Bozo the Clown Entertainer Dies at Age 89
Bozo the Clown entertainer and television personality Frank Avruch has died at age 89.
Avruch's family said in a statement to WCVB-TV that Avruch passed away Tuesday from heart disease at his Boston home. Avruch played Bozo the Clown from 1959 to 1970 and was the first nationally-syndicated Bozo the Clown. Bozo is a clown character who was especially popular in the 1960s.
Avruch also hosted “Man About Town” and “The Great Entertainment" for more than 40 years for WCVB-TV, and was a board member of UNICEF’S New England chapter, for whom he toured the world performing as Bozo the clown.
Street Fighter TV Series in the Works
A new television series based on Street Fighter is in development.
According to Deadline, Entertainment One (eOne) has secured a deal to finance, produce, and develop a TV adaptation of Capcom's hit fighting game franchise.
Additionally, the crew behind the live-action 12-episode web series Street Fighter: Assassin's Fist—including Joey Ansah, Jacqueline Quella, and Mark Wooding—will executive produce. Ansah wrote and directed Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist, and Wooding and Quella produced the project. For our thoughts on the series, read IGN's Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist review.
One Easter Egg ‘Shocked’ the Ready Player One Screenwriter
Zak Penn, co-writer of the Ready Player One screenplay, said he was "shocked" when he spotted an Easter egg referencing his 90s movie, Last Action Hero, in the film.
Penn co-wrote the screenplay for Ready Player One, along with the book's author, Ernie Cline. Apparently Penn wasn't on board with the idea of including a reference to his work, but Cline slipped it in anyway, reports io9.
The Easter egg appears in the opening of the film, on a theater marquee that the film's race sequence — one of the main challenges of the film's key-hunting narrative — speeds past showing Jack Slater 3. Jack Slater was Arnold Schwarzenegger's character in Last Action Hero, a movie Penn co-wrote with Adam Leff. Slater is brought into the real world by a boy with a magic theatre ticket, and even meets Schwarzenegger at the premiere for the latest Jack Slater film. It's all very meta and self-aware, a fitting progenitor to Ready Player One's referential world.
Former Daredevil Boss Wants to Make a Moon Knight Show
Before he took over the directing reins of the Pacific Rim franchise from Guillermo del Toro, Pacific Rim Uprising helmer Steven S. DeKnight served as the showrunner on the first season of Marvel-Netflix's Daredevil. Although he's no longer a part of the Netflix MCU, DeKnight told me during a recent phone interview that there's another Marvel character he would like to adapt for them if the opportunity ever arose.
"I wouldn’t mind taking a crack at Moon Knight at some point," DeKnight said, citing his slate of upcoming projects as the only big impediment to him returning to the Marvel-Netflix fold one day.
"There are so many characters that I love in the Marvel universe. Really, for me, it would be about schedule. My schedule these days, as you imagine, is a little tight. God, you know, when I signed onto Daredevil, I expressed an interest in Iron Fist and the Punisher, which I both loved. I’d love to see Moon Knight get a little bit of love. Great, great character."
Spielberg Doesn’t Think Netflix Movies Should Get Oscars
Steven Spielberg doesn't think original movies from streaming platforms, including Netflix and Hulu, should be eligible to get nominated and potentially win Oscars.
In an interview with ITV News (via ScreenCrush), the filmmaker spoke about streaming giants like Netflix making their own films now and how that affects the movie industry. In Spielberg's view, since these movies are consumed via a television format, they should only get Emmys instead.
"But in fact, once you commit to a television format, you’re a TV movie," Spielberg said, speaking about movies from streaming services. "You certainly, if it’s a good show, deserve an Emmy, but not an Oscar. I don’t believe the films that are just given token qualifications in a couple of theaters for less than a week should qualify for the Academy Award nomination."
Netflix Steps up Its Horror Game with Requiem
Netflix’s Requiem is a bone-chilling new series the streaming service co-produced with BBC One, that blends psychological horror with a cold case twist. U.S. streamers can check out all 6-episodes at your own risk on March 23rd.
