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Yahoo
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pedro Pascal just make every gay & girlie's fantasy come true with three words
Pedro Pascal knows exactly what he's doing. During a recent interview with Fandango promoting Materialists, Celine Song's Past Lives follow-up and unexpected swing into romantic comedy, Pascal sat between fellow stars Dakota Johnson and Chris Evans, serving chaos, charm, and more than a few suggestive glances. At one point, the trio was asked to share their 'unicorn traits,' or the unique qualities that make them relationship material. Evans went the earnest route, calling himself 'very supportive.' Johnson joked that she's selfish. And then Pascal, with a sly smile and dramatic pause, delivered the line we've all been desperate to hear: 'I'm a pleaser.' Cue everyone melting. — (@) The interview, part of Materialists' early promo push, offered a glimpse at the chemistry behind the film's central love triangle, which follows Lucy (Johnson), a Manhattan matchmaker, as she finds herself torn between the broke actor she left behind (Evans) and the rich new man who walks into her life (Pascal). Inspired by classic '80s romcoms like Broadcast News and Terms of Endearment, Materialists seems poised to revive the genre with both elegance and emotional wreckage. But while Pascal may be channeling Harrison Ford in Working Girl onscreen, offscreen, he's doing something even more powerful. This week, he joined over 100 artists, including Ariana Grande, Dua Lipa, and Daniel Radcliffe, in signing an open letter from The Trevor Project opposing the proposed elimination of $50 million in federal funding for LGBTQ+ youth suicide prevention. 'We will not stay silent,' the letter declares. 'Stripping away this lifeline leaves LGBTQ+ youth with the message that their lives are not worth saving. We refuse to accept that message.' So yes, Pascal is a pleaser. But he's also a protector. A unicorn with range, if you will. It's yet another reason in our growing list of why Pascal will forever have a place in our hearts. Check out the full Fandango interview below: - YouTube Materialists hits theaters June 13.
Yahoo
04-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Samuel L. Jackson and Judge Judy Honor Sisters Toni Howard and Wendy Howard Goldberg at Women's Guild Cedars-Sinai Luncheon
Women's Guild Cedars-Sinai got a double dose of star power at its annual spring luncheon at the Beverly Hills Hotel thanks to a pair of high-profile sisters. Samuel L. Jackson and Judge Judy turned up at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Thursday to honor CAA agent Toni Howard and her sister, author and philanthropist Wendy Howard Goldberg, with Trailblazer Awards during a gala ceremony emceed by Entertainment Tonight's Nischelle Turner. More from The Hollywood Reporter Samuel L. Jackson, Pierce Brosnan Battle for Missing Gold in 'Unholy Trinity' Trailer The Weeknd Returns to WME for Representation in All Areas Aisha Bowe, Blue Origin Astronaut, Signs With CAA (Exclusive) The former is one of Hollywood's most well-known agents, and she represents Jackson, Michael Keaton, James Spader, Edie Falco, Michael Sheen, Holly Hunter, Laura Linney, Christopher Walken, Diane Lane (in attendance), Goldie Hawn, Tim Robbins, Catherine O'Hara, Nathan Lane and Billie Lourd, among others. Howard Goldberg is a long-serving member of the guild, having volunteered with the organization for more than four decades. She is the widow of Leonard Goldberg, a network executive and film and TV producer who shepherded Charlie's Angels, Broadcast News, Brian's Song and The Simpsons. During his time at the podium, Jackson, who previously was honored with a Hollywood icon award from the Women's Guild alongside wife LaTanya Richardson Jackson, noted how it was his third outing as a presenter at a Women's Guild event. 'I don't go to the Academy Awards as often as I come to these events,' he quipped. But he made good use of a repeat appearance by complimenting Howard Goldberg as 'kind, generous and fearless' and saving special praise for his longtime agent. 'I can't imagine my life without her,' Jackson said of Howard. 'She's been my agent, friend, consigliere, someone who is to high stakes blackjack what Superman is to hero comics. She's been my hero for at least 30 years. We've been together a long time. All that money they talked about that I've made, Toni started that.' Jackson then had the honor of introducing Judge Judy, aka Judy Sheindlin, who moderated a fireside chat with the sisters. As for Sheindlin, Jackson called her a 'trailblazer' for making history with her hit TV show, Judge Judy, and for being the only TV judge to win Emmys for more than one series. 'Clearly she's guilty of providing us with the best possible courtroom television,' Jackson said, adding that he watches her show every day while in his trailer. 'I personally would want to say that I met Judy in Toni's backyard smoking cigarettes when I first got to Hollywood, and she is personally responsible for me stopping smoking. She sent me to her doctor, and when she quit, she made me quit.' In her acceptance speech, Howard said it brought her great joy to share the stage with her sister. 'When Wendy was 12 years old our phone would ring, and my sister would pick it up. Some passionate volunteer would go into their carefully scripted spiel, 'Millions of people are suffering. We'd love you to donate money to help find answers to fight this devastating disease.' She'd ask, 'What are the symptoms?'' Howard recalled. 'I guarantee at 12, Wendy knew more about the disease than the person on the phone. I'm betting at 12, Wendy knew as much about the disease as the doctors.' Because of her obsession, Howard said she often calls her sister 'Dr. Goldberg' because there's rarely a day that goes by that she doesn't ask for a diagnosis. 