Jamie Foxx Promises to Spill on Health Scare ... During AAFCA Speech
Jamie Foxx says he's going to finally address what exactly happened to him that landed him in the hospital last year -- but it sounds like it'll be a televised special of some sort.
The comedian/actor was accepting a Producers Award Sunday night in L.A. at the African American Film Critics Association Awards -- where he delivered a touching speech and discussed how his whole view on life has changed for the better after what he went through.
Of course, he's referring to the health scare that sidelined him for most of 2023 -- a mystery ailment that never quite got cleared up ... but which he says has given him new perspective.
He was cracking jokes while addressing this, but at one point -- he made a revelation ... namely, that he was going to discuss the details of his hospitalization in due time. The only caveat, he says, is that he's going to do it his way ... meaning, with humor and comedy.
The way he talks about it here ... it seems like Jamie wants to do this in a stand-up setting.
No timeline was offered on when this might be coming to fruition -- but it's the first time we've heard Jamie promise to tackle the issue head on ... as there's been lots of rumors and speculation, which he's well aware of. We're talking al the clone conspiracy chatter here.
One other highlight from Jamie's time at the event ... he posed with Jonathan Majors and Meagan Good -- both of whom attended the AAFCA, and who looked like a happy couple.
Jonathan's fresh off a criminal conviction ... but he's carrying on with his life regardless.
As for Jamie ... he's obviously still hilarious -- that much was clear from this event, as he's back to his old self. It'll be interesting to see if/when he spills the tea on what went down.
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Timothée Chalamet & Zendaya 'Dune: Part 2' Makes $81.5 Million at Box Office
The numbers are in and it's looking good for Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya at the box office ... because the 'Dune' sequel made big money.
The running total for opening weekend for "Dune: Part Two" stands at $81.5 million at the domestic box office ... a pretty strong figure.
Remember ... the movie was projected to rake in between $76 million to $80 million ... so 'Dune 2' is outperforming so far.
The sci-fi movie's predecessor made $41 million during opening weekend back in 2021, so the sequel almost doubled that figure.
Internationally, "Dune: Part 2" is doing pretty well too ... bringing in another $97 million to sweeten the global pot to $178 million. Not bad.
The solid opening weekend follows some pent-up excitement for 'Dune 2' ... folks were looking forward to seeing the new stars added to the mix, like Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walker and Léa Seydoux ... just to name a few.
Timothée, Zendaya and the rest of the star-studded cast did a great job promoting the film and drumming up excitement ... who can forget Zendaya's revealing chrome body suit from the London premiere.
And those special 'Dune 2' popcorn buckets didn't hurt either!!! 😂
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Mark Dodson 'Gremlins' Voice Dead at 64
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Mark Dodson, the actor who gave voice to some of the little creatures in "Gremlins," has died ... TMZ has learned.
The voice actor also brought to life characters for "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi," "Day of the Dead" and countless video games -- and still made appearances at fan conferences. In fact, Mark's daughter tells TMZ he died while in Evansville, Indiana, to attend Horror Con.
She says Mark had flown to Indiana for the event, and checked into his hotel ... and that's where he suffered a "massive heart attack" while sleeping.
Dodson's first big break in Hollywood came in 1983 -- he was the voice of Salacious Crumb, the little creature with the high-pitched voice that was always seated dangerously close to Jabba the Hut in 'Return of the Jedi.'
And, as it turned out, 'Star Wars' opened the door for another iconic role the next year.
In "Gremlins," Mark was the voice of Mogwai ... and, inadvertently, had kids everywhere -- who saw the movie in 1984 -- imitating his voice.
Mark worked continuously for several decades in film, video games, radio and commercials. As his rep tells us, Mark added "his unique voice and sound to each character and script he touched."
His daughter, Ciara, says Mark "never ceased making me proud" and his legacy will live on through his grandchildren and her.
Mark was 64. RIP
Austin Butler 'Dune 2' Expected to Make $76 Mil ... Biggest 2024 Opening!!!
Austin Butler's a new face to 'Dune,' but the dude's already got reason to celebrate ... 'cause his movie's expected to make big money at the box office this weekend.
According to Deadline ... "Dune: Part 2" is the year's first big blockbuster hit -- with projections coming out that the flick's gonna take home $76 million domestically.
This is a shade under-reported industry expectations of $80 million ... but compared to the $41 million opening the movie's predecessor picked up, $76 million is a boon.
