by Emily Nagle
Growing up, I was always a fan of Bo Burnham’s work. His songs and poetry are so creative, and I loved his witty comedy style. Of course, when I found out he was making a movie that would be released in theaters in summer 2018, I had to see it.
What makes Eighth Grade so special is how authentic it is. It’s not about anything super crazy. The movie follows Kayla Day as she completes her last week of middle school. As a member of Generation Z, I knew how this felt – eighth grade is awkward, and can be scary sometimes. Kayla herself has a lot of . It’s also super realistic in showing life as an adolescent in the late 2010s, as the kids are shown to spend a lot of time on their phones and computers, mostly scrolling through social media. Although she gets voted “Most Quiet” in the yearbook, Kayla has a YouTube channel where she posts motivational videos addressing topics such as how to be confident; however, the videos get almost no views.
By Kurt Balingit
Quavo, the head “huncho” of the Atlanta rap group “Migos”, is set to make his feature-film debut in the upcoming movie “Wash Me in the River”. He makes his debut alongside a talented set of actors in Robert DeNiro, John Malkovich and Jack Huston. It is is directed by Randall Emmett who brought us “The Irishman” in 2019 and “Lone Survivor” in 2013.
Quavo is to play Coyote, the antagonist and ruthless druglord who is responsible for selling the drugs that resulted in the Protagonist’s wife dying from an overdose. The protagonist, named Shelby John and played by Jack Huston, is filled with fiery rage, as he embarks on a vengeful killing spree to right all the wrong done to his deceased fiancé by killing every link in the drug dealing chain.
Armed with nothing but adrenaline and a nail gun, Shelby John picks off dealers and junkies one by one until he gets to the top. Sheriff Church (Robert DeNiro) and Detective Zeppelin must race against the clock to put an end to Shelby’s vigilante justice before his fight with the crime lord Coyote (Quavo) turns the entire town into a bloodbath.
Quavo, excited about his role in the movie, had this to say:
“I honestly think this movie is going to be one of the greatest to come of this time,” Quavo says. “The experience was unbelievable for me, with Robert DeNiro and Jack Huston being so down to earth and making me feel like family. Gonna see me doing some stunts and a lot of what you hear from me in my raps! This is one of my biggest debuts I’ve ever had, and so proud of what we did and to get to work with Randall who’s such an amazing guy — I can’t wait to do more films with him”
Quavo is currently wrapping up filming in Puerto Rico and recently shared this video of him holding a gold plated assault rifle with a chainsaw attachment. A creation that only Pablo Escobar, Scarface, El Chapo or any other ruthless drug lord would own.
Quavo has held small roles and cameos in many television shows, including Netflix’s “Narcos: Mexico”, FX’s “Atlanta,”ABC’s “Black-ish” and Fox’s “Star.”, but this is his first time landing a role on the big screen.
by Emily Nagle
Confirmed in a virtual presentation to media buyers, WarnerMedia has announced an expansion of its properties targeted at children and families, airing on Cartoon Network and HBO Max.
WarnerMedia has designated Cartoon Network as their primary children/family-oriented brand, ringing in this new era of their programming lineup by changing the channel’s tagline to “Redraw Your World.” In a press statement the company described this slogan as aiming to “empower kids to feel comfortable with who they are, embrace their uniqueness and believe in their own ability to impact change.”
The entertainment conglomerate has announced a plethora of new series, such as Gremlins: The Secrets of the Mogwai (a prequel to the 1984 film), Tiny Toons Looniversity (set to be executive produced by Steven Spielberg), Tweety Mysteries (a live-action/animated series), and Jade Armor (whose creative team consists entirely of women), and announced new seasons of Craig of the Creek, Infinity Train, Victor and Valentino, and Total Drama Island. They have also confirmed a triad of 44-minute specials as part of the Ben 10 franchise, a spin-off series of Teen Titans Go!, and a TV movie based on The Amazing World of Gumball.
Also part of WarnerMedia’s plan is the launch of a new preschool-age programming block on Cartoon Network that will be called Cartoonito. Scheduled to launch this fall, the block is set to include 20 new series that reimagine some of Cartoon Network’s most beloved franchises for younger audiences, such as Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go, Tom and Jerry Junior, Batwheels, and Bugs Bunny Builders. This will be the first time that the channel has had a preschool-targeted block since 2005, when Cartoon Network briefly ran a morning block for preschoolers called Tickle U.
