Elvis Presley’s entourage was intimately familiar with the singer’s interest in spirituality. He led Bible readings for them and spoke often about his belief in his own mystical abilities. Elvis attempted to heal members of his entourage with a touch and tried to control the weather in front of them. Once, he had them sit in a hot car while he tried to move a cloud with his mind.
Elvis tried to prove to his entourage that he could control clouds
Elvis and several members of his entourage were driving through Palm Springs on a day that was “hotter than hell,” said bodyguard Dave Hebler in the book Elvis: What Happened? by Steve Dunleavy. As Elvis talked about the power of metaphysics, he instructed the driver to stop the car. Elvis pointed out the only cloud in the sky.
“Suddenly Elvis yells out, ‘Stop the car. I want...
Elvis tried to prove to his entourage that he could control clouds
Elvis and several members of his entourage were driving through Palm Springs on a day that was “hotter than hell,” said bodyguard Dave Hebler in the book Elvis: What Happened? by Steve Dunleavy. As Elvis talked about the power of metaphysics, he instructed the driver to stop the car. Elvis pointed out the only cloud in the sky.
“Suddenly Elvis yells out, ‘Stop the car. I want...
- 3/8/2024
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The affable ruler to HBO’s “The Regime,” Will Tracy is easy to shop for.
“I’m always somewhat embarrassed to say this, but my beach reading for the last 20 years has been about autocrats and authoritarian regimes,” the showrunner told IndieWire in an interview from before his miniseries debuted on Sunday, March 3. “Just get me a book about Stalin or Ceaușescu and I’ll be happy.”
Starring Kate Winslet as Chancellor Elena Vernham, the six-part political dramedy is a long-time coming from the “Succession” writer, also known for co-writing the culinary thriller “The Menu” with Seth Reiss. “The Regime” examines an unnamed country in central Europe positioned smack-dab in the middle of the contemporary political climate. New episodes air weekly at 9 p.m. Et — fittingly followed by “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”
“If they look behind their shoulder, they see China and Russia, and...
“I’m always somewhat embarrassed to say this, but my beach reading for the last 20 years has been about autocrats and authoritarian regimes,” the showrunner told IndieWire in an interview from before his miniseries debuted on Sunday, March 3. “Just get me a book about Stalin or Ceaușescu and I’ll be happy.”
Starring Kate Winslet as Chancellor Elena Vernham, the six-part political dramedy is a long-time coming from the “Succession” writer, also known for co-writing the culinary thriller “The Menu” with Seth Reiss. “The Regime” examines an unnamed country in central Europe positioned smack-dab in the middle of the contemporary political climate. New episodes air weekly at 9 p.m. Et — fittingly followed by “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”
“If they look behind their shoulder, they see China and Russia, and...
- 3/8/2024
- by Alison Foreman
- Indiewire
Generationally wealthy royals: they're just like us!
Queen Elizabeth II's favorite movie was reportedly Mike Hodges' gloriously campy "Flash Gordon." Her son, King Charles, is apparently a fan of morose singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. When Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud isn't ordering the mutilation of journalists, he evidently enjoys pro wrestling.
Entertainment is essential. It's what gets us through the drudgery of day-to-day life, and even the most monstrous people who've ever existed require this escapist outlet. Adolf Hitler was a cinephile. So was Joseph Stalin. Donald Trump reportedly loves Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Evita."
King Abdullah II of Jordan is no exception. In 2002, the first child of King Hussein visited Hollywood, and, keen on meeting Steven Spielberg, visited the set of "Catch Me If You Can." He was also a fan of "Shrek," which prompted Jeffrey Katzenberg to give Abdullah II a tour of DreamWorks Animation...
Queen Elizabeth II's favorite movie was reportedly Mike Hodges' gloriously campy "Flash Gordon." Her son, King Charles, is apparently a fan of morose singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen. When Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud isn't ordering the mutilation of journalists, he evidently enjoys pro wrestling.
Entertainment is essential. It's what gets us through the drudgery of day-to-day life, and even the most monstrous people who've ever existed require this escapist outlet. Adolf Hitler was a cinephile. So was Joseph Stalin. Donald Trump reportedly loves Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Evita."
