Latest news with #Remick
Newsweek
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Newsweek
Why Sean 'Diddy' Combs Lawyers Are Focusing on What Jurors Aren't Saying
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Jury selection in the trial of Sean "Diddy" Combs entered its third day on Wednesday, and a jury consulting expert said body language from potential jurors could play an important role in the process. Why It Matters The charges against Combs have sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry, given his longstanding influence as a rapper, producer and entrepreneur. With potential legal ramifications that could reshape his career, the trial has become a focal point for both media and public attention. Jury selection is expected to play a pivotal role in the case, potentially influencing the outcome based on who is chosen to serve. What To Know Hiliary Remick, managing director of jury consulting at Magna Legal Services, explained the role body language could play in jury selection. "The trick for the defendant is to figure out whether these jurors are giving off any other signals," Remick told Newsweek. "So they might be looking at the jurors to see if there's anything from body language that they can detect that might mean they really want to be on this jury." Combs is facing federal charges of sex trafficking, racketeering and transportation to engage in prostitution. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and denies any wrongdoing. Remick said that media coverage of the case is a "real struggle." "I think there's a real risk of jurors not being candid about their beliefs concerning this pre-existing information," Remick said. Combs was formally charged in September of last year. Prosecutors allege that the artist used his influence and connections to facilitate illegal activities involving multiple victims. If convicted, he faces life in prison. Combs made headlines in May of last year when surveillance footage from 2016 showed him grabbing, shoving, dragging and kicking his then-girlfriend Cassie Ventura at a California hotel. The video was widely circulated online and Remick sees it being a "big issue" in picking a jury. Sean "Diddy" Combs at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held on January 11, 2009 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California. Sean "Diddy" Combs at the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards held on January 11, 2009 in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, California. zz/Zephyr/STAR MAX/IPx "You hear some of the potential jurors already talking about having seen the video, or having it had an impact on them, and for the defendant, even if jurors say that they can be fair or get past it, that kind of pre-existing information could be tough to get past," Remick said. Throughout the jury selection process, several celebrities' names have been mentioned, including rappers Kid Cudi and Kanye West, and actor Michael B. Jordan. Jurors were given a list of at least 190 people, including celebrities and public figures, and asked to indicate the names they recognized. It is unclear how the names on the list relate to Combs' trial. "Jurors can be swayed by the power of celebrity, not only in Mr. Combs, but in the potential witnesses," Remick said. What People Are Saying Remick, in an interview with Newsweek: "We'll look for whether jurors seem forthcoming and honest, and that's going to come in the form of not only their words, but their body language." Combs' lawyers, in a statement to CBS News New York last month: "These are not new allegations or new accusers. These are the same individuals, former long-term girlfriends, who were involved in consensual relationships. This was their private sex life, defined by consent, not coercion." What Happens Next Opening statements are expected to begin on May 12. The trial is expected to last eight to 10 weeks. If convicted, Combs faces potentially decades in prison. Do you have a story that Newsweek should be covering? Do you have any questions about this story? Contact LiveNews@
Forbes
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
‘The Studio' Parodies Diversity Casting In Hilarious New Ice Cube Episode
