The Tony Awards are being handed out Sunday night.
Ariana DeBose is hosting the live broadcast from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York. The ceremony airs live from 8-11 p.m. Et/5-8 p.m. Pt on June 16 on CBS and streams on Paramount+ in the U.S. (See the red carpet photos.)
Among the noteworthy winners so far are Daniel Radcliffe and Jeremy Strong, who both took home their first Tonys, and Dede Ayite, who became the first Black woman to win a Tony for best costume design of a play.
Set to perform at the ceremony are the casts of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Hell’s Kitchen, Illinoise, Merrily We Roll Along, Stereophonic, Suffs, The Outsiders, The Who’s Tommy and Water for Elephants.
Presenters will include Utkarsh Ambudkar, Nate Burleson, Cynthia Erivo, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Josh Gad,...
Ariana DeBose is hosting the live broadcast from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York. The ceremony airs live from 8-11 p.m. Et/5-8 p.m. Pt on June 16 on CBS and streams on Paramount+ in the U.S. (See the red carpet photos.)
Among the noteworthy winners so far are Daniel Radcliffe and Jeremy Strong, who both took home their first Tonys, and Dede Ayite, who became the first Black woman to win a Tony for best costume design of a play.
Set to perform at the ceremony are the casts of Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, Hell’s Kitchen, Illinoise, Merrily We Roll Along, Stereophonic, Suffs, The Outsiders, The Who’s Tommy and Water for Elephants.
Presenters will include Utkarsh Ambudkar, Nate Burleson, Cynthia Erivo, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Josh Gad,...
- 6/17/2024
- by Kimberly Nordyke
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The doctor-turned-comedian has starred in films from The Hangover to Crazy Rich Asians, been a judge on The Masked Singer and still assists with the odd medical emergency. What would you like to ask him?
It seems every country needs a medical doctor-turned-comedian. The UK has Harry Hill, Monty Python’s Graham Chapman and the Goodies’ Graeme Garden. The US has Ken Jeong MD, who practiced as a physician of internal medicine in Los Angeles while trying to get his stand-up and improv career off the ground. (He maintains his medical licence and has assisted with medical emergencies since. He’s got some good stories on this!)
Jeong got his big break in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up, and then went to on play a flamboyant gangster in The Hangover and two sequels. He’s since starred opposite Paul Rudd in Role Models, Brendan Fraser in Furry Vengeance and was in Crazy Rich Asians.
It seems every country needs a medical doctor-turned-comedian. The UK has Harry Hill, Monty Python’s Graham Chapman and the Goodies’ Graeme Garden. The US has Ken Jeong MD, who practiced as a physician of internal medicine in Los Angeles while trying to get his stand-up and improv career off the ground. (He maintains his medical licence and has assisted with medical emergencies since. He’s got some good stories on this!)
Jeong got his big break in Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up, and then went to on play a flamboyant gangster in The Hangover and two sequels. He’s since starred opposite Paul Rudd in Role Models, Brendan Fraser in Furry Vengeance and was in Crazy Rich Asians.
- 6/3/2024
- by Rich Pelley
- The Guardian - Film News
Exclusive: Tony and Grammy winner Steve Kazee has signed with Industry Entertainment for representation.
Kazee won the 2012 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his starring role as Guy in Broadway’s Once as well as the 2013 Grammy for Musical Theater Album.
He recently starred in and co-produced Lifetime’s Devil On My Doorstep, opposite his fiancée Jenna Dewan, and had a recurring role on ABC’s The Rookie. He previously had recurring roles on The Walking Dead, Shameless and Nashville. Other TV credits include Blindspot, Legends, Working Class, CSI and NCIS.
Other Broadway credits include Monty Python’s Spamalot, Roundabout’s 110 in the Shade, and Edward Albee’s Seascape. Regional credits include The Subject Was Roses at the Kennedy Center, for which Kazee received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Actor.
Kazee won the 2012 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical for his starring role as Guy in Broadway’s Once as well as the 2013 Grammy for Musical Theater Album.
He recently starred in and co-produced Lifetime’s Devil On My Doorstep, opposite his fiancée Jenna Dewan, and had a recurring role on ABC’s The Rookie. He previously had recurring roles on The Walking Dead, Shameless and Nashville. Other TV credits include Blindspot, Legends, Working Class, CSI and NCIS.
Other Broadway credits include Monty Python’s Spamalot, Roundabout’s 110 in the Shade, and Edward Albee’s Seascape. Regional credits include The Subject Was Roses at the Kennedy Center, for which Kazee received a Helen Hayes Award nomination for Best Actor.
- 5/20/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Fallout is undeniably a post-apocalyptic franchise with a heavy lean towards science fiction. However, the best description for this tough old world is the ‘Weird West:’ a literary goulash of sole survivors, urban legends, horror, science fiction, and the outright supernatural. It’s the latter element that’s most controversial to fans who may prefer the grimdark future trappings of a Brotherhood of Steel working on independently establishing their Warhammer future. Yet, those supernatural qualities are persistent throughout the series in fascinating ways.
The original Interplay Fallout entries kept most of their weirdest oddities non-canonical by making them rare, luck-based encounters. Things like King Arthur by way of Monty Python and a British blue telephone box aren’t actually part of the Fallout world. A crashed alien ship with a blaster and a picture of Elvis was just a cute joke… until Bethesda made the Zetans canon years later. But even in the original Fallout,...
The original Interplay Fallout entries kept most of their weirdest oddities non-canonical by making them rare, luck-based encounters. Things like King Arthur by way of Monty Python and a British blue telephone box aren’t actually part of the Fallout world. A crashed alien ship with a blaster and a picture of Elvis was just a cute joke… until Bethesda made the Zetans canon years later. But even in the original Fallout,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Matthew Byrd
- Den of Geek
For children, summer always seems full of endless possibility. The breaks from school, the family trips, the time spent at camp or reading books and watching movies.
These days, the closest thing we have is summer entertainment — the cultural distraction from otherwise having fewer breaks, shifting travel (wedding season!), and maybe not as many of those life-changing adventures that a lot of summertime stories seem to be based on. Summer movies offer a chance to go out and cool down while summer TV is the best way to wind down and stay in after days of work, travel, and relentless heat.
Along with detailed monthly previews (here’s May), IndieWire pulled together a summer TV preview with 15 brand-new shows premiering over the next couple months. Some are pulled from existing material — Star Wars, “Sausage Party,” novels, a true story about the L.A. Clippers — while others defy categorization. Some we...
These days, the closest thing we have is summer entertainment — the cultural distraction from otherwise having fewer breaks, shifting travel (wedding season!), and maybe not as many of those life-changing adventures that a lot of summertime stories seem to be based on. Summer movies offer a chance to go out and cool down while summer TV is the best way to wind down and stay in after days of work, travel, and relentless heat.
Along with detailed monthly previews (here’s May), IndieWire pulled together a summer TV preview with 15 brand-new shows premiering over the next couple months. Some are pulled from existing material — Star Wars, “Sausage Party,” novels, a true story about the L.A. Clippers — while others defy categorization. Some we...
- 5/8/2024
- by Proma Khosla, Alison Foreman, Ben Travers and Erin Strecker
- Indiewire
Jessica Henwick (“Glass Onion”) and Alisha Weir (“Abigail”) have been tapped for new animated feature “The Land of Sometimes.”
They will join “Star Wars” icon Ewan McGregor and “The Crown” star Helena Bonham Carter on the project, which also features one of the final performances from the late “Monty Python” alum Terry Jones.
A first look of the film, which is repped by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution for global sales, is set to be shown to buyers in Cannes next week with director Leon Joosen (“The Little Mermaid”) on hand to introduce the project.
“Be careful what you wish for!” reads the logline. “Twins Alfie and Elise get more than they bargained for when the Wish Collector takes them to an island full of wonder, with ever-changing seasons. They face a mechanical foe, fantastical creatures and a truth that shines brighter than any wish: the power of family.”
The film, from Two Daughters Entertainment,...