King Abdullah II of Jordan is no exception. In 2002, the first child of King Hussein visited Hollywood, and, keen on meeting Steven Spielberg, visited the set of "Catch Me If You Can." He was also a fan of "Shrek," which prompted Jeffrey Katzenberg to give Abdullah II a tour of DreamWorks Animation...
- 4/28/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Tuesday felicitated Kartiki Gonsalves, Oscar award-winning director for the short documentary film, ‘The Elephant Whisperers’.
Gonsalves is a native of Udhagamandalam in Tamil Nadu and the movie was also shot in the state.
State Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu was also present during the function.
Stalin presented a shawl and memento to the director who had spent five years in the Theppakadu elephant Camp in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the lap of The Nilgiris to make the movie.
The short documentary movie depicted the life of the calf elephant ‘Reghu’ who was brought up by a mahout couple, Bomman and Bellie in the Theppakadu elephant camp in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
The movie showcases the life of the indigenous couple and how they bring up ‘Reghu’ the elephant and the love they shower on him. The presence of ‘Ammu’ another calf elephant...
Gonsalves is a native of Udhagamandalam in Tamil Nadu and the movie was also shot in the state.
State Chief Secretary V. Irai Anbu was also present during the function.
Stalin presented a shawl and memento to the director who had spent five years in the Theppakadu elephant Camp in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in the lap of The Nilgiris to make the movie.
The short documentary movie depicted the life of the calf elephant ‘Reghu’ who was brought up by a mahout couple, Bomman and Bellie in the Theppakadu elephant camp in the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
The movie showcases the life of the indigenous couple and how they bring up ‘Reghu’ the elephant and the love they shower on him. The presence of ‘Ammu’ another calf elephant...
- 3/21/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
78 years after its publication, George Orwell's "Animal Farm" is more relevant than ever. The satiric fairy tale in which the four-legged denizens of an ineptly run farm expel their alcoholic human minder from his estate and install a utopian society where "all animals are created equal," only to watch their every lofty ideal be corrupted by greed and a wanton thirst for power, was initially written as a response to the Stalinist system that darkly blossomed out of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in the Soviet Union.
In today's authoritarian societies, there's nary a pretense of equality. Oligarchies are all the rage, and these venal strongmen prop themselves up by catering to the vilest prejudices of their citizenry. They target the powerless in the hopes that their hateful, poorly educated supporters never suspect that they are the author of their misery.
The common denominator is, of course, the axiom that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
In today's authoritarian societies, there's nary a pretense of equality. Oligarchies are all the rage, and these venal strongmen prop themselves up by catering to the vilest prejudices of their citizenry. They target the powerless in the hopes that their hateful, poorly educated supporters never suspect that they are the author of their misery.
The common denominator is, of course, the axiom that absolute power corrupts absolutely.
- 3/20/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
As the American treasure himself says in the opening credits, Mel Brooks is a hero to some, and merely a legend to others. He broke ground in irreverent social commentary with Blazing Saddles, and rewired the knobs in the monster’s brain for Young Frankenstein. Brooks’ Hulu TV-sketch-series-masquerading-as-a-film-sequel throws more jokes at the viewer than almost any comedy in the History of The World, Part II. Not all of them land squarely, though the ricochets inflict sufficient comic collateral damage.
There is a lot we can learn from an anthology sketch series. All of which is graded on a curveball. Like History of the World, Part I, the series is made up of short gags, like Marco Polo’s (Jake Johnson) impromptu gift-exchange on his first trip to China, longer one-off sequences, and a few continuing stories. The eight-episode series is Brooks’ first creative project since composing the score to...
There is a lot we can learn from an anthology sketch series. All of which is graded on a curveball. Like History of the World, Part I, the series is made up of short gags, like Marco Polo’s (Jake Johnson) impromptu gift-exchange on his first trip to China, longer one-off sequences, and a few continuing stories. The eight-episode series is Brooks’ first creative project since composing the score to...
