet (Lionel Richie); as a member of a trio; and as an ensemble member (We are the World-USA for Africa). In 1976, Ross was named the "Female Entertainer of the Century" by Billboard magazine. In 1993, the Guinness Book of World Records declared her the most successful female music artist in history, due to her success in the United States and United Kingdom for having more hits than any female artist in the charts, with a career total of 70 hit singles with her work with the Supremes and as a solo artist. She had a top 10 UK hit in every one of the last five decades, and sang lead on a top 75 hit single at least once every year from 1964 to 1996 in the UK, a period of 33 consecutive years and a record for any performer.
In 1988, Ross was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Supremes, alongside Mary Wilson and Florence Ballard. She was the recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors in 2007, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016. Ross is also one of the few recording artists to have two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—one as a solo artist and the other as a member of the Supremes. In Billboard magazine's Greatest of All Time Hot 100 Artists chart, she ranked 16th as the lead singer of the Supremes and 26th as a solo artist. Diana Ross ranks among the Top 5 artists of the rock era (1955 to date) on the Billboard Hot 100 when combining her solo and Supremes' hits.
Early life
Diana Ross was born in Detroit, Michigan on March 26, 1944. She was the second-eldest child of Ernestine (née Moten; January 27, 1916 – October 9, 1984) and Fred Ross, Sr. (July 4, 1920 – November 21, 2007). Ross's elder sister is American physician Barbara Ross-Lee.
According to Ross, her mother actually named her "Diane", but, a clerical error resulted in her name being recorded as "Diana" on her birth certificate. She was listed as "Diane" during the first Supremes records, and she introduced herself as "Diane" until early in the group's heyday. Her friends and family still call her "Diane".
Ross's grandfather John E. Ross, a native of Gloucester County, Virginia, was born to Washington Ross and Virginia Baytop. Virginia Baytop's mother Francis "Frankey" Baytop was a former slave who had become a midwife after the Civil War.
Ross and her family originally lived on Belmont Road in the North End section of Detroit, near Highland Park, Michigan, where her neighbor was Smokey Robinson. When Ross was seven, her mother contracted tuberculosis, causing her to become seriously ill. Ross's father moved with his children to live with relatives in Bessemer, Alabama. After her mother recovered, her family moved back to Detroit.
On her 14th birthday in 1958, her family relocated to the working-class Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects settling at St. Antoine Street. Attending Cass Technical High School, a four-year college and preparatory magnet school, in downtown Detroit, Ross began taking classes including clothing design, millinery, pattern making, and tailoring, as she had aspired to become a fashion designer. She also took modeling and cosmetology classes at the school and participated in three or four other extracurricular activities while being there.
Ross also worked at Hudson's Department Store where it has been claimed in biographies, she was the first black employee "allowed outside the kitchen". For extra income, she provided hairdressing services for her neighbors. Ross graduated from Cass Tech in January 1962.
Career
The Supremes: 1959–1970
At fifteen, Ross joined the Primettes, a sister group of a male vocal group called the Primes, after being brought to the attention of music manager Milton Jenkins by Primes member Paul Williams. Along with Ross, the other members included Florence Ballard, the first group member hired by Jenkins, Mary Wilson, and Betty McGlown. Following a talent competition win in Windsor, Ontario, in 1960, the Primettes were invited to audition for Motown records.
Later, following local success via live performances at sock hops, etc., Ross approached former neighbor (and rumored childhood former boyfriend), William "Smokey" Robinson, who insisted that the group audition for him first. Robinson agreed to bring the Primettes to Motown, in exchange for letting him and the Miracles hire the Primettes' guitarist, Marv Tarplin, for an upcoming tour. Tarplin played in Robinson's band(s) for the next 30-plus years.
In her autobiography, "Secrets of a Sparrow", Ross wrote that she felt that deal was "a fair trade". The Primettes later auditioned for Motown Records, before various Motown executives. In Berry Gordy's autobiography, To Be Loved, Gordy recalled he was heading to a business meeting when he heard Ross singing "There Goes My Baby" and Ross's voice "stopped me in my tracks". He approached the group and asked them to perform it again but, learning of their ages, Gordy advised them to come back after graduating from high school.
Undeterred, the group went to Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. headquarters regularly, offering to provide extra help for Motown's recordings, often including hand claps and background vocals. That year, the group recorded two tracks for Lu Pine Records, with Ross singing lead on one of the tracks. During the group's early years, Ross served as hair stylist, make-up artist, seamstress, and costume designer. In late 1960, having replaced McGlown with Barbara Martin, the Primettes were allowed to record their own songs at Hitsville's studio, many written by "Smokey" Robinson, who, by then, was vice president of Motown ("Your Heart Belongs to Me" and "A Breathtaking Guy"). Gordy, too, composed songs for the trio, including "Buttered Popcorn" (featuring Ballard on lead) and "Let Me Go the Right Way". While these songs were regional hits, they were not nationwide successes.
In January 1961, Gordy agreed to sign the group on the condition they change their name. Eventually, Janie Bradford approached Florence Ballard, the only group member at the studio at the time, to pick out a new name for the group. Ballard chose "Supremes", reportedly, because it was the only name on the list that did not end with "ette". Upon hearing the new name, the other members weren't impressed, with Ross telling Ballard she feared the group would be mistaken for a male vocal group (a male vocal group was, indeed, named the Supremes). Gordy signed the group under their name on January 15, 1961.
A year later, Barbara Martin left the group, reducing the quartet to a trio. In late 1963, the group had their first hit with "When the Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes", peaking at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart. At the end of the year, Gordy assigned Ross as the group's lead singer, even though Ballard was usually the lead vocalist.
The group scored their first number-one hit with "Where Did Our Love Go", paving the way for unprecedented success: between August 1964 and May 1967, Ross, Wilson, and Ballard sang on ten number-one hit singles, all of which also made the UK top 40. The group had also become a hit with audiences both domestically and abroad, going on to become Motown's most successful vocal act throughout the sixties. Following significant issues with her comportment, weight, and alcoholism, Florence Ballard was fired from the Supremes by Gordy in July 1967, hiring Cindy Birdsong from Patti LaBelle and the Blue-Bells as Ballard's replacement.
Gordy renamed the group Diana Ross & the Supremes, making it easier to charge a larger performance fee for a solo star and a backing group, as it did for other renamed Motown groups. Gordy initially considered Ross leaving the Supremes for a solo career in 1966 but changed his mind because the group's success was still too significant for Ross to pursue solo obligations. Ross remained with the Supremes until early 1970.
The group appeared as a trio of singing nuns in a 1968 episode of the popular NBC TV series Tarzan. Between their early 1968 single "Forever Came Today" and their final single with Ross, "Someday We'll Be Together", Ross would be the only Supremes member to be featured on many of their recordings, often accompanied by session singers the Andantes or, as in the case of "Someday, We'll Be Together", Julia and Maxine Waters and Johnny Bristol. Still, Wilson and Birdsong continued to sing on recordings.
Gordy, drove Ross diligently throughout this period and Ross, due to anxiety arising from Gordy's demands of her, began suffering from anorexia nervosa, according to her autobiography, Secrets of a Sparrow. During a 1967 performance in Boston, Massachusetts, Ross collapsed onstage, and had to be hospitalized for exhaustion.
In 1968, Ross began to perform as a solo artist on television specials, including the Supremes' own specials such as TCB and G.I.T. on Broadway, The Dinah Shore Show, and a Bob Hope special, among others. In mid-1969, Gordy decided that Ross would depart the group by the end of that year, and Ross began recording her initial solo work that July. One of the first plans for Ross to establish her own solo career was to publicly introduce a new Motown recording act.
Though she herself did not claim their discovery, Motown's publicity department credited Ross with having discovered the Jackson 5. Ross would introduce the group during several public events, including The Hollywood Palace. In November, Ross confirmed a split from the Supremes in Billboard. Ross' presumed first solo recording, "Someday We'll Be Together", was eventually released as a Supremes recording and became the group's final number-one hit on the Hot 100. It was also the final number-one Billboard Hot 100 single of the 1960s. Ross made her final appearance with the Supremes at the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 14, 1970.
Solo career,Touch Me in the Morning, Duets album, Lady Sings the Blues soundtrack and diana: 1970–1981
In May 1970, Ross released her eponymous solo debut, which included her signature songs, "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", the latter becoming Ross' first number-one solo single. Follow-up albums, Everything Is Everything and Surrender came out shortly afterwards. In 1971, the ballad "I'm Still Waiting" became her first number-one single in the UK. Later in 1971, Ross starred in her first solo television special, Diana!, which included the Jackson 5.
In 1972, the soundtrack to her film debut, Lady Sings the Blues, reached number one on the Billboard 200, selling two million units. In 1973, Ross had her second number-one hit with the ballad "Touch Me in the Morning". Later in the year, Motown issued Diana & Marvin, a duet album with fellow Motown artist Marvin Gaye. The album became an international hit. Touring throughout 1973, Ross became the first entertainer in Japan's history to receive an invitation to the Imperial Palace for a private audience with the Empress Nagako, wife of Emperor Hirohito.
In April 1974, Ross became the first African-American woman to co-host the 46th Academy Awards, with John Huston, Burt Reynolds, and David Niven.
After the release of a modestly successful LP, Last Time I Saw Him, Ross had a third number-one hit with "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)", from her second feature film, Mahogany. A year later, in 1976, Ross released her fourth solo number-one hit, "Love Hangover", a sensual, dramatic mid-tempo song that bursts into an uptempo disco tune. Later that year, Ross launched her "An Evening with Diana Ross" tour. The tour's success led to a two-week stint at Broadway's Palace Theatre and a 90-minute, Emmy-nominated television special of the same name, featuring special make-up effects by Stan Winston, for a scene in which Ross portrayed legendary cabaret artist Josephine Baker and blues singers Bessie Smith and Ethel Waters, and a Special Tony Award.
The albums Baby It's Me and Ross sold modestly. In 1979, Ross released The Boss, continuing her popularity with dance audiences, as the title song became a number-one dance single. On July 16, 1979, Ross guest-hosted an episode of Johnny Carson's The Tonight Show, featuring Lynda Carter, George Carlin, and Muhammad Ali as guests. Later that year, Ross hosted the HBO special, Standing Room Only, filmed at Caesar's Palace's Circus Maximus Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada, during her "Tour '79" concert tour. This concert special is noted for its opening, during which Ross literally makes her entrance through a movie screen. In November of that year, Ross performed The Boss album's title track as a featured artist during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, in New York City.
In 1980, Ross released her most successful album to date, Diana. Composed by Chic's Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, the album included the hits "I'm Coming Out" and "Upside Down", the latter becoming her fifth chart-topping single. Prior to leaving Motown, Ross recorded the duet ballad "Endless Love", with Lionel Richie. The song would become her sixth and final single to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Ross began negotiations to leave Motown at the end of 1980. After over 20 years with the label, Ross received US$250,000 as severance. RCA Records offered Ross a $20 million, seven-year recording contract, which gave her complete production control of her albums. Allegedly, before signing onto the label, Ross asked Berry Gordy if he could match RCA's offer. Gordy stated that doing so was "impossible". Ross then signed with RCA on May 20, 1981. At the time, Ross's was music history's most expensive recording deal.
Film career: 1972–1999
In 1971, Diana Ross began working on her first film, Lady Sings the Blues, which was a loosely based biography on singer Billie Holiday. Despite some criticism of her for taking the role, once the film opened in October 1972, Ross won critical acclaim for her performance in the film. Jazz critic Leonard Feather, a friend of Holiday's, praised Ross for "expertly capturing the essence of Lady Day". Ross's role in the film won her Golden Globe Award and Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. The soundtrack to Lady Sings the Blues became just as successful, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200 staying there for two weeks.
Ross's second film, Mahogany, was released in 1975. The film reunited her with Billy Dee Williams, her co-star in Lady Sings the Blues and featured costumes designed by Ross herself. The story of an aspiring fashion designer who becomes a runway model and the toast of the industry, Mahogany was a troubled production from its inception. The film's original director, Tony Richardson, was fired during production, and Berry Gordy assumed the director's chair himself.
