Latest news with #StarTrek
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Lucie Arnaz Returns to the Lot Her Parents Built—This Time to Help a Fan Finish His Film
Lucie Arnaz Returns to the Lot Her Parents Built—This Time to Help a Fan Finish His Film originally appeared on L.A. Mag. Raji Ahsan proves it's always great to meet your heroes. Perhaps your childhood obsession was Barbie or board games, but for young Ahsan growing up in Orange County in the 90s, it was Desilu Studios, the long-gone TV production company founded by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The filmmaker is partnering with Lucy and Desi's daughter Lucie Arnaz for 'Lucie on the Lot' a fundraising event to complete his new film Dr. Sam at the old family studio on June 5. After completing their iconic series, I Love Lucy, Desilu produced shows like Star Trek, Mission: Impossible and Mannix from the old RKO Studios (now Paramount) at the corner of Melrose and Gower in Hollywood. Lucy sold her shares in the company to Paramount decades before Raji was born. 'I'm a Desilu nut,' Ahsan says. 'Right after 9/11 they stopped giving studio tours. When I was 12 I had a school assignment to write a persuasive essay and my teacher said you should mail it to the studio so I did…and I put in my tiny little headshot.' Two weeks later he dialed up the studio and a friendly page told him he was moved by the letter and offered a private tour. 'My mom lived in a shelter and she cleaned houses to keep us fed,' Ahsan remembers. 'When she was home, we'd watch I Love Lucy. It was my comfort.' Ahsan grew up to become an actor and a waiter – the classic Hollywood combo. Through mutual friends, he met Emmy-winning actress Lucie Arnaz and a friendship was born. 'He had a podcast and asked me to be a guest,' says Arnaz. 'He's really smart and funny and full of ideas. I instinctively took him under my wing and wanted to help him. He's a powerhouse. You've gotta be like that to get anything done in this world.' Ahsan wrote the short film Dr. Sam about a struggling actor, musician and waiter who masquerades as a therapist and offered a part to his hero Arnaz. 'He said he'd like me to play his mom,' she says. 'I so do not look Egyptian, so in the movie he's adopted.' Lucie and her brother Desi Jr. spent part of their childhood exploring the historic Hollywood lot that today is part of Paramount. 'We would be let loose in some wonderful big empty stages,' Armaz remembers. 'It was so fun to go through the prop room at RKO and play with a life size King Kong and all the wonderful costumes and amazing props from all the films they had done. It was a kid's paradise.' Today, Arnaz lives in Palm Springs, where she writes and produces new shows and oversees the merchandise end of the family business with her daughter. Her brother Desi is retired, and jokingly calls himself a 'self-imposed recluse.' Arnaz will be performing standards live in concert at the Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood on June 27-28 and opening the new season of the Purple Room in Palm Springs August 29 and 30. The 'Lucie on the Lot' event on June 5 will screen Arnaz's award-winning film Lucy and Desi: A Home Movie on the big screen at the Paramount Theater. There will be a celebration of the 75th anniversary of Desilu, photo ops in front of the famous Bronson gate you remember from Sunset Boulevard and a chance to chat up the filmmakers. Proceeds will be split between finishing up Ahsan's film and the Long Beach shelter his mom landed in when the family immigrated to L.A. 'I wanted to live on the lot,' Ahsan says. 'The fact that Lucie is coming to this place I wrote a letter to when I was 12 is full circle.' This story was originally reported by L.A. Mag on May 30, 2025, where it first appeared.
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
‘Lost' star Matthew Fox breaks silence on finale: ‘People who were frustrated by lack of answers are missing the point'
The actor played heroic spinal surgeon Jack Shephard on the ABC series that follows survivors of Oceanic Flight 815, whose plane crashed on a mysterious island. Lost became a ratings winner on its release in 2004, and over six seasons generated a cult fanbase to rival that of Star Trek and The X-Files. Fox, who this week returns to TV in Kick Gurry's Australian comedy show Caught, has now reflected on his time in Lost during a rare interview with The Independent. 'I've never actually watched the show all the way through – I've seen episodes,' the 58-year-old said. 'At that time in my life, I was not keen on watching myself on screen. I felt like it was somehow going to corrupt my work.' That was clearly Damon Lindelof's intention. He wanted it to be something that could be interpreted by every single person's relationship with the show Fox's character was at the centre of some of the show's biggest twists and turns, and the actor recalled how he would be blindsided by such developments while speaking to the show's co-creator Damon Lindelof ahead of each season. 'I would always have a conversation with Damon at the beginning of each year and he'd sort of map out Jack's arc,' he said. 'He wasn't mapping that out for me to get notes – he was just mapping that out, kinda like, 'This is what your journey's gonna be'. And inevitably, there'd be stuff coming along in the script, because he hadn't given me a beat-by-beat play-out of the season, where I'd be like, 'Woah, holy shit – that's a turn that I didn't see coming'. And all kinds of other storylines I wasn't involved in.' He said he had faith in The Leftovers and Watchmen creator Lindelof's vision, stating: 'I trusted it was all gonna work out and it was all gonna make sense.' The show's finale, which aired in May 2010, led to many incorrect assumptions about the fate of the ensemble. ADVERTISEMENT Learn more While the ending has its supporters, some viewers decried the fact that some key questions were not answered, which has made it one of the most divisive conclusions to a show in TV history, but Fox counts himself as a fan. 'That was clearly Damon Lindelof's intention. He wanted it to be something that could be interpreted by every single person's relationship with the show,' he said. 