DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ David Mamet Looks Back on a Long, Contentious Career
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | Photography Pia Riverola For Wsj. Magazine | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

David Mamet’s new book, ‘Everywhere an Oink Oink: An Embittered, Dyspeptic, and Accurate Report of Forty Years in Hollywood,’ is out Dec. 5. Photo: Pia Riverola for WSJ. MagazineThe cover of David Mamet’s memoir features a drawing of a pig at a typewriter. It hints at the irreverent, even incendiary, tone of the pages that follow in his new book, “Everywhere an Oink Oink: An Embittered, Dyspeptic, and Accurate Report of Forty Years in Hollywood,” which is out Dec. 5. Mamet, who also drew the cartoons, uses the book to sound off about the entertainment industry.

Persons: David Mamet’s, ’, Pia Riverola, Mamet Locations: Hollywood

Most funny people will say that where there’s laughter, there’s usually pain. Louis-Dreyfus knows the reverse is also true. Even while she explores new emotional depths in her work, she can’t help but find the funny. It turns out, you can take the girl out of the comedy, but you can’t take the comedy out of the girl.

Persons: Louis, Dreyfus

☆ Queen Camilla Ditches Moth-Eaten Sweaters For Glamorous Gowns on ‘The Crown’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Olivia Williams portrays an evolving Camilla Parker Bowles as she secures her role in the royal family with her marriage to Prince Charles (Dominic West). Photo: Keith Bernstein/NetflixThe future queen wore granny panties and a large brassiere. To get Camilla Parker Bowles just right for “The Crown,” which returns to Netflix on Thursday, costume designer Amy Roberts hunted for high-waisted comfy underpants and stuffed a bra with birdseed for the appropriate heft and shape. The audience never sees what’s underneath Camilla’s clothes; the intimates are meant to help actor Olivia Williams disappear into the role while creating a bountiful silhouette.

Persons: Olivia Williams, Camilla Parker Bowles, Prince Charles, Dominic West, Keith Bernstein, Amy Roberts Organizations: Netflix, The

☆ The Eye Makeup Is Everything in ‘Priscilla’
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

‘The eye makeup was such a huge part in the emotional journey of Priscilla’s storytelling and how it was really a part of her fitting into his world,’ said Cailee Spaeny, who stars as Priscilla Presley in the new film. Photo: Sabrina Lantos/A24/Everett CollectionPriscilla Presley rarely speaks for very long in “Priscilla,” the new movie about her life. Instead, her eye makeup delivers a bold statement about the truth of being married to Elvis. In a quick opening sequence, Priscilla, portrayed by Cailee Spaeny, applies black eyeliner to create a perfect batwing. The state of her eye makeup—from none to heavy to nearly washed clean—tracks her evolution from girl to wife to free woman.

Persons: ’, Cailee Spaeny, Priscilla Presley, Sabrina Lantos, Priscilla, ”, Elvis, —, Sofia Coppola’s Organizations: Everett Locations: mascara

JULIA LOUIS-DREYFUS is laughing about the time she had to eat Death. Sitting in a Manhattan restaurant, waiting for her poached-eggs-no-home-fries, she’s talking about her role as a fiercely protective mother in her new movie, Tuesday, a visual effects–filled drama in which Death takes the form of a mystical parrot. At one point in the mother’s quest to protect her terminally ill daughter from the bird, she stuffs its entire body into her mouth. Louis-Dreyfus actually chewed black cotton candy to create the moment.

Persons: JULIA LOUIS, DREYFUS, Louis, Dreyfus Locations: Manhattan

☆ 5 Things Britney Spears Reveals in Her Memoir ‘The Woman in Me’
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

“But when it first happened, that got my heart, because I was not okay, not at all. And the fact that my friends and my fans sensed what was happening and did all that for me, that’s a debt I can never repay.” On Nov. 12, 2021, a judge terminated the legal arrangement. Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty

Persons: that’s, Patrick T, Fallon Organizations: Getty Locations: AFP

Aniston costars in The Morning Show with Reese Witherspoon and they rose up in the industry together, connecting when Witherspoon played Aniston’s younger sister on two episodes of Friends in 2000. Witherspoon and Aniston in "The Morning Show." Photo: Apple

Persons: Aniston costars, Reese Witherspoon, Witherspoon, Aniston Organizations: Apple

As an actor and a producer, Jennifer Aniston keeps a foot in two worlds. So it’s fitting that when she enters a room in her Los Angeles home, she sits down on the rug in a split, her legs nearly 180 degrees to the left and right. If metaphors did Pilates, they’d look like this.

