Zoe Ball is the new presenter of BBC Radio 2's 'Breakfast Show'
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Yahoo
18 hours ago
- Yahoo
A Fantastic Four trilogy was planned in the '00s, according to Reed Richards actor Ioan Gruffudd: "The mindset was that we were going to do three"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A Fantastic Four trilogy was originally planned in the '00s, and Reed Richards star Ioan Gruffud was surprised the third movie didn't go ahead because of the success of the first two. "The mindset was that we were going to do three, and I think the second movie was equally successful as the first and equally enjoyable for the fans," Gruffud told Vulture. "I particularly loved working with Doug Jones [as the Silver Surfer] on that movie, who's just a terrific artist and an expert in the field of movement. If you want to witness somebody bringing a character to life physically, he's just untouchable. So there was definitely that sort of momentum, and the plan was to do three movies, but these decisions are beyond my control." Gruffud played Reed Richards, AKA Mister Fantastic, in 2005's Fantastic Four and its 2007 follow-up, Rise of the Silver Surfer. Both movies performed well at the box office, but neither received critical acclaim: Fantastic Four has a score of 28% on Rotten Tomatoes, while Rise of the Silver Surfer has a slightly improved 37%. "As an actor, you almost grieve every part that you've played, and this was no different," he continued. "This was a massive stepping stone in my career, and because this was two movies over several years, the character becomes part of you." Alongside Gruffud, Jessica Alba played Sue Storm/Invisible Woman, Chris Evans was Johnny Storm/Human Torch, and Michael Chiklis played Ben Grimm/the Thing. Evans recently reprised his role as Johnny Storm for a cameo in Deadpool and Wolverine as one of the discarded variants the titular duo encounter in the Void. Now, though, Marvel's First Family have been rebooted again (following 2015's disastrous remake) and made their MCU debut in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach take on the eponymous quartet. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is out now in theaters. For more on the movie, check out our guide to the Fantastic Four: First Steps post-credits scenes, or our spoiler-free Fantastic Four: First Steps review. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
To Make ‘Toots,' My Sensitive Film About Aging, I Needed the Perfect Fart Noise
Chris Evans is a Shreveport, Louisiana-based filmmaker whose latest film, "toots." is on a festival run that has recently included Indy Shorts. In the piece below, he discusses the importance of sound. The amazing Phoebe Waller-Bridge once gave me some advice (via an Instagram reel, but still): 'Disarm an audience with comedy and then punch them in the gut with drama when they least expect it.' I applied it to my short film, 'Toots.,' the story of a devoted son grappling with the responsibilities of caring for his aging mother with Parkinson's. Where's the comedy, you ask? It lies in an extended flatulence scene that sets up a heartbreaking finish. Risky: Because the success or failure of the scene depends, in part, on the sound of the flatulence. Related Headlines Lisa Dahl: Blessed by Grace Recounts a Mother's Journey From Tragedy to Nourishing Others Sean Connery as 007: 12 Behind the Scenes Images of Bond at His Best 11 Shameless 2000s Comedies That Just Don't Care If You're Offended Folks loved the script, but you can't hear a script. I had a strong sonic concept of how it should play out, but I didn't know exactly how to compose it in the sound design, or communicate it to the production team. Also Read: 11 Films of the 1940s That Are Still a Pleasure to Watch The fart sounds you find in sound packets on the internet just don't cut the mustard. I had a small budget of $1,500 for sound design — which we went over — and a strong sense of what the laughing/tooting scene should sound like. 'Toots' Director Chris Evans on the Quest for the Perfect Flatulence Our lead actress, Pam Dougherty, was on board to play the aging mother. In Pam's 'fart scene,' her character would have a laughing fit, which would stimulate a symphony of toots meant to harmonize with her laughter, as if her diaphragm was pushing out both ends. When Pam and I talked this scene over, prior to filming, she said, 'I can laugh on cue no problem. But I'm not sure I can fart on cue.' I assured her no practical flatulence was required. First, we had to film the scene. I needed reactions from the son, played brilliantly by Logan Sledge, as well as rhythmic laughter from the mom. We wanted clean audio of her laughs without the toots, so we could add them in later. In early takes, I threw out 'brrnnhh' noises, but it just didn't work. Pam looked at me one time and said, 'What does that mean?' She wasn't used to her director speaking in onomatopoeia. The next problem I didn't foresee was that the sound designer needed a long time to get things perfect. I had to get placeholder audio in for the editors, and needed an edit so the composer could get to work. None of them would have the final sound design while they worked. People were really frightened. The early placeholder farting was truly cringe. At one point an editor took out