They will join “Star Wars” icon Ewan McGregor and “The Crown” star Helena Bonham Carter on the project, which also features one of the final performances from the late “Monty Python” alum Terry Jones.
A first look of the film, which is repped by Kaleidoscope Film Distribution for global sales, is set to be shown to buyers in Cannes next week with director Leon Joosen (“The Little Mermaid”) on hand to introduce the project.
“Be careful what you wish for!” reads the logline. “Twins Alfie and Elise get more than they bargained for when the Wish Collector takes them to an island full of wonder, with ever-changing seasons. They face a mechanical foe, fantastical creatures and a truth that shines brighter than any wish: the power of family.”
The film, from Two Daughters Entertainment,...
- 5/8/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Two of the more anticipated star turns on Broadway this season — Steve Carell making his debut in the Lincoln Center Theater revival of Uncle Vanya and The Sopranos alum Michael Imperioli returning to the New York stage in Circle in the Square’s An Enemy of the People — got no love from Tony Award nominators today, and the West End hit Patriots, written by The Crown‘s Peter Morgan, barely registered on the roster, with only one nom for lead actor Michael Stuhlbarg.
Even more empty-handed than Patriots was The Wiz, the cheery, if rote, revival of the beloved Black retelling of The Wizard of Oz. Despite a star turn by Wayne Brady, it’s possible that Tony nominators saw the Broadway revival for the uninspired road show it is.
Other shows with zero nominations included I Need That starring Danny DeVito, the Barry Manilow-Bruce Sussman musical Harmony,...
Even more empty-handed than Patriots was The Wiz, the cheery, if rote, revival of the beloved Black retelling of The Wizard of Oz. Despite a star turn by Wayne Brady, it’s possible that Tony nominators saw the Broadway revival for the uninspired road show it is.
Other shows with zero nominations included I Need That starring Danny DeVito, the Barry Manilow-Bruce Sussman musical Harmony,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Get ready to delve into the fascinating world of creativity and inspiration with “This Cultural Life”! Airing on Sunday, May 5th, 2024, at 8:30 Pm on BBC Four, this captivating show invites viewers to join actor, comedian, presenter, and writer Sir Michael Palin as he sits down with John Wilson to discuss his formative creative influences.
In this special episode, audiences will have the opportunity to gain unique insights into the life and career of one of Britain’s most beloved cultural icons. From his early days as a member of Monty Python to his acclaimed travel documentaries and beyond, Sir Michael Palin shares personal anecdotes, reflections, and stories that shed light on the sources of his creativity.
Through engaging conversation and thoughtful reflection, viewers will discover the people, places, and experiences that have shaped Sir Michael’s artistic journey and influenced his work across various mediums.
Whether you’re a fan of comedy,...
In this special episode, audiences will have the opportunity to gain unique insights into the life and career of one of Britain’s most beloved cultural icons. From his early days as a member of Monty Python to his acclaimed travel documentaries and beyond, Sir Michael Palin shares personal anecdotes, reflections, and stories that shed light on the sources of his creativity.
Through engaging conversation and thoughtful reflection, viewers will discover the people, places, and experiences that have shaped Sir Michael’s artistic journey and influenced his work across various mediums.
Whether you’re a fan of comedy,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Posts UK
- TV Everyday
After fifty years, Monty Python and the Holy Grail is still rightfully hailed by many as one of the all-time greatest comedies, and for a seemingly countless number of reasons: King Arthur’s “horse”, the corpse collector, the Black Knight, the outlandish animations, the rude French knights, an enchanter named Tim, the Knights who say “Ni” a killer rabbit, the Holy Hand Grenade, and so and so on.
But while the end result is historically hilarious, the filmmaking process itself was often pure misery for most involved. Get ready to storm the castle and find out Wtf Happened to this Movie!
During the 1960s, British comedy writers and performers Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin had variously collaborated and found degrees of success before uniting in 1969 to form the group known as Monty Python. This alliance resulted in the BBC sketch comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus,...
But while the end result is historically hilarious, the filmmaking process itself was often pure misery for most involved. Get ready to storm the castle and find out Wtf Happened to this Movie!
During the 1960s, British comedy writers and performers Graham Chapman, Terry Jones, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin had variously collaborated and found degrees of success before uniting in 1969 to form the group known as Monty Python. This alliance resulted in the BBC sketch comedy series Monty Python’s Flying Circus,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Dave Davis
- JoBlo.com
Refresh for updates… Tributes are pouring in for Joe Flaherty, whose career launched with Canadian sketch comedy series Sctv, and who was known for his roles as Harold Weir on Freaks and Geeks, and Donald the heckler in Happy Gilmore. Flaherty died Monday at the age of 82.
Martin Short, Flaherty’s co-star on Sctv, remembered Flaherty as “the funniest man in the room.”
“In over 50 years of our friendship, there were very few people as wise or hilarious when it came to comedy, teaching improvisation and the art of character work as Joe,” Short wrote in a press statement. “In ‘Sctv’ we called him the anchor. In life, he was simply the funniest man in the room. I just adored him.”
Adam Sandler paid tribute to his Happy Gilmore co-star in a post on Instagram.
“Oh man. Worshipped Joe growing up, Sandler wrote next to photo of Flaherty. “Always had me and my brother laughing.
Martin Short, Flaherty’s co-star on Sctv, remembered Flaherty as “the funniest man in the room.”
“In over 50 years of our friendship, there were very few people as wise or hilarious when it came to comedy, teaching improvisation and the art of character work as Joe,” Short wrote in a press statement. “In ‘Sctv’ we called him the anchor. In life, he was simply the funniest man in the room. I just adored him.”
Adam Sandler paid tribute to his Happy Gilmore co-star in a post on Instagram.
“Oh man. Worshipped Joe growing up, Sandler wrote next to photo of Flaherty. “Always had me and my brother laughing.
- 4/2/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
In the two weeks since Gold Derby launched the 2024 Tony Awards nominations predictions center, over 600 users have made their preliminary picks for which shows, performers and creatives will land coveted nominations. This season, 20 musicals and musical revivals will compete for only a handful of slots in each category, making this one of the most competitive seasons in recent memory. Scroll to the bottom of the article for a tally of nominations by show in 10 of the 15 musical categories based on our current combined odds.
In the top category of Best Musical, our savvy users predict three shows are out front: “Suffs,” with music and lyrics by Shaina Taub, “The Notebook,” with score by Ingrid Michaelson and “Here Lies Love,” featuring a score by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. Rounding out our current top five are “Days of Wine and Roses” by Tony-winning composer Adam Guettel and the incoming “Lempicka,” directed by Tony winner Rachel Chavkin.
In the top category of Best Musical, our savvy users predict three shows are out front: “Suffs,” with music and lyrics by Shaina Taub, “The Notebook,” with score by Ingrid Michaelson and “Here Lies Love,” featuring a score by David Byrne and Fatboy Slim. Rounding out our current top five are “Days of Wine and Roses” by Tony-winning composer Adam Guettel and the incoming “Lempicka,” directed by Tony winner Rachel Chavkin.
- 3/12/2024
- by David Buchanan
- Gold Derby
Animated film franchises have a way of making you feel old. When you watch live-action movie series featuring your favorite stars over a period of many years, the actors at least have the grace to age along with their audiences. But the characters in animated movies tend to always look the same, as demonstrated by Po, the hero of Kung Fu Panda 4. As still delightfully voiced by Jack Black, he’s exactly the same big, furry lug that he was in the original film, which came out in, gulp, 2008.
Well, he’s a little different. He’s now been the Dragon Warrior for so long that his mentor, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman, sounding more gravelly than ever), orders him to relinquish his title and assume the role of Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. Po, who’s preoccupied with starting his own noodle restaurant, resists at first, but ultimately...
Well, he’s a little different. He’s now been the Dragon Warrior for so long that his mentor, Shifu (Dustin Hoffman, sounding more gravelly than ever), orders him to relinquish his title and assume the role of Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. Po, who’s preoccupied with starting his own noodle restaurant, resists at first, but ultimately...