BTW ... 'Dune 2' isn't facing any stiff competition for the top box office spot -- with no major releases risking facing down the sci-fi heavyweight, the "Bob Marley: One Love" biopic that came out weeks ago is currently expected to finish second.
Tons of people are excited about the new movie coming out clearly ... and, it may have something to do with stars like Butler who've taken on key roles in the second movie.
Among the newcomers joining 'Dune' veterans like Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya ... Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux and more.
Cast members have gotten fans excited by their frequent event appearances in the promotional lead-up to the release ... with Zendaya particularly exciting audiences, especially in her revealing chrome body suit.
Seems like the promotions are workin' ... and, producers can rest easy knowing they're making enough money to buy all the spice on Arrakis!!!
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'The Crow' OG Cast Member Slams Remake ... Bill Skarsgård, Yuck!!!
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One of the OG main characters from "The Crow" is slamming the remake ... and she's mostly worried about how Bill Skarsgård will portray the late Brandon Lee's iconic character.
Rochelle Davis -- who plays Sarah in the 1994 goth cult classic -- tells TMZ … Bill's revamped Crow doesn't resemble anything about the true character, not even from the comic book, and her initial reaction to the first images of Bill in character was ... "yuck."
Even before the photos of Bill as Eric Draven came out this week, Rochelle says she wasn't expecting anything good to begin with ... and her suspicions were ultimately confirmed.
Rochelle's not bashing Bill's talent as an actor ... but she hates his "dingy, dirty, grungy" look and says producers made this version of Eric Draven look like the bad guys he's supposed to be fighting.
For Rochelle ... Eric Draven is supposed to be a good man with a good soul ... and the remake seems to be missing the mark here, at least from what she can see so far.
What's more, Rochelle wishes there was more diversity in the cast ... she says anyone other than a straight white male would be a better fit for replacing Brandon's character -- and she thinks producers should have cast someone who resembles Brandon out of respect.
Remember ... Brandon was shot and killed by a prop gun on "The Crow" set. Rochelle says the least Hollywood could do was give him some reverence and not remake his last flick.
With that said ... Rochelle gives filmmakers props for casting FKA Twigs as Shelly.
At this point it shouldn't come as a shock ... Rochelle tells us she does NOT plan on watching the remake, mainly out of respect for Brandon, and she's calling on other fans of the OG movie to boycott the new version.
There's been some fan outrage over Bill's look and Rochelle knows folks are going to watch regardless, at least for curiosity's sake, and she does find some joy in the remake introducing newer generations to "The Crow."
Bottom line ... she ain't a fan of the new take.
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Diane Warren Remains Modest On Oscar Chances ... But She's in the Pink for a Different Oscar!!!
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Diane Warren says she's just along for the ride as she heads back to yet another Academy Awards while seeking her first win ... but her movie partners are a lot less bashful, 'cause they're bashing her competition.
We got the legendary songwriter Thursday at Pink's Hot Dogs on La Brea -- where Diane was being honored with her own veggie hot dog -- and our photog asked her about that elusive Oscar's win.
Diane's nominated for an Academy Award for the 15th time in her career -- this time she's up for Best Original Song for "The Fire Inside” from the film "Flamin' Hot" -- and she told us she's just happy to be nominated and already feels like a winner.
While Diane played it cool, her partners on the film go to bat for her ... telling us she deserves to finally win an Oscar.
Becky G sings Diane's song from the Hot Cheetos movie ... and she's gonna perform it at the Oscars, along with the other nominees.
The competition includes a couple songs from "Barbie" ... the Ryan Gosling-performed song "I'm Just Ken" and Billie Eilish and Finneas' "What Was I Made For?"
Diane's movie partners, Richard and Judy Montanez, take a couple playful shots at the "Barbie" duo here ... telling us Diane's tune is way better than the Ken song.
Don't even get them started on Billie's track, which they quietly say is "depressing." No hate here, just good fun ... Billie says she was depressed when writing the song anyway.
Win or lose next weekend at the Oscars, Diane's already got another notch on her belt ... in the form of her very own Pink's hot dog.
Diane's special dog is a veggie dog topped with jalapeño pepper jack cheese, guacamole, and Flamin' Hot Cheetos.
Bet they don't serve those in Barbie Land!!!
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Lizzo I Didn't Turn Down J Lo For Movie Role!!!
Lizzo is pushing back on the notion she turned down a cameo for the new Jennifer Lopez movie ... and it sounds like she would've come aboard if she knew about it.
Here's the deal ... J Lo revealed all the celebs who allegedly passed on roles in her recent flick "This Is Me ... Now" in a Prime Video doc about the making of her new album ... and Lizzo's name came up as being "unavailable."
