Newsletter Monday, July 25, 2016

[LaineyGossip.com - Calling all smuthounds!] Monday, July 25, 2016 [Intro for July 25, 2016] [Kate McKinnon] Dear Gossips, I’m not finished talking about Ghostbusters yet. My friend Lorella and her husband took their two sons, 12 and 8, to the movies this weekend. It was between The Secret Life Of Pets and Ghostbusters. When it was time for Lorella to vote, she told her kids that she was voting for Ghostbusters because some people are against it and she wanted to show support with her money. The older boy asked, “Is this the protest because they’re women?” Lorella confirmed that it was. Then the younger boy asked her to explain the protest. Lorella told them that some men felt that “Ghostbusters was important to my childhood and changing it to women ruins that”. There was a pause. And then the 8 year old observed that: “Well, if you love Ghostbusters THAT much, why wouldn’t you want MORE Ghostbusters? That’s ridiculous.” So they went to see Ghostbusters. And I anxiously waited for Lorella to tell me how it went. Her text to me afterwards: A)My boys love the original Ghostbusters B)They CHEERED for this one I love this so much. Because why can’t you be a fan of both? Who says it’s not possible? Ghostbusters did not do well in its second weekend. Which means, as discussed, there’s now an excuse not to do a sequel or a reason to take a time out on “risky” female-driven blockbuster projects (although that doesn’t seem to stop anyone from repeatedly taking risks on whatever it is that Adam Sandler is doing). Ghostbusters had to be perfect. And, no, it wasn’t perfect. But, really, how many movies are? How many are accused of “ruining childhoods” by it? Speaking of childhoods though, the toy sales for Ghostbusters are “[exceeding expectations]”, and the female action figures are being sold in the “boys” aisle. Lorella’s 8 year old wants the Lego set for his birthday. Maybe the reason for that is because even though Ghostbusters isn’t “perfect”, there is a scene in the movie that does represent [“30 seconds” of perfect]. Caroline Franke at Vox argues that these 30 seconds – which revolve around Kate McKinnon’s Holtzmann – is where Ghostbusters meets Mad Max’s Furiosa and Rey in Star Wars, “a visceral, joyful swooping sensation that tells me I’m not just loving something, but feeling it, right in my guts”. Yours in gossip, Lainey [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 10:59 AM [Smutty Social Media, July 25, 2016] Is Jamie Foxx the only Academy Award winner who can do club appearances and not lose any of his prestige? I can’t think of any other actor who can float between music and movies, club appearances and the Oscars. Discuss. [@jewelnightclub let's do it again! I'll be back with ya August 12 in Vegas, who's comin?!] A photo posted by Jamie Foxx (@iamjamiefoxx) on Jul 23, 2016 at 4:32pm PDT Do you think Kevin, Anna and Justin had a chance to gossip about Ben Affleck and Nannygate? I think so. Kevin will never let you forget he knew Ben first. [Kevin Smith bytheway #Latergram #Wheee #SDCC2016] A photo posted by Anna Kendrick (@annakendrick47) on Jul 24, 2016 at 8:58pm PDT And do you think Stella McCartney, Kate Hudson, Jennifer Meyer and Dasha Zhukova (wife of Roman Abramovich) gossiped over lunch? Oh definitely – and that would be a session worth listening in on. [🍰🍰🍰♥️] A photo posted by J E N N I F E R M E Y E R (@jenmeyerjewelry) on Jul 22, 2016 at 11:58am PDT How is it we (as in society) can launch people into space but no one can come up with a pain-free way to get rid of a rogue chin hair. If only everything was as dependable as my one chin hair — Kat Dennings (@OfficialKat) [July 23, 2016] I hope Taylor isn’t tempted to bring Rita Ora into the fold for some anti-Calvin support. Nothing good will come of it. [Just found this. No clue what the rules are lol #day1 ❤️❤️🏓🏓] A photo posted by Rita Ora (@ritaora) on Jul 24, 2016 at 2:18pm PDT Shailene is too busy fighting the establishment to worry about the Divergent series [going straight to TV]. [you know it's gonna be a good day when you start the morning off with a little virtual insanity! this is how we cruise at 7am from da road! join our caravan!!! best time ever! #UpToUs link in bio!] A video posted by Shailene Woodley (@shailenewoodley) on Jul 20, 2016 at 7:07am PDT Uzo’s major braids. [Big hair, don't care.] A photo posted by Uzo Aduba (@uzoaduba) on Jul 25, 2016 at 9:29am PDT You know how there’s First World Problems? Scott Eastwood has Bro World Problems – he didn’t get up in time to pump some iron and flex his pecs. [Don't feel bad if you miss something active in the morning. Sometimes you gotta sleep!!! Now I gotta kick my own ass. #lunch #workout #healthybody #healthymind] A video posted by Scott Eastwood (@scotteastwood) on Jul 25, 2016 at 4:34am PDT [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 7:22 PM [Is it OK to love Trainspotting?] [T2: Trainspotting 2 teaser ] The summer Trainspotting came out, we were obsessed with it. It was hot all the time and we were allowed a little more freedom than we had been