In addition, Gordy and Ross clashed during filming, with Ross leaving the production before shooting was completed, forcing Gordy to use secretary Edna Anderson as a body double for Ross. While a box-office success, the film was not well received by the critics: Time magazine's review of the film chastised Gordy for "squandering one of America's most natural resources: Diana Ross."
In 1977, Motown acquired the film rights to the Broadway play The Wiz, an African-American reinterpretation of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. The film initially was to include the stage actors who had performed on the play, but, producer Rob Cohen could not garner the interest of any major Hollywood film studios. It was not until Ross convinced Cohen to cast her, (instead of Stephanie Mills, who portrayed Dorothy on Broadway) as Dorothy that Universal Pictures agreed to finance the production. This casting decision led to a change in the film's script, in which Dorothy went from a schoolgirl to a schoolteacher. The role of the Scarecrow, also performed by someone else onstage, was eventually given to Ross's former Motown labelmate, Michael Jackson.
The film adaptation of The Wiz had been a $24 million production, but upon its October 1978 release, it earned only $21,049,053 at the box office. Though pre-release television broadcast rights had been sold to CBS for over $10 million, the film produced a net loss of $10.4 million for Motown and Universal. At the time, it was the most expensive film musical ever made. The film's failure ended Ross's short career on the big screen and contributed to the Hollywood studios' reluctance to produce the all-black film projects which had become popular during the blaxploitation era of the early to mid-1970s for several years. The Wiz was Ross's final film for Motown.
Ross had success with movie-themed songs. The soundtrack for Lady Sings the Blues peaked at number one on Billboard's Pop chart, selling over 300,000 copies in its first eight days of release. While her version of Holiday's "Good Morning Heartache" only performed modestly well in early 1973, her recording of "Theme from Mahogany (Do You Know Where You're Going To)" gave Ross her third number-one hit, in late 1975.
Three years later, Ross and Michael Jackson had a modest dance hit with their recording of "Ease on Down the Road". Their second duet, actually as part of the ensemble of The Wiz, "Brand New Day", found some success overseas. Ross scored a Top 10 hit in late 1980 with the theme song to the 1980 film It's My Turn. The following year, she collaborated with former Commodores singer-songwriter Lionel Richie on the theme song for the film Endless Love. The Academy Award-nominated title single became her final hit on Motown Records and the number-two record of the year.
Several years later, in 1988, Ross recorded the theme song to The Land Before Time. "If We Hold on Together" became an international hit, reaching number one in Japan.
In 1993, Ross returned to acting with a dramatic role in the television film, Out of Darkness. Ross won acclaim for her role in the TV movie and earned her third Golden Globe nomination, although she did not win. In 1999, she and Brandy Norwood co-starred in the television movie, Double Platinum, which was aired prior to the release of Ross's album, Every Day Is a New Day.
Continued solo career and development: 1981–1999
In October 1981, Ross released her first RCA album, Why Do Fools Fall in Love. The album sold over a million copies and featured hit singles such as her remake of the classic hit of the same name and "Mirror Mirror". Shortly thereafter, Ross established her production company, named Anaid Productions ("Diana" spelled backwards), and also began investing in real estate and touring extensively in the United States and abroad.
Before the release of Why Do Fools Fall in Love, Ross hosted her first TV special in four years, Diana. Directed by Steve Binder, the concert portions of the special were filmed at Inglewood, California's 17,500-seat The Forum indoor stadium and featured performances by Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Dallas actor Larry Hagman, music impresario Quincy Jones and members of The Joffrey Ballet.
In early 1982, Ross sang the "Star-Spangled Banner" at Super Bowl XVI and appeared on the dance show Soul Train. The program devoted a full episode to her and Ross performed several songs from the Why Do Fools Fall in Love album.
On May 6, 1982, Ross was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
In 1982, she followed up the success of Why Do Fools Fall in Love with Silk Electric, which featured the Michael Jackson-written and -produced "Muscles", resulting in another top-ten success for Ross. The album eventually went gold on the strength of that song. In 1983, Ross ventured further out of her earlier soul-based sound for a more pop rock-oriented sound following the release of the Ross album. Though the album featured the top 40 hit single, "Pieces of Ice", the Ross album did not generate any more hits or achieve gold status.
On July 21, 1983, Ross performed a free concert on Central Park's Great Lawn, aired live worldwide by Showtime. Proceeds of the concert would be donated to build a playground in the singer's name. Midway through the beginning of the show, a torrential downpour began. Ross tried to continue performing, but, the severe weather required that the show be stopped after 45 minutes. Ross urged the large crowd to exit the venue safely, promising to perform the next day.
The second concert held the very next day was without rain. The funds for the playground were to be derived from sales of various memorabilia. However, they were destroyed by the storm. When the mainstream media discovered the exorbitant costs of the two concerts, Ross faced criticism from New York City's then-mayor Ed Koch and the city's Parks Department commissioner and poor publicity. During a subsequent mayoral press conference, Ross handed Koch a check for US$250,000 for the project. The Diana Ross Playground was built three years later.
In 1984, Ross released Swept Away. The album featured All of You, a duet with friend Julio Iglesias. The single was featured on both Ross' album and Iglesias' 1100 Bel Air Place, his first English-language album. It became an international hit, as did the Lionel Richie-penned ballad "Missing You", composed as a tribute to Marvin Gaye, who had died earlier that year. Swept Away garnered gold record sales status.
Her 1985 album, Eaten Alive, found major success overseas. "Chain Reaction" reached number one on the UK charts as well as in Australia and Ireland and the title track also performed well. Both songs had strong music videos that propelled the tracks to success. The Eaten Alive video was patterned after the 1960s horror film, The Island of Dr. Moreau while the "Chain Reaction" music video saluted the 1960s American Bandstand-style music shows. "Experience", the third international single's video reignited the "Eaten Alive" romantic storyline with Diana and actor Joseph Gian. The track, Eaten Alive, a collaboration with Barry Gibb and Michael Jackson, became a top 20 hit internationally.
The Barry Gibb-produced album garnered an international number one in "Chain Reaction" and a Top 20 selling album. It is believed Michael Finbarr Murphy, a distant cousin of Alan Murphy, guitarist for singer Kate Bush, Level 42 and others, played the guitar parts on "Chain Reaction". Michael was the producer for Unknown Quantity, the backing vocalists featured on the "Chain Reaction" track, are also featured as Ross' backing singers in the track's video. There were four members of Unknown Quantity, however, only 3 were needed for the video.
Earlier in 1985, Ross appeared as part of USA for Africa's '"We Are the World"' charity single, which sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Ross's 1987 follow-up to Eaten Alive, Red Hot Rhythm & Blues (No. 39 Billboard Top R&B Albums chart; No. 12 Sweden), found less success than the prior album. The accompanying acclaimed television special was nominated for three Emmy Awards, winning two (Outstanding Costume Design for a Variety or Music Program - Ray Aghayan and Ret Turner; Outstanding Lighting Direction (Electronic) for a Miniseries or a Special - Greg Brunton).
On January 27, 1986, Ross hosted the 13th annual American Music Awards. Ross returned the next year to host the 14th annual telecast.
In 1988, Ross chose to not renew her RCA contract, and had been in talks with her former mentor Berry Gordy to return to Motown. When she learned of Gordy's plans to sell Motown, Ross tried advising him against the decision though he sold it to MCA Records in 1988. Following the sale of the company, Ross was asked to return to the Motown label with the condition that she have shares in the company as a part-owner. Ross accepted the offer.
Ross' next album, 1989's Workin' Overtime was not a commercial success, despite the title track reaching the top three of the Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The album peaked at number 34 on the Billboard Hot R&B Albums chart, and achieved top 25 placings in Japan and the UK, attaining a silver certification in the latter country. Subsequent releases, such as The Force Behind the Power (1991), Take Me Higher (1995), and Every Day Is a New Day (1999) produced similar results. Ross's albums achieved more international than domestic success.
In 1991, Ross became one of the few American artists to have headlined the annual Royal Variety Performance, performing a selection of her UK hits before Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at the Victoria Palace Theatre, London.
"The Force Behind the Power" sparked an international comeback of sorts when the album went double platinum in the UK. led by the No. 2 UK hit single "When You Tell Me That You Love Me". The single's duet version with Irish group, Westlife, also hit No. 2 in the UK in 2005. The album performed well across Europe and into Japan as "The Force Behind the Power" achieved Gold record status in the nation. The album produced an astounding 9 singles across international territories, including another Top 10 hit, "One Shining Moment".
In 1994, One Woman: The Ultimate Collection, a career retrospective compilation, became a number one hit in the UK, selling quadruple platinum, and selling well across Europe and in the English-speaking world. The retrospective was EMI's alternative to Motown's box set Forever Diana: Musical Memoirs.
Ross performed during the Opening Ceremony of the 1994 FIFA World Cup held in Chicago, where she infamously missed a penalty kick that was part of her act, and during the pre-match entertainment of the 1995 Rugby League World Cup final at Wembley Stadium.
On January 28, 1996, Ross performed the halftime show at Super Bowl XXX. Earlier that month, Ross' Tokyo concert, "Diana Ross: Live In Japan" filmed live at the city's Nippon Bodukan Stadium, was released.
In May, 1996, Ross received the World Music Awards' Lifelong Contribution to the Music Industry Award.
On November 29, 1996, EMI released the compilation album, Voice of Love, featuring the singles "In the Ones You Love", "You Are Not Alone" and "I Hear (The Voice of Love)".
On February 8, 1997, EMI released the Japanese edition of Ross' album, A Gift of Love, featuring the single, "Promise Me You'll Try".
In May, 1997, Ross performed with operatic tenors Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras again at the Superconcert of the Century concert, held in Taipei, Taiwan.
On May 6, 1997, Ross inducted The Jackson 5 into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
On February 19, 1998, Ross hosted the Motown 40 telecast on ABC.
In 1999, Ross was named the most successful female singer in the history of the United Kingdom charts, based upon a tally of her career hits. Madonna would soon succeed Ross as the most successful female artist in the UK. Later that year, Ross presented at the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards in September of the year and shocked the audience by touching rapper Lil' Kim's exposed breast, pasty-covered nipple, amazed at the young rapper's brashness.
Supremes reunions, Return to Love and 2002 solo tour
Ross reunited with Mary Wilson first in 1976 to attend the funeral service of Florence Ballard, who had died in February of that year. In March 1983, Ross agreed to reunite with Wilson and Cindy Birdsong for the television special "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever". The Supremes did not rehearse their performance for that evening, due to time constraints. A scheduled medley of hits was cancelled.
Instead of following producer Suzanne dePasse's instructions to recreate their choreography from their final Ed Sullivan Show appearance, Wilson (according to her autobiography) planned with Birdsong to take a step forward every time Ross did the same, then began to sing lead on the group's final number-one hit song, "Someday We'll Be Together", on which Wilson did not perform.
Later, Wilson introduced Berry Gordy from the stage (unaware that the program's script called for Ross to introduce Gordy), at which point Ross subtly pushed down Wilson's hand-held microphone, stating, "It's been taken care of." Ross then re-introduced Gordy. These moments were excised from the final edit of the taped special, but still made their way into the news media; People magazine reported that "Ross [did] some elbowing to get Wilson out of the spotlight."
In 1999, Ross and mega-tour promoter SFX (which later became LiveNation) began negotiations regarding a Diana Ross tour which would include a Supremes segment. During negotiations with Ross, the promoters considered the creation of a Supremes tour, instead. Ross agreed. As the tour's co-producer, Ross invited all living former Supremes to participate. Neither Jean Terrell nor late 1970s member Susaye Greene chose to participate. 70s Supremes Lynda Laurence and Scherrie Payne were then touring as Former Ladies of the Supremes.
Ross contacted Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong, who then began negotiations with SFX. Negotiations with Wilson and Birdsong (who allowed Wilson to negotiate on her behalf) failed when Wilson refused SFX's and Ross' offer of $4 Million for 30 performances. Following the passage of SFX's final deadline for Wilson to accept their offer. Payne and Laurence, already negotiating with SFX, signed on to perform with Ross on the tour.
