Newsletter Thursday, September 14, 2017

[LaineyGossip.com - Calling all smuthounds!] Thursday, September 14, 2017 [Intro for September 14, 2017]( [Harrison Ford covers GQ ]( Dear Gossips, I read the new [Harrison Ford GQ profile]( because of the headline about how he punched Ryan Gosling while shooting Blade Runner: 2049, a story Ryan already told GQ last year. By the end of the profile, the Ryan Gosling anecdote was the least interesting part of the article, despite Harrison’s best efforts to not say anything interesting at all. Which is actually the point of the piece – Harrison Ford, a proper movie star, has been doing this a long, long time. He’s already offered as much as he wants to offer. But he needs to promote his movie. So it becomes an exercise in how little to share without being rude. Because he’s certainly not rude here. In fact, he comes across rather thoughtful. At one point, after he keeps dodging the writer Chris Heath’s questions, he then comes back around to ask Chris, “I’m not hurting you, am I?” Isn’t that an interesting way to word the question? And an interesting choice of words? A sensitive choice of words? They’re both there to do their jobs. Hurt feelings aren’t usually on the table. And being concerned with hurting someone usually isn’t the brand of action men. I wonder if that reveals more about Harrison Ford than he intended. Here’s another quote that stood out to me, in response to being asked how he’s most like his father: “I like a good joke. I like a nice glass of scotch. I recognize well-made clothes. And there's also a bit of an unscratchable itch somewhere.” Harrison Ford pays attention to clothes. To tailoring. I like how that detail goes with the scotch. Like as “rugged” as his brand has been, this is a man who also observes a certain old-fashioned elegance. But before you go ahead and assume he hangs out in parlours smoking cigars and looking at his pocket-watch, please be assured that there’s also a restlessness about him and he’d eventually get bored in the salon and would need to get out to the frontier. In other words, the ultimate American male, a citizen and an explorer at the same time. But even Harrison Ford is powerless to the whims of a teenager. This is probably my favourite part of the interview: Ford has four children from his first two marriages and is father to the 16-year-old son of his third wife, Calista Flockhart. As we chat, Ford, in response to something I've asked, shares some fairly inconsequential anecdote about this 16-year-old, then halts himself. His tone shifts, and he starts speaking in that low, patient, unwavering voice that anyone who has seen him on-screen would recognize, the one his character uses when he wants to let it be known that he is about to start fighting back and everyone should be very scared. “And if any reference to him should appear in an interview that I did,” Ford says, of his youngest son, “he'd kill me. Now. In my sleep.” He imagines the headline out loud: “ ‘Tragedy Struck Hollywood Today…’ ” I ask Ford if I might at least repeat what he just said. “Yeah. I suppose,” Ford replies. “Just so he knows I'm thinking about him.” So many times during their discussion, Harrison Ford tells Chris Heath how much he doesn’t give a f-ck, how he messes with studio executives all the time. How he argues with his directors, how often he tells Ridley Scott he’s wrong about the movie they made, the disdain he has for George Lucas’s dialogue. And he can’t piss off a 16 year old. It’s the best. Who will be Harrison Ford? Warren Beatty comes up in the article. And Jack Nicholson and Clint Eastwood. They were talking about age and how Harrison has always been the oldest in Star Wars. And that only those dudes are older than he is. They’ve also all directed. And Harrison has never directed. Probably never will. To get back to the original question though – if George Clooney is Warren Beatty and Leonardo DiCaprio is Jack Nicholson and Mel Gibson maybe is Clint Eastwood, who’s Harrison Ford? Is it Brad Pitt? [Click here]( to read the full feature on Harrison Ford at GQ. Yours in gossip, Lainey [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 1:00 PM [Smutty Social Media, September 14, 2017]( [Build presents Judith Light discussing 'Transparent' at Build Studio on September 13, 2017 in New York City]( [Orlando Bloom](’s hashtag #nodaysoff – and the next question is: Days off from what? I assume he means fitness and not… work. [an evening dip which is something i'm profoundly grateful for #workoutwednesday #nodaysoff #thoughtomostitlookslikeadayoff]( A post shared by Orlando Bloom (@orlandobloom) on Sep 13, 2017 at 6:21pm PDT I wrote about the development of Griselda’s story last summer – I don’t know if anyone will be able to take on the ugliness of her and [turn it into a real character](. These photos are not making me hopeful. [So excited to share the first look as my character, Griselda Blanco, in my upcoming movie, Cocaine Godmother. An incredible story of her notorious life. Link to the @people story in my bio. #lifetime]( A post shared by Catherine Zeta-Jones (@catherinezetajones) on Sep 13, 2017 at 12:44pm PDT [Nicki Minaj]( is on Nas’s arm for his birthday but is she on his arm officially? Or, is he on hers? [About last night.... #goodvibes #virgoseason]( A post shared by Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) on Sep 14, 2017 at 8:44am PDT People think [Olivia Munn]( was sending Aaron Rodgers a message through her friend’s hat. So does this mean he’s sending her a message by continuing to hang out in LA and [live a “Hollywood” life](? [I should've asked @nickswardson to wear his other favorite hat. (Note to all friends: Please remove all sports paraphernalia whilst we hang out.)]