However, Lizzo's singing a different tune, literally. In a TikTok post, Lizzo claims no one told her about the movie offer. She doubles down, claiming she wasn't asked to be in the flick.
No hard feelings from Lizzo though ... she looks into the camera and tells J Lo she loves her. So, she's not really bent out of shape -- but it does raise an eyebrow, no doubt.
Remember, in the 'Greatest Love Story Never Told' doc, J Lo tells her love story through her eyes ... but it sounds like the casting journey was full of twists and turns.
Among the celebs J Lo's teams said passed on the flick ... Lizzo, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Jason Momoa, Jennifer Coolidge, Vanessa Hudgens, Snoop Dogg, SZA, Bad Bunny and Anthony Ramos.
Most of the stars had legitimate conflicts ... Taylor was doing her 'Eras' tour and Ariana was filming "Wicked" across the pond ... but J Lo claims Khloé Kardashian backed out of a cameo at the last second.
Despite her reps saying a bunch of people passed on the project -- two people so far have come forward to refute that ... JC talked to a pap just yesterday and denied any knowledge, and now -- Lizzo's saying she, too, had no clue about this.
Of course, J Lo did manage to bag a couple big names ... including Sofia Vergara, Jane Fonda, Keke Palmer, Post Malone and Trevor Noah.
All's well that ends well, we suppose ... but it is weird that there are two different accounts of this.
Oh well! 🤷🏽♂️
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Bradley Cooper Home Is No Place For Clothes!!! ALWAYS Naked in the House
Bradley Cooper always looks so comfortable in his own skin ... and it turns out that's quite literally true -- 'cause it turns out, he's always walking around his place completely nude!
The Oscar-nominated actor talked about lettin' it all hang out during an episode of Dax Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, and it seems they've got more in common than just their profession.
Dax said he's often using the bathroom in the morning, and his daughters Lincoln and Delta are constantly traipsing into the room and chatting with him while he's on the toilet.
BC laughed at this and said his place in New York has a completely open floor plan ... meaning the bedroom and bathroom are basically in the same room without much in the way of doors -- so, his daughter Lea's always talking to him when he's naked, too.
Of course, Bradley shares Lea with his ex, Irina Shayk, with whom he's had an on-again, off-again relationship with for nearly a decade ... though right now he's dating model Gigi Hadid.
He says their standard at-home convo scenario features him on the toilet and her in the bathtub just shootin' the s*** (pun very much intended).
Cooper says it's a little different from how he was raised -- explaining he never saw his dad on the toilet, but did admit he was always naked around his pops growin' up. Safe to say, the Cooper clan's got no hang-ups with nudity. Very European!
One tip for Bradley ... now that he's put it all out there -- that he lets it all hang out -- he might wanna invest in some tinted windows to keep peeping Toms at bay 👀. Or not.
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Taylor Swift, Beyonce Concert Movies Boost AMC Revenue ... Literally All Of It
AMC Entertainment is giving Taylor Swift and Beyoncé a standing ovation ... the theater chain says their concert movies are behind "literally all" of its revenue to close 2023.
AMC just reported quarterly earnings to Wall Street, and the nationwide chain says Bey and Tay Tay helped boost their financials big time.
On the strength of "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" and "Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé," AMC raked in $1.1 billion in fourth-quarter revenue.
The massive figure is up from the $990.9 million in revenue AMC reported in the fourth quarter of 2022, a huge increase as far as AMC is concerned.
Taylor and Beyonce are getting their flowers, too -- AMC's CEO Adam Aron says "literally all" of the increased revenue is a result of the singers' concert movies.
Remember, AMC signed deals last year with Taylor and Beyonce to exclusively distribute their concert films, and it turned out to be a brilliant business move for all involved.
Adam adds ... "To that end, our praise for Taylor Swift and Beyoncé Knowles Carter has no limit."
Without the box office boost from Swifties and the Beyhive, things would probably look pretty bleak for AMC right now ... the company says it's still rebounding from last year's Hollywood strikes.
Overall, AMC still lost $182 million in the quarter, but that is way down from last year's $287.7 million loss ... hence the glee from AMC execs over Taylor and Beyonce.
Essentially, the theater chain's still hurting -- but the superstar singers helped bring the hemorrhaging down to a trickle.
Now, AMC is turning to a different celeb to get butts in theater seats ... AMC announced a trio of new, 30-second Nicole Kidman commercials -- y'know the ones about "making movies better" -- which will play in theater previews, starting Friday.
