Latest news with #AltoKnights'
UPI
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- UPI
De Niro mob movie 'The Alto Knights' streams June 6 on Max
1 of 5 | Robert De Niro, seen at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, stars in "The Alto Knights." Photo by Rocco Spaziani/UPI | License Photo May 30 (UPI) -- Max announced Friday that The Alto Knights will begin streaming on the service June 6. The movie premieres on HBO June 7 at 8 p.m. EDT. The film stars Robert De Niro in the dual roles of Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, two rival New York mobsters. The film follows their lives from their friendship at New York's Alto Knights social club through an attempted assassination of Costello and the Apalachin meeting of 1957. Barry Levinson directed from a script by Nicholas Pileggi, the writer of Goodfellas and Casino and the books upon which those films were based. Debra Messing plays Costello's wife, Bobbie. In an interview with UPI, Messing said Bobbie was trying to get Costello to retire. The couple moved to Long Island at her urging. Pileggi and producer Irwin Winkler also spoke with UPI about how Costello and Genovese represented "the end of the mob." The film also stars Cosmo Jarvis, Kathrine Narducci, Michael Rispoli and Wallace Langham. Robert De Niro, Debra Messing arrive at 'Alto Knights' premiere Left to right, Kathrine Narducci, Robert De Niro and Debra Messing arrive on the red carpet for the "The Alto Knights" New York premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on March 15, 2025 in New York City. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Robert De Niro Shares ‘Love and Support' for His Daughter Airyn After She Comes Out as Transgender: ‘I Don't Know What the Big Deal Is'
Robert De Niro is showing 'love and support' for his daughter Airyn De Niro, after she recently came out as transgender. 'I loved and supported Aaron as my son, and now I love and support Airyn as my daughter. I don't know what the big deal is,' Robert De Niro told Variety in a statement. 'I love all my children.' More from Variety Robert De Niro to Receive Cannes Film Festival's Honorary Palme d'Or Why Robert De Niro's Mob Drama 'Alto Knights' Is Such a Box Office Disaster Robert De Niro Shares TV Shows He Watches With His 'Discerning' Two-Year-Old Toddler: 'Ms. Rachel, The Wiggles, Blippi' In a recent sit-down with Them, Airyn De Niro discussed 'stepping into this new identity,' as well as growing up as one of seven children in the De Niro household. 'There's a difference between being visible and being seen,' Airyn De Niro said. 'I've been visible. I don't think I've been seen yet.' She went on to say that 'no parent is perfect, but I am grateful that both my parents agreed to keep me out of the limelight. They have told me they wanted me to have as much of a normal childhood as possible.' In the same interview, Airyn De Niro discussed her inspirations for going public with her transition. Among them was actress Laverne Cox. 'Trans women being honest and open, especially [in] public spaces like social media and getting to see them in their success,' she said. 'I'm like, 'You know what? Maybe it's not too late for me.'' After the interview went live, Airyn De Niro took to Instagram to express her gratitude for the support of her fans. 'Thank you to everyone who's been so sweet and supportive! I'm not used to all these eyes on me,' she wrote. 'Also for the folks asking if I have representation or signed to anyone, I am literally just a girl with a phone, so sorry if I miss your messages!' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Netflix in May 2025 What's Coming to Disney+ in May 2025
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Inside Disney's ‘Snow White' Fiasco: Death Threats, Beefed-Up Security and a Social Media Guru for Rachel Zegler
On Aug. 12, 2024, three days after Rachel Zegler hit the stage at Disney's D23 fan event to introduce the first official trailer of 'Snow White,' she thanked supporters effusively in an X post for driving the teaser to 120 million views in 24 hours. One minute later, she added an afterthought in the same thread: 'and always remember, free palestine.' That addendum, which amassed 8.8 million views, nearly four times the number for the the initial post, quickly made the rounds, with many inside the studio expressing shock that the 'Snow White' star would commingle the promotion of its $270 million tentpole with any kind of political statement. A Disney executive raised the studio's concerns with Zegler's