'Wendy always has the best advice and knows the perfect person to call, whether your problem is a skinned knee or major surgery,' she added. Howard thanked Jackson and Sheindlin for supporting them at the ceremony. Of the latter, Howard said, 'When I first met you, I instantly wanted to sign you. I could've made millions for both of us. But it's OK, and you'll never hear this from any other agent: Your friendship is more precious to me than money.' She then singled out the Women's Guild and the work of the medical professionals at Cedars-Sinai for taking care of her 96-year-old husband, David Yarnell, who was hospitalized twice this year. 'I was moved by the kindness and the enthusiasm shown by your staff. David loves talking to people and no matter what someone's job was, he'd end up having a conversation with them. Everyone was so engaged. Everyone put such energy and joy into their work. We saw them literally high-fiving each other when they changed shifts,' she praised. In her speech, Howard Goldberg recalled a favorite word picked up from business woman Lynda Resnick: Resilience. 'The capacity to withstand and recover from difficulty, the ability to spring back into shape. Toughness,' she detailed of its definition. 'The community of Los Angeles, Women's Guild and today's other honorees all brilliantly embody this quality.' She also called her sister a 'true icon, trailblazer and one of the smartest, wittiest, most hard working people on the planet.' Funds raised at the event benefit the Women's Guild neurology project and the Women's Guild distinguished chair in pediatrics at Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's. Also at the event, fashion designer Elyse Walker hosted a pop-up boutique featuring items from her brand, elysewalker, with 10 percent of the proceeds benefitting the guild. To date, the Women's Guild has raised more than $70 million for Cedars-Sinai. Best of The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood's Most Notable Deaths of 2025 Harvey Weinstein's "Jane Doe 1" Victim Reveals Identity: "I'm Tired of Hiding" 'Awards Chatter' Podcast: 'Sopranos' Creator David Chase Finally Reveals What Happened to Tony (Exclusive)
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Wonderfully sentimental': why Defending Your Life is my feelgood movie
In a world where we venerate the actor-writer-director (Charlie Chaplin, Woody Allen etc), the great Albert Brooks still feels widely underappreciated. His voice work in Finding Nemo and his Oscar-nominated turn in Broadcast News gave him a respectable level of recognition and acclaim. However, he remains immensely underrated, especially compared with his comedic contemporaries like Steve Martin or Bill Murray. As a writer-director-leading man, he produced some of the funniest, most insightful comedies of the 80s and 90s, often with biting social commentary. But when I need the January blues lifted, I turn to his wonderfully sentimental and uplifting 1991 film Defending Your Life. Related: 'An unmitigated joy': why Married to the Mob is my feelgood movie Brooks plays Daniel Miller, a divorced, lonely adman with little in his life besides a new BMW. When he is killed in a bus collision, he is transported to Judgment City, a Disneyland-like depiction of purgatory. It's here where the recently deceased, good and bad, are put on trial to 'defend your life'. Miller is cross-examined by his lawyer Bob Diamond (a surprisingly smiley Rip Torn) and prosecutor Lena Foster (Lee Grant). They look over nine days of Miller's life to decide his future. If you win your trial, you 'move forward'. You lose your trial: you head back to Earth to 'try again'. I've always loved Brooks' singular depiction of the studio backlot-like Judgment City. It's a fairytale that recalls the best of Frank Capra and Pixar. The weather in the city is always a perfect 74F and you travel around on Universal Studios-style trams. Most important, you can eat the nicest food without putting on an ounce (Daniel's cheese omelette might be the nicest-looking meal ever put on screen). There are some references to religion, but God and theology are mostly ignored. Equally, the vapid elements of life on Earth are still here, leading to some of the film's best gags. There are smutty talkshows in which a young blonde claims to have had sex with Benjamin Franklin and terrible standup comedians sing bad covers of Frank Sinatra's That's Life. Judging from his previous work, it seemed like sentimentality was not in Brooks' nature. Films such as Modern Romance and Lost in America were daring attacks on the delusions of male jealousy and the yuppie entitlement of the Reagan era. While hilarious, his protagonists represented humanity at its most smug and self-centred. With Defending Your Life, Brooks swaps these themes out for optimism and amiability. While I love delving into the fantastical escapism of Judgment City (backed by Michael Gore's endearingly rhapsodic score), it's the film's poignantly philosophical look into fear that makes it one of my absolute favourites. Daniel is a good person who could never live up to his full potential because fear dominated his every waking move. It's Foster's main reason why Daniel should be sent back to Earth. He worries about people's perceptions of him ('I'm just so tired of being judged,' he remarks) and his aversion to risk-taking leads him to have an unfulfilled life. Defending Your Life is about being unable to 'move forward' (literally and figuratively) until you've conquered the fears that hold you back. It's perhaps no coincidence that the film came out right at the end of the cold war, a period in which fear was engrained in the heart of the American consciousness. As Torn's character laments to Daniel: 'Fear is like a giant fog. It sits on your brain and blocks everything – real feelings, true happiness, real joy. They can't get through that fog.' During the breaks from his trial, Daniel begins a love affair with the virtuous Julia (Meryl Streep in her most endearing performance). I hate describing any film romance as adorable, but the chemistry between both leads is true movie magic. It's helped that Brooks avoids cliches, never having the typical romcom moment when both characters inexplicably hate each other. When their relationship is in jeopardy, it again circles back to Daniel's innate fear of taking chances. Without spoiling the heartwarming ending, their final scenes together are an amazing tear-jerking summation of the film's themes. It's up there with Jimmy Stewart running through the snow at the end of It's a Wonderful Life. 