With Taylor and Beyonce changing the game here with their concert films, AMC says they'll have more concert movies in 2024 and 2025.
Aron says the company's phones are ringing off the hook with calls from different musicians.
Still, Taylor and Beyonce set the standard, and they're gonna be hard to top.
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Robert Downey Jr. Anon. Academy Member He's Got My Vote, Met Him At a Party
Robert Downey Jr. is the front-runner to win the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor -- but one Academy member is openly admitting ... he's voting for him because he met him in person.
The Hollywood Reporter did their annual writeup that polls anonymous AMPAS members to see what their thought process is going into the new Academy Awards -- which are a couple weeks away -- and one of them was candid on their thoughts about RDJ.
This member said they were voting for Bob ... but it sounds like it might have more to do with his personality than his actual performance -- which is a little disheartening to hear.
They say, "I was torn between Mark Ruffalo and Robert Downey Jr., and even though it’s cheesy I’ll be real with you: I met Downey at an awards season party, we had an interaction that I did not initiate, and it tipped the scales for me."
This anonymous voter adds ... "Campaigning matters! What’s really great about him as an actor, in this film and so many others, is his ability to be believable all the time. I loved watching him turn as the story turned on Strauss."
In other words ... they liked RDJ's work in "Oppenheimer," but a little schmoozing went a long way with this person when they met Rob in real life. So, no ... it's not all on merit, it seems.
The reason that kinda sucks ... well, in a perfect world -- you'd like to think people who vote at the Oscars are only looking at what they see on screen, and are judging off of that. But, as this person is confessing, there are some politics involved in this process.
This mystery Academy member calls it campaigning ... another word for it is, lobbying.
While Downey Jr. has been considered a shoo-in from the start -- yes, his performance is actually spectacular and worthy of recognition -- this is the type of stuff you don't really wanna hear if you're Ruffalo, Robert De Niro, Sterling K. Brown or Ryan Gosling.
They're also up for BSA ... but hey, maybe they already know how the game's played. 🤷🏽♂️
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Willy Wonka Experience Script Not Even Close To Reality ... Hilariously Awful!!!
The visuals from the Willy Wonka pop-up attraction in the UK are pretty sad and underwhelming ... but the script is even worse, and more out of touch with reality.
The 13-page script that the actors were given to perform at the now-viral "Willy's Chocolate Experience" in Glasgow, Scotland, has surfaced online ... and if you thought the actual experience itself looked rough, wait until you get a load of the fake plotline behind it.
The first thing that jumps off the page ... set descriptions painting a picture of a whimsical, enchanting and immersive experience do not line up AT ALL with what was actually awaiting paying parents, who ended up demanding refunds for the bait and switch.
The trainwreck doesn't end there ... the script is littered with predictions for how the audience would respond to the set and the actors playing Willy Wonka and the Oompa Loompas ... but the rosy outlook didn't play out that way in real life.
Paul Connell, the actor hired to play Wonka, says the cast only got the script the day before the event, leaving them little time to memorize their lines ... and he told The Independent the writing was a bunch of AI-generated gibberish.
A perfect example of how the script greatly deviates from the real deal ... the "Bubble and Lemonade Room."
In the script, the space is described as "a room where the air sparkles with floating bubbles, and rivers of sparking lemonade flow freely." Sounds cool, but in reality, it's just a fold-out table with plastic cups containing a few sips of lemonade ... and a clearly visible trash bag.
There's also mention in here of some kind of evil villain/spirit thing called The Unknown -- and video of an actor portraying it during one of the tours last weekend is out too.
New details on the Willy Wonka Experience disaster
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@CultureCrave) February 28, 2024 @CultureCrave
• Script was '15 pages of AI-generated gibberish'
• Made up a villain called The Unknown — 'an evil chocolate maker who lives in the walls'
• Event had no chocolate — kids were given a single jelly bean & a cup of lemonade pic.twitter.com/kxs1RcKVC8
Let's just say ... it was creepy as hell, and scared the crap out of the kids who witnessed it.
Bottom line -- the execution of the script didn't turn out great ... but to be honest, the actual writing itself isn't very good either. The whole thing is disjointed and somewhat hard to follow ... and it sounds like that manifested in the real world when they tried to bring this to life.
Remember ... parents complained their kids were given a quarter cup of lemonade and a few jellybeans, and they piled on the crappy decorations and said the whole thing took a minute to walk through.