- 3/6/2024
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Broadway revival of Monty Python’s Spamalot will play its final performance on Sunday, April 7, completing a 24-week run at the St. James Theatre.
The production, which opened to favorable critical notices, failed to attract the strong audience figures that the original 2005 production drew. Last week, the production grossed just $589,970, with attendance at about 59% of the St. James’ capacity.
Sources tell Deadline that cost-cutting measures attempted in recent weeks have made little significant impact on the bottom line.
The revival opened on Thursday, November 16, 2023. A national tour is set to launch in fall of 2025.
“I am so proud of the entire cast, creative team, musicians and crew for their hard work and for delivering the highest level of joy and laughter back on Broadway when we need this more than ever,” said producer Jeffrey Finn. “I’m also honored to continue the long legacy of Kennedy Center productions transferring...
The production, which opened to favorable critical notices, failed to attract the strong audience figures that the original 2005 production drew. Last week, the production grossed just $589,970, with attendance at about 59% of the St. James’ capacity.
Sources tell Deadline that cost-cutting measures attempted in recent weeks have made little significant impact on the bottom line.
The revival opened on Thursday, November 16, 2023. A national tour is set to launch in fall of 2025.
“I am so proud of the entire cast, creative team, musicians and crew for their hard work and for delivering the highest level of joy and laughter back on Broadway when we need this more than ever,” said producer Jeffrey Finn. “I’m also honored to continue the long legacy of Kennedy Center productions transferring...
- 3/6/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
While two of Monty Python’s most famous former members, Eric Idle and John Cleese, are embroiled in a very public feud, it wasn’t always this way. In recent weeks, Idle has been vocal about how he feels the Monty Python estate is being handled, with him targeting Terry Gilliam and his daughter, Holly, who manages the rights, directly. John Cleese jumped to their aid, writing on X (perhaps in a tongue-in-cheek way) that (referring to Idle) “we always loathed and despised each other, but it’s only recently that the truth has begun to emerge.”
Now, this might need to be taken with a grain of salt, as Cleese has a notoriously dry wit. Let’s not forget that he eulogized his best friend, Graham Chapman, by saying, “Good riddance to him, the freeloading bastard! I hope he fries.” That was lovingly tongue-in-cheek, although Idle and Cleese always...
Now, this might need to be taken with a grain of salt, as Cleese has a notoriously dry wit. Let’s not forget that he eulogized his best friend, Graham Chapman, by saying, “Good riddance to him, the freeloading bastard! I hope he fries.” That was lovingly tongue-in-cheek, although Idle and Cleese always...
- 2/25/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
George Harrison appeared in a handful of films and even opened his own production company. He loved movies, but there was one film he simply couldn’t get behind. In the 1960s, he watched a screening of a much-loved Western while on LSD. He couldn’t stand the movie, referring to it as a “load of baloney shite.” Here’s the movie that aggravated him so deeply.
George Harrison was not a fan of a much-loved film
In the 1960s, The Beatles were in Los Angeles and decided to take LSD. They spent their afternoon swimming in a pool with Peter Fonda and members of The Byrds. Later in the day, they attended a screening of the film Cat Ballou.
“Later on that day, we were all tripping out and they brought several starlets in and set up a movie for us to watch in the house,” he said in The Beatles Anthology.
George Harrison was not a fan of a much-loved film
In the 1960s, The Beatles were in Los Angeles and decided to take LSD. They spent their afternoon swimming in a pool with Peter Fonda and members of The Byrds. Later in the day, they attended a screening of the film Cat Ballou.
“Later on that day, we were all tripping out and they brought several starlets in and set up a movie for us to watch in the house,” he said in The Beatles Anthology.
- 2/17/2024
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
To borrow a phrase from Paddy Chayefsky, Eric Idle is mad as hell, and he’s not going to take it anymore. The founding member of Monty Python, 80, has taken to X in recent days to clear the air on a number of matters regarding the legendary British troupe — whose catalog (four seasons of Monty Python’s Flying Circus plus five feature films, including Monty Python and the Holy Grail and Monty Python’s Life of Brian) have elevated them to “Beatles of comedy” status. (Idle, it’s worth noting, is also the mind behind the 1978 Beatles parody The Rutles.) The claims — which many fans say are ruining their cherished Python memories — are as follows:
Idle is Out of Money — and Blames the Gilliams
We own everything we ever made in Python and I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously. But I...
Idle is Out of Money — and Blames the Gilliams
We own everything we ever made in Python and I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously. But I...
- 2/14/2024
- by Seth Abramovitch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Update: John Cleese has responded to Eric Idle’s recent comments, and there doesn’t appear to be any love lost between the former Monty Python performers. Cleese defended Python manager Holly Gilliam, who Idle had suggested was responsible for dwindling income streams.
“I have worked with Holly for the last ten years,” Cleese tweeted, “and I find her very efficient, clear-minded, hard-working, and pleasant to have dealings with. Michael Palin has asked me to make it clear that he shares this opinion. Terry Gilliam is also in agreement with this.” Just in case there was any confusion over the status of the relationship between himself and Idle, Cleese drove the point home by saying, “We always loathed and despised each other, but it’s only recently that the truth has begun to emerge.” Yikes.
—Original article follows below—
Eric Idle may have written “Always Look on the Bright Side...
“I have worked with Holly for the last ten years,” Cleese tweeted, “and I find her very efficient, clear-minded, hard-working, and pleasant to have dealings with. Michael Palin has asked me to make it clear that he shares this opinion. Terry Gilliam is also in agreement with this.” Just in case there was any confusion over the status of the relationship between himself and Idle, Cleese drove the point home by saying, “We always loathed and despised each other, but it’s only recently that the truth has begun to emerge.” Yikes.
—Original article follows below—
Eric Idle may have written “Always Look on the Bright Side...
- 2/13/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Eric Idle has set the record straight for anyone who thought he had a cushy life from his earnings as a member of Monty Python, saying that he still has to work for a living.
“I don’t know why people always assume we’re loaded. Python is a disaster,” the 80-year-old actor and comedian wrote on Twitter. “Spamalot made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.”
Later on, Idle clarified that though the British comedy troupe owns “everything” they ever made as part of the group, changes to royalty distribution — and what he sees as mismanagement of the company — have made a drastic impact on their earnings.
“I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously,” he wrote. “But I guess if you put a Gilliam child in as your manager you should not be so surprised.
“I don’t know why people always assume we’re loaded. Python is a disaster,” the 80-year-old actor and comedian wrote on Twitter. “Spamalot made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.”
Later on, Idle clarified that though the British comedy troupe owns “everything” they ever made as part of the group, changes to royalty distribution — and what he sees as mismanagement of the company — have made a drastic impact on their earnings.
“I never dreamed that at this age the income streams would tail off so disastrously,” he wrote. “But I guess if you put a Gilliam child in as your manager you should not be so surprised.
- 2/12/2024
- by Eddie Fu
- Consequence - Film News
Eric Idle was in salty form on X/Twitter over the weekend.
The Monty Python star had some dismissive words for John Cleese and Terry Gilliam, co-founders of the comedy troupe, and he even took a shot at Netflix.
Idle wrote of his surprise that Monty Python’s income had dried up, complaining that he has to keep working at the age of 80.
“I don’t know why people always assume we’re loaded,” he said. “Python is a disaster. Spamalot made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.”
He blamed the mismanagement of the Python brand on Gilliam and his daughter, Holly. The latter runs Hdg Projects, which manages Python and helped stage Monty Python Live (mostly) – One Down Five to Go, the group’s 2014 reunion shows in London.
“We own everything we ever made in Python and I never dreamed...
The Monty Python star had some dismissive words for John Cleese and Terry Gilliam, co-founders of the comedy troupe, and he even took a shot at Netflix.
Idle wrote of his surprise that Monty Python’s income had dried up, complaining that he has to keep working at the age of 80.
