Source: The Washington Post / Getty The government is currently in shambles thanks in large part to the tangerine menace and his swamp monsters in the White House. The Obamas are looking to give us escape with some quality programming. Details have emerged about the slate of programming come from our forever Potus and Flotus as a part of their deal they struck with Netflix. The multi-year deal the power couple reached with the insanely popular streaming service through their company Higher Ground Productions 11 months ago is finally revealing the fruits of it. The New York Times reports the projects coming will be free of politics so Netflix’s 148 million paying subscribers will not see any Trump bashing but will focus on race, class, democracy and civil rights the former President revealed in a statement. “Touching on issues of race and class, democracy and civil rights and much more, we believe each of these productions won’t just entertain but will educate, connect and inspire us all.” The NYT revealed the seven projects that included multiple documentaries and a movie about Fredrick Douglas. Here is the breakdown: “American Factory,” a documentary that examines life in Ohio where a Chinese billionaire opened a factory in a former General Motors plant and hired 2,000 people. Higher Ground Productions described the film, produced by Participant Media and directed by Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert, as “early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.” The documentary was already shown at the Sundance Film Festival, and Higher Ground Productions said it would be its first release. “Bloom,” a drama series set in post-World War II New York that will explore the “barriers faced by women and by people of color in an era marked by hurdles but also tremendous progress.” It will be produced by Callie Khouri, who wrote “Thelma & Louise.” A film adaptation of “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography by David W. Blight. Higher Ground did not announce a screenwriter or any producers. An adaptation of a New York Times series, called “ Overlooked ,” about people whose deaths were previously not reported by the newspaper. The obituaries have been published in a recurring feature in the paper. Higher Ground Productions said it would be a scripted anthology series. A series based on “The Fifth Risk: Undoing Democracy,” a book by Michael Lewis . “Crip Camp,” a documentary film about the origins of the disability rights movement . “Listen to Your Vegetables & Eat Your Parents,” a half-hour series for preschoolers that will “take young children and their families around the globe on an adventure that tells us the story of our food.” No release date has been revealed for any of the titles listed above, but we can’t wait to get our stream on. — Photo: The Washington Post / Getty
Source: Supplied by WENN.com / WENN Michelle And Barack Obama Reveal Their Netflix Plans Barack and Michelle Obama ‘s production company, Higher Ground Productions, has unveiled their initial slate of projects for their partnership with Netflix. The content on the horizon includes a range of scripted and unscripted projects for a wide range of audiences, as well as full-length features and documentaries. Priya Swaminathan and Tonia Davis–the co-heads of the organization–revealed the news on Tuesday, announcing seven projects that are in different stages of development to be released over the next several years. You can check out descriptions of the upcoming projects below: “American Factory” was acquired by Netflix in association with Higher Ground Productions out of the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Directing Award for U.S. Documentary. The film takes a deep dive into a post-industrial Ohio, where a Chinese billionaire opens a new factory in the husk of an abandoned General Motors plant and hires 2,000 blue-collar Americans. “Bloom” is a drama series set in the world of fashion in post-WWII New York City that depicts barriers faced by women and by people of color in an era characterized by both hurdles and progress. Higher Ground is also producing a feature film adaptation of author David W. Blight’s “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom,” for which he won the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in History. Adapted from the New York Times’ obituary column Overlooked, telling the stories of remarkable people whose deaths were not reported by the newspaper, Higher Ground is developing “Overlooked” as a scripted anthology series with producers Liza Chasin of 3dot Productions and Joy Gorman Wettels of Anonymous Content. For family programming, “Listen to Your Vegetables & Eat Your Parents” will be a half-hour preschool series from creators Jeremy Konner (“Drunk History”) and Erika Thormahlen. The show will take young children and their families around the globe on an adventure that tells us the story of our food. Are you feeling this new programing lineup from the Obamas?!