( A post shared by Olivia Munn (@oliviamunn) on Sep 13, 2017 at 12:47pm PDT This [Ariel Winter]( interview in [The Hollywood Reporter]( captures so much about young fame, stage parents, and the importance on having people on set that actually care about the child actors as people, not as props. [Thank you so much @hollywoodreporter and Strawberry Saroyan for a beautiful feature💗 I'd also just like to add, I'm so lucky for all the love and support I have around me. One person who wasn't mentioned much for that love and support is my father. He is one of the closest people in my life-- I'm very lucky to have you dad! I love you. Thank you for being there for me always and being so amazing💘 I also want to share the love with my wonderful fans who are constantly supportive and kind. Couldn't appreciate you more! ❤️ #hollywoodreporter]( A post shared by ARIEL WINTER (@arielwinter) on Sep 13, 2017 at 12:28pm PDT I can’t keep up with all of Liam’s insults (I’m just one person, it’s not possible). But I felt particularly inclined to post this one, in which he takes on Noel’s appearance at One Love Manchester and then insults his brother’s wife by calling her a “sh-t Meg.” Meg was Noel’s first wife. NG broke down in tears cmon you seriously ain't buying that he doesn't give a fuck — Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) [September 10, 2017]( Don't buy into his PR stunt he doesn't give a fuck if the same thing had have gone of in Edinburgh he'd been up there like a shot ahem — Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) [September 10, 2017]( Sara what ever your name is don't ever come for me esp with Jeff silly stupid hair cut as you'll get put down as you were LG — Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) [September 10, 2017]( Your just a shit meg as you were LG x — Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) [September 10, 2017]( According to Teen Vogue, Bella Thorne was spotted kissing Lil Peep. (I don’t know what this means, either.) [I have a real fear of elevators.. so what do you do? Face your damn fears and take a photo because or else it didn't happen;)]( A post shared by BELLA (@bellathorne) on Sep 13, 2017 at 11:49am PDT I just included this to annoy Lainey. [Thx for having me @wmag @mario_sorrenti @gucci 🕺🏻🕺🏻🕺🏻]( A post shared by JARED LETO (@jaredleto) on Sep 14, 2017 at 9:25am PDT [Judith Light]( appeared on Laura Brown’s Dirty Laundry web series. The problem with the segment is that Judith Light is so quick and such a strong presence that Laura can’t keep up. I just want to hear Judith talk about shoulder pads and the Tonys. [@CarnegieMellon honors @JudithLight for a lifetime of achievement 📸: @LukeFontana | ( A post shared by Judith Light (@judithlight) on Apr 3, 2017 at 12:50pm PDT [Look to the Light! You know I do. Hilarious heaven human @judithlight, on #DirtyLaundry, 10am! @peopletv Link in bio!]( A post shared by Laura Brown (@laurabrown99) on Sep 14, 2017 at 5:27am PDT [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 7:25 PM [Selena Gomez’s kidney transplant]( [Selena Gomez on set in New York, September 14, 2017]( The major headline this morning is [Selena Gomez](’s major revelation: she had a kidney transplant. Her friend Francia Raisa was the donor. It happened earlier this summer. Apparently Selena’s fans have been wondering why she was “laying low” at the time and it’s because, well, she was having major surgery. Here’s the Instagram post with the explanation – it’s a 3 photo gallery that includes her scar: [I’m very aware some of my fans had noticed I was laying low for part of the summer and questioning why I wasn’t promoting my new music, which I was extremely proud of. So I found out I needed to get a kidney transplant due to my Lupus and was recovering. It was what I needed to do for my overall health. I honestly look forward to sharing with you, soon my journey through these past several months as I have always wanted to do with you. Until then I want to publicly thank my family and incredible team of doctors for everything they have done for me prior to and post-surgery. And finally, there aren’t words to describe how I can possibly thank my beautiful friend Francia Raisa. She gave me the ultimate gift and sacrifice by donating her kidney to me. I am incredibly blessed. I love you so much sis. Lupus continues to be very misunderstood but progress is being made. For more information regarding Lupus please go to the Lupus Research Alliance website: www.lupusresearch.org/ -by grace through faith]( A