Laurence and Payne would later say that they got along well with Ross. The newly formed group performed together on The Today Show and The Oprah Winfrey Show, as well as VH1's Divas 2000: A tribute To Diana Ross. The Return to Love tour launched in June 2000, to a capacity audience in Philadelphia. The tour's final performance was at New York City's Madison Square Garden. The tour was cancelled by SFX shortly thereafter, due to mediocre ticket sales, despite glowing reviews from media as varied as Billboard magazine, The Detroit Free Press, the Los Angeles Times and The Village Voice newspapers.
On December 5, 2000, Ross received a Heroes Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS). The Heroes Award is the highest distinction bestowed by the New York Chapter.
Diana Ross' first public post-RTL appearance was at a fundraiser for former President Bill Clinton. In January 2001, "Love & Life: The Very Best of Diana Ross" was released in the United Kingdom, becoming Ross' 17th gold album in that country. In June, Ross presented costume designer Bob Mackie with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the American Fashion Awards.
Two days before the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Ross performed "God Bless America" at the U.S. Open tennis championships before the tournament's women's final, between Venus and Serena Williams. Immediately following the attacks, Ross performed the song again at Shea Stadium, before the Mets first game, after driving cross-country to be with her children(In the wake of the attacks, flying in the U.S. was temporarily restricted.). Ross teamed with legendary singers Patti LaBelle, Eartha Kitt among others for a Nile Rodgers-produced recording of Sister Sledge's classic disco hit, "We Are Family", recorded to benefit the families of 9/11 victims.
In May 2002, Ross and all five of her children appeared on Barbara Walters' Mother's Day television special. Shortly thereafter, Ross admitted herself into the 30-day substance abuse program at the Promises Institute in Malibu, California, after friends and family began to notice a burgeoning alcohol problem. Ross left the program three weeks later, and began to fulfill previously scheduled concert dates, beginning with a performance before a 60,000-strong crowd at London's Hyde Park, for Prince Charles' Prince's Trust charity.
U.S. ticket sales for the new tour were brisk, from coast to coast. Venues such as Long Island, New York's Westbury Music Fair and California's Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts and Humphrey's Concerts by the Bay attempted to add extra shows, due to public demand. Sold-out performances in Boston and Ontario, Canada, followed. In August, shortly after the tour began, however, Ross re-entered the Promises Institute's substance abuse rehabilitation program. That December, during her stay at Arizona's Canyon ranch Health Resort, Ross was pulled over by Tucson police for driving the wrong way on a one-way street. She failed a breathalizer test and was arrested for a DUI. Ross was later sentenced to 48 hours in jail, which she served near her home in Greenwich, Connecticut.
In January 2003, Ross was honored as Humanitarian of the Year by Nile Rodgers' We Are Family Foundation. Shortly thereafter, Ross was feted as an honored guest at the National Association of Black-Owned Broadcasters Awards. Later that year, Ross was the guest performer at that year's Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute's annual gala, in an ensemble custom-designed by designer Tom Ford, followed by an appearance as the surprise celebrity model for American couturier Dennis Basso's runway show.
In February, 2003, The Supremes were honored by The Rhythm & Blues Foundation honored The Supremes with its Pioneer Award.
Later career: 2004–present
In May 2004, Ross and daughter Tracee Ellis Ross appeared on the cover of Essence Magazine, in celebration of its 50th anniversary. On December 8, 2004, Ross was the featured performer for Stevie Wonder's Billboard Awards' Billboard Century Award tribute.
On January 14, 2005, Ross performed at the Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope TV concert to help raise money for Indonesian tsunami victims. On January 20, 2005, Ross launched her M.A.C. Icon makeup collection, as part of the beauty corporation's Icon Series. In 2005, Ross participated in Rod Stewart's Thanks for the Memory: The Great American Songbook, Volume IV recording a duet version of the Gershwin standard, "I've Got a Crush on You". The song was released as promotion for the album and later reached number 19 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart, marking her first Billboard chart entry since 2000. Ross was featured in another hit duet, this time with Westlife, on a cover of Ross's 1991 hit "When You Tell Me You Love Me", repeating the original recording's chart success, garnering a number 2 UK Singles Chart hit (number 1 in Ireland).
Also in 2005, Ross was featured as an honored guest at Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball Weekend, a three-day celebration honoring 25 African-American women in art, entertainment and civil rights. On May 22, 2006, a year after the celebration, a one-hour program about the weekend aired on ABC, including celebrity interviews and behind-the-scenes moments. On March 22, 2006, Ross' televised Central Park concerts, entitled "For One & for All", are named TV Land Awards' Viewer's Choice for Television's Greatest Music Moment.
In June 2006, Universal released Ross's shelved 1972 Blue album. It peaked at number two on Billboard's jazz albums chart. Later in 2006, Ross released her first studio album in seven years with I Love You. It would be released on EMI/Manhattan Records in the United States in January 2007. EMI Inside later reported the album had sold more than 622,000 copies worldwide. "I Love You" peaked at No. 32 on Billboard's Hot 200 albums chart and No. 16 on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart. Ross later ventured on a world tour to promote I Love You. In 2007, Ross was honored with the BET Awards' Lifetime Achievement Award and, later, as one of the honorees at the Kennedy Center Honors.
On August 28, 2008, Ross performed at the opening of the US Open tennis tournament, as part of a tribute to Billie Jean King. Ross headlined the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo, Norway.
In October 2009, Ross was the featured performer at the annual "Symphonica in Rosso" concert series, held at the GelreDome Stadium in Arnhem, Netherlands.
In 2010, Ross embarked on her first headlining tour in three years titled the More Today Than Yesterday: The Greatest Hits Tour. Dedicated to the memory of her late friend Michael Jackson, the concert tour garnered positive reviews, nationwide.
In 2011, Diana Ross was inducted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame.
In February 2012, Ross received her first Grammy Award, for Lifetime Achievement, and announced the nominees for the Album of the Year. In May, a DVD of her Central Park concert performances, For One & For All, was released and featured commentary from Steve Binder, who directed the special. A month later, on December 9, she performed as the marquee and headlining performer at the White House-hosted Christmas in Washington concert, where she performed before President Barack Obama. The event was later broadcast as an annual special on TNT. In 2013, Ross completed a tour in South America and a tour in the United States. On July 3, 2014, Ross was awarded the Ella Fitzgerald Award for "her extraordinary contribution to contemporary jazz vocals", at the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal. On November 20, 2014, Ross presented the Dick Clark Award for Excellence to Taylor Swift at the American Music Awards.
In 2015, Ross appeared in the video for the song "How to Live Alone" performed by her son Evan Ross. On April 1, 2015, Ross began the first of nine performances as a part of her mini-residency, The Essential Diana Ross: Some Memories Never Fade at The Venetian in Las Vegas, Nevada. On November 27, 2015, Motown Records/Universal released the album Diana Ross Sings Songs from The Wiz, recorded in 1978. The album features Ross' versions of songs from the film version of the musical The Wiz, in which she starred along with Michael Jackson, Nipsey Russell, Ted Ross, Richard Pryor and Lena Horn.
In February 2016, Ross resumed her In the Name of Love Tour, which began in 2013. On November 22, 2016, Ross was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama.
In December 2016, Billboard magazine named her the 50th most successful dance artist of all time.
On June 30, 2017, Ross headlined the Essence Festival in New Orleans, Louisiana, with her daughter Rhonda Ross-Kendrick performing as the opening act. On November 19, 2017, Ross received the American Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Award. Ross performed several of her hits, ending with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", during which she brought all of her grandchildren onstage. Her eldest grandson, eight-year-old Raif-Henok Emmanuel Kendrick, son of Rhonda Ross-Kendrick and husband, Rodney, performed an impromptu dance behind Ross, which gained attention. Ross was then joined onstage by all of her children, their spouses, first ex-husband Robert Ellis, Smokey Robinson (who brought Ross to Motown) and Motown founder, Berry Gordy.
In December 2017, Ross appeared on the Home Shopping Network to promote her first fragrance, Diamond Diana. The fragrance sold out within hours. Ross made several hour-long appearances on the network, and also released a tie-in CD retrospective collection of her music entitled Diamond Diana. Diamond Diana peaked at number six on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and number five on its Top Album Sales chart. The CD's first single release, "Ain't No Mountain High Enough 2017", remixed by Eric Kupper, reached number one on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
On February 8, 2018, Ross began a new mini-residency at The Wynn Las Vegas Hotel & Casino. On August 4, 2018, Ross scored another No. 1 hit on Billboard's Top Dance Chart with "I'm Coming Out/Upside Down 2018" She performed a song from a to-be-released compilation Christmas album at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 22, 2018.
In December 2018, Diana Ross consolidated her status as a dance diva by ranking #3 in the Billboard Dance Club Songs Artists year-end chart.
On February 10, 2019, the Recording Academy honored Ross at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards. Ross performed "The Best Years of My Life" and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)". In 2019 her song "The Boss" was remixed by Eric Kupper as "The Boss 2019", and reached number one on Billboard's Top Dance Chart on April 13.
On October 10, 2019, it was announced that Diana Ross would play the Sunday legends slot on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival for the festival's 50th anniversary.
Personal life
Relationships and family
Ross has been married twice and has five children.
In 1965, Ross became romantically involved with Motown CEO Berry Gordy. The relationship lasted several years, resulting in the birth of Ross's eldest child, Rhonda Suzanne Silberstein, in August 1971. Two months into her pregnancy with Rhonda, in January 1971, Ross married music executive Robert Ellis Silberstein, who raised Rhonda as his own daughter, despite knowing her true paternity. Ross told Rhonda that Gordy was her biological father when Rhonda was 13 years old. Beforehand, Rhonda referred to Gordy as "Uncle B.B."
Ross has two daughters with Silberstein, Tracee Joy and Chudney Lane Silberstein, born in 1972 and 1975, respectively. Ross and Silberstein divorced in 1977, and Ross moved to New York City in the early 1980s, after living in Los Angeles since Motown relocated to the area in the early 1970s.
Ross dated Gene Simmons, bass guitarist and singer for the band Kiss, from 1980 to 1983. They began dating after Cher, who had remained friends with Simmons following their break-up, suggested he ask Ross to help him choose her Christmas present. Simmons, in his autobiography, contends that he was not dating Cher when he met Ross. Ross ended her relationship with Simmons when he gave Ross the erroneous impression that he had resumed his relationship with Cher. Simmons' story differed in 2015 when he revealed that he fell in love with Ross while dating Cher, which ended Ross and Cher's friendship.
Ross met her second husband, Norwegian shipping magnate Arne Næss Jr., in 1985, and married him the following year. She became stepmother to his three elder children; Katinka, Christoffer, and folk singer Leona Naess. They have two sons together: Ross Arne (born in 1987) and Evan Olav (born in 1988). Ross and Næss divorced in 2000, after press reports revealed that Naess had fathered a child with another woman in Norway. Ross considers Næss the love of her life. Næss fell to his death in a South African mountain climbing accident in 2004. Ross remains close with her three ex-stepchildren.
Ross has six grandchildren: grandson Raif-Henok (born in 2009 to her daughter Rhonda); grandsons Leif (born on June 5, 2016) and Idingo (born 2017), born to her son Ross Næss; granddaughters Callaway Lane (born in 2012) and Everlee (born October 2019) born to Ross's daughter Chudney; and granddaughter Jagger Snow (born in 2015 to Ross's son Evan).
Religious views
Diana Ross considers herself a Baptist. She used to sing in a church, where she gained her initial musical experience. Her mother Ernestine's father, Reverend William Moten, served as a pastor in the Bessemer Baptist Church in Bessemer, Alabama. The Ross children spent considerable time with their maternal grandparents during their mother's bouts with tuberculosis.
2002 arrest
Diana Ross was arrested for DUI on December 30, 2002, in Tucson, Arizona, while undergoing substance abuse treatment at a local rehabilitation facility. She later served a two-day sentence near her Connecticut estate.
Legacy
Ross has influenced many artists including Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, Madonna, Jade Thirlwall, Questlove, Ledisi and the Ting Tings.
