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“Weird Al” Yankovic has five Grammys, an Emmy, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and the first comedy album to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. He’s a living pop culture legend — and he’s probably the only such artist who could get generations of fans excited by releasing a polka. But here were are in the year 2024, “Weird Al” is back with “Polkamania,” and we couldn’t be more pumped to get down with the oom-pah-pah.

“Polkamania” arrives to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Mandatory Fun, “Weird Al’s” last album and his only No. 1 record. The mashup marks his first polka medley since he contributed “The Hamilton Polka” to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamildrop” series in 2018, and his first to feature songs from different artists since Mandatory Fun’s “Now That’s What I Call Polka.”

This time around, he’s given the accordion makeover to...

Some things never get old. It’s been years since One Direction went on a hiatus soon after Zayn Malik left the group. At that time, the band was at the top of its game, having released 5 studio albums since they were formed in 2010. Though all of them have fared well since the split, arguably none of them managed to reach the heights that One Direction had scaled. The One Direction name still holds a special place in fans’ hearts. Simon Cowell found that out the hard way.

Simon Cowell regrets not having control over the name ‘One Direction’

Simon Cowell wanted to have control of the name ‘One Direction’ l Author: Eva Rinaldi Credits: Wikimedia Commons

While speaking to Stephen Bartlett on an episode of The Diary of a CEO podcast, Simon Cowell was asked an oft repeated question – can we expect One Direction to return? Replying in the negative,...

In addition to Bambi: The Reckoning, which is part of the Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey universe, another upcoming Bambi horror movie has been announced this week.

A gory horror-comedy that pays tribute to the slasher movies of the ’80s and ’90s, Bambi horror movie Bampire was just launched on Indiegogo, and we’ve got your first look.

Directed by Taylor Morden (The Last Blockbuster) and written by Zoë Wassman, the indie film is said to feature “heart-wrenching live action performances, hand-drawn animation by Josh Stifter (A24 and Kevin Smith’s Tusk), practical gore by award-winning fx artist Trysta Kelley, a claymation sequence from effects supervisor Webster Colcord, and even diegetic VHS footage from an in-world camera.”

Writer Zoë Wassman teases, “Picture Evil Dead 2 meets Who Framed Roger Rabbit.”

Bampire (produced by Path Films and Popmotion Pictures) features appearances by Diane Franklin, Greg Sestero, and Troma’s own Lloyd Kaufman...

Myke Towers has positioned himself as one of the top Latin rappers and reggaetoneros. With his fourth album, Lveu: Vive La Tuya…No La Mía, the Puerto Rican artist proves that he’s an all-around Latin pop star. Towers finds a happy medium between the rap and perreo of his previous albums while pushing his music into exciting, unexpected territory. On top of that, he pulls it all off alone without assists from feature acts.

With his 2021 LP Lyke Mike, Towers established himself as a Latin rap phenom. His follow-up,...

Shining a light on the insidious child sex trade and the lives it seeks to destroy, director Gabriella A. Moses (“Sin Raíces”) exposes a Dominican community complicit by way of young Desi (Scarlet Camilo), an adolescent girl who dreams of parlaying her nascent musical talents into a full-fledged singing career.

“Boca Chica” takes place in a once serene beachside town, now bustling with foreign tourists. Desi, 12, works at the family restaurant alongside her aunt Nena ( Xiomara Rodríguez) and mother Carmen (Lía Chapman), constantly exposed to unwanted advances and crude comments from older men, both visiting and homegrown.

Music is her escape and, one day, she stumbles across a group of local rappers that set themselves apart from the scene. Her passions begin to boil to the surface as she seeks to avoid the common fate of growing mature before her time and falling prey to the morally bankrupt adults in...

Exclusive: Kate del Castillo is set to lead the ViX comedy feature Es Por Tu Bien which just kicked off production in Mexico. The project is produced by 3Pas Studios.

The film’s logline reads as follows, “Horrified by the new girlfriends of their respective sons, three sisters-in-law – Clara (Consuelo Duval), a socialite, Matis (Mónica Huarte), a widowed professional, and Nena (del Castillo), a naive housewife – make an alliance to get rid of their undesirable daughters-in-law. It’s for their own good.”

Es Por Tu Bien also stars José Eduardo Derbez, Ana Sofía Gatica, Ana González Bello, Fernando Memije, Michael Ronda, Victor Huggo Martin.

“We’re very excited to have some of the biggest names in Mexican comedy, Consuelo, Monica, Jose Eduardo, to make this wonderful film with 3pas’ signature humor and heart. And audiences are going to be very surprised by iconic Kate del Castillo doing comedy,...