The Studio The Studio is easily one of the best shows on TV at the moment, and the latest episode is no exception. While my favorite episode of the season remains 'The Oner' which was just so clever on so many levels, this week's episode, 'Casting', takes aim at contemporary social issues, and it's genuinely hilarious. The series follows bumbling new studio chief of Continental Studios, Matt Remick (Seth Rogen) as he embarks on a series of misadventures in his first months on the job. Whether he's disrupting a sensitive movie shoot, getting into a pissing contest at a charity fundraiser, breaking Martin Scorsese's heart, or throwing down with the surprisingly mean-spirited movie director, Ron Howard, Remick can always be counted on to put his foot in his mouth in spectacular fashion. The show blends slapstick comedy with a series of really poor choices into one of the best parodies of modern Hollywood out there. Fans of Curb Your Enthusiasm should take note. Spoilers for Season 1, Episode 7 follow. In 'Casting' we return to the Kool-Aid Movie that we first learned about in the season premiere. Remick and his colleagues are excited about the positive feedback its poster has received. But their enthusiasm is short-lived when marketing director Maya Mason (Kathryn Hahn) has a moment of doubt. She wonders if casting Ice Cube as the voice of Kool-Aid Man is playing into racial stereotypes. (The meta-joke of Ice Cube playing an anthropomorphic beverage is never mentioned by the characters). Remick and executive producer Sal Saperstein (Ike Barinholtz) aren't convinced at first, but soon all three are in full panic mode. They take their concerns to junior executive Quinn Hackett (Chase Sui Wonders) because she's not white, and she tries to assure them that it's not a big deal. She's never viewed Kool-Aid as a black person's drink, she tells her colleagues, but rather a 'poor person's drink' which obviously only makes matters worse. Next, they turn to social media manager, Tyler (Dewayne Perkins) who reassures them further, saying it would actually be racist to not cast a black person as Kool-Aid Man, but then adds he doesn't want to be the voice of 'all black people.' From here, things keep going from bad to worse. Guest stars Ziwe and Lil Rel Howery tell them that Kool-Aid Man should, indeed, be black, but then voice concerns that his wife isn't also black. After recasting Mrs. Kool-Aid, they realize that solving one problem has created a new one: Now the entire animated Kool-Aid family is black, while the live-action Parch family is all white. The 'segregation' of the cast leads them into another panic, so they decide to make all the characters black. The original cast for the Kool-Aid Movie included Ice Cube, Sandra Oh, Josh Duhamel and Jessica Biel. A perfectly diverse cast that, in a sane world, could never be seen as problematic. But the paranoia and delusion of the producers leads them to remove all the actors who aren't black, and prompts Remick to utter the truly preposterous phrase that this could be 'our Hamilton.' But when they take this to director Nick Stoller, he says this will require major rewrites, and his writing team decides that they need to quit since none of them are black and don't feel comfortable writing from that point of view. Stoller says he can rewrite the film on his own, but at this late stage, he'll need to use some AI animation services to stay within the budget and timeline. You can pretty much see where this is going. The spiraling continues as Remick and Sal and Maya go through a laborious and absurd attempt to breakdown the racial population of America so that it can be exactly represented in the movie. Meanwhile, Quinn informs them that making the entire cast black actually brings them back to square one, playing into the very racial stereotypes they were concerned with in the first place. Finally, Remick talks to Ice Cube directly, albeit awkwardly, and is reassured once and for all that everything will be okay. All of this takes place just before the Anaheim Comic-Con where Remick is set to reveal Ice Cube as Kool-Aid Man. But once the pair of them are on stage, the first question they receive isn't about race or casting at all: It's about about a leak that the movie is using AI to replace actual animators. Led by a furious Ice Cube, the crowd devolves into shouting and uproar. 'Thank god they didn't mention race,' Maya says from the sidelines. 'We dodged a bullet,' Sal agrees happily. Matt stands on the stage alone, head hung in defeat. This was a terrific episode, clocking in at just 24 minutes, and I'm thrilled to see a show even tackle this issue in the first place. We've entered a phase of the culture wars where the constant state of backlash and rancor makes actually discussing issues like tokenism and problematic casting next to impossible, at least with any kind of nuance. It's refreshing to see a show like The Studio poke fun at just how ridiculous the whole thing is behind the scenes, where out-of-touch executives, even with the best intentions, often make matters worse. Apple, meanwhile, continues to have some of the best streaming options out there, with shows like Severance, The Studio and Your Friends & Neighbors at the top of my 2025 TV list, just to name a few.