Various works have been inspired by Ross's career and life. The character of Deena Jones in Dreamgirls was inspired by Ross.
Several of Ross's songs have been covered and sampled. "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" has been featured in the film Chicken Little. The song has also been covered live and on albums by Jennifer Lopez, Amy Winehouse. Janet Jackson sampled "Love Hangover" on her 1997 song "My Need" (featured on the album The Velvet Rope), having already sampled "Love Child" and "Someday We'll Be Together" by Ross & the Supremes on her 1993 tracks "You Want This" and "If" (both released as singles from the janet. album). "Love Hangover" was also sampled in Monica's 1998 number 1 "The First Night" as well as being sampled by Will Smith, Master P (who also sampled "Missing You"), Heavy D and Bone Thugs N Harmony, "It's Your Move" was sampled in 2011 by Vektroid for her song "Lisa Frank 420 / Modern Computing", which appeared in her ninth album Floral Shoppe under her one-time alias Macintosh Plus.
Motown: The Musical is a Broadway musical that launched on April 14, 2013. It is the story of Berry Gordy's creation of Motown Records and his romance with Diana Ross.
As a member of the Supremes, her songs "Stop! In the Name of Love" and "You Can't Hurry Love" are among the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994, and entered into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. In 2004, Rolling Stone placed the group at number 96 on their list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time".
As lead singer of the Supremes and as a solo artist, Ross has earned 18 number-one singles (12 as lead singer of the Supremes and 6 as a solo artist). While Mariah Carey is the only solo female artist to have 18 number-one U.S. singles, Ms. Ross is the only female artist to have number one singles as a solo artist; as the other half of a duet (Lionel Richie); as a member of a trio (the Supremes); and, as an ensemble member (We are the World-USA for Africa). Ross was featured on the Notorious B.I.G.'s 1997 number-one hit, "Mo Money Mo Problems" as her voice from her 1980 hit, "I'm Coming Out", was sampled for the song.
Billboard magazine named Ross the "female entertainer of the century" in 1976. In 1993, she earned a Guinness World Record, due to her success in the United States and United Kingdom for having more hits than any other female artist in the charts with a career total of 70 hit singles. Ross is also one of the few recording artists to have two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame—one as a solo artist and the other as a member of the Supremes. After her 1983 concert in Central Park, Diana Ross Playground was named in her honor with a groundbreaking opening ceremony in 1986.
Ross was given credit for the discovery of the Jackson 5. Her "discovery" was simply part of Motown's marketing and promotions plan for the Jackson 5. Consequently, their debut album was titled Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5. It was actually Motown producer Bobby Taylor who discovered the Jacksons. Even so, Ross embraced the role and became a good friend of Michael Jackson, serving as a mother figure to him.
In 2006, Diana was one of 25 African-American women saluted at Oprah Winfrey's Legends Ball, a three-day celebration, honoring their contributions to art, entertainment, and civil rights.
Diana Ross was named one of the Five Mighty Pop Divas of the Sixties along with Dusty Springfield, Aretha Franklin, Martha Reeves, and Dionne Warwick.
Awards and nominations
On November 16, 2016, Ross was announced as one of the 21 recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor.
Discography
Studio albums
Diana Ross (1970)
Everything Is Everything (1970)
Surrender (1971)
Touch Me in the Morning (1973)
Diana & Marvin (with Marvin Gaye) (1973)
Last Time I Saw Him (1973)
Diana Ross (1976)
Baby It's Me (1977)
Ross (1978)
The Boss (1979)
Diana (1980)
Why Do Fools Fall in Love (1981)
Silk Electric (1982)
Ross (1983)
Swept Away (1984)
Eaten Alive (1985)
Red Hot Rhythm & Blues (1987)
Workin' Overtime (1989)
The Force Behind the Power (1991)
A Very Special Season (1994)
Take Me Higher (1995)
Every Day Is a New Day (1999)
Blue (2006)
I Love You (2006)
Soundtrack albums
Diana! (1971)
Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
Mahogany (1975)
The Wiz (1978)
Endless Love: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (1981)
Live albums
Live at Caesars Palace (1974)
An Evening with Diana Ross (1977)
Greatest Hits Live (1989)
Stolen Moments: The Lady Sings... Jazz and Blues (1993)
Christmas in Vienna (with Plácido Domingo and José Carreras) (1993)
Filmography
Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
Mahogany (1975)
The Wiz (1978)
Out of Darkness * (1994)
Double Platinum * (1999)
(* = made directly for television)
Television
T.A.M.I. Show (with the Supremes) (1964)
Tarzan (with the Supremes) (1968)
TCB (with the Supremes) (1968)
The Dinah Shore Special: Like Hep (with Dinah Shore and Lucille Ball) (1969)
G.I.T. on Broadway (with the Supremes and the Temptations) (1969)
Diana! (1971)
The Jackson 5ive (1971)
Make Room for Granddaddy (1971)
Here I Am: An Evening with Diana Ross (1977)
The Muppet Show (1977)
Standing Room Only (HBO) (1980)
Diana! (TV Special) (1981)
Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever (1983)
Diana Ross: Live in Central Park/For One and For All (Showtime) (1983)
Diana Ross: Red Hot Rhythm and Blues (1987)
Diana Ross: Workin' Overtime HBO: World Stage (1989)
Diana Ross Live! The Lady Sings... Jazz & Blues: Stolen Moments (1992)
Christmas in Vienna (1992)
BET Walk of Fame (1993)
Always is Forever: 30th Anniversary (1993)
1994 FIFA World Cup (1994)
Super Bowl XXX (1996)
Super Concert of the Century (1997)
An Audience with Diana Ross (1999)
VH1 Divas 2000: A Tribute to Diana Ross (2000)
The Making and Meaning of We Are Family (documentary) (2002)
Tsunami Aid (2005)
BET Awards 2007 (2007)
Kennedy Center Honors (2007)
Nobel Peace Prize Concert (2008)
The Oprah Winfrey Show: Farewell and Salute (2011)
Christmas in Washington (2012)
The Voice (2014)
HSN (2017)
Ashlee+Evan (2018)
Stage
An Evening with Diana Ross (1976)
Tours
Headlining
Co-headlining tours
Superconcert of the Century (with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras) (1997)
Return to Love Tour (with former members of the Supremes) (2000)
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Jenny Beavan Biography – Costume Designer
Jenny Beavan is one of the renowned names in Hollywood. She is recognized for creating unforgettable dresses in numerous movies. In addition, she has more than four decades of costume design experience.
The costume designer has also earned many awards for her creative designs. For instance, she has won two Academy Awards in Best Costume Design. Furthermore, she is also nominated for Cruella in the 2022 Oscars.
So, let’s learn more about Beavan’s family, income, love life, children, and more in this biography. Read More
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Ryan Murphy’s latest installment in his award-winning “American Crime Story” franchise has everyone talking. According to Show Buzz Daily, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace” had 2.22 million viewers glued to their screen on the night of its premiere; by the following morning, Versace’s name was the most searched-for topic on the internet.
While it will only have nine episodes in total, “American Crime Story” has already proven itself to be Emmy-nominated material. The costume and set designs are absolutely phenomenal, and the resemblance between the actors and the people they are portraying is uncanny. From the heartbreaking emotions of Versace’s widowed lover Antonio D’Amico played by Ricky Martin to the tour de force that is Versace’s sister Donatella played by Penélope Cruz, “Versace” has all of the glamor, sex and scandals that make for quality television.
Undoubtedly, the most unforgettable element of this season’s hottest show is its antagonist, Andrew Cunanan. Portrayed by the charismatic Darren Criss, best remembered as Blaine Anderson from “Glee,” also created by Ryan Murphy, Andrew Cunanan is the true subject of the series. The first ten minutes of episode one are a chilling performance of the one thing Cunanan would be best known for doing: murdering acclaimed fashion designer Gianni Versace played by Édgar Ramírez. From there, viewers are taken back in time — and inside Cunanan’s mind — to explore the events that led to this shocking crime.
Only two episodes have aired so far, but that’s more than enough to prove that this is the role of Criss’ career. The actor does a first-rate job as Cunanan, capturing his desire for attention and the outrageous lengths he took to be noticed.
Not much was known about Andrew Cunanan back in 1997 when he shot Versace on the front step of his Miami mansion; as a matter of fact, not much is known about him to this very day. This is not surprising, as Cunanan himself was a pathological liar who made himself impossible to find. One can imagine how much trouble this caused the FBI as they embarked on what would be dubbed “the largest failed manhunt in U.S. history.”
What little is known about Cunanan lies within the pages of Maureen Orth’s “Vulgar Favors: The Assassination of Gianni Versace,” is derived from. Orth writes of a man-child obsessed with his image whose reckless behavior ultimately led to his own self-destruction.
Family
Andrew Phillip Cunanan was born on August 31, 1969. He was the youngest child of Pete and Mary Ann Cunanan and clearly the favorite of their four children. Pete and Mary Anne wanted the best for Andrew, at any cost. Mrs. Cunanan would frequently dress up her son and make sure he always looked his best, a routine that Andrew would obsess upon later in life. Pete would frequently remind Andrew that in order to succeed in this world, you had to appear successful.
The key word here is “appear”. The Cunanan’s had a modest income at best, as Pete was barely able to hold down his position as a stockbroker. The family could hardly afford their $189,000 townhouse in Rancho Bernardo, California, but that didn’t prevent Andrew from getting the biggest bedroom in the house.
Pete eventually left his family and returned to his homeland in the Philippines, leaving behind an emotionally unstable Mary Ann and a spoiled rotten son who no longer had a father to buy him the finer things in life (which were completely out of Pete’s price range to begin with).
But that didn’t stop Andrew from wanting to create the perfect image of himself.
Education
From an early age, Andrew was a big reader. He was known to spend most of his time indoors, studying the pages of an encyclopedia. When he was in the seventh grade, Andrew’s IQ stood at 147 and was inducted into his school’s gifted program.
Andrew was well-liked by his teachers because of his manners and intelligence. The other students knew him for his flashy fashion choices and tall tales. He desperately wanted acceptance from people who held a greater social status than he did; Cunanan spoke of a father who owned the Coca-Cola and Wrigley Chewing Gum factories.
When Andrew attended The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, California, he showed a strong interest in history, particularly the twenties and thirties in France and England. He thought of them as the “gay eras”, a comment that underlined his sexuality. While Cunanan had a beautiful mind, he never applied himself. Instead, he chose to hang out with “the druggies” and expressed no interest in going to college.
Regardless, Andrew was voted “Most Likely to Be Remembered” when he graduated from Bishop in 1987.
Personal Life
After he graduated from Bishop, Cunanan settled in the Castro district of San Francisco—one of the most liberated gay communities in the U.S. Here Andrew was able to make a name for himself, as only he could. He continued to lie about himself everywhere he went, making sure his stories would resonate with whatever social circle he happened to be dancing through.
Cunanan would collect his income by hustling; his preference was older and wealthier men who were “in the closet”. He considered these particular clients to be his ticket to the high life.
During this time, Cunanan met former naval officer Jeffrey Trail. While their relationship is slightly unclear, it is certain that Cunanan had an unhealthy idolization for Trail. Whatever Trail did, Andrew would have to do too.
Trail, who was struggling with his sexuality, eventually broke things off with Andrew to pursue a career in propane selling.
Heartbroken, Andrew knew he’d have to move on. He found the love of his life in architect David Madson. They pursued a long-distance relationship: Andrew remained in San Francisco and Madson lived in Minneapolis. They shared good chemistry, but Andrew’s lack of honesty was something David could not tolerate. Thus, Madson ended the relationship abruptly.
But the most unforgettable gentleman Andrew came into contact with was a kindly fashion designer from Italy.
Relationship with Versace
Gianni Versace was best known for linking the fashion world to the music world, as he was good friends with celebrities such as Madonna and Sting. He and his partner Antonio D’Amico were well-respected icons in the gay community.
Versace honored his roots in all of his creations: the icon of his company, Medusa’s head, reflects his Graeco-Roman art influence. Versace was the first fashion designer to employ celebrities in his marketing campaigns and gave them front-row seats in his shows.