Morale following the breakdown of the negotiations between the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers and SAG-AFTRA on Wednesday evening seemed depleted as actors and supporters walked back and forth in front of Hollywood studios, carrying “SAG-AFTRA on Strike!” signs that have been omnipresent at company entrances over the past three months.

Outside of Netflix in Hollywood, there was a lively, crowded atmosphere with DJ Evan Shafran spinning tunes, while multiple members of the negotiating committee were present. Duncan-Crabtree-Ireland gave a short speech, while “one day longer/one day stronger” chants rang through the air.

Presence at studios like Amazon, Sony, Disney (which hosted a pumpkin carving and bracelet-making station) and Warner Bros., however, seemed more muted than on many other days: no bulging crowds spilling into the streets, and fewer food and coffee trucks than before. It was comedy day on the Warner Bros. picket line. There were...

Tl;Dr:

A Rolling Stones concert in West Berlin inspired the premise of Nena’s “99 Luftballons.” Nena said the song was supposed to promote peace and wasn’t meant to be a political song. “99 Luftballons” was prevented from topping the Billboard Hot 100 by a Van Halen track. The Rolling Stones | Gary Gershoff / Contributor

Nena’s “99 Luftballons” is one of the most unique classic rock songs of the 1980s. During an interview, one of the song’s writers said a Rolling Stones concert inspired him to craft “99 Luftballons.” The tune became a huge hit in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Nena’s ’99 Luftballons’ was inspired by balloons released at a Rolling Stones concert

“99 Luftballons” is a song about how soldiers seeing some unidentified balloons escalates into nuclear war. According to a 2016 Salon article, a Rolling Stones concert in West Berlin inspired the unusual song.

During the concert, someone released some balloons into the air.

Production has wrapped on Txl Films’ “Nomad,” featuring Leo Woodall, breakout star of HBO’s Emmy-winning series “The White Lotus,” and Sana’a Shaik (“2067”).

The film tells the story of a mysterious loner (Woodall) with a bizarre condition that takes him inexplicably to the ends of the earth. When he crosses paths with a stifled city girl (Shaik), they are plunged into a fight for survival that takes them across every continent.

“Nomad” is from writer-director Taron Lexton, known for “In Search of Fellini” (2017). The film is unique in that it is one of the few films that shot across all seven continents, like Jacques Perrin, Jacques Cluzaud and Michel Debats’ Oscar nominated documentary “Winged Migration” (2001).

Lexton filmed “Nomad” entirely on location across 26 countries, with its two lead actors and a traveling crew of just eight. The project was filmed in Imax on Arri cameras and lenses with no green screen,...

As she progressed in her burgeoning career Emma Branderhorst was pulled to direct a film which not only suited her style but which she had an emotional connection to. Ma Mère et Moi (My Mother and I) came to fruition after she bravely pulled out of a project which she didn’t feel entirely invested in and is a reflection of her passion for filmmaking and telling stories which mean something to her. Ma Mère et Moi follows Kees and her mother on a road trip from the Netherlands to France where their incredibly strong, but perhaps unhealthy, relationship is about to change irrevocably as they part ways. Branderhorst has a strong focus on character driven films which sees her draw you into the worlds she creates with close-up camera work and her personal unflinching gaze. Branderhorst was first featured on Dn with her Oscar-qualifying short Spotless, an impressively forthright...

Adam DeVine's Bumper Allen started out as the antagonist of the first "Pitch Perfect" film, but has since evolved into the star of the popular trilogy's spin-off series for Peacock, "Bumper in Berlin." The show sees Bumper trying to revitalize his waning singing career after "Pitch Perfect 2" star Pieter Krämer (Flula Borg) informs him that a TikTok mashup he's made of "Take On Me" by A-ha and "99 Luftballons" by Nena is going viral in Germany. Hoping to capitalize on his 15 minutes of fame, Bumper moves to Berlin to try and grow his budding fanbase with Pieter as his manager. His arrival brings a new host of characters, including Pieter's sister Thea (Lera Abova), who makes music under the name "DJ Das Boot." Bumper feels out of place at first, but quickly finds an ally in Pieter's American assistant, Heidi (Sarah Hyland), a budding singer-songwriter in her own right.