Everything about the event is so grim it's almost funny ... seriously, if you need a good laugh read through the script. It's pretty wild.
Those poor kids ... those poor actors!!!
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Bill Skarsgård Fans Blast 'The Crow' First Look ... Point to Leto's Hokey Joker
A first look at Bill Skarsgård in the remake of "The Crow" is out ... and fans are pissed -- blasting the over-the-top body art, unkindly comparing him to Jared Leto's Joker.
Here's the deal ... Bill's the lead in a remake of the gothic cult classic hit movie from 1994 -- and the first pictures of his revamped "Crow" character just dropped Wednesday via Vanity Fair. There's a lot of set photos they have ... but everyone's focused on this money shot.
Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.
FYI ... "The Crow" follows a murdered man who comes back to life to enact his revenge against the men who killed him and his fiancée -- which is it has this dark, noir-esque vibe. The whole film is basically a fantasy revenge flick ... with memorable makeup/costumes.
In the OG film, the eponymous character -- played by Bruce Lee's son Brandon -- wore black leather jackets and bodysuits, and white face makeup made him look more like a corpse, but overall his look was pretty understated ... especially when compared to Bill's version. That's how the internet seems to feel about it anyway!
Just check out the pics ... Bill's got the leather and white face/body makeup -- as well as a series of unseemly and sorta cartoonish tattoos ... including a giant eye in the middle of his chest and the word "Lullaby" written above his right eyebrow.
All of these tats have fans thinking about another outlandish character look ... namely, Leto's Joker in "Suicide Squad" who literally had "Damaged' written on his forehead -- just so the audience wouldn't miss that particular character trait, we guess.
Point is, fans are super upset ... with some even going as far as saying this concept of the character spits in the face of Brandon's memory.
If you don't know ... Brandon was actually shot and killed on "The Crow" set after a prop gun fired an uncleared bullet fragment from a previous scene at him. No one was criminally charged, but his mom Linda Lee Caldwell successfully sued filmmakers.
Safe to say ... fans are pretty protective of Lee's character and his legacy -- and they're pretty sure Skarsgård's look is only going to hurt the memory of Brandon and "The Crow" -- that's what some are saying about this.
We'll just have to see how it all comes out ... since the movie's release date is set for June, it seems unlikely the studio can fix the perceived issue now.
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Rebecca Ferguson Mystery A-List Costar ... Screamed at Me On Set Once
Rebecca Ferguson says she once got berated by an A-list costar who she refuses to work with ever again -- and while she didn't name names ... she did exclude two people, which has left the internet rife with guesses.
The actress dished this tea on the "Reign with Josh Smith" podcast -- and she was responding to a question about a time when she owned her voice and took control of her situation ... which led to this wild anecdote about a mystery fellow cast member.
Rebecca doesn't ID them, nor does she implicate gender, but what she does say is that this actor she was working on the film with was absolutely horrible ... allegedly yelling at her.
She says they were frustrated while they were doing scene work together, and they'd apparently hurl insults at Rebecca -- openly questioning her acting methods and tenacity ... while also noting they were the number 1 person on the call sheet. So, a big star basically.
Rebecca goes on to explain that nobody had her back on that set, but eventually ... she found her own inner strength and told this actor to f*** off -- and apparently even demanded that the person turn around while she recited her own lines.
In other words, she didn't wanna be in the same space as this person, and it sounds like she put her foot down while shooting. The big question ... who the hell is this awful person???
Like we said, Rebecca went out of her way to protect this celeb's anonymity -- but she did give some clues ... including the fact this supposedly happened in the last 10 to 12 years. Of course, the internet is rife with speculation on which costar this could possibly be.
We should note ... RF explicitly said it wasn't Hugh Jackman and it wasn't Tom Cruise. Technically -- with the parameters she's described -- there's only a select few actors it could possibly be We're not gonna name anybody and fuel speculation ... but folks seem to know who the options are here, guy or girl.
Hate seeing this but love seeing her stand up to bullshit. Rebecca was my guardian angel sent from heaven on our set. I love that woman. I’d like to find out who did this.
— Dwayne Johnson (@TheRock) February 28, 2024 @TheRock
One person who's stepped forward to seemingly distance himself from this drama is The Rock -- who starred opposite Rebecca in 2014's 'Hercules.'
He responded, "Hate seeing this but love seeing her stand up to bullshit. Rebecca was my guardian angel sent from heaven on our set. I love that woman. I’d like to find out who did this."