'The people that were frustrated by the fact they weren't given the answers to why there was a polar bear on the island are missing the point a little bit. 'But for them to believe that six years of mysteries and asking questions were going to be wrapped up in the final two hours of the show, or even the last half of the last season – that's not how Damon wanted to do it.' With the way streaming works and the way you can find these shows on these platforms, there are new groups of people coming to the show constantly Fox, whose other credits include the Wachowskis adventure Speed Racer and violent Western Bone Tomahawk, said his feelings about the show remind him of his children as he and his wife Margherita Ronchi relocated to Hawaii when they were much younger. 'For me, when I look back on it now, it feels like a chapter in my life where the thing I remember the most about it is where our kids were during that period of time,' he said. 'When we went to Hawaii, they were really young – our son was two and our daughter was eight – and they were moving from southern California to an island in the South Pacific. It was almost a foundational part of their life, and so that's mainly how I reflect on it.' However, he acknowledged the 'legacy of the show is pretty incredible' and said he is continually 'blown away' by the fan response. 'I do think it's a show that will stand up over time,' he said. 'Considering where it takes place and what it's really about philosophically, it feels like it doesn't get dated quickly. I'm so grateful to have had the experience. 'With the way streaming works and the way you can find these shows on these platforms, there are new groups of people coming to the show constantly, and I think that's going to continue. There are new people finding it all the time.'
Irish Independent
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Independent
Stars of the golden age of Hollywood recreated by Wicklow artist for stunning exhibition
The exhibition, by local artist Shane McCormack, features pencil portraits from that golden age and will appeal to both art collectors and admirers, and of course fans of a time when real movie legends were created – Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Gary Cooper, Joan Crawford and Judy Garland. Shane McCormack was born in Dublin in 1970. After many years working in both animation and photography he went back to study visual art at Bray Institute of Further Education and graduated from IADT, in 2014. As a freelance illustrator specialising in portraits from film and TV, Shane has worked on licensed subjects like Star Wars, Star Trek, The Walking Dead and The Hobbit. His short film, The Hotel, which was screened as part of Culture Night last September, is a fascinating piece of social history focusing on the former Bray Head Hotel – a favourite of the stars when filming at Ardmore, and where scenes from Frank, Breakfast on Pluto and The Commitments were also shot. The notes for Shane's new exhibition offer a glimpse into the world of the Hollywood greats and a window into the creation of these fabulous pieces of art. 'Hollywood, the power of the image transcended mere representation; it became a force that defined and redefined cultural ideals, personal identity, and collective memory. Hollywood's golden age, with its meticulously crafted visuals, created a landscape where image was not just an aesthetic choice but a carefully constructed narrative. "The glitzy, glamorous depictions of stars on screen, as well as the staged publicity photos, offered an idealized version of life, full of elegance, strength, and romance. Yet, these images also served as a mirror to society, reflecting and shaping the norms and desires of the time. 'The manipulation of light, costume, and framing in early cinema served not only to enhance the storytelling but to elevate the star persona to almost mythical proportions. In an era before social media, these images were some of the few ways that audiences could form a relationship with the stars, and thus, their images became inseparable from their real lives. The image was both a mask and a truth, a carefully curated persona that could command admiration or critique. 'In examining vintage Hollywood, Shane is fascinated by how the photograph or film frame captures a fleeting moment, one that is forever frozen in time yet continues to evolve in its significance. What remains poignant is how these images continue to resonate today as artefacts of both escapism and aspiration, as well as reminders of the complexities behind the facade. The power of image in vintage Hollywood lies not just in its glamour, but in its ability to shape memory and influence culture long after the original light has faded. Through this exploration, Shane seeks to uncover the layers of artifice and authenticity that intersect in the history of cinema and visual culture.' Hollywoodland runs at Signal Arts Centre, Bray, from Monday, June 9 to Sunday, June 22.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Star Trek Fans Were Already In For An Exciting Summer, But It Just Got Even Better Because Discovery's Shazad Latif Is Leading A New Sci-Fi Series
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. It's been a long wait, but finally, the wait for upcoming Star Trek shows is almost over. Pretty soon, we'll be spending a summer watching new adventures with a Paramount+ subscription, but that's not the only thing Trekkies should be checking out on the 2025 TV schedule. A new sci-fi show from Discovery star Shazad Latif is coming to AMC, and damn, does it look good! While it's not set in space, the spirit of traveling into the great unknown in search of adventure is still alive, and I can't wait to see the actor I'm sad didn't appear in Section 31 back in action. Shazad Latif stars as Nemo in an adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea in Nautilus. This story will follow Nemo's plot for revenge against the East India Mercantile Company. With the help of some fellow prisoners, they steal a prototype submarine and set out to find a fabled Viking treasure. It sounds wild enough, but the trailer really drives home how awesome this series might be: It's been