Latest news with #Zucker
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Why original ‘Naked Gun' director says he won't watch reboot
(NEXSTAR) — This weekend, the wacky world of Lt. Frank Drebin and his 'Police Squad,' returns to theaters for the first time in 31 years. Directed by Akiva Schaffer ('Pop Star: Never Stop Never Stopping'), 'The Naked Gun' (2025) reboots the series with Oscar nominee Liam Neeson as its new star, playing Drebin's (the late Leslie Nielsen's) son. While early reactions to 'The Naked Gun' have been positive, there's one person who won't be reviewing the film anytime soon: David Zucker, who directed the franchise's first two movies and who wrote/produced the third. 8 classic '80s sitcoms and where to stream them Zucker (who's also known for directing 'Airplane!' and 'Scary Movie' franchise films) told TMZ back in April that he'd watched the trailer for the new film and was disappointed — both because he didn't like it and because he hadn't been consulted for the reboot. 'I never saw 'Airplane 2' because you can't unsee that stuff. I'm not planning on seeing the 'Naked Gun' remake either,' Zucker told TMZ. 'I regret having seen the trailer for it.' Zucker, 77, also negatively compared the trailer for the new film to seeing a notorious 2007 viral pornographic video starring two girls and a beverage container. 'I can't unsee it,' Zucker elaborated. According to Zucker, he and his team submitted a script to Paramount in 2018 that he says they were told the studio liked. Zucker says he was later shocked that the property had been greenlit for a different creative team. Once the film was in production, Zucker said he was offered a producer credit on the film but rejected it based on the script. Sydney Sweeney American Eagle ad controversy explained 'I read the script and I politely told them I wasn't going to put my name on it,' Zucker told the Hollywood Reporter. 'They wanted nothing from me except my name. They assume I'm old and using a walker and I can't do it anymore. I guess talent leaves after age 40 in Hollywood.' Zucker also told THR in a different interview in May that he had doubts about the casting of Neeson, saying, 'Everybody thinks that they can do it, do spoof. It's really, really specific.' Production drama aside, 'The Naked Gun' has plenty of anticipation behind it. In addition to Neeson, pop culture icon Pamela Anderson also joins as the film's female lead. Anderson, 58, received rave reviews last year for her return to the big screen in Gia Coppola's 'The Last Showgirl.' 'The Naked Gun' opens nationwide August 1. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jeremy Zucker Announces 2025 Australian Tour
Jeremy Zucker is heading back Down Under. The multi-platinum singer, songwriter, and producer has announced his 2025 Welcome to the Garden State Australian tour, set to kick off this November. The 'all the kids are depressed' singer will begin the run at Melbourne's Forum on Nov. 14, before playing Brisbane's Tivoli on Nov. 16 and Sydney's Roundhouse on Nov. 18. The tour will wrap up at Metropolis Fremantle in Perth on Nov. 21. More from Billboard Black Sabbath Members Pay Tribute to Ozzy Osbourne: 'Goodbye Dear Friend' Talks Reportedly 'Failed' in Efforts to Bring ABBA Voyage to Australia The Damned Cancel North American Concert Dates Following 'Catastrophic Event' Frontier Touring will launch a members pre-sale at 9 a.m. local time on Friday, July 25. Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 9 a.m. local time on Monday, July 28. More ticketing information can be found on the Frontier Touring website. 'I'm so excited to bring the Welcome to the Garden State tour to Australia later this year,' Zucker said in a statement. 