Free Republic

Garry Marshall, ‘Pretty Woman’ Director, Dies at 81 If one were to count up the number of times any American — or maybe anyone anywhere — laughed in the last half-century, the person responsible for more of those laughs than anyone else might well be Garry Marshall, who died on Tuesday in Burbank, Calif. He was 81. The lawyer Martin Garbus, who was a childhood friend of Mr. Marshall’s, said he died after a series of strokes. It would be difficult to overstate Mr. Marshall’s effect on American entertainment. His work in network television and Hollywood movies fattened the archive...

Matt Damon returns to movie theatres on July 29 as Jason Bourne in his fourth appearance as the amnesiac special ops agent. And director Paul Greengrass has revealed that in the finished film, the actor, 45, has just 25 lines of dialogue. That's led to speculation that the star, who got paid $25 million for last year's The Martian, was likely paid at least $1 million for each line he spoke.

Nickelodeon is about to bring down the house — the “Loud House,” that is. The children’s TV network will introduce a bi-racial gay couple on the animated show “The Loud House.” The series, which centers around the life of Lincoln Loud and his ten sisters, will be the first Nickelodeon show in history to feature a married same-sex couple. The couple in question, voiced by Wayne Brady and Michael McDonald, will make their debut on the July 20 episode “Overnight Success.”

Nickelodeon, the American cable and satellite TV network aimed at kids and teens, has introduced its first animated “gay married” couple. Debuting in The Loud House — a cartoon about Lincoln Loud, an 11-year-old boy with 10 sisters — the scene features a friend coming for a stayover with Lincoln. Lincoln and his chum, Clyde McBride, have been counting down the time to the sleepover, so perhaps that’s why Lincoln announces: “Time to make history!” — before he opens the door to reveal Clyde and his two dads. Owned by Viacom Media Network, Nickelodeon targets children ages 2 to 17....

Last year Michigan lawmakers wisely did away with what was once the most generous film incentive program in the nation. Mackinac Center research showed that despite giving film producers half a billion dollars from 2007 to 2013, there were no signs that the film industry in Michigan was actually growing. Essentially, the program amounted to a taxpayer handout to a select few movie production studios. And now there’s new research that suggests these programs aren’t benefiting other states’ economies either. The evidence comes from an article published in the American Review of Public Administration written by Michael Thom, a professor...

’d have loved nothing more than to give Ghostbusters a glowing review. Seriously! Can you imagine a better troll? Extolling the virtues of a film that my loyal readership has been warring with social justice warriors over for months? But I can’t. You see, I strive to be honest with my audience. I went into Ghostbusters with a clear and impartial mindset, like some tall, slim, and devastatingly handsome statue of justice. (But no blindfold. It would be a crime to cover up these eyes.)

Hollywood has long been viewed as a force in the battle for social justice. But the police killings of two black men in Louisiana and Minnesota and the subsequent murder of five police officers in Dallas last week is forcing some in the entertainment industry to take a hard look at their role in the nation’s growing racial tensions. “It has to change,” “Mad Men” creator Matthew Weiner, whose show routinely tackled social issues in the 1960s, told TheWrap. “I don’t feel like race has ever been so on the forefront of the conversation until now,” adding that “Black Lives...

Kate McKinnon's character in Ghostbusters is gay, the film's director has confirmed. Speaking to The Daily Beast, director Paul Feig played it coy, before admitting the comedian's character was a lesbian. The actress - who is the first openly gay female SNL star - plays wacky inventor Jillian Holtzmann in the highly-anticipated reboot, which opened on Friday and also stars Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig and Leslie Jones. Asked if Kate's flirty character was gay, Paul answered: 'What do you think?' before nodding yes, the website reports. 'I hate to be coy about it,' the 53-year-old said. 'But when you're dealing...

Thank heavens for progressive Hollywood. Otherwise, how would we know what to think about our culture, particularly the newest chic cause célèbre du jour, which is the LGBT movement? Actually, let me reconsider that statement. It doesn’t matter what we think. We will be told by our statist overlords what to think, how to feel, what to accept, and when to celebrate whatever new human right of their choosing. This, of course, is always done for our own good. So, sorry Black and Hispanic actors and actresses – you’ve been displaced. Sure, you’re people of color and all, but beyond...

The actress, who has been in France for Paris Fashion week, also demanded stricter gun control and called on her fellow Americans to use the upcoming presidential election as an opportunity to take action. “Somebody make change,” she continued. “We need gun control and unity. And a real President so think about that when this election is around the corner. The world is a precarious place right now.#stop #reflect and #act appropriately.” Again, this text was all accompanied by a photo of Mischa Barton on vacation for some baffling reason. Maybe when she’s calling for critical thinking from her fellow...