“I don’t know why people always assume we’re loaded,” he said. “Python is a disaster. Spamalot made money 20 years ago. I have to work for my living. Not easy at this age.”
He blamed the mismanagement of the Python brand on Gilliam and his daughter, Holly. The latter runs Hdg Projects, which manages Python and helped stage Monty Python Live (mostly) – One Down Five to Go, the group’s 2014 reunion shows in London.
“We own everything we ever made in Python and I never dreamed...
- 2/12/2024
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
The Monty Python legend and director of 12 Monkeys and Brazil will be receiving his first Aardman Slapstick award for visual comedy next month. Ask him anything here
Terry Gilliam has directed 13 feature films including 1981 fantasy adventure Time Bandits with Sean Connery and John Cleese, 1995’s sci-fi thriller 12 Monkeys with Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt and 2005 fantasy adventure The Brothers Grimm with Matt Damon and Heath Ledger. It all started, of course, with 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the first Monty Python film, which Gilliam co-wrote and starred in along with his fellow Pythons, as well as directing.
Although American-born, Gilliam renounced his American citizenship in 2006. He was nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay for 1985 sci-fi dystopian dark comedy Brazil and a Golden Globe for best director for 1991 fantasy comedy-drama The Fisher King. In 1998, he won a Bafta for outstanding contribution to cinema and, in...
Terry Gilliam has directed 13 feature films including 1981 fantasy adventure Time Bandits with Sean Connery and John Cleese, 1995’s sci-fi thriller 12 Monkeys with Bruce Willis and Brad Pitt and 2005 fantasy adventure The Brothers Grimm with Matt Damon and Heath Ledger. It all started, of course, with 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the first Monty Python film, which Gilliam co-wrote and starred in along with his fellow Pythons, as well as directing.
Although American-born, Gilliam renounced his American citizenship in 2006. He was nominated for an Oscar for best original screenplay for 1985 sci-fi dystopian dark comedy Brazil and a Golden Globe for best director for 1991 fantasy comedy-drama The Fisher King. In 1998, he won a Bafta for outstanding contribution to cinema and, in...
- 1/22/2024
- by Rich Pelley
- The Guardian - Film News
This March, stand-up, actor and Off Menu podcaster James Acaster can be seen in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire alongside Dan Aykroyd, Carrie Coon, Stranger Things’ Finn Wolfhard, and Paul Rudd. In the sequel to the Ghostbusters revival, Acaster plays boffin Lars Pinfield, a scientist described by writer-producer Jason Reitman as an “Egon Spengler type”.
One month later in April, Acaster fans will be chuffed to know that the mash king is back on the big screen in Andy Riley and Curtis Vowell’s historical comedy Seize Them!
Seize Them! is a who’s-who of British comedy, with a cast including Derry Girls, Bridgerton and soon-to-be Doctor Who guest star Nicola Coughlan, Sex Education and Living’s Aimee-Lou Wood, Ghosts and Saltburn’s Lolly Adefope, plus a Spaced reunion in the form of UK comedy stars Nick Frost and Jessica Hynes. See the first trailer below.
The film is the story of...
One month later in April, Acaster fans will be chuffed to know that the mash king is back on the big screen in Andy Riley and Curtis Vowell’s historical comedy Seize Them!
Seize Them! is a who’s-who of British comedy, with a cast including Derry Girls, Bridgerton and soon-to-be Doctor Who guest star Nicola Coughlan, Sex Education and Living’s Aimee-Lou Wood, Ghosts and Saltburn’s Lolly Adefope, plus a Spaced reunion in the form of UK comedy stars Nick Frost and Jessica Hynes. See the first trailer below.
The film is the story of...
- 1/19/2024
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
This past week saw the release of The Book of Clarence, a movie about a down-on-his-luck guy who hits upon a get-rich-quick scheme that leads him into a heap of trouble. It’s a classic topic for a movie, but it is treading on more controversial ground than usual. Because in the case of this story about a hustler getting in over his head, the hustle happens to be set around Israel and Palestine during the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth. In fact, that is Clarence’s whole scheme: He sees Jesus and decides to get into the messiah business.
This is not the first film to portray the story of one of Jesus’ fictional contemporaries. Monty Python’s Life of Brian attracted protests, controversy, and endless talk show guest slots over its portrayal of a man who was definitely not the messiah, just a very naughty boy.
This is not the first film to portray the story of one of Jesus’ fictional contemporaries. Monty Python’s Life of Brian attracted protests, controversy, and endless talk show guest slots over its portrayal of a man who was definitely not the messiah, just a very naughty boy.
- 1/18/2024
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
British actor Tom Wilkinson has died at the age of 75. According to a statement shared with the BBC, Wilkinson passed "suddenly" at his home with his wife and family in his company. The Wilkinson family asks for privacy as they mourn.
The son of a farmer, Wilkinson approached acting like a pure professional; he was committed but unsentimental, never sparing unneeded effort. He spent his early acting days in the 1980s content with roles on TV, but he shifted his focus to films in the 1990s because, as he bluntly admitted, that's where the money was. He recounted to the Guardian in 2008: "I was broke, and in a position I'd never been in before -- phoning people up to ask: 'Have you got anything for me, anything?' I knew lots of actors who were making movies, and I thought: 'I'll have a piece of that, please.'"
Sure enough,...
The son of a farmer, Wilkinson approached acting like a pure professional; he was committed but unsentimental, never sparing unneeded effort. He spent his early acting days in the 1980s content with roles on TV, but he shifted his focus to films in the 1990s because, as he bluntly admitted, that's where the money was. He recounted to the Guardian in 2008: "I was broke, and in a position I'd never been in before -- phoning people up to ask: 'Have you got anything for me, anything?' I knew lots of actors who were making movies, and I thought: 'I'll have a piece of that, please.'"
Sure enough,...
- 12/30/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
John Cleese is poking fun at former President Donald Trump and comparing him to Adolf Hitler.
The 84-year-old Monty Python alum then immediately apologized after receiving some backlash on social media.
“Five ways that Hitler was preferable to Trump,” he began his post.
Keep reading to find out more…
“1. He fought for his country
2. He never used a teleprompter
3. He was nice to dogs
4. He wrote his own books
5. He never played golf
6. He wasn’t a big fat slob.”
“Five ways Trump is preferable to Hitler,” he then continued.
“1. He doesn’t practice genocide
2. He has nicer hair
3.
4.
5.”
Almost immediately, he then wrote: “I would like to apologize for my last tweet. It was a very bad joke, especially on Boxing Day.”
Find out which star was just cast as a young Trump in an upcoming movie.
Five ways that Hitler was preferable to Trump
1. He fought for his...
The 84-year-old Monty Python alum then immediately apologized after receiving some backlash on social media.
“Five ways that Hitler was preferable to Trump,” he began his post.
Keep reading to find out more…
“1. He fought for his country
2. He never used a teleprompter
3. He was nice to dogs
4. He wrote his own books
5. He never played golf
6. He wasn’t a big fat slob.”
“Five ways Trump is preferable to Hitler,” he then continued.
“1. He doesn’t practice genocide
2. He has nicer hair
3.
4.
5.”
Almost immediately, he then wrote: “I would like to apologize for my last tweet. It was a very bad joke, especially on Boxing Day.”
Find out which star was just cast as a young Trump in an upcoming movie.
Five ways that Hitler was preferable to Trump
1. He fought for his...
- 12/27/2023
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
British director and actor David Leland has died aged 82, according to his long-time agency, Cassaroto Ramsay & Associates
The theater, film and TV star passed away on Christmas Eve (December 24), surrounded by his family.
Leland’s career spanned over five decades. He is known for writing two films about British suburban madam Cynthia Payne, the BAFTA-nominated Personal Services in 1987 and the Cannes Film Festival hit Wish You Were Here.
The former was directed by Terry Jones and starred Julie Walters, while Leland directed the latter himself, with Emily Lloyd starring.
Leland won the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay for Wish You Were Here and the film won the Fipresci prize at Cannes.