The Citizen
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Apple TV's The Studio satire satisfies
It's bumbling for the sake of it, and crass where it matters most. If Apple TV's The Studio satire could be compared to a milkshake, it would be Salted Caramel. Because it's funny, hilarious in fact, but with a healthy measure of saltiness that dries out and beats its subject matter into absolute deliciousness. Just a long-winded way, really, to say that this show is an absolute must-watch. It's classic Seth Rogan, only better. Just a caution from the get-go. It's not for kids. But it is about the many layers that comprise what we consider Hollywood and show business to be about. It's the bankability predictability versus creating art, it's ego versus well, plain stupidity. It's bumbling for the sake of it, and crass where it matters most; insert here The Studio Boss who in one of the earlier episodes shared that 'if Warner Bros can make a billion dollars off the plastic tits of a pussy-less doll, we should be able to make two billion off the legacy brand of Kool-Aid.' This is the line that was fed to Rogan's character, Matt Remick, when he was promoted after his predecessor, and studio executive Patty, was fired. Remick is a devoted lover of film and has always dreamt of making meaningful movies. But he took the job and swallowed the lemon of pure commercialism… kind of. He commissioned Martin Scorsese, who does a fantastic cameo, and turns the Kool Aid Man movie into an epic narrative by paying the celebrated director a huge sum of money to work the character into a metaphorical aspect of an existing script. Ego versus plain stupidity The original script, of course, was about something far more serious. It was about the Jonestown massacre. This, of course, was a cult mass suicide in the late 70s when the California-based People's Temple of Jim Jones settled in an agricultural community in Guyana. Jones instructed more than 900 people to drink poison. But, in Remick's altered version, Scorsese was to script and direct a version where Kool-Aid killed everyone. The loose metaphor here, of course, is that everyone 'drank the Kool Aid'. The idiom directly related back to Jonestown and means blindly following a person or an ideology without question. Steve Buscemi was tipped to star as Jones. Also Read: 'The Rookie' is no amateur of a show And of course, it all backfires across ten episodes of farcical satire that unfold like a beginner's attempt at complex origami. Together with his friend and underling Sai Samperstein, played by comedian Ike Barinholtz, Remick faux pas' himself through the job. He rehires Patty, who was once his mentor, too, as a producer at the Studio and throws money at her. Then, he nitpicks and spoils a critical sunset shot for some blockbuster. He sells his classic car to an actor for two million dollars to fund a reshoot of a stuff up. It's a celebration of wit throughout. Incredible A-list cameos Other cameos in the show are A-list. Charlize Theron appears in a party scene as Scorsese's agony aunt while Steve Buscemi, Zac Efron, Ron Howard and Rebecca Hall and a host of others add to the ambience and antics. There is not a moment in the show that any audience could be bored by. It is fast paced and on between the farce and satire, Rogan makes valid observations about the materialism and plastic façade that Hollywood has become. And he does so subtly, beautifully, almost. From the show introduction produced in seventies style Cinerama through to the tinted and well-placed colourisation, the script, the performances and direction. The lighting and cinematography are as retro as they are fly-on-the-wall. It's a show to admire, enjoy and watch more than once, because nuance is everywhere. On first watch, you may not be able to ingest it all. It's that enjoyable. Now Read: Natasha Loring shines bright with talent and charisma
CNN
01-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘The Studio' decoded: A guide to the comically passive-aggressive Hollywood speak in episode 1