'Life-affirming' is perhaps an overused adjective, but few movies have successfully illuminated the human condition as well as this one. Fear is commonplace in our daily lives, but Albert Brooks' film might hold the key to rid the worries of anxiety-ridden people such as myself. As the new year often brings about feelings of regret and unease, Defending Your Life is the warmest hug you can receive. Defending Your Life is available to rent digitally in the US and the UK
The Guardian
27-01-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘Wonderfully sentimental': why Defending Your Life is my feelgood movie
In a world where we venerate the actor-writer-director (Charlie Chaplin, Woody Allen etc), the great Albert Brooks still feels widely underappreciated. His voice work in Finding Nemo and his Oscar-nominated turn in Broadcast News gave him a respectable level of recognition and acclaim. However, he remains immensely underrated, especially compared with his comedic contemporaries like Steve Martin or Bill Murray. As a writer-director-leading man, he produced some of the funniest, most insightful comedies of the 80s and 90s, often with biting social commentary. But when I need the January blues lifted, I turn to his wonderfully sentimental and uplifting 1991 film Defending Your Life. Brooks plays Daniel Miller, a divorced, lonely adman with little in his life besides a new BMW. When he is killed in a bus collision, he is transported to Judgment City, a Disneyland-like depiction of purgatory. It's here where the recently deceased, good and bad, are put on trial to 'defend your life'. Miller is cross-examined by his lawyer Bob Diamond (a surprisingly smiley Rip Torn) and prosecutor Lena Foster (Lee Grant). They look over nine days of Miller's life to decide his future. If you win your trial, you 'move forward'. You lose your trial: you head back to Earth to 'try again'. I've always loved Brooks' singular depiction of the studio backlot-like Judgment City. It's a fairytale that recalls the best of Frank Capra and Pixar. The weather in the city is always a perfect 74F and you travel around on Universal Studios-style trams. Most important, you can eat the nicest food without putting on an ounce (Daniel's cheese omelette might be the nicest-looking meal ever put on screen). There are some references to religion, but God and theology are mostly ignored. Equally, the vapid elements of life on Earth are still here, leading to some of the film's best gags. There are smutty talkshows in which a young blonde claims to have had sex with Benjamin Franklin and terrible standup comedians sing bad covers of Frank Sinatra's That's Life. Judging from his previous work, it seemed like sentimentality was not in Brooks' nature. Films such as Modern Romance and Lost in America were daring attacks on the delusions of male jealousy and the yuppie entitlement of the Reagan era. While hilarious, his protagonists represented humanity at its most smug and self-centred. With Defending Your Life, Brooks swaps these themes out for optimism and amiability. While I love delving into the fantastical escapism of Judgment City (backed by Michael Gore's endearingly rhapsodic score), it's the film's poignantly philosophical look into fear that makes it one of my absolute favourites. Daniel is a good person who could never live up to his full potential because fear dominated his every waking move. It's Foster's main reason why Daniel should be sent back to Earth. He worries about people's perceptions of him ('I'm just so tired of being judged,' he remarks) and his aversion to risk-taking leads him to have an unfulfilled life. Defending Your Life is about being unable to 'move forward' (literally and figuratively) until you've conquered the fears that hold you back. It's perhaps no coincidence that the film came out right at the end of the cold war, a period in which fear was engrained in the heart of the American consciousness. As Torn's character laments to Daniel: 'Fear is like a giant fog. It sits on your brain and blocks everything – real feelings, true happiness, real joy. They can't get through that fog.' During the breaks from his trial, Daniel begins a love affair with the virtuous Julia (Meryl Streep in her most endearing performance). I hate describing any film romance as adorable, but the chemistry between both leads is true movie magic. It's helped that Brooks avoids cliches, never having the typical romcom moment when both characters inexplicably hate each other. When their relationship is in jeopardy, it again circles back to Daniel's innate fear of taking chances. Without spoiling the heartwarming ending, their final scenes together are an amazing tear-jerking summation of the film's themes. It's up there with Jimmy Stewart running through the snow at the end of It's a Wonderful Life. 'Life-affirming' is perhaps an overused adjective, but few movies have successfully illuminated the human condition as well as this one. Fear is commonplace in our daily lives, but Albert Brooks' film might hold the key to rid the worries of anxiety-ridden people such as myself. As the new year often brings about feelings of regret and unease, Defending Your Life is the warmest hug you can receive. Defending Your Life is available to rent digitally in the US and the UK
