Latest news with #AStarisBorn
San Francisco Chronicle
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
6 remakes that were as good as — or better than — the original
Greetings Mick: I recently saw ' The Wedding Banquet,' directed by Andrew Ahn, a remake of the original movie directed by Ang Lee. I thought it to be excellent. Can you recall other remakes of excellent movies that were good? David Swanson, San Francisco Greetings David: Steven Spielberg's 2021 ' West Side Story ' is just as great as the original 'West Side Story' (1961), just different. The best thing about the old one is that Rita Moreno is amazing in it. The best thing about the new one is that Rita Moreno is amazing in it. Other great remakes that somehow get by without Rita Moreno are ' A Star is Born ' (2018), with Lady Gaga, which is way better than both previous versions; ' Scarface ' (1983), with Al Pacino, which is better than the 1932 original; 'Invasion of the Body Snatchers' (1978), which is at least as good as the 1956 film; and Spielberg's 'War of the Worlds' (2005), which is as good as 'The War of the Worlds' (1953). Finally, 1941's 'The Maltese Falcon' was the second remake of the original 1931 'The Maltese Falcon,' starring Ricardo Cortez. I prefer some things about the original, but the 1941 version has the edge. Dear Mick: Let's talk talent versus technique. I say only two aspects of creative work are inborn and not teachable: basic intelligence and responsiveness in one of the senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, body movement). The rest can be taught by a great teacher to a highly motivated, diligent student of the art. What do you say? Dennis Briskin, Palo Alto Dear Mick: It depends what you mean by 'taught.' When I was 12, I was taught how to play the violin, but I was never good at it. You might say, 'Well, that's because you weren't highly motivated.' To which I'd say, 'If I really had a gift, it would have motivated me.' People are like self-programming computers that gravitate in the direction of their innate capacity. It also depends on what you mean by 'basic intelligence.' If you just mean someone with a decent I.Q., then no, I don't think you can teach any average smart person to be a great writer or a great actor, even if they're motivated. On the other hand, if we refine our definition of intelligence and start talking about an actor's intuition or a writer's perception, then we've basically just come up with another name for 'talent,' which is mysterious and random. I'd go this far. You can probably teach almost anybody to be OK at something, if you both work at it. And if you're lucky, you can teach them how to be good. But you can't teach anybody to be Meryl Streep, unless, by some miracle, they happen to be Meryl Streep. Dear Mick LaSalle: Your analysis of cats versus dogs misses the point. Cats have only themselves to blame for their sometimes negative image. Dogs are open to all, like stereotypical Democrats, who wag their tails at labor, environmentalists, feminists, et al. The cat approach is like Republicans: 'We have money, and will pay attention to you on our terms.' Your thoughts? Nick Rizza, Berkeley Dear Nick Rizza: My late cat, Sandrine, was not excessively partisan and, being gray, tried never to see issues in terms of black or white. She preferred the gray areas. If memory serves, I believe she supported Hillary during the 2008 primaries, but eventually warmed to Obama. And though she got along well with a very nice orange cat that we had when she was young, she was quite firm at drawing the line at orange people. In fact, just the sight of a spray tan would make her get a crazed look on her face. She might have leaned Democrat. Have a question? Ask Mick LaSalle at mlasalle@ Include your name and city for publication, and a phone number for verification. Letters may be edited for clarity and length.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Caitlin Clark lands first Sports Illustrated cover
Indiana Fever teammates Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston, Caitlin Clark and DeWanna Bonner appear on the June cover of Sports Illustrated. (Credit: SI) Indiana Fever superstar Caitlin Clark will cover Sports Illustrated for the first time with the release of the magazine's June 2025 WNBA preview issue. Sports Illustrated confirmed to cllct Thursday the issue is the first print cover for Clark, who has previously appeared on digital covers for the publication. Advertisement For the magazine's 'Fever Dream' cover, Clark appears alongside teammates Aliyah Boston, DeWanna Bonner and Kelsey Mitchell. Inside, the magazine features a dive into the Fever's rapid rebuild around Clark and its improved roster beyond the former No. 1 overall pick. In a video shared to the team's social media channels Thursday, the Fever surprised the cover athletes with a first look at the magazine. 