Major key… DJ Khaled Covers Billboard Magazine DJ Khaled can’t be stopped. The “We The Best” head is currently covering Billboard and giving them a glimpse at his extremely extravagant but also extremely gratitude filled lifestyle. Khaled invited writer Chris Martins to his home for an in-depth look into his world that included a trip to Starbucks on a golf cart and the delivery of a shiny new Escalade to his driveway. The piece gives you some good background info on the breakdancer turned music titan, who also revealed that he crashed Chance The Rapper’s family barbecue to get him on “I’m The One.” Catch some highlights below. On his son Asahd being a “prophet”: “He leans in very closely: “He’s my son, but when I look at him, he’s my prophet, too. I believe me and Asahd was put on this world to show what love is.” On his fear of flying: Khaled, if you don’t know, is terrified of flying. Tony Robbins, the celebrity “life and business strategist,” is trying to help him with this, leaving voice memos every few weeks reminding Khaled he’ll take him up in his jet anytime. For now, Khaled takes a tour bus between homes and responsibilities. Asahd, though, may change that. “He flies private,” says Khaled. “I’m just as stressed out on ground waiting for him, so I might as well be up there.” On crying when he finally got Bieber’s vocals: Weezy knocked it out, and that was it — except Bieber wasn’t done. “I’m calling every day like, ‘Do you need me to bring you tea? Is the AC good in the house?’ Then he sends it. I’m not going to lie. I shed tears.” On people who think he doesn’t do anything: “Anybody who’s confused what Khaled does is an idiot.” He’s perched on the edge of his cushioned seat, waving his arms, voice echoing. “I produce, I write, I orchestrate. I’m a mogul and one of the biggest DJs you’ve seen in your life. I’ll bust your ass on some turntables. You go to my Miami studio, you’ll be blinded by the shining of the [platinum and gold] plaques. What, you think my records get made magically?” Another one! Khaled’s Billboard cover hits stores June 17. You copping???
This guy is something else: This is the further exposing of a true servant of Satan masquerading as a man of God named “David E. Taylor”, who is a false prophet of the Devil against the Kingdom of God. It is posted for information and the protection of others. MATTHEW 7:15; “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” He takes advantage of the gullible, the desperate, the sick, and the poor while living lavishly off of their donations by convincing people that if they buy his books or come to his conferences they will have face to face encounters with Jesus Christ. Not only that but he claims to be on the same level as the prophet Moses and the best friend of Jesus Christ himself. Please watch and share so that others may know and avoid this deception.
Trump Model Says The Pope Is In The Illuminati A model represented by Trump’s modeling agency recently said that because the pope doesn’t slam organizations like Planned Parenthood or open his speeches with prayer, he is clearly a false prophet — and she’s pretty sure she saw him toss up some of those tell-tale Illuminati gang signs that all the YouTube conspiracy theorists know about… Via NewYorkPost : Alexandra Tomlinson, one of Trump Model Management’s most successful catwalkers — she’s been the face of De Beers diamonds and posed for Chanel and Valentino — posted a rant on Facebook over the weekend in which she called the pontiff a “False Prophet” and even linked him to the Illuminati. Her modeling agency was founded and is still run by the billionaire presidential candidate. On her Facebook page, the right-leaning Tomlinson decried the fact that Francis didn’t open his speech to Congress with a prayer or use the platform to condemn Planned Parenthood. “Strange for a man of God,” she writes. “As I see the egregiously positive reaction to Pope Francis by the citizens of this country and this world, I’m left dumbfounded. He is completely transparent, how is he pulling the wool over so many soul’s eyes? And I use the word soul on purpose. For I believe more and more that this man is the False Prophet,” Tomlinson’s posting reads. She goes on to say that “Pope Francis worships a different God, the antithesis of Christ” and that he flashed a hand gesture she claimed links him to the “sect of satanists called The Illuminati.” Of course, as soon as her post caught attention her modeling agency came out and told everyone that those were not her views and her account had been hacked. However…the post is still active with no mention of a hacking. Do these sound like the rants and raves of a slight religious fanatic with a lot of time in her hands to cruise the conspiracy corner of the internet…or might she be onto something??