Persons: Jennifer Aniston Locations: Los Angeles

☆ ‘I’m Not the Nanny.’ Hollywood’s Fiery Activist Gears Up for a Long Fight.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | Joe Flint | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/fran-drescher-nanny-actors-strike-sag-aftra-4477c7cd

Persons: Dow Jones, drescher

☆ What TV Gets Right About Rich Older Women, According to the Real Housewives
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/real-housewives-new-york-and-just-like-that-5e3b102a

Persons: Dow Jones

☆ It's Old Man Summer in Hollywood
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-02 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

“These movie stars literally invented blockbusters in the ‘80s,” says Richard Gelfond, chief executive of IMAX, the entertainment technology company. “There is a reason these old men are still around.”Harrison Ford in 1984's “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” Photo: Paramount/Everett Collection

Persons: ”, Richard Gelfond, ” Harrison Ford, Indiana Jones Organizations: Paramount, Everett

☆ Harrison Ford Is 80. He’s Proof: Silver-Haired Stars Are the New Box-Office Gold.
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

It could have been a pickup line at a gym, but instead it was a question at the Cannes Film Festival. A woman wanted to know how Harrison Ford, 80, prepared to go shirtless in the new Indiana Jones movie. “I think you’re still very hot,” she said. “How do you keep fit?”

Persons: Harrison Ford, Indiana Organizations: Cannes Film, Indiana Jones

☆ ‘Succession’ Reveals the Perils of Mixing Family and Business
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non-personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1-800-843-0008 or visit www.djreprints.com. https://www.wsj.com/articles/succession-season-4-episode-8-kendall-roy-family-86bfec04

☆ Judy Blume’s Classic Hits Screens 50 Years Later. Luckily, Puberty Is Still Awkward.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

It’s Me, Margaret,’ Margaret and her friends navigate the perils of tweendom. Photo: Lions Gate/Courtesy Everett CollectionIt was an intimate day on the set of “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” the first movie adaptation of one of American publishing’s defining coming-of-age novels. The scene involved the title character putting a sanitary pad in her underwear for the first time. “This whole time,” a middle-aged man in the crew confided to the director, “I thought the sticky side went up.”

☆ ‘Succession’ Knows the Power Wives Always Win
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-18 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ Would That ‘Succession’ Twist Really Tank Waystar’s Stock? And Other Real-World Questions
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

☆ In ‘Beef,’ Strangers Become Sworn Enemies
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Life is coming at Amy Lau fast in “Beef,” and nothing—not her flash-frozen fake smile or her forced Zen style or even her glasses with lenses shaped like stop signs—can slow it down. “Just make it stop,” the wealthy entrepreneur played by Ali Wong says minutes after an extreme road-rage incident in upscale Los Angeles, while her phone dings with annoying texts from people who all want something from her.

☆ In ‘Succession,’ a Rallying Cry for Overshadowed Siblings of a Certain Age
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Siobhan Roy would smile at her brothers while shivving them in the back. Roman Roy would wither his siblings with mockery. And Connor Roy would throw all their trophies in the closet and scream “Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!”Connor Roy is the Jan Bradiest of the Roy siblings in “Succession,” which returns to HBO for its fourth and final season on Sunday. Like the middle child from “The Brady Bunch” whose lament about lucky big sis Marcia became a rallying cry for overshadowed siblings of a certain age, Connor is the child who can’t crack into the cool crowd even when that crowd is his own family. Alan Ruck, who plays Connor with gross entitlement and glib self-delusion, can’t help but feel the sting.

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” rode its indie-movie energy all the way to the best-picture Oscar. The movie set across multiple universes won seven total awards, including three of the four acting awards. It won the trophies for original screenplay, film editing, directing and best picture.

'Cocaine Bear’ showed up, too. When Elizabeth Banks presented the visual-effects Oscar, she was joined onstage by someone in a bear costume. As the bear—a plug for her new movie—pointed at its nose and then to the audience, the actress and director asked: “Are you trying to score right now? You need to wait until the afterparty like everybody else.”Chris Pizzello/AP

It’s clear how many tickets a movie sells. And it’s often apparent which films are likely to be nominated for an Oscar. But for awards hopefuls in Hollywood, there’s one metric that is far more difficult to track: What do people in the seats think? With fewer people going to the movies and more watching at home—and streaming companies reluctant to share their audience figures—even knowing what people have watched is a growing challenge.

☆ Can the Red Carpet Ever Be Fun Again?
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Comedian Joan Rivers once ruled the red carpet with her colorful-yet-polarizing hosting style. When actor Andrew Garfield and YouTube comedian-turned-red carpet host Amelia Dimoldenberg engaged in sparkling repartee about astrological signs on this year’s Golden Globes red carpet, it exposed an urgent need: a nation famished for banter. How did we get to the great carpet-charm drought of 2023? Amid fear of sounding shallow or otherwise getting canceled during a live event tracked by social media, denizens of this Sunday’s Oscars may have long forgotten the red carpet’s onetime freewheeling magic.

☆ Chris Rock Slaps Back in Netflix’s First Live Comedy Special
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-05 | by ( Ellen Gamerman | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Chris Rock at the Hippodrome in Baltimore. It took a year, and almost an entire Netflix special, but Chris Rock finally slapped back. In the very last minutes of his live stand-up show on Netflix on Saturday night, the comedian addressed the bizarre encounter at last year’s Oscars when Will Smith bounded to the stage and slapped him after the comedian joked about Mr. Smith’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith .

Search resuls for: "Ellen Gamerman"

25 mentions found