- 3/6/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
It took 42 years, but Mel Brooks is finally making good on a parody of a promise he never seemed likely to keep: Bringing “History of the World, Part II” to audiences far and wide. The filmmaker addresses that elephant in the room within the opening minutes of the new, eight-part Hulu series, admitting that he agreed to the project under two conditions — that there could be no repeat gags, and that he be made to look exactly like he did in the 1981 original film.
The show winks at both of those conditions by the end of the first episode, setting the tone for any unaware viewers that were expecting historical insight or veracity on world events.
In “Part II,” a now 96-year-old Brooks returns as writer and producer, but aside from the aforementioned intro, he doesn’t appear onscreen. Instead, he picks up narration duties from Orson Welles, a gig...
The show winks at both of those conditions by the end of the first episode, setting the tone for any unaware viewers that were expecting historical insight or veracity on world events.
In “Part II,” a now 96-year-old Brooks returns as writer and producer, but aside from the aforementioned intro, he doesn’t appear onscreen. Instead, he picks up narration duties from Orson Welles, a gig...
- 3/5/2023
- by Amber Dowling
- Variety Film + TV
Spoofs are all about volume. Deliver enough punchlines and there are almost guaranteed to be duds — but if you get enough big laughs, viewers will be too busy wheezing and wiping away tears to notice.
With the possible exception of the Airplane! guys, nobody knows this better than Mel Brooks. There are jokes in Blazing Saddles that fall flat. You mostly don’t remember them, because so much of it is still a riot. And because so much of Dracula: Dead and Loving It is stagnant, the few punchlines that land are rarely mentioned.
As Mel Brooks spoofs go, 1981’s History of the World, Part I is right in the middle. It has great bits — I quote “It is said that the people are revolting.” “You said it. They stink on ice!” in my head at least once a week — and flailing duds and stretches I think were memorable that...
With the possible exception of the Airplane! guys, nobody knows this better than Mel Brooks. There are jokes in Blazing Saddles that fall flat. You mostly don’t remember them, because so much of it is still a riot. And because so much of Dracula: Dead and Loving It is stagnant, the few punchlines that land are rarely mentioned.
As Mel Brooks spoofs go, 1981’s History of the World, Part I is right in the middle. It has great bits — I quote “It is said that the people are revolting.” “You said it. They stink on ice!” in my head at least once a week — and flailing duds and stretches I think were memorable that...
- 2/28/2023
- by Daniel Fienberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Movie star John Wayne drew the attention of many international figures, including former Japanese Emperor Hirohito. Various prominent figures didn’t all share positive sentiments for him, but none of them questioned his star power with American moviegoers. Emperor Hirohito and Wayne had a private conversation that a journalist asked about, although the Western legend wasn’t having any of it.
John Wayne drew international attention John Wayne | Screen Archives/Getty Images
Wayne first hit the silver screen in a leading role in Raoul Walsh’s The Big Trail in 1930, but it bombed at the box office. As a result, he wouldn’t see his first glowing success until 1939’s Stagecoach. It was an ensemble piece that still allowed him to shine. The Western adventure was one of many collaborations that the movie star had with legendary filmmaker John Ford.
Many critics didn’t consider Wayne a real actor at the time,...
John Wayne drew international attention John Wayne | Screen Archives/Getty Images
Wayne first hit the silver screen in a leading role in Raoul Walsh’s The Big Trail in 1930, but it bombed at the box office. As a result, he wouldn’t see his first glowing success until 1939’s Stagecoach. It was an ensemble piece that still allowed him to shine. The Western adventure was one of many collaborations that the movie star had with legendary filmmaker John Ford.
Many critics didn’t consider Wayne a real actor at the time,...
- 2/11/2023
- by Jeff Nelson
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Click here to read the full article.
Opening this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival is Takahisa Zeze’s war drama Fragments of the Last Will, a tragic but hopeful story from a little-known chapter of Russo-Japanese history.
Based on the true story of Hatao Yamamoto (Kazunari Ninomiya), one of more than half a million Japanese soldiers taken to the Soviet Union after World War Two, the film tells of his battle to keep hope alive and keep his promise to his wife (Keiko Kitagawa) waiting for his return.
