Tuesday, March 26, 2024

'Beethoven' and the mystery behind the disappearance of one of its child stars

 Joe Pichler was one of the young promises of Hollywood in the '90s. At only nine years old, he began acting in sporadic roles in successful series such as Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman or In the House , although it did not take long for the industry to bet more heavily on him.

After moving to Los Angeles from Bremerton, Washington, he became part of successful franchises such as Beethoven , the famous dog saga about the adventures of that Saint Bernard wrapped up in a family. Specifically, he became one of its protagonists in the third installment , in a role that he would also repeat in the fourth film and that helped him work on other animal productions of the decade such as My Friend Shiloh: A New Adventure .

He moved comfortably in this family cinema for all audiences with titles such as Good Ghosts, Bad Ghosts , starring Christopher Lloyd; or Children on Their Birthdays , where she met Sheryl Lee, one of the stars of Twin Peaks . However, at the insistence of her family, she chose to put acting aside and return to her hometown to focus on her studies.

When he graduated from high school, he planned his return to Hollywood to continue his career, albeit now as an adult actor. Unfortunately, a tragic event, which to this day is still surrounded by unknowns, prevented the young actor from fulfilling his dream of becoming a star of the seventh art.

A controversial Hollywood decision led to King Kong being banished for 40 years

 King Kong is one of the mythical figures of adventure cinema and one of the icons of popular culture. The success of the original 1933 film and its legacy has allowed this giant ape to continue being one of Hollywood's main bets, as well reflected in Peter Jackson 's remake or the cinematographic universe that makes up titles such as Kong: Skull Island or Godzilla and Kong: The New Empire . However, the prestige of this creature has not always stood tall, since a controversial decision in the 1930s ruined its future in cinema for many years.

It all has to do with the way RKO , the classic Hollywood studio behind King Kong, handled the success of the first film. The company, to which we also owe classics like Citizen Kane or It's a Wonderful Life! , was not going through a good economic time and was facing a reputation crisis due to a lack of quality in its titles. Acclaimed releases such as Glory of a Day or The Four Little Sisters , both starring Katherine Hepburn , helped calm the waters, although it was the success of King Kong that gave them the key to salvation.

Upon its release on March 2, 1933, it grossed more than $10 million at the box office against a production cost of only $670,000 (via Heritage Auctions ). This led to stratospheric profits as the idea arose of turning King Kong into an adventure franchise, like other successes of those years such as Johnny Weissmuller 's Tarzan . However, they jumped into the pool too soon.

They did not wait even a year to develop these plans, since RKO set the release date of the King Kong sequel for Christmas 1933, that is, only nine months after the debut of the original. Obviously, getting a big production off the ground in such a short time is an impossible mission, so the project, which was titled Son of Kong , had to deal with a lower budget, a tight shooting schedule, recycled special effects and a script without Polish .

In the film we were presented with another adventure in which Carl Denham, the explorer played by Robert Armstrong in the previous film, organizes another expedition to Skull Island in search of new discoveries. There he will discover Kong's son, a white gorilla who will soon sympathize with them and help them overcome the new dangers of the place.

Mexico is the envy of the film world with Zendaya, Timothée Chalamet and a viral commercial

 When the stars of Dune: Part Two visited Mexico, they not only dedicated the brief stay to promoting the sequel and receiving the love of fans while sporting futuristic styles . They also made time in their schedules to film a commercial for Cinépolis , the largest film exhibition chain in Mexico and Latin America, and in the process elevated the country as the envy of the film world.

The story takes us to the sands of Arrakis where a photographer flees from the imminent attack of a sandworm, the lethal monsters of Denis Villeneuve's ambitious adaptation.  But then we discover that she is not a photographer but a spectator who observes the story through the lens of her camera, feeling the adrenaline of the action until she takes refuge in her popcorn. And at that moment the stars of the sequel, Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya , appear, but in their characters. As if Paul Atreides and Chani came to her rescue, wrapping her around her and guiding her to the door of the room, inviting her to let herself be carried away by the magic of cinema. Once inside she is accompanied by Florence Pugh and Austin Butler , like the other traveling companions in the same story.

'Euphoria' takes its time to return but faces a problem that would complicate its future

Maude Apatow, Hunter Schafer, Sydney Sweeney and Zendaya will have to find space in their busy schedules when it comes time to film the third season of 'Euphoria'. (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic for HBO) 

The third season of Euphoria isn't canceled, it's just taking its time. This was confirmed by HBO, denying a rumor that circulated on social networks last Monday, gaining so much strength that it became a trend. The good news is that the acclaimed drama series starring Zendaya is scheduled to return to the screens... but it is not known when.

“HBO and Sam Levinson remain committed to making an exceptional third season,” a spokesperson for the platform confirmed to Variety . “In the meantime, we are allowing our highly sought-after cast to pursue other opportunities.”

That is, the good news is that they intend to return us to the Euphoria universe with a third season that would be slowly in development. Sam Levinson and his team are working on writing the scripts but there doesn't seem to be any rush. Two years have passed since we saw the second season and, since then, the development of the third has been delayed due to the writers' strike and the death of Angus Cloud in July 2023, one of the actors in the cast who played a trafficker. drug addict and friend of the protagonist. However, as the company spokesperson points out, its main cast consisting of Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi and Hunter Schafer did not waste time and took advantage of the pause to continue expanding their careers until they became some of the most sought-after figures in Hollywood right now.

Therefore, as they develop scripts, the unstoppable rise of their stars could easily become the most difficult handicap to overcome when the time comes to get production underway.