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1999 The Cider House Rules Hazel 1999 Witness Protection Suzie Batton TV 2000 The Prophet#39;s Game Adele Highsmith #x0028;child#x0029; 2000 The Patriot Susan Martin 2000 The Darkling Casey Obold TV 2001 Blonde Young Norma Jeane Baker TV 2001 Don#39;t Say a Word Jessie Conrad 2001 Riding in Cars with Boys Amelia – Age 8 2001 The Affair of the Necklace Dove Scenes deleted 2002 Flashpoint Lizzie 2002 Firestarter: Rekind
After speculation mounted last that Ben Affleck would possibly hang up his filmmaking and acting hats for a U.S. Senate run from Massachusetts, the Argo director and star said he won’t be running for office at least for the time being. Last week, Boston’s CBS affiliate reported that Massachusetts Democrats were wooing Affleck to run for the seat that will be vacated by John Kerry after his likely confirmation as Secretary of State, replacing Hillary Rodham Clinton. The low probability that he’d run did get a bit of a boost when his publicist didn’t directly deny he was considering a run and he didn’t completely say ‘no’ when asked about running during an appearance on CBS’ Face the Nation Sunday. But, Affleck took to Facebook to give final confirmation of his Senate bow out. He will continue to work for the Eastern Congo Initiative, a non-profit group that gives humanitarian aid in the war-torn African region and other causes. Affleck has gone to Congress to testify on behalf of his work for the group. In his Facebook message, he also gives a shout-out to the presumed new Secretary of State. Affleck’s Facebook statement follows : I love Massachusetts and our political process, but I am not running for office. Right now it’s a privilege to spend my time working with Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI), supporting our veterans, drawing attention to the great many who go hungry in the U.S. everyday and using filmmaking to entertain and foster discussion about issues like our relationship to Iran. We are about to get a great Secretary of State and there are some phenomenal candidates in Massachusetts for his Senate seat. I look forward to an amazing campaign. Happy Holidays to All. [ Source: A.P. ]
If you haven’t yet heard of Matthias Schoenaerts , a.k.a. the Belgian Brando, you’re going to start running out of excuses. The son of actor Julien Schoenaerts, Matthias is already a sex-symbol in his native Belgium. He made his on-screen debut alongside his father in the Oscar-nominated Daens and broke Flemish box-office records in Erik Van Looy’s Loft . But he really burst forth onto the world cinema stage last year with his gripping turn as the lead in Michael Roskam’s Academy Award nominated cow-hormone crime-epic Bullhead . Injecting testosterone into his thigh with all the flair of a young Robert De Niro , Schoenaerts tempered his young thug’s animalistic rage with an innate vulnerability that’s earned him comparisons to Ryan Gosling and Tom Hardy. His reward: getting to star opposite perennial candidate for Most Beautiful Woman Alive Marion Cotillard in Rust and Bone , renowned director Jacques Audiard’s follow up to A Prophet . Audiard’s films — from the smoldering romance in Read My Lips to the frustrated aspirations of The Beat That My Heart Skipped — paint the underworld as an intrinsically human place where criminals can’t help but dream in the face of the harsh world in which they live. So, who better to play Audiard’s latest brute with a heart of gold than Schoenaerts? And as the end result proves, the two are a match made in heaven. Rust and Bone , which is generating awards buzz, including Golden Globe nominations for Cotillard and the film in the Foreign Language category and populating 2012 best-film lists , charts the unlikely romance between an impoverished beachside bouncer moonlighting as an underground fighter and an orca trainer whose life is thrown into disarray after a tragic tango with the aforementioned killer whales. What could otherwise come across as improbable melodrama feels palpably real and poignant in the hands of Audiard, Cotillard and Schoenaerts. Which is to say, break out the handkerchiefs and don’t look back. Movieline caught up with Schoenaerts by phone as he packed for a trip to Antwerp. He talked about the joys of working with Audiard and Cotillard, beefing up on junk food, and why his dream role could just as easily be a character who works at McDonalds. Movieline: I became a fan of yours after Bullhead, and I love Jacques Audiard’s films, so I was elated to find you two working together. What brought you to this role? Schoenaerts: What attracted me was that it was a hard character to tackle because he’s very ambiguous. There’s a lot about this guy and it was a challenge to portray him in the richest way possible and not make him this one-dimensional thug. The screenplay to me was raw, it was gritty, it was very poetic, it was touching. It was human. At the same time, it was set against the backdrop of the economic crisis, which is the reality for a lot of people nowadays. That’s what I like about Jacques. His screenplays have a very naturalistic feel to them but at the same time, they’re really genre films. You prepare really intensely for your roles. For instance, you ate over 3,000 cans of tuna to beef up for Bullhead . What did you do for this one? Of course, there was the physical preparation, which required me to start boxing. I had to gain weight again, and I had to grow a belly. So, for a couple of months, I was boxing everyday, doing MMA training and doing some weightlifting. I was also eating a lot of junk food to get this body that looked strong but not really fit and a bit unhealthy because the guy is poor so he doesn’t have the means to feed himself properly. After that, I worked a lot with Jacques. We explored scenes, improvised and got