The new Apple TV+ series 'The Studio' is a typical office comedy, set in a workplace that on any given day might be visited by Martin Scorsese, Zoë Kravitz or Zac Efron. Co-created by and starring Seth Rogen as Matt Remick, a newly-appointed head of the fictional Continental movie studio, the series is a satire about the disrupted state of the film industry, insecure executives, artist egos and corporate greed, with a whole lot of A-list talent in on the jokes. It's Corporate Erin for those who hear the words 'award season' and think 'gridlock' not 'glamour.' Despite the Hollywood setting and over-the-top cameos, Rogen hopes anyone who's worked in an office with a ridiculous boss or found themselves feeling uncertain about their careers will laugh, too. 'We took great care to make sure the comedic premise itself was relatable to anyone watching,' Rogen recently told the Guardian. Still, some terms – like movies and television shows themselves – carry more meaning than you might see on the surface and require a little translation. Here's your guide to some of the famously passive aggressive language of entertainment, as featured in episode 1. 'I had an idea, actually, that I was going to run by you for the scene,' Rogen as Remick tells Pete, the director (Peter Berg), between shots during a set visit as the episode begins. 'Buddy, we're good on ideas, thanks though. I'll see you at Charlize's party, right?' the director responds as he walks away. Translation, Remick: 'I really wish I had your job.' Translation, Pete: 'I don't have to listen to you, but I may have to run into you again.' Bonus dig: 'I'm on a first name basis with Charlize Theron and know that you're probably not.' 'Patty's gonzo. She's gotta be. Ten straight bombs. She gave all her dumbass friends overalls. She spent $30 million restoring this building. She's done and I kind of feel like I'm going to replace her,' aspiring C-suite studio exec Sal Saperstein (Ike Barinholtz) says to Remnick. Translation: Saperstein is not-so-secretly thrilled that Patty (Catherine O'Hara) may be getting fired and he knows it would be for the same reasons most male studio heads in town would use to justify their multimillion dollar bonuses. He also (overconfidently) sees himself as the obvious heir apparent. 'I've heard that you are really into artsy-fartsy filmmaking bull***t, that you're obsessed with with actors and directors liking you rather than being obsessed with making this studio as much money as possible,' Griffin Mill (Bryan Cranston), an amalgamation of every major media conglomerate CEO, says to Remick. 'Me?' Remick responds incredulously. 'That could not be further from the truth. I am as bottomline oriented as anyone in this town.' Translation, Mill: 'I don't care about films. I care about making movies that make money.' Translation, Remick: 'I will say anything I think you want to hear to get this job.' 'I am very close to closing on the deal to get the rights to Kool-Aid and I'm talking huge, four-quadrant version of it,' Mill says to Remick. 'That is f***ing perfect! That's exactly what we should be doing, Mr. Mill,' Remick responds with enthusiasm. Translation, Mill: 'I'm going to turn Kool-Aid into the next billion-dollar 'Barbie.'' Translation, Remick: 'This is the worst idea, ever.' 'We are going to make the auteur-driven, Oscar-winning Kool-Aid film,' Remick to his executive team. 'Did 'Mario Brothers' win an Oscar? No, it didn't, but you know what it did win? $1.3 billion,' marketing executive Maya (Kathryn Hahn.) Translation, Remick: 'My work matters. I have taste.' Translation, Maya: 'Emphatically, you don't. I can't sell this.' 'It's for sure the best version of the very, very, very, very middle-of-the-road version of this. It's not what I want to be coming out of the gate with, but Griffin Mill will love it and more importantly, he'll have it by the end of the week,' Remick says about a Kool-Aid pitch. Translation: 'My soul is not-so-slowly being killed.' 'I got into all of this because, you know, I love movies, but now I have this fear that my job is to ruin them,' Remick says to his mentor and recently fired predecessor, Patty. 'The job is a meat grinder. It makes you stressed, then panicked and miserable. One week you're looking your idol in the eye and breaking his heart, and the next week you're writing a blank check for an entitled nepo baby in a beanie. But when it all comes together and you make a good movie, it's good forever,' Patty responds. Translation, Remick: 'This high-profile job I wanted so badly and finally landed might actually suck.' Translation, Patty: 'It's as bad as you fear but worth it.'