team, while the film's producer Marc Platt flew to New York to speak directly with her. But the actress, whose relationship with the studio began to unravel in 2022 during a contentious 'West Side Story' awards season campaign and continued as she trashed the beloved original 'Snow White,' stood her ground, and the post remained. Behind the scenes, death threats toward Zegler's co-star Gal Gadot, who is Israeli, spiked, and Disney had to pay for additional security for the mother of four. More from Variety Robert Pattinson, Bong Joon Ho's 'Mickey 17' Leads Korean Box Office as 'Attack on Titan' and 'Snow White' Chase Close Behind Hollywood's Box Office Woes Continue: 'Snow White' Stumbles Overseas With $44 Million, Robert De Niro's 'Alto Knights' Bombs With $1.8 Million Box Office: 'Snow White' Leads With Sleepy $43 Million, Robert De Niro's Mob Drama 'Alto Knights' Misfires With Disastrous $3 Million Debut 'She didn't understand the repercussions of her actions as far as what that meant for the film, for Gal, for anyone,' says one insider. Three months later, following the presidential election, Zegler posted 'Fuck Donald Trump' and 'May Trump supporters … never know peace' on Instagram. Disney had had enough, given that the star was signaling to half the potential audience of an already troubled film plagued by costly reshoots to stay home. Platt made the case again to Zegler. After a back and forth, she began working with a social media guru paid for by Disney to vet any posts before the film's March 21 bow. Disney declined comment. Zegler did not respond to a request for comment. Now that the film's dismal opening weekend — $87 million worldwide — is in the rearview mirror, Burbank brass are evaluating what went wrong. To put 'Snow White's' global box office haul into perspective, it's about $34 million less than Warner Bros.' 'Joker: Folie à Deux' in October but with a bigger budget by $70 million. 'You can't say that a live-action remake of the most iconic film in the vault that cost [$270] million and has been reshot multiple times opening to $50 million is OK. The math does not work. That movie should be a billion-dollar movie,' said an executive at a rival studio when the film was tracking for a $45 million-$55 million domestic opening. (It ended up at below even the low-end figure, at $43 million.) The Disney-Zegler standoffs underscore the challenge Hollywood studios face as they attempt to rein in stars who court controversy on social media. For her part, Gadot kept her comments on geopolitics limited to offering support for the civilian hostages taken during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack and did not mix that message with the promotion of the film. Zegler had already strained nerves at both the studio and Steven Spielberg's Amblin Partners when she complained on social media that she wasn't invited to the 2022 Oscars as the star of best picture nominee 'West Side Story,' a film distributed by Disney. Sources say she had just begun production on 'Snow White' in London and Sean Bailey, then-president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, declined to cut her loose for the telecast. After Zegler aired her grievances publicly, the Academy provided her with a ticket even though she wasn't nominated. (Bailey was gone from the job by February 2024.) Months later at D23, she criticized the original 1937 'Snow White,' noting that the prince 'literally stalks' the heroine. One top agent says that was the moment that Disney allowed Zegler to control the narrative: 'The first time she shoots her mouth off, you nip it in the bud.' Instead, the studio said nothing, and purists began to revolt. And as time went on, Disney became increasingly loath to weigh in on anyone's speech considering that the studio was sued in 2024 by actress Gina Carano, who claims she was fired from 'The Mandalorian' for voicing her opinions on hot-button issues. 'They say all press is good press, but in 'Snow White's' case, they were unabashedly wrong,' says box office analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations. 