'That is fire,' Clark says during the reveal. 'Just beautiful. Beautiful work of art. I love it. That's sick.' The cover stands as a key moment for Clark and her collectibles market, with magazine covers from publications such as Sports Illustrated rapidly growing in popularity in recent years. Advertisement Though the cover is Clark's first for SI, the Fever guard has appeared on multiple covers of SLAM. Clark also covered TIME when she was named the publication's Athlete of the Year for 2024. Clark's first SLAM cover came in 2024, with a pull-out poster included in issue No. 249. That magazine, which featured Clark as an Iowa Hawkeye, has been graded by CGC more than 250 times. A 9.9 example of the magazine, which is the highest in CGC's census, is set to sell at Goldin later this month. Sports Illustrated covers, especially first appearances for key athletes and iconic photographs, have long been coveted among collectors. Advertisement To date, the record for any single Sports Illustrated issue is the $126,000 paid at Heritage in 2023 for a CGC 9.8 example of Michael Jordan's 1984 'A Star is Born' cover, which featured Jordan on the magazine for the first time as a professional. Earlier this year, a collection of every Sports Illustrated issue from its debut in 1954 through 2023 sold for $158,600 at Heritage. Clark's cover is the second for a WNBA star in recent months after Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese covered the magazine's '50 Most Influential Figures in Sports' issue in October 2024. That cover was the second for Reese with Sports Illustrated following an appearance on the publication's 'Money Issue' in October 2023, which covered the new era of NIL. Ben Burrows is a reporter and editor for cllct, the premier company for collectible culture. He was previously the Collectibles Editor at Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on X and Instagram @benmburrows.
Business Insider
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Insider
Robert De Niro has shared his 'love and support' for his transgender daughter Airyn De Niro. Meet all of his 7 children.
Drena De Niro is Robert De Niro's oldest daughter. Drena De Niro, born on September 3, 1971, is the oldest of De Niro's children. She is not his biological daughter but was adopted by the actor at age 5 after he married her mother, Diahnne Abbott, in 1976. She then took his surname. Drena began her career as a model before dabbling in DJing and fashion consulting. At 25, she made her acting debut in the 1996 film "Grace of My Heart." She has since starred in "Joy," "Hands of Stone," and "A Star is Born," the last of which also starred her late son Leandro De Niro Rodriguez. Drena made De Niro a grandfather when she and her then-boyfriend, Carlos Rodriguez, welcomed their son in 2003. In July 2023, Drena announced that Leandro had died at the age of 19. His death was determined to be the result of the toxic effects of a drug combination, the New York City Medical Examiner's Office said. Raphael Eugene De Niro is the actor's oldest biological child. De Niro and Abbott welcomed their son, Raphael Eugene De Niro, on November 9, 1976. (De Niro's marriage to Abbott later ended in 1988.) Raphael did not pursue a career in Hollywood, but as a broker at luxury real estate company Douglas Elliman, he has helped stars like Renée Zellweger and Kelly Ripa find their dream homes in Manhattan. According to his website, in 2004 he founded the De Niro team within the firm. Between 2008 and 2020, he was married to Claudine De Matos, and welcomed three children together, per Page Six. Airyn De Niro came out as transgender in 2025. After his divorce from Abbott, De Niro began dating Toukie Smith, a model and actor who appeared in "Miami Vice," in 1988. On October 20, 1995, the couple welcomed twins who were conceived by in vitro fertilization and delivered by a surrogate mother. The couple separated the following year. Airyn De Niro spoke about "stepping into this new identity" in an interview with LGBTQ+ publication Them. She said she has been femme-presenting since middle school and started hormone therapy in November 2024. She said she felt like a bit of a "late bloomer" in embracing her trans identity. "Trans women being honest and open, especially [in] public spaces like social media and getting to see them in their success… I'm like, you know what? Maybe it's not too late for me." As for being raised by famous parents, she added, "No parent is perfect, but I am grateful that both my parents agreed to keep me out of the limelight." Julian