'It feels amazing to be coming back to one of my favorite places to play live, and it will never get old having people connect with my music all the way around the world.' The singer is touring in support of his upcoming album Garden State, due Aug. 22 via Republic Records. The 14-track project includes the recent single 'hometown' and finds Zucker reflecting on his journey from New Jersey to global stardom, revisiting childhood memories and processing life's ups and downs. It's been described as his most vulnerable and introspective record yet. Zucker's connection with Australian audiences has been strong since his breakout, with ARIA certifications for 'comethru' (2x Platinum), 'you were good to me' (2x Platinum), 'all the kids are depressed' (Platinum), and Gold-certified singles including 'this is how you fall in love,' 'better off,' and 'talk is overrated.' You can pre-order/pre-save the album here. Jeremy Zucker Welcome to the Garden State Tour AustraliaPresented by Frontier Touring Nov. 14 – The Forum, Melbourne, VIC (18+) Nov. 16 – The Tivoli, Brisbane, QLD (18+) Nov. 18 – Roundhouse, Sydney, NSW (Lic. All Ages) Nov. 21 – Metropolis Fremantle, Perth, WA (18+) Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart Solve the daily Crossword
Chicago Tribune
23-06-2025
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Reconstruction begins on latest phase of Bell Works Chicagoland, the former AT&T campus in Hoffman Estates
The developer of Bell Works Chicagoland, the former AT&T campus in Hoffman Estates, broke ground Monday on the project's next phase. The New Jersey-based Inspired by Somerset Development plans to remake the vacant west side of the 1.2-million-square-foot building, creating new offices and a 'Main Street' lined with storefronts. retail, restaurants and public gathering spaces. It's part of the company's vision to transform the campus at 2000 Center Drive from a sterile corporate environment into a 'Metroburb,' a community hub for tenants and residents of the northwest suburb. 'It's a small downtown in a great suburban location,' said Somerset CEO Ralph Zucker. 'It took time, but we've hit our stride.' The company bought the campus in 2019 for $21 million, a fraction of its value in 2005, when it was sold as part of a two-property portfolio for $338 million, according to Costar. The revived complex welcomed its first tenant in 2020. The east side is now more than 90% leased, and includes revamped offices, pedestrian walkways, cafes and co-working areas. The latest tenants include Arjo, a medical devices provider that will relocate its U.S. headquarters to Bell Works Chicagoland in 2025, and Swing Loose, an indoor golf simulator. The low vacancy makes Bell Works Chicagoland a standout in the northwest suburbs. The market was hit especially hard by the pandemic and the loss of many obsolete corporate campuses. Its vacancy rate stood at more than 32% in the first quarter of 2025, the highest in the suburbs, according to Colliers, a commercial real estate firm. Somerset will complete the latest renovation in 12 to 18 months, opening up about another 500,000 square feet. Zucker said that because prospective tenants can now walk through and see the vibrant east side, he expects leasing the western portion will go quicker. 'The suburban office tenant has spoken up, and what they've said is, we want to be in inspired spaces,' Zucker said. 'There is a return to office, but it has to be the right kind of office.' Wight & Co. is the architect and npz studio+ will design the interiors. 'Preserving the architectural integrity of this historic building is central to our design approach,' said Matthew Duggan, vice president of Wight & Co. 'We've developed a vision that respects the campus' original character, while opening it up to light and creating spaces that are inviting and functional for the community.' AT&T left the campus in 2016. Village officials initially discussed turning it into a public university or a retail mall, but went with Zucker's vision after seeing how, starting in 2013, Somerset transformed the former Bell Labs complex in Holmdel, New Jersey, into a 2-million-square-foot, mixed-use complex. 'What this latest groundbreaking demonstrates is the success Bell Works has had in leasing their space out,' said Eric Palm, village manager of Hoffman Estates. 'It's a unique property, and everything they had set out to do, they've done or are planning to do.' The developer broke ground earlier this year on 164 town homes on a 20-acre residential portion of the property. It also plans to also launch a 300-unit multifamily building, eventually turning Bell Works Chicagoland into a 24/7 community. 'When you have an ecosystem, all the different parts have to work in concert,' Zucker said.