the farting sounds and replaced them with music, so the viewer would see the scene and hear the laughing, but not the toots. For a moment I thought she was onto something — maybe we wouldn't be able to pull this off. The composer, Lucas Lechowski, was touched by the story, but understandably nervous about the heavy-handed farting that was in the edit he was working with. Lucas tried ever so subtly to ask me to dial it back. I reassured him that his instincts were in line with mine, and that I was still working on the sound design. Enter the real hero of this story, sound designer Gregory C. Vilfranc. Gregory and I had a long talk before we agreed to work together on this, and thankfully, he also was touched by the story. We talked about ways that the farting cadence could mimic the laughing cadence. 'Is that even possible?' I asked. He answered with some very long and technical jargon that sounded like a 'yes.' We went back and forth trying to find just the right balance. Each time we would dial the farts back, or cut a couple out, or replace the position of where they landed. Everything had to sound real, not cartoony. It had to satisfy the moment in the story that symbolized a return to fonder days between the mother and the son. The fart scene also had to set up a final scene in which the son finds the mother after she has peacefully expired in her sleep. Oof, heavy. If we didn't get it right, this film was going to be an embarrassment. I found myself giving Gregory notes like, 'They need to sound more demure' or, 'They need to sound like they are slipping out instead of being pushed out' or 'They need to sound more airy.' The real magic came in this back and forth communication. I really feel like we could've kept fine-tuning forever, but at some point you have to call it finished. For me, that point was when the 'laughing scene' elicited more of a smile than a full belly laugh. Just enough humor was perfect. Too much humor would be detrimental. A little bit of feeling sorry for the mother was perfect. Feeling grossed out would be detrimental. The real key was when the death scene felt truly heartbreaking. It's a magical thing how edits to a prior scene can completely change the feeling of the ensuing scene, especially when you're not changing the ensuing scene at all. Through strong conviction and excessive communication, the right balance of sweetness and silliness was found, and a touching story of caring for each other was preserved. Main image: Pam Dougherty and Logan Sledge in "Toots." Courtesy of Chris Evans Related Headlines Lisa Dahl: Blessed by Grace Recounts a Mother's Journey From Tragedy to Nourishing Others Sean Connery as 007: 12 Behind the Scenes Images of Bond at His Best 11 Shameless 2000s Comedies That Just Don't Care If You're Offended Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Strictly announces two new professional dancers
Two new professional dancers are joining the Strictly Come Dancing line-up when it returns to screens in the autumn, the BBC has announced. American-born Alexis Warr and Australian-born Julian Caillon will feature in the BBC One show alongside 18 returning professional dancers. Warr won US dance series So You Think You Can Dance in 2022 and has performed as a guest professional dancer and in the dance troupe of Dancing With The Stars, the US version of Strictly. Caillon has appeared as a professional dancer on three seasons of Australia's Dancing With The Stars. A former personal trainer, he has also completed two triathlons this year. "I've admired Strictly for years, so joining this incredible family is such an honour," Warr said in a statement. "I've watched it for years, especially cheering on all the amazing dancers I know and work with who've been part of it," Caillon added. Warr and Caillon are being interviewed about their new roles on BBC Radio 2's Breakfast Show on Monday morning. Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and Shirley Ballas will be returning as judges, with Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman as hosts. The celebrity line-up for the series will be revealed later in the year, the BBC added. The show, which has been airing since 2004, has faced multiple controversies over the past year relating to the behaviour of some of its professional dancers and celebrity guests. Professional dancers Giovanni Pernice and Graziano Di Prima left the show last year following allegations about their behaviour towards their dance partners. The BBC announced new welfare measures for Strictly last July. These include having chaperones in all rehearsal rooms, adding two new welfare producers and providing additional training for the professional dancers, production team and crew. In January, Welsh opera singer Wynne Evans, who had been a celebrity dancer in last year's series, made what he described as an "inappropriate and unacceptable" comment during the Strictly live tour launch. He took time off from his BBC Radio Wales daytime show after the incident, and the BBC said in May that he will not be returning to it. EastEnders star Jamie Borthwick was suspended by the BBC last month after The Sun reported that he used a slur against people with disabilities while backstage during Strictly rehearsals in November. Borthwick apologised and the BBC said his language was "entirely unacceptable".
