Free Republic

Jon Voight has been taking meetings around town with union reps and studio executives to understand the issues plaguing domestic production, Deadline has confirmed... We understand that Trump’s other two ambassador picks, Sylvester Stallone and Mel Gibson, are not involved in Voight’s conversations... The exact plan that Coming Home Oscar winner Voight, whose daughter is Angelina Jolie, has prepared for Trump is unclear, but sources with knowledge of his conversations with Hollywood insiders tell us they expect a federal tax incentive to be the main component. As the lack of production in L.A. displays, the U.S. film and television industry...

Hate crime hoaxer Jussie Smollett and the city of Chicago have reached a settlement in the lawsuit stemming from the phony 2019 attack, according to a report. Smollett and the Windy City announced they have reached a settlement in the Midwestern metropolis’ $130,000 lawsuit that accused the former “Empire” actor of filing a false police report, according to NBC. The details of the settlement have yet to be announced, with both parties saying they “need more time to finalize documentation,” the outlet reported. The city filed suit against the “Mighty Ducks” alum in January 2019 after his claim to be...

The wait is finally over… for a movie nobody was waiting for. Nearly four years after a prop gun held by Alec Baldwin and mistakenly loaded with a live round went off and killed cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on set, their movie “Rust” has hit theaters. And how is the Western? Mediocre and often uncomfortable to watch; forever tainted by tragedy. Completing “Rust” and releasing it was a massive error of judgement. Lesser films sometimes get shelved by studios for reasons of quality or other corporate drama. But an average picture that resulted in the death of a young mother will...

AP: What made you want to make “The Saints”? SCORSESE: I go back to my early childhood and respite and the sanctuary I found in St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral. Not being able to play sports or be a tough guy in the streets. And, you know, the streets were pretty tough down there. I found a sanctuary in that place. It's now a basilica. The first Catholic Cathedral in New York in 1810, 1812. It figures in “Gangs of New York.” The Know Nothings and anti-immigration groups attacked it in 1844. Archbishop Hughes fought back. It’s a place rife with...

Vietnam has banned Warner Bros.’ highly anticipated film “Barbie” from domestic distribution over a scene featuring a map that shows China’s unilaterally claimed territory in the South China Sea, state media reported on Monday. (Warner Bros’, like CNN, is a unit of Warner Bros. Discovery.) The U-shaped “nine-dash line” is used on Chinese maps to illustrate its claims over vast areas of the South China Sea, including swathes of what Vietnam considers its continental shelf, where it has awarded oil concessions. “Barbie” is the latest movie to be banned in Vietnam for depicting China’s controversial nine-dash line, which was repudiated...

Nyweide’s family announced her passing in a since-deleted obituary, writing at the time that the actress “self medicated to deal with all the trauma and shame she held inside, and it resulted in her death." They added that Nyweide repeatedly claimed that she would navigate her health issues “on her own" and "was compelled to reject the treatment that might possibly have saved her life.” In lieu of flowers, her family asked instead that individuals to make a donation to RAINN, the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, in her name. A Vermont native, Nyweide knew that she wanted to...

A glamorous city known for sprawling mansions, boutique shops and glamor is at risk of becoming 'the next Detroit,' according to experts. Los Angeles is being rocked by an exodus of big budget TV and film production companies — long considered the backbone of the local economy. Detroit was once the center of America's auto production, but fell into decline when factories began to shut, triggering a major housing crisis. Now, some fear LA faces a similar threat. FilmLA reports that on-location production in the city fell by 22.4 percent in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same...

Left-wing actor John Leguizamo, star of John Wick and Disney’s Encanto, recorded a series of videos for his fans and followers of himself reading a political manifesto called Project 2029, he says was written by Liz Cheney, as a path forward for democrats after their defeat last November. “This is from Liz Cheney. She had to do it, because, well, dear Democratic Party: I need more form you. You keep sending emails, begging for $15, while we’re watching fascism consolidate power in real time,” Leguizamo began in a video posted to the leftist echo chamber Bluesky on Thursday. Liz Cheney...

Vince Vaughn is facing backlash on social media after he recently visited President Donald Trump at the White House. According to a political news outlet, the actor wasn’t listed as an official visitor on the president's schedule — leaving reporters shocked by his appearance. On Friday, April 18, the White House’s Instagram account posted a photo of the president’s encounter with Vaughn. “President Donald J. Trump & Vince Vaughn in the Oval Office,” the caption said. The picture was played up by using a mock Wedding Crashers poster that read, “White House Crashers.” Vaughn starred in the hit film in...

Just in time for Easter, the faith-based animated film from Angel Studios “King of Kings” continues to dominate the box office, coming in second place ahead of the holiday weekend.From the same studio responsible for the sleeper hit “Sound of Freedom,” the movie tells the story of Jesus Christ from his birth to his crucifixion and resurrection.RedState was able to watch the film and can offer our readers a review of the animated movie that takes on Charles Dickens’ short story “The Life of Our Lord," which was never published until decades after he died in 1934, as the Hollywood...