The inevitable doubts

I think it's perfect that they're taking the time to develop the story. As it is a series with an exquisite and sharp narrative quality, awarded and applauded by critics, it is essential that they dedicate the time necessary to create a continuation that lives up to it. Pampering, caring for and expanding the universe created around Rue (Zendaya) with her internal demons from mourning and drug addiction, while continuing to take care of the narrative development of the rest of the young people around her, each with their problems, nuances, traumas. and personal challenges.

However, although they want to give hope with the news by denying any rumor of definitive cancellation, I fear that this slow and apparently unhurried development hides a drawback that could put its future completely in doubt . Because, how are they going to combine the agendas of their stars when the time comes if they are giving them free rein to continue exploring other projects, and just when they are being requested by the industry? Balancing the schedules of Zendaya, Sydney Sweeney, Jacob Elordi and Hunter Schafer could turn into a logistical nightmare that could only delay production that much further.

Right now, Zendaya is at the top of the box office with Dune: Part 2  while she has the imminent release of Defiants  in the pipeline. This is the new film by Luca Guadagnino ( Call Me by Your Name ) about a former tennis prodigy and the triangle she forms between her husband and his former best friend. A premiere that arrives on Amazon Prime Video at the end of April while we wait for news from Denis Villeneuve about the development of the third part of Duna , not counting the weeks of promotion, travel and international commitments that each premiere requires.

Sydney Sweeney is reaping the rewards of her efforts after being crowned the new princess of romantic comedies with the global success of With Everyone But You. The film co-starring Glen Powell not only swept the box office, becoming the first rom-com in half a decade to exceed $200 million in revenue, but now it is also gaining attention on platforms and once again standing strong alongside Inmaculada . Meanwhile, she continues to take steps through the launch of her own products, partnering with brands and finishes filming two other productions while rumors of a possible sequel to With Everyone But You circulate.

Saturday, March 23, 2024

A penumbral eclipse of the Moon, visible throughout America, will reduce the satellite's brightness

 On March 25, a penumbral lunar eclipse will take place that will be visible throughout America, eastern Oceania, western Africa and Europe.

This type of eclipse occurs when the Moon (full), the Earth and the Sun are aligned and the Earth's satellite enters the twilight zone projected by the Earth.

When this happens, the Moon stops receiving light from the Sun because the Earth blocks the sun's rays, so its luminosity drops and it looks a little dark.

According to data from the National Astronomical Observatory (OAN), the eclipse will last 4 hours and 37 minutes and will leave 96% of the lunar diameter in darkness.

The eclipse will begin at 4 hours and 53 minutes GMT time, and will be visible especially in America, and with less intensity in Africa and Europe.

The event will end at 9 hours and 32 minutes GMT, after having been visible in the last phases in America and Oceania.

The next eclipse, which will take place on April 8, will be a total solar eclipse in Mexico, the central United States and eastern Canada, and a partial eclipse in North America and Central America.

As for the Moon, the next eclipse will be partial and can be seen after the summer, on September 8, according to the OAN.


Dua Lipa recommended a book by an Argentine writer and surprised all the fans: “It blew my mind”

 Everything was revealed at S95 Book Club, Dua Lipa's reading community

In addition to her influential career and success in the world of music for several years, Dua Lipa is the owner of Service95 , a platform where she recommends to her followers about her tastes in different areas, such as books. On this occasion, the singer made an important mention in relation to Argentina in one of her posts and she surprised everyone.

It turns out that Dua Lipa shared the book she has been reading recently, which, in this case, is by an Argentine author. This is Trust , the work of Hernán Díaz, a renowned Argentine writer who won the Pulitzer Prize in 2023.

It should be noted that S95 Book Club is a reading community in which each month “a book personally chosen by Dua Lipa, which represents writing from around the world” is discussed , a place that is open to all those who want to be part of that experience. intellectual.

Jason Momoa winked at Argentina and surprised his fans: “It's hot”

 Jason Momoa surprised his Argentine fans

Jason Momoa is established as one of the most recognized actors in the film industry, with prominent roles in renowned productions such as Fast X, Aquaman , Justice League , the iconic television series Game of Thrones and Stargate: Atlantis . Anyway, he recently made it clear that his interests go beyond Hollywood, as he created his personal brand of vodka, called Meili , which he is currently introducing in New Zealand. In any case, by sharing a video about it, he stole all the attention of Argentines, but for another reason, because he showed himself drinking mate.

In the clip, which soon went viral, you can see the Dune performer starting his day with this infusion. It was the journalist and broadcaster Agus Monti who replicated on her social network the video that the actor shared on her Instagram stories. “Good morning, the mate report arrived, it's hot!” , she began by saying, and then revealed which was the wine and liquor store where he was going to be appearing to interact with his followers. Immediately afterwards, he generated a furor again, as he launched: “And I'm excited about the mate, I changed the tea to this little thing, you should see my coffee, you don't want to see my coffee.”

Nestlé withdraws cups with the Starbucks logo in the United States

 

The firm Nestlé USA has withdrawn from the US market some 440,000 metal cups with the Starbucks brand logo due to dangers of burns and lacerations, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported this Thursday ( CPSC).

The notice refers to four gift packages sold during the 2023 holiday season that include a metal-coated ceramic mug with a capacity of 11 and 16 ounces (0.3 and 0.5 liters).

The recall of cups made in China affects about 440,500 units, the agency said.

"Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled cups and can return them to the point of purchase or contact Nestlé USA for a full refund," CPSC said.

This is because there have been at least 12 incidents of overheating or breaking cups resulting in 10 injuries, including nine serious burns or blisters to fingers and hands, and one cut to a finger.

These gift packs were on sale at Target and Walmart stores, and at the Nexcom chain of military retail stores, between November 2023 and January 2024, with prices ranging from $10 to $20.