Summer movie remakes, sequels are box office ‘insurance': analysts
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CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
Summer movie remakes, sequels are box office ‘insurance': analysts
Many of this summer's box-office hits and most-watched streaming titles aren't original films, and analysts say studios and streamers are playing it safe for a reason.
National Post
3 hours ago
- National Post
Trump announces Kennedy Center honorees and says he will host award ceremony
Washington — U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday named 'Rocky' star Sylvester Stallone and country music great George Strait among the recipients of the Kennedy Center Honors, as he pursues a controversial overhaul of the storied arts venue. Article content Since returning to office in January, the Republican leader has declared war on what he calls 'woke' viewpoints espoused in the nation's cultural institutions, including a fresh probe of content at several Smithsonian museums. Article content Article content The Kennedy Center, a living monument to the late John F. Kennedy that opened in 1971, has long enjoyed bipartisan support but has been in the president's crosshairs, and he appointed himself board chairman in February. Article content Article content 'We have completely reversed the decline of this cherished national institution,' Trump told reporters at the stately white marble complex overlooking the Potomac River. Article content 'We ended the woke political programming.' Article content Also receiving the Kennedy Center Honors, one of the nation's highest arts awards for lifetime achievement, will be disco diva Gloria Gaynor, rock band KISS and British actor Michael Crawford, known for Broadway's 'Phantom of the Opera.' Trump announced he himself would host the awards gala, which usually takes place in early December and is later broadcast on CBS. Article content 'I did not insist, but I think it will be quite successful,' he said. Article content Trump said Wednesday that he was 'about 98% involved' in choosing the honorees. He also joked that he wanted an honor himself but was 'never able to get one.' Article content Article content Stallone, who at 79 is the same age as Trump, is a three-time Oscar nominee: for best actor and screenplay for the 1976 classic boxing flick 'Rocky,' and for best supporting actor, again in the Rocky Balboa role, in the 2015 follow-up 'Creed.' Article content Article content Trump called Stallone a 'great actor.' Article content He is also a major Trump supporter and one of the president's 'Hollywood ambassadors' along with Jon Voight and Mel Gibson. Article content In November 2024, at a post-election event at Trump's Mar-a-Lago compound in Florida, Stallone called him 'the second George Washington.' Article content Strait, 73, is one of the best-selling musicians of all time, with more than 120 million records sold. He is known for huge hits like 'All My Exes Live in Texas' and 'Amarillo by Morning.' Article content 'He's a good looking guy. Hope he still looks like that,' Trump quipped. Article content Gaynor, 81, is the singer behind the monster disco anthem 'I Will Survive.' Article content KISS, formed in the 1970s in Trump's hometown New York City, gained fame with its shock rock performances and outlandish black and white face paint.
Globe and Mail
4 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Trump picks Stallone and Kiss for Kennedy Center Honors
Country musician George Strait, action movie star Sylvester Stallone, and rock band Kiss will be celebrated with the 2025 Kennedy Center Honors, one of the highest accolades in American performing arts, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday. English stage actor Michael Crawford, known for The Phantom of the Opera, and I Will Survive singer Gloria Gaynor will also be honoured at the event later this year. Trump said he was asked to host the event, which will air on CBS in December, and reluctantly accepted. 'I didn't want to do it. OK?' Trump said. 'They're going to say he insisted. I did not insist. But I think it will be quite successful.' Trump arrived at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday to unveil its 2025 honorees for artistic excellence and tout a major renovation as lawmakers push to rename the venue for the Republican president. In a post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, Trump teased the announcement, saying, 'GREAT Nominees for the TRUMP/KENNEDY CENTER, whoops, I mean, KENNEDY CENTER, AWARDS.' Trump also hinted at a physical overhaul of the center in Washington, D.C., saying he planned to restore it to the 'absolutely top level of luxury, glamour, and entertainment.' No details were immediately available. Since returning to power in January, Trump has sought to put his stamp on American culture and institutions to align them closer with his political and personal preferences. His administration has ordered a review of some Smithsonian museums and exhibitions to 'remove divisive or partisan narratives.' At the White House, Trump has added gold leaf to the Oval Office, paved over the Rose Garden, and embarked on plans for a $200-million ballroom. Trump did not attend events at the Kennedy Center during his first term but has taken a keen interest in it during his second, vowing to overhaul an institution he and his 'Make America Great Again' supporters view as too liberal. He pushed out its chairman in February and took on the role himself, fired its long-time president, and installed his former ambassador to Germany, Richard Grenell, as interim president. In a post on X, the Kennedy Center said its building – which opened in September 1971 – would undergo renovations thanks to Trump's advocacy aimed at restoring its 'prestige and grandeur.' Republicans recently voted as part of a sweeping tax cut and spending bill to earmark $257 million for the building's renovation, conditional on the opera house being named after first lady Melania Trump. Republican Representative Bob Onder in July introduced a bill that would rename the modernist building the Donald J. Trump Center for the Performing Arts. Trump last visited the Kennedy Center in June for a performance of 'Les Miserables,' where he and his wife were met with a loud mix of boos and cheers. Ticket and subscription sales have fallen since Trump's conservative takeover of the venue, and some shows, including the hit 'Hamilton,' have cancelled their engagements. Under his leadership, the center has sought to add conservative-leaning programming, including a show that Grenell has described as a celebration of the birth of Christ.