before. We were using most of it to go downtown, to see and buy and consume things that weren’t available at the mall or the Blockbuster. We would get off the subway and walk down the grotty Yonge Street strip to the Uptown Theatre, which was kind of delightfully grotty itself, and then watch Trainspotting. At least three times in a month. Once we stole Trainspotting subway posters on the way home. But why were we such big fans? It was a funny-bleak movie about heroin addiction. It wasn’t cute. None of Irvine Welsh’s books are. It wasn’t speaking to teenagers, certainly doesn’t pass the Bechdel test, and yet we loved it. I still remember the excited, heart-in-my-mouth feeling of hearing Mark’s monologue. “Choose life. Choose a Job. Choose a f*cking big family.” Maybe there was something comforting about the idea that you could screw up as badly as these four did and still look forward to the life in front of you? Was it just the intense attractiveness of [Ewan McGregor] and [Jonny Lee Miller]? Was it that everyone secretly wants to start bar fights like Begbie? Partly, I know, it was for the sake of cred. The guys in our group were quoting Pulp Fiction word for word, and we became just as obsessed with a little movie about heroin. As if it was, you know, a daily problem in our adolescent lives, alongside overprotective parents and pesky physics exams. It was a way to separate ourselves from the kinds of people who liked lighthearted, popular entertainment. I never let on that I loved My Best Friend’s Wedding in equal measure. Years later, in my 20s, a friend and I were singing along to Gangster’s Paradise, and reminiscing about Dangerous Minds. She confessed that she and her friends said, re: that movie, “It’s so our lives!” She grew up in an upper-class Vancouver suburb. So when I look at the [trailer for the sequel, T2], I’m excited to see the characters I love again (and frankly, glad and a little surprised they’re still around). I immediately start thinking about how much I read about Edinburgh, and also what I was listening to that summer, and wondering again why I ever threw out the combat boots I wore all the time. But a part of me wonders whether I’ll feel a little fond embarrassment for the teenage girl who thought it was so incredibly relatable, or if I’ve just gotten impossibly old in the interim. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 6:55 PM [Lock, Stock, and Arthur Snatch Sherlock] [Charlie Hunnam attends the Warner Bros. Presentation during Comic-Con International 2016 at San Diego Convention Center on July 23, 2016 in San Diego, California] [Guy Ritchie]’s Knights Of The Round Table now titled King Arthur: Legend Of The Sword was supposed to be released this summer. Late last year it was announced that the movie would be pushed to first quarter of 2017. The first trailer was previewed at Comic-Con with [Charlie Hunnam] in attendance. So… how does it look? Well, it looks like Lock, Stock, it looks like Snatch, it looks like Sherlock. Except in Camelot. All of the trademark Guy Ritchie filmmaking quirks are well-represented. And… becoming not that imaginative? How does it sound? It sounds like Heath Ledger’s A Knight’s Tale. You remember the anachronisms in that movie? To me, it doesn’t sound here like Arthur and his boys are speaking Olde English. They did get one thing right though. Back then, women didn’t have a voice. And [they don’t in this trailer] either. But f-ck it. Why am I complaining? Should I be when Charlie Hunnam looks HOT AS F-CK??? So it’s decided. I’m seeing King Arthur in the same spirit as when I saw Magic Mike XXL. Despite Guy Ritchie’s dude-bro intentions, my King Arthur is a film to celebrate female pleasure. I wonder if that’ll work. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 6:16 PM [Crack Tweets Time Capsule] [Lindsay Lohan and fiancé Egor Tarabasov ] [Lindsay Lohan] went on a social media binge this weekend, tweeting and posting photos of her (allegedly) cheating fiancé, Egor. She talked about “Russian hookers” (the best kind, right?), him not coming home, and then tried to drop a pregnancy announcement. She deleted most of it, but also left a few dead links up on Twitter. Putting this together, I quickly came across an anthology of Lindsay’s Crack Tweets. Read more [here], [here], [here], and [here]. Posting her rages to Twitter in 2009/2010 was actually ahead of its time. But the problem today is that her routine has been done. By her. Again and again. At this point it can’t be really classified as a “meltdown” or “rant.” This is just her way of life. Her fiancé is getting her wrath right now, but seeing as they live together, he must have seen this behaviour before– the drama and the accusations. She likely can’t go more than a week without having a crisis. Did you watch her docuseries, the one Oprah hooked her up with? They literally had to center the storyline around her moving to a new apartment because things normal people do every day (packing, looking at apartments, getting a lease) are almost impossible for her. Or rather, the world makes it SO hard for