Business Insider
04-06-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
Goldbelly is the best gift I've ever given my dad — I use it to send treats every Father's Day
Dads are notoriously hard to buy for. Fortunately, we all know the adage: The way to someone's heart is through their stomach. That's especially true for my dad, and I think I've found the perfect gift strategy: treats from Goldbelly. For the past several years, I've been sending both my dad and father-in-law Goldbelly deliveries for Father's Day. It started when my husband and I were living in Kansas and I had to send a gift since I wouldn't be home for Father's Day. Flowers and chocolates aren't really my dad or father-in-law's thing, so I went with a BBQ sampler from local Kansas City restaurant Joe's for each. It was a huge hit with the dads and a fun way to bring a little bit of Kansas to them on the East Coast. Since then, I've used Goldbelly to send Coney Island hot dogs from Detroit (a staple food from my dad's hometown), bagels and lox from Zucker's, and this year — shhh, don't tell my dad — pastrami from 2nd Ave Deli, a restaurant near where we now live in New York City. Each of these foods is rooted in a memory between me and my dad, so it feels special. Goldbelly makes it super easy and reliable to send, and is now my go-to place for dad gifts, especially when I feel stuck on what to get him. What is Goldbelly? Goldbelly is a food delivery service that partners with famous food purveyors and eateries all over the country — like Magnolia Bakery, Lou Malnati's, and Pat LaFrieda — and ships their signature foods nationwide. There are also meal kits and monthly subscriptions for different types of food, like pizza or bagels, as well as subscriptions to foods from different cities. How Goldbelly works Head over to Goldbelly, and you'll find a page filled with pictures of delicious eats from all over the country. You can browse by category of food, what's popular at the moment, iconic shops, or check out one of Goldbelly's curated gift guides. Once you find what you're looking for, it's just like ordering anything else online. There is also an option to add a gift message and recipient information, which makes Goldbelly packages extra giftable. Shipping time and price is dependent on the product and where it's coming from. Review of Goldbelly I've been both the recipient and the giver of many Goldbelly deliveries. And while a few of my coworkers have been able to try Goldbelly for free, I've personally paid for all 11 orders I've placed with Goldbelly. I've even sent items to myself while I was living in Kansas and far from the foods that I loved. Those shipments included Birthday Cake Babka from Jake Cohen, two separate orders of Zucker's NYC Bagels, Hot & Spicy Cheese Bread from Stella's of Madison, and Kringle from O&H Danish Bakery. I think it's safe to say I'm a big fan. The food is quite a bit more expensive than what you'd pay if you were getting it in person — think $3 per New York bagel instead of $1.50 in person — but most of that cost accounts for shipping and handling. When I was living in the food desert that was rural Kansas, it was worth every penny. Don't just take my word for it though. My teammates have tested Goldbelly on several occasions throughout the years; here are their experiences: Remi Rosmarin, reporter:"After visiting a friend in Seattle in July a few years ago, I was looking for the perfect thank-you-for-hosting-me gift. Of course, there are always flowers, candles, and edible arrangements, but nothing felt personal enough for a friend who had gone out of her way to plan a wonderful weekend on the West Coast. As coincidence would have it, I came across Goldbelly the day after I returned. While in Seattle, my friend had mentioned her only real complaint about the city was that there are no good bagels (sorry, Seattle), so I figured, why not send them? I perused Goldbelly's curated guide to " Best Gifts from NYC," knowing there had to be some great bagels inside. I landed on a package from Ess-a-Bagel — a New York institution and a personal favorite — which included enough bagels and fixings for six. The box cost $109.95 for six bagels, a half-pound nova lox, and a half-pound of any type of cream cheese. You can also add more cream cheese, lox, and spreads for an added price. I ordered it on Tuesday morning, and it was delivered to my friend's doorstep the next day on Wednesday afternoon. Even though I was able to test this service for free, it's clear that Goldbelly provides a pretty good value. A typical nova bagel sandwich at Ess-a-Bagel costs $17, but the Goldbelly price isn't much higher, clocking each bagel and lox combo in at just about $18.30. Of course, there is also a delivery fee to consider, and you may get a heavier helping of lox and schmear at Ess-a-Bagel, but that's beside the point. This delivery brought serious smiles to an East Coast transplant who had a hankering from some New York bagels, and for that, I'd definitely gift it again." Jada Wong, former senior editor:"Goldbelly is great when you're missing certain foods or want to deliver a special treat for someone's birthday. It's a delicious and practical gift for yourself or someone else. So far, I've ordered fresh Maine lobster meat for homemade-ish lobster rolls from McLoon's Lobster Shack and deep-dish pizza from Lou Malnati's after canceling a trip during the pandemic, and cupcakes from Carousel Cakes for my dad's birthday. The lobster meat prices were similar to online grocery store prices but with the added benefit that the meat was fresh from Maine. We ordered two pounds of lobster meat, which was enough to make six rolls with generous piles of meat. If you get a 4-pack of deep-dish pizzas at Lou Malnati's through Goldbelly for $130, each one comes out to $32.50 instead of the $25 or so they'd usually cost at the restaurant, but those won't nearly be as expensive as a flight to Chicago or Maine. All the orders arrived safely in padded styrofoam boxes and, in the case of the lobster and pizza, surrounded by ice packs so they were still fresh. There were easy-to-follow prep and cooking instructions for the lobster and deep-dish pizza, and the results were delicious." The bottom line Nowadays, we're comfortable with buying so many items online. If you can buy a mattress and have it delivered to your door, you should be able to do the same with bagels and lobster rolls. Goldbelly has definitely filled a niche for food-lovers everywhere. While there's nothing like eating the real deal in person, Goldbelly can get you pretty darn close.