So, that's one person down ... and a handful of others left as the would-be culprit. Just goes to show -- not everyone in Hollywood is all that sweet -- at least according to Rebecca.
Play nice, everyone.
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'Good Time' Actor Buddy Duress Dead at 38 ... Brother Points to Drugs
Buddy Duress, best known for starring opposite Robert Pattinson in the Safdie Brothers hit "Good Time," has died ... according to his brother.
Christopher Stathis confirmed the news to People Tuesday saying Buddy died back in November ... a death Christopher attributes to cardiac arrest brought on by drugs.
Duress has several credits on IMDb including "Person to Person," "The Great Darkened Days," "Beware of Dog," "Flinch," "Funny Pages" and "Heaven Knows What."
Buddy dealt with drug abuse and legal issues for much of his adult life it seems. He met director Josh Safdie after his release from NYC's Rikers Island prison -- where he did time for drug charges -- and filmed his part in "Heaven Knows What."
After that, he was rearrested for not going to rehab.
Josh and his brother Benny Safdie asked Buddy to journal his experiences in prison -- which partly served as a basis for "Good Time" according to the Los Angeles Times.
It appears Buddy still has 2 more projects set to be released posthumously ... "Mass State Lottery" and a short film called "Skull" should be coming out over the course of the next year.
He is survived by Christopher and his mother Jo-Anne.
Buddy was 38.
RIP
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Gary Sinise Son Mac Dead at 33 ... After Cancer Battle
Gary Sinise is mourning the loss of his son after a battle with a rare form of cancer -- and his obituary for his boy is beyond moving.
The "Forrest Gump" star -- who played Lieutenant Dan -- posted a tribute Tuesday to his son, Mac, who he revealed died last month. Gary says Mac passed away on Jan. 5 and was laid to rest on Jan. 23 ... this after he succumbed to chordoma, which affects the spine.
Gary says Mac was diagnosed with this cancer in 2018 ... the same year his wife, Moira, was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Luckily, she's recovered since and is in remission.
Gary posted photos of himself and Mac together -- including a shot that features his son in a wheelchair. He also notes Mac was heavily involved in his foundation, and had a love for music -- noting he even helped create an album with original compositions.
He writes of his son, "In sharing our story, we hope to shine a little bit of light on what has been a difficult time for us as Mac was truly a light for all of us."
Gary adds, "An incredible inspiration to those who knew and loved him, he faced his battle with grace, courage, and love. Even with one setback after another, he never stopped living and learning, creating, and giving, and loving. He loved all our family."
He ends his tribute post with this ... "Thank you, Mac. You did it. Resurrection & Revival will live on. And so will you. In our hearts forever. We were blessed to have you in our lives as son, brother, and friend...and we will miss you and love you for eternity."
Mac was only 33.
RIP
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'Mary Poppins' Age Rating Changed in UK 'Discriminatory Language'
"Mary Poppins" is getting a fresh look in 2024 across the pond -- its age rating has been raised because it features discriminatory language ... which ain't appropriate for all audiences.
While you probably may have never noticed the offensive term in the live-action flick ... the British Board of Film Classification -- commonly referred to as the BBFC -- is calling out the film's use of the phrase "Hottentots," as it's said to be unsuitable for youngsters.
It may sound like gibberish to us here in the States -- but that term has history there in Britain. It's a dated phrase that's been deemed too racially offensive ... and was used way back in the day by European colonizers in Africa -- specifically as it pertains to the Khoikhoi, an indigenous group from Southwestern Africa.
It's believed the term "Hottentots" came about as an imitation of the group's language, which featured clicks ... and these days, it's an old-timey racially charged word that isn't really used anymore. And yet, it's in "Mary Poppins."
As for when the insensitive phrase is used in the beloved Disney movie ... it occurs during one of the film's more iconic moments -- the "Step in Time" number led by Dick Van Dyke's Bert, the chimney sweep ... when all the guys have black soot covering their faces.
Specifically, when Bert and his band of chimney sweeps break into a rooftop dance ... the Banks family's eccentric neighbor, Admiral Boom (Reginald Owen) -- who thinks he's still commanding a naval ship -- declares, "We're being attacked by Hottentots."
Owen's Admiral Bloom also says the term at the start of the film, when he asks the Banks children ... if they're "going to fight the Hottentots." Remember, this flick came out in the 1960s ... so even then, it was a different time.
The shift in age rating will hopefully help concerned parents from exposing their children to "discriminatory language or behavior," which could be unintentionally repeated.
It went from being rated U (their version of rated-G) to PG ... so, there ya go!