North State Journal for Wednesday, December 6, 2017
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ENTERTAINMENT ‘Stranger Things’ Renewed for Season 3 at Netflix By Joe Otterson Variety
CARRIE FISHER | COURTESY OF LUCASFILM
Leia leads resistance in Carrie Fisher’s final ‘Star Wars’ film By Rollo Ross and Lisa Richwiney Reuters LOS ANGELES — Carrie Fisher’s final performance as the beloved Leia in “Star Wars” puts the character on the front lines in a dark new chapter that reaches theaters this month, leaving a galactic hole to fill after the sudden death of the actress a year ago. Fisher had filmed all of her scenes for “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” the eighth installment of the blockbuster space saga, before she died of a heart attack in December 2016. “She’s irreplaceable,” Mark Hamill, who plays Luke Skywalker, told Reuters. “‘Star Wars’ is about great triumphs and great tragedies, and I can’t think of a bigger tragedy than missing our Leia.” Writer and director Rian Johnson said he did not change Leia’s story in “Last Jedi” after her death. The film debuts in theaters Dec. 14. It will be up to the makers of 2019 film “Episode IX” to decide the ultimate fate of the character first seen as a spunky princess in the original 1977 “Star Wars” film, Johnson added. In “The Last Jedi,” “we didn’t tailor it to be a farewell to her,” Johnson said. “But, that having been said, I think there’s some moments that I think will really mean a lot to fans. You will see more from Leia that you haven’t seen before.” Fisher’s final film appearance is expect-
ed to boost already feverish interest in the franchise, now owned by Walt Disney Co. Boxoffice.com projects “Last Jedi” will haul in $185 million to $215 million at U.S. and Canadian ticket windows its first weekend, which would rank as one of the biggest film debuts in history. The cast and director provided few details about the film’s plot. John Boyega, who portrays former Stormtrooper Finn, said the movie finds Leia, now a general, leading the Resistance against the evil First Order during a tense time in the raging battle to protect the galaxy far, far away. “There is a lot of pressure on the Resistance, and General Leia is on the front lines having to make big decisions,” Boyega said. “It’s a performance that requires a heartfelt approach, and she definitely had that.” Oscar Isaac, who plays Resistance pilot Poe Dameron, said the time in Leia’s life mirrored Fisher’s in some ways. Leia understands “she’s not going to be around forever, and there is a passing of the torch that needs to happen,” Isaac said. “She wants to give over as much of her wisdom as she can before this moment happens.” Fisher, however, would not want fans to get too sentimental, Hamill said. “I do know her well enough to say that she would want us to be laughing and even mocking her,” Hamill said. “She was irreverent, she was cynical, and she was bitterly funny and caustic and all these things. But she was always fun to be around,” he added.
LOS ANGELES — “Stranger Things” has been renewed for a third season at Netflix, the streaming service announced Friday. The series, created by Durham natives Matt and Ross Duffer, takes place in the fictional town of Hawkins, Ind., where a secret government lab accidentally opens a door to another dimension referred to as the Upside Down. The Duffer brothers say the series, which stars Winona Ryder, was inspired by movies and books from their childhood in the 1980s. The show has paralleled movie hits like “Stand By Me,” “Star Wars” and “Alien.” The series features a host of young actors alongside seasoned actors like Rider. The first season of the show proved to be a major sleeper hit, generating positive reviews and garnering 18 Emmy nominations, of which it won five. Both seasons currently hold a 94 percent approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Variety’s Maureen Ryan wrote in her review of Season 2: “As fine as the show’s justly lauded young cast is, the adult actors — especially Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and Joe Keery — anchor every psychological nuance with subtle skill and ease.”
L.A. film critics crown ‘Call Me by Your Name’ best picture of 2017 By Kristopher Tapley Variety LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Film Critics Association has named “Call Me by Your Name” the best film of 2017. Timothee Chalamet (“Call Me by Your Name”) and Sally Hawkins (“The Shape of Water”) won top acting honors. Willem Dafoe (“The Florida Project”) and Laurie Metcalf (“Lady Bird”) claimed the supporting prizes. The day’s voting, which lasted nearly five-and-a-half hours, provided the biggest bump for Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water,” however. Clearly a favorite throughout, the film won three prizes and came in as runner-up in two more. After being largely ignored by a number of precursors so far this season, that ought to help Fox Searchlight breathe a little better. (It’s also great publicity for the film as it heads out into limited release this weekend.) New York Film Critics Circle victor “Lady Bird” was mostly relegated to the sidelines, save for Metcalf’s prize, though A24’s other major contenders this year — “The Disaster Artist” and “The Florida Project” — had a presence throughout.
New York Met opera suspends conductor on sexual misconduct allegations New York’s Metropolitan Opera on Sunday suspended its relationship with former longtime music director, the acclaimed conductor James Levine, as it investigates several allegations of sexual misconduct. The opera said in a statement that it decided to act following “multiple allegations of sexual misconduct by Mr. Levine that took place from the 1960s to the 1980s, including the earlier part of his conducting career at the Met.”
Without Trump, Kennedy Center celebrates Lionel Richie and Gloria Estefan With the notable absence of President Donald Trump, the Kennedy Center on Sunday celebrated singers Lionel Richie and Gloria Estefan, rapper LL Cool J, television producer Norman Lear and dancer Carmen de Lavallade with honors for the arts. The Kennedy Center Honors are considered the highest recognition in the country for artists across many fields, and the importance of the annual event is usually underscored by a White House reception with the president and first lady.
Music producer Russell Simmons steps down after sex assault claim Music producer Russell Simmons said on Thursday he was stepping down from his fashion and production businesses after a screenwriter said in a column in the Hollywood Reporter that Simmons sexually assaulted her in 1991. Jenny Lumet, the screenwriter daughter of the late movie director Sidney Lumet, in a Thursday Hollywood Reporter column accused Simmons of forcing himself on her in his New York apartment in 1991.
Actor Jim Nabors, TV’s ‘Gomer Pyle’ of 1960s, dies at 87 Actor Jim Nabors, whose portrayal of the grinning country bumpkin Gomer Pyle on the 1960s television hit “The Andy Griffith Show” belied a classic baritone singing voice, died on Thursday at the age of 87, his website said. Nabors, who later became a star with his own television show “Gomer Pyle, USMC,” died at his home in Hawaii, the website said, citing his office manager.
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