Versace was a generous man; he spoiled his nieces and nephews and always said hello to his neighbors on his morning walks in Miami Beach.
Versace also designed costumes for musicals; he crafted the outfits for the San Francisco premiere of “Capriccio.” On opening night, Versace and D’Amico were among the guests of honor. Also in attendance was Andrew Cunanan.
Versace actually mistook Andrew for someone else, a move Andrew was quick to take advantage. When the two met backstage, Versace thought he recognized Andrew from his Lake Como house near the Swiss Border (Andrew had never been to Italy). Regardless, Versace wanted to speak to Cunanan to see if he was familiar with the area. Cunanan spun another of his tales and claimed he was from Italy himself.
While this was his only known encounter with Versace, Andrew would add excessive details to the story as time went on.
Murders and Suicide
Eventually, there came a point in Andrew’s life when he lost his grip on reality; he was tangled in a web of lies he spun himself and was about to snap.
Cunanan began his infamous killing spree on April 27, 1997. His first victim was his old acquaintance Jeffrey Trail. Cunanan traveled to Minneapolis, where Trail was staying at the time. The two had an argument which ended with Andrew using a claw hammer to beat Trail to death. Cunanan proceeded to roll Trail’s body up into a rug and stuck it into the closet of his next victim, his ex David Madson.
Madson was found shot and killed on the banks of Rush Lake on May 3rd, 1997.
The next day, Cunanan traveled to Chicago and murdered prominent real estate developer Lee Miglin. Miglin was found taped up and killed with hardware tools in the basement of his home. As Cunanan made off with Miglin’s car, the FBI added Cunanan to their Top Ten Most Wanted list.
Andrew’s fourth victim was William Reese, a caretaker from New Jersey. Andrew shot Reese and stole his red pick-up truck after he heard on the radio that the FBI was tracking Miglin’s stolen car. Then, he headed to Miami and remained in hiding for two months.
Cunanan shot Gianni Versace twice in front of his Miami mansion on the morning of July 15, 1997. Police officers found Reese’s stolen car, Cunanan’s clothes, an alternative passport, and old newspaper clippings in a nearby parking garage but were never able to capture him.
Cunanan’s final victim was himself: a little over a week after killing Versace, Andrew shot himself in the head with the gun he had used to kill Madson, Reese, and Versace. He had stolen this gun from his first victim Jeffrey Trail. His body was found in the second-story bedroom of a Miami Beach houseboat.
Andrew Cunanan, the man “most likely to be remembered”, finally got the fame he wanted all his life.
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"LOVE & FRIENDSHIP" (2016) Review
"LOVE & FRIENDSHIP" (2016) Review
I never thought any film or television production would find another story written by Jane Austen to adapt. Not really. The author only had six novels published. And I was never really aware of any other novels, novellas or short stories . . . until I learned about "LOVE & FRIENDSHIP", Whit Stillman's adaptation of Austen's 1794 epistolary novel, "Lady Susan".
Set during the 1790s, "LOVE & FRIENDSHIP" began with the aristocratic and lovely young widow, Lady Susan Vernon, being forced to leave the Manwaring estate due to her dalliance with the married Lord Manwaring and the hysterical reaction to the affair by the latter's very wealthy wife. Lady Susan had been staying with the Manwarings in order to arrange a possible marriage to her adolescent daughter Frederica and the wealthy, yet brainless Sir James Martin. But after being forced to leave by Lady Manwaring, Lady Susan and her widowed companion, Mrs. Cross, head to Churchill, the country home of her brother-in-law, Charles Vernon and his wife, Catherine Vernon. While at Churchill, Lady Susan becomes acquainted with her sister-in-law's handsome younger brother, Reginald DeCourcy. Reginald becomes deeply attracted to Lady Susan, who views him as a potential husband or lover. She also continues her plans to ensure that Fredrica becomes Sir James' wife.
"LOVE & FRIENDSHIP" offered at least two reunions for actress Kate Beckinsale. The movie marked her second foray into the world of Jane Austen. Some twenty years earlier, she had portrayed the lead in the 1996-97 adaptation of Jane Austen's 1815 novel, "Emma". Beckinsale also found herself reunited with director/writer Whit Stillman and her her co-star Chloë Sevigny. She had worked with both on the 1998 comedy-drama, "THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO". In the end, I must admit that I enjoyed "LOVE & FRIENDSHIP" very much. I would not regard it as one of my favorite Austen adaptations or one of its best. But I must admit that due to its unique protagonist and Whit Stillman's witty direction, I really enjoyed this film.
However, there is one aspect of "LOVE & FRIENDSHIP" that I found confusing. And there is another that I found somewhat disappointing. For the likes of me, I do not understand why Stillman did not use the novel's original title for the movie. Instead, he borrowed the title, "LOVE & FRIENDSHIP", from another one of Austen's early works that had been written in 1790. Why Stillman had decided to use this title instead of the one from the 1794 novel upon which this movie was based . . . I have no idea. Frankly, I found it not only unnecessary, but also confusing.
I was also confused by Lady Susan's movements in the film's third act. She seemed to travel back and forth between London and Churchill without any real reason. And if there were reasons for her constant traveling, they seemed to be presented with a blink of an eye, due to Stillman's unusual direction style. There were times when I found Stillman's pacing just a bit too fast. This led to my last problem with "LOVE & FRIENDSHIP" - namely its running time. I realize that the movie's literary source is a short novel written in epistolary form (usually, a series of letters or other documents). But a part of me felt slightly disappointed that "LOVE & FRIENDSHIP" could have possessed a longer running time. For me, 93 minutes is not long enough - especially for a lush Jane Austen cinematic adaptation.
But as I had earlier pointed out, I still managed to enjoy "LOVE & FRIENDSHIP" very much. Unlike the other Austen stories familiar to me, this tale struck me as rather unusual. Most Austen movie or television adaptations were set between 1800 and 1820 - with the exception of 1995's "PRIDE AND PREJUDICE", which seemed to be set on the cusp of the 18th and 19th centuries. Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh's costume designs seemed to make it clear that "LOVE & FRIENDSHIP" is definitely set during the first half of the 1790s.
But the most original aspect of "LOVE & FRIENDSHIP" was the story's protagonist - Lady Susan Vernon. Villainous protagonists are not exactly new in various movie and television protagonists throughout the years. But they barely exist in a Jane Austen story. The closest she has come to creating a villainous protagonist in the six novels familiar to millions was Emma Woodhouse in her 1815 novel, "Emma". But Emma proved to be more of a misguided protagonist forced to learn a lesson in the end. Lady Susan Vernon, on the other hand, is not a nice woman. She seemed to harbor a good deal of contempt toward others - including her own daughter, Frederica. Which means she is not a good parent. She is self-involved, a liar, a manipulator, a gold digger and quite possibly a borderline sociopath. Some have compared her to Mary Crawford from "Mansfield Park". However, I suspect Mary might be more of an anti-heroine than a villainess. Unlike Lady Susan, she is capable of warmth and compassion. I cannot say the same for this movie's leading lady. And yet . . . unlike Emma Woodhouse or Mary Crawford, Lady Susan did not learn a valuable lesson about her character or faced punishment for her sins.
And like many other Austen productions, "LOVE & FRIENDSHIP" was filled with a great deal of wit. I suspect a good deal of it came from Stillman's own pen. Among my favorite lines - many of them from Lady Susan herself:
*"Americans really have shown themselves to be a nation of ingrates, only by having children can we begin to understand such dynamic."
*"That’s the parent’s lot! We bring these delightful creatures into the world—eagerly, happily—and then before long they are spying upon and judging us, rarely favourably. Having children is our fondest wish but, in doing so, we breed our acutest critics. It is a preposterous situation—but entirely of our own making."
*"My dear Alicia, of what a mistake were you guilty in marrying a man of his age! just old enough to be formal, ungovernable, and to have the gout; too old to be agreeable, too young to die."
*"He has offered you the one thing he has of value to give . . . his income."
Speaking of Eimer Ni Mhaoldomhnaigh's costume designs, I noticed that they had failed to earn any Academy Award or Golden Globe nominations. Mhaoldomhnaigh did earn nominations from the Satellite Awards and the San Diego Film Critics Society. But they are not exactly regarded in the same sphere as the Oscars or Golden Globes. I did come across one blog - Frock Flicks - in which the writer felt that Mhaoldomhnaigh had failed to created historically accurate costumes. Well . . . historically accurate or not, I found them rather colorful and beautiful, as shown in the image below:
Another aspect of "LOVE & FRIENDSHIP" that I found colorful was Anna Rackard's production designs. I thought she did a wonderful job in re-creating the world of the Georgian Era of the 1790s in both London and in several landed estates. Both Mhaoldomhnaigh's costume designs and Rackard's production designs benefited from Richard Van Oosterhout's colorful cinematography.
As for the cast . . . I find it mind boggling that none of the major cast members managed to acquire a major acting nomination. Especially three of the main leads. First of all, the movie featured some first-rate acting from the supporting cast, which included Stephen Fry, Jemma Redgrave, James Fleet, Xavier Samuel, Emma Greenwell and Morfydd Clark. But there were three performances that I found truly outstanding.
Tom Bennett gave a hilarious performance as the dimwitted baronet, Sir James Martin. His character reminded of the numerous Austen characters who would ramble on, spouting some of the most inane comments. But thanks to Bennett's skillful performance, Sir James proved to be the most inane and hilarious character ever created by Austen. Chloë Sevigny, who had co-starred with Beckinsale in "THE LAST DAYS OF DISCO", gave a very charming and subtle performance as Lady Susan's American-born confident, Mrs. Alicia Johnson. Thanks to Sevigny's performance, her Alicia proved to be just as unscrupulous as Lady Susan, but a bit more subtle and much wiser - as the final act would eventually prove. But the star of the movie proved to be Kate Beckinsale, who an outstanding performance as the witty, yet calculating Lady Susan Vernon. Beckinsale's Lady Susan was not only deliciously bitchy, but also stylish and skillful in the way she pursued her goal that I could not help but cheer her on . . . despite the manner in which she treated others, especially her daughter. To this day, I still cannot understand how Bennett, Sevigny and especially Beckinsale managed to garner major nominations for their performances.
As I had earlier pointed out, I do not regard "LOVE & FRIENDSHIP" as one of the best Austen productions I have ever seen. I had a few problems with the movie's pacing and some of the narrative in the third act. The humor featured in "LOVE & FRIENDSHIP" did not leave me laughing on the floor with laughter. But Whit Stillman's delicious screenplay and direction had me smiling continuously throughout the film and sitting on the edge of my seat, anticipating Lady Susan's final fate. However, it was the excellent performances of the cast, led by the superb Kate Beckinsale, that truly sold me on the movie in the end.
#jane austen#lady susan#love & friendship#whit stillman#Kate Beckinsale#chloe sevigny#tom bennett#lady susan vernon#stephen fry#james fleet#jemma redgrave#xavier samuel#emma greenwell#morfydd clark
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“Hercules,” a stage adaptation of the 1997 Disney cartoon, is the latest free, Labor Day weekend spectacle at the Delacorte in Central Park by the Public Theater’s Public Works, which for seven years now has marked the end of summer as surely as Back to School commercials and freshmen roaming around NYU with their hands in their pockets.
As in the previous Public Works productions — The Tempest in 2013, The Winters Tale , The Odyssey in 2015, Twelfth Night in 2016 (with an encore in 2018), and As You Like It in 2017 — “Hercules” is like a party, featuring a handful of professional actors and hundreds of delighted performers from “community partners” in all five borough
Jelani Aladdin as Hercules and company
Rema Webb, Tamika Lawrence, Ramona Keller, Brianna Cabrera, and Tieisha Thomas
Hercules 3
Jelani Alladin
Isabelle Romero, Hasaan Bailey, Kelly Campbell, and Roger Bart
James Monroe Iglehart and Jelani Alladin (center) with 10 Hairy Legs (that’s the name of a male dance company!)