He is also noted for serving as co-showrunner of Showtime series The Borgias and for giving Pierce Brosnan his first stage opportunity in the British premiere of Tennessee Williams’ The Red Devil Battery Sign at The Round House, which Leland directed.
The theater, film and TV star passed away on Christmas Eve (December 24), surrounded by his family.
Leland’s career spanned over five decades. He is known for writing two films about British suburban madam Cynthia Payne, the BAFTA-nominated Personal Services in 1987 and the Cannes Film Festival hit Wish You Were Here.
The former was directed by Terry Jones and starred Julie Walters, while Leland directed the latter himself, with Emily Lloyd starring.
Leland won the BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay for Wish You Were Here and the film won the Fipresci prize at Cannes.
He is also noted for serving as co-showrunner of Showtime series The Borgias and for giving Pierce Brosnan his first stage opportunity in the British premiere of Tennessee Williams’ The Red Devil Battery Sign at The Round House, which Leland directed.
- 12/27/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
British comedian and actor John Cleese has sparked controversy after comparing Donald Trump to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.
In a message posted on X, the A Fish Called Wanda, Fawlty Towers and Monty Python actor wrote that there were five ways in which Hitler was preferable to Trump, who is seeking re-election to the White House.
“1. He fought for his country 2. He never used a teleprompter 3. He was nice to dogs 4. He wrote his own books 5. He never played golf 6. He wasn’t a big fat slob,” wrote Cleese.
He continued by listing five ways Trump is preferable to Hitler, writing “1. doesn’t practice genocide 2. He has nicer hair,” and leaving the other three spaces empty.
The message, which has been viewed more than one million times, prompted hundreds of below-the-line responses, with many criticizing comedian Cleese for the comparison, and others writing it was clearly meant in jest.
Cleese...
In a message posted on X, the A Fish Called Wanda, Fawlty Towers and Monty Python actor wrote that there were five ways in which Hitler was preferable to Trump, who is seeking re-election to the White House.
“1. He fought for his country 2. He never used a teleprompter 3. He was nice to dogs 4. He wrote his own books 5. He never played golf 6. He wasn’t a big fat slob,” wrote Cleese.
He continued by listing five ways Trump is preferable to Hitler, writing “1. doesn’t practice genocide 2. He has nicer hair,” and leaving the other three spaces empty.
The message, which has been viewed more than one million times, prompted hundreds of below-the-line responses, with many criticizing comedian Cleese for the comparison, and others writing it was clearly meant in jest.
Cleese...
- 12/27/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Seven classic feature films, to be screened for the first time in Saudi Arabia, are showing at the Red Sea Film Festival’s Treasures sidebar in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Director of Arab programs and film classics Antoine Khalife tells Variety: “We really wanted to focus this year on the musical, as well as films about cinema itself.”
Films with a musical theme include a screening of a 4K restoration of Fatih Akin’s 2005 documentary about the music scene in Turkey “Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul” and Jacques Demy’s classic French musical “Les Demoiselles de Rochefort,” starring Catherine Deneuve, Françoise Dorléac and Gene Kelly from 1967.
“From the Arab world, we wanted to have something unusual: ‘The Victory of Youth,’ which stars Farid Al-Atrash and Asmahan,” Khalife says. The real-life siblings play brother and sister singer-musicians looking for fame via the silver screen. “We looked really hard to find...
Director of Arab programs and film classics Antoine Khalife tells Variety: “We really wanted to focus this year on the musical, as well as films about cinema itself.”
Films with a musical theme include a screening of a 4K restoration of Fatih Akin’s 2005 documentary about the music scene in Turkey “Crossing the Bridge: The Sound of Istanbul” and Jacques Demy’s classic French musical “Les Demoiselles de Rochefort,” starring Catherine Deneuve, Françoise Dorléac and Gene Kelly from 1967.
“From the Arab world, we wanted to have something unusual: ‘The Victory of Youth,’ which stars Farid Al-Atrash and Asmahan,” Khalife says. The real-life siblings play brother and sister singer-musicians looking for fame via the silver screen. “We looked really hard to find...
- 11/30/2023
- by John Bleasdale
- Variety Film + TV
“Just think,” Sir Lancelot (Taran Killam) muses as he celebrates his gay wedding at the end of Monty Python’s Spamalot. “In a thousand-and-eighteen years time, this will still be controversial.” Killam puts special emphasis on the “eighteen,” an addition to the script that nods to the supposed ways in which Spamalot remains relevant nearly two decades after the Tony-winning musical adaptation of Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam’s 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail tore up the 2004-2005 Broadway season.
The construction of the joke suggests that not much has changed—either for good or ill—in the past decades. That’s hardly true, because when Hank Azaria delivered the punchline in 2005, gay marriage wouldn’t be legalized in New York State for another six years. It’s surprising how much of Spamalot’s humor, especially the gay jokes, now feels rooted in an earlier time. Even peppered...
The construction of the joke suggests that not much has changed—either for good or ill—in the past decades. That’s hardly true, because when Hank Azaria delivered the punchline in 2005, gay marriage wouldn’t be legalized in New York State for another six years. It’s surprising how much of Spamalot’s humor, especially the gay jokes, now feels rooted in an earlier time. Even peppered...
- 11/17/2023
- by Dan Rubins
- Slant Magazine
Taran Killam, the former Saturday Night Live player and Hamilton cast member, will play Lancelot in the Broadway revival of Monty Python’s Spamalot, with Alex Brightman taking over the role in January following Killam’s limited engagement.
The casting rounds out the principal roles for the production, which begins previews at the St. James Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 31, with an official opening on Thursday, November 16. Killam will play Lancelot from the first preview until January 7.
Brightman, who’ll take over the role on January 9, played Lancelot at the Kennedy Center staging earlier this year, but is currently starring in Broadway’s The Shark Is Broken, which closes Nov. 19.
The new Lancelots join a Spamalot cast that includes James Monroe Iglehart as King Arthur, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as the Lady of the Lake, Michael Urie as Sir Robin, Christopher Fitzgerald as Patsy, Ethan Slater as the Historian/Prince Herbert, Jimmy Smagula as Sir Bedevere,...
The casting rounds out the principal roles for the production, which begins previews at the St. James Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 31, with an official opening on Thursday, November 16. Killam will play Lancelot from the first preview until January 7.
Brightman, who’ll take over the role on January 9, played Lancelot at the Kennedy Center staging earlier this year, but is currently starring in Broadway’s The Shark Is Broken, which closes Nov. 19.
The new Lancelots join a Spamalot cast that includes James Monroe Iglehart as King Arthur, Leslie Rodriguez Kritzer as the Lady of the Lake, Michael Urie as Sir Robin, Christopher Fitzgerald as Patsy, Ethan Slater as the Historian/Prince Herbert, Jimmy Smagula as Sir Bedevere,...
- 9/26/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Fear and Loathing meets South Park in a screwball horror novella from the twisted mind of Christopher Brett Bailey. Part romance, part buddy comedy, part bizzarro body horror, I Saw Satan at the 7–Eleven is a dark-as-night tale from a phenomenal new name in literary fiction.
Two miles north of Hell, a nameless deadbeat narrator spots Satan buying soy milk at the 7–Eleven. Satan’s a washed-up has-been, who’s totally lost his edge. That is until he falls in love with our narrator, and the two embark on a debauched misadventure, by turns slapstick, violent, whimsical, dreamlike and tender.
Outside in the parking lot, Satan was polishing his windshield. Satan drove a Corvette, obviously. I went outside, kept my distance, eyeballed him wiping dead bugs from his wing mirrors. Clocking me, he struck a rebel pose, one foot up on the bumper, and called out, “I’m not a hippie.
Two miles north of Hell, a nameless deadbeat narrator spots Satan buying soy milk at the 7–Eleven. Satan’s a washed-up has-been, who’s totally lost his edge. That is until he falls in love with our narrator, and the two embark on a debauched misadventure, by turns slapstick, violent, whimsical, dreamlike and tender.