so long since I've seen Shazad Latif as Ash Tyler that I forgot how great of an actor he was. It'll be great to see him as a lead in a series in Nautilus, in a captain's role we never really got to see during Discovery. Hey, this might even lead to him being welcomed back to the franchise should the decision-makers at Paramount see him thrive in this new series at AMC set for June 29th. In addition to Nautilus and all that fun, we're finally getting the return of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds for Season 3. The Season 2 finale ended on a dramatic cliffhanger, and I know I've been dying to find out what will become of the crew when they go head-to-head with the Gorn. More On Star Trek I've Been Watching Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, And It Has One Distinguishing Feature I Wish The Newer Trek Shows Would Include There's a lot to look forward to in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3, especially since Season 4 is already confirmed and has been in production. Plus, we also have Starfleet Academy coming in 2026, so the future is looking bright for Trek once again. Much like Trekkies have embraced shows like The Orville as Trek-adjacent shows we can love, I hope the same happens for Nautilus. Shazad Latif had no shortage of admirers in the fandom when he was a part of the Discovery crew as Ash Tyler, and the new AMC series seems to have the same adventure vibes as the standard Trek series. It's always said that we've explored the ocean less than space, so you might even say Nautilus will "boldly go" a direction the space series hasn't before. As mentioned, Nautilus premieres on AMC on June 29th, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 is coming to Paramount+ on Thursday, July 17th. I know I'm psyched for the possibility of a double feature viewing of both shows each week, and I encourage others to check it out and see if they wish to do the same.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Matthew Fox shares thoughts on divisive Lost ending in rare interview about hit series
Matthew Fox has issued rare comments on the hit US drama Lost, 15 years after it ended. The actor played heroic spinal surgeon Jack Shephard on the ABC series that follows survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 whose plane crashed on a mysterious island. Lost became a ratings winner upon its release in 2004 and, over six seasons, generated a cult fanbase to rival that of Star Trek and The X-Files. Fox, who this week returns to TV in Kick Gurry's Australian comedy show Caught, has now reflected on his time starring in Lost during a rare interview with The Independent. 'I've never actually watched the show all the way through – I've seen episodes,' the actor, 58, admitted. 'At that time in my life, I was not keen on watching myself on screen. I felt like it was somehow going to corrupt my work. I don't really feel as intensely now about that as I did.' Fox's character was at the centre of some of the show's biggest twists and turns, and the actor recalled how he'd be blindsided by such developments while speaking to the show's co-creator Damon Lindelof ahead of each season. 'I would always have a conversation with Damon at the beginning of each year and he'd sort of map out Jack's arc for the season. 'He wasn't mapping that out for me to get notes; he was just mapping that out, kinda like, 'This is what your journey's gonna be.' And inevitably, there'd be stuff coming along in the script, 'cause he hadn't given me a beat-by-beat play out of the season, where I'd be like, 'Woah, holy s*** – that's a turn that I didn't see coming.' And all kinds of other storylines I wasn't involved in. He said he had 'faith' in The Leftovers and Watchmen creator Lindelof's vision, stating: 'I trusted that it was all gonna work out and it was all gonna make sense.' The show's finale, which aired in May 2010, led to many incorrect assumptions about the fate of the show's ensemble. While the ending has its supporters, some viewers decried the fact that some key questions weren't answered, which has made it one of the most divisive conclusions to a show in TV history. But Fox counts himself as a fan. 'That was clearly Damon Lindelof's intention. He wanted it to be something that could be interpreted by every single person's relationship with the show. The people that were frustrated by the fact they weren't given the answers to why there was a polar bear on the island are missing the point a little bit. 'But for them to believe that six years of mysteries and asking questions were going to be wrapped up in the final two hours of the show, or even the last half of the last season – that's not how Damon wanted to do it' Fox, whose other credits include the Wachowskis adventure Speed Racer and violent Western Bone Tomahawk, said that his feelings about the show remind him of his children as he and his wife Margherita Ronchi relocated to Hawaii when they were much younger 'For me, when I look back on it now, it feels like a chapter in my life where the thing I remember the most about it is where our kids were during that period of time. 'When we went to Hawaii, they were really young – our son was two and our daughter was eight – and they were moving from southern California to an island in the South Pacific. So they're still really connected to that place. It was almost a foundational part of their life and so that's mainly how I reflect on it.' However, he acknowledged that the 'legacy of the show is pretty incredible' and said he is continually 'blown away' by the fan response. 'I do think it's a show that will stand up over time,' he said. 'Considering where it takes place and what it's really about philosophically, it feels like it doesn't get dated quickly. I'm so grateful to have had the experience. It was great and I'm glad people are still finding it. 'With the way streaming works and the way you can find these shows on these platforms, there are new groups of people coming to the show constantly and I think that's going to continue. There are new people finding it all the time.' Caught is released on ITVX on 1 June. Lost is also available to stream on ITVX as well as Netflix and Disney+.