Tieisha Thomas, Rema Webb, Krysta Rodriguez, Tamika Lawrence, Ramona Keller, and Brianna Cabrera
Jelani Alladin and company
Members of the puppet corps
Krysta Rodriguez and Jelani Alladin
god Zeus (Michael Roberts) and the mortal Hera (Tar-Shay Margaret Williams) with the baby Hercules (a doll) and members of the godly entourage
Among the participants in the first five Public Works “pageants,” as the people at Public Works like to call them, were 516 “community ensemble members,” 141 choir singers, 26 hip hop dancers, 17 ASL/deaf performers, and one lion puppet. This year’s performers number more than 200, including a 14-member “puppet corps,” handling the giant puppets designed by James Ortiz; the members of Broadway Inspirational Voices; and the Passaic High School Marching Band.
Unlike the previous pageants, there is little danger that purists will be offended by the liberties the creative team takes. After all, this is not a musical adaptation of Shakespeare or Homer, although Public Theater artistic director Oskar Eustis does all he can to mask the show’s origins in a relatively low-grossing Disney animation (“Hercules is one of the great characters of the classical tradition,” Eustis writes in a program note, “a hero whose name is as recognizable now as it was 2,500 years ago… Public Works is embarking for a second time on dramatizing a Greek myth….”)
Are there Disney purists? Can they really object to Andrea Hood’s Vegas-quality costumes, sparkling with sequins, or Dane Laffrey’s Times Square-quality set design, complete with towers armed with zippers (which is the official name for those ticker-like signs made out of countless light bulbs)
Stacked up against other Disney stage adaptations, this one avoids some of the standard Disney drawbacks – rather than overpriced, it’s free; rather than overlong, it’s only 90 minutes – and keeps what’s best about Disney stage shows, above all, a terrific cast.
Kristoffer Diaz (the playwright best known for The Elaborate Entrance for Chad Deity, and as the former story editor for GLOW) has written a jokey book, some of the jokes mildly risqué, which is unlikely to tarnish nor much enhance the Disney brand. It keeps to the basic plot but adjusts its message for a New York theater audience in 2019.
Jelani Alladin (who portrayed Kristoff in “Frozen”) is a suitably eager and honest young Hercules, born from the god Zeus (Michael Roberts) and the mortal Hera (Tar-Shay Margaret Williams), and snatched as an infant by Pain and Panic, who intend to poison him, on the orders of the evil Hades (Roger Bart, who provided the singing voice for Hercules in the film, and here provides much of the comedy. He enters sneering “Public Theater. I hate parks!”) Pain and Panic (reliably goofy Nelson Chimilio and Jeff Hiller) are unreliable, so Hercules lives, although the poison makes him mortal, and he is found and adopted by a mortal couple. As a young adult, he finally meets his birth parents, but they say a mortal like him can’t go home to Olympus (“Mortals are weak. They are self serving and careless, and they die.”) — unless he becomes a hero. And so he sets out on a journey to prove he can become a hero (singing the Oscar-nominated song “Go The Distance.”) Along the way, he mets Phil, whom a friend describes as “the greatest ‘epic-journey-to-prove-yourself-to-the- gods’ guy in Greece” (portrayed by the always wonderful James Monroe Iglehart, the Tony-winning Genie in “Aladdin.”) Disillusioned, Phil has given that up to sell gyros “(Heroes die. Gyros (“Heroes die. Gyros get eaten.”) — but Hercules persuades him to become his trainer. Together, they search for people to save, villains to vanquish, challenges to overcome, .
Right away, Hercules gets to prove himself when he sees a damsel in distress, in “the grips of a giant, ugly, monster.”
“Hey,” the monster says. “Words hurt.”
But the damsel is Meg (the stellar Krysta Rodriguez), and she doesn’t need or want to be saved. She sings:
What would I do in a world without men
I would do as I please
Let me say that again
I would do as I please
Not yearning for my hero at last
Forget about it fast
That song, “Forget About It,” is one of five new ones by the original Disney songwriters, composer Alan Menken and lyricist David Zippel, out of 21 musical numbers, most of them soul-tinted with the aid of a Greek chorus that’s a gospel chorus. (Six of the numbers are just different versions of the song “The Gospel Truth.”) The new songs help update the show, both in current references (“The Art of the Deal” makes its way into the lyrics of Hades’ new song, “A Cool Day in Hell”) and in current values. Meg isn’t the only one who doesn’t need a hero. When Hercules, with Phil in tow, marches into Thebes offering his services as a hero, the townspeople want to know:
“Can you help me find affordable housing…create some jobs…balance income inequality….improve the integrity of our civil discourse?”
Hercules replies: “Did I mention I was strong?”
If the plot of “Hercules” is familiar, and its happy ending no surprise, there’s real uplift in the message delivered not just in the script but by the presence of the hundreds of diverse New Yorkers on stage — true strength comes from an entire community, and real heroics come from serving it.
Hercules
Music by Alan Menken
Lyrics by David Zippel
Book by Kristoffer Diaz
Choreography by Chase Brock
Directed by Lear deBessonet
Scenic design by Dane Laffrey, costume design by Andrea Hood, lighting design by Tyler Micoleau, sound design by Kai Harada, puppet design by James Ortiz, orchestrations by Danny Troob and Joseph Joubert, music supervisor, arranger and conductor Michael Kosarin
Based on the Disney film written by Ron Clements, John Musker, Donald McEnery, Bob Shaw, and Irene Mecchi, and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker.
Cast:
200+ New Yorkers including
Jelani Alladin (Hercules), Roger Bart (Hades), Jeff Hiller(Panic), James Monroe Iglehart (Philoctetes), Ramona Keller (Thalia), Tamika Lawrence (Calliope), Krysta Rodriguez (Megara), Rema Webb (Terpsichore), cameo groups 10 Hairy Legs, Passaic High School Marching Band, and a special featured performance by Broadway Inspirational Voices.
The Public Works community partner organizations are Brownsville Recreation Center(Brooklyn),Center for Family Life in Sunset Park(Brooklyn),DreamYard(Bronx),The Fortune Society(Queens),andMilitary Resilience Foundation(all boroughs), along with alumni partnersCasita Maria Center forArts and Education(Bronx),Children’s Aid(all boroughs),andDomestic Workers United(allboroughs
Running time: 90 minutes with no intermission
Please note: there is no performances on Tuesday, September 3 but there is an (suddenly added) performance on Wednesday, September 4 at 8pm
Hercules is on stage at the Delacorte through September 8,2020
It’s a more complicated in-person lottery than @PublicTheaterNY‘s usual one for #ShakespeareinthePark, but, yes, even if you didn’t win the online lottery, you still have a shot at seeing #Hercules at Delacorte w/ stars @JelaniAlladin
& @KRYSTAR0DRIGUEZhttps://t.co/Vpsb8fwOhy pic.twitter.com/VAR9F8kVyX
— New York Theater (@NewYorkTheater) August 30, 2019
Hercules Review: Disney at the Delacorte, a Public Works Pageant “Hercules,” a stage adaptation of the 1997 Disney cartoon, is the latest free, Labor Day weekend spectacle at the Delacorte in Central Park by the Public Theater's Public Works, which for seven years now has marked the end of summer as surely as Back to School commercials and freshmen roaming around NYU with their hands in their pockets.
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How Lady Gaga proved Hollywood’s haters wrong
A star is reborn. When Lady Gaga triumphantly swanned to the Golden Globes stage in 2016 to say her first-ever performing award, the second turned a meme. However for an embarrassing cause: the best way Leonardo DiCaprio appeared to snicker out loud, then roll his eyes when her identify was referred to as as finest actress in a restricted tv collection for “American Horror Story: Resort.” Gaga is tipped to win a Globe once more this Sunday — lead actress within the drama class, for her function in “A Star Is Born.” However this time, nobody will likely be laughing besides her. Proper now, the English betting website Bovada has her within the result in win, with 2 to five odds. Even after the singer received her first Globe, many nonetheless weren’t satisfied of her skills. (The Publish’s personal TV editor Michael Starr wrote: “The truth that picket, vamping newbie Lady Gaga received … speaks volumes in regards to the inventive hollowness of those awards. They’re a joke.”) And Gaga herself admitted at a red-carpet look for “A Star Is Born” that she wished to be an actress even earlier than pursuing a music profession — however, she mentioned, “I used to be dangerous at auditions. I by no means obtained a job.” Now, due to a mix of performing classes — she ready for the movie with the well-respected trainer Elizabeth Kemp, who additionally coached Gaga’s co-star Bradley Cooper earlier than she handed away in 2017 — and the celebs aligning, Hollywooden has modified its tune about her. “Gaga has an interior incandescence {that a} star has. By exhibiting the depth of her vulnerability, she gave a superb efficiency. I believe she’s obtained a huge future: the uncommon comet that comes alongside,” mentioned veteran Hollywood producer Howard Rosenman (“Name Me By Your Identify”). “She’s transcended to Streisand fable stage.” ‘She’s transcended to Streisand fable stage.’ And one Academy Awards voter advised The Publish that Gaga, 32, would be the belle of the Oscars come February. He additionally expects her to take advantage of the second for all it’s value. “She will certainly be nominated, for performing and for [the hit ‘A Star Is Born’ song] ‘Shallow,’ ” mentioned the voter. “She’ll little doubt wind up singing on the Oscars, too. She’s no dummy — and neither’s the Academy.” One huge a part of Lady Gaga’s new success could also be attributed to what an ideal match she was for “A Star Is Born.” Born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta in Manhattan, she was something however an in a single day success. She grew up on the Higher West Facet, the daughter of an entrepreneur dad and stay-at-home mother (the 2 now personal Joanne Trattoria on West 68th Avenue), and commenced taking part in open-mic nights whereas nonetheless a scholar on the all-girls Convent of the Sacred Coronary heart faculty. At New York College’s Tisch College of the Arts, she fashioned the SGBand with some pals and in addition performed solo acoustic reveals round city. (It’s now exhausting to think about Lady Gaga opening for second-tier alt-rock act Nada Surf on the South Avenue Seaport, however that’s precisely what occurred in 2005). It was her boyfriend on the time, music producer Rob Fusari, who claims to have dubbed her Lady Gaga, impressed by the Queen track “Radio Ga Ga.” Fusari additionally helped her nab a solo report take care of Jam in 2007, after she had dropped out of NYU, though that rapidly evaporated and he or she ended up writing songs behind the scenes for Britney Spears (“Quicksand”) and Jennifer Lopez (“Hypnotico”). It was as soon as she met efficiency artist Lady Starlight — her real-life, avant-garde Jackson Maine, if you’ll — and commenced taking part in Decrease East Facet golf equipment, together with The Bitter Finish and Mercury Lounge, that issues started to vary. By 2009 she had taken over the pop world together with her smash hit debut album “The Fame” and a brand new glambot-meets-extraterrestrial persona. So Gaga’s efficiency as Ally, an obscure singer-songwriter who makes her technique to full-fledged stardom, is especially poignant as a result of it parallels her personal life — however manages to keep away from any glint of Gaga glam. “Gaga selected to underplay this function, [which was] a superb selection on her half,” Hollywood energy publicist Howard Bragman advised The Publish. “Ally in road garments speaks louder than her taking part in an enormous blown-out pop star. [Gaga] understood if she made Ally something like Gaga, she’d take the viewers out of the story,” mentioned “A Star is Born” costume designer Erin Benach. “So we eschewed the Gaga trappings and seemed again at iconic pop-star characters in film historical past: Whitney Houston in ‘The Bodyguard,’ Judy Garland within the second model of ‘Star is Born,’ Barbra Streisand [in the third].” Benach, who refers back to the music celebrity by her actual identify, additionally advised The Publish, “Stefani’s a really actual, big-hearted, honest human being. And that’s what comes by way of in her efficiency.” However solely a handful of feminine pop stars have ascended to film stardom: Cher, Bette Midler, Streisand. Jennifer Hudson had one hit movie; so did Houston and Diana Ross. Dolly Parton, bless her coronary heart, all the time performs Dolly. Bradley Cooper, left, and Lady Gaga in a scene from “A Star is Born.”AP After which there’s Madonna. The icon appears particularly threatened by the continued ascendance of Gaga. Madonna grabbed nice evaluations for her 1985 performing debut, “Desperately Searching for Susan,” and respectable ones for “Evita” and “Dick Tracy” within the ’90s. Nevertheless it’s been all downhill from there for Madonna in Hollywood, with “Swept Away” incomes a surprisingly paltry $600,000 on the field workplace and her 2011 debut directing effort, “W.E.” receiving an embarrassing 13 p.c on Rotten Tomatoes. Even earlier than Gaga’s Hollywood flip, Madonna was sniping at her youthful counterpart, calling Gaga’s music “reductive” whereas additionally suggesting that Gaga was ripping her off: “I’m a very huge fan of [”Born This Way”],” Madonna mentioned on Brazilian TV. “I’m glad that I helped Gaga write it.” Gaga has copped to doing the one factor that may drive Madonna craziest: pay her little consideration. “I believe she’s extra aggravated that I’m not upset that she doesn’t like me,” Gaga advised Howard Stern. And now that Gaga is having her awards-season second, Madonna has coincidentally upped her p.r. recreation — hiring Hollywood mega-publicist Kelly Bush forward of her upcoming album and stunning Web wags together with her New Yr’s Eve look on the Village’s Stonewall Inn, the place she gave the impression to be sporting a really enhanced new rear finish. However, regardless of all that, Gaga could nab the one factor Madonna doesn’t have: an Oscar. “The Academy is now youthful, extra numerous [than in the Madonna era] and so they perceive that Gaga will carry within the viewers — and the clicks,” mentioned the Oscars voter. In the meantime, Gaga is conserving a watch out for her subsequent film function whereas additionally conserving her music profession going at full steam. She’s in residency at Las Vegas’ Park MGM Theater till Feb. 3, performing two separate reveals: “Enigma,” which works all out with the shock and awe of pyrotechnics, robotic driving and day-glo wigs galore, in addition to the extra sedate “Lady Gaga Jazz and Piano.” After that, there are the Grammys on Feb. 10 — she’s up for 5 awards — and count on to see her hitting the Oscars marketing campaign exhausting earlier than the large present. She’ll return to Vegas in June. ‘She will do no matter she desires to do due to her work ethic.’ There’s additionally a marriage to plan. She’s engaged to her CAA agent, Christian Carino — he additionally represents Margot Robbie, Saoirse Ronan and Julianne Moore — whom she started relationship in 2017, two years after splitting with actor Taylor Kinney. Gaga not too long ago advised “E.T.” she desires a “massively elaborate marriage ceremony.” No less than one individual thinks she will do all of it. Famed songwriter Diane Warren, a nine-time Oscar winner who penned “Why Did You Do That” for “A Star Is Born” attributes Gaga’s success to pure exhausting work. “It’s expertise, after all, however Gaga’s so good. She will do no matter she desires to do due to her work ethic,” Warren mentioned. “She works with a vocal coach two hours a day and had the perfect performing coach for the film.” And if Gaga desires one thing, she goes for it. When she felt the urge to stay her toe within the shallow finish of the performing pool, she rang up producer Ryan Murphy and requested him to pen her a bit of half — which morphed into her “American Horror Story: Resort” function. Producer Rosenman admitted: “I’d like to develop one thing for her. I don’t assume the precise script will simply materialize. It must be developed for and by her.” Whereas she’s open to studying scripts, Gaga has revealed that her targets for a second or third film are epic. As she not too long ago advised the Bangkok Publish: “I’m in search of roles that may blast me to outer house.” Share this: https://nypost.com/2019/01/05/how-lady-gaga-proved-hollywoods-haters-wrong/ The post How Lady Gaga proved Hollywood’s haters wrong appeared first on My style by Kartia.
https://www.kartiavelino.com/2019/01/how-lady-gaga-proved-hollywoods-haters-wrong.html
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Dead De La Crème (2018) - Full Movie
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The Tips You Should Get About Hotels فنادق بانكوك العائلية
Your lodge option can be the very point that decides no matter whether your vacation is fulfilling or regardless of whether is is a horribly overpriced miscalculation. If you want to maintain from generating an pricey, regrettable option, then hold looking through. Beneath you will find every thing you require to know about obtaining a great hotel at a cost that is right for you.
To make certain that you get the greatest service from the custodial employees at a resort, depart a handful of pounds every single early morning for every single bed that you use. This nominal value will aid you get rooms that receive the small extras, this sort of as a towel or two far more, or even an further pillow.
If you are traveling for work and remaining at a lodge, حجز فنادق بانكوك question for a area at least some sensible length from the pool region. You will possibly want to be in a place where you can focus. فنادق تايلاند The sounds ranges close to a pool can be distracting. Select a tranquil place in which you can be successful.
When traveling with a pet, your choices of accommodations will be restricted. Once you uncover a resort that is pet pleasant, locate out what the procedures are with regard to animals. Most hotels cost an further charge for animals, and they may possibly have designated locations in which to stroll your pet. Be positive you know the particulars in advance of time to keep away from likely troubles later.
To avoid possessing to iron your shirts when you unpack every little thing in your lodge space, pack your polo and dress shirts more carefully. Use a hanging bag, and stack your costume shirts together. Then, starting with the shirt in again, provide the arms around, stacking the arms and wrapping them around retains your shirts in spot.
To get the best possible fee for a resort place, ebook effectively in progress of your vacation. Prices are markedly higher if you just get the room at the desk. In addition to saving you a great deal of funds, progress booking will also guarantee you aren't still left with out a space.
Check out several on the internet vacation internet sites and assess lodge space costs. These online vacation sites do not always offer you the identical cost for lodge rooms at a distinct area. By picking two or a few distinct on-line journey internet sites, you can assure you are obtaining the greatest offer achievable. Also, reserving close to your vacation date will usually web you a greater value.
When being in a lodge, it is clever not to deliver valuables. If you do have worthwhile jewellery, files or other objects be confident to remain at a lodge that has a risk-free in the business office. By creating great use of this amenity, you can maintain your personalized belongings safe and take pleasure in peace of thoughts.
If you want to save some severe income on your resort reservations, get the price bundled with one thing else. This is typically done via an online vacation web site. When bundled with airfare, lodge place charges fall substantially, sometimes by in excess of fifty percent the listing prices that are publicly marketed somewhere else on the Internet.
فنادق تايلاند بوكيت If you are instruction for a marathon and have a weeklong organization journey planned, there is certainly no cause to let your operating slip. Seem on the web for nearby working teams in the metropolis exactly where you are likely to keep, and be a part of them for their social runs. If there usually are not several groups, seem for local managing merchants, as they also offer social jogs.
If you plan on utilizing any glasses from the resort minibar, make positive that you clean them 1st. Even if they show up to be clear, they could have been wiped with a chemical cleaner. Thailand Many housekeeping workers use the same goods that they use to clean windows and mirrors on individuals glasses.
Use Twitter to your edge. Prior to scheduling your lodge, tweet the property and see if there are any special discounts obtainable. Social media is getting to be more well-liked than ever, and accommodations use this medium to get the phrase out about the specials they have out there. If you usually are not quite acquainted with tweeting, you can just use the research function on Twitter.
Keep safe and protected in a hotel. Travelers to فنادق تايلاند lodges are often robbed even when they are inside of the place. Use every lock the resort supplies, like the deal with lock, chain and deadbolt. Hotels are a magnet for shady figures hunting to exploit individuals who are traveling with a great deal of money and valuables.
If your hotel delivers a kid's club, and you are thinking about leaving your little one there, get a handful of precautions. Locate out if the personnel has gone through qualifications checks and ask about the child to adult ratio. In addition, request what the process is for selecting up the little one. You want to make sure that a person can not just stroll up and depart with your tiny one.
If you prepare to use the phone provided in your resort area, know what to expect as considerably as costs. Some accommodations supply free local phone calls, but others charge for each phone. In addition to any extended distance costs, the lodge typically provides an extra payment. Use your cell mobile phone to make phone calls from your hotel area when achievable.
If it all attainable, never check out ahead of your scheduled departure day. If you do, then you could be charged an extra departure payment for early checkout. You reserve a room when you ebook it, so if you depart early they lose income. So, they may charge you a payment for early departure to exchange the loss in income.
If the resort you in which you are staying has a pool, discover out what the coverage is with regard to pool towels. Some lodges supply towels in the pool location or at the front desk. Others enable you to use the bath towels. Nevertheless other individuals anticipate you to supply your very own pool towels. Inquire about this when generating reservations, and pack appropriately.
As you see, your option of resort can established the tone for your whole journey. افضل فنادق بانكوكA undesirable hotel can speedily derail any getaway or company vacation. So don't forget what you have just discovered earlier mentioned and apply it when scheduling a hotel. The gratification of a excellent hotel and a excellent value, make any journey far more pleasant. افضل فنادق بانكوك
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The Oscar Nominations I Want
Tomorrow the Academy’s nominations for the Oscars come out and I am excited, but I am also prepared for the inevitable punch to the stomach I will feel when I see what movies the Academy left out in their nominations and when I see what movies they thought were worthy, when I could not agree less. Here I am going to list the movies, performances, directors, scripts and more that I feel most passionately should be nominated. At the bottom I have listed out my rankings for what I think is worthy of Best Picture, Lead Actress, Lead Actor, Actress in a Supporting Role, Actor in a Supporting Role, Original Screenplay, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, Production Design and Cinematography. These are not predictions, just what I personally think and feel about these movies. I wish more people would write pieces about their opinions as opposed to predictions, because all those pieces become so similar to each other.
BABY DRIVER - Win for Director, Nominations for Best Picture, Supporting Actor+
Baby Driver will not be nominated for a lot of awards. I think that is unfair. Perhaps it will not win (or be nominated) for many awards because of the Academy’s war on fun movies. I say this jokingly, but it seems that movies that are fun have problems winning Oscars, especially Best Picture. La La Land was very fun last year and lost to Moonlight, a great movie but a heavy one. The year before Mad Max, an adrenaline-fueled and fun, technical masterpiece, was robbed by the good and important, Spotlight, which although good and important, was not very fun (sex abuse by religious figures – not fun). The years before that you have Birdman (suicide, drug abuse – not fun), 12 Years a Slave (slavery – not fun), Argo (Iranian hostage crisis – not fun). Baby Driver, perhaps to its own demise, is unapologetically fun. With great acting, editing and perfect sounds (effects and the soundtrack of the year), Baby Driver should be nominated for Best Picture.
Baby Driver features wonderful performances by its male lead (Ansel Elgort) and his lady friend (Lily James). It also has great supporting acting by Kevin Spacey (yuck), Jon Hamm and Jamie Foxx. The best acting of the movie, I believe, comes from CJ Jones, an actor, who happens to be deaf, who plays Baby’s foster father. Jones manages to be both laugh out loud funny and touch the viewer emotionally by perfectly portraying the concern and worry he has, not for his own life, but for Baby’s. On top of this, he manages to do it all without speaking a single word. Jones should receive a nomination for Supporting Actor.
The film’s stylized action, speed and over-the-top violence will remind viewers of Edgar Wright’s Hot Fuzz. The action being strung together by a wonderful playlist that accompanies the film will remind viewers of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (also directed by Edgar Wright); the title sequence of Scott Pilgrim may jump into viewer’s minds during the masterfully crafted “Harlem Shuffle” sequence during the beginning of Baby Driver – probably the best 3 minutes of movie from all of 2017. Wright, whose style is stamped all over this movie, should win for Director.
It should also at least receive nominations in film editing, sound editing and sound mixing. This gives Baby Driver 1 win and 6 nominations.