Henry De Niro is Airyn's twin brother. He is pursuing an acting career. Julian Henry De Niro, Airyn's twin brother, was also born on October 20, 1995. Julian has pursued a career in acting and made his film debut in the 2016 film "In Dubious Battle," alongside James Franco and Selena Gomez. In 2022, he portrayed a young Barack Obama in Showtime's anthology television series, "The First Lady." In 2023, he starred in "The Sign in Sidney Brustein's Window" on Broadway alongside Rachel Brosnahan and Oscar Isaac. Elliot De Niro is a Special Olympics tennis star. In 1997, De Niro married American socialite Grace Hightower. They welcomed their son, Elliot De Niro, a year later on March 18, 1998. De Niro shared Elliot's autism diagnosis in 2016 while advocating for the inclusion of the documentary "Vaxxed" at the Tribeca Film Festival, of which he is a co-founder. "Grace and I have a child with autism and we believe it is critical that all of the issues surrounding the causes of autism be openly discussed and examined," he said at the time, People reported. Elliot is known for his tennis skills. He has competed in the Special Olympics, the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. In 2018, he was featured in ESPN's " Special Olympics: 50 Game Changers" series. Helen Grace De Niro was previously De Niro's youngest child. De Niro and Hightower initially split in 1999, one year after Elliot's birth, and engaged in a custody dispute over him. Their divorce was not finalized, and in 2004, they renewed their wedding vows, People reported. On December 23, 2011, their second child together, a daughter named Helen Grace De Niro, was born via surrogate. De Niro and Hightower separated again in November 2018. In 2021, it was reported that their divorce proceedings were still ongoing. Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro is the latest addition to the family. On April 3, 2023, the actor welcomed daughter Gia Virginia Chen-De Niro with his partner, Tiffany Chen. He shared the news while speaking to Entertainment Tonight Canada to promote the movie "About My Father." When ET Canada's Brittnee Blair mentioned De Niro's six children, the two-time Oscar winner corrected her, saying: "Seven, actually. I just had a baby." He then shared the details on " CBS Mornings" with Gayle King the following week, revealing his daughter's full name and a photo of her in a striped pink sleepsuit.
Telegraph
27-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Lady Gaga, Mexico City, review: more brilliantly bonkers than Katy Perry in space
You could be forgiven for thinking that the combination of Lady Gaga's recent Las Vegas jazz residency and her burgeoning Hollywood career (A Star is Born, Joker: Folie à Deux) might have distracted her from ludicrously spectacular pop theatrics. Thankfully her new tour is a Tim Burton meets Rocky Horror high-concept, high-camp goth opera that sets the standard for gloriously overblown pop performance. Gaga's 2025 global tour dates follow her Coachella headline slot and the release of new album Mayhem, generally regarded as a return to form as well as widescreen dance-pop. Most are arena gigs dubbed The Mayhem Ball, with Gaga saying arenas provide an 'intimate… more connected' experience - which just proves the level of her global fame. A stadium was required, however, for this her first Mexico shows since 2012, and she sold out two nights at Mexico City's 63,500-capacity Estadio GNP Seguros. The crowd, sporting far more gay fetish gear than the Coachella hipsters, whooped during Saturday's show as Gaga read a speech in Spanish praising the city's passion. A large man wearing a papier-mâché version of Gaga's famous meat dress cheered particularly passionately. Gaga kicked off the gig atop a three-story red birdcage dress housing her army of dancers, all jerk-dancing to opener Bloody Mary. Dressed in velvet like a highly caffeinated Queen of Hearts, Gaga emerged from the cage and danced with a walking stick while singing the anarchic Abracadabra. The show was separated into acts, each with an enjoyably pretentious title such as 'And She Fell Into a Gothic Dream'. There may have been a story linking them, but as Gaga and her dancers faced off on a giant chessboard for Poker Face, narrative didn't seem important. Parris Goebel's choreography sometimes appeared to be designed more for the camera than the crowd, but it also required one hell of a workout and Gaga was clearly unafraid to show the lung-busting effects of the writhing and sliding which ensured that the show still felt human. For further intimacy of sorts, during Perfect Celebrity Gaga sang from a sand pit, next to a human skeleton prop, occasionally caressing its ribs. She then