Outside in the parking lot, Satan was polishing his windshield. Satan drove a Corvette, obviously. I went outside, kept my distance, eyeballed him wiping dead bugs from his wing mirrors. Clocking me, he struck a rebel pose, one foot up on the bumper, and called out, “I’m not a hippie.
- 9/20/2023
- by Peter 'Witchfinder' Hopkins
- Horror Asylum
Eve Hewson Will Not be doing karaoke today. “I have to be really, really hammered to do karaoke,” the actress explains, walking through New York’s Central Park. “I would really have to be a whole bottle of tequila deep.” Not that she is opposed to such things (“I mean, I am Irish”), but it’s 10 a.m. on a Wednesday, and up until very, very recently, sober public singing — or sober singing of any kind, really — was a complete nonstarter. “Absolutely not,” she says. “Hard no. It was absolutely my biggest fear.
- 9/18/2023
- by Alex Morris
- Rollingstone.com
In January 2009, during a midnight screening at Sundance, Michael Jai White knew he had something special in Black Dynamite. Nine months later, the Blaxploitation spoof’s limited theatrical release and minimal box office gross didn’t stop its immediate fate as a cult classic. Demand for a sequel soon followed, and so White, as co-writer of the film, penned a direct sequel that struggled to get off the ground due to creative differences with a producer.
Consequently, White went back to the drawing board and pursued an idea he had at the same time as Black Dynamite’s conception. If that action-comedy paid homage to Blaxploitation films through parody, then it would only make sense to take a similar approach with other genres. So, White revisited his earlier ideas for three other genre exercises including a horror movie, a kung fu movie and a Western. That Western is now known as Outlaw Johnny Black,...
Consequently, White went back to the drawing board and pursued an idea he had at the same time as Black Dynamite’s conception. If that action-comedy paid homage to Blaxploitation films through parody, then it would only make sense to take a similar approach with other genres. So, White revisited his earlier ideas for three other genre exercises including a horror movie, a kung fu movie and a Western. That Western is now known as Outlaw Johnny Black,...
- 9/13/2023
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It's nothing short of a miracle that anything nearly as weird as "Monty Python's Flying Circus" became a pop culture phenomenon. In the BBC television series that ran from 1969 to 1974, comedians Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, along with animator Terry Gilliam and frequent co-stars Carol Cleveland and Connie Booth, obliterated all sense of sanity on the airwaves.
Their sketch comedy show — which had neither circuses, pythons, nor a character named "Monty" — crafted off-the-wall sketches about every strange thing they could think of. Silly walks, Hungarian phrase books, and how not to be seen were just the tip of the very absurd iceberg, and the comedy troupe's absolute dedication to defying convention remains, to this day, a gold standard to which any comedian can aspire.
Monty Python didn't stay on the airwaves forever. The troupe created four feature films together over the course of twelve years,...
Their sketch comedy show — which had neither circuses, pythons, nor a character named "Monty" — crafted off-the-wall sketches about every strange thing they could think of. Silly walks, Hungarian phrase books, and how not to be seen were just the tip of the very absurd iceberg, and the comedy troupe's absolute dedication to defying convention remains, to this day, a gold standard to which any comedian can aspire.
Monty Python didn't stay on the airwaves forever. The troupe created four feature films together over the course of twelve years,...
- 8/30/2023
- by William Bibbiani
- Slash Film
What does it take for the Emmy-nominated crew behind “Saturday Night Live” to build sets from start to finish? Thirty-six hours, plus “dedication and expertise,” according to production designer Andrea Purcigliotti.
By the time Purcigliotti and fellow production designers Leo Yoshimura and Keith Raywood receive their script, it’s often late on a Wednesday night after the cast has gone through a table read. Then it’s off to the races. The sets need to be ready for shooting by 8 a.m. on Friday.
For a spoof on the famous levitation scene in “The Exorcist,” the team had to figure out how to get Jenna Ortega to rise from a bed without special effects. The solution was hydraulics, but they had little time to properly outfit the bed.
“We built the lift with hydraulic motors that went under the bed and lifted up a small portion,” says Yoshimura. “So, it...
By the time Purcigliotti and fellow production designers Leo Yoshimura and Keith Raywood receive their script, it’s often late on a Wednesday night after the cast has gone through a table read. Then it’s off to the races. The sets need to be ready for shooting by 8 a.m. on Friday.
For a spoof on the famous levitation scene in “The Exorcist,” the team had to figure out how to get Jenna Ortega to rise from a bed without special effects. The solution was hydraulics, but they had little time to properly outfit the bed.
“We built the lift with hydraulic motors that went under the bed and lifted up a small portion,” says Yoshimura. “So, it...
- 8/26/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Christian Bale worked with Alien director Ridley Scott on Exodus: Gods and Kings, which was an adaptation of the famous biblical story. But Bale thought Scott might have been freaked out by his star’s appearance for their feature.
Christian Bale felt that he made Ridley Scott panic because of his looks Christian Bale | Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Bale felt he might have made a bad impression after being cast in Scott’s biblical epic Exodus. The actor has been known to change his physique for his films. So physically, Bale didn’t think he had the look Scott wanted for his Moses. Bale put on a significant amount of weight to play his lead role in American Hustle.
Meanwhile, Moses was supposed to carry a much more slight physique. It didn’t help that Bale’s performance was going to follow Charlton Heston’s take on Moses in The Ten Commandments.
Christian Bale felt that he made Ridley Scott panic because of his looks Christian Bale | Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Bale felt he might have made a bad impression after being cast in Scott’s biblical epic Exodus. The actor has been known to change his physique for his films. So physically, Bale didn’t think he had the look Scott wanted for his Moses. Bale put on a significant amount of weight to play his lead role in American Hustle.
Meanwhile, Moses was supposed to carry a much more slight physique. It didn’t help that Bale’s performance was going to follow Charlton Heston’s take on Moses in The Ten Commandments.
- 8/26/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Monty Python’s Spamalot is heading back to Broadway this fall. The revival, which follows a sold-out run at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., begins previews Tuesday, October 31, at the St. James Theatre, with an official opening night of November 16.
“I’m thrilled to see Spamalot back on Broadway,” said Eric Idle, who wrote the show’s book and lyrics and co-wrote the music with John Du Prez, in a statement. “More than ever, it seems we need a good laugh and it’s inspiring to see audiences still embracing this, the most happy of shows I have ever worked on. So put the News Cycle on Rinse Cycle and take a couple of hours to relax with the Lady of the Lake, King Arthur and the Knights Who Say Ni because we’re not dead yet!”
The show will mark the first production from the Kennedy Center...
“I’m thrilled to see Spamalot back on Broadway,” said Eric Idle, who wrote the show’s book and lyrics and co-wrote the music with John Du Prez, in a statement. “More than ever, it seems we need a good laugh and it’s inspiring to see audiences still embracing this, the most happy of shows I have ever worked on. So put the News Cycle on Rinse Cycle and take a couple of hours to relax with the Lady of the Lake, King Arthur and the Knights Who Say Ni because we’re not dead yet!”
The show will mark the first production from the Kennedy Center...
- 8/2/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Cinematographer Peter Biziou — who earned an Oscar and BAFTA for Alan Parker-directed 1988 film Mississippi Burning — will receive the lifetime achievement award at the 31st EnergaCamerimage international festival of cinematography, which returns to Turun, Poland, in November.
Biziou’s credits include Peter Weir’s The Truman Show, for which he earned an additional BAFTA nom, and several films with Parker, including Bugsy Malone (shared with Dp Michael Seresin) and Pink Floyd: The Wall.
His other notable credits also include Monty Python’s Life of Brian, helmed by Terry Jones; Time Bandits, directed by Terry Gilliam; Another Country, by Merek Kanievska; and In the Name of the Father, by Jim Sheridan.
Born in Wales in 1944, Biziou’s family was evacuated during WWII. His father, Leon Bijou, was a cinematographer, special effects, animation pro and an assistant director who worked with Richard Thorpe on 1952’s Ivanhoe.
Following his return to post-war London,...