post shared by Selena Gomez (@selenagomez) on Sep 14, 2017 at 3:07am PDT This is a big f-cking deal, because Selena’s a big name. And she kept this secret. And now it’s not a secret. But for me, there’s an added layer of connection here because my ma also had a kidney transplant 15 years ago. I know a little about this situation. My ma refused my kidney. She even refused to have me do the test to find out the compatibility. Ma was on the wait list for a kidney for years and the call came at 1am one night – and it was a perfect match. Not all kidney transplants are perfect matches and these days, with so much progress made in the field, it doesn’t affect success rates as much. But ma is profoundly superstitious. She talks about her “perfect match” all the time. A new kidney doesn’t mean all clear though. A body can reject what it doesn’t recognise. Anti-rejection medication must be taken to counter that. My ma’s been on anti-rejection drugs ever since the transplant. The doses have gone down but she has to keep taking them and that will most likely be the case for Selena too, in addition to whatever medical maintenance she has for Lupus. Ma used to refer to her kidney as her “baby”, the most precious gift ever. And she is diligent about looking after her “baby”, this organ that keeps her alive that was never supposed to be hers. She said to me once that it’s a tremendous responsibility, that she sees it as a responsibility for two people, for herself and for the donor, to live for both of them. I can’t imagine Selena and Francia don’t have the same bond now. What a beautiful, beautiful act of friendship. Here is Selena on set of her new Woody Allen movie today with co-star Timothee Chalemet. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 6:34 PM [Amber Tamblyn’s ‘Scorched Earth’ for James Woods]( [Amber Tamblyn/James Woods]( On Tuesday, after James Woods dismissed [Amber Tamblyn](’s claim that he tried to pick her up as ‘a lie’, this is how she responded on Twitter: Calling me liar, James? This is now far from over. That I can promise. — Amber Tamblyn (@ambertamblyn) [September 12, 2017]( 24 hours later, Amber published [an open letter to James Woods]( in Teen Vogue. I’m sure you’ve ready it, because it’s been picked up everywhere. It is brief, it is brutal, and it has that telltale mark of honesty – the details are damning but also kind of banal and unremarkable. We’ll come back to that. Unremarkable. Tamblyn’s a good writer. Her ‘see your gaslight and raise you’ line inspired the title of this article, but the letter’s full of great lines, and I can’t help admiring her artistry in the middle of everything else. For example, when she describes Woods’ initial overture, she’s careful to point out that he wasn’t openly leering. Instead, she points out something we all know, but haven’t been able to put our fingers on so succinctly: At one point you suggested we should all go to Las Vegas together. "It's such a great place, have you ever been?" You tried to make it sound innocent. This is something predatory men like to do, I've noticed. Make it sound innocent. Just a dollop of insinuation. Just a hair of persuasion. Just a pinch of suggestion. What a succinct way of pointing out something I’ve always known to be true. That you’ve always known to be true. You’ve played stupid a thousand times, because if you acknowledge you know what that man is getting at, there’s no avoiding how inappropriate it is, and then if you do nothing, you’re complicit. You wonder if you’re imagining the inappropriateness, but you’re not. Because if he weren’t trying to be devious about his intentions, he’d just say them outright, like a million clumsy dudes we have laughed at over the years. It takes practice to be that smooth. To create that plausible deniability. But the most important part of the letter comes just a little later… when she spills on the James Woods predator methodology, in a way that’s both broad and specific: You think, it's not possible, there's no way I would've been so stupid as to hit on a 16-year-old known actress. But I wasn't known then, James. I was just a girl. And I'm going to wager that there have been many girls who were just girls or women who were just women who you've done this to because you can get away with it. What does that remind you of? I’m trying to think of what that last line evokes, give me a second… oh yes: ["When you're a star, they let you do it."]