Fox News
16-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Original 'Naked Gun' director says he would not have cast Liam Neeson in reboot
The "Naked Gun" reboot starring Liam Neeson has generated a lot of excitement online, but one of the original film's directors isn't a fan. "It's painful, but it's just it's not what I would have done," David Zucker told Fox News Digital. "But you know, I don't want to just bash what they're doing, but I'd like to. But it's not what I would have done, it is not our style. It's strange seeing it." Zucker directed the original 1988 comedy, "The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!" starring Leslie Nielsen and co-written by his brother, Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Pat Proft. The Zucker brothers and Abrahams, known by the acronym ZAZ, are also the comedy masterminds behind "Airplane!" "Top Secret!" and the "Police Squad" TV series. The director admitted he doesn't want to see the "Naked Gun" reboot with Neeson, comparing it to when "Airplane II" came out, which did not involve ZAZ. "Jim Abrahams said when we would do Q and A's and we'd be asked, 'Why haven't you ever seen 'Airplane II?' And Jim said, 'Well, if your daughter became a prostitute, would you go watch her work?'" "'The Naked Gun' and 'Airplane,' these are our babies. And we spent a lot of time conceiving it, doing it. And then it was kind of a surprise to me when I was excluded from the remake." Zucker continued, "I just assumed I would do it. We wrote a script. And then suddenly Seth MacFarlane came in with Liam Neeson, and it was big studio, big agency, big producer." "Family Guy" creator MacFarlane is a producer on the reboot, directed by Lonely Island alum Akiva Schaffer, starring Neeson, Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser. WATCH: ORIGINAL 'NAKED GUN' DIRECTOR SAYS IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO REPLACE LESLIE NIELSEN WITH LIAM NEESON IN REBOOT Had he been involved, Zucker says he would not have cast Neeson. "You can't replace Leslie Nielsen. That's the thing," he said. Zucker added, "They were very sincere and in what they thought they were going to do. They want to do 'Naked Gun.' And these aren't bad people, they worship, they love 'Naked Gun,' 'Top Secret!,' 'Airplane!,' and Seth MacFarlane has done homages in 'Family Guy' and all this stuff, and it's very nice." "He called me, and for 10 minutes he just told me how much he loved my movies. However, when I first heard that he was going to do it, I kind of applied hat in hand to help or to be involved. And he said, 'Not until we do the script.' He didn't want to meet with me. So that's his choice. All I can say is that's Hollywood." According to Zucker, he and original "Naked Fun" co-writer Pat Proft wrote "our version of Naked Gun 4," more in keeping with the style of spoof ZAZ and Proft have been known for over the years, beginning with their Kentucky Fried Theater in Los Angeles, which evolved into their first film, "The Kentucky Fried Movie." "We learned there are rules, and we wrote a book called 'Surely You Can't Be Serious' and it's the true story of 'Airplane!' and we've put in it the 15 rules of comedy, our comedy. I'm not going to tell the Wayans brothers or Mike Myers what to do, even Seth. I wouldn't tell him how to do 'Family Guy,' he's obviously good at it, or 'Ted.' But what we do is very specific, and just being a fan doesn't mean that you can do it." "Remember those ads for kids' things in the '60s? It says, 'Kids don't try this at home?' That's what I would say, but it's too late, this thing is coming out." The trailer for the reboot showcases Neeson as Lt. Frank Drebin Jr., son of Nielsen's character in the original franchise, making the film both a reboot and sequel at the same time. WATCH: 'NAKED GUN' DIRECTOR SHARES HIS PLANS FOR LEGACY SEQUEL THAT DIFFER FROM LIAM NEESON LED REBOOT Zucker says his and Proft's script, along with