Cameron Crowe on Marc Bolan and T. Rex in Ethan Silverman’s Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan & T. Rex: “A little bit of Eddie Cochran and a little bit of like futurism and it felt so fresh …” Photo: Neal Preston

In my wide-ranging conversation with Ethan Silverman we discuss why he is indebted to Cameron Crowe, Hal Willner’s work on Kurt Weill, the gift from producer Bill Curbishley of Def Leppard’s Joe Elliott, Cole Porter, Danny Fields, Beth Orton, Joan Jett, David Bowie, Nick Cave, Snarky Puppy, and Ethan’s interest in Weill, Lotte Lenya, and Bauhaus projects. On-camera comments by Billy Idol, Bono, The Edge, Elton John, Nena, Ringo Starr, Gloria Jones, Rolan Bolan, Richard Barone, Tony Visconti, Bowie, and Crowe provide unique context on the cultural importance of Marc Bolan.

Ethan Silverman with Anne-Katrin Titze: “Hal Willner created probably one of my top five favourite albums of all time.

Exclusive: Season 2 of Ana is set to premiere via Pantaya on July 22nd in the United States including Puerto Rico. Deadline can exclusively reveal a first-look at Season 2 in the photo above.

The six-episode comedy, loosely based on the life of series creator and star Ana de la Reguera, will also be available via Amazon Prime.

When audiences last saw Ana, she was reeling after realizing her dream gig portraying Morticia Adams wasn’t all she imagined.

When Season 2 picks up approximately a year later, Ana is working in Los Angeles on a TV series reminiscent of a bad 90’s sitcom. Yes, she’s working steadily, but what does that matter when you’re unhappy?

“Ana is working on this new series in Season 2 and she is absolutely miserable,” de la Reguera tells Deadline exclusively. “I really feel that the best comedy comes from people’s misery,...

"If something were to happen, is it worth risking what we have?" Gravitas has released an official trailer for an indie romantic dramedy film called First Blush, marking the feature directorial debut of former TV associate producer Victor Neumark. The film hasn't hit any festivals or shown up anywhere else, and is just getting dumped on VOD next month for any that are curious. Nena and Drew are a young, happy-ish married couple whose relationship is thrown off its axis when they meet Olivia. The trio's attraction to each other is undeniable, but when they become romantically involved they struggle to navigate the complexities of a polyamorous relationship. Starring Rachel Alig, Ryan Caraway, and Kate Beecroft. These love triangle / open relationship films always try to spunk and hip, but always end up a mess. Just like the relationship. Here's the first official trailer ( two posters) for Victor Neumark's First Blush,...

The more emotion-driven a TV series or movie, the more important the soundtrack. And boy is Normal People, the Hulu adaptation of Sally Rooney’s wildly popular novel of the same name, driven by the emotion of its characters and world.

Normal People follows Marianne and Connell’s complicated relationship as they move from being teenagers at a small town in western Ireland into young adulthood at Dublin’s Trinity College, and showrunner Ed Guiney, directors Lenny Abrahamson and Hettie Macdonald, music supervisors Juliet Martin and Maggie Phillips, and editor Nathan Nugent have done an impressive job crafting the music landscape for this world.

“We were trying all sorts of tracks ourselves,” said Abrahamson, who mentioned Martin, Phillips, Nugent, and himself as the chief collaborators in the process. “So, as well as the work that Stephen Rennicks, the composer, was doing, it was just, again, a very organic kind of collaboration.

Nick Cave shared a tender interpretation of T. Rex’s “Cosmic Dancer,” the first offering from the upcoming tribute compilation, Angelheaded Hipster, which was produced by the late Hal Willner. The record will arrive September 4th via BMG.

For his cover, Cave transformed “Cosmic Dancer” into a poignant piano ballad buoyed by a rich orchestral arrangement. The track arrived with a video of Cave and others recording the song in the studio, paired with a montage of archival footage of T. Rex.

Angelheaded Hipster: The Songs of Marc Bolan and T.

“AngelHeaded Hipster,” a long-percolating tribute album to Marc Bolan and T. Rex — featuring U2, Elton John, Nick Cave, Joan Jett, Lucinda Williams and Father John Misty, and which is a companion to a forthcoming documentary film on the legendary rocker — is due on Sept. 4. The first track from the album, Cave’s take on Bolan’s 1971 song “Cosmic Dancer,” can be heard here.

The 26-track album, helmed by veteran producer Hal Willner — who passed away April 7 due to complications from coronavirus — features a tag team between U2 and Elton John on T. Rex’s biggest hit, “Bang a Gong (Get It On),” as well as contributions from Cave, Jett, Williams, Misty, Todd Rundgen, Perry Farrell, Soft Cell singer Marc Almond, Kesha and many others. The full track list appears below.

Both the album and documentary are from BMG, in collaboration with Who/Robert Plant manager Bill Curbishley’s Trinifold company.

A mysterious new character brings a number of conflicts to a head in the strongest episode of Star Wars Resistance season 2.

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This Star Wars Resistance review contains spoilers.