( Of course, ‘let you do it’ means they don’t feel powerful enough to say no, or they say no, but they’re not heard, because they don’t have public voices, or they speak up, but nobody believes them, because they’re not famous. It will not surprise you to know that Tamblyn’s timeline is full of women who say James Woods hit on them as teens too – many even cite the same diner on Sunset. It will not surprise you to know that none of them are household names. That’s what he counts on, and what Tamblyn’s letter tries to point out: they’re unremarkable. Or, more to the point, unverifiable. Strangers. They haven’t been in our homes, on our TV screens, feeling familiar, like James Woods, or Bill Cosby, or Donald Trump… In fact, familiarity comes to play here in many ways. In May, Amber Tamblyn wrote an essay in Lenny Letter that detailed her experience with a predatory casting director as a 13-year-old. Then, as now, people came out of the woodwork to corroborate her story. Surprise. But when we discussed it on [Show Your Work](, I pointed out that Amber Tamblyn is well aware she’s not an A-list actress, and may have less to lose by telling the truth about situations like this. She’s not jeopardizing her position on the short list of stars who can star opposite a leading man in a blockbuster, nor is she worried about being called in to audition for a 5-line part that could get her a green card. She’s got a unique freedom to be able to tell the truth. Privilege, if you will. But privilege with an asterisk: It was Armie Hammer who clapped back at James Woods’ initial tweet implying Call Me By Your Name was pedophilic. Amber Tamblyn just came in to corroborate the hypocrisy. But three days later, the ‘feud’ is synonymous with her name. Her face is the one magazines will put opposite Woods’ in a ‘he said/she said’ layout. She’s the one being dragged by ‘show me the evidence’ proof trolls in comment sections all over the web, and she’s the one who will suffer backlash. Armie Hammer won’t wear any of this. His name’s already been forgotten. (Woods anxiously backpedaled, tweeting that he '[likes Armie Hammer as an actor though. A lot.](') He won’t be called a whistleblower, or a troublemaker, or anything else that associates his name with a quiet ‘maybe let’s see who else is available’. Then again, he didn’t inspire tweets like this, from TV writer and awesome Twitter presence Eric Haywood: James Woods: whew glad that little controversy is over bullet dodged i guess — Amber Tamblyn: [pic.twitter.com/SpC7pfkaux]( — Eric Haywood (@EricHaywood) [September 13, 2017]( Amber Tamblyn isn’t stupid and she’s not new. She knows the ramifications of telling the truth. Of ‘seeing the gaslighting and raising you a scorched earth’. That’s what makes this letter so good, and so noteworthy. She’s either a badass who doesn’t care about possible retribution – or a badass who does care, and is doing it anyway. Like I said, she’s clearly in a position of privilege. She’s wealthy, white, married and well-known. That said, this is what using your privilege can look like – making noises loud enough for everyone to hear. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 6:06 PM [Gary Oldman goes for Oscar in Darkest Hour]( [Gary Oldman attends the 'Darkest Hour' premiere during the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 11, 2017 in Toronto, Canada]( Darkest Hour begins as Neville Chamberlain is forced to resign as Prime Minister on the eve of World War II, and Winston Churchill is selected as his replacement after the more popular Lord Halifax—also a supporter of appeasement—passes up the opportunity. It’s a bit of political maneuvering on Halifax’s part—everyone expects Churchill to fail, and then Halifax can swoop in with a unified party behind him and a plan for peace before him. Of course, we know history, and “Halifax” is not the name everyone remembers today. But Hour is an effective, engrossing film, and even though we know what happens, it still manages to sweep us up in Churchill’s struggle to get everyone to see Hitler for who he really is—a brutal tyrant, a conqueror set on conquering. I did not expect to enjoy as Hour much as I did, but it is, like [Battle of the Sexes](, a film for the times. Films take so long to make there’s no way it’s a response to everything happening now, but just as Sexes benefits from unexpected—and unfortunate—timeliness, so does Hour. [Gary Oldman]( is virtually unrecognizable as Winston Churchill, with his bulldog face and gruff voice, delivering blustery speeches to the public and his cabinet, but plagued by age and doubt in private. Churchill is acutely aware of the expectation of his failure, the lack of support within his own party and from his king, but he also has the unconditional love and support of his wife, Clementine (Kristin Scott Thomas), and the admiration and belief of his underlings, including the war minister, Anthony Eden (Samuel West), and his typist, Miss Layton (Lily James). Director Joe Wright (Atonement, Pride & Prejudice) has a knack for period drama, and even though the world is war-grey and mostly colorless, Hour is detailed and specific, recreating 10 Downing Street and the underground bunker-offices of the war ministry in 1940. It’s not a beautiful film in the sense of lavish and grand, but Hour is tangible in the way of good period recreation. And Wright is a fan of moving cameras, so there are a lot of fun visuals, particularly slow-motion street scenes as Churchill watches the world from the backseat of his car, and yet Wright also knows when to turn the focus onto a singular person or moment. Hour is not as overtly ambitious as, say, Dunkirk—or even Wright’s own Atonement—but it’s every bit as technically accomplished, just in a subtler, less explosion-y way. Where Hour really shines though is in the dialogue. Screenwriter