Biziou’s credits include Peter Weir’s The Truman Show, for which he earned an additional BAFTA nom, and several films with Parker, including Bugsy Malone (shared with Dp Michael Seresin) and Pink Floyd: The Wall.
His other notable credits also include Monty Python’s Life of Brian, helmed by Terry Jones; Time Bandits, directed by Terry Gilliam; Another Country, by Merek Kanievska; and In the Name of the Father, by Jim Sheridan.
Born in Wales in 1944, Biziou’s family was evacuated during WWII. His father, Leon Bijou, was a cinematographer, special effects, animation pro and an assistant director who worked with Richard Thorpe on 1952’s Ivanhoe.
Following his return to post-war London,...
- 7/19/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The entire cast of 1997’s feel-good hit “The Full Monty” is back for Hulu’s new series of the same name — even Wim Snape, who played young Nathan at age 11, returns to play the much more sensible son of Robert Carlyle’s charming but unreliable Gaz. But some things are different this time around as the crew reunites for the Hulu sequel series (which drops June 14), with Oscar-nominated scripter Simon Beaufoy co-writing with Alice Nutter.
The series finds the crew still trying various get-rich schemes with mixed to dismal results. The movie, which saw the unemployed steelworkers of Sheffield secretly becoming strippers to raise some cash — and their low self-esteem —ended on a high as the lads gave the enthusiastic hometown audience “the full monty,” that is, full frontal nudity.
Ahead of the premiere, TheWrap spoke with Carlyle and Snape, as well as returning stars Mark Addy as lovably glum Dave,...
The series finds the crew still trying various get-rich schemes with mixed to dismal results. The movie, which saw the unemployed steelworkers of Sheffield secretly becoming strippers to raise some cash — and their low self-esteem —ended on a high as the lads gave the enthusiastic hometown audience “the full monty,” that is, full frontal nudity.
Ahead of the premiere, TheWrap spoke with Carlyle and Snape, as well as returning stars Mark Addy as lovably glum Dave,...
- 6/14/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
From classic programs like Monty Python’s Flying Circus to contemporary hits like A Black Lady Sketch Show sketch comedy shows have consistently entertained viewers and become cultural touchstones. With a production format that allows for flexibility and a wide range of comedic styles and themes to be explored within a single episode or season, sketches can range from the absurd and surreal to satirical and political, catering to diverse tastes and providing something for everyone. This flexibility has helped sketch comedy shows attract a broad audience, ensuring their longevity and popularity. Sketch comedy often relies on a talented ensemble cast...
- 5/18/2023
- by Uwa Echebiri
- TVovermind.com
Are you ready to go for the Full Monty once again?
It's been 25 years since the cult classic had this group of out-of-work steel workers taking it all off in Sheffield, England.
Will they do it again?
You'll have to watch the trailer below to find out.
The new eight-part series follows the same band of brothers as they navigate the post-industrial city of Sheffield and society's crumbling healthcare, education, and employment sectors.
The comedy-drama will uncover what happened to the gang after they put their kit back on, exploring their brighter, sillier, and some of their more desperate moments.
But the series will also highlight how the fiercely funny world of these working-class heroes – still residing in Sheffield – has changed in the intervening decades.
Fans of the movie won't be disappointed as many of the original cast members are returning, including Robert Carlyle as "Gaz," Mark Addy as "Dave,...
It's been 25 years since the cult classic had this group of out-of-work steel workers taking it all off in Sheffield, England.
Will they do it again?
You'll have to watch the trailer below to find out.
The new eight-part series follows the same band of brothers as they navigate the post-industrial city of Sheffield and society's crumbling healthcare, education, and employment sectors.
The comedy-drama will uncover what happened to the gang after they put their kit back on, exploring their brighter, sillier, and some of their more desperate moments.
But the series will also highlight how the fiercely funny world of these working-class heroes – still residing in Sheffield – has changed in the intervening decades.
Fans of the movie won't be disappointed as many of the original cast members are returning, including Robert Carlyle as "Gaz," Mark Addy as "Dave,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Christine Orlando
- TVfanatic
John Cleese couldn’t help but view the recent coronation of British monarch King Charles III as a satire worthy of one of his classic Monty Python sketches.
In an interview with Gb News, the legendary British comedian — who also famously dressed down a certain British noble named King Arthur in 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail — admitted he “lost it” after starting to watch the historic televised event with his wife. “I couldn’t stop laughing,” he shared, barely able to contain himself through his harsh-yet-candid recollection. “All these people in these silly costumes, all taking things so seriously. I thought it was a [Monty] Python sketch.”
Cleese further clarified that he “wasn’t laughing at the people because they were playing their parts really well” but had one note for the “marvelous” Archbishop of Canterbury, who had to make several adjustments while bestowing the crown on the new monarch’s head.
In an interview with Gb News, the legendary British comedian — who also famously dressed down a certain British noble named King Arthur in 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail — admitted he “lost it” after starting to watch the historic televised event with his wife. “I couldn’t stop laughing,” he shared, barely able to contain himself through his harsh-yet-candid recollection. “All these people in these silly costumes, all taking things so seriously. I thought it was a [Monty] Python sketch.”
Cleese further clarified that he “wasn’t laughing at the people because they were playing their parts really well” but had one note for the “marvelous” Archbishop of Canterbury, who had to make several adjustments while bestowing the crown on the new monarch’s head.
- 5/9/2023
- by Bryan Kress
- Consequence - Film News
David Arquette has had a remarkable career playing interesting and sometimes off-kilter characters in a range of films and TV shows.
In his latest role in Peacock's Mrs. Davis, he plays Monty, the magician father to Betty Gilpin's globetrotting nun searching for the Holy Grail to end a God-like AI.
It's a perfect role for Arquette, who admits he has always loved magic.
"To be able to play a magician opposite such incredible actors, such amazing writing and producing director, I don't know. I just felt really honored to be able to play this character," he shared with TV Fanatic via Zoom.
He continued, "He's complex; he's got this confidence on stage, but then he is got this extreme insecurity offstage, and he feels like Mrs. Davis has destroyed magic by giving everyone the secrets to these tricks, so he really wants to eliminate Mrs. Davis."
Monty and his wife,...
In his latest role in Peacock's Mrs. Davis, he plays Monty, the magician father to Betty Gilpin's globetrotting nun searching for the Holy Grail to end a God-like AI.
It's a perfect role for Arquette, who admits he has always loved magic.
"To be able to play a magician opposite such incredible actors, such amazing writing and producing director, I don't know. I just felt really honored to be able to play this character," he shared with TV Fanatic via Zoom.
He continued, "He's complex; he's got this confidence on stage, but then he is got this extreme insecurity offstage, and he feels like Mrs. Davis has destroyed magic by giving everyone the secrets to these tricks, so he really wants to eliminate Mrs. Davis."
Monty and his wife,...
- 4/28/2023
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
Bill Hader appears on my screen from Los Angeles, unshaven, a little groggy and in an uncluttered white room. Faced with this pixelated version of him, I’m instantly reminded of his role in the 2008 Judd Apatow-produced romcom Forgetting Sarah Marshall, for which he appeared almost exclusively on video call, in the days before Zoom was a thing. “It was such a novelty back then,” he says, that furrowed brow unmistakeable. “It was like, ‘Whoa, this is new.’”
Saturday Night Live’s erstwhile Man of a Thousand Faces is here on my laptop to talk about his greatest creation, Barry Berkman, a marine turned assassin turned aspiring actor in the HBO comedy-drama Barry, which Hader writes and directs as well as playing the title character. The show has won multiple Emmys; critical adulation; obsessive fans. What began as an apparent riff on the hitman-with-a-heart-of-gold trope has evolved over four...
Saturday Night Live’s erstwhile Man of a Thousand Faces is here on my laptop to talk about his greatest creation, Barry Berkman, a marine turned assassin turned aspiring actor in the HBO comedy-drama Barry, which Hader writes and directs as well as playing the title character. The show has won multiple Emmys; critical adulation; obsessive fans. What began as an apparent riff on the hitman-with-a-heart-of-gold trope has evolved over four...