Lindsay, and all she’s trying to be is her best, most artistic self (while she blows off meetings, berates people who try to help her, has unreasonable breakdowns at every turn, and lies her face off). Every single not-great thing that happens is someone else’s fault, and every opportunity she is offered is not worth her time. That show was presented as her final, absolutely last chance and she still couldn’t hold it together. OPRAH HAD TO GO TO HER HOUSE TO SCOLD HER. When Oprah is showing up at your door to hand you your ass, you done f-cked up your life. Lindsay is about patterns. She can’t get out of them. Her inability to hold a job is a pattern. The lying is a pattern. The relationship drama is a pattern. The crack tweets are a pattern. Publicly, Lindsay is seeking out the same-old drama in the same-old way. I used to think Lindsay was just miscast in Hollywood and that she should have been a reality star, not a movie star. I overestimated her and underestimated people like Mrs. West. Successful reality stars have to evolve, and they have to work so hard to keep the public’s attention; they have to be savvy and cunning if they ever want to build a career. Lindsay would never survive reality TV because she’s too lazy and too transparent. Forget the long game, she has no game. Oh but what about her pregnancy tweet? She’s [tried that before, too]. (Also she used a Google image from one of her movies, that’s how amateur hour she is.) She’s pulling basic reality TV sh-t without the reality TV paycheque, and that’s just dumb. What she’s doing to him on social media (his Instagram account is private) would not be received so flippantly if she were a man. Scribbling out his face, implying she’s pregnant, posting what looked like covert videos of him at nightclubs – it’s not cute. In one post she mentioned “I guess I was the same at 23…”. Twenty-three? Try 30. Her attention seeking bullsh-t doesn’t get better with age, [it gets worse]. As of writing this, Gossip Cop followed up on this story with specifics about the “ very heated” fight and notes a source [who said Egor is MIA]. So this source is close enough to Lindsay to know that the fight got really bad and Egor bolted and now no one can get a hold of him. Do we even need to wonder who is the source is at this point? [Daily Mail] and [The Sun] have less genteel version of events: she was on the street at 5 a.m. screaming for help, saying he was trying to kill her, yelling out her address. I watched the video and she is sobbing and screaming, while Egor appears to be agitated (the video is very poor quality). It doesn’t show much – just a lot of pacing on a balcony. A neighbour did call the police, and her door had to be kicked down. No one was home. Again, it all comes down to her patterns; combine childhood stardom with having a front-row seat to Dina and Michael Lohan’s marriage and Lindsay is actually the most predictable case study in Hollywood. Wherever there’s Lindsay drama, the parents pop up in some way. Never one to miss a chance to get his name in lights, Michael Lohan has already commented [on the story to US Weekly]. It’s not hard to see where she gets it from, right? As the day/night wore on (and the high probably wore off) and she had everyone’s attention, she decided to pull out another of her old tricks: effusive celebrity compliments that actually benefit her. She reposted a shot of Jamie Lee Curtis with the Scream Queens cast (but why did she cut out Keke Palmer!?), and tagged Jamie’s public Instagram account and a private account that could be Jamie’s. By using both, Lindsay wants you to thinks she’s tight with JLC. Most important, she wants you to remember Freaky Friday. Nostalgia is basically Lindsay Lohan’s manager at this point, she’s been dining out on the same three films for over a decade. If she needs to find a new boyfriend, nostalgia is key. But will she need to find a new man (or men) to support her European lifestyle? We’ll know what became of little Egor soon enough. If they get back together, it will be quick and splashy (she will celebrate with a photo of a private jet or yacht with #blessed and prayer hands emoji caption). If they don’t, he will disappear along with the pregnancy tweet. Either way, Egor is basically f-cked for the next little while. Is there a Lilo Protection Program Samantha Ronson can hook him up with? [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 5:31 PM [The Black Panther progress] [Director Ryan Coogler, actors Danai Gurira, Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong'o, and Michael B. Jordan of 'Black Panther' attend the Marvel Studios presentation during Comic-Con International 2016 at San Diego Convention Center on July 23, 2016 in San Diego, California] Most people who came out of Captain America: Civil War wanted more Black Panther. As Sarah keeps repeating, this is what we all want next. And soon. But while there’s a new Thor in production (no one is more excited about the third Thor movie than Tom Hiddleston), the standalone Black Panther doesn’t come out until 2018. But the director and the