Anthony McCarten (The Theory of Everything) has a splendid subject in Churchill, one of the 20th century’s greatest orators, and McCarten matches Churchill’s actual speeches with his imagined dialogue seamlessly. And that, in turn, gives Oldman plenty to chew on, AND HE DOES. He dives into the speeches and teases out the quieter moments, creating a Technicolor portrait of a man history remembers in black and white. John Lithgow also plays Churchill in The Crown to great effect, but Oldman separates his performance, partly by getting to play a slightly less old Churchill, but mostly because his Churchill is the one who led with conviction through World War II. And this is where Darkest Hour truly shines. Some are desperate not to repeat the horrors of World War I, others are simply weak men who would rather capitulate than face uncertain fate, and stuck between them is Winston Churchill, who for so many years warned of the danger represented by Hitler. King George VI (Ben Mendelsohn, extremely good, as always) faces a similar challenge, as he is asked to decide between remaining in Britain, or retreating to Canada. Hour stumbles slightly in not drawing a stronger line between the king’s decision to remain in England and his change of heart regarding Churchill’s war plans, but the film does capture the slow-forming comradery between the two leaders. This story, however, is all about Churchill, and his determination to fight to the very end. Darkest Hour is a study of age and power, the achieving and decline of both. But it’s also Churchill’s message of strength during struggle, fortitude in the face of doubt, conviction over cowardice, and iron will when surrounded weakness. The climactic moment when he delivers his “We shall fight on the beaches” speech is an actual Captain America-style Nazi-punch, but it’s there in the spirit of his speech. Churchill’s words inspired a nation to resistance in 1940, and they are no less powerful today. For a movie about an old man achieving incredible power, Darkest Hour is exactly the call to resist we need right now. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 5:34 PM [Jennifer and Darren side by side]( [Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky attend the premiere of 'mother!' at Radio City Music Hall on September 13, 2017 in New York City]( [Jennifer Lawrence]( and [Darren Aronofsky]( have been promoting mother! for a couple of weeks – in Venice, in London, in Paris, at TIFF. And they made a point not to stand next to each other at any of the photo calls and red carpets. Until last night at the NY premiere. So here they are, the first official non-pap shots of Jen and Darren side by side. I guess they were saving it for home, New York, where they live. Like a payoff and a reward as we move closer to the film’s opening. Not that the fact that they’re dating is going to sell tickets. This is not Mr & Mrs Smith, please. Is it just me? Sorry, I’m still not feeling it. At this point, I’m convinced that the only person feeling it is Joanna. Joanna might be the only person in the world shipping this relationship. More interesting – at least to me – is that Jennifer wore a dress that’s almost identical to the one she’s wearing in the poster. I mean if we want to get really speculative about hidden meanings here, I suppose we could wonder whether or not this is a clue. Like is she pregnant in real life? It’s an inevitable rumour, until she shows up on Amy Schumer’s Instagram drinking another beer. What I’m more interested in is Jennifer Lawrence + [Emma Stone](. Did you see that awkward hug between them in Toronto? [Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone have a somewhat awkward moment at the Variety Studio | #VarietyStudio presented by @att #TIFF17]( A post shared by Variety Magazine (@variety) on Sep 11, 2017 at 4:38pm PDT Not exactly [the unicorn photo]( that Joanna was waiting on. But then, last night, this happened: [After the "mother!" premiere on Tuesday night, #JenniferLawrence hung out with her friend #EmmaStone at the after party!]( A post shared by Just Jared (@justjared) on Sep 13, 2017 at 11:36pm PDT Missing Brie Larson to complete that group text but Emma showed up to support her friend. And it’s not like Emma needs to show up for Jennifer Lawrence to advance anything for herself. The awkward hug then was probably about being observed. As Joanna noted in her post [about the friendship](, it hasn’t been performed publicly the way other famous friendships have been. With all those cameras around and knowing that they were a heatscore in that moment, it would have been similar to being in a romantic situation in public. Much more pressure than a still photo. That said, mother! opens this weekend and Battle Of The Sexes, Emma’s film, opens next Friday. Two friends, of the same age vintage, both recent Oscar winners, with well-reviewed films releasing so close together. Totally different projects, yes. But I’m kind of interested to see what those box offices look like. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 4:30 PM [Angelina’s week of good press]( [Angelina Jolie covers PEOPLE Magazine ]( First They Killed My Father premieres on Netflix tomorrow. [Angelina Jolie]( was in Toronto on Sunday and Monday with Loung Ung and her kids to promote the film and in New York yesterday for more press. She’s also on the cover of the new issue of PEOPLE and there’s a new interview with the New York Times. It’s been just 5 weeks since [the controversy]( over Angelina’s [cover story with Vanity Fair](. It was her first major interview since World War Brange. And it was an uncharacteristic media misstep from someone who has played the media game so well for more than a decade. Her job this week, then, was first to generate publicity for her film. And also to regroup after the Vanity Fair stumble. And of course Angelina Jolie knows how to regroup. It was pretty much a fait accompli after First They Killed My Father screened at Telluride, with critics calling it her best directorial effort and a possible contender for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. Regrouping almost wasn’t necessary by the time arrived at TIFF, wearing white on the red carpet for The Breadwinner, with several of her children beside her, impressing and [awing even the cynical press](. Everybody needs insurance though, especially since festival coverage can get rather niche. Which brings to this [PEOPLE exclusive](, not just an interview with Angelina but with Maddox, his first ever. “I’m a little bit stronger” is the headline on the cover of the magazine, next to that face, that ridiculous crazy beautiful face. A little bit stronger? Angelina Jolie’s strength hasn’t been questioned, not for a long, long time. The MiniVan Majority has almost held it against her though as she’s always been too intimidating to be a friend candidate, unlike the Jennifers. The only common ground then, if there is to be any, is motherhood. The children. So this is what Angelina’s leaning on in this interview, her dedication to her children, especially during these “difficult times”. Through these difficult times, we’ve seen the children time and again with their mother. Only with their mother. Now we’re hearing from one of the children. Maddox [is speaking about his mother](: “[She’s] fun, funny, and easy to work with. She’s a wonder.” This is how Maddox described her to PEOPLE. And it’s not just her own children she’s connecting with in the feature. In addition to making herself and her son available for interviews, she also agreed to answer questions from kids: This is classic Jolie, tailoring her presentation to a specific audience, trying to show that she has a “lighter” side, and taking her experience as a mother directly to the judgiest forum for mothers. After all, you can’t ignore that she is the one who’s been with the kids and that the kids undeniably want to be with her. No one can say they were faking it at those two premieres here in Toronto. The kids also make an appearance in the [New York Times]( piece. Knox is the one who comes to tell his mother that Shiloh needs her because her bearded dragon is sick. That’s the point we keep coming back to: her children need her, in a larger more emotional sense and for the day-to-day dramas that fill a childhood. The takeaway here is that it’s Angelina who’s around for all of them and that’s her priority whether or not you believe her, as she tells the NY Times that: “I never expect to be the one that everybody understands or likes. And that’s OK, because I know who I am, and the kids know who I am.” There it is again, the tailoring of presentation to audience. This is not the kind of quote that appeared in the PEOPLE story, for the MiniVan Majority. To PEOPLE she’s telling them where they can relate to her. In the NYT she’s saying if they can’t, well, she doesn’t give a sh-t. It’s the NYT audience that is more likely to turn on Netflix this weekend and choose First They Killed My Father. It’s the PEOPLE audience she might need though if she’s pursuing an Oscar. And this week, she reached out to both. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 3:40 PM [TIFF Review: The Killing of a Sacred Deer]( [Colin Farrell and Nicole Kidman attend the 'The Killing of a Sacred Deer' premiere party hosted By Grey Goose Vodka and Soho House on on September 9, 2017 in Toronto, Canada]( (Lainey: Did we mention [Nicole Kidman]( is [riding a wave](?) Yorgos Lanthimos makes films so surreal they are almost impossible to describe. He’s not a visual surrealist so much as an emotional surrealist, his stories taking you into bizarre worlds and twisted circumstances. A Lanthimos film is a horror movie without a slasher, and while his films are definitely not for everyone, if you’re into hopelessly strange cinema then the rewards are myriad. His latest film, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, is his second English language work, following The Lobster. He works once again with [Colin Farrell](, who once again does some of his best work. Farrell is particularly calibrated to Lanthimos’ desired effect of flat, monotone performances that serve to highlight the utter strangeness of his stories. Nicole Kidman is also along, as the one actor allowed to express