- 4/22/2023
- by Patrick Smith
- The Independent - TV
In most versions of the classic 1831 Victor Hugo tale, The Hunchback of Notre-Dame, the female protagonist is Esmeralda, a French Romani girl who is so beautiful that every major male character in the story either wants to marry her or seduce her. (She’s also only 16 in the novel—a book from over 200 years ago). For all her kindness and compassion, Esmeralda is basically treated terribly throughout the story and finally ends up hanged for a crime she didn’t commit, just as she reunites with her long-lost birth mother.
Quasi, a satirical new take on the story from the Broken Lizard crew (Super Troopers), has a decidedly different view of its female lead. Directed by Broken Lizard’s Kevin Heffernan and written by him and the rest of the team—Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske—the film dispenses with the tragic Esmeralda in favor of...
Quasi, a satirical new take on the story from the Broken Lizard crew (Super Troopers), has a decidedly different view of its female lead. Directed by Broken Lizard’s Kevin Heffernan and written by him and the rest of the team—Steve Lemme, Jay Chandrasekhar, Paul Soter, and Erik Stolhanske—the film dispenses with the tragic Esmeralda in favor of...
- 4/20/2023
- by Don Kaye
- Den of Geek
The Holy Grail, a character in “Mrs. Davis” observes, might be the “most overused MacGuffin ever.” From “Monty Python” to “Indiana Jones,” the mythical chalice is an easy shorthand for a magical object that motivates heroes and antagonists alike. Sister Simone (Betty Gilpin), a nun who spends her days mak- ing strawberry jam at an abbey outside Reno, is the latest protag- onist to set her sights on the Grail. She’s been assigned this quest by an artificial intelligence known as Mrs. Davis, which marries the menace of Skynet with the affable mien of Alexa. For reasons both principled and personal, Simone despises Mrs. Davis, but she’s been extended an offer she can’t refuse: If she finds the Grail and destroys it, Mrs. Davis will destroy herself. As the same supporting player notes: “Algorithms love clichés, and there’s no cliché bigger than the quest for the Holy Grail.
- 4/18/2023
- by Alison Herman
- Variety Film + TV
If you're a movie or TV viewer, you've seen Chris Diamantopoulos. Probably many times. If you're an animation nerd, you've heard Chris Diamantopoulos. Again, probably many times. Anyone who is pop culture-literate in the year 2023 has encountered the actor in some capacity -- even if you don't know his name, you know his face. But you can be forgiven for not recognizing his voice, because his chameleonic voiceover work suggests the work of a dozen different actors.
After cutting his teeth on the Broadway stage, Diamantopoulos smashed into film and television and has seemingly never stopped working. You may know him from roles on major TV series like "CSI," "24," "The Sopranos" and "Arrested Development," where he eased into those shows' distinct tones with ease. He was the sound guy who tempted Pam away from Jim in the final season of "The Office." He was that guy from the horse...
After cutting his teeth on the Broadway stage, Diamantopoulos smashed into film and television and has seemingly never stopped working. You may know him from roles on major TV series like "CSI," "24," "The Sopranos" and "Arrested Development," where he eased into those shows' distinct tones with ease. He was the sound guy who tempted Pam away from Jim in the final season of "The Office." He was that guy from the horse...
- 4/18/2023
- by Jacob Hall
- Slash Film
Twenty-five years ago, before they made their seminal cop comedy "Super Troopers," comedy troupe Broken Lizard were tossing around ideas based on a character who was a lovable loser who managed to become a hero. Fast-forward to today, and those ideas have solidified in the form of "Quasi," a satirical take on "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" that traps hunchback Quasimodo (Steve Lemme) in a battle between the King of France (Jay Chandrasekhar) and the Pope (Paul Soter). If you ever wanted to see the guys behind "Beerfest" and "Club Dread" tackle medieval history with their unique brand of sweet stoner humor, then "Quasi" is the flick for you, and it's hitting Hulu on April 20, 2023, just in time for the holiest of pot-smoking holidays.
I had the chance to chat with Broken Lizard and ask them all about this cinematic adventure 25 years in the making. They shared the highs and lows of playing multiple roles,...
I had the chance to chat with Broken Lizard and ask them all about this cinematic adventure 25 years in the making. They shared the highs and lows of playing multiple roles,...
- 4/17/2023
- by Danielle Ryan
- Slash Film
The Beatles exist in a stratosphere all their own decades after they broke up. The music still resonates, and the band members — living and dead — are still celebrated. So are the group’s other projects, such as The Beatles’ first movie A Hard Day’s Night. It cost $500,000 to make, which was well worth it beyond the box office receipts. Paul McCartney said filming the movie was nerve-wracking, but it came with a huge payoff.
(l-r) George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon | Underwood Archives/Getty Images ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ more than recouped its $500,000 budget
A Hard Day’s Night (1964) was like many other movies. A screenwriter (Alun Owen) penned the script. A director (Richard Lester) helmed the shoot. And actors (many of them anonymous in the U.S. aside from The Beatles) performed in it.
Yet it comes off as a quasi-documentary with Paul, John Lennon, George Harrison,...
(l-r) George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon | Underwood Archives/Getty Images ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ more than recouped its $500,000 budget
A Hard Day’s Night (1964) was like many other movies. A screenwriter (Alun Owen) penned the script. A director (Richard Lester) helmed the shoot. And actors (many of them anonymous in the U.S. aside from The Beatles) performed in it.
Yet it comes off as a quasi-documentary with Paul, John Lennon, George Harrison,...
- 4/13/2023
- by Jason Rossi
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
For centuries, actors have endured a unique position in society. After dazzling audiences with their talent on the silver screen or stage, many talented individuals move behind the camera to become directors. With this transition comes great respect from those who recognize their performances as an actor and their skills in directing films that capture hearts and minds worldwide in spectacular fashion.
Related: Top 10 Richest Actors in the World [2022]
We wanted to know which actors make up some of our favorite director-actor combinations. So we dove into IMDb’s extensive collection of movie ratings, searching for insight into history’s best actor-directors based on viewer opinion alone. What follows is ten beloved actor-directors who saw success on either side (or both!) throughout various stages throughout showbiz’ past decade: Charlie Day, Zoë Kravitz, and Chris Pine, among others, all turn out award-winning feature productions utilizing decades worth of experience knowing precisely...
Related: Top 10 Richest Actors in the World [2022]
We wanted to know which actors make up some of our favorite director-actor combinations. So we dove into IMDb’s extensive collection of movie ratings, searching for insight into history’s best actor-directors based on viewer opinion alone. What follows is ten beloved actor-directors who saw success on either side (or both!) throughout various stages throughout showbiz’ past decade: Charlie Day, Zoë Kravitz, and Chris Pine, among others, all turn out award-winning feature productions utilizing decades worth of experience knowing precisely...
- 4/11/2023
- by Buddy TV
- buddytv.com
One of the most impressive signs of the MCU’s might occurred early in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. As Cap and Black Widow make their way through a ship held captive by pirates, they’re stopped by the ring leader: Batroc the Leaper. To comic book fans, Batroc was one of the goofier characters in Cap’s rogues gallery, a Frenchman straight out of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, endowed with the power of jumping really well. But in The Winter Soldier, Batroc was played by UFC fighter Georges St-Pierre, who proceeded to have a really cool action sequence with Cap.
“If that’s what the MCU can do with Batroc, imagine what they’ll do with Crossbones?” we all thought. Introduced in Captain America #359 as the Red Skull’s enforcer during writer Mark Gruenwald’s legendary run, Crossbones quickly established himself as a formidable counter to Cap,...
“If that’s what the MCU can do with Batroc, imagine what they’ll do with Crossbones?” we all thought. Introduced in Captain America #359 as the Red Skull’s enforcer during writer Mark Gruenwald’s legendary run, Crossbones quickly established himself as a formidable counter to Cap,...
- 4/5/2023
- by Joe George
- Den of Geek
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