Not only is WarnerMedia hoping to expand the network’s appeal to children and toddlers, but they’re also hoping to appeal to families as a whole. Cartoon Network has been having movie nights each weekend, showing successful films including The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part, Back to the Future, and Happy Feet.
By Kurt Balingit
This Friday, February 19th, Disney+ is premiering ‘Flora & Ulysses’, a family superhero comedy film directed by Lena Khan, based on the children’s novel written by Kate DiCamillo with the same name. The film follows a 10-year-old comic book fan name Flora Buckman, played by Matilda Lawler, who saves the life of an injured squirrel she names Ulysses. While nursing the squirrel, Flora learns that Ulysses isn’t an ordinary squirrel, but one with super powers!
With Ulysses’ presence and super powers, Flora finds a much needed friend who is able to help her live her comic book fantasies. In favor, she protects him from Miller, an animal control officer, played by Danny Pudi, who wants to capture the super squirrel.
To make matters more complicated, Flora’s parents have recently separated. Her dad George, played by Ben Schwartz, is a struggling comic book creator who helps her protect Ulysses, while her mom Phyllis, played by Alyson Hannigan, is a romance novelist who wants her daughter to get her head out of the clouds and doesn’t want a squirrel living in her house.
Director Lena Khan wanted to make sure to that this family movie wasn’t just about usual family troubles. Khan said. “It was about people, what it’s like to be broken and jaded and how do you get out of that and get back up.” She also states
“I think the biggest thing in the movie is that when the world has beaten you down, it’s not about waiting for things to get fixed,” Khan said. “It’s about learning how to see the world differently and that it can be okay to hope. That’s the main thing which hopefully is key to some people during these crazy times.”
Although ‘Flora & Ulysses’ is only available on Disney+, this movie is sure to be another classic family film.
by Emily Nagle
Oprah Winfrey will be interviewing Prince Harry and Meghan Markle for a CBS special titled Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special.
The interview will cover a wide variety of topics, beginning with Oprah sitting down with Markle to hear about the experience of transitioning to a royal life, motherhood (with another baby on the way), her philanthropic work, and how she handles living such a public life. Prince Harry will then join them and discuss their future plans, in addition to their recent move to the United States.
The couple relocated to Los Angeles in March 2020 after announcing their departure from their role of the royal family a couple of months prior. Markle and Prince Harry chose to leave the royal life behind so that they could be financially independent. They have since established a new life in Los Angeles, signing a multiyear deal with Netflix that will allow the development of several different series, as well as launching a Spotify podcast under their production company, Archwell Audio.
Oprah With Meghan and Harry: A CBS Primetime Special will be premiering on CBS on March 7th at 8pm ET/PT.
by Emily Nagle
George Gerdes, a singer-songwriter and actor known for having roles in shows including Seinfeld, Bosch, and Grey’s Anatomy, passed away from a brain aneurysm on January 1st. He was 72.
Born in Queens, NY on February 23, 1948, Gerdes had an interest in acting since toddlerhood; his sister, Julia Dubnoff, told The Hollywood Reporter that when he was only 3 and 4 years old, he often did impressions of television stars like Arthur Godfrey. Terre Roche, the founding member of the musical group The Roches who introduced Gerdes to his life partner, recalls, “He once told me that as a child he wanted to go inside the television with all the people he encountered there. With his acting career, he went on to fulfill that dream for himself.”
Despite his passion for acting, Gerdes’ career began as a singer/songwriter. A couple of years after his graduation from Carnegie Mellon University in 1969, he recorded two folk/pop albums, titled Obituary and Son of Obituary, that were released in 1971 and 1972, respectively. Joni Mitchell was a fan of his music, describing his song “Say So What Else Is New?” as “the happiest sad song I’ve ever heard.”
Gerdes got his start in acting in the 80s, making appearances in Broadway shows including Fool for Love and A Few Good Men.
George Gerdes is survived by his sister Julia, his life partner Judy Johns, and his three nephews, Zachary, Michael, and Will.
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