Mike McManus, "was not even a cop movie" and would have taken "a fresh approach." "It was 'Naked Gun,' but it's a spoof of 'Mission Impossible,' 'The Bourne Identity' and Bond, with the son of Drebin, who's a young guy. It would have been Andy Samberg. We were doing a young cast and a fresh approach. Don't try to replace Leslie Nielsen. It's just another old guy, no matter how good they are." Representatives for Neeson and MacFarlane did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment. Zucker and his team's specificity in their comedy stylings led to the discovery of a young Val Kilmer, who made his feature film debut as Nick Rivers, an Elvis-like pop star in "Top Secret!" "Jerry and Jim and I were casting 'Top Secret!' and this was in mid-1983, and we couldn't find a Nick Rivers that we wanted. We were just tearing our hair out," he recalled. "So finally, our casting director, Suzy Jacobson, suggested, well, there's this actor who's in this play called 'Slab Boys' in New York. So, we hopped on a plane, and we saw the play off Broadway with Sean Penn, Kevin Bacon and Val Kilmer. And we thought he was great." He added, "I mean, I don't remember much about the play, but I thought he [was a] very charismatic, handsome guy. I would date him, but you know, that's another story." ZAZ had Kilmer audition, and they thought he was great, and then the young actor did a version of the Elvis tune "Turn Me Loose," and that sold them. "The way he did it was funny," Zucker said. "He just, he blew us away." Zucker recalled Kilmer being "a little uncomfortable" in the first few weeks of shooting and later realized part of the issue came down to the character. "Val was this Juilliard-trained actor, and we were doing the silliest movie. He had to co-star with a cow with boots on. It was crazy," he said. Kilmer's girlfriend at the time, Cher, also wasn't very confident in the film. "Cher would come out of the set, very nice lady, but she kept telling him this is a monumentally stupid movie. It's going to flop at the box office. I mean, never mind that she was right, it was still annoying to me that she was putting this stuff in his ear." Though the movie wasn't a huge box-office success, it's become a beloved cult classic, and there was no bad blood between Kilmer and the team. "I don't go to the Hollywood parties, but I would run into him on occasion every year or two. And we would always say hello. And he had fond memories of me, maybe not of the movie," Zucker said. WATCH: VAL KILMER'S 'TOP SECRET!' DIRECTOR RECALLS CASTING HIM IN HIS DEBUT FILM He added he'd heard a story about a fan telling Kilmer during a Q&A session that "Top Secret!" was their favorite movie, and Kilmer quipped, "It's my least favorite." "Top Secret!" wasn't ZAZ's first movie, but Zucker feels the team learned some lessons from the experience. He recalled Abrahams figuring out years later that Kilmer's discomfort with the character was "our fault." "We took the wrong lessons from 'Airplane!' which was you fill 80 minutes of a movie with jokes, and you got it," Zucker explained. "What we learned, and this is one of the things that you learn from – I mean, I'm old enough to have learned something – you need to build a character. You have to have your main lead have a character who's got an arc, so he's got to have a problem, and he has to learn something in the second act, and he resolves it in the third act," the 77-year-old said. He explained that in "Airplane!" there was a plot and character arc for the lead, Robert Hayes, but that it was parodied from an existing plot from the film "Zero Hour" and they didn't have the same template and rules to follow for "Top Secret!" "Every movie has been a great experience, but mostly we learned lessons from doing the wrong things, and we were able to put those into the rules, which the people who are doing 'Naked Gun,' they don't know the rules. But I think they're nice people anyways."