Star Wars Resistance Season 2 Episode 5

In the rare case that Star Wars Resistance settles down to focus on a basic, specific story, the show genuinely shines, hinting at what it always could have always been. Resistance has tried to be a lot of things, muddying up what it was trying to do or be. So with a season with very clear stakes–being trapped in a heavily disabled ship with agitated people, semi-hostile pirates, and being chased by the First Order–the show now has a specific set of obstacles to deal with.

While many of those obstacles have been utilized in the past four episodes, they felt weirdly secondary, rarely immediate. So “The Engineer” feels like a breath of fresh air,...

“Cake”, a new weekly showcase featuring live-action and animated comedy programs, is premiering tonight at 10:30p Et/Pt on Fxx. To celebrate, we’re excited to feature a full-length music video in advance from Samantha Jayne’s Quarter Life Poetry for your viewing pleasure! Created, written by and starring Samantha Jayne; directed by Arturo Perez Jr.; music by Samantha Jayne, Christian Hanlon & Dom La Nena About Quarter Life Poetry Quarter Life Poetry, based on the hit book and Instagram account of the same name, is a series of darkly funny vignettes about the anxiety of life in your twenties. From the mind of creator/star Samantha Jayne, Quarter Life Poetry is #relatable for the young, the broke and the hangry. We also enjoyed our smashingly special treat courtesy of FX Networks yesterday in celebration of tonight’s premiere! Check out all the full we had: View this post on...

Barcelona — “Sacred Spirit,” “Five Little Wolves” and “Ane” are among five feature projects to be put through development at the Ecam Madrid Film School’s pioneering Incubator development program.

The Incubator forms part of The Screen, Ecam’s umbrella initiative aimed at nurturing on the rise Spain-based talent kinks with Europe’s film and TV industries.

Selected by Variety as a Spanish talent to track, Chema García Ibarra will direct “Spirit,” from Basque production house Apellániz & De Sosa, which has half of Spain searching for a missing girl as a Spanish Ufology association plans a night studying the heavens. The fate of humanity depends on one of its members, the morbidly obese José Manuel, who hides a secret.

García Ibarra’s debut short “Attack From the Robots From Nebula 5,” was selected for Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes and took the 2010 Meliès d’Or Short Film Award. His newest film, co-directed with Ion de Sosa,...

A celebrity-backed appeal has been launched for World Lion Day (10 August) to help Animal Defenders International (Adi) build a new wildlife sanctuary in South Africa.

Providing a much-needed refuge for lions in their natural homeland, the Adi Wildlife Sanctuary will also help raise awareness of the needs of lions and other wild animals, and the threats they face both in the wild and captivity.

Actress and national treasure Joanna Lumley said: “Bravo to Animal Defenders International for providing sanctuary to animals in desperate need. Please support this wonderful cause and help provide a home from home for animals who have known only suffering and pain.”

Us actor and television legend Ed Asner is also backing the new sanctuary: “Animals deserve to live free, not be exploited for entertainment. That’s why I support the work of Animal Defenders International, and their new sanctuary, a place these animals can at last experience love and kindness.

Ewen McGregor and Nicole Kidman in “Moulin Rouge!” Jennifer Beals in “Flashdance.” Belle and the Beast in “Beauty and the Beast.” There’s nothing like an epic movie dance scene to knock you off your feet, and a new supercut from Cls Videos is here to make you swoon nearly 300 times. Running seven minutes, “Dancing in Movies” edits together almost 300 movie dance scenes into one thrilling compilation.

The supercut is set to “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go” by Wham! and songs by Tongues and Nena. Films included in the video include everything from “Eyes Wide Shut” and “The Big Lebowski” to “Step Up,” “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” and “Edward Scissorhands.” Recent titles like “The Lobster” (there’s nothing like Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz awkwardly dancing in the woods) and “Brooklyn” also make an appearance.

Test your knowledge by watching the supercut below and seeing how many films...

Charlize Theron excels as an action lead in this cold war spy story, adapted from graphic novel The Coldest City

I can’t think of any actor more deserving of their own pulpy action franchise than Charlize Theron. Having stolen Mad Max: Fury Road from Tom Hardy one-handed (literally), she is relentlessly, murderously brilliant in this adaptation of Antony Johnston’s graphic novel The Coldest City. The setting is Berlin just before the fall of the Wall; the paranoid hangover of the cold war is giving way to a new era of hungry opportunism. A British agent has been murdered; a valuable list is missing. And MI5 asset Lorraine Broughton (Theron, looking like Debbie Harry dipped in venom) is flown in to clear up the mess. There she butts heads with fellow agent David Percival (James McAvoy, skeevy-sexy, accessorised with beer sweats and casual treachery) and has a fling with...