CNN
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘The Studio' decoded: A guide to the comically passive-aggressive Hollywood speak in episode 1
The new Apple TV+ series 'The Studio' is a typical office comedy, set in a workplace that on any given day might be visited by Martin Scorsese, Zoë Kravitz or Zac Efron. Co-created by and starring Seth Rogen as Matt Remick, a newly-appointed head of the fictional Continental movie studio, the series is a satire about the disrupted state of the film industry, insecure executives, artist egos and corporate greed, with a whole lot of A-list talent in on the jokes. It's Corporate Erin for those who hear the words 'award season' and think 'gridlock' not 'glamour.' Despite the Hollywood setting and over-the-top cameos, Rogen hopes anyone who's worked in an office with a ridiculous boss or found themselves feeling uncertain about their careers will laugh, too. 'We took great care to make sure the comedic premise itself was relatable to anyone watching,' Rogen recently told the Guardian. Still, some terms – like movies and television shows themselves – carry more meaning than you might see on the surface and require a little translation. Here's your guide to some of the famously passive aggressive language of entertainment, as featured in episode 1. 'I had an idea, actually, that I was going to run by you for the scene,' Rogen as Remick tells Pete, the director (Peter Berg), between shots during a set visit as the episode begins. 'Buddy, we're good on ideas, thanks though. I'll see you at Charlize's party, right?' the director responds as he walks away. Translation, Remick: 'I really wish I had your job.' Translation, Pete: 'I don't have to listen to you, but I may have to run into you again.' Bonus dig: 'I'm on a first name basis with Charlize Theron and know that you're probably not.' 'Patty's gonzo. She's gotta be. Ten straight bombs. She gave all her dumbass friends overalls. She spent $30 million restoring this building. She's done and I kind of feel like I'm going to replace her,' aspiring C-suite studio exec Sal Saperstein (Ike Barinholtz) says to Remnick. Translation: Saperstein is not-so-secretly thrilled that Patty (Catherine O'Hara) may be getting fired and he knows it would be for the same reasons most male studio heads in town would use to justify their multimillion dollar bonuses. He also (overconfidently) sees himself as the obvious heir apparent. 'I've heard that you are really into artsy-fartsy filmmaking bull***t, that you're obsessed with with actors and directors liking you rather than being obsessed with making this studio as much money as possible,' Griffin Mill (Bryan Cranston), an amalgamation of every major media conglomerate CEO, says to Remick. 'Me?' Remick responds incredulously. 'That could not be further from the truth. I am as bottomline oriented as anyone in this town.' Translation, Mill: 'I don't care about films. I care about making movies that make money.' Translation, Remick: 'I will say anything I think you want to hear to get this job.' 'I am very close to closing on the deal to get the rights to Kool-Aid and I'm talking huge, four-quadrant version of it,' Mill says to Remick. 'That is f***ing perfect! That's exactly what we should be doing, Mr. Mill,' Remick responds with enthusiasm. Translation, Mill: 'I'm going to turn Kool-Aid into the next billion-dollar 'Barbie.'' Translation, Remick: 'This is the worst idea, ever.' 'We are going to make the auteur-driven, Oscar-winning Kool-Aid film,' Remick to his executive team. 'Did 'Mario Brothers' win an Oscar? No, it didn't, but you know what it did win? $1.3 billion,' marketing executive Maya (Kathryn Hahn.) Translation, Remick: 'My work matters. I have taste.' Translation, Maya: 'Emphatically, you don't. I can't sell this.' 'It's for sure the best version of the very, very, very, very middle-of-the-road version of this. It's not what I want to be coming out of the gate with, but Griffin Mill will love it and more importantly, he'll have it by the end of the week,' Remick says about a Kool-Aid pitch. Translation: 'My soul is not-so-slowly being killed.' 'I got into all of this because, you know, I love movies, but now I have this fear that my job is to ruin them,' Remick says to his mentor and recently fired predecessor, Patty. 'The job is a meat grinder. It makes you stressed, then panicked and miserable. One week you're looking your idol in the eye and breaking his heart, and the next week you're writing a blank check for an entitled nepo baby in a beanie. But when it all comes together and you make a good movie, it's good forever,' Patty responds. Translation, Remick: 'This high-profile job I wanted so badly and finally landed might actually suck.' Translation, Patty: 'It's as bad as you fear but worth it.'