'Too much negative controversy surrounded this film for years, and it didn't help that the reviews were subpar, likely rendering this latest live-action adventure to D+ for many potential ticket buyers. A possible saving grace? A feeble marketplace where 'Snow White' could stay awhile — as many family films have — despite the lackluster debut.' Many additional factors contributed to the film's woes, including a COVID-related production delay and a fire on set, while the actors strike scuttled some reshoots. Meanwhile, Disney's live-action movies, which were once reliable box office draws, have looked shakier in recent years, with the likes of 'Dumbo' and 'Maleficent: Mistress of Evil' bombing and 'Peter Pan & Wendy' getting shipped to Disney+. Still, there was no bad blood between the two 'Snow White' leads despite press reports to the contrary. Sources say the actresses got along well during production, and things only got awkward during the run-up to release. Case in point: Zegler referred to Gadot as 'a professional pageant queen' in one Instagram reply that followed their joint appearance as presenters at the Oscars this month, considered a dismissive way to describe a fellow actress. Some observers say Disney fueled the perception of a feud by scheduling the actresses for separate events during junketing. At the March 15 premiere, which eschewed traditional red-carpet interviews and opted for photos only, the two stars were mostly kept apart. Inside the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles, Zegler sat two rows ahead of Gadot and her family. But by that point, Disney had given up hope that the film could overcome the backlash that had been brewing like a fairy tale cauldron for years. Best of Variety The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, 'Wicked: For Good' and More
CNN
23-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Robert De Niro, Oscar winner and toddler dad, is apparently a ‘Ms. Rachel' fan
Robert De Niro is embracing all that fatherhood has to offer as he spends time with his two-year-old daughter Gia. The Oscar winner opened up about spending quality time with his daughter, revealing on a recent episode of Sirius XM's Radio Andy that he and his daughter love to watch kids TV and internet shows together. 'Ms. Rachel,' 'The Wiggles' and 'Blippi' are just a few of the shows De Niro listed off, saying that he and his daughter had watched 'Ms. Rachel,' a popular children's show led by educator and YouTuber Rachel Griffin Accurso, earlier that morning. ''The Wiggles' are sort of cheap,' he told host Andy Cohen. 'But 'Ms. Rachel,' we started with it and still stay with it.' The 'Alto Knights' star went on to say that his young daughter is becoming 'more discerning because she's seen it so many times.' 'We're waiting for new episodes and new skits and new music things that they do,' he said. De Niro and his girlfriend Tiffany Chen welcomed Gia in 2023. 'She's such an adorable baby. So sweet,' the 81-year-old said in a 2024 interview with People. '(When I) look at her, everything else goes away. So it's a great joy and relief to just be with her in the moment.' Gia is De Niro's seventh child. He shares two adult children with his ex-wife Diahnne Abbott and two adult sons with ex-girlfriend, Toukie Smith. De Niro was also previously married to Grace Hightower before they split in 2018. The pair are parents to a son and a daughter.
CNN
23-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Robert De Niro, Oscar winner and toddler dad, is apparently a ‘Ms. Rachel' fan
Robert De Niro is embracing all that fatherhood has to offer as he spends time with his two-year-old daughter Gia. The Oscar winner opened up about spending quality time with his daughter, revealing on a recent episode of Sirius XM's Radio Andy that he and his daughter love to watch kids TV and internet shows together. 'Ms. Rachel,' 'The Wiggles' and 'Blippi' are just a few of the shows De Niro listed off, saying that he and his daughter had watched 'Ms. Rachel,' a popular children's show led by educator and YouTuber Rachel Griffin Accurso, earlier that morning. ''The Wiggles' are sort of cheap,' he told host Andy Cohen. 'But 'Ms. Rachel,' we started with it and still stay with it.' The 'Alto Knights' star went on to say that his young daughter is becoming 'more discerning because she's seen it so many times.' 'We're waiting for new episodes and new skits and new music things that they do,' he said. De Niro and his girlfriend Tiffany Chen welcomed Gia in 2023. 'She's such an adorable baby. So sweet,' the 81-year-old said in a 2024 interview with People. '(When I) look at her, everything else goes away. So it's a great joy and relief to just be with her in the moment.' Gia is De Niro's seventh child. He shares two adult children with his ex-wife Diahnne Abbott and two adult sons with ex-girlfriend, Toukie Smith. De Niro was also previously married to Grace Hightower before they split in 2018. The pair are parents to a son and a daughter.