When news broke that John Cho’s Hikaru Sulu would be revealed in the upcoming “Star Trek Beyond” as gay — in a tribute to original Sulu actor George Takei — the revelation was met with an overwhelmingly positive response. Except, as it turns out, from Takei himself. “I think it’s really unfortunate,” the veteran actor and gay icon — who came out to much fanfare in 2005 –tells The Hollywood Reporter.

Michael Cimino died last weekend. If you recognize his name at all, it's probably because you remember that he was the guy who won the Best Picture and Best Director Oscars for The Deer Hunter in 1979. Cimino directed just seven feature films in 42 years—a pace that makes Terrence Malick look like a workhorse. But he was so much more than just a lazy director. He was one of the great American hucksters.

Matt Damon praised Australia’s gun laws while promoting his latest gun-toting Jason Bourne film in that country. “You guys did it here in one fell swoop, and I wish that could happen in my country, but it’s such a personal issue for people that we cannot talk about it sensibly,” the diminutive star said while pandering his way through the former British prison colony. (VIDEO-AT-LINK) “Obviously, mass shootings aren’t going to do it. There have been so many of them at this point. Sandy Hook — when those children were murdered — if that didn’t do it, you know, I...

"Do you realize I have not done a movie in five to six years? Why? Because I was totally blackballed by the... liberals in Hollywood," he alleged. "They can destroy you. They're hateful people [who] don't just not like you, they want to take away your livelihood... that's why I live up in the dessert on a dirt road... I don't have to put up with their crap."

On the 4th of July, it’s always important to recognize the strength and resolve of the American spirit. At times, it may seem that Hollywood takes that idea for granted but despite that, filmmakers continue to create great patriotic features that remind us about what being an American is all about. With that in mind, here’s a list of five movies — all from the past dozen years—that do a great job in capturing and celebrating American patriots. Miracle (2004): Aside from the 4th of the July, there aren’t that many major events when thousands of people rally around our country and...

Stacey Dash is definitely not impressed with Jesse Williams’ headline-making speech on racism and inequality at the BET Awards on Sunday. In a blog post on Wednesday, the 49-year-old always outspoken actress bashed Williams’ speech, calling the entire BET network racist. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: BET is keeping racism and segregation alive and this past Sunday’s awards show proves it,” Dash writes. “Particularly the speech given by Grey’s Anatomy star Jesse Williams, whose tirade after receiving the 2016 BET Humanitarian Award for his black activism was nothing short of an attack on white people.”

One would like to think that Olivia de Havilland, the last remaining cast member from “Gone With the Wind” and, indeed, the last remaining female star from Hollywood’s Golden Age, had a vibrant lunch among friends at her Paris residence to celebrate her 100th birthday on Friday, July 1. “She’s gone through life collecting friends,” film critic and author Donald Spoto, a good friend who often lunches with de Havilland, said during a visit to San Francisco in 2013. “She’ll talk about her films if you ask her, but she never turns the spotlight on herself. She’s much more interested...

Michelle Obama and her daughters indulged in a traditional Moroccan iftar with Princess Lalla Salma, the wife of King Mohammed VI, on Tuesday evening. The Obamas were joined by actress Meryl Streep and other members of the Moroccan Royal family at the sumptuous dinner to break the fast during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan at King's Palace in Marrakesh. The first lady travels to Spain on Wednesday. Michelle wore a conservative $2,995 dress by Altuzarra while Malia opted for an even more expensive outfit by Burberry Prorsum worth $4,295. Earlier on Tuesday, Mrs Obama told Moroccan teenage girls that...

Salesa calls Maui’s depiction “obese,” and thinks children might get the wrong message about their bodies. “The environment our kids grow up in and what they are exposed to have a role to play. Disney movies are very influential on our children. It is great that Moana is the lead. However, it is disappointing that Maui, one of our beloved historical ancestors from hundreds of years ago, who was a very strong man [and] a skilled navigator, is depicted to be so overweight in this kids’ movie.”

The opening scenes of the show depict Cerci getting ready for her trial before the seven septons. Now we knew that she would never stand trial didn't we? Well, we weren't disappointed. (I wasn't at least) Loras confessed to everything. The deal was that he would be released after Cersi's trial, but Margaery didn't know that he would have the star carved into his forehead. Meanwhile, Pycelle gets lured off and meets his end at the hand of the children while Qyburn looks on. Pycelle was a go along get along guy. He should have kept his mouth shut, but...