Grammy-nominated musician and former OneRepublic bassist Tim Myers is making the leap from the stage to the political arena with a high-profile challenge to long-serving Republican Rep. Ken Calvert in California’s 41st Congressional District. Myers, a Corona native turned music industry entrepreneur, announced his candidacy Thursday in a video posted on Instagram, setting the stage for one of the most closely watched House races in the 2026 election cycle. “Ken Calvert has been in Washington for 30 years, and all he’s done is make himself millions,” Myers says in the campaign video, filmed in a recording studio. “The status quo...

(UPI) — Boston Public and Dazed and Confused actor Nicky Katt has died at the age of 54. His lawyer John Sloss confirmed the sad news to The New York Times, TMZ and The Hollywood Reporter Sunday, but he did not offer any details about the cause or circumstances of his death. The South Dakota native appeared in dozens of films and TV shows from the time he was a child. Among his credits include Fantasy Island, CHIPS, The Facts of Life, Uncle Buck, Sin City, Boiler Room, School of Rock, A Time to Kill, Batman & Robin, The Way...

Two widely followed Chinese public figures — one an editor for a state media outlet, the other the son of a former party chief — released identical outlines on Tuesday of countermeasures Chinese authorities are said to be considering in response to Trump's tariffs.The U.S. film industry so far has escaped direct retaliation from countries hit by President Donald Trump‘s globe-spanning tariffs, thanks to theatrical film releases and streaming platforms being categorized as services rather than physical goods. But Hollywood’s luck in China, the world’s second-largest film market, could soon run out, according to statements issued Tuesday by two influential...

The Canadian filmmaker also helmed 'North Dallas Forty,' 'The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz' and 'Wake in Fright' and exec produced 'Law & Order: SVU.' Ted Kotcheff, the unheralded Canadian moviemaker who moved gracefully among genres to direct such notable films as The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, First Blood and Weekend at Bernie’s, has died. He was 94. Kotcheff, who went on to spend 13 seasons as an executive producer on the gritty Dick Wolf series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, died Thursday, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported. The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974), starring Richard Dreyfuss as...

Former child star Jay North passed away, at age 73, peacefully at his Lake Butler, FL home on Sunday at noon following a long battle with colorectal cancer. The Hollywood native is best known for playing the titular role in CBS sitcom Dennis the Menace, based on the Hank Ketcham comic strip, which ran for four seasons spanning 1959-1963. 'Jeanne Russell just called us with terribly sad, but not unexpected news,' Jay's friend Laurie Jacobson announced on Facebook. 'As many of his fans know, he had a difficult journey in Hollywood and after...but he did not let it define his...

Last week's column talked about a movie with an unlikeable main character. This week I'm afraid it's more of the same, only this time our main feature is a film with not one but two unsavory protagonists, one of them a moral delinquent, the other a monster of immense self regard and power. The only relief is that Sweet Smell of Success is in glorious black and white, and set in wonderful, terrible mid-century Manhattan. Alexander Mackendrick's film was a flop when it came out in 1957 but you wouldn't know it today; Sweet Smell of Success has made top...

Raging George Clooney showered f-bombs on a Morning Joe producer after star Mika Brzezinsky claimed Barack Obama put him up to an anti-Biden op-ed, it's claimed. The Hollywood heavyweight, 63, a top fundraiser for the Democrats, is said to have flown into a frenzy over a Morning Joe segment following Biden's disastrous debate against Donald Trump last summer. Clooney had piled onto calls for Biden to exit the race with a blistering New York Times op-ed where he said the then-president was 'not the same man' he once was, and said Democrats wince when seeing him in front of cameras....

Kathleen Turner looked frail as she made a rare public outing in NYC this week - months after her failing health caused her to drop out of a play. The Body Heat and Romancing The Stone star, 70, looked shaky as she leaned on a walker after stepping away from the spotlight. For the trip, Turner wore a long, dark overcoat, over a blue sweater, black pants, and black sneakers, as she made her way to an awaiting vehicle with the help of two people

Val Kilmer, a homegrown Hollywood actor who tasted leading-man stardom as Jim Morrison and Batman, but whose protean gifts and elusive personality also made him a high-profile supporting player, died on Tuesday in Los Angeles. He was 65. The cause was pneumonia, said his daughter, Mercedes Kilmer. Mr. Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014 and later recovered, she said. Tall and handsome in a rock-star sort of way, Mr. Kilmer was in fact cast as a rocker a handful of times early in his career, when he seemed destined for blockbuster success. He made his feature debut in...

Steve Scalise suffered a physical assault on June 14 as a result of being shot by a liberal Bernie Sanders supporter. However, few know that three years ago Scalise politely endured a verbal assault by enraged Hollywood liberals in the entertainment business. It was an example of the increasing rejection of civil discourse by the left leading ultimately to the recent baseball field violence we saw a few days ago. A June 16 Hollywood Reporter article by Paul Bond reveals the incident at the Los Angeles home of pollster Frank Luntz who held a soiree in the hopes of bringing together...