to know each other. I’m curious how he works because his movies are so naturalistic. Did you guys talk a lot about the characters, or did he just give you the broad strokes and let you run with it? [Talking] is something that we do upfront, but once we’re on set, it’s all about being instinctive and intuitive and not to have too many preconceived ideas on a scene. It’s just, “We’re here in the moment, let’s bring the scene to life. Let’s make it real and vivid.” He’s all about that. He’s really an actor’s director. He’s with you all the time and he’s really generous because he respects actors a lot. I think it’s because he worked in theater for many years. He’s really working with you, he’s challenging you and he wants you to challenge him. It’s fabulous. Was there a lot of improvisation on set? No. There’s room for improvisation but, how shall I say, it’s not a way of working. Everything was scripted and of course once in a while things happen, so you just go with it. But improvisation is certainly not a method on set. You probably can’t improvise fights like that without suffering serious head trauma. Oh, yeah. There’s also a lot of rehearsing. It takes a lot of preparation to do it. There’s a stunt team that really choreographed everything and lined everything up and we rehearsed over and over again. Well, those fights looked brutal. But what I really love about your work–in this and Bullhead –is how you bring an inherent gentleness to such tough characters. Is that the key to approaching tough guys — going against the grain? It’s not going against the grain! It’s being human. Being human is being a lot of things at the same time. Your appearance shouldn’t define who you are, and that’s what I like, the contrast between people looking like the opposite of what they truly are deep inside. How was it working with the actor who plays your son. They say it can be hard to work with children, but you guys had great chemistry. It was intense. He was a very particular kid and pretty young, so we rehearsed a lot with the kid. We worked quite a lot up front. All of sudden, this kid really opened up and somehow got attached to me, and I got attached to him. From there on, it became a very natural thing. And Marion Cotillard? That looked pretty natural, too. It was that same natural connection that happened on set. We had something very genuine going on. She’s obviously extremely talented and very generous. We really had a ball. It was intense. It was not an easy film to make for many reasons, but we enjoyed every second. So, what was the hardest part of making the film? I think it’s always a matter of finding the right balance between all the elements of the story, and the characters and the relationship being portrayed. Especially for this relationship between these two people, it’s a very thin line to fall back into a sentimental portrayal or something that becomes vulgar. That’s probably the biggest challenge. It’s a very much a melodrama, but it doesn’t feel sentimental at all. For example, I love that line where she’s giving you that intense talk about how to have a proper relationship, you take it all in and then respond, pardon my rough French translation, “let’s get it on.” ( Laughs ) Well, actually that was NOT scripted, that was something I made up on set. Really? I knew it! I feel like I’ve told several girls that in my life. ( Laughs ) Yeah. Do you do that at all—go back to a catalog of past loves and use it for a role? Somehow on a subconscious level or sometimes on a conscious level, of course you go back to experiences you have had and sometimes they might help you a little or not. So, do you ever go back to past bar fights and use those for inspiration? No, no! Not at all. That’s not me. Of course, of course. But I love that line when you put her first boyfriend down. Was that improvised? That was scripted. At the same time, it had to be very menacing without being a menace. It had to be a very genuine question, which was kind of menacing but we didn’t want it to be played as menace. Well, I congratulate you for making me feel empathy for a bouncer. I like underdogs, I like anti-heroes — people that have a hard time overcoming things in life. What attracted me to those two characters, they have everything against them and they have to come from really far to get somewhere. I’m just looking for touching characters. When I read [a script], I want it to speak to me. I want it to touch me on a human and profound level. That could be a car mechanic, it could be someone who works at McDonalds, it could be a pianist, it could be so many things. To me, it’s not about a certain type of character. To me, all people are to some extent the same. So, it’s all about the screenplay and the specifics of the character within that screenplay. It seems to be working for you. I hope we get to see you in more movies in the States. Do you have any dream directors you’d like to work with? I don’t know. I could say, P.T. Anderson , David Lynch , Michael Mann , Gus Van Sant . There’s so many, and I’m forgetting a lot. The guy who directed Blue Valentine ! [ Derek Cianfrance ] There are so many. Michael Mann would be lucky to have you– I’ll send a letter to his agent right now. Yeah, thanks! Okay, my last question, I have to ask… the love scenes with Marion — and without her legs. How did you guys pull that off? They just do it with green socks on her legs and paint it over digitally. There must be a lot of choreography to get it right then—keep your leg here, move your arm there. Probably a lot less sensuous than it looks. Yeah, of course, because then it makes shadow. There are a lot of technicalities, but once you’re doing it, you just go with it. I assume falling in love with Marion Cotillard is not one of the more challenging tasks you’ve faced. Exactly. Follow Movieline on Twitter.