A GHOST STORY - Win for Cinematography, Nominations for Best Picture, Original Score
Not only do I think that David Lowery’s movie, which was made on a $100,000 budget, should be nominated for Best Picture, I think it should be nominated for Best Picture even if we were doing the old school, pre-King’s Speech format where only five movies were nominated. It is a top 5 flick from this past year and a darn shame that it will likely not see a single nomination. It is doomed by many things: a low budget, Casey Affleck as the lead role and the backlash he has faced with #MeToo and the backlash the Academy faced giving him a major award last year (I think Casey Affleck is yucky, don’t get me wrong), a summer release date and the fact that no one saw it – it made just $1.9 million (good when considering its budget, but that is not a lot of people). The film’s score is just the right amount of melancholy for it, the camera work is stunning and Rooney Mara is haunting as a young widow. If Mara had just a few more minutes on screen OR if the lead actress field was not so strong this year, I would be petitioning for her to receive an acting nomination. This totals up to a movie that should receive a nomination for Best Picture.
For those unfamiliar, the film follows a dead man (Casey Affleck) in his afterlife. Affleck has a sheet draped over himself for almost the entirety of the movie, so an acting nomination seems out of the question for him. But his ghost, the way he moves and what he looks at, paints a vivid picture of the longing that he feels in this sort-of-purgatorial afterlife. The camera does the talking for the ghost, and it does so quite effectively. Simple shots, while no words are being spoken, bring an emotional response from the viewer. With minimalist dialogue, the film successfully explores themes of death, loss, the afterlife, purpose, love and determination. It does so through masterful cinematography and that is why Andrew Droz Palermo (the film’s cinematographer) should win the Oscar for Cinematography.
It should also be nominated for original score. This gives A Ghost Story 1 win and 3 nominations.
THE FLORIDA PROJECT - Win for Actress in a Lead Role+
The Florida Project is getting a lot of buzz. Willem Dafoe is getting talked about for Supporting Actor (I have him as one of my nominees); Sean Michael Baker is getting talked about for Director (he’s up there on my list, too). But, why is no one talking about Brooklynn Prince who plays six-year old Moonee? No actor has impressed me more this than this young actress. Moonee is a complex character that goes through so much in this movie; neglect, loss of friends, moving, no stable family life or income, and more that I will avoid saying so as I do not give away the plot. The fact that this young actress, or any actress of any age, can do this so well is a credit to her and director Sean Baker. Someone is going to need to make this girl a Wikipedia page because she deserves to win Best Actress in a Lead Role.
The Florida Project also deserves nominations for Best Picture, Actor in a Supporting Role (Willem Dafoe), and Director (Sean Baker). It should win 1 Oscar and receive 4 nominations.
MOLLY’S GAME - Win for Adapted Screenplay
I feel bad for Jessica Chastain. She absolutely kills it in this movie as an injured skier turned poker organizer. I feel so bad for her, because I cannot put her in my top 5 lead actresses for the year (I’m sure somehow Jessica Chastain will get over me not giving her my fictional tumblr vote). It is too strong a field. Her and Rooney Mara (A Ghost Story) would have both received votes from me if there movie came out in any one of the past handful of years, but not in 2017. I also feel bad for Molly’s Game because it just narrowly misses my Best Picture list (it comes in at #11, and you gotta make top 10). That said, the screenplay, based on Molly Bloom’s memoir is what I have winning Adapted Screenplay. Sharp dialogue is a standout component of this Aaron Sorkin screenplay that takes a look at our justice system and patriarchy. Sorkin cleverly ties poker into Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and shows that no matter if it is during the Salem Witch Trials, or in 1953 when Miller wrote the play, or in 21st century America, somethings seem to never change.
It should receive 1 win on 1 nomination.
PHANTOM THREAD - Win for Production Design & Costume Design, Nominations for Best Picture+
Phantom Thread should receive quite a few Oscar nominations tomorrow morning, including for Best Picture, Actor in a Lead Role (could win), Score, Production Design, Costume Design. It could also easily take in nominations for Director, Supporting Actress and Original Screenplay.
When I saw Phantom Thread, I knew absolutely nothing going into it. It is darker than one might guess from its rather vague trailer. If you have seen the trailer you may have absolutely no idea what Phantom Thread is about, but you will surely see that it looks beautiful and that each scene is meticulously composed by artists and an obsessive director. No movie has the attention to deal that must have been required to create Phantom Thread, other than Phantom Thread, which is why it should win for Production Design and Costume Design.
Phantom Thread is deserving of 2 wins on at least 6 nominations.
THE SHAPE OF WATER - Win for Best Picture and Much More
While Baby Driver was my favorite movie of the year, it was not the best movie to hit the big screen this year. That title belongs to Guillermo del Toro’s masterpiece: The Shape of Water. The visual effects top any other movie this year. When you watch it and another movie with high budget effects, for example Wonder Woman, it is shocking how much more was spent on other movies than Shape of Water (for example, Wonder Woman’s budget exceeded Shape of Water’s by $130 million). The film blends the central plot, the romance between a mute janitor (Sally Hawkins) and an aquatic humanoid, with well executed subplots that make the movie more exciting (Russian spies!), more intense (Michael Shannon’s power), and more relatable (Richard Jenkins’ and Sally Hawkins’ characters striving for companionship). The themes brought to the forefront of discussion by del Toro include repressed sexuality and masculinity’s relationship with power.
Shape should win Best Picture, Supporting Actor (Michael Shannon), and Original Score. I would tack on nominations for Actress in a Lead Role (Sally Hawkins), Supporting Actress (Octavia Spencer), Original Screenplay, Cinematography, Production Design and Visual Effects. Shape should win 3 Oscars and be nominated for at least 9 awards.
BEST PICTURE:
Winner: The Shape of Water
Nominees (in order of how I’d vote): Baby Driver, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, A Ghost Story, The Florida Project, Dunkirk, Call Me By Your Name, Phantom Thread, Lady Bird, Get Out
DIRECTOR
Winner: Edgar Wright (Baby Driver)
Nominees (in order of how I’d vote): Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water), Sean Baker (The Florida Project), Greta Gerwig (Lady Bird), Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk)
ACTRESS IN A LEAD ROLE
Winner: Brooklynn Prince (The Florida Project)
Nominees (in order of how I’d vote): Frances McDormand (Three Billboards), Sally Hawkins (The Shape of Water), Margot Robbie (I, Tonya), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird)
ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE
Winner: Timothee Chalamet (Call Me By Your Name)
Nominees (in order of how I’d vote): Daniel Day-Lewis (Phantom Thread), James Franco (The Disaster Artist), Daniel Kaluuya (Get Out), empty space here until I see The Darkest Hour
ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Winner: Vicky Krieps (Phantom Thread)
Nominees (in order of how I’d vote): Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird), Octavia Spencer (The Shape of Water), Allison Janney (I, Tonya), Holly Hunter (The Big Sick)
ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE
Winner: Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water)
Nominees (in order of how I’d vote): Sam Rockwell (Three Billboards), Willem Dafoe (The Florida Project), Woody Harrelson (Three Billboards), CJ Jones (Baby Driver)
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Winner: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Nominees (in order of how I’d vote): Get Out, The Shape of Water, Lady Bird, Phantom Thread
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:
Winner: Molly’s Game
Nominees (in order of how I’d vote): Call Me By Your Name, The Disaster Artist, Blade Runner: 2049, The Beguiled
ORIGINAL SCORE:
Winner: The Shape of Water
Nominees (in order of how I’d vote): A Ghost Story, Dunkirk, Call Me By Your Name, Phantom Thread
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Winner: A Ghost Story
Nominees (in order of how I’d vote): Blade Runner: 2049, The Shape of Water, Dunkirk, The Beguiled
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Winner: Phantom Thread
Nominees (in order of how I’d vote): The Shape of Water, Blade Runner: 2049, Dunkirk, Wonder Wheel
Thanks for reading, everyone!
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The Untouchables
#31 - Casino (1995) / Dir. Martin Scorsese / Universal
I can’t overestimate the significance of Casino when mapping out my path through Film Fandom. Growing from an 11 year old to a 20 year old throughout the 90s meant the movies of this decade became the formative nucleus of my obsession with Film, the movies that were the backdrop to my adolescence.
I was becoming consumed with something that would never loosen its grip on me, forming strong bonds with friends over a mutual love of film and, as with many others, the Scorsese/De Niro partnership became an early focal point. I was already well familiar with both their back catalogs by February 1996, but what sets Casino apart from all the rest for me is that this became my Scorsese/De Niro movie; the first of their films I saw theatrically, and that’s stayed with me. At the time the greater significance of Casino hadn’t revealed itself, but 22 years later it remains their last theatrical collaboration (though The Irishman is now incoming).
1995 was a ridiculous year at the movies for me (bleeding into 1996 in the UK, due to the Theatrical Window). Midway through my favourite decade in Cinema came a crop of films that make up a large portion of my Favourite Films Ever list. It’s a personal embarrassment of riches; Heat, Nixon, Se7en, Clockers, Dead Man Walking, 12 Monkeys, Leaving Las Vegas, Braveheart, The Usual Suspects, Waterworld, Bad Boys, Crimson Tide and many more.
At the time Casino was viewed as a lesser companion to Goodfellas and was somewhat critically overshadowed by De Niro’s other crime epic of that year, Michael Mann’s colossal Heat. Whether it was the aforementioned excitement of seeing one of The Greats’ films on the big screen for the first time or not, I was an early adopter of Casino being every-fucking-bit as good as either of them (and in Goodfellas case, maybe better even).
In documenting the rise and fall of a criminal empire with many returning players (principle cast, Writer, Editor) the similarities with Goodfellas are undeniable, but Casino simply pops more. It’s undeniably a bolder and brasher film, befitting its Las Vegas setting. An hour in, Scorsese lets a sequence play out to the The Rolling Stones’ “Can’t You hear Me Knocking” in its entirety, all 7 plus minutes of it, and it’s fucking glorious. Scorsese is in his element here, and he’s not censoring himself. Often that is cause for disaster, but with Casino he turns the excess into a garish virtue.
Casino is a gleaming showcase for some of the best Direction and Editing you will ever see, particularly in terms of pacing. 3 hours fly by like a sub-90min DTV Seagal movie. That’s not to say there isn’t meat on the bone, it’s just it melts in the mouth rather than needing to be chewed. From minute 1 to minute 178 this movie doesn’t let up.
Robert Richardson’s perpetually shifting and sweeping camera blooms and blisters with blown out lighting that showcases Dante Ferretti’s opulent set design and John Dunn and Rita Ryack’s out of this world costuming. Thelma Schoonmaker cuts the film scored to an unending parade of jukebox hits (heavy on The Stones, of course) and Scorsese conducts it all with a manic bravado that remains unmatched for a film of this celluloid heft. No one in Cinema’s history has the same innate touch in marrying Music to Film.
Even the quiet moments crackle with the panache of the performances. Arguably De Niro’s last great Leading Man role, he makes Sam “Ace” Rothstein as iconic as anything he’s done. His early cool giving way to a chronic stubbornness and crippling paranoia, De Niro navigates his self destructive tailspin with a frayed elegance that’s something to behold. Pesci’s Nicky Santoro may be the most glaring overlap in the Goodfellas/Casino Venn Diagram, but he’s at 11 all the way here and, one last Leo Getz outing aside, this certainly ranks as a final definitive performance. Given his diminutive stature and natural comedic qualities, it’s always impressive how chillingly menacing Pesci can be (especially when holding a fountain pen). The rapport these two had developed over the course of Raging Bull and Goodfellas gives their scenes together in Casino the sense of history the characters share, it’s a wonderful thing.
Best of all (save for a supremely slimy bit part from James Woods) is Sharon Stone’s Oscar nominated performance as Ginger McKenna. She runs riot through scenes with an exhausting intensity; her unraveling becoming one of the films most engrossing spectacles (the way she lets the bottom drop out of Ginger when the FBI pull her over after her final tear-up with Ace is an astounding bit of acting).
I hadn’t watched Casino for a good 5-10 years, yet revisiting it gave me the same rush of euphoria it did the first time I saw it, and that is rare. Scorsese repeated the trick 18 years later with The Wolf Of Wall Street with a new muse, completing something of a Fall From (Dis)Grace crime trilogy, but if someone unfamiliar with his work wanted an entry point, I’d direct them here. It may be the least subtle thing he’s made, but it bears all the hallmarks of what makes him Cinema’s most epicurean director as well as a watershed performance from one of the finest actors there's ever been. Casino earns its place, and then some.
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