cast have been assembled and they were all at Comic-Con this weekend, led by [Ryan Coogler] and [Chadwick Bosman]. [Lupita Nyong’o] and [Michael B Jordan] were already previously reported but now we know that [Danai Gurira] has also joined the cast. What a f-cking cast. With women who will obviously be central to the story, as [Ryan told Entertainment Weekly]: “The thing that’s really cool about Wakanda that we know from the books, that’s consistent with all the different stories, is that they worship the panther goddess. It’s a place where gender roles are very different than how we see them in today’s age. The Dora Milaje are the most elite fighters in the country, and you can only be a woman in the Dora Milaje.” An elite fighting club that only accepts women? Come on! Presumably then, Lupita and Danai will play warriors. Warriors that, perhaps, will eventually have their own movies. Because while this was all happening, Marvel also confirmed that Roxane Gay is co-writing Black Panther: World Of Wakanda with Ta-Nehisi Coates. Ta-Nehisi Coates’ Black Panther is the highest-selling comic of the year. Ta-Nehisi Coates + Roxane Gay? Two of the most powerful, intelligent, provocative, and insightful writers in the writing game combining forces? Come on! Also, the story they’re writing? Black Panther: World Of Wakanda will be about two lesbian female soldiers, Ayo and Aneka. Come on! I texted this to Duana on Friday night, because that’s how exciting our summer weekends are now, and even though neither one of us are super into superheroes, this was recruitment. It is fresh. It is new. It is time. For me to buy the first Marvel comic book of my life? [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 4:19 PM [Magic at Comic-Con] [Eddie Redmayne attends the Warner Bros. 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' Presentation during Comic-Con International 2016 at San Diego Convention Center on July 23, 2016 in San Diego, California] Sarah covered WB’s superhero onslaught at Comic-Con earlier today. For me, like her, the highlight of all that was [Wonder Woman]. Otherwise the Warner Bros release I’m most looking forward to is Fantastic Beasts. Another trailer was presented during the panel along with wands but not before they all cast the spell, with [Eddie Redmayne] leading the way: Lumos Maxima! You know that feeling Caroline Franke [wrote about in that Vox article] I posted this morning? The “visceral, joyful swooping sensation that tells me I’m not just loving something, but FEELING it, right in my guts”? I feel it. I feel it the way I used to when magic was coming. When we were still being invited to Hogwarts. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione were discovering the world. That’s what it is. It’s the thrill of DISCOVERY. It was supposed to be over but now, now we get to do it again. We get to discover new people, new secrets, new stories. And, so far, from what they’ve shown us of Fantastic Beasts, it’s all the wonder and the delight and the joy, all of it all over again. Eddie Redmayne keeps getting better and better in these previews. Even [Ezra Miller] seems to be magically transformed by the power of this universe, allowing himself to express unfiltered uncool enthusiasm about this opportunity. And Colin Farrell… [Colin Farrell] has it down. Colin Farrell’s wand-wielding? To me that’s all I need to see to know he belongs here. His wand technique is similar to Gary Oldman’s – it’s a sideways slide when he casts. It’s not for everyone. You have to have a very specific swagger to be able to pull that off. And he does. He really does. I can’t f-cking wait until November. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 3:41 PM [Smutty Tingles] Selena Gomez is talking about “authenticity” too ([Dlisted]) Taylor Lautner back at Comic-Con under different circumstances ([Just Jared]) Will and Kate go sailing again ([Cele|bitchy]) Most of these Comic-Con costumes are actually pretty great ([TooFab]) Kit Harington on the phone ([Pop Sugar]) God loving men still have the same…attractions, don’t they? ([The Superficial]) I’m sad about this dress being all wrinkled at the back ([Hollywood Tuna]) New engagement. Same Middleton style ([Go Fug Yourself]) PERFECT CASTING ([Celebuzz]) [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 3:01 PM [Doctor Strange is Marvel’s only treat] [Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Benedict Wong, Chiwetel Ejiofor, director Scott Derrickson, and actress Rachel McAdams of 'Doctor Strange' attend the Marvel Studios presentation during Comic-Con International 2016 at San Diego Convention Center on July 23, 2016 in San Diego, California] Warner Brothers had a good morning in Hall H on Saturday, but then it was Marvel’s turn, and Marvel came ready to play. And play they did, basically conducting their panel like a rock concert, and even though they only released one trailer to the wider public, just the descriptions of the videos for Thor: Ragnarok, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 2 were enough to set off a frenzy. (Warners should