emotions above Lanthimos’ monotonous plane, which gives the story just enough reality to be extra creepy and weird. A Lanthimos film always revolves around an elaborate conceit, and in Deer it’s that the Murphy family has been cursed. To say any more is to ruin the joy of watching, but this is a Yorgos Lanthimos film, so the curse involves an impossible choice and moral quandary. Farrell stars as Steve Murphy, a neurologist, and Kidman is his wife, Anna, an ophthalmologist. They have two children, Kim (young Snow White from Snow White and the Huntsman, a little older and absolutely superb), and Bob (Sunny Suljic, tolerable). A third party to their family is Martin (Barry Keoghan, Dunkirk), with whom Steve has a mysterious relationship. Are they illicit lovers? Is Martin an illegitimate child? Nothing is clear until Lanthimos wants it to be clear. Lanthimos is a filmmaker of supreme confidence—these kinds of high concept films don’t work without a healthy regard for your own philosophy—and working with his usual collaborators, including co-writer Efthymis Filippou, cinematographer Thimios Bakatakis, and editor Yorgos Mavropsaridis, Lanthimos delivers a vision so harrowing it’s almost spiteful. Throughout TIFF I’ve heard people describe Deer as “mean”, but it’s not mean, at least, not like [mother!]( is mean. Deer isn’t forgiving, and it is about, more or less, spite and revenge, but what saves it from outright meanness is the surrealism of the exercise. Deer is a thought experiment, the ending only one of several possible. (That the most obvious solution isn’t even discussed says something about the inherent selfishness of the characters.) It’s not lording secret knowledge over the audience—everything is presented explicitly and we are invited to think about the options just as the Murphys do. The thought experiment of Deer examines parenthood, but with a different approach than Dogtooth. In that film, parents are cruel and torturous; in Deer, they’re helpless. Parenting is presented as an impossible task, a Sisyphean hurdle in which f*cking up your children is unavoidable. Deer isn’t quite as bleak as Dogtooth, either, but there is a sense of inevitability that plagues the story, especially as Steve and Anna are divided between inaction and action, which exposes some fundamental cracks in their seemingly perfect (slightly kinky) relationship. It also exposes the sibling rivalry between Kim and Bob, and nothing is easy and no one is quite happy. World-building is non-existent in a Yorgos Lanthimos film, so if you need a concrete answer to how and why, maybe skip this movie. There is no grand explanation for what’s going on in Deer. But if you can accept Lanthimos’ premise for the exercise it is, and if you can roll with the concept, surreal as it may be, then maybe give this a shot. I can’t promise you will like The Killing of a Sacred Deer, but you will definitely have an opinion about it. Also, don’t watch this trailer because it gives too much away. [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 2:47 PM [Nicole Kidman: riding the wave]( [Nicole Kidman attends 'The Upside' premiere during the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival at Roy Thomson Hall on September 8, 2017 in Toronto, Canada]( [Nicole Kidman]( is one of the savviest stars I've ever seen walk a red carpet. If she's going to show up - she'll make it worth her time, and your time (for the press). She'll serve it in the photo department and she'll bring the love too, if her husband [Keith Urban]('s schedule aligns with hers. The first time I ever saw her "work" in person was last Friday night at the premiere of The Upside. Nobody really knew much about the movie going into the premiere, save for that it was a remake of the major international success, The Intouchables, starring Omar Sy. This time around, Kevin Hart (Dell) becomes an unlikely ally and straight-talking caretaker of quadriplegic [Bryan Cranston]( (Phillip), a wealthy man and author with all of the money in the world but none of the emotional ties. Nicole plays Yvonne, Phillip's business manager. Though it all starts as a con to fool Dell's parole officer (or get somebody with nothing to lose to sign the DNR for Phillip), this movie has the most heart of anything I've seen at TIFF so far, with the exception of Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool. A friend of mine with ties to the production gave me the heads up that it would have a The Blind Side appeal, but under the guise of a buddy comedy. She was right. They don't make movies like this anymore. But let's go back to Nicole. Knowing we (the press) were basically going blind into the movie, but that she had big things ahead (ahem, her first Emmy win for Big Little Lies), she used the red carpet as an opportunity to sell her stardom. She and Keith were serving the relationship porn. And it wasn't just for show either, from a few feet away and even from afar, they definitely have a strong bond together. Standing in front of them, trying to do your job in front of them, you feel it. Cranston is pretty beloved, but none of the cheers he received compared