pared the music back for a swooning Paparazzi, the weightless chorus floating unimpeded by orchestration as Gaga's white dress billowed over chrome body armour and crutches. During the third section (sorry, I mean, 'The Beautiful Nightmare That Knows Her Name'), things drooped a bit. Killah's twiddly riffs sounded like they were commissioned by an advertising agency as a cheap substitute for Kiss by Prince. The Chic-esque Zombieboy was more salon than stadium, although as Gaga and her dancers were grinding with more skeleton props, you couldn't call it boring. Momentum was regained by the dirty synths of Born This Way, with Gaga and her dancers wearing militaristic jackets, shiny hot pants and tights, like the Imperial officers from Star Wars on cabaret night. It's a flawless banger in any context, but it felt newly-significant to hear a US icon sing this anthem of inclusiveness during the second age of Trump, in a city big on machismo. Gaga dabbed her eye as she introduced the song's message of relentless positivity. After playing the equally heartfelt, if slightly dull, piano-led Blade of Grass live for the first time, Gaga ended the set with Bad Romance. As a goodbye she waved massive parsnip-like body horror claw props during the thumping version of her 2009 hit. It was a brilliantly bonkers finale, and beat Katy Perry being blasted into space in an Amazon van as the most epically odd pop event of 2025.
The Guardian
11-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Coachella 2025: desert festival balances the new and the nostalgia
Stars such as Lady Gaga, Charli xcx, Ed Sheeran and Missy Elliott will face blazing temperatures this weekend at an unusually hot Coachella festival. The California-based festival will soar to potentially record-breaking highs of 103F (over 39C) in its first of two consecutive weekends, around 10-20 degrees higher than what's typically expected at this time of year. The festival, which usually attracts around 125,000 people a day, is following a year that saw its slowest sales to date, headlined by Doja Cat, Lana del Rey and Tyler, the Creator. The 2025 edition is being viewed by some as an unofficial comeback with headliners Lady Gaga, Green Day and Post Malone, who together boast 24% higher global Spotify streams than the previous trio. Gaga previously headlined Coachella in 2017, when she also filmed scenes for A Star is Born. In a recent interview, she said she would focus on new album Mayhem but also give fans the older hits they want. She said she sees it as 'an opportunity to do something unique and special' but remains tightlipped about specifics. 'I genuinely don't want to give anything away about Coachella,' she said. 'I know that is heartless of me, in a way, but I could honestly cry on the phone with you just thinking about how excited I am to do this show, and I want it to be a total surprise, and want everyone to have as much fun as possible.' The lineup boasts a wide variety of acts from different genres and eras. The newer guard is represented by Lola Young, Shaboozey, Amyl and the Sniffers, Rema, underscores and Glorilla while nostalgia plays are led by Jimmy Eat World, Missy Elliott, Kraftwerk, Basement Jaxx and the Go-Gos. The weekend will also see the Prodigy play, returning to Coachella for the first time since Keith Flint died in 2019. 'I will say that us carrying on isn't a Keith tribute show,' band member Liam Howlett recently told the Los Angeles Times. 'We want to honor him, and we will continue to do that, because Keith is more than just a person they saw on stage. Even though he wasn't a musician, he was such an important person in the studio as a right-hand man.' Another throwback act playing is Weezer, a band who have been making headlines this week after bassist Scott Shriner's wife, Jillian Lauren, was shot by police. Reports claim that she aimed a handgun at officers as they investigated an unrelated hit-and-run incident and she is now being charged with attempted murder. The band is still set to perform as scheduled with Scott saying 'wee you at Coachella' to journalists on Thursday. One act who won't be performing is FKA twigs who was forced to pull out 'due to ongoing visa issues' related to her production team reportedly failing to fill out the correct paperwork in time. The star wrote that she was 'devastated' in an Instagram statement. Rising costs and more complicated logistics have also caused trouble for other artists seeking visas to perform. 'I just did visas for a Coachella band and it was $8,000,' a booking agency executive told the Los Angeles Times. 'It's becoming a huge financial hurdle because it takes so long through regular channels, you have to go for the heavy-duty expediting.'