start thinking seriously about changing up their schedule—they could have owned Friday, for instance.) Everything went over like gangbusters, but the Guardians got a huge, Avengers-sized welcome from the crowd, so you know Guardians 2 will be big next year. It’ll be a while before we see the trailer for that movie—probably not till Doctor Strange comes out in November—and we may never see the footage used for Spider-Man: Homecoming, which showed off its John Hughes vibe. And the five-minute mockumentary Taika Waititi made of what Thor was up to during Civil War probably won’t be released until it’s on the special features of Ragnarok’s DVD. That video brought the house down—the nerd crowd isn’t really familiar with Waititi, so for many people in Hall H, that was their introduction. And it worked, because suddenly everyone is really into Thor: Ragnarok. (Doesn’t hurt that a [prop display] confirmed that elements of the popular Planet Hulk comic will be used in Ragnarok.) Just remember that I was there first. So the only thing we have to look at from Marvel is a new trailer for Doctor Strange, which was the softest-received bit of their presentation. Some of that is that we’ve already gotten a look at Strange, and the other stuff was brand new, but some of it is that, like Ant-Man, Strange is not a movie driven by popular interest. The characters have their fans, but they are by no means the most popular Avengers. (Black Panther, for instance, is currently one of the top selling comics.) But Ant-Man did okay last year, and thanks to a fan-favorite performance in Civil War, the sequel will do even better. And the Guardians, almost totally unknown before their movie, were break-out stars in 2014. So it’s not like I expect Doctor Strange to bomb. I don’t. But even with [Tilda Swinton] and some truly trippy visuals that don’t look like your average superhero movie, Doctor Strange isn’t eliciting a strong response. All I can think when watching this trailer is: Did we really HAVE to wait till 2018 for Black Panther? Attached - Benedict Cumberbatch and the Doctor Strange cast at Comic-Con, as well as Zoe Saldana and Chris Pratt who were there for the Guardians of the Galaxy panel. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 2:35 PM [Jennifer Aniston talks to the youth] [Jennifer Aniston attends a photocall during the Giffoni Film Festival 2016, July 24, 2016] [Jennifer Aniston] was in Italy this weekend to accept the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Giffoni Film Festival which is Europe’s largest film festival for children. Youth from all over Europe were invited to participate in a Q&A session with her on Saturday. One of the first questions Jen took from the audience was about women in film: Do you think that the film industry could better portray the lives, struggles, and joys of real women? If yes, how in your opinion could that be done?” Good question. And Jen’s response: “Well, young writers, if any are in the room, need to start writing the stories. The stories need to be written, and then we can tell them.” The next question: Do you think it is important for famous women or actresses like you to speak about what’s wrong in Hollywood like sexism and to empower women? Another good question. And Jen’s response: “Yes! Yes indeed. And I think that the conversation has started, it’s become so glaring. Especially in tabloid media. And I think we need to empower women to not just be about dresses and beauty and selfies. We need to start having conversations and put our phones down and get out of social media, take social media breaks. That’s why we’re not seeing the right stories being told, because everyone is stuck in their phones. So empower each other and equality. It’s all it is. It’s being equal.” THAT WASN’T THE QUESTION, Jennifer Aniston! But the way Jennifer Aniston chose to address sexism and gender equality in a room full of young people is to say “write more and put down your phones?” Tell that to the independent female filmmakers who’ve been writing non-stop for a decade, and not on their phones, but can’t get their stories told because there’s a system in place that devalues stories by women about women. And she is one of the people who can be a voice for change in that. Jennifer Aniston has the resources and the influence to rally, to be able to set an example. And she had the opportunity in that space to be the example, to talk about how she’s contributed to creating opportunities for other women, to support diversity, to engage in joining the movement. Instead, she used this particular platform to, once again, advance her personal crusade against tabloid culture and social media. Because IN TOUCH Weekly reporting she’s pregnant when she’s not pregnant is why there’s a gender pay gap and women aren’t getting hired for top level jobs. What is a young filmmaker even supposed to do with that? [Source] [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 1:58 PM [Wonder Woman stands alone] [Gal Gadot and Chris Pine attend the Warner Bros. 