Taken to labor camps after surrendering to the Soviet Army in China, the soldiers, and some civilians, were put to work for years in Siberia and across Stalin’s empire in contravention of multiple international treaties and conventions. Some were not allowed to return home for more than a decade. Estimates of the number who died range from the tens to...
Opening this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival is Takahisa Zeze’s war drama Fragments of the Last Will, a tragic but hopeful story from a little-known chapter of Russo-Japanese history.
Based on the true story of Hatao Yamamoto (Kazunari Ninomiya), one of more than half a million Japanese soldiers taken to the Soviet Union after World War Two, the film tells of his battle to keep hope alive and keep his promise to his wife (Keiko Kitagawa) waiting for his return.
Taken to labor camps after surrendering to the Soviet Army in China, the soldiers, and some civilians, were put to work for years in Siberia and across Stalin’s empire in contravention of multiple international treaties and conventions. Some were not allowed to return home for more than a decade. Estimates of the number who died range from the tens to...
- 10/26/2022
- by Gavin J Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Founded more than 25 years ago by Manuel Catteau, independent French producer and distributor Zed has become over the years a major player in the documentary field. At TV market Unifrance Rendez-vous in Biarritz, Zed revealed to Variety the acquisition of three ambitious history documentary projects, which are available for presales.
“Ukraine 1933: Seeds of Hunger,” a documentary by Guillaume Ribot, produced by Les Films Du Poisson for France Télévisions, recalls the tragedy experienced by Ukrainians between 1931 and 1933: the Holodomor, the great famine organized by Stalin to punish those who refused the collectivization of the countryside and communist ideology, resulted in the deaths of more than 4 million of them.
“The tragedy was disclosed to the world by an intrepid Welsh journalist, Gareth Jones, one of the bravest whistleblowers in history,” Zed states. The completion is scheduled for fall 2022.
Scheduled for fall 2023, “WWII: Operation Barbarossa” focuses on the German invasion of...
“Ukraine 1933: Seeds of Hunger,” a documentary by Guillaume Ribot, produced by Les Films Du Poisson for France Télévisions, recalls the tragedy experienced by Ukrainians between 1931 and 1933: the Holodomor, the great famine organized by Stalin to punish those who refused the collectivization of the countryside and communist ideology, resulted in the deaths of more than 4 million of them.
“The tragedy was disclosed to the world by an intrepid Welsh journalist, Gareth Jones, one of the bravest whistleblowers in history,” Zed states. The completion is scheduled for fall 2022.
Scheduled for fall 2023, “WWII: Operation Barbarossa” focuses on the German invasion of...
- 9/9/2022
- by Trinidad Barleycorn
- Variety Film + TV
PBS is developing a drama series based on the public and private life of Clementine Churchill, wife of British Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill.
The U.S. public broadcaster is working with Maven Screen Media, the production company set up by Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler, Origin Pictures, the producer of HBO and Sky’s Catherine the Great, on five-part series Mrs. Churchill (w/t).
Margaret Nagle, who previously wrote on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, is writing.
The project was previously being developed as a feature film, as revealed by Deadline in 2018.
It is the story of a fiercely independent and very modern heroine who risked everything to save her country and the world from fascism–and her husband from himself. Clementine’s story has slipped through the cracks of history. The magnitude of her many achievements are only recently being recognized.
Each episode of the limited series will follow...
The U.S. public broadcaster is working with Maven Screen Media, the production company set up by Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler, Origin Pictures, the producer of HBO and Sky’s Catherine the Great, on five-part series Mrs. Churchill (w/t).
Margaret Nagle, who previously wrote on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire, is writing.
The project was previously being developed as a feature film, as revealed by Deadline in 2018.
It is the story of a fiercely independent and very modern heroine who risked everything to save her country and the world from fascism–and her husband from himself. Clementine’s story has slipped through the cracks of history. The magnitude of her many achievements are only recently being recognized.
Each episode of the limited series will follow...
- 7/28/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.