David Leitch’s cinematic rendition of graphic novel The Coldest City holds true to its roots in genre, styling & characterisation, creating an astounding & brutally fresh view on the spy genre, however often fails to keep its audiences gripped, and falls short of its overarching style.

Set in 1989 Berlin, international tensions are high, as British Intelligence fights for The List, a list of every active agent in the Soviet Union. Having been sent by MI6 to retrieve The List and assassinate a mysterious loose-lipped double-agent, Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) fights her way through Berlin, uncovering secrets and corruption, she can trust no-one.

Sounds familiar right? Atomic Blonde has an underlying plot structure which screams nothing new to a viewer, the Berlin Wall, international espionage, secrets & fight scenes. However, as the film’s opening credits show, this is not that story. Leitch’s graphic and brutal spy flick brings audiences the female John Wick,...

“Atomic Blonde” is set just before the collapse of the Berlin Wall, and as such, Charlize Theron’s latest actioner features an ‘80s-appropriate soundtrack. Artists such as A Flock of Seagulls, David Bowie, George Michael, and ‘Til Tuesday are featured on the soundtrack, which is now available to listen to Spotify. Stream it below.

Read More‘Atomic Blonde’: How They Turned One Amazing Action Scene Into a Seven-Minute Long Take

Mondo recently announced a new 2Xlp version of the soundtrack on 180-gram blue vinyl and yellow-swirl vinyl. Here’s the tracklist:

Side A

01. “Cat People (Putting Out Fire)” — David Bowie

02. “Major Tom (Völlig Losgelöst)” — Peter Schilling

03. “Blue Monday” — Health

04. “C*cks*cker” — Tyler Bates

Side B

05. “99 Luftballons” — Nena

06. “Father Figure” — George Michael

07. “Der Kommissar” — After the Fire

08. “Cities in Dust” — Siouxsie and the Banshees

Side C

09. “The Politics of Dancing” — Re-Flex

10. “Stigmata” — Marilyn Manson & Tyler Bates

11. “Demonstration” — Tyler Bates...

Tags: Feminist FridaypoliticsGlenn CloseMadeline AlbrightGina CaranoAmy PoehlerGeena DavisIMDb

This Week in Argh

Sort-of-always-angry Hollywood blogger Nikki Finke posted a rant in her Emmy blog about how hot women can’t be funny.

No. No no no no no. No. Did I mention no? Also no. No.

Way to “defend” women in comedy by missing all the points while contributing to dumb sexist stereotypes at the same time.

The problem is not that Hollywood only hires hot women, who cannot possibly be funny. The problem is that Hollywood tends to hire only the funny women who are also hot.

And that problem is perpetuated when people — including other women — slice women up into categories based on hotness instead of, say, judging skilled and talented women purely on their skill and talent. Suggesting that the many funny women who are also attractive must not really be one of those things is stupid...

Got a scoop request? An anonymous tip you’re dying to share? Just want to say hi? You can send any/all of the above to [email protected] Question: It's great to see Jesse Spencer getting a powerful storyline on House. Any news on how he'll cope without Cameron? —Angela Ausiello: Not well. In the Nov. 23 episode — the first sans Jennifer Morrison as Cameron — he loses it and punches House in the face! "Chase is very clearly off his game," says a House insider, "and struggling with the loss of Cameron." What prompts the fisticuffs? Apparently, Doc Crankypants unfavorably...

Got a scoop request? An anonymous tip you’re dying to share? Just want to say hi? You can send any/all of the above to [email protected] Question: It's great to see Jesse Spencer getting a powerful storyline on House. Any news on how he'll cope without Cameron? —Angela Ausiello: Not well. In the Nov. 23 episode — the first sans Jennifer Morrison as Cameron — he loses it and punches House in the face! "Chase is very clearly off his game," says a House insider, "and struggling with the loss of Cameron." What prompts the fisticuffs? Apparently, Doc Crankypants unfavorably...

Watchmen Review It's taken its time. Watchmen is everything it should be: a complex, confusing, multi-layered, serious and very violent story that at once doesn't make complete sense but creates a picture that is about as original and imaginative as Alan Moore's brain would wish it to be...

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That's not to say Alan Moore would approve this Hollywood adaptation. Truthfully he'd most likely hate it. For the rest of us, somehow Zack Snyder has taken a much loved work of comic art and layered it piece by piece in a film that oozes its faithfulness in every frame. This is the comic but not as you know it. The result is a movie that will impress most comic and movie lovers and alienate your date. As it should. Watchmen should not be a movie that allows everyone to join the club - the comic is serious adult literature -...