'Wonder Woman' Presentation during Comic-Con International 2016 at San Diego Convention Center on July 23, 2016 in San Diego, California] Though they showed off two major superhero teams, the biggest hit of the DC Films portion of Warner Brothers’ presentation was the first trailer for Wonder Woman. It is everything I hoped and dreamed. If this movie turns out bad, if it doesn’t live up to this trailer, I will be heartbroken. We’ve waited a long time for another go at a female-led superhero movie, and Wonder Woman looks like a helluva comeback. I love every second of this trailer. I object to nothing. My only qualm—and it’s MINOR—is that you can still see Zack Snyder’s influence in the speed ramping with the action, and in the too-dark color scheme. But even still, this is much lighter than Superhero Face Punch—Wonder Woman’s costume is virtually unchanged from that movie, but look how much better it looks when not all of the color is drained out. A lot of people on Twitter thought it was a different costume, but no. She could have looked this way in Superhero Face Punch. A friend pointed out that the opening shot of Diana finding Steve Trevor on the beach is straight out of The Little Mermaid, which is all I can see now, but I still really like the instant rapport between Diana and Steve. [Gal Gadot] and [Chris Pine] both look good in the World War I setting, and Chris Pine gets major points for being The Love Interest, and seeming to be genuinely thrilled to be in that role. This trailer has everything—action, humor (LOVE that bit with Etta Candy!), adventure, romance, Diana in that blue dress going for her sword. If Wonder Woman can deliver on all of this, it will be among the best superhero movies. But the best part of the trailer is the exchange between Steve Trevor and Diana when she says, “What I do is not up to you.” I want to tattoo that on my body, it’s a perfect feminist thesis statement. Wonder Woman doesn’t have a credited female writer, so I would like to know who came up with that line. (Somehow I doubt it was Zack Snyder.) This trailer tells us f*ck-all about the plot, but the bit with the WWI soldiers fighting the Amazons on a beach sort of makes it look like once the men on Earth get a look at Diana they decide to invade her home, Themyscira, and then get their asses handed to them for their presumption. Wonder Woman is literally going to war with the patriarchy. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 1:21 PM [Ezra Miller will steal Justice League] [Zack Snyder, actors Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ray Fisher, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa and Henry Cavill attend the Warner Bros. Presentation during Comic-Con International 2016 at San Diego Convention Center on July 23, 2016 in San Diego, California] The other big superhero team Warner Brothers/DC showed off at Comic-Con is the Justice League, with the debut of the first trailer for the movie. Unlike Superhero Face Punch, which was teased for three years, this will be a relatively short wait, as Justice League—no longer “Part 1”—is due next year, in November. And this trailer shows a significant change in tone from Superhero Face Punch, a movie so dour that the jar of piss was its most charming moment. This trailer has humor and camaraderie and people who seem like they actually want to go on an adventure together. Warners/DC has gone the full Marvel. Never mind that they spent three years bragging that they’d be the grown-up “filmmaker driven” superhero studio, Warners has had all the same problems—directors quitting over creative differences (Michelle MacLaren, Wonder Woman), or forced to accept oversight committees (Zack Snyder, Justice League), or ordered to do extensive reshoots that change the tone of their movie from what they signed on originally to make (David Ayer, Suicide Squad). And their solutions have been pretty much the same—diplomat directors, stronger producer input, and empowering a producer-star to be the face of the universe ([Ben Affleck] will be DC’s RDJ). But it’s working, because Justice League doesn’t look bad. Who knows what the f*ck it’s about, and Zack Snyder is notorious for making great trailers for sh*t movies, so I don’t fully trust this, but at least there are genuinely enjoyable moments. The DC movies don’t have to be done in primary colors or be quip-a-minute joke-a-thons like Marvel, but they do need to have a sense of fun and adventure, and it seems like they’ve finally figured that out. I like grizzled Bruce Wayne looking for Aquaman, and Diana grinding Bruce’s gears over not recruiting him. I like that since Superman—who isn’t in this trailer and did anyone even miss him?