to the ones Nicole got. While I didn't cover the Lion carpet last year, I don't remember it having nearly as much hype before anybody screened it. In fact, the movie kind of had some stink on it [until it screened](. It was also an underestimated Weinstein production, much like The Upside. It's amazing how much can change in one year, between TIFFs. Nicole was coming back into the festival as a beloved A-Lister riding a high, who could very well receive her first Emmy. She and Keith held hands for the entire red carpet. He did every interview with her, and even when she was being given the wrap by her handlers, she would keep talking. She would square her body to the reporter, send her message and tailor it to each outlet, with her eyes making note of hitting each international outlet to give them something they can write to, even if it was just an "it's amazing." She can control the story because she knows what to give. .[@BryanCranston](, Nicole Kidman & Keith Urban (held hands the whole time!) with [@DSoltendieck]( on [#theupside]( [#TIFF17]( premiere. Amazing carpet! [pic.twitter.com/5LJ4zc0y17]( — Joanna Adams (@nowstarringTO) [September 9, 2017]( Oh, and when you tell her she's having a moment as etalk’s Devon Soltendieck and I did, she's very quick to thank you, and remind you that things haven't always been this easy for her. Careers are about riding waves, she told us. She'll talk to the press about having somebody to share this moment with rather than doing it all alone (as one could infer she did when she won the Oscar for The Hours), and she'll be very open and upfront about her desire to keep working in whatever medium will have her, so long as it's good work. The only other person I've seen with this much game as they're about to have a "moment" or have a big personal milestone? Reese Witherspoon on the red carpet of The Good Lie back at TIFF in 2014. It looks effortless from them both. Coincidence, or conspiracy? What, like it's hard to know how to maximize your press, or your moment? This is the game, and these two are here to play. Reese and Nicole, of course, are the ones who not only convinced Liane Moriarty to give them the rights to Big Little Lies, but as Nicole reminded Devon and me on Friday, she also helped convince HBO to give the show a shot. She just slipped that detail in there when we were talking about her "moment" and whether 2017 has been kind to Nicole Kidman or whether Nicole Kidman [has been kind to 2017](. Clearly, it's both. Reese and Nicole were also side-by-side at the [Hand in Hand telethon this week](. Reese's movie Home Again is in theatres now, but as a die-hard fan of Nancy Meyers and her progeny (I promise there are things I really, really don't like or don't engage with, like Game of Thrones) who has been hard at work and haven't had a free night since it came out... well, even I haven't seen it. So it didn’t hurt for Reese to be photographed with Nicole, looking powerful together even with the height difference. Reese was riding Nicole's wave at the telethon. And on Sunday, they could be holding hands at the Emmys together. Where Nicole will likely win, as much as I love Jessica Lange's work in Feud. Nicole just has the momentum on her side. And it probably won’t end at the Emmys. Nicole's the one who got the loudest applause in the theatre for the screening of The Upside. Audiences are in love with her now and so are her peers. Everybody wants to be associated with somebody who is making great choices. It looks as though The Upside could be another great choice. We were warned by director Neil Burger before the screening that A) the movie wasn't finished B) this may not be the final cut C) it's a Weinstein production, (haha) and may or may not come out in March. Then came the raves. The film started 40 minutes late (because the red carpet went long, and the film beforehand started late too), which put a lot of press in a bad mood or lowered their expectations. And then... they ended up loving the movie. While the premiere was last Friday night, this project has buzz. It was only yesterday that The Hollywood Reporter ran a story about how The Upside could be a great contender at the Globes [if the studio chooses to move its release date](. If you read into that, it could be more like, well, if the studio chooses to capitalize on Nicole's high... and all that applause. I would shuffle the deck to make this work. Wouldn't you? Especially when Bryan Cranston [has an "OMG" reaction]( to every Big Little Lies moment (they were shooting The Upside as the show was airing, so they'll be forever linked). So, back to that wave -- this Emmy is +clearly+ hers to lose. I spent almost all of August working on an Emmy Guide for etalk. It re-airs again over the weekend on CTV in Canada. Here's a clip that seems even more prescient now that I've seen Nicole in the wild. Will Nicole win her first [#emmy]( for [#biglittlelies]( [@DanielleGraham]( thinks so. [#etalkEmmys]( [#Emmys2017]( [pic.twitter.com/FbT31mrQlT]( — etalk (@etalkCTV) [August 31, 2017]( [Click here for the rest of the photos.]( Posted at 2:08 PM [Privacy Policy]( - [Unsubscribe](