Muslims attend a prayer despite rains brought by Tropical storm Son-Tinh during Eid al-Adha celebrations at Manila#39;s Luneta Park October 26, 2012. Muslims around the world celebrate Eid al-Adha, marking the end of the haj, by slaughtering sheep, goats, cows and camels to commemorate Prophet Abraham#39;s willingness to sacrifice his son Ismail on God#39;s command. Tropical storm Son-Tinh has made landfall in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region after sweeping across Hainan Island.
More Muhammad pics are in the planning stages and this time, they may include cinematic quality. By now, just about every filmmaker or aspiring filmmaker knows that it’s a full-on major taboo to depict the Prophet Muhammad in a movie. That rule doesn’t just apply to the recent low-budget video that appeared on YouTube, Innocence of Muslims , which didn’t exactly depict the Muslim prophet in the best of light, but any depiction is absolutely forbidden among Muslims or anyone else for that matter, at least according to the raging crowds that have rioted for the past two weeks in front of American missions around the Muslim world. But while depictions of Muhammad have remained mostly absent in Hollywood and Western movies throughout the decades, the anti-Islam pic may have had the unintended (or not) effect of opening up a floodgate – or at least a trickle – as at least two filmmakers are looking to make separate pics featuring the prophet, and if all goes according to plan, their budgets will likely be higher. Leading the next possible wave of Muhammad projects are two ex-Muslims who are developing biopics that will give critical takes on Muhammad, according to the Los Angeles Times . L.A. based Palestinian filmmaker Mosab Hassan Yousef told the paper he has cast a “prominent Hollywood actor” to play Muhamad in a project he says has a proposed budget of $30 million. The story would center on the prophet from age 12 until his death and would be reminiscent of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ . “My goal is to create this big mirror to show the Muslim world the true image of its leader,” Yousef is quoted as saying. The one difference with the depiction of Jesus Christ, however, is that Yousef’s take may be less of a glorified account of Muhammad than Gibson’s Passion . Yousef’s book Son of Hamas tells of his journey from a “terrorist to Israeli spy to born-again Christian,” according to L.A.T. He claims to not be ‘anti-Muslim,’ and says his mother is still a practicing member of the religion that claims 1.5 billion followers worldwide, but he apparently converted under the guidance of a radical Egyptian Christian – Father Zakaria Botros Henein – who has criticized Muhammad as a “pedophile and buffoon.” Even further along the way to becoming reality is another film by an atheist raised in Iran, Ali Sina, which is said to be in pre-production and claims to have $2 million secured so far. Sina hopes to raise a total of $10 million for the project. Still untitled, the story will liken Muhammad to cult leaders Jim Jones or David Koresh. The Canadian resident plans to begin shooting the pic next year. “We can bypass theaters completely and sell the movie online with a profit to a large number of people, especially Muslims,” Sina said. “They can download it and watch it even if they are living in Karachi or Mecca or Medina.” Innocence of Muslims was actually not the first depiction of Muhammad in the West that incited violent reaction in the Muslim world. In 2005 and 2006, Danish publication Jyllands-Posten published a dozen cartoons that later sparked massive protests resulting in more than 100 deaths and the bombing of the Danish embassy in Pakistan in addition fires being set at the normally placid Scandinavian country’s embassies in Syria, Lebanon and Iran. Its prime minister at the time described the controversy as Denmark’s works international crisis since World War II. [Source: Los Angeles Times ]