—is a mopey asshole in this universe, Wonder Woman gets to be the moral heart of the team. And I LOVE that scene between Batfleck and [Ezra Miller] as the Flash. Watch ol’ [TEXTILES] be the breakout star of Justice League. But like I said, you can’t trust Zack Snyder, and there are a couple things that throw up red flags. Number one is the mother box—that thing the weird king is burying—which, at this point, will simply be “DC’s Infinity Stones” to the general public. I don’t know how Warners/DC could avoid it, but is just isn’t going to help that Marvel has already got the “magic Macguffin” market cornered. And then there’s Aquaman. I like the look of Jason Momoa—excepting those dumb contacts—but he reads as “Fish Thor”. They do both play similar roles on the team—fish out of water, played straight but used for comic relief, slightly obscure skill set, weird props—which is all the more reason to NOT court direct comparisons. That bottle-smashing bit is too reminiscent of one of Thor’s [most memorable moments]. ustice League looks promising, but they’ve got to find ways to get out of Marvel’s shadow. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 12:54 PM [Suicide Squad saves the day] [David Ayer, actors Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Viola Davis, Joel Kinnaman, Scott Eastwood, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Cara Delevingne, Adam Beach, and Karen Fukuhara attend the Warner Bros. 'Suicide Squad' Presentation during Comic-Con International 2016 at San Diego Convention Center on July 23, 2016 in San Diego, California] Comic-Con Saturday brought the two big dogs to Hall H, DC and Marvel. DC was up first, with a jam-packed panel that kicked off with Suicide Squad. They had a HUGE push for this movie at the convention, which only adds to the whispers that Suicide Squad, like Superhero Face Punch before it, has gone way over budget. But the centerpiece of all the advertising was the [panel] and the new trailer they premiered. Superhero Face Punch didn’t win over audiences, so it’s down to Suicide Squad to save the year for DC films. And I think it can do it. This trailer—which is edited more like a music video than an actual movie trailer—is slick and fun, hitting the perfect mix of Day Glo action and a darker tone. Warner Brothers wants their DC films to be a more grown-up counterpoint to the primary colored quippy universe of Marvel Studios, and Suicide Squad is the only thing yet seen from them that, I feel, truly defines DC’s cinematic universe as its own distinct thing. I am still a little worried about this movie ultimately being a Guardians of the Galaxy knock-off, and I think audiences are done with “lasers in the sky” finales, but [Margot Robbie] as Harley Quinn is SO fantastic, and [Will Smith] seems to be going full Movie Star as Deadshot. I think people will be very happy with this movie. During the panel people caught [Viola Davis] being [totally done] with [Jared Leto] and his Method sh*t. If you’ve paid the least little bit of attention to Suicide Squad, you’ve heard how Leto [stayed in character] as Joker, how he sent a rat to Margot Robbie, and a dead pig to his co-stars, and basically made him being the Joker the most [obnoxious] thing that’s ever happened to the people who worked with him. Well, if the photos are anything to go by, Viola Davis is 100% done with it. We should start placing bets on whether or not Jared Leto will make it through the press tour without getting punched in the face. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 12:27 PM [Kong: Skull Island…or Tom Hiddleston is so pretty] [Brie Larson and Tom Hiddleston attend the Warner Bros. Presentation during Comic-Con International 2016 at San Diego Convention Center on July 23, 2016 in San Diego, California] The first trailer for Kong: Skull Island was shown at Comic-Con. And I think it was well-received. People seem pretty excited about the special effects and the sound effects (it is indeed very loud) and the glimpses of King Kong who is ENORMOUS. I can’t, however, offer any agreement or disagreement on any of that because I’m too distracted by the lighting of [Tom Hiddleston]. You remember Kristen Stewart in Snow White? How beautifully shot she was in that movie which made sense in hindsight because Rupert Sanders may or may not have been in love with her? This is what’s happening here in the Kong: Skull Island trailer. Tom Hiddleston has borrowed Mariah Carey’s personal director lens (she used this exclusively on herself when she directed her Christmas movie last year). He is glorious in every frame. Except maybe the first time he shows up, right at the 0:23 mark when he gives us the most earnestly Boy Scout Pollyanna expression I’ve seen in decades. I sat in my house and laughed for an hour on Saturday night watching and rewinding that. Then I spent another several minutes shouting at my laptop because, at the 1:15 mark, WHY IS HE SHOOTING WHEN BRIE LARSON IS STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM???? On the subject of [Brie Larson]… She was officially confirmed at Comic-Con to be the new Captain Marvel. Sarah wrote about this [a few weeks ago] and as she pointed out then, Carol Danvers is a veteran pilot, has a lot of military experience, and has the credentials to shush Captain America. Brie Larson is 27 years old. It was an opportunity to actually hire a woman who isn’t in her 20s. Evidently, they decided not to. Attached - Tom and Brie at Comic-Con for Kong: Skull Island. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 11:57 AM [Swoki-free Comic-Con] [Tom Hiddleston at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, July 24, 2016] Comic-Con happened this weekend. We’ll get to all the Comic-Con content through the day. But let’s start with Swoki. Swoki did not make an appearance at Comic-Con this weekend. [Here they are arriving in LA from Australia on Thursday]. [Tom Hiddleston] was in San Diego on Saturday while [Taylor Swift] stayed back in LA, seen at the gym. On Sunday Tom was papped at the Four Seasons, reportedly accompanied by Taylor’s security. So business as usual then. It’s been a week since Gossip Christmas and she’s playing like it’s over, like she’s stopped caring – from someone who’s proved time and again that she never forgets, not until she gets hers. [PEOPLE asked Tom] at Comic-Con about his high profile summer, trying to get him to talk about Taylor. This was his response: "I don't know, it comes down to being authentic. Everything you do you have to make sure you truly believe in it and as long as you know that, it doesn't matter what anyone else says about it because the nature of being a public figure is that everyone will have an opinion about anything you do, and as long as you know why you’ve done something and you've committed to it with authenticity then you're okay. It’s another way of saying what he said a couple of weeks ago when asked about the speculation that he and Taylor were a publicity stunt and he told The Hollywood Reporter that they were very happy and [it’s not a publicity stunt], this time by using the word “authentic”. Which is ironic because it’s Taylor’s authenticity that was called into question after Gossip Christmas. Not just whether or not she lied about approving Kanye West’s Famous but the authenticity of her entire brand. Those recordings confirmed that she spends a lot more time crafting her image and polishing her messages than she lets on – and there’s nothing wrong with that, only she’s always pretended that her “authenticity” was guided by instinct and intuition over strategy. A couple of years ago, a friend of mine sent me an article from the [Harvard Business Review about authenticity in management]. The piece argues that surface authenticity can be a barrier to vision and effective leadership. Entry level authenticity is strictly “introspective”. In celebrity terms, it’s basically the “me” approach to every situation. But “I” was the one who did that. But “I” was the one who made that. But “I” was the one who FELT it. “My” feelings should be honoured. And thus the cycle of narcissism that famous people keep spinning. They are constantly looking inward. Using “authenticity” then becomes a justification for it. “I’m just being me.” In Taylor’s case, she got busted for what “being me” really means when the behind-the-scenes version of “me” didn’t line up with the one presented to us on stage at award shows. The goal, according to the HBR article is to achieve “adaptive authenticity”, supported by “outsight” – for corporate executives, that means evolving authenticity by experience and outside perspective, a challenge for anyone because we all live inside our own heads. And especially for celebrities because they live in heads that are inflated by egos. What’s particularly interesting to me about Taylor’s authenticity crisis is that her authenticity was jeopardised by Kanye West’s wife, someone who, depending on how you look at it, is either the least authentic person in Hollywood or the most authentic person in Hollywood. Least authentic because, frankly, part of the intrigue is wondering what’s real about her show and her life and her family. Most authentic because she’s in on the joke that it’s all bullsh-t anyway. Authenticity, therefore, is neither a weapon nor a weakness. [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 11:32 AM [July 25, 2016 – Smutty Shout-Outs] [Timothy Olyphant for Mary] "To Mary on her 40th birthday, from her gossipy friends. While we know this humble shout-out will in no way compare to a trip to NYC to see Hamilton (THANKS A LOT, LARRY), we hope that it brings you some joy....because we can't have you turning into a damaged detective, no matter how sexy that would be. This past year you conquered TIFF, danced along with Queen Bey, and made it through the car sickness sushi trauma of 2016! You've sealed off your 30s with some huge things - retiring, being a semi-empty-nester, that amazing trip to Costa Rica...and your new decade is already filling up with exciting prospects, from that little trip you have coming up, to working with animals (keeping gum tissue in your freezer was just the start), to maybe a new place to live (though we WILL miss that pool, and we suspect Gus will miss the hot tub). For being a great friend, perfect hostess, Survivor liveblog aficionado (can't forget Earworm and The Pooper!), resident detective (non-damaged variety), and so much more, here are Timothy Olyphant, Idris as Luther, Benedict as Sherlock, and Clive Owen." [Click here for the rest of the photos.] Posted at 11:10 AM [Privacy Policy] - [Unsubscribe]