Requiem begins with professional cellist Matilda Gray (Lydia Wilson) witnessing her mother’s horrific suicide first-hand. Traumatized by the event, Matilda searches for clues that might help her understand why her mom would choose to end her own life.
During her investigation, Matilda uncovers evidence that could link her mother to a 20-year-old unsolved missing persons case involving an infant girl named Carys. This leads Matilda and her friend Hal (Joel Fry), on a journey away from the bustling streets of London, to the lush Welsh countryside in search of answers...And this is where the story gets weird...In a good way!
The Spice Girls Are Making an Animated Superhero Movie
The Spice Girls are reuniting for an animated superhero film. The former band-mates will be lending their likeness and voices to the project, which will focus on the Spice Girls' message of "girl power."
Variety reports the news via a source of the site, who says the film is currently in need of a production partner, and that all five women are “fired up about the idea,” adding "the Spice Girls are thinking big in terms of a franchise on a global scale. They’re the most successful girl group on the planet. It’s just what Marvel or Disney needs.”
Each character will have a unique "girl power" that corresponds to her personality. For those of you too young, or uninterested, to remember the lineup, the band included Sporty Spice (Melanie Chisholm), Baby Spice (Emma Bunton), Scary Spice (Melanie Brown), Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell), and Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham).
A Visual History of Nightwing in 35 Images
Dick Grayson is undoubtedly one of the most popular heroes in DC's massive stable. Sure, he may have started out as a mere sidekick to the world's most popular superhero, but he managed to branch out on his own and establish a new identity as Nightwing. That struggle looks to be at the heart of Titans, an upcoming TV series featuring a new take on DC's teen heroes.
To celebrate the 2018 debut of Titans, we thought now would be a good time to look back at the many incarnations of Dick Grayson over the years as both Robin and Nightwing. Check out our slideshow to see how the character's look has evolved in the comics, movies, TV series and video games.
For more on the DC superhero team, check out IGN's deep dive into the history of the Teen Titans. Titans is expected to debut alongside Young Justice: Season 3 as part of DC's new streaming service in 2018. Here's how the series could unite the Arrowverse and DC Extended Universe.
MoviePass Drops Monthly Price to Under $7 for Limited Time
MoviePass has announced it will be dropping its monthly price.
A subscription to the theater-based subscription service—which allows users to see one movie a day for a monthly fee—is dropping from $9.95 to $6.95 a month. The offer will only last for a limited time, but the service did not announce when the reduced price would end.
The $6.95 subscription will only be available for new subscribers. Current subscribers will continue paying $9.95 a month for their MoviePass subscription.
“Our vision has always been to make the movie going experience easy and affordable for anyone, anywhere,” said CEO Mitch Lowe. “With the current growth and support that we’ve seen within the last several months, our studio and exhibitor revenues and other marketing partnerships have motivated us to lower the price once again, offering movie lovers greater access to MoviePass.”
Mark Hamill Wants a Star Wars Horror Movie About a Force Ghost
With the Star Wars Story movies now offering a wider palette of film genres to play with, Mark Hamill thinks the Star Wars franchise could move into new territory - and he has one particular idea he's pining for.
"You know what I'd love to see?", the Luke Skywalker actor told IGN in an interview. "A Force Ghost that's, like, actually frightening. Not somebody that's beatifically smiling down from the clouds or coming to give exposition - you know, a ghost is scary! But we'll see. My work here is done."
It wasn't the only idea he offered. When we asked what ideas for new Star Wars genres he had, Hamill reeled off a list:
"Well I lean towards comedy, you know one of my favourite movies is It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, which is all about greed and the extremes that people go to for material gain. But you know, I wonder if there's a movie that could follow the model of, like, the English Patient. It'd probably be a challenge. What about a Gothic Romance, or something with supernatural elements?"